Chapter 726: Chapter 133 Investing in the Future
“The Moulin Rouge” premiere in mainland China was held at the Eiffel Tower Dream Theater, which officially opened in ’98 and was the first dinner theater in the mainland with Broadway flair, known as the Capital Moulin Rouge. Hosting the premiere there was quite fitting indeed. It was said that to prepare for the “Moulin Rouge” premiere, the theater was specially decorated in bright red, making the interior look no different from the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
“There’s nothing impressive about it; it’s too derivative,” Nicole criticized without reservation. The film had premiered at the Moulin Rouge in France, and no matter how the Eiffel Tower Dream Theater was decorated, it couldn’t compare with the original. Despite this, she wore a proud expression, seemingly quite satisfied with the arrangements of the hosts.
Naturally, this was to be expected. Nearly twenty years had passed since the reforms, and certain achievements had been made. The Chinese were eager to promote themselves to the world, and Nicole was the first international superstar to attend a movie premiere there. Moreover, she was now more famous than she had been in her past life at this time. Having been nominated for Best Actress for “American Beauty” was one thing, but she had won Best Supporting Actress last year, and she was on this year’s list of nominees as the strong favorite for Best Actress. Naturally, China was keen to treat her with the highest standards reserved for celebrities.
In addition to the lavish premiere, she had also agreed to appear on “Yang Lan’s Talk Show” beforehand. The show had started broadcasting last year, featuring high-profile celebrities, and unlike the yet-to-be-aired “Leaders Talk,” it was not so serious and formal, making it a perfect fit for Nicole. Moreover, Yang Lan had studied in the United States and knew what topics were appropriate and how to flatter her guests. It was also the first time an international superstar would appear on the show, so it was normal for Nicole to feel a bit smug about being the first.
Speaking of which, it was also because he was busy that he hadn’t noticed her before; otherwise, it might have been fun to flirt with her while she was in the United States.
“I just love this about you,” Adrian chuckled, “What you say and how your body reacts are always the opposite.”
As he spoke, his hand moved further under her skirt, and Nicole rolled her eyes at him, then leaned over with a seductive smile and slowly started to gyrate against him, teasing him further with her body.
Adrian also attended the premiere, though he sat in the audience. Nicole truly dazzled onstage, and with several contingency plans prepared in advance, she earned a lot of applause. If the Huayi side cooperated well, it was believed her popularity in China would take a big leap. Although Adrian hadn’t appeared in person, he had recorded a video that was played at the venue, in which he praised China and expressed hope that the audience would enjoy the film; naturally, he included a few well-pronounced Chinese phrases that amazed the audience.
However, that was all that was needed—just a few phrases to show his attention to the Chinese market and audience. Frankly, watching himself speaking Chinese on screen from the audience felt strangely bizarre.
What came after didn’t really matter to him. He didn’t have high hopes for “The Moulin Rouge” at the Chinese box office, as North America and Europe were already sufficient. It had been nearly two months since the North American release, and the box office had already exceeded 60 million US dollars. With Europe—especially France—welcoming the film, recouping the cost wasn’t a problem. Thus, he had enough time and energy to focus elsewhere, like—
“No, no, no, that’s too much trouble, my dear. I’m leaving tomorrow, and you must be almost done shooting, right? I’ve talked with Director Zhang, so don’t worry. When you return to Los Angeles, I’ll thoroughly check whether you’ve gained or lost weight.” The night outside was deepening, and Adrian sat by the bed, grinning as he spoke on the phone, “But for now, I want to hear you moan—yes, moan.”
The lady on the other end blushed and murmured a few words with a soft Taiwanese accent, then her voice lowered, and within seconds, a sultry, soft moan reached him. Adrian couldn’t help but show an admiring expression; he could almost envision her half-lidded eyes, caressing herself between the legs as she held the phone, which made his lower body swell a bit more, eliciting a soft gasp.
Adrian immediately made a “shush” gesture to the girl kneeling before him, Ivanka rolled her eyes at him, and her disdain only intensified, causing him to take a deep breath involuntarily.
It was right not to let Lin Zhiling come over, otherwise, he would have to simultaneously deal with three women, and it wouldn’t have been easy to manipulate them together. Lin Zhiling might have compromised, but Ivanka and Nicole definitely would not. Just like today, when Adrian hinted slightly, Ivanka immediately rejected him outright, and although Nicole didn’t do the same, she explicitly stated that such special services would cost a substantial fee.
“Five hundred million dollars,” she said with one hand raised, her expression a mixture of a smile and seriousness.
Which was indeed expensive. He knew that in Los Angeles, he was still flying regularly with her and Naomi, but her fees had never increased, indicating her stance clearly. Adrian thus put aside that thought. However, another advantage was it fully demonstrated the rumors about him being a playboy. In the last few days, the heads of several media companies had taken turns hosting parties for him. Except for the first night, he either attended with Ivanka or Nicole. Adding to his intimate and ambiguous address towards Lin Zhiling earlier, they further gathered information about him. Although they couldn’t see through other aspects, this particular matter was very transparent to them.
For this reason, during one conversation, the younger Wang Zhonglei took a roundabout approach and asked, “To tell the truth, Miss Kidman looked stunning in ‘Moulin Rouge’. Mr. Cowell seems to have a keen grasp on the essence of women. I wonder what type of Asian or ethnic Chinese women you appreciate?”
“Well,” Adrian smiled, “I suppose the demure and gentle type.”
“Could you be more specific?” Wang Zhonglei, already aware of his deep knowledge about China, wasn’t surprised by his use of idioms but continued to inquire.
“Let’s see…” he pondered for a few minutes, “You know, Western women are mostly lively and passionate, whereas Eastern women tend to be gentle and lovely, like the difference between an oil painting and ink wash painting. The former’s colors and compositions are clear and explicit, while the latter carries an implicit and hazy sense of beauty. So even though there are also gentle and lovely Western women, compared to Eastern women, that type of delicate and lovely haziness is much lesser.”
“Can you give an example?” Wang Zhonglei insisted.
“Sorry, I have only been here for a few days. Although I’ve learned a lot about China from various materials, after all, they are just paper knowledge; some things are better understood through in-person experience,” Adrian said with a smile, pausing before continuing, “If you really want an example, these past few days, I happened to see a commercial on the hotel TV called ‘Qingzui Breath Strips,’ and the female model in it was quite appealing.”
The Wang Brothers slightly furrowed their brows together, but they didn’t know Adrian’s exact intentions. So after exchanging glances, they didn’t pursue this topic further. However, before they could respond, Adrian left on a plane after taking Nicole and Ivanka to visit Badaling for a day, as his itinerary had originally only been set for three days.
It wasn’t that Adrian didn’t want to experience the mainland flavor; it was just that this place was fundamentally different from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The latter three looked up to the United States and had been dealing with American companies for a long time, mostly showing compliance. The mainland, however, was a completely different world from the United States; this being their first face-to-face interaction, Adrian wouldn’t easily give them any leverage, no matter how small the risk might be.
Anyway, he wasn’t going not to visit in the future. After the production of “Hero” was completed, he would inevitably come to check on the distribution affairs in North America. By then, they would see his sincerity, and after that, other matters would naturally fall into place. By then, playing a game of competing beauty on ice wouldn’t be a problem.
Although he was there for only a short three days, Adrian, except for playing mysterious on the night of his arrival, was very serious about discussing matters with Huayi and New Pictures at other times. For example, some specific ideas about the future Chinese film market, or the North American distribution issues of “Big Shot”—Adrian spent a lot of time, and finally found some relevant information about “Big Shot” in North America from his memory. In his previous life, this film had only been screened in two theaters and played just for three days. It was clearly a missed opportunity; no wonder Feng Xiaogang made such comments, even though it wasn’t Weinstein but Sony who had let him down.
Without Adrian intervening, Columbia would have invested in this film, and Sony would have been responsible for the international distribution rights while the Japanese’s ulterior motives were obvious; the misguidance of the Chinese film industry by the Japanese in the 1990s had already been conclusively determined in his previous life. However, now with the funding coming from Bossworth and AC Media holding a controlling stake in Huayi Brothers, securing the international distribution rights for this film wouldn’t be a problem, and Adrian wouldn’t stoop as low as the Japanese to betray them.
It was a pity that Guan Zhilin had aged a bit; twenty years earlier, he might have been somewhat interested, but now, well, he didn’t have that much time for golf.
Of course, no matter what, he was just playing a supportive role. There was still that saying, if People doesn’t want to stand up on his own, no one can help him. However, the specifics were mostly handled by AC Media’s office in the Capital; Adrian did not interfere at all. He knew the direction well, but he left the detailed negotiations to the professionals. They had all been instructed early on and had done their preparations; he needed to demonstrate his sincerity.
For instance, when Wang Zhongjun heard Adrian’s rhetoric, he couldn’t help but privately ask directly why AC Media was so favorably disposed towards them, whether Huayi or New Pictures, both private enterprises that didn’t have the right to import films?
“It’s simple,” Adrian said in a very candid tone, “I’ve been contemplating these days, and you must have learned something about my history of entrepreneurship, right?”
Then, without waiting for Wang Zhongjun to respond, he continued, “I have this indescribable intuition about the future; most of my investments have been very successful, which is why AC Media has risen like a comet. Now, I am optimistic about China’s film and entertainment market, especially Huayi—so why not act early rather than wait? A suitable partner is not that easy to find. Of course, we won’t fuss over specific affairs. Rest assured, our reputation is very good. Then, in a few years, you’ll know where the interests we targeted are. For now, you just need to wait and see our sincerity.”
Apart from that, if mainland TV stations still wanted to produce various talent shows, they had to pay neatly. Adrian wasn’t like those in other media groups who couldn’t see the situation in China clearly. Although the mainland’s intellectual property protection laws were full of loopholes, he had already had someone specially study it, and it was specifically someone from the mainland. The copyrights of numerous programs had already been applied for, almost immaculately. If some TV stations wanted to copy without notice, they couldn’t blame him for being unkind, and at this time, China needed to gain recognition internationally. Even if there was favoritism towards domestic stations, it would be very limited, let alone…regional stations versus national stations…heh…
This was just like ICQ, because Adrian had registered all copyrights and trademarks early in the mainland, including “Penguin,” and then “Pony Ma,” who dived in later, was sued to distress. As for afterward, Adrian didn’t inquire further; without QQ, there would be other instant messaging software, and the mainland wouldn’t let QICQ occupy too much market anyway.
Of course, Adrian didn’t want to completely suppress them either; he already had plans to establish a channel to standardize the introduction of foreign shows, including American dramas—even teaching them how to do it hand by hand. It was still that old saying, since they had to pay tuition fees, it was better to pay him than others; at least he would lend them a hand.
These surely couldn’t be explained in detail to Wang Zhongjun and the others, so they decided to express sincerity through “Big Shot” first and establish further connections before discussing further.
After returning to Los Angeles, Adrian immediately entered a leisurely state. Both parts of “The Matrix” were already completed, post-production was taken care of by others, and the remaining two parts of “The Lord of the Rings” were also progressing orderly. The annual grand event was still a few days away, and there were temporarily no films to produce, so naturally, he spent his days frolicking among women.
Pacifying people was common, like Avril, who eagerly attended the Grammy but didn’t win any awards. The girl wasn’t angry, and every day at home she would practice a few punches and kicks on a punching bag with Adrian’s name on it. That thing was customized after being brought back from Canada by Adrian, letting one imagine she still harbored some resentment. However, in bed, her cries of “Uncle” were incessant.
Gwyneth also needed pacifying, the closer it got to the Oscars, the more distracted she became. One day, while Adrian took advantage of the nice afternoon sun, holding Eleanor, Blanchett, Gwyneth, and Liv laughing in the garden, she drifted away repeatedly. Without thinking, one could tell it was the approaching Oscars that worried her—having parents familiar with the industry’s workings and a widely connected godfather, she could somewhat sense the movements on Nicole’s side.
Within their small circle, Blanchett had already won Best Actress, Liv had thought about it but quickly dismissed the idea, knowing she wasn’t cut out for it. And Gwyneth had been nominated for Best Actress several years in a row, but always lost due to various reasons. This time, everyone praised her performance in “A Beautiful Mind” as being outstanding, far surpassing her previous nominations, and she naturally wanted to actually win it.
However, the movements of Nicole’s PR team and Miramax worried her; she was worried just as when she lost to Monica. How could Gwyneth not worry? Sometimes she really wanted to probe Adrian indirectly whether Miramax’s vigorous PR for Nicole was his doing, and considering who could win Best Actress in recent years… Of course, she wouldn’t actually be that foolish, so it was normal for her to often be absent-minded.
Adrian, noticing this, often reassured her in private, even joking half-seriously that if she didn’t win, he would personally direct a film for her this year. He wasn’t too concerned about Gwyneth’s worries; the more she was like this, the easier it would be after the Oscars… she would become entirely his private possession.
Then there was the trio from “White Oleander.” After confirming Amanda would star, production began. Amanda might have been lacking in experience, but she learned quickly. Director Andy Kaplan also admitted she was a very good learner. As a collectible that had only recently been placed on the shelf, Adrian necessarily had to spend more time solidifying it.
Julia and Kate seemed to clash sparks every time on set, unsurprising as after her success, Julia immediately wanted a child like Blanchett and Monica, and Adrian naturally didn’t refuse. However, repeated attempts failed to get her pregnant, then soon Lily’s issue was exposed, followed closely by 9/11, forcing Julia to temporarily slow down her tactics.
Just as things calmed down and she was ready to resume at the beginning of the year, Lily’s issue resurfaced, this time nearly explicitly naming Adrian as Lily’s father. Furthermore, Adrian suggested she use the motherly image in “White Oleander” for an initial transition, so the baby-making plan had to be postponed again.
As a result, Julia was very resentful towards Kate, and although Kate became quieter for a period after a warning from the media following the Oscar nominations, every outing with Lily inevitably led to being chased for photos. Even if guardians disagreed, reporters couldn’t photograph Lily, but it was still an annoying matter. So, whenever Julia could hold back her anger, Kate immediately responded in kind. Luckily, they didn’t have many scenes together, otherwise only God would know what the set would turn into.
However, Adrian just laughed it off when he heard about it.
“This will definitely make the mother-to-mother scene in prison interesting,” he told the director. Julia and Kate weren’t children to him, and both being his women, they’d restrain themselves even in confrontation. He wasn’t worried at all and had paid attention to the crew of “White Oleander,” marking a clear line. As long as that was crossed, he would certainly deal with them in bed. (To be continued. If you like this piece, please vote for it and recommend it on , your support is my greatest motivation.)