Echoes of Hollywood

Upon hearing that it was Murphy Stanton's suggestion, old Robert Downey Sr. immediately took it seriously. Compared to his unreliable son, Murphy Stanton was incredibly dependable.

Since he gave Robert Downey Jr. this suggestion, it must be highly targeted!

Thinking of this, old Robert Downey Sr. couldn't wait to ask, "What did Murphy say?"

"He suggested that Indio should study abroad for a while," Robert Downey Jr. said seriously. "Go to China, across the Pacific Ocean. They have very strict drug enforcement there, and the influence of families like the Douglases here won't reach there at all..."

Old Robert Downey Sr. thought for a few minutes and slowly nodded. "Sending Indio there temporarily is indeed the safest option."

He looked at Robert Downey Jr. and said, "You handle this. Get Indio over there as soon as possible."

Robert Downey Jr. nodded, "I'll talk to Indio about it tomorrow."

As night fell, Beverly Hills was as quiet as usual. In the main hall of Wave Manor, Murphy had just walked over from the dining room when he saw Gal Gadot, who had arrived earlier, discussing with the housekeeper, Catherine, about the purchase of some living facilities.

"Remove the bunk beds in the three servant rooms."

Gal Gadot had adapted well to her role as the lady of the house and had completely moved from UCLA. Her studies were nearing completion, and she was managing this huge estate efficiently during her spare time. "Replace them all with new single beds for the new staff."

Catherine was a plain-looking, slightly overweight middle-aged woman from England, professionally trained in housekeeping. She was recommended by CAA, and Gal Gadot found her the most suitable candidate.

"I'll have it done tomorrow," Catherine said.

Gal Gadot reminded her again, "According to the previous standards."

She saw Murphy coming over and waved Catherine away. Catherine turned and left the hall.

Murphy poured water for both himself and Gal Gadot, then sat down next to her. Gal Gadot continued the conversation they had in the dining room, "Why did you suggest sending Indio Downey to China across the Pacific Ocean? The culture and living environment there are completely different from here."

"But he is least likely to be tempted by drugs over there," Murphy said, taking a sip of water. "He is the biggest weakness of the Downey family."

Others might not know, but Murphy clearly remembered that three generations of the Downey family had fallen to drugs.

Gal Gadot frowned, "But we don't understand much about that place, and according to the news..."

"My dear, you've been there with me..." Murphy reminded her, "Is it as the news here describes?"

Gal Gadot shook her head.

Murphy continued, "Regardless of how the North American media slanders it, China across the Pacific is one of the safest societies in the world and one of the strictest countries in terms of drug control."

Having lived here for many years, especially having struggled at the bottom, he realized how good the social environment and order were where he used to live.

Since Murphy said so, Gal Gadot stopped worrying about it and instead said, "I looked into it. Michael Douglas is one thing, but Kirk Douglas was a very influential figure in Hollywood and not easy to deal with. You should be cautious."

"We know he's not easy to deal with," Murphy leaned back on the sofa. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have been so patient for so long."

Although Murphy didn't explicitly say it, Gal Gadot knew that when he said "we," he meant the entire Stanton faction.

Gal Gadot gave one last reminder, "Kirk Douglas is a senior member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a Jew."

Murphy nodded slightly, "I know."

Normally, a director aiming for an Oscar would avoid provoking someone like Kirk Douglas, as it could create unnecessary obstacles for future awards.

But when it came to brothers and interests, James Franco, Jonah Hill, and Seth Rogen all chose the former, and Murphy was no exception.

Many things in this world can't be done according to conventional wisdom and normal methods.

If you follow universal standards, people like the pedophilic James Franco, the drug-addicted Jonah Hill, and the disgraced drug user Robert Downey Jr. are all despicable characters. Only Seth Rogen seemed somewhat decent. But in reality, they were not only Murphy's good friends but also brothers who helped each other.

"You need to be careful with your actions," Gal Gadot still felt a bit worried.

"Don't worry," Murphy gently patted Gal Gadot's hand. "We... including the Downeys, are not directly involved. Even if things get out of hand, it won't trace back to us."

Not to mention him and Robert Downey Jr., even Ross and his men would be hard to connect to it.

Gal Gadot looked at him and sighed softly. Most of the time, Murphy was a good person, but in certain moments, he could become a demon.

Such was her choice. From the moment she got to know him, she knew what kind of person he was, yet she still chose him.

Because she knew only a person like him could protect her and himself in this treacherous society.

Growing up in Israel, surrounded by threats, Gal Gadot deeply understood that living well in this world was not an easy task.

"Let's take a walk in the garden," Murphy suggested.

Gal Gadot stood up, "Sure."

The two left the white main building and walked through the back door into the garden at the rear of the estate. It had been carefully maintained, with scattered palm and coconut trees, mostly evergreens and seasonal blooming flowers.

Walking along the granite-paved path, Gal Gadot looked at the blooming flowers around her and said, "In Israel, having such a private garden is almost unimaginable."

Murphy deliberately said, "Darling, your dream has come true."

Gal Gadot playfully pinched his arm.

Among all the flowers in the garden, the most striking were the hundreds of bird-of-paradise plants, one of the most common flowers in Los Angeles and also the city's official flower.

Noticing Murphy's gaze, Gal Gadot suddenly asked, "You're a native of Los Angeles. Do you know the origin of this flower?"

How could Murphy know? He directly shook his head.

Gal Gadot pursed her lips and briefly explained, "The bird-of-paradise, also known as Strelitzia, originates from southern Africa. Its flowers are unique and colorful, resembling a crane looking into the distance, hence the name Strelitzia, also considered a symbol of good fortune and widely loved."

Murphy nodded and asked, "How did it become the city flower of Los Angeles?"

Gal Gadot continued, "Los Angeles has a climate influenced by both the ocean and the desert, benefiting from the Pacific winds and abundant sunshine, making its winters very mild. It's a paradise for tropical and subtropical plants, perfect for Strelitzia to grow. Therefore, the bird-of-paradise is seen blooming almost everywhere in Los Angeles, making it the city's flower."

"You know a lot, darling," Murphy timely offered his praise.

After so many years together, he was no longer the super rookie he once was. Although his emotional intelligence wasn't high, he wasn't a complete fool either.

At this time, Murphy's energy was highly focused. Besides keeping an eye on the messages from Ross, he also had to continue promoting "Inglourious Basterds."

Just entering late August, Murphy specifically answered a few questions from reporters before entering the Century City Fox Building, maintaining the film's buzz.

"I didn't expect to discuss 'Inglourious Basterds' with you now because just a year ago, you were talking to Quentin about taking on this project. Isn't it a bit too fast?"

Hearing the question from the reporter squeezing in front of him, Murphy directly replied, "If you work in my filming style, things become much simpler. You can spend more time shooting a scene, which every director wishes for. However, some examples tell us not to do that. For instance, if you spend three days shooting a scene, you often don't finish it. Dragging on like this makes the performance on screen very obvious. I'm glad I finished quickly this time."

Another reporter asked, "Does shooting a film this way bring a lot of pressure?"

"Every time a day's shoot ends, and I drive back to the hotel, I think, great, today's work is done on time," Murphy said, almost without thinking. "But I can't relax because there's still work tomorrow, and this will continue for months. Honestly, I enjoy working this way."

After answering two questions, Murphy squeezed out of the reporter's circle with the help of security and entered the Fox Building.

In the following days, besides continuing to cooperate with 20th Century Fox to promote "Inglourious Basterds," Murphy kept an eye on the messages from Ross. From a series of messages, it was clear that the fish that had taken the bait was not only hooked but was biting harder and harder, gradually moving toward the angler's desired position.

Despite some negative voices from the Jewish circles in Hollywood, Murphy never considered backing down. Finally, in late August, he received definitive news from Ross: the fish was going to act!

Having planned for so long, Murphy also wanted to see the final results and specifically called on a few others to wait for the show to begin together.

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