King of Hollywood

Chapter 93: Chapter 93 This is a Different Concept

“Reset the set, you have only 8 minutes! Lighting technician, put in a brighter bulb and move to the northeast corner! Script supervisor, check what segment we should be filming next!” With Adrian’s voice, the crew members immediately sprang into action, and the whole house suddenly became noisy.

Mia’s home scenes had been shooting for four days, and according to schedule, they had to wrap up today. However, the commotion didn’t disturb the two lead actors, who had already taken a break on the side.

“I still don’t know what I was thinking at the time, how I could have turned down ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’. Of course, my foolish previous agent also played a part in that. So I accepted Adrian’s offer on the cheap, since at this point there was nothing much to lose. Maybe this genius director—oh, should be calling him a genius now—can give me a boost,” Travolta rambled on to Monica, holding a cup of water. However, after talking for so long, he realized this seductive woman seemingly wasn’t listening at all; her gaze was fixed on Adrian, who was directing the staff.

Travolta suddenly thought of something and smirked, but then quickly returned to his usual demeanor.

“What’s wrong with the director, sir?” he asked pointedly, his words crisp and accompanied by his signature insincere smile, which carried an indescribable charm.

“Don’t you find him extraordinary?” Monica replied, still fixed on Adrian, not paying any attention, “Whenever I think about how the media has been reporting on him lately, I feel… well, let’s just say if you only read the newspapers, you’d find it amazing and surprising. But if you actually work with him, you wouldn’t know how to describe him.”

“The media is just like that—they raise you to the heavens when you’re useful and trample you underground when you’re not,” Travolta muttered, familiar with this all too well, but then he raised his voice again: “I don’t think so, at least from my perspective, Adrian is a very thoughtful and capable director, and he’s also humorous and charming. Working with the youngest Best Director… feels pretty good.”

Monica just shrugged her shoulders and didn’t speak. Travolta mirrored her gesture and also fell silent. Reflecting on his interactions with Monica over the past few days, he had given up his initial intentions; she was just another woman after all.

Just then, Adrian walked over: “Get ready, the both of you.”

Then, after taking a closer look at Monica, he called the make-up artist over: “Mipaid, come over here, and bring the clothes Monica will need later, too.”

When the make-up artist hurried over, he pointed at Monica’s cheeks and said, “Don’t put too much ketchup on, just a faint trace of blood at the beginning. Prepare the milk foam, as the next shot will need it.”

After handing the black coat to Monica, Adrian smiled, a rare occurrence: “I’m sorry we have to mess up your pretty face.”

“It’s okay, it’s not a big deal,” Monica looked at him and said with a raised eyebrow.

“Then let’s begin,” Adrian immediately turned and left.

The next scene to be filmed was after returning home from the restaurant, where Mia mistakenly snorts the concentrated powder from Vincent’s clothes and then convulses and faints. Since there was a close-up of the face, Monica’s expressions had to be accurate, posing a significant challenge for her.

Although she had already been in two films, her modeling career had been longer, making her less experienced in acting. In fact, even in her “later” work, she was known more for her sensuality than her acting skills. Therefore, she had more than her share of NGs since the shooting began, and Adrian was not one to relax standards for any reason.

Fortunately, the facial expressions required for these few shots were relatively simple, and Monica managed to keep her NG count to single digits. After about two hours, when the clock struck past ten, they finally completed the scene.

The crew members expressed their excitement with cheers and then held a small barbecue party outside the rented house. Adrian had previously agreed to this, as the story of “Vincent and Masha’s Wife” takes place at night, and sleeping in a bit later was not intolerable.

“Hey, why are you sitting here all by yourself?” As the familiar voice sounded by her ear, Monica, who was leaning against the door, turned her head. Adrian walked up to her with a smile. He was still dressed in a simple t-shirt and long pants, only with the addition of a jacket compared to the formal wear at dinner, giving him a more casual air.

“Hi, Adrian,” Monica cocked a corner of her mouth, and a seductive air instantly appeared in her eyes and brows, “I just wanted to be alone, to think more.”

Adrian just chuckled noncommittally, “Would you like to go for a walk with me? We don’t have to go far, just a short distance.”

Has it come to this? Monica narrowed her eyes, her mouth slightly open, her tongue lightly grazing the corner of her lips, then her smile deepened, “Delighted to.”

Shoulder to shoulder, the two of them walked out from the doorway, strolling down the street. Although Monica had changed her clothes and freshened up her face, she hadn’t removed the makeup for the movie, and this light smoky eye made her even more enticing.

“Your acting is pretty good, but you’re not formally trained and your experience is too limited, so you need constant NGs to grasp the character’s feelings,” Adrian said when they talked about the past few days of filming.

“So, what do you think I should do?” Monica tilted her head and asked him.

“Just keep it up like this,” Adrian gestured, “Firstly, I don’t want to put more pressure on you by saying this; secondly, I hope you can understand your own weaknesses and strengths,”

“So, are you pretty satisfied with me?” Monica suddenly stopped, her eyes half smiling, half mocking as she looked at Adrian, her brown eyes seemingly challenging. She stood just under a streetlamp, bathed in the white column of light, arms crossed, letting the breeze lift her black hair, looking particularly alluring.

“On the whole, yes—can say that,” Adrian shrugged, his tone so neutral it seemed like he didn’t catch her implication.

Monica suddenly became a bit annoyed and, after days of unsuccessful overtures, she bluntly asked, “Do you want to sleep with me?”

Adrian’s reply was just as direct, “Of course I do, desperately. Any man who doesn’t want to sleep with you must have some issues.”

Monica first laughed at his last remark, then looked at Adrian somewhat astonished.

“Wow, you’re… really candid,” she said after a moment.

“Thank you, I find honesty very important in front of some people,” Adrian said with a slight smile.

“Um…” Monica gestured, her mouth slightly open as if wanting to say something, but not sure how.

The empathetic Adrian immediately explained for her, “You see, Monica, sleeping together and making love are two different concepts.”

(Please vote for me… desperately asking for your recommendations…)