Chapter 356: Chapter 80 This is very interesting

“I’m really happy to see you, David, how does it feel?” In the spacious foyer, Adrian released Gwyneth’s arm and embraced David Fincher with a smile, “Almost all the critics who attended the screening think it’s too dark.”

“I’ve always said I have some sinister thoughts that others might not expect,” Fincher shrugged his shoulders, “To hell with their reviews–I would really like to say that, but I still hope more people will get to see it.”

This was where Fincher differed from other independent filmmakers–especially those who always talk about art–he worked hard to maintain his own style but also considered the commercial value of his films. Just for that, he was stronger than many, but it was a delicate balance to strike, between being too stylistically intense or too commercial.

This is the Gremund Theater, the premiere venue for “Seven Deadly Sins.” Though the line between independent films and major productions is becoming increasingly blurred, with low budgets or unique ideas both qualifying as independent cinema, “Seven Deadly Sins” belonged to the latter group. However, Adrian was insistent on hosting a premiere that was neither too big nor too small, and arranged it during the lucrative mid-July summer blockbuster season.

“It’s simple, although I didn’t like the ending, I am optimistic about the film,” said Adrian, known as the Miracle Director with the sharpest insight, a compliment of considerable weight.

The reviews from critics who attended the screening seemed to confirm this, echoing Adrian’s views. The film was outstanding, tightly structured, and the eerie aspects were well-handled, but overall it was seen as too dark. This became a promotional gimmick for the film company–want to know what movie both Miracle Director and the majority of critics agree on? Go see “Seven Deadly Sins!” Adrian couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time; his own movies had never been marketed quite like this.

“I should congratulate you now for producing an animated film that’s the center of attention, or is it too late?” Fincher suddenly asked.

“Of course not,” Adrian laughed heartily and patted his arm, “but I only invested; I wasn’t involved in the production.”

Although Pixar was still discussing future themes, a sequel to “Toy Story” was definitely on the cards. This news broke out and instantly sparked enthusiastic reactions, keeping the already popular “Toy Story” at the top of the box office charts, far ahead of the chasing pack.

Furthermore, after the issue featuring interviews with Camor and others focused on technology, like “Fortune” and “Hollywood Report,” was published, the tale of the Silicon Valley ugly duckling who toiled for a decade and turned into a swan became the pinnacle of motivational stories. For a while, Pixar soared unchallenged, and Adrian’s keen vision was once again praised to no end.

“I suppose any investor at that time would not have spent $50 million on an animation studio that had been losing money for seven or eight years. But Adrian is different; he seems to always see where the future is heading, without the slightest hesitation. No wonder he can serve as both a film director and the chairman of AC Media. It’s a shame for Steve Jobs–if he had held on for just two more years, perhaps this honor would have been his,” a columnist wrote in their column.

Mostly when discussing Pixar’s success, most media could not resist bringing up its former owner, Steve Jobs, their tone varying from mocking to ridicule, though all shared a semblance of schadenfreude.

However, Jobs seemed indifferent, stating in media interviews that his focus was not really on this and congratulated Adrian and Pixar on their success, displaying the same grace as he had previously shown.

“This is an era where computer technology is exploding, and countless people have found success in it; Steve Jobs is the best example. In fact, I am certain that if I hadn’t taken over Pixar, Steve would be the one receiving these honors today. He was a determined and insightful man; I just had a bit more luck,” Adrian, who eventually agreed to an interview, also said kind words about Jobs.

It was not much, but as long as Jobs could think of him when needed, that was a success. That’s why, whenever they met at parties, even if Adrian couldn’t fully understand some of Jobs’s topics, he listened patiently, knowing full well why he was successful. Spending a little time waiting for an opportunity was worth it.

So even though he knew that high-level executives from various film companies were starting to pay more attention to him, he didn’t take it too seriously.

For a long time, the partnership between Adrian and Claude gave the impression that Adrian, despite being the chairman, was indifferent to the company’s development, with AC Media basically being Claude’s call, and Adrian was just there to allow himself more freedom to make movies. However, the success of Pixar showed another side, after all, Claude wasn’t too keen on Pixar originally, and whenever this was mentioned, it inevitably highlighted that it was Adrian’s request.

Now that the results were out, almost everyone had been proven wrong. Clearly, Adrian’s sharp vision extended beyond just films. So in the development of AC Media, how many more suggestions like this did he have?

It was normal, although he always stayed behind Claude, with time some things just couldn’t be kept secret. But what of it? His vision was irreplaceable, unless someone else–perhaps in the future there would be a situation where other companies rushed to get involved after he showed interest in something, but that would only make them more passive.

Well, the topic had drifted again, back to the premiere. After exchanging pleasantries with David Fincher, Adrian immediately greeted Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, respectively.

Both Freeman and Spacey had received quite high praise from film critics, especially Spacey–some believed he delivered a chilling and mad religious psychopath killer that was the most standout character in the whole movie.

“That’s because the character came in late and had a very distinct personality,” Spacey said modestly.

“Come off it, Kevin, Gwyneth didn’t have much more screen time than you, and still the critics only gave her a decent review,” Adrian said with a laugh, then playfully looked over at Gwyneth next to him.

Gwyneth, who was linked arm in arm with him, immediately gave him a reproachful glance but remained silent. This public display of playful banter made a few who knew a bit about Adrian’s personal life shake their heads inwardly.

“Honestly, Kevin, you were terrific. I had already seen parts of that movie before, and I dare say it’s on par with this one. Especially the huge contrast at the end when the mystery is revealed, it’s definitely going to surprise a lot of people,” Adrian then said to Kevin Spacey.

Naturally, he was referring to the movie he had previously promised–if the performance satisfied him during the filming, he would give him an even more spectacular script. That script, of course, was “The Usual Suspects,” where the audience was led on from start to finish, with the man behind the curtain revealed only in the last moment, earning Spacey the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Like the previous scripts, the outline of this story was already at the Screenwriters’ Guild early on, so there was no need to worry about any conflicts, which allowed him to have the company proceed with production leisurely.

“Thank you, it really is a great story,” Spacey said simply, but the gratitude in his eyes was unmistakably genuine.

Adrian nodded in satisfaction inwardly and then seemed to remember something as he looked around, “By the way, where’s Dan?”

“Hmm… I think he might be over there… at the bar having a drink,” replied Freeman, his face taking on an odd expression as if he was struggling to hold back laughter.

Adrian knew why but just arched an eyebrow: “Alone?”

“Alone,” Freeman nodded, and the other few–Fincher, Spacey, and the like–all showed the same odd expression while another executive producer simply bowed his head.

“Gentlemen, this isn’t very nice,” Adrian shook his head in a chiding way, but couldn’t help laughing softly, then held Gwyneth’s hand, “Sorry, Gwyneth, I need to go over there alone for a moment.”

“No problem,” Gwyneth said, smiling as she withdrew her hand, appearing considerate and demure.

Pushing through the crowd, Adrian soon spotted the lonely figure sitting at the bar, holding a glass of whiskey, absorbed in thought–somewhat annoyed, a bit despondent, slightly bewildered, and now and then heaving deep sighs.

“A martini,” Adrian said to the bartender, after he had taken a seat next to Dennis.

Dennis turned to see who it was, heaved a sigh, and turned back to his drink.

“Come on, Den, what’s there to be so down about? It’s just a few photos,” Adrian said nonchalantly.

“Easy for you to say, not everyone can make the ladies fall in line like you,” Dennis replied, sighing woefully and burying his face in his hands.

The biggest scandal in Hollywood at the time wasn’t who was breaking up with whom or who was dating who, but that Dennis Knight, rated one of the most promising actors, was caught two-timing. Unfortunately for him, photographers had snapped pictures of him entering Jennifer Aniston’s house, and due to the precedent set by Adrian and Julia, the dedicated paparazzi had endured a long night’s vigil and managed to capture his departure as well.

As it was known, a few years ago, his love triangle involving Depp and Winona had caused a stir, and their public fistfight over Winona in a bar at the time also made quite a splash. Though Dennis eventually won Winona over, the paparazzi were still not optimistic about their chances, fabricating countless gossip stories about their on-and-off relationship.

Even before Dennis and Jennifer’s collaboration on “Broken Arrow,” some paparazzi were already spinning stories about their relationship. However, there was no solid evidence, and Dennis had always dodged such speculation. But tempt fate often enough, and you’re bound to meet disaster. Even Adrian’s caution couldn’t stop their good luck, so this time they caught solid evidence.

One can imagine how explosive this story would be. The third season of “Friends” was about to premiere, with ratings as strong as ever. Jennifer had won massive popularity through her role as Rachel Green. While there were many sweetheart actresses in the United States, Jennifer truly deserved the title. Meanwhile, Winona was at the peak of her fame, her image of innocence deeply engraved in people’s hearts, and she too had amassed a substantial fan base. The fight between Dennis and Depp over her was also relished by many, seen as a testament to her allure.

Therefore, when the tabloids gleefully broke the story with compromising photos, NBC, as well as the still primitive website of Bossworth Film, in Adrian’s view, were immediately flooded with various comments.

On the already well-formed portal websites, there was also endless debate–an attribute of the internet age is the rapid feedback of information. It was often the case that as soon as a movie ended, relevant reviews could be found online. Although the technology was not there yet, and there was still a long road ahead for internet access on phones, the digital age had begun. Even if it couldn’t yet match traditional channels of information dissemination, it was already commanding attention.

The situation now was that Jennifer’s fans and Winona’s fans had joined forces to denounce Dennis for being fickle, while also accusing each other–Winona’s fans blamed Jennifer for seducing Dennis, whereas Jennifer’s fans mocked Winona for not being able to keep her man in check. Some of Dennis’s fans attempted to play peacemakers, while others outright rebuffed these criticisms. Eventually, Depp’s fans also joined, mocking both Winona and Dennis with unforgiving relish. In short, it was complete chaos.

And it wasn’t just online–various media outlets were buzzing too, but online was where it was most concentrated. Coupled with the elated tabloids fanning the flames now and then–claiming Jennifer was a homewrecker, then saying Dennis had a wandering heart, then suggesting Winona might run back into Depp’s arms–the commotion had reached a point where everyone knew about it.

“What’s the matter, had a fight with your Noni?” Adrian asked casually and with a hint of tease, after taking a sip from the glass handed to him by the bartender.

“No,” Dennis sighed quietly.

“Then she must be heartbroken,” Adrian said with a tinge of regret. A woman not getting angry in such situations usually meant things were very bad. Even a big fuss would be better, but indifference suggested things were quite dire.

“I confessed the truth to her, and she didn’t say anything, just sat there… looking at me in despair,” Dennis sighed depressingly, his expression growing increasingly troubled.

Adrian understood his feelings, although he wasn’t particularly fond of Winona and rarely inquired into Dennis’s private life, he knew that their relationship was quite special. Unlike the bad boy Depp, Dennis knew when to be considerate, when to be gentle, and when to express his feelings directly — after all, he was trained in reading people, and Adrian had taught him a thing or two.

Women always want to be with a man who can understand them just right, so even though they had their fair share of arguments, their relationship was remarkably stable. The deep affection and Winona’s childhood all contributed to such a normal reaction; from this perspective, Dennis truly loved her.

But Adrian certainly didn’t believe Dennis was such a faithful person,

“You can’t always be caught between two women, you have to be more proactive,” he then added.

Dennis looked up as if he wanted to explain something but quickly realized who he was talking to, and, resigning himself, sighed and downed the whiskey in his glass.

“I’m serious. Since you can’t let go of either side, you have to take the initiative, the longer you drag this out, the worse it gets,” Adrian said with a smile that was not quite a smile, looking at him, “Besides, you’ve already made a good start.”

After gossip spread like wildfire, Dennis quickly made a statement through his spokesperson admitting his faults, asking everyone not to disturb Winona and Jennifer, taking all the blame upon himself.

Adrian knew that Jennifer had been chasing after him — he had no idea what she saw in him — so he had intended to stand up and clarify things, but Dennis stopped her. After all, mishandling an affair like being the third party could affect one’s popularity, especially for someone with her sweet and dutiful image.

This move was clever; taking all the blame showed a man’s true character. If he could be even more meticulous and let the public slightly perceive the underlying truth, it would be better. Yet he was reluctant to do so because it could easily turn the backlash towards the two women — in this regard, he was a decent man.

Agent Roger tried to persuade him several times, stating that it could seriously impact his future, and eventually had to tell Adrian, hoping he could offer some advice. The above situation was also learned from Roger.

Adrian didn’t offer advice but instead told Roger to do as Dennis had said. Society might be more forgiving to women than men in many instances, such as homosexuality; but it was also more accommodating to men than women in many other instances, such as infidelity. This issue might affect Dennis’s popularity, but with Adrian around, was there any fear that he couldn’t change his image? Moreover, Dennis was highly adaptable. So let him be; not only that, Adrian even thought of ways to fan the flames further.

“Which man hasn’t thought about having multiple partners? What you need to do now is to let them cool down, then provide deeper comfort,” he said to Dennis with a persuasive tone.

“I did that only because I didn’t want Jenny to suffer because of me…” Dennis still wanted to struggle, but sadly, he didn’t even believe his own words. If he truly wanted to break things off with Jennifer, he wouldn’t fall into her trap over and over.

“Alright, I admit it, I have feelings for Jenny too, and… they’re strong,” he said with a sense of resignation.

“The show is about to start, let’s head in,” Adrian said, not continuing the topic and pointing towards the farther hall entrance.

This wasn’t to say he suddenly grew a conscience and decided not to proceed. He just didn’t want to push Dennis too hard, such matters also needed a balance between tension and slack. As for why he was doing this, it was simple — it was interesting! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on wuxiaworld.site. Your support is my greatest motivation.)