Chapter 366: Chapter 90 Similarities and Differences

After a long silence, the girl knocked on the door again, and after two or three minutes, a voice came from inside the office: “Please come in.”

It was not loud, but very clear. She let out a small sigh of relief, straightened her clothes, and then entered with her most charming and pretty smile: “Hello, Mr. Adrian?”

Sitting back in the high-backed chair, appearing somewhat languid, Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise: “Britney? What brings you here? Why wasn’t I informed?”

“Um… I’m sorry, Mr. Adrian, it was… on a whim… that I came here,” Britney Spears said nervously and uneasily from her position near the door.

“Isn’t Charli out there?” Adrian frowned, and then seemed to chuckle at a sudden thought, “Well, it seems she has… um, avoided me again – what’s up, Britney?”

He then motioned with his hand: “Come and sit down, don’t just stand there, that’s not cute at all. And don’t be so formal; I’ve told you, when we’re alone you can call me Ed.”

“Yes, Ed,” Britney internally breathed another sigh of relief as she walked briskly to the desk and sat down, her smile becoming much brighter, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“No, of course not,” Adrian, reclining in his chair, spread his hands, “In fact, your timing is perfect, I’ve just finished dealing with something… Ah!”

“What’s wrong?” Britney widened her eyes, not understanding why he had suddenly exclaimed.

“It’s nothing, I just remembered I forgot to deal with something, I’ll have to remind Charli later,” Adrian quickly waved his hands, a mysterious glint flashing in his slightly narrowed eyes, then he suddenly leaned forward, resting his chest against the desk with one hand on top and the other hanging below, looking at the girl in front of him: “So, what’s the matter? Run into any difficulties?”

“It’s… like this, I was very happy to have been signed by you…” Britney bit her lip, struggling to suppress her panic and nerves as she started to speak.

Her eloquence was not great, and although she was somewhat street smart, she was still too green, always failing to grasp the main point when speaking, so in the end, it turned into a review of her experiences over the past few years. Normally, Adrian would have already guided her into conversation, but now he was supporting his chin with one hand and intermittently affirming with “hmms” as if he were listening, though his focus seemed elsewhere and his other hand appeared to be fidgeting, his body slightly moving.

“In short… Mr. Eric said that the EP single was pretty good, so… so… so I thought… maybe I could find out about the preparations for the album… I mean… I just wanted to know,” Britney had to muster a lot of effort to finish her sentence, then she clasped her hands nervously on her lap and looked at Adrian, dreading any unpleasant words that might come from him.

Regrettably, she was bound to be disappointed. Adrian just hummed in response and fell silent again, his eyes still slightly squinted as if lost in thought, and after a while, he finally said: “That’s it for now, I’ll consider it.”

A wave of unease and fear instantly swept over Britney. What did that mean? Was he disgusted by her words? Or did he simply not want to think about them? God, had she said something wrong? She had to exert all her control to maintain a semblance of calm; she had wanted to say something else, but seeing Adrian’s distracted expression, she felt as if she had sunk into an ice pit.

“Then, I won’t disturb you any longer, Ed,” she said timidly as she got up, and after receiving a nod from him, she headed for the door.

“Right, Britney,” Adrian suddenly called out to her again, “about this, I’ll talk to you more in a few days. Don’t worry and don’t be too anxious, I’ll have everything arranged.”

If it had been any other time, Britney would have been pleased to hear this, but at the moment her thoughts were occupied by negative emotions, twisting any words she heard into their opposite meaning.

Had he really been disappointed in her? Britney thought desperately, responding with a soft “yes” before quickly leaving the office. She hadn’t gone far before she stopped to take several deep breaths.

Damn it! Damn it! Why was I so stupid! Why did I say those things! The girl agonized inwardly. She glanced at the office door not far away, and her mind drifted back to the scene at the record company.

“Become a singer alongside Madonna? Don’t be ridiculous, Britney, who do you think you are? What makes you worthy of Ed’s investment? I can’t believe you can’t see what he really meant. Ed was just consoling you. If he really believed you had potential, why would he say something so unrealistic?!” Christina had been merciless in her mockery.

This was the first time they had clashed since being signed by AC Media under MU Records. They had been rivals since their Mickey Mouse Club days. Compared to their former club members who disbanded, the two felt a sense of superiority after signing with MU Records, even though it wasn’t an official contract. Particularly because they were signed personally by Adrian, their sense of superiority grew as Adrian’s eye for talent became widely praised, leading to even sharper competition between them.

However, both Britney and Christina had their wits about them and knew that in the unfamiliar environment of MU Records, having each other as familiar faces was the best support, so their rivalry remained not much different than at MMC. But as they integrated more into their new environment and with Adrian’s subtle manipulations, their animosity deepened.

During a private conversation, Christina proudly stated that Adrian saw a lot of promise in her. Provoked by her words, Britney immediately brought up Adrian’s “alongside Madonna” promise. Christina, already resentful that Britney may receive more attention from Adrian, seized the opportunity to ridicule her fervently.

Luckily, they were alone at the time, and no one else heard, or Britney would have surely been brought to tears by Christina’s sharp words. On reflection, it was true; her singing was not the best, nor was her dancing, she was only somewhat sweet and cute – a trait far too common among female singers. If sweetness and cuteness were enough to become a pop queen, then the world would have too many pop queens.

Thus, Britney was devastatingly disheartened while Christina enjoyed several days of gloating triumph. Although Britney was unwilling to accept it, what the other said was indeed true. While Adrian’s eye for talent was recognized, there was no strong evidence in the music area, so during this period, Britney was constantly anxious. She feared Adrian was truly discontent with her, and all his promises were merely empty checks.

Sometimes thinking too much can make one lose direction, and with constant self-suggestion, things can become much worse. Britney was somewhat clever but on an emotional intelligence level quite poor. While she was bent on figuring out Adrian’s real attitude–again highlighting the effectiveness of his ongoing brainwashing–she had no clue what she should do.

Until that day in the company, when she saw the Latin woman named Jennifer Lopez auditioning and dancing, led by Adrian, and heard from artistic director Eric Norton that he rated her highly, Britney couldn’t hold back and bravely went to Bossworth Film to find out for herself, only to discover the worst outcome.

What to do now? Just leave like this? Britney watched the office door, hesitating, her resistance far from fading. She had dreamt of becoming a superstar, especially after joining MMC, captivated by the enthusiastic cheers of the audience after a performance. So when she learned the club was disbanding, she was deeply upset, but thrilled to be scouted by someone. When Adrian repeatedly expressed that he had high hopes for her, that she had the potential to be the next Madonna and not to let him down, she worked hard to show herself and to continue to earn his favor. To become a superstar, Britney didn’t care what she had to sacrifice.

Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage this? Maybe Ed was just distracted by something else just now? Britney thought troubled, realizing with dismay that she should have stayed longer in the office, where a turnaround might have happened, but now, she could only stand here, able to do nothing.

She didn’t know how long she had been standing there when finally, the office door opened. Following that, Britney, who had been staring at the door without shifting her gaze, widened her eyes.

————————————-

Kirsten wiped her cheeks in front of the mirror and rinsed her mouth with a cup before starting to touch up her makeup. It had to be said that Adrian’s office had quite a complete set of amenities. Remembering what had happened before, she felt inevitably nauseated. After all, it was her first time doing something like this; experiencing it firsthand was very different from seeing it on a videotape, especially since she had actually swallowed some of it. But what did that matter? It was all worth it.

Recalling the incident to this day, she still breaks out in a cold sweat over her impulsiveness that day. She had been too naive; who could be so bold as to ask such blatant questions right to someone’s face? While mature in some respects, she was still quite naive in others. However, her gamble had paid off handsomely, not only did she become the most famous child star, but she also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress! My God, that was the Oscars we’re talking about! Thinking of her mother’s expression at the time, thinking of all the people who complimented her, the price she paid was all worth it. This was the most correct decision she had made so far!

Straightening her clothes, then standing in front of the dressing mirror and turning a few rounds, the girl inside, dressed in a lace-edged dress, white fluffy socks that went below her knees, and red round-toed leather shoes, didn’t look much different from the beginning. Kirsten nodded to herself with satisfaction, turned, and left the office restroom; she had dressed this way on purpose today, and the effect was quite pleasing.

“Hi, Ed.” She greeted Adrian, who was moving about, with a flirty air, though in certain ways she still had a bit of greenness and naivete that made her seem somewhat odd, but at the same time, gave her a unique charm.

“Oh, dear Qiqi, you are always so beautiful, so… outstanding,” Adrian said, his eyes fixed on her, in a playful tone.

“Thank you for the compliment. If you like it, perhaps we can add one more thing to our future guidance,” Kirsten said with a sweet smile.

“No problem, as long as you don’t mind,” Adrian shrugged.

“Then I’ll be going back, you know I can’t be out for too long, even though I’d like to stay a moment longer, maybe even…” Kirsten blinked her gray-green eyes.

“That’s alright, we have plenty of time, right?” Adrian said with a noncommittal smile.

Sighing silently with a tinge of disappointment, she intentionally lifted the corner of her dress to perform a curtsey, then she walked out of the office with composure. Her purpose in coming today was actually to advance further because for some reason, once she crossed that line, her connection with him would become much closer. She would have many more opportunities in the future and wouldn’t have to worry about any child star curse or such.

It had to be said that Kirsten was a girl with schemes up her sleeve, but Adrian was no simple character either. Even at this stage, he guarded that line without crossing it. However, Kirsten wasn’t concerned; Adrian was not any paragon of virtue, and given they were at this stage, whether that line was crossed or not was becoming less important. So it was just a matter of time.

I’m pretty excited for my first time, Ed. Kirsten thought to herself with a hint of excitement. However, as soon as she closed the office door and turned around, she was startled; a brown-haired girl about her age was standing not too far away, staring at her intently.

“Who are you?” Kirsten asked with a mix of nervousness and caution.

“How… did you come out of the office?” The other girl asked hesitantly and hastily, her voice laden with confusion and disbelief.

As soon as she spoke, Kirsten recognized her as the singer who had come to find Adrian at the office earlier and who was still undergoing training with the record company. She had heard everything clearly from under the desk.

“I was in the inner room; I heard your conversation with Ed,” Kirsten said, feigning composure.

“Why were you in the inner room?” The other girl asked immediately, her face showing panic and uncertainty.

“I have some things to discuss with Ed regarding my new movie,” Kirsten chuckled to herself as she observed the other woman’s demeanor. Although she had been focused on her banana, she had still overheard quite a bit. She knew Adrian was a womanizer but didn’t expect him to be so unscrupulous.

At that thought, Kirsten’s gaze lingered on her once more. The other woman’s round face was beginning to sharpen, her long brown hair cascading down her body. She wore simple clothes yet looked beautiful and charming, which made Kirsten a bit envious for a moment. Kirsten knew her own shortcomings, and that’s why she was eager to take a step further right now. However, her envy was quickly cast aside. After all, the other woman was a singer and she was an actress; there was no direct conflict.

“You’re Britney Spears, right?” Kirsten offered a cute smile and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Kirsten Dunst. You can call me Kirsten or Qiqi.”

“Thank you–have I seen you somewhere before?” Britney spoke with confusion as they shook hands.

“Oh, I just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress earlier this year,” Kirsten mentioned casually, “all thanks to the part Ed arranged for me. I came to thank him. I was in the back room getting something for him when I heard someone come in; I didn’t want to be misunderstood, so I waited for you to leave before coming out.”

“Oscar for Best Supporting Actress?!” Britney’s eyes widened in surprise. Although she preferred singing and dancing, that didn’t mean she didn’t understand what the award meant.

“You’re amazing, Qiqi!” she exclaimed, not hiding her admiration, “You don’t seem much older than me, I can’t believe…”

“It’s all thanks to Adrian’s keen eye. He said the role suited me, that it would allow me to fully showcase my acting ability, and that meant it was sure to succeed,” Kirsten said with a smile.

Britney seemed to catch onto something and hesitantly asked, “How did you manage that? I mean… how do you get Ed to do that…?”

She has no skill in conversation at all. Kirsten sighed inwardly, her smile growing.

“It’s quite simple, show yourself in full, without reservation, and make sure he’s completely satisfied,” Kirsten advised earnestly, “Or, approach him humbly for advice, like a dedicated student asking a teacher you admire, and he will certainly guide you on what to do.”

With that, Kirsten patted Britney’s arm. “Alright, that’s it for now, I have things to do. We’ll talk more the next time we meet.”

Then, Kirsten walked past Britney and headed down the hallway, leaving Britney standing there, seemingly deep in thought yet perhaps not thinking of anything at all.

I’ve really helped you out, Ed, don’t forget to thank me, thought Kirsten to herself with pride as she walked away. But after a few steps, she suddenly paused, because standing in the middle of the hallway was a tall figure in standard office lady attire, her figure showcased to be slender and alluring, both beautiful and sexy. However, her gaze at Kirsten was somewhat cold.

Kirsten recognized her as Adrian’s secretary, Charlize Theron, undoubtedly a striking beauty. Standing there, looking at her that way, Charlize had probably heard everything she said. Kirsten snorted inwardly and brushed past, not taking it to heart, as she continued on her way.

Leaving those two girls aside for the moment, Adrian had finally let slip through other channels a little information about his new war movie set before “Emma” to the media: It was highly likely to be about William Wallace, the ancient war for Scotland’s independence.

Once this news spread, it caused an instant commotion. Many eager journalists and critics, all keen to find out about the new movie, jumped on the story like they had discovered a gourmet feast.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit wuxiaworld.site to vote for it, your support is my greatest motivation.)