Chapter 370: Chapter 94 It’s Just a Trailer

“You really don’t plan to say something?” Monica asked as she lay naked on the sofa, a cushion clutched to her chest, legs pressed tightly together, her body positioned to cover the essential parts–suggestive yet demure, accentuated by a languid charm.

“Why should I say anything?” Adrian, seated not far away, was engrossed in what he held in his hands, occasionally glancing up with a clear look that contained no hint of lust.

“All the media are racing to report on this,” Monica said light-heartedly, “Let me think, hmm, ‘Miracle Girl’, that title seems pretty nice.”

“Just to correct, only the tabloids are reporting on this, more serious media only mentioned it briefly,” Adrian laughed, “And besides, you didn’t say anything, so why should I elaborate?”

Although Monica was the only one in front of him, his use of “you” sounded plural.

As soon as The Sun released its feature, it was like a drop of water in oil, sizzling and expanding immediately. The public loves movie behind-the-scenes, various shows, dramas, but they love celebrity gossip the most. Who’s fighting with whom, who’s not getting along with whom, who’s dating whom, who’s cheating, who’s on drugs–these pieces of news immediately draw a lot of attention once published.

The desire for voyeurism has existed since humans started wearing animal skins and building houses with privacy, especially when it comes to celebrities, who are high above the rest. Tabloids exist for this very reason. Imagine how many people would be thrilled by the topic “Miracle Director and his Miracle Girl”? Moreover, The Sun implied more than it said outright, leaving much to the imagination, which usually only adds what the reader wants to see–imagine how many people will join the discussion, whether willingly or otherwise? Thus, even “serious” media cannot help but mention it a few times to please their readers.

However, most people feel mostly envy and jealousy towards such news; any resentment would only come from Julia’s fans, and even they admit that “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is a decent film, especially the parts of the script that were released showing Adrian’s changes, which suited Julia’s image and presence perfectly.

Whether it’s Monica or Blanchett or Gwyneth, they were all second or third-tier actresses before Adrian discovered them. And since he’s young, talented, and powerful, some sparks flying between them is quite normal. From the time there have been directors and producers, there have been unclear entanglements with beautiful actresses–of course, earning a reputation as a playboy is almost inevitable.

As for certain possibilities, no one thinks about them, and even if they do, they don’t care. In the United States, such matters are also seen as perfectly normal, as long as it’s consensual. If Hollywood has any advantage in this respect, it’s that no one’s forced into anything; otherwise, it would mean breaking the rules.

Although countless people were fascinated by Adrian’s relationships with these four women, engaging in all kinds of discussions and speculations about who he was in a long-term relationship with or if they were just fleeting encounters, Adrian, Monica, and Julia remained tight-lipped about it. When asked about their perceptions of each other, they only responded formally like “He’s a great director” or “She’s a good actress.”

Even so, various interpretations would surface. For instance, Monica once said, “Ed is a very charming man,” which was interpreted as having lingering feelings or possibly still secretly dating, etc.

“I have to admit, those guys at The Sun are quite good at gathering information,” Adrian remarked.

A lot of things discussed while making movie behind-the-scenes, such as the original script for “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and the modifications made specifically for Julia, made it unsurprising that The Sun would gather such news. But things like Blanchett being invited several times for “Speed,” although not a secret, were also known to the crew–yet it’s impressive that the tabloid could find out about them.

“So what? They still haven’t uncovered the most crucial stuff,” Monica said with a light laugh.

Adrian shrugged and said no more. Though the four women didn’t respond to media inquiries, they had their own reactions in private, more or less. Simply acknowledging each other’s existence was one thing, but putting it out there was another–even though only part of it was ever revealed. Monica and Gwyneth were fine; they had their own desires and, though not happy, quickly moved on, knowing very well what kind of person Adrian was.

Julia inevitably made a fuss, but unfortunately, she was already firmly grasped in Adrian’s hands, and with those sweet promises, she was easily placated. As for Blanchett, she seemed not to like the nickname “Miracle Girl,” but she was even more upset by being compared to Gwyneth, with whom she did not get along well, and this only added to her frustration and conflict.

Besides that, various women got involved to varying degrees. Kate directly told him not to come over these days because she wanted to bond with her daughter. She warned that if he dared to come, she would immediately take Lily back to London. Although Adrian wanted to teach her a lesson and make it clear who held the power of words, now was not the time, so he could only hold back for now.

Sarah didn’t say much; since the day she had come to his office, she positioned herself very properly, but couldn’t help showing a hint of complaint during their conversation. Adrian had to comfort her diligently to make her smile. Liv, on the other hand, was still her carefree self, and she seemed very surprised. Although she knew he maintained relationships with many women, she did not know who they were, so–

“How about giving me a list?” she had said, her deep blue eyes blinking innocently.

Adrian was rather puzzled. Although she had grown up in that kind of environment, her demeanor was quite different from what he remembered. However, considering he didn’t know much about Liv in his past life and those memories were just a reference, and since she too had been deceived, it was quite possible for her to have a carefree attitude about everything.

The most normal one was still Charlize who did what she usually did, but now her glances carried more mockery and schadenfreude, especially when she heard him talk to other women on the phone. It was as delightful to her as eating ice cream on a hot summer day. However, the trickiest part was Natalie’s letter; she had obviously seen the news and, although she only indirectly asked which “Miracle Girl” he enjoyed working with the most, the term “Miracle Girl” made it easy to guess her likely real thoughts.

The problem was how to answer. Adrian found this rather tricky because Natalie wasn’t in front of him, and he could not tell in what mood she was asking this question. If he didn’t answer well, even if it wasn’t disastrous, there would still be some loss.

Despite such turmoil, Adrian still found enjoyment in it. If he couldn’t handle such minor issues, how could he advance any further?

“All right, you can get up now, Monica,” he suddenly exhaled a long breath, looking at the object in front of him with a satisfied smile.

“Really?” Monica, maintaining her pose, raised an eyebrow, removed the pad from in front of her chest, sat up, and shifted her posture slightly, swaying her graceful body before slowly slipping into her silk nightgown. To her disappointment, Adrian had not looked at her even once during this time, entirely engrossed in his work.

Monica quickly adjusted. This wasn’t the first or second time this had happened; she had never successfully flirted with him at such times, but that, too, made him more charming, didn’t it?

“Let me see how it looks,” she said, moving behind Adrian. It was a sketch, not yet fully complete, and only in black and white, but the character’s form and expression were very accurate, particularly Monica’s lazy and enticing demeanor vividly leapt off the paper. For a sketch, it could be considered an excellent piece.

“How about it?” While carefully outlining with a charcoal pencil, Adrian asked the mature, lovely woman embracing him.

“It’s great, same as before,” Monica whispered, bending down and then couldn’t help but kiss him on the face.

“As long as you like it,” Adrian laughed. A noteworthy director is generally versatile, needing to understand framing, composition, color, and the rhythm of storytelling, among others, so many directors ease into drawing as part of their training. James Cameron had held an art exhibition during his childhood and had also drawn mechanical engineering diagrams for a period when he was younger, which explained his particular obsession with mechanical technology.

However, this also resulted in his drawings being too refined and lacking spirit, making the figures appear a bit rigid. Adrian was different; having lived two lifetimes and carrying the memories from both, he saw many things very clearly. Additionally, having studied drawing in both lifetimes, his skills in sketching were quite outstanding among ordinary people. Nearly all of his women had modeled for him at one point, from Kate to Sarah, from Monica to Blanchett, without exception, and if it wasn’t for Kirsten often being unable to stay out for long, she surely would have been no exception.

As for… further photography, well, Adrian still had some skills in that area in his lifetime, but it wasn’t possible yet to have his women take some more revealing photos. Sarah had been persuaded to pose for a few, but she was still in her lingerie, covering all the crucial parts tightly; Kate also had some taken, but those were taken to commemorate her pregnancy. Only Monica had taken some bolder photos, but going further was still not possible.

No matter–the future was long. It was bound to happen eventually, as long as he wasn’t as foolish as Mr. Edison.

“Let’s change clothes,” Adrian turned around and kissed Monica, “I still have some details to handle, and you can get dressed and ready. We still have to go to the Weinstein brothers’ party.”

“No problem.” Monica sat up, then smiled and asked with a thought, “But going out together so openly, aren’t you worried about the reporters catching us? You know they’ve been keeping a tight watch on you lately.”

“If I can get past them to see you, why would I worry about them catching us?” Adrian shrugged, “Besides, even if they do catch us, it won’t matter soon as public attention will be diverted.”

Of course, he said this because the trailer for “Braveheart” was about to be released. After Thanksgiving, “Emma” had just crossed $25 million in the North American box office. Although the growth was slow, it showed no signs of slowing down. The box office in the United Kingdom was also relatively good, so it was time to start promoting “Braveheart” vigorously, especially now that it was already December.

The opening scene featured the loud, melodious, and somewhat sad Scottish bagpipes. James Horner’s music perfectly captured the essence of the bagpipes, a testament to his status as one of the few top composers.

“His father was a hero, but he only wanted to live a quiet life,” a voice-over started.

The camera quickly cut to different scenes–Wallace as a child treating a flock of sheep as English soldiers, throwing stones at them, and the faint affection between him and his childhood sweetheart at his father’s funeral. Then the scene shifted to his adulthood.

“I’ve stopped thinking that much about it,” Wallace said to his childhood friend upon returning to their former village.

“But fate determined his thoughts would not become reality,” the voice-over again sounded.

After a warm scene with his childhood sweetheart, the film quickly switched scenes again: the Lord of Scotland claiming his right of the first night at a friend’s wedding, English soldiers trying to assault his wife, and eventually the execution of his wife.

“By the King’s command, this woman must be executed!” an English soldier boldly announced.

“Resistance, only resistance, there’s only the choice to resist, he chose this path and will see it through!” the voice-over became more intense.

Wallace then led his friends and recruited soldiers to start resisting the English. Their victories gained the support of the Scottish nobility, finally preparing for a decisive battle with the English regular army in the plains.

“It’s very simple to destroy them,” boasted Longshanks Edward arrogantly, as he began to scold his cowardly and useless son and sternly warned the newly arrived French princess, Isabelle.

“Prepare the stakes, sharpen them!” Wallace devised a plan to counter the cavalry of England.

The fierce battle finally began, and after countless skirmishes, the valiant Wallace eventually claimed victory.

“However, betrayal was everywhere.” A voice-over sounded, carrying a tinge of sorrow, but soon turned fervent again, “But he would never give up!

The squabbles of the Lord of Scotland over winning the war, Wallace’s unwavering dedication, and Edward Longshanks’ deceit were all portrayed in a rapid sequence of scenes. Despite being ultimately betrayed and suffering a crushing defeat, and with countless childhood comrades dead or wounded, Wallace did not give up the fight.

“Wallace is still fighting,” whispered the people in the tavern.

“He moves like a ghost; the English soldiers will never find him,” murmured the farmers on their farms.

“As long as he is here, they will eventually be driven off this land,” said the small traders.

“You are much like my wife, gentle and kind. Please tell that tyrant we will never shake hands and make peace easily. Unless the English soldiers withdraw from this land, we will fight to the end, for freedom!” Edward Longshanks tried to ensnare him using his own daughter-in-law, but moved by Wallace, Isabelle revealed everything to him. Wallace expressed his gratitude powerfully before striding away.

With that, the trailer ends, leaving only “For Freedom” on the screen.

Adrian had predicted correctly. The moment the “Braveheart” trailer was released, it immediately caused an uproar again. When the posters were first released, although some had suspected that Wallace and Scotland’s independence might be the subject of the new film by the Miracle Director, there had been no further news, and Adrian was known for his surprises, so it was initially overlooked, but it indeed turned out to be about that theme.

“I want to remind Mr. Adrian that April Fool’s Day is long over, and next year’s is not yet here; this theme is simply awful,” stated a journalist from the United Kingdom or rather, from England.

“Who is William Wallace? A con man, a thief, a traitor, who has now bizarrely turned into a hero fighting for Scotland’s independence. Is there anything more absurd?!” wrote another, indignantly.

However, the Scottish media found it intriguing: “Undoubtedly, this is an interesting theme. Although Wallace’s place in history is still debatable, this is Hollywood’s first focus on a Scottish hero. We have every reason to believe the Miracle Director will deliver a brilliant film.”

As for the American media, they naturally supported their own: “I don’t know what those British are fussing about. It’s just a movie trailer after all. We don’t care who William Wallace is. We only know this is the Miracle Director’s new film, a movie about medieval warfare in England. The trailer is very imposing, and he seems more than capable of handling this subject. Though it’s only a teaser and there’s still some time before the film’s official release, based on Adrian’s past works, we shouldn’t be disappointed.”

In short, the British or rather English media are very dissatisfied, while the American media suggest it’s just a movie after all. Quickly, both sides began to argue back and forth. Although the Scottish media cautiously remained neutral, they inevitably got dragged into the controversy–after all, this story is about Scotland’s historical quest for independence. Thus, the story rapidly dominated the headlines of major entertainment media following the trailer’s release.

“It’s just a trailer after all,” someone couldn’t help but exclaim. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote on wuxiaworld.site; your support is my greatest motivation.)