Chapter 388: Chapter 111: Once a Year

“They say they want to walk from one end of New York to the other, but in reality, many places were still reached by car. Although New York is divided into five boroughs, it isn’t actually all that big. Still, it would take a considerable amount of time to walk it, especially since Staten Island is quite a distance away–in fact, Adrian and his crew didn’t even go to Staten Island, and they only walked two streets in the Bronx District before leaving.

Moreover, some areas aren’t very safe, like the black communities; and this isn’t about racial discrimination, but for various reasons, the crime rate there does tend to be relatively higher. Even with bodyguards following at a distance–after getting to Italy, the bodyguards were called over–Adrian didn’t dare to take the risk, so before the sun set, he returned to Long Island with Natalie.

“How about we stop here and walk the rest of the way back?” Adrian suggested, parking the car two streets away from Natalie’s house.

“It seems someone doesn’t like vegetarian food,” said Natalie, giggling. Although they hadn’t toured the entirety of New York, she was still very happy about the day.

“It has nothing to do with vegetarianism, I just don’t want to impose too much,” Adrian shrugged.

After they got out of the car, the two slowly walked along the street. They had talked about New York-related topics all day, so now the conversation shifted to something else, like movies.

“You’re so sure? Why? I think ‘Braveheart’ isn’t bad, even though there are a lot of historical inaccuracies, but aren’t stories just stories?” Natalie asked, puzzled.

“Because I’m too young; I’m not even thirty. If I won again, how would all those old folks feel?” Adrian said with a smile, shaking his head.

“Is it about seniority?” Natalie pondered aloud. “But there are plenty of young people who win awards. Just last year, you almost became the youngest Best Director in Oscar history, and Kirsten Dunst became the second-youngest Best Supporting Actress in Oscar history.”

“One must have exceptionally good work to win those; the reason I could get Best Director last year was because ‘Forrest Gump’ resonated with the vast majority of people, otherwise it would have remained a nomination. To win again, I would have to create something even better than ‘Forrest Gump’. But as you know, although ‘Braveheart’ is quite good, it definitely can’t surpass ‘Forrest Gump’,” Adrian spread his hands, then glanced at Natalie, who was listening intently as if the mention of Kirsten and Best Supporting Actress was completely natural to her.

“That’s really unfair,” Natalie pouted.

“Fairness has always been relative, Nata,” Adrian started laughing and then decided it might be better to be straightforward. “I think you should understand why I had arranged those roles for you, right?”

“Oh, of course, you explained it to me in the letter. I’m just a bit frustrated, you know I always like to do things as well as I can. I want to be the best,” Natalie spoke candidly but then sighed. “Dad doesn’t want me to be this way, and you think it’s not suitable now either.”

“For future development, it’s very necessary to be like this now. It’s enough to have one signature role during the child actor era,” Adrian frowned slightly, but quickly returned to normal. “However, while one shouldn’t over-perform in films, there aren’t as many concerns in other areas, and doing well in those can even earn you extra points.”

“Oh? Like what?” Natalie’s interest was piqued immediately.

Adrian smiled mysteriously before changing the subject. “Right, after the Oscar ceremony is over, your birthday will be coming up, right?”

“Yes,” replied Natalie. Although she didn’t understand why he had shifted the conversation, she still nodded.

“What kind of present do you want? It seems I haven’t yet given you any substantial birthday present,” Adrian said with a smile.

“It’s okay, the party on ‘The Professional’ set was pretty nice, I’ve always remembered it deeply,” Natalie didn’t have too many demands in this regard.

“Hehe,” Adrian chuckled, “Tell me, Nata, when we passed by Broadway today, did you ever think of performing on its stage?”

Natalie blinked her eyes and then showed a surprised and unexpected expression.

“Do you know about the Evron Theater Troupe? They’re preparing a new play for Broadway, and since I have some connections with them, I recommended you for the lead female role. What’s the name of that play again…” Adrian tapped his forehead, purposely keeping Natalie in suspense, only letting out a laugh after the girl pouted in protest: “If my memory serves me correctly, it should be called ‘The diary of a young girl.'”

“‘The diary of a young girl’?!” Natalie screamed out, drawing the gaze of passersby nearby.

“You mean ‘The diary of a young girl’, right, Ed? The ‘The diary of a young girl’?!” The girl stared at him excitedly, as if scared that he would blurt out a joke.

“Of course, that list of your favorite books you gave me, I’ve kept it all this time,” Adrian laughed heartily, “I believe with your passionate acting, you will definitely get the role, right?”

Natalie covered her mouth, looking at him incredulously with a body slightly trembling, her eyes filled with uncontrollable excitement.

“I… I don’t know what to… oh, God… this is just the best…” The girl spoke somewhat incoherently, suddenly jumping up to wrap her arms around Adrian’s neck.

Caught off guard, Adrian bent over with her, then with a swish, a warm sensation came from his cheek, as Natalie kissed him firmly on the face.

“This is so great, Ed, this is just so great,” Natalie then buried her head in his chest, holding on tight, her voice excited and a bit off-key.

Feeling the small, warm body in his arms, Adrian was momentarily dazed, just gently patting the girl’s back without saying a word.

After embracing each other for quite a while, Natalie seemed to realize something, hurriedly pushed Adrian away and stood aside with some embarrassment, her beautiful cheeks probably blushing from thoughts crossing her mind.

“Um… I’m glad you like it, but let’s head back first,” Adrian regained his emotions and then played down the situation, with Natalie hurriedly agreeing but without saying more.

The two of them walked the last stretch in silence until he had escorted her inside. Only then did Natalie break into a smile: “Thank you for walking me home, Ed.”

“It’s what I should do.” Adrian nodded his head, declined Shelly’s invitation to stay, and then took his leave, marking the end of this… date.

“She’s such a lovely girl.” On the way back to the hotel, Adrian kept reminiscing about the soft sensation of her throwing herself into his arms, completely different from the feeling of being with Kirsten. “The Diary of a Young Girl” indeed proved its worth, and it was fortunate he’d paid attention to it early on, otherwise he surely would’ve missed out.

“Fly Away Home” fared quite well in both box office and critical acclaim thanks to his promotion, but “Beautiful Girls” might not be so lucky. Having seen the unedited footage of “Beautiful Girls”, Adrian found only Natalie’s performance truly striking. Even if the story was decent overall, its transition to the big screen was another matter entirely.

Even if he put in the same promotional effort as last time, he estimated that the box office and reputation wouldn’t surpass “Fly Away Home”. Besides, with Natalie’s fame on the rise and numerous offers coming her way, it was better to devise a plan in another direction. Adrian remembered her acclaimed performance as Anne in “The Diary of a Young Girl”, so he initially focused his efforts there and easily found the Evron Theater Troupe, which already had plans in the works and was quite well-known.

Actually, it wouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t found them. Although he wasn’t too familiar with the theater circuit, investing in a theater company to produce “The Diary of a Young Girl” was quite straightforward.

Next, it was natural to pull strings, recommend the actress to them, and then personally tell Natalie as a birthday gift. However, he hadn’t expected her reaction to be so intense–it was clear that she really loved the book. If Adrian hadn’t exercised sufficient control, he might’ve ended up kissing Natalie earlier, and while he believed she wouldn’t mind too much, it could have jeopardized his plans for the past two years.

It didn’t matter. There would always be another chance, Adrian told himself. Best to first ensure the casting of “The Diary of a Young Girl” was definitively settled.

Of course, he would leave the details to the relevant personnel. After finishing his New York trip, Adrian quickly returned to Los Angeles to prepare for the upcoming Oscar ceremony and tackle the backlog of documents accumulated during his vacation.

“Is all of this for me to sign?” Adrian asked incredulously, eyeing the folders Charlize brought and placed on his desk. “You didn’t accidentally bring in ones meant only for Crow’s signature, did you?”

“I’ve worked for you for three years and have been in your bed for three years; I can distinguish the difference,” Charlize replied leisurely.

“Okay, okay,” Adrian raised his hands, “then…”

“The first five just need a direct signature, the rest should be looked at before signing,” Charlize said quickly before turning to leave. She seemed to remember something and pulled out a document from the pile, handing it to him, “Oh, by the way, I think you’ll want to see this data first thing.”

“What is…” Adrian opened it and immediately broke into laughter, noting the 1-inch photo of Nakama Yukie affixed to the top left corner of the first page.

“I knew it. Expecting certain people to change is almost impossible,” Charlize said, her voice tinged with both mockery and resignation as she looked at him.

“You know, Charli, I really liked that thing you said about ‘having been in your bed for three years’,” Adrian said with a cheeky grin, “I hope to hear it decades from now, and of course, for a lifetime would be even better.”

Charlize huffed softly and turned to leave without lingering further. However, the curves outlined by her tight skirt seemed to sway more intensely than usual, and paired with her black sheer stockings and 5-inch heels, she appeared particularly alluring.

It looks like it’s almost time. Adrian whistled meaningfully as she shut the door behind her, unsure if Charlize had heard.

Then, he focused his attention on the documents in his hands. According to Sam Wood’s report, Yukie would be able to come to the United States after the Oscar ceremony. Being just a girl with several older siblings, getting her visa processed naturally took some time. More importantly, they had to avoid Sony’s people–first, not to incur any more obligations, and second, to prevent flaws in his “collection”.

Since Takako Tokiwa had informed Sugigi of his preferences, God knew whether these people would try to use Nakama Yukie to pry into his matters. The likelihood was slim, given that Los Angeles was his territory, but it was always better to be cautious and prepared than to regret when it was too late. As for Tokiwa, before he left, he had given her a check with a hefty sum. Although she had shared some of his preferences with Sugigi, that wasn’t her intention and it hadn’t caused any damage. Moreover, she had taken very good care of him during his time in Japan, so it was no harm to reward her.

“I still need to arrange for her admission,” Adrian noted it down on his memo, although Yukie had some acting background, which was enough for her to play ordinary roles in Japanese dramas, she would need systematic training to make it in Hollywood. Additionally, most Japanese dramas carry a strong theatrical style, which might not be apparent in modern dramas, but is quite evident in so-called historical epics.

Theatrical acting has a clear characteristic of exaggerated body language and facial expressions. Such a style of acting isn’t unacceptable; many Hollywood stars have performed on Broadway to hone their acting skills, and Jim Carrey’s performances have a flavor of theatrical acting. However, Japanese stage acting is clearly no match for Broadway, and many of Hollywood’s skilled actors can control the extent of their performances well, whereas Japanese drama actors often lack subtlety–in the eyes of Westerners, at least. It is difficult to make a name in Hollywood with such skills. At least the Chinese have unmatched martial arts films, whereas the Japanese’s portrayal of ninjas is repetitive and not as appealing in Hollywood, even less so than South Koreans.

Now that Nakama Yukie was part of his collection, naturally, he wouldn’t let her fade into the crowd, and it was rather amusing to use her to make a statement to the Japanese. After all, Yukie was still young and could easily change herself. Although Adrian didn’t have a concrete plan for her future, he already had some ideas in mind.

After getting back to Los Angeles, visiting the homes of the women, checking out various film sets, and spending time with his increasingly adorable daughter, the 68th Oscar ceremony finally arrived.

As usual, the area outside the Los Angeles Music Center was packed with people starting from four in the afternoon. Reporters encircled the red carpet, trying desperately to scoop news from the attending stars. The men on the red carpet were all dressed impeccably, and the women were decked out impressively.

Unlike men, who have only a few dress styles and finally have to focus on the brand, women’s attire is different. Even identical outfits could present various charms with slight alterations, making it the perfect occasion for them to shine. A good match could draw the attention of the masses and increase one’s brilliance, but a poor one could invite a tide of harsh criticism.

Even though it’s said that the same outfit can create different looks, in reality, everyone tries to avoid wearing the same dress as someone else. Outshining others is good, but being overshadowed–especially by a rival–is worse than receiving a tide of bad critiques, so every actress hires numerous designers to plan their wardrobe for the award ceremony.

Well, leaving the gossip aside and returning to the scene, the red carpet was filled with stars: couple Tom Hanks, reigning Best Actor, and his wife; Tom Cruise and his wife, who were at the peak of popularity; Steven Spielberg, who reportedly went to Ireland last year to shoot a World War II movie, and many others. Yet when one man appeared, the majority of the attention fixated on him.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you never know the answer until the envelope is opened, so any speculation before that is meaningless. Therefore, please stop asking me such questions,” Adrian shrugged in his tailored black suit, sidestepping the “What do you think are the chances of your winning again tonight?” question.

A man like him naturally didn’t need to wear any particular brand, as all his formal wear was handmade from high-quality fabric.

“So you’re saying you lack confidence?” a reporter immediately asked.

“That’s not a friendly question,” Adrian laughed but wasn’t annoyed, “I just mean that you aren’t me. You don’t know what I’m thinking, what my plans are, you don’t understand me, haven’t had in-depth conversations with me. So tell me, what makes you ask such a question?”

“I’m the one asking the questions, Mr. Adrian,” the reporter persisted.

“If you could answer that question, then naturally you would have your answer,” Adrian laughed heartily and walked on, leaving behind a chorus of calls as the reporter stood there, dumbfounded.

As for the Oscar nominations, apart from whether Miracle Director Adrian Cowell could defend his title as Best Director, there was nothing else people were more interested in. “Braveheart,” a movie that caused quite a stir, received collective criticism from British film critics yet was liked by the general British public, undoubtedly aligned well with mainstream American values, especially the final scene. If one were to watch it without context, it was indeed a classic segment.

Given its popularity among the British public, America’s reception didn’t need to be said, with most critics giving it high marks. Of course, whether this was due to opposing the British or genuine sentiment, only they would know.

Given this situation, would the Film Academy award the Oscar statuette for Best Director to him again? After all, he had already created numerous miracles and broken two records for the youngest Best Director. Would he now also break the record for the youngest consecutive wins? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (wuxiaworld.site). Your support is my greatest motivation.)