King of Hollywood Novel - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: This Isn’t A Date, Right?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“I’m sorry, I think I should go back!” At the very last moment, Kathrin suddenly pushed Adrian away, and turned her reddened face to the side. Her chest was slightly undulating.

Although Adrian was quite stunned, he did not take it to heart. “I’ll send you home.”

“I can…”

“I insist.”

The two of them kept quiet through the journey, and the street lights that shone into the car from time to time created an odd atmosphere. Kathrin lowered her head throughout the journey, whereas Adrian kept a calm expression.

“We’re here,” Adrian mentioned after he parked the car.

“Thank you,” Kathrin responded softly, then reached her hand out to open the door. Perhaps she had something on her mind, she could not open it even after a few tries, so she frowned.

Adrian chuckled as he leaned over. “You forgot the lock.”

“No, I can do this myself.” Kathrin quickly declined his help. She pushed slightly harder than she expected, and since Adrian was not paying attention as well, his hand slipped from the window. With that, his upper body was on her.

“So… Sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Kathrin who was blushing wanted to help him up.

“It’s alright, I was being careless.” Adrian grabbed her hand and looked up.

When their eyes met again, it felt like a long time had passed, but it also felt like an instant. Adrian inched closer to Kathrin, then kissed her. There was no intense action, only a gentle kiss and such, but it was electrifying.

A long time later, the two of them separated, and looked at each other without saying a word. Few more minutes later, Kathrin who came back to her senses uttered, “I should go back.”

Adrian nodded, then opened the door for her. Kathrin who took a step out of the car suddenly turned to say to him seriously, “Eddy, you’re a gentleman.”

“Thank you.” Adrian grinned, then tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Oh, right.” Kathrin who had half her body out of the car recalled something again, then turned to ask, “It wasn’t a date… Right?”

Adrian was slightly startled, but he smiled and put his hands out. Kathrin’s face reddened again as she moved closer to him to plant a kiss on his lips, then she hurried back home.

“A lady’s feeling is truly attractive.” Adrian touched his lips as he watched her leave as he did not expect his unintentional move to be so rewarding.

In fact, he did not plan the date at all. He was indeed feeling so exhausted and frustrated that he called her to pour out his feelings to her. Due to many reasons, he had been working on the post-production alone, and the tight schedule made him tense.

Nevertheless, Adrian did some preparations in advance, he started recalling the film score the moment he decided to replicate ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’. The film score originated from Britpop, and he only needed to find the few songs once he remembered them completely.

Additionally, he analyzed the scenes of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ during his past life in his film academy, and even created a similar-styled short story by referring to its digital video. Although he was no longer in contact with many linear narrative works after moving to a local platform, he was able to remember everything due to his great memory.

Despite that, Adrian could not guarantee that he could replicate the film completely. Besides, a repeat of anything complicated might not produce the same results, let alone a film production. For instance, due to time constraints, he shot slightly lesser scenes—basically, a 50% film wastage throughout a film production was considered good, because some directors who pursued perfection might actually create an 80% or above film wastage. This was because not all shots would be used, and some scenes were shot a few times as backups in case there was an accident.

Since they were short on time, and Adrian was extremely familiar with the film, many shots were saved during the shootings, but it was also the exact reason that he had to be extra careful during the editing part. Although a mistake would not mean the end, it would waste a lot of time, which was the thing he lacked most at that moment. Furthermore, it was impossible for him to replicate every scene exactly, which was very torturing for him.

Apart from that, this was also his first film after he was reborn, and had to gain instant success. While his past self was quite experienced and capable, it was not the case for the former owner, thus it more or less affected his performance. So far, the editing progress was consistent with what was planned but was only possible by working overtime. Faced with the enormous pressure, it was natural for him to have a bad temper.

In short, the post-production had not been completed and Adrian’s emotions were unstable. He would reprimand his assistant and the others if anything went wrong, including Dennis. Though he knew that it was bad, it was difficult for him to change. At one point when he was not in a terrible mood, Dennis took the opportunity to suggest he take a break.

Therefore, Adrian thought about Kathrin. Even though he was only giving it a shot, her appearance changed him instantly, such that he was no longer weary. It was as if a switch was pressed in his head, allowing him to change from one mode to the other. Evidently, some things remained the same whether it was during his past life or his present life.

Not only did he feel much better after the relaxing day, but he also pulled Kathrin closer to him, which was truly rewarding. Of course, he was still aware of his priorities, thus he continued working on the post-production the next morning and also gathered his crew to comfort them.

“I know that many problems emerged recently, and I know that they’re mainly because of me. Thank you for putting up with me, and I hope that we stick together till the end,” Adrian told them.

It was an indirect apology from him. Since their boss lowered himself, the workers showed their support. Following that, Adrian focused on post-production work again, and perhaps because of his progress with Kathrin, he was in a much better condition. The stress was still there, but his emotions no longer fluctuated like before.

“Maybe you should take a break every two to three days,” Dennis quipped to him. He could tell what happened to Adrian.

Adrian declined to comment, but every time he became too frustrated, he would go out during the afternoon after making a call, then continue working the next day. He never delayed his progress, and would sometimes make huge advancements, hence his workers were in disbelief.

All in all, everything was going on smoothly, be it the post-production of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ or other things. The film company was operating normally under Laverne’s management and even gained an investor to help produce a very low-budget film. Probably because Adrian kept his promise, his staff became more motivated, but none of the scripts gave him a good impression.

It made sense because Bosworth Film Company was just a small company without much reputation, hence it did not attract many people. Adrian was not too concerned about receiving a script that would give him a good impression, because he had a memory bank in his head.

On the other hand, his accountant faxed him the financial report of the previous month, which showed some ups and downs, but his money was still increasing by folds due to Claw’s help. Adrian was certain that his request would be met.

Soon enough, the Venice Film Festival was about to begin.

“Do you know what’s the biggest problem with French dishes? They’re not filling!” The sound of a key being turned was heard, then two intimate figures were seen walking into the studio. The fluorescent lamp was lit.

“Come on, Eddy. It’s the tongue that tastes the food, not the stomach,” Kathrin commented with a smile.

“But the problem is that being full is the priority, and how am I supposed to savor the food if I’m feeling hungry?” Adrian refuted. He then turned to lean against the desk and wrapped his arm around Kathrin’s waist.

“Are you saying that your compliments were fake?” Kathrin placed her arms on his shoulder as she tilted her head playfully.

“Of course not. The restaurant may be small, but the food tasted great. I mean to say that French dishes are more suitable for competitions, not for people to fill their tummy.” Adrian shrugged, then looked at Kathrin’s beautiful face as he teased, “Speaking of which, France abounds in many other things.”

Kathrin giggled, then kissed Adrian. The sound of tongues clicking was instantly heard as it was a hotter kiss than before. When their tongues intertwined, they took turns to suck each other, where they advanced and retreated repeatedly. The intense kiss lasted for a long time before they finally separated.

“A French kiss, right?” Kathrin remarked with an alluring voice.

Although they had not been together for long, their relationship grew so quickly that they were now deeply in love. They had done everything that could be done, except for the last step.

After planting another kiss on her lips, Adrian led her outside. “I have something to show you.”

“To show me?” Kathrin was instantly curious.

In a rather spacious room, Adrian pulled down a white screen that was hung on the widest wall, then placed a film into a bioscope.

“Look at your heroic moment, Kate,” He said while tapping the bioscope.

“You’re saying… You’re saying…” Kathrin was extremely surprised.

Adrian smiled, then turned on the bioscope after he turned off the lights. A white light shone on the screen.