Chapter 445

"Wow!" A scream rang in his ears. Adriaan, who was in a daze, was startled and almost jumped up from the sofa. Then, he saw two little faces covering their mouths and laughing.

"Juliet, Deva, did you disturb Daddy again?" Sophie poked half of her body out of the kitchen and cried, with a tone of reproach and love.

"Daddy is so cute when he sleeps." Juliet cried happily. As soon as her voice fell, she screamed. Adriaan grabbed her into his arms and rubbed her little face.

"How dare you say Daddy is cute? It seems that I have to teach you a lesson, little girl! " Adriaan said in a fierce tone. However, after a few pinches, Deva rushed over with her fists waving. "Daddy, don't bully my sister!"

Although her voice was childish, the little girl, who was holding his hand hard, looked very determined. In addition, Sophie changed the topic and cried, "Eide, you're not really going to care about these things with the children, are you?"

Therefore, after the "big devil" pretended to pinch a few times, he finally let go. Then the two sisters made faces at their father together, then giggled and ran away. Their relationship was really good to the point that no one else could reach. It was no wonder that, except for twins, there were not many half-sisters in this world who were conceived at the same time and then born at the same time, or even within ten seconds of each other. Therefore, they were not twins, but they were more like twins.

Stretching, Adriaan stood up from the sofa. It was good to take a nap. Then he sniffed and walked slowly to the kitchen door. After watching Sophie, who had returned to the kitchen table to cut vegetables for a few minutes, he walked behind her and put his arms around her waist. He buried his head in the back of her neck and took a deep breath. "It smells so good that I can't help it."

She had an intoxicated look on her face, and it was unclear whether she was referring to the food in the pot or herself when she said "I can't help it".

However, when he saw the vegetables in Sophie's hands, he couldn't help but frown slightly. "Chowder again?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kewell." She stopped cutting carrots, turned her head and said with a smile, "I only know how to cook this dish. If you don't like it, you can order takeout or go out to eat, or — go back to Cannes!"

"No need at all." Of course, Adriaan was not stupid enough to flirt with Sophie. "Chowder it is. You are very good at cooking. Both Deva and Juliet like it very much. Besides, the two of us are playing with the children in this small villa. Of course, we should eat home-cooked food, right? "

The reason why Adriaan didn't stay in Cannes until the end of the film festival was not only because he didn't have any works to participate in, but also because he promised Sophie that he would stay with her in Paris for two days. There were no other women, just him and her, as well as the two little ones, Juliet and Deva, in a small apartment by the Seine River.

Although the small apartment wasn't as spacious as a luxury villa, it had a warm atmosphere. With the addition of the children, it was like an ordinary family.

Therefore, Si Jiali's request to accompany her alone at the film festival was not difficult at all. This almost coincided with his plan, and he could also make some small requests, such as leaving traces of them on the top floor of the Chateau Gallery in Cannes, and in the dense woods on the hillside.

Sophie did not mind it at all. That day in the restaurant, she had only gotten angry because Scarlet had actually dared to tease Adrian in front of her. After two days, coupled with the fact that Adrian would find some time to coax her, she had quickly adjusted herself. It was not as if she did not know what kind of person he was, and was already used to it.

"If you have nothing to do, then help me wash these vegetables," Sophie said as she raised her chin to the basket next to her.

"Wow, there are onions!" Adriaan exclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

"Is there a problem?" Sophie didn't give him a chance to speak and immediately asked.

"No, of course not." Adriaan quickly rolled up his sleeves. "I just don't like to shed tears when I peel onions. It's terrible, just like some annoying guys."

"Oh?" Sophie suddenly looked curious. "The director at the film festival?"

This time, it was Adriaan's turn to be stunned. He had just said that casually, but after a few seconds, he realized what she meant. "No, that kind of person isn't qualified. He's just … an idiot."

"But I heard that he is the best director in the world." Sophie deliberately said, "Many people in Europe also like his works. Last year, well, the year before that, he won the Palme d 'Or."

"He's just blowing his own horn." Adriaan said casually, "A director who has never been to the United States, but made a film that could happen anywhere, and then said that this is his American trilogy … Thinking about his performance in front of me, frankly speaking, I think he's crazy."

To put it simply, Adriaan met an arrogant director from Denmark, Lars von Trier, who won the Palme d 'Or in the year 2000 for "Dancer in the Dark." He also proposed the DOG-MA95 declaration at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, advocating live sound recording, hand-held photography, and no post-production dubbing.

Many people expressed their support at the time, including many well-known directors. Unfortunately, these idiotic declarations were subsequently shattered by the storm set off by "Titanic." Even his own "Dancer in the Dark" did not fully adhere to it. Of course, it was not difficult for a thick-skinned guy like him to publicly advertise that he was the best director in the world. Not only that, but he often made some outrageous remarks in public. This time, at a cocktail party, he casually said something to Adriaan —

"You shouldn't be an American. Emigrate to France or Denmark. This is where you should be!"

"Look at the movies you used to direct, and then look at what you're doing now. How can you give up the true spirit of movies?!"

"You should make the movies I made. You can totally make them. You shouldn't be so depraved!"

"Why don't you introduce me to Nicole Kidman? I have a movie that suits her. "

He was full of nonsense and had no manners at all. He talked to himself without caring about other people's feelings or giving them a chance to speak. At that time, many people with good self-restraint were a little shocked. No wonder he could say that he sympathized with the Nazis in public. Of course, this was all in the future.

Yes, Adriaan knew this person. In his previous life, when he was obsessed with European movies in school, he had seen his works. At that time, he naturally felt that they were very, very amazing. Fortunately, that period of "chuunibyou" in his previous life was relatively short, and he quickly came to his senses. Looking at those movies again, other than pretending, they were completely made for the purpose of making people uncomfortable, not art.

In this life, his horizons had been broadened, and he had practiced so many things. He increasingly felt that the group of European directors represented by Von Trier was incorrigible. Naturally, he could not be bothered to care about them. It was actually very easy to deal with these self-righteous people.

"Sorry, you are?" Adriaan asked directly at that time.

"Sorry, never heard of you." After Von Trier introduced himself with a displeased expression, he put on a look of reminiscence and shrugged. Without waiting for Von Trier to react, he turned around and left, as if he had been spoiled by a fly.

It was said that Von Trier's face turned green, and then he began to unrestrainedly attack Zhang Heng at the film festival. Not only did he say bad things about Zhang Heng to everyone he met, but he also said that it was fortunate that Von Trier had not been a judge at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. Otherwise, he would definitely have tried his best to prevent Zhang Heng from winning the Palme d 'Or. It really made people not know whether to laugh or cry. Interestingly, there were actually some people who responded to him, and there were also scattered reports in the newspapers that were more biased towards Von Trier.

However, Adriaan did not take it to heart at all. The more some people paid attention to him, the more excited he became. If he was still noisy after the film festival, then he would directly kill him. It was no easier than killing an ant.

"You have to understand that this kind of person doesn't want art. He wants to stand out from the crowd, as if he is the one who understands, and the others are either idiots or people who bury their heads and don't see the truth for the sake of profit," Adriaan finally concluded.

"Okay, okay, I know you don't like European directors and movies …" Sophie shrugged.

"Hey, when did I say that? At least, I think Luc and his movies are very good." Adriaan immediately interrupted, then changed the topic while washing the vegetables. "Okay, let's not talk about this. Let's change the topic. For example … which movie theater is more spacious?"

"Oh, you're at it again!" Sophie rolled her eyes. "I still remember how you treated me in that small theater that night, Eide. That was too shameful!"

"Speaking of which, why don't we do it again?" Adriaan said leisurely. "A romantic trip from the Eiffel Tower to that small theater?"

"And to play in the streets of Paris again, right?" Sophie narrowed her eyes, raised the knife, and waved the tip at him.

"Hey, Sophie, I don't think this is a good idea." Adriaan immediately raised his hands, and then Deva's voice came from the kitchen door. "Wow, Mommy wants to kill Daddy."

Sophie couldn't pretend anymore. She stabbed the knife into the chopping board and put her hands on her hips as she looked at the two little ones who stuck their heads out. "Alright, you two, stay outside obediently! It's almost time for dinner, don't run around! "

The little ones immediately giggled and ran outside. Faintly, the voices of Deva and Juliet could be heard, "Yeah, Mommy is angry!"

"Now you know how powerful the two little ones are, right?" Adriaan laughed, and then before Sophie could transfer her anger to him, he changed the topic. "By the way, there are two things I want to tell you. Although I wanted to wait for a while, it seems like a good idea to tell you now."

"Oh?" Sophie raised her eyebrows.

"The first is that I think Sofia is right, and I happen to have an interesting idea here, so I don't know if you are interested in trying it out," Adriaan said seriously.

Although after the short film was released, under his guidance, she could basically face the criticism calmly, it was impossible to say that she didn't care. After all …

"What is it?" Sophie asked immediately.

"A short film idea about a supermarket. Don't worry, you know, I have to go back to Los Angeles to work on a movie. We can talk about it after it finishes filming. You can also use this time to think about how to fix the shortcomings exposed through this short film," Adriaan said.

"Got it." Sophie nodded, and a faint disappointment flashed across her face. Then she picked up the knife and continued to cut the carrot slices.

Seeing this, Adriaan smiled, walked behind her, and hugged her from behind again. "Hey, don't you want to listen to the other thing?"

"Go ahead, I'm listening," Sophie replied faintly.

"I remember, you once released an album, right?" Adriaan's tone was indescribably teasing.

His hands paused for a moment, but immediately continued, "Why, do you want me to change my career to a singer? That can't be done, the album sold very badly. Everyone said that I am not suitable for singing, so don't give me any more identities besides actor, writer, and actress. "

"But I am preparing a movie, and I need you to sing in it. What should I do?" Adriaan deliberately asked in a difficult tone.

"You can find someone to sing for you. Anyway, it's not like AC Media doesn't have a record company … Wait, what did you say?!" Sophie suddenly turned her head and looked at him incredulously.

"The movie is about to end, and the post-production is also very simple. I don't have to worry too much about 'The Matrix' and 'The Lord of the Rings,' so I want to make another movie after three or four months of rest, and then release it at the end of next year," Adriaan said unhurriedly.

Although it was very calm, Sophie's breathing inevitably became a little heavy. As one of his women, how could she not understand what it meant to be the female lead in a movie directed by him?

She stared at him, the corner of her mouth slightly trembling, and after a long time, she asked softly, "Really?"

"Of course, but there is a lot of preparation work, and you also need to do a lot of training. This is a biopic. Not only will you have to dress up like the other person, but you will also have to learn how to sing, speak, and all kinds of expressions. At the same time, you will have to take time to prepare the short film. It will be very, very hard," Adriaan said with a chuckle.

"As long as you think I can do it, I can do it." Sophie closed her eyes and leaned her whole body in Adriaan's arms.

Then a faint, indescribable feeling echoed in the kitchen, until … there was a burning smell from the pot.

"Don't think we don't know that you went out to eat tonight because Mom burned the food. Don't try to lie to us!" Juliet and Deva said when they went to bed that night.

At the end of May, when the 55th Cannes Film Festival came to an end, Adriaan had already returned to Los Angeles to continue shooting "The Devil." Although "Lost in Tokyo" attracted a lot of attention at the festival, it still missed the Palme d 'Or. Although the European Film Festival was not as harsh to female directors as the Oscars, it was not easy to win a big award, not to mention that Sofia was an American.

However, Adriaan had changed some things. Although Sofia did not win the Palme d 'Or, she won a big award from the jury. And for some reason, the Palme d 'Or this year was won by the Italian director Marco Belocchio's "Moment of Religion," not …

From the start of filming, it took about five working days to wrap up "The Devil." The lead actress, Gwyneth, was finally relieved. She could finally start losing weight and no longer wear ugly makeup. In fact, when Adriaan went to the Cannes Film Festival, she had consciously started to lose weight. She just didn't lose as much weight as before, so when Adriaan came back, although she was no longer bloated, she could still continue shooting.

"You've suffered, my dear Gwenny, but it's worth it." That was the first thing Adrian said to her after they left the mirror.

"Thank you, I just want to get back to my old self as soon as possible. I don't want to endure it for another day!" Gwyneth replied grumpily.

"I promise, if nothing goes wrong, I'll give you a big surprise next year," Adriaan said, blinking. "I'll let you earn back all the grievances you've suffered in the past."

He didn't avoid Annie, and Annie listened to every word. It seemed like she knew what she had to do.

After "The Devil" was finished, he relaxed a little. Although he had just relaxed in Europe, he attended the premiere of Jack Chen's new movie, "Dragon of the Western Realms." The summer holidays were coming, and all the movies that were aiming for this time were ready to hit the major cinemas. With Jack Chen's current popularity in the United States, it was very appropriate for "Dragon of the Western Realms" to be released at this time.

This movie was also funded by New Line, and Chiling Lin was the female lead. Although she was just a pretty face, it didn't matter if he attended the premiere.

"Thank you very much for coming, Mr. Kewell," Jack Chen was as enthusiastic as ever.

"You're welcome, Mr. Chen. I've always liked your movies," Adriaan responded with a smile.

He knew why he was so enthusiastic. One reason was to thank him for attending the premiere. After all, Adriaan was one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. Wanting to cooperate with him was another matter. Although this was Hollywood, not Hong Kong, and he and Jett Lee had temporarily put aside some of the previous conflicts, the competitive spirit was still unavoidable. Everyone knew that Jett Lee had an important role in "The Matrix 2," and the mainland had already reserved a slot for this movie. How could Jack Chen not want to cooperate with him to take a step forward? Unfortunately …

"What do you think of him?" After Jack Chen left, Adrian casually asked Lin Zhiling who was beside him. He didn't hold back in the slightest as he hugged her in front of everyone, and she also naturally and intimately snuggled up to him.

"Not bad. He's good at taking care of people." Lin Chiling said coquettishly, "Don't worry. Although he does have some thoughts, he doesn't dare to."

Adriaan couldn't help but laugh. Basically, people with status in the media and entertainment industry should know by now that Lin Chiling was his exclusive. Therefore, whether it was working with Jack Chen in "Dragon of the Western Realms" or going to the mainland to participate in "Hero," she received quite good treatment.

Of course, this had a lot to do with Lin Xilei. She was really like a fish in water as a manager. Not to mention other things, she single-handedly fought for the role in "The Scorpion King" for Lin Chiling.