"I have to say, Mr. Miller, in terms of storytelling, my daughter is better than you." After listening to Lily's story, Adriaan spread out his hands to the principal.
"Mr. Kewell." The principal took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "We know about this, but these are two things. Although they are related, we have to deal with one first before we talk about the other."
"Alright." Adriaan did not say much and turned his head to his daughter again, "Do you know what you did wrong, Lily?"
"I was just helping my friend." The little fellow immediately pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Yes, I know, but there are many ways to help a friend." Adriaan smiled, "You should let her face the little guy who bullied her, instead of helping her solve the problem yourself. That will only make her rely on you in the future, become timid, and lack confidence. When she encounters difficulties, the first thing she thinks of is not how to solve it, but to ask for your help."
"Is that so?" Lily blinked, seemingly a little surprised.
"Of course, this is an exaggeration, but it is possible." Adriaan spread out his hands, "So, you should encourage her to fight. This is your first mistake."
"Okay, this is my fault." The little fellow scratched her head gloomily, her mouth still pouting, "Do I need a second one?"
"That's right!" Adriaan nodded, "Your second mistake is that you didn't take the moral high ground during the conflict, which means that when you beat him up, others may sympathize with him."
"Why?" Lily frowned, unable to accept it. "Many people saw him bullying Vivian."
"But he didn't bully you, right? So, the whole thing has nothing to do with you, and you have no reason to beat him up. So, when you beat him up and made him cry, most people think you are wrong. " Adriaan explained to his daughter unhurriedly, "Or to be more specific, for example, if someone says in front of me that your daughter, Lily Kewell, is a fool and an idiot, do you think I have enough reason to punch him?"
Lily's eyes suddenly lit up. She then punched her palm. "I understand now. I should lure him to attack me. It doesn't matter if it's a verbal attack or a physical attack. But as long as he does that, I have enough reason to teach him a lesson, right?"
The little fellow's eyes curved, and she looked at her father with her hands on her waist, nodding in satisfaction, "You are indeed a big bad daddy."
The principal, who had been smiling bitterly, couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this. He couldn't say anything to this father and daughter who were discussing how to beat someone up in front of him so that he wouldn't be blamed. After all, Mr. Adrian Kewell had sponsored a large sum of money for the school and had a good relationship with the school board.
It was precisely because of this that he had no choice but to invite Adriaan to the school. If he didn't ask the parents to cooperate with him and nip it in the bud, it would be very troublesome in the future. But now, it seemed that this was a wrong decision. The families that could attend this primary school were either rich or respectable, and most of them were well-educated, but there were also some weirdos. Principal Miller had seen many of them, but when he thought about how unscrupulous Kewell and his daughter were … well, perhaps he shouldn't use this word, but at least they didn't seem very arrogant. They were indeed discussing a problem, but was it really appropriate for a father and daughter to talk about it?
"Well, now let's hear Mr. Miller's opinion." Adriaan said and looked at the principal again.
"Well …" The principal automatically ignored the conversation between the father and daughter. "We hope that Miss Kewell can apologize to Mr. Nelson in person."
"What do you think, dear?" Adriaan then looked at his daughter.
"No problem." The little fellow answered readily, but there was an inexplicable gleam in her eyes. "I can apologize to him, but there's a condition."
She stuck out her little chest and put on a serious look in front of the principal. "Nelson must apologize to Vivian first. I'll be as sincere as he is. He apologized in front of all the students, and I will apologize in front of all the students!"
His sonorous and forceful tone carried a hint of irrefutability, but it didn't last long. He glanced at his father, who was next to him, and then proudly raised his hand that was placed below. It was a big thumb.
The principal could only smile bitterly. "I see …"
"Don't worry, Mr. Miller." At the end of the meeting, after Lily went out, Adriaan said to him with a smile, "Lily is a smart and precocious child. She knows how to behave appropriately. I've always been proud of her, so I fully believe that this kind of thing will not happen again."
"I hope you're right, Mr. Kewell." The principal said helplessly.
Adriaan didn't pay attention to his worries. The little fellow did know how to behave appropriately, so what he needed to do was to let her understand that her sense of propriety was the same and different from that of others.
"You've caused me a lot of trouble, Lily." Adriaan said to his daughter after they got out of the school.
"Do you feel embarrassed?" Lily looked at her father with her chin in her hands. "If so, can I do it a few more times?"
"Oh?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows and suddenly pulled her into his arms. "Do you want to see me embarrassed so much, little fellow?"
Lily screamed at once, accompanied by giggles. After tossing and turning in the car for several minutes, the little fellow patted her father's arm generously. "Don't worry, naughty father. It won't happen again."
"You're so naughty!" Adriaan patted her head and then sighed. "You'll be a big girl in a few years. Time really flies …"
Lily made a face and just smiled. To be honest, it was not a good thing to mature too early. Some … Forget it. Parents could guide their children's direction, but they shouldn't interfere in her life. She was so smart that she would know how to choose.
This little disturbance ended with Nelson's apology to Vivian and Lily's apology to Nelson. However, a small tail was left. From then on, Lily became the leader of the girls in the school. It was okay for the boys to tease her or even bully her a little. But if they bullied her too much, they would be punished. Moreover, Lily made full use of what she had learned that day and stood on the moral high ground every time. Even if the school knew that everything was planned by her, they couldn't find an excuse to blame her.
However, she didn't hold on to the boys' problems and would take the initiative to reconcile with them. Most of the time, she was well-behaved, so she was very popular in the school.
"You're a good leader." Adriaan joked to Kate after knowing it. "It seems that she inherited it."
Kate immediately rolled her eyes at him. Although Adriaan didn't say anything like "Lion King" in front of her, how could she not have heard of it? Even if he didn't mean it that way, Kate couldn't stop thinking in that direction. After all, no matter how much she disliked this argument, she couldn't change the fact that she was a member of the lionesses.
"I think we can have another child," she finally said with a wicked smile. "A smart child like Lily."
"Well … No problem, as long as you're willing." Adriaan thought about it and expressed his welcome.
"Then …" Kate continued, "Ask Sarah, Charley, Yini, and all your women to have children. Give birth to hundreds of children in total. Let them eat you until you go bankrupt!"
She said it while gnashing her teeth. She looked really … cute.
This was all in the future. Back around Halloween, the November movie schedule was right in front of them. Many movies that lacked competition but wanted to take a chance would choose to be released at this time, such as "Supernatural Trafficker". Although Luc Besson had been recognized by Hollywood, and the whole story was in English, it was still labeled as a French film. Therefore, New Line, which took over the North American distribution, chose to release it at this time.
Even so, the movie had not premiered yet, but it still achieved good results. The film critics were merciful, praising the pace and atmosphere of the movie. As a commercial film, "Supernatural Trafficker" was very qualified. The male lead was also set to be a retired American special forces soldier, and the female lead, Yoshihide, was now one of the most famous Asian actors in the United States. Coupled with Adriaan's urging, New Line put some effort into the promotion, which resulted in such a situation.
However, there were also movies that were released at this time because of the good timing, such as David Fincher's new work, "The Trembling Space". There was definitely a premiere for this movie. Although it was not a big one, many people came to support it. Because Naomi was the female lead, Adriaan naturally would not be left behind, so the premiere had a lot of attention.
Although the plot of the movie was already known, sitting in the screening hall and watching it, it still felt very interesting. After all, Vinci was a music video producer. He was very good at editing, switching, and grasping the plot. In addition, he was a person who had his own ideas, so every movie had its merits. Although "The Trembling Space" was only a story that happened in one night in a house, it could be filmed in a tense, exciting, impactful, and infectious way.
Of course, Naomi's performance couldn't go unnoticed. Her years of experience exploded once again, and she portrayed a strong mother who fought back in a desperate situation vividly. It was no less than Jodie Foster's performance in the original film in Adriaan's memory. Fincher was also full of praise for her, saying that she supported most of the movie.
Kristen Stewart was also very good, especially the part where she was locked in a secret room by the gangsters and had a diabetes attack. It was especially good. The only regret was that Adriaan had suggested that she keep her hair longer, but Fincher thought that short hair was more suitable, so she still looked like a tomboy in the movie. She was actually quite outstanding. Although she wasn't the first beauty, if it wasn't gender-neutral clothing, people would be able to tell after a long time.
At the premiere, she had long hair and wore a dress, which was a completely different image from in the movie. Interestingly, she was always with Naomi, so she was always … constantly in front of Adriaan.
After it was released, "The Trembling Space" was polarized. Some film critics thought it was good, but others thought it was terrible. "Variety Variety" said that the movie maintained Fincher's usual standards, and the atmosphere was just right. Although the plot was a little cliché, it maintained the tension and excitement from the beginning to the end. But "Us Weekly" didn't agree. They thought that "The Trembling Space" was Fincher's worst movie so far. He gave up the sharp and incisive ideas he once had, and became a pure commercial production. Even "Psychological Game" from a few years ago was better than this movie.
Of course, Fincher didn't care about this. To put it bluntly, it was still a battle between art and commerce. "Psychological Game" had received the same treatment when it was released, so it would be better if the next movie was more artistic. But as for Naomi's performance, these film critics unanimously praised it. Just as Fincher said, her performance alone supported most of the movie.
"See, Naomi? This is a very high praise." In Marbury's seaside villa, Adriaan deliberately shook the newspaper as he spoke to Naomi.
Before Naomi could speak, Nicole, who was next to her, snatched the topic. "Yes, yes, I've never received such praise. If I knew this would happen, I would have asked for this role."
"Why not? Didn't 'The Small Island' do the same? Do you need me to dig out the comments from back then? "Adriaan pretended to be unhappy.
"That's why some people say that David originally wanted to invite me because of 'The Small Island'." Nicole sighed as she walked over and sat down next to Naomi. Then she reached out and hugged her. "Of course, Naomi, I'm not saying that I can act better than you, I'm just … a little depressed."
"Don't be like this, Nicole. We all know that you deserve the Oscar Award for Best Actress," Naomi said with a smile.
Although Nicole won the Oscar for Best Actress with "Moulin Rouge" at the beginning of this year, there had been endless controversy. Compared to Gwyneth and the other nominees, there were constant rumors of PR and shady dealings. Although Nicole didn't care about it, it was inevitable that she would be a little annoyed when the reporters kept asking her.
"Oh, Naomi, you and I are still the best. I love you. Let's get married." Nicole immediately held Naomi's face and kissed her on the mouth.
"You also did a good job in the new movie. The film critics also said that you and George are very good." Adriaan shrugged. "Also, if you seduce me in front of my eyes again …"
"He will use this to threaten us." Nicole immediately snorted.
"He has always been like this. It's not like you don't know."
"How about we teach him a lesson tonight?"
"No problem."
The two women echoed each other, which made Adriaan laugh. Then, the water in the kitchen boiled, and Naomi got up and left. As soon as she left, Nicole's smile changed and became a little seductive. She stretched out a foot in front of Adriaan and rubbed it on his calf. "Are you going to let them write so casually?"
"This kind of thing is normal, isn't it?" Adriaan smiled, grabbed her ankle, and rubbed her calf up.
"Okay, okay." Nicole sighed, a little dispirited.
"Speaking of which, which actress has been nominated for the most acting awards?" Adriaan didn't care and said to himself. "Katharine Hepburn? Or Meryl Streep? "
In just a short moment, Nicole understood what he meant. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "It seems about the same. More than ten times."
Then, she stretched out her other foot and clamped it on his waist. She narrowed her eyes and licked the corner of her mouth with the tip of her tongue. "I can let you play for free for a month."
"Just a month? Can't it be more? "Adriaan raised his eyebrows." How about free for life? "
"That can't be done. I have to support myself." Nicole said seriously. "How about this? After each time, I will be free for half a month, and then the other half will be half price."
"That's acceptable." Adriaan pretended to think for a few minutes, then smiled and nodded.
Originally, he wanted to wait a little longer, but now was not a problem. The reason why he let her reach the top with "Moulin Rouge" was because he had promised her to win the Oscar for Best Actress with her most beautiful image. Now was another reason. If she wanted to prove that she won the award with her ability — well, 80% or more than 90% of her ability — then she would continue to stay by his side.
After all, he would always have the most opportunities. For example, he had solved a very troublesome matter before.
"Ms. Nora Avron has agreed to be the director, and Ms. Meryl Streep has agreed to play the female lead. The preliminary work has already begun. So, as long as you agree, we can start working immediately. "Adriaan leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to look at Natalie, who was flipping through the script.
"You … really think you're suitable for this role?" Natalie frowned and asked, staring at the script.
"What don't you think is suitable?" Adriaan asked.
"It doesn't matter if I like good food, but …" She bit her lip and turned to look at Adriaan. "Do I look like a married woman in her late thirties?"
Adriaan raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"We all know that a real performance is ordinary but extraordinary. But we also know that in most cases, if an actress wants to win an Oscar, she has to play some crazy or ugly role." Adrian sat up and moved closer to Natalie. He looked into her eyes and said, "It's simple. That's the only way. The judges want to see you that's completely different from the real you. They want you to be the exact opposite, but you're more believable."
At this point, he patted the script on the table. "If we really find an actress in her late twenties to play this role, naturally, there will be nothing special about it. However, if a young girl can act like a housewife who loves delicious food and is about to reach her thirties, there is no doubt that she will be the most dazzling star of the whole movie!"
