"At present, there are a total of six stages. Because we need to listen to the audience's feedback at any time and let them decide the development of certain things, and the talent show pays more attention to their opinions than the TV series, so it can't be produced too far in advance. You have to come here at least once a week." In the studio, Adriaan said as he showed people around.
"Is it necessary to arrange it so tightly?" Before the other party could answer, the young girl next to him spoke first. "All kinds of interviews, all kinds of shows, especially the life of a model, can arouse people's interest, can't they?"
Adriaan took a look at her and looked away, as if he didn't care about her. He still looked at the middle-aged man next to him and explained to him, "One episode every two weeks is tight. Now this is the best arrangement. Showing all the details to the audience will only make them lose interest, and covering up the details can instead whet their appetite."
"What if something happens halfway?" The young girl asked again.
But Adriaan still ignored her and continued to say to the middle-aged man, "The current number of judges has been expanded to five, and they don't have to appear at the same time. Of course, if there is something, please inform us in advance so that we can arrange it."
"Of course, right, Yini?" Trump spoke in time to stop his daughter, who still wanted to speak.
"Thank you for your explanation, Eide. I will perform my duties well." He smiled at Adriaan and then added, "In fact, I can't wait."
"Then that's it." Adriaan nodded and looked at the time. "I still have something to do, so I can't accompany you. Eddy or Max can explain the rest for you. As for other aspects, we can talk about it when we have time. Anyway, you don't have to be so anxious now, do you?"
"Of course, of course." Trump laughed and then raised his hand to make a gesture of invitation.
After watching Adriaan walk out with the female secretary, Ivanka Trump, who followed him to Los Angeles, snorted softly. "I don't like him!"
Looking at the man who was talking and laughing intimately with the beautiful secretary, she couldn't help but frown, and an inexplicable light flashed in her eyes.
"I really don't know why you have so much hostility toward him." Trump sighed.
"Isn't it enough to listen to those rumors, Dad?" Ivanka asked. "I bet he and his secretary must have slept."
"Which company's CEO hasn't slept with his beautiful female secretary?" Trump muttered.
"Dad!" Ivanka immediately raised her voice.
"I didn't say anything." Trump hurriedly said, "Well, even if you don't like him, don't show it on your face, okay? That's how you should be treated. "
Ivanka opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but soon closed it again. After a while, she said, "I know. I'll be careful. There won't be a next time."
But then she changed the topic. She folded her arms and looked at her father. "You too, Dad! You know what I'm doing. If I dare to copy that guy, I'll be very, very unhappy. "
"Well, Yini, there are no such little girls here. Besides, this is California." Trump laughed and touched his daughter's head lovingly.
"Then I'll go back. There's nothing for me to do here." Seeing that her father did not forget, Ivanka was temporarily relieved.
"Okay, I'll go back later." Trump nodded and watched his daughter leave before he was ready to look for the two people in charge that Adriaan mentioned to continue questioning. But he stopped after two steps, turned his head and looked in the direction that Ivanka left with some uncertainty. But after thinking about it carefully, he shook his head and took another step.
※ ※ ※
"Yes, Charley had already shown me the data when I came out from TBS. I have to say, well done, man." After returning to the company, Adriaan called Claude immediately. Just as he introduced the Trump father and daughter to the final preparation studio for America's Top Model, the harvesting work in Southeast Asia had once again made a lot of progress.
"Isn't it too early to stop now? Even if what you said is right, I can still prepare in advance, can't I? "Claude's voice came from the other side.
"Is that so?" Adriaan's fingers tapped back and forth on the armrest. He knew what Claude was thinking. "Well, if you want, you can, but remember that our main focus should be on Universal now. I heard that France's Vitiwang Group is also in contact with them. Don't delay the serious business."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll only keep a small portion of the funds. And my father, your uncle, and Lei Shidong have all been settled. Even if Vitiwang wants to intervene, it's useless." Claude laughed.
Satisfied, Adriaan hung up the phone. He was very confident in Claude and understood the company's situation very well. He seemed to be a hands-off boss. Many things were decided by Claude, but he basically never missed the meetings that needed to be attended. He looked at the detailed reports every month. Even if there was something he was not clear about, his personal financial consultant, Leggett, would point it out for him. What's more, Charlize was by his side. The smart and capable Charlize would always list the documents that needed to be reviewed according to the degree of importance. Coupled with the shares in hand, there was no need to worry about losing control of the company.
Looking at the time, Adriaan stood up and went into the inner room to change into casual clothes before coming out again.
"Charley, I have a date tonight. You go back alone — go to Kate's place. I probably won't be back tonight. Help me take care of Lily." He said to the female secretary, then raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just want to know who you're up to this time." Charlize, who was tidying up the things on the table, had a faint smile on his face. "When the index and middle fingers of your right hand began to move back and forth, I knew you were up to no good again."
"That's really shocking. Am I that unbearable in your eyes?" Adriaan sighed somewhat exaggeratedly.
"Yes, you're that unbearable," Charlize answered without hesitation.
"Well, it's my fault. I shouldn't have asked this. You can answer it even with your knees." Adriaan shrugged helplessly and was about to walk out.
"Which one is it?" Charlize asked again behind him. "The one in the afternoon, the one the day before yesterday, or the one a few days ago."
Adriaan turned around in astonishment, but Charlize spread his hands calmly. "I have to arrange your itinerary, Eide, so it's very important to me who will appear on the list. I'm a responsible secretary."
Laughing, he pursed his lips and thought for a moment. Adriaan gave the answer, "Guess."
※ ※ ※
When the doorbell rang, Naomi, who had been prepared and rehearsed several times in her mind, was still startled. After all, she had only met him twice in total. She did not know Adriaan's preferences, but she was sure that he was a very gentle and kind man, so …
After calming down, Naomi opened the door. It was indeed Adriaan outside. He was dressed casually, and there was a hint of unruliness in his steadiness, which made him more charming.
"Hi, Eide, you're very punctual." She smiled and made a gesture to invite him in. After seeing him, there was no sense of uneasiness between them.
"It's a virtue for a man to be punctual." Adriaan walked in and took out the gift behind him. It was a fiery red rose.
"This is …" Naomi's eyes flashed with indescribable surprise. The rose still had thorns, so the branch was wrapped in something. It was obviously picked not long ago.
"I came from the company. I left in a hurry, so I didn't have a gift for you. Fortunately, someone planted roses in the yard nearby, so I secretly …" Adriaan explained with a smile. At the same time, he clapped his hands. There was still a dark stain on his thumbs. Obviously, what he said was true.
"Thank you, I … I like your gift very much." Naomi said a little excitedly. The feeling in her heart was indescribable. How many years ago would someone secretly cut roses in someone else's yard for her?
She quickly found a slightly old vase. After washing it, she filled it with water, inserted the rose into it, and placed it on the windowsill.
"You are such a romantic person, Eide." After calming down, Naomi served coffee to Adriaan. The smile on her face became softer.
"In the face of a beautiful woman like you, even an idiot will know what to do." Adriaan said with a chuckle.
After chatting for a while, Naomi went to the kitchen to get busy. Her cooking skills were not that good, and she was still short of money. She declined Adriaan's help. She didn't want to owe more before paying off the rent. This was a matter of attitude. Not to mention, don't forget what she said to the mirror that night.
However, she had been cooking for many years, so she had at least one or two good dishes. She still had some cash on her. If she took it all out, she could buy some cheap ingredients.
"It tastes good. This soup is at least at the level of a first-class chef. I didn't expect to taste such a delicious soup. If you weren't in front of me, maybe I would have licked the plate." Adriaan was full of praise, which made Naomi smile a lot more. There was no woman who didn't like people praising their cooking skills.
After dinner, she quickly cleaned up the tableware in the kitchen. To her surprise, Adriaan came in to help.
"I don't know how to cook, but I have no problem cleaning. Although I have never done it at home, do I still need training for such a small thing?" He said as he put the tableware in the dishwasher. Then, a plate made a good illustration of his words. It slipped out of his hand, causing him to panic. At the same time, it jumped a few times and fell to the ground. If it wasn't for Naomi's quick reflexes, it would have definitely smashed into pieces.
"Okay, a small accident. This is normal." Adriaan coughed to hide his embarrassment.
"Let me do it." Naomi, who was trying hard not to laugh, said.
"No, I was just careless for a moment. I won't make such a mistake again."
"That won't do. I only have this set of tableware. If I accidentally break it, then I can only eat takeout in the future."
"You mean to say that I will only add to your troubles and make you more unlucky, right?"
"That's what you said. I didn't say that. I just want to prevent the worst from happening."
"Come on, that's what you mean. You can't deny it."
A series of teasing words came from the kitchen, as if a young couple was flirting with each other, giving off a warm feeling.
Fortunately, the damn antique dishwasher didn't go on strike. With Adriaan's help, Naomi quickly cleaned up the kitchen. The two returned to the living room and chatted again. They talked about all kinds of topics, such as interesting stories from their childhood, or different opinions on certain things. Adrian always easily made Naomi giggle, and the way she giggled was quite alluring.
At first, one sat on the chair and the other on the sofa. Then, both of them sat on the sofa. Then, Naomi leaned on Adriaan's arm.
"By the way, you should have read through the script several times, right?" Adriaan suddenly mentioned the new script. "What do you think?"
"Hmm … It's almost the same as last time. I don't know what the story is about," Naomi said after hesitating.
Adriaan saw her hesitation but didn't ask. Instead, he changed the angle, "What do you think the female lead should be like?"
"… Fragile, sensitive, and even a little neurotic. So after a series of blows, she began to despair, and then from despair to madness." Naomi's eyes became a little unfocused.
"Then why did you say you don't know what the story is about?" Adriaan's teasing voice sounded at this time.
Naomi was taken aback. Then, she realized that he saw through her thoughts. So, she pouted and looked at him indignantly. After a while, she sighed and said, "I still only see that plot. The female lead couldn't get success in Hollywood, and her same-sex partner became a star with the help of a certain producer. She felt that the female lead betrayed her, so she hired a killer to kill her partner, and then she went crazy … and committed suicide?"
She paused and thought for a few seconds before saying, "But I don't know what the previous ones mean. In short, other than this, the entire script is illogical. It seems to be completely composed of all kinds of fragments. Even the plot I said is not necessarily logical. After all, I don't know what you are thinking, Eide."
"You're already very good to be able to observe these," Adriaan praised.
"Probably because … I empathize." Naomi smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly.
"Of course, this script was originally written for you." Adriaan suddenly laughed.
"You … wrote it for me?" Naomi was dumbfounded.
"Not entirely." Adriaan shrugged. "I wanted to make a movie without logic for a long time, but it can't be completely illogical. At least there must be a carrier to carry these fragments, otherwise the movie will only be a mess. I haven't found a suitable one until I met you. "
"Met … me?" Naomi looked at him in confusion, but her heart was pounding with joy.
"Do you remember that night, when we went shopping in Hollywood and walked to Mulholland Drive, what did you say?" Adriaan reached out and gently stroked her face with pity in his eyes. "You said that when Mrs. Lawrence threw all your things out, you were completely desperate. At that moment, you even wanted to drive to the end of Mulholland Drive and drive over the cliff. I was thinking, what kind of despair would make a person want to end his own life to fight against it, and how many people in Hollywood, the dream factory, have the same idea? So I added this to the script, made up a Hollywood plot, added that kind of despair and madness, and used this kind of emotion to carry the logical fragments. So the name of the script is' Mulholland Drive ', do you understand? "
His words struck Naomi's heart like a heavy hammer. Perhaps she didn't understand what the script was trying to convey, but Adrian's words about the complete script because of what happened to her had entered her ears without missing a single word. Everything that happened that day came back to her mind again, and for a moment, her eyes couldn't help turning red again.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave …" Naomi, who covered her mouth, was about to stand up when a force suddenly came from her shoulder and pulled her into Adriaan's arms.
"It's okay, I understand how you feel." He held her in his arms and gently patted her back.
Naomi struggled symbolically for a while and then stopped moving. She buried her head in Adriaan's chest, breathing deeply, and her body trembled slightly. After a long while, she finally raised her head. Although she didn't cry again, her eyes were red and her face was filled with misery.
"I'm sorry, I just … I just …" She sniffled and wanted to explain.
"I said, it's okay." Adriaan held her face and stroked it gently. He still had that kind of tender and warm gaze, and his tone was full of the power to calm people's hearts. "Everything is over now. You are a strong girl, Naomi. Everything is changing, and you will have your own achievements."
Naomi looked at Adriaan in a daze, and the feeling of that night slowly came back to her heart again. It was the feeling of safety and dependence that she hadn't felt for a long time. So in the next second, she kissed his mouth. Naomi kissed and sucked unceremoniously, ignoring everything as if she wanted to burst out all her passion.
Adriaan also responded unceremoniously, fiddling and entangling with her again and again, making a sizzling sound. The hands that held her face began to slide down, from her neck to her shoulders, and then to her arms, with bursts of electric current.
Naomi, who was gasping for air, let out a series of moans from her throat. She suddenly straightened her body and turned over to straddle Adrian's body. She then unbuttoned his shirt while panting heavily. Adrian also unbuttoned hers and kissed her from time to time. Soon the coat was unbuttoned, and Naomi picked up the corner of the coat and flipped it out together with her underwear. The pair of plump softness looked unusually firm against the background of the bra.
"Come on, Eide!" She looked at him and said while panting. It was as if the words were squeezed out from her throat, bringing with it an endless temptation. His hands immediately grabbed her slender waist and gently kneaded it. The two of them had already burst out of their lust, and a great battle was about to begin …
