Chapter 828: Chapter 234: Year-End Again
“You all seem quite relaxed.” When Adrian appeared in the garden, holding Mary in his left arm and Eleanor in his right, while Patricia sat in a baby pouch on his chest, with messy hair and wrinkled clothes resembling The Pacifier, contrasting sharply with the little one’s mothers elegantly sipping afternoon tea in the garden.
“Of course, it’s rare to have someone share these responsibilities, why shouldn’t we take a comfortable break?” Kate turned her head, chuckling as she spoke first.
“That’s right, with Daddy taking the initiative, Mommy should of course rest,” Julia chimed in from the side, then giggled as she watched Papa twisting and turning in the baby pouch on Daddy’s chest.
Sharing, if I remember correctly, the time the little ones were cared for by maids and nannies wasn’t less than being with you. Adrian muttered to himself. As for the time he spent taking care of them, overall it wasn’t much different from theirs, directly overlooked by him. Isn’t it normal for Daddy’s time to be relatively less?
Since it was a muttering, he certainly didn’t say it out loud, so he just shrugged somewhat helplessly and cheerfully, then handed the little ones back to their respective mothers, joined by Lily, Deva, and Juliet, making the garden lively at once, and the relationships between them more harmonious.
Although the women were usually distinctly grouped, once they were labeled as mothers, they got along very well. Regardless of whether it was the youngest, Jessica, or the one entering reserve duty with a big belly, Gwyneth, it was the same. In short, the scene of them holding their respective daughters and communicating was very heartwarming, and Adrian, who could finally breathe a sigh of relief, also felt somewhat smug.
But it was just a sigh of relief.
“Daddy, would you teach me to play tennis?” After acting coquettishly with Mommy, Lily ran over and started shaking Daddy’s arm.
Although Adrian wanted to say, let Daddy rest a while, but seeing her big blinking eyes knew that this mischievous little girl couldn’t be fobbed off, so he had to stand up: “Okay, no problem.”
Luckily, the little girl was still considerate of Daddy and didn’t suggest all sorts of strange play as usual, just picked up a special racket and swung it at the tennis ball rebounding from the wall of the training room under Daddy’s guidance.
“Very good, you’re doing great, dear,” Adrian smiled as he wiped Lily’s forehead sweat and said, “If you practice tennis, maybe you’ll become a professional player someday.”
“Really?” Lily’s little face was flushed and she smiled happily, revealing a hint of pride between her brows.
“Of course, Mommy and the aunts all know, Daddy’s words are mostly accurate,” Adrian affectionately pinched her little nose and then his smile became meaningful, “You’re Daddy’s treasure, dear, each of you is Daddy’s unique treasure, understand?”
The little one paused for a moment, then pouted, her face turned even redder, and her eyes looked to the side appearing somewhat unhappy, also feeling shy, a sense of discomfort from having her little thoughts seen through. Adrian couldn’t help but laugh, calculating, worrying, thinking of silly ways to draw parents’ attention, that’s how a little girl should behave, too precocious isn’t good either.
“Alright, let’s continue, you swung too hard a few times earlier,” Adrian pretended not to notice, kissed her forehead, and then started speaking again.
“Got it.” Lily obviously enjoyed Daddy not mentioning that as she immediately picked up the racket again, continuing more happily than before, clearly revealing Adrian’s earlier words had an effect.
“How much longer do you plan to play?” Kate’s voice came into his ear as she leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed, supporting her body with one leg, exuding a lazy vibe.
“Probably a few more minutes, once Lily finishes playing these balls we’ll come over, how’s that, you want to do something again?” Adrian leaned over directly, teasingly asking as he got close to her.
“No, just wanted to see if you’re really tired,” Kate raised an eyebrow, “I heard from Innie that you spent a lot of time traveling around having fun.”
Though the tone was flat, she clearly bit her lip, and her gaze wasn’t friendly. No doubt, with Kate and Ivanka’s, um, close relationship, the mishaps he had during his East Asia trip were surely all told to her, just don’t know if it was a partially omitted version or a spiced-up version.
“Just occasionally playing so, I know, you wouldn’t mind… wouldn’t mind too much, would you?” Adrian still maintained a teasing and playful demeanor.
Kate snorted, grinding her teeth, almost seeming like she was going to pounce and bite him: “Yes, but passing won’t be that easy.”
Just that one sentence and Adrian knew what he wanted to know, first, Ivanka told Kate the likely partially omitted version, secondly, she already told the other women, latest by today.
“Thank you for reminding me, dear,” Adrian’s smile turned a bit mischievous as he grabbed her arm, “But you know, the last installment of The Matrix is about to premiere soon, so…”
The statement wasn’t finished, but enough for Kate to understand, she immediately glared at him fiercely, pretended to shake his hands off, but Adrian took the opportunity to hold on, from pretending Kate suddenly became truly unwilling to concede, the pair ended up clinging and twisting against each other, ultimately closing with Adrian forcibly kissing Kate.
“You bastard!” Kate said angrily, but mostly in a teasing tone.
Adrian chuckled proudly and then noticed something, turned to look, Lily was squatting not far away, racket and ball tossed aside, holding her face and seriously watching Mommy and Daddy. He couldn’t help laughing, swiftly walked over, lifted her up amid exclamations, placed the little one on his shoulder, then took Kate’s arm, laughing and walked away.
Although he was mentally prepared, facing it for real, Adrian felt he somewhat underestimated his woman.
“Hmm… wait… Monica… Sophie…” Before he could finish speaking, he was pushed onto the bed by the pouncing Monica, while Sophie, following behind, began to tug—or rather rip—at his clothes.
Basically, throughout December, Adrian was shuttling between his women, responding to their enthusiasm. After all, this trip to East Asia took him nearly a month, a time away from Los Angeles and the United States for which he had precedents, but those were either to Europe or Australia, where the women could visit him anytime if they wanted, as Adrian had more than one private jet. But East Asia—especially China—was quite troublesome.
So, it’s normal for them to be like this. You have to know, even Rachel, with her masochistic tendencies, and Avril, who always half-isolated herself from Adrian’s circle of women, showed unusual enthusiasm in bed, even though they weren’t really aware that other women were doing the same. The saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” holds a bit of truth, even though he and the women were not married. It did mean he had to work a little harder, but… what’s a little extra effort, right?
In fact, Adrian originally wanted to have another beach party. Even if the temperature in Los Angeles was quite low at the moment, they could go to Hawaii or the Caribbean Sea. Although he found it quite taxing to handle last time, as long as he prepared adequately and the number of people didn’t exceed last time’s limit, pulling off another grand event wouldn’t be a problem. It’s just that various things kept popping up at the end of the year, so it was all just a thought.
Alright, putting that aside for now, let’s rewind to December 1st, when countless fans eagerly anticipated the theatrical release of the final installment of “The Matrix.”
While Adrian was in East Asia, several films from his movie company were also being released, such as Universal’s “Bruce Almighty.” This movie was originally unrelated to Adrian; he neither provided the concept nor was involved in its production. However, when the producer Roger Birnbaum wanted Jim Carrey as the lead, and was gently declined, Adrian stepped in to persuade him when he learned of the situation.
Speaking of which, Jim Carrey’s refusal is somewhat related to Adrian. In his previous life, Jim Carrey had returned to comedy films disheartenedly after several unsuccessful attempts to win an Oscar. But now, thanks to Adrian, he received a nomination, greatly encouraging him. Naturally, he hoped to press on and not continue with comedy roles.
However, Adrian’s request was something Jim Carrey couldn’t refuse. Indeed, this year, he also had an artistic movie waiting for release with a good chance of hitting the Oscars, also given to him by Adrian. Hence, compared with the previous life, the only difference for “Bruce Almighty” was its release time—oh, and the female lead was different too.
In the original version, the lead actress was Jennifer Aniston. But now, Jennifer Aniston, having finished her reign as America’s Sweetheart on the small screen, was quite a popular action star on the big screen. Having collaborated with her husband on “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” this year, it was impossible for her to take the lead role in such a comedy movie. So, the role went to Liv Tyler, the Elf Princess.
A beautiful but somewhat shallow vase, that’s how Adrian positioned Liv, and it was fairly accurate. Although many critics considered Liv’s acting to have lowered the overall quality of “Quills,” there were still some who felt she demonstrated a certain level of performance. Therefore, despite the significant age difference, she was still fit for such a comedy role.
With Jim Carrey, still considered one of Hollywood’s top comedy talents, as the leading man, complemented by Liv’s beautiful and charming presence, and the film’s humor and banter, its success was indeed remarkable.
Then, Keira’s “Love Actually,” which she participated in, was released in the United Kingdom, drawing much attention even though it would be a while before its U.S. release. Especially since “Pirates of the Caribbean” came out prior, boosting Keira’s popularity significantly. The promoters also specifically leveraged her fame for promotion, making the box office quite good.
In addition, the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” starring Gwyneth before she got pregnant, was released in early November. Adrian hadn’t left at that time. Dakota Fanning’s sister, Elle Fanning, made a cameo in “Daddy Day Care,” which also hit theaters around this time. All the way back in “I Am Sam,” Elle Fanning played her sister’s younger self, even if it was just a brief scene, but she was beginning to step into the entertainment industry officially.
Of course, the most anticipated films of the Christmas season were the two series nearing their conclusion by the Miracle Director.
“Many people thought the second movie was overly awkward. How do you see it?” a reporter shouted, waving a microphone.
“You once mentioned that the movie’s ending would differ from the novel’s. Can you give us a hint?” another reporter quickly asked.
“Actually, I think these questions are not really questions because the movie is about to premiere, and within ten more minutes, you can find your answers,” Adrian replied with a smile, spreading his hands amidst the flashing cameras.
But this obviously didn’t satisfy the reporters. Adrian was aware of this, so he smiled and raised his hands, “Alright, alright. Regarding the first question, I just want to say, ‘The Matrix’ is first and foremost a movie, which must meet the viewing needs of the audience before delving into deeper interpretations. On this note, I believe the second film is qualified, and the final one will be as well. As for the second question, just wait for another ten minutes. If I tell you ahead of time, it would lose its significance.”
Even this answer couldn’t satisfy those guys, but Adrian didn’t intend to respond further. Smiling, he waved his hand, and after Monica, the leading actress, and Sophie, one of the supporting actresses, came forward, he whispered a few words to them, then put his arms around their waists, allowing the reporters to take pictures freely.
The sound of clicking cameras intensified crazily, especially as he walked into the theater with them on his arms. Although it was just a few short steps, the shutter sounds grew even more intense. Everyone knew the Miracle Girls had a close relationship with the Miracle Director, but even if Adrian frequently displayed affection with them publicly, he always knew the limits. In the past, such situations usually ended with him letting go after the photos were taken and entering with them.
However, walking in like this with them on his arms was unprecedented. Holding them for photos was one meaning; walking in together while holding them was another. How could the reporters pass up such a good opportunity? Even if they couldn’t explicitly write certain things in their reports, they could hint about it, and with a few photos, it was enough to spark readers’ imagination.
Actually, Adrian didn’t want to give reporters too much material, as quite a few well-informed people already guessed that Blanchett, Monica, and Sophie might have children. It’s just that the pressure from him prevented the news from reaching the public’s ears. In this scenario, displaying more intimate actions in front of reporters, especially with two women at once, could be problematic if certain people chose to exploit it.
However, problematic as it may be, it’s merely potential trouble that could still be managed. Moreover, this was a request put forth by Monica and Sophie after much persuasion, considering he had gone off to play in East Asia.
“Look, Sophie, someone seems a bit regretful.” Monica raised an eyebrow and said to Sophie, but since Adrian was between them, it was obvious whom she intended for this to reach.
“No worries, isn’t he always like this?” Sophie replied with a soft laugh.
The final installment of “The Matrix” was finally released. The plot of the movie didn’t differ much from the original version. Initially, Adrian had thought about adjusting the story, such as having Neo already suspect certain possibilities in the second film. Thus, after saving Trinity, he fakes his death and returns in the third installment. This would add more intrigue to the plot and make Neo appear more proactive instead of being passively pushed to his position, thereby making the character’s image fuller.
Unfortunately, after much consideration, Adrian ultimately abandoned this idea. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at . Your support is my greatest motivation.)