Chapter 833: Chapter 239: Trivial Matters in the United Kingdom
"French critics have yet to produce a decent film review. What do you think, Sophie?" Adrian asked with a smile, holding Sophie privately after the party ended.
"I don’t know." Sophie hesitated for a long while before answering.
No matter what, after all, she is French, and getting affirmation from her own country’s people, critics, or filmmakers would undoubtedly be very good, and could further wash away her longstanding label of being a vase. But what is the perception of her from French filmmakers and critics? Or put it this way, in the eyes of men, she is their darling, but in the eyes of women?
This is why, since the trailer for "La Vie en Rose" was released, the French have been very troubled. Ever since Adrian released "Malena," the French have hoped he would make a French film. No matter how Europeans pretend to despise Hollywood, if their work is celebrated by Hollywood, they inevitably feel extremely proud and satisfied, given Hollywood’s influential standing.
Adrian is considered one of Hollywood’s representatives, a world-class director whose every work achieves astounding success. Many of Hollywood’s hit movies and TV series are related to him; he is so young, a world-class media tycoon, and even lifted Italian actress Monica Bellucci to the Oscar Best Actress throne through "Malena."
If such a big figure could produce a film with French flair, the best actor or actress wouldn’t matter; if they could win for best picture or best director, it would be enough to prove France’s charm on a global scale.
But they never expected Adrian would indeed make a French-style film, and it turned out to be the biopic of the famous Edith Piaf. Well, the long-awaited wish finally came true; they could celebrate properly. But...why is Sophie Marceau the lead actress? Why that vase!
Exactly, that’s the common opinion of French men about Sophie: a beautiful, exquisite, and charming vase, nothing more. This is why Sophie’s acting is mediocre despite years of efforts, yet she hasn’t gained much recognition and honors in her homeland.
The French most wanted to see a director making a film with French flair, but while fulfilling their wish, he used a vase they least wanted to see as the lead actress. One can imagine how conflicted they felt. God, even using Juliet Binoche would be better than Sophie Marceau, right? Especially since this vase looked actually quite good in the film, making them feel even more conflicted, hence the reviews from France after the screening were all somewhat lackluster.
"Don’t take it to heart," Adrian pulled Sophie into his embrace. "Whether your performance is outstanding, everyone can see it, and even if they don’t want to admit it, it doesn’t matter. When you become the most dazzling woman at the Oscars, their opinions will be negligible. Moreover...they don’t represent all of France."
"You’re really good at comforting people, Ed." Sophie smiled a bit, appearing calmer, then half-jokingly said, "Would you be very upset if you fail to break the record this time?"
"How could that be, darling? I promised you." Adrian laughed, lifting Sophie’s face and gave her a kiss on her moist lips.
He had reasons for saying this. Long before the "La Vie en Rose" movie, Adrian already instructed Weinstein that the necessary preparations should begin. Back when "Pirates of the Caribbean" was assigned to Miramax, Harvey Weinstein had promised to help Adrian with full efforts three times.
Monica used it once, Nicole another time, and naturally, the last one could be used on Sophie. As for afterward, Adrian had his own arrangements.
Initially, Weinstein was somewhat troubled, as it’s not an easy task. With Adrian having consecutively boosted best actress winners for several years, ensuring Sophie takes the crown is definitely not easy. But Adrian just hinted briefly, and Weinstein immediately lit up with a smile accepting it, having indeed a pretty nice advantage that can be used well.
Of course, Weinstein also shamelessly hinted, seeing his hard work, maybe...
"You should fully optimize the operation of the ’Pirates of the Caribbean’ trilogy and well manage Depp first." Adrian replied with a smile.
In the December movie rush, leaving aside those market blockbuster films, among the Oscar contenders there is also a documentary. Yes, Michael Moore’s "Fahrenheit 9/11." After winning the Palme d’Or in May, although there were multiple announcements of imminent release in the United States, it was delayed soon after, either because of rating problems or theater agreements falling through. After repeated delays, it was finally set to release at the end of January next year, with pitifully few theaters showing it.
Nonetheless, Miramax’s strategy was very successful, at least throughout the second half of 2003, whenever discussing documentaries or political issues, "Fahrenheit 9/11" always comes up. Every time its release was announced and then postponed attracted considerable attention. So come next year’s release, it should definitely impact the election more than originally expected. But how much more is hard to say. Election results are never changed by such factors, pulling Bush down requires accusing him of sexually harassing underage girls more than accusing him of waging war. The narrow victory by poll numbers in Adrian’s memory is enough proof.
Besides, over there in Texas, Claude has already been invited several times, recently even been connected with the Dallas Cowboys. By looking at these, it’s apparent they are determined about Bush’s re-election next year.
Okay, regardless of this, however the election unfolds is unrelated to Adrian, even if Bush ultimately loses. So after Christmas, spending two days playing with women and daughters, according to schedule, he returned to London to meet the new coach of Chelsea, or let’s say the soon-to-be new coach of Chelsea.
"Forgive my intrusion, Mr. Cowell—Adrian, there are many outstanding football coaches in Europe, so why did you insist on inviting me to coach Chelsea?" In the spacious suite of the London hotel, the suave Portuguese man asked after putting a sugar cube into his coffee.
"I understand your concerns, Jose," Adrian turned back from the floor-to-ceiling window with a slight smile, ignoring the other’s thick accent. "I won’t deny, I am an American from a football desert, and I won’t deny that acquiring Chelsea is to contribute to the group’s development in Europe, but that doesn’t mean I understand nothing."
He walked back slowly, looking at Jose Mourinho, who was currently just a young coach rather than the crazy one: "It’s always been my principle to leave professional matters to professionals. Perhaps I don’t understand much about football, but it doesn’t prevent me from finding... the best coach to lead the team."
Adrian sat down, picked up the cup and continued with a smile: "I am confident in my insight, even in unfamiliar industries. I’ve watched some of your coaching footage, and frankly, I couldn’t tell the level of skill or height, but I noticed two points, two crucial points. First, you like to say some wild things in front of the media to attract people’s attention. Those journalists and fans might think you are bragging, but I absolutely won’t. It’s your strategy; you use this method to draw attention to yourself, thereby easing pressure on your players."
He paused here: "Secondly, for a football coach, your victories and draws far exceed losses, and this year you even led Porto into the European Cup. I don’t understand tactics and strategy, but a coach who can continuously lead a team to victory, manage to ease player pressure, and maintain their morale must be an exceptional coach."
Without waiting for Mourinho to speak, Adrian gestured: "Chelsea is still largely a blank slate, making it suitable for painting, which is why I chose to acquire Chelsea instead of elite clubs. In Europe’s and the world’s top competitions, transforming a mediocre team into a mighty force, leading them to win countless honors, and building a new powerhouse—isn’t there anything more thrilling and worthy of challenge than that? The club should have told you, and I’ll repeat it here, I can give you full authority, Jose; I won’t interfere in any of your matters. Whether how you train the team or not, it’s up to you; you are the boss here. You just need to do one thing: lead the team from one victory to another!"
With both hands raised, he finally ended his statement. The room remained silent for a moment, Mourinho let out a long breath and set down his cup: "It seems I cannot refuse your offer, Adrian."
"I’m glad you made the right choice, Jose; Chelsea welcomes you aboard." Adrian smiled extending his hand, "By the way, Porto will win the European Cup in a few months, right?"
"Of course." Mourinho replied proudly after hesitating for a few seconds.
"By the way," Adrian suddenly said, "I’m preparing a movie related to football, with the team based on Chelsea. If you don’t mind, I’d like the coach to be modeled after you."
"...As you wish." Mourinho nodded after a bit of hesitation, and Adrian immediately burst into laughter.
Actually, it’s almost certain that the Portuguese will accept Chelsea’s invitation. No matter how mediocre Chelsea is, it’s still a Premier League team. Which coach wouldn’t want to manage in Europe’s top competitions? Not to mention a 5 million Euro annual salary and a club owner who fully supports him.
So this meeting was initiated by Mourinho himself, just to meet Adrian, Chelsea’s new owner, to confirm what kind of person he really is and whether his promises will come true. Even though Adrian’s purchase of Chelsea caused a minor stir and gained a lot of media attention in the United Kingdom, he was already a popular figure among journalists. As his influence grew step by step, the media naturally started to shift focus, but analytical articles about his rise were still everywhere, talking about how talented he is and how adept at creating miracles. But seeing is believing.
So after Adrian gave Mourinho a reassurance, the rest of the matters needed little discussion. Once the contract is signed, even if Abramovich wants to intervene after the European Championships, it will be useless. The only odd thing is that Mourinho doesn’t have a foster son named George Wood, which is very strange. Adrian clearly remembered. Maybe he adopted him in the UK? But that’s impossible... Alright, whatever. Adrian couldn’t be bothered to dig for detailed memory; it’s not a big deal. Football is just a small diversion in his life, so let Mourinho handle it.
Speaking of Mr. Abramovich, he eventually bought Spurs. It’s unclear what methods he used; although he spent a lot of money, it wasn’t as much as originally expected. It’s quite uninspiring; Adrian initially thought he would target Manchester United or Manchester City. But then again, Abramovich did it to make himself a celebrity, so having the team in London is best.
"Of course I like Spurs; otherwise, why buy them? Of course, Chelsea is nice too. Actually, at first, I wanted to buy Chelsea but Ed beat me to it. Such a pity. Thankfully, that allowed me to choose my favorite." Said the clean-shaven, immaculately dressed Abramovich, whose Slavic features were still very pronounced.
"Then I should congratulate you, Roman, when acquiring a team, one must choose their favorite." Adrian said with a smile, raising his glass.
Regarding this Russian oligarch, Adrian neither had much goodwill nor ill feelings, so when he met him at a London social party, he chatted for a while.
"That’s right," Abramovich said with a broad smile, "So I will certainly transform Spurs into a luxurious battleship. If possible, I hope the world’s most dazzling stars will play for me at Spurs."
"I believe you can do it, Roman. I can tell you’re the kind of person who never admits defeat, and I like people who don’t admit defeat." Adrian actively patted his arm, "As for me, I prefer to leave things to the professionals; ultimately, I prefer to do as I please."
Don’t worry, no one will compete with you. That’s Adrian’s underlying message. He has no interest in spending big money importing flashy but impractical players, like who... What was Chenko’s name? Since Chelsea is in Mourinho’s hands, let him be responsible. Whatever players are needed, he can decide. Chelsea has enough places to spend money; rather than waste it on these futile efforts, it’s better to build a training base, improving youth training.
"True, there are several of your works that I really like, especially ’The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. I don’t know how to make movies, but it seems to me that people entangled with mundane affairs cannot create them; no wonder Ed is always said to be good at discovering women’s charm." Suddenly Abramovich’s expression became ambiguous, "Honestly, our Russian girls aren’t bad either."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Adrian couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow.
"I completely believe that women from each country and region have their own unique charms. This is why I chase women; they are my source of inspiration." He said, then gestured to excuse himself, leaving Abramovich somewhat stunned behind.
Adrian knows Abramovich’s intentions; who could blame him when AC Media is one of the largest media conglomerates in the world? Unfortunately, Adrian, though lustful and often uninhibited in East Asia, does not mean he is an ignorant fool. So let’s keep Abramovich waiting for now—there are plenty of Russian girls in the United States. Speaking of which, Michael Ovitz has moved quite a bit into the sports world with his talent agency.
At this thought, he couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. Perhaps letting Mila Kunis become a high-class call girl might be better; this way, he might have time to visit her business.
After changing Kayden Cross’s fate back then, Adrian decided to fish someone out while also pushing someone down to maintain balance. Despite numerous women falling into distress due to the butterfly effects he triggered. He chose Mila Kunis, a Slavic woman born in Ukraine who immigrated to the United States with her family before the Soviet Union’s collapse.
This identity is precisely why Adrian chose her—no background and no connections; to deal with her was very easy. And that turned out to be true; though she resisted for a while, it was merely that Martin wasn’t serious enough about handling the situation. Now her first adult film was about to be released.
What a regrettable thing; Mila Kunis had been appearing in small roles in various movies and television shows since 1995, with such a resume she should do well in high-class call girl business. But it’s all happened anyway, so no matter; back then he said as much—as soon as he snaps his fingers, the other side would willingly strip for him, so be it.
Just as ’Pirates of the Caribbean’ adult version had been approached keeping DP in mind, after her debut releases, having her co-star with Porn Queen would be great.
As for now, refusing Abramovich doesn’t mean Adrian has no women to play with in London; not to mention returning to the estate is convenient or the nearby Liu Li, Liu Yufei, just bustling with socials, not mentioning numerous women eager to climb into his bed.
"Every woman wants to sleep with you, Ed." In the spacious hotel suite bathroom, submerged in water, Kelly Brook lay laughing on Adrian’s chest.
"You speak well, Kelly." Adrian’s underwater hand squeezed her fullness hard.
"Not as good as your sweet talk—of course, not everyone is qualified to get into your bed." Kelly narrowed her eyes, seemingly enjoying it.
Then, amidst the rising mist’s footfalls sounded, a young girl in a bathrobe appeared before the two in the bath, and then openly began to untie the belt.
"Come on, Cheryl, Ed and I are waiting for you." Kelly then cheerful called out. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it at Qidian () with recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)