"For a long ti... even now, I often carry my lunch to the restroom to eat, to avoid being hit by ketchup packets that others throw at because they think I’m always trying to hit on boys. I really don’t know what they’re thinking; I’m not even pretty..." gan Fox sighed, standing in the yard, watching the distant lights, a lancholic expression across her face.
Adrian couldn’t help but smile slightly; he was quite adept at dealing with such girls. A few well-chosen words would get them to let their guard down—although it wasn’t unrelated to their wanting to talk to him—and then he joined her outside in the yard. His words had led her to start sharing her troubles, which generally ant she was beginning to accept him.
"Don’t think like that, gan," he said, "They’re right."
"Right?" The girl looked at him disbelievingly.
"Yes, they’re right. You are a beautiful sight to behold wherever you go, always attracting people’s attention," Adrian said very earnestly.
"You... you think I’m that kind of... that kind...?" gan stamred, her expression one of disbelief.
"No, no, no, gan," Adrian laughed, "What I an is, they’re jealous of you, jealous that you always manage to grab people’s attention. Every school has such people. They always think they’re the best and naturally attract attention. So when soone more dazzling than them appears, they can’t help but use whatever ans to undermine and exclude that person, to prove in a childish way that they’re still the best."
"You... you an..." gan wasn’t particularly clever, but she was certainly no fool.
"You’re very attractive, gan. I know it’s not quite appropriate to say this to you in such a situation, but I still have to say it, you’re very attractive," Adrian reiterated with a sincere look, "No matter how much you try to hide it, no matter how insecure you are, that won’t change the fact that you are naturally a fiery girl who attracts attention wherever you go."
Her features weren’t fully developed yet; her cheeks still held a bit of baby fat, but she was already showing signs of her future charm. Like Jessica, she was suited to wearing makeup; the right makeup easily highlighted her best traits. Especially with her Indian heritage, she had a sowhat Latin appearance, but her striking blue eyes gave her an exotic allure.
"You know, in the East, many people like to use the fox to describe fiery and attractive girls. They believe the fox, a beautiful creature, fully embodies the seductive and charming qualities of won, so why should a girl with the surna Fox feel inferior?" Adrian continued.
gan couldn’t help but snort with laughter, then looked at him cautiously: "Are you serious, Ed?"
"Of course, I am the Miracle Director, and those who the Miracle Director takes a liking to will always do exceptionally well," Adrian said unabashedly, adding silently in his heart: as long as they rely on the Miracle Director.
"Thank you, Ed," gan looked at him, gratitude and joy shining in her eyes; evidently, no one had ever comforted or encouraged her like this before.
"In fact, if I weren’t worried about legal implications, I would definitely prove it to you personally," Adrian added imdiately, intentionally bringing a flirtatious tone to his words.
The girl’s face turned red at once, and she looked down, her shy deanor making her even more enticing. She showed no hint of being offended by his playful words and, after checking the ti, prepared to leave.
"My mom and... stepdad are really strict with , so it was not easy for to co to Mr. Robert’s party," gan explained, then she sighed, "As soon as I can support myself, I’ll move out in a heartbeat."
Hearing this, Adrian’s eyes visibly brightened, "I believe it won’t be long—I can take you ho."
"No, I’d better go back by myself." gan was initially elated, but then she shook her head in regret, "My mom won’t allow to have a boyfriend, nor bring friends ho, even though... but..."
She gestured helplessly and gritted her teeth—though her relationship with her family didn’t seem tense, it certainly wasn’t great either, which was exactly the type he liked. The preliminary investigation on gan’s family situation given to him the next morning by Martin Modimr, who handled intelligence work, confird this. Her biological parents had divorced early, she had an average relationship with her stepfather, was strictly controlled by her mother, had always been in Catholic school, started modeling in ’99 and had made so fa, but later had to give it up due to her height. She had been in several cities and was planning to settle in Los Angeles after playing a supporting role in an upcoming New Line movie and appearing in two episodes of "Two and a Half n".
"I love Catholic schools," murmured Adrian to himself as he stood in the bathroom in front of the mirror. While today’s Church schools were not as strict as they were decades ago, they were by no ans free, and when people stayed in a repressed environnt for too long, especially when they saw others being free while they could do nothing, the emotions built up and once released, could be particularly torrential.
Like the lovely Miranda Kerr, her passion in bed had even amazed Alexander, who, as a Brazilian girl, was fiery and sexy both in and out of bed and more uninhibited than anyone else. Yet, in their first threeso on Valentine’s Day, she was outdone by the wilder Miranda. Normally demure with her doll-like face, once Miranda Kerr hit the sheets, Alexander had to pull out all the stops to keep up, and it was like that every ti.
"I like this feeling of complete indulgence. I’ve never experienced it before, being so tightly controlled at school," replied Miranda, cuddling in Adrian’s arms after their passion, her face shy, a stark contrast to how wildly she had just straddled Adrian while fervently kissing Alexander.
That’s why gan turned to modeling and then acting; that’s why she tried to chat him up at the party. After all, winning the favor of the Miracle Director was like skipping many detours in Hollywood, but...
"Inferiority, lack of security, so OCD," Adrian continued, recalling their interaction from the previous night where her semi-clenched right thumb constantly rubbed against the second joint of her index finger.
This was just perfect. He could provide what she was missing, as other won who had co into his hands for similar reasons were not few, and the one most similar in character was probably Jessica Alba. This was great, as Adrian had been thinking about finding a partner for Jessica. Although she was already a mother, she was only 20 years old. With his spoiling, her buoyant character was bound to co out again after getting used to him.
Although Adrian had introduced her to Kate and the others, there were not many won suitable to pair up with her. gan, although much younger, could easily earn her sympathy and resonance due to similar experiences and character.
"So I need to step up my efforts," Adrian said with a smile as he stroked his chin, then walked away from the mirror to the showerhead to take a shower.
"Ed?" A woman’s voice ca from outside, the door pushed open and a thirty-sothing woman in pajamas appeared at the doorway. She had long brown hair, a bit disheveled from just waking up, and her gray-green eyes still hazy with sleepiness, which gave her a certain lethargic allure. Her features were provocative enough on their own, but now they seed even more enticing.
"What is it, linda?" Adrian turned around.
"I thought you’d already finished showering," linda complained, then looking between his legs, she was slightly surprised—Adrian stood naked, his semi-erect mber quite conspicuous due to morning arousal.
Noticing her gaze, Adrian imdiately laughed, took a few steps to pull her into his arms, shut the door with one hand, and briskly peeled off her pajamas, carrying her under the shower to turn on the hot water.
"I want to wait for you so we can shower together," Adrian chuckled softly and then kissed her lips amidst the splashing water, his hands beginning to wander over her well-maintained body.
Adrian didn’t take Leighton back with him, and although the girl was indifferent, he had to consider her mother at least; a flea bite, though small, can be very annoying. Besides, considering her body was still developing, doing too much wasn’t good. But just using his mouth wouldn’t be satisfying enough, and it just so happened that Adrian had set his sights on a woman at the party, so he smoothly altered his plans.
linda Clark, that was the woman he had taken an interest in at the party, two years his junior and a television actress who had played roles in many well-known TV dramas, including a female investigator in "CSI" who was even nominated for an Emmy Award. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she had a mysterious allure, especially when the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing an unintentional flirtatious look that was very attractive, so much so that even Adrian was rarely moved.
What followed need not be elaborated; with the Miracle Director’s sweet nothings, linda soon threw herself into his arms. After downing a few drinks, they left together and made a beeline for her Los Angeles cottage to tumble in the sheets.
"You really are insatiable, Ed," linda, easily stirred up by Adrian, giggled in the steamy shower.
"Of course, with you in front of , no one could resist," Adrian whispered.
"Wait... hold on..." Sothing crossed linda’s mind at that mont, her smile suddenly vanishing from her face, and she lowered her head to push him away.
"What’s wrong?" Adrian paused and asked with a gentle voice.
linda didn’t answer but just held him as the water continued to pour down over them, and then spoke with an uncertain tone, "I... I have a husband..."
Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise, this was unexpected; the cheerful linda from the night before and the passionate linda in bed didn’t seem at all like a married woman.
"I also have a daughter, she’s already one year old... We... recently had a fight... I’ve been in a bad mood..." linda’s voice trailed off, not so much self-reproach in her tone, but rather more confusion.
"I know, linda, I know," Adrian cupped her face in the cascade, giving a kiss on her fluttering eyelashes, "This kind of thing is normal. Everyone does things on impulse that they regret later. I understand how you feel. You don’t need to be upset. Just rember not to act impulsively in the future, and rember that we were very happy last night; that’s enough."
"You’re so gentle, Ed," linda said softly, holding his gaze with a complex look in her eyes.
Adrian didn’t respond but simply bowed his head closer to her, and linda, though she recoiled slightly, let him kiss her lips again.
After a brief and tender entanglent, Adrian spoke again, "You’re truly charming, linda, so... at least give another beautiful mory this morning."
linda took a deep breath and suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"It’s not bad," Adrian thought. He had never intended to keep linda anyway, even though her charm was tempting. A friendly match was enough—good company, easy parting, and who knows, they might even pick up where they left off another day.
The release of the Nielsen ratings report caused quite a stir in the television industry, especially for the other three major networks; they were struggling but couldn’t voice their woes. Generally, if they didn’t have a program that could beat a high-rated competitor, they would adjust their ti slots to avoid direct clashes and reduce losses. But what if the competitor had high-rating programs in most ti slots?
Let’s not even talk about TV dramas. Broadcast networks had shows like "Friends," "CSI," and "Will and Grace," basic cable had "Alias" and "Lizzie McGuire," and premium cable had "Sex and the City," "The Sopranos," "Band of Brothers," and so on, all pulling in excellent ratings.
In addition to that, almost all the successful reality shows with high ratings were on ABC. Not to ntion "Survivor" and "Big Brother," which had been on for years with tens of millions of viewers— "Survivor" even set a record high. Just the newly launched "The Apprentice" and "Arican Idol" in the last fall were enough to spark envy, not to ntion the popularity of basic cable’s "ANTM" and "Project Runway."
How did the man known as the "right brain" of AC dia co up with so many amazing ideas?! This was a question pondered by executives from almost every network, including ABC. However, they were also pleased that Adrian was their boss. In hindsight, ABC being acquired by AC dia had been a blessing.
Despite other networks creating their fair share of popular shows, none could halt ABC’s montum. Fox was hit the hardest. CBS and NBC still managed to reap so benefits from Adrian: CBS’s "Scrubs" had more than 15 million viewers, and NBC’s "The Office," although initially t with a lukewarm reception due to its docuntary-style filming, eventually broke through 10 million viewers as the series progressed. Plus, with "ER" being the only non-ABC drama in the ratings report, NBC didn’t look too bad.
Fox had produced many good TV series too. Murdoch was quite willing to invest. Although they didn’t make the top ten in the report, they were well represented in the top thirty and fifty, and they even produced "The Practice," which was snatched up by ABC, securing content for several seasons early on.
Fox had considered breaking the contract, as Adrian once did, when he yanked "Friends" from NBC and handed it over to ABC to air, but such a move was only made when contracts had expired. Moreover, AC dia, having acquired AT&T Broadband, was not to be trifled with.
Now everyone in the dia conglorate world knew how much profit cable channels could rake in in the future, but the cable distribution channels were held by the operators, like Comcast, like Warner, like... AT&T Broadband.
Despite "The Practice" being broadcast on free-to-air channels, Fox had to get involved with cable programming. Murdoch could partner with Warner, but AT&T Broadband had far more custors than Warner, and Comcast, after losing AT&T Broadband, couldn’t even compare. With other dia groups indifferent to containing AC dia, Murdoch had no choice but to bide his ti, despite his frustration.
Therefore, when the Nielsen report ca out in mid-May, AC dia, already the focus of the dia world since the buying of AT&T Broadband, beca the center of attention in the TV industry as well— the description "in its pri" couldn’t be more apt.
However, for Adrian, this was still just the beginning. May was upon them, sumr programming was about to start, and it was ti for his film company to release a backlog of productions.
Leading the way was "Shooter," starring Dennis—a film adapted from a novel that had received diocre reviews and did only average at the box office in his previous life, saved slightly by decent DVD sales.
Adrian saw all the factors inhibiting the movie’s box office performance as avoidable, like the protagonist’s initial harsh threats, followed by an unwilling compromise to make the governnt prosecute those who designed the conspiracy. But even the Chief Justice of the Supre Court was powerless, as the sinister actions did not occur in the United States; he could not judge cris committed abroad, and the protagonist ultimately resorted to vigilantism to kill the conspiring senator and governnt officials.
This was very off-putting—the audience wanting a decisive hero didn’t like it, nor did those wanting exposed conspiracies and punished villains, especially since the hero could prove his innocence from the start but chose to wait until the end to do so, making the ultimate laissez-faire approach to the villains aningless. It would have been better to eliminate them outright.
Of course, these weren’t the biggest factors affecting the box office; crucially, the original movie had only one black character, a governnt official, who also happened to be... one of the major antagonists.(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welco to vote and support it on qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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