"Are you there now? Already parked in? Lilian kept asking on the phone, "Are you sure you're parked in the driveway?" ”

Jenny reluctantly waved at the security camera, and after the iron gate slid open, she drove the car into the courtyard, "I'm sure, I've driven in, you can start it, coward." ”

"Okay, then I'll hang up." The sound of the engine starting from the phone made Jenny roll her eyes helplessly, stuffed her phone into her bag, pulled over to the garage, and jumped out of her newly rented Maserati. Curiously looking at the property Cesare had purchased for herself—this was her first visit to Cesare's house.

In fact, as a broker, it is very common to invite clients to their homes as guests, and some family celebrations are also a good time to pull relationships, such as Hanukkah and coming-of-age ceremonies in Jewish families. However, Cesare herself was single, and did not seem to be a devout Catholic, and Jeanne's schedule was also busy, and she was often watched by the paparazzi, and it was inconvenient to run to the single man's house, so although her house and Cesare's house were a few blocks away, she had not been there for more than a year, until today Cesare decided to hold a birthday dinner at home, and the reception—the awkward point came—Lilian had dinner with her new boyfriend.

Although Cesare stated that his new girlfriend would also appear (if it weren't for him, Jenny wouldn't know that he was actually in love again), it was half a year ago that the two made it clear that there was a half-year buffer period, and it was not very outrageous for each to find a new love, but Lilian was still very embarrassed and nervous because of this. She had arrived five minutes earlier, but unsure if there was anyone in the house, she chose to park her car nearby and wait for Jenny to drive in first.

"Happy birthday." When the door opened, Jenny said enthusiastically, offering the gift, "Wine and cheese -- I had caviar for you, but there was a power outage in Los Angeles yesterday, so I'd better have them at home tonight just to be on the safe side." ”

Cesare pursed his lips in response, and the pretty girl who came with him laughed and introduced herself kindly, "Jennifer, I've been looking forward to seeing you for a long time, I'm your big fan - I'm Cesa's girlfriend Michelle. Elliot. ”

"Michelle is a Latham patent attorney," Cesare said, glancing at Jenny and adding, "Latham & Watkins is the largest law firm in the United States." ”

Jeanne's sluggish expression returned to normal, and she warmly shook Michelle's hand and shook it, while Michelle exchanged a look with Cesare with a smile, "Very nice to meet you, Michelle......"

As it was her first time at Cesare's house, Michelle went on an extra tour with her, "the pool, the garden, the front yard - on the ground floor there was a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and guest rooms, a reading room, ......"

Jeanne had the illusion that she was looking at the house, Cesare's own house was as she expected, it was all minimalist and almost spotlessly clean, the first floor was fine because there were guests, the second floor was completely like a model house, and now it was certain that the house he lived in before was completely Lilian's aesthetic.

"Very charming house." She told Michelle that out of the gossip that anyone would have, Jenny kept an eye out the door on the furnishings of the master bedroom, at least as far as she could see, Michelle should not have entered the house and officially moved in with him. "But it seems a little empty to the average person, doesn't it?"

"I myself was a supporter of the Bauhaus." Michelle smiled again, "Actually, my own home style is very similar to this, so I often say that Cesare and I are a natural pair. ”

Jenny smirked at her, deciding that she still liked Lillian, "Yes, you must not miss each other - let's go down, the guests should be here, and I can't drag the mistress here with me." ”

Jenny prefers Lilian's new partner to Cesare's new girlfriend, and surprisingly, the ex-lovers are looking for new partners who are more similar to each other's personalities, and from Myspace, Lilian's new boyfriend Mark is also a smiling, kind and friendly personality, he is keen on public welfare, and is a Doctor Without Borders - in short, it's hard to say whether Michelle is Cesare's ideal pair, but Jenny is sure that Mark is definitely the kind of lover Lillian wants.

"Hey," Lillian hurried over and kissed Jenny, "where's Josh?" ”

"Josh is still on the TV show, so I'll have to come late." Jenny said. Lillian then asked, "OK, what about Christopher?" ”

Jenny blushed a little, but managed to hold her composure, "I don't know, he's supposed to be here - did you see Michelle?" ”

"See, said hello." Lillian grimaced, "Uh, that's a female Chesa." ”

"Oh, some people don't seem to be very optimistic about this pair." Jenny laughed.

"It's none of my business, but—yes, they don't seem to be a good fit, and of course, she's obsessed with Chesa."

"You mean, it seems to you, the Chesa-" Jenny came to gossip with interest.

Lillian shrugged her shoulders and pulled Jenny warmly, "Let's go, I'll take you to Mark, before he gets eaten alive by the Chesa." ”

Mark met and dated Jenny when she went to Hamilton to shoot "Sally", and when she came back on vacation, she didn't introduce her because the two had not been dating for a long time, and Jenny only learned about him through the Internet, and this time it was a formal acquaintance. - As she expected, Mark was much more likable than Cesare, at least not jumping out of the words 'Bauhaus, Latham & Watkins', and he told Jenny in detail about the charity he would volunteer with, and Mark was an ophthalmologist who went to Africa for 10 days a year to treat cataracts and glaucoma for free for the locals. "I take every opportunity to tell people about these poor kids – especially to the rich who need tax exemptions."

"Well," Jenny laughed, "you can bring the information to my agent, Jim, and if the accounts are okay, I'll make a donation." ”

"The children of Africa will thank you, Jenny." Mark and Jenny clinked glasses, and he joked to Lillian again, "That phrase makes tonight's pain worthwhile." ”

Lillian laughed, and Jenny couldn't help but laugh, "Eon, Chesa isn't that careful. ”

"Are you talking about me?" Cesare and one of Lilian's uncles walked over and said, "Jenny, this is ABC's advertising executive, Dave. Svensson. ”

"Lillian introduced us to each other," Jenny said with a smile, "Mr. Svensson, once again, it's a pleasure to meet you—"

Family friends like Lillian and Cesare, who are hard to break up with even if they break up, says to Cesare, "Mark said you made him sad tonight. ”

Cesare smiled and said menacingly in a calm voice, "Do I have one?" Mark? ”

Mark begged for mercy, "Leave me alone, Chesa, I'm just kidding." ”

Everyone laughed, and Cesare returned to his normal tone, "Just kidding, Lillian is a good girl, treat her well—or I'll make you sad." ”

"You can think of him as your big brother in Los Angeles," Lillian said, clenching her fist to deter Mark. "Very, very strong kind."

While it may have been awkward for the ex-lovers to meet, Lillian and Cesare clearly managed well, and the birthday party was a pretty good one, with Jenny busy all night being introduced to Cesare's various connections - and they were eager to talk to her, and the party was star-studded, and despite the seriousness of the host, it was never cold. While Mrs. Vijri and Robert . Heavyweights like Iger didn't arrive, but Christopher, Cameron. Diaz, Leonardo. DiCaprio and others appeared, which was enough to give Cesare face, and of course there were some familiar faces from the B-list, but only Jeanne stayed until the end at Cesare's signal, and most of the stars took their leave after dinner and went to the next party serving spirits and strong drugs.

"Jim has brought some big dream papers," Cesare said, comparing the direction of the second floor, "let the cleaners clean up here, and we'll go to the second floor for a meeting." ”

"Of course." Jenny and Michelle, who came over with two trays, nodded, "Jim, what documents did you say you needed me to sign last time, we have to check, you know how slow DHL is, plus the damn hurricane, I'm afraid I'm missing a few ......"

She walked up the stairs with Jim, who was flushed with alcohol, and faintly heard Michelle's voice, "But dear ......"

Cesare appeared at the door of his study a moment later as if nothing had happened, he turned and closed the door and locked it again, "Jim, bring me last month's report, and besides, I wonder if we can create some steady revenue stream for the company by making a TV series—"

"Oh! Oh! Good idea! "Jenny came to her senses all of a sudden, she forgot about this stubble, compared with the movie, she must remember the ratings information of the TV series more solidly, that is, the golden finger is better to use." Uh-wait, but I remember that TV production was pretty much a private job for the major TV networks. ”

Although there are many TV stations in the United States, there are not many companies that can independently produce TV dramas, because most TV stations use the principle of self-production and self-sales, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, UPN, WB, these five major TV networks are all backed by the six major Hollywood ones, and the cable stations and pay stations of □□ shapes are almost all subsidiaries of the big ones. To sell TV series to the six major sales, the threshold to be crossed is indeed not low, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the hope is almost zero.

"But that doesn't mean we can't take a stake in the development of new dramas and share the production costs for them." "Each new show has at least $10 million to start with, and if it's a sci-fi series, the budget is even higher, and if there are investors who can share the cost, it means that the production center can make the series more sophisticated or produce more episodes," Cesare said. I just talked to David and confirmed that ABC does have a similar idea, but the most urgent need should be HBO, after all, HBO is more expensive to shoot, and the loss of series failures is also heavier, so HBO is likely to officially seek a similar cooperation model at the end of this year, if I can, I want to intervene in the production of a series first, I think this will be a good profit model, of course, provided that we are accurate enough to pick dramas. ”

"Ten million dollars?" Jenny couldn't believe it, "I thought—"

"In the pilot episode, the guaranteed contract signed with the screenwriter, director and other core crew members, if it is a famous team, it will generally require a guaranteed income for one season, and of course, the actors." "The set, the shooting, the promotion...... At a time when the cost of filming an episode can easily exceed three million, ten million dollars is nothing in a TV series, so you can imagine how much pressure a TV station can have. ”

"So which station do we start with? HBO or ABC? Jenny asked.

“HBO。” "As far as I know, ABC is still hesitant — but don't worry, even if the partnership with HBO fails, we have ABC as a guaranteed option." ”

The reason why ABC is a guaranteed choice is not just because of David. Svensson is a supervisor at ABC, and Jenny guesses that a large part of the reason is that Disney is the parent company of ABC, and Big Dream is now Disney's thickest thigh......

Of course, Robert will not personally ask anything for a share of Show, but Mrs. Vijerry's relationship is there, as long as the big dream is wanted, and ABC has such a cooperation opportunity, then there is basically no difficulty in negotiating a contract. -- No one says that the Western world does not need relationships, in fact, as long as interests are involved, almost all countries in the world are the same, and sometimes relations are the hardest level of strength.

Since HBO and ABC are only in the initial stage of picking a film and have not yet progressed to the point of picking, the trio (in fact, a duo) only briefly discussed it and unanimously agreed to seize the opportunity, "Of course, you have to be careful in the selection and negotiation, and the network will definitely allocate the new drama they believe is the most risky to foreign capital." ”

"Is there a precedent on HBO's side for concealing revenue?" Jenny is very concerned about this now, after all, TV series are different from movies, and the main income is still in the future, such as the annual replay rights contract, DVD sales, etc., if the TV station deliberately conceals it, this business cannot be easily involved.

"I don't hear of a similar lawsuit." Jim replied, "I'll send a clever lad to keep an eye on it." ”

That's all there is to talk about for now, and Jenny looks at the financial statements and the progress of the two films—fortunately, neither film has been affected by natural disasters, filming has not been interrupted, and there is no need to increase the budget. "By the way, how did you get Lindsay. Rohan's? To be honest, I thought we were going to break up with this project. ”

"Jim got someone and got a Lindsey hair at the last minute," Cesare said, blushing half proudly and half embarrassed. "Lindsey had a hero-smoking for six months. Because of the history, the people of Fox also changed their minds. ”

Even though she knew that Lindsay would die sooner or later, after learning about her, Jenny couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity, this girl's future is very bright - is this matter in the media?" ”

"No, Lindsay's agent begged us not to blow it up." Jim replied, "But she's already in a rehab facility, but in the name of curing alcoholism." ”

In Hollywood, drug use. It is a big taboo, not only because it will affect the public image of the celebrity, but also because of the use of drugs. After the product, the actor's performance state will be very unstable, and even the phenomenon of not being able to complete the performance will occur, which is also a great loss for the producer. So once it is burst out of sucking. Poison, the star's value will fall sharply, and unless he can successfully maintain a long-term abstinence, no project will smile at him. So poisons like Lindsey are still under control. Addicts, even if they want to enter the rehab center, they have to find another name.

After abandoning Lindsay, Fox chose Rachel, who was recommended by Big Dreams. McAdams, the budget for "Unlucky Eros" has also been reduced to a safe range, and although the impact is not visible yet, at this time next year, Rachel has a new work, and Lindsay only has a long blank resume - which may be the beginning of the bifurcation of the two stars. Dot. In this matter, Hollywood is very contradictory, it is very easy to make mistakes, but the tolerance for mistakes is frighteningly low, a different choice may be a distance that cannot be shortened in a lifetime.

Although it was a short meeting, it took more than an hour, and when the meeting was over, Jim hurried out of the room, "I can't believe I actually left it, I'll go back to the company to get it now, and send it to you tomorrow morning to sign, this contract can't be delayed any longer." ”

Jenny was left behind, and she looked left and right, "Michelle is gone?" ”

"It should be." Cesare didn't mean to send it off, he opened the bookcase drawer, "Cigars? ”

"If you keep saying 'yes' to women who have worked hard all night playing the role of hostess at the party," Jenny sat down on the low counter, "then you'll soon have to find a new girlfriend, Cesare." ”

Cesare smiled slightly, poured Jeanne a glass of wine, her favorite double aged whiskey, and poured himself a glass of brandy, "It's strange that you talk to her, I thought you didn't like her." ”

"Of course I'm not crazy about her—" Jenny spread her hands under Cesare's gaze, "Well, I don't like her very much, but I don't hate her either. It's just very unfair, you know every detail of my life, but I know almost nothing about you, and it's uncomfortable. ”

"So I'm only taking 15 percent of your income." "All of this does come at a cost. ”

Jenny laughed, "Oh, you're in a hurry, Josh's marriage, aren't you?" That's why you let me stay. ”

Cesare made a noncommittal expression, and Jeanne was about to speak, but with a soft sound, the room suddenly fell into darkness, and she couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation, "Ah! ”

"Maybe it's another power outage, don't panic." "Sit and don't move. ”

He seemed to leave where he was, and after a few noises, Cesare opened the curtains, and the moonlight fell into the lattice, becoming the only source of light, and Jenny looked out the window at the dark and sporadic lights of downtown Los Angeles, "All right, poor Jim, I hope he can make it to the neighborhood - it's definitely another blackout." ”

"We're going to have to change places," Cesare said, "and it's going to get stuffy very quickly." ”

"So." A few minutes later, Jenny said, "Josh's marriage? ”

They had changed places, sitting cross-legged on the warm rooftop floor, looking down at the dark and quiet slope above Beverly Hills, where the moist and warm night breeze blew, and it was much cooler than indoors.

"Your inquiring tone is very debatable." "In fact, it should be you who explain to me why you don't want to marry Josh," Cesare noted. ”

In the hazy darkness, with a flash of red, Jenny could smell the aroma of cigar smoke, perhaps because of the whiskey, and she felt relaxed—maybe it was because the darkness kept her mind the way she sits, and she could take off the damn lace-up heels that she had worn all night.

"Why?" She lazily repeated Cesare's words. "yes, why?"

Cesare took a sip of his wine, "Is it because of Christopher?" ”

“What？” Jenny chuckled, "No, no, of course not...... Well, part of it is because of him. ”

She took a drag on her cigarette, "But not because of him, you know what I mean?" I just don't want to be under so much pressure, and when we're in Hollywood, I'm always thinking about what kind of storm we're going to have if we get caught-"

"Yes." Cesare agreed, "It's going to be a big deal, and I understand the impact it can have on your mental health." ”

His tone became a little cautious and hilarious, and Jenny laughed and said, "And I guess the reason you changed your attitude is that you're really worried that I'm going to be under pressure, I don't know, boom, going crazy, huh?" ”

Cesare pursed his lips - Jeanne couldn't see it, but she could feel it, it was definitely a pout, and he said dryly, "To be honest, sometimes I can't help but worry about it." ”

Jenny laughed, "Oh, Chesa, dear old Chesa. ”

She patted Cesare on the shoulder, or whatever she had touched, and gradually stopped laughing, "Do you know what?" ――Sometimes I worry about that. ”

Cesare was as quiet as darkness, perhaps because of the environment that made her feel safe, or perhaps because of the fact that Cesare was the closest to her secret of all - he had definitely figured out that something was wrong, and perhaps even made some guesses. Jenny really relaxed, and for the first time in a long time, she started a conversation without reporting any destination, revealing part of her heart, "Things got more complicated when we were in the Caribbean, and Chris and I developed a loose ...... I don't know, after the friendship, things get very complicated, but in the Caribbean, it all becomes breathless, and before that, of course, I have a lot of things to hide from the public, as you said, which makes me feel stressed, maybe because the instinct of the herd mentality manipulates me - but I can learn to deal with those pressures, it's just, maybe it's a relationship that has filmed a lot of martial arts, in the Caribbean, I feel very tired, I start to fear the future, I can't accept to go back to the house after such exhausting work, And then there's another awkward relationship to deal with. ”

"When I imagine what happened after I got married to Josh, I felt ...... It's lonely, and this marriage is going to be a very big secret, so big that I can divide everyone into two groups, those who know the secret and those who don't. And there are so few people who belong to the former, Cesare, I don't know how to describe it, just ......"

"It's just that you don't belong to any group anymore, that you're independent of this society, that almost no one is your companion." Cesare said, "Really? ”

"Yes—yes." "And this secret has cut me off from finding companions...... I couldn't have found someone to make my home more like home during my marriage, I was like an ant under the microscope, and I didn't have any freedom unless I hid in Hamilton forever - how strange it is, in Hollywood, you always have so many people around you, and yet you can't help but feel how lonely you are, so many people in the world are watching you, and yet you are so, so lonely......"

She couldn't go any longer, and the roof fell silent for a moment.

Cesare asked softly, "Do you need tissues?" ”

"No," Jenny cleared her throat, "I-I'm fine, really-and I've got a piece in my hand. ”

They were silent for a moment, and then Jenny simply gave up on herself, "Well, speak up—tell me how you laughed at my weakness in your heart—"

"Nope." Cesare interrupted, his voice softening, "No. In fact, I admire your strength, you're already the star with the fewest crashes under my command, Jefferson. ”

"Really?"

"Really." "Bell was almost addicted to alcohol for a while, and Christopher's way of dealing with stress was to linger in the bush — everybody has their own problems, and you've been so perfect that you're overjoyed," Cesare said. Of course, I'd say there was a time in the past when I thought you had broken down. ”

Jenny giggled with tears in her eyes, "Notebook and Prada." ”

"Yes, Notebook and Prada." "So, everybody has times when they can't stand the great fame, even though you're in a better situation than they are......"

"What's so special?" Everyone cares a lot about what they say, and Jenny pricked up her ears.

"You're a mysterious man, Jefferson." "I suspect that there is anyone in the world who really understands you, who has a ...... in you I don't know, secret? Mystery? You always deviate from my predictions, I know my clients, colleagues, friends, it's a broker's skill, but I don't know you very well. I think it's going to be a source of stress for you, no one in this world can understand the real you, no one can understand you, which in itself means a lot of stress and ......."

"Loneliness." Jenny whispered, "Yes, so lonely. ”

"Yes." "Extreme loneliness can of course lead to a cascade of psychological problems, so if getting married makes you feel worse, then no problem, marriage options are out," Cesare said. ”

"Really?" Jenny raised her voice for the second time, and she asked, almost overjoyed, childishly.

"Really." Cesare affirmed for the second time, "After all, I don't want to go to an insane asylum to visit my best clients." ”

"And partners." Jenny corrected.

"And partners." Cesare was as good as he was.

“Good。” Jenny smiled, and she raised her glass, "Cheers." ”

Cesare clinked glasses with her in the moonlight, and for a moment neither of them spoke, but sat on the rooftop, watching the lights of the city in the distance.

"So." Jenny shook her glass, "You said Christopher's way of dealing with stress was to linger in the flowers—"

Cesare raised his head and laughed relaxed at the starry sky, a smile he rarely had, young, carefree, pure, "And you say you're just cannons. Friend-"

"I'm just- well, I'm just curious, can't I?" Jeanne said with disgust, "Answer me, Chesa—I promise not to talk to him—and if you don't, you see him closer than I do." ”

"Okay—okay." Cesare shook his head, "It's no secret - Christopher has fears too, almost every A-lister feels like they're lucky to be where they are today, and they're all afraid of the future, and that's the way the actor industry is, you never know if your last film was your pinnacle...... This great panic is not something that can be compensated for by a sense of accomplishment and money. Perhaps they are more afraid of being forgotten than being destitute......"

There was also a slight emotion in his tone, "And Christopher's way of dealing with this is to have fun in time, he wants to enjoy everything he can in his prime, buy all he wants with his fame, and use it as much as he can before it expires-"

"So that even if he gets angry, he has enjoyed his time." Jenny said, "It's actually quite philosophical, isn't it?" ”

"I didn't say it wasn't." "Indeed, it's a good way to make a difference." ”

"So, he's actually quite miserable," Jenny mentally painted Chris's face, "behind those fickle playboy faces, is there a crying, timid little boy?" Uh-ahem, that's a vulgar setting. ”

"If you look at it that way, Hollywood is full of poor little boys and little girls," Cesare said, "and especially the A-listers, who are hardly a-listers who don't have such problems...... People say that Los Angeles is an impetuous wasteland above opportunity, and maybe they're right, most people in Beverly Hills, a city that is lonely. ”

He pointed to the houses below the hillside, as if shooting, "Lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely." ”

"What about you?" Jeanne asked, turning to look at Cesare, "Do you feel lonely?" ”

At their feet, the whole house lit up, and Cesare's face was reflected in the landscape lamp, a little faintly green, and he looked back at Jeanne with a good look.

"Sometimes," he said, "always, very." ”

"I'm sorry." Jenny lowered her voice, "I'm sorry, Cesare. ”

“That'sok。” Cesare shook his head, "Actually, it's not worth mentioning. ”

Neither of them got up, Jenny leaned on her elbows and looked at the starlight, which was faintly dimmed by the city's light, "I never told you that you and Lillian were sorry - Michelle was a Bitch." ”

"So you really don't like her." "But you like Mark. ”

"You sound like you're complaining about the teacher's partiality as a schoolboy," Jenny hid her smile behind her glass, "I don't like her - in fact, I admire the Bauhaus, Cesare and I are a natural pair—"

She learned Michelle's voice, "Oh God, I miss Lillian. ”

Cesare laughed too, "Well, it's a private matter that should make you happy—we had an upset two days ago. ”

"Oh? Why? "Jeanne is indeed in spirit," don't tell me she's already called herself Mrs. Vijri. ”

"Nope." Cesare shook his head, "Two days ago, I found out that she had sneaked into my house trying to prepare a surprise party for me. ”

He accentuated his tone and said in a deep voice, "A surprise party." ”

Jenny laughed, and she replied sarcastically, "How dare she?" Ohmygod, I bet it was ugly - and how did you find out? ”

"My office has live footage of home surveillance." "It turned out that I changed my security code, and I guess we're going to break up soon." ”

"This thing," Jenny declared, "Makemyday." ”

She extinguished her cigar and picked up her glass to her feet, "It's time for me to go—alas, Lilian and Mark don't seem to be breaking up anytime soon." ”

"It doesn't matter." Cesare shook his head and said indifferently, "That girl is too good for Hollywood." ”

"yes," Jenny murmured, "kindness and purity are absolutely too good for Hollywood." ”

Cesare smiled, but before he could answer, he was caught by his phone, he opened it and looked at it for a moment, his expression changing, "Oh. ”

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked sensitively, "Something happened?" ”

"yes...... Cesare looked up at her, "Anna emailed me and asked when I was free—she wanted to discuss the details of Josh and you'd be married." ”

The author has something to say: Note: The person mentioned in this chapter who went to the rehab center for drug rehabilitation in the name of alcohol rehabilitation, this is really a thing, basically you see who has gone in because of alcohol abstinence, and then soon broke out drug addiction, or has friends around who will be high, that is absolutely it...

Private goods for example, a certain Canadian little king and his girlfriend, the little king himself is undoubtedly a representative of the high, so I think the girlfriend who went in to quit drinking is also very suspicious......

Sorry, it's late...... I've always wanted to break the chapter, but I feel like I can't stop it, and I found out that it was 9 o'clock after writing it in one go, bowing, I'm really embarrassed, everyone has been waiting for a long time.

That's all for tonight~