King of Hollywood-Chapter 226 - 225 Surprise
Chapter 226: Chapter 225: Surprise!
Chapter 226: Chapter 225: Surprise!
“Lyon? Lyon?!” The trembling girl, crying her eyes out, crawled up from behind the couch, and the room was in complete disarray, a sniper rifle’s distinct red beam sweeping back and forth.
Huddled in a corner with a silencer-equipped pistol, Lyon took a breath and gestured for Matilda to come over, still clutching the jade plant in his arms, unwilling to let it go. Matilda crawled from under the window and huddled in Lyon’s embrace, shivering. Lyon comforted her by patting her body as they moved into the kitchen together.
Straining, Lyon moved the refrigerator out to the living room and started doing things Matilda couldn’t understand.
“What do we do now?” Matilda asked anxiously, hiding in the corner.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” Lyon replied as calmly as always, then flipped over the table and fired at the ventilation fan, finally swinging an axe into the wall. One, two, three swings—debris flying everywhere—he eventually chopped a large hole in the ventilation duct.
“Very good!” Sitting on a chair, Adrian lightly clapped, clearly pleased with those shots.
Natalie, who had been crouched behind a corner, suddenly relaxed, stood up, and dusted herself off. They’d nearly completed about 20 shots today—a good count for a crew just off a break. However, Natalie wasn’t satisfied with her performance; compared to her best days, today was lacking. Some shots should have been easy but ended up needing two or three takes.
I had adjusted already! Natalie thought to herself, somewhat resentfully. Spending little thought on Adrian, who after calling a cut started playing with a little creature in his lap, she felt an inexplicable irritation and walked over briskly.
“How did it go?” she asked.
Adrian looked up, startled, then smiled, “Not bad, you did quite well today, Natala. The rest really helped, didn’t it?”
Ignoring Natalie’s “so let’s keep shooting” expression, he continued to frolic with Emma.
Biting her lip, Natalie finally asked, “Can’t we continue shooting?”
“No, not today, we’ll leave it for tomorrow,” Adrian said, waving his hand as if anticipating her concerns he added, “Anyway, the kitchen set is easy to set up, and I don’t think you’re quite in the right state to shoot this part right now, Natala. Just take a good rest, finish those daily shots, and I’ll send you home.”
Rubbing her cheeks, realising Adrian had made up his mind—it wasn’t going to change—Natalie walked out and slumped down in her chair, brooding alone.
Now filming the last scene where Matilda and Lyon part—additional scenes of Special Forces capturing Matilda had been added earlier. Although Adrian had started with these action-packed scenes, he didn’t proceed with the emotional scenes, reasoning Natalie wasn’t yet capable of conveying the needed emotion.
Well, she admitted this was her first film, and understanding a character’s inner world in such a short time wasn’t easy, but after so much time and her noteworthy performances, why couldn’t they try shooting the scene?
Even… after that last incident… hadn’t she adjusted already? Couldn’t they even test shoot it? Distressed, Natalie unconsciously crushed the paper cup in her hand, only stopping when the last few droplets splashed onto her hands.
Damn it, stupid Ed! All your fault! Natalie fumed, tossing the cup into the trash and wiping her hands, unreasonably blaming Adrian. In fact, she was nearly obsessive by now—even a child tripping on the street felt like Adrian’s fault.
Though Adrian hadn’t explained why the reporters were chasing him when she first arrived on set, and everyone avoided her probes—even Hugh, who was friendly, just smiled silently—Natalie had pieced some things together.
The name “Julia” she heard clearly, along with the reporters’ zealousness, Adrian’s slight surprise that she hadn’t been following the entertainment news, and the crew’s hesitance—she’d be an idiot not to figure it out.
But she remembered clearly, the intense moment in the restroom with Adrian involved Monica Bellucci, the star of “No Reservations.” How had it changed to another person? Thinking back… Natalie suddenly covered her face and rubbed fiercely, then hurriedly grabbed a paper cup, filled it with a large amount of cold water, and gulped it down.
I hate this! I hate thinking about those things! Don’t let that damn image come back into my mind again! Natalie thought angrily, her temper somewhat quelled after downing three large cups. Calming down, she turned around to touch up her makeup and continue, but stopped after just one step.
Natalie looked around incredulously, not knowing when everyone had left. Absorbed in her own world, she hadn’t noticed it. The room and its surroundings were eerily quiet, no sound to be heard, and the dim, yellow light that streamed from outside, casting eerie shadows on the somewhat dirty floor.
“Anyone there?” the girl tried calling out, but there was no response. She couldn’t help but frown and cautiously walked to the doorway, pushing open the half-closed door, which led to yet another big shock.
The room outside was just as empty as the inside, and all the equipment that should have been everywhere had vanished without a trace—the lighting rigs, microphones, cameras, and so on. Only a mess was left on the floor.
“What’s going on?” A vague sense of fear surged in the girl’s heart; how could so many people and so much equipment suddenly disappear into thin air?
“Is anyone there?” Natalie tried calling out again, still no answer; unknowingly, she had wrapped her arms around her chest, and the uneasy expression on her face became noticeably more apparent.
“If there’s anyone, then come out already! This isn’t funny at all!” Natalie suddenly raised her voice, her anxiety completely evident—after all, she was still just a 12-year-old girl.
Suddenly, a barrage of loud bangs filled the air, accompanied by joyous shouts of “Surprise!”
Already a bit tense, Natalie screamed instantly. But then, she was engulfed by a shower of colorful streamers and numerous bits of confetti.
“This is… this is…” The girl gaped, grabbing the confetti and streamers, looking bewildered at the smiling people clapping around her, including all the crew members, Renault, and the actors—even Gary Oldman, who wasn’t supposed to return to the set for a few more days, had come.
“Happy Birthday, Nata.” Adrian, also clapping, walked out from the crowd with Emma, telling her with a grin, “I hope you like this surprise.”
“You mean… you mean… this is…” Natalie’s expression turned to shock; she finally remembered it was supposed to be her 12th birthday today! All the events of this period had nearly made her forget.
“Yes, dear, a birthday party especially prepared for you by Ed,” Shelly said as she came forward, smiling and tenderly brushing the confetti and paper bits from her daughter’s hair.
“He really had to talk us into it,” Evan added as he also approached.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, Mum, Dad.” Natalie, moved, hugged her parents, eliciting another round of applause.
Holding Emma, Adrian cleared his throat nearby; after separating from her parents, the girl glanced his way and then went to shake hands or hug others to express her thanks, from the assistant directors and runners to Renault and Oldman, even Charlize—but she deliberately ignored Adrian standing in the middle of the room.
Faced with this scene, Adrian could only shrug helplessly, ushering in laughter from those around him. At that moment, Natalie slowly made her way to Adrian, smiled at him, and just as he was about to speak with a similar smile and a cough, she suddenly punched him.
“Do you know how scared I was? How tense?!” Natalie yelled defiantly, swinging her fists and hitting Adrian repeatedly in a half-serious, half-joking manner, which again elicited much laughter, even from Shelly. Evan frowned at first but soon shook his head, smiling.
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Unable to dodge or speak, Adrian rolled his eyes and stood still, letting the girl punch him, clearly very frustrated—especially as even Emma, initially puzzled, joined in the laughter with the nearby Charlize.
“Alright, alright, had enough yet?” After dozens of punches, Adrian sighed.
Slightly panting, Natalie finally stopped, still glaring at him, then suddenly lowered her head, her cheeks turning a bit red again.
“Looks like Nata realized her mistake,” Adrian remarked teasingly.
What does he mean I realized my mistake?! The girl wanted to contradict him but didn’t know what to say—it’s not like she could tell him her blushing was because…
Luckily, Adrian changed the subject in time: “Alright, bring the stuff over.”
Then, an assistant came in carrying a cake, and the room, now darkened by the drawn curtains, filled with the sound of “Happy Birthday.”
Watching the flickering little flames come closer, excitement completely took over Natalie’s heart. (To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)
