Wang Jian, leaving the party, had understood that tonight’s events, in one way or another, were orchestrated against him.
The purpose, it seemed, was similar to Hollywood’s "Red couch," aiming for a "tit for tat" exchange?
"However, Naomi Watts, with her fiery red lips, considering her height and acting skills, seemed quite a match for Joseph Gordon."
He looked at the woman in front with a scrutinizing gaze while his thoughts uncontrollably shifted from a writer to a capitalist mindset.
"If an actor, through participating in various productions of a website, could grow from obscurity to national fame."
"Then in the future... surely, many actors would be willing to lower their fees to partake in films and dramas produced by the website, right?"
"You know, the film adaptations of Stephen King’s works have a very low percentage of the production cost going to actor’s fees."
Wang Jian pondered for a moment, feeling that Naomi, having starred in ’Prison Break,’ could potentially have that kind of influence.
So... perhaps he should play along?
After all, she was quite attractive.
Meanwhile, Naomi, leading the way, felt uncomfortable upon noticing Wang Jian’s gaze.
"It feels... like being sized up as a product in a supermarket."
She stomped her high heels deliberately, making a crisp "tap, tap" sound.
"I think I stepped on some gum at the party," Naomi casually explained.
She tossed her golden hair as she opened the door to her apartment.
"Red wine, champagne, Wang, what would you like to drink?"
"Some spring water will do," Wang Jian casually sat on the sofa, curious to see how this ’white chocolate truffle’ would unwrap itself.
He thought about the elaborate pretext of a birthday used by the other party and reflected on the men at the party trying to attract attention, he couldn’t help but marvel: this was power!
But then, the apartment’s doorbell rang, and a young female voice came through.
"Nami, I’m about to go for the audition, and I’m really nervous!"
Naomi put down the glass of water, giving Wang Jian an apologetic look.
Then, she opened the door, and exclaimed in surprise.
"Vera, what are you doing here?"
Vera Farmiga?
How did they become so acquainted?
Wang Jian turned to look and saw a brown-haired Catwoman, confiding in a blonde girl in a gothic long dress.
"I’m so envious of you getting straight to the final audition, while I still have to get through ABC’s preliminary selection."
"I really want the chance to play ’run’ in ’Anomalies’!"
"Ahem," Naomi coughed, pointing towards Wang Jian on the sofa.
"I still have a guest here."
Hearing this, Vera quickly stood up straight, "Hello, I’m Naomi’s friend, Vera Farmiga. You are..."
"Wang Jian?!" she exclaimed in delight, "I didn’t expect to meet you here!"
"I’ve been wanting to come to the apartment to get your autograph!"
"Your ’Anomalies’ is terrific; I love ’run’ the most!"
Frankly, Wang Jian was a bit lost in the situation at this moment.
There was one more person...
Could he have been wrong? Maybe the entertainment industry did have some boundaries?
Indeed, being too greedy from prolonged contact with Lehman, and his thoughts turned vile from too much contact with James!
Wang Jian shook hands with Vera somewhat regretfully, thinking, "It seems there’s no chance to witness the drama stars’ ’performance’ live."
Naomi pulled Vera to sit on the other side of the sofa.
"Why did you leave the party so soon?"
"I have to go to ABC tomorrow for the initial audition of ’Anomalies,’" Vera leaned on Naomi’s shoulder, "I’m feeling very nervous."
Naomi, with a quick glance, smilingly suggested, "Since we have time now, why don’t we review your performance together?"
"Wang, could you give us some guidance on our acting from the author’s perspective?"
Uh...
Can’t see that kind of "performance," but this kind?
Wang Jian looked at his watch, resignedly said, "Alright."
"Yes!" Vera exclaimed excitedly, waving her arms. "To receive guidance from the author before the audition, I’m really lucky!"
Naomi tugged at Vera’s arm, reminding her, "This is a rare opportunity, you should think carefully about which part you want to perform."
Vera took out a disc and handed it to Naomi.
"I’ve already decided! But I think it would be better with some music."
"Wang, would that be okay?"
Design the scene yourself, match it with music.
Wang Jian nodded, "This Vera Farmiga is really putting in the effort."
But as the music began to play, he felt something was amiss.
Smooth jazz?
This kind of music is often used in art films to create an ambiguous atmosphere.
What does this have to do with ’Anomalies’?
He looked up and saw Vera, acting like a real cat, slowly crouching on the ground and even shaking her tail used for decoration.
"Big cat, I’ve missed you since you’ve been gone for so long."
"Next time, wherever you go, you have to take me with you, okay? Because..." Vera licked the corner of her mouth, "you are my master!"
Watching this 20-something-year-old, brown-haired beauty dressed in Catwoman attire, Wang Jian took another sip of water from his cup.
Most crucially, she even crawled into his lap!
Meanwhile, Naomi had taken off her coat to reveal a black lace dress.
She stroked Vera’s head and then whispered in Wang Jian’s ear.
"Thank you for the clothes you bought me; I’ve never worn anything so new."
"You’ve taken me in and cared for me; I’ve never been so happy!"
Naomi blew gently, "So, how should I repay you, Mr. Inspector?"
What the fuck...
Wang Jian suddenly felt that he could no longer look at ’Anomalies and Creatures’ the same way again, especially the vampires and cats!
It turned out he hadn’t misunderstood.
But instead of one white chocolate heart, there were two!
"Actually..." Wang Jian swallowed, "these two actresses really suit the image."
As they say: A calm and clear night lifts the spirits; a moment in spring is worth a thousand gold pieces.
A beautiful scene on a party night, not failing ’Anomalies’ nor man.
Soon, amidst the gentle jazz, a few heavy breaths could be heard in the room.
...
Meanwhile, in ABC’s office.
James, having just hung up the phone, began massaging his temples with his fingers.
"Drew Barrymore, Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz..."
"’Anomalies and Creatures,’ has it become an arena for Hollywood’s second-tier actresses?"
He checked the production budget and soon started shaking his head.
"It still has to primarily match the character fit; after all, they aren’t Julia Roberts, they don’t have a built-in fanbase!"
"Joseph Gordon really is suitable for the male lead, Wang’s suggestion is good."
He thought about the events of the past few days and smirked.
He then mumbled to himself, "It’s just a matter of whether he can still remain impartial or not."