King of Hollywood-Chapter 944 - 1: Epilogue (Part 1)

Chapter 944: Chapter 1: Epilogue (Part 1)
"During the previous test screening, some critics called this film a thoroughly feminist work. What do you think?"
"What made you create such a work that is so different in style from your previous ones?"
"According to those who attended the test screening, all the male characters were marginalized. Is it because of your own reasons?"
Facing these somewhat aggressive ers, I couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated and annoyed inside, but on the surface, I had to pull myself together and respond: "I just wanted to switch themes and try all kinds of films, that’s all."
But this didn’t dismiss these guys; instead, it only made them more eager to talk, which gave me an even bigger headache. Why can’t I ever handle them, even though I’ve been through this several times?
Luckily, just then, a hand rested on my shoulder: "Hey, folks, that’s no way to treat a lady."
The ers in front of me immediately chuckled awkwardly and then eagerly pushed what they had in their hands toward him: "Mr. Cowell..."
I rolled my eyes internally and finally let out a sigh of relief, but only for a few seconds before he linked arms with me and pulled me toward the theater: "Sorry, everyone, the premiere’s about to start, maybe we can talk later."
We walked quite a long way like this and, after shaking off the ers outside the theater, he looked at me and laughed heartily: "Darling, that’s not how it works. It’s been so long, and you still haven’t learned how to handle those guys."
"I’m not you, with decades of experience," I retorted ungraciously.
"But since you’ve chosen this path, you must learn to deal with them." He laughed again, and seeing my face darken, he switched topics: "By the way, did those ers ask you any absurd questions?"
"Well, they were all about the film, nothing as stupid as the last time. Like, am I your new young girlfriend, that kind of question." At this point, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes dramatically.
He burst into laughter instantly. The sight of his mirth made me want to punch him, but since we were in public, I could only glare at him and exclaim through gritted teeth: "Dad!"
"Oh, darling, I’m sorry, really sorry," Dad finally stopped, though his shoulders were still trembling, "But don’t worry, they’ve sent that guy off to Fiji as a foreign correspondent, so there will absolutely be no more idiots like that, I promise."
Seeing him struggle to hold back his laughter, I could only sigh again and link arms with him to continue walking inside.
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lily, Lily Beckinsale Cowell. I’m 26 years old and just released my fourth film, completely from the female perspective. Yes, yes, I’m the daughter of the famous, or infamous, Adrian Cowell in Hollywood. This man beside me is my father. Although he’s already in his fifties, he looks not more than forty-something and always exudes masculine charm, easily... attracting women, especially with his talent and power and all...
My father has many titles, like the most talented screenwriter, a sought-after producer, a miracle-creating super director, and the more intimate title only those close to him would use—The King of Hollywood. But what he’s most known for is Playboy! I remember many aunts besides Mom since I was young. Many of them treated me well and I got along well with them. For instance, Aunt Charli, I loved chatting with her. Many things I wouldn’t tell Mom or Dad, I would tell her, and she was always happy to help me reflect and understand.
The consequence of this was that by the time I realized my family environment was not quite right, I was already used to it. Well, I am used to it now, but I can hardly imagine how Mom and the other aunts got used to it?
"You must know, Lily, your father is a very terrifying person. He can control people’s minds and play us in the palm of his hand, making us unable to resist." That was mom’s response, of course, with a smile and a look of "I’m lying to you," which was really frustrating. And others, like Aunt Sarah, Aunt Innie, Aunt Monica, and so on, had responses not much different from mom’s. To say it wasn’t all premeditated would be impossible. In the end, it was Aunt Charli who slightly eased my confusion.
"Your father is very talented, knows how to charm women, and has insight into people’s hearts. He can easily grasp others’ weaknesses and exploit them." That’s what she said.
Okay, I admit, dad is indeed very talented. I won’t mention the "The Matrix" trilogy or "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy here. I remember about ten years ago, he was continuously directing more art-house-type films for mom and the aunts. This sort of film usually doesn’t make much at the box office, so some journalists who couldn’t find topics mocked him for allegedly being unable to produce commercial films. The result was that he effortlessly used Uncle Knight and his wife, um, along with Emma Watson, to make "Inception," which shut everyone up.
After that, he directed the Marvel Comics "Daredevil" trilogy, which caused a stir, creating a new superhero style, and even managed to elevate Daredevil, a second-tier superhero, to one of the most popular. Many people continuously dug into its deeper meanings, with some saying the third part metaphorically represented the previous subprime mortgage crisis. The only one not too happy was Marvel Comics, because the realistic style made it impossible to incorporate Daredevil into the Avengers.
However, dad wasn’t very pleased. In private, he said that the series was actually more suited to Batman as the main character. I don’t quite understand, if he thinks Batman’s millionaire status has more satirical meaning in hinting at the subprime crisis, then Daredevil’s lawyer status isn’t bad either—a critic said this.
So, I think he actually wanted to be lazy. If he really wanted to adapt the Batman series, Warner would definitely welcome it with open arms, and even if Marvel was unsatisfied, they couldn’t say much. So despite many times wondering why dad has a company but doesn’t manage it, completely leaving it to Uncle Claude, and instead making films without doing his proper job, I have to admit he really is Hollywood’s greatest director and producer.
If that sounds vague, then the four Best Director awards at home surely aren’t fake, are they? In addition, there’s mom’s and all the aunts’ Best Actress awards—no matter how significant a factor PR is, if there is no skill, all the PR in the world wouldn’t suffice, right? And as for Best Screenplay, whether adapted or original, he has also won those and is still often nominated for Best Director. Counting from when dad was first nominated until now, there have been over a dozen nominations, breaking the record for Best Director nominations long ago. It seems likely, if he continues directing, he might win another Best Director—though that’s impossible.
According to dad, winning four is already the limit. He’s broken quite a few records, and the Film Academy won’t let him continue. However, compensations can be made elsewhere, like for Best Foreign Language Film or something.
It’s also about ten years ago or so, probably a bit upset because "Departures" was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film but didn’t win, so a few years later, dad directed another movie—a film about the changing times in mainland China. What’s it called... "The Piano Made of Steel"? For some reason, after the film was released, it was not well received on either side. Mainland critics said he transplanted the American middle-class inspirational set-up to the mainland, while critiques in North America said he was pandering to the mainland government. Strange, although I didn’t quite understand some parts due to cultural differences, the inspirational feeling was indeed on point, especially the scene where several old workers build a piano to invigorating background music, which was very compelling.
Interestingly, the movie’s box office in the mainland was quite high. The scale of the releases in North America was small, but in terms of ratio, it was also quite nice. Then it won the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. I bet those critics must have looked very upset, although dad didn’t see it that way. He said the Film Academy probably did this mainly to annoy the Chinese... Well, I don’t like politics.
In any case, my taking up the director’s baton is probably related to this.
"Lily!" A voice full of surprise reached my ears as soon as I entered the theater’s foyer, and then two figures rushed toward me.
"Hi, Deva, Juliet!" I smiled and hugged my sisters. Deva is Aunt Monica and dad’s child, while Juliet is Aunt Sophie’s and dad’s child.
Speaking of which, I start to get frustrated again. I think in all of Los Angeles, the entire United States, or even the entire world, no one could have more sisters than I do. Do you remember what I said before? My dad is quite a Playboy, besides mom, I have many aunts, and women I can call Aunty... all had children with dad!
There are very few exceptions, like Aunt Charli. I once asked her why, considering even Aunt Sarah and Aunt Liv, who insisted on not having children, eventually got pregnant by dad. But Aunt Charli always insisted on not having kids. Apparently... well... quite a few times dad tried to use broken condoms to get her pregnant, but she caught on every time.
"If I give birth to a boy, he might become like your dad; if I give birth to a girl, she might meet a man like your dad." That’s what Aunt Charli said.
Really... I really want to ask, if that’s the case, why have you stayed by dad’s side all these years? Of course, when Aunt Charli said this, she certainly didn’t think of the fact that sometimes... a girl can also do certain things.
Anyway, my father is such an extraordinary Playboy. He has never married, yet he can make many women, including mom, stay by his side willingly and have children for him—not that willing, perhaps, but who cares? Like Aunt Rachel, her relationship with dad is really strange, not the strangest—but still strange enough that I can’t describe it—yet she still had a child for him.
No one said anything about this; maybe there was something at the very beginning, but it eventually disappeared later on. Just like a phrase dad often quotes: if you push something to the extreme, no matter how dissatisfied people are, they won’t be able to voice it. Such is he, a Playbly who can have many women stay by his side and give birth to a bunch of kids, arguably the first in the world.
So I have many younger sisters, a dozen or several dozen? Oh, come on, don’t make me count. I’m glad I’m the eldest daughter; otherwise, being sandwiched between a heap of older and younger sisters would surely drive me crazy. You might be wondering what it means to have a dozen or several dozen sisters, so let me tell you... ahem, although Dad has children with many women, they... they are all daughters.
This matter has been a long-standing joke in Hollywood. As the unmatched Playboy Adrian Cowell, he only has daughters, which is just laughable. As to why this is the case, from a mystical perspective, God thinks he’s been with too many women, so he made all his children daughters as compensation to the world—this is nonsense, I won’t be compensating for that lousy old man.
You can never imagine how nasty my father can be. I vividly remember when I was fifteen, full of youthful impulses and idealism, which led to my dissatisfaction with the family environment. Even though I got along well with Aunt Charli and others, I always felt like my mom tolerated them just to appease Dad, so I protested by proposing to move out.
Of course, Dad wouldn’t agree, but that didn’t stop me. You should know that I’ve quarreled with him countless times since I was a kid—fine, I admit Dad does spoil me quite a bit. In short, I very carefully maneuvered my words to corner him to the point where he almost couldn’t speak. You wouldn’t guess how he turned the tables.
He shifted gears and began to talk at length about how difficult it was to raise me, acting all aggrieved. At first, I remained calm, but then he pulled out a photograph. A photo kept in his wallet that he always carries with him, taken when I was a few months old, of him lifting tiny me high up while I was smiling happily, and he was... um... just like that.
I was nearly driven mad. Oh God, how could I have such a father! Especially when it was at dinner, in front of all the aunts and sisters... I know, it was a moment of my choosing, but... at that moment, I really wanted to jump up and bite him hard, even though I hadn’t done that for a long time. Of course, I didn’t do it, doing that at seven or eight is fine, but at fourteen or fifteen, it’s just stupid, so I ended up biting my lip, trembling with anger while glaring at him for a long time before leaving in a huff amid muffled laughter.
No one sympathized with me, not even Mom, because... she thought I should be proud. I understand, I truly understand. I’ve heard some stories from Aunt Charli about Dad and Mom, and it’s obvious Mom felt I achieved something she couldn’t at the time, which is amazing. Alright, Mom, I get your feelings, but... damn! So, this matter ended just like that.
Like the phrase I often used as a child, Dad is a great villain! A very, very big villain!
Let’s not talk about this anymore. Back to the main topic, that was from a mystical perspective; from a scientific perspective, it is... how to say, the Y chromosome in a man’s sperm cells lives longer than the X chromosome. Even though Dad’s... is said to be strong, with frequent indulgence... still... oh, let’s just stop here, I really don’t want to talk about it anymore.
In short, my number of sisters keeps growing. Not only do the close aunts mostly have their own children, but those I’m on less friendly terms with do too, like Alexander Ambrosio and Miranda Kerr. Besides them, those in the Asian circle like Li Zi and Lin Chi-Ling haven’t missed out either. I don’t know why, but they seem to like forming little circles of their own. Not that they don’t get along well, didn’t Aunt Yukie stay comfortably at home?
Ahem, this doesn’t concern me, and I’m not interested in talking about it, at least their children haven’t formed separate circles. Everyone... gets along pretty well. Under the current circumstances, whether there are boys or not doesn’t matter. You know, Uncle Claude seemed influenced or something; his first child was also a daughter, and a few years later, a son, who’s now only seven.
The little guy’s adorable, though whenever he comes over to our place, my sisters always play with him to their hearts’ content. Many times, Kelis and Alice even dressed him up as a little girl and took him out for a stroll. Poor Albert couldn’t resist and was always played until tears welled in his eyes, so much so that now he vehemently refuses to come over. The child surely has a deep emotional scar from this.
If Dad had a boy, such experiences would be no less frequent, even with Dad’s protection, he’d never escape it.
"This is your fourth work, what’s your take, Lily?" Juliet asked with a playful smile.
"What kind of take can I have, it’s just like that." I shrugged.
"Don’t be so perfunctory with us, Lily. We’re asking quite seriously," Deva interjected immediately, her dissatisfied tone harmonizing perfectly with Juliet’s question.
They were conceived almost simultaneously, born only minutes apart, and have shared their lives for more than a decade, closer than twins, naturally having an extraordinarily strong bond, but...
"Please! I’ve already dealt with a bunch of ers outside, don’t make me talk about this again," I complained.
"That’s right; spare your sister, change the subject," Dad chimed in on my behalf, "Juliet, how is your photography progressing?"
"Dad always sides with his big sister," Deva and Juliet simultaneously rolled their eyes, then chuckled in unison. Only at moments like this do they call me big sister.
"Deva’s in great shape; you’ll see soon," Juliet responded, then affectionately linked arms with Deva.
Just like I ventured into directing, Juliet and Deva also have their careers, and just as in their lives, they complement each other quite well. Juliet became a photographer and is gaining a reputation in the industry, though Deva is slightly more well-known, having become a model. Together, their collaboration within the industry is a unique sight.
"That’s wonderful, I’ll be sure to critique it properly," Dad said with a mischievous grin. Juliet instinctively leaned back cautiously. Usually, when Dad puts on that demeanor, nothing good follows.
But before he could continue, a displeased voice cut in: "You’d better get your current tasks done before you start giving comments, Ed!"
Then, a blond girl around my age appeared, dressed in an office lady’s uniform, glaring at Dad while greeting us, "Hi, Lily, Deva, Juliet, sorry to interrupt you guys, I had no choice."
She sighed, looking quite helpless, appearing annoyed when looking at Dad, who had to pacify her, "Alright, Anna, I apologize. It is indeed my problem, but most of the files, I’ve reviewed, haven’t I?"
This is Dad’s third secretary, Annsophia Robb, just two years younger than me. Ever since Aunt Innie left to become an executive at Universal, Dad appointed her as his secretary, and she’s been doing the job for almost a decade. Working as Dad’s secretary is a very demanding position, and those women holding it are all very capable, just like Aunt Charli, who was transferred to AC Media’s headquarters two years ago to become an executive. Although there might be an element of Dad contemplating retirement and finding a suitable successor and CEO, Aunt Charli’s competence is undeniable.
To give a simple example, the kids at home all have their little cliques. For instance, I’m closer to Deva, Juliet, and Mary, and the only person liked by every child in the family, apart from Dad, is Aunt Charli.
Of course, to hold this position requires a sacrifice. Yes, like Aunt Charli and Aunt Innie, she has to accompany Dad from company to home and finally to bed.
"You looked at them, but you didn’t sign! I had to drive home with that whole pile of stuff and then bring it here to inform you. Don’t talk to me about phone notifications; if I don’t apply pressure in person, you wouldn’t care. These things are needed tomorrow!" Anna said somewhat angrily, looking at him with a puffed-up face.
Dad’s three female secretaries all have distinct personalities. Aunt Charli is particularly fond of sarcasm, sometimes with words so sharp they’re hard to face directly. Aunt Innie is somewhat proud, often not saying what she means, and likes to speak in riddles. Anna, on the other hand, is straightforward, often complaining and criticizing bluntly, demanding Dad own up to his mistakes each time.
But no matter what, Dad maintains good relationships with them, especially Aunt Charli, though I hate to admit it, she sometimes surpasses Mom just a little. Aunt Innie is slightly less close, but her bond with Dad is equally tight, as you can hear the concern behind all her roundabout words. Anna, again, but her passionate demeanor tells you that her affection for Dad is even stronger than many women. Willing to do anything for Dad is their greatest commonality.
"Alright, alright, thank you, Anna." Dad smiled, pulling her waist close, whatever she intended to say suddenly swallowed, as she frowned, blushing, and looked away.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, deciding not to watch this, and started chatting with Deva and the others.
"I heard Mary is planning to open her own restaurant. I wonder how many people will want to taste the food made by the daughter of the famous King of Hollywood."
"Why would people go to a restaurant just because the King of Hollywood’s daughter is the chef, rather than truly wanting to taste Mary’s cooking? Her food is delicious."
"Because she indeed is the King of Hollywood’s daughter, and that’s an immutable fact." (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)