money player

Sin Yiu-man is an airline VIP. He booked his ticket with a single phone call and boarded the fastest Lockheed Constellation at 8:00 AM, beginning his eight-and-a-half-hour journey.

We stopped over in Chicago and arrived in Los Angeles at 1:30 p.m. local time.

It wasn't Simpson who came to pick them up, but Audrey Hepburn, whom they hadn't seen for some time.

After embracing Hepburn, Sin Yiu-man said, "So, you're the only one with plenty of free time in the company?"

"Probably." Hepburn looked tired.

"Is 'Roman Holiday' not progressing smoothly?"

“It went very smoothly. Universal and Paramount were both very optimistic and expressed their willingness to invest and distribute the film, but…” Hepburn lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and continued, “neither side approved of me as the lead actress. They thought I was more suitable to be a producer and were willing to give me a share of the profits.”

"Did you try?"

“I’ve been working hard.”

I mean that.

Hepburn took three puffs of her cigarette and said quietly, "Adam, this is Hollywood. It's not easy to become a leading lady."

“I know you can’t stay out of this mess, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I’ve done so much groundwork for you, and even got you into Hollywood with the project, and look what happened…” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “Audrey, you’re a piece of trash. I could find a better waitress in any coffee shop here.”

"Fuck you!"

Hepburn threw herself into Sin Yiu-man's arms and poured out her grievances, a mixture of emotions.

Sin Yiu-man patted Hepburn on the back. "Alright, since we used to be friends, I'm here. Leave things to me."

"Adam, you're so sweet." Hepburn pouted, wanting to kiss Sin Yiu-man.

Sin Yiu-man raised his hand to cover Hepburn's face and gently pushed her back, teasingly saying, "Your breath stinks worse than Hollywood's garbage cans."

"asshole."

"what."

The two laughed and joked as they headed to the parking lot. Xie Zhanran took over the driver's seat from Hepburn and drove the car to Hollywood.

Inside the car, Hepburn watched as another man controlled her beloved steering wheel and couldn't help but complain, "Adam, this is my car."

Sin Yiu-man's gaze fell on The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't believe in your driving skills."

“This is my car,” Hepburn said reproachfully.

"I sponsored all your underwear."

"Give it back to you?"

"What's the use of giving it back to me? To sell it to customers with special fetishes?"

Hepburn glanced at it and took out a cigarette case from her bag.

"Please don't smoke in my car, thank you."

“This is my car.” Hepburn lit a cigarette, took a puff, and provocatively blew the smoke into Sin Yiu-man’s face.

Sin Yiu-man frowned. "How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke a day?"

"Two packs, three packs, not necessarily, but at least two packs."

Sin Yiu-man glanced at the cigarette in Hepburn's hand. "Gypsy, high tar. I'll arrange for a lawyer to buy you insurance, with my name as the beneficiary."

Hepburn coughed a few times in response to the stress, then glanced sideways and said, "I'm not that easy to kill."

"We can never predict whether death or tomorrow will come first."

"But I can foresee that you will die before me."

"Whatever makes you happy. I didn't eat much on the plane, but you're treating me to the Brown Derby."

"Why is it the Brown Derby? Are you going to see the stars?"

"No, I want to try its steak. If it tastes good, I'll talk to the restaurant owner and ask them to license your name to the restaurant for free so we can launch Audrey Steak."

Hepburn's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?"

"The steak is serious, but Audrey might not be; it could be Grace Steak."

Hepburn said with a hint of jealousy, "Grace is luckier than me. The 'Eight Happiness Inn' project has not progressed, but she has a clothing endorsement contract and a leading role."

"Hmm, she's better at choosing a bed than you are. She knows whose bed she can get the most benefit from."

"I'll go to your room tonight?" Hepburn scoffed.

"Didn't Clay tell you I came to Hollywood for a party?"

"Chaplin's party." Hepburn took a drag of her cigarette, paused briefly, and then asked, "Who are you planning to take?"

"I don't know yet, but it's definitely not you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I didn't plan to bring anyone from the company."

"Isn't this special treatment for me?"

"No, I can accept that people in the company sleep with producers, directors, or any important figures for roles. That's how it is in Hollywood. I don't have the ability to break the rules or even rewrite them. But I can't accept people in the company becoming prostitutes, going to clubs as 'guests,' let alone attending these kinds of parties."

"So, who are you planning to contact?"

"Don't ask. There are some things you don't need to know."

"Ok."

Sin Yiu-man put down his newspaper and looked at Hepburn. "You know about the Difficult List?"

"I know a few people on the list."

“I like rebellious women who refuse to be manipulated. Friendship Films needs a few white actresses, and I plan to take a few from here.”

"To be the female lead?"

冼耀文睖了赫本一眼，“友谊影业的观众主要是华人，白人女演员只会扮演妓女、挨揍的资本家太太、邪恶的间谍，也许会在喜剧里给矮小的男主角当情人。”

"None of them are good characters?"

"Good roles are for the future and are unlikely to come in the short term. But if you're willing to cover your own travel expenses, there's a good role available right now."

"What role?"

“My wife is playing a role similar to an angel. You can play an Irish slave who is rescued by her. There aren’t many scenes. The main scene is you kneeling down to her and saying the line ‘Thank you, Mazu.’”

Hepburn stared at Sin Yiu-man's face with a half-smile. "How much do I get paid?"

"The salary plus some subsidies is about HK$15, which is about US$2.63."

"Such a high salary."

"Special treatment".

Brown Derby Restaurant, located on Wilshire Boulevard, is a brown domed building shaped like a derby hat, making it very unique.

Located just a 10-minute drive from MGM, at the intersection of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, this area is a social hub where the wealthy, celebrities, and agents mingle.

Because of its excellent location, actors could come directly to dine after filming, and the restaurant was open 24 hours a day, making it convenient to have a late-night snack after filming night scenes. Over time, it became a major social venue for Hollywood people, a core place for film contract negotiations, the spread of scandals, and secret political talks.

The area around the restaurant was quite spacious with plenty of parking spaces. Many cars were parked there, and many of them had people inside: gossip reporters, FBI agents, and agents with new hires, either keeping watch or waiting for a chance encounter.

After parking the car, Xie Zhanran stayed in the car, while Xie Tingyun followed him to the restaurant.

There are no authoritative paparazzi tabloids in the United States, but paparazzi already exist, carrying cameras to track and take valuable photos, and then solicit sponsorships from the people in the photos—"I'm planning to hold a photo-burning event, how about you sponsor me with $1?"
The first issue of "Bond" has not yet been released, but an office has already been set up in Los Angeles, and a group of paparazzi have been quietly recruited and are undergoing training and internships.

In terms of planning, "Bond" will take a two-pronged approach: one leg will focus on the real big gossip, while the other leg will connect with celebrity clients, producing gossip news according to their requests and the amount of money they pay.

Generally, the left leg is lame, and the main output is delivered by the right leg. This is because big gossip is easy to catch but difficult to handle. If the vital point is caught, it can be fatal. So, one can only catch some small, exaggerated big gossip, and then ask the person involved for smaller big gossip, spreading gossip with the attitude of not completely destroying people.

To put it bluntly, *Bond* magazine simply publishes dubious gossip articles based on readers' preferences. Whose gossip readers want to read, that's the kind of gossip available for publication. By establishing itself in Hollywood and becoming part of the Hollywood profit chain, it both satisfies readers' desires and guides their tastes.

Upon entering the restaurant, seeing that there were quite a few customers, Sin Yiu-man said to Hepburn, "Did you manage to snag a reserved seat here?"

Hepburn rolled her eyes. "I have a VIP box here."

"It's bad."

Hepburn ignored Sin Yiu-man's taunts and led him to a poorly positioned table in the center of the hall, with aisles on all four sides, offering no privacy or sense of security.

As soon as she sat down, she asked, "What would you like to eat?"

"Steak, Cesar salad, and banana cream pie for dessert."

"I like the banana cream pie here, two servings each?"

"I only want half a portion."

“Okay, I’ll have one and a half.” Hepburn said, calling the waiter over to take her order. After finishing, she lit another cigarette. “Yesterday I had dinner here and saw Rebecca Penn and the MGM people going into the VIP box.”

"so?"

"MGM is preparing a new musical film called 'Singin' in the Rain.' Has Rebecca Penn been invited to sing the theme song?"

"Probably, I'm not quite sure."

"I can sing too, could you introduce me to SPSmith?"

"The current office of the Flower Society is too small. It will soon move to the Grabar Building. There is an elevator operator there named Obama. I chatted with him for a few words when I was in the elevator. He said he knows how to be president, but unfortunately no one has introduced him to Mr. Frank McKinney (Chairman of the Democratic National Committee)."

“Damn it, Adam,” Hepburn said angrily. “You were very rude to me today.”

“Because you’ve changed, Audrey. My memory is still of the insecure you.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “The current you is shameless.”

"You said that opportunities must be earned by oneself."

"But you have to be realistic, even the best songs are a waste if you give them to you."

"Whether I waste money or not is none of your business. You just need to introduce me to SPSmith."

“My name is Adam Taylor-Smith Hepburn, and I have no interest in getting to know you,” Sin Yiu-man chuckled.

"Are you SPSmith?"

"uh-huh."

"You can compose music?"

"No, I'm a follower of Edison. I have a keen eye and can always find treasures in the trash."

Hepburn pursed her lips in disbelief, "Write me a song."

"Are you worthy?" Sin Yiu-man smiled contemptuously. "Actually, I already know what Paramount executives think of you. You're too thin, your chest is too small, you don't look like a star. I completely agree. And I should add that your voice is awful."

Hepburn slammed her hands on the table, glaring at Sin Yiu-man's face like an angry lioness. "Are you deliberately trying to hurt me today?"

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “I want you to understand that when you are not capable enough, don’t have too many ideas, just do what needs to be done little by little.”

Hepburn reverted to her ladylike demeanor, "Alright, you're the boss." (End of Chapter)