America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 145. You thought it was a razor, but it's actually a hair dryer!

In China, secretly filmed videos are generally not accepted as evidence.

Even if the video content is extremely advantageous to you, the very act of secretly filming violates the privacy and other rights of the person being filmed, so courts generally do not accept it.

Similarly, there is no such profession as private detective in China. Anyone or any organization that uses the name of a private detective to engage in activities such as voyeurism, stalking, and doxxing has already violated the law.

However, in the United States, the opposite is true.

Let alone private investigators, police departments in the United States also have salaried public investigators, such as the renowned Chinese-American detective Henry Lee, who can be understood as this type of investigator.

Private investigators are even more numerous, as their business is booming due to their faster efficiency.

They not only handle civil cases like catching cheating, but also criminal cases such as murder, rape, theft, and domestic violence.

Moreover, private investigators have many methods for investigation and evidence collection, such as surveillance, wiretapping, and secret filming.

Since the purpose and premise of using illegal means is to win the case, the actions of private investigators are permitted as long as they do not involve physical violence such as beatings or detention, or coercion or intimidation, and the evidence obtained can be admitted by the court.

So even though this video was filmed secretly, it still has legal effect.

Michael Dobbs must have put in a lot of effort to get this video, and the shooting angle was so perfect that only Martin Barshere was shown on set. It was definitely a trap that was set up on purpose.

Getting this old politician's help would come at a considerable cost.

Eric didn't want to ask about the specifics of the process, so he simply said, "Billy, get the finance department to reimburse you for how much you spent. You can choose the reason yourself."

Billy nodded: "Also, I gave the House of Cards script you sent me to Michael Dobbs."

"He was very satisfied after watching it, praising the adaptation as excellent, and eagerly hoped to see the finished film as soon as possible."

"Also, regarding Princess Diana, Michael Dobbs requested that the content not be released, and that only the part about MJ be made public."

"Why?" Eric asked.

"Eric, that's Princess Diana, the princess beloved by the entire Commonwealth. That interview had a huge impact back then."

"That interview not only ripped away the image of Princess Diana herself, but also of the entire British royal family, causing serious repercussions."

"Especially since Princess Diana died just one year after her divorce from Prince Charles, there have been too many conspiracy theories circulating about her death."

"MJ was just an entertainment figure, while Princess Diana was a politician; they were completely different."

"Is Michael Dobbs worried about getting involved?" Eric asked thoughtfully.

"That should be true; in short, it's his request."

Eric put the USB drive away: "Okay, I'll be careful."

After seeing Billy off, I picked up the phone. It's been so long, and Dan Jones still hasn't given me any news. That woman really doesn't take her clients seriously.

The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered.

"Boss, what's up with calling so late at night?" Dan Jones's lazy voice came from the other end of the line.

Eric said seriously, "If I don't call, you won't take the initiative, right?"

"Hehe. Getting impatient? Don't worry, I'll come find you after I finish my task."

"How long will it take? There's not much time left before Michael Jackson's trial starts. If you can't handle it, I'll have to find someone else immediately."

"Cough cough."

Upon hearing that Eric wanted to make a replacement, Dan Jones coughed a few times before adopting a serious attitude: "How about this, I'll come to MGM to see you tomorrow and report on the progress."

"Any results?"

"Partial results, but at least it lets you know that the money wasn't wasted."

"Okay, come to my office at 3 pm tomorrow."

The next day, after breakfast, Eric went straight to the film set.

Today we're filming the last scene of "Blue Is the Warmest Color," and then filming will wrap up.

As people arrived one after another, everyone was in high spirits.

Although a month-long shoot isn't long, according to company policy, we get a few days off after it's finished. Who wouldn't love a vacation?

Ashley and Mary were reviewing their lines with the script, Andrea was patrolling the set, and Neil Blomkamp was directing the set design.

"Director, we can start filming!" Andrea's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Eric grabbed a megaphone and yelled, "Scene 45 of *Blue Is the Warmest Color*, action!"

The final scene wasn't difficult; it was just a simple dialogue, placed in the middle of the film's plot.

Making a movie is not like acting in a movie. There's no need to follow a specific order. The order in which you shoot scenes depends on which scene is more convenient.

Some actors' first scene on set was a tragic death scene, but their last scene was everyone laughing and eating hot pot.

In the video, Ashley and Mary are seen snuggling together, admiring the graffiti in front of a canvas.

Eric called it graffiti, which were artworks bought by the props department, each worth several hundred dollars, but he couldn't see anything special about them.

"This painting is in Gauguin's style, I imitated it. Do you know Gauguin? He was a French Impressionist master."

"This painting is in the style of Repin, it's my friend's. If you look at these two paintings, you'll find they're completely different because Repin's style is more realistic; he was Russian."

Mary, who plays Emma, ​​points to each of the paintings in her collection and introduces them one by one, as if she were telling the story of each treasure. Her eyes are full of light, and you can tell at a glance that she is a girl who is extremely passionate about art.

In contrast, Ashley's character, Adele, comes from an ordinary background: an ordinary girl, an ordinary family, ordinary parents, an ordinary school, and an ordinary job.

Her face revealed confusion and bewilderment. She knew nothing about art and had no interest in it, so she could only listen mechanically to her lover's story.

This shows that the two people have completely different lifestyles and are from two different worlds.

Their love stemmed from a fleeting glance, from the stirrings of hormones, from love at first sight.

However, for people from two different worlds to stay together for a long time, hormones alone are not enough; they also need common support, but unfortunately, they don't have much in common.

People with different tastes may fall in love at first sight, but they cannot stay together forever.

When she's hungry, she eats like crazy; when she's sad, she cries her heart out; when she's lonely, she longs to be loved; when there's a rift, she argues; and after the pain, she breaks up and leaves. This is Adele's life, and it's also the life of all ordinary people.

On camera, the Olsen twins perfectly captured this emotion, and the scene was filmed in one take.

Eric picked up the microphone he had just put down and shouted again, "Fantastic! That scene was a wrap!"

He looked around, and finally, amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, announced, "I hereby declare that filming for 'Blue Is the Warmest Color' is complete!"

"Yeah!"

The set erupted in cheers, with everyone clapping and applauding.

Eric walked up to Judy: "The movie's finished filming. Get back to work now."

He walked up to the field manager and said, "Well done, Yellen!"

He then walked over to the cameraman, gave him a thumbs-up, and said, "Thanks for your hard work, Carl!"

Continuing with the recording: "Lynn, your abilities have truly broadened my horizons!"

Then he walked over to the props team: "Florence, you're a great captain, everyone was fantastic!"

Like the leader of a praise group, Eric praised everyone in the crew. He had worked his way up from the bottom as a stagehand and knew the hardships of those at the bottom.

Finally, he came to Andrea's side: "Andrea, I must thank you properly. You made the crew run smoothly while I was away."

The British female director smiled and said, "I'm not much of a director. It's just that your script is very detailed, so I don't need to use my brain much."

"Hehe. What are your plans for the future?"

Andrea thought for a moment: "Not yet. I really didn't expect the movie to be filmed so quickly. It feels like it was over as soon as I woke up. To be honest, it was a bit sudden, and I wasn't prepared."

Have you ever thought about making your own movie?

Andrea slowly began, "I've thought about it, but I feel my abilities are still insufficient, so I want to start with short films. I'm afraid the big screen would cause the investors to lose money."

Eric laughed heartily: "There aren't many directors like you who are willing to consider the investors' interests. Everyone wants more money."

"Mainly, I don't want to get a bad reputation; it's for the long term."

"Hmm, how about this, you be my assistant director again?"

"So soon, you're starting a new project again?" Andrea asked, somewhat surprised.

"Let's team up again for a political thriller. I trust your abilities."

Upon hearing this, Andrea hesitated for a moment: "But director, I still want to have time to prepare the script."

"Don't worry, I'm very fast, you've seen that."

"Filming for this movie will begin in about a month. The estimated filming time is similar to that of 'Blue Is the Warmest Color,' or a little longer, up to two months."

"In short, you will have plenty of time to prepare this year. The short film will start shooting next year, and MGM will invest in it."

Eric offered investment as a direct incentive: "It's just a short film, I've got the money!"

Sure enough, Andrea gave in instantly. No matter how reserved you are, you can't escape the old man's money offensive.

"It's settled then. I'll give you a two-week break first, then you can come to me for the script and get involved in the preparation, okay?"

"No problem, I also need to go back to England anyway."

"It's a deal!"

People gradually left the set until Neill Blomkamp invited Eric to a party, but Eric declined.

He was just making a token invitation; after all, who would want to party with their boss? It's just asking for trouble. The guy and his group left happily.

At this moment, only Eric and the Olsen sisters remained on the huge film set.

Eric said, "Go and close all the doors."

Mary looked at him with a smile: "Why are you closing the door? You're not planning to do anything naughty here, are you?"

"Bad things? No, the things I'm going to do are romantic things!"

He then turned off the lights in the studio, plunging the three of them into darkness.

"Eric, what are you doing?" Ashley asked.

Suddenly, the lights came on, but instead of fluorescent lights, they were movie lights.

Eric adjusted the background slides, and the light instantly transformed into a dazzling starry sky shining on the ceiling, making it feel as beautiful as being in the universe.

"OMG!" the two sisters exclaimed simultaneously.

Eric fiddled with the effect lights again, and a colorful rain curtain instantly enveloped the entire venue. Except for the lack of rain, it was no different from being in a light drizzle.

"How's it going now? Is this scene romantic enough?"

Ashley ran over in a few steps and lunged at Eric with her petite body.

The two, one nearly 190cm tall and the other less than 160cm, caught her with one hand and then wrapped her around his waist with a Latin wrap.

Using the same method, Mary was also clamped down, and the two sisters were held up like pendants on either side of Eric's body.

"I feel like a father and daughter," Eric said, kissing them back and forth.

Mary hooked her arm around his neck and whispered, "Really? Do you like being called 'daddy'?"

Eric's heart skipped a beat, and he shamelessly nodded: "Giving it a try wouldn't hurt."

Hearing this, Ashley bit his earlobe and whispered in his ear, "Daddy, do you want to know what's under my clothes?"

On the other side, Mary rubbed her leg against Eric's penis: "This little pervert is getting bigger and bigger, what is he craving?"

"Uh, I think he needs to feel protected right now."

"Hehe. What a coincidence, little Mary needs a tight feeling right now."

The blanket that had been prepared beforehand was spread out, and the already cool clothes instantly scattered everywhere, leaving the three of them rolling around naked together.

The dazzling lights shone on them, and an enchanting atmosphere filled the air.

Stacked on top of each other, sandwiches formed, and in a short while the ground was wet.

Inside the MGM Grand, Eric sat in a chair, eyes closed, resting.

This body is still young. If it were before the time travel, Eric would have to take a walk and then take a nap after lunch.

If I don't take a nap, I won't be able to stay up at night. Once you're over thirty, your body is completely drained, and you really can't keep going.

However, Americans generally don't have the habit of taking a nap. They have an hour and a half for lunch and rest at noon, and then continue working.

dong dong dong.

A knock sounded at the door, and Chen Xing led Dan Jones inside.

After instructing them not to let anyone in and disturb them, Eric said, "Please sit down."

There were only two people left in the office. The woman opened her black bag and took out something that looked like a lipstick.

Seeing this, Eric was speechless, thinking to himself, "Why are you doing your makeup here? Are you trying to seduce me?"

Although this woman is somewhat attractive, she has already been juiced three times by Ashley and Mary this morning, and is now a bit red and swollen, in a relaxed state.

Dan Jones glanced at him: "Boss, I know what you're thinking, but the lipstick is just a disguise; it's actually a bugging device."

As she spoke, she made a gesture, and a sound immediately came from the lipstick.

"hiss"

Eric leaned back tactically, filled with awe.

You might think it's a razor, but it's actually a hair dryer!

(End of this chapter)