[Chapter 98: Nicole Kidman]
"Link and Quentin Tarantino are over there drinking. Should we go say hi?" In a Beverly Grove bar, Nicole Kidman glanced over at the group chatting and turned to her husband, Tom Cruise, for his opinion.
"If they see us, why don't they come over and greet us?" Tom Cruise replied, flipping through a newspaper without lifting his head.
"Alright, they really are a bit rude." Nicole swirled her cocktail glass, observing her husband's cool demeanor. With a hint of mischief, she added, "But Link is quite something, isn't he? He wrote, directed, and self-distributed a film that made $600 million at the box office with just a $20,000 budget. That's a world miracle, and he's only twenty years old, worth over a 100 million, and he's so handsome."
"That's enough!" Tom slapped the newspaper down. "He just got lucky. You can't rely on luck forever. He's no different from some lottery winner -- there's nothing too praise-worthy about it."
"Really?"
"Don't think I'm jealous. I'm speaking facts. Look at his two movies; what's their merit? The directors I know say that Buried and Paranormal Activity are within reach for 99% of Hollywood directors. Link just got lucky to hit the market at the right time; it's not about his ability."
"At least Link is a talented scriptwriter. I heard his scripts are fantastic, and many companies are fighting over them," Nicole Kidman said, resting her chin in her hand, a mysterious smile gracing her lips.
"You admire him that much? Then you should go drink with him. I never forced you to stay here."
"Of course not. Compared to my dear Tom, no man in the world measures up. With you here, I wouldn't glance at anyone else." Nicole smiled sweetly at Tom Cruise.
"Hey, Tom, Nicole, sorry we're late!" The star Richard Gere strolled over with his supermodel wife, Cindy Crawford.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman stood to greet them.
---
"Link, what are you watching?"
"Tom Cruise and Richard Gere are also here drinking." Link replied as he diverted his gaze.
"Want to go say hi? Nicole and Cindy are here; they are both gorgeous." Quentin Tarantino smacked his lips, his expression becoming oddly excited.
"Link probably won't go and greet Tom Cruise." Steven Soderbergh stated.
"Why?"
"Remember not long ago when Tom publicly criticized Paranormal Activity? He felt it was overhyped and stealing resources from other films, which led to a drop in exposure for other movies. Following Tom's remarks, his fans even burned Paranormal Activity posters, strongly demanding cinemas to increase screenings for A Few Good Men. That was clearly aimed at Link." Steven explained.
Quentin chuckled, "Link, I remember it wasn't just Tom Cruise who criticized you and Paranormal Activity -- Robert Downey Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, Dustin Hoffman, and director Rob Reiner also had their criticisms. Seems like you were right; even though your movie made money, it offended quite a few people, including the big stars."
"That's not funny."
"Oh, it's hilarious! Hollywood has been struggling under Paranormal Activity's box office data, and seeing you in a tough spot brings me so much joy, ha ha ha!" Quentin laughed loudly.
Link shook his head and raised his hand to wave towards the aisle. A woman wearing a shirt and black polka dot skirt approached.
The girl was in her early twenties, with D-cup breasts, an A4 waist, and silky, golden-brown long hair cascading down. She had an exquisitely delicate face with a pert nose like a fairy tale sprite.
But what was most captivating were her blue-gray eyes, large and bright, clear and enchanting.
...
"Jennifer Connelly? Link, are you greeting her?" Quentin exclaimed in surprise.
Link stood up, pulled Jennifer Connelly down to sit with him, and introduced her to the group.
Quentin noticed Link had his hand resting on Jennifer's waist while talking to her, his hand intimately wrapped around her slender torso, with his fingers almost brushing her abdomen -- an affectionate pose that hinted she was his woman.
Was Jennifer his girlfriend?
No, Quentin remembered Link's girlfriend was Monica Bellucci, a super sexy Italian beauty.
Why was Link now embracing Jennifer Connelly? What was he up to?
...
As Jennifer Connelly excused herself to the ladies' room, Quentin suddenly jumped up and sat beside Link, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, lowering his voice to ask, "Fess up, what's your relationship with Jennifer?"
"Just a good friend, a purely good friend."
"Ha! What about Monica? Did you break up?" Quentin's eyes darted with curiosity.
"Of course not, Monica's at home reading scripts."
"What do you mean? Are you two-timing?" Quentin accused, grabbing his collar.
This guy not only snagged the stunning Italian beauty Monica Bellucci but also had Hollywood sweetheart Jennifer Connelly in his arms, openly calling her his girlfriend. What a pervert!
Link looked at him, confused by his excitement. "What's the issue?"
"Don't you think it's a problem you're juggling two women?"
Quentin shouted under his breath.
Steven Soderbergh, Robert Rodriguez, Lawrence Bender, and Roger Avary paused their conversation, looking curiously at the two.
"What's the problem? Last time I was at your apartment, you had two women in your bedroom. Were you not also juggling them?"
"That's not the same! Those two were call girls. They came to my place for work; I was their client. That's not juggling."
"What's the difference? Does paying for sex make it more honorable?"
Link joked.
Quentin noticed Jennifer Connelly returning and pointed at Link, gritting his teeth, "You've fallen!"
...
"What were you guys talking about?" Jennifer Connelly asked with a smile as she returned to sit next to Link.
"Quentin is almost thirty and still hasn't found a girlfriend. He was asking how I ended up with you, and I was just telling him that he should take the girl he likes to ride roller coasters." Link chuckled, holding Jennifer close.
"Don't mention roller coasters. I suspect you're doing this on purpose," Jennifer pointed at him, a hint of frustration on her beautiful face.
"What do you mean on purpose?"
"Hmph! You knew I would be scared, yet you made me go on those dangerous rides that left me weak. That was intentional."
"Come on, it was a fantastic date, wasn't it?"
"Indeed, it was."
Jennifer smiled and kissed him softly.
Across from them, Quentin rolled his eyes dramatically. Today was just supposed to be meeting Link for drinks, not bringing along a date. Here, in a booth with seven men, only Link had a stunning woman in his arms.
It looked more like Link was flaunting his new girlfriend.
And he certainly had something to show off.
Not only was he hiding Monica Bellucci at home, but he also had the 'the' Jennifer Connelly by his side. What incredible luck!
Quentin seethed in jealousy.
"Miss Connelly, I'm a fan of yours! Can I get your autograph?" Robert Rodriguez asked, feeling shy.
"Sure! You're Link's friend, which means you're my friend too. Getting an autograph is no problem." Jennifer Connelly said as she took Robert's paper and scribbled her name with a signature pen.
How embarrassing! Quentin glanced at Robert. Before coming here, this guy had claimed to be a big fan of Link, praising him highly and even saying shooting El Mariachi was influenced by Buried.
But when meeting him, he didn't even ask Link for a signature; now he was rushing for one from Jennifer Connelly, looking all bashful.
Beautiful women clearly took precedence over idols.
"Robert, are you working on a new script?"
Link pointed at the paper, A4-sized and rolled up to easily fit in a pocket.
"Yeah, but not really. Just working on the beginning. I like to have a little notepad with me to jot down sudden ideas," Robert Rodriguez explained.
"That's a great method. Once you finish the new script, if you need funding, don't hesitate to reach out to me, and Steven too. You guys are all talented directors, and if you need investment, I'm in."
"Ha ha! Link, that's what you said! I just happen to have a project looking for investment too; I'll show it to you in a few days, how's that?" Steven Soderbergh laughed.
"No problem, anytime!" Link responded cheerfully.
Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez were among the top young directors at that time.
Investing in their films would not only pay off eventually, but even if there was a loss now, they could still earn back down the road.
Moreover, with the ticketing subsidy system, even if their movies performed poorly, just by participating in the filming, Link could obtain box office subsidies.
Even a little subsidy would ensure reasonable box office numbers.
As he shared these thoughts, Jennifer Connelly clung tighter to his arm, as if holding onto something precious.
Link could clearly feel her soft D-cup against him.
*****
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