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Chapter 111: Victoria’s Secret Show
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 17:53:59 +0000 UTCAfter staying at Anne Hathaway's house for two days, the two unlocked quite a few new achievements.
Ethan's Leica film roll was used up, filled with scenes not suitable for children.
So, once he got home, he hurriedly developed the film and stored it away. Previously, during his downtime, he had set up a darkroom at home specifically for developing film, and now it came in handy.
Anne Hathaway had already left for the Mysterious River crew. Their brief separation made her feel sentimental for a while, but Ethan didn't feel the same.
Because now, he had already started assembling a new crew to shoot Raymond's music video.
The crew members were all familiar faces.
For example, the assistant directors Greta and Jose. The former was responsible for on-site actors and scenes, while the latter handled logistics and props.
The budget for the music video was provided by Fiss Music Company. Although Raymond and Fiss had passed away, Budman, as the actual controller of Fiss Music, had benefited greatly. Now, no one was questioning his decisions anymore.
However, the old man had developed insomnia and depression after Fiss's death, and had been hospitalized for several days. Now, he looked sickly, no longer enjoying the carefree life he once had with cigars.
This sudden tragedy had changed the lives of many people, not just Budman, but also Davis.
From a cold-blooded perspective, Davis was probably the biggest beneficiary.
Because he inherited all of his brother's assets, the large villa and various sports cars, becoming a millionaire overnight.
And with Raymond's final song release, he was likely to earn even more money.
As for Arcadia, Davis had already broken up with her again, but she still clung to him.
According to Slo, Davis had been spending every night in a bar, drinking with Little B and Big M, trying to avoid her.
It seemed that Raymond's death hadn't made him a better person; instead, he had been sliding further downhill.
But this had nothing to do with Ethan. He had no sympathy for Davis and only cared about his story as a bit of gossip to pass the time.
As for Fiss's gang, the current leader was Old K, the guy who had been watching by the window during Ethan's Ashara shoot.
He was one of Fiss's trusted subordinates, mainly dealing with external affairs.
Originally, Old K wasn't supposed to have a say in the gang, but with Fiss and the most trusted subordinate dead, it was his turn. It could only be said that fate was unpredictable.
Ethan couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Old K's fake gun hanging on his waist.
At that moment, Carl, dressed in a gray suit, rushed into the reception room. "Ethan, I've found the action director you need!"
"Who is it?" Ethan wasn't planning to follow the commercial music video formula for this one. He wanted to do something big—a thrilling fight scene.
He intended to reference the classic violent aesthetics of Kill Bill and combine them with Raymond's death-metal-like music to give the audience a sensory overload.
Since Quentin's Kill Bill was still in production and hadn't been released yet, no one had seen such footage, so if Ethan shot it, he'd be first.
Though this wasn't good for Quentin, when had Ethan ever cared about what others thought?
"Li Xian Luo!" Carl awkwardly said the name of the action director, sighing, "Chinese names are so hard to pronounce."
"It's not Li Xian Luo, it's Luo Li Xian, Carl. Remember, when you meet Chinese people, always say their last name first."
Ethan corrected Carl's pronunciation and recalled a bit about the action director's background.
Well, he didn't know much, but he did know that Luo Li Xian had been a long-time collaborator with Wu Yusen and was the action director for Mission: Impossible 3.
Compared to Yuan Heping and Yuan Kui, he was better at car chases and special effects fight scenes. His expertise in action direction wasn't as strong as the other two.
But for this music video, Ethan wasn't trying to make it feel like a blood-drenched movie. He wanted to use special effects to make the kills comical, so it didn't need serious choreography, making Luo Li Xian a perfect fit.
Once the action director was set, Ethan started thinking about the cast. He needed a martial artist or a young actress willing to try action scenes.
Such actresses were scarce in Hollywood.
Ethan thought of all the people he could, like Milla Jovovich, Angelina Jolie, and Michelle Yeoh. They were all already well-established and wouldn't be interested in a music video shoot.
Lucy Liu was busy filming Kill Bill, and Maggie Q wasn't in Hollywood at the moment.
So, so far, no one seemed suitable for the role of the lead in the new music video. Ethan contacted his friends in Hollywood, like Rob Marshall, Renee Zellweger, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
In fact, Zeta-Jones showed some interest after hearing about Ethan's idea. She was someone who loved taking on diverse roles, and in recent years, her dancing practice had helped her build a well-toned physique that was perfect for playing a fighting woman.
Unfortunately, her growing belly from pregnancy caused her to reconsider, as she was nearing the end of her pregnancy.
Ethan chuckled at the thought of Zeta-Jones, dressed in maternity clothes, struggling to wield a knife, and quickly advised her to rest and assured her they'd collaborate in the future if possible.
The search for a female lead remained unresolved, but Ethan didn't mind. He wasn't in a rush to start filming.
After telling Carl to continue searching for suitable candidates, Ethan drove back to the company.
Upon entering, he heard the excited voices of the customer service girls: "Wow! Kaiden! You're really going to the Victoria's Secret show?!"
"That's right!" Kaiden Cross flashed a smile like a sculpture of an angel. This was the result of months of training. Every tooth, every angle, had been perfected under the guidance of professional trainers.
She had been so focused on practicing her runway walk, losing weight, and shaping her body that she hadn't had time for anything else.
Her daily diet was just vegetable salads with oats and high-protein beef, avoiding sugar and sauces—her life was as simple as a monk's.
And now, her figure had reached its peak, every movement, every smile, enough to captivate anyone.
In sharp contrast was Lilina, who was also beautiful but lacked the same charisma as Kaiden.
As for Cindy, she was currently filming a show, as a TV director had invited her to play a supporting role.
"It's unbelievable! I have to watch the live broadcast!" The customer service girls cheered for Kaiden and for their own potential future.
Even the newcomers knew that Kaiden had gone from a small customer service girl to this in just over half a year. Apart from her own hard work, she certainly benefited from the backing and operations of her boss behind the scenes.
They all wanted to replicate her success, but despite Ethan helping some of the other girls shoot photo sets, none of them had the same luck as Kaiden and Cindy. The photo sets sold well, but their personal fame remained lukewarm.
During this time, Jimmy had also let go of a few customer service girls. Some of the girls brought in from the film set and other places weren't very hardworking. They seemed to want instant fame without considering the effort required.
So, Ethan instructed Jimmy to clear out those who were disobedient or liked to cause trouble, leaving behind those who were either dedicated to their work or focused on improving themselves, striving for more photo opportunities or other shoots.
Now, the company atmosphere was great, and there were no issues like jealousy causing trouble.
As for the girls who weren't yet famous, Ethan had a backup plan. After making some money from Angel's Declaration, he had the funds to implement this plan.
"Good afternoon, girls," Ethan greeted, stepping into the lobby.
The moment he spoke, all the girls and Kaiden stopped talking, stood up, and greeted him in unison, "Good afternoon, boss!"
They were all stunningly beautiful. Ethan scanned the room, smiling, "No need to be so formal, girls."
"Boss!" Kaiden quickly walked over and took Ethan's hand, saying, "Are you going to watch me walk the runway at the Victoria's Secret show?"
"Of course!" Ethan nodded. "I've already received an invitation."
This invitation wasn't from the highest creative agency, but from receiving the MTV award.
Every year, Victoria's Secret invites industry professionals from Hollywood, fashion magazines, and music circles to attend their show. For those outside these circles, obtaining an invitation depends on one's status, connections, and influence.
"That's great!" Kaiden exclaimed with joy, then whispered in Ethan's ear, "I have two sets of sexy lingerie!"
Ethan grinned and replied, "I'm looking forward to it."
After a brief conversation, Kaiden went upstairs to her dressing room.
Ethan called Jimmy over, and they stood before the customer service girls to announce a series of decisions.
"Girls, listen carefully to what I'm about to say!" Jimmy clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, then said, "The boss has already planned everything for your road to fame! If you don't listen, it'll be your own loss!"
As soon as the girls heard the words "road to fame," they all fixed their eyes on Ethan with expectation.
Ethan smiled and stepped forward. "Before we discuss anything, I'd like to ask—who wants to become Lilina?"
"Wow!" A part of the girls raised their hands. Although Lilina wasn't as famous as Cindy or Kaiden, she had already received some minor roles and guest appearances, making her stand out among the others in the company.
"Now, who wants to become Cindy?"
"Wow!" The number of raised hands doubled instantly. Cindy's career was clearly heading toward TV, which was more in line with their perception of what a star should be.
"How about becoming Kaiden?"
"Wow!" At the end of this question, all the customer service girls excitedly raised their hands without exception. There wasn't a single girl who didn't dream of wearing sexy lingerie and walking the runway at Victoria's Secret.
In just three questions, the mood of the entire room had been stirred up.
"Very good!" Ethan nodded in satisfaction, signaling for everyone to put their hands down. He then spoke, "Now, are you willing to put in the sweat for this?"
"Willing!" The girls answered in unison.
"Great!" Ethan's smile grew even wider. "Next, you'll undergo the most rigorous training and the harshest elimination system!"
"At the same time, you'll also gain the fastest and most effective path to fame! So, are you ready?" Ethan extended his arms, as if he were a great orator standing on a stage.
