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Chapter 8: Let's Make a Bet
🕑 Added 2024-09-07 19:19:26 +0000 UTC"Ahem." Jimmy, receiving a hint from Ethan, noticed the silence in the room and couldn't help but clear his throat.
This sound immediately drew Apollyon's attention. "Jimmy, do you have an idea?"
Jimmy instantly straightened his back. Although he wasn't entirely confident, he managed to project an air of certainty. Ethan thought his good buddy could probably sell anything if he became a salesperson.
"Yes! Director, but it's not my idea; it's my brother Ethan's." Jimmy pushed Ethan's back straight. "He was known as the 'Idea King' back in college! He's very sharp."
Jimmy wasn't wrong, except that Ethan was known for his bad ideas.
But Apollyon didn't know about the stupid things they did in college, so he was quite interested. He took a drag from his cigarette, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "Let's hear it, Ethan. What's your idea?"
Ethan set his glass down and said, "Actually, I think your concept is already quite solid. Pizza, cowboys—it's a very cool idea! Cowboys themselves represent speed, and with the pizza being so big, there's really no need for major changes to the concept.
"But that old man is greedy and also wants to show the cheese pull, so I think just a slight adjustment to the original idea could shut him up."
"You're right, he is a greedy old man!" Apollyon nodded, agreeing with Ethan's words. He then asked, "So, how should we adjust it?"
Ethan saw that the setup was complete and everyone was focused on him. He then shared his idea, "It's simple. Just separate the characters and the pizza."
"Separate them?" Apollyon looked puzzled.
"Yes." Ethan picked up a napkin, folded it in half, and pointed to the left side. "Here, place the Domino's pizza—make it as big as possible. The background will be the shop."
Then he pointed to the right side. "Here, put Scarlett the cowboy, the same size as the pizza. The background will be the mountains."
"And how do you connect them?" Jimmy provided a timely assist.
Ethan followed up, "Just put a piece of pizza in Scarlett's mouth."
"The cheese pull?" Dudley guessed the key point connecting the two images.
"Exactly, the cheese pull will connect the pizza in Scarlett's mouth to the pizza in the shop." Ethan smiled. "This way, we'll have an ad that shows the pizza is large, delivered quickly, and has a great cheese pull."
Everyone fell silent, unsure if this idea would satisfy Monaghan. However, they felt this concept seemed pretty impressive, at least covering all the elements Monaghan wanted to showcase.
Apollyon was so lost in thought that the cigarette in his hand nearly burned out before he snapped back to reality. While putting out the cigarette butt, he asked, "This idea… it sounds good. Will it really shut Monaghan up?"
Ethan shrugged, "I don't think there's a problem. We can give it a try. Everyone can think of more ideas and submit a few different versions to him."
"Forget it, I'm not that creative," Jimmy was the first to give up on brainstorming.
Dudley and the others also shook their heads, indicating they had no clue how to come up with ad concepts.
Apollyon, the director, wanted to persist a bit longer, but soon gave up as the alcohol hit him.
"Alright, let's give it a shot!" he shouted, happily grabbing a bottle of liquor. "Let's drink!"
"Let's drink!" Everyone immediately joined in.
The sound of glasses clinking filled the room. With their worries temporarily set aside, Apollyon became more enthusiastic about holding hands with the ladies.
That night, they partied until late. When Ethan woke up in the private room, he found the place a mess.
The director and the photographer had gone back to the hotel, while everyone else was snoring away on the couches.
Checking the time, Ethan reached over and slapped Jimmy awake.
"What…what's up, brother?" Jimmy groggily sat up from the couch. Ethan dragged him outside the bar. The sunlight gradually brought him back to full awareness.
"Oh… damn!" Jimmy rubbed his face, which was still marked with several bright red lipstick prints. "Let's go, it's time to work."
"Alright, alright, wait for me!"
Half an hour later, with a hot dog in his mouth, Ethan walked into the studio.
It was still early, and most of the staff were having breakfast, so the studio was quite empty. However, Ethan noticed a light shining through the crack of the dressing room door.
He slowly approached and peeked through the gap, only to see a familiar figure.
It was Scarlett, reclining in her chair, legs crossed, seemingly engrossed in a script. Her golden hair glistened faintly under the lights.
From Ethan's angle, he could see her polka-dot dress, tightly filled, and the black stockings peeking through the slit, extending down to her feet.
Perhaps feeling relaxed, her feet swayed with the movement of her legs. A red high heel dangled from her toes, revealing smooth soles, with hints of flesh color visible through the stockings.
Faced with this tempting scene, Ethan couldn't help but swallow.
Then he simply pushed the door open.
"Creak…"
"Who's there?" Scarlett stopped moving her legs and looked up cautiously. When she saw it was Ethan, her serious expression softened into a smile. "Oh, it's you."
"Perhaps I should reintroduce myself," Ethan said with a smile.
"Ethan? Right?"
Ethan nodded, looking surprised. "That's right, you actually remember me."
"Of course, I remember interesting people," Scarlett smiled and closed her script.
"So you recognized me yesterday, didn't you?" Ethan leaned against the wall, watching her.
"Of course…" Scarlett traced her chin with her fingers. "But I did say it would only count if we met in another city… so…"
"Alright, then would you care to make a bet?" Ethan shrugged, proposing an idea.
"A bet on what?" Scarlett narrowed her eyes. Her lips, slightly pursed and glistening under the lights, looked irresistibly inviting.
"Let's bet that the ad can be filmed smoothly today, and that I can make sure you don't have to cover your pretty face with pizza and become one of the most important parts of the ad. How about that?"
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "I've done my research on Mr. Monaghan. He's notoriously difficult in the industry, and he hates it when people change his ideas. I've heard several directors have walked out because they couldn't stand his overbearing nature. Are you really sure you can do this?"
Ethan shrugged again. "Why not give it a try? If I succeed, you'll give me a kiss. How about it?"
Scarlett looked surprised. "I thought you'd suggest doing what we did last time."
"What, do I seem like the kind of guy who's driven by lust?"
Scarlett took a good look at the handsome lighting technician in front of her. Although she had no idea where his confidence came from, it wouldn't hurt her to give it a go.
And besides… it sounded fun, didn't it?
After Ethan admired Scarlett's profile for a while, he suddenly heard her agree, "Alright, it's a deal then…"
