I am Hollywood

Chapter 531: Chapter 532: Farewell



[Chapter 532: Farewell]

Eric sat on the living room sofa when he first heard a soft gasp coming from the bedroom, followed by a flurry of rustling sounds and whispers.

After about ten minutes, two girls emerged from the bedroom, dressed modestly and greeting Eric with a hint of shyness. Rachel stood a half-head taller than Caroline, making it easy for Eric to recognize that they were wearing their own clothes. As the two girls settled onto the sofa across from him, he asked, puzzled, "You two are sharing a bedroom?"

"Yes, Mr. Williams," Caroline nodded innocently. Perhaps it was because she had just woken up, her fair face held a touch of blush that added a hint of vulnerability.

Rachel, however, was much more perceptive than Caroline. She quickly added, "Caroline is just temporarily staying with me; we're not, um... living together."

Caroline found Rachel's clarification somewhat perplexing. She blinked her long eyelashes several times before understanding, and her pale face turned crimson. Flustered, she stood up, ready to flee. "Mr. Williams, I'll go get you a glass of water."

Eric, intending to say it wasn't necessary, noticed the girl had already glided into the kitchen.

Now, only Eric and Rachel remained in the living room. Eric surveyed the charming little apartment with interest, his gaze landing on the somewhat reserved Rachel Weisz. From his memories of his past life and Caroline's words from the day before, he knew Rachel Weisz wasn't an introverted girl per se. It was only because of his current identity that most people, as long as they had normal emotional intelligence, couldn't reveal their true selves in front of him -- a regret from certain angles, indeed.

"Caroline said you're an actress?"

Rachel had been surreptitiously examining her apartment for anything out of place when she suddenly heard Eric speak. She quickly nodded in response. "Yes, um... Mr. Williams, I've been auditioning most of the time lately, and I got a small role in the sixth season of Inspector Morse."

Eric was about to respond when Caroline emerged from the kitchen holding a steaming glass of water.

He took the glass, noticing a piece of ice still hadn't fully melted at the bottom. He politely drank a few sips before placing it on the coffee table in front of him.

Watching Eric set down his glass, Caroline asked, "Mr. Williams, you came over so early; is there something on your mind?"

Though with an innocent demeanor, the girl was no fool. Eric's early visit surely meant he had other matters to discuss.

"I'm heading back to Los Angeles. I had a little time, so I wanted to say goodbye."

Upon hearing this, a trace of undeniable melancholy appeared on Caroline's face, but she still politely replied, "Well then, Mr. Williams, I wish you a pleasant journey."

Eric paused for a moment, then smiled, "Thank you."

Rachel barely restrained the urge to facepalm in exasperation. This silly girl, what kind of nonsense was she saying? Seeing Caroline looking downcast and uncertain about what to say next, Rachel took the initiative. "Mr. Williams, will you be coming back to London?"

"Probably not in the short term. The German premiere of Jurassic Park was originally scheduled for July 4, and I could have stayed until then. However, something came up in Los Angeles that I need to handle in person. If I come back to Europe, I might just end up in Paris or Berlin."

After hearing Eric's words, the disappointment radiating from Caroline became palpable. Rachel looked at her friend with sympathy and suddenly mustered the courage to speak up. "Mr. Williams, Caroline won't report to Cambridge until September. If you're going to Paris or London, she can still be your guide; she speaks French, German, and Spanish fluently."

Watching Caroline, who had initially been downtrodden, suddenly lift her head with hope, Eric couldn't bring himself to refuse. He nodded. "Alright, I'll have someone call you then. Caroline, would you be up for it?"

"Um, I... I'm fine with that." Caroline nodded eagerly like a little chick pecking at grain, then realized her overzealous response might seem a bit too eager and shyly lowered her head, cheeks flushed.

Caroline's salary was handled by Firefly's branch office. After Eric wrapped up this matter, he stood. "In that case, I'll be on my way. My flight departs at eight, and I need to pack."

The two girls stood alongside him. After Eric finished talking, he glanced at Rachel Weisz and reached into his pocket to pull out a personal business card, handing it to her. With a hint of surprise in her expression, he explained, "There's a disaster romance film in the Firefly pipeline that needs a British lead with a mix of rebellion and elegance. I think you should give it a try..."

Instinctively taking the card, Rachel felt an overwhelming rush of exhilaration at Eric's words to the point her head buzzed; she didn't catch the rest of what he said.

Although she was raised in a well-off family and could afford to enjoy studying literature at Cambridge just like the gentry, acting was merely a hobby and a means to make a living. This did not mean Rachel would be indifferent to an invitation from Hollywood and its broader stage. However, due to her innate sense of pride and modesty, she wasn't one to claw her way blindly into Hollywood. If she had been that type of person, she would have schemed her way into getting the job Caroline had just received.

After sharing a few more words, Eric said goodbye to the dazed Rachel and departed.

...

Caroline initially thought about accompanying Eric down to the lobby. However, thinking about the paparazzi waiting downstairs, he declined.

As the girl watched Eric's figure disappear at the stairway, she turned back and shut the door. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she walked over to Rachel. "Hey, Rachel?"

Seeing her friend didn't respond, Caroline playfully stretched out her hand and snatched the business card that Rachel held tightly in her grasp.

"Hey, that's mine," Rachel immediately reacted.

Caroline flopped onto the sofa, hiding the card away and spreading her hands in mock innocence. "It's gone."

"Get up! If you lose it, I'll kick you out onto the street," Rachel tugged Caroline aside, retrieved the card from beneath the cushions, and rushed into the bedroom to keep it safe. She then stepped out, bounding up to Caroline and cupping her friend's face, playfully ruffling her hair. "Hahaha, Caroline, I'm going to Hollywood! Hollywood!"

Caroline shook her head in annoyance. "Hey, you definitely zoned out just now and didn't

hear Mr. Williams finish."

"Oh right, what else did he say?"

"He mentioned that the movie probably wouldn't start filming for another two years, and he hoped you wouldn't become impatient and rush into things -- participate in more stage plays and hone your acting skills during that time." Caroline smirked with just a hint of schadenfreude. "Two years! Who knows, by then he might forget about you altogether." Rachel felt a bit daunted by this condition. Two years was neither a long nor a short time. Since the film project had been decided by Firefly two years in advance, it surely wouldn't be a small undertaking. If it was guaranteed that she could secure that role, Rachel would have no qualms waiting two years. However, what Eric had just offered was merely a verbal agreement. Although Rachel didn't think Eric would toy with her as a mere nobody, if he forgot about her in two years, she would simply be out of luck.

With her thoughts in turmoil, Rachel decided to call her agent for some advice.

As Caroline watched Rachel dial her agent, she waited as the person on the other end rambled

on for what felt like ages before finally hanging up. Rachel, feeling a bit regretful, patted the cushion she was holding. "Now that Eric is gone, I couldn't extend the invitation from my dad

to him."

At that moment, Rachel viewed Caroline as a good luck charm, and once she hung up the

phone, she immediately threw her arms around her friend. "Don't worry; didn't he just say he'll be coming back to Europe in a while and will look for you? You can invite him then." "But even though I know a bit about Paris, I've only been to Berlin twice." "Well, you're a genius with a photographic memory. You could spend a day at the library studying, and you'll know everything. If it comes down to it, I can join you on a tour of Berlin

to scout it out together."

"Then it's settled; we'll go to Berlin tomorrow."

"Isn't that a bit eager on your part? You even have an audition tomorrow. Let's go thisn/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

weekend instead."

...

After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, Eric headed straight for Firefly Studios.

Michael Lynn, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jeffrey Hansen, Frank Wells, along with Stan Winston, Ed Catmull, and John Lasseter, who were responsible for Digital Domain and Pixar, were all gathered at Firefly Studios, in addition to some heads from other departments.

Eric walked into the conference room and took a seat prepared for him. He turned to Stan Winston on his left. "Stan, please give us an update on the current situation."

Stan nodded and, as the assistant distributed the prepared documents to everyone present, he spoke up. "This matter began after the first weekend box office of Jurassic Park was released. Given the events following the release of Twister last year, I didn't think much of it initially. However, the resignation letters started piling up more and more in recent days. When I emailed you, we had received 126 resignation requests, but within just one day, it increased to 169. Currently, most of those I've held back from signing right away. Before this happened, our fixed employee count in Digital Domain was 850, excluding the tech support team led by Ed. However, if we allow this to escalate, we could lose over 30% of our staff."

*****

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