Chapter 251: Chapter 251: The Model Who Beat Up the Thugs
[Chapter 251: Awesome]
Jeffrey was busy until after eight o'clock at night, finally taking care of everything Eric had asked him to do. Yet, with nagging worries in his mind, he tossed and turned all night, not getting much sleep. The next morning, just as daylight broke, Jeffrey crawled out of bed, sporting faint dark circles under his eyes. After a hasty wash-up, he headed out to buy a stack of newspapers, eagerly diving into reading them right by the newsstand.
As Eric had foreseen, a well-placed photo of the environmental organization's members sprawled across the grass appeared prominently in the Manhattan Post. The quality of the image clearly didn't match the clear shots Eric had taken, obviously snapped by the reporters who were sent away by the crew yesterday. Even more troubling for Jeffrey was that the tabloid included a photo of a crew member in a scuffle with the environmentalists. The paparazzi had captured it rather cleverly, showing a crew member raising his foot as if to kick an environmentalist, who appeared to be backing away in alarm.
"Yesterday, during the intense filming of the sequel to Home Alone in Central Park, the crew faced opposition from the famous environmental group, New York Green Conservation Organization..."
As soon as he read the first sentence, Jeffrey couldn't help but curse. He had spent so long negotiating with that so-called environmental organization yesterday, and he didn't even know what they were called. Yet, the first sentence of this tabloid revealed their identity. It was clearly planned.
Though angry, Jeffrey continued reading: "...It is said that since the sequel to Home Alone still takes place during Christmas, the crew intended to cover the park's vegetation with a chemical substance known as magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, which is similar to snow. This substance could significantly harm the plants in Central Park.
In an effort to halt these inappropriate actions by the Home Alone 2 crew, members of New York Green Conservation Organization engaged in lengthy negotiations with producers and even faced physical aggression from crew members, forcing them to lie down on the lawn in protest.
Reporters covering the story also encountered the rude expulsion from the Home Alone 2 crew. NYGCO members revealed to us that they feel isolated in their efforts. Although the Home Alone 2 crew temporarily paused filming due to their strong objections, it was clear the crew wouldn't back down easily.
Central Park is referred to as 'Manhattan's Lungs.' The reason Manhattan residents enjoy fresher air compared to other areas in New York is closely linked to the park's vegetation and its purifying effects. Therefore, we call upon the citizens of Manhattan to stay informed about this matter and strongly urge the Manhattan District Government to intervene and stop the Home Alone 2 crew from recklessly damaging the environment."
After finishing the article, a chill ran through Jeffrey's body. The final paragraph was clearly inciting all of Manhattan's residents to unite against the crew's filming in Central Park. If the Manhattan District Government couldn't withstand the pressure of public opinion, then Home Alone 2 might really have to wait for a genuine snowfall in New York to resume, and God only knew when that would be. Without snow, the scenes shot in Central Park would clash with the already filmed snowy shots from other locations.
Having read the article, Jeffrey lost interest in the other newspapers and went straight for the few he had dealt with the day before.
Fortunately, papers like the New York Daily, the New York Post, and the New York News were all reporting as he had arranged, thanks to the public relations fees paid to the reporters, so their wording leaned more favorably towards the crew. The New York Post even included an interview with a chemistry professor from New York University, which Jeffrey had also set up. The professor detailed the use of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate as artificial snow, stating that as long as it was not used excessively, it wouldn't harm the plants and might even promote growth.
Rushing through the newspapers, Jeffrey hurried to the hotel.
...
Knock, knock, knock--
He hastily knocked on Eric's door a few times. After a moment, the door opened slightly, revealing a blonde beauty in a bathrobe.
Jeffrey was taken aback; he didn't recognize the woman. He thought, surely Eric wouldn't be so reckless as to bring in a call girl just because Nicole left the crew.
The blonde, seeing Jeffrey, quickly opened the door wider. "Mr. Hansen, please... come in. Eric is in the shower."
Hearing the blonde woman call his name eased Jeffrey's tension; at least she wasn't a call girl, which was more acceptable.
The blonde soon noticed Jeffrey's puzzled expression and introduced herself, "Mr. Hansen, I'm Leigh Zimmerman. I play a minor role in the film, but perhaps you didn't notice me."
Jeffrey nodded, opening his mouth to say something but ultimately just pointed to her collar. Leigh glanced down, letting out a startled gasp as she noticed her neck was covered in red hickeys, glaringly obvious against her fair skin.
Leigh hurriedly adjusted her collar, unsure of what to say. Just then, the bathroom door swung open, and Eric emerged, wearing a white bathrobe, drying his hair with a towel. Spotting Jeffrey on the couch, Eric paused for a moment before smiling and greeting, "Hey, Jeffrey, you're... here early."
"Yes, it is... a bit early," Jeffrey responded, glancing at the awkwardly standing blonde, hinting with his words.
Eric, unfazed, walked over with a smile and wrapped his arm around Leigh's waist, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I take it you two are acquainted now?"
The two exchanged slightly awkward nods. Sensing that Eric and Jeffrey had business to discuss, Leigh thoughtfully chimed, "Eric, may I use the bathroom?"
Though still grasping her collar, Eric spotted her neck's red marks and playfully slapped her pert backside before saying, "Of course, go ahead."
Leigh shot Eric an affectionate glare, her eyes full of charm that certainly contrasted with her fierce demeanor when beating up the two burglars on set.
...
Much like the cameo Donald Trump played as a passerby in The Plaza, the fashionable woman who had given Marvin a slap and pummeled the two burglars was another temporary casting from New York.
The crew had contacted a renowned top modeling agency. Even though it was a minor role, this was still part of the Home Alone franchise. While the main audience was kids, there were also plenty of adults accompanying children to the theater. Therefore, this role presented an excellent opportunity for those models not just to gain fame but also to potentially step into Hollywood. Everyone knew that top-tier stars made far more annually than even the most prominent supermodels.
Thus, this minor role sparked a wild scramble. The casting assistant director looked at the impressive list of 46 candidates sent his way and felt overwhelmed when some models even approached him personally. Despite holding the casting power, he found himself swayed by certain hints from lesser-known models, and it was clear he couldn't dare choose an unknown when competing against established supermodels. So, he wisely pushed the decision to Eric.
Eric looked over the list but didn't recognize anyone. Amused, he began to flip through a thick portfolio that accompanied the list. Among countless stunning photos, he soon settled on Leigh Zimmerman. Although she wasn't the most famous or the prettiest, it turned out she was exactly the actress from his past life.
Eric had chosen Leigh purely for the sake of staying true to the 'original' version, not harboring any other motives. However, during the filming yesterday, he suddenly felt a connection to the woman wearing a black outfit and black leather gloves on camera. The sight of her swinging punches at the two burglars struck him as incredibly cool.
A few teasing remarks and subtle hints later, Leigh didn't hesitate to come closer. The previous night, Eric even asked her to put on those black leather gloves while they were getting intimate in bed. The sight of her fair, naked body adorned only with gloves as she graciously responded was simply amazing.
...
The bathroom door clicked shut, and Jeffrey pointed in that direction, asking, "Eric, what's going on here?"
"Didn't you read the script? She's the one who taught the burglars a lesson twice."
Jeffrey remembered and nodded, opening his mouth to advise Eric to tone it down a bit. After all, Eric not only had a girlfriend but also two steady lovers (thanks to Nicole's cleverness, Jeffrey considered Nicole one of Eric's lovers, the other being Virginia).
However, he quickly dismissed that thought. Eric was young and brimming with vigor. As long as he didn't get lost in distractions and kept up with his work, a little flirtation wouldn't hurt; after all, with his standing, even if Eric were to rein it in, countless women would still flock to him.
"Forget it, let's just look through these," Jeffrey said, sliding a stack of newspapers in front of Eric. "The top stack is from the papers I contacted yesterday, and the bottom has those critical of us."
Eric pulled out the bottom pile and began to skim through it rapidly.
*****
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