Chapitre 178: Chapter 178: A Favor from a Superstar
"Hahaha~"
By dusk, Saint Monica Beach was shrouded in twilight. The crowd on the beach had dwindled, and the bar became the new playground where men and women gathered. Under the influence of alcohol and music, they sought fun and flirted in close quarters.
In the upscale Anchor Bar, a music bar, the crew of *Along Came Polly* had just wrapped filming today and was hosting a simple wrap party.
Luca had coincidentally arrived just as they wrapped, joining in the festivities. However, today's celebration was awkward for him to join.
"Luca, you were just too funny today, hahaha~"
At a booth, Jennifer Aniston wiped away the tears from laughing so hard, barely able to catch her breath.
Luca wiped his forehead, where awkward sweat had formed. Honestly, having his pants fall down wasn't that embarrassing.
When it comes to nudity, the smaller party feels the embarrassment.
But after his pants dropped, Ms. Aniston seemed to have been struck by a laughing spell. Every time she looked at him, she couldn't help but burst out laughing, making him feel incredibly awkward.
"Was it really that funny, Ms. Aniston?" Luca shook his head helplessly.
"Of course! I haven't encountered anything funnier than that in years. Hahaha~ Oh my, I've been laughing all day—my facial muscles are stiff!"
Aniston propped her hand on her cheek, worried about wrinkles.
"Then stop laughing. Come on, have a drink!" Luca poured her a glass of whiskey and pushed it over.
"Yes, maybe if I get drunk, I'll forget about it. Haha, Luca, you have no idea—when your elephant trunk pants fell down, the whole room was shocked. Your, uh... well, no wonder they call you Mr. Big," Aniston teased, blinking mischievously.
Luca's lips twitched. "Jen, doesn't it feel a little weird, the two of us sitting here talking about this?"
"Weird?" Aniston looked puzzled. "Why weird?"
Luca was speechless. "You're a woman, I'm a man. Us sitting here discussing *that*... isn't that weird?"
"Of course not! I'm in my thirties; you're just a 21-year-old kid. If I had married early, I could've had a child your age by now. Why would it be weird for us to talk about that?"
"..."
Luca thought it over but still couldn't figure out the logic. He stared at Aniston. "You seem a little, um, fuller than on TV."
*Smack*—before he could finish, he got flicked on the forehead.
"Why'd you hit me?" Luca rubbed his head, confused.
"I can say things about you, but you can't say things about me," Aniston said with a grin.
"Equality between men and women!"
"I'm older than you. I'm your elder, and elders deserve respect."
Respect?
Luca spread his hands. "Alright, Aunt Jennifer. You're the elder; you make the rules."
"Auntie? Haha~ You wanna get smacked, kid?" Aniston threatened with a banana.
Luca waved his hand, deciding it was best not to argue with a woman.
Jennifer chuckled softly, watching him for a moment before adding with a smile, "I'm wearing a padded bra, that's why I look fuller. It's for the role—understand?"
"Got it!"
"Anything else you want to know?" Aniston teased.
Luca glanced at her eyes, lips, hair, and neck, then noticed her tightly clenched fists. He quickly shook his head. "Nope, nothing else for now."
"Hmph!"
Aniston unclenched her fists. "Let's talk business."
"What business?" Luca refilled her glass.
"The script deal is settled. I'm ready to move forward with the project and begin filming next year," Aniston said.
"Next year? So soon?"
Once they secured the rights, the project could've been done this year, the next, or even in 2008—but not next year.
That's because next year, Brad Pitt would start filming *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* and go public with Angelina Jolie. Aniston would be busy trying to save her marriage, crying her heart out. She wouldn't have time to make a movie, let alone produce one.
"It's not that fast. We're just getting started now—budgeting, securing investments, choosing a director, and so on. Filming will likely begin in the latter half of next year," Aniston explained.
Luca didn't know much about those processes and, given his minor role, felt it best not to comment.
"Jen, why are you telling me all this? I'm just a screenwriter," he said, puzzled.
"You're not just a screenwriter!" Aniston smiled. "After I got home, I reread the script several times and realized it was much more detailed than most scripts. You'd thought through everything—scenes, costumes, music, even camera movements. It's more like a director's script."
"I later showed it to some director friends, hoping they could help. You know what they said?"
Aniston smiled broadly.
"What did they say?"
"Haha~ They said, 'Why hire us when the scriptwriter's already done it all? There's no room for us to shine!'"
Aniston laughed.
Luca smirked. "You're not asking me to direct, are you? I can't handle that—I'm just a screenwriter."
"No, you might become a great director one day. But this film has a budget of over $40 million—not suitable for a newbie. I want you as my assistant producer. I think you'll be a huge help," she said.
"...Next year?"
Luca hesitated. It felt like she was offering him another favor, and it was hard to refuse a favor from a superstar.
"Thank you, Jen. I'll be your soldier from now on. Please guide me well."
"No, we're partners. Cheers to that!" Aniston raised her glass with a smile.
"Cheers!"
Later that night, on the highway leading to Villa 117, Luca drove slowly back home.
As he made his way, only the sound of the ocean waves and the night breeze blowing through the mountains could be heard. Compared to the lively noise of Los Angeles, the quiet here was almost too much for him.
Luca wasn't quite used to it.
He pulled the car into the gate. The bedroom light on the second floor was on. He smiled to himself—it was nice to have someone waiting for him, making the night less lonely.
After a quick shower, he walked into the bedroom in shorts and a t-shirt.
The TV was playing Season 9 of *Friends*, where Rachel and Ross still hadn't gotten together.
Britney was curled up on the bed, her white nightgown and blonde hair making her look like a sleeping princess.
Luca sat down and gently stroked her cheek.
"You're back," Britney murmured, fluttering her eyelashes as she opened her eyes.
"Sorry, the crew had a party tonight, so I got back late."
"It's okay," Britney said, stretching lazily as she sat up.
"Let's go to bed."
"No!" Britney pointed to the sky outside the window. "The night's beautiful. How about we go upstairs and watch the stars?"
"You've been rehearsing all day—aren't you tired?"
"I'd rather lean against you and talk."
"Alright."
Luca grabbed a blanket and draped it over her shoulders.
"You're such a pain!" Britney gave him a mock-annoyed glance before pulling the blanket tight and heading upstairs.
"Luca, hurry up! Don't forget to bring the wine—red wine!"
"OK!"
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Thank you to the reader 'Demon Jie' for the reward. Thank you! (〃'▽'〃)
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(End of chapter)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone