บท 20: Chapter 20: Guess Where
The packaging work for the MV was handed over to a specialized visual effects company by Yesan on the same day. Naturally, Ethan had already written down all the necessary details and handed them over to the visual effects company. They would receive the final product within three days.
That night, after having dinner with his family, Ethan lay in bed playing Snake on his phone when he suddenly received a text message.
It was from Scarlett.
"Let me see what she sent me," Ethan muttered to himself as he opened the message, only to find a comma.
"Strange?" Ethan raised his eyebrows. Was it a mistake from Scarlett?
So he replied, "What are you doing?"
Shortly after, a photo was sent. The photo was a bit blurry, but it was clear that it showed a hotel's floor-to-ceiling mirror. In the mirror, there was a woman with her face covered by her hair, wearing a pink silk nightgown.
She was kneeling on a yoga mat in front of the mirror, her back arched. Her smooth, white thighs were stacked together, one foot with a shoe on and the other painted with red nail polish, which stood out.
There was no doubt, this was Scarlett's selfie.
She also sent a message: "Exercising."
Ethan admired the smooth arch of her foot and replied, "Doing yoga? You're quite idle, still in New York?"
"Want to know where I am? Clever of you, but sorry, I've seen through it."
Scarlett replied quickly, and Ethan could almost imagine the smug, sweet smile on her face as she typed.
Ethan couldn't help but smirk and provocatively said, "Unfortunately, you almost fooled me. But is it that you're so afraid I'll find you?"
To his surprise, Scarlett sent another photo immediately. This time, it was a close-up of Scarlett's slender swan neck and collarbone. She was leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, gently touching her neck with the same red nail polish on her hand. The view outside the window was a dark cityscape from at least the 18th floor of the hotel.
"So yes, I'm really afraid of being found by you. Otherwise, I'd have to… oh, I'm so scared. Do you like where I'm staying?"
The woman was clearly teasing! Ethan raised his eyebrows. She dared to send a street view photo! Did she think he couldn't recognize where she was?
Licking his lips, Ethan couldn't help but feel excited.
He squinted to observe closely. Although the view outside the window was a bit blurry, he still recognized one distinctive building.
It was the Getty Center!
"^_^, very good, I already know where you are. Baby, go take a shower, and wait for me in bed!" he quickly replied to Scarlett.
The Getty Center, built in 1997, wasn't very famous yet, but in the future, it would definitely be listed among the must-visit places online. So it was not difficult for him to recognize it.
Knowing this, Ethan knew Scarlett was in Los Angeles, also known as the City of Angels.
"Really? You're kidding me! You actually recognized it? Do you know which hotel I'm at?"
Scarlett seemed surprised, even using more exclamation marks.
"From the angle and position of the photo… Hey! You're in Los Angeles, at the Sunset Boulevard Hotel, am I right?"
Ethan immediately sent the message.
"FXXK! You won! You actually recognized it. Tell me, how did you figure it out? Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep tonight!" Scarlett even used a swear word, showing just how amazed she was.
But Ethan didn't satisfy her curiosity: "Haha, no worries. Baby, get cleaned up and wait for me. I'll tell you how I figured it out when we meet."
"Oh, it's a pity… Dear Mr. Ethan, the plane to England is about to take off. It seems I'm not lucky enough. Unless… you can borrow a rocket from NASA to get here, otherwise, even if you grow wings, you won't make it to Los Angeles in time. Such a shame, your big prize will have to be postponed."
"FXXK!" This time, it was Ethan who cursed.
"Hahaha." Scarlett's text showed no concealment of her smugness and schadenfreude.
"Looks like I'm really out of luck. But I wish you a smooth journey. As for how I guessed your address, it was simple. I recognized the Getty Center! Although it's not very famous yet, you know, I'm an artist."
"And in your first photo, there's a hotel's embossed gold lettering on your slipper, though hidden, it didn't escape my photographer's eyes."
"Wow, I see. Looks like I'll sleep well tonight."
After reading Scarlett's final message, Ethan put down his phone with a smile.
He didn't expect Scarlett to be even more interesting than he thought.
Although it was a bit disappointing not to get any reward after spending half the day thinking, but…
Ding-dong!
Just as Ethan was trying to calm down, his phone rang again.
Ethan picked it up and opened it, his eyes widening in shock.
The phone displayed a selfie. Scarlett's white and tender thigh was stretched across the screen, and along the inner side of the thigh were two startlingly subtle curves extending beyond the screen.
Along with the casually discarded nightgown, underwear, and panties on the sides of her thighs, Ethan could almost picture Scarlett holding the phone up to take the shot.
"Your consolation prize." The photo was accompanied by a message.
This woman is crazy! Is it really okay to send such a photo to someone else? Ethan was stunned, his mouth hanging open.
Well, it's still the millennium. Internet scandals with celebrity privacy had not yet emerged. Scarlett's precautionary measures were evidently not as strong as in later years.
"Girl, I seriously advise you not to send photos like this around." Ethan quickly texted Scarlett.
It took several minutes for Ethan to get a reply from Scarlett.
"Thanks, Sir Knight. I'll remember your advice. To thank you for your loyal advice and beg Sir Knight not to make Scarlett's private photos public, I can only beg you this way."
Ding-dong. Another photo came through.
This time, the photo was even more explicit—a bathtub's overhead shot.
Scarlett was in a bubble bath with rose petals, holding up the phone to capture a large part of her fair skin. The flesh-colored parts hidden under the bubbles were incredibly enticing. Most crucially, she had a pleading expression on her face.
The photo itself wasn't too revealing since the key parts were covered by bubbles, at most it was a bit shy.
But that expression… FXXK! Any man would find it impossible to resist. Ethan jumped up.
"Damn it." Ethan swallowed, his throat tightening.
This woman knew exactly how to tease!
"FXXK! This tormenting little demon." Ethan clenched his phone tightly, vowing, "I'll definitely make you pay in the bathtub!"
The next day, Ethan, who had planned to work alone in the yard pulling weeds, was unexpectedly visited by Jimmy.
So Jimmy became a weed-puller too.
The two of them, wearing gloves, stood in the sunny yard, pulling weeds by hand and chatting.
"This is really annoying, Ethan. Why don't you buy a lawnmower?" Jimmy was newly enlightened by Ethan's family's frugality, not even buying a lawnmower.
Ethan pulled up a weed and said, "I didn't have time to clean up the yard before because I was paying off debts, so I didn't need a lawnmower. But now that I have money, I could indeed buy one."
"Then let's go buy one now! Why still pull weeds by hand?" Jimmy frowned in confusion.
Ethan shrugged, "Don't be so hasty, Jimmy. Don't you think this is a good way to calm your mind? It helps you become more composed."
"Come on, Ethan, calm? You don't seem to match this word when you're on set." Jimmy scoffed at him.
Ethan shrugged, "Alright, but why did you come to find me?"
"Oh, right, I was going to tell you." Jimmy finally remembered his purpose: "Ethan, you should sign with a management company."
"A management company?" Ethan looked puzzled. "I don't earn much right now. Is it worth it to sign with one?"
"Of course!" Jimmy hurriedly explained to his good friend, "For example, the CAA I'm with is one of the largest management companies in the U.S. When I need work, they can arrange it for me."
"But I don't think I'll lack work in the future." Ethan said honestly.
"Different, buddy! CAA deals with the top directors and music companies. Their resources are beyond your imagination, and their packaging services are the best way for us to get involved in top-tier film projects."
Ethan had heard of CAA's packaging services. It involved gathering top talents in each role—actors, program planners, writers, screenwriters, producers, directors, etc.—and then selling them as a package when needed for TV or film.
This approach was initially welcomed by the market because it avoided the hassle of finding talents for each position separately. However, as CAA's packaging prices soared, the major companies had some complaints
But this has nothing to do with Ethan
But he didn't want to get in through this channel: "The commission would be higher than normal."
"That's right." Jimmy did not deny this.
"Then I don't need to rush, Jimmy. Once this MV comes out, I believe I will have a good bargaining chip, and of course, you too." Ethan was confident.
"But you must at least have a lawyer to assist you before doing this, otherwise you won't be able to handle the various terms and conditions imposed by the vampires."
"You're right. You should contact a lawyer."
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