King of Hollywood-Chapter 575 - 296: Let Nature Take Its Course

Adrian knew why Cameron would say that; he wasn’t alone in coming to New Zealand. He was there with the "Dark Angel" crew, which meant the adorable Jessica Alba was among them.

From Sarah in "True Lies" to Gwyneth in "Titanic," it was clear to Cameron that Adrian lived up to his Playboy reputation all too well. And more so, having seen Adrian on the set of "Dark Angel" chatting and laughing with young Jessica on several occasions. Each time, the girl seemed to laugh very happily, and the trace of gloom she showed during the auditions would disappear.

Cameron had no intention of meddling in Adrian’s private life. He simply wanted to remind him that Jessica was only seventeen. It might not matter in New Zealand, but eventually they would return to Los Angeles—and whether they slept together or not, Cameron could tell—in Los Angeles, things couldn’t be so carefree. One slip, and Adrian could find himself in trouble. Although with his current status he should be able to smooth things over, a big scandal could be disastrous and affect many... women.

In this regard, Cameron indeed treated Adrian as a close friend, and Adrian was aware of this, so he decided to just let things happen naturally. In fact, that had always been one of the options. Jessica Alba was slightly different; born into a Catholic family with a very strict father, this had an influence on her upbringing. So even though she was a bit fond of partying, she still maintained a fairly good character. Her relationship with Adrian was decent but showed no signs of further developments.

Adrian didn’t mind. To think that was all there was to Jessica would be a big mistake. In this circle, one might start pure, but it wouldn’t be long before one assimilated. Those who couldn’t fit in would be eliminated, just like that. Of course, Jessica hadn’t shown any changes yet. Adrian’s contact with her was limited to the set and the parties she invited him to. A kiss on the cheek last time was already a step forward.

He had wanted to use the opportunity of inviting the "Dark Angel" crew to New Zealand for a holiday to develop something with her. If there was a chance, he wouldn’t be shy, but since Cameron had warned him, standing from a friend’s perspective—although he got Jessica’s age wrong—Adrian felt it was inappropriate to ignore it. So he would take things as far as they could go. Sometimes, letting nature take its course could yield surprising results.

Hiss! Adrian took a sharp breath, staring at the vibrant blue sky for quite a while before reacting to the sting of the snow beneath him, and immediately looked down into his arms. Jessica, who was resting on his chest and tightly embraced by his arms, seemed to be frightened stiff, her eyes wide open and staring straight ahead without moving.

"Are you okay, Jessica?" Adrian asked, taking deep breaths to manage the pain in his back.

Before the girl in his arms could respond, shouting and footsteps came their way. The guys up the slope quickly trudged through the snow to help the tangled duo up. The accident was simple: Jessica had never tried skiing before, especially not on the snow-covered slopes of winter. Nervous yet excited, she only attempted after Adrian patiently demonstrated several times.

After a few successful small slides, Jessica made it to a steeper slope. To encourage her, Adrian specifically skied down to guard her. That was the right move; Jessica barely took two steps before losing balance. She tumbled down screaming, and if Adrian hadn’t caught her in time, she might have gotten hurt.

Adrian was experienced. When he hit the ground, he instinctively performed some maneuvers to adjust, so apart from his painful fall, neither of them suffered even light injuries.

"Don’t worry about it, Jessica. Look, neither you nor I was hurt," Adrian reassured her, sitting at a window seat in the hotel bar with a hot drink. Since they were both fine, the others continued their activities while he stayed to comfort the spooked and downhearted Jessica.

"Thank you..." Jessica said, her head hung low, looking a bit dejected. Taking a sip of her hot drink seemed to revive her spirits, but she still couldn’t shake off the incident.

"I always do this, messing up the simplest things," she said self-deprecatingly.

"It happens to everyone. Like me, I remember when I was making my first movie, I was supposed to say ’Action,’ but I said ’Cut,’ and I said it several times before I realized it. Wow, I still remember the look on the crew’s faces, wanting to laugh but not daring to." Adrian casually patted her head.

"Really?" Jessica blinked, captivated by his story.

"I don’t have any reason to lie to such a smart, adorable, and beautiful girl, do I? Oh, and add a bit of sexiness, which I’ve just now realized—truly astonishing. You’ve changed so much in just a few days," Adrian said with exaggerated emphasis.

"I can’t believe that," Jessica laughed briefly before shaking her head, "I can accept being called adorable, everyone says that. But to say I am very beautiful or sexy..."

She stuck out her tongue, a mix of sighing and self-deprecation: "I’ve been called the ugly duckling since elementary school, I’ve never thought I had any advantage there."

With that, Jessica pinched her own cheeks, which still had a touch of baby fat, and pouted playfully. The fact that she could speak so freely about these buried feelings demonstrated how much trust she already had in the man before her.

"Don’t sell yourself short, Jessie," Adrian chuckled, sipping his hot drink, "Ugly duckling is actually quite the term, you must have read Andersen’s famous fairy tale, right?"

"Yes," Jessica nodded, her expression reflective, "My mom has Danish heritage, and when I was sick and often homebound as a child, she would tell me Mr. Andersen’s fairy tales, especially... when I was being laughed at in school, she would tell me ’The Ugly Duckling.’ So I’ve dreamed of becoming an actress from an early age. I don’t want to disappoint my mom. I want to shine more brilliantly; I want to tell her that fairy tales are real..."

She bit her lip, turned her head to look out at the snowy scenery for a long time, then turned back with a forced smile, "Sorry, Ed, I got a bit..."

"You’re a beautiful girl, Jessie, and I have no doubt about that," Adrian quickly interjected, "Actually, being somewhat ugly as a child is to your advantage, Jessie. You know, most girls who are very cute and pretty when they’re little often become very plain as they grow up; while most girls who are considered uglier when young often become very charming later on."

"You really know how to comfort someone, Ed," Jessica laughed softly, clearly not taking it to heart.

"I have scientific backing. According to many scientists’ research, women’s features develop more broadly than men’s during puberty, so how they look as children and how they look when they’re grown up are often quite different," Adrian explained, gesturing on his own face, "If you still have doubts, I can prove it to you in no time."

He looked earnestly and sincerely at the girl across from him until she blushed and lowered her head.

"When drawing on eyebrows, make them lighter in the front, and the smoky makeup should be focused more just around the eyes, even just near the eye sockets will do... The hair should be looser, the waves could be bigger, no need for them to be too dense... Don’t apply the lipstick too heavily, just a light touch will do. Remember, you’re working with a young girl—retain her youthful and innocent qualities while also highlighting her blossoming beauty..."

As Adrian spoke, several makeup artists bustled about on Jessica’s face, while the young girl sat in the chair, hardly daring to breathe. When the makeup was finally finished, Adrian brought out a pile of clothes, thankfully already chosen, and she just needed to put them on.

"It’s mesmerizing!" As Jessica stepped out of the dressing room, Adrian let out such an exclamation, then waved her over to the dressing mirror.

Jessica, still somewhat nervous, approached. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, her eyes widened irresistibly. Her light brown hair, curled naturally, hung down; her makeup was light but perfectly showcased her bright eyes and white teeth, especially the lightly tinted moist lips, which were especially enticing. She wore a short jacket over a warm inner shirt and a figure-hugging skirt with cotton tights that clung to her legs, topped off with ankle boots. The overall darker colors were complemented perfectly by the light-colored scarf around her neck. Just as Adrian had initially said, while retaining her youthful and pure vibe, she also conveyed the beauty of a bud about to bloom.

"It’s... really surprising," Jessica gazed at her almost completely transformed reflection in the mirror, not sure what to say. On closer inspection, the changes weren’t many, but they somehow made her look even prettier and more elegant—simply unbelievable.

"Don’t rush, Jessie, there’s one final step," Adrian said as he came up behind her, patting her shoulders and then tracing a curve on her cheek with his finger.

Jessica understood his intention and immediately closed her eyes to take a deep breath, then tried her best to show a smile in the mirror. A miracle happened—if before she had been like the warm yet distant sunshine of winter, then now the three crescent curves in her smile made her dazzle like the radiant summer sun, giving people a particularly comfortable feeling, especially the light nasolabial folds, which made her look even more charming.

"Okay... okay, this is just too unbelievable. Do you know magic, Ed?" Jessica turned around and stuttered the question, her eyes flickering.

"Of course not. Just knowing how to do makeup and dress up means there are no ugly women," Adrian shrugged.

"I see, then I definitely need to spend a lot of time on makeup and dressing up," Jessica sighed as she pulled at her clothes, still feeling somewhat unconfident.

"How could that be? Perhaps you felt it took a long time just now, but in reality, they didn’t spend much time at all, which is much simpler than doing makeup for actors," Adrian said as he looked toward the makeup artists he had called over.

"Yes, Miss Jessica, the process actually took just over ten minutes," a makeup artist walked over and said, "Of course, that doesn’t include the time for applying foundation and such, but even if we did, it wouldn’t exceed the time ordinary women take to do their makeup."

"And these," Adrian pointed at the clothes she was wearing, "were all bought in regular stores. I personally went shopping, so the key is still to know where your strengths lie and what kind of makeup and dress suit you."

"And to think you say you don’t know magic. If you didn’t, how could you know better than me?" Jessica punched Adrian lightly, her face wearing a teasing expression.

Adrian laughed heartily. With the memories from a past life, of course, he knew where Jessica’s strengths were and what kind of dress suited her.

"Alright, then let’s go and try out the magic’s effect," he said, making a gesture of invitation.

The effect was excellent. As Jessica walked down the busiest street in Queenstown with a confident air, even in winter, she attracted the gazes of many men. In stores, there were also more people flirting with her than in the previous few days. The outfit Adrian had chosen for her was warm, yet it showcased her nicely developed curves—Jessica’s curves were already perfect—very considerate indeed.

"Wow, at least 8 guys looked at me," Jessica couldn’t wait to pull out the digital camera once back in the hotel room, staring at the small screen and counting with great enthusiasm.

When she was strolling the streets alone and shopping, Adrian followed from a distance with the camera, capturing those who looked at her and those who flirted, to verify the effect of her makeover.

"Most of them are middle-aged," Jessica pouted, then shouted like she discovered a new world, "Hey, that guy looks really handsome."

Though the resolution was not very high, she still happily commented, until after a long while of not hearing Adrian’s voice, she looked up, then suddenly felt her cheeks heat up. He was sitting not far away in a chair, his eyes not blinking as he looked at her neatly aligned and shapely legs.

After returning to the room she had changed her clothes, switching from leggings to mid-thigh shorts, revealing her beautifully curved legs. Sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, the posture was quite seductive. No wonder Adrian was eyeing her like that, but...

"Jessie, could you stand up and turn around for me?" Just as Jessica was lost in thought, Adrian spoke up.

Despite her confusion, Jessica stood and spun around, then did a few other movements as he instructed.

"Your figure is really quite good, Jessie. Have you ever danced before, or practiced dancing?" Adrian complimented her before asking.

"Um, I’ve practiced, but just practiced." As she heard his praise, Jessica’s heart leapt with joy, only to quickly sink into disappointment.

"Seeing you, I’ve suddenly got an idea, a story about dance. Maybe you’d like to try it?" Adrian continued.

Jessica blinked her eyes, her expression quickly turning to ecstatic joy, the earlier disappointment completely vanishing. My God, what did she just hear?! The Miracle Director had an idea because of her, and he was asking her if she wanted to try it!

"If... if there isn’t a schedule conflict..." It took a lot of effort for Jessica to stammer out such a sentence, and immediately after she did, she regretted it. Damn it! What am I even saying?! How could I say something so stupid!

"Let’s settle on that then," Adrian said with a slight smile.

It took Jessica a moment to process what had just happened, and then she let out a cheer, leaped into Adrian’s arms, and without thinking, hugged him and planted a firm kiss on his face. Then, with her cheeks flushed, she became shy and hesitant, peeking up at Adrian with a dodging gaze, yet her hands stayed clasped around his neck.

Adrian was also surprised, but he soon smiled, held Jessica’s face in his hands, and took a careful look.

The girl in his arms blushed even deeper, but slowly she lifted her head and locked eyes with the man in front of her. Then, involuntarily, she began to lean in closer and closer to him, until just as their lips were about to touch, she seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was under, a struggle flashed in her eyes, and her body started to lean back.

However, at that moment, Adrian suddenly grabbed her face and kissed her lips deeply.

A rush of indescribable excitement flooded into her mind. Jessica responded almost instinctively, pulling Adrian closer and humming softly. Each touch of their tongues ignited an intense burst of emotion, making her grasp around his neck tighten, and despite her heart pounding so hard that she could hardly breathe, she desperately and almost crazily responded to Adrian.

After lingering in this embrace for a while, they finally parted with a gasp. Jessica, breathing heavily, felt limp and disoriented, as if she had lost all sense of her surroundings. After a long while, she looked up again to find her gaze colliding with Adrian’s, who seemed just as affected. In that moment, Jessica felt another urge to kiss him, but Adrian suddenly got up and placed her back in the chair.

"Sorry... this... shouldn’t have happened..." He said this, gave her a long look, and couldn’t resist kissing her lips once more before finally turning, grabbing his clothes, and leaving the room in haste.

Jessica didn’t say a word, just sat limply in the chair. It was a long while after Adrian left that she jolted upright. Recalling her earlier reaction, her still hot cheeks suddenly flushed with a shy, panicked look. Oh God, she had just been with... and her response was so intense, her underwear was a bit...

But, what showed on her face more than anything was a silly grin. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢