Two days later, on February 15, Adrian informed Claude. To prevent possible eavesdropping, he specifically invited Claude to a café they used to frequent to disclose the date.
"January 17, early morning." He didn't mince words, speaking bluntly as soon as he sat down.
"Got it." Claude replied with a single short sentence, then downed his coffee and left.
He didn't ask about the source of the information, didn't verify its authenticity, and didn't question it, because he had promised Adrian. This is called trust; this is the bond of close friends.
Alright, everything was set, but after returning home from this meeting, Adrian was greeted by an unexpected person—his financial advisor and personal accountant, Regrett Marshall.
Regrett had been serving Adrian's father for a long time, always loyal to him for decades. Aside from The Godfather and Claude, if Adrian could trust anyone wholeheartedly, Regrett was undoubtedly one, ranking even above the private lawyer Wilson Gardner, who also served Adrian's father for a long time.
"You're being imprudent, Mr. Adrian." As soon as Regrett sat down, he placed several financial statements in front of Adrian and spoke in an official tone.
"Just call me Ed, Uncle Regrett," Adrian said with a wry smile, rubbing his temples. Usually, when Regrett spoke in this tone, it meant he had something important and unpleasant to say. Whether or not Adrian listened was his business, but whether or not Regrett spoke was his.
Regrett said nothing, only furrowing his eyebrows slightly.
"I know what you want to say, Uncle Regrett. I have my considerations." The reason for Regrett's visit was obvious, and Adrian tried to make his tone sound sincere, not wanting to lose this excellent and loyal accountant.
"I'll be straightforward, Ed. You've invested too much, and the risk is too high. A slight mistake and you could capsize. Yes, Claude is very capable in this, but you're not cut out for it." Although his words were harsh, the change in address showed that Regrett meant no harm.
"I know, Uncle Regrett. I know it's risky, which is why I have entrusted Claude with full operations." Adrian made a gesture to reinforce his point. "I need to accumulate funds quickly."
"There are many ways to quickly accumulate funds, yet you chose the most risky route."
"But it is also the fastest and most lucrative route, as long as I win!"
Adrian took a deep breath and looked seriously at Regrett sitting in front of him. "It's been almost a year, Uncle Regrett. You should see my change. I've wasted too much time and money; I just want to get them back! I know what I'm doing, I know what I want. Even in this gamble, I've left myself leeway. Why haven't I interacted much with you for a whole year? Because I wanted to prove myself, to prove I'm no longer the reckless, ignorant Adrian of the past. I have my goals and things I want to do! I know you care about me, Uncle Regrett. I'm very grateful, but now I need your support!"
Regrett was silent for a long time, only staring sharply at Adrian. After a long while, he stood up and nodded slightly. "I understand, Ed. Then, as you wish."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Adrian stood up and extended his hand. "Thank you, Uncle Regrett."
"I'll manage everything for you; just tell me if you need anything," Regrett said seriously as he shook hands.
A slight smile spread across Adrian's face. He had intended to talk to Regrett after this matter, thinking it would have greater persuasive power. From the memory of the former Adrian, this financial advisor handled things not only flexibly but also very rigorously and meticulously, unlike Wilson, the lawyer, who liked to joke. Convincing someone like him required effort.
Unexpectedly, Regrett came to him proactively. Fortunately, Adrian had prepared extensively beforehand, and his renewed and vigorous image won him considerable points, securing Regrett's support. This meant the team left behind by his supposedly cheap father—well, if viewed from that part of the soul, not quite a cheap father—would now follow his command.
Now, all that remained was waiting for the US Army to launch its attack. The pressure was undoubtedly immense for Adrian, so much so that even the rationality and calmness he most prided himself on after his rebirth had little impact. His daily work efficiency was extremely low. Fortunately, this pressure didn't last long. Two days later, local time early morning January 17, the six US Navy carrier strike groups and multinational forces gathered in the Persian Gulf launched an air strike on Saddam Hussein.
Adrian exhaled deeply and then... continued to bury himself in post-production without further attention. Yes, this was just the beginning. The final result would only be known when the war ended. But since he had entrusted everything to Claude, he let him handle it and would notify him at most half a month later on when to finish so that the inventory could be cleared in advance. As for the world in shock due to the war... what did that have to do with him?
In the following ten days, Adrian returned to his previous life, working in the editing room for post-production during work hours, writing, exercising, and working out at home during rest hours, while sweet-talking Kate on the phone. Watching "Memento" gradually take shape in his hands induced an exciting feeling, even though it didn't satisfy him more than having Kate moan beneath him. Even though the film hadn't met his needs, it was undoubtedly helping him climb step by step towards his goal.
Compared to the indifferent Adrian, Laverne seemed a lot more worried. He was anxious that this year's Berlin Film Festival might be canceled due to the Persian Gulf War, in which case he would have to rearrange the new film's promotional work.
"Don't worry, Laverne. This year's Berlin Film Festival will definitely not be canceled. Just wait and see." Adrian reassured him several times, remembering that the 1991 Berlin Film Festival was indeed held as scheduled.
In fact, even if he couldn't recall whether it was canceled, looking at the current reality, it was evident that it wasn't possible. Germany had finally unified last October, and the Berlin Wall had been pushed down in November. How could West Germany miss this opportunity to showcase itself to East Germany?
Of course, this still had nothing to do with Adrian, whose sole purpose for attending the Berlin Film Festival was one thing—publicity!
************************************
With a loud roar, the scene finally lit up. A man with a gun to his head turned around, shouting as if wanting to do something. But after the sound of a gunshot, he slumped to the ground, with bright red blood splattering everywhere. Following this, the lens captured a disheveled male face covered in stubble, looking indifferently at the now-dead person, then dropping the pistol and pulling out a Polaroid to capture the scene with a click.
The camera quickly spat out the photo. The man took the photo, shook it, waited a few seconds for an image to appear, and then shook it again. After several goes, the instant photo image finally fully emerged. Then, the camera suddenly flashed into black and white and showed the tired and bewildered eyes of the shooter.
"Where am I? In some motel room?" The internal monologue began.
In the following few minutes, the man who had previously shot and killed sat on a bed in a motel room, narrating his bewilderment and confusion in situ.
The whisper of voices arose in the cinema, the audience clearly somewhat bewildered as to why the scene jumped to a motel right after a murder. Alright, this was a suspense set by the director, but why did the scene turn black and white? Before they could think it through, the man in the scene had finished expressing his confusion, and the scene switched back to color.
"Have you seen this person?" The man placed the photo at the window, asking the person inside.
The person in the photo was clearly the person he had just killed initially, and next, this person came inside and chatted with the protagonist warmly, seemingly having a good relationship.
This instantly caught the audience's attention. Why would the protagonist kill him if their relationship was good? And from the dialogue, it seemed the protagonist had some illness, possibly related to memory.
Soon, after conversing for a bit, the two went to a decrepit bungalow in the suburbs. The protagonist took out a photo of that man from his clothes after entering, turning it over to reveal: "Don't let him deceive you again. It's him, kill him!"
"How long have I been searching?" The protagonist murmured, then seized the opportunity to take the man down when he was off guard, dragged him inside, and pointed a gun at his head.
"Finally found you. Confess to my wife, you bastard," said the protagonist.
However, the man didn't appear overly startled, instead mocking him for not knowing who he was, relying on photos to remember everything. He urged him to go to the basement with him, where there lay truths unknown to him.
The protagonist seemed to believe his words, but then unexpectedly, the man named Teddy began to struggle, prompting him to pull the trigger without hesitation with a bang.
The scene rotated again, the image turned to black and white, and returned to the earlier situation of the protagonist in the motel, the internal narration simultaneously ringing out: "Just an ordinary room, the drawers empty..."
The audience whispered again, bewildered by the director's intent, why the scenes kept switching between black and white and color, why the plot was so fragmented.
However, compared to the last time, these whispers were much quieter. Some had figured out the crux, and anyway, the plot had enough suspense left behind. For instance, what was the protagonist's illness? Teddy seemed familiar with him and his situation, why did he have to kill him? What happened to his wife? All these questions were enough to keep people wanting to see more.