This person had no shame, and it was truly beyond comprehension.
Laila was only initially startled by his sudden appearance, but now that her emotions had settled, she felt happy to have him by her side.
"How did you come here?" This isn't Hollywood or the United States; it's a different continent across the Atlantic. Before this, she never even considered that he would come all the way here to give her such a big 'surprise.'
Seeing that she was no longer angry, Roy took advantage of the situation, leaning his head on her shoulder. "I've finished filming, and when I heard you were filming here, I thought I'd come over and join you for a meal."
After traveling for over ten hours by plane and coming all this way just to have a meal? It was truly remarkable how he could come up with such a good excuse.
Laila playfully pushed his head away, "You, someone with so much money, still need a free meal?"
"Yeah." Roy's voice softened, and his deep voice seemed to melt into her ears, "I just like mooching off your meals."
Laila rubbed her warm ears a bit uncomfortably. Perhaps it was because of age; his voice had changed a lot since they first met. As he grew older, it seemed to become deeper and more magnetic, almost like a low bass that could impregnate one's ears. It wasn't good news for her, a self-proclaimed beauty connoisseur and someone with a weakness for attractive voices. She worried that if he continued to "evolve" like this, one day she might not be able to control her instincts and pounce on him.
Although they were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, their interactions were limited to holding hands and occasional kisses, far from passionate. Laila, due to her conservative Eastern upbringing, couldn't bring herself to be more open, and she also hesitated to take the initiative. Surprisingly, Roy managed to restrain himself, leaving her puzzled.
She hadn't said anything about it, and it seemed fine. At least she didn't have to worry about whether to resist or go with the flow when the situation arose.
What she didn't know was that Roy's continued restraint was a result of a conversation Janet had with him a while back. If she knew, she would probably be touched by their silent care and understanding.
Laila's mind was filled with various thoughts when suddenly she covered her cheeks with both hands. Goodness, what was she thinking? Was her desire for his beauty so intense?
"What's wrong?" Roy looked at her silly actions and couldn't help but lower her hands, kissing each finger gently, savoring each touch.
"Nothing. Have you had dinner?" Laila suppressed the heat he ignited, nonchalantly withdrawing her hands into her pockets. What if she didn't want to wash her hands later tonight?
"Not yet. I just got off the plane and rushed over. Almost got lost too. And Demi, I don't know what's wrong with her; I couldn't reach her on the phone. Luckily, my Chinese is decent, so I managed to find the right place in the end." Roy complained.
"It's not her fault. She was sick on the train all the way here, and now she's resting in her room." Laila finally remembered; no wonder Demi, despite being severely motion sick on the train, occasionally went to secluded places to make phone calls. She thought it was work-related, but it turned out she was coordinating with him.
"That explains why I couldn't reach her." Roy checked the time, "Won't you accompany me for dinner?"
"Sure, I'll go down with you." It was almost 10 PM, and he hadn't eaten yet, obviously rushing over as soon as he got off the plane. Thinking about him coming to see her on an empty stomach, Laila's last trace of anger vanished.
Picking up her handbag and coat, she followed Roy to the hotel's restaurant. Although she was more interested in the local street food, she had to be low-key now, considering she was a "foreigner" with a world-class superstar like Roy by her side.
The hotel was quite nice, with both Chinese and Western restaurants. Roy, guided by Laila, showed an early interest in Chinese cuisine. While he enjoyed his meal, Laila ordered a dessert to keep him company.
Watching him devour the food as if he hadn't eaten for a long time, Laila couldn't help feeling a bit sorry. "How was this filming? You seem to have lost weight."
"Not much. Just got a bit darker." Roy, with food in his mouth, continued, "Don't you think I look much sexier now?"
Laila chuckled, looking at him with cheeks puffed up like a hamster hiding something. Sexy? Before thinking about that, it might be better for him to swallow the food in his mouth.
"What about Rob? How is he?" She was more concerned about this.
"He's doing fine. I think he has potential." Roy added, "But not as much as you. Why did you think of having him direct the sequel to 'Pirates of the Caribbean'?"
Laila smiled, wiping the oil stains from the corner of his mouth with a tissue. "That was a condition he asked for. His contribution to 'Chicago' was significant, and without him, I wouldn't have achieved the current standard. Besides, I also assessed his directing skills at that time and felt that he could achieve the effects I wanted." What she didn't say was that even if he didn't do well, it didn't matter. The most important thing was to tie a capable director to her chariot.
If using a film with guaranteed box office revenue could tie a director of Rob's caliber, she would confidently throw the film out. At her level, box office and money weren't that important anymore. She focused on the future, foreseeing the development of the industry.
It might seem like she was taking a big risk with a blockbuster film, but in reality, she had tied a director with the potential to bring in more benefits. A good director's influence in Hollywood was significant.
While Roy didn't understand these intricacies and wasn't interested in asking, he did have a question. "How long do you plan to stay here?"
"For now, I plan to stay for three days and then go to other places."
"Well, I have time now. You can't leave me behind this time." Roy, having eaten his fill and wiped his mouth, ordered a dessert like Laila, saying, "I heard there's a film and television city in the East. Let's check it out when we have time; it's supposed to be interesting."
"Sure, I have no objections. Before the promotion for 'Iron Man' starts in the summer, my main focus will be on location scouting." Laila looked at him, "When do you plan to start promoting?"
"It's set to be released in the summer, and I plan to start promoting in May." This promotion referred to major promotional activities, excluding the previous poster releases and the like.