Restaurant, in a quiet booth.
Carmen Case's long straight hair was tied behind her head, and she put down her knife and fork, curiously asking Ronan, "Have you been busy lately?"
That night, this guy asked for her number, but he never called. She had been to Europe for a week of shows, and the commercials she had shot in Los Angeles were also completed.
Ronan picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and said, "I've been extremely busy lately, so busy that my head is spinning. I wish I could split myself in two."
If Carmen hadn't called, he would have almost forgotten about this woman.
"Preparing for a new movie?" Carmen Case remembered Ronan mentioning it that night.
Ronan smiled and said, "More than just a new movie, it's also the company. We're in the startup phase, and there's just too much to worry about." He emphasized, "The company needs to recruit staff, formulate the next development plan. For the new movie, we need to finalize the director, choose locations, and find suitable actors..."
Carmen Case rubbed her forehead. "Sounds complicated? It gives me a headache just listening."
Ronan remained calm. "Starting a career is always like this. Wasn't it difficult for you at the beginning of your modeling career?"
"Yeah," Carmen Case replied, as if recalling some painful memories. Her already somewhat melancholic green eyes grew even deeper. After a while, she continued, "The competition in this industry is as fierce as in Hollywood."
Ronan said calmly, "You've made it through, unlike me, who's still in the startup phase."
Curiously, Carmen Case asked, "Are men always so career-driven?"
"I'm not sure about others," Ronan replied slowly, "but I believe that whether it's a man or a woman, a career is important. I'm young, only twenty years old, and this is the time to work hard."
Carmen Case nodded. "That makes sense." She raised her glass to Ronan and said, "I'll work hard too."
Ronan raised his glass in response. After taking a sip of water, he said, "I wish you a quick collection of the six major blue-blood brands."
"That's too difficult," Carmen Case said with a smile.
Ronan encouraged her intentionally, "Four major magazines, six major blue-bloods, eight major red-bloods. Aim in that direction, and maybe one day you'll achieve it."
Carmen Case shook her head. "I haven't even reached the top five supermodels yet."
Although she said that, she was secretly happy: this Ronan Anderson was indeed an interesting person.
Who wouldn't want to achieve this unprecedented achievement if they aspired to be a supermodel?
Lunch ended, and Carmen Case asked, "Are you still working this afternoon?"
Ronan thought for a moment and nodded, but then he invited, "Carmen, would you like to visit my company?"
"Can I?" Carmen Case was curious. "Won't it disturb your work?"
"Of course not," Ronan assured her.
The two of them left the restaurant, and Carmen Case rode in Ronan's car to Sha Hai Entertainment. Inside the company, only one person was left to answer phones and receive visitors, while everyone else was out on external relations.
Ronan invited Carmen Case into his office and said, "Please, have a seat."
Carmen Case carefully looked around Ronan's office. Similar to the company, the office was not large and was decorated very simply, appearing very practical.
"It's not quite what I imagined," Carmen Case said.
Ronan fetched her a glass of water and said, "Small company, few people, small space."
Carmen Case added, "But a good host."
"I can't say I'm a good host now," Ronan continued to be honest. "My last movie was too radical and almost bankrupted the company, that's why Leonardo said I'm a spendthrift."
"Everyone faces setbacks," Carmen Case thought of her own experiences. "Success always accompanies setbacks."
Ronan nodded in agreement. "I hope this time won't be a setback." He moved to the desk and said, "Let me handle some emails first, feel free to look around."
Carmen Case jokingly asked, "You don't have anything confidential here, do you?"
"No," Ronan opened his computer and logged into his email. "Feel free to look around."
Mary and George had sent him emails. The former was in the process of leasing weapon props, and the latter was coordinating vehicles. The emails contained their latest work updates.
James Huang's friend, Glenn Morgan, also sent an email. This writer had been specially hired by Ronan to refine and polish the script of "The Human Purge Plan".
Ronan was well aware that despite Little Anderson's remarkable talent in playwriting, he lacked experience.
Glenn Morgan's email suggested changes to two scenes and three minor plots. After reading them, Ronan felt that Glenn Morgan's changes were more appropriate. He replied, asking Glenn Morgan to come to the studio tomorrow to discuss with James Huang.
Sometimes, brainstorming can bring benefits.
After reading James Huang's and Glenn Morgan's scripts, Ronan compared them with his own "The Human Purge Plan". Apart from the advantage of foresight, many aspects of his own script couldn't match up to these two experienced writers.
Nevertheless, he was still a newcomer with insufficient Hollywood experience.
After dealing with the emails, Ronan made a call, and the employee outside brought in a large stack of documents and placed them on the desk.
Carmen Case curiously glanced over. This stack of documents was more than two feet thick, and it seemed to come with photographs.
"Are these actor profiles?" she asked.
Ronan picked up a stack and began to look through them, answering as he read, "These are all actor profiles submitted by agents to the company."
Carmen Case, being in the modeling circle, had numerous connections to Hollywood. Curiously, she asked, "Can I take a look?"
Ronan gestured to the chair opposite his desk and said, "Come and take a look together."
These were all clients of small agencies, with no real secrets to hide.
Carmen Case sat down and began to look through the documents. Although her English was good, reading was slightly slower for her.
Ronan's reading speed was fast, and he quickly discarded those he had reviewed to the right.
Watching Ronan's serious demeanor, Carmen Case recalled her own memories when she first entered the modeling training class. She was just as serious and diligent back then.
Serious effort might not necessarily change one's fate, but without serious effort, there wouldn't even be a chance to change one's fate.
Carmen Case didn't know what she was thinking, but she subconsciously asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Ronan looked up at her and, without hesitation, seemed to treat her as one of his own, "Carmen, pick out specific actors from the profiles. Girls with golden-brown hair aged ten to fourteen, actresses aged sixteen to twenty with golden-brown hair, actresses around sixty years old with golden-brown hair, and male actors born around sixty years ago with the same hair color."
"Okay," Carmen Case replied. "People with acting experience, even
community theater experience, count."
Following Ronan's instructions, Carmen Case began to look through the profiles, each accompanied by a photo, making it clear and straightforward.
The work was tedious, and the two chatted while flipping through the profiles most of the time. Most of the time, Carmen Case asked about Hollywood, and Ronan answered.
"With your qualifications, why not come to Hollywood and become an actress?" Ronan joked casually.
Carmen Case didn't respond to that but instead asked, "Why do you have to choose actors with golden-brown hair?"
Ronan didn't insist and replied, "This is a family, and hair color is hereditary, especially for the three actresses who will play mother and daughters in the film."
"Actors can dye their hair," Carmen Case pointed out.
Ronan nodded initially, "That's true, they can dye their hair." Then he shook his head, "But in Hollywood, there's a trend. Non-blonde actresses generally don't like to dye their hair blonde."
He glanced at Carmen Case's golden hair and didn't continue.
Carmen Case immediately understood and joked self-deprecatingly, "I've stayed in both England and America. It's not just a Hollywood problem, it's a common social issue. Many people discriminate against blonde women, thinking that it's a manifestation of lack of intelligence."
Ronan retorted, "Those who think that way are the ones lacking intelligence."
Carmen Case couldn't help but laugh.
With the help of this female model, the profiles were quickly sorted out. Ronan obtained more than a dozen useful actor resumes, some of which were familiar names, specifically marked with a pen.
"Thank you for your help," Ronan tentatively asked, "Can I treat you to dinner tonight?"
Carmen Case refused again, "No need." She explained, "I have to take some photos tonight, and I'm going back to Europe tomorrow."
Ronan sighed, "That's a shame."
Carmen Case added, "I'll come back to the United States in a while."
Ronan smiled and said, "If I have time, I'll visit Europe."
The sun had just turned to the west, and he saw off Carmen Case, thinking about the two times they had spent together. This woman was quite interesting, maintaining a distance yet leaving a lingering impression.
Is this a sign for me to pursue her fiercely? Ronan speculated.