Chapter 34: Tech Geek

A black Cadillac drove past the University of Southern California and entered the southern district of downtown Los Angeles. Soon it arrived at the target neighborhood. Ronan didn't dare to park randomly; south of USC was one of the messiest areas in Los Angeles, where car thefts were too common. He didn't want to end up reporting a stolen car in a little while.

Driving a bit further out of the neighborhood, he found a public parking lot in front of a large supermarket with attendants. After parking the car, he walked back.

Luckily, it was daytime, so as long as he didn't stray from the main road into alleys, he wouldn't encounter blatant robberies.

Arriving at an apartment building, Ronan checked the door number and then dialed a number on his phone. As before, all he got was the message that the phone was disconnected.

With no other choice, he had to go upstairs and knock on the door.

Just as Ronan was about to enter the apartment building without even a proper entrance, a suitcase suddenly fell from the second floor, hitting the ground and raising some dust.

The lobby of this apartment building seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in ages.

"I notified you last month to prepay the rent for the next quarter!" a man's loud voice boomed. "I've given you an extra month, and you still owe me a month's rent. I've had enough of you!"

Then followed a woman's pleading voice.

Ronan looked up, but from his position, he couldn't see anything. However, he didn't dare to proceed further in case something else was thrown down. Surviving something like a reincarnation event twice was beyond anyone's luck.

"Just leave! I don't want the rent anymore!"

The landlord didn't sound too bad, just very loud. "Let me advise you, find a legitimate job instead of dreaming of becoming a star all day. I've seen many girls like you dreaming of stardom, only to end up on the streets."

The words were harsh, but they reflected the reality of many girls chasing the dream of stardom in Hollywood.

Footsteps sounded, and a petite woman in a crumpled beige suit skirt descended the stairs. She glanced at Ronan, a slightly embarrassed expression under her blonde hair, and picked up her suitcase, heading towards the door.

Ronan quickly stepped aside, realizing she was the film editor he couldn't reach on the phone. When the blonde woman approached, he tentatively asked, "Jessica Felton?"

The woman turned to look at him, her face partially obscured by her blonde hair, giving Ronan a sense of familiarity.

"No, I'm not," the blonde woman flashed a smile, revealing two small bunny teeth. "You've got the wrong person."

Ronan nodded. "Sorry to bother you."

The blonde woman didn't say anything more, picking up her suitcase and walking away.

Ronan watched her petite figure, shaking his head, and then entered the apartment building.

Just like the dilemma he faced when he first arrived, Hollywood's lower levels were filled with various struggling failures. For the luckiest ones, they might turn their lives around someday, while others would continue to struggle or end up in alternative careers like working in San Fernando Valley as unconventional actresses.

For Hollywood's failures, being unable to afford rent was not even the worst-case scenario.

Ascending the stairs to the second floor, Ronan encountered a middle-aged black man and asked, "Excuse me, which room does Miss Jessica Felton live in?"

The man sized up Ronan and pointed down the hallway. "The last one at the end."

"Thank you."

Ronan walked down the hallway and arrived at the small apartment. He knocked on the door, which had poor soundproofing, and soon heard footsteps approaching before the door opened from the inside.

Two mountain peaks appeared in the doorway before the owner did.

Being too tall to see one's feet when looking down was a tragedy for men, but for women, it was a sign of pride.

"Who are you looking for?" a slightly hoarse female voice sounded.

Ronan snapped back to reality and quickly looked up. "Are you Miss Jessica Felton?"

As he finished his question, he also saw the owner of Mount Everest. She was a typical Latina with a slightly pale complexion, probably of mixed race. Her features were very delicate, and without makeup, she was quite pretty.

Unfortunately, she was quite sloppy.

Her brown hair was like a messy haystack on top of her head, greasy and tied up, and her grey T-shirt, bulging at the chest, had several oil stains, probably from food spills. They seemed to have been there for a while, as they had turned dark.

The Latina woman looked at Ronan with a strange expression. "Yes, I am Jessica Felton. Who are you?"

"I'm Ronan Anderson." Ronan reached out his right hand and said, "Professor Johnson from USC Film School recommended me to you. He's my mentor."

Jessica shook hands with Ronan and then opened the door. "The professor recommended you? Come on in."

Ronan wasn't the type to be germophobic, but he felt a bit uncomfortable with his right hand after shaking hands. It felt like it had picked up something greasy.

It was a studio apartment, and as Ronan stepped in, Jessica said, "Make yourself comfortable."

"Alright."

Ronan looked around, but there was nowhere to sit. The closest was a dining table with a spoon covered in chili sauce and a half-eaten Mexican pancake. Judging by its appearance, it had been there for a while.

Next to the table was only one chair, which was occupied by leftover takeout food containers.

Looking further, there was a small double bed with a pair of panties with holes on top and several pairs of socks. It was hard to tell how long they had been there; one pair was so stiff it almost stood on its own.

The whole room had a distinct sour smell.

Dirty, messy, and shabby...

Ronan instantly remembered the dorm room he lived in during high school. Many roommates liked to soak their clothes for a long time before washing them, and the water would become smelly under their beds.

Finally, Ronan's gaze fell on a set of equipment in the innermost part of the room. It was a small projector along with a film splicer and a film joiner, with 16mm and 35mm film reels scattered around. As for the cut film scraps, there were as many as dust particles.

"I've been busy researching short film editing recently and forgot to clean up. I'm sorry." Jessica scratched her messy hair.

Ronan figured out where the greasy feeling on his hand came from and waved it off with a smile. "No problem." He glanced at the piled-up trash bags and takeout boxes, asking, "You haven't been out for a while, have you?"

Jessica gave an embarrassed smile. "I got caught up in work and lost track of time."

Upon hearing this and considering the situation, Ronan easily arrived at a conclusion: this attractive Latina woman, unable to see her own feet when she looked down, was undoubtedly a tech geek.

Should I change my approach?

Dealing with tech geeks and seasoned insiders in the industry requires completely different strategies.

Before coming here, he had drafted a plan on how to impress a talented yet overlooked editor. One was to offer opportunities, such as editing publicly screened films or creating subtitles independently; the other was to offer a mutually acceptable salary.

Now, it seemed a bit inappropriate.

"Do you have something you need from me?" With the room in such disarray, Jessica-Felton didn't even invite Ronan to sit down, instead asking directly, "Or is it the professor who needs me? Oh, wait, if it were the professor, he would have called me."

Ronan reminded her, "I called you, but your phone was off."

Jessica-Felton slapped her forehead, "I'm such a scatterbrain."

Ronan became even more certain that she was a tech geek and said, "Miss Felton, I'm the one looking for you. The professor recommended you."

"Just call me Jessica?" Jessica-Felton exuded the cheerful and warm demeanor typical of Latina women. "What do you need from me?"

Ronan simply stated, "I'm a producer. I've invested in a horror film and need an editor. I went to the professor for help, and he said you're skilled in this area."

Speaking of editing, Jessica-Felton became serious. "My skills are indeed quite good."

Ronan decided not to mention his drafted plan for now and asked, "Isn't practicing editing with actual footage more effective? Why not try it at my place? After this horror film, we'll be shooting another one."

"Two films?" Jessica-Felton became interested. Practice with actual footage was much better than hiding away in a den. She quickly asked, "Are they official films?"

The guy looked too young. Was he the professor's student? It couldn't be some student experimental film, that would be boring.

Ronan nodded, "They are films that will be officially screened in theaters. The director of the film has previously directed episodes of 'The X-Files' and is highly skilled." He then introduced himself, "I'm the CEO of Seahai Entertainment. I'm the producer and investor for both of these films."

"Great!" Jessica-Felton, who hadn't edited official films for a long time, exclaimed, "I'm in!"

Ronan was somewhat surprised. Did she agree just like that? That was too straightforward, wasn't it?

"Could you give me the contact information for your agent or representative?" Of course, he wouldn't show his surprise. "I'll discuss your terms with them."

Jessica-Felton shook her head directly, "No need. I don't have an agent at the moment. I used to have one, but he kept calling me and disturbing me, so I kicked him out. As for the terms, it's easy. As long as there's footage to edit."

Ronan tentatively asked, "A weekly salary of $2000?"

This wasn't a random offer. In the past, Seahai Entertainment had hired ordinary editors for editing videotapes and films, and this was basically the rate they offered.

In the industry, there was a clear distinction between ordinary and renowned professionals.

Jessica-Felton didn't immediately agree. Instead, she asked, "Can I borrow your phone?"

Ronan handed her his phone, and Jessica-Felton immediately dialed a number. "Professor, it's me, Jessica..."

Half a minute later, Jessica-Felton ended the call and returned Ronan's phone. "All settled. That's the plan."

Ronan nodded, "Which day this week works for you? You can come to Stage 17 at Warner Bros. Studios to sign the contract."

"No problem." Jessica-Felton readily agreed.

After exchanging a few polite words, Ronan left Jessica's small apartment. This time, things turned out completely different from what he had imagined.

Originally, he thought it would take a lot of effort and persuasion to convince this obviously talented editor. Who would have thought it would be so simple?