Chapter 721: What Are We Going to Buy?

[Chapter 721: What Are We Going to Buy?]

Early in the morning, in a high-rise apartment in Manhattan's Upper East Hydee by the East River.

Linda Evangelista stood leisurely at the kitchen counter, slicing an apple. She wore only a tight black tank top and denim shorts, with a Walkman clipped to her waist. Her tall, slender body gently swayed to the music coming from the headphones, occasionally humming a few notes. She seemed to be in a great mood.

After finishing her apple, as she turned to grab some salad dressing from the fridge, she noticed Cindy Crawford, who had somehow appeared in the kitchen doorway, casually leaning against the door frame. With her thick brown hair cascading down and her mysterious gaze, she looked like a witch.

"Oh, you startled me," Linda said, instinctively stepping back and leaning against the fridge. After a moment of panic, she quickly pretended to be calm, took off her headphones, and laughed awkwardly, saying, "Good morning, Cindy."

Cindy Crawford crossed her arms and scrutinized Linda from head to toe, speaking in a haunting tone, "That's my tank top."

"Ah, ha, we have the same figure, hehe, it really suits me," Linda replied.

Cindy's gaze shifted down. "And my shorts."

Linda waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I'm a little heavier, but it's fine."

"And my Walkman."

Linda felt as if Cindy was like a mother leopard ready to pounce, and she instinctively pulled her neck back, saying, "You, you can't be that stingy. Next time you come over to my place, feel free to use my things."

Cindy smirked, straightening up and walking into the kitchen. Linda realized this was a bad situation; just as she was about to dodge, Cindy pressed her against the fridge. Though they had similar body types, Cindy's strength far exceeded Linda's due to her regular fitness routine. Linda tried to push away but found it futile.

"I don't care about those things," Cindy said, staring at Linda. "But why do you have to mess things up for me?"

"I, I," Linda stuttered. "I, I'm just looking out for you. We did drink last night, you know. I heard that babies conceived after a night of drinking have a high chance of being... well, let's say, not very bright."

Cindy picked up a small pot used for warming milk and waved it threateningly. "Do you believe I could turn you into an idiot right now? You were clearly trying to stir up trouble last night."

"I wasn't!" Linda retorted, though her gaze dropped nervously, shifting slightly to the pot Cindy was waving.

For some reason, the initial fear of Cindy transforming into a dark queen faded as Linda saw the pot, and she couldn't help but start to laugh.

"Haha..."

Cindy tightened her grip, growing angrier. "You still dare to laugh?"

After laughing, Linda gained a bit more courage. "Cindy, let me go! If Eric wakes up, I can't guarantee he won't say something!"

Cindy's arm slightly loosened but then tightened again as she waved the small pot. "I don't care whether you want to eat or not, but if you dare break this pot, I'll make sure you regret it."

"Alright, alright! I won't say anything," Linda pleaded, putting her hands together as a gesture of surrender. She didn't want to really provoke Cindy. A whack from that small pot would certainly hurt.

Seeing her relent, Cindy loosened her grip.

Once Cindy let go, Linda rubbed her chest and sniffed, teasing Cindy with a grin. "I think what you really need right now is to brush your teeth."

Cindy felt the small ember of anger inside her flare up again at Linda's words, recalling the moment from last night when her so-called friend had grabbed her by the back of her head right when it mattered most. If it hadn't been for Linda, she might have succeeded.

"Yeah, but before brushing, I think we should get close like best friends do," Cindy said, tossing the small pot aside and moving forward, swiftly cupping Linda's head to prevent her from escaping.

Linda realized what Cindy intended to do and struggled. "What are you doing? Stop, Cindy! I'm sorry, I... mmm..."

...

Eric had just walked out of the bedroom when he heard the muffled sounds of a struggle from the kitchen. He hurried toward the noise and happened to catch the scene of Linda being kissed against the fridge by Cindy.

After a moment of watching, Eric chuckled, saying, "Hey, girls, don't you think this is a bit of a waste of resources?"

Cindy noticed Eric's voice and released Linda, who quickly spat into the sink before rushing out of the kitchen and heading for the bathroom.

Cindy tidied her disheveled hair in just a couple of movements, restoring her glamorous appearance, then turned to Eric with a seductive smile. "Good morning, Eric."

"Morning," Eric replied, indicating the door through which Linda had disappeared. "What were you two doing?"

"Oh, she wanted to try the taste of yogurt," Cindy casually shrugged, suddenly realizing something and dashed out of the kitchen, shouting, "Hey, Linda, I have spare dental supplies! You're not allowed to use my toothbrush!"

After all the fuss, breakfast was finally ready, and it was already nine o'clock.

...

Eric set his milk and plate down at the table, spreading out that day's newspaper. He ate breakfast while reading.

A few minutes later, Cindy and Linda entered with their meager breakfasts. They had taken a while in the bathroom, and by the time they emerged, Eric had already brushed his teeth and started preparing his breakfast.

As Linda sat down, she realized she still had the Walkman clipped to her waist. She took it off and placed it on the table, picking up her utensils to dig into the fruit salad on her plate. Noticing Eric's newspaper, she curiously asked, "Eric, what are you reading?"

"Last week's box office stats," Eric answered casually.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Linda suddenly perked up, glancing at Cindy. "Fair Game came out last Friday -- did it make it to the top of the box office?"

Cindy's complex gaze turned to Eric, who looked at her and shook his head. "Nope, the top spot went to Universal's Casper."

"Oh, so it must be second, then?" Linda quickly asked, her eyes glinting with mischief as she looked at Cindy.

Eric shook his head again. "Second was Fox's Die Hard with a Vengeance."

"Ah, then... never mind. I'll just check for myself," Linda said, shaking her head as she reached for the newspaper, flipping through the striking chart on the entertainment page, and gasped. "Wow, how could it be so low? Just $6.8 million, and it's ranked sixth? It's a new release!"

"No one ever said audiences had to like new releases," Eric noted, catching Cindy's glance while he spoke to Linda, inadvertently catching sight of the Walkman Linda had set on the table. His eyes fixed on it, and he reached over to pick up the sleek black music player, stroking it in his hands.

At the mention of Fair Game, Cindy felt a rush of anxiety. The lead role should have been hers, and if the film were successful, it would have meant a big step into leading-lady status in Hollywood. But upon hearing Linda mention the box office figures, she finally felt relief.

$6.8 million for the opening weekend and ranked sixth certainly didn't spell success for the film.

Taking a quiet breath, Cindy looked up to see Eric pondering the Walkman, a peculiar expression on his face, making her a bit confused. She asked the question that had been nagging at her, "Eric, did you know this film was going to fail from the start?"

Eric continued to examine the Walkman, shaking his head as he casually replied, "I'm not that clairvoyant. Joel Silver told me about the project, and I thought the script had real issues. I heard they made significant adjustments after that, so the current result really has nothing to do with me."

"Impossible! Claudia Schiffer is the lead!" Linda chimed in. "I heard you helped her secure the role!"

Eric replied, "Claudia doesn't need my help to get roles. The offer from Warner was just too appealing."

"Now that sounds terrible; the production cost is $50 million!" Linda continued. "With only $6.8 million for the opening weekend, what do you think the final box office will be?"

"About $30 million, probably, which isn't too disastrous. They might even break even in post-release. But next week, Jurassic Park 2 is coming out, and most other films will be wiped off the map."

Eric spoke as if it were a foregone conclusion, and neither woman questioned Jurassic Park 2's potential to dominate the box office. Cindy was still a bit caught up in her feelings about the film, pressing, "Eric, why do you think this one failed?"

Eric answered, "I just skimmed some reviews. Primarily, it's due to the film's low storytelling quality. While Joel Silver made adjustments to the script, that issue stems from production, as the director wasted too much time on the early setup. When the story finally turned, it rushed to an end. It seems this was restricted by the budget, and the director couldn't shoot what they wanted to."

Though he hadn't seen the actual film, Eric could roughly guess that the issues were similar to Michael Bay's box office flop, The Island, evoking a feeling of having not even begun before it ended. One major pitfall of the North American film industry was that, in most cases, if a film truly stank, audiences wouldn't be swayed to see it just because of its big budget or big stars.

Cindy felt relief that she had dodged a bullet; even if she had starred in this film, the failure wouldn't have been her fault, but her stint in Hollywood would have surely ended before it even began.

Yet she felt a twinge of envy; if she had starred in this film, her burgeoning acting career might have been ruined, while Claudia Schiffer would undoubtedly come out unscathed. With the resources Eric had, getting Claudia a lead role in any major production would effortlessly restore her fame.

Casually munching on her breakfast, Cindy noticed that Eric was still toying with the Walkman and curiously asked, "Eric, is there something wrong with that portable music player?"

"No, it's perfect; it's a real work of art."

"Then you..."

"I suddenly thought of something," Eric mumbled, glancing up at the two women. "What are you two planning to do after breakfast?"

Cindy replied, "My team and I are heading to the Hudson River for a shoot, preparing to record some VCRs for the contestants."

"I don't have much work today; the production crew needs to buy some props, and I don't have to be there. Well, I could go swap out that runway piece from yesterday," Linda Evangelista said, suddenly realizing something. She turned to Eric and asked, "Eric, is there anything we can help you with?"

"Come shopping with me," Eric reluctantly put down the Walkman, smiling. "I suddenly want to see if I can buy some things. Of course, if you want to personally swap that runway piece, then forget it."

"Ah, no need for that! For something so small, let others do it!" Linda quickly shook her head, tossing a triumphant glance at Cindy.

Cindy felt a bit bothered; having already told them she had work today, she felt she couldn't slack off in front of the boss. With some reluctance, she asked, "Eric, are you coming by tonight?"

"Depends on how things go. I'm not returning to Los Angeles until the day after tomorrow. If there's nothing else, I might come over tonight," Eric replied uncertainly.

After finishing breakfast, Cindy hurried off to work.

Eric had been delayed for half an hour because of Linda Evangelista, who had put on makeup that made him hardly recognize her. After another half hour of her applying more cosmetics, they finally left the apartment.

Eric's car was parked outside the apartment, and as they got in, Linda Evangelista suddenly remembered to ask, "Eric, what are we going to buy?"

*****

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