Chapter 86: Mooching

In the evening, Simon patiently waited for Janet to change into a more formal cocktail dress before they left the villa. The bodyguards had already prepared the car for them.

Simon, walking out with Janet, courteously nodded to the two middle-aged men named Neil Bennett and Ken Dixon, who were around forty years old. Despite becoming quite familiar with them over the past few days, Simon still felt a bit uneasy.

These two bodyguards weren't hired through a security company but were loaned by Janet's family.

Simon had never actively inquired about Janet's background, but the information swarming in the newspapers lately had already provided him with more than enough insight.

Janet came from the longstanding Johnston family of Australia.

Though the family's fortune was around $2 billion, making it less prominent on the global billionaires' list, the Johnston family wielded considerable latent influence in Australia.

Eight years ago, Australia suddenly abolished the inheritance tax, becoming the first developed Western nation to do so, a move that shocked the world. It was rumored that the Johnston family had played a strong role behind the scenes in this.

Afterward, when Janet's grandfather Nicholas Johnston passed away in 1983, the Johnston family inherited the previous generation's wealth in full due to the abolition of the inheritance tax.

Today, with its complex shareholding structures and deeply rooted influence, the flourishing Johnston Holdings Group, over a century old, still firmly controlled its interests in pivotal sectors of the Australian economy, such as mining, livestock, and transportation.

As the media frenzy died down, paparazzi gradually realized how difficult it was to extract news from Simon, a young director who didn't frequent nightclubs, use drugs, or get involved in brawls. Thus, the media chasing after Simon had significantly decreased lately.

Of course, this was all relative.

As Simon's SUV left the Palisades mansion, several cars still closely followed them. Mike Meadow had arranged their dinner at a restaurant next to the Century City Ranch Park Golf Club.

Upon arriving, the two bodyguards expertly shielded Simon and Janet from paparazzi trying to squeeze forward. Once inside the restaurant, Janet leaned close and whispered in Simon's ear, "If you don't like it, once we have money we can hire our own bodyguards and send Neil and Ken back to Australia."

Simon spoke to the approaching waiter and then replied quietly to Janet, "They're quite good, though. I just find it a bit, well, odd."

This was Simon's sincere feeling.

As a profession that works closely with employers, capable and trustworthy bodyguards were indeed hard to come by. Although they had only been together for a few weeks, Simon could tell that Neil and Ken were absolutely impeccable in their professionalism. As for trust, involving Janet meant the Johnston family would naturally not be careless.

Hearing Simon's words, Janet simply smiled lightly and didn't respond.

Following the waiter, they reached a seating area where Mike Meadow, the president of Orion, was already standing to greet them warmly.

The three of them took their seats.

After ordering and making some small talk, Mike inadvertently steered the conversation towards the upcoming 59th Academy Awards ceremony.

This year's Oscars were set to be held on March 30th, the following Monday.

Orion was not only enjoying the box office success of its distributed films but had also garnered 18 Oscar nominations this year through movies like "Platoon" and "Hannah and Her Sisters," making it a period of great prominence.

Therefore, Mike was quite spirited in his mannerisms.

"Simon," Mike said, looking at the young couple across from him, "would you and Janet like to attend the Oscars next week?"

Simon hadn't expected Mike to bring this up.

With the numerous nominations it had received this year, it would be easy for Orion to arrange for one or two additional people to attend the Oscars. Given the box office success of "Run Lola Run," the Oscars committee would likely not be stingy with a couple of extra invitations.

Moreover, attending the Oscars could certainly boost the subsequent box office performance of "Run Lola Run."

However, with Mike's suggestion, the word that immediately popped into Simon's mind was:

Mooching!

It was too embarrassing.

So he immediately shook his head and said, "Mike, I won't go."

Mike was stunned by this unexpected refusal, which many lesser stars would fight tooth and nail for. He glanced at Janet, hoping she would say something since women usually looked forward to attending such events.

However, Janet seemed as if she hadn't heard, quietly helping her boyfriend straighten a napkin.

Alright.

Quite the unique couple, Mike thought, smiling casually. "Then forget it, Simon. I invited you tonight just to ask how you're thinking about the next movie?"

Simon knew this was mainly why Mike had invited him tonight, so he didn't hide anything, saying, "I have a complete concept, but the script won't start being written until next month. You

 know how busy I've been lately."

"Of course, Orion isn't in a rush," Mike said, though he leaned in slightly, "So, Simon, tell me about it."

Simon organized his thoughts and explained, "It's a B-grade style crime drama made up of six separate but interconnected stories. Like 'Run Lola Run,' I still hope to present all the stories in a unified, non-linear narrative style."

Lately, Simon had been contemplating his next film.

Following "Run Lola Run," it wouldn't be difficult for Simon's next directorial effort to achieve commercial success. However, if Simon wanted to maintain his popularity and perhaps even enhance it further, his next film needed to be as refreshingly impressive as "Run Lola Run."

After much consideration, Simon had finally settled on Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."

"Pulp Fiction" also featured a non-linear narrative structure, pushing film's non-linear storytelling to a more whimsically ambitious realm. Upon its release, the film not only caused a sensation in its debut year but also deeply influenced many directors in Hollywood, the UK, and even across the Atlantic.