### Chapter 132: Gift
"Excuse me, Mr. Rhyme!"
On the third day at the set, Richard had his first line since filming began. In today's scene, he played Detective Kenny Solomon, who visits the main character along with the veteran detective, Pauly.
In the hospital room, he wore a detective trench coat, standing with arms crossed in front of the patient's bed. He addressed the man lying on the bed,
"My name is Kenny Solomon. I've read all your books. That one about the crime scene, I've read it at least a dozen times. It's an honor to meet you."
Lincoln Rhyme looked at him and said to the person beside him, "Pauly, where did you find this guy?"
"They wanted to work with an expert."
Veteran Detective Pauly laughed.
"I guess you're here to discuss the crime scene, right?"
Lincoln Rhyme asked.
"Yes, in fact, we have a lot of highly unreasonable evidence. It's really strange, all detailed in the report."
Veteran Detective Pauly turned on the TV.
"Cut!"
Next was the scene where the main character, Lincoln Rhyme, suddenly falls ill.
Lincoln lay on the hospital bed, his whole body twitching uncontrollably, tears and sweat streaming down his face.
This performance was quite challenging, and the crew split it into more than thirty shots, including medium shots, long shots, close-ups, and extreme close-ups. It took over ten takes to get it right.
"Richard, it's your turn. Give me a surprised yet serious expression."
The assistant cameraman, Lyle, said.
"Got it!"
This was a close-up shot. Richard looked at the camera, pressing his lips together, frowning slightly, his dark eyes flickering.
"OK, that works!"
Director Phillip Noyce called from behind the monitor.
"Next, take two steps and then turn back, give me a helpless expression."
The assistant cameraman instructed.
Richard walked a few steps in the opposite direction of the hospital bed, then turned back to look at the bed.
"Again, Richard, slower this time, with a bit of hesitation."
The director called out.
Richard returned to his original position, slowed his pace, and walked again. When he reached the window, he turned back and looked, his expression unchanged, his eyes slightly downcast.
"OK, done!"
After finishing Richard's individual shots, the crew began filming close-up shots of the other two supporting actors.
"How much more filming do you have?"
Julie walked over to ask. The next scene involved Solomon bringing the female lead to meet the main character in the hospital room, so Julie arrived early on set.
"Not much, my scenes are very scattered. 80% of the shots are me standing behind you as background. I don't understand the significance of my detective character."
Julie smirked, "Your role is to complement, to highlight my courage, strength, intelligence, and also my beauty and sexiness with your incompetence."
Richard chuckled lightly, about to retort, but then he thought of the investigation plan that was making no progress. He indeed seemed like an incompetent detective.
"Alright, I'm a rookie detective."
Richard shrugged.
Julie laughed, "About that role in 'The Soul Girl,' when do you have time? I can introduce you to the director and producer."
"Thank you, but no need. I have another role lined up, might not have time for additional filming."
Richard politely declined.
"But I've already recommended you. Do you want me to break my word?"
Julie frowned.
Richard pondered for a moment, "How much screen time does that role have?"
"Three to four days, not much."
"Alright, please arrange it. I can adjust my schedule."
Richard said.
"OK!"
After a short break, the crew finished the previous scene and started filming the meeting between the male and female leads.
"Scene 35, take 1, action!"
Richard pushed open the hospital room door, leading Angelina to the main character's bed. The following dialogue was between Julie and Washington, with Richard and others as background.
Around 3 PM, Richard finished his scenes and left the set.
---
"Richard, Gisele's flight lands around 4:20!"
In the car, Mike reminded him.
"Got it. Call Robert, see if he has time to bring the Rolls-Royce over."
Richard thought for a moment.
"Haha, sure!"
After 4 PM, the three of them arrived at the airport exit in a Rolls-Royce. After waiting a while, they saw a tall figure appear at the terminal exit.
She was pulling two large suitcases, wearing a dark red leather jacket and fitted pants, striding out of the crowd. Her golden hair flowing, she looked valiant, but her chin was trembling uncontrollably.
Richard smiled gently, walked over with a silver-gray down jacket.
"Hi, Miss Bundchen, welcome home!"
"Darling, you're here. Hurry, let me warm up!"
Seeing him, Miss Bundchen immediately dropped her suitcases and backpack, rushed over, and hugged his waist, snuggling into his down jacket.
Richard smiled, holding her tightly.
"Darling, is it that cold?"
"Yes, I wore a vest every day at home, but here, even in a leather jacket, it's freezing."
Miss Bundchen said, her face pressed against his chest.
"Then let's hug a bit longer."
"Alright!"
They hugged for a long time in front of the airport until Mike and Robert loaded the luggage. Richard then got into the car with Miss Bundchen in his arms.
"Why did you bring this car?"
Miss Bundchen asked.
"Welcoming you has to be special."
Richard took out a cup of hot coffee and smiled.
"Thank you, darling."
Miss Bündchen hugged him and gave him a kiss, then thanked Mike and Robert, giving each of them a gift—a beautifully crafted shark tooth necklace.
"What about my gift? If you say it's you, I'd be happy with that too."
Richard chuckled.
Miss Bündchen rolled her eyes and took off a pendant from around her neck.
"This is for you."
It was a shark tooth necklace, about the length of a pinky finger, polished smooth on both sides, with intricate carvings. It was wrapped in gold and topped with a ruby, giving it an antique look.
"I bought this lucky charm at a temple. In our hometown, shark teeth symbolize strength, courage, and fearlessness, and they can ward off disasters and bring divine protection.
Richard, wear this and may you be safe, healthy, and happy."
Miss Bündchen gently placed the necklace around his neck.
"It's a meaningful gift, I really like it!"
Richard said, rubbing the shark tooth pendant.
"I'm glad you like it. I gave you this gift hoping you won't take any more risks or get hurt again."
Miss Bündchen said earnestly.
Richard nodded slightly, "I understand, darling. I've also prepared a New Year's gift for you."
"What is it? Don't tell me it's you."
Miss Bündchen laughed.
"Haha, yes, it's me, but I'm the second gift."
Half an hour later, the car returned to the underground garage of the Tribeca apartment building.
Richard walked to a corner and lifted a dust cover, revealing a brand-new red Ferrari F50 sports car.
This model was released in '95 and discontinued last year, with only 349 units worldwide. The red body and cool design caught Miss Bündchen's eye in a car magazine once, so Richard remembered and bought it as a gift.
"This is my New Year's gift?"
Miss Bündchen raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Yes! Do you like it?"
Richard asked, hugging her.
"I love it, but I prefer riding in your car."
"No problem, I'll continue being your chauffeur."
"That's more like it."
Miss Bündchen smiled lightly.
With Miss Bündchen back, Richard's quality of life improved significantly. He spent his days training, filming, and enjoying his time with her, his mood noticeably better.
Because of his good state of mind, his work on set progressed smoothly, finishing most of his scenes within a week.
"Richard, anything good happening lately?"
During a break on the set of "The Bone Collector," Angelina Jolie lounged in a chair, legs crossed, cigarette in hand, rocking back and forth. One good kick and she'd surely topple over.
Richard smiled, "No bad news, why?"
"You've been smiling a lot, full of energy, no matter how tiring it gets, you don't seem exhausted. Did you take something?"
Angelina glanced at him, blowing a smoke ring.
Richard chuckled, "My girlfriend came back recently, bringing lots of nutritious food from home. I've been eating it for days, almost had a nosebleed."
"Are you showing off your relationship?"
Angelina said irritably.
Richard shook his head, suddenly remembering something, "I heard you got divorced. I hope you find a good man next time."
"Ha!"
Angelina smirked, then laughed, "Richard, would you welcome me if I visited your place?"
"Of course, when do you have time?"
"You're not worried your girlfriend will misunderstand?"
Angelina asked, puzzled.
"Why worry? She trusts me and doesn't mind me bringing female friends home. She's always welcoming."
Angelina stared at him for a moment, then suddenly threw away her cigarette, kicked over her chair, and cursed before storming off.
"Hey, Angie, still coming over?"
"F*** you!"
Angelina flipped him off.
Richard shook his head, righted the chair, and picked up his script.
Once the set was ready, he stood behind Julie as the rookie detective for another scene, which involved a single line for him,
"Hey, Amelia, be careful!"
"Cut!"
In the afternoon, after finishing filming, Richard waited in the parking lot and then went with Angelina Jolie to meet the director and producer of "Girl, Interrupted."
The director, James Mangold, was young, and there were two producers: Ken Dites from Columbia Pictures and Winona Ryder, who was also the female lead. Winona, currently dating Matt Damon and formerly Johnny Depp's girlfriend, was twenty-seven, petite, with good skin, dressed casually in a down jacket and jeans, looking more like an ordinary girl than a big star.
"Richard, I've seen your movies and your matches. You seem like two different people."
In the office, Winona eyed him for a moment before speaking.
"Really? Probably because of the lack of clothes."
Richard joked, but Winona didn't laugh. She frowned, "Richard, have you ever had a mental illness, like schizophrenia?"
"Uh…"
"Hey, Winona, are you getting into character too early?"
Angelina laughed. In the film, Winona's character had a mental illness.
"Oh, Richard, sorry, I've been deeply immersed in my role lately."
Winona smiled apologetically.
"No problem, you're a great actress."
Richard smiled, knowing Winona had previously struggled with mental health issues, similar to the character in "Girl, Interrupted."
Five years ago, she read Susanna Kaysen's autobiographical novel and wanted to adapt it into a film. Finally, it was happening, thanks to Winona's efforts.
"Richard, shall we try a few scenes?"
Winona opened the script.
"Sure!"
Richard looked at the script. He was auditioning for the role of Toby Jacob, the female lead's boyfriend, a minor part with only five or six scenes. It was a cameo but had more lines than in "The Bone Collector," giving him a chance to practice his acting.
The audition went smoothly, with Winona approving his performance, seeing his potential in an art film.
"Angie, thanks for finding us a good actor."
Winona smiled.
"No problem, I thought he'd be a good fit."
Angelina waved.
"You two seem close?"
Winona smiled slyly.
"Oh, don't look at us like that. We just met, and our relationship is purely platonic."
"Platonic? Angie, you never use that word."
Winona laughed.
"But it's true. He's not cool, not my type at all."
Angelina said dismissively.
Richard shrugged, not bothering to argue.
Winona looked at him and smiled.
After a few more words, Richard and Angelina left the production office in Queens.
---
"Richard, who do you think is prettier, me or Winona?"
On the drive back, Angelina asked.
"You're both beautiful in different ways."
Richard said while driving.
"Can't you say I'm prettier when I'm right here?"
Angelina complained.
"Okay, you're prettier."
"F***, I recommend you for a role, and you brush me off like this?"
"Alright, Angie, thank you!"
"Hmph!"
Angelina turned her head away, "Now I have no interest in you at all."
"So I'm safe now? Thank you, God!"
Richard made the sign of the cross on his chest.
"F***!"
Angelina was furious, lunging at him.
"Hey, cut it out, I'm driving!"
Richard pushed her back into her seat.
Angrier, Angelina flailed her arms, trying to hit him but couldn't reach.
After a while, she sat back, panting, her clothes slightly disheveled.
"Richard, has anyone ever told you you're annoying?"
"No, I'm a heartthrob."
Richard laughed.
"Ugh, you're the most boring, unappealing man I've ever met."
"Thanks, Angie. You seem agitated. Want another cigarette?"
Richard offered her the pack.
"Get lost! I never want to see you again!"
Angelina snatched the pack.
Richard smiled, focusing on driving. After dropping off Jolie, he went to a bar in the East Village.
---
(End of Chapter)