Chapter 116: Out of Balance

[Chapter 116: Mental Imbalance]

The girl listened to Lester and found herself momentarily speechless. Deep down, she realized her own recklessness and stubbornness, but she wasn't too remorseful about it.

Lester asked, "Jenny, Eric Williams merely invited you to dinner. Even if he makes some outrageous requests afterward, just politely refuse if you're not interested. He may be young, but he's already a significant player in Hollywood and wouldn't do anything too outrageous. Why are you turning down the role?"

"It's not about that," the girl explained, somewhat irritated. "It's just... when I got back, the paparazzi snapped a picture of us." She elaborated, "I don't want to be seen as the kind of woman who uses her body to get ahead. I can always wait a few more years."

Lester followed Jennifer into the room, taking a seat on the sofa as he earnestly explained, "Jenny, Hollywood only remembers the winners. Once you become a top star, no one will concern themselves with what you did in the past. You won't even need to say anything; there will be many who willingly help cover up your past. That's the reality. Moreover, there are plenty of women in Hollywood willing to put up with even the oldest, ugliest geezers for a chance. Compared to them, Eric Williams is young and handsome. Wouldn't it be easier to accept that something might happen with him?"

Jennifer Connelly pouted, "But he has a serious girlfriend."

"Then take him away," Lester waved dismissively. "Don't you have confidence in your looks? I know Williams has a serious girlfriend, but so what? They aren't engaged, and they're long-distance. That kind of relationship is the least stable, and you have a good chance of winning him over."

"But I..." the girl lamented, tugging at her hair. She didn't want to admit to her manager that she didn't even have the courage to meet Eric's gaze, let alone take him from another woman. How could she confront such a commanding man when being in his presence made her feel so timid?

"Ugh!" The more Jennifer thought about it, the more tangled she felt, and she suddenly flopped onto the couch, grabbing a cushion to cover her head. She mumbled, "Jim, stop pressuring me."

"Okay, okay," Lester noted that she had made up her mind and wouldn't turn back. As Jennifer's manager for so many years, he understood her temperament well. He sighed, saying, "Then you should personally call Peter tomorrow and apologize. Since the audition is rushed, many scenes might have been hurriedly finished. If we need to shoot more footage, we can head back to Rome."

"I got it," came the muffled response from under the cushion.

"Don't answer so perfunctorily, Jenny," Lester admonished seriously. "Since you've chosen to give up this opportunity, you may not get another chance in Hollywood for a long time. You need to maintain good relationships in Europe to ensure you won't face an embarrassing lack of roles."

"Yeah," the girl replied a bit more firmly.

Lester wanted to add more, but seeing the girl's persistent avoidance made him feel somewhat disheartened. He got up, patted Jennifer on the shoulder, and said, "Well, get some rest. I'm heading back to my room."

...

After closing the door to the girl's room, Lester couldn't help but shake his head. What a great opportunity it had been! If she could climb up onto the rising star Eric Williams, it would be like hitting the jackpot.

At eighteen, the girl was still just a child, clinging to some inexplicable pride in her heart and ultimately didn't fully understand what she had lost.

Most of Lester's energy had originally been spent on Connelly. After a box office flop, the then fifteen-year-old Connelly struggled to get roles. Lester had been running around to develop her career in Japan and then Europe to find opportunities.

To help this exceptionally beautiful girl escape the "pretty face" typecasting, he orchestrated a path for her as an intellectual, going so far as to arrange for her to study English Literature at Yale. After all, the public was generally easier to fool, and not too many would differentiate between "studying" and being a formal student. As long as she had that sheen of prestige, it didn't matter.

But now, he felt that perhaps he should invest more effort into nurturing some of the other actors under his wing. That kid named Sean was pretty good -- he acted well, looked handsome, and more importantly, was quite intelligent for his age. As for Connelly, he thought it was best to let her be.

...

Rejected by a girl, Eric sat in his Lamborghini, contemplating his frustration, watching Connelly head into the hotel before looking away. Despite facing some bumps since being reborn, things had generally gone smoothly for him. With his confidence slightly inflated, Eric had almost forgotten what failure felt like.

Irritated, he glanced at the street sign and saw Jeffrey's house was nearby. He drove straight to this old man's place.

He banged on the door, and Jeffrey appeared in pajamas, complete with a ridiculous pointed sleeping hat. Seeing Eric's glum face, Jeffrey quickly stepped aside to let him in, asking in surprise, "Eric, what brings you here so late? Is everything okay?"

Eric shook his head. "It's nothing. I got rejected halfway through a date and just realized your place was pretty close, so I figured I'd come chat."

Just as Jeffrey was about to pour a glass of water for Eric, he froze, turning in disbelief. "Is that all?"

"Um..."

Jeffrey set his tea cup down and accused, "You little jerk, get out! Can't you see it's almost eleven? I'm exhausted from running the company for you all day, and you come here to hassle me at night?"

Eric scratched his head and protested, "Come on, don't be so angry! I'm feeling pretty fragile right now and need some comfort."

"Get lost!" Jeffrey bluntly marched to the sofa, grabbing Eric by the collar and pulling him up.

"Hey, Jeffrey, don't tug! This suit cost over two grand!" Eric wriggled free, tossing the keys to his Lamborghini on the coffee table. "I am leaving this car with you, let me take yours for a spin."

Jeffrey eyed the keychain and replied, "You're giving me that freakin' beast they gifted you? Why would you want to trade it for my beat-up car?"

Eric replied gloomily, "Don't bring it up. I drove it out once, and the paparazzi took a bunch of pictures. It's sure to be in the papers soon; there's only one purple Diablo in all of Los Angeles. Am I supposed to dare drive it around now?"

"Fine, follow me," Jeffrey sighed as he led Eric to his garage, handing him a car key. "Drive my Buick instead."

Eric noticed a nearly brand-new Mercedes next to the Buick, pointed to it, and said, "That one! Let me take that; I'll trade the Lamborghini for it."

"Not a chance," Jeffrey shot Eric a glare. He stepped up to gently stroke the Mercedes's hood, his tone shifting to tenderness. "That's Solina's."

"Alright," Eric nodded at Jeffrey's explanation, immediately closing his mouth and shrugging as he humbly took the Buick key from Jeffrey.

Jeffrey treated everything left by his late wife as if it were valuable. All the producer shares he earned from Eric went not into a mansion or investments but into acquiring the rights to the films Solina had made. Supposedly, he had also been taken for a ride a few times for it. Faced with such a devoted soul, if Eric wanted to drive away in the Mercedes, it could be described with a common movie line: he'd have to step over the old man's dead body first.

...

Driving the Buick all the way to Malibu, Eric pulled up in front of Virginia's cozy villa, knocked on her door, and, without hesitation, scooped the petite woman into his arms and rushed into the bedroom.

Having been pressed firmly onto the bed by the man, Virginia had shaken off her groggy confusion and was now fully awake, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes glistening with dreamy excitement.

Pushing against Eric's chest, she gently asked, "Hey, Eric, what's wrong? You look so down."

"Uh..." Eric didn't respond, swiftly undressing the girl like she was a little lamb. Just as he was about to proceed with some following actions, Virginia suddenly covered herself with her hands, rejecting Eric's assertive advance.

"Let me guess, you smell like another woman. That mix of gardenia, jasmine, and violet is a scent only young girls in their teens or twenties use. Did you go on a date with a pretty little girl tonight?"

Eric mumbled in affirmation, and the girl arched an eyebrow before continuing, "Then... did you get turned down?"

Eric slumped onto the girl's delicate form, burying his face between her ample breasts.

Virginia playfully slapped him on his back, laughing, "Ha, you little rascal! Rejected by another girl, and then you came here to bother me. Come on, stop rubbing; it tickles." She pushed Eric aside and crawled out from under him, lying on her side and propping up her head, asking curiously, "Now tell me, what kind of girl rejected the forever-successful Eric Williams? I'm genuinely curious."

"Vicky, can we not talk about this?"

"Okay, then tonight, you'll just have to hold on tight. No way will I let you use me to vent," she said, playfully 'standing firm' for once, but it was more teasing than anything. If Eric truly resorted to 'taking what he wanted,' she wouldn't really refuse him anyway.

After going through this back and forth, Eric gradually calmed down, realizing his mindset was out of balance. He rubbed his face hard, reflecting for a moment. It struck him that perhaps it was the youthful energy still lingering in his body that was causing trouble. If he were entirely himself, he wouldn't feel this chaotic sense of frustration from being turned down by a girl; only those who had lived sheltered lives and had everything come easily to them would feel this way.

Inheriting the body and some memories of the original owner, although his soul had taken over, he couldn't help but be influenced by the younger man's personality and habits to some extent. Unlike him, the other had never been through much hardship. Eric didn't know if this was a good or bad thing for himself.

"Hey, Eric, are you alright?" Virginia moved closer, noticing him rubbing his face and frowning, worriedly asking.

"I'm fine, Vicky." Eric wrapped his arms around Virginia and began to explain, "Actually, it's like this..."

*****

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