From April 2006 to June 2006, Andy basically stayed in the villa for a full two months, except for one visit to the WGA Writers Guild.
While adapting the novel for film was a bit awkward at first, once he finished Maleficent, he seemed to find the knack. Inspiration burst forth, and his command of the written word became even more refined, undoubtedly boosting his confidence. So for two months, except for breaks for meals and the gym, he worked almost nonstop day and night to finish the first volume of Dark Tales, transcribed the first volume of The Hunger Games, and outlines for five screenplays.
His purpose of going to the WGA Writers Guild was to hand over five script outlines to the union for safekeeping. By paying a fee, he could protect his global copyright and avoid conflicts with film companies. Even if there was a butterfly effect, it was difficult to guarantee that similar ideas would not appear. By taking advantage of the rules and relying on the union's record-keeping, he could remain invincible.
As for the original screenwriters of the previous life, sorry, that is not something Andy considered.
There's no such thing as fairness in this world. Plagiarism is nothing compared to money and fame. Shameless? Andy could only chuckle. Who had possessed him and been reborn? Regardless of which passing deity or Western God bestowed upon him, he had no choice but to exploit these advantages and devour every resource he could lay his hands on.
As for the profession of screenwriter, Andy has no interest in it now, because screenwriters have a really low status in the film industry. The 2008 strike is a good example. Although he is also a registered screenwriter of the Writers Guild, his only work is a script adapted from his own novel.
Being a screenwriter was just a convenient way for him to get into Hollywood, but he definitely didn't make a living from it. A famous screenwriter with a $500,000 annual income is nothing!
Ding Dong.
A few minutes later, the door opened with a click, and a plain-looking middle-aged Chinese woman appeared. She reeked of alcohol, her eyes a little dazed. She stood in front of the fat man, Carl, who was leaning against the door frame. She asked in a surprised and puzzled tone, "Mr. Vincent, how did you get so drunk?"
"Andy... Is Andy at home?" Carl pushed away the woman's support and staggered into the villa, shouting loudly.
"Hey, MAN! What time is it? You're so drunk, why are you coming here instead of going home?" Andy, who had just finished working out and wanted to take a shower, heard the shouting and walked down from the second floor. Seeing the drunk agent, he asked in a bad mood.
Carl, who looked like he was about to pass out drunk, suddenly became more agile when he saw Andy approaching. He took a few steps forward, hugged Andy, and cried out, "Andy, I'm fired! That damn bitch stole my client and sued me for harassment. I'm done!"
Andy rolled his eyes, pushed the crying Carl away, helped him sit down on the sofa, and said to the nanny standing beside him in Chinese: "Auntie Liu, get him a glass of ice water."
"Sir, I dare not call you that. Please call me by my name! I'll get it right away." Liu Yan waved her hands in panic and awkwardness. She was still not used to this "foreign" employer who spoke Mandarin more standard than hers calling her aunt.
Looking at Liu Yan's flustered back, he shrugged with a helpless expression.
Liu Yan immigrated here with her daughter. She originally ran a restaurant in China and cooked delicious Sichuan cuisine. Although her daughter and son-in-law were middle-class and had no financial pressure, she felt uncomfortable staying at home all day because of the language barrier, so she applied for a job through an agency.
Fatty Carl was looking for a nanny who could cook Chinese food for Andy. He happened to see her profile and took her to Andy's house after getting a general understanding of her situation. Liu Yan was very nervous when she saw the villa located in a wealthy area. She was afraid that her language problem would become an obstacle to finding a job. However, when she met Andy, Andy spoke standard Mandarin, which really surprised her.
Looking at the handsome older boy in front of her, she felt much more friendly. When Andy said that he was one-quarter Chinese, it made Liu Yan feel like she had met a compatriot, and her uneasy heart calmed down.
The subsequent interview went smoothly. After communicating for a while and understanding each other's basic situation, the two parties decided on the employment relationship.
He took the ice water brought by the nanny, stuffed it into the hands of Carl who was still crying endlessly, and slapped him hard in annoyance.
"Hey, man, that's enough! It's not over yet. If you lose your job, it's gone. It's only a matter of time. I told you to be careful with your secretary."
"Cough cough... cough, damn it, be gentle!" Carl rubbed his painful shoulder and drank a sip of ice water, almost choking. Looking at Andy's gloating expression as if he had known this would happen, he said, "Oh, damn, I shouldn't have come to you. It's impossible to get comfort from you!"
"Haha, you do understand me. You brought this upon yourself. Something bad will definitely happen due to the unspoken rules in the office. It's just a matter of time!" Andy sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, looked at Carl with a squint, and a sneer on his lips.
"Who in CCA is clean?! It's good that you're out now. Take a shower, get some sleep, and I'll tell you something tomorrow!"
"Ah? Little Andy, you're not going to fire me too, are you? You're all I have now, you can't abandon me!" As if thinking of something terrible, his rosy, drunken face turned pale in an instant, and he threw himself towards Andy on the sofa with a grief-stricken look.
"Get away, you fat guy. I'm not gay! What are you thinking about? I won't fire you. Damn it, this is really annoying. Okay, stop making trouble. Go take a shower and go to bed. You can sleep in the guest room on the second floor." Andy was so angry that he kicked Carl in the stomach who pounced on him. Looking at the fat guy lying on the carpet with his arms and legs spread out, he turned around and went upstairs in a bad mood.
No words were spoken that night.
"I didn't expect you to get up earlier than me, Carl." Andy sat down at the dining table with a teasing expression. He looked at Carl, who looked much more energetic, and nodded to the nanny Liu Yan: "Good morning, Aunt Liu."
Without waiting for the two to speak, he continued in a teasing tone and asked, "Have you cried enough?"
Looking at Karl's flushed face, he said to Liu Yan, "Aunt Liu, can I have some beef for breakfast? I need to replenish my nutrition. I'm a little weak."
"Okay, sir, I'll go make you a plate of stir-fried beef. Please wait a moment." Liu Yan put bread, milk bacon and fried eggs on the dining table. When she heard Andy's request, she responded with a smile.
Andy was speechless when he saw Liu Yan taking out beef from the refrigerator and starting to busy herself with it. She originally just wanted some fried veal but now it turned out to be stir-fried. Fortunately, his range hood was awesome, otherwise the whole villa would be filled with the smell of oil smoke.
On the other side, Carl started cleaning up the food on the table like a starving ghost.
"Hey, you fat guy, eat less, this is my breakfast!" Andy snatched the plate of food with some annoyance and roared loudly.
"Tsk, you cheapskate!" Carl muttered as he stuffed bread and bacon into his mouth.
Andy twitched his eyes and kept telling himself not to bother with this fat guy.
Breakfast ended with Carl looking at Andy's full meal with resentment, "Okay, fatty, come to the study, I have something important to tell you." Andy wiped his mouth with a napkin and patted his stomach contentedly.
Carl followed him into the study in a bad mood. As for Andy calling him fat, he didn't mind at all. After the two sat down, Liu Yan brought two cups of coffee.
Andy picked up the coffee and took a sip, then took out the manuscript of the first volume of "Dark Fairy Tales" from the drawer of the desk and threw it in front of Carl.
Carl almost spit out the coffee in his mouth. He excitedly put down the cup in his hand and looked at the pile of manuscripts with burning eyes.
"Oh my God, oh my God, I must be dreaming!" Looking at Carl who was already overly excited, Andy drank his coffee calmly.
"Oh, my God! Little Andy has a new work again!" Carl was dancing with excitement while holding the manuscript.
"Okay, okay, sit down and talk." Andy raised an eyebrow. "This book is used to complete the contract with Scholastic Publishing House."
After letting out a long breath, Carl's chubby face, flushed with excitement, revealed a relieved expression: "I know, I knew, Andy, you won't let me down. I'm right, you're a genius, always have been... Andy, you've really changed a lot."
"Everyone changes. I've simply matured. From now on, I won't be confused or hesitant anymore, and I'm no longer the same person I used to be." Andy waved his hand. "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. After I settle with Scholastic Publishing, I want to set up a company to manage all the copyrights and commercial operations of my books. I don't have the time or energy to manage it, so I'd like you to help me manage it."
Karl's lips trembled slightly, his eyes reddened, and he stared at Andy, and finally sighed: "Really, thank you Andy, although I really want to help you take care of everything, but I'm afraid my ability is limited."
"When did you become so nagging? This is not the Carl I know. Didn't you trick me into coming to Hollywood for better development?" Andy couldn't help but frown.
"Are you worried that I'll get stuck again? Don't worry about that. Look..." Andy threw the manuscript of "The Hunger Games" on the table again. "This is a novel I have high hopes for. I believe it will definitely rank high on the bestseller list!"
"Okay, okay, hahaha." Carl showed an obscene smile on his fat face, holding the two manuscripts tightly in his hands. He seemed to have thought of something, and his saliva was almost flowing out.
"Okay, put down "The Hunger Games" for now. Here's a check for one hundred thousand. Go register the company and rent an office. The name of the company is Mockingjay." Andy took the manuscript from Carl and put it back in the drawer. He then took out a pencil sketch, the badge of the Mockingjay with wings spread in flames from the movie "The Hunger Games", and handed it to Carl.
Carl looked at the bird with its wings spread in flames on the white paper and read the word under the pattern softly.
"mockingbird!"