Leaning on the sofa, Charles pondered, letting Britney, who was in his arms, release her emotions.
It took almost half an hour of crying before Britney's emotions stabilized. She wiped away her tears and hugged Charles, not wanting to let go.
"Charles, I asked about you, and some people told me that you are a genius young producer in Hollywood, who almost won an Oscar with two low-budget films and earned sixty to seventy million dollars," Britney said, having heard it from her team's Agent.
"What should I do now?"
"Ah, let me think," Charles had been pondering all along. "The first step is definitely to salvage your image. You need a good public relations team. Everything, from your career to your personal life, needs to be well-arranged!"
"Mmm," Britney looked up, then leaned in and kissed Charles.
First, it was emotional comfort, and now it was physical comfort, which lasted all night.
In the early morning, sunlight streamed into the room through gaps in the curtains. New York, entering autumn, had a pleasant climate.
In the bedroom, Britney was holding Charles tightly, a look of contentment on her face.
"Aren't you hungry?" Charles patted Britney's back.
"Let's lie here a bit longer. Do you have something to do?" Britney said lazily.
Charles shook his head. "No rush, I'll be in New York for a while. The film I produced earlier, a vampire and werewolf movie called underworld, is premiering in the next few days."
"underworld! I saw the trailer; Kate Beckinsale's look in it is incredibly cool!" Britney didn't forget the main topic either.
"Oh, Charles, last night you said I needed to salvage my public image. How should I do that?"
"Agent, you need to change your Agent. Find a professional Agent to handle your affairs," Charles said decisively.
"Otherwise, your negative press will continue, and you won't be able to handle the mental stress!"
"But, my parents..."
Before Britney could finish, Charles interrupted her again, "And, you must let professionals handle your business contracts, and professionals handle your assets. As for your parents, just buy them a house, feed them well, and take good care of them. Don't let them handle your professional matters!"
"My attorney also thinks so!"
Britney wasn't very educated and didn't understand many things, always foolishly being treated as a puppet on a string.
"In short, if you trust me, you can go to Los Angeles next month to consult my mother, Ms. Evelyn Capet, at ETA. She's a professional!"
"Then can Ms. Capet directly become my Agent?"
"Hmm, this..." Charles was at a loss for words for a moment. Is that even possible? You're a top star in America, don't you need to understand more when changing Agents?
Charles still nodded. After all, someone of Britney's caliber would have an Agent team. His mother wouldn't need to be responsible for her music production, media marketing, record contracts, crisis public relations, or endorsement deals, so handling other aspects wouldn't be an issue.
"However, you should still have a good talk with my mother then, but the prerequisite is that you must first fire your current Agent!" Charles felt a bit like he was pimping.
"I understand," Britney was naturally carefree. What Charles said last night made perfect sense, and coupled with her current negative news, she easily believed him. Perhaps people always need something to cling to when they are at their lowest.
"Recently, Madonna and I have a duet song to record and shoot, so I probably won't be able to go to Los Angeles until at least November!"
Charles nodded. "Don't worry, just keep a low profile during this time. Don't do or say anything out of line."
Fortunately, Britney wasn't familiar with Paris Hilton yet, and she didn't know Lindsay Lohan either.
The future Three Musketeers hadn't formed yet.
Perhaps Britney had found something to rely on and became somewhat dependent on Charles; she stayed with him in the hotel all day.
It wasn't until night that Charles took Britney back to her place.
At the same time, the premiere of underworld was also approaching, set to open in North America on Friday the 19th.
On Wednesday evening, the North American premiere was held at the 4 Rogers Theatre near Times Square in Midtown Manhattan.
Kate Beckinsale's gentle and beautiful nurse image in pearl harbor was still deeply ingrained in people's minds, and the spectacle of her transforming into a sexy vampire, dual-wielding guns and going on a killing spree, also attracted considerable media attention.
Charles chatted with Peter Schlessel, the head of Mubao Pictures, in the theater lounge.
"Opening in over 2900 theaters, not bad!" Charles hadn't expected Mubao Pictures to have such great confidence in this film.
"During the previous test screenings, we received a lot of positive feedback, and the trailer's viewership gave us great confidence," Peter Schlessel was indeed very optimistic about the film.
"We believe in Kate's drawing power."
Charles nodded and smiled, "The live-action resident evil was very successful; Mubao Pictures certainly has a say in distributing this type of film."
The two smiled similarly. Mubao Pictures had tasted success with the female-led action film resident evil, and objectively, Kate Beckinsale was no worse than Milla Jovovich.
"However, the production rights for resident evil belong to Constantin Film, while Mubao Pictures has the distribution contract!"
"That's good enough. As a game adaptation film, resident evil's performance is excellent. lara croft: tomb raider 2, released in the summer, didn't have high box office or critical acclaim, so a third installment is definitely out of the question. resident evil's budget was only a third of theirs." lara croft: tomb raider, as the highest-grossing game adaptation film, unfortunately, saw its second installment, with a production cost of 95 million dollars, only earn over 60 million dollars in North America, and just barely over 100 million dollars overseas.
"resident evil 2 is scheduled for next year, and we hope to maintain this good momentum," Peter Schlessel certainly hoped to develop it into a film series. The same would apply if underworld performed well.
Soon, a staff member came in to remind them it was time for interviews.
The producer, director, and main actress together took the stage to be interviewed and questioned by reporters.
"Kate, you look beautiful tonight!" Kate Beckinsale wore a low-cut white gown today, paired with long, slightly wavy hair, which was striking.
"Thank you, come find me tonight!" Kate whispered in Charles's ear during their embrace.
Charles smiled without saying anything; everything was unspoken. The reporters' microphones were extended.
Director: We use science as the basis for the film, not mysticism.
Charles: Wiseman's talent surprised us all, and the actress's performance was even more invigorating for everyone.
Kate Beckinsale: I've been looking forward to this role for a long time, and trying an action film brought me a different experience!