Marvel Salted Fish Kryptonian

Chapter 273 Dream Chaser

The girl said politely, "I'm sorry." The meal was served just then.

Henry didn't say anything more, but pointed at the large pile of food on the table. The girl started eating without hesitation.

Seeing the person opposite him eating happily, Henry slowly cut the steak and put the meat into his mouth.

The food at this restaurant is incredible. While not particularly fragrant, the meat is perfectly cooked. The intense heat of the steak grill locks in the juiciness and flavor of the meat within the slightly charred surface, allowing for a multitude of flavors to be savored in one bite.

During the meal, the two chatted sporadically, mostly about eating and the girl asking Henry about his Hollywood experience.

Henry picked out some of the appropriate experiences that old Gary had taught him when he first arrived and passed them on to the little girl.

Forget about the suggestions of doing stunts and playing special-character actors. If you want to act in serious dramas, you can't get involved in those jobs too much, as it will easily lead to stereotypes.

In today's Hollywood, where division of labor is clear, once you are stereotyped, it is difficult to move to other tracks.

Neither of them talked too much about their personal affairs, but just exchanged experiences about the path of being an actor.

However, the girl is a novice who hasn't even stepped into the threshold, so naturally she listens more and speaks less.

Henry, on the other hand, had only played a few minor supporting roles. He had appeared on big productions like "The Devil's War," but was fired midway through. So, he simply didn't mention the incident, to avoid having to explain all the messy stuff.

In short, it was a chat between two noobs. Even though Henry had played a few background roles, he couldn't offer much advice. Most importantly, Henry had little experience working with agents.

If you want to make it in Hollywood, your agent's skills are half the battle. Whether it's news on new movies or whether you can connect with producers, it's no exaggeration to say that an agent's connections and abilities determine the breadth of an actor's career.

Of course, the actor must have the ability to handle the role he has fought for, and then get a good response in the market, only then will there be subsequent opportunities.

It can be said that there is a ceiling for an actor’s achievements, and that actors and agents are each other’s shortcomings.

Henry couldn't offer much advice in this regard, and he didn't even have anyone to refer to.

...This reminded Henry of the unreliable stunt team leader, Channing Williams. He hadn't been in touch with him for a long time, and he had really cheated him by recruiting him to be a bodyguard at a banquet. He should probably not count on him anymore.

When both parties finished their meal, Henry ordered coffee for them both and took out his sketchbook.

The girl asked with a little concern, "Should I strike a pose?"

"Just be casual, be at ease. This isn't a beauty shoot for a fashion magazine, with all the angles and shadows. It's just a simple sketch."

"Ok."

The completely inexperienced girl chose to stare directly at Henry, which made the man she was staring at burst out laughing.

The girl complained, "What's the problem?"

Henry frowned and said seriously, "Yes, it's very big. You can't stare at the camera like that when you're filming, or the director will scold you. And this isn't an ID photo, so there's no need to be so serious."

"But I don't know what to do. You didn't say anything." The chubby face, after eating and drinking, became a little rosy. The girl puffed up her chubby cheeks and said unhappily.

Henry had no choice but to ask in a sedulous manner, "Are you American?"

"No." The girl shook her head. "I'm not an illegal immigrant, don't get me wrong."

"No." Henry thought for a moment and said, "In this case, think back to the interesting experiences and happy things you had as a child. You don't have to look at anything deliberately. If you find it difficult to focus your eyes..."

Henry looked around, then at the light in the dining room, then he took the salt shaker from the table, placed it in a fixed spot, and said, "Then just look at the salt shaker."

The sight changed position and the angle changed. The midday sun shone through the large windows of the restaurant and shone on the girl's profile, forming two distinct parts of light and dark.

Henry adjusted the angle, primarily toward the window, to minimize the shadows on her face. Thanks to her deep facial features, the brightness was layered, making the young girl's skin seem to shimmer in the sunlight.

Henry flipped to a blank page in his sketchbook and picked up a pencil. He wasn't like most people who would have to use a pencil to trace the drawing back and forth to find the correct scale before drawing it in the sketchbook.

With the observation and control of Kryptonians, it is not a big problem to draw simple lines and contours like a photo rubbing.

What really made Henry pay attention to it was the subtle changes in shadows, which gave the sketch a three-dimensional feel and the delicate skin feeling.

The girl also noticed that the man who was drawing was staring at her most of the time, not looking at the sketchbook, and just painting.

Is this not just a doodle?

But the other party’s previous sketches were very good, not like graffiti.

So, does this sketchbook belong to someone else, or is it just a mess of my own drawings?

With a feeling of unease, the joys of childhood faded. It wasn't her fault; after all, a girl's childhood wasn't filled with much fun worth remembering. Most of the time, she'd spent hiding in her mother's arms, avoiding her father's violence...

If you want to make yourself happy, you have to work hard. Especially since things haven't been going well lately, I can't dance my favorite ballet anymore, and my career as a Hollywood actor isn't going well. How can I be happy?

Thinking of this, the girl suddenly realized that the other party wanted her to be happy, which was to torture her and was a deliberate revenge.

Ah, this damn annoying guy!

The look of hatred made the girl's expression change drastically, and even her eyes became sharp.

Henry captured the essence of the moment and began adjusting the portrait in his sketchbook. The eyes, the corners of his mouth, everything had a hint of the beauty he had imagined.

Although Henry said it would take five to ten minutes, and everyone assumed ten minutes, he actually finished the sketch in about five minutes.

Henry exclaimed happily, "It's done," and then looked at his painting with satisfaction.

The girl also leaned forward and asked, "Can I take a look?"

"Of course." Henry handed over the sketchbook and said, "I didn't draw you ugly, so don't tear up my drawing."

Looking at the sharp expression of herself in the painting, the girl asked with a complicated expression, "Is this my expression?"

Henry smiled and said, "I guess at this moment, you are probably thinking about hitting me or planning to punch me a few times."

As if her secret was revealed, the girl turned her head away guiltily and said, "No."

"Can you sign your name for me?" Henry handed the pen over. Seeing the girl's puzzled expression, he said, "I didn't steal the painting.

"I have to know the name of the girl in the painting. Unless you don't mind a hundred or two hundred years from now, a bunch of strangers will call the person in the painting Mona Lisa or something like that."

The girl took the pen and muttered, "You're not Da Vinci." But she still signed her name 'shar-LEEZ_THERR-n'.

Chapter 274 Charlize Theron

Because the spelling was unusual, Henry asked, "How do you read this?"

The girl replied: "In English, it's Charlize_Theron. That's Afrikaans, my mother tongue."

"So, you're South African?" Henry said with surprise. This wasn't an act; he was genuinely surprised to have met the South African diamond known as the Hollywood Venus!

"Yes." After signing her name, Charlize didn't return the sketchbook. Instead, she asked with a curious look, "Would you like to take a look?"

There wasn't anything shameful inside, so Henry said generously, "Please go ahead."

The future Oscar-winning actress flipped forward.

Henry had the habit of leaving a message in the blank space after completing his sketches, or at least a note such as the year, month, day, and place of drawing.

He doesn't like to use cursive writing, but he doesn't use printed letters to write everything. Anyway, it won't be too difficult for others to read.

This sketchbook isn't a dedicated art sketchbook; it's a relatively large, thick, unruled notebook about B5 size. It has a spiral back, so you can flip to the back of the book for easy drawing.

Most of them are pencil sketches, with occasional ballpoint pen sketches. The content is mainly street scenes in Los Angeles, with fewer people.

Occasionally I draw people as part of the scenery. It just so happens that the person stays in the scenery I want to draw for a long time, so he is included in the painting.

Time keeps fast-forwarding, from May 1994 to January 1994.

Turning the page, we were back in December 1992, the sketch taking place in a courtyard in the Swiss town of Trochenau. Actually, that was Audrey Hepburn's home, but Henry hadn't noted it.

A simple snowy courtyard scene, no figures, but featuring Robert's five Jack Russell terriers. Dogs aren't very good subjects for sketching, so the five dogs were drawn into the picture based on impressions.

Similarly, there are only two or three sketches of the town of Troshna. Then, turning back to September 1992, in addition to simple scenery, there are more sketches of people.

There is only one character and theme that remains unchanged, while everything else is changing: an old lady playing games with a group of children.

There are children from Africa, Central America, South America, South Asia, and West Asia. The scenery of different places, the different appearances and clothing of the children all show the characteristics of different regions.

The old lady was so eye-catching that Charlize couldn't ignore her. Furthermore, her face looked increasingly familiar, and the locations noted beside the sketch were from all over the world, reminding her of a famous Hollywood star.

Charlize spread a large sketch of a woman's face in front of Henry and asked, "Who is this?"

"Ms. Audrey Hepburn," Henry answered truthfully.

"It's really her," Charlize exclaimed. Then she added, "So this is a sketch of Ms. Hepburn at the United Nations event. Did everyone in the world go?"

"Strictly speaking, it's a child protection agency established by UNICEF to aid poor countries. It's primarily concentrated in Africa, Central America, South America, and South Asia, but not worldwide."

"So you said you were someone's assistant, and then your boss died, so you stopped working. So you were Audrey Hepburn's assistant?"

"Yes."

"So what's your name?" Charlize Theron asked.

"Hey, haven't I introduced myself yet? Hello, I'm Henry Brown, a nobody."

"Eh~!" Charlize Theron asked with a surprised expression, "Is it Henry Brown, the author of 'Love from Another Culture'? The book that Audrey Hepburn so passionately recommended?"

Henry touched his nose and said, "It's me. But I have to emphasize that the book is a translation, so I shouldn't be considered the author. Those are stories that have existed for a long time in different cultural contexts, not my creation."

"But...but..." Suddenly seeing a celebrity she had imagined, the young Charlize Theron, still a fresh-faced actress, stammered, unable to speak. She was actually a little skeptical.

However, there was a female thief at their table, who had already attracted the attention of the restaurant staff. She was sketching and chatting without hiding from others, so what happened and what she said were all seen and heard by those who were paying attention.

When the not-so-bestselling book was mentioned, a waitress immediately started shouting excitedly.

The waitress who was the most proactive and almost caught the future movie queen even ran to the staff lounge, took out a book, and walked excitedly to the table.

"Is it really Mr. Henry Brown?"

"Yes." Henry smiled when he saw the book in the other person's hand and said, "Oh, you bought this book? I'm surprised. Do you want me to sign it?"

"Yes, yes, is that okay?" The waitress handed over the rather thick book. It wasn't in great condition, but it hadn't been treated roughly, just frequently read.

After Henry took it, he took out a pen from his arms and asked, "What's your name?"

"Lorraine."

Henry then turned to the blank page under the cover, which read in cursive:

To Lorraine

I wish you always healthy and beautiful

Henry Brown'

"Thank you, thank you," the waitress said excitedly, hugging the book. "There are so many beautiful love stories in it. It's a pity there isn't a perfect ending."

Henry made a helpless expression and said, "That's the original story. I'm just translating it."

Several waitresses crowded aside, looking at the signatures on the books and shouting excitedly. At least they remembered that this was a workplace, not a book signing, and so, under the watchful eye of the restaurant owner, they returned to their duties.

Charlize Theron, with a somewhat skeptical look, asked, "Are you really Henry Brown? The author... the translator of that book?"

Henry said helplessly: "I can show you my driver's license. But if you want me to provide proof here, asking me whether I really know Ms. Hepburn, or whether the book was translated by me, I can't produce it.

"I have a photo with Ms. Hepburn, but I keep it at home. I also have a contract with a publishing house, but I also keep it at home. You wouldn't carry that kind of thing around with you and show it to others at any time, would you?"

After thinking for a moment, Charlize asked again, "Judging from your expression, are you surprised that you have a book fan?"

Henry said honestly, "I don't know what you think of that book. But the publisher told me that the sales of that book are not very good. But it seems that it will sell well for a long time.

"This isn't the kind of book that's published for a week or two, gets snapped up, and then dies down. Right now, it's just about making sure we don't lose money and break even on printing costs. From that point forward, we'll be profitable, but we'll have to sell it slowly."

Chapter 275 The Narrow Road to Success

Charlize was puzzled and upset about the poor sales of her favorite book. She asked, "Didn't Audrey Hepburn recommend your book? Why is it doing so poorly?"

"Actually, you can think about it this way. If it weren't for Ms. Hepburn's recommendation, perhaps the performance of this book would be even worse." Henry said the truth.

Although the sales results were disappointing, Henry, as the translator, was not too concerned. He said, "In fact, according to the publishing editor's suggestion, this book is very suitable for promotion through book signings.

"I wanted to travel around the country, use Audrey Hepburn's fame to gather fans, and then find ways to expand the group. But from the beginning, the birth of this book was not in my plan.

"So, I don't really care about grades or anything like that. As long as the publisher doesn't lose money on printing and doesn't get complaints, that's enough for me. I don't even care about sales results."

"Not in the plan? What do you mean?" Charlize asked.

"Actually, it was just an afternoon reading session, with an elderly person in hospice care pestering me to tell her stories she had never heard before."

Henry briefly described what happened during that period and added, "The manuscript left behind was given to the publisher by Ms. Hepburn, and that's how this book was published."

"But... you clearly had a great opportunity." Charlize Theron, on the brink of despair, felt somewhat resentful of Henry's lack of fighting spirit. But she didn't know where to begin the conversation.

Henry saw this and said with a smile, "You think I should work hard to promote this book, accumulate fame, and then I can do this and that, right?"

Charlize nodded.