Chapter Fourteen Doors and Windows

  The crew rented two rows of standalone apartments on the front and back streets for filming, which can be used as both a shooting location and accommodation for the crew. It has to be said that Miramax is not in good financial condition, making them stingy to a certain extent.

  "Havie invested $20 million, and the funds have not been fully in place until now. After deducting the crew's salaries, there is very little money left for filming. I'm so frustrated that I'd like to split a penny into two halves to spend!"

  In the dining room of the main creative staff's residential apartment, a dinner was underway. Since funding wasn't exactly a secret matter, David Fincher sat at the table complaining about tight funds.

  "Two billion dollars is indeed a bit less."

  Ryan chimed in, vaguely recalling that the investment for this film in his past life was either 60 million or 70 million, of course, the US dollars ten years ago were not comparable to those now.

  "Even so, Harvey told me that it would be best if I could save on the cost of promotion, God! He might as well just sell me off directly."

  Looks like David Fincher is indeed having a headache with funding, this kind of thing others can't help with, can only let out a sympathetic laugh.

  "Is Nicole's bacon and eggs ready yet? I'll go check in the kitchen." Ryan remembered that Al had also gone into the kitchen earlier. This guy was not only humorous and easy-going, but also a veteran playboy.

  As soon as Ryan walked into the kitchen, he heard Al's voice, "Nico, your cooking skills are really good, this bacon and eggs have a unique flavor."

  "Really? I wasn't good at cooking originally, but over the past few years, because I had to take care of Ryan, I gradually trained myself." Nico's laughter also came over.

  "Your relationship is really good, have you ever thought of finding a father for Ryan?"

  "Come on, Al, Ryan is just my brother."

  Ryan walked in directly, took a look at Nicole who was making bacon and eggs, then looked at Al standing beside her, and said bluntly, "Hey Al, don't think about messing with Nicole! Otherwise I'll give you a good show."

  "Hey Ryan, you little scamp. Al's eyes widened in a comical manner, looking just like the blind colonel from Scent of a Woman."

  "What I'm saying is true, Al! I know Chinese kung fu!" Ryan said, striking a rather awkward tai chi pose.

  Al Pacino chuckled and patted his head gently before walking out of the kitchen first.

  "Alright Ryan, stop messing around and help me carry this plate out." Nicole untied her apron and handed Ryan a white ceramic platter filled with bacon and fried eggs.

  Although the dinner was not sumptuous, it made up for it with its liveliness, especially when halfway through eating, Harvey Weinstein, who was in charge of production, drove over from New York. This fat man's career had just barely gotten on track and hadn't yet become as bloated as it would later, plus his adaptable nature, making the atmosphere in the living room even more lively for a time.

  "It's such a hassle dealing with the Children's Association. They not only dictate Ryan's daily schedule, but also ask about his tutor and progress, and they'll even send someone over in a few days to check up on him. I'm going crazy!" Harvey Weinstein complained at the dinner table to Nicole and Ryan.

  "That's none of my business." Ryan shrugged.

  "None of your business? Ryan, you can't talk like that. It was you who didn't let us arrange a home tutor in the first place, and even said to hell with the Children's Association."

  "Did I say that? I don't remember." Seeing Nikki's slightly darkened face, Ryan hastily denied it without thinking.

  "Hmm..." Harvey Weinstein was taken aback, then said, "Okay, when the people from the Children's Association arrive, I'll throw the script at them and let them take a look. Does a kid who can write a script like this still need a damn family tutor?"

  "Don't worry, Harvey, we can just find a temporary actor to impersonate the home tutor when the time comes." Ryan was completely coming up with nonsense, "Dealing with them is just a small matter for someone of my level."

  "Wait a minute!" Al Pacino suddenly raised his hand to interrupt the conversation in the room, "The script? The script for this movie? Ryan Jenkins... No way!"

  Al stared over, his eyes wide like copper bells, as if he had seen a Martian. "Havie, you mean to say that the Ryan Jenkins behind the playwright and the little guy sitting across from me are the same person?"

  "Is that so?" Harvey Weinstein nodded and asked strangely, "Don't you know? Hasn't anyone told you?"

  "Oh, God!" Al Pacino clutched his forehead. "I thought it was two people with the same name! What the hell? Ryan, why didn't you ever tell me you wrote the script?"

  "Hey, Al, you never asked!" Ryan said with a look of mock innocence. "Am I supposed to run up to you, wagging my tail and saying, 'Al Pacino, sir, the script for The Sixth Sense is mine, please praise me, please give me some recognition'?"

  Ryan's words matched his actions and expressions, looking extremely comical, causing everyone to burst out laughing at the same time.

  After laughing, Al still looked incredulous, looking at David Fincher, then Harvey Weinstein, and then Nicole Kidman, all three of whom were nodding in confirmation that this was true.

  "Pretty shocking, huh, Al?" Harvey Weinstein seemed to commiserate, "David and I weren't much better off than you when we just heard the news, and..."

  He looked at Nicole, Ryan and Kim who were sitting together, "You guys are really something, hiding such important news from me?"

  "What's the important news?" The three of them looked at each other, clearly none of them understood what Mr. Pàngzi was talking about.

  Harvey Weinstein stopped talking and quickly pulled out a copy of The New York Times weekend edition from his briefcase, flipping directly to the bestseller list page. "The latest issue of the bestseller list, fifth place 'Jurassic Park', thirty-first place 'Ryan's Story Collection', and one that didn't make it onto the list 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'."

  "If it weren't for the fact that I bought a copy of The New York Times last weekend, if it weren't for the fact that I saw these books' writing style was so similar to the script of 'The Sixth Sense', if it weren't for the fact that all the authors' names were Ryan Jenkins..."

  "Alright, Harvey, I admit those three books are mine." Ryan spread his hands, as if it wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

  "Oh, God!" Despite having anticipated this answer for a long time, Harvey Weinstein couldn't help but let out a low cry of surprise.

  On the other side, Al Pacino and David Fincher were not much better off, especially David Fincher, who was holding a fork to put a piece of bacon and eggs into his mouth, but at this time it was as if someone had pressed the pause button, just sitting there stupidly, motionless.

  But Alger snatched the supplement from Harvey Weinstein's hand, as if he wouldn't believe it unless he saw it for himself.

  It wasn't until several minutes later that the others in the restaurant calmed down, but their gaze towards Ryan had changed. If he could write a script like "The Sixth Sense", it could be explained by inspiration and combining his own experiences, then what about these works?

  "Jurassic Park" was published in 1986, how old was he then? Just a little over six years old and not yet seven, while other children of this age were still playing house, Transformers and Barbie dolls, he started writing books.

  If it were someone else, people would still suspect that someone was representing him, but at that time he was just an orphan in the welfare institution, with neither money nor power, who would be so foolish as to ghostwrite for him?

  What's more, since the show started, this boy has been performing well in front of them. He is a precocious, clever and imaginative child. Sometimes they even feel like they are talking to an adult. And his excellent acting skills shown during filming, what do these all indicate?

  When God closes a window for him, he also opens a door at the same time, and this door is still a triumphal arch!

  At this time, except for Ryan's three people, others had no appetite and left the restaurant discussing something.

  Despite the various incidents that occurred, filming continued, and at Ryan and Harvey Weinstein's request, everyone else kept quiet about what had happened.

  But Ryan had been dealing with the crew and the people from the Children's Association, and he always felt that Mr. Fatty was planning something, especially when looking at his own eyes, just like a hungry wolf seeing fresh meat.

  It's just like what was said before, the state of actors always fluctuates. Al is the strongest in self-regulation, followed by Ryan, and Nicole actually ranks last among the three main actors.

  "Ryan, you're a born actor." Nicole sounded like she was complimenting him, but the next sentence revealed her true intention, "You can deceive people without leaving any trace!"

  It's clear that Nicole recalled some past experiences, and now thinks that this little guy was just fooling her at the time, fortunately they were all small matters, no harm done.

  "Is that so, Nicole?" Al Pacino suddenly appeared out of nowhere, elegantly bowed his head and said with a hint of meaning, "Do you need me to help discipline this little rascal?"

  "Oh, damn it." Al suddenly felt a chill in the costume he had just changed into and hastily patted his abdomen, whereupon a thin green object appeared in his hand. "What's this?"

  When Al was bowing, Ryan had already jumped far away, cupped his hands and shouted, "Hey Al, keep a distance from Nicole, or next time it won't be just a cactus leaf with the spines cut off."

  The crew burst out laughing, and it was clear that they had seen the good relationship between Ryan and Al for a long time. The two often made some harmless jokes, but Al was obviously teased more times than he teased others.