wavenovel Chapter 54 Absurd Demands
Chapter 54 Absurd Demands
The evening breeze was still gentle, and the moonlight shone on the car, giving it a faint silver glow.
Although Qi Ke was no longer a naive virgin, he still had a touch of youthful excitement. The feeling of being thrilled, feeling refreshed and invigorated was something he had never experienced before.
The time he was with Holly, they were both tired and sleepy. They had just met and didn't have much affection for each other. It was just a passionate encounter driven by hormones. It ended in a daze, and they fell asleep as soon as they lay down. There was no real experience to speak of.
He looked down at the cigarette in his mouth, Marco's Marlboro, which he had just taken out of the glove box.
He didn't have a lighter and never smoked, but at that moment he inexplicably felt he should have something in his mouth.
"If I'd known this would be this fun... I really should have found a girlfriend sooner," Zike said with a soft, self-deprecating laugh.
Judy was squatting by the car untying her loose shoelaces when she heard this. She looked up sharply and glared at him, her ears turning bright red, and even her neck was flushed. "How dare you say that? Who was so clumsy that they ripped my hair clip off? How stupid!"
After saying that, she lowered her head again: "...But it's better than I expected, it doesn't hurt that much."
Looking at the starry sky and listening to her coquettish words, Qi Ke suddenly laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Tell me, did we just have a 'free love' relationship? If your mother knew we were on the hood of a car in front of a mansion in Holmby Hill, she'd probably want to kill me."
Judy's smile froze instantly; the shyness and sweetness from before vanished, leaving only a faint trace of loneliness.
She slowly stood up and leaned into Zeke's arms: "Zike, just now... thank you for not thinking I was crazy, thank you for being willing to stay with me."
Zik lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then draped his suit jacket over her shoulders.
"I'm the one who should be saying thank you. I thought I'd messed everything up today—royalties, tuition, the future… but now I realize that messing things up wasn't so terrible after all."
The gentle atmosphere lingered for a moment, and Zeke took out his car keys, preparing to start the car and take Judy home.
"It's getting late, we should go."
Judy suddenly grabbed his hand: "Zick, can we stay a little longer? I don't want to go back, I really don't."
Qi Ke was taken aback for a moment, thinking that she was just being playful and reluctant to give up this rare free time, and smiled helplessly.
"It's too late, listen to me, your mother must be worried."
Judy shook her head, her gaze falling on the dark mansion not far away.
"You know what, Zeke? I didn't just bring you here randomly. My mom said she'd bring me here to take pictures in a few days."
"Taking photos?" Zik turned his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "Why? Don't you have any movies to shoot lately?"
Judy turned her head, staring straight at him, and forced a sarcastic smile.
"No, it wasn't for an audition, it was to prove I could play adult roles. She hired an Italian photographer named Emilio Larri. She said she wanted to take the kind of...artistic photos that could be hung in an art gallery."
At this point, she could no longer hold back and buried her face deeply in Qi Ke's arms, her voice becoming somewhat muffled.
"It's one of those photos where you're not wearing clothes. She said, 'For my future, to get better resources, I have to learn to sacrifice.' Don't you think that's kind of funny?"
"WTF!!!" Zeke's cigarette fell to the ground. He shoved Judy away, his eyes filled with shock and anger. He almost doubted if he was hearing English. "This isn't funny, not funny at all!" His voice trembled, his chest heaving. "This...this is disgusting, absolutely disgusting! What kind of mother would willingly let her underage daughter take these kinds of photos! Is she even your real mother?"
Judy's eyes were unusually serious as she pointed to the dark mansion, her voice somewhat numb.
"Look, that's the building. My mom has already paid the rent. She even thinks that if these photos turn out well, I can win an Oscar next year and become one of Hollywood's top actresses."
"Fuck Hollywood, fuck the Oscars, fuck America, fuck that damn photographer!" Zeke grabbed Judy's wrist. "Is that bitch insane? I'm taking you to her right now. We can't let her treat you like this!"
"Zick, that's my mother." Judy gently pulled her wrist back, her voice weak and her eyes dimming.
"This kind of mother?" Zeke trembled with anger. He shoved Judy into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. "If it were me, I'd rather not have a mother like that! She's not doing this for your own good; she's harming you!"
After Zeke got into the car, Judy stared at him intently, her eyes welling up with tears, but she held them back and said softly:
"Don't be impulsive, Zeke. My mom and the photographer's wife will be there the whole time to supervise the shoot. I'll be fine. That's just how Hollywood is. To get a foothold, to get opportunities, you always have to sacrifice something."
"Sacrifice?" Zeke laughed angrily, staring intently at Judy. "You call this sacrifice? You're destroying yourself! You want me to do nothing and just watch all this happen? For me to remember every time I pass this house that you were stripped naked and photographed like an exhibit? I can't do that!"
Judy gave a bitter smile: "It won't leak out, Zeke. But if those photos really get seen by others... you'll really have to take me in. Because then I definitely won't be able to stay in this industry anymore, and I won't be able to face anyone."
"Then why didn't you refuse? Why didn't you run away? Run away from home!"
"Zick, where can I run to? She's my mother. In this world, getting hurt is inevitable. We can only hold our heads high, grit our teeth, and move forward. There's no other choice."
Looking at her desperate and numb appearance, Qi Ke felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. All the frustration, anger, and confusion he had experienced today surged back into his heart, and a strange sense of destiny suddenly welled up in his mind.
A powerful electronic synthesized sound suddenly exploded in his mind, the timbre of the drumbeats was strange and unique, and then a female voice, which was both provocative and evil, yet incredibly beautiful, slowly rang out, so clear that it seemed to be right next to his ear.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world
Everybody's looking for something
Want to use you
Want to get used
Some of them want to abuse you
Want to be abused
...
The melody echoed repeatedly in my mind, cold yet clear-headed, like a sharp knife piercing through the glitz and lies of Hollywood.
He looked at Judy, who was silently weeping in the passenger seat, and listened to the passionate yet cold electronic voice in his mind. His anger gradually subsided and was replaced by a firm determination.
He absolutely could not lose control and be at the mercy of others. He could not allow Judy to be hurt like this, could not allow Evelyn's absurd demands to succeed, and could not allow Hollywood's dirty rules to destroy this vibrant and stubborn girl.
Zik started the car, turned off the radio, and in his mind, the female singer sang like a siren: Hold your head up, movin' on, keep your head up...
This was followed by a powerful electronic string interlude. He turned to look at Judy, his tone unwavering:
"Judy, believe me, those photos won't come out. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do, and I won't let anyone hurt you."