Chapter 30

This house, despite being a bungalow, is quite spacious. The owner likely intended it to be used as a set, so the interior is decorated with both elegance and refinement, giving it a very tasteful overall appearance. It is fully equipped with a living room, bedrooms, kitchen, study, and workroom. In particular, in some relatively hidden areas, the reserved camera positions can easily capture panoramic views of the corresponding rooms.

Murphy was very satisfied with the place. After taking a tour, he entered the soundproof study with the real estate agent.

"Mr. Wayne..."

Sitting on a high-backed sofa, Murphy looked at the real estate agent beside him, "If I rent it for one and a half months, what would the rent be?"

Wayne's mind worked quickly, and he immediately replied, "Nine thousand nine hundred dollars!"

"What?" Murphy frowned, "That's too expensive."

"Mr. Stanton, you can't say that," Wayne raised his finger and pointed outside, "That production team rents it by the day, with a daily rent of five hundred dollars. I know you're different, shooting a proper film, so I gave you a discount."

He continued, "I dare say, it's not easy to find a house suitable for filming in Los Angeles. This place has ample space, complete furniture, and almost brand new decoration. You can shoot indoor scenes directly. If you rent a set and build the scenery, it will not only cost more but the effect might not be as good."

It was clear that this was a very experienced real estate agent.

Murphy was unmoved, "The price is too high."

In fact, he could accept the price offered, but in the current situation, he wanted to save as much as possible. The saved money could be invested in the production.

The real estate agent pondered for a few seconds, "Nine thousand dollars. Any less, and I can't justify it to the landlord. You'll have to find another place."

Murphy lightly tapped the armrest of the sofa and made his decision, "Alright, nine thousand dollars."

They agreed on the time to sign the contract. Murphy left the study first and turned into the living room through the corridor. Jessica Chastain, who was beside him, saw the scene being shot in the living room and couldn't help but open her mouth. If she hadn't quickly covered her mouth, she would have let out a scream.

Someone on the opposite side made a stop gesture, and Murphy immediately stopped, standing at the entrance of the corridor.

Behind the camera in the living room, the director suddenly called a halt, took off his baseball cap, stood up, and questioned, "What's wrong with you? Can you even do it today?"

The actor being questioned was completely naked, and he was also very anxious.

Across from him, the blonde woman Murphy had seen earlier was also completely naked. She lay on the sofa, looked at the opposite side, and shouted to the director, "Marco, change the actor, or we'll waste the whole day."

The director immediately pointed at the male actor, "You go rest for now."

The male actor looked down, then left the living room dejectedly.

Originally, there were only these two actors in the living room. Now that the male lead had left, the director didn't look for another candidate. After giving some instructions to the cameraman, he took off his clothes, walked to the sofa, and temporarily took on the role of the male lead...

"Originally... originally..." After the initial shock, Jessica Chastain gradually returned to normal and glanced at the intense scene, "This production is shooting this kind of movie."

Murphy crossed his arms and watched with interest. This was the first time he had seen such a film being shot, "Don't underestimate this industry. The annual output is not less than the total box office revenue in North America."

Even the female star lying on the sofa, who later became one of the wealthiest Hollywood stars, had an income that surpassed 99% of Hollywood stars.

Seeing Murphy's appreciative gaze, Jessica Chastain muttered, "I hope this movie fails, and you end up as one of them."

Her voice was low, but Murphy heard it and said indifferently, "At the beginning, I also considered shooting this kind of film to accumulate initial funds."

Jessica Chastain realized that the guy beside her was even more shameless than she had imagined.

The scene being shot in the room was not as smooth as what Murphy had seen on his computer. They would pause from time to time, and the high-difficulty poses were indeed very physically demanding.

Standing there, he waited for nearly half an hour before the scene finally ended, and the production team in the living room entered a break.

The male and female leads looked exhausted and sat on the long sofa, drinking water and catching their breath, regardless of the others' gazes.

Seeing this, Murphy could only sigh inwardly, "It's not easy to make money in this industry. Apart from the high risk of contracting diseases like AIDS, the physical and body requirements during filming are also very strict."

After the shooting ended, no one stopped them. Murphy had no intention of staying longer. Watching the behind-the-scenes of such a scene was initially interesting, but after a while, it became boring. Especially when he saw that the so-called high-difficulty actions were carefully shot, he realized that what he saw on the computer was no different from other acting.

To put it bluntly, it's all acting, just like regular films, but one is in the prestigious Hollywood, and the other is in the notorious San Fernando Valley.

Murphy walked through the living room, opened the door, and just as he and Jessica Chastain were about to leave, the door behind them was suddenly opened, and someone hurriedly walked out.

The woman had curly golden hair that fell loosely on her shoulders, and her angular face still showed signs of fatigue from the intense activity. Perhaps she had come out too quickly and hadn't had time to put on any other clothes, so she was only wrapped in a long, thin blanket, which revealed her body as she moved.

"Mr. Stanton..." She walked over, "Please wait a moment."

Murphy turned to look at her, puzzled as to why the female lead was looking for him. He deliberately showed a puzzled expression.

She seemed to know something about Murphy and Jessica, and greeted them, "Hello, Mr. Stanton. Hello, Miss Chastain."

Murphy nodded at her, "Hello."

"I'm sorry to disturb you..." The blonde woman, wearing slippers, came to Murphy, "I'm Jenna Jameson."

She pointed to the house behind her, "The female lead and one of the investors of this production."

This was the famous Jenna Jameson, and Murphy, of course, knew her. He politely said, "Pleased to meet you, Miss Jameson."

"Call me Jane or Jenna." Her smile was warm, and she spoke directly, "I heard from Wayne that you plan to shoot a feature film here?"

Hearing this, Murphy understood her intention and nodded, "It will be next month."

Jenna Jameson immediately responded, "To become a Hollywood director at your age is really admirable."

Murphy smiled, "Just lucky."

"Is that so?" Jenna Jameson extended her right hand, which was wrapped in the blanket, and handed him a card, "This is my business card..."

She made a gesture to call, but didn't leave immediately. Instead, she turned to Jessica Chastain, looked her up and down, and her eyes finally rested on her prominent chest. She magically produced another card and handed it to her.

Jessica Chastain didn't understand her intention but politely accepted it.

"Your conditions are very good..." Jenna Jameson said in a probing tone, "If you're interested in this industry, you can call me. I guarantee you'll become famous across America with one film."

Hearing this, Jessica Chastain almost lost her temper but couldn't find the right words to say.

Murphy wanted to laugh but held back, gently patted Jessica Chastain's back, and replied to Jenna Jameson, "That's not possible. Jess is a high-achieving student from the Juilliard School."

Jenna Jameson shrugged, said nothing more, and looked at Jessica Chastain with a mix of envy and jealousy, as if lamenting the unfairness of fate.

"Goodbye." She waved to Murphy and said with a double meaning, "I hope to hear from you."

Seeing Jenna Jameson leave, Murphy walked towards the car. After Jessica Chastain got in the passenger seat, he started the car and drove back the way they came.

Jessica Chastain, sitting in the passenger seat, looked angrily at the business card in her hand.

Murphy glanced at her and casually advised, "It's just an invitation."

"But she invited me to the adult film industry!" Jessica Chastain said unhappily.

"That's nothing. She has the right to invite, and you have the right to refuse."

After all, the girl beside him was just out of the ivory tower, lacking experience and still unaccustomed to such situations. Murphy turned the steering wheel and, after the Ford car turned onto the main road, continued, "Actually, it also shows that your conditions are very good."

Jessica Chastain thought about it and realized he was right.

She remembered that Jenna Jameson had also given Murphy a card and asked, "Why did she give you a card? Was she trying to seduce you?"

"Seduce me?" Murphy shook his head, "I'm not interested, and I don't think she was interested at the time."

She was one of the top figures in her circle, and in that state of fatigue, how could she be interested in an unknown person like him?

Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley seemed to be two completely different circles, but in reality, there were many connections. For example, when big Hollywood stars held wild parties, they often invited adult film stars, especially for those masked orgies, where these stars were active participants.

Jessica Chastain had long realized that she lacked a lot of experience, and the person beside her, though younger, was cunning like a fox.

She asked curiously, "What was her purpose?"

"Nothing more than expanding her social circle and building more connections, especially with people related to Hollywood." Murphy raised a finger and pointed to himself, "In her eyes, I'm a potential asset. Building a relationship with me might help her enter Hollywood if I succeed."

Jessica Chastain nodded in understanding and then asked doubtfully, "Is that possible?"

"Absolutely not." Murphy shook his head, "These women think the San Fernando Valley is a backdoor to Hollywood. Unfortunately, once you enter this circle, the path to Hollywood is forever closed."

Although he said that, Murphy, thinking of Jenna Jameson, kept her card. Who knew when it might come in handy, after all, the queen of that circle wasn't just a name.