"Get on your knees! Bend over!"
At Eric's command, Chloë Sevigny rolled her eyes at him.
Then came a barrage of attacks, and Sevigny seemed to have all her strength drained, directly rolling her eyes back.
After getting dressed, Eric walked out of Sweetwater Manor.
It was 7 PM, and the winter sun had set early; it was already pitch black outside, and the colorful streetlights appeared even brighter.
Arriving at the Sundance Film Festival venue, although it was evening, it was still bustling, as watching movies at night creates a better atmosphere.
After charging his phone and turning it on after several days of being off, countless text messages and missed calls immediately flooded his screen.
He cleared his throat a few times and chose one to call back: "Hey, Sergei, what's going on? Why did you call me so many times?"
An excited shout immediately came from the other end; it was clear Sergei was desperately trying to suppress his anger.
"Eric Cooper, you finally answered the phone! Tell me where you are!"
"I'm in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival, didn't you know? I even gave media interviews a couple of days ago."
Crunch, crunch.
Eric could already hear the sound of the other party gritting his teeth.
"Yes, I know you're in Park City, but I need your exact location."
"What's wrong, buddy? You sound a bit unhappy. Alright, let me see, it's 'whale rider.' I'm at the exhibition hall for the movie 'whale rider.'"
Sergei quickly said, "Don't move, wait for me there, I'll be right there!"
Eric waited less than ten minutes before he saw Sergei Hassenfield rushing over with several people.
"He wouldn't hit me, would he? In a public place, I doubt he'd dare!"
Pulling at his cheeks like a clown, Eric put on a bright smile, stood up from his chair, and waved.
"Over here, I'm here!"
Seeing Eric, the group seemed to find their target, instantly accelerating and rushing to him, then surrounding him from all sides.
Sergei's eyes were bloodshot, and he asked in a cold tone, "Eric Cooper, you really made me look for you. Why didn't you answer your phone? Where did you hide?"
"Me, hide? Hide from what? I've been in Park City these past few days."
"Then why couldn't I find you? I almost turned this place upside down."
Eric gave an awkward smile: "I had dates with a few actresses, so I couldn't just swagger around. That's why I stayed in the resort these past few days and didn't come out. Also, I didn't want to be disturbed, so my phone was off."
"Even the president takes vacations. I've been busy for months, what's wrong with relaxing for a few days? Buddy, you look terrible, are you sick?"
Suddenly, Sergei felt a bolt of lightning strike his head. He had been scolded like a dog by that old geezer for the past two days, unable to sleep, while this bastard in front of him was having fun with actresses.
He really wanted to punch this guy in the face.
But he couldn't! He had to hold back!
"You still don't know what happened? Because of your interview, Hasbro's stock price is continuously falling. You've ruined us!"
"What! That's impossible, I only said a few words."
At this moment, anger made Sergei unable to distinguish whether Eric was pretending to be foolish or genuinely foolish, and he didn't have time to differentiate.
He yelled in exasperation, "Are you crazy? Why would you announce that you're directing? You don't understand anything!"
Seeing him agitated, Eric also put on an anxious expression: "What! I never said such a thing. I said I would be involved in directing, but only in name. The real director is certainly not me!"
"These damned reporters, they twisted my words, and those people at the company, they also got it wrong, a bunch of sycophants. When I get back, I'll fire them all!"
Seeing the young man in front of him with a determined expression, Sergei didn't bother to delve deeper. He grabbed his hand and headed towards the main screening hall.
"Wait, what are we doing?"
"Nonsense, of course, it's to quickly clarify, release the truth, and bring the stock price back up!"
In the main screening hall, the movie had just ended. Compared to "Leland's America," there were many more media outlets gathered here.
After the film's creators thanked the audience and left, Sergei dragged Eric onto the stage, once again enacting a scene of usurpation.
Compared to those little-known directors and actors, reporters were obviously more interested in this MGM dignitary.
"Yes, besides me, 'transformers' has other directors. This is a vast and complex film, and I cannot complete it alone. You shouldn't misinterpret my words."
Among the media below, several outlets had interviewed Eric two days prior, and they were also confused, wondering if they had misheard him.
Without giving the reporters a chance to ask further questions, Eric smoothly steered the conversation towards the film itself.
"Hasbro is a fantastic company, and they will also send dedicated personnel to assist MGM in designing the transformers that appear in the movie. They are very professional in this regard, and audiences will see a brand new version!"
A reporter immediately raised his hand and asked, "Mr. Eric, do you mean that the transformers appearing in the movie will be different from those in the animation? Can it be understood that way?"
"Exactly. Movies involve more refined technology. We will redesign every single part of every Autobot. They will have rich expressions, exaggerated and cool transformation movements, and will be even more imposing and full of vitality."
"Actually, the concept sketches have already been designed. MGM will release a video on its official website, and everyone will be able to appreciate the grandeur of the Autobots and Decepticons."
"Alright, that's all I have to say!"
After saying a few brief words, without giving reporters another chance to ask, Eric left.
"Alright, as you said, I think it's no longer a problem now."
Sergei's eyes were still bloodshot and swollen: "It's still unclear. The market has already closed today. We'll only see the effect tomorrow."
"Then can I leave?"
"No! You must stay with me. I will never let you leave!"
Eric was speechless: "Sergei, you really shouldn't speak in that tone. Everyone around us is looking."
"If you won't let me leave, then let's go together. Look at you now, pale lips, bloodshot eyes, and bad breath. Did you not brush your teeth?"
Sergei stepped back and covered his mouth. As a person of status, being told he had bad breath made him a bit embarrassed.
Eric, however, didn't care. He put an arm around his shoulder: "Come on, you need to relax. I'll treat you tonight!"
Being treated like a dog by the old geezer above him, and then looking at the young man in front of him.
A bit of Stockholm Syndrome kicked in, and Sergei suddenly felt a little touched, his eyes slightly moist.
"He's actually quite a good person!"