Chapter 110: Filming
By the time the cleaning service finished, it was already dark.
The disapproving looks from the cleaning crew seemed to say, "You're really letting this place go, young man. Even with all that money, couldn't you at least maintain it?"
Those judgmental glances made Jake unconsciously touch his nose to hide his embarrassment.
The cleaning was quite involved; some furniture was even thrown out by Jake. Although he didn't live here often, he still paid attention to the cleanliness of his home.
Especially noticeable was that some cabinets had holes gnawed by mice!
After finishing and paying, Jake had just stepped outside when he saw the young woman, Sarah White, standing at his door with some things in her hands, her right hand raised as if hesitating whether to ring the doorbell.
"Sarah," Jake greeted her first.
"Oh," Sarah seemed a little embarrassed at being caught at someone's doorstep, lowering her head slightly. After a few seconds, she seemed to remember why she was there and looked up again, saying, "Um, we have some apples from a local orchard. I remember you said you were home alone, and there's no one to take care of things, so I brought some over for you to try."
The apples, still glistening with water droplets and clinging to green leaves, were an enticing red.
Sarah handed over the apples. "Are you heading out?"
"Yes," Jake nodded, taking the apples. "It's evening, I'm going out for something to eat."
"You look like that character," Sarah tilted her head, looking at Jake. "So mysterious. I remember in the month or so I've lived here, no one has ever been in this house."
"The place looked practically abandoned, but this afternoon you suddenly showed up."
Not appearing for so long would inevitably arouse suspicion among the neighbors, and in the long run, it might even expose things Jake didn't want to reveal.
But there was nothing he could do; for now, he could only maintain his low profile.
He smiled and nodded, saying, "I was away on business for a while, so I was away from home for a long time. I just got back now."
"What did you do?"
"Well, I did consulting work while traveling." He didn't want to elaborate.
Fortunately, Sarah didn't want to dwell on it either. She suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Why don't you come over for dinner? It's just Emma and me at home. You could come over and join us."
"Um, isn't that a bit awkward?" Although the neighborhood relations were fairly casual, it seemed a little inappropriate for a single man like Jake to enter the home of a single woman.
"It's okay, come on over. Emma likes you a lot too." After saying that, Sarah turned and walked toward her own house.
What a trusting woman.
With a sigh, Jake followed. He had nowhere to eat, so accepting a free meal was obviously not a bad idea. Most importantly, he wanted to enjoy some traditional home-cooked food again, instead of takeout or restaurant meals. Although those were convenient enough, he was getting tired of them.
His arrival clearly delighted the little girl, Emma, who pulled him to watch cartoons.
Jake enjoyed the meal immensely, partly due to his progress in the movie worlds. After all, he had a base and a thousand-year lifespan; now, all he needed to do was find a way to achieve true immortality.
He also had plans for the upcoming movie worlds, and everything was progressing in a positive direction.
The meal was pleasant for everyone, and by the time he returned home, it was completely dark.
If a woman invites you to her home, her intentions might be more than just casual.
Sarah, however, was not that kind of woman. After a brief time together, Jake discovered that she was genuinely welcoming; when she said "come over," she truly meant it platonically.
Jake didn't do anything inappropriate; he wasn't that kind of person.
...
Time passed quickly.
Perhaps the impact of the Mad Max world on Jake was too great—after all, the scene of tens of thousands of desperate people in that wasteland was truly disturbing—he subconsciously wanted to distance himself from these fictional worlds as much as possible.
The movie worlds aren't like reality; they're either too idealized or too dark. Everyone has their own firm stance, and their characters are all scripted, so there's always a touch of artificiality in them.
A week passed slowly like this.
Jake originally planned to rest peacefully for a week, adjust his mood, and then continue his journey into the movie worlds. The power and plots in those films were what he sought.
His stop in the real world was like returning home to rest after a trip, waiting for his mindset to adjust before continuing his journey.
During this week, Jake's interactions with Sarah next door didn't stop. The two became increasingly familiar, but only as neighbors.
Through their conversations, Jake learned that his young neighbor was indeed in a complicated situation with a certain businessman, though that wasn't quite the full story.
Because of her trusting nature and somewhat naive personality, Sarah had been taken advantage of by that businessman back in college.
Then, she unexpectedly became pregnant.
Sarah didn't want an abortion and wanted to have her child, but that was what the businessman feared most, so they reached an agreement.
He provided Sarah with a house, living expenses, and support for the child, but Sarah absolutely could not ask him for any public responsibility. This was also why the little girl Emma had her mother's surname.
After all, this situation could damage his reputation.
How many people in this world are truly content? Everyone has struggles, so Jake had no right to judge anyone. If someone crossed him, he would simply handle it.
Sarah also learned that Jake had the idea of making a movie.
Her cousin was studying film at college and was planning to make a short film, so she suggested that Jake contact him.
Jake's original plan was to find an entertainment company to invest in and produce a movie.
He would start with something manageable, and if it worked out, he could prepare for his next plans: adaptations or original content.
However, big companies also had a big problem: they valued box office revenue, and Jake's need for creative control over the plot was simply not possible.
At this stage, the most important thing was experimentation, so the quality of the script, or even the genre itself, didn't matter, as long as efficiency was high and the director was cooperative.
Through Sarah's contact, Jake met her cousin.
He was still a college student, and he brought his film crew with him to discuss the movie with Jake.
The "film crew" was minimal – cinematographer and production assistant, all handled by one or two people.
"Hello, Mr. Jake," the director said, having suggested they meet at a coffee shop to discuss. At least there was air conditioning and Wi-Fi, right?
"Hello," Jake nodded and shook hands with him. He knew that it wasn't easy for film students these days, so he didn't judge.
"Well, my cousin told me you're looking to produce a movie. What kind of genre are you looking for?"
"Genre isn't the main concern," Jake shook his head.
Looking at the young director's slightly confused expression, he figured the guy probably thought he was being dismissive.
"I want to make a feature film that's over two hours long, for theatrical release," he said, picking up his coffee from the table. "What do you think? We can collaborate on the script together."
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