*Chapter 206: Free Labor*

Back in his office, Richard spent several hours carefully going through the leftover materials, hoping to find something familiar. However, after sifting through a mountain of scripts, he still hadn’t come across anything that jogged his memory. This left him feeling a bit frustrated—was starting a film company the right decision?

Just then, his phone rang. It was Sandra Bullock, informing him that the movie had wrapped up filming and would be entering post-production next week. She asked him to set aside some time in advance. After a brief chat, Richard hung up the phone.

Thinking about Sandra, he suddenly recalled some details about her future projects. It seemed like she would be involved in an Oscar-level film in the future, also called Crash. Could this be the same Crash?

Richard picked up the Crash script and studied it again. The script dealt with racial themes, which seemed to align well with the tastes of Oscar voters.

With a budget of less than $8 million, this movie could make it to the Oscars. Its box office performance was likely to be impressive too.

After some thought, Richard brought the script to Kopelson. The first project could be Rock 'n' Roll Barbie, but they should also secure Crash. The script was excellent, and it would be best to start production as soon as possible.

Kopelson agreed. The production team had carefully selected this script, and everyone had unanimously praised it, indicating that the project had great potential.

After a brief meeting, Richard returned to his office.

Given the jumbled state of his memories, he realized that there was a wealth of potential hidden within them. If utilized correctly, it could be far more profitable than investing in the stock market.

He pulled out a notebook and, following the format of celebrity profiles, began to organize information about Hollywood's movie stars, hoping to identify a few promising projects from their future work.

Over the next few days, aside from training, Richard spent most of his time thinking hard about celebrity profiles. The effort paid off somewhat—he managed to recall some useful details—but it nearly made his head explode. The mental strain was as intense as getting shot in the head twice.

Fortunately, Ms. Bündchen arrived in Los Angeles, which significantly alleviated his mental exhaustion.

“You shouldn’t just focus on work. Take some time to rest, or you’ll wear yourself out,” she gently said, massaging his scalp as they sat on the sofa in the hilltop villa.

Richard smiled softly, “You’re one to talk. Compared to you, I’m practically on vacation.”

“I don’t have any work in May or June, so I’m free to do whatever I want. Can you say the same?” Ms. Bündchen replied with a smile.

“Not quite. The Fast and the Furious starts filming next week. Wait, next week?” Richard suddenly sat up, holding Bündchen close, “Do you have any work this week?”

“No, why?” she asked.

“Then how about we go on a vacation? Work has been draining lately, and I need a break. I didn’t have anyone to travel with before, so it wasn’t any fun. Now that you’re here, it’s perfect,” Richard said with a grin.

Ms. Bündchen blinked, “But I still have work.”

“Cancel it. Whatever the job is, just cancel it. You spend the entire year working, completely ignoring the fact that you have a boyfriend. That’s not okay.”

Ms. Bündchen chuckled, “Aren’t you busy with work too? I’ve been the one coming to see you these past two months. Have you been back to New York at all?”

“But I’m genuinely busy, and you know how things are on set.”

“Is my work not real work then?” she retorted, giving him a playful glare.

“Alright, alright, we’re both busy. But not now. This week, we’re going on a trip. No matter what work comes up, it has to be postponed. How about that?”

“No!” Ms. Bündchen crossed her arms.

“Objection overruled. We’re leaving now!” Richard said as he wrapped his arms around her and headed for the door.

“Wait, we haven’t prepared anything, and I haven’t asked for time off.”

“No need to prepare. With money, you can go anywhere in the world. As for time off, make the call in the car. If your company doesn’t agree, we’ll fire them. We’re not short on cash.”

“Alright, Mr. Billionaire, but I should remind you of one thing,” Ms. Bündchen said with a smirk.

“You forgot to put on pants.

---

"Uh~"

Richard had to go back to put on his pants.

Ms. Bündchen started packing and planning the trip. They were originally supposed to leave in the morning, but ended up postponing it until the next day.

The two of them flew to Paris, France, where they went on a shopping spree and indulged in local cuisine. They stayed for six days before returning to Los Angeles.

He originally planned to stay longer, but the filming of "Fast & Furious" was about to start, and as the lead actor and assistant producer, he couldn't be absent.

"Richard, you're really an unqualified assistant. You went on vacation in the middle of work and left everything to me."

On the set of "Fast & Furious" in Malibu, Los Angeles, producer Neal Moritz said with a stern face.

"Haha, Neal, you know how busy I was recently, with both the movie and company affairs. I was so exhausted that I was worried it might affect the shoot, so I went on a short vacation to refresh myself. Neal, I even brought you a gift from Paris."

Richard smiled slightly and took out a small bag from his bag. "You mentioned last time that your back was hurting, so I got you a massage belt. It has heating and vibration functions, and it's very effective. Want to give it a try?"

Neal Moritz shook his head but still accepted it.

"Thanks!"

"Haha, no problem!"

Richard chuckled. He hadn't originally thought of buying these things, but Ms. Bündchen had reminded him that it was best to bring back some small gifts when traveling.

Besides Neal Moritz, a few other familiar faces in the crew also received small, thoughtful gifts. The items weren't expensive, but it was the thought that counted.

"Richard, now that you're back, focus on work. Today, we're shooting Paul Walker's scenes first. Stick with me to help coordinate."

Neal Moritz said.

"Shooting Paul's first?"

Richard shook his head, thinking that if he had known, he would have stayed a few more days.

Neal Moritz handed him a document. "Contact Ferrari's marketing department. Find out when those new models will be ready. If they can't meet our schedule, we'll switch to Porsche."

"Got it!"

Richard grabbed his notebook and switched into producer assistant mode.

The production was just getting started, and the work was endless. Every day he had to contact sponsors, brand partners, legal teams, actors, and cameramen. He made over a hundred calls a day.

He almost got overwhelmed again.

After a week of busy work, it was finally his turn to be on camera. Only then did producer Neal Moritz transfer the heavy assistant duties to another assistant.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly remembered something. He had worked as an assistant for two months and hadn't received a single cent in pay.

He specifically went to find Neal Moritz, who was eating at the time.

"Pay?"

Neal Moritz's mouth twitched. "Didn't you say you were here to learn?"

"I didn't ask for pay, but you can't just not give it."

Richard poured him a beer.

"Nope, don't even think about it. This isn't up for discussion."

Neal Moritz shook his head.

"Alright, so you see me as free labor."

Richard said, displeased.

"No, you're a student!"

Neal Moritz laughed.

"Mr. Brad, it's your turn next. Go test the car."

The stage manager called out.

"Coming!"

---

(End of this chapter)