Chapter 404: Clues

Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Clues

The film production base in the suburbs of California was immense.

The park was divided into dozens of independent filming sets, with forest zones, highway zones, and suburban residential zones distributed in a contiguous layout.

The sets were separated only by a layer of dense forest fencing and simple soundproof wall panels, offering limited sound isolation.

From the fifth day of filming, whenever Irene sat in front of the monitor directing, she could intermittently hear dense sounds coming from the adjacent set.

Short, crisp gunshots, tactical footsteps, and muffled explosions followed one after another with high frequency, lasting almost throughout the entire shooting day.

The gunshots were highly penetrating and would occasionally bleed into the microphones for Transformers, causing multiple takes of dialogue to be ruined and requiring reshoots.

Over the following days, not only did the sound team frequently frown, but Irene also grew suspicious.

Taking advantage of a break to hydrate, she called over the person in charge of the set to ask for the reason.

"Which production crew is filming at the forest set next door? The constant gunfire all day has already affected our dialogue recording." Irene’s tone was calm, merely inquiring about the registered crew information.

The site manager checked the schedule for a moment and immediately gave an answer, his tone tinged with surprise.

"Irene, the entire north forest area next door is occupied by the crew of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, directed by Doug Liman. They are stationed here at the same time. Their film focuses on spy gunfights and close-quarters combat, so they use a large number of prop guns and blanks, hence the constant gunfire all day. It is purely a coincidence that both crews chose this suburban forest area for filming at the same time."

Upon hearing this, Irene was slightly taken aback; she had not expected to encounter a hit spy project crew on set.

The 2004 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a top-tier romance-spy blockbuster of the year with a massive production budget.

It had secured Hollywood’s current hottest stars, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, as the leads, bringing with it universal buzz that everyone in the industry knew about.

After learning it was a popular crew in the same park, Irene stopped worrying about the interference from the gunshots.

Random encounters between crews at Hollywood production bases were the norm.

The other party was using prop guns in compliance with regulations and had registered their use of blanks, so there was no violation.

Both sides just had to accommodate each other; the sound team could adjust their recording frequencies and record delicate dialogue by avoiding the other crew’s gunfight shooting schedules.

During the following days of filming, the two crews had a tacit understanding.

Whenever there was a large-scale explosion or intense gunfight, they would signal each other in advance to coordinate their recording times, and they got along very harmoniously on set.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the week arrived.

As the sun set in the evening, the Transformers crew was dismantling green screens and packing away props, with everyone preparing to finish work and rest.

Angelina Jolie happened to be taking a breather with her assistant at a forest intersection and ran into Irene’s main production team as they were leaving.

Their eyes met, and both were somewhat surprised.

Jolie had previously invited Irene to join Mr. & Mrs. Smith at Milan Fashion Week, but after returning, Irene had asked Robert to politely decline on her behalf.

Lack of time was one reason, and another was that Irene did not want to get entangled in the rumors surrounding Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt; she did not have time to deal with that.

Upon learning that Irene was leading the Transformers crew filming here, Jolie immediately marveled at the twist of fate.

She invited the core creative teams from both sides to have dinner at a high-end private Western restaurant near the park to relax after days of exhausting filming.

Irene, wanting to give her some face, readily agreed.

The dinner was a small, streamlined group.

The Transformers side included Irene, Scarlett, and Chris, while the Mr. & Mrs. Smith side included director Doug Liman, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt.

It was a small gathering of six, with a relaxed and casual atmosphere, free from the stiffness and formalities of a business banquet.

As the dishes were served and they chatted, Angelina Jolie raised her glass of wine mixed with water and looked at Irene, speaking directly about her regret with a sincere and wistful tone.

"Irene, I have always wanted to collaborate with you deeply on a film. I have been looking forward to it since the moment you won the Oscar for Best Picture. Mr. & Mrs. Smith was actually a great opportunity, but it is such a pity that it clashed with your filming of Transformers."

Such a gesture of goodwill was too blunt, but her words directly pitted Irene Coppola against Doug Liman.

If she was not careful, Irene would completely offend the other party.

Although she did not need to worry about whether Doug Liman would hold a grudge against her, she also did not want to be so easily used by Angelina Jolie.

Irene responded calmly, smiling and nodding as she replied.

"I am also very sorry that I could not partner with you. This year, Echo Pictures has a packed schedule of projects. Not only do I have to film Transformers, but I also have to handle other work at my company. With several projects running in parallel, I am spread too thin and truly do not have the spare energy to customize a role invitation."

"Moreover, Director Doug Liman has a mature and sharp style, and his control over the pacing of spy romance films is top-tier in the industry. The chemistry between you and Pitt is off the charts, and the gunfight atmosphere and the sense of fate between the two characters in Mr. & Mrs. Smith are destined to be brilliant. I am very much looking forward to the film’s release and will definitely support it by watching it as soon as it comes out."

Upon hearing this, Doug Liman smiled and immediately praised Irene’s ability to rewrite female archetypes and helm commercial blockbusters, noting it was far beyond her peers.

Brad Pitt also chimed in, praising the excellent narrative skills in Million Dollar Baby.

They exchanged compliments at the table, using polite and smooth social rhetoric—standard friendly interaction among top-tier Hollywood creatives.

As the formalities faded, Jolie and Pitt relaxed, completely disregarding the outsiders present.

Their interaction was exceptionally direct and intimate, with an ambiguous atmosphere that made them seem as if no one else was around.

Brad Pitt would subconsciously raise his hand to brush away stray hairs falling on Jolie’s neck, his movements natural and affectionate.

Jolie did not like the smoked olives in the Western dish, and throughout the meal, Pitt silently picked the olives from her plate and moved them to his own, a display of perfect tacit understanding without the need for words.

While others at the table were talking, the two would often lean in to whisper to each other, their toes inadvertently touching and interacting under the dining table, their gazes lingering and intertwining, the ambiguity in their eyes completely undisguised.

Everyone in the industry knew that in 2004, Brad Pitt and his wife, Jennifer Aniston, were still legally married and had not announced a divorce.

As an on-screen couple, they should have maintained proper boundaries in private, but at this moment, their interaction had long since crossed the line of ordinary professional partners.

Irene sat at the table, taking it all in without changing her expression, understanding everything in her heart.

The extramarital affair between Pitt and Jolie, which had caused a global sensation in her previous life, was already brewing and heating up on set.

It just had not been officially announced yet, and the mass media remained unaware.

The entire dinner concluded smoothly.

As the night deepened, the creative teams from both sides waved goodbye at the entrance of the Western restaurant.

Doug Liman took Pitt to the car to wait, while Jolie stayed behind to hug Irene goodbye, promising that if a suitable script came along in the future, the two of them must collaborate.

Watching Jolie turn and leave, the evening breeze felt cool.

Scarlett slowly walked to Irene’s side, her blonde hair stirred by the wind.

She looked up at the receding vehicle, lowered her voice, and leaned close to Irene’s ear, whispering with the cautious curiosity of a new-generation artist gossiping.

"Irene, has Brad Pitt and Jennifer not announced their divorce yet? Has he already filed for divorce?"

Only the sounds of the evening breeze and traffic remained, with no one else around to overhear.

The question was blunt and bold.

Irene shook her head slightly, her gaze indifferent, her voice kept equally low.

"I am not sure. No news of a divorce filing has leaked in the industry; their official marital status remains intact."

A simple sentence revealed the whole mystery.

Scarlett instantly understood the subtext, her eyes filled with realization.

The two locked eyes for a second, then simultaneously pursed their lips, their expressions reflecting a tacit understanding.

In the Hollywood entertainment industry, personal relationships, on-screen romances, and private entanglements were always complex.

The two did not need to say more to understand the secretive and sensitive situation of this relationship.

Chris, standing to the side, did not understand the undercurrents of industry marriages and affairs.

He only felt that the two seniors had interacted in a friendly manner.

He stood obediently to the side waiting for the return vehicle, completely oblivious to the tacit understanding between the two women who had seen through the private affairs of the entertainment industry.