His Genius Wife Is A Superstar - Chapter 1528: Meeting Director Jabar Wilkins (part III)

Director Wilkins continued, “Then I checked the credits and saw that the entire film score was composed by you, Iris Long. This sent me into a bingeing spiral where I watched everything that I could find about you. My favourite is your guest performance with Maestro Ludovico de Luca’s symphony orchestra in Germany.”

Iris’ eyes widened. “You even watched that performance. It feels like it happened so long ago.”

“I heard that Maestro de Luca is also your music mentor along with Enrique.”

She nodded.

He sighed in admiration. “You must be a true genius like Enrique.”

“En, my wife is indeed a genius,” Jin Liwei replied before Iris could say anything. His gaze on her was soft and filled with love.

Wilkins chuckled at the sight. “So it’s true that CEO Liam Jin is head over heels in love with his wife. That’s good! A man who’s loyal to his wife is a real man! Cheating men are cowards who lack self-control. I say it’s not difficult to stay faithful. If you no longer love each other, just divorce! At least have the decency to separate from your current partner before finding another one. There’s no need to hurt and humiliate your partner by cheating on her.”

“Exactly.” Jin Liwei’s expression became more open after hearing the director’s words. “But I’ll never separate from my wife. She’s the only one for me.”

Iris watched the two men bond over their values about life and love.

She was glad that the awkward misunderstanding from earlier had been ironed out without any remaining issues. She didn’t want her husband to have a conflict with Jabar Wilkins, especially since she admired the director for his grit and optimism in life.

Wilkins turned to her again. “Iris, you are a very talented and skillful composer. If it’s alright with you, I hope we can collaborate on my next project.”

His sudden request caught Iris by surprise. Even so, she didn’t hesitate.

“Of course, yes!”

Iris wouldn’t pass up this chance to collaborate with a famous Hollywood director. No matter what kind of project it was, she would make it work.

Her swift acceptance pleased the director very much. Jabar laughed and ordered another round of champagne for him and Jin Liwei and another mocktail for Iris.

“Good! I like straightforward people like you, Iris.”

She shrugged but the smile stayed on her lips. “I don’t like wasting time, that’s all.”

“Cheers to that!”

“Cheers!”

“Liam, you too! Cheers!”

“En, cheers.”

After another round of drinking, Wilkins revealed more about his slump.

“I have now entered a stage in my life when the inspiration isn’t just there anymore. My last five films performed below expectations. The latest one almost flopped. The critics are roasting me, declaring that I’m now past my prime and that I’m recycling old techniques that are severely behind the times.”

Iris put down her mocktail glass and focused on listening to the director’s story. Jin Liwei ordered a glass of flavoured sparkling water and replaced both his and the director’s champagne glasses. This wasn’t the time to get drunk. He and his wife still needed to maintain their wits for the later part of the launch party.

Wilkins didn’t mind that Jin Liwei replaced his alcohol with water.

He continued, “Some of my contemporaries are calling me stubborn for holding on to my original ideas, saying that times have changed and that I should keep up with the times to stay relevant. But my philosophy is different from theirs. I want to create timeless masterpieces that will be remembered even after I’m dead rather than trendy blockbusters that may be profitable at the moment but will eventually lose their influence in film history.”

Iris nodded, agreeing with his philosophy. Her admiration for him grew even more.

“To be honest with you, these constant setbacks have taken a toll on me. Now I know what it feels like when people say that it’s easier to climb the top than to stay on top for the rest of your career. People call me a renowned Hollywood director, but if I continue to release films that perform below expectations, then at this rate, I’ll surely fade away from the spotlight until nobody knows me anymore. I’m hungry, I’m desperate! I want to create my next masterpiece—no, my best masterpiece yet, but now that I’ve fallen this low in my career after reaching the top, nobody trusts me anymore.

“I had many friends in Hollywood when I was one of the top directors in the industry. But now that I’m close to being a nobody, they’re either avoiding me or acting as if they don’t know me in the first place. Only Enrique and a handful of others remain as my true, loyal friends in Hollywood. They’re very rare real friends. I’m very thankful for them, but I know that they can’t always rescue me when I’m in trouble. At the end of the day, I need to be the one to take control of my life, career, and future.”

Wilkins paused to down his glass of sparkling water. Jin Liwei immediately refilled it.

Iris remained quiet, continuing to listen to the director’s story.

The director asked her, “Do you want to hear about my next project?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Jin Liwei also changed her drink from a mocktail to a glass of flavoured sparkling water.

She smiled at him as thanks.

Then Wilkins said, “My next project is an epic multi-film series. I want it to become the next big movie franchise. I optioned the original novel series that it will be based on, but so far, nobody is willing to take the risk of funding it due to the large investment requirements. I’m not the type to settle for anything cheap and sub-par just to save money. I’m willing to spend a lot to produce the highest quality film that I can create. If this was before, production companies would be flocking by now. But look at them, they’re now avoiding me for fear that they’re going to flop.”

Iris grew more serious. “What’s the progress of your current preparations?”