Ding ding dong dong~
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
On the lawn, little Ava's birthday party had begun. The little one, dressed in a princess dress and wearing a birthday hat, was surrounded by everyone as she blew out candles and cut the cake.
Reeves, being a rock musician, strummed his guitar and sang a birthday song on the grass. He even teamed up with Depp for a duet of The Beatles' Yesterday.
"Hello, Director Lynch!"
At the party, Richard found David Lynch.
"Hey, Richard! I really enjoyed your boxing match. I was there in person for your fight against Del Valle. You controlled the rhythm throughout the match, attacking and defending with ease. No wonder you're known as the tactical master of the ring," Director David Lynch said with a smile, shaking Richard's hand.
"Thanks. Director Lynch, are you a fan of boxing too?" Richard asked with a smile.
"I was in the Boy Scouts and trained in boxing for three years. But I didn't have much talent, so I ended up switching to painting and filmmaking."
"That's a good thing. Otherwise, Hollywood would have lost a great director."
Richard chuckled, sitting down to have some tea and chat.
Director David Lynch, in his fifties, had slicked-back hair and a rugged face. He had originally been an art student before transitioning into screenwriting and filmmaking.
His notable works include The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks, and Wild at Heart. He had received Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay and two for Best Director.
He primarily focused on low-budget, artistic films, garnering many awards and nominations, though his films didn't always perform well at the box office. He was considered a top-tier arthouse director in the industry.
"Richard, have you ever thought about adapting your story into a movie?" David Lynch suddenly asked.
"Mine?"
"Yes. I've read about you in the papers. Your childhood experiences have deep social and historical context. You weren't the only one hurt by society during that period—you represent a whole group of people.
Now, this group has grown up. Some haven't escaped the shadows, some have fallen, and some are still fighting. But you've changed your fate through your efforts, becoming a powerful world champion and a role model for countless young people.
Your journey is incredible. If this story were made into a movie, it would be both spectacular and meaningful."
David Lynch waved his hands passionately as he spoke.
Richard gave a slight smile. After winning the WBC gold belt, the editor of the New York Post had interviewed him and brought up the idea of a personal autobiography. Later, some publishers approached him about releasing it.
Like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose autobiography made the New York Times bestseller list this year.
Compared to Johnson, Richard was even more famous, with a more compelling story. His autobiography would definitely be a bestseller.
But Richard had declined.
First, he felt he was still too young, and the events were too recent. He hadn't fully processed his past experiences.
Second, his boxing career hadn't yet peaked, so there was no need to rush a book. It would be more meaningful to wait until he was in his thirties or forties, when he was more successful and his life story more complete, to release a book.
"David, others have mentioned this idea to me, but I'm still too young. If my story is shown to audiences in a movie, whether it brings praise or criticism, it would affect my life.
And in terms of boxing, I still have more achievements to make in the future. If we adapt my story now, it wouldn't fully capture my journey in boxing."
Richard spread his hands and smiled.
Director David Lynch nodded slightly. "Your reasoning is sound. You said you plan to achieve more in boxing, but you're already the top light heavyweight. Are you planning to move up to cruiserweight next?"
Richard smiled gently. "I box to challenge the best fighters. There aren't enough top fighters in cruiserweight. My next step is to move directly to heavyweight and challenge the seasoned champions—Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield. They're getting old; if I don't challenge them soon, I might lose the chance."
"Richard, stop boasting. Can you really beat them?"
Reeves suddenly appeared behind the couch.
"Of course!"
Richard glanced at him. "Do you know what I fear most as a champion?"
"Guns?" Reeves laughed.
"Richard isn't afraid of guns. Don't forget he took down four armed robbers by himself," Ms. Theron reminded him.
"Alright, so what are you afraid of?" Reeves asked.
"I'm not afraid of losing or of opponents being stronger than me. What I fear most is beating everyone and looking back to find there's no one left in the ring who can challenge me. Can you imagine the loneliness of being invincible?" Richard sighed, looking troubled.
"..." Reeves twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a thumbs-up. "Richard, when it comes to shamelessness, you're the best."
"That's called confidence!" Richard replied with a light laugh.
"Oh, really? How about we spar? I bet you can't beat me," Reeves said, clenching his fists with a grin.
"Keanu, you box too?" Director David Lynch asked, amused.
"Haha, that's right! I'm pretty good at it, I just don't like getting into fights. Richard, if we go at it, I'll definitely win," Reeves declared confidently.
"OK, I'll humor you!" Richard rolled up his sleeves and stood up.
"Actually, never mind. You've got an injury on your arm, and I don't want to bully you," Reeves said, shaking his head.
"Keanu, when it comes to shamelessness, you're the best!" Richard gave him a thumbs-up.
"Haha, same here!" Reeves burst into laughter.
"Jennifer, keep an eye on Ava. Don't let her learn from these two," Ms. Theron said, holding little Ava's hand with a smile.
"Yeah, seeing these two, I'm really worried about Ava," Jennifer sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
"Why worry? Ava has two handsome and tough dads—what's the problem?" Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp's wife, said with a laugh as she held their daughter.
"Exactly! When Ava turns three, I'll teach her boxing," Richard said, playfully holding the little one.
"And I'll teach her how to ride a motorcycle," Reeves added.
Jennifer shot the two of them a glare before taking little Ava far away from them.
Everyone around burst out laughing.
After the birthday party, Richard got busy again. With Girl, Interrupted about to be released, even though he had a minor role, he was roped into doing a few promotional events, feeling more like a prop than anything else.
It wasn't until after the movie was released that he finally got some relief.
"Richard, the company received a script for a new movie by Sandra Bullock. They said there's a role that would suit you. Want to take a look?" Anthony asked, holding a script in the office.
"She mentioned it to me. I said I'd look at the script first."
Richard took the script and flipped through it. It was a comedy-action movie titled Miss Congeniality, a female-led film about a beautiful detective going undercover at a Miss America beauty pageant to solve a crime and catch the bad guys.
Sandra Bullock was both the lead actress and the producer. Richard's role was that of Eric, the female lead's colleague, boss, and boyfriend—a handsome and rugged FBI agent, the main male supporting role.
"Sandra Bullock is an A-list actress, and her films generally do well at the box office. Do you want to give it a shot?" Anthony asked.
Richard stroked his chin, wondering if playing an FBI agent might blow his cover.
"What's the salary?"
"We haven't discussed that yet, but with the success of your films this year, it should be at least three million or more."
"Alright, start negotiations. Next year, besides The Fast and the Furious, oh right, there's also the supporting role in Tomb Raider. How's the negotiation with Paramount going?"
"It's still ongoing, but with Christmas coming up, we probably won't have an outcome until next year."
"Fine, let's deal with it next year."
With Christmas a week away, Richard returned to New York. As he stepped out of Kennedy International Airport and looked up at the gray sky, he exhaled a puff of cold air.
It was about to snow in New York.