"Damn it!"
Jessica Alba threw the newspaper out of her hand, and then she took a few breaths, stood up in her nightgown, walked around on the soft carpet with bare feet, and then jumped to the window Come on, pull open the curtains hard...
With a swish, as the curtains were opened, the bright sunlight from outside shone in and fell on her beautiful face.
The depression in Jessica Alba's eyes couldn't be concealed, and she couldn't help but glance at the newspaper she threw on the ground—the entertainment page.
There is no doubt that the past six months have indeed been a period of very bad luck for her. As the most promising newcomer once recognized by all film critics, he is recognized as the "sweetheart" of the new generation of the United States. She has never hoped that she would just be a vase who only earns a living by showing off her beauty. But ambition also comes with a little bit of luck. And poor Jessica, obviously, lacked a modicum of luck.
"Fantastic Four 2" in the first half of the year is a comic book adaptation, and it is also a sequel... Naturally, it cannot have any connotations, it is nothing more than a typical Hollywood commercial special effects blockbuster. Despite a modest box office run, it was rated as garbage by almost all critics...or close to it.
And I originally expressed great expectations for this movie. In the end, because of this movie, those film critics ridiculed that the acting skills are not even a vase...
Then luck seemed to be even worse, and the film was also selected for the Golden Strawberry Award (a mocking competition for bad movies). Afterwards, my stardom seemed to be a little unclear, and a new film I was filming was delayed again and again due to investment problems. And after experiencing the extremely bad reputation of the Fantastic Four before, Jessica intends to restore her reputation, and has reached the level of being picky about the script of the new film...
"I want to be an actress, not a vase!" This sentence used to be Jessica's slogan, but now it has become a super joke.
"People" magazine didn't let me appear on the cover once this year... I used to be their darling! Even this year's ranking of the sexiest and most beautiful women is twelve places behind last year's ranking!
And now...
Jessica walked to the mirror and glanced at her hair, which had just been dyed black a few days ago. Dye your hair black and add a bit of oriental mystery to yourself. This will undoubtedly make you look sexier... This is entirely a suggestion from my own image consultant, but...
The newspaper actually rated her new hairstyle as one of the five stars with the worst taste this month!
His acting skills were ridiculed by film critics, but now it seems that he can't even be a vase? ?
And my manager, yesterday actually suggested that I go to a guest star in a recently popular TV soap opera on NBC? !
hell! I am a movie actor! It's for the big screen! ! Do you want to go back and star in those cheap TV dramas instead? ? ? What a disgrace! (In the United States, it is generally believed that the status of movies is much higher than that of TV dramas. Film practitioners also have a detached status compared to TV practitioners. Many stars who are famous for TV are unwilling to mix into the movie circle. If I make TV again, I will think it is a regression and degradation.)
But what if you don't shoot? I haven't had any new material for several months, and now even those gossip newspapers are reluctant to give me their pages. Although the agent was a bit annoying to him, he had to deny that he was right.
"Exposure rate! If you want to maintain your popularity, you must maintain your exposure rate in front of the public!"
Maybe what he said was right, but Jessica still felt that, as a well-known movie actor, it was a depraved behavior to go back and act in a TV series. I didn't see that Jennifer Aniston has never acted in any TV series since she became popular with "Friends".
Although, the agent made an arrangement, claiming that as long as he is willing to appear on the soap opera as a guest star, he can arrange himself to appear on the "TONIGHT" show. (A very famous talk show in the United States), this is very good for my exposure.
Well, maybe that's the only way to go, there is no suitable movie to make now... I don't even have a film contract in hand.
It seems that overnight, Jessica Alba, once the most beautiful doll in Hollywood, the most huggable baby in Hollywood selected by male movie fans, the most beautiful American sweetheart... Jessica Alba, suddenly became uninterested
Indeed, she was a beauty, and a great beauty at that. But a 27-year-old beauty, once the "most promising newcomer", has not been able to get into the real front line at the age of 27...
Don't forget, this is Hollywood! The most indispensable thing here is beautiful and handsome men! ! There are tens of thousands of young 18-year-old beauties and handsome men from all over the world who dream of being a star! !
And I am already twenty-seven years old! !
And just as Jessica was sighing, she was about to pick up the phone and call her agent, expressing her willingness to accept a cameo appearance in that low-cost soap opera, when she suddenly saw another piece of news from the newspapers scattered on the ground.
"Billy Hill Films has a different owner, and the mysterious Orientals have injected new capital."
Below is a photo, which was obviously taken by a reporter at the entrance of the company. In the photo, a young man with an oriental face showed a handsome and charming smile at the camera, and waved his hands casually. Although he was wearing sunglasses, Jessica could tell at a glance that this man seemed to be the mysterious oriental man he met at Mr. Sorin's dinner party in Canada half a year ago, and at that time Sorin respected him very much It seems that this guy has a lot of background.
Completely out of instinct, Jessica roughly scanned the following news text, and the sentence in it attracted her attention: "The company announced that it may start shooting a new film in the near future, and there is currently no news about the script creation. But there are sources claiming that the film may have Colin Farrell, Keanu Reeves joining, and even more news that John Depp is also on the list of candidates."
Undoubtedly, these are the names of three top-tier male stars who are currently popular in Hollywood, so the three names can immediately attract a lot of attention... But what Jessica noticed is... There is no mention of any new movies in this news Profile of the actress.
"Maybe..." She thought for a while, her seductive lips gently pulled out a charming arc...
I think I was really born with a knack for acting...or a knack for being a con artist.
Entering the Billy Hill Film Company was almost unbelievably smooth... I even felt that the company's decision-makers almost welcomed me as a foreign guy. Although the way they looked at me, they probably regarded me as an idiot. Now everyone knows that Billy Hill Film Company is rotten. At this time, there are still people who take over this company, either they are super experts who have already mastered the film industry, or... they are idiots!
And I don't really look like an expert in the film industry.
I didn't disclose any plans, such as my upcoming injection of new funds, but I immediately asked to convene the company's board of directors, and then proposed that I was willing to acquire all the shares held by other directors.
Not some, but all!
I want to completely control this company in my hands!
As for these shareholders, seeing that I am such a "successful son + a big fool" who is willing to spend money to take over these messes, I wish for them.
Everyone knows that these shares in their hands are only "theoretically" valuable now, but once the company goes bankrupt, those shares in their hands are not even as good as toilet paper! And now it seems that the bankruptcy of the company is certain!
The negotiation was extremely smooth. We signed most of the shareholders' shares almost on the spot, and the price was ridiculously low... At this time, it is equivalent to a boring rotten ship. Everyone is rushing to get out of this rotten ship. Will someone come to negotiate with me on the price
For six million dollars, I bought all the shares back. In Yang Wei's opinion, this price is considered too high. She thinks that if I am a little more ruthless, the cost can be reduced to less than three million.
The lawyer was responsible for completing the legal procedures, signing all the contracts, and telling the shareholders and directors of the company to leave. I immediately held a meeting of the company's internal management and announced that I would inject 1,000 yuan into the company. million to pay off part of the company's debt.
This announcement was like a shot of stimulant, which revitalized the already extremely demoralized company inside!
Especially those employees in the company!
You know, in Hollywood, the concentration place of the world's film industry, although this is the world's largest film production base, it also gathers film practitioners from all over the world here! ! Although walking around Hollywood, the people you meet are probably either actors or screenwriters, or photographers, etc... Anyway, basically everyone here seems to have something to do with movies...
The competition has reached the point of almost horror! ! Dozens or even hundreds of people will scramble for a job in the film industry at any time! !
And the company's ability not to go bankrupt also allowed these people to temporarily keep their jobs! Otherwise, once the company goes bankrupt, they will all lose their jobs. I am afraid that starting tomorrow, they will go to the studios of several major companies to find temporary jobs to make ends meet.
This is the almost cruel competition under the halo of the super-developed Hollywood film industry!
Then, Yang Wei and I had a secret meeting with the representative of the bank.
Yang Wei's strategy is simple: "Do as much as possible with the lowest cost!"
Originally, in my opinion, since the company has some contracts, it doesn’t matter if I directly pay the company to help the company repay the loan owed to the bank. The loan owed to the bank is about 20 million US dollars. These are debts that the company has owed over the years.
But Yang Wei refused to pay more.
The start of negotiations with the bank has reached an impasse. The bank insisted that it either repay all debts, or declare liquidation! The company was declared bankrupt, the bank took over the company, and then the company was dismantled and sold for cash to offset debts.
"No, we want us to repay 20 million US dollars right now... that's Tianfang Yetan." Yang Wei refused very simply.
Just when the bank representative was about to give up, Yang Wei coldly put forward his offer: "Ten million, we will repay up to ten million dollars first. For the rest of the debt, we are willing to make a reasonable repayment offer with the bank." The date of payment... everything will be carried out according to the normal loan route."
"But it's not that you don't have money!" The representative of the bank obviously did a full investigation: "According to the information we have, Mr. Chen, and Ms. Yang, the forces behind the two don't care about this mere 10 million yuan. Dollars! You are well funded."
"Then there is no reason to force us to pay back immediately." Yang Wei did not let go.
"Because the reputation of Billy Hill Company has been reduced to the lowest level! If it is other customers, of course we are willing to continue lending. Anyway, there is money to be made, so why are we not willing?" The representative of the bank is obviously also a guy who is proficient in negotiating, He shrugged: "We would love to continue lending to our customers...but the problem now is that our assessment team has assessed Billy Hill as a dangerous company at the moment!! We don't want to be in a quagmire! We just want to Get out of here as soon as possible. It's not our fault, it's Billy Hill's bad bank credit that has caused this over the years!"
"But we only have 10 million dollars in our hands now." Yang Wei looked at him, and then suddenly smiled: "Now all the debts are a total of 20 million dollars... Sir, let's make a very simple comparison... Or, You accept our 10 million repayment, and the remaining 10 million will be repaid in installments according to the normal loan procedures. Or, you refuse us, and after two months, the company goes bankrupt, and you sell the company." Her The expression was very confident: "But you might as well do the math... If you reject our proposal and insist on asking the company to go bankrupt... Then, with the current situation of Billy Hill Company, even if you take it out and sell it, how much money can you sell it back?"
"..." The bank representative was speechless.
"I can answer your question, because I have done very detailed calculations and came up with a very reasonable figure, which is about six million dollars." Yang Wei's face was full of confidence, and at this moment she seemed like a real Like a strong woman planning a strategy, she looked at each other: "Look, either you accept our ten million dollar repayment plan! Or... you take the company, and then you can only get six million. Such a simple math problem, elementary school students will be counted.”
…
After seeing off the bank representative, Yang Wei gave me a triumphant smile.
"We don't need ten million." I shrugged. "Why don't you just pay off the debt? Owing to the bank is not a good thing."
Yang Wei looked at me with a half-smile, then she took the paper cup on the table and brought me the coffee. I saw a faint mockery on her face: "Chen Yang, you are wrong, we are not short of 10 million...we are short of more, 100 million, 200 million!"
I sat on the chair, and she walked around behind me, put her hands lightly on my shoulders, and she was standing behind me, and then she whispered in my ear: "Chen Yang, I know you I have made a lot of money in the past six months. But how much assets do you have in total now? Count the cash flow in your company, add your current fixed assets, add your current house, that villa, and all your assets , the total is only 100 million, right?" She seemed to smile: "100 million dollars, in Hollywood, the production cost of any B-level movie is far more than this figure! You are wrong, we are not Lack of money... but a very, very lack of money!!"
She walked up to me, wrung her fingers, and said with a smile: "Look, we are newcomers, we want to break into this circle, we want to have relations with the media, do publicity, hold parties, etc. They all want to throw out huge sums of dollars!! Newspapers, magazines, media, TV stations, radio stations, as well as those harsh film critics, industry associations...these will all grow up and eat our large sums of money On a budget!! We are so short on money!!”
I couldn't help but blushed slightly on my face. Indeed, maybe I have been a little carried away recently, right
It's a legend for a self-made guy like me to make a profit of $100 million in just one year. But such a huge success also made my mind a little hot.
"Besides, the problem is, I don't intend to let you invest all your worth in this company." Yang Wei's eyes were full of her usual wisdom and calmness: "This company will become our brand name." Cash machine... But this is just a tool to make money, not your real career! Not your real foundation! So here, my calculation is that the most reasonable way for you to invest here is to invest 30 million US dollars at most! At most That's the only way! Your funds should be used in more reasonable places, not here. Thirty million in Hollywood, you can't do much, maybe you can't even make a splash—if you want to If it becomes bigger here! This amount of money will not be enough.”
"Then what is your plan?" My eyes lit up, and I vaguely understood Yang Wei's intentions.
"Second-rate smart people use their own money to make money for themselves... first-rate smart people use other people's money to make money for themselves!" Yang smiled happily: "My idea is very simple, we can't let the banks run away, keep taking them and us. Bind together! I just plan to pay them back 10 million, and they will agree. There are two advantages of letting the bank tie us up." Yang Wei quickly talked about her plan: "First, we are Outsiders, we have no roots here. After swallowing this company, we only kept all the employees in the middle and lower levels of the company, which maintained the company's ability to operate. However, the upper-level people of the company, those shareholders, they all left .In other words, we lost our contacts and connections in Hollywood! When we were in trouble, there was no one to help us! When we met opponents with bad intentions... You know, this is Hollywood! Size There are countless film companies! At any time, competitors will set us a trap or cause trouble... At this time, we need someone to help us... And the bank is the best helper!"
"Perhaps you, Chen Yang, will never understand the power of banks!! But I can tell you that in the capitalist world, banks represent the operation of capital! All companies are related to banks, all companies! !Everything!! Banks are not just a financial institution... In their hands, behind them, and themselves, there is a huge network of relationships that is beyond your imagination! And, if nothing else, banks will always be Winner! I've heard a saying in America: If you want to be successful, you just have to keep yourself and the bank forever. Of course, some people say that the bank is a bunch of vampires, but I have to admit, they You have a huge amount of energy in your hands."
Yang Wei is undoubtedly teaching me a good lesson! Maybe I thought I was already very smart before, and I was very proud that I could win over the smuggling business and unify the underworld, but for this kind of orthodox, mainstream, commercial and political tricks, I really have to be modest in front of Yang Wei bowed his head to study.
"You see, I offered them 10 million, which has actually given them an unexpected harvest. Because if the company goes bankrupt as planned, the bank will get even less. These people only accept money! In the West , don’t ever expect the bank to talk to you! And the ten million I throw out is also a bait! Let them taste the sweetness first, and then they will see that our development is gradually on track, and at the same time, they We also hope that we can repay the remaining 10 million loans... At this time, whoever is against us is against the bank! If anyone wants to bring us down...then the bank will worry, once we collapse , they will not be able to get the repayment of the remaining 10 million loan... So, at the critical moment, when we encounter difficulties, the bank will give us some help! This help is not limited to lending us money ! Many officials, governments, institutions, many big companies... they all want to sell the bank's face!!!"
I nodded and sighed, "That makes sense!"
"This is just the first aspect I said. As for the second aspect... As I said just now, we are still short of money. So, when the company develops on track, not only will I not repay the bank loan, but I plan to make further contributions to the bank. Additional loans from the bank! Further financing!! We seem to be a quagmire, I want the bank to sink deeper and deeper into our quagmire! The more they lend us, the more they will value us in the future! Because we collapsed, they Our loans will suffer losses! So they will do their best to escort us... At the same time, why not use bank money to make money for us?"
After saying this, Yang Wei looked at me and said with a slight smile: "Honey, these are the rules of the game in the capitalist world, you must learn these as soon as possible... Then, 'play' well here!"
At this moment, the smile on Yang Wei's face was like a demon with a small tail behind him.
"So, what's our next plan?" I asked.
Yang Wei thought for a while: "It's almost there. Although the bank didn't reply us today, they will definitely accept our request. So the bank's barrier is over for the time being. Next, in the next few days, we need to go to We met and had a good talk with the managers of the big-name stars who we have film contracts in our hands."
"Is it really going to be a movie?" I was a little excited: "Colin Farrell, Keno Reeves... Oh, and John Depp, he is one of my favorite actors."
"But you'd better be prepared mentally. I've guessed that there's only a 0.1% chance that they'll admit to making a film appointment for us." Yang smiled and poured a bucket of cold water on me.
"Oh? Don't we have a film contract in hand?"
"Film appointments are not everything." Yang Wei shook his head: "I never expected to rely on film appointments to get these big names to come and shoot for us... If we really did that, it would be tantamount to offending several powerful enemies! Get John Depp to make a movie for $2 million? Heck, he's making at least $20 million plus cuts! Even if he would, his agent wouldn't! Agents are all Relying on the commission of the income of its actors! John Depp’s income is less, which means that his agent’s income is less... His agent will hate us to death! In Hollywood, a big-name agent may sign Many big-name stars! If we offend a big-name agent, it means that we will say goodbye to all the big-name actors under this agent forever! Doing this kind of thing is not worth the candle."
"Then what are you going to do?"
Next, Yang Wei roughly explained to me the rules of film appointments. Even if the film contract is signed, it can be breached. Of course, a certain amount of breach of contract must be paid. Generally speaking, the default amount is about ten times the contract amount.
In fact, after some big-name actors become famous, they will buy back the film contracts they signed before becoming famous! Rather pay liquidated damages!
"It's very simple... my dear." Yang Wei couldn't help laughing, she laughed a little strangely: "I have seen the film contract between us and Colin Farrell, it was clearly written on it, and it was stated in the film contract that Colin Farrell was even willing to There are 'nude' performances in the movies." She looked strange: "Look, that was many years ago! At that time, Colin Farrell was still a nobody. He signed this kind of contract in order to have a movie to shoot. But now? You Think he'd still be willing to do nudity in a movie he's making? Unless you're asking a lot!"
I nodded.
"So, my plan doesn't expect those big names to fulfill their contracts and make movies for us. I just want to use these as bargaining chips to negotiate with them. They can pay a certain amount of breach of contract to buy back their contracts. " Yang Wei said.
I thought about it seriously: "In this case... how much money can we get?"
Yang Wei quickly took out a notebook and opened it, did some calculations, and said with a smile: "Colin Farrell is the least. When he signed the contract, he was paid 150,000 US dollars. Even if it is increased ten times, it is only 100,000 US dollars. It's only half a million. But the unlucky ones are John Depp and Keno Reeves. John Depp's contract is two million dollars a play. And he has to pay liquidated damages, which is ten times as high as the contract. That's two Tens of millions of dollars in compensation. And the most unlucky thing is Kino Reeves... He signed three films at the time, 6 million dollars, and if he doubled it... "
She glanced at me and smiled slyly.
I whistled. "Sixty million? God, I feel like a blackmailer."
But after thinking about it seriously, I sighed and looked at Yang Wei: "Okay, Yang Wei, stop playing with me! I'm not a fool! Such blackmail, in Hollywood? Do this to the most popular star Blackmail? Is this possible? They will definitely resist, and the lawsuit will take a long time! Will they obediently pay us tens of millions? Even superstars will not feel sorry for such a large sum of money. Moreover, this What's the difference between offending them and what you just said? We can't do this, certainly not."
Yang Wei looked at me, with a trace of satisfaction in his eyes, and smiled: "It's really great that you can think like this."
I couldn't help being a little frustrated: "But what should I do? This is a bit of an appointment, but it's our trump card! If it doesn't work..."
"No, we must use it." Yang smiled: "It just needs to be skillful. We can talk to their agent. Under the condition that the legality of the contract cannot be denied, the other party's agent can only The best way is to discuss with us to find a way to cancel these contracts. And we can't open our mouths and really ask them for the full amount of liquidated damages! My plan is to ask for less, or even completely in accordance with the contract amount, one cent I don't need much money, so I sell the contract to them. In this way, I can at least establish some relationship with them and win their favor... Making two more super famous friends is not bad for Hollywood newcomers like us! At the same time, we can also make full use of this matter to carry out... "
I suddenly smiled, and before Yang Wei could say anything, I said, "Discuss with them, let's cooperate, and make some hype? Be careful, they want to return their film contracts, we want to pay back the cost, and at the same time we can Get a hype... a few super big names join hands with us to hype together!"
"Yes, this company is actually very good. All the operating departments are complete. Although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs. Moreover, in fact, they originally had their own filming plans, but the company became more chaotic later on. It’s getting worse, and there is no money to invest in making movies. Even now, the company has the scripts bought in the year, and the budget team, etc. Everything. As long as we have funds, we can start shooting a movie at any time!" Yang smiled: "Of course, we don't care about making movies, we just use this movie company to make money...and at the same time..."
When Yang Wei said this, she looked at me and said quietly: "Xiao Wu, with the development of your career, are you going to use our family's casino to launder money all the time? That means you put your lifeblood on me all the time. Uncle! Now you and my uncle are allies, and you are a cooperative relationship... But if the situation changes one day in the future... What should you do? You need to have a new channel for money laundering! And movies are a very good The method! You know, among the seven giants of Hollywood, one of them has the background of the Italian Mafia!"
When Yang Wei said these words, I couldn't help but feel a little moved in my heart, I looked at her deeply, and I didn't know what to say.
She has really abandoned her own family's position, and she is completely thinking about me!
My heart trembled, there is no doubt that I read something from Yang Wei's eyes that made me feel very heavy! I subconsciously sighed, trying to avert my eyes. Fortunately, Yang Wei didn't want to embarrass me, she quickly adjusted her emotions... This is really a very wise woman, she is extremely smart, but she only thinks about me, and doesn't embarrass me.
"Okay, let's think of a way first." Yang smiled: "Now I want to think of a way to make you the headlines of the last entertainment media in the shortest possible time! Well, now our company There are not too many gimmicks to hype, but I think the media seems to be very interested in you, a mysterious investor from the East... Well, I need a gimmick... a gimmick... um... a gimmick... "
She looked at me, as if she was thinking about how to squeeze the value out of me, with a smile that was not a smile.
I have long been used to Yang Wei showing such a smile often. Generally speaking, when she smiles like this, it means that someone is going to be tricked by her.
At this moment, the mobile phone I put in my coat pocket suddenly rang...
The phone number is a string of unfamiliar numbers, but obviously, it is a local number.
Um? I don't remember any local friends I have.
After answering, I just said "HELLO", and then I heard a soft woman's voice from the other party: "Hi~ hello, is this Mr. Chen? Oh, I don't know if you still remember my friend I’m Jessica Alba. I didn’t know you’ve come to Hollywood until I saw the newspaper. Would you like to come out and have a cup of coffee with old friends?”
I froze for a moment, but after all, the other party is an outstanding beauty, and men are born with deep memories of beauties, so it only took me a second to remember who she was.
"Oh, so it's you, Jess." I smiled: "I'm glad to receive your call, um, when did you say... now?" I looked at my watch, then looked up at Yang Wei, I cover my phone.
"who?"
"Jessica Alba. That Hollywood actress I met at Sorin's dinner." I shrugged. "She invited me for coffee."
Yang Wei suddenly winked at me, lowered his voice and laughed, "Look, here comes the 'gimmick'."