“Some people are investigating Miss Watson,” Robert paused for a moment, then continued, “You know, I’ve had some ambiguous contact with the underground forces in Los Santos, though they have come clean now. Someone hired private investigators to investigate Emma’s past. But her image of a woman rights’ activist is kept very well. Until now, those private investigators have not dug out anything useful.”
“Isn’t this good?” Jiang Chen asked.
“Not at all,” Robert shook his head. “Especially for those who want to find something.”
Jiang Chen frowned and had an idea of what he meant.
Asking a private investigator to investigate a person had obviously crossed the bottom line of Hollywood’s “fair competition.” It was different from hiring paparazzi and reporters to track and smear. Even when the top eight publishers were at the height of competition, they never used private investigators to investigate competitors’ actors.Since the other side could easily cross the bottom line, naturally the means didn’t matter anymore.
Emma Watson was the star of Future Biology and was printed on every bottle of nutrient supply sold. She was also an actor in the Virtual Image Animation and Warner Bros. co-produced “Time Curtain”. Although standing from the perspective of the president, this kind of trivial matter did not require his personal attention. However, since it was related to his immediate interests and he just heard about it, he should do something.
“Who might be behind this?” Jiang Chen asked, with thoughts already forming in his mind.
“I don’t know.” Robert shook his head. “I paid attention to it, but the force is not small either. I’m not the arrogant dealer anymore. Los Santos’ gangs have no reason to do me a favor. Also, protecting the privacy of their hirer is the rule of their business.”
“Could it be Warner Bros.’s competitors?” Jiang Chen frowned.
“Not likely.” Robert shook his head.
Even if it was Warner Bros.’s competitors, choosing Emma Watson as the subject of controversy would be a foolish decision. Not to mention the vice captain’s role was not especially important in the film. In North America, she was barely a second-tier movie star. The idea to pull Future Group’s subsidary Future Biology into the mess was not the brighest choice to begin with.A closer look into the films screening at the same period, the publishers competing with “Time Curtain,” the masters behind the scenes would be unable to hide themselves.
No evidence was needed in Hollywood. They only needed to know who their enemies were. And there were also plenty of ways to solve problems.
Jiang Chen then asked. “Who would it be?”
“Perhaps she offended someone? Or maybe she caught the attention of somebody? Anyway, someone wants to ruin her reputation. It’s that simple,” Robert shrugged and said with indifference.
After deliberating for a moment, Jiang Chen merely kept this in the back of his head. After he could not think of a reason, he didn’t delve on this issue.
Shaking his head, Jiang Chen focused back on the second reason for visiting Robert today.
“Let’s not talk about this. Do you have plans to work together again?”
When Robert heard this, he glared at him cautiously.
“Dude, you know, I came clean. If you want the arms, I can introduce you to people… But you don’t need me to introduce them. The consortium led by the Giannini family is the biggest arms dealer in Los Santos. Even if you want to buy a few F-18 Hornets, he can give you some ideas—”
“Shut up, I’m not talking about arms.” Jiang Chen interrupted Robert’s words and coughed. Then he said, “I’m going to register a film company in Los Santos and I’m missing a CEO.”
When Robert heard it was not arms, he immediately became interested, but he didn’t agree right away. Instead, he asked a question that he was more concerned about. “Are you planning on starting your own movie company? Isn’t your Virtual Image Animation working with Warner Bros.?”
“They are holding their shares too tight and they are financially opaque.” Jiang Chen shook his head. “While our cooperation with Warner Bros. is very enjoyable, there are still some small differences in the books. In addition, although virtual reality production is the main business focus of Virtual Image Animation, I don’t intend to make it into another ‘Industrial Light & Magic’ for major film makers, but just for me to have a place in Hollywood.”
“Do you plan to get into distribution?” Robert looked at Jiang Chen weirdly, placed an empty glass on the table beside him, and poured himself another glass. “That’s not possible. The distribution rights of the film are basically controlled by the eight major film studios. I don’t imagine that you can just make a movie and put it on the big screens. The distribution of film is no easier than the production of film. Many movie producers in Hollywood have to tolerate the eight studios leaching off of them otherwise, the things they produced themselves simply can’t reach the theaters!”
“In this era where the channel is king, even the best scented wine is afraid the alley that is too deep (1). The major cinemas won’t scramble to run and beg Future Group to allow them to release its film just because it is influential in the technology sector.”
Robert took a sip of the wine and paused for a moment. Afterwards, he said, “As for the accounting issues… Hollywood scamming foreign investors is not news anymore. They even dares to deceive Wall Street’s capitalists, let alone investors from overseas. If you invested 100 million and North American box office reaches 200 million, they could give you an income statement with minor losses, and that means they went easy on you.”
Here, Robert emphasized the sentence.
“Even if you are working together.”
Jiang Chen shrugged, “So I’m coming to you. Someone who even dares to deceive the Capital has no reason to not deceive the eight major studios.”
“Hey, man, who do you think I am?” Robert was displeased
“The old fox, or something else.” Jiang Chen laughed.
Robert slyly gave him the middle finger and put the glass back on the table.
He didn’t pour himself another glass.
Over the years, he had developed a habit. He could drink freely at a party, but he must stay conscious when he discussed business, and it was best to not touch a droplet of alcohol.
“Come with me, I think we should plan this carefully.” Robert turned around and walked to the living room.
“Isn’t film release being monopolized by the eight major studios?” Jiang Chen ridiculed while whistling.
“Indeed, that’s why I said we should plan things carefully. For example, how can we cut a piece of meat off of these bloodsuckers,” Robert said in excitement.
“So, you are ready to take on the CEO position?”
Robert turned back and smiled.
“Why not? Working with you always brings me good luck.”
(1) The best scented wine is even afraid of the alley that is too deep – Even the best product is afraid of not getting the exposure it needs to sell.
