In the spacious hall, well-dressed gentlemen and ladies sat around a round table and applauded the man in the center of the stage from time to time. However, this middle-aged man was not the butler of the United States, but the host of the most popular talk show on ABC TV: Jon Stewart.
"… Then the father found the president of the World Bank and said, 'I can recommend a vice president for you.' The president replied, 'I have enough vice presidents.' The father immediately said, 'But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law!' The president immediately said, 'That's great!' You see, this is how many business deals are negotiated in the world. " Although Stewart's teasing caused a burst of laughter and applause, the person who was teased also smiled and shook his head as he applauded.
Bill Gates was not the first person he teased. Before him, there were countless people who were teased by him, including the Clintons. Although there were many celebrities present and there was a live broadcast on TV, the tone of the routine press conference was relaxed. Choosing a person to go on stage for a talk show was also a routine program. As long as the topic was not too serious, it could be brought up.
However, he was definitely the last person to be teased by Stewart. After this joke, the routine talk show was also considered to be over, and then the TV station also paused the broadcast. Then, it was free time.
"Congratulations, Mr. President. Although it seems a little too late to say congratulations now, it's better to say it face to face than a phone call or a card, right?" Adriaan, who had a bow on his collar and was dressed in a black suit, shook hands with Clinton politely and spoke in a serious and solemn tone.
"Thank you, Mr. Adriaan. It's not too late." Clinton's face was glowing, and he looked like he was proud of himself.
He indeed had the right to be proud. Other than being the second Democratic president to be re-elected after Roosevelt, his luck was also quite good. With the collapse of the Red Empire and the end of the Cold War, people began to focus more on their lives. In addition, they were keenly aware of the rise of the IT industry and seized the opportunity to promote the construction of the information highway. The United States seemed to have never been as good as it was now, and all of this was thanks to him. However …
Adriaan secretly glanced around. When he was in the White House, he also paid attention, but unfortunately, he did not see the famous White House intern.
"This is?" Clinton looked at the beautiful girl who was holding his arm, and his eyes lit up.
"Let me introduce you. This is Charlize Theron, my assistant secretary." Adriaan immediately introduced him.
Just like him, Charlize was also wearing a black, semi-transparent, wide-shoulder evening gown with long gloves and some jewelry. He looked mysterious but dignified at the same time.
The reason why she accompanied him to the reception was that … how to put it, it was an honor to be able to attend a banquet at the White House, even if the banquet was not held at the White House. Now they were at the Hilton Hotel on Wall Street. The interior of the White House was so big that it could not accommodate so many guests. Are they going to hold a BBQ on the grass? Although there were indeed US presidents who did this.
But the problem was, who was suitable for Adriaan to bring? In terms of fame and qualifications, Julia had basically re-ascended to the throne of the box office queen, and entering the 20 million club was just around the corner. She could even attend the reception alone. But in terms of intimacy, Kate had even given birth to a daughter, so no one was closer to her than Adriaan. But in terms of consideration and obedience, Monica and Sarah were the best candidates.
Besides, even if the other women were not suitable, it was inevitable that they would be jealous. This was just like who to spend an important festival with. If the choice was not good enough and convincing, then it would inevitably cause some unnecessary trouble. This was the trouble of having too many women, but Adriaan had always liked this kind of trouble. But more importantly, the routine reception was broadcast live on TV. No matter who Adriaan brought to attend, he was afraid that he would not be able to avoid the gossip headlines the next day. This was the most troublesome thing. So after thinking about it, he had no choice but to bring no one and choose Charlize. Bringing his secretary and assistant to attend should not be a problem, right?
"It seems that Mr. Adriaan is really worthy of the title of workaholic. He even brought his secretary here," Clinton said half-jokingly, then reached out to Charlize. Clinton said half-jokingly, then extended his hand to Charlize. "It's a pleasure to have you at the reception, Miss Charlize. I hope everything is to your satisfaction. Frankly speaking, you are really very beautiful, like a white flawless pearl. "
"Thank you for your compliment, Mr. President." Charlize calmly withdrew his hand.
"Unfortunately, I don't agree with you, Mr. President." Adriaan interrupted with a smile. "Pearls are not enough to describe Charley's beauty. I usually call her 'South African Diamond.' By the way, she is from South Africa. "
"Really? This is indeed a very appropriate adjective. Mr. Adriaan is indeed an excellent artist. "Clinton actually winked at him when he said this.
Adriaan was slightly stunned, but then he understood what he meant. Since Clinton knew his title as a workaholic, naturally, he would not be unaware of those affairs. He was not a good man to begin with. The White House intern was just one of many lovers. Naturally, there would be a feeling of mutual appreciation that only men could have for each other.
"Obviously, some things were not done covertly enough. Fortunately, no one questioned me with evidence. Otherwise, if I denied it, I don't know how bad it would be." Adrian replied with a smile. At the same time, he gave him a meaningful look. Clinton's face couldn't help but flash a trace of astonishment.
To be honest, his impeachment was completely undeserved. Political interns providing sexual services to some big shots was also one of the unspoken rules in politics. Of course, these were also under the guise of one-night stands. One had to know that Clinton was impeached for lying, not for fooling around with a White House intern. Which famous person did not have a few lovers? Bill Gates also had so-called female confidantes.
But who asked him to violate the interests of certain people? It was normal to be set up like this. Just as Claude said, the president of the United States was just a butler. It was not particularly difficult to make him step down.
However, Clinton also had people supporting him. For example, the IT companies that benefited from the construction of the information highway bill. Coupled with the fact that the people had a good impression of him, and all of these factors added together, the impeachment case was eventually settled. This was why Adriaan would give Clinton such a subtle hint. Even if he did not remind Clinton, the other party would not be too sad. Wasn't it what he always liked to do to sell the other party's things?
"I think Miss Charlize must be very capable. That's why Mr. Adriaan kept her by his side." A voice came in from the side. There was no need to look to know that it was Clinton's wife, Hill.
She said with a smile, then glanced at her husband casually. There was a flash of embarrassment in Clinton's eyes, but he immediately adjusted it.
"Yes, I often tell Charlize that I can't imagine what it will be like without her by my side. She is my best assistant." Adriaan held Charlize's hand on his arm and patted it gently. Then he suddenly changed the topic, "Just like Mr. President, without a capable wife like you, Mr. President would have a lot more things to do."
"Who knows?" Hill said with a smile, but from the pride in her eyes, it could be seen that she enjoyed Adriaan's compliment.
Clinton did not say anything else and soon left with his wife.
"Mr. President seems to be a little afraid of his wife." Looking at the departing American chief executive, Charlize suddenly said this, then looked thoughtfully at Adriaan, "Your words should be referring to something, right?"
She was really smart, especially after staying with Adriaan for so long, she more or less figured out some of his habits.
"Probably, Hill is also a very powerful woman." Adriaan avoided the latter question and said in a noncommittal tone. Then he thought of something and smiled, "You know, there is a very interesting joke about them."
"Oh?"
"One day, the president and his wife returned to their hometown for vacation. The car they were driving ran out of gas, so they went to a gas station to refuel. Unexpectedly, a middle-aged man who worked at the gas station turned out to be Hill's college classmate, and the two of them even dated. They talked and sighed with each other, then the president and his wife left the gas station. After a long time, Clinton said with emotion, 'Look, dear, how important life's fate is. If you had married him, I don't know what the situation would be like now.' Do you know how Hill answered? "
"How?"
"Hill replied that if I had married him, the one sitting in the White House would be him, and you would be serving the passing passengers at the gas station!"
Charlize was stunned for a few seconds before she covered her mouth and giggled.
"That's too mean," she said with a smile. "Ms. Hill wouldn't say that, right?"
"If it was in private, she would definitely say that. In fact, she did play a big role in Clinton being able to enter the White House." Adriaan shook his head and said, "Hill is an out-and-out strong woman."
"Strong woman …" Charlize whispered a few times thoughtfully, then suddenly changed the topic, "By the way, when did you give me the title of 'South African Beautiful Diamond'?"
"Just now, Mr. President felt that it was very appropriate. Is there anything else you're not satisfied with?" Adriaan asked half-jokingly, "Isn't South Africa rich in the best natural diamonds?"
Adriaan saw everything that happened just now. Since the "confession" that day, Charlize immediately returned to her previous self in front of him. She was calm, rational, and passionate. She always quietly arranged everything, including the dates with women. Speaking of which, the relationship between the two was also very subtle, similar to that of Kate. She was also a relatively special existence, so even if the words that Adriaan said were more to appease her, it was not a lie that he hoped she could witness the birth of his empire.
In this way, Charlize's position was a little troublesome. Adriaan really wanted her to stay by his side from beginning to end, but this was certainly impossible. Although Charlize had a feminine side, she also had an independent and unique side. If it was completely erased, she would lose her characteristics. But now, he seemed to have an idea.
The cocktail party continued with a relaxed tone. It was no different from an ordinary cocktail party. At most, because it had a political flavor, it was somewhat similar to a campaign fundraising cocktail party. Adriaan saw many familiar faces, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was not surprising. Thinking about his wife and recalling his future, it was normal for him to appear here.
"Maybe I should invite you and a few of the best action stars together to make a large-scale action movie," Adriaan said in a joking tone after talking to him for a while.
"That's great, I will definitely participate," Schwarzenegger also replied casually.
However, Adriaan did not strike while the iron was hot and settle this matter. He was joking, and so was Schwarzenegger. Besides, "The Expendables" was just a concept now. It would be enough to lay such a foreshadowing first. However, from the other two people, he received a slightly surprising piece of news.
"You mean, you're really going to start shooting the prequel to Star Wars, George?" Adriaan asked in a doubtful tone.
"Of course, do I look like I'm lying?" Lucas said, pretending to be displeased. Then, he was hugged by Adriaan.
"You should have done this a long time ago. Do you know how long we've waited?" Adriaan pounded his back so hard that Lucas rolled his eyes while Spielberg laughed loudly at the side.
"Alright, alright, kid. If you continue like this, I will be crushed by you," Lucas complained after breaking free.
"You can't blame me for this. It's your fault for only starting now. It's been so many years." Adriaan had a "that's your fault" expression on his face.
"When will we start shooting? How's the preparation going? When is the story? "he asked quickly, just like a fanatical Star Wars fan.
"Don't worry, it's just the beginning." Lucas quickly said, "It's about Darth Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, when he was young, including how he was accepted as a disciple by Qui-Gon Jinn, how he fell in love with Queen Amidala, and how he fell into the dark side of the Force. I'm going to make it into a trilogy," Lucas explained.
"So, you already have a suitable actor?" Adriaan asked naturally.
"How is that possible? The others are fine, but the two main characters are more troublesome. Anakin is fine, he's just a kid in the first movie, so we have enough time to do the selection. But Queen Amidala is more troublesome." At this point, Lucas sighed. "According to the setting, Amidala was still very young when she became queen. Although she was smart, she was not mature and independent enough. I needed an actress who could portray her conflicted feelings of striving for independence but not being able to be completely independent for the time being. She also had to be very young, which was not easy."
"Is that so?" Adriaan pretended to pinch his chin and pondered for a moment. "Maybe, I can recommend you an actress."
"Oh?" Lucas, who was about to say something, revealed a stunned expression. Spielberg, who didn't interrupt, revealed a curious expression.
"She's very young, but she's also very good at acting. She's tried a few of the roles you mentioned, so she's experienced and quite smart." Adriaan smiled, his eyes sparkling. "But I'm not completely sure. After all, I've only heard your description. Maybe we can talk about it another time?"
"No problem," Lucas said immediately. "In fact, I originally wanted to talk to you about the script. You're a gold medal screenwriter, and you even provided Steven with an excellent story like Saving Private Ryan. Maybe you can make the prequel trilogy more fulfilling."
"That's great, I'd be happy to help," Adrian agreed without hesitation.
This conversation could be said to be an accident, but it could also be said to not be an accident. He had long been calculating when the Star Wars prequels would start shooting. That was Natalie's famous work. Although it wasn't difficult to make her famous with him around, it would be difficult to reach the level of popularity of the Star Wars queen. Natalie was well-known in the United States because of the Star Wars prequels. Americans' fanatical pursuit of Lucas's space opera should not be underestimated.
However, Star Wars was, after all, Lucas's work. He relied on this work for a generation, and Adriaan couldn't get a part in it no matter what. He didn't expect to encounter an opportunity here, and he had to say that he was very lucky. He believed that with his relationship with Spielberg, as well as his reputation and connections among the Jews established by Schindler's List, it wouldn't be too difficult to help Natalie get the role.
After talking with Lucas and Spielberg for a while, Adriaan and Charlize left. Although Charlize didn't say anything from beginning to end, Adriaan believed that she had noted it down and would start making arrangements for him when he returned to Los Angeles.
Inadvertently glancing at Charlize, Adriaan then walked to the leftmost corner, where one of his most important goals tonight was.
Two middle-aged men of the same age, only a few months apart, were debating there. Although they seemed to be very harmonious, both of them had smiles on their faces, and their voices weren't loud. However, from their expressions, it was as if they only had eyes for each other, the debate wasn't simple. There were a lot of people standing around to watch the show.
Both of them were wearing glasses, but the man on the left was very well-mannered. Although he was wearing a tie instead of a bow tie, he had a modest smile on his face. He looked like a scholar, and it was impossible to tell how ruthless he was in business from his appearance. The man on the right still had thick hair, but even in this kind of situation, he still refused to shave his beard. He wore a round neck sweater that never changed, and his eyebrows were furrowed as if he was ready to fight at any time.
Yes, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, two of the biggest influences on the IT industry.
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