"To be honest, Eide, if that chef knew that in your eyes, the food he meticulously prepared isn't as filling as the pizza from the takeout shop, I'm afraid he'll cry." Claude pressed the switch on the wall as he spoke, and bright lights lit up the minimalistic living room.
This was the villa Claude rented on the other side of Beverly Hills. It was quite modern, and it was well-decorated inside and out. He moved out after graduating from college, unlike Adriaan — the former Adriaan — who had nothing to do all day. After making a fortune, he planned to buy a villa of his own.
"Please note, Krau. I'm talking about filling your stomach, not how delicious the food is." Adriaan corrected him, "His veal is indeed delicious. I've never denied that."
Speaking of this, the corner of his mouth twitched. Because of the small part of his soul, Adriaan wasn't averse to Western cuisine, and he could taste a few of them. However, deep down, he still missed Chinese cuisine. He had visited all the restaurants in Chinatown, but … had anyone ever seen Kung Pao Chicken soaked in orange syrup? Fortunately, he occasionally cooked in his previous life, and thanks to his perverted memory, he could still make some home-cooked dishes for himself from time to time. Besides, there were so many Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, and not all of them were completely Western, so he could barely satisfy his cravings.
"Hey, French food is meant to be tasted. It's easy to fill your stomach. Two burgers from Burger King are enough to do that." Claude shook his head as he walked behind the bar in the living room and poured two glasses of whiskey.
"Kate said the same thing. Unfortunately, you guys missed the point. I didn't deny that French food is delicious. I'm just saying that it can't be used to fill your stomach. That's the truth, isn't it?" Adriaan took the glass that Claude pushed over to him.
"Kate? The chick you hooked up with in England? You're still dating? " Claude asked in surprise. "This isn't like you, Eide. In the past, you would never be interested in a girl for more than five days."
"That was before," Adriaan said disapprovingly. "I've already taken her home."
"Woah, woah, woah, is the end of the world coming?" Claude gestured exaggeratedly. "Our Ed actually brought a girl home! Dude, this is the first time! This is too surprising. Are you planning to marry her?! "
"Shut up, Krau." Adriaan rolled his eyes at him. "Would I give up the whole forest for a tree?"
"Then you are …" Claude looked at him with interest.
"I want a tree, and I want the entire forest." Adriaan shrugged.
Claude was a little stunned, but he immediately laughed. "Sure enough, it's Eide. But don't you think it's a little greedy?"
"Oliver Stone has a famous saying in Wall Street." Adriaan took a sip of whiskey.
"Greed is good," Claude continued.
"I changed this sentence slightly. A moderate amount of greed is good." Adriaan smiled. "The key is to know where your limit is. I need to make my limit bigger now."
"Well, what are you going to do? Is the profit this time enough for you to get a position in those companies? "Claude didn't continue to discuss this topic. Instead, he asked something else.
Adriaan smiled. He looked into Claude's eyes and said seriously, "Let's do it together, Krau."
"What did you say?" Claude looked surprised. The glass of whiskey he was about to drink stopped in mid-air.
"Do you remember what I told you in the coffee shop that time? I want to control Hollywood! I mean to build my own media empire, not become a shareholder of those old companies! " Adriaan clenched his fist and waved it in the air. "We can do it together, Krau. You have a talent in business that I can't reach, but I also have a talent in movies that you can't catch up to. And my vision for the big picture is no worse than yours! We will be successful together! "
Claude looked at Adriaan in a daze. The corner of his mouth twitched as if he wanted to laugh. "You've changed so much, Eide. It's hard to imagine that a year ago you were still …"
"Enough, Krau. It's meaningless for me to bring up the past. I've changed." Adriaan sneered.
He put down the glass in his hand and walked up to Claude. He stared at him and said, "Tell me, Krau, what are you hesitating about? What are you worried about? Or do you want to tell me that you plan to stay in Godfather's company, slowly wear down your courage, and then take over after Godfather retires? "
Claude didn't say anything. He just pursed his lips and looked at Adriaan seriously.
"Think about it, Krau. What do you want the most?!" Adriaan made exaggerated gestures. "Is it to take over Father's company and follow the path that they have planned for themselves? Or is it to start from scratch and forge a new world that belongs to you?! We are still young, Krau. We have the ability, and we have the chance! Even if we lose, we can start all over again! "
Looking at his slightly fanatical expression, Claude let out a long sigh. "Tell me, Eide, why the media?"
"Why?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows. He suddenly turned and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. He pulled open the curtains, and the dazzling night view of the foot of Beverly Hills appeared in front of the two of them.
Adriaan took a deep breath and pointed at the lights. "Look, look at this city, Krau! This is the world's largest film industry. This is the world's most dazzling stars. Countless people come here to find their sweet dreams. They always think that one day, they will stand on the stage and attract the world's attention! But they don't know, they don't know, they only see one side, the beautiful, attractive, and bright side! And the other side, the dark, dirty, and lustful side, is hidden behind it, well covered up! Why? Because what they see is what those people want them to see! You and I both know this, Krau! Think about it, when they follow our baton, when they cheer for us blindly, what kind of feeling will we have? "
The fierce words echoed in the room, and Claude couldn't help but sit up straight. Adriaan, who was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, didn't say anything else. He just looked at his best friend with bright eyes.
Suddenly, he raised his head and drank the liquid in the glass. Claude stood up, and his brown eyes flashed with an unknown light.
"Then, let's do it!"
…
Adriaan knew how the world would develop in the next 20 years. His own conditions and ability were not bad — it was not easy to copy a movie. Therefore, it was not impossible for him to control Hollywood. He just needed to solve one problem, management and operation!
Yes, he knew how to make a lot of money, but in his previous life, he was just a director. When did he manage and operate a big company? The previous Adriaan might have had some experience, but most of it was just eating, drinking, and having fun. Therefore, he had to solve this problem in order to achieve everything. In the end, he thought of Claude.
In the beginning, Adriaan didn't realize this. He just wanted to earn a start-up capital through Claude. But Claude's flexibility in completing the task made him realize Claude's great value to him. Therefore, he put all his eggs into Claude's hands, and the result was obvious.
Therefore, Adriaan decided to tie Claude to himself. And Claude was a person who didn't want to be left out, and he dared to think, and didn't want to be protected by his parents. Coupled with Claude's persuasive words, Claude finally agreed.
"Tell me your plan, Eide!" After the two sat down in the study room, Claude said, "Don't tell me you don't have a plan?"
"Of course I have a plan, but you also know that I'm not cut out for this, so I only have a general idea. You need to fill in the rest." Adriaan didn't hide his inadequacies.
Claude raised his hand and made a "tell me about it" gesture.
"First of all, of course, we'll set up a media company. We can buy an empty shell company, but we'll talk about how to invest, how to distribute the equity, and whether Bosworth Films will be under the company." Adriaan said slowly, "You're the CEO, and you have the final say on everything. I won't interfere in anything."
"Simply put, you don't care about anything, just be the major shareholder, and I'll handle everything." Claude sighed faintly. "This is really unfair. Eide, you're too relaxed!"
"You can say that. Anyway, you'll make all the decisions." Adriaan ignored his joke. "If I have any opinions or suggestions, I'll discuss them with you and ask for your approval and support."
"In that case …" Claude suddenly thought of something. "What if you insist on something and I don't agree?"
"Then I'll stay by your side 24 hours a day to lobby you. No matter what you're doing, whether it's working, eating, bathing, sleeping, or even sleeping with a woman, I'll be there," Adriaan said calmly.
"Damn it! Eide, you're disgusting! "Claude waved his hand in disgust.
"I can't do anything about it. I can't fall out with you." Adriaan spread his hands.
"Okay, okay, let's skip this for now. What's next?" Claude changed the topic.
"Set up a venture capital company with the goal of focusing on the IT industry." Adriaan threw out the answer he had already thought of.
"Venture capital company? IT industry? "Claude raised his eyebrows in surprise." I thought we were talking about the media industry. "
"Yes, I know." Adriaan nodded. "What do you want me to say … What do you think of this year's election?"
"This year's election?" Although Claude didn't understand why he changed the topic, he still gave his answer. "The Democratic Party has the advantage."
"Really?"
"Really — what about you?"
"The Democratic Party has the advantage."
"Really?"
"Really."
The two looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly both laughed. The Kewell Family had always been biased towards the Democratic Party because California was the Democratic Party's territory most of the time. However, the Kewell Family had always been neutral, so Claude used Adriaan's words to tease him.
"Do you know who the Democratic Party's preliminary presidential candidate was in January? Krau?" Adriaan asked after laughing.
"I think it's …" Claude tilted his head and thought for a moment. "William Jefferson Clinton?"
(Note: In the real US election, both parties would wait until July or August to officially select their candidates. There are some plot changes here. I thought about changing it to conform to reality, but the subsequent plot is a bit troublesome, so I gave up. Let's just watch.)
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