Spielberg had accumulated a net worth of more than one billion US dollars in Hollywood step by step. It was reasonable to say that such a rich person did not need to work hard, but the truth was that the richer a person was, the more eager he was to become richer.
Therefore, he especially cherished the opportunity to cooperate with Li Mu. After all, he had almost secured the position of the next richest man in the world. He was waiting for the day when Makino Technology went public and his value was completely quantified. Once that moment came, Li Mu's value was likely to be more than double that of Bill Gates, who was ranked second.
Although Spielberg was a film artist, he was still a businessman. The pursuit of profit was always the first priority for a businessman, so he was eager to have a deeper cooperation with Li Mu.
Spielberg only thought for a moment about the World War II film brand plan that Li Mu had mentioned and immediately agreed. He said, "Li Zong, since you believe in me, I will work hard to live up to your trust in me."
Li Mu smiled with satisfaction, picked up his glass, and said to Spielberg, "Then I believe you will come to Hua Xia often in the next few years."
Spielberg also picked up his glass and gently touched Li Mu's. He said with a smile, "After this film is released, I will buy a property in Yanjing and devote most of my time and energy to the film and television school, as well as the World War II film brand."
Li Mu said with a smile, "That's great. Come, let's drink to our long-term cooperation."
"Let's drink to our long-term cooperation!"
Although Spielberg was almost twice as old as Li Mu, Spielberg hoped to be deeply tied to Li Mu.
Therefore, when Li Mu proposed a binding plan, he almost agreed without thinking.
In other words, he wanted to tie himself to Li Mu's big boat. It seemed very undignified, but most of the rich people in the middle class like him would basically make the same choice.
Ultimately, it was all about desire. A person's desire was limitless. At any time, at any stage, there would always be a higher desire. The word "satisfaction" would never exist.
Satisfaction was always something that lived in the imagination. It was an assumption built on the basis of desire.
For example, when a person was hungry, he would feel that it was a kind of satisfaction to be able to eat his fill. This "satisfaction" was actually an illusion based on desire.
Those who barely had enough to eat felt that they would be satisfied if they had a surplus of one or two thousand dollars every month.
Those who had a surplus of one or two thousand dollars a month felt that they would be satisfied if they could have a surplus of ten or twenty thousand dollars a month.
A multi-millionaire who owned a Benz S-class would be satisfied if he could afford a Rolls-Royce.
A billionaire who owned a Rolls-Royce would be satisfied if he could buy a private yacht.
And a billionaire who owned a private yacht would look forward to a private jet, a private manor, a private island, or even a mobile skyscraper in a place where every inch of land was worth gold.
With Spielberg's current net worth, it was not a big problem for him to get a private jet, but it would definitely be very painful. But for Li Mu, with his net worth, after Makino Technology went public, he would not feel pain even if he bought the largest Boeing 747 as a private jet. This was not only because he was rich, but also because he was making money too fast and too stable.
This was a microcosm of the huge gap between Li Mu and Spielberg. Therefore, any tycoon in the world, in his current stage, would not be satisfied. Perhaps in Bill Gates's heart, if one day his net worth reached the level of Li Mu, he would be satisfied.
And Li Mu, who was at the top of the pyramid of the rich, was still not satisfied. He knew that in the future, there would be too many breakout points in the Internet industry and even the entire high-tech industry. It seemed that he had created a lot of wealth, but in fact, this was only the first stop of his business. There was still a long way to go. If he continued to develop, his net worth might reach the sum of the second to tenth richest people in the world, or even higher than their sum.
In the following time, Li Mu and Spielberg discussed the details of future World War II film brand cooperation in detail.
First of all, Li Mu would open a new wholly-owned subsidiary under Makino Image. At the same time, this wholly-owned subsidiary would open a North American branch at the bottom. At that time, there would be two companies, one responsible for Chinese World War II film and TV projects, and the other for Hollywood World War II film and TV projects.
Secondly, Li Mu would be responsible for setting up a private equity fund. There were countless capitals surrounding Li Mu and Makino Technology every day. There were also countless people who wanted to follow Li Mu to make a fortune. Now that there were no restrictions on private equity funds, Li Mu could easily raise a large amount of start-up funds to ensure that he could invest in film and TV projects.
Finally, once the funds were in place, Li Mu could buy those blockbusters with World War II themes at any time as long as the script was out. For films like "Hacksaw Ridge", "Dunkirk", "The Pianist", "Fury", "Inglourious Basterds", "Flags of Our Fathers", as long as Li Mu had the opportunity to cut in, Li Mu could invest without hesitation, and then let Spielberg be responsible for the quality control of the film.
At the same time, he would choose some themes about Hua Xia's War of Resistance and shoot them according to Hollywood standards. It didn't matter even if he lost money in this part. It was to set a precedent for the entire World War II film and TV series of Hua Xia.
…
After confirming the intention of cooperation with Spielberg, Li Mu set off for Yanjing early the next morning.
This time, on the way back, he had an extra companion, a crying little girl, Du Wei.
Du Wei had been spoiled by her parents and sister since she was a child. She was simple and sincere, and it was easy for her to have an inseparable friendship with the people around her. Seeing that all her scenes had been completed and she was about to leave the crew, she felt that she seemed to have a deep foundation of friendship with every friend she met in the crew.
Suddenly leaving the crew where she had lived, studied, and worked for a few months, made Du Wei sad, and she cried like a pear blossom in the rain.
When the helicopter of Southwest Airlines landed at the airport, the whole crew came out to see her off. Du Wei shook hands and hugged these people one by one with tears streaming down her face. She was particularly sad.
Actually, for these crew members who were used to seeing people leave, they really liked Du Wei, this pure and kind girl.
It was unknown where the crew heard about Du Wei's family background, but no one dared to believe that a girl who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth never complained about hardship or tiredness in a place like Southwest. There were even times when Liu Ye had to grit his teeth to overcome difficulties, but Du Wei was able to face them with a smile. This kind of little princess without the slightest princess syndrome was especially likable in the crew.
Spielberg led the crew to send Li Mu and Du Wei to the helicopter. Before the helicopter's engine started, he loudly said to Li Mu and Du Wei, "Mr. Li, I'm still waiting for you to tailor-make the theme song for Du Wei!"
Li Mu made an OK gesture and said, "When we get back, I'll record this song with Du Wei. Let me tell you in advance, this song is called '21 Guns'!"
Spielberg had filmed so many war movies, he immediately knew what '21 Guns' meant. A 21-gun salute was the highest level of salute and also the highest respect.
Although he hadn't seen the lyrics or heard the song, just the title alone was enough for Spielberg to feel that it wasn't a big problem.
Previously, he was a little worried that Li Mu would be responsible for the theme song. What if it was a lousy song? Could it be that he had no choice but to use it?
But now, Spielberg was much more optimistic.
Leonardo, Tom Hanks, and Anne Hathaway also took turns to say goodbye to the two of them outside the helicopter. Li Mu realized that Anne Hathaway's gaze was very special when she looked at him. It seemed to be filled with deep attachment, but also a hint of bitterness and sadness.
Li Mu sighed in his heart. In this state, Anne Hathaway really made him feel a strong desire to protect her.
Li Mu and Anne Hathaway looked at each other for a few seconds. Anne Hathaway wasn't shy this time. She looked at Li Mu without blinking, as if she wanted to imprint Li Mu into her deep, big eyes.
The helicopter's engine started, and the blades slowly accelerated, bringing with it a loud noise and a strong downward wind. Li Mu, Du Wei, and the others put on soundproof earmuffs under the pilot's instructions. The people who were sending them off couldn't help but be pushed back more than ten meters by the strong wind.
When Li Mu waved to everyone, the helicopter had already slowly ascended and flew in the direction of Spring City's airport.
When the airstrip could no longer be seen, Li Mu heard Du Wei crying through the helicopter's intercom system.
He turned his head and saw Du Wei looking out the window, crying until her shoulders were shaking.
Li Mu's heart ached when he saw this. He didn't know what to think, but in a moment of impulse, he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms.
Du Wei's body trembled, and she turned to look at Li Mu. Her red eyes and nose made Li Mu feel pity for her.
Li Mu looked at her and asked with a smile, "You can't bear to part with them?"
Du Wei nodded and said, "They treat me like brothers and sisters, parents and have always taken care of me. I've lived with them for so long, and I can't bear to leave them suddenly. I don't know if I'll have the chance to meet them again in the future."
Li Mu comforted her, "It's just a temporary separation. You'll meet them again soon, and you'll have plenty of chances to meet them and even work together in the future."
Du Wei looked at Li Mu pitifully and asked, "Big Brother Li Mu, is what you said true?"
Li Mu nodded with certainty and said, "When the movie enters the publicity period before it's released, the main production team will do a roadshow together. You'll still be working together then."
Du Wei nodded lightly and said, "It might be a few months or even half a year later."
As she said that, Du Wei sighed and said, "I really can't bear to part with Big Sister Annie."
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