Guo Fan and Liu Ji quickly had a second meeting with Boss Wang. Perhaps it was the information Liu Ji revealed last time that left Boss Wang a bit shaken.
Although he didn't quite understand what kind of status Gilbert held, since he wanted to enter the film industry, Boss Wang at least knew who this man was—a Hollywood director.
During the first meeting, Boss Wang hadn't really understood Gilbert's status.
After Guo Fan and Liu Ji left, the mistress said to him.
"Brother Wang, you can't miss out on these two, you've got to cooperate."
"How so?"
The mistress explained
"That Xiao Guo is a disciple of Director Gilbert, there isn't a second one like that in China."
Boss Wang didn't know much, so he asked:
"Isn't he just an American director? How amazing could he be? Better than Master Zhang?"
"Oh, come on, you can't even compare the two." The mistress hurried to explain.
"Do you know what his global box office is? It's already over ten billion dollars.
His last film's box office alone equaled your entire net worth. He's also a two-time Oscar Best Director winner.
Do you even know what the Oscars are? The most prestigious film award in the world…"
It turned out Boss Wang had entered the film industry all because the mistress egged him on.
The mistress knew a thing or two about the industry, and she also knew Gilbert's status was extraordinary. More importantly, Gilbert was the most famous Hollywood director in China—without a doubt.
So when Liu Ji said Guo Fan was Gilbert's disciple, the mistress was shocked.
Her first thought was, impossible. But then she remembered that Guo Fan had studied in the United States, and he had been at the set of The Jackie Chan Adventures .
That film had Gilbert as a producer, and at the same time, Gilbert himself was directing another movie.
So what if Liu Ji was telling the truth? What if Guo Fan hadn't been on The Jackie Chan Adventures set, but instead on Gilbert's set? What if they really had a master-disciple relationship?
The mistress figured it was worth betting on. After all, they were newcomers; throwing in tens of millions to give Guo Fan a try was just half a mine. Brother Wang could afford the loss.
So, with the mistress pulling strings again, Boss Wang quickly had a second meeting with Guo Fan and Liu Ji. This time, both sides got the results they wanted.
Boss Wang put up twenty million to establish a film production company, appointing himself chairman and, naturally, the mistress as general manager.
The new film company would then invest in Guo Fan's project, with details to be discussed later.
Leaving the nightclub, Guo Fan and Liu Ji both felt like they were dreaming. They hadn't expected to secure investment so easily.
"Old Guo, are we dreaming?" Liu Ji asked.
Guo Fan replied blankly.
"Shouldn't be. If it is a dream, then hurry up and wake me."
"Pinch me and see?"
"Oh!"
Guo Fan reached out, twisted Liu Ji's ear hard, and Liu Ji yelped in pain, jumping up immediately.
"Damn, did you have to use so much force?" Liu Ji rubbed his ear.
"Looks like we're not dreaming. We really got the investment."
The excitement on their faces was hard to contain—they were as happy as kids playing in the village mud.
"This time you've got to work hard and learn from your idol, Director Gilbert, Old Guo."
After the celebration, Liu Ji spoke solemnly to Guo Fan.
"Mm." Guo Fan nodded firmly, though he felt immense pressure.
He still had a lingering doubt.
"What if Sister Ling finds out we're lying, that I never actually studied under Director Gilbert? After all, I wasn't the only one there, there were others too!"
Liu Ji looked at ease."Don't worry. As long as you achieve results this time, no one will care whether you lied.
Results are what matter. Think about Director Gilbert, mm…"
"I get it."
Guo Fan felt even more pressure. He knew this was his chance. But if he failed the first time, getting another opportunity to direct independently would mean a long wait.
Soon, Guo Fan threw himself into the busy work. This was his first time directing on his own, and he was in a fluster.
His acquaintance Li Haoyang called to ask:
"Guo Fan, what are you busy with lately? Still resting at home? Come work with me!"
Guo Fan laughed and replied:
"No need, I've found work."
"What kind of work?" Li Haoyang asked curiously.
"Director…"
"Director?" Li Haoyang was momentarily stunned by the answer.
He asked Guo Fan again, but Guo Fan refused to reveal more, only saying to wait—there would be a surprise in the future.
After hanging up the phone, Li Haoyang shook his head. It seemed Guo Fan really had found a job. True, he didn't have anyone backing him, but Guo Fan had studied abroad after all, so he was still in demand.
What Li Haoyang didn't know was that when Guo Fan said "director," it really was directing work.
Gilbert certainly had no idea that, far across the ocean, someone was using his name to secure the most important opportunity of his life.
Although Liu Ji was the mastermind, Guo Fan was at least an accomplice.
In some sense, it wasn't wrong to say Guo Fan was his disciple. After all, when Gilbert first rose to prominence, he too had claimed to be a student of Spielberg.
Later, when he achieved success, Spielberg didn't deny it. Instead, he acknowledged the title, creating a famous master-disciple tale in Hollywood.
The more successful Gilbert became, the more face Spielberg gained.
By the same logic, when Guo Fan achieved results in the future, if others asked Gilbert whether Guo Fan was his student, Gilbert would also give an affirmative answer and wouldn't deny it.
The real problem was if Guo Fan had no results and failed.
Of course, the course of history had already been altered, and Guo Fan's fate had changed. Having stepped onto an unknown path, what kind of achievements he would attain in the future was no longer certain.
While Guo Fan was busy with his first project, the trailer for Gilbert's new film premiered during the Super Bowl commercial break.
This year marked the 38th Super Bowl, the championship game of the NFL's 2003 season, between the AFC champion New England Patriots and the NFC champion Carolina Panthers.
The game was held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, becoming the annual grand event.
Gilbert, along with Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Charlize Theron—the three leading stars of the film—went to Houston to watch the game live.
Although he didn't know much about football, after watching several Super Bowls in person, Gilbert understood the basic rules.
The first half of the game was a battle between both teams' defenses, with no scoring until late in the second quarter.
On their opening possession, the Panthers were forced to punt. Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown returned the ball 28 yards, giving New England great field position at the opponent's 47-yard line.
The Patriots drove to Carolina's 9-yard line, but the Panthers held firm, and kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a 31-yard field goal attempt.
Carolina regained possession but again failed to advance, going three-and-out and punting.
With the ball at Carolina's 49-yard line, New England drove to the 31, but on a crucial 3rd down, linebacker Will Witherspoon sacked Brown for a 10-yard loss, ending their field goal chance.
With just six minutes left in the half, the Patriots again reached the Panthers' 18-yard line.
This time, defensive tackle Shane Burton stepped up, blocking Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal attempt.
Meanwhile, the Patriots' defense was just as relentless. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme completed only one of his first nine passes, was sacked three times, and fumbled after Vinatieri's second missed kick.
Two possessions later, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady scrambled for 12 yards on 3rd-and-7, giving them a 1st-and-goal at the 5-yard line.
Finally, Brady executed a play-action pass, connecting with receiver Deion Branch for a touchdown.
A scoreless drought of 26 minutes and 55 seconds set a new Super Bowl record, but Branch's touchdown ignited a back-and-forth battle.
In just eight plays, Panthers receiver Steve Smith answered with a 39-yard touchdown catch.
With 1:07 left in the half, Brady completed six passes for 78 yards in only 49 seconds, ending with a touchdown to receiver David Givens.
With only 18 seconds left, the Panthers didn't give up. Unexpectedly, they chose a running play, catching the Patriots' defense off guard for a 21-yard gain.
They capped the drive with a 50-yard field goal, ending the half.
14–10, Patriots in the lead.
Throughout the first half, the cameras frequently cut to Gilbert and the three Hollywood stars, adding a splash of celebrity color to the heated game.
Tom Cruise rooted for the Carolina Panthers, while Tom Hanks supported the New England Patriots.
As for Gilbert and Charlize Theron, neither supported a specific team—they were simply there for the fun, cheering whichever side played excitingly.
The intense first half ended, leading into halftime—the prime time for Super Bowl commercials.
This year's halftime show featured Jessica Simpson, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson, and Justin Timberlake.
After the heated first half, both the fans and TV viewers were ready to relax.
Before the halftime performance, the commercials rolled.
New products, fashion, cosmetics, luxury cars, electronics—all aired their ads. But what movie fans looked forward to most was the Hollywood trailer segment, which had become the harbinger of summer blockbusters each year.
Since 1993, when Gilbert first brought movie trailers to the Super Bowl ad slot, every film aiming for the summer box office had placed their trailers during the Super Bowl.
Of course, the cost of trailers then couldn't compare to now—thirty seconds now burned at least two to three million dollars.
After the other ads, it was finally time for the Super Bowl halftime commercials.
"It's here, it's here, it's here!"
At their home in Los Angeles, Doug and Zoey pulled their son over to watch the Super Bowl ads together.
From the moment their son could talk and remember, Doug and his wife had shown him Gilbert's movies, raising him to be a devoted Gilbert fan.
The whole family were Gilbert fans, so every summer there was never any debate—the first movie they watched in theaters would always be Gilbert's, and only afterward would they choose other films.
.....
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