This charity auction had been quite successful. Although there had been some turbulence in the middle, it concluded smoothly.
After the auction, there was a thank-you banquet to express gratitude to all the guests who had attended and supported the event.
At the banquet, Larry Fink found an opportunity to talk to Gilbert.
"Mr. Fink, if I'm not mistaken, you're here as a lobbyist," Gilbert said bluntly.
Larry Fink admitted directly, "I am indeed here as a lobbyist, but to be honest, I'm not particularly eager to persuade you."
"Oh? That's unexpected."
Larry Fink said, "I know a secret of yours—a very big secret."
"A big secret? I'm the one with the big secret here!" Gilbert thought to himself, rolling his eyes.
"What secret? Do you mean you know I've been reborn?"
Larry Fink was momentarily speechless, stunned by Gilbert's off-the-wall remark, and could only laugh awkwardly, "You're joking. What I mean is the frequent fund movements in your Fruit Fund lately."
"Is that so?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "I'm not really involved in the day-to-day operations."
"But I think you've sensed something," Larry Fink decided to speak plainly instead of teasing Gilbert. "Simply put, I know what you need. We can cooperate and make a huge profit."
"???"
Three question marks appeared above Gilbert's head. "What does Mr. Fink mean? I don't quite understand."
"Ha ha ha, don't play dumb with me," Larry Fink said, taking out a business card with his contact information.
"Once you've decided, call this number."
With that, Larry Fink excused himself and left.
After he was gone, Ivanka came over and said, "I've secured that bronze artifact."
"Well done," Gilbert replied, turning to Ivanka. "Larry Fink discovered our plan."
Ivanka was startled. "What do you mean? Is he here to threaten you?"
"No," Gilbert shook his head. "He's here to cooperate with us."
"Cooperate? About what?"
"The matter I mentioned. He wants to cooperate with us regarding that."
Ivanka was curious. "Isn't Larry Fink from their side? Why suddenly want to cooperate with us?"
"There are two possibilities."
Gilbert analyzed, "First, he could be trying to scam us. But if he wanted to trap me, there'd be no need to give me a heads-up."
"Then it must be the other possibility."
Ivanka continued, "He genuinely wants to cooperate. But why?"
Gilbert shook his head. "I'm not sure. Maybe he's tired of being the white glove and wants to be the master. In any case, keep a close eye on this. Never lower your guard."
Ivanka nodded lightly. "I understand. I'll have someone investigate. If he really wants to cooperate, it could be a good thing."
"Let's hope so."
Gilbert suddenly remembered a rumor from his previous life—that BlackRock was a major sponsor of DEI.
In his past life, DEI had spread from film and TV series into the gaming industry. Even though works containing such elements often lost money, companies continued producing them without hesitation.
This had to do with BlackRock's subsidy policy. Creators could get DEI subsidies from BlackRock and possibly gain returns from stock price increases.
So even if there was public backlash, film and game companies still went all in, no longer caring about what audiences or players wanted.
Originally, the plan was sound. But after DEI proliferation in Hollywood, movies became terrible, producing few quality works. In gaming, however, there was a twist.
Indeed, the groundbreaking game Black Myth: Wukong delivered a heavy blow to DEI.
If you thought BlackRock cared about minorities and vulnerable groups, that was nonsense. If that were true, they'd focus on the few remaining Native Americans. After all, their numbers are very small, making them the real minority.
These capitalists spoke of ideology but thought only of business.
If you ask what business DEI could generate, there's plenty to discuss—from shaping ideology to dividing lower classes of society, and even profiting from long-term hormone treatments and surgeries. There were many avenues for profit.
It was unclear what Larry Fink's current intentions were, or whether this was a scheme orchestrated by the old-school capitalists.
In any case, cooperating with Larry Fink was fraught with danger, and Gilbert had to proceed cautiously.
Back at the Melon Estate, Gilbert smiled wryly.
He was just a film director—how had he gotten entangled in so many affairs? It exhausted him, making him want to give up.
Putting that aside for now, the funds raised by the charity auction were quickly channeled through the Fruit Foundation, becoming the largest donation from Western society.
The state media covered it extensively, praising the deed, and Gilbert's name was mentioned again.
Now, even those Chinese who rarely watched films or engaged with entertainment knew there was a Gilbert in the West, a friend of the Chinese people.
Once people knew Gilbert's name, curiosity about his experiences naturally arose, prompting them to investigate.
And once they looked, they were shocked.
This foreign-sounding name with a strange phonetic twist belonged to a genius. By the age of twenty-one, he had directed his first film, and he had won the Academy Award for Best Director twice.
His films had accumulated box office revenues exceeding fifteen billion dollars, making him the first person in history to achieve this.
He was also an investment genius. In the past two years, the Banana and Watermelon companies that entered the Chinese market were both his enterprises.
Even more astonishing, Gilbert could speak Chinese fluently and was knowledgeable about China. Additionally, he served as an art consultant for this year's Olympic Games.
Coupled with this recent donation, the Chinese people's favorable impression of Gilbert increased significantly.
It was said, reportedly, that in the disaster-stricken areas, someone had even set up a long-life memorial tablet for Gilbert.
At present, Gilbert had already received an invitation to attend the Olympic Games opening ceremony. The Olympics were in intensive preparation, and the organizing committee consulted Gilbert on numerous issues.
Gilbert also provided his candid suggestions for the committee's reference.
Time moved to May 22nd, the fourth weekend of The Dark Knight's release. On this day, Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones 4: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered.
It had been nineteen years since the previous installment, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and audiences had mostly forgotten about the series.
However, Spielberg's latest effort, another family-friendly adventure film, attracted fans who had followed the series.
The film received massive attention even before its release and exploded in the market during its opening weekend. It earned 103.71 million dollars in its first weekend, securing the North American box office crown for the week.
This film seemed to prove that Spielberg could still adapt to the ever-changing market. He remained as sharp as ever, still capable of fighting on the frontlines of filmmaking.
George Lucas, who served as the film's producer, candidly stated that this would be his final time producing the series.
Lucas had decided to retire, and fans were concerned about the future of the Star Wars series after his departure.
In a recent interview, George Lucas clearly stated, "I have persuaded Gilbert to take over the series. I believe he will bring surprises."
Thus, the public once again turned their attention to Gilbert, the director at the height of his fame.
...
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