"Ah!"
"Mom, why are you back?!"
Facing Liu Xiaoli, who had suddenly opened the door and walked in, Liu Yifei shrieked.
Then, realizing her predicament, she was still stark naked.
She was both angry and anxious: "Get out, Mom!"
"Oh! Got it! Got it!"
Liu Xiaoli finally came to her senses and turned to close the door.
Just then, the neighbor auntie from across the hall heard the commotion and poked her head out, asking with concern, "Liu, I thought I heard a scream. What happened?"
"No, nothing, nothing, Ansuna."
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, everything's fine, my daughter's boyfriend is inside."
The other party suddenly understood, speaking with the tone of someone experienced: "So that's it, you saw something embarrassing?"
"Yeah." Old Liu slowly nodded.
"Oh come on! It's perfectly normal for young people; that's why they're young people."
"Tell them to be more careful in the future. As long as you're satisfied with this young man, if you're not, tell him to scram early."
Old Liu sighed, thinking that if it was just about money, she would be satisfied to the heavens.
The richest person in the world, there's only one of him, and media experts predict that in terms of personal wealth, no one should be able to surpass Eric within ten years.
Unless a new round of technological revolution occurs, with major breakthroughs that impact all of humanity, only then might another super-super-super rich person emerge.
Don't look at the more than one hundred heads of state worldwide; ninety percent of them actually wield less power and wealth than Eric.
But the problem is, setting money aside, the complex situation at home is simply too complicated.
That scene, let alone embarrassing, she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Especially when she thought about what had happened between herself and Eric, guilt immediately flooded her heart.
This scoundrel was clearly doing it on purpose; her daughter had bought her concert tickets.
Originally, she was eating hotpot and singing, feeling happy, when this guy sent her a text message telling her to rush back.
She hurried home, and it was all for this?
Click!
A few minutes later, the door opened, and Liu Yifei whispered, "Mom, come in quickly."
Although she lived there, she always paid attention to privacy, and even the surrounding residents didn't know that the most successful young Chinese person in Hollywood today was their neighbor.
Old Liu quickly entered Room and saw Eric slowly getting dressed.
This guy was giving her a strange smile.
On purpose, absolutely on purpose.
The three of them looked at each other, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Neither of them spoke, and Eric lightly coughed a few times: "Uh, I'm a bit hungry. I haven't had dinner yet, Crystal, can you get me something to eat?"
"Oh, there are leftovers from dinner in the fridge. Do you want them?"
"Hmm, heat them up."
"Then you wait a moment."
After sending Little Liu to the kitchen, Eric walked towards Liu Xiaoli, who instinctively retreated a few steps, seemingly a little afraid of him.
"Why are you hiding? I'm not going to eat you."
"Hmph! You don't eat people, but you embarrass me. Hurry up and leave."
"Leave? Where to?"
"Go home, go to your own home!"
"Are you mistaken? This is my home. I bought the house, and I pay the taxes. Did you forget?"
Stunned, Liu Xiaoli angrily said, "But the name written on it is Xixi, not yours."
"Hehe... Then go ask your daughter if she's willing to kick me out."
"You! You scoundrel!"
Seeing her gritting her teeth and looking helpless, Eric felt a sense of joy.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hearing footsteps, sensing that Little Liu was about to come out, Eric could only sneer: "Originally, I planned to leave after eating, but now I've changed my mind."
"Leave the door open for me. After Crystal falls asleep, I'll come find you."
"You…"
Before she could speak, Liu Yifei came out with a plate: "It's heated up, eat quickly."
After dinner, the two sat on the sofa watching TV, while Old Liu pulled up a chair not far away, deliberately keeping her distance.
On the screen, The Voice of America Season 2 was playing.
As last year's undisputed variety show blockbuster, countless people were looking forward to Season 2.
Not only the audience, but also many young people with their own ideals, or middle-aged and elderly people who felt unappreciated.
Last year, the production team had to find contestants themselves, but this year, the number of applicants was so large that they had to be screened, and most of them would not have the chance to appear on stage.
Moreover, although it was called The Voice of America, its influence was actually no longer limited to the United States.
After the first season became a huge hit, the copyright had already been sold to Canada, various European countries, various Asian countries, Australia, and other places.
Copyright fees were calculated by season, with money paid for each season produced. The first season alone sold for over 400 million US dollars.
In this era, it was already considered a top-tier licensing standard.
So many people from other countries came to sign up for the competition, and the reason, needless to say, was because this was the most developed place for the world's music industry.
If you truly want to make a name for yourself in the global music scene, then coming to the United States is arguably the fastest path.
If you are truly exceptionally talented, it can at least make you famous worldwide five or six years earlier.
This year's advertising fees also didn't have to wait until the final night; various big brands had already targeted it in advance, and contracts were signed even before filming began.
Pepsi was still the biggest sponsor, investing a lump sum of 80 million US dollars.
On the final night last year, Michael, in front of a national audience, directly chugged a small bottle of Coca-Cola and made a very delicious, refreshing expression.
Although there were no advertising words, the effect was outstanding, directly boosting Pepsi's market share by 5 percentage points.
Although it was still the second in the industry, the gap with Coca-Cola had at least narrowed.
Thinking that Coca-Cola's most famous and successful advertisement was also filmed by Michael when he was young, it was already self-evident who the biggest winner was.
So, upon learning that Coca-Cola had offered 60 million US dollars, Pepsi immediately followed suit without hesitation.
But unfortunately, Michael himself did not participate in the recording of Season 2.
Last year's United States tour concert, the effect goes without saying, with ticket revenue exceeding 300 million US dollars.
Moreover, a cooperation agreement was also reached with Universal, with Universal hosting and UTA participating, and a global tour concert will be launched this year.
In terms of revenue sharing, Universal offered more concessions than Sony.
So Michael's main energy is now focused on this matter, and he can't spare time for variety shows.
Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, and JZ returned as usual, and then the company found Sting to replace Michael.
What?
You don't know who he is?
You've seen "Léon: The Professional," right? The theme song "Shape of My Heart" was sung by him.
As for bands, The Police, in the era of warring gods, might not have been in the top tier of popularity.
But Sting himself is definitely world-class in terms of popularity, especially very popular in the United States.
"Crystal, I remember you used to want to release an album. Do you want to try it?" Eric asked, embracing Little Liu.
"No, you're kidding, right? I can't even sing better than these contestants, and release an album?"
"Didn't you once plan to join Sony Music? Have you lost confidence in yourself?"
Little Liu shook her head like a rattle drum: "That was a path my mom planned, to use music to increase my visibility. I'm not good at singing; I should just focus on acting."
Hearing this, Liu Xiaoli rolled her eyes, thinking, "Your mom can't do it, but this stinky man can, right?"
"Oh, by the way, darling, is your acquisition almost complete? I saw the news; has the antitrust investigation already concluded?"
Eric smiled and pinched her nose: "You usually don't pay attention to these things."
"I didn't used to, but now I check it out when I have nothing to do. I care about you, you know."
"Hmm, the process is basically complete. There are a few minor issues, but nothing major."
"What's wrong?"
"Hehe. What else could it be? Disney is causing trouble. The antitrust investigation is simple in some ways, complex in others."
"It mainly involves evaluating the entire industry, your competitors, internal corporate affairs, market dominance, and other aspects."
"The other few companies are all my people. Warner Bros. is very eager to quickly finalize the deal, and even New Line Cinema and Lionsgate won't speak out of turn. The only one causing trouble is Disney."
"However, it's like an ant trying to shake a tree; they alone can't affect the overall situation, at most, they'll slow things down a bit."
"So, MGM and other companies have all reached cooperation agreements? Isn't this kind of behavior a violation?" Little Liu asked curiously.
"It is. Strictly speaking, this is tacit collusion. Although there are no written agreements, everyone moves together."
"But it's still the same old saying: the trend is set, unstoppable. Haven't you noticed that Warner Bros. hasn't released any new films recently?"
"Hmm."
"The acquisition process has officially started. It should be completed in about a month."
"Darling, then you'll be the boss of Warner Bros., right?" Little Liu asked excitedly.
"You could say that. Hollywood will officially enter The Big Six era. The Warner Bros. logo will no longer exist in the future, but old films and TV shows will retain their old title logos."
"Anyway, friends is ours now, which avenges the acquisition from back then."
"Then I can free up my hands to focus on dealing with Disney. They do theme park economics, and I'm also planning to create my own theme park."
"As long as we suppress them on the big screen, Disney's industrial chain won't be able to form a positive cycle."
"With the resources I have, I don't believe I can't compete with them!"
"But you spent 51 billion US dollars. My head spins just seeing that number. MGM is already so big; is it necessary to spend so much money to buy another film company?"
Liu Xiaoli sighed with some emotion. 51 billion, she couldn't earn that much money in ten lifetimes.
In response, Eric just shook his head and remained silent, thinking, "Long hair, short on insight."
Not to mention how valuable Warner Bros.'s film library is, just the DC merchandise alone, once the cinematic universe is established and the rights are granted to Dual Star Entertainment and Hasbro, the astronomical profits it can generate are unimaginable.
Why did Lego rise so strongly back then? It was because they secured the Marvel rights, thus ascending to the industry's top spot.
And once the Marvel and DC cinematic universes mature, with both major copyrights concentrated in one place.
Eric is confident he can bring down Mattel within a few years. Relying solely on a Barbie doll to carry the load, they absolutely cannot withstand the onslaught of these superheroes.
However, since Hasbro and Mattel are already the two largest toy companies in the United States, a forceful cash acquisition definitely won't work.
Because it simply won't pass the antitrust review. Otherwise, if Eric invested another 30 billion US dollars, there would be a very high chance of bringing Mattel under his control.
Since acquisition isn't an option, what to do?
What can be done? Just beat them down, take over their market, and the other party will naturally collapse.
After crushing Mattel and expelling Lego, Bandai Namco's business here isn't well-suited to the local market.
Those small domestic companies are even less of a concern, and the monopoly on the toy market will basically be formed.
By then, comic companies, with the assistance of promotional channels like Facebook and YouTube, will produce popular IPs.
Popular IPs will be adapted into films and TV shows for the big screen and small screen, and the cinemas under his control can arrange screenings.
After expanding influence, they will then extract huge profits through merchandise and theme park economics. This forms a very complete industrial chain.
As long as no major unforeseen events occur, such as a world war, this model can be maintained for decades without any problems.
Late at night, after Little Liu had fallen asleep, Eric slowly got up and left Room.
Using the faint light from his phone, he found his way to Liu Xiaoli's bedroom.
Sure enough, the door was ajar.
She didn't say it, but her body was very honest.
Pushing the door open and quietly stepping inside, Eric sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on Old Liu's body.
Naked, no pajamas.
Slap!
With a soft sound, Liu Xiaoli swung her hand and hit Eric's hand.
"Hehe. What's wrong? Were you impatient waiting, are you angry?"
Old Liu ignored him, rolled over, and lay on her stomach.
But a moment later, her breathing also became heavy.
"Ah! Be gentle!"
"I like it rough; you know that."
"I think you like to be rough with me."
"Not on you, then on Xixi?"
"Neither. Go find others who like this kind of thing."
"Still talking back! By the way, you should advise her when you have time, so she can prepare herself mentally."
"If she intends to stay with me, she needs to accept my family."
"What do you mean?" Liu Xiaoli sat up.
"Didn't you tell me to find others? I've found several. In short, she needs to be mentally prepared to share a husband."
"You're crazy! I'm her mother; how can I say such a thing?"
"Your current behavior doesn't look like a mother."
"You! Didn't you promise to give Xixi a proper status? You promised me."
"I didn't say I wouldn't deliver. I will definitely give it to her. Mistress, second mistress, third mistress, fourth mistress are all statuses too. I never said she had to be the first!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli immediately flew into a rage, raising her hand to hit him.
"However, after the Warner Bros. acquisition is complete, I plan to give Xixi some shares as a token of my affection."
Hearing this, Liu Xiaoli's raised hand instantly froze in mid-air.
Shares in Warner Bros., that's not just this house. Look at MGM's current stock price; a 1% stake represents over 200 million US dollars.
In three to five years, when Warner Bros. develops, it will be an astronomical sum again.
"How much do you plan to give?"
"Depends on your sincerity."
In another bedroom, Little Liu suddenly woke up, glanced at the slightly ajar door and the bed where she was alone.
After thinking for a moment, she rolled over, put on her shoes, and walked out.