money player

“Olsen is a bastard. He’s always teaching me how to act, but he never pays child support.”

"Howard is an idiot. He invited me to star in the movie, but when I refused to go on vacation with him, he immediately withdrew his investment."

Haihuasi kept rambling on, listing one man after another who had bullied her.

She must have lost her composure, otherwise she wouldn't have said these things to a stranger. Although her words were simple and not enough to become a tabloid scandal, they could cause some trouble if they reached the ears of the person involved.

Sin Yiu-man listened quietly and poured wine for Hoi Wah-sze, immediately refilling her glass after she took a sip.

A piece of gossip once appeared in the newspaper: at the celebration party for "Gilda," Hayward drank 12 bottles of Moët & Chandon champagne in one go. It was most likely a paid advertisement by Moët & Chandon, but it also revealed that Hayward's alcohol tolerance must be quite good; champagne has little alcohol content, so drinking several bottles wouldn't be a problem.

Haihuasi drank glass after glass of champagne, and the bottle was quickly emptied. Xian Yaowen then ordered another bottle.

One cup after another, still going on.

After finishing the two bottles, Haihua stopped nagging and said to Xian Yaowen, "Thank you for letting me vent my emotions. I feel much better now."

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "It's okay."

"I've never seen you before. Are you new to Hollywood?"

"I just arrived yesterday."

"Want to be an actor?"

Do you think I have a chance to become an actor like Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart?

Haihua Si cast a pitying glance at Xian Yaowen, "Want to hear the truth?"

"of course."

“Absolutely not.” Hayworth shook her head. “You’ll just be asked by your agent to climb into bed after bed, to be with producers, directors, and stars.”

Sin Yiu-man chuckled to himself, "Are there many female producers and directors in Hollywood?"

I'm talking about men.

“No.” Sin Yiu-man shook his head. “I can’t accept being with a man.”

“That way you won’t be able to become a star, you won’t even have the chance to be an actress.” Hayworth said with a slightly self-deprecating tone, “That’s how Hollywood is. If you don’t put aside your pride, you have no chance to get ahead.”

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Sin Yiu-man feigned regret, saying, "It seems I can't become an actor. Perhaps I should consider starting a talent agency."

"Do you have money?"

“A little.” Sin Yiu-man picked up his glass. “At least treating you to champagne won’t make me feel pressured.”

A barely perceptible look of disgust crossed Hayworth's face. "You're Silver Spoon Kid?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "Thank you for using a neutral term. Actually, you could have just used 'gilded trash' or 'film crew brat.'"

Hollywood is full of second-generation rich kids, and most people have a very bad impression of them, using derogatory terms such as club regulars, gilded waste, studio kids, daddy's checkbook, and nominal thieves. To be more polite, they are called silver spoon kids or "amount" trust fund babies.

"So, which company owner's son are you?"

"My dad's name is also Adam."

“You are Adam Hepburn II…” Hayworth suddenly realized something, “You are Adam Hepburn?”

"I just introduced myself."

"Are you the owner of Jorge Guinno Brokerage Company?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "I think this is my first time in Hollywood. Am I famous here?"

“I attended Jorge Guinness’s party, and he mentioned you.”

"Alright, now that you know who I am, I'll skip the comforting words and go straight to a solution. Do you want to hear it?"

"I am listening."

“OK.” Sin Yiu-man swirled the wine in his glass and asked, “What is the total amount of debt you need to share?”

"$25 million."

“It’s not too much. I can pay it for you in advance. You just need to pay me back within a year. In return, I will charge you 10% interest.”

"Is this the only condition?"

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “There’s only this one condition. Is there a problem?”

"No."

“Okay, another matter.” Xian Yaowen took a sip of champagne and said unhurriedly, “I would like to invite you to join Jorge Guinness. The conditions are roughly the same as with Columbia: you will have your own company set up, complete two projects each year, and you will have complete control over which projects you work on…”

"Really?" Haihua asked involuntarily.

"Please let me finish speaking, thank you."

"Feel sorry."

"I only plan to give you a symbolic salary. I will calculate your pay, but I won't give it to you directly. Instead, I will convert it into project investment. You will receive a share of the project's profits according to the proportion. I mean all profits, including box office revenue and other income."

However, since you have the final say on what projects to undertake, you also have a lot of control. Consequently, you are primarily responsible for any project failures. If there are losses, you won't receive any bonuses; even your symbolic salary will be deducted.

If a project company explicitly objects, but you still insist on going your own way, I can give you a chance to try, but you and the company need to sign a separate project contract, and you will need to bear the losses corresponding to the profit-sharing ratio.

In other words, if the project loses money, you not only won't receive any dividends, but you'll also have to bear a portion of the loss, which you'll need to pay in cash.

"You mean I'm a shareholder of the company in the true sense?"

“Bingo!” Sin Yiu-man snapped his fingers. “You’re right. You are a shareholder with certain privileges in the company. You have rights and obligations. I can remove you from your position in the company, but I don’t have the power to take back your shareholder status.”

"Adam, the terms you're offering me are too good to be true. Why? Why are you being so kind to me?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, “Because I believe you can make money for the company. If you make money for the company, the company will give you your due share. If you make the company lose money, I will accept the questioning from the company's shareholders, and you will bear my anger. I will not let you off easily.”

This is what partnership is all about. We are equals; you enjoy equal rights and bear equal obligations...

Oh, I almost forgot a very important point: I have no right to order you to sleep with me or anyone else, nor do I have any obligation to sleep with you.

Or to put it another way, in Jorge Guinness, there is only enticement, not coercion.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you what the company will gain from sleeping with someone, and what you'll gain personally, and then you can weigh the options yourself."

"I'll make my own decision; you won't force me?"

"Yes, it's entirely up to you. Not only you, but everyone else in the company is the same. I founded Jorge Guinno for one purpose only: to make money. The company will provide different resources to each person based on their individual circumstances. The greater the potential to make money for the company, the more resources you will receive."

If anyone wants to obtain extra resources beyond their own capabilities, they have to find their own way, such as seducing company managers or sleeping with outside producers and directors.

I would tacitly condone this behavior; I only care about the result, not the process. If the result is good, I know nothing about it; if the result is bad, I will investigate the process.

"So, you're more forgiving of people who make money for the company?"

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “Does Mickey Cohen really have nude photos of you?”

After thinking for a moment, Hayworth shook her head. "I can't be sure. Cohen is a psychopath. He could be secretly filmed anywhere in the company."

"Relax, if it's there, I'll handle it. Of course, first of all..."

"I accept your invitation after I understand the shareholding ratio."

Sin Yiu-man extended his right hand to Haiwa Si, "When it's convenient for you, bring your lawyer to the company to discuss the details, preferably tomorrow or the day after. I can't guarantee I'll still be in Hollywood two days from now, and you might miss the opportunity to talk to me directly."

Haihua held Xian Yaowen's hand, "I will come over tomorrow."

"Be prepared to work overtime. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, and I probably won't have time to talk to you until after 4 p.m. Tell me what you like to eat, and I'll have my secretary prepare it in advance."

When discussing shares, I'll be very firm. If you want a satisfactory share, you'll need to argue with me. We might work very late, until 11 PM or even the early hours of the morning—I don't know.

Haihua smiled gently, "Can you tell me how to argue this?"

“Explain why I’m giving you any extra 0.1%, Rita. I’m Howard, and every penny I give is grass for the cows. If you want more grass, you have to prove you can produce more milk.”

"Is this the only way?"

"Hmm, you can try to seduce me, but I guarantee you'll only get pleasure, nothing else."

Hayward, her eyes alluring, said, "Adam, are you tempting me?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "You can understand it that way."

"Ha." Hayworth chuckled lightly, not delving deeper into the topic, but instead saying, "You like 'Death of a Salesman'?"

“Rita, I thank you for giving me the name Adam, but it doesn’t matter; it’s not a commodity that can be sold.”

“Adam, I’ve worked at the company for 36 years, and I know your father.”

“I’m sorry, Rita,” Sin Yiu-man said, waving his right hand and speaking in an excited tone, “but business is business.”

Hayworth smiled faintly and said, "Adam, you shouldn't express your emotions like that here."

“I know I’m not an actor, I’m the boss. I’m using an excited tone to emphasize that business is business, and it has nothing to do with emotions.”

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “Rita, you have to admit I’m very charming. Maybe one day you’ll fall in love with me. If that day comes, please remember what I’m emphasizing.”

“Adam, thank you for showing your arrogance, otherwise I would have thought you were a perfect man,” Hayworth said, suppressing a laugh.

"Rita, thank you for showing me your weakness of lying, otherwise I would have thought you were a perfect woman."

"Adam, I love you."

"Damn it, this is the fifth time I've heard this phrase today. God, why am I so perfect?"

"Hahaha~" Haihuasi laughed for a while, then imitated a man's hoarse voice and said, "Adam, you have to be careful when you talk to girls. When you talk to girls, don't make wishes, never make wishes. Why? Let me tell you, because girls will believe whatever you tell them."

“Rita, we are all salespeople. When everyone else says you are wrong, do you still insist that you are right?” Xian Yaowen held Haihua’s soft hand, his lips lightly touching his fingertips. “I have a date. Have a nice night.”

"It was a pleasure chatting with you. See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

"Wait a minute," Haihua called out to Xian Yaowen. "I like Spanish paella, and Mexican chili stew is also fine."

Sin Yiu-man made an "OK" sign, then went to another corner of the bar and found Ka-na drinking alone.

Sitting down opposite Jia Na, Sin Yiu-man said, "It's Chivas Regal 12 Year Old again. Did they get paid for advertising by the Chivas Brothers?"

Jia Na picked up the bottle. "Want to have a drink with me?"

"I like to mix Chivas Regal with Master Sin's Green Tea."

"what?"

"It's nothing, we should probably go now."

Jia Na glanced at Xian Yaowen, "You prefer champagne?"

"Oh God, damn it, how could I forget that I have another name, Frank."

Jia Na poured a glass of wine and placed it in front of Xian Yaowen. "Shouldn't it be Ali?"

Sin Yiu-man picked up his wine glass and swirled it gently, smiling faintly, "Look at you, you're like a little girl. I'll be going to Chicago in a few days to check on your business with Cen. I'll call you before I go, you'll have plenty of time to deal with the problems at Lady's."

I really hoped to just go there to sit, have a drink, and maybe even have a romantic encounter with a Chicago socialite, rather than deal with business matters.

Gana remained unconvinced. "Adam, are you warning me?"

“No, I’m reminding you, out of goodwill and friendship.” Sin Yiu-man raised his glass. “I’m giving you the best solution I can offer. Drink this, and we’ll set off.”

Jia Na didn't say anything, silently raised her glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

……

Half an hour later, Sin Yiu-man and Jia Na arrived at Jorge Guinness’s residence in Beverly Hills, an estate, not his own property.

According to Jorge Guineau himself, he prefers staying in hotels and does not own any property in the United States.

It's hard to say he's wasteful. The Guinness family owns a super luxurious Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, and his staying at the hotel can be seen as a marketing of a lifestyle philosophy.

Even spendthrifts don't squander money all the time; there are always a few shining moments in a long life.

Upon entering the estate grounds, one immediately hears several cheering phrases frequently heard during competitions, such as "Hang in there," "Keep it up," and "Come on."

Upon arriving at the garden, one is greeted by the vibrant energy of youth—a dozen or so girls in the prime of their lives are jumping and cheering each other on, though it's hard to tell who they're cheering for.

Jorge Guinness and a fat man each rode a beautiful horse, crawling slowly in one direction.

Jorge Guinness weighed about 85 kilograms, and the fat man's weight was conservatively estimated at 145 kilograms. The women who served as their mounts weighed at most 50 kilograms, and it was a bit strenuous for them to carry the fat pig. However, upon closer inspection, the two women's faces showed only strain and perseverance, without a trace of dissatisfaction or humiliation.

The money must have been very generous; they earned their money honestly. They probably went through a lot of competition to become mounts and finally got the chance.

Do you know that fat guy?

"you do not know?"

"Very famous?"

"King Farouk of Egypt."

Upon hearing this, Xian Yaowen looked at Jorre Guinno with new respect, not expecting that this guy had such a wide network of connections.

"Should we change our target, take down Farouk, and get him to send the Egyptian Air Force to bomb Cohen?"

Jia Na rolled her eyes. "Is it funny?"

“Not funny.” With that, Sin Yiu-man quickened his pace.

A moment later, he approached Jorge Guinness. Before he could greet him, Guinness noticed him and said warmly, "Adam, would you like to join us?"

Is there a prize?

"Best of three games, $100 million, you can join and change the rules to start over."

"One million is too much; this is not a game I can afford to play."

Jorge Guinochana glanced at her, then gestured to Farouk, “Adam, this is His Majesty the King, Muhammad Farouk, King of Egypt and Sultan, ruler of Nubia, Kordofan and Darfur, a distinguished guest from afar. Join us and don’t spoil the fun.”

Such a formal introduction forced Sin Yiu-man to temporarily bestow upon himself the titles of three kings; otherwise, according to Egyptian audience etiquette, he would have had to kneel before Farouk with his forehead lightly touching the ground.

He bowed slightly to Farouk, "Your Majesty, all is well."

Farouk smiled and replied, "Sir Adam, this is a private occasion, there's no need for such formalities."

Jorge Guinness leaped off his mount and embraced Sin Yiu-man. “Adam, don’t be shy. Farouk is my friend. We had a very pleasant time in Monaco.”

Farouk awkwardly dismounted from his mount, stroked his mustache, and said with a smile, "Yes, Jorge and I had a great time at the Monte Carlo casino and both lost a million dollars."

"Is the current competition designed to shift the blame from two people's unpleasantness onto one person?"

Sin Yiu-man cursed his two spendthrift sons in his heart. Couldn't they just suppress their gambling desires and live a normal life? They could only gamble wildly after his casino opened and lose millions at a time.
"Haha," Farouk chuckled. "Adam, join in, and the fun will be doubled."

"I'm very sorry, I can't double happiness, I can only increase it by 20%."

Farouk looked at Jorge Guinness upon hearing this, "Jorge, I'm fine, what about you?"

“I have no problem either,” Jorge Guinno replied to Farouk, then said to Xian Yaowen, “Adam, you can choose whichever rouge horse you like.”

"Please wait a moment. I brought my own BMW. Let me ask her first."

Upon hearing this, Jorre Guinuo looked at Jia Na again, his eyes filled with fervor.

Sin Yiu-man walked up to Jia Na and whispered, "Think about whether you want to participate. If you lose, I'll take responsibility; if you win, we'll split it 50/50."

"If I win, will I no longer have to deal with Jorge Guinness?"

Sin Yiu-man frowned and said, "I've already made myself very clear, why do you still misunderstand me?"

“Because I hate this Brazilian.” Jia Na’s watery eyes were fixed on Xian Yaowen’s face. “If I have to climb into a man’s bed tonight, I hope it’s yours.”

"Hollywood is a murky place, and those who make it big are no fools."

From Jia Na's perspective, if she had to choose one of the three tonight, Sin Yiu Man would be the best choice.

Jorge Guinness has been a playboy in Hollywood for quite some time. Everyone knows what kind of person he is. He's generous with women, giving them gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars without hesitation, but once he sleeps with them, that's it.

He often keeps several women hanging on at the same time, clearly just playing around. Women like Jia Na, who already have a good foundation in the industry and don't lack a few pieces of jewelry, have no interest in playing with him unless they encounter an urgent situation.

Furthermore, there's Farouk, the ruler of both Egypt and Sudan. Becoming his wife would offer a chance to become queen, but that's just a pipe dream. He just got married this May and there's absolutely no way he'd break up with her and marry someone else so soon.

Because of the Suez Canal, American newspapers reported extensively on Egypt's situation. Anyone who had paid attention to Egypt would likely know that Egypt had a serious fiscal deficit and owed a total of $10 billion to Britain, France, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, the newspapers also wrote extensively about Farouk's decadent lifestyle.

Farouk had mistresses who were Italian actresses, top dancers at Cairo nightclubs, and Greek women. Tabloids also used euphemisms to spread rumors that he had an affair with Greta Garbo.

Adding to the million-dollar bet just now, Farouk, as king, is not handling state affairs in his own country, but instead running around in Hollywood messing around. This shows how incompetent and absurd he is as king. Even without the memories of his previous life, Sin Yiu-man is confident that a change of dynasty in Egypt is just around the corner.

Furthermore, Farouk's Muslim identity is very unappealing to women, and Gana probably has little interest in him.

Jia Na's connection with Xian Yaowen began in Chicago. She knew about his smuggling business with Sam and Gambino, as well as the Flower Society, and had some understanding of his capabilities.

I also got to know Cen Peipei, and I could glimpse a bit of his personality. At least his attitude towards women could be seen from Cen Peipei.

Rich, young, and nice to women—if you had to choose one of these three, who else would you pick?

Furthermore, given that Garna and Howard Hughes were having an affair, having a lover behind Sinatra's back shouldn't be a big deal for her. Perhaps she wanted to hook up with him in order to replace Howard Hughes's role.

As Sin Yiu-man pondered this, his peripheral vision caught Greta Garbo walking towards him from the distant lawn, confirming that the tabloids hadn't made it up. (End of Chapter)