money player

Sin Yiu-man and his companion took a stroll around the garden. More than an hour later, upon returning, they noticed that no one was at the dining table, so they headed towards the swimming pool.

There were quite a few people by the pool, with women gathered there, some soaking in the water or sitting by the pool, while others gathered around the champagne tank, playing games or drinking champagne.

The idea of ​​filling the pool with champagne is an exaggeration; Sin Yiu-man has never actually seen anyone do that.

A bottle of champagne is 750 ml. The pool has a capacity of about 20,000 gallons, or about 75,700 liters. It would take about 100,000 bottles to fill the pool. Since the champagne pool is already this big, it would be shameful to buy the cheapest local sparkling wine. Not to mention a $30 Dom Pérignon, a $15 Moët & Chandon would be necessary. With some haggling, it could be done for about $1.2 million.

Guinuo is a spendthrift, but he's not stupid. He's just a bit willful and impulsive. He'll think about what he can gain from pouring 120 million into the swimming pool and choose a more cost-effective option.

If he wants outsiders to know how rich he is, he doesn't need to actually pour champagne into the pool. He can spend $500 to find someone like a middle-aged Li Bai. This kind of old hand has long passed the stage of writing poetry based on inspiration. Even if he sees a yellow dog urinating, he can still write "The waterfall plunges three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the ninth heaven."

If you offer a swimming pool and champagne, and are served chilled Sanlejiang, Li Bai will stroke his beard and say, "I'll give you a 'Hala Shao' in three minutes. Next time you ask for a manuscript, don't bother coming over. Send a girl instead, preferably two."

In front of the wine vat, a girl scooped up a glass of champagne and poured it over herself, showing off her beautiful figure. By the pool, several women surrounded Guinuo, laughing and chatting. Farouk was not idle either. Beside him was a beautiful woman who looked like a female celebrity, very Italian, probably an Italian actress. Xian Yaowen looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't remember her name.

Do you know the woman next to Farouk?

Alida Valli, an Italian, collaborated with Frank on "The Miracle of the Bell".

"Working in Hollywood long-term?"

"uh-huh."

Which company?

"Thunder and Lightning".

“I’ll go find Jorge, and if the check has already been written, I’ll take it and leave.”

"Aren't you going to wait for Lana Turner?" Jana teased.

“You should have heard me at the dinner table that I bought her house. I bet she owed me property taxes, so there’s a compensation clause in the contract. If I win the bet, she’ll have to pay me a large sum. Do you think I’ll win?”

"You've got it all figured out. Nobody in Hollywood is immune to taxes. That damn IRS sent me three tax letters. Adam, you deserve to die too, scheming against a woman."

"Do you think she didn't know she owed property taxes? She had an obligation to tell me the actual situation, but she didn't. If I only had enough money to buy the house and no money left to pay taxes and penalties, can you calculate how much I would lose?"

Please erase Adam, replace him with Ava, then think about this problem. When I return, tell me how many men you plan to have gang rape her.

After saying this, Sin Yiu-man walked away.

As he said, Jia Na put herself in his shoes, and then... the sun is beautiful tonight.

Sin Yiu-man bid farewell to Guinuo, who did not insist on keeping him. However, Guinuo mentioned Tirana Turner again, as if he regarded this woman as a nuisance and wished that Sin Yiu-man would take her away as soon as possible.

With such a strong desire to dump someone, it's obvious that Guinuo is betting against what he considers trash on what he believes to be the jewels that Xian Yaowen has treasured in a safe. That's what you call shrewd.

However, Sin Yiu-man's assessment of value is different. He values ​​commercial value more. Lana Turner's current commercial value is obviously higher than that of Gina. If Lana Turner were to switch to Jorge Guinness, he would be very willing to pay the breach of contract penalty.

Lana Turner hadn't arrived yet, and since Sin Yiu-man hadn't waited, he naturally couldn't take her with him. He did get the check, though; it was from Guinness, and Farouk probably wrote him a check for $120 million.

Finally, Gui Nuo suggested going to the agency the day after tomorrow.

At 8:30, we returned to the hotel, and Hepburn and Simpson were still there.

Hepburn sat in front of her dressing table, dressed in a gown. From behind, it was an eyesore. There were pins here and clips there, and the excess fabric was loosely secured after tightening, making it look like a messy rag.

Sin Yiu-man strode up to Hepburn, glanced at her, and snapped his fingers. “Perfect. You are the Princess Anna I imagined.”

Hepburn's face fell, and she said in a tearful voice, "Adam, why didn't you come back sooner? I haven't eaten anything since this morning, and I can't go to the bathroom. I peed my pants."

Xian Yaowen looked at Simpson, "Clay, Audrey hasn't been to the bathroom all day?"

“You can go during the day, but you can’t go once you start trying on clothes at 5:30. I’ve prepared a bath towel for Audrey.”

“If there’s a next time, remember to bring a highly absorbent towel.” As he spoke, Sin Yiu-man turned to Hepburn and comforted her, “Alright, you’re free now. It’s okay that you wet your pants. No one will laugh at you if it’s for work.”

After he arrived in Hebin, he removed the needles and clips from her clothes. "When I was ten years old, my hometown was occupied by the Japanese army. I went to school in a school controlled by the Japanese and had to participate in military training. Every two months there was a forced march training, advancing 35 miles in 24 hours."

Because of his young age, he couldn't run fast, and the rest time he could normally get during training was taken away. He had to keep running, and he couldn't even stop to eat, having to eat while running.

Since there was no time to use the toilet, each person was issued a portable excrement bag, made of waterproof oil paper or canvas, to hold their excrement and prevent the smell from revealing their whereabouts.

You probably can't imagine running and pooping at the same time, and having to make sure the poop is in the portable poop bag. The bag isn't big, so you can't poop too much, or you'll face punishment.

Can you guess what the punishment is?

Hepburn's attention was drawn to Sin Yiu-man, and she blurted out, "Eat feces?"

"Hmm, at the time I thought this kind of punishment was too humiliating, but a few years later I changed my mind. In the Battle of Imphal, the Japanese soldiers actually ate feces in order to avoid leaving any traces."

"How terrifying are those Japanese!" Hepburn exclaimed.

Sin Yiu-man removed the last clip. "OK, it's all untied. Go take a shower and change your clothes. I'll order for you. Your taste hasn't changed?"

"No." As soon as Hepburn relaxed, her stomach swelled up like an inflated balloon.

Sin Yiu-man gently rubbed the marks left by the clips on Hepburn's back. "The fabric of the dress can't get wet. Be careful. You'll be wearing it for a show tomorrow, and there won't be time to make you a new one."

Hepburn said shyly, "But it smells."

"Wipe it with a damp towel, let it dry overnight with a fan, and it will be dry by tomorrow."

After Hepburn went to the bathroom, Simpson left, and Sin Yiu-man came to the living room sofa and sat down next to Kana.

Jia Na pointed to the bedroom door, implying that the bedroom could be seen from the living room, "You are very considerate towards her."

"I pay close attention to every woman, even the ones around me. Do I notice the dress they're wearing?"

"I see, she's slim with a tiny waist, which is perfect for a fitted dress."

"The female lead in Roman Holiday is a princess, Princess Anna."

"She doesn't behave like a princess."

“That’s alright, a etiquette teacher from London will teach her.” Sin Yiu-man picked up the microphone. “I’d like to order some food, do you need anything?”

"Ask if they have Beluga caviar. I don't know if they still have any at this time. If they do, I'd like two servings, with potato chips."

Sin Yiu-man frowned and asked, "How much is a serving of caviar?"

"Without advance reservations, you can only order the regular one, which costs $500 and weighs only 30 grams."

"What level do you want to reserve, the Gold Spoon?"

"Hmm, golden spoon service."

How much is an ounce?

"$800, plus a $200 service charge for the Golden Spoon."

Sin Yiu-man quickly calculated in his mind, "Not ordering caviar..."

"I'll pay for it myself."

"Let me finish. Don't order Beluga caviar again. You can't get fresh Beluga caviar in Los Angeles for $800 an ounce unless Howard treats you to it."

"why?"

"The reasons are complicated, and it would take a long time to explain them, which you may not want to hear."

"I want to hear it."

"Really?"

"uh-huh."

Sin Yiu-man put down the microphone, organized his thoughts, and said, "Due to the Cold War, the Soviet Union has cut off the supply of Beluga caviar. Now only Iran is exporting it. However, since the Mossadegh government came to power, it has been pursuing nationalization. The export of Beluga caviar has been controlled by state-owned companies. In order to raise prices, they have adopted a strategy of restricting supply."

About a month ago, I telegraphed Tehran to inquire about prices. Grade AA requires booking a year in advance; the price for next year is $300 per ounce. Grade A, which is slightly less desirable, doesn't require booking and is $200 per ounce. Grade A is the best you can get at a hotel.

"The price has quadrupled?"

Sin Yiu-man did not respond, but continued, "With the current preservation and cold chain transportation technology, if you want to eat fresh Beluga caviar, it cannot be more than 72 hours from killing the fish and extracting the eggs to serving it on the table. Once that time is exceeded, the taste will change."

Given the distance between Los Angeles and Tehran, the only way to ship within 72 hours is by air. How much does a long-haul aircraft cost? How much would it cost to convert a cargo hold into a cold chain facility? What are the costs for a single flight? What are the customs duties?

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “I don’t know either, but the cost will be higher than you can imagine. Selling it for $800 a ounce definitely won’t guarantee a profit.”

"There's also a Golden Spoon service fee."

"Same, do you know why it's 30 grams per serving?"

"why?"

“Iran has three packaging standards: 30-gram mini cans, 250-gram standard cans, and 1-kg ceremonial cans. The ceremonial cans are not sold to the public and are used as gifts by heads of state. For example, a 30-gram serving of Beluga caviar grade A is about $30 more expensive in a mini can than in a standard can. Do you think the hotel would provide a mini can?”

"Impossible. Hotels here are obsessed with making money; they'd never choose an expensive option if there's a cheaper one available."

"Beluga caviar can only be stored at room temperature for 2 hours after opening. Even if it is immediately preserved using the ice-salt method, it can only be preserved for 48 hours, and the cost is very high."

A flight from Tehran to Los Angeles takes far more than 24 hours, which means you definitely won't get fresh Beluga caviar at the hotel. Here, is it possible to pre-order and enjoy the "golden spoon" service anytime?

"uh-huh."

"Tehran's exports are subject to a schedule, and supplies aren't available all the time. The Beluga caviar here is definitely not imported through legitimate channels; it's smuggled. Do you think smuggling would involve air transport?"

“The smuggling business here is controlled by Cohen; he doesn’t own a plane.”

"Without airplanes, we can only ship by sea. Theoretically, Beluga caviar in Iranian tin cans has a shelf life of three months when stored at zero degrees Celsius. We cannot guarantee the taste, but we can guarantee that eating it will not cause immediate health problems. We also cannot guarantee whether it will cause chronic diseases."

Sea freight is much cheaper than air freight, but transporting refrigerated food is not cheap either, due to the cost of cold chain warehousing and the high loss rate.

At sea, rough seas can arise at any time, and the turbulence of cargo ships can cause various problems. For normal transportation, I mean legal transportation that doesn't require evading inspections or pursuit, the loss rate is roughly 20% to 30%, depending on luck.

The cold chain storage of smuggling ships cannot compare with that of cargo ships, and they need to disguise their transportation to evade inspection and pursuit. The loss rate is at least doubled. That is to say, the cost of loss alone doubles to $400 per ounce.

Smuggling is never smooth sailing; there will always be losses of goods and personnel. Sometimes things go smoothly, and sometimes you lose everything. Spread out over each instance, $400 per ounce becomes $500 per ounce.

There are also transportation costs, dividends to law enforcement agencies, etc., so the overall cost increases by another $150, making it $650 per ounce. Add the Golden Spoon service fee, and it's only $350 away from the final selling price. This $350 is Mickey's profit plus the hotel's costs and profits. How much do you think Mickey will get?
Half?

Even at half the profit margin, Mickey's profit margin is only 26.92%. While this isn't low for a business, it's smuggling, and the profit margin is too low; there's no point in doing this kind of business.

Sin Yiu-man has misrepresented the concept; his profit margin calculation is incorrect, and it is actually higher.

Jia Na wasn't stupid; she immediately realized, "Cohen has a way to increase profit margins?"

“Mickey is Jewish. Our Jewish people have always been at the forefront of food preservation technology. Before Christ, the Jewish people had already mastered the secret of salting. Salted food has been passed down to this day and can be found in every Jewish family.”

When Jewish people encounter food preservation problems, the first thing they think of is salt, specifically sodium chloride. If they have a little professional knowledge, they might think of nitrite, which is the preservative used in most canned foods.

If Mickey Mouse used preservatives, according to the previous calculation, his profit margin would be 61.11%. With that profit margin, any business would be a good business.

Sin Yiu-man pointed at Jia Na and said with a faint smile, "Your pairing of Beluga caviar with potato chips is a great combination. They're both junk food, so they're a perfect match. Add to that the $200 gold spoon service, and the whole of Hollywood becomes the target of ridicule and a laughing stock for some people."

Her earning ability is mediocre, and she lacks worldly experience. Only a nouveau riche family like Hilton's would marry a Hollywood starlet; it's truly shameful.

"Adam, are you mocking me?"

Jia Na was already upset enough about her caviar and potato chip eating method being made into the tabloids and ridiculed, but she didn't expect that there were even people on a higher level who were laughing at the whole of Hollywood. Her mood suddenly became extremely complicated.

"Don't overthink it. Why would I laugh at you? But be careful when it comes to high-end purchases. Expensive doesn't necessarily mean high quality, especially in Hollywood. How about pan-fried foie gras instead?"

"No, I want a tomahawk steak."

"A portion for two, can you finish it?"

Jia Na said angrily, "If you can't finish it, just throw it away."

"OK."

She'd save hundreds of dollars on caviar and not fuss over a $25 tomahawk steak. Yeah, all that effort Sin Yiu-man put into saying was just to save money. She only earns a few tens of thousands a year, and she can eat a snack that costs hundreds of dollars. If the Hong Kong people at the next table saw this, they might easily misunderstand that they were drug dealers with mistresses.

"However, it seems that it's not hard to swindle money from Hollywood stars."

While making a phone call to order food, Sin Yiu-man was calculating Hollywood's financing potential. If things were still going well, he could devise a product to raise funds. Given the way these celebrities spend money without restraint, getting richer at night and poorer at night, he could simply enforce the redemption terms strictly. If they redeemed before maturity, not only would they not receive the increased value, but they would also be charged a 5% fund management fee. He could easily get a large, slightly profitable loan.

Borrowing money without interest and even making a small profit—you should seize this opportunity.

To maximize profits, one needs to build connections with the IRS so that when needed, the IRS will be upright, impartial, and relentlessly pursue tax payments.

After the meal was served, Sin Yiu-man, who was sitting at the table, kept daydreaming, thinking about what products would be more attractive to Hollywood stars and who should be hired to manage them. Hollywood is a glamorous world, and it's not easy for ordinary people to resist. He didn't want to end up betraying his own side and becoming a laughing stock.

The product is good, but finding the right people is not so easy; it takes some thought. Also, the celebrity endorser can't be chosen casually. Gamblers are a no-go; they're too easily tempted by gambling debts to use the guise of an "endorser" to swindle people. They might collect investment money but fail to deliver it to the company, tarnishing its reputation. Even if they clear their name, it will still damage their public image.

He was lost in thought, while Hepburn was fawning over him, her naive flattery hitting Garner with every possible word, her aim terrible, splashing all over Garner's wrists and soles, but not a single word hitting her right in the buttocks.

Hepburn wasn't very good at flattery, but she was quite good at reading people. She knew that her hair had been cut short and her forehead was very shiny, brighter than a 100-watt incandescent light bulb. After finishing her meal, she immediately said goodbye and didn't stay a second longer.

When only a man and a woman remained at the table, Jia Na kicked off her high heels and placed her right foot on Xian Yaowen's thigh.

The environment was no longer conducive to thinking, so Sin Yiu-man picked up a copy of the Los Angeles Observer, flipped directly to the gossip column, and read a gossip article that he had temporarily put aside that morning, about the follow-up to Ingrid Bergman's pregnancy.

Ingrid Bergman eloped with an Italian director before she and her husband were even divorced, and in March of this year, there was a huge controversy in the newspapers about whether she was pregnant.

Hollywood has three gossip queens: Heda Hopper, Luera Parsons, and Dorothy Kilgalen, who is somewhat of a filler. Heda Hopper and Luera Parsons, one 66 years old and the other 70, have been deeply involved in the field of celebrity gossip for many years, and together they have a readership of over 75 million, which is a terrifying number. It can almost be said that the two of them have the power to influence the life and death of celebrities, especially Hollywood stars.

Of course, the relationship between these two could never be harmonious. If they were of one mind or in the same boat, they should have died a violent death long ago, or at least one of them would have died. It's impossible for them to still have the opportunity to fight on the front line of gossip at their age, otherwise some people would have no sleep.

Hedda Hopper was a very successful actress in the silent film era. In the mid-1930s, Hopper found her film career was declining, so she tried writing and became unstoppable.

Luella Parsons entered the industry earlier and rose to prominence sooner. Her method was simple: she fawned over Marion Davis, the mistress of her boss William Hearst, in the newspaper. Hearst found out and promoted her to column editor.

The following year, she helped Hearst cover up another scandal. It was rumored that director Thomas Ince, Chaplin, and Davis went on a sea trip. When they reached the shore, Ince was shot in the head by a gunman. However, he was actually an innocent bystander. The gunman's real target was Chaplin because Chaplin had an affair with Davis.

This incident was not reported in the newspapers, and the official cause of Ince's death was listed as heart failure.

After this incident, Parsons became Hollywood's only gossip queen, and in the eyes of readers, she was Hollywood's social and moral arbiter, until Hopper emerged to compete with her.

"looking at what?"

"Baumann".

"Is the attack on her not over yet?"

"Not yet. Hopper is still relentlessly pursuing this, but thankfully, Hopper hasn't gone too far and hasn't pushed Bergman onto Hollywood's blacklist."

Hopper was a staunch supporter of the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities hearings, in which she named the Communist Party of the United States and was a major proponent of the Hollywood blacklist, with Charlie Chaplin being one of her targets.

"Are you concerned about Bergman?"

"No, I'm concerned about Hopper. The Flower Society is about to launch a newspaper dedicated to gossip and needs to recruit a heavyweight to join them."

Jia Na trembled. "You've taken a fancy to Hopper, that devil?"

Xian Yaowen glanced up at Jia Na and said, "Hopper doesn't seem to have reported any negative news about you. Why is she called a devil?"

"There was no reporting because MGM gave her money, and in the end I had to bear the cost, or even double the cost."

"So, Hopper initially supported Bergman because he was paid?"

"Otherwise what? Her agent and MGM are good at public relations, they must have spent a lot of money, otherwise Hopper wouldn't have supported her from the beginning."

Sin Yiu-man said calmly, "It's not necessarily all about money. She and Parsons were already at odds, and their opposing views on Bergman's pregnancy could attract readers' attention and also have the effect of building up hype before criticizing. Hopper's column has gained a lot of attention; she's a master at creating buzz."

"So, you're planning to team up with her for a powerful partnership?"

"uh-huh."

"She's earning a good income right now. How much are you willing to pay to invite her to join you?"

"Perhaps shares."

"The cost is so high?"

"I'm worried that giving her too little won't be enough to win her over. Have you finished eating?"

Jia Na's toes rubbed against Xian Yaowen's thigh. "You can't wait to eat me?"

"I'm used to going to bed early. If you've eaten well, please brush your teeth, brush them several times. I don't want to put my tongue in the slop bucket or the ashtray."

"Fuck you!"

"Yeah!"

Sin Yiu-man put down his newspaper, pulled up a chair to sit next to Jia Na, and put his arm around her shoulder. "Do you want the $20 in check or cash?"

"Can I have cash?" Jia Na's eyes gleamed.

"The loose banknotes, mainly in small denominations, would require seven or eight large suitcases to hold."

"I like loose bills."

"It would take time to get here from New York, Frank?"

“I don’t plan to help him pay off his gambling debts. I’ll only help him pay off a portion of them. I still have some money left.”

"You can handle the debt yourself."

"Hmm." Jia Na placed her hand on Xian Yaowen's thigh. "Shall we take a bath together?"

"Go and drain the water, I'll finish reading the newspaper."

"OK." (End of Chapter)