money player

"Adam came from Hong Kong, where men are allowed to have multiple wives. Adam had multiple wives and countless lovers. Danielle Delilah was one of his lovers."

Gao Dai chuckled, "Doris, have you realized you're deliberately belittling him? Are you worried I'll develop feelings for him?"

"No, I just wanted you to know that I'm ahead of you in line."

"Ha, you've piqued my interest. Maybe I'll cut in line."

"Don't think about it."

upstairs.

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Sin Yiu-man sat on the sofa, tying his tie while reading the gossip in the newspaper, which happened to be about Pauline Goddard.

Last year, "Torchbearer" was a box office flop, and Gode faced a situation where she had no films to work on, effectively ending her film career. However, she is a wealthy woman, so she doesn't have to worry about not having any roles.

When Chaplin divorced her, he was in a hurry. He had already hooked up with Oona, and his wife was still in the picture. In order to get a smooth divorce, he was very generous. He gave her millions of dollars in cash and several valuable properties, instantly making her a rich woman.

A quick look through old newspapers reveals numerous reports about Godard's investments. She certainly didn't let her millions of dollars and acting fees sit idle; she invested in real estate in Los Angeles, New York, and Switzerland. She was also a well-known art collector, amassing a considerable collection of artworks with significant appreciation potential. In addition, she invested heavily in stocks and bonds.

According to the latest news in the newspaper, Goddard separated from her current husband last year because his career was in a slump, he couldn't earn money and was an alcoholic, and she hated the role of "caregiver".

Going back further, Goddard married an older timber merchant when she was seventeen and received $37.5 in compensation upon divorce. Combined with her relationship with Chaplin, the label of gold digger can definitely be pinned on her.

“Being materialistic is good. They are intelligent and have no children to hold them back. They could consider forming a partnership.”

Ever since they met in Paris, Xian Yaowen knew that this woman, Duke, had her eye on him. Who knows how many ways she'd devised to take his pants off? What a curse! He'd run into her again today. The way she looked at him made him want to gulp it down.

This woman has an abstract face and is shrewd. He can't even disgust himself for the sake of money. Sorry, lady, let's talk about investment over coffee. Don't argue with the bed. It's too vulgar. Can't there be pure friendship between men and women?
He was eager to use Duke's resources to his advantage, but he didn't want to make things difficult for Xian Yaowu. He didn't want to offer him delicacies every meal, but at least four dishes and a soup. He wanted to be able to handle the situation by simply staring at him.
As he tied his tie and put on his shoes, he wondered again whether he should bring Quan Danru, his personal secretary, with him. He figured he could squeeze some money out of her for travel expenses, and sometimes it was inconvenient not having someone to take care of her.

Besides, Quan Xu is getting involved in more and more things, and the only thing he hasn't gotten involved with yet is the Armadillo Squad. It's time to soothe those restless little thoughts deep in his heart.

Chinese people are superstitious about connections, so they'll give someone a cheap brother-in-law first, depending on the situation.

Go downstairs.

Parting the two white clouds, we saw Duke and his companion, both puffing out smoke.

Duke stubbed out his cigarette and approached Sin Yiu-man, who was almost at the table. He reached out and touched the fabric of Sin's suit. "Holland & Sherry tropical wool?"

"No, I acquired a textile factory in the UK. It produces low-weight worsted wool that I developed myself, but it hasn't started selling to the public yet."

Duke stroked it again, "The fabric has a great texture; I'd like to have a women's suit made from it."

"Send it to Paris, or..."

"Paris."

"OK."

Duke naturally took Xian Yaowen's arm and said to Gao Dai, "Baolian, let's go."

Gao Dai took two deep drags of her cigarette, then put it out and followed.

From the lobby to the hotel entrance, Duke didn't let go. She led Sin Yiu-man into her luxury car, a Packard-Patrician, where he sat in the middle, flanked by two policewomen like a criminal suspect.

"Fine, then," Sin Yiu-man said, focusing his attention on examining the car's interior. This Patrician was a bulletproof version, boasting advanced noise reduction technology that kept noise out when the doors were closed.

Patrician's lifespan was short; having lived two lives, this was the first time he had ever seen a new car.

Duke placed his hand on Xian Yaowen's thigh, kneading and patting it, his teasing intent obvious. If it weren't for Gao Dai, she might have already forced herself on Wu Zetian.

"Adam, have you noticed how xenophobic Hollywood is?"

Xian Yaowen withdrew his gaze from examining the car's interior and turned it to Duke. "Why do you say that?"

“A few days ago, I talked to David about ‘Gone with the Wind’. I was willing to fund a $500 million remake, but he didn’t seem very interested.”

"Don't you know that the copyright for 'Gone with the Wind' is a bit complicated?"

“I know that David has sold most of the rights to MGM, but it can be negotiated, right? Remakes would be good for David. I’ve also talked to Daryl and Barney, and they’re willing to invest in Fox and Paramount’s projects. They’ve been a bit lukewarm towards me, which is frustrating.”

Duke's face showed a depressed and somewhat frustrated expression.

"Your acting is a bit poor," Sin Yiu-man thought to himself, but said aloud, "Doris, everyone knows you're a shrewd person. Your money isn't easy to come by, is it? Hollywood prefers rich people who aren't so shrewd. They invest money, don't care about anything else, just date actresses, and then don't care at all that they end up with a loss."

"You're the same kind of person, so you're able to establish yourself in Hollywood?" Duke gave Sin Yiu-man a knowing look.

“It’s different. I’m an industry insider with resources. It’s just that I wasn’t in Hollywood before, so it’s easier for me to fit in.” Sin Yiu-man turned to look at Goddess, “Pauline, why don’t you have any new works this year?”

"Adam," Goddard said plaintively, "there are no secrets in Hollywood. How could you not know about my situation?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "You're the lead actress and the producer, so it's not wrong for you to take responsibility for the box office failure. But it's a bit too early for you to retire from acting. Would you be interested in taking a trip to Hong Kong for a while?"

"You want to invite me to make a film? A Hong Kong film?"

"Yes, but your salary is too high for me to afford. I hope we can work together to advance the project."

“I’ve been to Hong Kong once, and it left a deep impression on me. I’m very interested in going there again. Adam, when can we see the script?”

“It won’t be long.” Xian Yaowen extended his right hand to shake hands with Gao Dai, then turned to Duke. “Doris, I’m more knowledgeable about film than fashion. Jorge Guineau has several projects waiting to be executed, all of which are large projects. If Jorge Guineau invests on his own, there will be a great financial risk. Film projects take too long from investment to return on investment, so I plan to bring in investment to share the risk.”

Just like with "Roman Holiday," which is already in production, I approached United Artists, Universal, and Paramount, and the four parties reached a cooperation agreement. We will soon discuss the investment ratio.

If you're interested in investing in movies, I can show you a project.

"Jorge Guinno? So, Jorge Guinno is the major shareholder?"

“No, I am the major shareholder. It’s just that the name Jorge Guineau is more well-known in Hollywood.”

"Compared to investment projects, I am more interested in acquiring a stake in Jorge Guinno."

Without even glancing down, Sin Yiu-man could sense that Duke's fingertips were only 0.01 centimeters away from his Iron Shirt defenses. It seemed this woman had also trained her neck; her seductive aura was blocked at the shoulders and below, with not a single drop seeping into her arteries and reaching her brain.

"This is difficult. I am personally optimistic about Jorre Guinuo's growth in the next few years. Although I am not absolutely against investing, I only accept investments that recognize my valuation expectations for Jorre Guinuo three years from now, just like when Jorre invested in Huashe."

"What percentage of the shares does Jorge Guinuo hold in the Flower Company?"

25%.

"At what valuation will you invest?"

"$3200 million."

"What do you think the Flower Society is worth now?"

“By using typical corporate valuation standards, Huashe should now be valued at over $4000 million.”

“I want to know what you consider its value.” Duke became serious, his hand silently leaving Xian Yaowen’s thigh.

"I believe there are several values ​​that match different people."

Upon hearing this, Duke immediately realized, "You're planning to go public?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “Doris, you’re scaring me. You’re right, I’m already preparing for the IPO, and we’ll start the process as soon as the conditions are right.”

Duke chuckled and said, "I'm not on Wall Street, but I can give you Wall Street's help. Can you give me a Wall Street valuation?"

"Doris, Jorge is an advertisement. If I accept you, Doris will also become an advertisement. Can you accept that?"

"Why not?" Duke said nonchalantly. "Many newspapers and magazines rely on publishing my news to boost sales, and I don't mind providing them with more material."

“Okay, let’s take it one step at a time. I’ll have someone send you a copy of the Jorge Guinno project proposal tomorrow.”

Duke's hand reclaimed Xian Yaowen's thigh. "I want you to deliver it personally and tell me the details."

“No problem.” Xian Yaowen looked down. “It’s a bit hot. Could you please touch the other leg?”

"Hahaha." Gao Dai laughed out loud.

Duke smiled knowingly, but instead of taking his hand away, he gave it a defiant squeeze.

However, a minute later, she took her hand away, and the car arrived at its destination. The party was located in Beverly Hills, and it wouldn't take much time to drive around it.

It was another estate, I don't know whose it is, but there were seventeen or eighteen cars parked in front, all of them models costing over $3000. The party must have been quite high-end.

After getting out of the car, Sin Yiu-man's arm remained under Duke's control, clearly indicating that she intended to prop him up in her male companion's seat.

Having a male companion at a party only indicates a close relationship; it doesn't necessarily mean there's an emotional bond. If a wealthy woman approves of you as a male companion, Sin Yiu-man can't really say anything.

"Doris, whose party?"

“Peter, Peter Lawford.”

Upon hearing the name, Sin Yiu-man had a basic idea of ​​the nature of the party.

Lawford is British. His mother was the wife of a British Army lieutenant colonel stationed in India. She had an affair with Lieutenant General Sydney Lawford and became pregnant with Lawford. Later, both of them divorced their partners and the two officially married.

Sin Yiu-man didn't know how Lawford came to America, but he knew that the Lawford family was quite influential in British aristocratic circles, and that Lawford himself was quite well-known in Hollywood. He was expected to succeed McCarthy as Kennedy's brother-in-law.

This morning, Balaban's phone call reminded him that John F. Kennedy Sr. had come to Los Angeles to raise funds. With the presidential election next year coinciding with the Senate election, it seems a bit too far for Kennedy, who is running for senator in Massachusetts, to come all the way to Los Angeles to raise funds. Clearly, Kennedy Sr. was not only planning for this immediate step, but also preparing for Kennedy's next step of entering the White House.

Anyone who has paid even a little attention to Kennedy's path to power will understand that his rise to the presidency was mainly due to the support of three parties: the Irish community, Hollywood, and labor unions, with labor unions being roughly equivalent to the Mafia.

There's no need to elaborate on the Irish heritage. It's estimated that John F. Kennedy had been cultivating his Hollywood network since he wanted to become president. He sold alcohol during Prohibition, which means he had contact with the Mafia long ago. Now he's back on the same path he came from, rebuilding his Hollywood connections.

Many laws enacted in recent years have been detrimental to Hollywood, and if President Kennedy makes any promises, Hollywood people would not mind generously contributing.

Even Sin Yiu-man himself wouldn't mind donating two $5s to Kennedy in exchange for improving the situation of Chinese and Jews in the United States.

Of course, it didn't matter whether Kennedy could get it done or not; he only required that the matter be kept absolutely secret because he would spend another $10 to let the people who needed to know know that he was doing it "discreetly."

Returning to the party in front of us, given that Lawford is hosting a party at this particular time, and the cars parked outside are all luxury cars, it's safe to assume that Lawford and Kennedy's sister... oh, I think it's Patricia, are probably together.

"The Lawford family seems to be British aristocracy."

Duke chuckled. "Old Lawford was only knighted for his military achievements and did not belong to the traditional House of Lords. Besides, he had squandered all his noble heritage. Summerby, Lawford's mother, was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman and had distant kinship with the British royal family."

"How far?"

"The Victorian era."

"so?"

Duke smiled mysteriously. "You want to ask me why I'm here at Lawford's party?"

"uh-huh."

“My heart is in Kilkenny; a Catholic tenant farmer must maintain respect for his lord.”

Duke simply takes two lines from Irish folk songs and poems and puts them together, seemingly saying nothing, yet making it clear to those who understand what she is saying.

The first generation of the Kennedy family to come to the United States were Irish sharecroppers. After they became wealthy, the elder Kennedy married Lawford. This marriage was probably a combination of the realities of "Irish aristocracy and Hollywood" and the underlying Irish underdog's obsession with climbing the social ladder—my daughter, the daughter of an old man, is being embraced by an aristocrat.

Those who are insightful can deduce these things, while those who are not can only wander into the Irish dead end. Sin Yiu-man hesitated slightly between right and wrong, and chose to be the insightful one.

"Someone told me that Kennedy came to Los Angeles."

Duke turned and stared at Sin Yiu-man's profile for a moment, then smiled and said, "Adam, I'm becoming more and more interested in you."

"I am a fashion designer."

"What do you mean?"

“I have a boyfriend, we can be best friends.” Xian Yaowen had a slight smirk on his face, making it clear to Duke that he was joking.

Duke asked playfully, "Does Deliyu know about this?"

"Maybe 37 million dollars each."

“Ha, I only need to create one lucky one, Deliyu. Adam, you’re not like Porfirio.” Duke pointed to Xian Yaowen’s shoulder. “Our shoulders are the same height.”

Duke is just under 173 cm tall, and with the added height of high heels and the embellishments on the dress straps, her shoulders do indeed appear to be level with Sin Yiu-man's shoulders, but that's not what Duke was trying to convey.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made that joke."

“It’s okay. You design an outfit for me yourself. I want something unique that suits my personality. I’ll write you a check for $2 and wait for your design.”

"Thank you, but fashion design is just a hobby of mine, so there's no need to prepare a check."

In the fashion design industry, there is an unspoken rule of "cheques for sure." Clients write checks of different amounts to indicate their recognition of the fashion designer's level. This can also include buying out a design so that the same style cannot be made again, or hush money for confidentiality.

Just like a top spender showering a female streamer with virtual gifts, if they spend enough, they become a female internet celebrity. However, a top spender not only needs to be rich, but also needs a good social standing, much like a provincial or ministerial official patting a township or department head on the shoulder and saying, "Not bad, young comrade," and the next step is often a promotion to a municipal or department-level position without the rank of deputy.

"I think it's necessary; you can drink more kosher penicillin."

Sin Yiu-man said helplessly, "Do I need to make that connection?"

"What do you think?" Duke gave Xian Yaowen a flirtatious wink.

Jewish penicillin refers to chicken soup, which holds a place in Jewish families equivalent to the taste of mom's cooking and is also like the cure-all hot water that tells you to "drink more hot water." When Jews have a cold, fever, or runny nose, they will drink a bowl of chicken soup to relieve their symptoms.

[The cysteine ​​in chicken soup can reduce inflammation, similar to the effect of cold medicine, and is more effective than drinking hot water.]
Sin Yiu-man shrugged and said helplessly, "At times like this, I hate my own vivid imagination. Doris, please behave like a lady."

"Haha, I've never been a lady." Duke's unrestrained laughter faded halfway through as the two of them stepped into the room.

Sin Yiu-man glanced at the noisy reception room out of the corner of his eye. The first thing he saw was Jia Na, then Sinatra next to her, and then Marilyn Monroe. He was surprised. This girl was quite good at getting along with people; she could blend into any situation.

His gaze shifted again, and he spotted some celebrities, as well as some people who were probably studio executives. He was slightly surprised to see a woman with a "hide-and-seek" hairstyle, wondering why Veronica Lake was there.

Goddard couldn't make it in Hollywood because several box office failures made it impossible for her to maintain her aloof status. Rather than lowering herself and shamelessly continuing to work, she decided to retire gracefully. With money to burn, she could do whatever she wanted.

Veronica Lake, once a very popular actress, is truly finished. A few years ago, she was already abandoned by Paramount, but she did not leave Hollywood. She can't play leading roles, but she will take supporting roles.
But without exception, every film she starred in lost money. Newspaper gossip also said that she was difficult to work with and had no roles to play. These past few days, there has been more gossip about her: the IRS foreclosed on her and her husband's house for tax arrears, she filed for bankruptcy, and filed for divorce from her husband. She should be in a terrible state, so why would she come to this kind of party? Is she here to earn some extra money?
Thoughts flashed through his mind, but his gaze never stopped moving. He scanned the area but didn't see anyone with the surname Kennedy. It was already this late, so it was unlikely that he hadn't come. He probably wouldn't show up.

He was slightly disappointed that Kennedy wasn't there. Just now, when he learned at the door that it was a Kennedy-related party, he was already thinking about how to recoup the huge losses from donations. The best way for him was to take on Kennedy's campaign ads.

He knew how to run campaign ads and how to manipulate the budget, ensuring that Kennedy's womanizing expenses were channeled into the campaign budget without giving anyone a reason to criticize him.

However, he couldn't possibly do such a thing himself; if someone were to target him, he'd be in deep trouble.

Just as he was pondering this, Lawford came up to him.

“Ms. Duke, welcome to the party.” After greeting Duke, Lawford looked at Sin Yiu-man and asked, “And this gentleman is?”

“Hello, Mr. Lawford, I am Adam Hepburn.”

"Mr. Hepburn of Jorge Guinness?"

"Yes."

Lauford grasped Sin Yiu-man's hand. "Mr. Hepburn, welcome to the party. Please make yourself at home. I have something to take care of and will come back to entertain you later."

"OK, please make yourself at home."

Lawford nodded and turned to leave.

A moment later, a waiter came over with a tray, and Sin Yiu-man fetched glasses for Duke and Goddard one by one.

"Adam, I..."

Before Duke could say anything, Jia Na had already come up to Xian Yaowen. "Adam, what are you doing here?"

Xian Yaowen gestured to Duke, "I met Doris, and she invited me over."

Jia Na raised her glass to Duke and Gao Dai in greeting. After exchanging pleasantries, she took a step aside to speak with Xian Yaowen.

Do you know what kind of party this is?

"A party that's trying to steal my money, and you and Frank are planning to pay double?"

“Things might not be as you think.” Garna’s expression was somewhat grave. “Lawford formally invited Frank and me over, and he mentioned Chicago and the union several times during our conversation. He probably wants to get to know Sam through us.” (End of Chapter)