money player

"Because there are many people named Jack, Jack can refer to every man, an ordinary person."

"James should have more than Jack."

"Have you forgotten that John usually uses Jack as a nickname?"

"If we calculate it that way, Jack is indeed the most common male name, so the male protagonist is an ordinary person?"

"Jack's full name is Jack Young, a very common name, a common surname among poor white people in the South. He was a wandering painter who went from the South to Paris to pursue his dreams, but his painting skills were very ordinary. No collectors appreciated his work, and no gallery was willing to consign his paintings. He could only make a living by painting portraits on the street."

He was an alcoholic and a gambler. Because he was heavily in debt in Paris, he had no choice but to flee to Cherbourg in the Manche department. He happened to arrive when the Titanic was docked in Cherbourg. Feeling that there was no hope left in France, he played cards at the dock and won £7 by cheating, which was just enough to buy a third-class ticket.

Sorry, the female lead isn't named Marion; that's just a joke. I'm planning to call her Ruth Marlborough Vanderbilt…

“Wait a minute,” Goddard exclaimed in surprise, “You’re trying to allude to Consuelo Vanderbilt, the daughter of that railroad tycoon?”

"No, I should say I'm alluding to her husband, the down-on-his-luck Duke of Marlborough. Ruth is a fallen British noblewoman who has to rely on marriage to maintain a respectable life. Her fiancé is the son of an American railroad tycoon, and she, her mother, and her fiancé are in first class."

"You want to tell a story about a noblewoman falling in love with a man from the lower class?"

"Yes, their story begins when they board the ship and ends when it sinks. In the end, I plan to have Jack die and Rose live, so that the audience doesn't have a chance to imagine what their lives will be like afterward."

"why?"

"Let's assume they are both rescued and arrive in New York safely. Jack has nothing, while Rose has jewelry such as a necklace and earrings. They pawn them for $2000. They rent a house, buy some furniture and decorations, and spend $500."

Ruth is a noble lady. What kind of food does she eat, what kind of cosmetics does she use, and what kind of clothes does she wear? How long do you think $1500 will last for the two of them?

After the money is used up, what kind of work can Jack do, and will he be able to support Rose's expenses?

The answer is no. Jack was not capable of maintaining Rose's decent life. They would have a brief period of happiness, then fall into trouble. They started arguing, Jack started gambling again, and racked up debts, possibly to the Mafia. Jack ran away again, leaving Rose to deal with the debts and the Mafia.

What will be the fate of Rose?

"To become a mistress of a mafia member or a prostitute."

“Bingo!” Sin Yiu-man snapped his fingers. “So, Jack has to die, and he has to die so that Rose can live. Imagine a broken plank of a ship that can only carry one person. Rose sits on it, while Jack is submerged in the water, his hands clasped on the broken plank, dying of hypothermia.”

Goddard thought quietly for a while, "Adam, how do you plan to conceive the story of Jack and Rose? If it's just a simple love story, even with the Titanic sinking factor, it won't attract many viewers to the cinema."

"Let me ask you a question."

"uh-huh."

What percentage of full-time housewives do you think have extramarital affairs? And how many of them desire to have an extramarital affair?

“I don’t know, but I do know that the lives of full-time housewives are very stressful, and the proportion of both is not low.”

"OK, first of all, the actor for Jack, I need him to have the kind of appeal that women want to get close to and have slight physical contact with, especially for full-time housewives."

Secondly, Rose's situation needs to resonate with full-time housewives. Before designing this character, someone needs to talk to full-time housewives. I hope that first class corresponds to family, fiancé corresponds to husband, Rose's mother corresponds to child, and Rose and Jack's love corresponds to extramarital affair.

Ruth is the embodiment of the stay-at-home mom; what Ruth does in the story is what stay-at-home moms aspire to do in real life.

Gao Dai smacked her fingers, pondering for a moment, and said, "From the perspective of female viewers, is Ruth the self they've imagined?"

"Yes, female viewers spend $1 to buy a movie ticket, a Coke, and a cup of popcorn, sit in the movie theater, and have a 90-minute dream that makes them happy."

I call this immersion, from character identification to spatial immersion, and then to emotional synchronization. Female viewers see themselves as Rose, placing themselves on the Titanic, personally experiencing Rose's psychological state—tension, excitement, joy, and sorrow.

"I think I can understand your thinking. I believe it will attract a lot of female viewers to the cinema. You've captured 55% to 60% of the audience. But what about the rest? How do you capture the male audience?"

Gao Dai bit her lip and patted Xian Yaowen's chest. "I'm thirsty. I want a drink, but I also want to go for a dip in the pool. What should I do?"

"Easy to handle."

Sin Yiu-man kicked the blanket away, put Gao Dai's head aside, and then sprang to his feet with a somersault. He touched the tabletop with his toes and flipped to the ground with a graceful, flowing motion.

"Wow, not bad."

Gao Dai sighed, then was picked up by Xian Yaowen around the waist, upside down with her head on the ground and her hair hanging down to the ground, and dragged towards the pool like a mop.

"Damn it." Gao Dai chuckled, "A little higher, I'm almost touching the ground."

"OK."

Sin Yiu-man stopped, hooked his right toes up and lifted Gao Dai’s head, then loosened and tightened his arms around her stomach. He then quickly walked to the edge of the pool, took two running steps, and jumped into the pool.

As soon as he entered the water, he released Gao Dai. Gao Dai slid down, kicked off his waist with her feet, flipped over underwater, and stood up with her back to him.

She splashed water with both hands, snuggled into his arms, rested her head on his shoulder, tilted her head slightly, and opened her mouth.

Sin Yiu-man turned his head to the side and kissed her lips a few times, then pulled away.

"I'll go get the wine."

"uh-huh."

Sin Yiu-man climbed out of the pool, ran back to the outdoor table, wrapped a blanket around his waist, and walked barefoot into the room.

I went into the bathroom, grabbed a towel to dry myself, and then picked up my shirt and trousers from the floor. I glanced at them; the shirt was completely soaked, while the trousers were okay, with only half of the calves wet, but there was no belt on the trousers.

After a moment's recollection, I turned and glanced around, spotting a belt hanging on the dressing table lamp. Instead of grabbing it right away, I first fished out cufflinks from the bottom of the bathtub, along with some loose, tattered pieces of cloth floating freely. Not long ago, these were probably valuable undergarments.

After tidying up a bit, I pulled on my belt and walked out of the bathroom. As I walked towards the kitchen, I reminisced, picked up the shirt buttons that Gao Dai had torn off with her mouth and then spat out, counted them, and threw them into the trash can.

Upon entering the kitchen, I immediately noticed a suit half-soaked in the sink. I picked it up and saw that it was soaked in water and stained with oil, ruined.

He casually tossed the glass onto the dining table, then methodically took a glass, filled an ice bucket with ice, sprinkled some salt on the ice, took champagne from the wine cabinet, went back to the bathroom to get two bath towels, went into the bedroom to get Gao Dai's clothes from head to toe, and another blanket, which he then carried to the outdoor table in a laundry basket.

I put down the laundry basket, picked up the ice bucket, and walked towards the pool. I paused briefly as I passed a tree. "Please get me a change of clothes from the car tomorrow morning."

The tree responded with two words: "Understood."

When Sin Yiu-man arrived at the poolside, Gao Dai had already come ashore and was lying on her back on the edge of the pool, her feet soaking in the water, splashing around.

He untied the towel from his waist, lay down next to Gao Dai, and covered their stomachs with the towel.

Gao Dai took Xian Yaowen's hand, pulled it under her head as a pillow, tried it a few times, found the most comfortable position, nestled in her arms, closed her eyes, and said, "Let's continue our previous topic."

"The Titanic was built by Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The technology is outdated, so it's not difficult to obtain the construction blueprints. Photos of the Titanic's interior can also be found outside the shipyard, making it possible to recreate the Titanic."

"You want to replicate the Titanic?" Goddard exclaimed in surprise.

"No, I only plan to publicly claim that I have invested a huge sum of money to replicate the Titanic. In reality, I will calculate the lowest possible cost to build the Titanic's hull in China on a one-to-one scale, and then realistically recreate the sinking scene during filming."

What about inside the cruise ship?

"Titanic is a big project, and the film is only part of it. I plan to build a Titanic-themed hotel in Las Vegas, which will be a one-to-one replica of the Titanic inside and out. Most of the film's scenes will be shot in the hotel."

Gao Dai suddenly sat up and patted Xian Yaowen's stomach. "I'm very interested. Sit up and tell me."

“OK.” Sin Yiu-man sat up and put his arm around Gao Dai. “Do you know which was the first legal casino in Las Vegas?”

"Northern Club".

"Hmm, from the first Northern Club to now, there are 12 legal casinos in Las Vegas, half of which are directly or indirectly invested in by gangs. The main purpose of gangs investing in casinos is not to make a profit, but to convert illegal income into legal profits through casinos."

Gangs have their own way of doing things: assassinating rivals, controlling restaurant and construction unions to extort money from casinos through strikes, and striking if protection money isn't paid.

In addition to these, the gang also provides illegal loans and drugs in its casinos, and will use all sorts of methods to deal with debtors.

What was the purpose of Nevada's Gambling Legalization Act of 1931?

Without hesitation, Goddard replied, "To alleviate the economic crisis of the Great Depression and attract investment and tourists."

In 1950, Nevada’s fiscal revenue consisted mainly of core pillars such as mining taxes, federal appropriations, gambling taxes, agricultural and livestock taxes and other fuel taxes, license fees, fines and fees, with gambling taxes accounting for 12%.

With mineral resources dwindling and mining taxes becoming unsustainable, Nevada needs emerging industries to replace mining, and the gambling industry is Nevada's choice.

Currently, investment in Las Vegas is primarily driven by gangster capital, with very little other capital. To maximize tax revenue, the Nevada state government has had to tolerate gang activity. However, this situation won't last long. The Nevada government will definitely take action against the gangs, create a better investment environment, and increase gambling taxes.

When do you think the Nevada state government will take action against gangs?

Sin Yiu-man took out champagne from the ice bucket, opened it and poured two glasses. "It's already July, and the final battle for next year's presidential election should have already begun. Nevada has been a major stronghold for the Democratic Party since 1912. If the Republicans want to win this presidential election, Nevada is of paramount importance."

The then-governor of Nevada was Will Pittman, a Democrat. His campaign platform included legalizing casinos, expanding highways and schools, and protecting copper and silver mining interests, but he failed to effectively address the mining downturn during his years in office.

Will Pittman's opponent was Charles Russell, whose campaign platform included pushing for state legislation to strengthen casino licensing vetting and demanding disclosure of shareholder backgrounds for gang-owned companies.

A gambling control committee was established to restrict the infiltration of gang funds.

In addition, he proposed a reduction in mining taxes, lowering the rate from 5% to 3%, and pledged not to increase mining taxes for ten years.

Gao Dai and Xian Yaowen clinked glasses. "Do you think the Republicans will win?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “If the Democrats win, the mining capital will hire hitmen to blow Will Pittman’s head off. No one can stand in their way. I’m prepared to write a check to Charles Russell in exchange for permission to build a small chapel.”

"What's the point of a small chapel? Are you planning to make money from wedding service fees?"

"No, I just intend to carry on with freedom to the end. There is no discrimination in my chapel. Men with men, women with women, men with dogs, and women with horses will all receive God's blessing."

Gao Dai stared in disbelief and said, "Adam, you...you're really dreaming. No one would dare to agree to the existence of such a small chapel."

"No need for consent, just pretend you don't know, and I'll empty the pockets of those outcasts."

"Even so, it will be difficult. You will be pushed into the eye of the storm, and many people may shoot you with guns."

"It's not a possibility, it's certain. So, I don't intend to do this myself, and it's not included in the official Titanic plan; it's an independent subsidiary plan."

"So, the Titanic-themed hotel is more than just a casino?"

"Of course, there are many businesses that can be run around casinos. In my vision, the future of Las Vegas is not just a gambling city, but a utopia where tourists can enjoy full freedom as long as they can pay their bills."

"Wow, you want to be the mayor of Las Vegas?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "I don't have time, but I might support someone else to become mayor."

“Not a bad idea.” Gao Dai took a sip of her drink. “At first I thought you just wanted to invite me to play Rose, but now it seems you want to invite me to invest?”

Yes, our relationship has just taken a step closer.

"Do you think it will be a good project?"

"Of course, this is a big project and it can't be launched in a short time. I will take some time to refine the plan and then find partners."

Gao Dai turned her head and kissed Xian Yaowen on the cheek. "Leave a chair for me."

Xian Yaowen took the opportunity to hug Gao Dai, kissed her twice on the lips, and then said with a faint smile, "I like you, little wildcat."

“I like you too, barbarian.” Gao Dai patted Xian Yaowen’s rump. “Horse, I’ve rested enough.”

"Hmm, you still want to ride?"

Gao Dai broke free from Xian Yaowen's embrace, rolled over and straddled his lap, pressing her hands against his chest, emitting the meowing sounds characteristic of a female cat in heat. (End of Chapter)