money player

knock knock.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Simpson walked into the music room holding a wine glass.

"Boss, people from Reynolds Tobacco just came by."

"what's up?"

"Reynolds Tobacco is prepared to supply us with 100 cartons of Camel cigarettes every week."

Sin Yiu-man stopped pressing the piano keys and turned to ask, "Is this a lot or a little?"

Simpson walked up to the piano. "It depends on who you're comparing it to. Paramount gets 500 a week, small companies don't."

"What else is there besides cigarettes?"

"No."

"Not paying?"

"uh-huh."

"Do we also need to sign an exclusivity agreement that prevents competitors' cigarette boxes from appearing in the film?"

Simpson shrugged. "We're all the same."

“Clay, these terms are too bad. If we drag this out and don’t rush to sign, American Tobacco might come knocking on our door soon. I prefer Lucky Strike to Camel.”

"Boss, you don't smoke."

"Fortunately, our clients are the flower company, and we receive a check every month."

"Ok."

"Anything else?"

"That building?"

“That’s good. I plan to buy it in my own name and then lease it to the YMCA at a low price.”

"That's a good idea. The company is in dire financial straits. After the budget for 'Roman Holiday' is withdrawn, the remaining funds may only be enough to pay salaries for a few weeks. Boss, how about borrowing some more funds from the flower company?"

"No, the Flower Society will no longer give Jorge Guinno a single cent. Jorge Guinno's future projects will mainly rely on loans, and also financing. I plan to bring in shareholders."

"The company hasn't generated any revenue yet. Isn't it too early to bring in shareholders?"

"Shareholders who contribute to performance."

"I understand. Was Grace involved with the boss just now?"

"Who?"

"Eastern woman".

"No, her English name is Grace?"

"uh-huh."

“This name is too common.” Xian Yaowen thought for a moment. “Laura, Laura Crawford, let her change her name to this.”

"OK."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Let the agent take the actor to auditioning sets as much as possible. As long as the role is suitable, the salary doesn't matter."

“We’re already doing that.”

“Great. The company needs to find a doctor with good abortion skills to cooperate with. We can’t prevent our actresses from having abortions, but at least we can arrange a good doctor for them and protect their right to be mothers as much as possible.”

“Boss, we should ignore this problem. Good doctors are expensive, costing thousands of dollars each time, while underground clinics only cost tens of dollars. The company’s actresses can afford it themselves.”

Sin Yiu-man exclaimed in surprise, "So expensive?"

“A renowned gynecologist is seeing patients secretly, and the fee is $5000.”

How do female celebrities usually handle this?

"Going abroad, to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, which country to go to depends on how much value the female celebrity has. Mexico is the cheapest, but the cost is at least $2000."

"So, underground clinics in the city are very profitable?"

“It’s very profitable, but about half of the underground clinics are controlled by gangs, charging twice as much and being ten times riskier.” Simpson shrugged. “The gangs are efficiency-driven and offer quick in-and-out services. I think a minor actor died from a massive hemorrhage last week.”

"Since it's controlled by a gang, there must have been instances of demanding hush money, right?"

"That's for sure, it's just that no one has spread the word."

Sin Yiu-man seemed to be deep in thought, placed his fingers on the piano keys, and played Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2.

"She is Anne, a small-time actress in Hollywood. In order to get acting opportunities, she worked hard, attended various parties, was tricked into bed time and time again, and had abortions time and time again, but she never got a good opportunity. She was very disappointed with Hollywood."

He is Mickey, a gynecologist at an underground Hollywood clinic. He sees a dozen or so young actresses every day who have abortions. After working there for a long time, he developed a prejudice against women. In his early thirties, he no longer longed for love and ignored women's advances. He was very disappointed with Hollywood.

One day, Annie came to the clinic again…

Sin Yiu-man changed his fingering and switched the tune to "Me and You, You and Me".

"Here, we need to design a scene where Annie and Mickey have a conflict and they dislike each other. Their dissatisfaction with reality leads them to seek solace in fantasy."

A publishing house in the UK called 84 Charing Cross Road held a pen pal program. Pen pals would send their letters to 84 Charing Cross Road in London, and the publishing house would then forward the letters to pen pals of the opposite sex.

And so, Annie and Mickey, living in the same city, met, got to know each other, and fell in love through letters in a virtual world, while in reality they still disliked each other.

Then the tune changes again, and we get "Burning Love," an interlude from the Indian film "Love on the Road." Some people like to call this song "The Bride Got Married, But the Groom Isn't Me."

"One day, they both discovered each other's strengths and realized that the other wasn't so bad after all. It was a hot summer day, and on Hollywood Boulevard, half the street was bathed in sunlight while the other half was shrouded in rain showers."

Anne ran from the sunshine into the rain shower, her running posture very graceful. Running is a key characteristic of Anne's character, and there is a scene of her running in every stage of the story…

Simpson asked, "Does running reflect Anne's psychological changes and the development of the story?"

"Yes, Anne's expression and state are different every time she runs. Her first scene is on her way to the film set for an audition. It's her 77th audition, an auspicious number, but God didn't favor her. She got off at the wrong stop and was startled by a bicycle passing by quickly, and her skirt was accidentally torn."

The person riding the bicycle is Mickey; he's in a hurry to take a child to see a doctor—the free kind.

Sin Yiu-man removed his hands from the piano keys and turned to look at Simpson. "These are the key points of the story I've come up with. Find a screenwriter who is good at writing love stories to write this story. The ending must be happy. Annie passed the audition and became the female lead in a love movie called Titanic."

Oh, this audition is different from the others. It requires showing the contrast between light and darkness, in a subtle way.

Mickey closed his underground clinic and became a gynecologist at a large hospital. There was supposed to be a scene of him delivering a baby in the operating room. The woman was having a difficult labor, but he used his excellent medical skills to successfully deliver the baby, bringing a new life into the world and saving the mother's life.

What is the name of this story?

"The Classic".

"Boss, this name is great."

"I require this story to be aesthetically pleasing and suitable for audiences of all ages. There can be no smoking scenes or kissing scenes for Anne; intimacy must be limited to hugs."

"Do we need to first select actors and tailor the production to their needs?"

Sin Yiu-man rubbed his temples. "That would be best, but I haven't thought of anyone who could play the female lead in 'Titanic.' I plan to use the same actress for the female lead in both 'The Classic' and 'Titanic.' 'The Classic' is meant to make this actress famous."

"Titanic?"

"Oh, I'm working on a new project, a big one. You'll see the proposal soon. By the way, I need a secretary. She doesn't have to be very clever, but she has to be discreet. She'll be responsible for organizing my ideas and thoughts. She shouldn't be too old, and she'll need to accommodate my time difference occasionally."

"OK, I'll arrange it."

"By the way, was a Ms. Susan Morrow here yesterday?"

“She’s here, not alone. She brought her sister Judith Imour, a model who just turned seventeen. She’s amazing.”

Sin Yiu-man snapped his fingers twice. "Hey, is anyone home?"

Simpson shrugged. "I didn't mean anything by it. Judith is really great and would be perfect for roles that don't require much acting skill. I signed her."

"How is Susan Morrow?"

"Her acting skills are good, but everyone agrees that she lacks distinctive features and won't have much room for development."

“Acting skills are good enough. The company needs a diverse cast.” Sin Yiu-man pointed to Simpson’s crotch. “Keep your .22 safe and don’t fire it around the company.”

"Boss, my caliber is 44, it's insured, and it's not easy for it to misfire."

"Get lost," Sin Yiu-man said with a laugh.

"what."

Simpson laughed as he left the music room.

Soon, it was lunchtime. Qi Lanlan came over to thank him. He had given her the one month's salary he had promised, paying it out of his own pocket and not through the company account.

Qi Lanlan is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and her best benefit is that "the Screen Actors Guild works hard to fight for her." The job of the production studio and agency is to play villains, and there are some "good things" that cannot be done easily.

The Screen Actors Guild is currently embroiled in a dispute with Paramount over advance payments. The banner of justice is like a sharp sword piercing through the darkness, and it's not a good time to undermine the Screen Actors Guild. If this big show can't continue, the next act might just be a rehash of "Three Battles with Jorge Guinness".

The door was helplessly closed and then opened again, and Grace Kelly walked in.

"You didn't go to lunch?"

"Tell me something I don't know."

“I brought ham sandwiches.” Kelly waved the Aladdin Rose Garden lunchbox in her hand and walked up to Sin Yiu-man. “Your lunchbox is your second business card. I made it myself.”

“On behalf of Aladdin, I thank you for the advertisement.” Xian Yaowen put his arm around Kelly’s waist and pulled her onto his lap. “Are you here to say goodbye?”

Kelly put a hand on Sin Yiu-man's shoulder. "I'm still here today."

"so?"

"Come over here and let's talk about big dogs."

“Very direct.” Sin Yiu-man patted Kelly’s waist. “What do you want to talk about?”

"Those things you didn't explain clearly."

"Those are far away, we can talk about them later."

Kelly stared intently into Sin Yiu-man's eyes. "I want to talk now."

“Okay.” Sin Yiu-man pointed to the lunchbox in Kelly’s hand. “For two?”

"Yes."

“OK.” Sin Yiu-man patted Kelly’s shapely buttocks. “Sit down in the chair.”

As the second hand ticked around, the two sat facing each other, their lunchboxes opened, with two cups of cold coffee placed beside them.

Sin Yiu-man took a sandwich from the lunchbox, took a bite, and said, "It tastes good. You've mastered the skill of spreading mayonnaise."

"I did it myself."

"Wow." Sin Yiu-man broke open the sandwich, glanced at the filling sauce, and said, "Not bad. I hate industrial sauces, no, I hate all industrial food."

"The kitchen is about to be overrun by canned food, do you have a good way to escape?"

"Of course, I have my own farms and ranches in Hong Kong. 85% of the ingredients in my kitchen are grown or raised by myself, and this will reach 100% in the next two years."

"Where's the seafood? Where are the seasonings?"

“I have my own food company. Once it grows a bit bigger, I will arrange for people to make natural seasonings by hand. I also plan to build my own deep-sea fishing fleet so I can catch whatever I want to eat. I will also build a cold chain air network so that I can eat fresh and safe ingredients anytime, anywhere.”

Kelly exclaimed in surprise, "Adam, do you know how much money this requires?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "Grace, I'm trying."

“You’re telling me you were a farmer two years ago.”

"Don't farmers have the right to aspire to a better life?"

"Of course there are, but... don't you think your ideal life is a bit exaggerated?"

“Grace, money only has meaning when it circulates. If a person has the ability to earn $1, they should have at least $8000 for consumption, and the remaining $2000 should be used to deal with any unknown crises that may arise at any time.”

A country's economy can only develop healthily if its citizens all share this kind of consumption philosophy. If most citizens prefer to save and only use a small percentage of their currency for consumption, the economy will fall into a vicious cycle. Once the economy collapses, the citizens' savings will either be deliberately plundered or systematically devalued.

The second major reason for the existence of a social security system is to reduce the pressure on national savings and release some consumption power, especially for low-income groups.

"What's the primary reason?"

"Hey, Grace, put down your sandwich, grab your whip, and come with me to beat the British." With that, Sin Yiu-man started singing, "The Mississippi River flows eastward, its waves washing away heroes, right and wrong, success and failure, all turn to nothing, the Sierra Nevada Mountains remain, witnessing countless sunsets."

"What are you singing? I don't understand."

"An inspirational song, everyone has the chance to become Washington or Lincoln. I take an M1, you take a shotgun, we split up, I rush from the Santa Fe Railroad for thousands of miles, you go north from the Southern Pacific Railroad to support us, we meet up victoriously in Washington, take down the Pentagon and the White House, you are the Queen of America."

Kelly chuckled and said, "Actually, you can explain it in a short sentence."

"I have my reasons for saying this, you'll find out later," Xian Yaowen said with a mysterious smile.

"I already know your spending habits, please proceed directly to 'the next part'."

Xian Yaowen's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Grace, have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to be in the future?"

Kelly paused for a moment, then said, "That's a big question, like what?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled lightly, "When I'm being honest, you'd better be honest too, otherwise our conversation can't continue."

“Okay.” Kelly’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she gave an awkward smile. “I haven’t made any long-term plans. For now, I just plan to become a top Hollywood star.”

"Be specific."

"I told you not to laugh at me."

"of course not."

“Actually, I wrote down my plan in my diary a long time ago. Before I met you, I had to get an important role within three years and be nominated for an Oscar within five years.” Kelly winked at Sin Yiu-man. “After I met you, I shortened the time to one year and three years respectively.”

"I knew you were an ambitious person from the very first day I met you, and I like ambitious people."

Kelly smiled and said, "Because your ambitions are even greater."

Sin Yiu-man raised his hand. “I don’t disagree with that. It’s precisely because I have great ambitions that I need many partners. The most important thing that distinguishes humans from other animals is that humans have grasped the evolutionary principle of cooperation. The energy of one person plus one person is always greater than that of two independent individuals. The larger the base, the more the gap between the two is amplified exponentially.”

He pointed at Kelly, then at himself. "You're ambitious, I'm ambitious. We're different genders, and our pursuits are different. Yes, I'm absolutely certain that our goals are different..."

What are you pursuing?

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the ceiling, "I want to go to the highest place and look down at myself, to find a few answers: Who is Adam? What is Adam? Where did Adam come from?"

Kelly looked up at the ceiling. "You mean the top of the universe, the highest point of thought?"

Are you familiar with Minkowski's concept of four-dimensional spacetime in physics?

"Three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time?"

“Hmm.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “There’s a possibility that Jehovah really exists, that the Garden of Eden really exists, but Jehovah isn’t God, just an ordinary worker in the Garden of Eden factory, earning a meager salary, producing the product of ‘human beings’ day after day…”

“Wait, wait,” Kelly interrupted Sin Yiu-man. “Are you saying people are products manufactured in factories?”

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the lunchbox, "Factory production: cars, ships, airplanes, televisions, all are produced in factories. Humans may also be products of an ordinary factory in a civilization composed of more advanced animals. If you don't understand, you can put yourself in the perspective of an ant. What is a human to an ant?"

Kelly rubbed her forehead. "I can't relate to it. What you said is too much for me."

"Ha, this is the more desirable possibility in my opinion. Have you ever seen a dry toilet in the countryside?"

“Of course.” Kelly frowned.

“Maybe the universe is a dry toilet, the Milky Way is some cowboy’s excrement, the Earth is just an undigested baked bean, and we humans are probably E. coli and Salmonella.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “Whatever.”

"Damn it, Adam, you disgust me, I don't want to hear this."

"Okay." Sin Yiu-man shrugged, then picked up a half-eaten sandwich from his lunchbox, took a big bite, and said, "There's a mobile pie truck at the intersection, want some apple pie?"

"I just need you to disappear for a moment, give me five minutes."

"I'm going to buy an apple pie. You have fifteen minutes to yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sin Yiu-man disappeared, leaving Kelly alone in the music room.

Once outside the office and onto the lawn, Xie Zhanran approached us. "54 meters to the right, a Chevrolet. I've never seen one before. It appeared two minutes after us and has been parked there without moving. I didn't see anyone get out of the car."

"Give the other person a chance to get off the bus, and remember their face."

"Ah."

"Give me the car keys, I'm going to the intersection. The gun is in the usual spot."

"Well, I'll go with you."

"No need, Tingyun can just follow along." (End of Chapter)