1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 247 Going Global (Please Subscribe!)
Die Hard earned $1588 million in its second week of release, undeniably taking the top spot again this week. The gap between it and the second place has widened to nearly $700 million.

In the words of Hollywood media, this is yet another "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" movie!
No, it's even crazier than E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, because starting in the third week, Warner Bros. began throwing promotional resources at this movie like they were free.

It single-handedly raked in a staggering $2583 million at the box office in its third week, setting a new record in the United States and also a global record—the highest-grossing single film in a single week!

This week, nine out of ten Hollywood entertainment news stories were about "Die Hard" or related topics, such as the director and his invention of the softbox technology, or Jackie Chan and Jet Li... Even Zhu Lin has gained considerable fame in the United States.

It's worth mentioning that because Chen Fusheng didn't have an English name, and foreigners weren't used to calling him by his full name, they gave him a nickname: Oriental Chen.

Surprisingly, it actually suits us quite well.

Today is March 22nd. Chen Fusheng and his team, who had been on a roadshow for twenty consecutive days, have returned to Los Angeles.

Although everyone was still in high spirits, they were really tired. Fortunately, the roadshow was finally coming to an end.

For Warner Bros., the good news that "Die Hard" has been bringing to the film market recently has finally brought an initial halt to the decline in their stock price, and even saw a slight rebound yesterday.

This encouraging news undoubtedly relieved the company's senior management, especially those who held shares.

It swept away the gloom of the past few days.

At the next board meeting, Steve Ross made a bold move: he proposed taking advantage of this momentum to launch Die Hard into the global market!
"Mr. Ross, are you really planning to release 'Die Hard' worldwide?"

"Yes, this decision has been approved by the board of directors. Now I would like to ask for your opinion, Chen."

Nonsense, how could Chen Fusheng refuse such a good thing?

He immediately replied, "Of course I have no objection, no, I wholeheartedly agree."

"Haha, I knew you wouldn't refuse, Chen."

Steve Ross continued, "Also, I'm planning to hold a global launch event for your movie at the end of the month. What do you think?"

"The end of the month?" Chen Fusheng frowned.

"Is it inconvenient?" Steve Ross noticed the change in Chen Fusheng's expression and asked in surprise.

Instead of answering, Chen Fusheng asked, "Could it be earlier?"

"why?"

"To be honest, my youngest son will be one year old at the end of the month. In China, this is a special day, and as a father, I don't want to miss it."

“Really?” Steve Ross looked enlightened. “Chen, you’re a good father. In America, a child’s first birthday is just as important.”

He paused for a moment, then looked at Chen Fusheng and asked, "Chen, you'll probably come back after you return to China, right?"

Chen Fusheng thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, but it should be when 'Die Hard' is about to be taken off the screens. Of course, I will arrange for people to stay here so that we can contact your company at any time."

Steve Ross nodded slightly, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then made up his mind.

"Then let's set it for the 26th. Is there a problem with this date?"

After attending the global launch of "Die Hard" on the 26th, there was plenty of time to rush back, so Chen Fusheng didn't refuse anymore, "Okay, sure."

"Okay, then let's set it for four days from now."

After leaving the president's office at Warner Bros., Chen Fusheng met with Karina again.

"Chen, what do you need a professional manager for?"

“I’m going back to China soon and I’m hoping to find a professional manager to help me manage the patent fees for the cinema softbox.”

Karina understood. While following *Die Hard*, she had also been keeping an eye on the film's softbox situation. Apparently, orders from the factory had skyrocketed. No wonder the Chinese director was looking for a professional manager to help him manage—or rather, supervise. She did know a few professional managers among her friends, but she didn't immediately agree. Instead, she probed again:
“Chen, actually, with your abilities, staying in China is a waste of your talent; Hollywood is a much better fit for you…”

Despite Karina's renewed attempts to seduce him, Chen Fusheng remained unmoved.

In the blink of an eye, four days have passed.

During these four days, Chen Fusheng wasn't just waiting for Karina to introduce him to someone; in fact, he also interviewed several professional managers through other channels, but he wasn't very satisfied with any of them.

He's going back to China tomorrow and won't have time to continue the search, so by tomorrow morning at the latest, he'll sign a short-term agreement with one of them. Anyway, he'll come back to the US in a month or two, so this period will be his trial period.

Today's global launch event for "Die Hard" by Warner Bros. may not be the grandest ever, but it was still quite a grand affair. In just three or four days, Warner Bros. invited many important distributors and media reporters from Europe, Asia, Australia and other regions.

The press conference was star-studded, with a huge "Die Hard" poster standing out prominently.

Chen Fusheng arrived at the scene early with the main cast and crew, including Cheng Long, Li Lianjie, and Zhu Lin, and accepted interviews and a barrage of camera flashes from media outlets around the world.

During the press conference, he also received a lot of business cards.

At the cocktail party following the press conference, Karina suddenly walked over with a strikingly elegant blonde woman in a custom-made suit.

“Chen, didn’t you ask me to find you a professional manager a few days ago? This is my friend Catherine Miller, an outstanding professional manager, especially skilled in intellectual property management and cross-border capital operations. I think you two might be able to exchange ideas.”

Chen Fusheng had thought that Karina had forgotten, but he didn't expect her to give him another surprise today.

He smiled and thanked her twice, then looked at the friend she had brought.

“Mr. Chen, I’ve long admired your name. Your films are excellent, but what I admire even more is that you are also an inventor.” Catherine Miller spoke first, extending her right hand to Chen Fusheng.

Chen Fusheng also extended his hand to shake hands with her: "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Miller. It was just a small invention that happened by accident."

“In Hollywood, any ‘small invention’ that can improve efficiency and create value means huge commercial potential. Besides, I heard from Karina that Mr. Chen’s invention of the movie softbox is not just a small invention.”

Seeing that the two were chatting, Karina didn't disturb them and tactfully got up and left.

After she left, Chen Fusheng and Catherine officially began an 'interview' exchange.

"...Mr. Chen, if I may be so bold, relying solely on a single company's authorization is far from unlocking the full value of this technology. Your invention has broad application prospects in the entire film and television industry, advertising production, and even the field of photography."

Chen Fusheng was certainly aware of this, but he didn't have the energy to manage it, so he simply asked:
“Ms. Miller, if I were to entrust you with the full responsibility of global licensing, promotion, and rights protection for the ‘cinematic softbox’ patent, how would you plan it?”

Catherine thought for half a minute before answering:

"First, I will assemble a small, lean team to conduct research and evaluation of potential users in the global market. Second, we will develop tiered licensing programs, offering flexible cooperation models for different clients such as major studios, independent production companies, advertising agencies, and professional leasing organizations, ranging from one-time buyouts to project-based licensing fees, and even considering technology-based equity partnerships with top equipment manufacturers. Finally, and most importantly, we will establish a strict rights protection mechanism to ensure that your intellectual property rights are respected and protected globally..."

After listening to Catherine's ideas, Chen Fusheng's eyes lit up.

Compared to the other candidates he had interviewed in the previous days, there was no doubt that Catherine was the professional manager he was looking for.

Because he was short on time, Chen Fusheng discussed some details and ideas with Catherine before extending his hand and saying, "Well then, Ms. Miller, I look forward to working with you."

Catherine was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to agree so readily, but this was naturally a good thing for her as well.

So the two shook hands again.

At the same time, Catherine smiled and said:

“It is my honor, Mr. Chen, no, boss.”

(End of this chapter)