America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 368 Spider-Man Makes His Debut

On the streets of Queens, the afternoon sun shines through sparse clouds, casting dappled shadows on the asphalt.

Ernst sat in the back of the Rolls-Royce, his fingertips casually tracing the exquisite stitching on the leather seats, his gaze sweeping through the tinted windows at the hurried pedestrians and rows of buildings outside.

As the car slowly drove up to the vicinity of Ernst Asset Management Company, the roar of the engine suddenly stopped, and the car came to a steady stop.

"What's going on?" Ernst's voice came through the quiet atmosphere inside the car.

Tom and Muller, sitting in the front row, straightened their backs almost reflexively the moment the car stopped.

As Ernst's personal bodyguards, they had long since ingrained vigilance into their very bones.

The two of them turned to the side at the same time, scanning the surroundings outside the car window warily, not daring to relax for a moment.

Faced with Ernst's question, the two did not answer rashly, but their eyes became sharper as they carefully examined every corner that might pose a risk.

Time passed silently until Reus, the lead car, arrived.

He walked straight to the passenger window where Muller was and gently knocked on the window.

Muller rolled down the car window, and the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones. Reus, with a hint of helplessness on his face, briefly explained the situation before turning and returning to his own car.

Muller slowly rolled up the car window, his wariness replaced by a bitter smile.

He slowly turned around to face Ernst in the back row. "Boss, the road ahead is temporarily closed due to filming. According to the staff on site, it is expected to take several more hours to reopen. If we want to get to Ernst Asset Management Company now, I'm afraid—we'll have to walk."

"What are these traffic officials thinking!" Ernst's voice suddenly rose several decibels, his tone full of sarcasm. "Closing roads for filming is understandable, but can't they just block off the entire main road? Their eyes are glued to piles of money!"

He knew all too well the ins and outs of this; it was simply a matter of having connections at all levels to give these film crews such special treatment.

"Hollywood production companies can now clear the way at will, how impressive!"

Muller sat in the front row, listening to Ernst's complaints, his expression turning somewhat strange.

He suppressed a smile that was about to spill from his lips, his shoulders trembling slightly, but he still tried to maintain a serious expression, and carefully added, "Boss, I just heard Royce say that MGM seems to be filming a movie."

"MGM?" Ernst's voice stopped abruptly, and the car fell into a deathly silence.

Tom, Mueller, and Ivan sitting beside them all lowered their heads at that moment, forcing themselves to suppress their smiles.

But their constantly trembling shoulders, like those of a thief who has given away their tracks, have already revealed their true emotions.

Ernst's face turned ashen at a visible speed. He never expected that after all his complaining, he would end up complaining about himself.

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his embarrassment and anger, and attempted to save face, saying in a firm tone, "Have them clear the road and let our convoy pass!"

Muller listened to the order, pouted with his back to Ernst, and could only open the car door and walk quickly towards the filming location, thinking to himself that he should first see if there were any MGM employees he knew in the crew.

If all else fails, we'll have to call Robert Iger. Who told you to choose such a bad time to film, blocking the boss's way and embarrassing him?

Just as I entered the filming location, about to ask someone for directions, before I could even speak, a clear and pleasant female voice came from behind me, tinged with surprise and familiarity: "Hey, you're Ernst's bodyguard, right? Your name is Muller, isn't it?"

Muller turned around at the sound of the voice, and when he saw the familiar face in front of him, his eyes lit up and he was overjoyed.

He recognized this woman, not because she was a big-name Hollywood star, but because he had spent the night at her villa in Hidden Hills, Los Angeles, some time ago.

He still remembers sneaking into the kitchen to find something to eat because he was hungry at night. As soon as he got to the kitchen door, he saw his boss wearing a loose Spider-Man bodysuit, with messy hair and a big clump of urine dripping down his back. They met face to face unexpectedly.

"Kirst-Kirst?" Muller thought carefully for a moment, then tentatively asked, "If I remember correctly, your name is Kirst Dunst, right?"

"That's right!" When Kirsten heard Muller call her name accurately, a bright smile immediately appeared on her face. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents, and her tone was filled with joy, as if it was a great honor to have Muller remember her name.

"I never expected you to remember my name. I thought you had long forgotten it."

"How could I forget?" Muller chuckled twice, trying hard not to recall the scene from that night.

"By the way, what are you doing here? Is Ernst here too?"

Her gaze unconsciously swept around, trying to find Ernst's figure, but after looking around, apart from the busy staff and extras, she did not see that familiar tall figure.

Muller shrugged, gestured towards the convoy, and explained, "The boss is waiting in the car. You need to clear the way for our convoy."

After saying that, Muller looked at Kirsten in front of him and forced what he thought was a friendly smile. "Since you're here, could you please talk to the production manager and ask them to stop filming and clear the way?"

"Of course, no problem!" Kirsten agreed without hesitation, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Kirsten was happy to do this, as it would indirectly let the crew know that she knew Ernst.

Seeing that Kristin turned and left readily, Müller did not wait there, but turned and walked directly toward the convoy.

As they passed the cars leading the way, Reus was leaning out of the window. Seeing Muller return, he deliberately whistled loudly and teased, "Boss, that girl you were talking to earlier was really pretty, and had a great figure too. Was that your romantic encounter?"

Muller rolled his eyes at Reus's teasing and said irritably, "If you like her, go ahead and pursue her. I'm not cut out for a girl like that."

Having served as Ernst's bodyguard for so long, he had long seen through the true colors of Hollywood actresses.

His boss was a notorious playboy, always surrounded by all sorts of female celebrities. After seeing so many, he lost his initial curiosity and fantasies about these women.

Before he came into contact with them, he would occasionally have some unrealistic thoughts about the actresses on TV. But now, he only feels that these seemingly glamorous actresses are sometimes not as sophisticated as those open and honest bitches.

At least the latter won't wear a hypocritical mask and resort to any means to gain fame and fortune; instead, they will openly tell you that they want money.

Muller returned to his car and had only been sitting for a few minutes when he saw the previously stopped traffic begin to move slowly. The crew members on set also made way for him, which meant that Kirsten had clearly communicated with the production team.

Ernst's convoy followed closely behind, and by then the road section blocked by the film crew was already crowded with onlookers.

Those unaware of the inside story craned their necks, whispering curiously, "Who is this big shot? They can get the film crew to call 'cut' and clear the way for them! They must have incredible influence!"

"Maybe it's some politician or a super-rich person? Look at that convoy, all luxury cars, they're definitely not ordinary!"

Those who knew Ernst's identity looked up, their eyes fixed on the Rolls-Royce, which was tightly protected by the two cars in front and behind. Their eyes were filled with awe and longing, as if just one more glance at Ernst would earn him his favor and lead to a meteoric rise in his career.

However, to everyone's surprise, Ernst's convoy did not continue along the closed road. Instead, when it reached a building next to it, it suddenly turned into the building and drove straight into the entrance of the underground parking lot.

This scene completely stunned the director who was directing the filming on set. He thought to himself, "What... what's going on? Have I accidentally discovered this media tycoon's little secret? This building doesn't look like any famous commercial building. Could it be a place he uses to keep his mistress?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and his eyes even gleamed with a hint of gossip.

Just as the director was letting his imagination run wild, the producer gently patted him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to look at the top of the building.

The director looked up in the direction the producer was pointing and saw a huge metal plaque hanging at the top of the building. The gilded characters of Ernst Asset Management Company shone brightly in the sunlight, standing out prominently.

It turns out this building is also someone else's property. No wonder they put it in close-up shots in the movie; it turns out it was to increase their company's exposure.

Ernst was unaware of the director's inner thoughts. After the car pulled into the underground parking lot and came to a stop, he told his bodyguard to see Ivan off, and then strode towards the elevator.

Jane Fraser's office. When Ernst pushed open the door, she was standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a steaming cup of coffee, her gaze fixed on the busy film crew below.

Hearing the door open, she slowly turned around and saw that it was Ernst. Her tone was somewhat sarcastic as she said, "Your decision almost brought Ernst Asset Management to a standstill for half a day."

Ernst paused for a moment, then said with some confusion, "When the car came by just now, I clearly saw that the road was only blocked at the main entrance. Doesn't this building have side and back entrances in the lobby? Why is it stopped?"

Jane Fraser put down her coffee cup, walked to her desk, and sat down with a wry smile. "A major Hollywood film crew is shooting downstairs, and it's a highly anticipated superhero movie like 'Spider-Man.' Do you think the employees are even in the mood to work?"

She paused, a hint of helplessness in her voice, "This is New York, not Los Angeles where you can run into film crews shooting anywhere. Everyone's so curious, how can we concentrate on our work?"

After saying that, Jane Fraser gave Ernst a resentful look and complained again, "And your decision this time has also affected my family!"

"Will it affect your family?"

Ernst was about to take off his coat when he heard this, and his hand froze in mid-air. "You'd better make things clear, or if outsiders hear this, they'll think there's something improper between us."

Seeing Ernst's reluctant look, Jane Fraser glared at him and explained irritably, "What are you thinking! I'm talking about Kane! He's a huge Marvel fan and has been watching from downstairs for ages."

"If this film crew doesn't leave, I reckon they'll stay downstairs and refuse to leave even after I get off work."

Kane is Jane Fraser's husband and has been stationed in Europe for a long time.

"Then I can only apologize." Ernst shrugged, sat down, and said, "As compensation, I can have someone arrange a role for Kane in 'Spider-Man'."

This big-budget MGM production currently in production is Spider-Man.

We can't just sit around and do nothing after acquiring Marvel, can we?

Moreover, he also wanted to use Marvel to increase MGM's asset value and enhance MGM's status in Hollywood.

How can we increase [something] without making a blockbuster superhero movie?

Most importantly, MGM's internal special effects department and Aurora Studios can't work in isolation, can they?

To know whether their special effects software is good or not, and how technically advanced it is, the only way is to test it in actual filming.

If this Spider-Man movie can achieve the effect I remember, then it means the special effects team is basically on the right track.

Jane Fraser thought when Ernst offered Kane a role, "Kane would be ecstatic if that were the case."

Ernst was about to say "Don't mention it, it's nothing," but Jane Fraser's next words made him instantly feel a sinister aura.

"But I can't."

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