Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

When the lights in the Santa Monica office screening room came back on, director Pierre Morey remained silent for a full ten seconds, his hands clasped under his chin.

The 90-second test shot of Paris street scene freezes on the screen for the last frame. The neon lights of the rainy night are reflected on the wet asphalt road, and the reflection of every puddle has been precisely calculated.

"Chen," Pierre finally spoke, his eyes still fixed on the screen, "I want to amend the contract."

Chen Wei's heart tightened: "What's the problem?"

"Increase the special effects budget from $400 million to $600 million."

Pierre swiveled in his chair, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I want more of these shots, not just in Paris, but also at the docks, the airport, and the underground parking lots. If your team can maintain this level of quality, I want to upgrade the action scenes by another 30%."

Jiang Yu stood in the back row and felt his heart skip a beat.

This isn't just about the 150 million prepayment; it's about increasing the entire project budget.

"We need to assess the timeline," Chen Wei said cautiously.

"Time is not a problem." Pierre stood up and walked over to Jiang Yu. "Young man, are you sure you can get a larger quantity? This is not a test shot; it's at least 40 minutes of special effects footage in the entire 120-minute film."

Jiang Yu met his gaze: "Director, our advantage isn't the quality of individual shots, but our industrialized process. A traditional team would need four weeks to create a rainy night street scene like this, but we can do it in two and a half weeks. That's because our engine can process similar scenes in batches. If you want to upgrade the action scenes, we can, but you'll need clear planning."

Pierre stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly smiled: "I like your confidence. Chen, it's settled then. The budget is raised to 600 million, the down payment is still 200 million, and the subsequent payment dates are brought forward."

Tuesday, October 2006, 5.

As the text message notification sounded that $150 million had been deposited into his account, Jiang Yu was calculating another set of numbers.

Apple stock price: $68.50.

His holdings: 37,337 shares, with a market value of approximately $256 million.

This is not the point.

The key point is that he needs more capital for his high-stakes bets on the upcoming World Cup.

At 2 p.m., he met with the private banking advisor introduced by Chen Wei.

"Stock-backed mortgage." David, a meticulously combed white banker, looked at Jiang Yu's portfolio report. "Apple Inc., 37,337 shares, currently valued at $256 million. We can provide a 60% mortgage, which is $153.6 million."

"I need $100 million in cash, within three days," Jiang Yu said. "Three months term, what's the interest rate?"

"F-1 visa, no U.S. income..." David tapped on the calculator, "15% annualized. If repaid within three months, the interest will be $4.5. The late payment rate will rise to 24%."

"make a deal."

After signing the thick loan documents, Jiang Yu's finger paused for a moment at the last signature.

He's betting on two things: first, that Italy will win the World Cup; and second, that Apple's stock price won't plummet by 30% within three months, otherwise the banks will force him to liquidate his shares.

The advantage of being reborn lies in this: he knows that both events will likely occur as planned.

.....

Thursday night, the atmosphere in Chen Wei's apartment was even more somber than before.

There were not one document spread out on the coffee table, but three: a stock mortgage loan agreement, a short-term corporate loan agreement, and a World Cup betting commission.

"$220 million." Chen Wei read the figure aloud with a hint of disbelief. "A $100 million stock-backed loan, a $100 million company loan, plus your original $20. Jiang Yu, are you insane?"

"If I lose, I'll truly go crazy," Jiang Yu said calmly, sipping his whiskey. "And if I win?"

"With odds of 23.9 for the champion and runner-up, 220 million becomes..." Chen Wei tapped a few times on his phone's calculator, "5258 million. Before tax."

"After deducting your commission, the betting company's share, and various fees, you'll get around 4400 million," Jiang Yu added.

Chen Wei stared at him: "Do you know what $4400 million means in Hollywood?"

"It means I can independently invest in two movies like 'Taken,'" Jiang Yu said. "Or take a controlling stake in a medium-sized visual effects company. Or acquire several promising IPs and start building my own content library."

"You really are..." Chen Wei shook his head. "I don't know whether to say you're too ambitious or that you've lost your mind."

The two silently finished their drinks.

Chen Wei finally signed the power of attorney: "The money will be transferred to the betting account in batches starting tomorrow. Remember, if you lose, not only will you go bankrupt, but my father will also break my legs, because I guaranteed your credit."

"I won't lose." Jiang Yu put away the documents. "I never gamble on games I'm not confident about."

During the World Cup, Jiang Yu's life split into two parallel worlds.

By day, he is the founder of Light and Shadow Digital, discussing the special effects production of "Taken" with the technical team, planning the release strategy of Luminous Render with the business team, and following up on the examination progress of five core patents with patent lawyers.

At night, he becomes a lonely gambler, sitting in front of the television in his apartment, checking whether every detail of history unfolds as he remembers.

Apple's stock price rose steadily during this period:

July 12: $69.20

July 19: $70.50

July 26: $71.80

July 3: $72.40

His stock holdings are worth over $270 million, and the safety margin of his mortgages is getting thicker and thicker.

The World Cup atmosphere in the office is getting stronger and stronger.

"Mr. Jiang, do you watch the game?" Liu Chang asked in the break room after Italy's last group stage match on June 22. "Everyone's been talking about it after get off work these past few days."

"I watch it occasionally," Jiang Yu said, holding his coffee. "Who do you think will win?"

"Brazil has been eliminated, and now many people are optimistic about Germany," Li Haoran joined the discussion. "The home advantage is too obvious."

"I think France has a chance." Wu Na rarely participates in sports discussions. "This is Zidane's last tournament. The willpower of veteran players is terrifying."

"Italy's defense..." Zhou Mu adjusted his glasses. "From a mathematical point of view, they concede the fewest shots per game among the round of 16, and their shots on target are even fewer. This shows that their defense doesn't rely on the goalkeeper, but on their system."

As Jiang Yu listened to these discussions, he was thinking: You all don't know that in seven days, Zidane will headbutt Materazzi.

.......

July 5, 2006, the night of the semi-finals.

The office was packed with more than twenty people, and the extra time match between Italy and Germany was playing on the projector.

In the 118th minute, Grosso scored with a curling shot.

"Holy crap!" A dozen voices erupted simultaneously.

"That was an incredible shot!"

The Germans were stunned!

Two minutes later, Del Piero sealed the victory.

The office erupted in cheers; whether or not they were Italian fans, a spectacular goal always ignited passion.

July 6, 2006, the evening of the second day.

In the 33rd minute of the France vs. Portugal match, Zidane stood at the penalty spot.

On July 9th, the day of the finals, Jiang Yu had no one watching the game this time.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Wei drove up to the Santa Monica office building and honked his horn.

"Where to?" Jiang Yu asked after getting into the car.

"My home," Chen Wei said seriously, "I want to see it with my own eyes."

Chen Wei's apartment has a great view, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the Los Angeles skyline at night.

At this moment, both of them had their backs to the window, staring at the 85-inch television screen.

Game start.

In the 7th minute, Materazzi tripped Malouda in the penalty area.

Penalty kick.

Zidane steps up to the penalty spot.

Chen Wei suddenly turned to look at Jiang Yu, who remained expressionless.

Goal! 1-0.

Chen Wei's hands began to tremble.

In the 19th minute, Italy had a corner kick, and Materazzi outjumped Vieira to head the ball into the net.

1-1.

The rest of the match became incredibly long.

Overtime.

In the 110th minute, the TV cameras suddenly switched to Zidane and Materazzi arguing. Then, everyone saw the most famous moment in football history: Zidane turned around and headbutted Materazzi hard in the chest.

Red card.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Jiang Yu, his eyes like he was looking at a monster.

In the penalty shootout, Italy won 5-3.

competition is over.

The apartment was deathly silent.

Outside the window, the Los Angeles night view was still dazzling, but Chen Wei felt that the whole world had changed.

"You..." He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sound.

"I was lucky." Jiang Yu stood up, walked to the window, and said, "Now, can we talk about money?"

.......

On Monday, the atmosphere in Chen Guohua's office was even more subtle than before.

"$4400 million." He read the figure with a complex emotion in his voice. "The net amount after deducting all fees. The money has been transferred in installments to your accounts in Switzerland and Citibank."

He looked up at Jiang Yu: "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Are you considering sending me to a mental hospital for a checkup?" Jiang Yu said calmly.

Chen Guohua was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter; this was the first time Jiang Yu had ever seen this serious businessman laugh so heartily.

"No." Chen Guohua finished laughing, wiped his eyes, and said, "I was thinking that the best thing my son ever did in his life was not kicking you out of the coffee shop that afternoon."

He stood up, walked up to Jiang Yu, and for the first time looked him in the eye as an equal: "Now, tell me the truth. How did you know?"

Jiang Yu had already prepared the answer.

He pulled a thick analysis report from his briefcase: "Chairman Chen, the World Cup isn't about luck, it's about information. I hired a ten-person data analysis team, and they spent two months doing this."

The report was filled with dense data:

Analysis of all of Italy's matches over the past three years!

Zinedine Zidane's career statistics on red and yellow cards and psychological assessments!

A mathematical model of the tactical counter-relationship between the two teams!

It even includes an analysis of the impact of Berlin's weather on the match!

Chen Guohua stared at him for a long time.

"Okay," he finally said. "I accept that explanation. So, Jiang Yu, what do you plan to do with the $4400 million?"

"Two things," Jiang Yu said, holding up a finger. "First, continue investing in the stock market. Second, increase investment in the company."

Saturday the 15th; Santa Monica Beach, evening.

Nine months, from 100,000 to 44 million.

He sat on the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore again and again, yet he felt unusually calm.

Apple's stock price is still rising, and he knows it will break $100 when the iPhone is released next year.

"Taken" is about to start filming, which will be the breakthrough battle for Digital Pictures in the era of light and shadow.

The Twilight series is about to be signed, which will be the first IP that he fully controls.

Forty-four million dollars gave him the freedom to choose.

No more worrying about money.

No more struggling to survive.

Over the next two weeks, he spent nearly $2600 million, using leverage to acquire 170 million shares of Apple.

We can now truly begin to lay the groundwork for a three-pronged approach encompassing technology, content, and capital.

My phone vibrated. Zhou Mu had sent me a message: "The Patent Office has notified me that the first patent will be officially granted next month. We've named the algorithm 'Prophet' in honor of your miraculous World Cup prediction."

Jiang Yu smiled and replied, "A good name."

Another message from Wu Na: "Stephanie Meyer replied to the email, agreeing to sell the entire series of film and television adaptation rights for $270 million. She asked when you could go to Arizona to sign the contract."

Reply: "Next Wednesday."

Putting down his phone, Jiang Yu looked at the distant sea.

As the sun completely sank into the sea, the sky changed from golden red to deep blue, and the first star began to twinkle.