America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 107 107. "Rolling in the deep"

Neverland Ranch was originally a farm, covering an area of ​​2800 acres, which is larger than ten Tiananmen Squares combined.

Michael Jackson bought the farm in 1987 and spent a fortune transforming it into a resort that includes an amusement park, sports fields, a zoo, a movie theater, and more. He named it Neverland Ranch, after Neverland in Peter Pan.

However, unlike the resort, this place is not open to the public and only welcomes Michael Jackson's friends and children.

"At other times, there would be many children playing here, from Santa Barbara and other places, they come from all over the country."

"When children played here, Dreamland was filled with laughter, but sadly, that's all gone now."

Driving a sightseeing vehicle, MJ took Eric and his two friends on a tour of the estate, and couldn't help but sigh as they talked about the past.

"Don't be discouraged, Mike. It's all temporary. I believe that before long, Dream Farm will be filled with laughter again."

Michael smiled and said, "I hope so."

Gal Gadot didn't really know MJ. She had heard his songs, but by the time Gal Gadot grew up, MJ's peak had passed, and the market was gradually taken over by newcomers.

It doesn't matter, she'll stand wherever Eric stands.

She said indignantly, "Those media outlets are awful, especially that Martin Barshere, he's a complete bastard."

Michael sighed: "I never expected things to turn out this way. I think I will never do interviews or documentaries again. There will always be people with malicious intent, and you simply cannot detect it."

After hesitating for a moment, Eric still spoke up to remind him, "Michael, it's not just the media, but also Gavin Avizo and his family. According to recent media reports, the family's whereabouts are very suspicious."

"Especially Gavin Avicio's mother, Janet, she seems to be plotting something notoriously bad, something that could be detrimental to you."

When the boy's family was mentioned, Mike's expression clearly darkened, but he still managed to say, "It shouldn't be like that. Maybe she just wanted to protect Gavin. I've met them; they're all very nice people."

"But you have to understand that not everyone is unchanging. Good people can turn bad under certain conditions, especially when their own interests are involved."

"Michael, I have a question for you. Will you continue to support Gavin Avizo? I heard you've not only paid for his medical expenses but also improved his family's life. But will you continue doing this indefinitely?"

"I mean, would you stay until Gavin Avizo's parents die of old age?"

Although MJ was kind, he wasn't stupid. Especially after the 1993 betrayal, he realized how much of a piece of meat some people saw him as, a piece worth a staggering $2000 million.

Seeing that MJ's expression was turning sour, Eric continued, "Michael, there's something else I need to tell you. As far as I know, Janet Avicoe has a criminal record; she's a repeat offender."

"I'm not saying that people who make mistakes will never change, but you have to learn to protect yourself when dealing with such people."

Don't gamble your kindness on someone else's character!

Like a bolt from the blue, those words pierced Michael's heart like a sword.

His expression darkened further. Just then, the car arrived at the zoo. Michael looked at Elizabeth and said, "Want to go in? I have animals from all over the world here, some of them very rare."

Elizabeth nodded. Even though she had been to many fun places, the splendor of Neverland Ranch still shocked and amazed her.

The two happily entered the zoo, and Eric and Gadot followed.

"Wow! They actually keep penguins here!" Elizabeth exclaimed in surprise as she looked at the group of adorable little creatures in front of her.

"These aren't Antarctic penguins, they're tropical penguins. I brought them from Isabella Island; they're called Galapagos penguins," Mike explained.

Hearing that penguins can actually live in the tropics surprised not only Elizabeth but also Gal Gadot.

"Can I touch these little guys?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.

Mike quickly waved his hand: "That won't do. Don't be fooled by their cuteness, these little guys bite. I've been bitten on the hand before, and it really hurts."

"What a pity."

After visiting the zoo, the group went to the amusement park.

Elizabeth pointed to the roller coaster: "It looks really nice, much more impressive than the ones outside. Can I ride it?"

Michael shrugged: "No problem, but roller coasters are a bit too thrilling for my age. I can't participate in this one."

Eric looked at Michael; although the man didn't look old, he was actually over forty.

Eric couldn't understand how a man in his forties could maintain such a childlike heart; perhaps some people are just that pure.

Looking at him, Eric felt a bit like the Old Mischievous Boy from The Legend of the Condor Heroes, but not as mischievous as the Old Mischievous Boy; he was more responsible.

In the end, Eric was pulled onto the roller coaster by Elizabeth, while Gadot said she had a psychological aversion to it and never wanted to try it again after riding it once before.

The two sat in the front row, with their safety devices firmly in place.

Suddenly, Eric felt his hand being grabbed and looked at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth took a deep breath: "That way neither of us will be nervous!"

Are you scared?

"A little."

"Then why are you still playing?" Eric was speechless.

I want to give it a try.

As the roller coaster slowly started moving, Elizabeth glanced furtively at Eric's face, feeling a surge of secret joy: "Only this way can I hold your hand!"

ah.

The two screams echoed throughout the entire Dream Manor.

After a day of playing wildly, all four of them felt a bit tired, and even little Elizabeth was a little listless.

At the dining table, Michael brought over a soup bowl containing steaming stewed beef.

He said somewhat shyly, "My cooking skills are just average. If I don't like the food, I eat something else. Those are Ovid's cooking; he's the professional chef."

The three smiled. The food Michael Jackson had personally prepared was more than just a meal; it was all about the taste.

Eric had previously seen photos online of Michael cooking for the Beatles, never imagining that he would have such a day himself.

He picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. The aroma immediately filled his mouth, and he couldn't help but give it a thumbs up.

After a day of playing, everyone was hungry. More importantly, the playful antics brought the four of them closer together, so Gal Gadot and Elizabeth Jr. didn't hold back and started eating as soon as they opened their mouths.

Seeing the three of them enjoying their meal, Mike smiled from the bottom of his heart.

He hadn't had any guests at Dream Manor for months, and at this moment he no longer felt lonely.

After dinner, the four of them sat or lay on the floor while the TV played recordings of MJ's past concerts.

Michael came over with drinks and handed them out to everyone. Elizabeth suddenly asked, "Michael, why aren't you releasing any more albums?"

"My last album was released in 2001. You may not know that it takes a long time to produce an album."

"It usually takes more than two years. I am indeed preparing my next album, but it will be a long time before it is released."

Elizabeth was somewhat surprised: "Two years! My sister also releases an album, and their production process seems very easy and quick."

Eric patted Elizabeth's head: "Your sister's records are for children and teenagers, and they're completely different in difficulty from Michael's."

"Mike's albums have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide, while it would be a miracle if Ashley and Mary's records sold 1000 million copies."

Seeing Elizabeth puff out her cheeks, MJ comforted her, saying, "I really like children's songs, Elizabeth. Next time you come, could you bring me a record of your sister's?"

"Of course!" Elizabeth agreed, while glaring at Eric.

Eric shrugged: "Okay, I misspoke. But Michael, releasing an album does take a long time, but why not release a single? Singles should be easier, right?"

Michael shook his head slightly: "You can't think like that. Although the production time for a single is shorter, the requirements are higher. An album can have one or two hit songs, but a single is generally bound to be a hit song. So if there aren't any good songs, it's better not to release it!"

"I see. By the way, I have a song here that you can listen to."

"You can write songs?" MJ looked at Eric with some surprise.

"No, I haven't studied music theory, I'm just humming to myself."

"It's okay, many songs start with humming. Sing one."

When music was mentioned, Michael became noticeably more excited.

"Sing one, sing one, I've never heard you sing before, Eric."

Gadot and Elizabeth joined in the commotion.

Snapped!

Michael snapped his fingers: "Westside, turn on the equipment."

A Black woman from next door walked over, pressed a button on the wall to turn on the home theater, and then handed Eric a microphone.

Eric coughed a few times and hummed a few more times to get into the groove, which made Elizabeth giggle nonstop.

Although he wasn't a singer before he transmigrated and didn't know much about English songs, he still knew a few of those songs that became popular worldwide because he often sang karaoke with female actresses.

Today's song is one that Eric specially chose for MJ, Adele's signature hit song - "Rolling in the Deep".

There's a fire starting in my heart

Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark

Finally I can see you crystal clear

Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare

See how I leave with every piece of you

Don't underestimate the things that I will do

There's a fire starting in my heart

Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us

They keep me thinking that we almost had it all

The scars of your love they leave me breathless

I can't help feeling

We could have already had it all

Rolling in the Deep

Your had my heart Inside of your hand

And you played it to the beat

When you sing, you might feel shy during the first line and the second line, but by the tenth line, you'll definitely become more and more relaxed.

Even though it was just a cappella, without any accompaniment, Adele's voice was already echoing in Eric's mind.

It wasn't until the climax that he suddenly realized this body had absolutely no talent for singing; it couldn't reach the high notes at all and could only strain to sing.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Gadot and Elizabeth couldn't help but burst into laughter. They had never seen Eric so comically embarrassed. Even the black woman next to them slapped her thigh and laughed.

Eric shrugged, meaning, "Look at me, that's my level."

But unlike the others, MJ's eyes were shining brightly as he looked at Eric as if he were looking at a precious artifact.

"Don't stop, keep going, Eric, keep going, don't worry about your singing skills, just keep singing."

As he spoke, he stood up from the floor, snapping his fingers and gently twisting his body.

Encouraged by Michael, Eric also swayed his body and opened his mouth to continue singing.

Baby I have no story to be told

But I've heard one of you and I'm gonna make your head burn

Think of me in the depths of your despair

Making a home down there as mine sure won't be shared

The scars of your love remind you of us

They keep me thinking that we almost had it all

The scars of your love they leave me breathless

I can't help feeling

We could have already had it all

Rolling in the Deep

Your had my heart inside of your hand

And you played it

To the beat

But you played it

You played it

You played it

You played it to the beat

As the last note faded, Eric looked at Michael, as for Gadot and Elizabeth.

Okay, the two of them are still laughing.

Michael, what do you think of this song?

Michael seemed to be still immersed in the melody. After Eric sang it once, he was already able to hum a part of the melody softly.

After a while, an increasingly enthusiastic smile appeared on Mike's face.

"Eric, did you really just hum this song when you had nothing better to do?"

Eric nodded shamelessly.

"Oh my god! You're a genius. Even though your singing is terrible, it doesn't detract from the excellence of the melody and lyrics."

"Rolling in the Deep, in terms of both style and tone, is full of the spirit of the new era."

"If the arrangement is finished and a suitable singer is chosen to perform it, I'm pretty sure it will top the Billboard charts!"

"Billboard, are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely certain. I've seen too many singers and heard too many songs. I'm pretty sure that some songs are destined to be a hit as soon as they come out."

Eric nodded. He didn't know if "Rolling in the Deep" had ever topped the Billboard charts, but it was a global phenomenon, so it should be fine.

Eric took a piece of paper from his pocket, grabbed Michael's hand and placed it in his palm: "Then I'll dedicate this song to you."

The scene froze. MJ stared at the paper covered with lyrics, with all sorts of crooked lines drawn on it.

He understood that Eric, being an amateur, was marking the pitches.

"No, no, I can't accept this. This song is too valuable; it shouldn't be given away as a gift."

"Eric, you should find a professional team to complete this song. Trust me, many people will be willing to pay a high price for it."

As he spoke, MJ stuffed the paper back into his hand.

Eric smiled and looked at him: "Michael, what are you worried about? Is it because it's our first meeting that you feel it's inappropriate to accept a gift?"

"But I think that even though it was our first time meeting, we got along very well. And you value it a lot, but to me it's just a tune I hum normally."

"What is a song compared to friendship!"

But Michael kept shaking his head: "Eric, you're not in the music industry. You don't understand what a good song means to a singer. It's worth millions of dollars. This is too expensive. I can't accept it!"

"Several million dollars? Gadot, how much did Transformers cost?"

$1.5 billion.

Eric shrugged. "Michael, I think it's a piece of paper, so it's a piece of paper. If you don't want it, then burn it."

"I have so much work to do, I simply don't have time to manage a song. Do you want it to remain forever shrouded in darkness?"

MJ wore a conflicted expression; as the King of Pop, his love for music was ingrained in his very being.

If they don't listen, then burn it.

The problem is that he has already heard it, and the song keeps echoing in his mind like a spell. It would be heartbreaking for him to overlook such an excellent song.

Seeing his expression, Eric grabbed the other man's hand again.

"Michael, I believe it will truly shine in your hands!"

(End of this chapter)