America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 115. You're a rare purebred bastard!

Time flies when you're on set; before you know it, it's time to clock out.

The extras and staff left one after another, and soon only Eric, James McAvoy, the Olsen twins, and a few others remained on set.

Judy walked over and said, "Ashley, Mary, let's go get some food, and then I'll show you what real life is like for lesbians."

The two sisters looked at Eric, who nodded emphatically.

Then they looked at James McAvoy, whose performance today had been a huge shock to them.

They were all in the same production crew, and their ages weren't that different. The other person was just a minor supporting character. Looking at their own performance today, the Olsen twins felt ashamed.

Originally, they felt they made this choice under pressure from Eric, but now it seems somewhat proactive.

The three walked away side by side, and Eric patted James on the shoulder: "Well done, James."

McAvoy was still somewhat skeptical: "Director, am I really that good?"

"Hahaha. Of course, believe in yourself and you're the best. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Once in the car, driver Peter asked, "Boss, where to?"

Eric glanced at the phone in his hand. He wanted to go to Nicole's place tonight; he hadn't seen her for several days and missed the beautiful girl.

However, going to her house would not only be difficult in the dark, but also require climbing over the wall, which was really troublesome.

"Peter, should I buy a house?"

"What?"

Chen Xing and Peter both turned around and looked back, not understanding why Eric had suddenly said that.

"Chen Xing, spend the next few days looking around the city and find a house of a suitable size. Don't go to Beverly Hills; I need a relatively remote area."

"But don't go to slums either; safety should be the primary consideration."

"The house doesn't need to be very big, and it doesn't have to be a villa. An apartment is also an option, as long as it's big enough for three or four people to live in."

Chen Xing wrote down the terms: "Okay, boss."

He and Peter exchanged a glance. If a rich person suddenly wants to buy a house, and only one, it certainly isn't for business purposes.

What else could it be used for if not business? The two already knew the answer.

Keeping a mistress in a golden house, how envious! I wonder when I'll ever be able to reach that level.

He took out his phone and called Nicole Kidman: "Hey Nicole, what's up?"

"Let's read the script."

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A languid voice came from the other end, and the sexy rhythm made Eric's heart itch.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

"Hmm? Reading a script? What script? Do you have a new play?"

"Of course! Have you forgotten I'm an Oscar-winning actress now? Film crews wanting to cast me are lining up all the way to the suburbs of Los Angeles, you know?"

"But you're not planning to make 'La Vie en Rose' anymore? We've already agreed on that."

Nico chuckled softly, "Then you have to give me the script, at least let me know what role I'm going to play."

"Besides, I'm only looking at other people's scripts, but I've always kept my schedule open for you. Others can postpone it, but I have that advantage now."

Eric laughed heartily: "Honey, I'll ask about the script's progress tomorrow. I've only given you the outline, but these kinds of art films require meticulous attention to detail, you know?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't really want to act in art films anymore. Are there any commercial blockbusters like 'Transformers' where I'd like to be the female lead?"

"Heh. With your current achievements, do you still care about commercial or artistic films? I remember 'The Others' grossed over $2 million worldwide, right? You don't need to prove anything."

Nicole gave a lazy call, her sweet nasal tone clearly audible even through the phone.

"Eric, that's not the reason. I just want to break a curse."

"A curse? What curse? A wicked witch has cast a spell on you. Well then, let this handsome prince save you."

"Hahaha, haven't you heard? Winning Best Actress means three years of bad luck."

Eric rolled his eyes, thinking it was something else entirely, but it turned out he was just agonizing over this.

There is indeed a rumor circulating in Hollywood that winning an Oscar will bring three years of bad luck.

Whether you're a Best Actor or Best Actress, the moment you touch that trophy, the curse has already quietly begun to afflict you.

Afterwards, you will not only face failure in your career, but in severe cases, it will also affect your marriage and health, which is truly terrible.

The New York Times once conducted a survey and found that only 7.2% of Oscar winners were able to maintain their personal success.

Only 3.2% of those who won awards had a substantial impact on box office appeal, while an astonishing 36% became box office poison, became clowns, disappeared completely, or otherwise degenerated.

Some say that the fleeting luck you gain from the Oscars may require a lifetime of struggle to repay.

In any case, judging from the results, it is indeed quite mysterious. Psychologists analyzed that it is most likely because people get carried away after winning the award.

An unstable mindset naturally leads to a poor eye for choosing films, which in turn results in failure. After failing, one loses sight of oneself and continues to fail.

After many failed attempts, he finally realized his mistake, his vision returned, and he soared to new heights once again.

"Nico, my darling, the curse is just a joke. I have a way to avoid this 100%."

"Heh. I don't believe you. You're just making fun of me again."

"No, I'm serious. The solution is to consider my advice before accepting each film. If you take my advice, I can't guarantee you'll win a big award, but I can guarantee you won't become box office poison."

"Hmph! As if you can predict the future."

"That's right, I can do it."

Nicole snorted: "No more joking. I want you to come with me tomorrow, and bring the script for 'La Vie en Rose' with you."

"You miss me."

After a brief pause, Nicole gave a very serious "hmm".

"Okay, see you tomorrow night, love you baby."

"I love you too."

The car drove back to Beverly Hills, and to everyone's surprise, apart from his mother and nanny Lisa preparing dinner, Joshua was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Wow. Look who's back, Joshua. You're such a busy man, yet you still remember you have a home."

Joshua yelled into the kitchen, "Did you hear that, Mom? I told you Eric would make fun of me. He doesn't welcome his own brother."

"Hmph, stop playing the victim, Joshua. Are you on vacation?"

Joshua sighed: "I guess so. That injured guy is back. He's the player I replaced a few months ago. Now he's the one who replaced me. Damn it, why didn't he break any bones? He recovered so quickly."

Eric opened the refrigerator, took out a beer, and handed it to him, saying apologetically, "Sorry, bro, so your playing time is gone."

"No, that guy's been keeping an eye on me ever since he came back, like you can see, that's why I'm sitting here. That's why that bastard Barry gave me a day off, since I'd be sitting on the bench anyway."

Eric sat down next to him, hugged him, and the two clinked bottles and blew half of their drinks down.

"Joshua, there will always be things in the world that will displease you. It's impossible for everything to go your way. You've been training for a long time, so it's good to take a few days off."

Joshua shrugged: "What else can I do? I don't have anything else to do. Not only have I lost my chance to play, but all the beautiful cheerleaders and the enthusiastic female fans have also said goodbye to me."

As he spoke, he said in a low voice, "You have no idea what those crazy fans are capable of. I've heard that the basketball world is very chaotic, and that Magic Johnson would use a rainbow tactic."

"Do you know what the rainbow tactic is? It's when a dozen women of different skin colors come together, all sorts of colors, hence the name rainbow."

"Since becoming a starter, I've understood how enjoyable this tactic can be, but unfortunately, it's all gone now. Sigh!"

Listening to this guy's frivolous boasting, Eric said seriously, "Joshua, I advise you to be more careful. Magic Johnson has AIDS, you know that. If you want to play around, find someone clean and in moderation."

Joshua sighed and shook his head: "Yes, of course I understand. I only got a two-month trial pass, and I have to enjoy myself to the fullest before it expires."

"Eric, to be honest, I was a starter on the college team, and I thought I would be a starter on the professional team too. Unfortunately, reality is not what you think."

"If someone hadn't gotten injured, I probably wouldn't even have had a chance to play. Do you think I have absolutely no talent for rugby?"

This is a difficult question to answer. Judging from all his performances, my brother, who is not exactly a very talented athlete, is not really one.

This is quite similar to the Olsen sisters; they have talent, but not much of it. When the competitive pressure is low, it's not obvious, but once they reach a high score, their weaknesses are immediately exposed and they show signs of fatigue.

Seeing that his younger brother remained silent, Joshua shrugged: "Alright, stop worrying about it. I understand what you mean. It seems I'm really not cut out for this. Maybe I should consider changing careers while I'm still young."

"What do you want to do? What's your idea?" Eric asked.

"Not yet. What do you think of the actors? Look at our brothers' faces, they're all standard handsome guys. I'm not a quarterback, but I can still play the rainbow offense, and my face plays a big part in that."

"You want to be an actor? But acting is a job that requires a lot of talent. Being handsome is only temporary. In a few years, there will be actors who are more handsome and younger than you. If you want to become a mainstay in the film industry, you need solid acting skills."

"If you've really decided, I can find you a professional teacher to train you for a period of time, and then we'll see how it goes. But I also have a suggestion: didn't you say before that you wanted to be a team manager? Instead of switching careers to become an actor, you should study team management properly."

Joshua looked at his brother speechlessly: "That was a joke, and you actually took it seriously? In my current state, retiring and coaching a high school team is most likely my future path."

"If we're lucky enough to develop one or two football stars who will mention my name in interviews, that would be perfect. As for the team manager, hahaha."

"Joshua, I'm not kidding you. Anyway, you still have a long time left on your contract with the 49ers, so don't waste it. Make good use of it. You might need it in the next few years," Eric said in a very serious tone.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, life is unpredictable; nobody knows what the future holds."

"I know that. It's that line from Forrest Gump: 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.'"

"That's how it is. Maybe in a few years, MGM will become bigger and stronger, and then Tentacle will expand into the sports field. Culture and sports are inseparable, and in general, they are all related to art."

Joshua crossed his arms, raised his chin, and leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought. After a while, he seemed to have figured it out and nodded.

"Eric, you're right, that's a good way out, but I don't know if I can learn it."

"What's impossible? Set a goal for yourself. At the finish line, there are countless cheerleading beauties waving at you. Doesn't that instantly fill you with motivation?"

Joshua immediately broke into a lecherous grin: "Yay~~ What a wonderful scene!"

Click!

The door opened, and Dad walked in.

"Joshua, why are you back?"

"Of course, it's to come back and see my beloved dad and mom. I've missed you so much."

Joshua went over to help his dad hang up his clothes and gave him a hug.

Eric nodded. "That's it. That's exactly the kind of interpersonal skills a manager needs. See how well you're doing!"

After dinner, Eric relaxed in the bathtub. Taking a bath is a wonderful thing; it makes you forget your fatigue.

bell.

The phone rang. I picked it up and saw it was that slut Elena. The two of them hadn't seen each other for over a month, only exchanging occasional phone calls.

Hi, Elena, good evening.

"No, I'm not good at all, Eric Cooper."

"What's wrong? Judging from your tone, who made you angry?"

"Whoever I'm calling is the one who made me angry."

"What! You can't just accuse someone like that. We haven't seen each other recently, how could I possibly make you angry?"

"Hmph! You know you haven't been to New York in a long time, you bastard. You used me and then forgot about me, didn't you?"

Eric coughed a few times: "What are you talking about! Do you think I'm that kind of person? Elena, you've always held a place in my heart, but I've just been really busy lately. If you keep an eye on the entertainment news, you'll understand."

"Of course I'm keeping an eye on it! Everyone knows you're busy messing around with Nicole Kidman!"

"Hey! That's not right of you. Strictly speaking, we were both messing around too! Why insult yourself when you're insulting others?"

There was a pause on the other end, followed by what sounded like teeth grinding.

"Eric Cooper, you're a rare, purebred bastard! You turn your back on me after you've done your bidding!"

After being insulted several times, Eric's temper flared up: "Fuck! Madam, I'm warning you, you can curse me, but don't insult my offspring, or you'll regret it!"

"Come on, come to New York then. You can fuck me however you want. I'm waiting this weekend. Don't tell me you're a coward!"

After hanging up the phone, Eric frowned. He suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen for the woman's provocation.

Sigh! Having so many women is a happy problem – should I go or not?

It's fine if they don't go, since their partnership is more of a mutual benefit. It's just that they might need Elena's help in the future.

For companies like Hasbro, it's probably not that simple; the other party will at least give them the cold shoulder.

If I go, I'll inevitably be squeezed dry again, and I won't even know what this woman's real purpose is.

Besides, I'm going to be with Nicole tomorrow, and then I'll fly to see him the day after tomorrow. Gal Gadot probably won't let me off the hook on Sunday either.

Then forget about starting work on Monday; even the youngest body can't withstand this kind of strain.

After thinking about it for a while, Eric decided to stop thinking about it altogether and get some rest as soon as possible.

Rest and recuperate, prepare for war and emergencies.

bell.

In his sleep, Eric was woken up by another phone call at an unknown time.

I looked at the screen; it was Judy.

Eric yawned and answered the phone.

"Do you know it's the middle of the night? You're disturbing the boss's sleep, I'm going to dock your pay!"

But then Judy's somewhat impatient voice rang out: "Come quick, these two sisters can't leave!"

(End of this chapter)