America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 156, Page 155: Destroy your bastard father, or destroy yourself? Choose, child.

Los Angeles Times: Miramax president Harvey Weinstein was taken to the hospital late at night. The reason for his hospitalization is currently unknown. Weinstein has refused to be seen.

San Francisco Entertainment News: An ambulance arrived late at night at the mansion of Harvey Weinstein, a high-rise employee at Miramax, reportedly because Harvey was accidentally injured by broken glass and is currently hospitalized.

The Liberté: Harvey Weinstein fell down the stairs, fracturing his left leg, and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The Herald: Harvey Weinstein injured a genital area during a secret rendezvous with a female model; the woman was so shocked that both were taken to the hospital.

Pravda: Harvey Weinstein slipped and fell in the shower, fracturing his lumbar spine. Doctors diagnosed him with the possibility of lifelong paralysis.

Eric ate ​​his breakfast while looking at the newspaper articles.

"This is outrageous! Each one is different, and the injuries are getting worse, from a stab wound to the foot to paralysis. Which one should I believe?"

Dad laughed heartily: "Rumors and gossip are a Hollywood phenomenon. Regardless of who's telling the truth, one thing's for sure: Harvey is definitely in big trouble."

"I most hope the Herald's report is true. Given his lecherous nature, he'll be in agony, hahahaha."

Seeing Eric's gloating expression, his mother slapped his hand.

"Don't curse Eric; that's bad behavior, and God doesn't allow us to do that."

Eric rolled his eyes: "God doesn't do anything himself, so I'm cursing him for him. He should thank me and treat me to dinner."

"puff"

The nanny, Lisa, burst out laughing. Seeing her mother's disapproving look, she quickly straightened her posture.

Realizing he had misspoke—and knowing he should never joke about the Lord with believers—Eric explained, "Mom, I cursed a bad person, the kind who's so bad they have sores on their head and pus flowing from their feet."

"Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood's biggest gangster and sex offender, whose greatest hobby is harassing women. You can ask your dad if you don't believe me."

Charlie Cooper nodded: "Eric is right, Harvey, everyone in the industry knows about his shady dealings."

"Since everyone knows, why not expose him?" Lisa asked curiously.

Eric looked at the nanny like she was an innocent kitten: "If I harassed you, but gave you money and threatened to ruin your reputation and turn you into a homeless person if you dared to tell anyone, would you expose me? Or rather, would you have the courage to expose me?"

"Well"

After hesitating for a moment, Lisa shook her head: "I don't think I have the courage."

At the same time, her mind was screaming, "Hurry up and do it! I've been waiting for so long, wearing all this summer clothes, and you haven't even touched me yet, damn it!"

Eric shrugged: "So, you might see those celebrities as high and mighty, but in Harvey Weinstein's eyes, they're no different from you."

After breakfast, Cooper and his son rode together to the company.

Dad said, "HBO has started pressuring us to sign the contract; they want to renew The Walking Dead for a second season."

"Zach Thomas has called me several times. That guy even wanted to invite me to his winery for a vacation, but I haven't agreed and have been putting him off."

"He thought MGM was unhappy with the price, so they raised it twice more, but delaying tactics can't be used forever."

Eric nodded: "Let's drag it out for as long as we can. If we can't drag it out any longer, we'll lay our cards on the table. Anyway, we can't sign with anyone. We'll broadcast it ourselves next year."

"Hmm, Eric, how's the preparation for your Lionheart website going? How much longer until it goes live?"

Whoosh.

A blue sports car sped past.

Eric looked out the window: "The exact time is yet to be determined, but it will be at least two months from now. MGM's film library hasn't been compressed and uploaded yet."

"I recently purchased a batch of equipment in preparation for building a more secure and comprehensive data storage center."

"The current focus is still on stabilizing Facebook. Once YouTube and Lionheart are launched, the best outcome would be to achieve direct traffic generation."

Eric then looked at Charlie Cooper and asked, "Dad, is MGM financially secure right now?"

"It's barely enough. There's about $2.7 million in working capital, which is enough for you to do some things. Eric, I'm not trying to be mean, but you should pay more attention to your finances when you have time."

"As the leader of a company, or even a group in the future, it's not enough to focus solely on business; you also need to be proficient in finance and human resources."

Eric smiled and said, "I still have you. With you as my support, there's nothing to worry about."

"No, son, you can't think like that. Learning is a process, and you can't expect me to manage the company for you forever."

Harry Cooper sighed. "To be honest, I feel much more tired than before since I took over MGM."

"Fighting with those guys in the past was already annoying enough, but now the things we have to deal with and face are even more complicated."

"I'm almost sixty years old, and sometimes I really feel like I'm not up to the task."

"Besides, MGM belongs to you after all, so strictly speaking, I'm now your employee."

Eric was a little surprised: "Dad, why have you suddenly become so sentimental? You weren't like this before."

Charlotte Cooper patted Eric's hand: "Son, you've grown up too fast. I feel like I can't keep up. I'm getting old."

"Besides, Joshua's situation isn't very optimistic. As his father, I can't be too biased. Your mother also said that we have to think of a way to help him."

"So how do you plan to help him?"

"I haven't decided yet. Maybe I can get him into the industry as an actor. After all, he's a member of the Cooper family, so becoming a star who makes a living based on his looks wouldn't be a problem."

"Otherwise, I'll give him $1000 million to start a company, a sporting goods company. At least he knows a lot about rugby. Whether he can make it successful depends on his abilities."

I haven't told my dad about my plans with Joshua yet, since it's just a hypothetical scenario.

Upon arriving at the company, Eric went into the editing room and began editing "Blue Is the Warmest Color".

While cutting the paper, I was conflicted about whether I should contact Theron, mainly because I didn't know what I had said, and the situation was very passive.

He spent the whole morning cutting beef, and also the whole morning feeling anxious and uncertain. As he ate the beef on his plate, he felt it didn't suit his taste, so he got up and threw it into the trash can.

Looking at the food that had been thrown away, Eric suddenly realized that he had fallen into a cognitive trap.

Lao Tzu now has what kind of status? He has the ability, the looks, the wealth, and the power.

I am the consumer, while Theron is the beef lying on the plate.

He can eat when he wants and throw away when he doesn't.

Even without this piece of beef, there are countless others waiting for you, and even pork, mutton, dog meat, and fish.

How can you lower yourself in front of a woman just because you want to get her?

I should be the one in control. We can be equals, but only if you've become my woman.

Otherwise, the demeanor I display is merely the temperament bestowed upon me by my upbringing and character.

Having figured this out, Eric sent a text message directly.

"Theron, I was drunk yesterday. When I woke up, I looked at the call log, and it looked like we talked for a long time. Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

After sending the text message, he ignored it and instead called Chen Xing to his office.

"What's the current status of what I arranged?"

"Boss, you mean Jody Chandler?"

"Yes, that's him."

"I have already sent a professional to contact him, and he said there would be a result within a week. I think it is currently underway."

"Then let's urge him on and get rid of that kid as soon as possible, without breaking the law."

"Okay, don't worry!"

Ding!

Theron replied with a text message.

"Eric, I knew you must have drunk a lot of alcohol. You're slurring your words. Don't worry, you didn't reveal any trade secrets."

Eric replied after reading it: "What did I say? I really can't remember any of it."

"It's nothing, just some weird stuff, like you're from the future, 20 years from now, and you know everything about this world. It's like a science fiction story. Is this a new script you wrote?"

Eric's eyes widened, and he patted his own mouth, wondering why he kept blurting things out.

Alas! Wine and women have ruined me!

From now on, I will quit drinking!

Jersey City, New Jersey.

Due to the time difference, it's only afternoon in Los Angeles, but it's already evening here.

Jody Chandler walked out of the restaurant and felt a little more relaxed after taking off his work clothes, but even so, he still wanted to quit.

He's been under a lot of pressure lately; his life has been turned upside down again ever since that documentary came out.

The 1993 case was brought up again, and some Michael Jackson fans tracked him down. Even though ten years had passed and his appearance had changed a lot, he was still recognized.

These people were talking about him behind his back and harassing him with words. Although they didn't physically harm him, a sense of fear surrounded him.

After Jackson's new song was released, it topped the Billboard charts within a week and became a sensation throughout the United States.

Many people began to pay attention to this matter, and even his colleagues were asking him if the 1993 case was true. Did Jackson really assault you? How much money did you receive?

God knows, he was only 13 years old at the time, and he was just following orders. He suffered even more later on.

As for that money, no matter what others say, he didn't get it. In the end, he got himself into trouble and often had to face other people's disdain and criticism.

Boom boom boom!

Just as I was about to drive home, there was a knock on the window, and a man was standing outside.

"Sir, is there something you need?" Jody Chandler asked warily, one hand already reaching for the weapon at his feet.

The man politely assured him he meant no harm, and then recounted Jody's past in great detail: "Kid, you're not doing too well right now, are you? I can help you change that. Let's talk."

Half an hour later, the two arrived at Jody Chandler's rented room.

The man frowned: "This is where you live?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just not quite what I imagined. You should be living in a luxury apartment, after all, it's such a large sum of money."

Jody Chandler glared at him and said, "Of course there's a luxury apartment, but it's in my father's name. He wants me to move in with him, but I don't like it there. I get harassed all the time."

The man asked with a hint of mockery, "So what did you get from that lawsuit? It seems like nothing but insults and harassment."

"Shut up! If you don't tell me your purpose, get out of my territory right now!"

The man chuckled a few times: "Don't be impatient. You didn't get the money back then, but now someone else wants to give you money."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Jody Chandler took a few steps back.

The man closed the door: "I've already inquired; you're not doing well. But what's the root of all this? Have you considered it?"

Seeing that the other person didn't speak, the man answered for him.

"Jordy, you must know that the root of the problem is actually your biological father, Evan Chandler. If he hadn't colluded with lawyers and psychologists to instigate you to commit perjury and frame Michael Jackson, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

"You had a happy family, even though that bastard abandoned you and your child early on, but you met a loving stepfather, but everything was ruined by Evan Chandler."

"You have no home to return to, and going back will only bring trouble to your stepfather and mother. Evan Chandler is also a drug addict and alcoholic with a violent temper. Your life has been ruined by that selfish bastard."

"And now, I have an opportunity for you to make amends and get out of your current terrible situation."

Hatred and pain flashed in Jody Chandler's eyes: "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"It's actually very simple. Just tell the truth, don't lie, and be an honest person."

Upon hearing this, Jody Chandler's face showed fear: "No, your plan is terrible! I'll be torn to shreds by Jackson's angry fans!"

The man leaned closer and patted his shoulder, continuing to coax, "Son, everything has to be considered in the context of when it happened. You were only 13 years old in 1993."

"Remember, you were coerced, you were instigated. What right does a 13-year-old have when facing his father and those adults?"

"Just like Jackson, you are also a victim in this case."

"And once the truth is known, no one will blame a child; people will only sympathize with you for having such a bastard father."

"The only one who will truly be punished is Evan Chandler. You hate him, don't you?"

Jody Chandler looked at the man with some fear: "Who sent you? What do you want?"

The man simply held up one finger: "Attend a court hearing, and you'll receive $100,000."

"If you refuse, the person behind me will do anything to completely ruin your life. Believe me, he's not as kind as Jackson!"

"Choose between destroying your bastard father and destroying yourself, my child."

(End of this chapter)