America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 301, page 299: What you gain is always stirring up trouble.

"Dogs' lives are so rich and colorful, bringing joy to their owners and happiness to themselves. It's so heartwarming!"

"I love movies with dogs, and then I'd burst into tears."

"I was captivated by the film without even realizing it. It felt like this Labrador had been with me for years, and when it died, I suddenly felt an unbearable pain."

"My goodness, I always cry when I watch dog movies. If it weren't for the sad ending, I would have given it a better rating."

"This is a very heartwarming family movie, suitable for watching with family and children. It's the kind of movie that, once you've seen the beginning, you can sit back and enjoy it from start to finish."

"I don't want to compare Marley and Hachiko to see who is more perfect, because it's pointless, but I would give Jennifer Aniston's performance a perfect score."

"I can still see the scene from the Friends finale a few months ago. It feels like a continuation here. Wouldn't it have been better to just replace the male lead with Ross? David Schwimmer's acting is superb. Band of Brothers proved that he can handle any role."

"This film is told from both the dog's and the owner's perspectives. The dog is growing up, and the owner is maturing. I like this approach."

After the embargo was lifted on "Marley & Me," it received mostly praise, but of course, there were also quite a few negative reviews. No movie can please everyone, especially when Eric's enemies are smearing it.

But box office numbers don't lie, and the feud between MGM and the Big Six has been going on for months, so the whole world knows they're at odds.

Therefore, audiences are no longer very interested in the evaluations of traditional newspaper media.

Damn it, believing you once is a lie, believing you twice is also a lie, but believing you a third time—Frozen has proven everything.

Brother, you've desensitized!

This war has led to a decline in the credibility of many media outlets and film critics to varying degrees, with readers and buyers angrily accusing them of profiteering.

In response, those guys could only continue to be stubborn: "Film is inherently a subjective art form; everyone has their own perspective. I just think it's not good; I just think it doesn't meet artistic standards. Is there a problem?"

In principle, there is no problem, but what is lost is people's hearts.

Nowadays, when you want to see reviews of a movie, you're more likely to turn to forums or IMDb and pay attention to what casual viewers say rather than so-called professionals.

Over its opening weekend, "Marley & Me" grossed $4530 million in 3111 theaters, a remarkable achievement. Unfortunately, it didn't take the top spot, finishing as runner-up.

The champion is Fox's "I, Robot," the one that was suddenly pulled from theaters during the third week of "Frozen," starring Will Smith.

Eric is now completely confused about what's going on inside Fox, and hopes the infighting will continue unabated.

Although we didn't win the championship, it's not shameful to lose to such a sci-fi blockbuster.

Marley & Me cost only $27 million, while I, Robot cost less than $100 million. Eric would have diarrhea while doing a handstand.

Jennifer Aniston was very pleased to express her gratitude to Eric.

"You're practically a prophet. At last year's Emmys, you said the movie would be a success. To be honest, I was a little disappointed after reading the script. I guess I have to apologize."

"Hehe. Questioning me, believing me, becoming my believer—that's the typical three steps for the people around me."

"Hahaha. You sound like a cult leader."

"Cults always require their followers to donate their money, but I'm helping you increase your value. What cult in the world is that great?"

"So I should call you an angel, OMG! Eric, I haven't been in a good mood lately, but I feel much better now, thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Don't let what others say hurt you. Making yourself better is the most important thing. I hope to always see a happy Rachel Green."

"Oh! You're so thoughtful, you always make people feel comfortable. I wish Brad Pitt was like you."

Eric shook his head slightly after hanging up the phone.

Like me?

If Brad Pitt were really like me, would your marriage have waited until today to collapse?

It's fucking over!

Wow, I'm so awesome!

Yeah, my mom is awesome!

Hilton Hotel, today is Nicky Hilton's big wedding day.

As a fashionista, a prankster, and a womanizer, this young woman's whirlwind marriage has truly shocked many people.

But who can blame her for having such a wealthy background? The name Hilton alone was enough to foreshadow her extraordinary nature.

Although she usually has a lot of negative news, out of respect for her elders, there are many guests and media present today.

Some people are born into privilege, while others are born into poverty. That's just fate.

Eric didn't bring a female companion, and it was more convenient for him to be alone than to worry about this troublesome issue.

Who knows, a fleeting romance might even blossom; on a joyous occasion, a few drinks can turn strangers into familiar faces.

"Eric, welcome, welcome!" Paris Hilton walked over to greet him.

She looked around: "Are you alone? That's strange, didn't you bring your girlfriend?"

"She has other things to do; what you need is me."

Eric only mentioned "her," but who exactly does "her" represent? Everyone has their own interpretation.

"You're right, all we need is you, Eric Cooper. We love your honest way of speaking."

"It's going to be a lot of fun today, but you might not like me and Nikki's young friends, even though you look young too."

"But you should still go to District 3. It's full of old-fashioned people like you. You'll have things in common with them."

Eric smiled and said, "Judging from the way you talk, someone who didn't know better would think I'm 50 years old, but we're the same age."

"Isn't that right, Eric? You're like a rigid old man. I've never seen any news about you going to bars and having fun. Don't you have any entertainment?"

"And I really don't understand why you always reject me. Am I not obvious enough? Or do you think I'm not attractive enough? Aren't you a normal man?"

Eric thought to himself that the reason he didn't go to bars was because there were people at home who were more fun to go to.

When you're surrounded by delicious food, why would you want to go to a cheap, unhygienic restaurant to eat unclean food?

At most, it's something we eat occasionally to change things up; who would eat it regularly!

"No, of course not. You are beautiful, Paris, but you have to understand that beauty is not the only attractive factor. I can have as many beautiful women as I want. What's more important is that we are compatible."

"There's no need to turn every relationship into a physical one. Isn't it better to just be friends?"

Paris Hilton looked at him with displeasure: "But I'm just not willing to give up. Now that we've come this far, I'll be blunt."

"I'll be waiting for you in room 607 after the ceremony. This is the last time. If you don't seize this opportunity, we'll only ever be ordinary friends!"

Eric shook his head speechlessly as he watched her leave, looking somewhat sullen.

What kind of talk is this? It's like saying that not liking you means looking down on you.

Although I'm often tempted by people around me, Paris Hilton is the first person who can talk about it so confidently.

Upon arriving in the lobby, without Eric having to do anything, Paris Hilton's father, Rick Hilton, had already taken his hand.

Although he was surrounded by middle-aged people in their forties and fifties, Eric chatted and laughed with them without feeling uncomfortable. Forbes' rankings are no joke.

As the bells rang, the ceremony concluded successfully with the bride and groom exchanging vows of "I do," and the lively reception began.

"Mr. Cooper, would I have the honor of inviting you to dance?"

Eric was chatting with a group of older men when a greeting suddenly came from behind him.

He turned around and saw a beautiful blonde woman standing there. She looked familiar, but he couldn't remember her name.

Perhaps sensing Eric's confusion, the girl took the initiative to introduce herself: "Misha, Misha Barton."

"Oh! I know, *The O.C.*, Marissa."

Seeing that Eric recognized her, Mischa Barton smiled happily: "Can I dance with you?"

To be honest, Eric didn't want to jump because the girl opposite him was also a complete mess.

With her beautiful looks, she started performing on stage at a young age and became famous at a young age. In particular, last year's "The O.C." propelled her to become a rising star of the younger generation, somewhat resembling a future internet celebrity.

This TV series is Eric's childhood story, and the male lead is Benjamin Mackenzie, who later became the Gotham One-Man Showman and the male lead of "A Few Happy Days".

However, early fame often leads people astray, and Mischa Barton also ended up with a very unreliable mother, comparable to Angela Chang's mother.

My friends are like Paris Hilton; simply put, I don't have good people around me, so naturally I won't learn to be good.

He frequented bars, used drugs, drank heavily, was unprofessional at work, went missing while filming, and ultimately ruined his future.

You don't have the Hilton sisters' deep pockets; they can start over when they're done having fun, but you'll only bring about your own downfall.

"Go, Eric."

"You'd definitely prefer to spend time with young women than with us old men."

"Men can't refuse a woman's invitation, especially if it's a pretty girl."

Encouraged by a group of older men, and with his own good manners and poise, Eric felt embarrassed to refuse outright and took the other person's hand as they walked onto the dance floor.

Mischa Barton excitedly winked at her friend not far away, as if to say, "I've got him."

But has it really been resolved?

She noticed that during the dance, even when she let Eric put his arm around her and showed off her cleavage, he seemed uninterested.

When the song ended, they said goodbye and left, completely disregarding me.

He simply said that he didn't like messy girls.

Somewhat dejected, Paris Hilton returned to her group of girlfriends, secretly pleased. It turned out that it wasn't simply a matter of her looking down on her.

Seeing that Mischa Barton's attempt to seduce him had failed, Kim Kardashian, who had been eager to try, also gave up.

At this moment, the groom, Todd Meester, came over to offer a toast.

After taking a sip, Eric pulled him aside: "Todd, could I trouble you for a moment?"

Nicky Hilton kissed him on the cheek: "I'll go over there first, honey. You talk to Eric."

"OK."

The two found a relatively quiet corner, and Eric spoke up, "Todd, it may be presumptuous of me, but I have a question I'd like to ask you."

Knowing that Eric was a super-rich man, Todd Meester didn't hesitate at all: "Of course, if Nikki says you're her good friend, then you're my good friend too. Go ahead and ask."

"I heard you work on Wall Street. Do you know First Carey Investment Bank?"

Todd Meester thought for a moment and said, "I have a vague impression. It seems to have been started by Chinese people. I can't remember the specifics, but it seems to have capital from both Hong Kong and mainland China."

"How big is this investment bank? Is it doing well?"

"Sorry, I can't remember right now, but I don't think I've seen it in any of the big business deals recently."

Eric nodded. The information he had received was largely the same as what Carroll had: the investment bank was doing rather poorly and could only take on small deals at the moment.

"Eric, why are you interested in this investment bank? If you have funds to manage, I have many projects that are very promising."

As they talked, Todd Meester's professional instincts kicked in, and he began to enthusiastically promote his business.

Eric listened to him politely, and after a while, perhaps realizing he had said too much.

Todd Meester gave a slightly embarrassed laugh. "I always like to talk non-stop, Eric. What's up?"

"It's simple. Just spread the word that Kerry Investment Bank is going to shut down and get out of here."

"Of course, we don't need to actually do that. It's just to scare them. The key is to make the boss understand that Eric Cooper is very unhappy with him."

Todd Meester immediately understood that this was a ruse, a smokescreen using his own status to intimidate others.

For him, things weren't difficult. He had dozens of ways to ruin a small investment bank, especially since it was just a rumor and didn't require any real money.

"Todd, you take care of this for me. I'm actually thinking of making some investments anyway."

"No problem, you'll get the results you want within a week."

"Hmm? Aren't you planning to go on vacation with Nikki? There's no rush. Don't let it interfere with your happy life together."

"It's alright, business can't be delayed. I've always believed that career is the most important thing for a man, and Nikki will definitely understand."

"Okay, this is between the two of you. I'll wait for your good news."

After finishing his conversation with Todd Meester, Eric didn't plan to stay any longer. That was his main purpose for attending the wedding. He patted his behind, got up, and left.

As for room 607, he decided not to go up. The husky girl was already all clean and ready to go, so he decided to let Paris Hilton give up on that idea.

What was that saying again?

The unattainable is always alluring; he likes to be a handsome guy that no one can have.

(End of this chapter)