America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 8. Take it easy when you're fleecing people.

"My God, who is this black guy? I'm going to hang his picture on the wall and worship him every day!" Warren exclaimed dramatically.

"I declare that God is black!" Billiards exclaimed even more dramatically.

After all, someone who can help you earn two hundred million dollars deserves to be called God.

Judy: "Don't get excited yet, the game isn't over yet. Now we have to pray that it ends here. I can already see $2 million beckoning."

Beverly Hills, the Cooper family home.

Yes!

The moment Senegal scored, Eric jumped up from the sofa, grabbed a beer bottle, and gulped it down.

"Eric, what are you doing?" Mom asked curiously.

"It's nothing, I was just a little excited about scoring."

"Don't do that, darling. You've only been discharged from the hospital for a short time. You need to take good care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Mom, I understand."

The goal was just like he remembered, and the game so far has been just as he remembered. As long as he doesn't make any mistakes, he can proceed according to his memory.

The game continued, and the five players stared intently at the screen, hoping that time would pass quickly and the game would end soon.

Suddenly, a black player on the French team launched a charge, making a powerful run and shooting directly at the Senegalese defense that was closing in on them.

"God, don't come in!"

"You bastard, what are you doing?!"

"Oh, that black guy, he's going to shoot! He's going to shoot!"

These guys were just calling Black people God, and the next minute they're calling them niggers. They've perfectly demonstrated what it means to use people when you need them and not when you don't.

In an instant, Eric's heart jumped into his throat, and he stared wide-eyed at the television.

boom!

That kick seemed to strike the hearts of several people, and the goalpost did it again, bouncing the ball away.

"Holy crap, that's awesome!"

Eric immediately switched to Chinese, which attracted his mother's attention again. There was another round of prayers, thanks to God, and curses against black people on MSN.

Fortunately, the rest of the match went smoothly until the final whistle blew, ending with Senegal defeating France 1-0.

This match was a major upset, shocking the world and leaving countless gamblers penniless.

At that moment, curses against the French team resounded from all over the world.

In MSN, messages started popping up like crazy.

Bordeaux: "Is it over? They've started shaking hands, does that mean it's over?"

Billy: "Absolutely, you see, time has stopped, the game is over."

Warren: "My God, this is the most exciting game I've ever seen. My heart is pounding. I need to eat something to calm down."

Judy: "Senegal really won, Eric, you son of a bitch, you were right."

With a weight lifted from his shoulders, Eric's appetite returned. He took some food from the refrigerator and ate while typing on the keyboard: "Now you believe me, right? If you have some spare cash, you can place your bets too. I guarantee you won't lose."

Judy: "FUCK! That's 19 times the odds! You bastard, you'll have $190 million in no time!"

Warren: "And in just 100 minutes, he made $190 million. Eric, my brother, whatever you bet on next, I'll bet on too. I still have $1000 in my hand. Now these Franklins are yours to command."

Eric was in high spirits. The result of the match remained unchanged, and even the schedule was not much different, which meant that his control over the future would not change much either. Nothing was more important than this.

"Alright, you bunch of bastards, the roller coaster was fun, wasn't it? Now we're going to make this money even bigger, but before that, relax a bit. I'm paying for everything!"

Judy: "Yes! I've been waiting for you to say that. If I weren't uninterested in men, I would have sent you my nude photos so you could see how excited I was."

"Eric, I can also send you my nude photos."

Eric sent a vomiting emoji: "Bordeaux, you should get your mental state checked out."

Bordeaux made a similar vomiting face: "Shit, I've been influenced by the British a lot lately. When I walk down the street, I feel like there are always malicious eyes staring at my butt."

Billy: "Then protect it well. I don't want Mom and Dad to know you've become a zero. In Texas, they'll shoot you!"

After ending the chat, Eric glanced at the distance and saw his father standing on the balcony making a phone call, probably about work again.

At this moment, he really wanted to see how badly "Windtalkers" would fare after its release. In his previous life, he only knew a few bits and pieces from newspapers and the rudimentary internet. MGM had lost a lot of money, but he didn't know how much, since information wasn't readily available in that era.

Eric naturally wanted to lose as much as possible, as the more he lost, the better it would be for his future acquisitions.

After finishing his call, Charlie Cooper returned to the living room with a frown.

"Dad, what happened?"

Charlie Cooper didn't hide anything: "There were issues with the distribution of 'Windtalkers,' with some theaters objecting to the number of screenings. Those bastards!"

"What! These things haven't been settled yet?"

"It was all set, but these bastards somehow heard that the internal screenings of 'Windtalkers' didn't go well, so they suddenly changed their minds. They're all sons of bitches, they deserve to die!"

Eric frowned. 2002 was not the future; the internal screenings of movies were generally not leaked.

Internal screenings, as the name suggests, are aimed at senior executives and professionals within the company; the media will not be invited.

Even if there are leaks, they are all from big-budget films with built-in audiences, such as new movies by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. These are the kinds of films that entertainment reporters would go to great lengths to dig up, but John Woo and Windtalkers are clearly not good enough.

If it's not an external problem, then it can only be an internal one. Eric was also an assistant director in his previous life, and he had been in the industry for more than ten years. He had heard of and seen a lot of internal struggles within companies.

"Dad, it seems there are people at MGM who are very unhappy with you."

Charlotte Cooper's face darkened. "I know who it is. Someone's just waiting for me to step down. A bunch of parasites!"

Eric laughed: "Don't be angry. Look on the bright side. The more these people jump around, the more precarious MGM becomes."

"This ship is already riddled with holes. The only way to fix it is to find a new owner. Let them make a scene. The more they make a scene, the worse off 'Windtalkers' will be, and the easier our acquisition process will be, right?"

Seeing his son still daydreaming, Charlie Cooper didn't say anything.

After young people suffer setbacks and learn from their mistakes, they will naturally understand their parents' good intentions. In this world, there is no easier path than the shortcut.

Eric didn't bet on the next few games. He had to be careful with his betting, otherwise he'd get ripped off and become like Ge You (a famous Chinese actor known for his blatant exploitation of others), and he'd be discovered.

What bad luck! I went to a music festival with my sister-in-law, and before we even entered, she suddenly had an allergic reaction and collapsed. I quickly called 120 and took her to the hospital!

(End of this chapter)