America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 93. Voluntary Sacrifice

The door to the private room was pushed open, and Zhang Ziyi stared wide-eyed at the young man in front of her who was even younger than herself.

She thought she had just heard a figure of 500 million, and in US dollars.

The number, spoken by Eric Cooper, seemed weightless, no different from 500 dollars.

Looking back at myself, my salary for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was 13 RMB. After "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" became a huge hit and I became famous, my salary for "Hero" had risen to 160 million RMB.

But 160 million RMB is the highest I can get right now, because "Hero" is a commercial blockbuster with a high investment, and ordinary domestic films simply cannot offer this salary.

But look at the young MGM heir in front of you, who asks for $500 million, which is more than 4000 million RMB, equivalent to her making 30 "Hero" movies. But this amount is just a drop in the ocean for him.

In that instant, that long-lost sense of immense loss surged back into her heart. The last time she felt this way was when she met Gong Li.

But ever since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" brought her some international recognition, that sense of loss disappeared, but now it has suddenly resurfaced.

"Hollywood, only Hollywood can allow me to truly realize my value, this is the best opportunity."

With this thought lingering in her mind, Zhang Ziyi's gaze toward Eric grew even more intense.

She wasn't the only one shocked at the scene; Han Sanping, Zhou Xiaopeng, and Deputy Director Chen also stared wide-eyed.

There were some things Eric didn't know, but Zhou Xiaopeng, being someone within the system, understood how large that number was—larger than the aid provided by many countries.

To date, global donations and aid to China amount to just over $2000 million.

For example, the UK provided $500 million in aid, Italy $100 million, Australia provided supplies worth 170 million Australian dollars through the World Health Organization, Canada provided supplies and research funding of $314 million, and South Korea provided $30 in grant aid.

This is true abroad, and although the enthusiasm is even greater domestically, the largest donation to date has only amounted to 2000 million RMB from China National Petroleum Corporation.

The main reason is that the economy had not yet truly taken off in 2003. Even in a major city like Beijing, which is one of the top cities in the country, the average annual salary of employees last year was only about 2.4 yuan.

So it would be abnormal if they didn't react when Eric casually waved his hand and offered $500 million.

Zhou Xiaopeng swallowed hard: "Eric, $500 million might not be appropriate."

"Why? I think 500 million is already quite a lot."

Eric was a little annoyed. If this wasn't enough, it was a bit greedy. He wanted to make a contribution, but he didn't want to be a victim of injustice.

Zhou Xiaopeng hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, you misunderstood. It's not too little, it's too much."

"What?"

I've seen people complain about not having enough money, but this is the first time I've seen someone complain about having too much.

"Eric, there are some things you don't know, and I can't say them outright, but I can draw you a line: $200 million should be about right."

Being in officialdom, Zhou Xiaopeng was thinking about more than just economic issues; he was also concerned about his reputation.

If a foreign company were to donate over 4000 million RMB, while the highest donation from a domestic company was only 2000 million RMB, whose face would that be slapped in the face? Many people would feel ashamed.

Unsure of Zhou Xiaopeng's true intentions, Eric could only smile helplessly: "Alright, since Director Zhou has said so, let's make it $200 million."

"Okay, then Lao Han and I will do our best to get the preliminary procedures done for you within a week. Before you return to the United States, let's try to hold a press conference, and then this matter will be settled."

After finishing the business, all that was left was chatting and joking. Zhou Xiaopeng became the listener, while Han Sanping and Eric started talking about the film's development. Zhang Ziyi really wanted to chime in, but it was clear that no one paid her any attention.

After exchanging a few words, she felt embarrassed to keep interrupting, so she could only chat with Susan to get closer to her while secretly observing Eric.

The two clinked glasses, and Han Sanping downed the rest of his wine in one gulp. Now his glass was filled with baijiu (Chinese white liquor), because, in his opinion, red liquor was meaningless and didn't taste right.

Eric, on the other hand, still drank red wine, but didn't finish it; he just took a small sip.

The first three cups were to follow local customs, but afterwards everyone did their own thing.

Zhang Ziyi hurriedly refilled Han Sanping's cup, who was clearly a little tipsy at this point.

"Mr. Cooper, if this joint venture can be done, believe it or not, it will definitely be done."

"I have a hope in my heart that MGM can help China cultivate a group of talents, especially in the field of technology. In this respect, the gap between China and Hollywood is really too big."

"Don't laugh at me, but to be honest, with the current level of special effects in mainland China, it can't even compare to Terminator 2. That was a movie from 1991, 12 years ago!"

"The future will inevitably belong to special effects blockbusters. If we cannot break through the technological barriers, it will be too difficult for Chinese films to go global! It may even be impossible."

Eric couldn't help but marvel at Han Sanping's accurate prediction. According to his memory, the next ten years or so would indeed be the era of special effects blockbusters, with Hollywood launching a massive bombardment of the global market, leaving no country in the world with an equal.

While technology is one factor in why Chinese films haven't been able to expand internationally, everyone knows the root cause, so there's no need to elaborate.

And the reason why things like film rating systems have been delayed in being phased out is something everyone knows perfectly well.

When chatting, joking, or bragging, just say whatever comes to mind. Even in a small circle of a few people, you have to be careful because walls have ears, and quite a few people have gotten into trouble.

"Mr. Han, you make a good point, but in my opinion, the story is actually more important than the technology, because a good script is the cornerstone of a good movie."

"I can help China cultivate technical talent and connect China Film Group and Weta Digital, but I hope that China can pay more attention to screenwriters. As far as I know, the status of screenwriters in the Chinese film market is really hard to describe."

"If you really want your movies to go global, focusing on screenwriting is far more important than focusing on special effects. Otherwise, think about why so many American TV series were able to sell worldwide before special effects became popular."

After chatting for a while, Han Sanping, who had been in high spirits, became increasingly frustrated and finally downed another glass of baijiu in one gulp.

Around 10 p.m., after the dinner party ended, Deputy Director Chen pulled Zhou Xiaopeng, who had drunk quite a bit, away, while Zhang Ziyi drove Han Sanping, who was almost completely drunk, away.

Eric and his two companions stayed at Fengzeyuan, which was not only a restaurant but also a hotel, and the environment was quite nice.

"Alright, you guys should get some rest too. We can talk about it tomorrow."

After seeing Chen Xing and Susan off, Eric took a good shower to get rid of the smell of tobacco and alcohol.

For a non-smoker, smelling other people's secondhand smoke is torture, but you can't stop others from smoking at a dinner party if you don't smoke yourself.

"Oh no, I left in such a hurry I forgot to bring any clothes. I'll have to ask Chen Xing to buy me a few outfits tomorrow."

Shaking his head, Eric lay on the bed and turned on the TV. The first channel he saw was CCTV-8, which was showing the preview for the next episode of "The Story of a Noble Family".

On screen, looking at the young Chen Kun, Dong Jie who hadn't yet gotten together with Wang Dazhi, and the inexperienced Crystal Liu, Eric couldn't help but feel both wistful and amused.

Looking back, he recalled that he and Chen Kun had even worked together on a film called "The Rise of Phoenixes." At that time, he wasn't even an assistant director; he was just a director's assistant.

At that time, it was the era when capital was most aggressively invading the entertainment industry and traffic was king. The production team had actually changed from a director-centric system to an actor-centric system.

Apart from the top directors, everyone is being held hostage by capital, and he naturally plays the role of being ordered around.

But things are different now. With just a snap of his fingers, countless film and television company bosses would come running to fawn over him.

As for those actors, they don't even have the right to fawn over them.

In this day and age, Hollywood is a place that stars all over the world aspire to, and it is also a crushing victory for China.

It hurts, but it's the truth!

bell.

Just as Eric was about to fall asleep, the phone suddenly rang.

Upon seeing that it was an unfamiliar number, and a Chinese number at that, Eric hung up immediately. An unfamiliar number late at night was either a hoax or a scam!

As soon as I hung up, the phone rang again; it was the same number.

Eric hung up a second time, but the phone rang a third time.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

After hesitating for a moment, Eric answered the call, and a familiar voice immediately came from the other end.

"Mr. Cooper, I am Zhang Ziyi."

"Oh, is there something you need?"

Upon hearing that it was her, Eric frowned; this woman was no ordinary character.

However, on the other hand, there are no innocent characters in the entertainment industry. It's a chicken coop and duck kennel, and actors and directors are just small animals foraging for food in it.

People like myself naturally play the role of breeders.

You can sprinkle water and rice on the animals yourself, and fatten up the chickens and ducks so you can eat them yourself or sell them for money.

"It's like this, Chairman Han noticed that you didn't seem to have brought any change of clothes, so he asked me to bring you a few sets."

"Then just leave it at the front desk and have the waiter bring it up."

"Um, Mr. Cooper, would you mind revealing your room number? I think it would be better if I delivered it up myself."

Why?

"Besides clothes, there are other things that I can't have others deliver."

After a moment's hesitation, Eric said, "Then come to 301."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

In the lobby on the first floor, Zhang Ziyi's face lit up with joy. Instead of going directly to the elevator, she went to the restroom.

She took out her makeup box from her bag and carefully applied her makeup in front of the mirror, making herself look even more exquisite.

I took out some fresh air spray and sprayed it into my mouth. I breathed on my palms and smelled them. The smell of alcohol had faded considerably, which was good.

After finishing her preparations, a slight smile appeared on her lips.

In the dead of night, after drinking, lust takes hold; it's human nature to indulge in food and sex!

When she went abroad to participate in events, countless foreigners looked at her with longing eyes. She believed that with her charm, winning over a young man like Eric Cooper would be no problem.

dong dong dong.

Hearing the knock, Eric went to the door and opened it. When he saw the woman in front of him, he was surprised that she was wearing makeup. Her purpose was obvious.

"Thank you for making the trip. You should get some rest."

Eric took the clothes from Zhang Ziyi and was about to close the door; he had no intention of getting involved with this woman.

He has a bad reputation and loves to stir up trouble.

But he didn't want to, and Zhang Ziyi couldn't; the woman simply squeezed into the room.

"What are you doing? Is there anything else?" Eric asked, his tone somewhat displeased.

Zhang Ziyi tossed her hair, her eyes beginning to flash a deep, affectionate charm. "Stop pretending!"

"Eric, it's too crowded at dinner time. Actually, I've had some questions about the movie that I'd like to ask you. Now that we're quiet, can we talk about it?"

Eric yawned: "It's too late, and I'm tired from the flight. Let's talk about the movie tomorrow. We can have Chairman Han organize a seminar so we can discuss it properly."

Zhang Ziyi was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself, "Are you really not familiar with this or are you just pretending? An actress coming to my door in the middle of the night to study movies, is it really for the movies?"

"Am I not obvious enough? He's so young, he only took over MGM last year, he probably hasn't experienced this kind of thing before, that must be it."

After thinking it over, Zhang Ziyi decided to put in even more effort.

She feigned embarrassment and said, "Eric, could I use the restroom? I've had too much to drink, and I'm feeling a bit unwell."

Eric was about to say, "You can just go to the lobby, I can close the door then."

But Zhang Ziyi had already rushed into the bathroom, pretending to be nervous, without giving him a chance to refuse. Then he heard the sound of running water in the bathroom.

"Mr. Cooper, I seem to be having some trouble. Can you help me?" A moment later, Zhang Ziyi's voice came from the bathroom.

"What! This isn't convenient, is it? What's wrong? I'll call room service for you."

"No, I can't let them see me like this, it's too embarrassing!"

This statement inevitably raises many questions: Why would it be considered embarrassing? Was it because of the posture?

"I'll call the police for you. They'll definitely protect your privacy. Don't worry, I'll call right away!"

"Huh? Wait, don't call the police. It doesn't seem too difficult. I think I'm alright now."

As she spoke, Zhang Ziyi walked out of the bathroom with a complicated expression on her face. Looking at Eric's innocent yet concerned face, she felt even more furious.

"Impossible, he couldn't possibly not understand. Have I not done enough?"

"This guy is a gentleman? No, that's even more impossible!"

Zhang Ziyi's mind raced. In fact, at this point, unless she was truly out of her mind, she should have backed down.

But she was still not satisfied. She didn't know when she would get such a good opportunity again.

With that in mind, she decided to take a gamble and go for it. She refused to believe that any cat could resist stealing fish!

"Mr. Cooper, actually, besides the clothes, Chairman Han said there's something else he wants to give you."

"Oh right, you just said what it was?"

"Me!"

After saying that, Zhang Ziyi took off her sweater and then, to Eric's surprise, unbuckled her belt.

(End of this chapter)