King of Hollywood

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"Frankly speaking, Ed, if that chef knew that, in your eyes, his meticulously prepared food couldn't fill your stomach as easily as pizza from a takeaway, he might just burst into tears," Claude said as he pressed a switch on the wall, and the bright lights filled the minimalist-style living room.

This was the villa Claude rented on the other side of Beverly Hills, with a modern style, well-decorated inside and out. He'd moved out shortly after graduating from college, unlike Adrian—the previous Adrian—who spent his days aimlessly. Now, after making a big profit, he planned to buy a villa entirely his own.

"Pay attention, Crow, I said fill the stomach, not the deliciousness of the food," Adrian corrected him. "The veal he makes is indeed delicious; I've never denied that."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but twitch his mouth. Although, due to that small part of his soul, Adrian wasn't against Western haute cuisine and could appreciate it somewhat. Deep down, he still missed Chinese food. He'd made the rounds of all the restaurants in Chinatown, but... have you seen kung pao chicken soaked in orange syrup? Fortunately, he occasionally cooked in his previous life, and thanks to that creepy memory, he could still recall it and occasionally made some home-cooked meals for himself. Plus, not all Chinese restaurants in Chinatown served entirely Westernized fare, so he could barely curb his cravings.

"You guy, French cuisine is meant to be savored. If you want to fill your stomach, it's simple. Two burgers from Burger King can do that," Claude said with a big shake of his head, coming to the bar in the living room and pouring two glasses of whiskey.

"Kate says the same, but unfortunately, you all missed the point. I didn't deny the delicacy of French cuisine. I'm just saying it can't fill the stomach; that's a fact, isn't it?" Adrian took the glass Claude slid over.

"Kate? That chick you hooked up with in the UK? Still dating her?" Claude asked in some surprise. "This isn't like you, Ed. In the past, your interest in a girl never lasted more than five days."

"That was in the past," Adrian replied carelessly. "I've already taken her home."

"Wow, wow, wow, is Armageddon upon us?" Claude made exaggerated gestures. "Our Ed actually took a girl home! Man, that's a first! It's so surprising, are you planning to marry her?!"

"Shut up, Crow," Adrian rolled his eyes at him. "Would I give up an entire forest for one tree?"

"Then you're..." Claude looked at him with interest.

"I want the tree, and I want the whole forest too," Adrian shrugged.

Claude was somewhat speechless, but then started laughing, "Sure enough, it's Ed, but don't you think that's a bit greedy?"

"There's a famous line from Oliver Stone in 'Wall Street,'" Adrian took a sip of whiskey.

"Greed is good," Claude followed up.

"I slightly modified that line, 'Moderate greed is good,'" Adrian smiled. "The key is to know your limit, and I now need to expand my limit."

"Okay, how do you plan to do that? With this profit, is it enough to secure a place among those corporate giants?" Claude didn't continue the topic but asked about something else.

Adrian smiled, looked into Claude's eyes, and said earnestly, "Let's do it together, Crow."

"What did you say?" Claude showed a surprised look, the glass he was bringing to his mouth paused in midair.

"Do you remember what I said to you in the café back then? I want to take control of Hollywood! I mean to build my own media empire, not become a shareholder in those old companies!" Adrian clenched his fist and swung it hard in the air. "We can do this together, Crow. You have a talent in business I can't match, but I also have my strengths in film that you find hard to compare to, and my overall vision is no worse than yours! Together we'll be unstoppable!"

Claude looked at Adrian in amazement. He twitched his lips as if he wanted to laugh, "You've changed so much, Ed, it's hard to imagine that just a year ago you were still a..."

"Alright, Crow, dredging up the past is meaningless to me, I've changed," Adrian chuckled.

He put down the glass, took a few steps to stand in front of Claude, and stared him down, "Tell me, Crow, what's making you hesitate? What are you worried about? Or do you want to tell me that you plan to stay in The Godfather's company, gradually losing your drive and courage, and then take over when The Godfather retires?"

Claude said nothing, he just pursed his lips and looked seriously at Adrian.

"Think about it, Crow, what is it that you really want?!" Adrian made exaggerated gestures. "Is it to take over your father's company and follow the path they laid out for you? Or to build something new from scratch, blazing a trail in your own right?! We're still young, Crow; we have the ability and the opportunity! Even if we fail, we can start over!"

Seeing the touch of fervor in Adrian's expression, Claude exhaled deeply, "Tell me, Ed, why media?"

"Why?" Adrian raised an eyebrow, he suddenly turned and walked over to the living room's floor-to-ceiling window, with a rustle, he pulled open the curtain, revealing the dazzling night view of Beverly Hills to both of them.

Adrian took a deep breath, pointing to the specks of light, "Look, look at this city, Crow! It has the world's largest movie industry, the world's most dazzling stars. Countless people come here searching for their dreams, always thinking maybe one day they'll stand spectacularly on the stage, drawing the world's attention! But they don't know, they don't know. They've only seen one side— the beautiful, seductive, glamorous side! But the other side, the dark, dirty, desire-laden side is hidden in the background, well concealed! Why? Because they only see what those people want them to see! You and I both know this, Crow! Think about it, when they move to our baton, cheering blindly for us, what kind of feeling will we have?"

His passionate words echoed in the room, and Claude found himself sitting upright. Adrian, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, didn't say anything more, just watched his best friend with a bright gaze.

Suddenly lifting his chin to down the liquid in the glass, Claude stood up, a mysterious light flickering in his brown eyes.

"Then, let's do it!"

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Adrian knew what developments the world would undergo in the next 20 years; his conditions and abilities weren't poor— don't think copying a movie was a simple matter. Therefore, if he wanted to take control of Hollywood, it wasn't impossible, as long as he solved one problem: management and operation!

Yes, he knew what could make a lot of money, but in his previous life, he was just a director, when had he managed or operated a big company? The previous Adrian might have had some experience, but mostly it was eating, drinking, and having fun. So he had to solve this problem to achieve everything, and finally, he thought of Claude.

Initially, Adrian didn't realize this. He simply wanted to earn some seed money through Claude. But Claude's flexible handling of tasks made him realize his great worth, so he took a gamble, handing him the futures deal as well, with naturally rewarding results.

Therefore, Adrian decided to tie him to his endeavors, and Claude, being someone who wasn't willing to stay quiet, daring to imagine, venture, and not wanting to be under parental protection, coupled with Adrian's persuasive remarks, finally agreed.

"Let's talk about your plan, Ed," Claude said when they settled into the study, "don't tell me you haven't got a plan."

"Of course, I have a plan. But you know, I'm not cut out for this, so I only have a general outline; the rest needs you to fill in," Adrian made no effort to hide his inadequacy.

Claude lifted his hand, making a 'let's hear it' gesture.

"To start, of course, it's about establishing a media company, even buying a shell is okay. How much each of us invests, how the shares are distributed, and whether Bossworth Film Company comes under us, we'll discuss in detail later," Adrian began slowly. "You'll be the CEO, and you'll make all the decisions. I won't interfere with anything."

"In simple terms, you have nothing to do with it, bear the major stockholder's ease while I handle everything," Claude let out a leisurely sigh. "This really isn't fair, Ed. You're enjoying too much comfort."

"You could put it that way, anyway; you'll make all the decisions," Adrian didn't respond to his teasing. "If I have any opinions or suggestions, I'll discuss and seek your agreement and support."

"In that case..." Claude suddenly thought of something, "if you insist on some matters and I keep disagreeing?"

"Then I'll stay by your side 24/7 lobbying you, no matter what you're doing, working, eating, bathing, sleeping, or even in bed with a woman, I'll be there," Adrian replied leisurely.

"Damn it! Ed, you're really disgusting!" Claude frowned while waving his hand.

"Can't help it, I can't turn against you," Adrian spread his hands.

"Okay, okay, let's put that aside for now, and then?" Claude changed the subject.

"Establish a venture capital company, focusing on the IT industry," Adrian threw out the answer he had long thought of.

"A venture capital company? IT industry?" Claude raised his brows, a little surprised. "I thought we were talking about the media industry."

"Yes, I know," Adrian nodded. "How should I say... what's your view on this year's election?"

"This year's election?" Though he didn't understand why Adrian suddenly brought up this topic, Claude provided his answer, "The Democratic Party has the advantage."

"Really?"

"Really— and you?"

"The Democratic Party has the advantage."

"Really?"

"Really."

The two shared a glance, then burst into laughter. The Ronris family always leaned towards the Democratic Party, as most of the time, California was their territory; however, the Cowell family had always been neutral, so Claude teased Adrian by repeating his statement.

"Do you know, in January, who the Democratic Party's preliminarily decided presidential candidate is, Crow?" After laughing, Adrian asked.

"Seems like..." Claude tilted his head in thought, "William Jefferson Clinton?" (Note)

(Note: In real-world U.S. elections, both parties don't officially decide on their candidates until July or August. This part has been changed for storyline reasons. I considered making it realistic, but it would complicate future story elements, so just take it as it is.)

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