King of Hollywood

"Frankly speaking, Adrian had never been so exhausted before, even more than those days spent wildly editing films in the editing room. Convincing people was indeed no easy task, especially when the person in question was smart. Don't think that if you flinch, people will listen to you—without enough benefits, who cares about you?

Returning to his bedroom at home, Adrian took off his jacket, poured himself a glass of water, and sat on a single sofa as he recalled tonight's events. Luckily, he had mended his relationship with his uncle in advance and had been to New York several times; otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to smooth over those words today. Once or twice, it could be said the information came from his uncle, but citing him every time would be a stretch.

For example, when Claude finally asked why he was watching the Quantum Fund, Adrian didn't dare keep using his uncle as a cover. Luckily, he only needed Claude to watch the Quantum Fund without specifying what to do, and since Rogers and Soros were now quite renowned, he eventually persuaded Claude.

In any case, all the goals were met tonight. Adrian drank his water and silently calculated in his mind. Although he wanted to set up everything at once, he knew the principle that haste makes waste. Additionally, blooming on all fronts wasn't the best approach—DreamWorks was the best example. Even though Adrian knew the future development, it wasn't a reason to squander casually; maximizing benefits was what he should aim for.

Therefore, Adrian first chose the publishing company and the agency. As for the former, he also knew that the three novels he threw out were far from enough, whether it was "Resident Evil," "Tomb Raider," or "The Matrix." They only existed because of the popularity gathered by games and movies. Without huge popularity from games and movies, "Resident Evil" and "Tomb Raider" would only be second-rate novels, and "The Matrix" would be slightly better, but just slightly. There were too many science fiction novels depicting virtual worlds and defining reality in the United States.

If he truly wanted the publishing company to quickly gain high visibility, he wasn't without means. The upcoming magic series that would cause a worldwide sensation in a few years and the vampire novel that would captivate housewives in more than a decade were both excellent targets. However, for the former, Adrian had other plans; for the latter, no matter what, it wasn't something a big man could write. That was the American version of "Poor Godmother," not to mention he had only seen the movies and not the novels.

In fact, if it were just about opening up the publishing company's situation, those three novels were already enough—as long as the operation was done properly. If Claude didn't have even that ability, then Adrian was blind.

As for the agency, firstly, as Claude had once said, if it grew bigger in the future, it would be convenient for the group to allocate resources. Secondly, if the agency was strong enough, it would also be a supplement to the network, and if it was wide enough, it would be more beneficial for Adrian to control Hollywood. Moreover, at this time, although CAA was unique, it hadn't yet reached the prominence it would in 10 years.

This gave Adrian the opportunity to intervene. It was very simple, at least in his view: the CAA agent system was pretty good, and he could directly copy it, then snatch up those future stars and promote a few himself—that's why he temporarily refrained Dennis and Kate from rushing to find agents. By the 21st century, he couldn't say they would dominate Hollywood, but they should at least be on par with CAA. Again, only if Claude operated well.

As for other aspects, taking it step by step would be fine, as Adrian had a rough plan, just like preparing a foreign trade company and keeping an eye on the Quantum Fund for an opportunity to make a quick profit, waiting for the right moment.

However, of all the events tonight, Adrian was most proud of his show of eloquence. To be honest, convincing Claude to establish an IT venture capital company wasn't such a hard task. A brief explanation could have sufficed, since it was simply investing, not requiring him to run a profitable website. But Adrian decided to give an impassioned speech, discussing everything from the U.S. election to the information superhighway and then to new industries, leading to confusion about where he'd received the information about the Quantum Fund's potential actions.

If another reborn person was present at the scene, they would surely think this guy was arrogantly flaunting his knowledge of the internet, which was actually exactly what Adrian intended, though every step he took had a purpose.

Even with brothers, conflicts could arise over company power issues, let alone Adrian and Claude. Solving this problem required meeting two conditions: first, the company's scale shouldn't be too large; second, the abilities of both should be evenly matched.

The first issue needn't be discussed, as Adrian's goal from the start was a group company. As for the second issue, if he could run a group company well by himself, would he go through the trouble of pulling Claude in?

Nevertheless, because of this, Adrian wouldn't vie for control over the company with Claude, so this issue shouldn't exist. However, just because this issue didn't exist didn't mean other issues didn't either.

Many excellent CEOs, after leading companies to high peaks, inevitably experience an expansion in their personal desire for power, and then want to monopolize it, kicking out those who disagree or oppose them. At this point, unless the CEO causes significant losses or offends too many people, the board of directors would not interfere much with him.

Of course, according to Adrian's impression, Claude wasn't such a person. After all, his position was clear: I can't handle this, so I ask you to come. I will influence you but not interfere with you. Claude wasn't a fool and naturally understood the essential points.

However, as the company develops, Claude would inevitably establish his own voice, and as a major shareholder, Adrian couldn't compare to a CEO controlling the company's direction in this regard. So, what if in the future, combining his memory with reality, Adrian proposed some critical suggestions that had to be completed, and Claude disagreed? It wouldn't be feasible to persuade him with lengthy arguments every time, and staying by Claude's side constantly was just a joke—he wasn't gay. If they fell out because of it, it would be terrible.

Therefore, Adrian tried to leave a deep impression on Claude now. Imagine, a few years later, when everything he said and predicted came true, what kind of impact would it have on Claude?! This way, even if Adrian had any suggestions that contradicted Claude's views, the latter would consider them seriously.

That was as much as could be done for now. Adrian stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked at the dots of lights outside, stretched out his hand, and formed a fist. The future would be in my hands!

After the Berlin Film Festival, Laverne started following up on the promotion of "Memento." Although he didn't understand why Adrian insisted on having Universal distribute it, he still complied.

The promotion focused naturally on the second work of the genius director. Additionally, releasing two works in less than a year that won the Best Newcomer Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival were selling points, as well as the statement, "This will be a test of observation skills."

Thus, even though Adrian was still a newcomer and even though the film didn't have a premiere when it was released on March 10, with Universal's help securing over 800 screens, it still achieved a $10,000,000 debut weekend box office.

To achieve such high box office in a debut weekend in '91, besides the aforementioned selling points, there was also the star effect. However, the star here wasn't Dennis or Kate, but Adrian himself as the director and producer. The black humor of the previous "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" had made many cut film enthusiasts remember his name. Six months later, he produced another cut film that won the Special Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Combined with Laverne's effective promotion and Ronnie Gros's film reviews after attending the Berlin Film Festival, intrigued audiences naturally rushed to the theaters.

Apart from the strong opening box office, the critics' reviews were almost unanimously positive.

"A brilliant film, Adrian's meticulous editing makes this story thought-provoking." — New York Times

"This is both a simple and complex film, and to understand it, you have to watch it multiple times." — Empire

"When I walked out of the cinema, my first thought was to go back and watch it again, even though I understood the ending. There are countless clues throughout the film within the details, each one supplementing the overall plot. Through these clues, we can gain a deeper understanding of the story and what the director wants to convey. As for the actors, Dennis Knight's first leading role has more highlights than the previous film, although being young he struggles slightly in places, but overall he is quite good; Joe Pantoliano as the main male supporting role needs no further mention, enhancing the film significantly. Kate Beckinsale, on the other hand, still needs some honing." — Renowned critic Roger Ebert

Although a few people criticized the editing as too flashy, making it hard to understand, most reviews were highly praiseworthy. Many people liked this style; simplifying things into complexities was a profound expression.

Alright, besides that, for Bossworth Film Company, if distributing "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" last time was a glimpse of hope, then the dual success of investment in "Memento" in terms of box office and reputation this time was undoubtedly a shot in the arm. Such a situation hadn't happened in two or three years.

Moreover, Adrian subsequently reinvested $10,000,000 in the company. Many people thereby regained confidence in it. However, for some, that confidence came a bit late, as the non-interference with the company's business that Adrian promised initially was only for half a year, which had now stretched past half a year, so changes were inevitable.

(Still seeking recommendations and collections, my draft stock is almost depleted…)"