Wait.
Ivanka?
Xu Can had never expected to see this woman here today.
At the moment, she was still known only as the daughter of a businessman.
But ten years later, her father, Donald, would become a regular figure on television news and a key name in Political affairs. Even becoming the President of America twice.
Even though Donald often looked like a clown in public, there was no denying his influence in North America.
"Why are you here?" Xu Can asked, genuinely curious.
Her father had worked in Hollywood before and even appeared in several roles, so it was not unusual for the Trump family to have connections in Hollywood.
Ivanka should have just graduated around this time.
"I'm in charge of this hotel," Ivanka replied.
Faced with Xu Can's slightly blunt question, she still smiled gracefully.
"On the other hand, Mr. Xu, Twilight, and your movie are competitors. Your appearance here is a little surprising to me."
"I came here with Emma."
"I see."
Ivanka sat in front of the bar and glanced sideways at Emma Stone, who was talking and laughing in the distance.
"Are you two really in love?" she asked curiously.
"We can only be called good friends," Xu Can replied matter-of-factly.
"That's a pity. Spider-Man and Gwen are not together after all."
Xu Can smiled playfully.
"Even the daughter of a wealthy family likes shipping couples?"
"I'm also an ordinary woman. Of course, I like romantic stories." Ivanka picked up her wine glass and took a sip.
"I read the original Twilight book, and I also invested some money into the movie."
"So, do you like comics?"
Xu Can's instincts immediately sharpened.
The wealthy daughter in front of him might be exactly the financial sponsor he had been looking for.
Even if she did not invest directly, it should not be too difficult to ask her to introduce him to someone who could help with loans.
"I like them very much," Ivanka said. "I especially like Spider-Man. I watched your movie twice."
"Oh? Then what do you think of it? You can give us suggestions. If there are shortcomings, we can correct them in the sequel."
"Let me think…"
Ivanka did not have the arrogance of a wealthy princess. Instead, she seriously thought about the movie and asked many strange but interesting questions.
For example, how could Spider-Man see clearly while wearing a mask? What should he do if he encountered an emergency while wearing the suit? Would Spider-Man join the Avengers in the future?
Starting from Spider-Man, the two talked about American comics for a long time, then moved on to current Hollywood movies.
After they became more familiar, Xu Can discovered that this seemingly dignified daughter of a wealthy family also had a lively, curious side hidden inside her.
It was not until Emma came over to greet him that Xu Can finally stood up and prepared to leave.
"Ivanka, nice to meet you. We had a great chat today."
"Me too. Meeting my favorite celebrity feels like a wish coming true."
The two shook hands. Ivanka's hand was slender and cool.
"By the way, let's add each other on Facebook."
"Okay," Ivanka agreed readily.
Xu Can felt a little more settled.
His preliminary goal had been achieved.
The other producers and investors at the scene might not be able to connect with this wealthy lady, but he had already opened the door.
After that, everything returned to business as usual.
Galaxy Entertainment's development continued to accelerate.
Taylor Swift's new album, Fearless, was officially released.
Her first album, Taylor Swift, had sold 3.9 million copies and created an astonishing result in the industry. She had also been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
This year, with Xu Can's help, her second album arrived ahead of schedule and topped the North American Billboard chart in its release week.
The hit single Love Story landed at No. 23 on the Billboard singles chart, and many other songs from the album entered the Top 100.
Less than a week after release, Fearless had already exceeded one million sales. It was expected to surpass five million.
Before this, she had only been a well-known "country female singer" in the industry.
Now, she had truly spread her wings and was about to take off.
"Xu, the company says they want to arrange a concert tour for me. Can I really do it?"
The new album was a huge success. Taylor had thought she would finally get some time to rest, but Galaxy Music planned to strike while the iron was hot and arrange a concert tour across the United States.
For most singers, album sales did not make much real money. Concerts, business endorsements, and commercial activities were the main sources of income.
As a company spanning both film and music, Galaxy Entertainment naturally could not walk on only one leg.
The music department also had to create value.
If the first round of the concert tour was completed successfully, it would bring Xu Can a large amount of profit.
"That isn't the most important thing," Xu Can said gently. "The important thing is whether you truly want to go."
As her boss, he should have wanted to maximize Taylor's commercial value, just like the previous boss of Big Machine Records.
But as a friend and romantic partner, Xu Can also felt a little sorry for her.
She is only 17 years old, and she often stays up until midnight to record, spends entire days writing songs, revising lyrics, discussing arrangements, and practicing performances.
Now, after finally releasing the album, she had to face a concert tour immediately.
Taylor lowered her head and thought for a moment before looking up at Xu Can.
With just one glance, Xu Can understood her answer.
"Go ahead," he said. "As long as it's something you love, go for it."
"But I have to fly to New York tonight to participate in a show. I'm afraid I won't be able to see you for a long time."
Xu Can had originally planned to spend a little more time with her during these two days, date her a few more times, then take her down, but now that plan naturally fell through.
Their friendship had gradually heated up, but there had been no real progress beyond hugging and kissing.
The specific arrangements for Galaxy Music were handled by gold-medal producer Doug Morris.
As a layman, Xu Can would not interfere too much with his decisions.
Perhaps sensing Xu Can's reluctance, Taylor took the initiative to hug him.
Even though this was inside Galaxy Music's office, and they might be seen by colleagues, and it might become a hot scandal, she did not seem afraid.
Just like the lyrics of Fearless, she had nothing to fear.
Xu Can stops fighting the urge. He closes the distance, his mouth crashing onto hers.
The kiss is not gentle. It is a collision. It is the release of months of suppressed longing.
"Ummm"
Taylor moans into his mouth, a low, guttural sound that vibrates through his teeth. Her tongue pushes past his lips, seeking his, and they entangle in a wet, desperate dance.
The taste of her is sweet, like cherries and mint, mixed with the salt of her skin.
He sucks on her tongue, drawing it into his mouth, exchanging saliva in a sloppy, passionate rhythm.
Their breathing becomes ragged, the sound of their gasps filling the quiet room.
Xu Can's hands slide down from her waist, gripping the curve of her ass and lifting her.
Taylor wraps her legs around his waist, her thighs squeezing his hips tight. He backs her up against the obsidian desk, the cold stone contrasting with the searing heat of their bodies.
Vanessa, the assistant outside, originally wanted to call Xu Can.
"Boss, the money-making department is going to have a meeting… Um…"
Through the crack of the door, she noticed the situation inside. She froze for a few seconds, then gently closed the door and pulled down the blinds.
Leave some space for them.
Taylor pushed Xu away as she asked nervously: "Do you think she saw us?"
…..
After Taylor left Los Santos, Xu Can wanted to make up for lost time with Emma.
As a result, Emma also followed the creative team around the world to promote Twilight.
The global box office of John Wick was still strong. One week later, it had actually maintained the top spot at the North American box office.
In its previous life, Twilight's first weekend box office had not even reached 69 million dollars.
This time, its first weekend box office was only 65 million dollars, while John Wick steadily surpassed it with 80 million dollars.
Killer John Wick still had plenty of staying power.
The videos currently gaining more than a million likes on YouTube were basically compilations of John Wick's coolest action scenes.
Thanks to the influence of internet videos, John Wick attracted many viewers to watch it again and again. Its box office showed no sign of declining.
Looking back at Twilight, its score had been slightly affected by the lack of chemistry between the male and female leads.
The impact on the box office was not too obvious, but it still existed.
The creators of Twilight could only find another way and rely on the huge base of global novel readers to drive box-office growth.
Emma needed to travel to London, Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong Island, Copenhagen, and other cities for promotion.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you for a while."
Before leaving, Emma pulled her suitcase and looked at Xu Can with complicated eyes.
"Xu, I'm leaving. If you want, go find your Taylor."
"Uh… she also left town."
"Pfft. You deserve it." Emma laughed and regained some of her old boldness. "All right, take care of yourself."
She waved goodbye to him like an old friend.
For a while, Xu Can became a loner.
He had just moved into his Beverly Hills mansion today.
The mansion had multiple floors, a basement, a huge backyard lawn, and a private swimming pool.
It was much more stylish than BoJack Horseman's house or Michael's villa in GTA V.
He bought it with the dividends he earned from John Wick. The price in 2007 was only six million dollars, second only to the Beckham mansion next door.
By 2023, the price of this pool villa would climb to at least thirty million dollars.
Unfortunately, Xu Can was the only one living in such a large house.
Taylor was not around.
Emma was not around.
Even Kristen Stewart, who had quarreled with him before, had gone to Europe for promotion.
As for Emma Roberts, Xu Can basically regarded her as a younger sister and had no intention of taking action for the time being.
At that moment, the phone rang.
Xu Can answered subconsciously.
"Hello?"
"Xu, it's Christopher."
Oh.
It was Nolan.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem with filming?"
Now that the Marvel plan had temporarily been shelved, Xu Can had simply invested an additional 30 million dollars into the later stages of The Dark Knight trilogy.
In the future, the combined box office of the trilogy would exceed 2.5 billion dollars. Xu Can's 30-million-dollar investment would return at least four to five times more.
It was practically free money.
"No problem," Nolan said.
"I just wanted to tell you that the first two Batman movies have officially been completed. If production moves quickly, they should be able to catch up with the summer release."
"Already? That fast?"
"Of course. Thanks to your performance, everyone else's efficiency improved a lot. Bale also asked me to thank you. He seems to have had an epiphany."
"Hey, aren't we all friends competing with each other's acting skills?"
"By the way, the main thing I wanted to say is that Batman Begins is scheduled for the summer, and The Dark Knight is expected to be released around Christmas. Then we can help promote them together."
"No problem. Let Warner make the publicity plan and coordinate the schedule with my agent."
"Great. Right now, most of the audience is coming for you."
Nolan sighed.
With Spider-Man and John Wick, Xu Can had gradually reached the top level of popularity in North America in 2007.
On the other hand, Nolan and Christian Bale's influence seemed slightly weaker.
Only a few superstar-level actors, such as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, and others, could surpass Xu Can in popularity.
Nolan could not imagine how much Xu Can's popularity would rise once The Dark Knight was released.
Maybe there was even a chance to compete for an Oscar.
The 2007 Oscars had little to do with Xu Can.
Spider-Man had defeated Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in the Best Visual Effects category and won its only statuette.
It had only received nominations in technical categories such as Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
Spider-Man had not even been nominated for major awards such as Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor, or Best Picture.
That was the limitation of comic-book movies.
They were not favored by the Academy judges.
In the end, The Departed, an adaptation of Infernal Affairs, became the biggest winner, taking Best Picture and Best Director.
Nolan, however, was very confident that The Dark Knight might become the first comic-book movie to truly make an impact at the Oscars.
Even if he could not win Best Director, Xu Can had a very good chance at Best Supporting Actor.
The Joker he played was so unbelievable that Nolan still felt excited whenever he thought about it.
After chatting with Nolan, Xu Can looked through his address book and suddenly did not know who to spend the night with in Los Santos.
"Oh, what about Da Mimi? She'll become very successful in a few years."
And so on.
Xu Can suddenly saw a name.
Ivanka.
Should he try asking her out?
Since the last time they chatted at the Twilight party, the two had occasionally talked online.
He did not know whether he could make an appointment with her.
As the eldest daughter of the Trump family, she should be quite busy, right?
"Do you have time to come out for a drink?"
"Okay. Where?"
Such a simple and instant reply?
Xu Can picked up his suit jacket, talked briefly about the Ferrari, and went straight to his destination.
Ever since starring in John Wick, he had somehow started liking suits more and more.
Over drinks and late-night snacks, Xu Can and Ivanka chatted a lot.
With his vision of the next ten years, it was easy to impress a twenty-six-year-old woman.
Regardless of whether she was the daughter of a wealthy family or not, even if a future political figure came, Xu Can would still treat them as a guest at the table.
"Are all you Huxia men as humorous and intelligent as you?" Ivanka asked, supporting her chin with one hand and looking at Xu Can with interest.
She seemed slightly tipsy.
"We Huxia men are quite capable," Xu Can said with a meaningful smile. "If there's a chance later, I'll show you."
"You said your company is looking for funding, right?"
Ivanka's thinking suddenly shifted.
"Yes. Do you have an idea?"
"Mainly because I'm curious about the Avengers universe you described…"
Ivanka chuckled.
"Do you understand the concept of more than four billion U.S. dollars? How can this kind of comic-book movie create such a huge scale?"
"Are you willing to take a gamble?" Xu Can asked. "I can do it. It depends on whether you're willing to believe me."
"Good."
Ivanka, who had always been elegant, unexpectedly slapped the table.
"I'll bet. I believe you. I'll give you the funds tomorrow. Remember to remind me."
"Huh?"
Xu Can was stunned.
Was it that easy?
More than seven hundred million dollars, just like that?
The daughter of a wealthy family really did treat money differently.
That night, Xu Can handed Ivanka over to her female assistant, and the housekeeper drove her home.
The two of them had not reached that level yet to spend the night together, so naturally nothing happened.
Xu Can originally thought that once Ivanka sobered up the next day, she would definitely regret it and find an excuse to put the matter off.
As a result, the finance department came to Xu Can in a panic the next morning and reported that an inexplicable extra fifty million dollars had appeared in the company's account.
"I'll give you this much today," Ivanka said. "I'll collect the rest from my personal assets and send it to you in batches within a week."
Rich woman Ivanka was truly straightforward.
"You said seven hundred million U.S. dollars would create a ten-billion-dollar myth."
She smiled.
"Well, I'll wait and see."
It was now June, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was hitting theaters around the world.
It finally broke the dominance of John Wick and The Twilight Saga, achieving a first-weekend box office of 130 million dollars.
In the end, its global box office even had a chance to hit one billion dollars.
John Wick ultimately earned 450 million dollars worldwide, while Twilight earned 410 million dollars, basically posing no threat.
Transformers, Shrek 3, and I Am Legend were probably slightly inferior as well.
If this year had not faced monsters like last year's Spider-Man, these films might have had a chance to become the box-office champions of 2007.
However, Disney, the producer, could not stay happy for long.
Warner and Marvel soon announced major news one after another.
Warner's reboot of the popular character Batman, Batman Begins, would be released during the summer season in early July, while The Dark Knight was scheduled for Christmas.
Two Batman films in one year.
As for Marvel, Galaxy Entertainment, founded by Xu Can, had officially launched an acquisition plan.
They were purchasing Marvel Entertainment entirely for 730 million U.S. dollars.
Unsurprisingly, the acquisition would be completed in early July.
At that time, Galaxy Entertainment would bring Marvel's first work to the world.
Iron Man.
Disney CEO Bob Iger was completely numb.
Why was everything related to that Huxia guy?
Was he deliberately targeting Disney?
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