Gilbert was originally completely unaware of these discussions, but his ally Larry Fink revealed some hints.
"If that day really comes, what would you do?" Larry Fink asked.
Gilbert did not answer directly. Instead, he smiled and said, "Mr. Fink, BlackRock made quite a haul during this financial crisis, didn't it?"
Larry Fink was rather pleased with himself. "Not bad. At the very least, my personal wealth has doubled."
"With such an obvious change in wealth, it must have attracted the attention of people on your side. You should be careful."
"Is that so?" Larry Fink said indifferently. "Right now, they no longer have the authority to replace me at will. If I were replaced, all of these assets would be lost.
"As for you, you're the one in danger. I heard that the Rockefeller family suggested finding someone to take you out."
"Is that so? They've finally started considering killing me." Gilbert was not angry when he heard this. Instead, he laughed. "Great. Then I can also find someone to take them out."
Larry Fink was stunned. "Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Afraid of death? Of course I'm afraid of death. But I know that the more I avoid it, the more likely I am to die."
The upper class of North America still had some beliefs at present and followed the tacit rules everyone accepted. But the world would undergo drastic changes in the next decade or so, and by then it would be hard to say.
Gilbert was a selfish person. His desire for control and possession was extremely strong. Whether it was women, wealth, or status, he longed to possess them.
And he happened to have the strength to possess them, and the strength to protect them.
He would also share at times, but that was him choosing to share, not others coming to seize things from him. The nature of the two was different.
There was a line that put it well: What the emperor gives you is yours. What the emperor does not give, you may not take.
These matters would probably continue to be entangled for a long time. In any case, Gilbert had a thick health bar and would not die anytime soon. When the world changed, he would be fully revived.
With no film shoots to deal with for once, Gilbert held a party at the Melon Manor.
He invited his film team, as well as the think-tank members and traders who had rendered meritorious service during the financial crisis, to gather here.
Guo Fan was naturally among the invitees. Over the past year or so, he had learned and changed a great deal. His English had become fluent, and his professional skills had improved rapidly.
During the summer, he had even returned to China once to share his experiences studying and living in Hollywood at a young directors' forum.
Without a doubt, Guo Fan was envied by many.
In this day and age, overseas study experience was a golden signboard. When big companies recruited talent, if they saw that you had overseas study experience, you would definitely be given priority.
Even diplomas from wild, no-name universities could fool interviewers and land you a decently paid job.
Not to mention that Guo Fan did not go to some no-name crew. He went to the crew of the famous director Gilbert and even served as an assistant director.
This was equivalent to studying abroad and having not some unknown professor as your mentor, but someone of Einstein's caliber.
Although this analogy might not be entirely appropriate, the meaning was roughly the same.
Liu Ji was very pleased. He was like Zhang Weiping back then, holding a "Master Zhang" in his hands and talking big everywhere. Now Liu Ji had Guo Fan. Once Guo Fan finished his studies and returned, their company would be invincible.
Guo Fan had also attended similar gatherings before. Wrap parties were like this.
Coupled with the fact that he had become quite familiar with the crew members, there was no sense of restraint, so he felt quite at ease.
However, the open atmosphere still made Guo Fan somewhat uncomfortable. For example, at this very moment, a black woman was pestering him. This black woman was a minor leader in the crew. She loved to laugh, and her big white teeth were especially eye-catching.
Ignoring her skin color, she could be considered a curvy beauty.
She was particularly eager to taste what Asian men were like, so she kept pestering Guo Fan.
Guo Fan was of course unwilling, so he kept politely declining.
At this party, the black woman seized an opportunity to pester Guo Fan again. Others even egged them on, and Guo Fan was so disturbed that he became extremely irritated.
But at this moment, a savior appeared.
"What's going on here?" Gilbert raised his wine glass, with Cameron Diaz beside him.
"Director, Sally wants to pursue Guo," someone said.
Gilbert raised his eyebrows and said to Sally, "Sally, Guo is already married. Chinese people are relatively traditional. You shouldn't seduce him!"
The people around burst into laughter. Sally was not shy at all and said openly, "What a pity. I wanted to taste what Asian men are like. I heard they're especially small."
"You even know that? Then can you tolerate them?"
"Of course I can. Sally is an expert."
Dirty jokes were harmless. Gilbert gestured for Guo Fan to come out, saying he had something to tell him.
The two found a corner to chat. Gilbert asked Guo Fan, "After more than a year of study, how has it been?"
Guo Fan replied, "I've gained a lot of insights, and I've made great progress. Just in notebooks alone, I've filled three of them. I hope I'll have a place to put them to use after I go back."
"Very good," Gilbert nodded. "I want to give you a task."
"Please say it, I'll definitely complete it," Guo Fan promised.
"Don't agree so quickly," Gilbert waved his hand, and Cameron Diaz immediately came over and handed him a notebook.
"Take a look. This is a script."
Guo Fan took it and saw that the title on the cover read Source Code, the name of a film project.
"This is?"
"That's right. I want you to direct this film as your graduation exam. You still have a little over a year. I hope to see this movie in theaters in 2010."
Guo Fan was both flattered and uneasy. "This project is really going to be handed to me? Can I do it?"
"As a director who wants to usher in a new era, you still lack a bit of sharpness," Gilbert gestured for Guo Fan not to be nervous. "It's just a small-budget sci-fi film with an investment of a few tens of millions of dollars.
Haven't you always wanted to make a sci-fi film? This is your chance."
Guo Fan left with the script in hand, though it was clear he felt the pressure.
Watching Guo Fan's retreating figure, Cameron Diaz asked Gilbert, "Darling, can this really work? Should we reconsider?"
"Reconsider what? It's only a few tens of millions of dollars—just treat it as play. And I believe in Guo; he has the ability to complete this project," Gilbert said.
"I'm not questioning your decision. I'm saying that having a Chinese director take charge could cause problems," Cameron Diaz voiced her concern.
"You mean others might question it?" Gilbert was unconcerned. "That's also part of the challenge. If he wants to take on more important tasks in the future, this is something he has to go through."
Since he had brought Guo Fan over from China, he couldn't let him go back muddleheaded. Source Code was a good project for practice.
With this credential, it would be much easier for him to persuade investors after returning.
Gilbert added, "Besides, aren't you keeping an eye on it? We won't lose money."
Cameron Diaz rolled her eyes. "Fine then. If it really loses money, you can't blame me."
"Absolutely not…"
If Hollywood, having fallen into decadence, wanted to rise again, the way was to reshape a powerful opponent. In a sense, this was also Gilbert's plan to raise a wolf.
He made this decision not based on memories of a past life, but from a strategic standpoint.
Taking a step back, if one day he really had to flee to the other side, he would still need to exert influence.
Turning the Chinese-language film industry into Gilbert's Chinese-language film industry would be a very wonderful process.
...
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