The day after Marvel's celebration banquet, Hollywood was still buzzing from the unbelievable success of Saw. Reporters continued publishing articles nonstop, entertainment programs were discussing Marvel's rise, and countless film companies were quietly reassessing this young chairman who had suddenly stormed into Hollywood like a hurricane.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for all that chaos had already thrown work to his subordinates and disappeared.
Because today, Luo Zheng had something far more important to do.
Dating.
And not just any date.
Beside him stood Scarlett Johansson, who had accepted his invitation without much hesitation.
Although outwardly she maintained her usual calm appearance, inside she was in complete turmoil.
Especially when the car slowly entered one of America's most famous areas.
Beverly Hills.
The legendary place that almost every American dreamed about.
Scarlett stared through the car window as luxurious estates and endless greenery passed by one after another. Her eyes gradually widened.
After several seconds, her mind slowly reached a shocking conclusion.
Wait...
Wait a minute.
This was only their second official meeting, right?
Things... weren't progressing a little too fast?
Buying a house together already?
Could this be... their future marital home?
The moment that thought appeared, Scarlett instantly felt her face grow warm.
No way.
Absolutely impossible.
Even Hollywood moved quickly, but not that quickly.
Still...
She secretly glanced toward Luo Zheng.
Young.
Handsome.
Rich.
Talented.
And terrifyingly successful.
Thinking carefully...
Marriage didn't actually sound impossible.
Of course, Scarlett was overthinking things.
Completely overthinking.
Luo Zheng naturally appreciated Scarlett's appearance and had plenty of ideas regarding her future, but marriage?
That wasn't currently part of his life plans.
The truth was much simpler.
He was rich now.
Very rich.
And after becoming rich, his first thought was naturally:
Why continue mistreating himself?
Aside from the enormous 550 million dollars he had obtained through the system, both The Man from Earth and Saw had officially begun generating profits.
The system's cashback reward mechanism had activated once again.
Double cashback based on production costs.
Combined together, Luo Zheng had received over 2.4 million dollars.
The amount wasn't outrageous.
But for 2002...
It was more than enough.
Especially considering this money belonged to him personally and had nothing to do with Marvel.
More importantly, this reward made Luo Zheng realize something.
Small-budget productions really weren't worth personally handling anymore.
Even if a low-budget movie succeeded, the returns from system rewards simply couldn't compare to major productions.
Large investments.
Large productions.
Commercial blockbusters.
Those were the true future.
As for low-budget projects?
He could leave them to subordinates like James Wan.
After all, wasn't having capable employees exactly for this purpose?
Soon, their Rolls-Royce followed a luxury real estate agent deeper into Beverly Hills.
Along the way, ordinary mansions continuously passed by.
And yes—
The multi-million-dollar homes they passed were considered ordinary here.
Finally, the car entered the legendary Platinum Triangle district.
This was Beverly Hills' true core.
Hollywood stars.
Top directors.
Business magnates.
International billionaires.
The people living here weren't merely rich.
They represented influence.
Status.
Power.
Money alone wasn't enough to live here.
Scarlett listened quietly beside Luo Zheng as the beautiful female agent enthusiastically introduced properties.
"Mr. Luo, homes around two to three acres generally range between eight and fifteen million."
"The larger estates, around three to five acres, usually begin at fifteen million and can exceed thirty million."
"There are also some off-market properties called Crown Jewels, but those only circulate among ultra-high-level circles..."
Scarlett blinked.
Then blinked again.
She could understand every individual word.
But once connected together...
She suddenly couldn't understand anything anymore.
Several acres.
Fifteen million.
Thirty million.
Crown Jewels.
Was this even discussing houses?
Why did it sound like some secret billionaire language?
Meanwhile Luo Zheng remained calm.
He remembered very clearly that housing prices had not exploded yet.
After another decade, prices here would become terrifying.
Buying now basically guaranteed profit.
So if he bought—
He would buy the best.
Soon, they finished viewing two massive estates.
Each occupied nearly five acres.
Swimming pools.
Gardens.
Private theaters.
Huge lawns.
Everything imaginable existed.
After finishing the tour, Luo Zheng suddenly looked toward Scarlett.
"So?"
"Which one do you like?"
Scarlett froze.
Then pointed toward herself.
"M-me?"
"You're asking me?"
Luo Zheng looked confused.
"Of course."
"Your opinion is important."
The female agent nearby almost lost control of her expression.
Important?
Her opinion was important?
For a mansion worth over twenty million dollars?
The agent suddenly felt overwhelming jealousy.
Meanwhile Scarlett looked completely stunned.
Those words somehow struck harder than any confession.
For a moment, she genuinely entered daydream mode again.
After recovering, she seriously began examining the property brochures.
After several comparisons, she pointed toward one.
"This one."
"The landscaping is beautiful, and the location feels quieter."
Then she hesitated.
"...but the price is a little high."
Luo Zheng nodded.
Then immediately turned toward the agent.
"We'll take this one."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
The female agent nearly stopped breathing.
Scarlett's eyes widened.
Just like that?
No hesitation?
No bargaining?
No discussion?
Twenty-plus million dollars and he decided in one sentence?
Beside him, Scarlett immediately hugged his arm tightly.
Almost instinctively.
The nearby female agent's gaze had already become dangerous.
Scarlett suddenly felt immense crisis.
Protect territory.
Must protect territory.
Instantly, soft warmth pressed against Luo Zheng's arm.
The feeling...
Was very comfortable.
Extremely comfortable.
Luo Zheng silently praised her excellent reaction speed.
Afterward, lawyers took over the remaining procedures.
The house matter was basically settled.
Now came the real date.
The rest of the day progressed exactly according to Luo Zheng's expectations.
Holding hands.
Shopping.
Watching movies.
Casual flirting.
Relationships naturally required progression.
And everything steadily moved forward.
Until night.
Until the final step.
Then—
Scarlett lowered her head.
Her face turned slightly red.
"Luo..."
She hesitated.
Then looked apologetic.
"I won't turn eighteen until November..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
For the first time in a long while, Luo Zheng genuinely froze.
He stared blankly.
Then suddenly remembered.
Right.
Scarlett really wasn't eighteen yet.
Damn.
He forgot.
America loudly promoted freedom and openness, but certain legal lines absolutely could not be crossed.
Otherwise?
The consequences would become legendary.
Luo Zheng took a deep breath.
Then immediately revealed a righteous expression.
"It's okay."
"I'm not that superficial."
He looked deeply into Scarlett's eyes.
"Compared to physical attraction, soul resonance matters more."
Scarlett stared at him.
Then suddenly felt moved.
So moved.
As expected—
Luo was different from other men.
Completely different.
Meanwhile Luo Zheng silently wiped imaginary tears inside.
Soul resonance?
Resonate my ass.
The law had saved him today.
—
Two days later.
Marvel's preliminary preparations for Iron Man officially began.
Luo Zheng used a Script Exchange Card and directly redeemed the complete screenplay.
After explaining preparations to Kevin and Jon, he immediately boarded a flight back to Beijing.
First class.
Quiet surroundings.
Nothing to do.
Then Luo Zheng suddenly remembered something.
Three lottery draws.
Previously because of Saw, he had been too busy and forgotten entirely.
Now—
Perfect timing.
No pity system.
No rituals.
No nonsense.
After muttering several random blessings, Luo Zheng directly selected:
Three consecutive draws.
The wheel spun wildly.
Seconds later—
Ding.
[Purple Reward: Constitution +1]
[Blue Reward: Singing Ability +1]
[Blue Reward: Song Exchange Card]
Luo Zheng instantly sat upright.
His eyes lit up.
Constitution +1!
Again!
This thing was priceless!
He immediately adjusted his posture and felt subtle changes throughout his body.
Strength.
Energy.
Endurance.
Everything felt enhanced.
At that moment, Luo Zheng felt unbelievably confident.
Ten people?
No.
Twenty.
As for singing ability...
Previously he had only reached KTV king level.
Now?
Probably professional singer level.
Not top-tier.
But definitely enough.
Unfortunately, becoming a singer wasn't interesting.
Too tiring.
He preferred staying behind scenes collecting money.
As for the Song Exchange Card...
Not very useful either.
After transmigration, his memory had become absurdly powerful.
Popular songs from his previous life remained mostly intact.
Only obscure songs needed system help.
In short—
Not bad.
After organizing rewards, Luo Zheng slept.
Hours later, the plane landed smoothly in Beijing.
The moment he walked out of the airport—
A soft body suddenly crashed directly into his arms.
Warm.
Plump.
Familiar.
Luo Zheng smiled immediately.
Only two people created this feeling.
Huo Wenxi.
Or Liu Yan.
And judging from the perfume—
Easy answer.
"What?"
"It's only been two weeks."
"You already missed me?"
Liu Yan originally wanted to nod.
Then suddenly—
Her expression froze.
Because familiar warmth suddenly appeared somewhere inappropriate.
Instantly her face turned red.
She immediately escaped his embrace.
This shameless bastard.
His hands were still unbelievably fast.
Liu Yan glared furiously.
Unfortunately, before she could protest—
A bodyguard hurried over.
"Boss."
"We've been spotted."
Luo Zheng immediately looked up.
Sure enough.
Several reporters nearby had already noticed him.
With Saw exploding recently, entertainment reporters practically treated Luo Zheng like walking treasure.
Without hesitation, Luo Zheng pulled Liu Yan directly into the car.
Only after returning to Blue Whale Entertainment and adjusting his jet lag did he finally return to work.
But shortly afterward—
Office door opened.
Huo Wenxi entered.
Beside her stood Jane Zhang.
"Boss."
"Liangying's album is finished."
"It starts radio promotion tonight and officially releases tomorrow."
Luo Zheng nodded.
Then narrowed his eyes.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Huo Wenxi clearly looked like she wanted something.
"What?"
"Just say it."
"What are you planning?"
Huo Wenxi smiled sweetly.
Extremely sweetly.
Then said:
"In order to increase publicity..."
"I hope you participate in an interview."
Luo Zheng frowned.
"What interview?"
Huo Wenxi coughed lightly.
Then smiled wider.
"A personal success story sharing session."
"...?"
Three question marks slowly appeared above Luo Zheng's head.