Inside a luxurious hotel in Rhode Island, a threesome was underway.
Sergei Hassenfield was happily exercising; he enjoyed working out, even though he was almost forty, he still broke a sweat every week.
The affection with his wife at home had long faded. As they aged, friction in one aspect grew, while friction in another diminished.
Now, everyone did their own thing. Cooperation benefited both, conflict harmed both. As long as they didn't bring it home and break ties, it was fine.
Ring!
Just as he was getting into it, the phone suddenly rang.
Sergei frowned. Who the hell was calling in the middle of the night? Couldn't whatever it was wait until morning? So inconsiderate.
However, when he glanced at the phone screen, he immediately kicked the woman at his feet away, picked up the phone, and quickly answered.
"Uncle, what's wrong at this late hour?"
The aged voice of Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld came from the other end of the line: "Sergei, what is going on? Tell me, what exactly is going on?"
"What? What are you talking about, Uncle?"
"Just now, MGM announced the director for transformers!"
"Ah? Wasn't it supposed to be announced a long time ago? After dragging it out for so long, they must have hired a big-name director. Spielberg? George Lucas? Or Ridley Scott?"
"Idiot, what dream are you having? It's Eric Cooper!"
Sergei Hassenfield paused: "Who? I've never heard of that director. Wait, are you talking about *that* Eric Cooper?"
"Who else could it be?"
"You must be mistaken, Uncle. How could he be the director? We talked about it; he graduated from UCLA, and that school doesn't have a film program. He studied finance."
The patience on the other end of the phone had clearly run out: "Sergei, do you think I'd be up in the middle of the night joking with you?"
Sweat pouring down him from being yelled at, Sergei hastily said, "Uncle, please don't be angry. I'll contact MGM immediately and tell them this is an extremely foolish decision."
"I'll persuade them to change their decision. This is transformers, not some small film for a rich second-generation to mess around with."
"Too late. You can't reach The Coopers, because even I can't reach them. I want you to fly to Los Angeles immediately. No matter what method you use, you must change this decision, and quickly, otherwise Hasbro's stock price will plummet."
"Don't worry, Uncle, I'm going now!"
"Sigh, I hope this is just a misunderstanding."
Alan Hassenfeld's worries were not unfounded, because the stock market has always been unpredictable. It can soar on one piece of news and plummet on another.
And when the stock price is linked to the film industry, this situation is particularly evident. Hasbro's stock price could rise because of transformers, or it could fall back to square one because of transformers.
The deciding factor in all of this is the quality of the film, and a 22-year-old young man, a rich second-generation in the eyes of the public, someone who has never been exposed to film-related knowledge, is actually going to direct a $500 million blockbuster.
In the eyes of the public, this is as absurd as letting a pig fly a spaceship.
There are genius directors, but those who achieve fame with one film have often put in over a decade of effort behind the scenes.
What do you, Eric Cooper, have?
You only have a good father!
Moreover, just a few months ago, the stock market bubble caused by the internet had just ended. The overall environment had only just begun to improve, which was when its ability to resist risk was weakest.
In this perilous environment, any slight disturbance would guarantee that shareholders would collectively flee.
And after announcing this "good news," The Coopers each went to rest. As for their phones, they were, of course, turned off. At times like this, they wouldn't even pay attention if the King of Heaven came knocking.
Early the next morning, Eric boarded a flight to Park City, Utah. Today was the opening day of the Sundance Film Festival.
Going to see it might allow him to strike gold, but more importantly, it was to avoid trouble.
As for his father, an old hand like him would have his own methods.
The New York Stock Exchange, ranked first among stock exchanges in the world in 2003, with a market capitalization exceeding $10 trillion, is one of the world's financial centers.
At 9:30 AM, as the market opened, many eyes focused on the S&P 500 index.
The S&P 500 is a stock index that tracks 500 listed companies in the United States, encompassing various industries and fields, and Hasbro is among them.
The stock market crash had only recently ended, and now almost all stocks were in a slow recovery. Growth was not significant, but the trend was still positive, as market confidence also needed to recover gradually.
And on a market that was almost entirely green, only a few companies' line charts showed red, and Hasbro was precisely the one with the most severe red trend.
Since that press conference, Hasbro's stock had been rising steadily. Tens of thousands of shareholders had been watching MGM and Hasbro, hoping to capitalize on this wave of dividends.
But the news from early morning completely stunned the market. Letting a 22-year-old rich second-generation, who had never been involved in the film and television industry, direct a film—MGM must be crazy.
Many shareholders, scared by the stock market crash and with unstable resolve, had already begun to sell.
In fact, the psychology of these 'leeks' was very simple: Hasbro's stock price had already risen for a while, and they had made a small profit. Now, they would quickly sell at a high point to at least ensure a profit.
If they waited until the situation worsened and the stock hit its lower limit, they would truly have nothing to cry about, and the ranks of the homeless would swell significantly.
However, those selling now were the timid ones. Most people were still in a wait-and-see phase. The general public sentiment was that MGM had sent out incorrect information and would surely correct it soon.
Beverly Hills, the Cooper Family, received an uninvited guest early in the morning: Sergei Hassenfield had arrived.
Jogging all the way to the villa's entrance, Sergei pressed the doorbell, slightly out of breath.
After waiting for a while, the housekeeper opened the door.
"Is Mr. Cooper home?"
"Excuse me, sir, who are you?"
"I am Sergei Hassenfield, CEO of Hasbro. I need to see Xia Li Cooper; it's very important."
The housekeeper shook her head: "I'm sorry, sir, Mr. Cooper fell ill and was rushed to the hospital last night."
"What!"
Sergei looked bewildered: "Which hospital?"
"I don't know. Perhaps you should call him yourself."
Bang!
The villa gate closed.
Sergei was disheveled in the wind. If I could reach him, why would I come to his door?
Ring! The phone rang.
Sergei tremblingly answered, and an angry roar immediately came from the other end: "Did you find him? How did the discussion go?"
"I'm sorry, Uncle, Xia Li Cooper fell ill. I think it might be because his son angered him. I suspect there's a lot of internal chaos at MGM right now."
"From beginning to end, it was Eric Cooper who spoke with us. Xia Li Cooper only appeared at the very end to sign. I think this might involve a power struggle between him and his son."
The other end of the phone continued to rage: "Don't use your foolish brain to speculate! I want facts! I want facts! Find Xia Li Cooper within a day and make him change this decision! The stock price has already started to fall."
"Okay, okay, I will, don't worry, Uncle!"
"Shit!"
Hanging up the phone, Sergei angrily threw it to the ground. My legs are almost broken from running, and you, you old geezer, just know how to yell at me.
All these years, I've worked like a dog for you and made so much money. What's wrong with one mistake? Is there anything in this world without risk?
However, after a few curses to vent, Sergei could only continue to think of a solution. His previous speculation was entirely based on his own perspective.
Judging others by oneself, who wants an old man forever above them?