Beverly Hills, Cooper Family residence.
Eric gulped down the health tonic sent by Old Han, then immediately followed it with another cup of a light blue, cloudy liquid.
"Ugh!"
The two flavors intertwined, almost making him vomit.
He forced himself to calm down, and only after a few minutes did he lean against the cabinet, breathing steadily.
"Shit! This is too disgusting, it's like a pile of dog shit. Did a chemical reaction happen? Looks like I'll have to wait ten minutes between drinks from now on."
Muttering to himself, Eric took a sip of water to rinse his mouth.
The cloudy liquid was, of course, the secret functional drink developed by the expert Sergei commissioned. After drinking a cup yesterday and feeling good, Eric had asked for the formula.
He thought about using it in conjunction with Old Han's tonic to see what the effect would be.
However, seeing the health tonic almost empty, he picked up his phone and made an international call, thinking he needed to ask Old Han for more.
"Old Han, how have you been lately?"
"Very well, very well, thanks to you. Oriental MGM is doing great now, and the leaders are very satisfied." Han Sanping's hearty voice came from the other end of the phone.
"The leaders are satisfied, so are you about to be officially promoted?"
"It's not that fast, it depends on the opportunity. These things depend on the opportunity."
"First, opportunity, and second, effort. Now the opportunity has been given to you, and the rest depends on your effort."
Han Sanping on the other end immediately burst into laughter: "Eric, I find you really don't act like an American. You're quite knowledgeable about the human relations and officialdom here in China."
"Because I love to learn! I like learning foreign languages, and I taught myself Mandarin. I've been very interested in Chinese culture since I was a child."
"Hehe, just get to the point. You certainly didn't call me just to say hello. I have a meeting soon. Don't bother with the Chinese pleasantries; I still prefer your American directness."
"Alright, then I'll be direct. When I left last time, do you still have any of that tonic you gave me?"
"You finished it that quickly? Didn't I tell you a small cup each time was enough?" Han Sanping asked, somewhat surprised.
"I'm not the only one drinking it; my father is also using it. The effect is good, so I'm asking you for more."
"Hahahaha, I knew this stuff was perfect for the entertainment industry, especially for someone like you who's 'busy with a thousand concubines' every day. Don't worry, I have plenty in stock; I'll send it to you."
"It's troublesome to ship back and forth. Do you have the recipe? I'll just make it in America," Eric asked.
"Of course there's a recipe, but the brewing requires medicinal ingredients like wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain and Cordyceps sinensis from Nagqu. You definitely can't get authentic ones in America. If you buy fakes, not to mention whether it'll be effective, I'm afraid it might harm your body. It's better if I just send it to you."
When Old Han said that, Eric thought it made sense. Rich people buying fakes is common, let alone an internal medicinal wine; he couldn't take any risks.
"Then I'll listen to you, but don't just send one bottle at a time; send more."
"Okay, just wait. I'll send you a few cases; that should be enough for you for a year or so."
"Thanks then."
"Don't mention it. When the special situation here in China passes, come over again, and I'll arrange some new things for you."
"New projects?"
"If you come, there definitely will be."
"With your words, it seems I must go."
"Then it's a deal."
After hanging up the phone, Eric walked out of the house.
In the living room, Joshua was on the phone, laughing as he spoke, clearly chatting with a woman.
He wondered how this guy had suddenly hooked up with a girl after only two days of his absence.
"Joshua, who are you talking to?"
Joshua made a shushing gesture and waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly.
Shaking his head, he went to the garage, not driving the lamborghini, but opting for a regular Chevrolet sedan instead.
The lamborghini was still too conspicuous; even late at night, it would attract attention.
The car drove all the way to Nicole's villa. It was already late at night, and she hadn't had any new news recently. Paparazzi would still stake out during the day, but they had long since left at night.
Work wasn't a matter of life and death; staking out for ten days or half a month might not even yield one useful photo. What was the point?
A moment later, a graceful figure, seeing the Chevrolet, was momentarily stunned. Eric rolled down the window, and Nicole then smiled and got in the car.
"Mmm."
Their greeting was a French kiss. Men, as a species, are strange.
They had just done it less than a day ago, and after finishing, they entered a period of post-coital clarity, thinking, 'This is enough.'
But a day later, their energy slightly recovered, and lust would once again creep into their minds, especially when facing different outstanding women.
"My little husband, you've become smarter; you even know to change cars."
"Hehe, being with you all the time, I'd have to become smart even if I wasn't."
Nicole pecked Eric's face again: "Aren't I the one absorbing from you?"
"Excellent people absorb from each other; this is called mutual learning."
"Then are you also absorbing from others? Is that why your IQ is increasing so quickly?"
"Not at all, you're the only one in my heart. Don't listen to the rumors from the gossip tabloids."
Not wanting to dwell on that topic, Eric pressed the accelerator and started the car. Nicole let out a cry, falling backward due to inertia.
"You're going to kill me! Why are you so aggressive?"
"Haven't I always been this aggressive?"
"Hahaha, I've certainly experienced that. My little husband, you always leave me without the strength to get out of bed."
"After we watch the movie, I'll take you to a place. Forget getting out of bed; you'll be happy to stay in bed."
"What place?"
"You'll know when we get there. Let's finish the movie first."
About ten minutes later, the Chevrolet arrived in front of a movie theater. They were, of course, going to watch the midnight premiere of the purge.
As a low-budget film, the purge continued AK Films' consistent style: not much investment, no big stars.
At AK Films, apart from the company's logo and director Anthony Ferrante, who had accumulated some fame from sharknado, all other elements were unfamiliar to the audience.
There was no large-scale promotion beforehand, only an announcement on AK Films' official website.
And not many people followed AK Films; they were mostly bad movie enthusiasts. So, the premiere of the purge was bound to be deserted, and this time slot was most suitable for a big star like Nicole, who couldn't easily show her face, to watch.
Entering the cinema, the corridor was lined with various movie posters, the most eye-catching being the matrix reloaded and finding nemo.
the matrix reloaded was nearing the end of its second week of release, and its most aggressive box office period had passed.
finding nemo still had a week before its release and was currently in the warm-up promotion stage, which is why Eric had initially set this release time.
AK Films had a week to build word-of-mouth. As long as the buzz started, it wouldn't be afraid even when facing finding nemo.
One was R-rated, and the other was G-rated for all ages. Their target audiences were not the same group of people and barely clashed.
As for why they didn't avoid finding nemo and postpone the release date...
Because later in the summer, there was a pile of blockbusters like Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty and Disney's pirates of the caribbean.
Not only would the target audiences clash, but who could you beat?
Captain Jack could kick you into the sea with one stomp!
Towards the end of the summer, get out would be released, and don't breathe was scheduled for late September.
In October, MGM was scheduled to release legally blonde 2, and in November, the big production transformers.
sharknado 2 was scheduled for the Christmas season, and if all went as expected, sharknado would be scheduled for Christmas every year to cultivate audience habits and expectations until the film's box office potential was completely exhausted.
Also, blue is the warmest color was scheduled for release in December, choosing this time slot to aim for the Golden Globe Awards in January and the Oscar at the end of February.
Then, saw 2 would continue to be scheduled for January, and if all went as expected, it would always be around this time.
So, scheduling the purge for May 25th was already the most suitable time after much consideration.
Recalling last year, when The Coopers had just taken over MGM, Eric, with a wave of his hand, directly cut off most projects.
This led to MGM having no presentable works in the first half of this year. If it weren't for saw barely holding on, they would have been laughed out of town long ago.
However, the Teng Snake sheds its skin, and now the old skin has been shed. When the Teng Snake leaps, it naturally transforms into a dragon, and that mighty lion will once again roar across the savanna.
This was only the first year. After more projects are launched next year, even if Eric were given the entire year's schedule,
It would still seem increasingly insufficient, with self-competition and self-crush being common occurrences in large companies.
Leaving Nicole to wait in the distance, Eric went to the front desk alone.
Both of them were wearing masks and hats, and Nicole had even done some simple disguising.
"Two tickets for the purge."
The ticket seller looked at him strangely: "Brother, do you need to be so bundled up to watch a movie?"
"the purge, you know. I saw it on AK Films' official website; dressing like this makes it feel right."
The ticket seller shook his head speechlessly and handed him two tickets.
"What a brainless weirdo. Only these idiots would be attracted to a bad movie like this."
Muttering to himself, he suddenly noticed that the woman dressed similarly had a really good figure, and he immediately felt a little jealous.
"Why can this idiot find a girlfriend with a Victoria's Secret body while I have to stand here selling tickets in the middle of the night?"
"It's so unfair. If only there really was a purge, I'd shoot all those rich people. I'd take out that stupid boss Malfoy first! He docked an hour's pay just because I was one minute late."
"Huh? Let's see this the purge; maybe it's not bad after all."
With about ten minutes until the start, Eric and Nicole found a corner to sit and wait.
Nicole picked up a piece of popcorn and fed it to Eric: "My little husband, what difference does it make if you wear a mask or not? Anyway, not many people recognize you."
"What if? And maybe someone will covet my handsome and charming looks."
"Narcissist!"
Eric chuckled nonstop, taking off his mask to eat the popcorn.
"Eric!"
He had just taken it off when someone nearby recognized him.
He quickly pulled up his mask, turned his head, and saw it was Warren. He then breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's okay, my friend." He patted Nicole's hand, comforting her.
"Do I need to step away?"
"No."
"Aren't you afraid he'll tell your little lover?"
"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare!"
"Hmph! So you really do have a little lover, and you said I was the only one in your heart!"
"Uh..."
Just then, another woman walked up to Warren. It looked like they were on a date.
Eric rubbed his eyes, and after confirming carefully, he looked at them somewhat surprised: "Bema, you two?"
The woman was none other than Bema Hardy, the general manager Eric had appointed for AK Films.
At the last gathering, Warren had said he had a crush on Bema Hardy, and he hadn't expected them to actually get together.
Hearing someone call her name, Bema Hardy stared over: "Boss!"
The two quickly walked over to Eric: "Boss, what are you doing here?"
"What kind of idiotic question is that? What could I be doing in a movie theater? Watching a movie, of course." Eric was speechless.
Bema Hardy thought, 'Of course I know you're here to watch a movie; I want to know what's going on with this woman next to you.'
She looked closely. Even with Nicole wearing a hat and mask, her eyes couldn't be covered, and with her hair, she was still very easy to recognize up close.
She pointed at Nicole in surprise: "You're Nicole!"
Warren quickly covered her mouth. There were dozens of people around; shouting it out would be disastrous.
Eric motioned for the two to sit down: "Nicole, say hello. Since you've been recognized, there's no need to hide anymore."
The three shook hands, acknowledging each other.
Eric looked at Warren and Bema Hardy: "So, you two are now..."
Warren patted his chest: "I made the first move. We're serious."
Bema Hardy was a little embarrassed. After all, this was an office romance, and they were both high-level executives at AK Films. It would be bad if Eric misunderstood.
But she clearly underestimated Eric's generosity and his relationship with Warren.
"Congratulations!"
Eric sincerely offered his blessings.
Bema Hardy's face lit up: "Thank you, Boss!"
"You're welcome, but I need you to do something for me: keep a close eye on this guy Warren and make him lose weight. At least 50 pounds first!"
"Hehe, that's what I was thinking too."
Warren's small eyes darted back and forth between Eric and Nicole: "Are you two on a date?"
Nicole looked at Eric, who nodded: "That's right, watching the purge. I haven't even seen the finished film myself."
"That's not our fault. We invited you several times, but you're always busy."
Eric patted their shoulders: "Because I trust you two, and mainly, I trust Bema's ability."
Hahaha.
"Let's go, they're checking tickets." Nicole nudged him.
The two stood up, and Eric looked at Warren: "Not joining us?"
"We've seen it too many times. We're going to watch something else."