Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

After hanging up Luo Xiang's call, Yu Le leaned back in the large leather chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Acquiring cinema chains is just the first step.

In the United States, capital is indeed king, but above capital, there are those who set the rules.

The old Hollywood studios are deeply entrenched, with countless politicians and interest groups standing behind them.

If Saltyfish Entertainment were to acquire the three major cinema chains in a high-profile manner, these people would definitely become desperate and act irrationally.

They have countless ways to act like thugs.

Antitrust investigations, tax audits, union strikes... any flimsy excuse can be used to shut down movie theaters indefinitely.

To truly establish a foothold in the United States, money alone is not enough.

You also need a powerful backer.

And it has to be a powerful backer.

Yu Le opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the calendar on the desk.

Late September 2008.

There is only a little over a month left until the results of the US presidential election are announced.

Now is the most crucial and expensive sprint stage.

The black candidate who travels around giving speeches and chanting slogans of change is currently doing well in the polls, but many traditional old money families and Wall Street big capital are still watching and even secretly supporting his opponent.

Offering help in times of need is always more valuable than adding to someone's already good fortune.

Yu Le picked up his phone and dialed the airline's dedicated line.

"Arrange a flight to Los Angeles tomorrow. First class."

.......

The next morning.

Yu Le packed a few pieces of luggage.

Liu Xiaoli is preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

Yu Muchen, carrying a backpack printed with Ultraman, sat at the dining table, listlessly munching on a boiled egg.

"Dad, where are you going?"

Yu Muchen asked vaguely.

"Go to America."

Yu Le walked over and rubbed her son's chubby cheeks.

"Then come back soon, and don't forget to bring me something delicious."

Yu Muchen swallowed the egg and gave earnest instructions.

Yu Le walked to the kitchen door and looked at Liu Xiaoli.

"Take care of things back home. Old Wang is keeping an eye on 'My People, My Country,' and Xu Anhua is watching over Xixi on set. Nothing serious will happen."

Liu Xiaoli wiped her hands and came over to straighten his collar.

"Take care of yourself while you're out there, don't overwork yourself. Those people in Hollywood are tough to deal with. If things get really bad, we can back down. We're not short of money right now."

Yu Le patted the back of her hand.

"Don't worry, I'll be good enough if I don't bully them."

After more than ten hours of flight.

The flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

Luo Xiang had already arranged for a car to wait in the VIP lane.

The black Cadillac Escalade drove onto the highway, heading straight for Century City.

Saltyfish Entertainment North American Branch.

Old Mike sat behind his large desk, his brow furrowed.

The ashtray in front of me was already overflowing with cigar butts.

In the past few days, he has used almost every connection he could find in Hollywood.

But the three major studios joined forces to put pressure on the theaters, and the theaters simply wouldn't budge.

With only 8% of screenings, and during off-peak hours at that, it's practically blatant robbery.

The glass door to the office was pushed open.

Yu Le stepped in.

Luo Xiang followed behind, carrying his briefcase, and closed the door behind him.

"Mr. Yu!"

Old Mike suddenly stood up, somewhat surprised.

"Why did you come here in person?"

Yu Le neither made any pleasantries nor responded to that statement.

He walked straight to the sofa, sat down, crossed his legs, and leaned back against the sofa.

"Luo Xiang told you about the acquisition of the cinema chain, right?"

Old Mike swallowed and nodded.

"I told you, Mr. Yu, this is absolutely a crazy move. While secretly acquiring shares in the secondary market might give you more control, once it's disclosed, the SEC will definitely investigate."

"They will use antitrust reasons to forcibly terminate the acquisition."

Yu Le tapped her fingers lightly on her knee.

That's why I came here in person.

"Mike, you've been in this industry for forty years, you should know the rules of the game in America better than I do."

"What we lack now is not only cinema resources, but also a protective umbrella."

Old Mike was stunned.

He looked at the young Chinese boss in front of him, his heart gradually racing.

"You mean...?"

"Political donations."

Yu Le uttered four words.

Old Mike gasped.

He certainly knew about political donations.

The six major Hollywood studios allocate a large sum of money each year to members of Congress and presidential candidates.

This is the source of their confidence to act so arrogantly in the United States.

"But Mr. Yu, you are a foreign citizen."

Old Mike lowered his voice.

"The US federal election law explicitly prohibits foreign citizens or companies from directly or indirectly donating to political campaigns. If discovered, it is a serious crime."

Yu Le turned to look at Luo Xiang.

Luo Xiang immediately opened his briefcase, took out a thick document, and pushed it in front of Old Mike.

"Mr. Mike, of course the boss knows the law."

Luo Xiang pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, his tone completely flat.

"Therefore, this money cannot be paid by Salty Fish Entertainment."

"You can pay for it."

Old Mike's eyes widened as he pointed to his own nose.

"I?"

Yu Le nodded.

"You are a native-born American citizen, and you have sufficient qualifications and social standing in this industry."

"Luo Xiang has legally and compliantly laundered the funds through offshore accounts and transferred them to your personal account under the guise of private lending."

"Then, you donate to the candidates in your own name or by leading the formation of a super PAC."

Old Mike's hands began to tremble.

He opened the documents on the table and saw the amount of money.

Fifty million US dollars.

Old Mike almost jumped off the sofa.

"Fifty million! My God! Are you insane?"

Old Mike clutched his hair, breathing rapidly.

"Most of Hollywood's traditional capital now supports that old Republican. Even those who support the Democratic Party are just watching and waiting."

"If you throw that fifty million away, you're practically flipping the table!"

Yu Le picked up the coffee on the table, which had gone cold, and took a sip.

"How can we redistribute the cake without flipping the table?"

Yu Le put down his coffee cup and stared intently at Old Mike.

"I have high hopes for that black man who travels around giving speeches."

"There's only a month left until the election. His campaign team is in the most cash-strapped sprint phase."

"With this $50 million, you, Mike Davis, will become one of his biggest financial backers."

"Once he's in the White House, do you think those film studios will still dare to threaten us with antitrust laws?"