Reborn in Hollywood

Back at the apartment that night, after they fell asleep, Li Rui went to the balcony and dialed Ali's number.

Alibaba responded very quickly.

"Raphael? What's up calling so late?"

Li Rui leaned against the railing, looking at the New York night view.

"Help me sign two people."

Ali was taken aback for a moment.

"Sign someone? Sign whom?"

"Lima and Ambrosio."

Ali got stuck.

"...What did you say?"

"Sign their film and television agency contracts."

Alibaba was a little confused.

"Why? They're models, not actresses—"

"I know."

Li Rui interrupted him, "But they will have many opportunities to make cameo appearances in the future."

Ali remained silent.

Li Rui continued speaking.

"Just sign the contract. The terms and the money are negotiable. After you sign, help them find resources. Give them what they should give and refuse what they shouldn't."

Ali sighed with a hint of helplessness.

"Fine, you're the boss, so you call the shots."

After hanging up, Li Rui dialed Philip's number again.

Philip answered the phone, his voice slurred.

"Raphael? What time is it and you're still calling—"

"Help me find some endorsements."

Li Rui said seriously, "Ideally, it should be high-end luxury; the price is negotiable."

Philip paused for a moment.

"Endorsement? For whom?"

"Adriana and Alexander".

Philip felt a throbbing pain in his temples again.

"...Are you serious?"

"Seriously."

"Okay, I'll contact them tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Li Rui glanced in the direction of the bedroom and told himself: Now is not the time to relax.

Just today, Li Rui received a call from Philippe, informing him that the $13.8 billion he earned from the World Cup had been fully deposited into his account.

In other words, he can finally open his wallet and spend lavishly.

Of course, although he had a lot of money, Li Rui would never spend it recklessly without a purpose.

After all, 13.8 billion seems like a lot, but compared to the purchasable items in the film world, this amount is still only a small part.

After skillfully bringing up the control panel, Li Rui began searching for targets among the available purchase items.

While he claimed to be looking for a target, the range of choices available to him was actually very narrow.

The Fast & Furious series' most valuable "Sky Eye System" is more suitable for entities such as nations and government agencies. Putting it in his hands would be a waste of its potential—just ask yourself, what use would a Hollywood actor have for this thing?

All purchasable items in the Matrix world must be built within a virtual world based on the Matrix platform; otherwise, even if Neo's flight ability cost a billion dollars, Li Rui would buy it without batting an eye.

Even if it's just for the experience of feeling like Superman flying in the sky, it's absolutely worth the price!

The same applies to the Pirates of the Caribbean series; most of the purchasable items are only applicable within the pirate world and have little use in the real world.

Even Somali pirates used speedboats and RPGs, so unless the Flying Dutchman could actually fly, he would be a sitting duck in the New World.

As for the Underworld series... Li Rui doesn't want to become a werewolf or vampire who can only drink blood.

All things considered, the only thing worth buying is the Star Wars series.

After browsing the panel for a while, Li Rui finally found a few projects that he felt were very suitable for him.

【Force Push and Pull】

Price: $1,500,000

Description: Uses the Force to push or pull objects; Master level allows moving objects weighing several tons, or launching enemies into the air during combat. Requires the Force talent to use...

[Force Acceleration]

Price: $1,500,000

Description: Briefly activates the Force to increase speed to a level imperceptible to the naked eye; requires physical enhancement to use...

【The Force Heals】

Price: $1,500,000

Description: Accelerates the healing of one's own or others' wounds using the Force; can treat severe injuries such as fractures and internal bleeding; requires a large amount of mental energy...

Force Shield

Price: $1,500,000

Description: Forms a Force barrier around the body, capable of withstanding energy attacks (such as blaster attacks) and physical impacts...

[Force Jump]

Price: $1,500,000

Description: Enhances leg strength with the Force, enabling extraordinary jumps up to ten meters high, and allows for rapid repositioning during combat...

[Force Mastery (Master Level)]

Price: $1,500,000

Description: Comprehensively enhances Force control, reaching Jedi Master level...

[The Trial of Light]

Price: $1,500,000

Description: A forbidden skill recorded in the ancient texts of the Jedi Order, originating from the legendary "Electric Trial" of the universe.

Unlike the Sith's Force lightning, which is driven by hatred and anger, the Judgment of Light requires the user to have absolute inner peace and a firm belief in the light, so that the Force energy can be slowly "accumulated" in the body and transformed into a pure lightning form.

The longer the accumulation period and the purer the mindset, the greater the power that will be released in the end.

When released, the lightning is a dazzling golden color and has an additional restraining effect on dark targets.

Limitation: This is a one-time use skill; it requires recharging after use.

……

Looking at the carefully selected items available for purchase, Li Rui was very satisfied.

In his view, the Force Push and Pull is like the Big Bang in the game Baldur's Gate.

【Force Acceleration】 and 【Force Jump】 are equivalent to light-footed skills in the real world, and when combined, they are basically equivalent to "walking on snow without leaving a trace".

【Force Healing】is equivalent to accelerating cell healing by hundreds or thousands of times in a short period of time.

The Force Shield is an invisible force formed by the condensation of spiritual power.

【Force Mastery (Master Level)】is equivalent to directly imparting to him the lifelong cultivation attainments of Jedi masters like Yoda and Windu in a profound and enlightening way.

Finally, there's [Judgment of Light], which is, in a sense, a finishing move, a super move that empties your mana bar with a single use.

But when Li Rui selected these items and turned his gaze to the prices on the panel, his eyes couldn't help but twitch involuntarily twice.

Total: 151,000,000

One hundred and fifty-one million!

US dollars!

Just half a month ago, his total assets amounted to only 47 million.

If we take into account the previous debts, it will require an additional 12 million US dollars.

Fortunately, Li Rui's system wasn't the kind that was obsessed with money. He only needed to repay one million dollars—the debt owed to the Fast & Furious series—before the release of Star Wars: Episode II next month.

As for the remaining 162 million, we'll have to wait until September, before the release of "Step Up".

"System, return the purchasable items from the Fast & Furious universe to Di first. As for the remaining money... remind me before Star Wars is released next month."

Li Rui didn't want to pay it all off at once—mainly because he felt the pinch.

The next second, the information on the panel began to update—

[System liquidation in progress...]

[Host repayment detected: $1,000,000]

[Source of repayment: Personal account balance, $130 million remaining after deducting repayment]

[Current Debt Details]

Dominic Toretto's entire repertoire: $1,000,000

Anakin Skywalker's Force Ability: $10,000,000

Jedi Training Memorization: $500,000

Jedi Mind Control: $500,000

Force Push-Pull: $2,500,000

Force Acceleration: $2,000,000

The Force Healing: $5,000,000

Force Shield: $10,000,000

Force Jump: $1,500,000

Force Mastery (Master Level): $50,000,000

Trial of Light: $80,000,000

Total debt: US$163,000,000

[Payment repaid: $1,000,000]

[Remaining debt: US$162,000,000]

[Next repayment deadline: 100% of the remaining debt ($162,000,000) must be repaid before the release of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, or else...]

Li Rui rubbed his temples, which felt like they were about to crack, and went to another bedroom in the apartment, intending to spend the night getting used to his newly learned abilities.

Having mastered so many abilities at once, he felt like his brain was about to explode.

Fortunately, most of these skills are similar to passive abilities, with only [Force Control] requiring Li Rui to gradually digest them; otherwise, he might have really suffered a lot.

After one night.

The next morning, Li Rui received a call from Goldman Sachs.

"Mr. Li, the car is downstairs."

Li Rui hung up the phone and glanced at himself in the mirror.

He struggled to adapt to those new abilities until the wee hours last night, but one of the biggest benefits of the Force's healing was that no matter how tired he was, two hours of sleep was enough to fully recharge him.

He changed into a casual suit and went downstairs.

A black stretch Lincoln was parked at the entrance, and the driver, dressed in uniform, respectfully opened the car door.

"Mr. Li, please."

Li Rui got into the car, leaned back in the leather seat, and watched the New York street scene glide by outside the window.

Goldman Sachs.

A top-tier global investment bank.

He recalled what Philip had said: "I'll ask him to keep it a secret about Jerry, but don't expect him to keep it completely shut. In a place like Goldman Sachs, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever."

In retrospect, that wall not only let in the wind, but it also directly attracted Paulson.

Thirty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This world-class museum is located next to Fifth Avenue, and its gray and white stone building looks solemn and ancient in the sunlight.

A row of luxury cars was already parked at the entrance, and men and women in suits walked in twos and threes.

As Li Rui got out of the car, a woman in a business suit came to greet him.

"Mr. Li, it's an honor to have you here. I'm Emily, a senior manager in Goldman Sachs' private wealth management division. I'll be accompanying you at today's event."

Li Rui nodded and followed her into the museum.

Today's event is themed around Jackson Pollock.

Li Rui vaguely recognized the name—an American abstract expressionist painter, famous for his "drip painting," which involves dripping paint onto the canvas to create a messy mass of lines.

He followed Emily into the exhibition hall, where several huge paintings hung on the walls.

Red, yellow, and black paint were splashed randomly and tangled together, making it impossible to tell what the painting was.

Li Rui stood in front of a painting, looked at it for three seconds, and then looked away.

He recalled a joke he had seen online in his previous life: Pollock's paintings could be drawn by a three-year-old.

At the time, he thought it was a joke.

Now he thinks it might not be a joke.

Emily, standing nearby, introduced the painting: "This is Pollock's 1952 work, 'The Blue Pillar,' which sold for $1200 million at Christie's last year."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

1200 million.

Buy this thing?

He refrained from speaking and continued walking forward.

The exhibition hall was quite crowded, mostly with people from the finance and art circles.

Several people recognized Li Rui and cast curious glances at him, but no one came up to talk to him.