My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Two major projects that were shelved due to funding issues—the 007 sequel and The Hobbit restart—could be resumed almost immediately after the injection of funds, following a period of stagnation.

The Hobbit production team was able to get things up and running in a very short time.

However, if MGM were to produce and distribute it on its own, funding would be very tight, requiring Li Fu to go to Warner Bros. to negotiate and facilitate a collaboration between the two companies.

This is the optimal solution, giving MGM a much-needed respite.

Upon returning to the hotel from MGM, Li Fu instructed Thompson to schedule an appointment with a senior executive at Warner Bros. so he could have a proper talk with them.

No one knew better than him that these were two blockbuster films that could gross over a billion dollars, and that the sequels would be just as successful.

The Hobbit trilogy has grossed nearly three billion dollars worldwide.

The three sequels to 007 together grossed over two billion dollars at the box office, though he couldn't remember the exact amount. Of course, that didn't matter.

These two major IPs alone are enough to pull MGM out of its debt quagmire.

If Li Fu wins the bet with the management, he can convert 60% of the shares into a single controlling stake in this well-known film company.

Therefore, he was in high spirits at the moment.

Thompson called the Warner Bros. president's office from the conference room under the name of Forrest Capital, but it didn't go smoothly.

Forrest Capital is indeed a major shareholder of Time Warner, but it only owns slightly more than three percent of the shares and does not actually control the company.

Warner Bros. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner and also has a high degree of independent operating authority.

On such important matters, there's not much to talk about.

Thompson reported to Li Fu in less than three minutes, "Mr. Li, Mr. Jeff Bix is ​​not in Los Angeles this week, and his exact return date is still uncertain. His assistant said he might not be available until after next Wednesday."

Bix is ​​Warner Bros.' CEO, COO, and CFO, meaning he spearheaded the $15 billion bid to acquire MGM.

The fact that Li Fucheng became a new investor in MGM is certainly known in the industry. It's obvious that they don't want to see him. He also knows that this is probably not deliberately targeting him personally, but they just don't want to have anything to do with MGM at this time.

MGM's current situation is no secret in the industry. Warner Bros. had previously offered $15 billion to acquire it, but MGM insisted on $20 billion, and the two sides parted on bad terms.

From Bix's perspective, MGM now has a new investor, and this investor is now asking him what he can do.

He could think of something else besides wanting to co-produce the Hobbit movie project.

Bix certainly didn't want MGM to succeed; what difference was there between that and aiding the enemy?

Li Fu understood the other party's intention to avoid him and was thinking about what to do next when his phone screen suddenly lit up. The caller ID showed a name he was quite familiar with—Taylor.

He picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.

When the call connected, the voice on the other end had the playful charm typical of Western girls, "Boss, you're in Los Angeles right now, right?"

Some time ago, especially when Li Fu was under tremendous pressure from the joint investigation by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Justice, Taylor Swift wanted to see him several times, but he turned her down, whether he was in New York or Nashville.

Taylor Swift was already a rising superstar, but at that time she couldn't really help him, and might even have been dragged down by him.

This was also the main reason why he declined to meet with the other party.

Things are different now. He's distanced himself from the political and business vortex and is running some entertainment businesses in Los Angeles. For the time being, nobody's watching him.

"I'm sorry, I've been too busy these past few months and just couldn't get away," Li Fu said sincerely before saying anything else.

"I'm asking if you're in Los Angeles?" Taylor Swift snorted.

She knew perfectly well why Li Fu wouldn't see her, so she didn't take it to heart and didn't want Li Fu to bring it up now, lest it affect their relationship.

"I'm here. I'm currently at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. I've been here for about a week and a half," Li Fu said truthfully.

"Are you free? There's a party for people in the industry tonight, would you like to come with me?" Taylor Swift extended an invitation.

Li Fu glanced at his watch; it was only afternoon. If the party was in Los Angeles, there wouldn't be enough time. However, he didn't really like those kinds of events. "Industry parties, I guess I'm not really suited for them?"

"You're an insider now, aren't the investors in MGM considered insiders?" Taylor Swift said with a smile.

"How did you know?" Li Fu asked, somewhat surprised.

Did this news spread so quickly that even Taylor Swift knew about it?

"Wow, Los Angeles isn't that big, and you've made such a big splash right after you arrived, it's hard not to know..."

"That's true, then see you tonight!"

Li Fu agreed. Since he was going to be involved in this circle anyway, it wouldn't hurt to get to know more people.

"Okay, see you tonight," Taylor Swift said, hanging up the phone with a hint of happiness in her voice.

The evening party was an industry networking event hosted by a Hollywood producer, and the guests included fashion celebrities, music and film stars, well-known directors, and top producers.

Li Fu has seen all kinds of parties in New York over the past few years.

In terms of fame, he is a rising star in the Wall Street trading world; in terms of wealth, he is probably the richest person under thirty; and his name is also very prominent in the political arena, with Congress mentioning his name quite frequently recently.

He was relatively unfamiliar with entertainment industry parties, but not with them.

After all, he's not part of that circle, but there are very few parties he's not qualified to attend.

First, he is a major shareholder of Time Warner; second, he is a new investor in MGM; and third, he is the owner of Big Machine Records. Regardless of who is hosting the party, they would probably have to give him some face.

At 8 p.m., Li Fu arrived at a private villa in Beverly Hills, following the address given by Mei Mei.

The villa's parking lot was already filled with luxury cars, including Maybachs, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and more.

Luxury cars might be to men what designer bags are to women. He was very interested in luxury cars in his previous life and was very familiar with all kinds of them.

But now he can't even be bothered to look at it.

Now, luxury cars seem to be no different from buying a toy car to him. A high-end Bentley costs only a few hundred thousand dollars, and a high-end Maybach is only a million dollars...

What kind of car can't he buy?

Perhaps that's why he lost interest.

Taylor Swift was waiting for Li Fu at the door. When she saw him, she waved to him.

After several months apart, the music superstar looks a bit thinner and has shorter hair than last time, but his figure remains as good as ever.

She was wearing a beige long dress, standing tall and graceful, no less stunning than a supermodel.

"You're getting prettier and prettier, just a little bit thinner," Li Fu said, standing beside Taylor Swift with a slight smile. "Haven't you been eating properly lately?"

Taylor Swift had a black suit jacket draped over her shoulders, indicating that she had just arrived as well.

"Oh? Too thin?" She sounded slightly annoyed. "I deliberately lost weight..."

"How much do you weigh?" Li Fu looked you up and down. "I don't think you weigh more than 50 kg."

"How did you know?" Taylor Swift's mouth formed an "O" shape. "I just went from 50kg to 49kg."

Li Fu wasn't entirely guessing. In his previous life, he was a long-time fan of Taylor Swift and knew her quite well. There was a time when Taylor Swift intentionally lost weight and dropped below 100 pounds.

At 180cm tall and weighing less than 100 pounds, he was noticeably thin, which is why he remembered him so well.

"Would you believe me if I said I was just guessing?" Li Fu said with a smile.

"Nobody believes you," Taylor Swift said, linking her arm with his, convinced that there was some inexplicable bond between them. "Let's go! Let's go inside quickly."

She was wearing a skirt, and it was a bit chilly outside.

The party wasn't very large, with about twenty or thirty people in attendance, but every face on the scene was someone of great importance.

Not long after, Li Fu saw an actor standing at the bar, holding a wine glass and chatting with someone. This actor was none other than the famous Leonardo DiCaprio, also known as Little Leo.

Another singer was sitting quietly on the sofa; if Li Fu wasn't mistaken, it should be Adele.

He didn't have much of an impression of the other well-known producers and big-name directors.

Some people in the industry don't know Li Fu, or rather, they haven't met him in real life and can't recognize him at first glance.

Li Fu is not a celebrity, and most of the news reports about him are financial news.

Taylor Swift introduced him to a music producer, who initially didn't seem to care much. However, upon hearing Li Fu's name, the producer immediately shook his hand with a respectful and formal demeanor.

Li Fu is not only the owner of Big Machine Records, but more importantly, he now has real capital.

Let alone music producers, even if both parties agree to collaborate someday, if the CEO of Universal Music comes, they will still treat Li Fu with the same courtesy.

His arrival quickly caused a sensation in the surrounding area.