My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Bix stood still, his fingertips lightly tracing the rim of his glass. He looked at Li Fu, his opinion of the young man now quite impressed. The man was a powerful figure on Wall Street and was known in the industry for his cooperative and win-win approach.

Now it's clear that its reputation is well-deserved.

"You really convinced me. I will do my best to push for the joint development of the Hobbit IP at the high-level meetings," he agreed.

Li Fu nodded slightly. It was good that the other party was sensible; it would save him a lot of trouble.

"Okay, I'll wait for your news."

"But I can't guarantee anything. You know how big the investment is, especially since it involves a partnership with MGM," Bix added promptly. "I don't have the final say at the company. I can only promise to do my best to put the cooperation proposal on the table for discussion."

"That's enough," Li Fu thought. He believed that the top executives of large companies weren't all idiots.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then someone came to greet Bix. Li Fu took the opportunity to leave and turned to walk down the corridor toward the stairwell.

Taylor Swift was still waiting for him downstairs.

"Why does this young man look so familiar?"

"Of course he looks familiar! He's MGM's new investor, that god-like trader on Wall Street!"

"What? You should have said so earlier! Would it be presumptuous of me to go after you and say hello now?"

……

Li Fu heard the sound coming from behind, but he did not stop. Instead, he calmly descended the sturdy wooden stairs.

Meeting Bix here tonight was a pleasant surprise for him.

As for the others, he didn't care.

The downstairs lobby was brighter than the second floor, and soft music drifted through the air. Groups of two or three people were chatting, either leaning against the bar or sitting quietly on the sofas in the corner.

Li Fu came down the stairs, walked through the crowd, glanced around, and then saw Mei Mei next to a set of sofas on the inner side.

She was sitting sideways, holding a glass of water, talking to a woman in a dark dress next to her.

The woman was rather plump, and her features weren't particularly delicate, but her profile gave her a calm and composed air. She spoke slowly with a slight British accent.

It was Li Fu who had seen Adele before, the future legendary singer.

These two superstars of the same era—Adele, of course, not yet—are currently having a pleasant conversation.

Li Fu did not go over to disturb them, but stopped a few steps away and took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray.

Taylor Swift happened to turn her head and see him. She smiled slightly at him, as if to say, "Wait for me," and then turned back to continue talking to Adele.

The two were talking about music, but Li Fu couldn't really get a word in edgewise.

Adele followed Taylor Swift's gaze and glanced at Li Fu, almost mistaking him for Keanu Reeves.

However, she almost immediately realized that Keanu wasn't that young, and that the two only looked somewhat alike. The person in front of her was clearly an Asian, whom she didn't recognize, so she turned back to continue the previous topic.

Li Fu walked to a nearby single sofa chair and sat down, saying nothing and just listening quietly.

Taylor Swift was discussing the harmonic progressions of a song, and Adele occasionally nodded and then chimed in with her own opinion, sometimes even gesturing in the air with her index finger when she mentioned a particular chord.

It was clear that the two seemed to have hit it off immediately. Taylor Swift was having a great time chatting and would burst into hearty laughter from time to time. Every time this happened, Adele would laugh along with her. Their chemistry was so strong that it didn't seem like they had just met.

Soon it was late at night, and the party was coming to an end.

The two chatted for a while longer, then Taylor Swift stood up from the sofa and hugged Adele. They said a brief goodbye and prepared to leave the party.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Taylor Swift said happily today. As she turned and walked back to Li Fu's side, the smile she had shown during their earlier conversation was still on her lips.

"It's alright. It's a pleasure to hear two talented young women exchange ideas on music," Li Fu shrugged.

"You also think she's a genius?" Taylor Swift could always find that damn sense of validation from Li Fu.

"She's definitely a genius!" Li Fu certainly believed that Adele was a genius, one of the top pop divas of the next decade.

Of course, this is what he sees from God's perspective.

In fact, up to the beginning of 2010, Adele had only released one album, which did become an instant hit, but she was still far from achieving global recognition.

She's far from being comparable to Taylor Swift.

"Why do I always feel like we think alike?" Taylor Swift took Li Fu's arm.

Li Fu could only say that it was all a coincidence. If it weren't for the perspective of a time traveler, things might not have turned out this way. But how could he say that?

Therefore, he did not respond to the topic.

"Did you know each other before?" he asked another question instead.

"We've only met once before at an awards ceremony, so we don't really know each other," Taylor Swift shook her head. "You might not believe it, but we haven't exchanged more than a few words before. I was originally planning to wait for you here, but I didn't expect her to be such an interesting person, more humorous than I thought."

"Really? It seems you two are quite destined to meet." Li Fu hadn't expected this. "It's a pity. I doubt XL will let her go. Otherwise, it would be worth it to spend a hundred million dollars to buy out her contract and sign her to Big Machine Records. That way, you two wouldn't have to feel like you've known each other for so long, and you could chat however you want."

The two had just arrived at the parking lot when Thompson opened the car door in advance.

Taylor Swift froze in place. "Are you serious?"

"What?" Li Fu had just said casually.

"You said you'd spend 100 million to buy out her contract," Taylor Swift repeated.

"If possible, this price is worthwhile, but XL is not going to let anyone in, so it doesn't matter whether I'm serious or not," Li Fu said humorously, spreading his hands.

"You're willing to pay such a high price, which means her album, which she's currently producing, will be a huge success?"

Taylor Swift suddenly thought of this.

"That's the first thing you thought of?" Li Fu was a little surprised. Shouldn't a normal person find that outrageous?

That's a hundred million dollars!

A newcomer who has only released one album is definitely not worth a hundred million dollars, right?

For example, Thompson's mouth was wide open at that moment.

Although Li Fu's investments are often in the hundreds of millions, and Thompson has seen many such deals, Adele's name is far from being a household name. Is it a joke that the signing rights alone are worth 100 million?

"So what do you want me to think about?" Taylor Swift felt that Li Fu didn't need to ask this question. "Do you want me to think about 'you're going to spend a hundred million dollars to date a female singer'?"

"No..." Li Fu was completely stumped.

"I have absolute faith in your judgment," Taylor Swift said with a slight smile. "Just like three years ago when you spent ten million dollars to buy Big Machine Records, wasn't it because you admired my musical talent, but rather..."

She approached Li Fu, and the distance between them instantly shortened until they could feel each other's breath. "But... you've taken a liking to me?"

Li Fu's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. At the time, he really only regarded the acquisition of Big Machine as an investment that would yield huge returns in the future. Taylor Swift was destined to become a superstar.

It could also be said that they were attracted by her musical talent.

But now... well, things are different now.

Taylor Swift has grown into a beautiful and charming young woman.