113: Chapter 113 Hollywood is also my backyard
The sunlight in Los Angeles carried a dry heat unique to California, a mixture of sea salt and exhaust fumes.
A pitch-black gulfstream g650, like a giant black eagle, arrogantly cut into this airspace favored by angels and landed heavily on the runway of Van Nuys private airport.
The cabin door opened.
Chen Yuan stepped out.
He was not wearing sunglasses, and his pitch-black eyes stared straight into the blinding California sun, his gaze even more unbridled than the sun itself.
"Is this Hollywood?"
Chen Yuan took a deep breath, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth, "It smells entirely of the sour scent of fermented desire."
By the side of the runway, a red Ferrari convertible was extremely conspicuous.
Jessica was leaning against the car door.
She was wearing an extremely daring deep-V jumpsuit today, and that aura of a top Hollywood superstar made the surrounding ground crew staff not even dare to breathe loudly.
Seeing Chen Yuan walk down the gangway, this best actress winner, who had just shocked the world with "Reverse Aging," immediately took off her sunglasses and trotted over in her high heels.
"Boss!"
The voice was as sweet and cloying as melted honey.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jessica threw herself into Chen Yuan's arms without hesitation and offered a hot, intimate kiss.
"I missed you to death."
She whispered in Chen Yuan's ear, her warm breath carrying a clear suggestion, "It's not just missing your medicine, I miss... the feeling of that night even more."
Chen Yuan reached out to wrap his arm around her slender waist and gently patted her smooth back.
"Put away your charm, Jessica."
He pushed away this clingy stunner, his tone gentle yet permeated with an unquestionable sense of control, "I am here to talk business today, not to talk about romance."
"Lead the way, to Century Pictures."
Century Pictures.
The head of the six major Hollywood studios, holding countless classic IPs in its hands, it was a true behemoth in this Vanity Fair.
And now, the briefcase in Chen Yuan's hand contained 35% of the company's shares—that was a century of accumulation by the Rockefeller Family, now serving as Chen Yuan's stepping stone to enter Hollywood.
The roar of the Ferrari's engine tore through the tranquility of Beverly Hills.
Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a majestic glass building.
A huge golden globe logo was slowly rotating in the fountain, symbolizing the company's dominant status in the global entertainment industry.
But today, the atmosphere here was a bit off.
The security at the entrance was twice as heavy as usual, and everyone entering or leaving had to undergo strict questioning.
"It seems they know I'm coming."
Chen Yuan sat in the passenger seat, looking at the nervous-looking security guards, and let out a cold laugh.
"Of course."
Jessica skillfully reversed into the parking space, "Although the news of the Rockefeller Family transferring the shares hasn't been made public yet, those old men on the board of directors are very well-informed. They don't want an Easterner coming in to point fingers."
"They don't want to?"
Chen Yuan pushed open the car door and adjusted his suit.
"In this world, there is no place I want to go that anyone can stop me from entering."
He strode towards the revolving door.
Victor and ten Tyrant No. 1 bodyguards in black suits followed closely behind him.
That momentum, like dark clouds pressing down on the city, instantly caused the few security guards at the door who tried to stop them to freeze in place.
"Chen... Mr. Chen!"
The security captain braced himself and walked up, his hand pressing on the stun baton at his waist, but his voice was trembling, "Sorry, the board of directors is holding a closed-door meeting, there is no appointment..."
"Get lost."
Chen Yuan didn't even glance at him.
Just a single word.
The Tyrant No. 1 standing behind Chen Yuan took a step forward, and the shadow cast by its 2.2-meter height directly enveloped the entire security captain.
"Gulp."
The security captain swallowed a mouthful of saliva and sensibly retreated to the corner of the wall.
The group walked as if there was no one else around, passing straight through the lobby and into the exclusive elevator that led directly to the top floor.
The top floor, round table conference room.
The heavy mahogany door was tightly closed.
Inside, twelve directors who held the power of life and death over Hollywood were sitting together, their faces so gloomy they could drip water.
"We absolutely cannot let him in!"
A bald old man slapped the table, spittle flying, "This is Hollywood! It's a temple of art! How can we let an upstart who sells fake medicine come in to stir up trouble? The Rockefeller Family is truly crazy!"
"But he has 35% of the shares in his hands..."
"So what? We have 65% when we unite! As long as we trigger the poison pill plan and dilute his shares, we can kick him out!"
"Yes! Let him roll back to Mexico!"
The crowd was agitated.
This bunch of capitalists, who usually schemed against each other, showed unprecedented unity when facing Chen Yuan, this "barbarian."
Just as they were discussing how to give Chen Yuan a hard time.
"Boom—!"
A loud noise.
That solid wood door, which was said to be bulletproof, was violently kicked open from the outside.
Both door panels crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
All the arguing stopped abruptly.
The directors turned their heads in terror, looking at the figure at the door who looked like a demon god.
Chen Yuan walked in, stepping on the door panels.
He looked around the conference room, his gaze sweeping over everyone's face.
Contempt, disdain, and a cold indifference as if looking at trash.
"Who was it that said they wanted me to roll back just now?"
Chen Yuan walked to the head of the table.
The bald old man was sitting there, and at this moment, he was shaking all over in fear, unable to even speak.
Chen Yuan reached out, grabbed the old man by the collar, lifted him up like a little chicken, and tossed him aside.
Then, he sat down in a domineering manner.
He crossed his legs and placed them on the conference table that symbolized supreme power.
"You... you are acting like a bandit!"
A director wearing glasses stood up tremblingly to accuse him, "We are going to call the police! This is a society ruled by law!"
"Rule of law?"
Chen Yuan laughed.
He snapped his fingers.
Victor immediately stepped forward, placed the black briefcase on the table, and opened it.
Inside, besides the share transfer agreement, there was a thick stack of photos and documents.
"In here, there is evidence of you laundering money, videos of you sexually exploiting actresses, and accounts of the shell companies you established overseas to evade taxes."
Chen Yuan casually picked up a photo and slid it in front of the bespectacled director.
In the photo, this sanctimonious director was hugging two underage young models, smiling extremely lecherously.
"Do you want me to continue reading?"
Chen Yuan asked indifferently.
The bespectacled director's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he collapsed into his chair with a thud.
The other directors were also terrified into silence, staring fixedly at the briefcase, as if it contained a time bomb.
They finally understood.
This man didn't come here to negotiate.
He came to take over.
"Everyone, times have changed."
Chen Yuan stood up, his hands pressing on the tabletop, the sense of oppression making everyone unable to breathe.
"In the past, Hollywood was your playground."
"But from today on, this is my back garden."
"I don't care how you make movies, nor do I care about so-called art."
"I only care about one thing."
Chen Yuan held up a finger, his gaze like a knife: "Obedience."
"Whoever is obedient, I will give them 'Youth', give them money, and let them continue to sit in this position and enjoy life."
"Whoever is disobedient..."
He glanced at the bald old man who had been thrown to the ground.
"I will ruin his reputation and send him to prison to pick up soap."
A deathly silence lasted for a full minute.
Finally.
The bespectacled director, with trembling hands, was the first to pick up the signature pen in front of him.
"Mr. Chen... no, Boss."
He squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying, "I think your proposal is very constructive. Century Pictures needs a strong leader like you."
Once there was the first to surrender, the rest were like dominoes.
Ten minutes later.
Chen Yuan walked out of the conference room.
Inside the door behind him, the once arrogant directors were now like a pack of pugs, scrambling to sign the pledge of allegiance.
"That's it? It's done?"
Jessica leaned against the corridor wall, looking at Chen Yuan, her eyes shining with brilliance, "You are even more brutal than I imagined."
"Efficiency first."
Chen Yuan adjusted his collar, "Next, it's time to go see our 'products'."
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the set below.
That was the largest studio area in Hollywood.
At this moment, a long line had already formed at the entrance of the set.
Not extras, not fans.
But one after another, A-list actresses who were glamorous on screen and usually unreachable.
They were wearing the sexiest clothes, with the most exquisite makeup, waiting anxiously in the scorching sun.
Some were touching up their makeup, some were practicing their smiles, and some were taking nervous deep breaths.
The scene was even more spectacular than the Oscar red carpet.
"That is..."
Victor leaned over to take a look and immediately gasped, "Isn't that Emma who just won the Golden Globe? And that one, that's last year's box office queen! My God, has half of Hollywood's actresses come?"
"Of course."
Jessica walked to Chen Yuan's side, her tone carrying a hint of superiority as a "senior," "I released the news that Umbrella's first major production is about to cast. And, the female lead has a chance to receive a 'special reward' personally awarded by the boss—youth no. 1."
She pointed to those peers below who were usually arrogant:
"For that bottle of medicine, they are willing to sell everything."
"Including their souls."
Chen Yuan looked at the group of beauties below, a satisfied arc curling at the corner of his mouth.
This was the effect he wanted.
Controlling capital, controlling public opinion, and now, he also wanted to control the world's largest dream factory.
"Let's go."
Chen Yuan turned and walked towards the elevator, his eyes flashing with the sharp light of a hunter.
"Since everyone is so enthusiastic."
"Then we shall go... and select a concubine."