Several people followed his pointing finger to see what was in the magazine. The magazine featured an article about the life and achievements of Hollywood's talented director Laila Moran, who was currently visiting the East.
"..." After reading the article and scrutinizing the photos repeatedly, the group of people turned into statues, frozen in place.
"It really seems to be her!"
"We just had a conversation with a Hollywood director..."
Gu Yong twitched his lips and said, "I asked her to take a photo for us, and I even took a picture of her. Will this cause an international incident?"
Thinking about that photo, his friends stared at his camera with hungry eyes.
"Wow, you've struck gold! This camera, this photo!"
Feeling the wolfish gazes of his friends, Gu Yong kicked one of them aside and held onto his precious camera tightly. With his suitcase in hand, he hurried towards the school while calling out, "Dream on! She's my wife!"
"Sell that 'wife' and marry a bunch of younger wives instead, why don't you?" His friends laughed heartily, trailing behind him.
"Get lost, you bunch of animals—"
This little incident at the school unexpectedly brightened Laila's mood. These students should have been a year below her, and in her past life, she wasn't a sociable person during her university days. Furthermore, it had been too long, so she didn't recognize them.
Returning from the school to the hotel, she looked at the luxurious decorations and the curious yet friendly glances of others when they saw her. She finally separated her past self from her current self and fully accepted that she was Laila Moran. The resentments of her past seemed to dissipate when she saw the school, leaving only her movies and her ambitions in the film industry!
However, just as she was fully immersed in her work, a conspiracy was unfolding on Earth, in the United States.
Inside the hotel, Faaris opened the door and let a sexy and beautiful woman carrying a large toolbox into the room.
"Why are you here? Haven't I told you that you can't appear in front of me?" he said.
The woman smiled seductively, then walked past him into the living room of the suite, placing the toolbox on the table and settling into the soft sofa. "What's the matter? Can't I come here to discuss business?"
Faaris looked around, finding no suspicious individuals. He closed the door and sat down across from her. "Have you completed the task I gave you?"
The woman lazily lit a cigarette and put it in her mouth. "He didn't take the bait, and I couldn't exactly drug him, could I?"
Faaris squinted his eyes. "So, you failed?"
"Don't be in such a hurry!" The woman pulled out a photo from her chest. "Will this do?"
Faaris took the photo, examined its contents, and revealed a satisfied smile after recognizing what was captured in the picture. "Not bad, this will suffice."
"In that case..." The woman extended her hand. "What about my compensation?"
Faaris casually wrote a check and tossed it to her. "You'll receive the remaining 70% after all objectives are achieved."
The woman eagerly glanced at the number on the check and her eyes immediately lit up. "You're quite generous. Rest assured, I'll complete my work thoroughly. I won't let that money slip away from me."
"That's for the best," Faaris said with a cold smile.
The woman didn't mind his coldness; instead, she seductively licked her luscious red lips. "Since I'm here, would you be interested in enjoying my services? I'm very skilled, you know."
Faaris stared at her with icy eyes, stood up, and opened the door. "Remember, you've never seen me, and you've never been here!"
"How boring. I actually like men in white robes like you." The woman kissed the check before tucking it into her ample cleavage. Then, she picked up her toolbox, walked away in her high heels, and left the room with light, brisk steps.
Faaris closed the door and couldn't help but curl his lips. "I want to see how you'll handle this situation. Since the lady wants to disgust you, I'll have to follow through."
Unaware of the conspiracy brewing on Earth, Laila was busy with her work. Louise's team arrived the next day to negotiate the acquisition of distribution rights for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
The negotiations went smoothly because their competitors were not putting up much of a fight. Laila secured the North American distribution rights and copyrights for a much lower price than expected. This meant that she would earn a profit from any screenings or CD sales in North America.
Their competitors weren't putting in much effort because they believed that an Eastern martial arts film wouldn't do well in the Western market. If "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" didn't have such high quality and a strong box office performance in the East, that opportunistic company wouldn't have even bothered.
Yes, they were opportunists.
They purchased the film at an extremely low price, had no plans for a wide release, and weren't willing to invest in marketing. Their typical approach was to conduct small-scale test screenings, and if it performed well, they would expand the release. If it didn't, they would just release it on CD. This might take a longer time to recoup the costs, but they would still make a profit from fans of Eastern culture and martial arts.
However, Laila was different. She was fully aware of the film's future potential, so she offered a price that seemed sincere to the production team. In reality, the negotiation team had further reduced her initial offer by half, thinking that their boss was being overly generous. After all, it was just a martial arts film from the East, and they didn't need to spend that much money.
As it turned out, their assessment was correct. Half the price was already enough to satisfy the other party, and even the director, Li An, was pleased with the deal.
Laila could only smirk and keep her mouth shut, leaving the rest to the professionals.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Quentin and his team began working. They used their methods to select suitable locations for theaters. Laila had given them two specific requirements: she wanted ownership of the theaters, and the locations couldn't be too remote.
In truth, they didn't need to be told the second requirement; it was self-evident. However, the first requirement, owning the theaters, was quite unsettling for them. They couldn't understand why she insisted on buying properties and building theaters when renting theaters would be so much more cost-effective.
No matter how much they tried to persuade her, they couldn't change her mind. In the end, they had to comply with her wishes and, with the help of Director Yao Yingxia, began selecting suitable locations. After all, she was the boss, and even if her ideas seemed like rubbish, they had to serve her faithfully.
Selecting locations went smoothly with the cooperation of the Eastern side. However, Laila had no idea that shocking news was about to reach her while she was busy planning her money-making strategy.