"Hey, William, where're the passes? Give me two."
"Are you silly? Ice Age has passes. You're a shareholder, so you can use them. If you're bringing friends, use these. As for yourself, you know Max and Tanner. Just go to them. What passes do you need?"
"Hmm, makes sense."
"George, you're thinking about a career in politics. You need to be careful. Politicians these days are all about dirty tricks."
"I think you're well-suited for it."
"Hah, I'd have to be out of my mind. How much money would I lose?"
"Heh heh, didn't you say on TV that reflecting personal value is important, and money's just like clouds? Wow, how shameless can you be?"
"Ha, that's just a load of mumbo jumbo, cough cough, I meant motivational speeches. They're meant to fool the gullible."
"Even though I know that's the case, for you to say it directly, I have to admit, your shamelessness is sky-high."
"Shameless? If I weren't shameless, the consortium would've chewed me up long ago."
Bush Jr. enjoyed this kind of talk. He was certain that William White didn't see him as an outsider. Everything was laid bare and straightforward.
...
Several consortia were shocked to find William White's assets had surged again. Just with these two companies, along with his White Software, it's easily over 15 billion in assets.
These companies only completed one round of financing, and most of the shares were in William White's hands. Adding NBC and Disney, wow, does that make 20 billion?
Doesn't he still have a lot of loans?
Silly, what's that loan ratio? It might have seemed scary six months ago, but now, getting another 4 billion from the bank wouldn't be a problem.
That's how banks are. They never show up as timely rain; they prefer to add to the splendor or kick you when you're down.
After seeing Little Bush off, William White couldn't help but muse. Britain was scheming, clearly trying to drag the Bush family into the water.
If the Bush family acted on impulse, they would be swept into the storm, with little benefit and a stain on the family name.
"I didn't see that coming. These guys really have a mind for strategy." William White was inwardly cursing the British. He had decided not to talk business with them. If there was anything to discuss, he would let his think tank handle it. He didn't have the nerve to negotiate in person, afraid he'd be talked into a corner.
...
"Heh heh, that kid's not bad to you."
"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean? He's advising you not to wade into trouble. That's a big pitfall."
Digging for oil at another country's doorstep was about as unreliable as it got.
The reason's simple. It's not economically viable. Even if your price is cheap, they won't buy.
Shipping it back by boat? If you used ships for transport, what would be the profit margins?
Here's the problem: whoever extracts fastest gets the advantage. Quick hands get, slow hands lose. If you're really unlucky, just after you finish building your gas platform, the gas below mysteriously disappears.
Profits wouldn't be huge, but the troubles would be many.
To distinguish itself from the Soviets, America was pretending to be humane. In the Falklands affair, it was obvious that their side of the family wasn't in the right, so they'd better stay as far away as possible.
What did the Bush family have to gain from stirring up trouble in such a sensitive time?
If American enterprises' interests were involved, naturally the President would step in to help. If resolved smoothly, nothing would happen. But if it escalated to war, the Bush family would become the focal point of criticism.
"Boom, these bastards, so despicable."
"Sit down; stop being so agitated, okay? I saw through them long ago and just wanted to see what choice you'd make."
Bush Jr. was frustrated; his dad took him for a fool. Even if his own petroleum project was unreliable, did he have to set up his son?
Bush Jr.'s offshore oil kingdom was shattered. He now held a grudge against Britain, who was daring and unscrupulous, even targeting his little cousin.
What he didn't know was that William White loved the oil industry, as it was a business where you could make money lying down.
He decisively sold off the family's oil wells for another important reason. William White knew that to trap the Soviets, America intentionally let the desert sheiks run wild, driving oil prices sky-high.
America's plan was simple; they never used overly complex ones. The plan was to crash the international oil price when the Soviets could no longer sustain their arms race.
If the plan succeeded, the Soviet economy would be utterly ruined. Even if they held on for a while, they wouldn't have the strength for an arms race. At that point, with a little provocation, the Soviets would self-destruct.
Looking back then, they might think America's shock therapy worked wonders, and perhaps they'd try it themselves.
The so-called shock therapy wasn't a mainstream economic method, but just to trap the Soviets, it was bound to be highly praised for a long time.
In the end, the result was that the Russians fell for it gloriously, and the Americans couldn't keep up, so the Russians did even worse. They were determined to carry out this shock therapy to the end.
Well, they played themselves into a corner and lost their chance for a comeback. It was a clean sweep.
...
Since they couldn't rely on America as a backbone, Britain had no choice but to face it head-on.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with William White. Apart from speeding up filming, he also had to oversee the recording of the soundtrack, keeping him incredibly busy.
"William, need any investment?"
"Don't kid me, Lucas. This is just a biographical film, small investment, and might even lose money. I'm using it to compete for an Oscar."
"Haha, I knew it. The Academy's old folks would like this style."
"Whether they like it or not, I'm not sure. Haven't you noticed? It's perfect for publicity," William White said with a smirk.
"Do you think they'll really start a fight?"
"With the distance being so far, it's probably difficult. Small skirmishes might happen, and that's enough. Anyway, it will definitely help boost my box office."
At this time, many people began regretting. The opera moved to the stage and received constant praise; some wanted to bring it to the big screen, but unfortunately, William White successfully swooped in.
Now Lucas was getting confident. He's already made a lot of money. He invests when the opportunity is right and won't take risks if not.
William White knew well that this guy was truly a life winner, living off Star Wars for a lifetime. If one day Star Wars falters, the old guy will fade out of Hollywood.
Lucas came just to help his buddy secure a release schedule. Having seen Speed and E.T., he knew very well their power and wasn't about to risk a Mars collision with his investments in the mix.
Making money was a given, but who doesn't want to earn a little more? Preventing a clash between these two movies was the top priority.
Even the idiots in Hollywood understood that barring any accidents, these two movies were the big hits of the year -- best to keep a distance from them.
*****
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