Milo, in his previous life, was just a screenwriter for short videos and dramas, never having professionally filmed a movie.However, he had worked on numerous short videos and dramas. To write his scripts, he had watched countless movies, TV series, and read various novels.Perhaps because of this, when he seriously began to recall the things he had seen before his rebirth, he discovered that he could retrieve them in their entirety.And with remarkable clarity.This might be related to the merging and reorganization of his memories after his rebirth.Who knew?But this gift of transmigration undoubtedly gave him more confidence in what he wanted to do.Back in Los Angeles, Milo quickly became busy.From July to August 1995, for a whole month, he mostly stayed at the villa.Apart from visiting the Screenwriters Guild, the Directors Guild, and the library, he hardly went out, much to the surprise of Marina, who was responsible for his daily life, and Wendy.August 5th."Wow~ How many is this?"Beverly Hills, 9406 Crest Drive.Midday.Julie Delpy watched her close friend Catherine Zeta-Jones place a sealed file into the safe in the study.Beside them stood Milo, who had just finished writing and was stretching and rubbing his hand."The sixteenth, but only three are actually complete," Milo said with a smile. "The others are just outlines and summaries, not very polished.""You know, Milo, you really make us curious… While you're writing scripts, you can also write novels. Although you haven't shown us your novels or scripts yet, I think they must be amazing," Julie said, a hint of flattery in her voice.A month had passed since the pool party.Although Milo had stayed indoors for the entire month, he hadn't neglected himself.Catherine Zeta-Jones, the beautiful British rose, had been persuaded to stay by his side. The price?She would be the female lead in the next film Paladin Pictures invested in.So, for the entire month, Zeta-Jones had not left 9406 Crest Drive.Along with her two newly made "good friends," Julie Delpy and Kate Blanchett.They also occasionally had opportunities to visit the villa.Gradually, they had become acquainted with Milo.Of course, they weren't that acquainted.During a casual conversation, they learned that Milo wasn't a native of Los Angeles. He was from the East Coast, and he also had a Bush for a maternal grandfather.Yes, that Bush, the former occupant of the White House."I wasted too much time before. Now I want to seize every moment," Milo shrugged. "Besides, 'strange' isn't a good word. I don't think I'm comparable to those guys who dye their hair green, wear black leather jackets, and ride Harleys everywhere, or those guys in plaid shirts and straw hats who sit on street corners all day staring at beautiful women."Julie couldn't help but giggle. "I didn't say that. You said it yourself."Then she asked with interest, "I heard from Catherine that you're starting to film your first self-written movie next month?""Yes, the script is finalized," Milo nodded, about to continue.Suddenly, there was a knock at the study door.Wendy stood at the door. "Bertrand Irwin is here. Oh, he's the head of HUP on the West Coast," Wendy said.Milo smiled. "Oh, good. I'll meet him in the living room. Have him wait for me there. I'll be right over."Wendy glanced at Zeta-Jones and the others, nodded, and left."I have to meet a guest. You can wait for me here, or you can go ahead. I'll find you later," Milo said to the three women.He had arranged to go out with them that afternoon, but before that, Milo needed to take care of some business.Zeta-Jones nodded obediently, about to speak.Julie Delpy interjected with a smile, "We're not in a hurry. We can wait for you.""Whatever you like."Milo said as he left the study, leaving the three somewhat curious women behind.…Outside 9406 Crest Drive.After parking his car, Raul Aleman carefully observed his surroundings. After confirming that he was at the right place, he muttered, "Beverly Hills. This doesn't look like a place a struggling writer would live…"He then walked towards the target villa.He rang the doorbell, and after a few minutes, the door clicked open.A striking middle-aged woman opened the door, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Who are you looking for?""Does Mr. Milo Blackbourne live here? I'm Raul Aleman from the editorial department of Macmillan Publishing. We have an appointment.""Please come in. Mr. Blackbourne has been waiting for you," the woman said with a look of realization, stepping aside.Raul nodded and walked inside, feeling somewhat puzzled.The "you" she used seemed to be the plural "you."What was going on?He quickly found out.Because among the four men sitting in the villa's living room, he recognized three of them.They were his counterparts from HUP, Thomas Publishing, and Time Publishing, all from the West Coast.Did this Mr. Blackbourne intend to play them against each other?Raul felt a surge of displeasure.Before he could express it, Erhard Hakanson from Time Publishing, with whom he was quite familiar, raised his hand and greeted him with a grin."Hey, we've been waiting for you, Raul. Come on over."He exchanged glances with the other two.The three of them shrugged in unison, leaving Raul Aleman completely bewildered.Waiting for me? What did that mean?"Could you explain this, Mr. Blackbourne? You didn't just make an appointment with me," Raul asked after introducing himself to the young man.Sitting on the sofa, Raul asked, "It seems you intend to play us off against each other?""No, that's not it," the young man smiled. "It's like this: I suddenly had an idea and wrote a novel recently, but I don't know if it's marketable or even publishable. So, I sent it to your companies, and then you all came to discuss it with me."Raul Aleman was certain that the young man intended to play them off against each other.He immediately considered leaving.A young man who had never published a novel, who had no reputation, no fame whatsoever.He had written a novel and sent it to several publishing houses.Perhaps through sheer luck, the novel was good, and everyone was interested.But this guy had actually scheduled meetings with representatives from four publishing houses at the same time, instead of meeting with them individually.This was clearly a tactic to drive up the price!Raul Aleman wouldn't allow this to happen.Macmillan Publishing was one of the top five publishing houses in the United States.It was always Macmillan who controlled the authors, not the other way around.And if this guy's plan succeeded, with everyone competing here, it would undoubtedly increase the publishing houses' costs.It would make it difficult for everyone to negotiate a lower price, and only the young man before them would benefit.Less profit was a loss. Thinking of this, Raul stood up and looked at the other three.They all knew each other, and although they were mostly competitors on weekdays.Raul felt that as long as they retained their sanity, they should leave with him now.This way, they could negotiate a better price later.He thought they should have this much understanding.They were all seasoned professionals; there was no reason for them to be tricked by this young man.Raul first looked at Erhard Hakanson, with whom he had a better relationship and had collaborated several times.However, to his surprise, Erhard smiled at him but avoided eye contact.He showed no intention of leaving with him to facilitate subsequent price negotiations.The other two were the same; they also showed no intention of leaving.Raul was stunned, and then he heard the young man say, "Mr. Aleman?"Something was up!Years of professional experience allowed Raul Aleman to realize this.Things might not be as simple as he had just thought.Thinking of this, he, who had already stood up, faced the young man's question.He smiled and sat down again, shaking his neck. "My neck was a little stiff, but it's better now."The young man smiled. "Is that so? I thought you were leaving.""No, just a stiff neck.""That's good. Then I think we can start talking."