Capítulo 259: Chapter 256: A Call from Liu Yifei
In addition to persuading Cathie to sell the scattered stocks and acquire a portion of Tesla shares through ARK Invest, Link also planned to get some original shares from Musk. His goal was to own no less than 15% of Tesla shares by next year.
Based on Tesla's market value more than ten years later, 15% was close to 100 billion US dollars.
With this stake, plus Amazon and Twitter, it would not be a problem to be ranked in the top ten of the Forbes Global Rich List in the future.
If all went well, he had a good chance of becoming a multi-billionaire or even a trillionaire in ten years. At that time, he would be just 30 years old, in his prime, and could consider retirement.
"Link, this is the tax information you need to pay this year, take a look."
Just as he was fantasizing about becoming a multi-billionaire at 30 and how to enjoy life, Cathie handed him a stack of tax documents.
This pile of documents was like pouring a basin of cold water on hot stones, not only making him smoke but almost cracking him open.
According to the current federal tax regulations, the portion of annual income exceeding 518,840 US dollars in the United States was subject to a 37% tax rate.
He needed to pay 37 million US dollars for this part.
According to the tax regulations of states like New York and Los Angeles, the portion of income exceeding 500,000 US dollars in the state was also subject to a 7%-13% tax.
This part would require paying more than 18 million US dollars.
Adding the two parts together, he needed to pay 55 million US dollars in taxes in 2009, almost one-third of his annual income.
"How come it's so much?"
Link scratched his forehead and asked.
"Boss, you earn a lot, so naturally you pay a lot. This is the result of reasonable tax avoidance. Without policy tax avoidance, you would have to pay more than 67.5 million US dollars in taxes."
Cathie blinked her pine green eyes and said.
"Alright!"
Link shrugged and resigned himself to his bad luck.
Having to pay so much tax every year, he realized that becoming a billionaire in the United States was not an easy task.
After talking about tax issues, he chatted with Cathie about the current situation of technology stocks, such as Facebook financing, the newly emerging Instagram software, and internet products in China.
He asked Cathie to keep an eye on this information and, if there were suitable opportunities, to continue making some investments. This year, he had more than three boxing matches, over a hundred concerts, three movies, and one or two albums.
These incomes combined would not be less than 200 million US dollars.
According to the current fluctuation pattern of the US stock market, the next ten years would be a bull market, and investing in the stock market was also a safe way to increase value.
Cathie said she understood and mentioned that Amazon's stock price was still rising, asking if they should continue buying.
Link thought for a moment. Ten years later, Amazon's stock would rise to over 2,000 US dollars per share, and the current 336 US dollars was a low point.
He drew a line for Cathie, saying that they could buy when Amazon's stock price was below 500 US dollars. His goal was to become a member of Amazon's board of directors.
After seeing Cathie off, Link was about to leave when he received a call from Catherine about investing in a script.
Catherine once had a client named Kristen Wiig, who entered the entertainment industry in 2003 as a comedian because she looked like Jennifer Aniston. She became a regular cast member of "Saturday Night Live" in 2006 and starred in several comedies, but she was considered a third-rate actor in the industry.
Last year, she wrote a script and submitted it to several film production companies, including Palm Beach Pictures. After reading the script, Catherine thought it was very good and felt that a role was suitable for Emma Stone, so she called Link and asked if he had any intention of investing.
After receiving the script, Link found that it was a comedy called "Bridesmaids," about five bridesmaids of different shapes, sizes, and looks who encounter various embarrassments and awkward situations during their friend's wedding preparations. These awkward situations also trigger their reflections on friendship and life.
It was a movie that was clearly following the trend of "The Hangover."
Last year, the R-rated adult comedy "The Hangover" earned 460 million US dollars at the global box office with a cost of 35 million US dollars, becoming a dark horse in the 2009 US film market and leading many film companies to follow this trend.
"Bridesmaids" was one of them.
After reading the script, Link found that he had seen this movie and still remembered some of the plot.
For example, several actresses were trying on wedding dresses in a bridal shop when they suddenly had diarrhea. They scrambled for the bathroom, and the bride squatted on the street in her wedding dress, becoming a "spray warrior."
The taste was very strong, and the plot was also very funny.
This movie was also one of the more successful ones among the many follow-up works, and it also caused a trend of bridesmaid comedies in Asia.
Link didn't remember the box office of this movie, but he thought it wouldn't lose money, so he told Catherine that he could invest.
Now Catherine called and said she would bring the screenwriter Kristen Wiig to visit him and discuss how to invest and cooperate.
Link said yes, told Catherine the location of the cafe, and asked Lillian to prepare two cups of coffee.
Ding Dong!
While browsing the information, his phone received a message from across the ocean. The sender was Liu Yifei, asking what he was doing.
He calculated the time, it was still night over there.
"Not sleeping yet at this hour?"
"Filming a night scene today, got back to the hotel late."
Liu Yifei replied quickly.
"What movie?"
"A movie adapted from a Chinese legend about a college student in ancient times who falls in love with a ghost. Can you understand?"
Liu Yifei asked.
Link smiled slightly, guessing it was "A Chinese Ghost Story."
"There's also a version of it in the US, called 'Ghost,' starring Demi Moore."
"It's different, our story is more exciting."
"Okay, is filming hard? Have you ever thought about retiring from acting and opening a film company to be your own boss?"
Link texted.
"Of course it's hard! Opening a film company? That takes a lot of money, hmph, you think everyone is like you, a tycoon!"
"I saw in the newspaper that you made over 100 million US dollars from boxing matches last year and over 100 million US dollars from singing, with a net worth of 300 or 400 million US dollars, which is more than 2 billion yuan in Chinese currency. It's incredible. I still remember when you came to Beijing to compete the year before last, you were reluctant to spend money on food and ate bread every day. In the blink of an eye, you became a billionaire. How did you do it?"
Liu Yifei sent two messages in a row.
Link couldn't help but laugh after reading them. In the 2008 Olympics, he participated in the middleweight competition. To control his weight, he was very careful with his diet, eating bread every meal, without any fish or meat.
Liu Yifei thought he was poor, so she treated him to two meals.
"This is the American Dream. When are you coming to the US? I said I would take you diving before, but you never came."
"You have a girlfriend, aren't you worried about rumors if you take me diving?"
"Not worried, I have a lot of scandals, one more won't make a difference."
"Yes, I've seen the news. Besides your official girlfriend Taylor, you also have more than ten rumored girlfriends. I didn't expect you to be a playboy."
"Hey, those are rumors, fake news, okay? Please don't judge my character."
Link retorted.
"Alright, I'll reserve my opinion for now. When will your concert in China be held? I'll come to support you."
"Probably around May or June."
Link smiled lightly and continued writing, "I heard you're also a singer and have released albums. How about being a guest at my concert?"
"Ah? Me? No, no, my singing is average, I'll ruin your concert."
"Hey, Chris, be confident. You're beautiful, your voice is sweet, and you must sing well. It's settled then. Come to my concert as a guest performer. We'll sing together, and the effect will be great. I'll send an invitation to your agency through Universal Music later. Remember to sign the invitation."
"Are you serious? This is so sudden, I'm completely unprepared."
"I've had this idea for a long time, but the concert is still some time
"It's all your fault that I can't sleep!"
Link chuckled and took a selfie with his phone, then another picture of the sunny pier and the blue Pacific Ocean outside the window, and sent them both to Liu Yifei.
"Wow, so beautiful!"
"Thanks for the compliment, I do look pretty good!"
"I was talking about the pier. Okay, you're handsome too, but unfortunately you're a playboy. Anyway, I'm really going to sleep now."
"Are you asleep?"
Link asked a few minutes later.
"No! I can't sleep, I'm completely sleepless, it's all your fault. Next time you come to China, I must take you to eat the spiciest, spiciest, spiciest hot pot, I swear!"
Liu Yifei said angrily.
Link raised an eyebrow, saw a guitar hanging behind the cafe counter, and texted her that he could provide some sleep music, asking if she wanted to listen.
Liu Yifei texted back asking what it was.
Link called her, and after the call connected, he held the guitar and sang while playing:
Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty
Purr, purr, purr
At first, Liu Yifei giggled under the covers while listening to him sing, but after five or six minutes, there was no sound.
Link put away the guitar and saw Catherine pushing open the glass door of the cafe with a middle-aged woman.
The woman was in her thirties, with long straight blonde hair and a ladies' suit. From the side, she looked a bit like Jennifer Aniston. Her name was Kristen Wiig, a comedian, and also the screenwriter and lead actress of "Bridesmaids."
"Good afternoon, Ms. Wiig!"
Link stood up and greeted her.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Baker!"
Ms. Kristen Wiig shook hands with him.
Next, they mainly discussed the issue of film investment. According to the project budget, this film needed about 30 million US dollars in investment.
Kristen Wiig had been running around for half a year and had secured 12 million US dollars in investment from Apatow Productions, leaving a gap of nearly 20 million US dollars. She asked Link if he was willing to invest.
If he was willing to invest, he would receive 30% of the North American box office revenue and 15% of the overseas box office revenue after the film was released.
According to this calculation, the film needed to gross more than 60 million US dollars to break even.
After considering it, Link decided to invest. Since this film was known as one of the most successful R-rated female-themed comedies, its box office performance would definitely not be less than 100 million US dollars.
"Link, this role is very suitable for you. Do you want to try a cameo?"
Catherine said, holding the script.
"The groom's role?"
Link shook his head, "Acting in a comedy is too difficult, I'll easily break character if I play this role."
"Link, it won't be like that. The groom's role has very few scenes. He's a handsome rich second generation, which fits your appearance very well. And the bride is an ordinary-looking black woman. Having you play the groom will increase the comedic effect and also arouse the bridesmaids' jealousy towards the bride. I think this is a good idea."
Ms. Kristen Wiig explained excitedly.
Link hesitated for a moment and agreed.
The quality of this film was good, and he had a certain box office appeal. Participating in a cameo could also help sell more tickets, a win-win situation.
After seeing Ms. Wiig off, Link chatted with Catherine and asked about Emma Stone's new movie.
After finishing "Easy A," Catherine had helped her get another comedy, "Crazy, Stupid, Love." Along with "Bridesmaids," she had two films for the time being.
According to his estimation, after the release of "Easy A," Emma Stone's fame in the film industry would increase, and she would become a quasi-A-list comedy actress. At that time, it would be easier for her to get roles in movies, so there was no need to rush.
Link also asked about Jennifer Lawrence's situation. Catherine said that she had signed with IMG Models before her debut and was not a free agent.
Link didn't mind. After becoming a billionaire and holding shares in several large companies, he didn't value the development of agencies and film companies as much. It was all about making money, and how to make it didn't matter.
He planned to hand over the companies completely to Catherine and Mandy after they were on the right track, only giving some advice from time to time and not interfering in other matters.
"Is Annie going to kindergarten yet?"
Link asked, holding the guitar.
"She's only four years old, it's still a bit early."
Catherine smiled, "After playing with you twice during Christmas last year, she asks where her brother is and when he's coming to play with her every time she calls. She's even closer to you than to me."
Link thought of the cute little girl and smiled gently.
"Housing prices in Los Angeles are not high at the moment. You can consider buying a property here and bringing Annie over to take care of her. She's young, and without you around, she might become introverted when she grows up."
"You're right. Mandy and I have been looking at properties recently and plan to buy an apartment in the city. We'll bring Annie over in a few months."
Catherine smiled.
"That's great. I can go see her when I have time."
Link smiled softly and strummed the guitar strings.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty
Purr, purr, purr
(End of chapter)
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