章 695: Chapter 695
"Onii-san, we're heading back!" Keiko Kitagawa said, giving Charles a hug.
"Mm, come visit the States if you get a chance," Charles replied with a smile.
Kyoko Fukada returned to Japan with Keiko Kitagawa and Nanao, while Haruka Ayase stayed in Hong Kong.
...
In Los Angeles, at the Capet Mansion in Holmby Hills, Evelyn sat on the sofa and kissed little Dashiell on the cheek. The little guy grinned.
"Hey, Dashiell, you're awesome!" Evelyn couldn't get enough of her grandson.
Britney Spears came over after taking a phone call. "Ma'am, have you heard about that Malaysian billionaire Jho Low?"
"Yes, I know him, the head of a Malaysian investment company," Evelyn said knowingly. "Have you been in contact with him?"
"Uh-huh, his team invited me to perform at his birthday party," Britney said, taking a seat on the sofa as well. "But I've already declined."
One Malaysia Development Berhad, often abbreviated as 1MDB, was the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund that fueled Jho Low's lavish lifestyle.
Evelyn chuckled. "Don't worry about him. Formal business collaborations are fine, but these birthday parties? Not worth it. You're not short of gigs right now."
"How's the concert preparation going?" Evelyn asked.
"It starts in November, a North American tour as my comeback," Britney replied. She had been working out to appear her best.
"Good. No need to rush, take your time to rest," Evelyn said, handing Dashiell back to Britney.
"Yeah, I got it!"
...
Back at the EDR headquarters, Evelyn's assistant reported, "Many NBA players are preparing to sign short-term contracts with overseas leagues!"
"The negotiations between the NBA league and the players' union don't seem to be making any progress," Evelyn said, shaking her head in resignation. They couldn't stop the players from chasing gold elsewhere.
"How about the NFL?" Evelyn inquired.
The assistant nodded. "Yes, they've reached a preliminary agreement. The NFL lockout might be ending soon!"
Since EDR merged with IMG, they had acquired many sports stars, dominating in both NBA and NFL. With both leagues in a lockout, it was crucial to stay updated.
"What's the box office for The Avengers right now?" Evelyn asked nonchalantly, leaning back in her chair.
"It's over 550 million dollars in North America, and even more overseas. The global box office for The Avengers is now $1.3 billion," the assistant responded promptly.
"And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2?"
"North America is at $350 million, and $900 million overseas. However, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 was released earlier than The Avengers, but now its box office is surpassed. The Avengers is definitely this year's box office champion!"
Evelyn was impressed. "Four movies have grossed over $1 billion globally this summer alone!"
The Avengers, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Capet Universal also had half of the highest-grossing blockbusters. They also had The Hangover Part II at $500 million and Fast & Furious 5 at $600 million global box office.
By November, Capet Universal still had Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, The Incredible Hulk 2, and Skyfall lined up, all heavy hitters.
No wonder Capet wanted to go public this year, with such astonishing box office results!
"Set up a meeting with all the department heads for Friday," Evelyn instructed.
...
At the Deep Water Bay villa, Son Ye-jin from Korea embraced Charles, "Oppa!"
"Mm, sit down first," Charles wrapped his arms around Son Ye-jin and sat her on the sofa. Lin Chi-ling also came to Hong Kong, but she went shopping with Haruka Ayase.
"Since Cannes, it's been several months," Son Ye-jin smiled.
"Here's 3 million shares of Prada stock. You take 2 million shares, and split the rest among them," Charles said as he leaned into the girl's neck, "Currently, each share is worth 45 Hong Kong dollars!"
"Ah, thank you, Oppa," the 2 million shares amounted to about 17 billion Korean won. Son Ye-jin said this and then kissed Charles willingly.
After responding for a while, Charles reminded her while holding her, "Tonight, after they return, we'll go spend some time together at Lan Kwai Fong..."
"Sounds good," Son Ye-jin nodded, "The Avengers did quite well at the box office in Korea, perhaps because of the previous promotional activities. But, Transformers 3 outperformed The Avengers at the box office in Korea. The box office champion this year should be Transformers 3!"
"I heard you invested in a movie based on the real-life scandal of sexual assault at a school for the deaf? It's called The Crucible, right?" Charles had heard Lin Chi-ling mention this bold-themed work.
Son Ye-jin nodded, "Oppa knows about this movie too? The main actor, Gong Yoo, insisted on filming it, but couldn't secure investment initially, so we partnered with CJ E&M to develop it. It will be released next month. A very heavy, tragic feel, very realistic!"
Charles knew The Crucible well, it directly led to legislative changes in Korea.
But what Charles admired most was the bold and direct themes of Korean movies!
Some Korean movie themes were even too daring for America to attempt.
...
While Charles was on vacation in Hong Kong, a storm was brewing in America due to the financial tsunami triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis.
It led to many Americans, especially young Americans, facing high unemployment rates and massive debts (like student loans). From their own suffering, many gradually fostered hostility and hatred toward financial and big capital.
Plus, the rapid rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter made it easy for these suffering young people to connect through the internet.
The participation and coordination of some non-profit organizations led many dissatisfied individuals to plan a counterattack against capitalists, targeting the world capital center - Wall Street.
In Manhattan, demonstrators appeared in the wealthy Fifth Avenue neighborhood and the Upper East Side/Wall Street financial district.
Protesters flooded the streets of New York, expressing dissatisfaction with America's wealth distribution and government policies favoring the wealthy!
At the forefront was Rupert Murdoch, the troubled CEO of News Corporation. His Upper East Side mansion attracted many protesters.
Other figures like JP Morgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, industrial magnate David Koch and Guggenheim Securities Co-chairman Jim Milstein, and hedge fund king John Paulson also had protesters gathering outside their mansions.
At the Huffington Post headquarters, Ariana Huffington and Ivanka were watching the news, "Seems like more and more people are gathering!"
Ivanka nodded, "Social media has made things very convenient," she laughed, "If Charles knew that his Twitter helped protesters gather quickly, wonder what he'd think?"
"The main targets are still financial tycoons, Charles should be fine!" Ariana Huffington clearly saw that the main targets were the financial circles, though other tycoons were also in the crosshairs.
As for Rupert Murdoch, that was because his News Corporation was involved in a wiretapping scandal and had a very bad reputation!
"Let's see how things develop..."
*****
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