1RomanceEB Chapter 148 Jigsaw Puzzle
Chapter 148 Jigsaw Puzzle
Chapter 148 Jigsaw Puzzle
The midday sun in Los Angeles poured down on Sunset Boulevard without restraint.
As soon as Qin Han left the Sunset Tower, he felt a wave of heat hit him.
It seems that summer has arrived early in Los Angeles this year.
He got into the red sports car and arrived at Lorna's radio station twenty minutes later.
"Clap clap clap clap—Ding!"
As soon as I stepped into that familiar office, a series of rapid knocking sounds reached my ears.
Lorna Barrett practically buried herself in the typewriter in front of her.
Today, instead of wearing those glamorous gowns, she wore a loose-fitting men's white shirt, and her golden curly hair was casually pinned up behind her head with a pencil.
"Whoever you are, put the coffee on the left corner of the table, and then close the door from the outside immediately." The voice sounded slightly tired, revealing a kind of irritability after staying up all night.
Qin Han closed the door behind him, walked to his desk, pinched the edge of the manuscript paper sticking out of the typewriter roller, and gently pulled it outward.
"Sizzle!"
"Are you crazy?!"
Lorna suddenly raised her head like an angry lioness, her azure eyes filled with bloodshot veins.
When she saw who it was, the profanity that was about to burst out was abruptly cut off.
"Qin? Why did you come at this time?" She let out a long breath and rubbed her sore temples.
"Of course I came to see what my closest business partner has been up to since yesterday's banquet. I called you several times, but you didn't answer."
Qin Han picked her up and sat her on his lap, then looked down at the manuscript in his hand.
The ink on the paper wasn't completely dry yet, and the title read: "The Twilight of the Old Regime: The Bells of Sunset Tower Ring the Prelude to a New Era for Hollywood."
Lorna described last night's opening ceremony as the starting point of a transformation.
In the article, the attendance of the six giants was interpreted as support for the new model; Elvis Presley's signing was also portrayed as a beautiful counterattack against the old agent exploitation system.
The announcement of "Carrie" was described as a perfect bridge built by Hans Films between literature and film.
The message conveyed throughout the text was clear to readers across the United States: Hans Films' new model is the core of the future entertainment industry.
"A truly excellent report." He placed the manuscript back on the table, looking at Rona's face, which was filled with barely concealed excitement. "After reading it, I even feel that Hans is about to be listed on the stock exchange."
Lorna picked up the completely cold black coffee beside her, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp: "This isn't just mindless flattery, Qin."
"The atmosphere in the lobby last night was palpable to anyone with eyes. It's been a long time since Hollywood has seen an independent company that has gained the approval of so many major studios simultaneously."
"As a founding partner of Han's Pictures, I hold five percent of the shares. Isn't this for my own benefit?"
Qin Han laughed heartily, patted Luo Na's shoulders, and gave her a relaxing massage: "I hope you can still maintain this confidence after hearing the following news. Just two hours ago, I went all in on one movie, putting all of Han's Film Company's available cash in the short term into it."
Lorna's eyelashes fluttered rapidly: "All cash?"
"Yes, $800,000, including the expected dividends from 'Fist of Fury' that haven't arrived yet. I used it as collateral for bridging loans." Qin Han didn't hide anything and honestly told her the situation.
"What kind of blockbuster project is worth such a heavy bet?" Lorna went through all the recent Hollywood news in her mind, but couldn't find any project that matched Qin Han's statement.
"It's an independent film, a teen movie, and the director's name is George Lucas."
Rona's eyes widened instantly.
"George Lucas?" she repeated incredulously. "That freak who made '500 Years Later,' which bankrupted Warner Bros.?"
A newcomer who botched a million-dollar investment has only one label: box office poison.
Qin Han waited quietly for Luo Na's next words. Normally, shareholders would go berserk on the spot when they heard that the company's leader was throwing all the cash into "box office poison".
However, the expected scream did not occur.
Lorna simply shrugged indifferently, gathered the scattered papers on the table, and continued her work.
The calm response surprised Qin Han; he had wanted to tease his partner a little.
"You don't think there's anything wrong with this? This is a bridge loan of eight hundred thousand US dollars."
Looking at Qin Han's ambiguous smile, Luo Na couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Nervous? Why should I be nervous?"
"From the first time we met in that shabby hotel until now, not a single thing you've done has been normal."
"And the result? Everything you have now speaks for itself. Jaws, Enter the Dragon, Rocky, the Elvis contract—"
Luo Na counted Qin Han's achievements over the past few months on her fingers.
"Qin, perhaps in other people's eyes you're crazy to bet your entire fortune on a loser. But to me, 'Since you dare to gamble Hans's life on this guy named Lucas, it only proves that all the other producers in Hollywood are blind.'"
Qin Han laughed heartily at her unconditional trust and couldn't help but kiss her on the cheek.
"Since you have so much confidence in me, and aren't even afraid of the company going bankrupt, then now, I need to trouble you to do me another favor."
Rona pressed the pop-up button on the typewriter, placed the completed report on the table to dry, and smiled at Qin Han: "So, my big boss? What's the mission this time?"
"I need your paparazzi to help me find someone."
"Looking for someone? Which popular celebrity is hiding?" Rona pulled out a notebook and asked, twirling a pen in her hand.
"He's not a celebrity." Qin Han lowered his voice, revealing an unusual seriousness: "Help me go to the streets of Los Angeles and find a homeless man sleeping in a car."
"Thud." The pen in my hand slammed into the shorthand notebook, the ink spreading into a black stain.
Luo Na looked at Qin Han with the eyes of someone looking at an alien, as if she doubted that there was something wrong with her ears.
"Homeless? There must be tens of thousands of homeless people in a place like Los Angeles! You need to give me some useful clues, right? Black or white? How old? Are there any obvious physical characteristics?"
Faced with Lorna's barrage of questions, Qin Han calmly explained, "He's a white man. Before he ended up on the streets, he had a respectable identity—a screenwriter. His name was Paul Schrader."
Paul Schrader?
Rona's brows furrowed tightly.
She would swear on her reputation as the queen of gossip that there is absolutely no famous person with that name on the entire Hollywood Writers Guild roster.
An unknown screenwriter who was so down on his luck that he had to sleep on the streets?
"What kind of clue is this?" Lorna rubbed her hair in frustration. "Every year, hundreds, if not thousands, of people come to Hollywood with dreams of becoming screenwriters, only to end up unable to pay their rent. How am I supposed to tell which one is the Paul Schrader you're looking for?"
"As a fellow screenwriter, I can only offer my speculation."
"Even though he's homeless, he'll most likely drive his beat-up car to those drive-in theaters to kill time. You have someone keep an eye on the last row of the theater; if someone parks there and stays there all day, there's an 80% chance it's Paul Schrader I'm looking for."
Lorna carefully wrote the name and the clue down in her notebook, drawing three circles around it.
"I understand. Give me a week, and I'll make sure the paparazzi find this amazing person."
To properly handle the mess Disney has left behind, the first step is for Michael to contact director Martin Scorsese.
Paul Schrader, the mad screenwriter who penned the script for Taxi Driver, was the heart of the entire plan.
This jigsaw puzzle is only missing one piece.
"By the way, Chairman Parker just sent over a report. He's already rented the warehouse at that port, UFC..."
The press conference can be held at any time.
After noting down Qin Han's needs, Luo Na suddenly remembered this matter and handed Qin Han an envelope that was on the table.
"No problem. Tell him the press conference can be held next Saturday. I'll have my mentor come along to support us."
Before dealing with the Ghost Family Squad, Qin Han originally planned to set up this press conference as a trap to lure these extremists.
Unexpectedly, this group couldn't hold back and made a foolish move. Before the UFC press conference even officially started, they were all wiped out.
Now, leveraging the reputation of "saving the Oscars" to launch this grand event is definitely a sure-fire way to make money.
After arranging all the work for Luo Na, Qin Han did not linger at the radio station.
Driving along Hollywood Boulevard, we arrived at the majestic gates of Universal Studios.
"Qin, what you did last night was really unfair!" Sidney's complaint was heard as soon as I entered the room.
Last night's opening ceremony left this Global executive with some resentment. Clearly, Qin Han's "priority consideration" maneuver on stage displeased him.
"Sidney! My old friend! In any case, the probability of Carrie ending up in Universal's hands is still the highest."
Sensing the Jewish man's ulterior motives, Qin Han put on a warm smile, strode forward, and gave him a big hug: "Don't worry, when has Global ever suffered a loss by cooperating with me?"
Upon hearing this, Sidney's expression softened: "Fist of Fury" was still going strong, and based on its and "The Big Boss's" box office performance alone, Universal's revenue this year would certainly not be bad.
"I thought you'd be sleeping soundly by the pool after last night's revelry. What, you're already eager to discuss the details of our collaboration on 'Carrie'?"
He led Qin Han to the sofa area and sat him down, then turned around and personally took out two bottles of soda water from the wine cabinet.
"Regarding 'Carrie,' Mr. Dalton Trumbo has only just received the original novel, and the adaptation of the screenplay will take some time. It's not something to rush."
Qin Han took the bottle from Sidney, took a big gulp to relieve the heat from his journey: "I came here today because there's something even more exciting."
"Oh?" As a shrewd Jewish businessman, Sidney had a natural sensitivity to words like "more exciting": "Besides Jaws and Carrie, what other surprises await me?"
Qin Han gently shook the water bottle in his hand and said with a smile, "I've discovered a piece of uncut jade."
"Just this morning, Hans acquired the full rights to a movie."
"I hope Universal Pictures will be responsible for the filming and theatrical distribution of this movie. As we have done before, Hans will provide the content, Universal will provide the distribution channels, and we can sit down and discuss the profit sharing."
Upon hearing these words, Sidney's smile instantly faded.
A full acquisition?
He knew Qin Han's style of doing things all too well; from the first day he stepped into Hollywood, this young man had been playing the game of getting something for nothing.
Whether it was the bet on "The Big Boss" or the collaboration on "Enter the Dragon," Chin Han always shifted the risks to the production company while reaping the benefits himself.
A person who always makes sure to make money has surprisingly taken out real money today to buy a complete movie.
Anyone who could make Qin Han break his principles was definitely not an ordinary person.
"Qin—" Sidney leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with inquiry: "This isn't like you at all, daring to take such a risk yourself?"
His curiosity was completely piqued: "Tell me quickly, what masterpiece did you buy? Whose work is it?"
Meeting Sidney's expectant gaze, Qin Han uttered the name: "It's a new film by a young director named George Lucas. It's called 'American Graffiti'."
"George Lucas?!"
Sidney stared at Qin Han as if he were sitting in front of a madman who had just escaped from a mental hospital.
"My God! Qin, have you been completely fooled by that fat Francis Coppola?!"
He jumped up from the sofa, waving his arms incredulously: "You know what? Ashley still complains every now and then about how he shouldn't have believed Coppola's nonsense and invested over a million dollars!"
"All of Hollywood knows about this! You actually used your own money to fill this bottomless pit?"
Faced with Sidney's almost out-of-control questioning, Qin Han calmly leaned back on the sofa and leisurely took a sip of soda water.
"Sidney, calm down." A calm smile played on his lips. "It's precisely because everyone thinks he's poison that Hans can monopolize this masterpiece at the most cost-effective price."
"Completely opposite to 'Five Hundred Years Later,' 'American Graffiti' is the perfect antidote to the current volatile social emotions in America."
"Listen, Sidney, the production costs of this film have been fully covered by Hans, and Universal doesn't need to contribute a single penny. All you have to do is help Lucas finish the film and then provide theatrical distribution channels."
"No guaranteed minimum return, pure profit sharing. If the movie flops, it's my money, Qin Han's, that's lost; if it's a hit, Universal gets a cut. Are you really going to hand over those free dollars to Paramount?"