Chapter 72: Years of Friendship

[Chapter 72: Years of Friendship]

"Why are you so excited? I thought the sky was falling. It's not that big of a deal!" Charlie said dismissively, speaking casually as he stared at the IBM computer on the desk and pressed CTRL+S.

He then picked up a pen, twirling it as he said, "The older you get, the smaller your courage becomes. I'm different from you. Death Row Records is like a juicy filet mignon, right before my eyes. I have no reason to let it slip away, especially since this steak bit me while it was still alive!"

Harvey rolled his eyes hard. "I'm starting to doubt if being friends with you is a good idea! You're a crazy lunatic. That was a live cow, and you just jumped on it! The problem is, you don't have the capability to catch it! At least you have more important things to do right now! Don't tell me you don't know where you stand. You need to develop Corleone Entertainment Group over the next four to five years.

You don't think that's easy, do you? Let me tell you, it took me about ten years, and with Disney's backing, to get involved with multi-million-dollar productions like Lord of the Rings!"

Charlie moved the phone away a bit and snorted coldly. That fat pig really thought of himself as a good friend?

Rumors were wrong. Everyone said he was a bully who forced his way in. But when facing Charlie, he seemed subdued by his own forcefulness.

The more angry Harvey got, the easier Charlie felt.

As a time traveler with memories of blockbuster films and flexible tactics, Charlie would have been embarrassed if he couldn't develop a top-tier production company within five years.

Disney's Eisner's slight dislike was nothing. And Harvey clearly didn't take Charlie too seriously; it was just a little division tactic.

The real issue was Harvey, a board member of Corleone Entertainment Group. If he spent all day stirring up trouble in the company out of hatred, Charlie would be truly lost.

So, the night Charlie sorted out things with Harvey, he let loose at a bar, shouting and singing loudly, bothering Vera, letting out his excitement.

Now, it seemed Harvey had decided to let go of the grudge. Constantly causing chaos and focusing on fighting Charlie brought no benefit; Charlie's performance had won Harvey's respect.

Anger, when directed at peers, had to be soothed through self-comfort.

So now Harvey tried to act like a good friend, looking worried.

But in Charlie's mind, the future was already clear sailing!

He casually comforted him like a kid, saying a couple of words, "Alright, I got it, my brother. Thanks for the concern, I'll work hard. Look, we've expanded distribution channels now, haven't we?"

Harvey moved the phone away too, snorting disdainfully, and warned seriously, "Okay, soundtrack distribution channels are barely profitable for Corleone Entertainment Group, but if it makes you happy. Are you sure it won't affect your main job? Buddy, Death Row Records is teetering, and even your strength might not be enough to take it down."

Charlie didn't explain much, as the plan involved some shady aspects. With Harvey being a street-smart veteran, a few words might make him guess.

If he guessed, that fat pig might try some dirty tricks -- like investigating to find dirt on his "good friend."

Putting himself in Harvey's shoes, Charlie would probably do the same. He didn't mind suspecting the worst from this so-called friend.

Once the matter was settled, although many might still guess, the timing would be off and no dirt could be found.

...

Harvey vented under the guise of concern, feeling much better, hung up, and looked at Jill Messick by the door, asking, "You need something?"

He muttered, "These young people seem pretty bold nowadays. Hope that guy doesn't play himself out too soon. What do you think?"

Jill looked grim. She didn't want to think about her prior interactions with Charlie, clearly carrying some psychological shadow. She casually answered, "He definitely will."

Reporting business matters, "Sir, The English Patient is about to premiere. The payments for the film critics' reviews need your signature."

"Bring it here!" Harvey waved tiredly, "Ugh, another art film. How many art films can have a box office of over 100 million? Book me an appointment with Rose McGowan tonight."

Jill hesitated slightly, wanting to say more, but Harvey was focused on paperwork. In the end, she just nodded, "Okay."

...

In the Burbank Haas Building, Charlie stretched and looked at the screen.

Compared to Harvey, he was clearly more relaxed.

As a screenwriter or author, being certain that what you wrote could become a hit with wide appeal was truly exciting.

Using his spare time, Charlie had finished all the story outlines for How to Train Your Dragon, Saw, and Wrong Turn.

Those were enough to fill several books.

As for the film adaptations, he didn't want to expend energy getting deeply involved.

How to Train Your Dragon was reserved for future animation development, the most profitable film genre.

As a viewer, Charlie liked dramas like The Legend of 1900.

But as a film company owner, he knew that the biggest money came from films with universal values and family-friendly themes.

Those had the widest audience.

And once animated features generated heat, they performed excellently at the box office; merchandising channels multiplied profits. Eventually, developing theme parks could expand social networks into physical locations and official partnerships.

Unfortunately, Charlie currently lacked resources to develop How to Train Your Dragon -- not to mention the talented animators and costly development software. Just renting the hardware servers was a huge expense.

If he had come back earlier and got his hands on Toy Story, he would've made a fortune. That film's merchandise exploded sales.

Pixar folks were incredibly visionary. Creating toys from animated films -- that's genius.

Charlie admired them greatly.

Steve Jobs was impressive -- truly a legend wherever he went. Pixar's surface strength was quality content, but at the core, it was software technology.

Fortunately, those software packages were purchasable.

Content-wise, well... Charlie smiled slyly, staring at the string of titles on the screen, as if seeing endless treasure.

Stretching, he headed to the creative department to talk with Nina and Garen.

...

Passing the bathroom doorway, he heard muffled voices -- Etto and Lamont.

"Mord's a bit too arrogant. Last Friday, I was a bit late giving Melche the financial report, and he came over asking about it. Doesn't he know I'm not good with computers?"

"Just let it go. That's his job."

"It's not that I'm upset about that. The boss recently assigned us to handle that matter. I found someone to work on it. But guess what? I heard Mord asked how much that person got paid; he suspects I'm pocketing money. I'm sure that wasn't the boss's idea; it was just a few thousand. Why would I steal that?"

"You could say he's just thorough. Actually, I'm getting a bit annoyed with him too. I have to contact many media outlets, and he keeps asking me all kinds of questions."

*****

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