America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

She found the friendship between men equally strange.

Outside the front door, Martin briefly explained the situation to the LAPD officers who had come to inquire. Seeing that there were no issues, the LAPD reminded them not to disturb the neighbors and then drove away.

The neighbor, Jenna, looked embarrassed, "I thought something had happened here, so I called the police."

Martin said, "It\'s okay, it was just my friends causing a bit of a ruckus."

Jenna wanted to ask about the copyright authorization for "Limitless," but it was too late in the evening for that conversation and said, "I\'m going back inside."

Martin waved, "Goodnight."

Watching Jenna enter her home, Martin then went back inside his house, and after shutting the door, he fixed his gaze on Nicholson and Leonardo.

Nicholson, as if blind to the mess in the yard, said, "Alright, the work is done, time to taste Martin\'s cherished fine wine."

Leonardo, still holding a grudge about Martin kicking their behinds, resolved that he would get drunk tonight and not go home, "Didn\'t you say last time that you got a batch of good Eastern wine?"

Martin, not one to betray his friends for the sake of vanity, said, "Come on, let\'s drink."

The two scoundrels approached the villa\'s entrance and, upon seeing Elizabeth, showed no embarrassment at all. Nicholson even asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Martin, worried that Elizabeth would have trouble responding, said, "I forgot my phone over there, and she brought it specially for me."

Leonardo glanced back, looking somewhat surprised.

Elizabeth Olsen was too young, and there were no rumors of a boyfriend or a husband, which, in principle, did not fit Martin\'s usual aesthetic.

Martin fetched a few bottles of wine from the cellar, and when he returned, Elizabeth took her leave.

"My sister called me and told me to come home early." She lingered, annoyed, giving Leonardo and Nicholson a resentful look, "Martin, could you walk me out?"

Martin handed the wine to Leonardo and walked Elizabeth to the door.

The two scoundrels had the decency not to follow.

Martin walked her to her car and said, "The three of us are used to messing around, don\'t take it to heart."

Elizabeth did mind but didn\'t show it, smiling, "It\'s fine."

She opened the car door but didn\'t get in, "I\'ll call you later."

Martin nodded, "I\'m always online."

Elizabeth was about to get into the car yet felt unsatisfied. Her eighteenth birthday had passed in a blur; had she really been waiting almost two years for this?

Resolute, she turned back and opened her arms wide, hugging Martin tightly.

The soft sensation against his chest and her red lips so close, Martin, being a decent man, would never commit the cruel act of rejection that would cause a lifetime of pain.

So, without hesitation, he kissed her back.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The two kissed passionately, and Elizabeth, feeling Martin\'s intense assertiveness, stepped back instinctively, bumping into the car door which slammed shut as she leaned against the car.

After the heated kiss, Martin cradled her face, "I\'ll be waiting for your call."

Elizabeth nodded and finally got into the car, driving toward the gate at the speed of a turtle.

The person in the car looked back repeatedly until she was out the driveway.

Martin returned and saw the two scoundrels, Nicholson, and Leonardo, and asked, "You\'re not leaving?"

Having been on the receiving end of a prank that night, the shameless Nicholson declared, "If I die, I want to die right here."

Martin glanced at Leonardo who stood steadfast and opened a bottle of Moutai, determined to teach the two scoundrels a lesson.

The result was that they both ended up sprawled on the ground, courtesy of Martin.

Leonardo cried out that Gisele Bundchen was his true love.

Nicholson shouted that his biggest regret in life was not taking advantage of Marlon Brando in his youth with buttery hands.

Martin captured it all on camera, and the next day, after the two scoundrels had sobered up, he gave each of them a copy.

Eventually, they fled, and Martin, ever the professional photographer, completely deleted the video footage.

Later, he went to Davis Studio to meet with Thomas and Chad.

"Bad news," Thomas was the first to speak, "Yuan Heping declined our invitation."

Chad said, "For close-quarters combat, the team from Harbor City does indeed have unique expertise; even though Hollywood is researching them, there is still a distance to cover."

Because of the time factor, Martin had more recollections of the "John Wick" series, particularly the fight scenes in close quarters, especially in the third one where Keanu Reeves had aged and was not well-maintained physically, which made him look particularly clumsy and the action completion was actually quite poor.

Of course, this was also related to the design of the action sequences.

Chad continued, "I remember Yuan Heping had a student, who broke away from his team. During the filming of the last two parts of \'The Matrix\', it was that student who genuinely trained the actors and took to the field as the action director."

Martin remembered, it seemed to be the one who directed "Tai Chi Hero". After recalling carefully, he asked, "Chen Hu?"

"Right, that\'s the name," Chad replied. "The people in Hollywood call him \'Tiger\'."

Martin immediately said to Thomas, "Find a way to contact this \'Tiger\' as soon as possible. Chad, if Tiger is willing to work with us, you\'ll handle the interview; you are the expert in this area."

Chad replied, "No problem."

Thomas, not aware of such a figure in the industry, said, "I\'ll find out which agency he belongs to first."

Subsequently, Martin asked about the progress of the screenplay. Chad and Bradt had already started writing the first draft.

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Bradt quickly arrived too and began discussing the relevant storylines with Martin and Chad.

Martin was very clear about the crucial nature of the topic \'your life for mine, my life for yours\'; he strove to make the main storyline of the script straightforward and clear-cut.

Additionally, the first part also needed to slightly establish the world view of the \'raised platform.\'

As for whether it would be linked with other films or the like, that would be a matter to consider after the first part succeeds.

After Chad and Bradt left, Thomas and Martin together went to the Warner Building.

After Thomas contacted the crew of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", David Fincher requested a meeting with Martin to chat in person.

In an ordinary office inside the Warner Building, Martin met with the enigmatic director from Hollywood.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries, they got straight to the point.

David Fincher was candid: "Originally, my first choice was Brad Pitt; I didn\'t consider anyone else, but unexpected circumstances have forced me to make other choices."

Martin knew that Pitt had worked with Fincher on "Fight Club", and under normal circumstances, he wouldn\'t stand a chance against Pitt with Fincher.

But Pitt had fallen to the wave of #MeToo.

"Last year, I heard that Director Fincher was preparing this project." Over ninety percent of what Martin said was true: "I\'ve read the original novel and I really like the character Benjamin Button; he has a special significance for me."

Stealing a man\'s girlfriend, endorsement fees, and then iconic movies and roles gave a certain unexplained satisfaction.

Nicholson had played a scoundrel for decades and once summed up a piece of wisdom: Scoundrels always need to do some perverse things to find true satisfaction.

David Fincher was curious, "Special significance?"

Martin subtly revealed his unique advantage: "Last year, I took part in a film project directed by Sam Mendes called \'The Reader\', in which I played opposite Kate Winslet. The role was of a man aging from 16 to 60. That special acting experience was immensely rewarding, and I want to tackle roles with even richer layers…"

David Fincher, having heard of "The Reader", said, "Such experience is indeed rare." With a probing tone, he asked, "What are your thoughts on Benjamin Button\'s childhood?"

Fortunately, Martin had recently studied the original work and had some memory of the film. After thinking for a bit, he said, "My personal interpretation of the novel\'s character is that this stage includes the questioning of human life\'s and emotions\' fragilities. Benjamin was surrounded by the elderly at the brink of death during his childhood, often confronted with mortality."

He tried to immerse himself in the role and understand all of that: "At that time, Benjamin\'s psychological maturity was extremely low; he was merely a child. It\'s a huge psychological challenge, extremely difficult. I\'ve tried to think about it; if it had been my childhood, facing a group of 85-year-old seniors, what would happen? I might have broken down."

David Fincher, without revealing his emotions, paused for a moment and decided to end the meeting, saying straightforwardly, "You\'ll take part in the third make-up screen test. I\'ll notify your agent when the audition time is set."

Martin knew it was time to take his leave, saying, "It was a very pleasant meeting, I hope we can reach an agreement."

David Fincher shook hands with Martin and saw him out.

Martin caught up with Thomas and briefly described the exchange.

Thomas reminded him, "David Fincher\'s film projects are notorious in the industry for their long preparation time. Your screen test won\'t happen for at least two months, and it could be over half a year."

He added, "We have another advantage in this project: Daniel, who has always worked with us, is in charge of the film\'s distribution and has a say."

Martin said, "We\'ll just have to be patient."

Now, he was eagerly pursuing roles in two major projects: Nolan\'s Batman sequel and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Just as the two returned to Davis Studio, Louise came over from across the way at Pacific Pictures.

"I\'ve just replied to Ellen Horn, turning down the investment invitation for the fourth installment of \'Terminator\'."

Inside the office, Louise handed a copy of the screenplay to Martin: "This is the Batman movie screenplay by Jonathan Nolan, currently codenamed Rory\'s First Kiss. The project\'s official name should be \'The Dark Knight\'."

Martin took the screenplay and quickly skimmed through it, the main plot was as he remembered.

"Darling, thank you." He then looked at Thomas: "Find a suitable time to reply to Ellen Horn, telling her I need to prepare for the two projects and my schedule won\'t fit."