System in Hollywood

"Hello, Mr. Bleiman. I know that under your management, Industrial Light & Magic has been running very well, so I sincerely hope that you can continue to stay with the company!" 

Wayne smiled and shook his hand.

Although this assurance didn't carry much weight, after understanding the subtext in Wayne's words—that as long as he kept the company running smoothly, he wouldn't be replaced—Levin Bleiman finally felt a bit of relief.

Ten minutes later, both parties completed the signing in the company cafeteria, which had been prepared beforehand, in front of all the company's senior executives and regular employees.

When Wayne announced that all employees would receive a 10% performance bonus and that at least another $100 million would be invested in the company within the next year to expand and upgrade equipment, the room erupted in sincere, enthusiastic cheers.

After all, as workers, who wouldn't want to earn more money?

Next, Wayne announced that to avoid disrupting the production of several films, especially the special effects for *Star Wars: Episode II*, the celebration party would have to be postponed.

Although some employees were a bit disappointed, thinking about the 10% increase in performance pay quickly revived their motivation.

Wayne himself, having just completed the crucial acquisition of Industrial Light & Magic, immediately called Mia and Jessica once he got into the car, arranging dinner and a shopping trip for the evening.

It must be said that as a capitalist, he was becoming more and more qualified.

"By the way, how about we go to a bar later?" 

After placing the heavy shopping bags in the car, Mia suddenly suggested.

Wayne wasn't particularly fond of bars. After all, he didn't need a bar to meet countless stunning women. But someone like him was a rarity.

In America, whether young or middle-aged, it's uncommon to find someone who doesn't like or go to bars.

Realizing that Mia probably wanted to drink and listen to some lively music to relax, Wayne agreed.

Of course, he wouldn't go to just any bar. Given that he was with three beautiful women, he didn't want to invite trouble. No matter how strong or skilled he was, what if someone showed up with a gun?

Besides, he was looking to relax, not to ruin his mood, so he took them to a bar he had visited twice before with Charlize Theron.

The atmosphere there was much better, with performances ranging from rock to jazz, pop, and even TY dance, all without losing the essence of a bar.

The only issue was... 

Wayne and Jessica were recognized as soon as they walked in. After all, *Accepted* and *Happy Death Day* had been huge hits at the time.

Even though Wayne had Mia and the other two with him, plenty of women didn't want to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, mustering the courage to approach him.

Even if Wayne ignored them, just getting to introduce themselves, letting him see their faces and bodies, and hearing their names was satisfying enough for them.

What if Wayne needed someone like them for a role later and remembered them?

Once the initial women broke the ice, even some well-known third- and second-tier actresses came over to flirt, and even a few male stars joined in.

This left Wayne speechless.

As for Mia and the others, they watched woman after woman, dressed provocatively and practically climbing into Wayne's lap. Their brows furrowed in displeasure, and their good mood was almost entirely ruined.

"Oh my God! Darling, you're just too popular!" 

"Ugh, a bunch of bitches. If I'd known, I wouldn't have suggested coming to a bar." 

"Exactly. If we want live music, let's go to a concert. And if we want to drink while listening to music, we could just bring some drinks to the concert."

Listening to Jessica's ridiculous suggestion, Wayne couldn't help but laugh.

But then he realized, considering this was America, bringing some alcoholic drinks to a concert didn't seem so strange.

"Come to think of it, at this time, Michael Jackson and Westlife are still active in the music scene, right? And Linkin Park and Britney Spears have only just debuted."

With that thought, Wayne suddenly became excited.

Although he wasn't into music professionally, he liked anything that sounded good, regardless of whether it was Chinese or Western. But he definitely wouldn't want to miss a Michael Jackson, Westlife, or Britney Spears concert.

After all, the songs from these icons were all great.

"Darling, what's on your mind?" 

"Nothing," Wayne shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "I was just thinking, maybe we can have Mike get us some front-row VIP tickets to Michael Jackson's or Westlife's concert. Or when we throw our next party, we could invite them to perform. That way, you can enjoy the music and drinks without worrying about interruptions."

This wasn't an exaggeration.

Given Mike's influence at WMA, getting front-row VIP tickets to a Michael Jackson concert wouldn't be difficult.

As for inviting these music legends to perform at a party, that would be a bit trickier, but only a bit.

Michael Jackson's record label was Sony Music, under the same umbrella as Sony Columbia. With the current power and influence of Wayne's Hemera Pictures, a call to that Sony Columbia executive he met earlier would likely make it happen.

Jessica, seeing that Wayne had taken her joke seriously, was both amused and touched.

"Let's talk about all that later. We shouldn't let those annoying bitches ruin our mood. Let's just enjoy the beer and music. Cheers!"

The sound of clinking bottles rang out, light and joyful.

At that moment, the performance on stage changed, and a familiar melody caught Wayne's attention. He instinctively turned his head to the stage and saw a petite blonde girl in punk attire with a delicate face. His expression turned to one of surprise.

"Avril?"

Wayne immediately recognized the blonde girl.

It was hard not to—among Western female singers, he only knew Britney, Avril, and Taylor. Plus, Avril's smokey eye makeup and punk style were too iconic to miss.

"At this point, Avril's debut album should still be in the recording phase, right? Is this some early promotion?" Wayne wondered to himself.

(End of chapter)