Chapter 210: Why Not Become a Player?
Chapter 210: Why Not Become a Player?
Although most of Eric’s attention was still on Friends, he did not neglect his company and film affairs. On the third day after returning to Los Angeles, Eric went with Jeffrey and Robert to the new location they had chosen for Firefly Films.
“Eric, what do you think of this place?” After the three of them got out of a business van, Robert Shaye pointed to a seven-story building near the freeway.
Eric raised his head and examined it. The office building had a silver exterior and was full of metallic texture. Aside from downtown, Los Angeles did not have many high-rise buildings in other areas, so this seven-story office building in Burbank was fairly in line with Eric’s expectations. However, after a moment, Eric still pointed to the busy freeway behind him. “Robert, this place is close to the freeway. Won’t it be too noisy?”
“No,” Robert Shaye shook his head. “Jeffrey and I already toured every floor. The soundproofing inside is excellent. If the windows are closed, you can’t hear the cars outside at all. Also, look. We can take the plot of land north of this building as well. It totals about 10,000 square feet. If we need to in the future, we can build several more office buildings farther inside. In that case, there’s even less need to worry about noise.”
Eric subconsciously converted the area Robert Shaye mentioned. The land covered roughly around a thousand square meters. On the map his assistant handed over, it appeared rectangular, about four hundred meters from north to south and less than three hundred meters from east to west.
“In that case, why didn’t they build the office building farther from the road in the first place?” Eric asked after looking over the map.
“The real estate company that originally owned this land planned to build a small business district here. Unfortunately, after the stock market crash the year before last, that company’s capital chain broke. They only had time to finish this building. So, Eric, if we take over the whole thing now, I think it would still be a very good investment for Firefly.”
Hearing this, Eric felt somewhat tempted. If they bought this place, Firefly would have its first real estate asset. More importantly, until before Eric’s rebirth, real estate had always been a very profitable investment. Even though the North American property market experienced several upheavals, such as the subprime mortgage crisis, the overall trend still climbed upward.
“If we take all of it, how much will it cost?” Eric finally asked.
“Twenty million,” Robert Shaye said. Seemingly worried that Eric would find it expensive, Robert Shaye added, “Eric, this price is absolutely acceptable. Look around. You definitely won’t find another plot this large in Burbank, and the transportation is so convenient, with the freeway right beside it.”
Eric smiled, then turned to Jeffrey on the other side. “Jeffrey, what’s your opinion?”
“I think the same as Robert. I also suggest taking the entire plot. This place is absolutely suitable as Firefly’s new headquarters. Robert and I have investigated repeatedly. Within a five-kilometer radius, there’s Disney headquarters, Warner’s studio, Universal Studios, and branches of several other film companies. There’s also a small park nearby.” As Jeffrey spoke, he pointed toward the hill to the south. “Eric, look there. Beyond that slope is the Hollywood sign.”
Eric followed Jeffrey’s gaze. The gentle slope Jeffrey pointed at should count as an extension of Beverly Hills, but he did not see the famous Hollywood sign.
“It’s blocked by the slope, but it’s right there,” Jeffrey explained. “I heard that the former owner of that hill was the famous Howard Hughes. I just don’t know which real estate company it ended up with now.”
Eric once again looked toward that hillside with yearning on his face.
Seeing Eric slightly dazed, Jeffrey and Robert stood on either side of him and also looked in that direction.
Howard Hughes. Any man in Hollywood with even a little ambition probably yearned to become a second Howard Hughes.
“All right, this place it is,” Eric finally came back to himself after a while and made the decision directly. “Let’s go inside and take a look.”
Robert Shaye followed beside Eric with joy on his face. This plot had been introduced by a friend of his. If he helped complete the transaction, Robert Shaye would not receive any kickback, but he could make that New York real estate developer owe him a favor. Of course, the twenty-million-dollar price did not contain any padding either. Robert Shaye was also a shareholder of Firefly, so he would not let himself suffer a loss. In fact, given this plot’s excellent location, it did not lack buyers. The price might even be a little higher. However, there was no buyer like Firefly who could pay the full amount in one go, while the seller urgently needed the money to solve its financial crisis.
After the group toured the area, they sat down to rest on a bench beside a lawn. Only then did Jeffrey ask, “Eric, are you still not planning to attend the Friends celebration dinner tonight?”
Robert Shaye also cast him a concerned look.
Eric shook his head, then nodded again. Seeing the confused expressions on the two men’s faces, he quickly smiled and explained, “I’ll go. If I keep delaying, Murdoch will definitely notice something.”
Jeffrey laughed. “Haha, you’ve avoided meeting them these past few days. I’m guessing the people at Fox have been frightened badly enough by you. They must have heard by now that the three major networks plan to snatch the later episodes of Friends.”
Eric looked up at Los Angeles’ blue sky and said with a relaxed expression, “If they calmed down a little, they wouldn’t have that kind of worry. But under the current circumstances, I don’t think even Rupert Murdoch can stay calm.”
“Why is that?” Robert Shaye asked curiously, while Jeffrey also looked as though he did not quite understand.
Eric explained, “If the three major networks want to cut in, Fox definitely won’t take it lying down. Then there’ll definitely be a lawsuit. During that time, Friends definitely won’t be able to keep airing. Under normal circumstances, this kind of lawsuit takes at least a year or half a year. The three major networks could use that time to calmly deal with Fox Television and suppress its rising momentum. But in the end, we would also suffer because Friends couldn’t air. When the lawsuit is over and everything settles, who knows whether the three major networks will still honor the promises they made to us at the beginning?”
After listening, Robert Shaye suggested, “Then don’t touch the first season. Give the later broadcast rights to another network. I had people estimate it. With the scale of the three major networks, the advertising fee share we could receive would be at least ten percent higher.”
Eric turned to look at Robert Shaye. “Robert, why don’t we look a little farther ahead? Even if we get a slightly higher share, we’re still in the position of a chess piece. So, since there’s such a good opportunity, why not make an effort to become a player instead?”
Robert Shaye froze briefly, then soon revealed a faint bitter smile. A thought could not help surfacing in his mind: Was he getting old, or was this boy’s ambition simply too great?
On the coastal highway, the purple Lamborghini Diablo clearly kept its speed restrained as it wove through traffic. Sitting in the passenger seat, Aniston, dressed in a white fitted gown, occasionally took out a compact mirror to examine her makeup.
“Eric, help me take a look. Is there anything wrong with my makeup?” After examining herself for a while and adjusting the side-swept bangs on her forehead, the girl turned to ask Eric.
Eric held the steering wheel and glanced at the girl before quickly turning back. “Not bad. Very pretty. But, Jenny, did you choose this gown yourself?”
“Yes. It’s very pretty, right?” If she were not inside the car, Aniston would definitely have stood up and showed it off to Eric again.
Eric held back for quite a while before saying, “Tomorrow I’ll call Kapur and have him find you a better stylist. You’re a big star now. You need to properly learn how to dress yourself.”
“Mm-hm.” Hearing the words “big star” from Eric’s mouth, Aniston was clearly very pleased. But the girl was not stupid and quickly understood. She asked with some lack of confidence, “Are you saying... there’s something wrong with my outfit?”
Eric nodded gently and said in as mild a tone as possible, “There’s not really anything wrong with it. It’s just that this gown is more suitable for attending an awards ceremony and walking a red carpet. It’s not very suitable for a party.”
“Wow... now that you mention it, that does seem true. No, Eric, turn around. I need to go back and change.” The girl lowered her head and carefully studied her gown. Seeing the obviously too-long train dragging on the floor, she immediately reached over to tug Eric’s arm.
“Hey, hey, don’t mess around. I’m driving.”
Aniston quickly withdrew her hand, but still said, “Turn around. I need to go back and change. This is the first time I’m attending a party with you. I don’t want people laughing at me.”
Eric tapped the watch on his wrist. “There’s no time. If we go back and come over again, we’ll definitely be late.”
“Ugh...” Aniston lowered her little head gloomily, then immediately lifted it again and glared at Eric resentfully. “You definitely noticed the problem from the start, didn’t you? Then why didn’t you remind me when we left?”
“I didn’t react at the time either. I only thought you looked beautiful.”
“Hmph. Then what do we do now?”
Eric looked at the road signs outside the window before saying, “There is one way. This place is quite close to Virginia’s villa. If you’re willing, we can go there and see if she has a suitable gown. I have the key to her house.”
“No. I’d rather be laughed at.” The girl immediately turned her head away.
Eric helplessly shrugged. “Then forget it. As long as you’re careful at the party and don’t trip over your skirt, it’ll be fine.”
The Friends celebration party was not held at any hotel, but at an estate owned by the Murdoch family in Malibu.
When the sports car arrived at the estate entrance, Eric handed the key to the valet and walked into the estate with Aniston on his arm.
After receiving news of Eric’s arrival, Rupert Murdoch and Barry Diller, who had arrived earlier, came out to greet him at the same time.
Eric was somewhat surprised to see that Elizabeth, whom he had not seen for only a few days, actually came out together with old Murdoch on her arm. Although the woman had a very ladylike smile on her face, Eric could still see the faint reluctance on Elizabeth’s face.