King of Hollywood-Chapter 594 - 2 MJ

It was clear that Adrian did not intend to change his mind, although he did not care about the position of the world’s richest man. If he really wanted to enjoy the limelight, he would not have cashed out in secret. Furthermore, his initial 5% stake in Microsoft was held in two accounts because anything exceeding 5% must be reported to the Securities Regulatory Commission. Even though Forbes was not a butcher’s list, being overly showy was not advisable. Already a famous Miracle Director in Hollywood, Adrian had enough attention, not to mention with a net worth of over 20 billion US dollars, which was sufficient for him to make it into the top ten of the rankings. The show must go on, better if Crow handled it.

However, given the opportunity, why not try to earn another sum? In fact, Claude and the entire group had the same intention. Having more liquid funds was always better, and their expansion was far from ceasing.

Predicting the exact date was indeed challenging; even though Claude’s comment, "Even those who are ready can’t be sure when is the best time to make a move," seemed exaggerated, they must have had a bottom line in mind by now, but before this, they certainly could not be sure. Even Uncle Anderson couldn’t analyze more information, and Buffett, who barely touched IT stocks, let alone Adrian and Claude.

In fact, the two, who had been monitoring the stock market, had started discussing this a few days ago, yet they hadn’t reached a consensus, and it seemed that there would be no progress today either.

At that moment, Claude turned the LCD monitor towards Adrian again, "Ed, take a look at this news."

Following his instruction, Adrian looked over. Hanging on the display was Cisco’s official website with an article signed by CEO John Chambers. Although a bit puzzled, Adrian read carefully. The article didn’t say much—it was an open letter by Chambers, first reviewing Cisco’s development, then discussing its recent achievements, and congratulating the company for surpassing a market value of 500 billion US dollars, encouraging everyone to strive for greater glory and surpass old rival Microsoft.

Was there any special significance to this? Adrian glanced at Claude, who was smugly triumphant, obviously having concluded something and waiting to see Adrian’s own embarrassment. After shooting him a glare, Adrian continued to ponder over the open letter. What exactly did this guy see? Chambers was very confident, unaware of the risks; could he really surpass Microsoft? But how was this related to what they were discussing... Wait a moment! Surpass Microsoft?!

Adrian suddenly looked up, meeting Claude’s eyes as Claude offered a slight smile.

"When Cisco’s market value surpasses General Electric!"

"When Cisco’s market value surpasses Microsoft!"

They both said at the same time. Claude was momentarily stunned but then his eyes lit up. He stretched out a finger and emphatically gestured in the air, "You’re right, Ed, it should be when Cisco surpasses General Electric!"

Since Cisco’s market value had already passed 500 billion US dollars, it wasn’t far from Microsoft and General Electric. So, waiting for it to surpass Microsoft and then General Electric before making a move wasn’t far off. It’s important to remember that General Electric had occupied the top global market value position for a long stretch of time; Microsoft had briefly surpassed it in 1998, but was quickly overtaken again. If Cisco wanted to comfortably lead Microsoft, it would naturally aim to surpass General Electric. Once that happened, everyone would celebrate and make timely and reasonable judgments about certain occurrences.

"Your insight is always so accurate, Ed," praised Claude, completely unaware that Adrian’s judgment was influenced by the vague recollection that Cisco had plummeted into the abyss when at its peak market value. Although unclear on the entire process, with all this information put together, guessing the possibilities wasn’t hard, and hadn’t Claude understood it immediately as well?

Of course, those people on Wall Street waiting might not intend to let Cisco surpass General Electric before striking, but having this reference made the analysis much easier. Generally, they would subtly begin unloading their shares, let the retail investors drive the stock price up, and then pull out with maximum force. Capturing just a hint of this, Adrian and Claude could make their move too.

Even so, they could not be careless, as previously mentioned, the exact date for futures was crucial, and they had a perfect example right before them. Quantum Fund had predicted a potential bubble burst at the beginning of 1999 and started shorting the market by then, the results being self-explanatory as Soros suffered heavy losses and was preparing to retire.

Soon, the calculated date arrived, January 31, 2000, when Cisco’s market value reached 5205 billion US dollars amidst tremendous attention, surpassing General Electric to become the world’s number one. CEO Chambers posted another article on the official website celebrating the company’s great achievements. Then, on the first morning after the weekend, billions of dollars worth of sell orders targeting IT sector leaders like Cisco, Microsoft, and Dell were simultaneously thrown out, causing the stock market to plummet immediately!

However, the decline wasn’t significant, and Wall Street market analysts claimed it was merely a market correction, so although investors were somewhat concerned, they didn’t ponder on it much. But soon, news that the federal court had ruled Microsoft a monopoly spread, followed by various negative reports, causing the stock market to fall once again. This time, it was like opening the floodgates—a deluge that caught many off-guard as the value of their stocks halved! Confused and helpless, they began to panic-sell, turning most IT stocks into worthless paper within a matter of days.

Across America, notorious suicide spots—the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building—welcomed new visitors. Fortunately, this bursting bubble was confined to IT stocks and was relatively mild compared to others; even if some did commit suicide, the numbers were not high, avoiding a calamity similar to "Black Friday."

As for Adrian, he hadn’t paid much attention to the initial small downturn in the stock market. Proven correct alongside Claude, especially as billions worth of stocks from Cisco, Microsoft, and Dell were dumped, the outcome was already determined. All he had to do now was wait for the capital to flow back; the rest was up to Regret.

Leveraging stock index futures tenfold with $10 billion in funds, earning another $10 billion wasn’t difficult. Adrian initially even considered using a thirtyfold leverage, which would require much less capital, even just a few billion. However, as his financial advisor, Regret strongly opposed this. Though it involved less capital, the risk was much higher; high leverage is typically used when attempting to turn a small amount into a large one. With ample funds, why take the risk? After all, there were investment banks and funds that had fallen on this path.

Claude, who had always supported him, also opposed this plan; therefore, Adrian simply gave up on the idea, reckoning that it merely meant a slightly longer wait, especially since this capital wasn’t going to be injected into the company anytime soon, to avoid concerns from others.

"Congratulations, Ed," Claude said, raising his glass in Adrian’s office, the amber liquid very eye-catching.

"Congratulations to you too, Crow, our venture will rise to the next level," Adrian lifted his glass to clink with his, as the initial wave of mass-selling had just passed and many were still watching.

Adrian merely shrugged at these spectators. Since they were speculating, they should be prepared for the possibility of losing everything and control their greed. Watching the stock prices go up, they couldn’t bear to let go, always wanting to sell at a higher price, and once the prices fell, they hoped for a slight increase to sell off. Such people, even innocent individual investors, are not worthy of sympathy, let alone those who have thrown their entire fortunes into the fray.

A prime example was Britney’s parents. The 0.01% of Cisco stocks Adrian had given them was now worth $50 million. When had those greedy individuals ever possessed such wealth? Intending to gain even more, they nearly invested all their fortune in it.

However, on the day Cisco’s market value peaked, Adrian called and told Spears to sell immediately. Although he didn’t elaborate, just said that, Spears still had some sense to hesitate but sold the stocks right after the market dipped slightly.

In fact, by then, it was already too late. While $50 million in stocks might seem minor in total value, once the bubble burst, who would take over? Although Spears acted decisively, he and his wife only cashed out five to six million each, the rest was gone, a truly tearful mess.

Adrian had initially planned not to utter a word, watching them tumble into the abyss. But considering the couple’s thick-skinned nature, once turned destitute they might cause trouble even if he could swiftly handle them. Letting them off now would make them think twice about stirring things up, and Adrian could act more freely without reservations.

But enough about the future, back to the present.

"Tell me your plans, Ed," Claude said after sipping the whiskey.

"Now?" Adrian raised his eyebrow.

"Of course. I might as well prepare early," Claude said with a shrug and a smile.

"You should have guessed, Claude," Adrian looked at him, "in the production and distribution of movies and TV, as well as in broadcasting, we currently have little room for expansion, so you must know what the next direction is as the CEO, unless you’re not qualified."

"Of course I know," Claude laughed heartily, "I’m just curious which target you have in mind, although there aren’t many options."

"What else could it be, Universal Records!" Adrian gave the answer.

Since movies, TV, and broadcasting couldn’t be significantly expanded at the time, expanding in the records sector became inevitable. Although in a few years, major record companies would begin to merge, seizing the initiative would offer a significant say, so Adrian had set his sights on Universal Records.

Universal Records and Universal Pictures were not siblings born of the same mother, but they were not entirely unrelated either. Universal Records, originally MCA Records, started as a concert ticketing company and merged with Universal Pictures in the 1960s, which was later sold to Panasonic in the 1980s. By the mid-1990s, MCA Records was acquired by Seagram, and Universal Pictures was also eventually bought by Seagram after various transactions, thus uniting the two companies once again.

Consequently, Seagram renamed MCA to Universal Records but regrettably had to sell Universal Pictures to AC Media shortly after due to financial issues. Still, Seagram didn’t lose interest in expanding into media and subsequently acquired Polygram and merged it with Universal Records, along with several other entertainment companies.

However, they didn’t learn from the lessons of blind expansion, and added to the difficulties Adrian and Claude had initially created in their bid to acquire Universal Pictures, Seagram was now showing signs of bankruptcy. With such a great opportunity and substantial funds at hand, it naturally became a target for AC Media.

Although Pathé was also a suitable option, and BMG, Sony Records, and Warner Records could also be considered, none were as convenient as Universal Records, which had merged with Polygram. Despite Motion Records and Island Records, originally meant to be acquired by Polygram, being snagged by AC Media, Universal Records still held a significant market share. Acquiring it and integrating it with MCM to form the world’s largest record company wouldn’t be difficult.

"After all, Universal Pictures, Universal Records, aren’t they a perfect match?" Adrian said with a smile, spreading his hands, then snapping his fingers, "But before that, there’s something else we need to do."

"What’s your idea?" Claude raised an eyebrow.

"A... very big plan," Adrian said, stroking his chin with a light laugh.

In the quiet woods, the sunlight filtered through the evergreen leaves, casting dapples of light without a hint of coldness. Even so, there stood a parasol on the ground, shielding out this sunlight.

"This club is very quiet, not teeming with annoying paparazzi, so whenever I need to relax and gather my thoughts, I come here to sit, drink some coffee, and breathe some fresh air," Adrian stood outside the parasol, looking at the distant scenery before turning around, "The world is still a beautiful place, worth striving for—don’t you think?"

The middle-aged man in his forties sitting under the parasol seemed somewhat distracted. He had thick, curly black hair, was dressed in a suit that enveloped his entire body, wore large sunglasses, and had dark skin with an unnatural paleness, though the white patches beneath his neck could occasionally be seen when he turned his head.

"It seems we have never dealt with each other before, Mr. Adrian," the man said somewhat coldly.

"That’s true, but two of my record label’s top female singers are your admirers, MJ," Adrian said as he walked over and sat down at the round table.

Yes, the middle-aged man he was meeting today, who even carried an umbrella and wore sunglasses in the woods, was none other than Michael Jackson, the emperor superstar who had dominated the music scene in the ’80s, stirred up countless controversies, and was troubled by vitiligo and child molestation accusations in the ’90s, commanding a vast fan base worldwide!

"I know they are all decent singers, but that has nothing to do with your invitation, right?" Michael said bluntly, seemingly very wary of Adrian.

Adrian simply smiled dismissively, "We indeed have no connection, but for that reason, our conversation can be more direct and open."

He sipped his coffee and then sat up straight, looking at Michael, "I want the rights to Elvis and the Beatles’ records, as well as some produced and distributed by Sony Records, MJ."

After a pause, he added, "2.2 billion US dollars."

Michael raised his eyebrows in surprise, then declined Adrian’s offer, "Many people have asked me that, Mr. Adrian, but my response has never changed."

Adrian chuckled lightly, "You are a smart man, MJ, selling the rights to Elvis and the Beatles’ records would be the most brilliant investment you could make. But you are also not that smart; you seem not to understand your situation yet."

"My situation?" Michael scoffed, "Thanks to those shameless reporters and media, for the sake of viewership they can freely sling mud at a person, justice and fairness don’t exist for them, all they want to do is draw as much public attention as possible!"

He stopped talking after venting in one breath, then reached up to adjust his collar, trying to calm his agitated emotions.

But Adrian calmly shook his head, "See, I’m right, aren’t I? You still don’t understand. Or maybe you do understand some of it but don’t want to admit it."

Michael sharply removed his sunglasses, glaring at Adrian as if he wanted to say something, but finally restrained himself, "If that’s all you have to say, Mr. Adrian, I think I might take my leave."

"You plan to release a new album next year, don’t you?" Adrian suddenly asked, the sly smile lingering on his lips, "Want to know what I would do if I were your boss? I’d make the production process of this album fraught with real troubles and use various excuses to delay its promotion, reducing the album’s sales. Then, through the media, I’d claim you’re washed up, can’t produce good music anymore, you do drugs, you’ve had plastic surgery, you’ve degraded, you’re beyond redemption. Then I’d bribe someone close to you, when you leave Dream Manor, bring two kids for a visit—just a visit, do nothing, just create the impression that kids were there—followed by a repeat of ’95, only more sensational, even forcing the police to search Dream Manor. No one would support you, no one would sympathize with you, even if they did their voices wouldn’t be heard over the mainstream society condemning you. Then you’d truly decay and grow silent until any slight idea you express gets shut down, and then finally, just one more ’accident’..."

Adrian spread his hands, although he didn’t finish, the implication was clear. Michael’s chest heaved, and he clenched his fists tightly, seeming to want to strike him hard.

"Are you threatening me?" he gritted his teeth.

"No, I’m just reminding you," Adrian shrugged, "you should understand that I am helping you, MJ. The record rights you hold are worth at most 2 billion, and my offer of 2.2 billion is already very sincere. Those vampires at Sony just want to sell for 1 billion."

He looked into his eyes, "You are very talented, MJ, and I admire talented people, but you are also black, so when you achieve such great success and control such great wealth, you naturally arouse envy. You’re like a child holding a bundle of cash, walking down a busy street, anyone could easily snatch your wealth away from you. Selling to me is different, I am not letting you lose out, you also divert attention from others, dispel the thoughts of those vampires at Sony, and this extra 200 million lets you do more of what you want, help more children. Why wouldn’t you?" (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote and support us, your support is our biggest motivation.)

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