King of Hollywood-Chapter 621 - 29: Industrial Chain

"Hey, what’s that expression? I wrote this song myself, you know." The girl stopped strumming the guitar and gave Adrian a displeased glance.

"What’s wrong? Can’t I even yawn now?" Adrian spread his hands innocently.

The girl was suddenly at a loss for words, and after staring at him for a while, she puffed up with anger and grumbled, "I’m not happy, Ed, I’m really not happy, you should know that this song is..."

She didn’t finish her sentence, choking on her words visibly and swallowing the rest back, her cheeks slightly reddening and her gaze unable to stay still.

"What is it?" After waiting for a long time, Adrian finally couldn’t help but gesture with his hands, looking at her inquiringly.

"It’s nothing!" The girl suddenly waved her hands, still visibly annoyed, "Anyway, I’m really upset, very upset."

"Alright, alright, how about I apologize to you? Due to my carelessness, I’ve hurt the lovely Miss Vini, and I sincerely apologize to her here, hoping she can forgive me." Adrian put away his smile and spoke in a very formal tone, even bowing slightly.

Seeing him like this, Avril became flustered and awkwardly pinched her lips before stammering, "Actually... you don’t have to... I was just joking..."

"Don’t try to fool me, Vini, I know you’re really upset." Adrian reached out to pat her head, and although Avril made a clear attempt to dodge, he still managed to rub her head a couple of times.

"If you’re upset, then I definitely need to cheer you up," he smiled and continued, "In a few months, you’ll be releasing your debut single. You need to maintain a good state before that."

"My state has always been good; I could release it even now!" Mentioning her first single, Avril suddenly got excited, after all, she had traveled all the way from Canada to Los Angeles as an exchange student just for her music dream.

"By the way, why can’t we release it now? I heard everything is ready." She suddenly remembered to ask.

"Because September 27th is your birthday." Adrian pinched her chin immediately after.

Avril blinked, seemingly not yet catching on, but then she suddenly jumped up, asking with surprise, "You mean... you mean... release it on that day?!"

Her voice even shifted in excitement.

"Of course, I think it’s a great birthday gift." Adrian spread his arms and smiled, the next second he nearly fell over backward in his chair because Avril suddenly plunged into his arms.

"Thank you, Ed, I love it so much!" She spoke somewhat incoherently and then instinctively pecked a kiss on his cheek.

"I’m glad you like it, but I think you should speak properly; otherwise, I really am going to fall over," Adrian said, grabbing onto a nearby cabinet with some difficulty.

Avril then realized how she had acted, and it took her another two seconds to realize what she had just done, immediately jumping back to her own chair, grabbing the guitar and staying silent.

"It’s really exciting," Adrian said with a giggle as he settled back into his seat, then quickly changed the subject before Avril could get angry. "I originally wanted to save this surprise until September, but now I have to tell you earlier; otherwise, after a few months, even the greatest enthusiasm would fade."

"How could that be, my enthusiasm will never fade," Avril countered immediately, but then she looked worried. "But although I’m not worried about singing, I always feel..."

Seeing her hesitant expression, Adrian immediately understood her concern and laughed. "What, even the always confident Vini is unsure about some things?"

Avril pouted, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately she just grunted.

"Come on, Vini, you should know that you’re still very pretty," Adrian teased no further. "You’re definitely no less beautiful than Britney and them."

"Do you really think that my high forehead with parted hair, full of acne and somewhat pointy teeth, looks beautiful?" Avril said this with a lack of conviction.

"How could that be, your hairline isn’t high at all, it doesn’t affect your looks, and you only have a few pimples. As for your teeth, a little orthodontic work and they’ll be just fine," Adrian said nonchalantly as he pinched her chin and examined her. "You may not be stunning, but you’re definitely not ugly. You know, Vini, you look best this way. Some girls look very pretty, but once they take off their makeup, they could give someone a fright. The difference between you with and without makeup isn’t that big. A moderate amount of makeup can make you even prettier, but even without it, you’re not ugly. So, you are a beautiful girl inside and out, you should have confidence in yourself."

Although Adrian spoke sincerely, he was rewarded with a slap on his hand. "How long are you going to pinch me like that? And can you stop calling me ’Vini’?"

"I can’t do that; I absolutely won’t give up my special nickname," Adrian said as he wagged a finger, then took a punch on his arm.

"Fine, then I’ll punch you every time I hear it!" Avril threatened, shaking her fist.

"That’s okay, Vini, my body is strong enough, hit me all you want," Adrian said nonchalantly, but he still dodged when the girl swung her fist.

The girl immediately giggled, her eyes squinting and the corners of her mouth turning up mischievously, seemingly pleased with his inconsistent behavior.

After teasing each other a bit more, Avril suddenly asked somewhat hesitantly, "By the way, Ed, can you tell me about the content of that single? I mean... who wrote it?"

Her eyes flickered, glancing at Adrian then quickly away. Adrian understood her thoughts, knowing full well that the company recognized many of Britney and Christina’s most popular songs were related to him, and that all the songs in Britney’s current third album had his hand in them. Naturally, Avril would hope he would write a song for her or at least offer some constructive feedback.

However, Adrian’s answer left her somewhat disappointed. "It’s by a newcomer in the company, he wrote both the lyrics and the music."

But he quickly added with a smile, "But I do like the song, in fact, it suits you very well—in fact, the songs you write yourself aren’t bad either, at least the one just now was very good, I really liked it."

Hearing the teasing tone, she realized he had figured out her intentions in writing that song. Avril immediately swung her fist again, using this as a means to cover her embarrassment. It seemed that a tomboyish girl like her enjoyed expressing her emotions with her fists, which wasn’t a bad thing, as a less forthright Avril wouldn’t be Avril anymore.

So, it looked like he’d have to wait a bit longer to make a move; some women respond well to assertiveness, while some girls required patient waiting until the timing was right, as long as it was worth it. Besides, if he couldn’t make a move on her, he could always try someone else, not Britney or Christina, but...

This situation was within expectations, Jessica Simpson had hinted several times to Adrian, who wouldn’t want to hitch their wagon to a talented, influential man who knew how to charm women? Even if one couldn’t become a top idol like Britney or Christina, a bright future was definitely in the cards.

So today, Adrian slightly revealed his intentions, and she did not hesitate to stick close to him; after going out together, she immediately brought him back to her place.

Adrian didn’t mind offering Simpson some benefits, as long as she proved satisfactory, having a friendly competitor was not a bad thing when Britney and Christina were not around at the record company, let alone...

The production of the super album and the filming of the movie were still ongoing, as were some other things.

"Is this really a good arrangement, Innie?" Adrian suddenly asked his intern secretary assistant, shifting his gaze from the clouds outside the airplane window.

"What’s wrong?" Ivanka, absorbed and slightly distracted while flipping through the magazine in front of her, looked up puzzled.

Her white mini dress and yellow jacket were a typical Ivanka style, which complemented her demeanor well.

"The schedule, Emma is not that simple of a little girl; she is daring yet has a sense of measure, sometimes it seems she has crossed the line, but in reality, she has only come close to it. Therefore, if we don’t leave enough time for buffering, she will keep pestering indefinitely," Adrian lazily said.

This was on the flight to London. Considering "Erin Brockovich" was making great progress, Adrian had rewarded the crew with two days off after four weeks of shooting. Then he had arranged a private jet to London because of the child actors and various other reasons. The first "Harry Potter" movie was still in production, expected to wrap up in early June, followed by at least six months of post-production.

As the one who had discovered the series, it made sense for Adrian to frequently visit; the entire Harry Potter series, which was worth billions of dollars in value, must be tightly held in his hands. It was this series that had convinced Claude to take action on acquiring Hasbro.

A well-developed group naturally forms a semi-closed industrial chain internally, which can withstand most risks. AC Media’s industrial chain was almost complete, including just a small part, like toy manufacturing. Everyone knew that merchandising for animations and games was the most profitable, especially for popular animations and games which often earned many times more than the games themselves.

Pixar, under AC Media, was a leader in animation films, Blue Sky Studio was doubling its efforts, and several game studios were also producing notable works. After all, the money from children, young people, and... otakus was the easiest to earn, so owning a toy manufacturing company was worthwhile under any aspect.

Hasbro had previously collaborated with AC Media, and for various reasons, they had become a target. Adrian and Claude had intended this as early as 1998, but back then they lacked funds, and Hasbro was doing well financially with little intention of selling, hence the delay in taking action.

However, rumors this year suggested that Hasbro might be facing losses. The release of the first "Star Wars Prequel" last year made them expect a sales surge in Star Wars toys, prompting them to expand several factories’ sizes, but the outcome seemed not as good. Although they went public last year—making the cost of acquisition potentially higher than before—AC Media’s funds had also substantially increased. This situation presented a perfect opportunity.

This acquisition wouldn’t cost much, with Hasbro’s current market value around four billion dollars, roughly equivalent to its actual assets. Even in a hostile takeover, the cost wouldn’t exceed this figure by much.

Furthermore, Dark Horse Comics was also under consideration for acquisition. Though AC Media already owned Marvel, this comic company, established in ’86, had managed to hold its ground and expand between DC and Marvel, subtly possessing the momentum of America’s third-largest comic company. In fact, their growth strategy was simple: produce comic book adaptations for popular movies.

"Alien," "Terminator," "Star Wars," and many others’ comic editions were produced by them, including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Resident Evil," and "The Expendables." Marvel intended to handle the latter two, even finishing character sketches, props, and scene designs, but several of Marvel’s authors protested, claiming this treated them like third-rate comic artists.

Alright, there was some truth in that. While Dark Horse’s scale was considerable, its reputation in the industry wasn’t great since its works were mostly movie comic adaptations, although it also had some original authors, which was a later development that didn’t change people’s opinions.

Therefore, the comic edition of "The Expendables" was ultimately entrusted to Dark Horse Comics. They were indeed professionals in this area, and after its release, it gained popularity. Coupled with the well-produced "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Adrian straightforwardly handed over the comic adaptation of "Resident Evil" to them as well. Upon further consideration, incorporating Dark Horse Comics might supplement the industry chain well, especially since they owned some commercial value in original works.

Sure, Dark Horse Comics and Hasbro were just tiny acquisitions costing insignificant amounts that wouldn’t impact Adrian and Claude’s main plan for the year. Yes, acquiring Universal Music, Hasbro, and Dark Horse Comics were just minor moves—their real target was another deal worth tens of billions, and the earlier, the better. Every night that passed, the cost of acquisition could increase significantly.

Okay, I digress—back to the Harry Potter industry chain. Starting with hiring a private detective to find Rowling, Adrian had been eyeing this industry chain. The Harry Potter theme park was initially a small part of his grand plan, and though he acquired Universal Studios afterward, having such a theme park was never too much.

Thus, frequently traveling to London wasn’t a bad thing—of course, there was also the matter of Little Emma, who threatened over the phone that she’d strike and then come to the United States to find him if he didn’t visit soon. My God, how long had it been since he last left? She really was a troublemaker. Though Adrian knew Little Emma’s threat was mostly in jest, he decided to visit her since it was on the way.

Since he would return soon after arriving, Charlize suggested taking Ivanka along to assess her current capabilities.

Ivanka ultimately decided to stay, partly because she felt her revenge couldn’t be abandoned halfway, and Charlize had piqued her curiosity. She really wanted to know why some women would willingly stay by Adrian’s side, and what kind of man Adrian truly was, especially after getting to know the stories of Kate, Sarah, and Little Emma.

Many women are like that—once they become intensely curious about something, they can’t rest until they have figured it out. Of course, Charlize played a significant role in this decision, successfully shattering her fantasies while arousing her curiosity—truly an excellent partner. Adrian suddenly felt a bit reluctant to let her leave.

"Hmm... okay, but... despite that, I should meet her first and talk with her to know how to adjust, right?" Ivanka thought for a moment before saying so.

"Of course," Adrian nodded, "I’m just reminding you to be careful—Emma is a bit of a little devil in some ways."

"I will be careful," Ivanka nodded.

Seeing her still somewhat distracted, Adrian didn’t say more. Only those who have experienced Little Emma firsthand could understand the headache she could be.

"Sorry, Mr. Adrian," a voice rang in his ear at that moment.

"Thank you, Ali," Adrian immediately turned, allowing Ali Larter, dressed in a blue flight attendant uniform, to take away the cup in front of him.

"You know, Ali, you’ve gotten prettier since I last saw you," he then said cheerily.

"Really?" Ali immediately gave Adrian a flirtatious look, not minding Ivanka sitting next to him, though she quickly glanced at her with a puzzled expression—after all, it was always Charlize who traveled with Adrian.

But she left without asking anything—Adrian liked this about her, very aware of her boundaries, so he was also happy to agree to some of her modest requests.

"Speaking of which, we still have a few hours of flight time left, maybe we should find a more private place to talk," Adrian said cheerily, looking at Ivanka after taking his gaze off the departing Ali.

"No, no need," Ivanka made a motion to lean back, looking a bit nervous, "I still have... a lot to study."

"Alright, alright." Adrian didn’t press her, getting up and walking in the direction Ali had left, his intentions clear without saying more.

Ivanka couldn’t help but spit under her breath, then sighed softly.

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