After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future
Chapter 497 - 492: Playing with Princes for the Smile of a Beauty

In the afternoon, Lu Liang drove his sports car to East Hampton.

Initially, he had planned to take a car provided by the hotel, but on the way, he passed by a Ferrari dealership and impulsively bought an F12.

The price wasn't high, less than $1 million, making it the first sports car Lu Liang had bought himself.

Speeding along, he headed east from Manhattan and arrived at his destination in an hour and a half.

The scenery along the way was beautiful, as if filtered; blue sky, clear water, lush greenery—it truly lived up to the name of the most beautiful countryside.

The location where James was selling his mansion was even further than the Broadway Manor they had visited the previous night.

About five or six kilometers apart, Lu Liang could see Wilson's assistant Evel, standing at the intersection with a middle-aged man.

"Mr. Lu, Kamon had to deal with something urgent, so he asked me to take care of you today."

When she saw Emma in the passenger seat, she recognized her as the actress who had starred in American Horror Story, but she merely smiled slightly.

It was common for wealthy old men with large families to change girlfriends daily, especially since Lu Liang was still unmarried.

"Thank you, where can I park?" Lu Liang looked to the middle-aged man beside him, DC's CEO James Gunn, who was also the screenwriter and director of Dawn of the Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy.

"Mr. Lu, please follow me," Gunn said with a beaming smile, leading Lu Liang by jogging toward the mansion's parking lot.

Originally, he just wanted to sell his mansion and borrow a few more years from heaven to launch Justice League, aiming to rival the Avengers.

But after hearing that Lu Liang from the East showed some interest in DC, he flew overnight from Los Angeles.

"Mr. Lu, Miss Emma, let me show you around first."

Gunn, all smiles, started from the parking lot, introducing the entirety of the house. It covered an area of 3,200 square meters, had two stories, six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a lawn, and a pool.

The house was equipped with a Swiss security system, all windows were bulletproof, and there was also a 120-square-meter basement.

Past the rooms, the backyard opened onto a vast expanse of green water and silver sands, an unending beach that stretched for dozens of miles.

Even though it was winter and bitterly cold, many families still enjoyed playing by the seaside with their children.

Gunn took out a bottle of grape juice and several wine glasses, leading Lu Liang to his favorite balcony on the second floor.

"When I lacked inspiration, I would come here to rest and relax for a few days." He poured half a glass for everyone.

The balmy summer afternoons consisted of sea breezes, fine wine, scenic views—even just lying down felt therapeutic.

Lu Liang clinked glasses with Emma and took a sip, immediately savoring the fruity taste, "What do you think?"

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't even hesitate."

Emma, without a second thought and a face full of longing, seemed enchanted by the sea, which always had a way of inspiring desire.

Unfortunately, although she was born into a wealthy family and her family could easily afford several million dollars, they would never spend it on a mansion.

Mansions were luxurious but impractical, especially those by the sea; they were great for occasional stays but no one lived in them permanently.

Lu Liang chuckled, turning to Gunn, "Let's talk about the price."

James said, "Mr. Lu, the market price is $32 million, but I am eager to sell it for just $28 million."

Lu Liang turned to Evel, who gave a slight nod, and he smiled, "That's fine, go prepare the contract."

He hadn't researched the market or known the prices, but Evel was Wilson's assistant and definitely wouldn't cheat him over such a petty matter.

If there were to be any cheating, it had to be on a much bigger deal; just a couple of million dollars would be beneath his dignity.

Gunn, delighted by the response, hurried to prepare the contract, while Emma stood on the balcony, gazing dreamily out at the sea.

Lu Liang walked up behind her, embraced her waist, and whispered softly, "If you like it, we can stay here tonight."

"Mmm-hmm," she responded like the protagonist of Titanic, spreading her arms wide, feeling the ocean breeze, humming the tune of "My Heart Will Go On."

Soon, Gunn came with the contract, which Lu Liang photographed and sent to Huang Molin, who was in the city center. She was the legal director and very professional.

While waiting, Gunn suddenly looked at Emma as if he had just realized something and exclaimed, "Miss, didn't you once star in Rosen's Fake Family?"

Rosen Marshall was his good friend and a very famous comedic director in Hollywood.

Emma said with a bitter smile, "Director Gunn, I once auditioned for the role of Gamora."

Gunn suddenly realized and quickly explained, "Since the protagonist is white, Marvel required that the role of Gamora could only be played by someone of African descent,"

Worried that Lu Liang might not understand, he seemed to be explaining as well as mocking, "In recent years, film and television works must be diversified in terms of race; otherwise, it would hurt the fragile and pitiable self-esteem of black people."

Every director who wanted to make a good movie absolutely despised this unspoken rule.

It wasn't that black people couldn't play certain roles, but it had to be appropriate. The balance between black and white had to be achieved without the fear of being accused of racial discrimination.

Lu Liang smiled and did not delve deeper into the topic, because all conflicts essentially boiled down to class struggles.

Just like DiDi, unless something particularly severe happened, they always managed to shift the conflict between the driver and the passenger.

If DiDi represented the micro level, then at the macro level, most social conflicts were intentionally created.

He changed the subject and asked, "Director Gunn, wasn't DC acquired by Warner? Why do you still need to sell your property?"

"Although it was acquired, the only franchises that can compete with Marvel are Batman and Superman, and even these are far behind Iron Man and Spider-Man."

Gunn sighed, driven by capital, Warner Brothers was not like Disney, which could use box office failures to fill Disney Parks.

Facing failure, Warner would hardly give another chance, just slashing the budget repeatedly until there was no profit, effectively shelving it.

DC wanted to rise again and had to rely on launching the Joker and Joker Girl series.

Because Justice League had already been done, but the results weren't good, they shifted the concept to develop the villain series.

"The character of the Joker is indeed iconic, especially in the Batman trilogy directed by Nolan."

Lu Liang hadn't seen many DC movies, but he had watched the trilogy, and what stood out the most was the Joker.

Chaotic, disorderly, wreaking havoc without reason, as long as he could plunge the world into chaos, he was willing to die with a smile.

Seeing Lu Liang hesitate, Gunn quickly pressed on, targeting Emma, "Emma, are you interested in playing Joker Girl? I feel you would be very suitable. We start with a prequel web series, and if the reaction is positive, we'll make a film."

Emma was stunned, suddenly facing an unexpected opportunity; she instinctively looked towards Lu Liang, who smiled and said, "If it's suitable, give it a try."

He then looked at Gunn, "DC is launching these two series; how much more funding do you need? Let me see if I can help."

Gunn, squeezing his thigh and restraining his excitement, said, "Warner is only willing to invest 280 million US dollars, but a reboot needs at least 550 million US dollars. I personally plan to invest 50 million US dollars, currently, there's still a funding gap of 220 million US dollars."

Lu Liang smiled, "220 million US dollars is no problem, but the key is how many shares can Warner give me?"

He wasn't just investing in these two franchises, but entering the DC studio in the form of a capital shareholder.

However, Warner being DC's largest shareholder, whether he could enter and how much shares he could hold, Gunn couldn't decide.

"Mr. Lu, please wait a moment, I'll contact them right now." Overjoyed, Gunn walked aside to make a call.

Evel kindly reminded, "Mr. Lu, DC is valued very low; according to our research, it currently lacks profitability."

JPMorgan Chase had invested in Marvel Group and Disney Group; naturally, they wouldn't miss DC, Marvel's old rival.

However, they abandoned investing after their survey. Warner, like a playboy, had acquired it, shot a few movies, all failing to perform well, and was very resolute in adopting a laissez-faire policy towards DC.

Until good results were achieved, the budget would be gradually reduced each year, and if the money was insufficient, DC had to attract investment themselves.

"Investing in DC isn't necessarily about making money; we have a saying, 'creating a spectacle to make a beauty smile.'"

Lu Liang smiled, gently squeezing Emma's hand, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you as Joker Girl."

Emma, touched, didn't care about the presence of others, embraced him by the neck, and drew close to Lu Liang.

She whispered in his ear, "I'm going to style twin ponytails soon, one dyed blue, the other dyed red."

Lu Liang laughed silently, holding his beloved for a moment, then looked towards Evel, "What is your valuation of DC?"

King You of Zhou wasn't foolish; he was like Li Longji, both had specific goals. The best outcome was success, but failure allowed them to place all the blame on women, leaving behind a reputation for profound love.

"It should be 4.2 billion US dollars, Mr. Lu, please hold on, I'll contact a colleague to send you the research report."

Evel sighed, no longer advising; after all, Lu Liang had money to be capricious if he wanted.