Chicago 1990

'Illinois Governor Peter Fluke returned to Rice yesterday with his wife after signing a series of major business deals, while APLUS, who was accompanying him, is still stranded. The MIA interview team climbed more than 10 kilometers of the Great Wall to 'catch' him on a local tour, and then he talked about China's WTO accession negotiations all afternoon.'

"Of course I support it, the WTO family needs China, and the sooner the better."

The news screen showed Song Ya in a short dozen, being proudly flanked by bodyguards, its executives, people from the Rice Embassy, the 'Ministry of Commerce', Chinese police officers, local officials standing in front of the beacon pointing the way, with a vast number of Chinese people in the background who were separated from the crowd watching from afar.

"Have you talked to the Chancellor about this?" The reporter tried countless times to steer the conversation to the White House.

"No!"

Song Ya sternly interrupted, "I would like to represent myself, and the voice of part of the rice industry!"

"Who does this kid think he is?"

Universal Records President Doug Morris stole a glance at his boss, Bronfman Jr. Noticing that the other party's face was a bit gloomy, he immediately mocked and made a disdainful expression to turn off the TV, "BOSS, the people have arrived."

"Well."

Little Bronfman mood is indeed general, not because of the amazing exposure of Song Ya in recent days, what the White House restroom such wind in his eyes of this class are seen as a joke, the recent and PolyGram tug-of-war negotiations are very tough, he needs to prepare enough more ammunition, and the bank at such times posture is always very strong, begging for work he can be very rusty.

It can even be said that in the past two months he has suffered more trauma from the banking industry than in his previous life.

"Hello, Mr. Bronfman."

Of course, to him, the bank's people are certainly respectful in attitude, after the pleasantries to talk about the main topic, on the matter when it will say some uncomfortable words, "the record industry is now facing a cold winter, whether PolyGram or Universal, the situation is not good, about the post-merger earnings expectations ...... "

"We have no problems at Universal, the relevant statements I believe you have seen."

Doug Morris responded for his boss, "The current industry environment is instead a good time for mergers and acquisitions, and when we become the world's number one record company, we will have a greater scale effect and industry influence. The Digital Millennium Act will be passed again in the second half of the year, and the piracy problem, at least in developed countries, will be reversed to a great extent, and the spring of the record industry will come soon."

"Even if we get the legal provisions in the Digital Millennium Act that are favorable to the recording industry, the bulk of piracy is still in the physical realm at the moment, right? Those cheap CDs that can be transcribed by industrial assembly lines ......," countered a member of the sizeable delegation.

"That phenomenon has existed since the cassette era, and I don't think there's a fundamental difference between the two.

Doug Morris said, "Mr. Bronfman is a leader in the record industry's anti-piracy cause, and we've been very strong, and not long ago we worked with police around the country to break up a ring that reduced the piracy chain on the West Coast by about thirty percent, and we're getting stronger and stronger, and as you can see from the data, for headliners, physical record sales are not affected by piracy not as much, but rather in some countries and regions where piracy is rife, their exposure and popularity is expanding much faster than in earlier years."

"Haha, speaking of headliners, your new APLUS album is being released this year, right? Can you reveal the expected sales? He's a popular figure now."

The person who suddenly mentioned Song Ya, other colleagues laughed heartily, "I just came back from Latin America, he is quite well-known over there, whenever there is a soccer program, they will play that Spanish song he just released, what is it called?"

"The Cup of Life."

Doug Morris patted himself on the back in passing, "The boss did a good deal and a big favor for APLUS in this case, he hadn't been in the media for a long time at the time, had a tendency to overstay his welcome, and didn't have many genuine friends in the record business."

"Yes, yes, I heard you gave him the highest artist cut in the industry at 20.1 percent, which is zero.1 percent higher than MJ's contract with Sony Columbia? For that matter MJ is clamoring for Sony Columbia to honor the terms of his contract that matches the top singer contract?"

The man, not sure if it was homework done to provide financing or incidental information from eating melons from the White House restroom, excitedly went deeper into the conversation, "Mr. Bronfman, you've done a beautiful job of creating enough buzz for the APLUS comeback and spurring internal conflict among competitors. No one knows what it takes to attract attention like him."

The other members of the negotiating delegation laughed heartily.

What is this joyful atmosphere! Doug Morris noticed that Bronfman Jr. began to hold his hand at the corner of his brow and dazed, knowing that this was a customary gesture when his boss was impatient, he could not help but sweat on his forehead, "Let's talk about the acquisition of PolyGram, would your side be interested in joining the financing team?"

"Of course, otherwise we wouldn't have come."

The person who was very professional entered into the negotiation.

"APLUS, can you respond positively to Ms. Lewinsky's remarks?"

The reporter from the MiFID finally got impatient with Song Ya's Taiji kung fu and simply asked rudely and directly, then disliked the microphone to the other party's mouth.

"Uh, uh ......"

The rice people around him were restraining their laughter, and Song Ya gave the reporter a cross look, "A boring question."

"Didn't you deny it before? You said Ms. Lewinsky was a liar."

"Then why are you asking!?"

"I want to get your own confirmation."

"I'm not obligated to confirm anything, this is a private matter between me and Mimi, we were married at the time!"

"So, it does exist?"

"I didn't say that ......"

"Then you ......"

"I mean she and I have been red for so many years, there is no need to reply to every rumor for a long time, then we will be exhausted."

"So it's a rumor?"

"Do not try to lure me to give any affirmative answer, I know that now that lady's remarks in the rice ...... er domestic very sensitive!"

"It does not involve other people, we are only interested in the part that relates to yourself."

"Hey! Don't you guys do your job at MiL? Staring at the bathroom all day long!?"

Song Ya showed an irritated expression of being defended and reached out to poke the camera lens, "Stop filming, stop filming! This is the end of the interview!"

Los Angeles, Sherinfen saw the TV screen Song Ya's palm cover, skimmed to turn off the TV, "Where is the progress of the girl next door?" She asked Yeremov.

"The main actress audition has begun, I heard that to play opposite Little Lee, Hollywood girls are crazy, haha."

The resumes on Yeremov's desk were piling up, "Not only Hollywood, but many ordinary young girls are whimsically trying to get the opportunity."

"Oh?"

Sherinfen smiled and ruffled through the pile of resumes that Yeremov had placed separately, and soon saw Charisse's pretty face, picking it up and holding it in her arms, "I'll take this one."

"Charis is a good match, Shirin." Yeremov gathered his face to look at Shirinfen and warned, "She showed up in Devil's Advocate anyway, there's no pressure to act in R-rated movies, and now she has enough image and fame."

"She wants to rely on her own personal ability, and has personally stated her position to me and APLUS, so let her fight in Hollywood."

The previous posture is so high, and now you want to quietly curve to eat back? It's not that good! Xue Linfen sneered and replied.

"Well, how is the progress of your cold mountain side?"

The list of girl next door producers does not include Sherinfen, but Yeremov just knows that the boss is now spoiling for this woman again and did not insist any more, but hinted with a question that the other party should not cross the line again.

"Daniel is moving around, he's camping around." Sherinfen replied smugly, "The former Sony Columbia Records president has a lot of contacts."

"Well, you have to be careful to follow up too, we have a strong opponent."

"Oh yeah, Natasha Kinski asked me to ask for the audition results for her." Sherinfen added.

"She can't, old Larry says she's too pretty and doesn't look as old as she actually is to play the hero's mother, and she's a bit expensive for that role."

Yeremov replied. Song Ya's 'royal director' Larry Sr. shot and pounced on a $30 million rated production from Universal Pictures after the Soccer Euphoria hit, so as soon as he heard the Girl Next Door was Song Ya's script, he immediately rubbed his nose and came back to continue working for A+ Film Studio.

"OK, I'm just helping to ask."

Cheryl Finn didn't insist any more, really she thought she didn't know Natasha Kinski well, and helping to ask was already very good.

"Ms. Finn! What a coincidence, you are here to see Mr. Yeremov too?"

As soon as she stepped out of the A+ studio, she was accosted and complimented by a big name agent with an ulterior motive: "Wow, you're still so beautiful, if you ask me, the girl next door and the girl in Cold Mountain should both be yours. I don't need any casting."

"No, no, I don't act anymore."

Sherinfen smiled and waved her hand.

"That would be a major loss for Hollywood! It's a shame."

"It's not that dramatic."

"Remember that time? We almost worked together." The other side sighed and pulled up old friendships, "It's been almost ten years, alas, time flies."

"Is that so?"

It's okay not to say this, Xue Linfen was immediately triggered memories, back then the other party was so arrogant that he was looking at himself with his nose, now? Heh.

"Uh, where are you going?"

"A salon party at Mr. Daniel Glass's house, he just bought a house in Beverly Hills." Sherinfen didn't even stop.

"The former president of Sony Columbia Records, right? I know where he lives, just down the road, give you a ride?" The agent was hard to shake off once he got his hands on it, and his cheek was strangely thick.

"No need ......"

She pointed to the members of the Cold Mountain preparation team, personal assistants and chauffeur bodyguards who had gathered in the distance, "Bye?"

"Bye, oh yes, I have artists in hand auditioning for the girl next door ......"

Before the agent's words fell, Sherinfen had already closed the car door, "Go to Mr. Glass's house." She instructed the driver, incidentally tearing Charis's resume into pieces and stuffing it into her bag.

"Boss, they're gone."

Doug Morris over there, who had just dropped off the men, came back to report to Bronfman Jr.

"Simply stirring things up."

Bronfman Jr. looked at his watch with displeasure, "As if no bank would be willing to provide financing for the acquisition of PolyGram if I didn't take out Seagram's, cut! No good news all day!"

"Good news ...... does have one."

Doug Morris took the opportunity to say, "Littman Media has just revised its new share issue price again, lowering it by ten percent from the earlier pricing."

"Ha!"

Good news indeed, this equates to a loss of over sixty million dollars in Littman Media's valuation, and Bronfman Jr. gave a rare laugh, "This is what should happen when you condone piracy, of course, I'm not deliberately targeting anyone, I just believe that justice is bound to prevail."

"Of course, when the Digital Millennium Act passes, they still have a hurdle to cross ha."

Doug Morris laughed along with the words.

Naturally he wouldn't say that because of the 'East Hall restroom incident', APLUS was back active on the site causing Littman Media's pricing to drop less compared to previous Wall Street predictions, which would have put that number at more than 60 million, at least around 100 million dollars.

"Tired."

Bronfman Jr. stretched, "Help me put off my evening engagement at David Geffen's."

"Okay boss."

Doug Morris diligently drove him all the way to the car.

The driver tuned the radio to the financial station he had been listening to lately, 'APLUS just left a message on the forum saying ......'

"Change it." He was fed up with the recent bombardment of pervasive messages about this nuisance and ordered immediately.

'APLUS posted on the Amerika Music website announcing that he and a local TV station in China are close to a licensing joint venture agreement that would bring Littman Media's TV business into China in a curved, indirect way, which, if successful, would level the gains that News Corp. has spent more than a decade trying to achieve, leaving Viacom far behind! '

Another radio host was also saying excitedly, "This could be the real purpose of his new investment of tens of millions of rice dollars and donation of hundreds of millions of soft dollars during his trip to China!"

"Or maybe it's just a fake boon put out to save Littman Media's IPO."

Bronfman Jr. and the radio guest recited the same phrase.

"In any case he came later, and there is clearly more trust in APLUS with Chinese heritage over there than in Mr. Murdoch!" the host countered, "He does have a unique advantage and is very willing to spend money!"

"Will Wall Street buy it?" Bronfman Jr. once again echoed his guest's opinion.

"Absolutely it will!" The host's answer was categorical.

"Turn it off!"

Anyway, there was no one else in the car except the most trusted driver and himself. Bronfman Jr. was too lazy to maintain his aristocratic persona and suddenly roared in fury.