I am Hollywood

Chapter 595: Chapter 596: The Procrastinator

Chapter 595: Chapter 596: The Procrastinator

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[Chapter 596: The Procrastinator]

Bright and early the next morning, all the major newspapers in America buzzed with the news that Eric had met with Buffett again and preliminarily reached a merger agreement. Since it was the expanded weekend edition, the Los Angeles Times devoted a significant amount of space to Firefly Films.

Eric read the paper while enjoying his breakfast when he heard a slight commotion at the entrance of the dining room. He turned to see Kate, wearing nothing but a loose white men's shirt, appear at the door.

Eric realized that women didn't just randomly find his clothes to wear; it was more about the fact that they often donned formal gowns before spending the night at the Manor. Evening dresses certainly showcased a woman's allure, but they weren't always the most comfortable for everyday wear. So, after waking up, women often sought out his clothes to wear.

Kate noticed Eric staring at her long legs beneath the shirt and instinctively slowed her pace to cover up her slightly awkward steps.

When she finally sat down at the dining table, she let out a sigh of relief. The memory of Eric thoroughly exhausting her last night ignited a little flame of anger in her, but she quickly recalled the events of the party. Spotting the newspaper in Eric's hands, she asked nervously, "Eric, does the paper mention anything about last night?"

Eric knew exactly what she was referring to and responded with a mischievous grin, "Yeah, it's all over the front page."

Kate's heart raced as she quickly snatched a copy of the paper next to Eric, flipping through several pages, relieved to find no mention of their intimate moments at the party. She shot Eric an annoyed glare.

Eric got up and headed to the kitchen, bringing back breakfast he'd set aside for Kate. He delivered it to her with a reassuring remark, "Don't worry, there are no photos, so no mainstream media will report on it. Even if those third-rate tabloids catch wind of it, they'll think twice about the consequences. It'll only circulate in our circle, if anything."

As Kate relaxed a bit, she picked up a piece of toast, ready to eat. However, Eric's last comment made her raise her head again. "So many people know; they will definitely talk behind our backs."

"Let's consider it from a different angle," Eric said as he sat back down, picking up the newspaper again. "This actually won't hurt you at all, will it?"

Of course, having such a powerful backing from Eric wouldn't harm her; it could potentially take her acting career to new heights. But after pondering it for a moment, Kate still felt a bit uneasy. However, she didn't want to delve deeper into thoughts that she couldn't fully understand, especially after last night's "workout" had left her starving. She quickly dismissed everything and focused on her breakfast.

Eric observed the changing expressions on Kate's face, his smile widening.

The news wouldn't damage Kate's reputation or career. After all, despite being at the top of the Hollywood pyramid, Eric wasn't one of those old guys in their fifties or sixties. He was around the same age as Kate, and most people hearing about their relationship would only envy her.

However, there would be some impact. Importantly, the moment people learned about Eric and Kate's relationship, many men would think twice before trying to pursue her.

Kate spread jam on her bread, inadvertently lifting her gaze to see the grin on Eric's face. Her intuition told her that his expression was related to her, prompting her to ask warily, "What bad idea are you up to?"

Eric replied with a laugh, "You called it a bad idea; when have you ever seen a normal villain casually reveal his plans?"

Kate snorted softly, hastening her eating. She quickly finished her breakfast and, glancing at the empty plates in front of both herself and Eric, she hesitated but eventually got up to start clearing the table.

Upon returning to the dining room, she found Eric had opened his laptop and was looking at something.

She took her seat again, and seeing that Eric didn't initiate conversation, Kate grabbed the newspaper and flipped through it absentmindedly.

She came across an article discussing how the FCC might investigate the merger between Firefly and ABC for antitrust concerns. The author's tone was alarmist, implying that a merger between Firefly and ABC was unlikely.

At first, Kate felt a bit schadenfreude but quickly chastised herself for it. She reached out and lightly tapped Eric, handing him that page of the paper. "Eric, is this true?"

Eric glanced at it, having already read it. "It is, and it isn't."

"Could you avoid being so vague? It's quite ungentlemanly."

"Alright, since you want to know," Eric beckoned Kate to sit beside him. "This article states that the biggest obstacles to Firefly acquiring ABC are internal within ABC. However, the two main obstacles, Warren Buffett and Tom Murphy, have already agreed to the deal. They control 40% of ABC's shares, and with other shareholders leaning towards Firefly, the proportion supporting the merger exceeds 51%. Thus, that point is null."

After hearing Eric explain, Kate sensed her own disinterest in the subject. However, since she had brought it up, she pointed at the article and pressed on, "What about the FCC's antitrust investigation?"

"Definitions of monopoly under federal antitrust law can often be quite fuzzy. Ninety percent of industry giants, when they reach a certain level, will exhibit some borderline monopolistic behavior. That's unavoidable. As long as no one raises a fuss, government agencies seldom proactively hunt for trouble. Most antitrust investigations originate from rival firms trying to suppress their competition, which requires considerable funds and connections to initiate. If we're talking about lawsuits, Firefly certainly isn't short on funds. And as for connections -- Firefly currently spends over half a million a year on government consulting and political contributions. ABC does the same. Moreover, the merger between Firefly and ABC doesn't violate federal antitrust laws. Even if someone comes forward to stop it, they can only delay things. They wouldn't gain anything while creating two powerful enemies for themselves. I doubt anyone would want to undertake such a fruitless endeavor."

Kate nodded slightly, unsure if she wanted to continue discussing the topic. Just then, the laptop emitted a series of beeping sounds resembling a pager.

Eric looked over, surprised to see a chat window had appeared on the computer screen without him noticing.

Suddenly, a line of text popped up in the chat box: "This is the test version. I've installed it for you; give it a try!"

Staring at the name "Steve" in the dialogue box for a moment, Eric felt a flicker of joy that Steve Mitnick had finally created the instant messaging software, followed almost immediately by a curse for the hacker. He quickly typed back, "You hacked into my computer. Don't you think that's rude?"

"Oh, sorry, I just thought it would be more convenient to install it this way."

Eric detected no real apology in that remark and helplessly took the mouse to explore the software's features. After proposing his concept for instant messaging, he had sent Steve various information from his memory. At that moment, though the interface of the instant messaging software was quite rudimentary, the functionality was already impressive, featuring account levels, user information settings, simple emojis, email integration, and chat groups, all running smoothly. Steve Mitnick, while a procrastinator, displayed top-tier

technical skills.

Kate watched closely as Eric interacted with Steve Mitnick, curious about the software. "What is this?" she asked.

"A chat software," Eric replied. "With this, you can text chat with friends who are in different

locations."

"Oh," Kate perked up, intrigued. She reached out with her small hand and typed "Hello" on the keyboard, mimicking Eric's earlier actions as she pressed the Enter key. She eagerly stared at the window, waiting for a response like a child discovering a new toy.

Steve Mitnick soon replied, "What does this mean?"

Eric typed back, "My woman is saying hi to you."

Just as Kate was about to protest Eric's phrasing, Steve replied again, "Oh, I heard you have

quite a few women."

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Eric quickly caught Kate's hand as it reached for his waist, soothingly patting it. He thought to himself: Can't he read the room?

Indeed, the heavy procrastinator on the other end demonstrated some social awareness: "Sorry, that came out wrong. Is your woman not angry?"

Kate pulled her hand back, rolling her eyes at Eric before clumsily typing, "I'm very angry."

There was a brief silence from the other end before he replied, "I'm very sorry."

Eric didn't want their exchange to continue in such a mundane manner. He seized the

keyboard and swiftly typed to Steve Mitnick, "Since the software is ready, let's get the promotion plan rolling, and I'll send you my thoughts intermittently."

"This is just a test version. I think we should wait until June to officially promote it."

"Are there any issues?"

"Many issues. Though we've made a lot of improvements, it still has plenty of bugs. I've already discovered at least a dozen ways to break this software's encryption system."

"I can't think of a single way, so don't assume everyone shares your twisted mindset. There

are still more normal people out there."

"I'm not twisted!"

"I'm not debating that with you. Get the promotion plan done within a month. And don't forget to register the patent. As for those bugs you mentioned, we'll fix them gradually. There are no perfectly flawless software solutions out there."

"Okay," Steve Mitnick conceded, "I'll have them work on the promotion plan. By the way, you mentioned coming to Boston for a chat. When are you coming?"

"Are you following the news?" "Yeah, I saw you attended the Golden Globe Awards. I happened to catch it."

"That was over a month ago," Eric sighed, "I'm quite busy right now. Maybe next month."

"Let's stick to next month," he replied, then added, "Oh, I just glanced at the Yahoo homepage and now I know what you've been busy with."

After wrapping up with Steve Mitnick, Eric opened his email to find that Allen had sent over

his schedule.

"I have a flight at 3 PM," Eric pointed to the schedule on the screen and told Kate.

"I think I have something to do today, too," Kate instinctively stood up.

Eric shook his head, pulling Kate back down into her seat. "You can't even walk straight. What

else do you have to do?"

Kate blushed as she playfully hit Eric's arm. "This is all your fault."

"Of course, I didn't deny that," Eric chuckled. "Last night you said you wanted a beautiful

beachside villa. How about I have them send you some listings, and you can choose?"

"No thanks," Kate decisively rejected. "I'd rather go back and live with Charlie."

Eric nodded, "Alright then."

Kate was momentarily taken aback. She had thought Eric would certainly try to convince her otherwise, but she was surprised at how easily he brushed off the topic. A tinge of disappointment crept into her heart, but she managed not to show it on her face. They spent the morning at the villa, and in the afternoon, Eric left Kate to rest while he

boarded a flight to New York.

After Warren Buffett and Tom Murphy reached a compromise, the ABC acquisition faced no further hurdles. The ABC board approved the deal the following day.

During the previous negotiation process, both parties had agreed on many details, so once the

deal was approved, there were no remaining issues between ABC and Firefly. They jointly submitted an application to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Thanks to extensive preparations, the FCC quickly approved the transaction. However, Firefly would need to divest some of the television operations that originally belonged to Disney.

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