Soon, another week passed.
During this week, Mike took the time to go to Columbia University to complete his withdrawal procedures, becoming a truly free man.
On the other side, Paige also left school and set up an intelligent laboratory on the third floor of the luxurious villa.
It was specifically used to research her first generation of intelligent robots.
"Mike, the style for our third album hasn't been decided yet.
Summer is almost here, what do you think we should do?" In the luxurious villa, Regina, along with her two close friends, pestered the "idle" Mike.
The great success of the girls' first two albums had already made The Plastics the hottest female group of the moment.
However, like all stars who achieve overnight fame, the girls' careers had reached a bottleneck.
And King Agency, which was not confident in helping the girls create a third classic album, was already considering having them venture into the film and television industry.
They were trying to maintain The Plastics' popularity by changing their career path.
But the girls weren't very interested in acting, so they found the currently free Mike and asked him for help.
"Your group has been popular for two years, and the audience is almost at the point of 'aesthetic' fatigue," Mike analyzed seriously for the girls.
"If you want to maintain your status, or even go further, then your third album needs to go the golden oldies route.
Sing some timeless good songs like 'Scarborough Fair'..."
The girls' group had, in fact, touched the threshold of A-list stars, but if they wanted to become superstars, they still had a long way to go.
During this period, they still needed many good works to accumulate.
Regina and the two other girls obviously knew this, so they all looked at Mike eagerly.
They were like chicks waiting to be fed.
"No, does your company not have any arrangements?" Although being trusted by pretty girls felt good, and Mike indeed had many good songs suitable for the girls.
But pushing a girl group to the "superstar" throne was not as simple as just having good works; group style, persona, popularity, etc., all needed strict control.
"The company doesn't have good songs and plans to make us transition, trying to participate in some episodic dramas first," Regina seized the opportunity to complain, clearly not very interested in acting.
Beside her, Karen and Gretchen were in similar situations.
However, this was also understandable; none of the three girls had systematically studied performance, and suddenly developing a new path now could easily deplete the popularity they had painstakingly accumulated over the past two years.
"Then your company is really messing around..." Mike shook his head.
It's not that the girls couldn't act; after all, they were all so beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with singing if they were good at acting.
But the timing was very wrong now.
The girls had just established themselves in the singing field with two quality albums.
Instead of quickly stabilizing their position in the music scene with a third album, they were hastily changing career paths, which was illogical.
Of course, it was also possible that because the girls had only signed a four-year contract with the agency, and now only a little over a year remained, the company wanted to speed up monetization and seize the opportunity to make more money.
If that were truly the case, then Miracle Company would be too unethical.
It should be known that the girls' rapid rise in popularity over the past two years had little to do with them.
To put it bluntly, the agency had only provided the girls with an initial stage, and their remaining role was almost negligible.
And the girls' explosion in popularity over the past two years had already brought considerable benefits to the company.
For Miracle Company, it was like making money by just sitting there.
Yet now, they were resorting to a "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" operation.
Whether it was a lack of ability or malicious means, either way.
In short, Mike had a very bad impression of the current Miracle Company.
"Mr. Lundy somehow found his way downstairs and said he wanted to see you..." Just then, Lina, who stayed in the villa as a "little nanny," came to the living room on the third floor.
"Mr. Lundy? The drama club teacher from high school?" Mike, whose thoughts were interrupted, asked.
"Yes, he looks quite anxious..." Lina nodded.
Mr. Lundy had resigned from his job as the drama club teacher at Medford High three years ago and came to New York alone to try and break into the directing industry.
However, three years had passed, and it seemed there had been no significant progress.
"Come on, let's get Paige, and we'll go see Mr. Lundy." Mike's attitude towards this old acquaintance, the drama club teacher, was quite warm.
So, pulling Paige, who was reluctant to leave the laboratory, the group came downstairs to the luxurious villa.
At the entrance, Mr. Lundy, standing in front of a refurbished used sports car, was admiring the luxurious villa with envy.
Owning a detached villa in the heart of Wall Street was a lifelong dream for many middle-aged people.
"Oh, you're Regina, Gretchen, and Karen.
The Plastics has been so popular these past two years.
And your songs are very good." Like a middle-aged man whose edges had been smoothed by life, Mr. Lundy smiled and greeted them as the villa's main gate opened.
Unexpectedly seeing the three star of The Plastics there, he praised them profusely.
"You're Paige, you're getting more and more beautiful, I almost didn't recognize you..."
Then, he recognized Paige, who had fully blossomed and whose beauty was no less than that of the three star Regina, and he continued with one witty compliment after another.
"Mike, you're also getting more and more handsome" Finally, Mr. Lundy looked at his target for this visit and tentatively opened his arms.
"Hello, Mr. Lundy," Mike smiled and hugged him, teasing, "You've certainly gained a lot of weight now."
Yes, Mr. Lundy was at least twenty pounds heavier now than he was three years ago.
His authentic brown suit was almost unable to cover his beer belly.
"Being able to eat is a blessing, I've indeed gained a lot of weight." Seeing the other party tease him, Mr. Lundy laughed heartily in response.
After some pleasantries, Mike led Mr. Lundy into the villa.
"Is there something you need me for?" In the reception room on the third floor, after snacks and drinks were laid out, Mike asked.
"It's like this, I recently heard that a Hollywood director is preparing a big movie.
Originally, I wanted to ask you to audition for the male lead in that movie, since you're so handsome..." Mr. Lundy said, his mood slowly sinking.
"But now it seems you might not be interested."
This Mr. Lundy, when he was still a drama teacher at Medford, had thought highly of Mike's performance talent.
When he left school three years ago, he even specifically left Mike many professional books on performance.
However, times had changed; looking at the luxuriously decorated villa in front of him, Mr. Lundy realized that Mike might not necessarily need to make a living from performance.
Furthermore, Mr. Lundy himself, when he came to New York three years ago, threw himself into the directing career with great enthusiasm, but after only a few months of study, he found himself so poor that he couldn't even afford to eat.
Fortunately, during his most difficult time, he received assistance from a relative who dealt in used cars, which saved him from starving to death in New York.
Then, for a living, he also started a used car business with his relative.
However, he never gave up his pursuit of art.
So, upon hearing that a famous director was loudly raising funds for a new movie, he got excited again.
But without connections, he couldn't get into the crew, which made him think of Mike, who was studying in New York.
Yes, Mr. Lundy only knew that Mike had been admitted to Columbia University, but he didn't know that the other party was the behind-the-scenes boss of King Investment Group.
This was also why he was so surprised when he saw Mike's luxurious villa earlier.
The poor student he imagined had become a rich man.
Mr. Lundy estimated that his dream of becoming a star agent might also be shattered.
His intention before coming to see Mike was to first become Mike's agent and then enter the crew together with him.
"A big movie? What's its name?" Mike, who didn't have the habit of using mind-reading on his own people, didn't know that Mr. Lundy, sitting across from him, had thought so much.
"Titanic. It's based on a true story and is currently in the preparation stage. It is said that Director Cameron will recruit actors nationwide. If you're willing to audition, you will definitely be able to secure the role of the male lead..." Mr. Lundy seemed to regain his spirits when talking about the new movie, perhaps still wanting to give it another try.
He had specifically gone to Columbia University campus to find Mike before, and after not seeing him, he made many inquiries to find out Mike's address.
The difficulty involved in this was considerable.
"Is Titanic already in preparation? The timing seems about right..." Mike organized the information in his mind.
If he remembered correctly, this movie was filmed in 1996 and released in 1997, so there should still be a few years left until now.
However, it is said that Cameron prepared this movie for about six years, so if calculated this way, the timing is about right.
"How about it? Although the remuneration for the male and female leads in this film is not high, it will definitely make you famous. Do you want to consider it?" Mr. Lundy began his persuasion.
"Fame?" Mike pondered. This film indeed had many exploitable aspects.
For example, the ending song, eternal love, is very classic and could be sung by The Plastics.
Moreover, the copyright of this film is also very profitable, continuing to earn money for more than ten or twenty years.
As for fame...
Ever since Mike discovered that his extraordinary level could not be improved, he noticed that fame could provide him with Power of Faith.
As a one-time consumable, Power of Faith has no upper limit restriction and can be completely stored as a backup energy source.
But to be a star? Forget it.
In Mike's plan, once the internet becomes developed in a few years, he can shape himself into a successful entrepreneur through the internet, just like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
Becoming a national "idol" to collect Power of Faith would definitely be easier and more efficient than simply becoming a star to entertain everyone.
Of course, the prestige would also be higher.
"Let's forget about the audition..." Mike, who had made up his mind, looked at Mr. Lundy and said, "However, you can help me contact the crew to see if they are still short on funds."
Hearing the refusal, Mr. Lundy was already disappointed, but he didn't expect that he would have a day to represent capital. He excitedly asked, "How much can you invest?"
Although he knew that Mike, who owned a luxurious villa, probably wasn't short on money.
But Mr. Lundy was still a little worried. After all, making movies is very expensive, especially big productions. The cost can easily reach tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, which is not something ordinary people can handle.
"How much I can invest is not important; it mainly depends on how much funding the crew needs," Mike replied with a smile, looking very Versailles.
However, with hundreds of millions in assets from King Investment Group, he certainly had the confidence to say that.
"Okay, I'll help you contact the crew in a bit." Seeing the young man's confident look, Mr. Lundy also smiled.
"Then I'll trouble you," Mike responded, "If this investment goes through, I'll give you a surprise later."
Although Mike didn't plan to be a movie star, this didn't prevent him from investing in the entertainment industry.
Coupled with the terrible situation of The Plastics' three girls' agency, Mike decided to set up a comprehensive King Agency himself.
Signing actors, singers, directors, and other related businesses could all be attempted.
Didn't Mr. Lundy want to be a director? If the situation was suitable, Mike wouldn't mind providing him with an opportunity to be a director.
...
Mr. Lundy did not disappoint. In just one week, after traveling alone around Los Angeles, he brought good news back to Mike.
Fox Company was willing to allow outsiders to invest. As long as Mike invested one hundred million in Titanic, he could get forty percent of the film's revenue.
Fox Company is also an investment company, with its main business being investment in the entertainment and film industry.
"I think you need to consider it. One hundred million is still too much for making a movie." Mr. Lundy, who knew a bit about the film industry, didn't think the news he brought back was good news.
Of course, from the current market perspective, this was indeed the case.
In the early 1990s, one hundred million was not a small sum. To invest it in a movie and only get forty percent of the revenue, many people would probably find it hard to understand.
However, Mike was not among them.
A movie that grossed two billion at the box office within a year, investing one hundred million for forty percent of the revenue, would definitely make a lot of money no matter how you calculated it.
"Investing one hundred million is not a problem, but a forty percent share is too low." Of course, Mike would not refuse to earn more money.
To his knowledge, Fox Company's initial investment budget for this film was less than one hundred million. Now, they were clearly shifting the risk.
Since the other party wanted to gain something for nothing first, Mike didn't mind exploiting them a bit more.
"Forty percent is too little. And your company takes fifty-five percent of the revenue, how much do you plan to invest?"
In the later three-way video call, Mike confronted the representative of Fox Company.
The other party was an old white man, with a somewhat benevolent demeanor that was very deceptive.
"I also plan to invest one hundred million in the movie and be responsible for any future budget overruns," Morgan, with his silver hair, explained, then continued, "Of course, if you're not satisfied with the distribution ratio, I can give you another five percent. This is already my limit..."
Saying that, the old man even made a troubled expression.
In fact, Morgan's original true investment budget for this big movie was seventy-five million. Only after a new investor joined did he increase the movie budget.
However, in his plan, the final cost of this big movie should also be between one hundred ten million and one hundred seventy million.
And as the one responsible for the subsequent budget issues, he could save at least thirty million.
Being able to spend less money and earn more money, Morgan felt like he had won at least twice.
"OK, forty-five percent is still acceptable..." Mike nodded and continued, "You draft the contract first, and I will come to you in a few days."
If he remembered correctly, the final production cost of this big movie almost reached three hundred million.
Morgan, who was playing smart, thought he had made a profit, but in fact, this investment would almost drive him to bankruptcy later.
"Mr. Mike, is that right? I wonder if you're interested in being the male lead of this movie. Your appearance perfectly fits Jack's character setting..."
After the two investor bosses finished their discussion, Director Cameron, as the general director in the three-way video call, stared directly at Mike.
Whether it was his appearance or his demeanor, Mike was at the top tier, so the general director couldn't help but be tempted.
"I'm sorry, I'm not considering acting in movies right now," Mike shook his head and refused.
As a boss who could enjoy life comfortably, why would he suffer the hardships of filming? Was his life too sweet?
"This, alright! My apologies," Cameron said, "Then, when it's time to select the roles, I wonder if you could come and help oversee."
With such a super handsome template there, the male lead chosen then wouldn't be too bad.
"We'll see then!" Mike had no interest in continuing the idle chat.
After a couple more sentences, he hung up the video call.
And Mr. Lundy, who was staying by as a consultant, still felt a bit unreal until Mike ended the video call.
"One hundred million... just spent like that?" Mr. Lundy said in an uncertain tone, his voice trembling slightly from excitement.
It was at this moment that he gained a new understanding of Mike's wealth.
"To be precise, the money hasn't been spent until the contract is signed," Mike said with a smile. "By the way, I'm planning to open a "King Agency" recently. If you're willing, you can sign with my company."