I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1119: A Warning?!]

As the guests began to trickle in, the hall of the Hearst mansion became increasingly lively.

Four women were chatting excitedly about the latest fashion trends, while Eric listened intently, occasionally chiming in. After a while, Aerin Lauder turned her attention back to Eric and said, "Eric, do you find it dull listening to us women talk about these things?"

"Not at all! I find everything I'm unfamiliar with very fascinating. It can spark a lot of inspiration," Eric replied.

Aerin thought Eric was being polite. "Really?"

"Of course it is," chimed in Cindy, who glanced at Eric before continuing, "Otherwise, how do you think he comes up with all those movie ideas? Aerin, one day you might realize that something you say tonight will actually show up in a film."

Aerin finally believed it and joked, "Oh, then I'll have to be careful with my words."

At that moment, Delphina Arnault interjected, "Eric, since that's the case, do you have any inspiration right now?"

Eric often found that certain things triggered memories in his mind without realizing Cindy would be so perceptive about it. It seemed many people around him shared the same view.

However, that was perfectly fine with him.

With this thought, Eric shook his head and laughed, "Right now, I have no inspiration. You see, in front of beautiful women, a man's thinking tends to slow down, especially with four gorgeous women here."

Just as he was joking, William Hearst III approached with a guest, none other than Warren Buffett.

Seeing Buffett made Eric's head spin; the old man had been calling him constantly over the past few days about Clover Fund matters.

"Eric, while everyone knows you're quite popular with the ladies, you can't completely ignore us old guys, can you?" William teased as he gestured to his side, "Warren happens to be in New York, so I doubt I need to introduce him."

"Of course," Eric nodded and replied, "But, William, you can't consider yourself an old guy at all."

Though Eric had never paid close attention to William's age, he could tell that William was definitely under fifty, still in the prime of his life.

William laughed heartily, giving Eric's shoulder a friendly pat, "Well then, you and Warren should talk."

The other women who stood with William understood that Buffett and Eric needed to discuss business and politely walked away.

...

Warren Buffett had recently been caught up in a feeling of losing control.

Ever since he had seen the technology stock portfolio of the Clover Fund last year, Buffett, who had a remarkable sensitivity to numbers and an amazing memory, had committed that series of data to memory.

With the tech stock market continuing to explode, questioning the total value of Clover Fund's tech holdings became increasingly nerve-racking for Buffett. Given his conservative nature, he would certainly have liquidated that batch of tech stocks, which had already gained far beyond expectations, when the Nasdaq index approached 3000 points, and then sat back to watch the storm unfold.

Now, even though Berkshire Hathaway had only a 5% stake in Firefly Group, the total value of Clover Fund's tech stocks was overwhelming. He often found himself anxious at the thought that he could wake up to find over a billion dollars in dividends simply obliterated.

What frustrated him further was that Eric had become increasingly tight-lipped about any tidbits regarding the Clover Fund.

Instead of taking a seat at the nearby table as Eric had invited him to, Buffett pulled him towards the window, cautiously scanning the surroundings before whispering, "Eric, I am only going to ask you one question about the Clover Fund. Just give me an answer, and I promise I won't ask again, okay?"

Eric understood exactly what Buffett wanted to know and shook his head. "Warren, if someone wanted to know when Berkshire Hathaway was trading its stocks, would you tell them?"

The answer was obvious; Buffett had always remained tight-lipped about any investment actions by Berkshire Hathaway. Typically, news would only surface after a deal was finalized. To avoid having targets leverage Berkshire Hathaway's reputation to inflate their price, Buffett often gave targets a very brief consideration period, lasting only a couple of hours after a transaction proposal -- certifying either acceptance or rejection.

Eric held firm to his stance, making Buffett look a bit disgruntled. "Eric, just one thing: tell me, have you started selling?"

"Warren, do you really want me to lie to you?"

"Alright, Eric, I just hope you know what you're doing. And I want to remind you not to be too greedy; you really don't need to take any risks now."

"Of course! But, Warren, I still stand by what I've always said: If you really need cash, I can always buy back the shares of Firefly Group that Berkshire Hathaway holds."

For a moment, Buffett almost considered agreeing to that.

However, that thought vanished just as quickly as it appeared, and the old man shook his head once more.

Berkshire Hathaway had never been a speculative investment firm. Buffett's philosophy was always about generating returns through long-term ownership.

In recent years, while the common belief was that Firefly Group had hit a development bottleneck, Buffett recognized that even without mentioning the series of valuable assets under Firefly Group continuing to appreciate in value or its stable and ample profits, there were the projects Firefly was pushing forward: the Firefly Cinemas theme park initiative, the '4200' plan, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe project. If even one or two of these proved successful, it could elevate Firefly Group to a new level.

Moreover, he had learned that Firefly Group would likely expand into the cable operator business, and if that plan were executed, the company might undergo a spectacular leap in scale.

How could Berkshire Hathaway afford to let go of such a vibrant media company with a competitive edge in Hollywood?

...

Just as Eric and Buffett stood in a silent standoff, a cheerful voice cut through. "Hey, Warren, I heard you were here. Oh, and Eric, I've been looking forward to meeting you."

Turning around, Buffett shook hands with the newcomer, a middle-aged man, and smiled at Eric as he introduced him. "Eric, this is Henry Paulson, CEO of Goldman Sachs."

Eric also smiled, extending his hand to the slightly balding man. "Hello, Mr. Paulson."

Henry Paulson gripped Eric's hand firmly, saying, "Eric, just call me Henry."

Eric nodded, but couldn't help but gather what he remembered about Henry Paulson. The first thought that crossed his mind was a different Paulson -- the John Paulson who brilliantly rose to fame during the subprime mortgage crisis. But then he recalled that Henry Paulson had served as the Secretary of the Treasury around that same time.

After exchanging pleasantries and chatting with Buffett for a bit, Henry Paulson turned to Eric. "Eric, Goldman Sachs is planning to go public soon. Are you interested in investing?"

Without a second thought, Eric shook his head, "I'm really sorry, Henry. I don't quite understand that yet."

Eric had already caught wind of Goldman Sachs' impending IPO; this prestigious Wall Street investment bank, in operation for 130 years, was set to list on the New York Stock Exchange in May, officially becoming a publicly traded company.

Undoubtedly, both Wall Street and Hollywood were places where one could rise to fame overnight -- prime shortcuts to achieving the American dream.

In the first few years after his rebirth, Eric still held a certain allure for Wall Street, inspired by many of his past memories.

But now, his attitude toward Wall Street had shifted entirely to one of respect from a distance; after all, Wall Street was primarily a den of greedy wolves who would do anything to chase profit without ethical standards or morals. If you weren't a powerful enough tiger yourself, your past collaborators could quickly become fodder for those predatory wolves.

Participating in Goldman Sachs' IPO surely sounded like a fine deal, yet doing so would undoubtedly lead to unnecessary speculation from Wall Street, particularly from Morgan Stanley.

The Firefly network had always maintained a relatively good relationship with Morgan Stanley. While that connection was fundamentally based on mutual interest, as long as Morgan Stanley didn't initiate any reckless actions, Eric wouldn't mind sustaining that beneficial relationship. After all, the Firefly network would focus increasingly on actual businesses, meaning they wouldn't need to engage with Wall Street very often.

"That's all right," Henry Paulson remained smiling, "but Eric, I still hope you'll think it over."

Eric nodded, "Of course."

"Additionally," Henry Paulson slightly tempered his smile, his keen gaze intently fixed on Eric, though his tone remained casual. "Eric, I've heard that Firefly Electronics recently implemented an equity incentive program?"

Eric picked up on certain subtle shifts in Paulson's demeanor but kept his response nonchalant, merely nodding slightly.

Sensing that Eric wasn't straightforwardly intimidated by the pressure he had unintentionally exerted, Henry Paulson felt a mix of disappointment and acceptance. He continued, "So, Eric, does Firefly Electronics have intentions of going public?"

"Not at the moment," Eric shook his head, "Firefly Electronics doesn't lack for funding right now."

"Eric, you should know that most companies that go public aren't exactly in need of capital, much like Goldman Sachs," Henry Paulson suddenly shifted to a joking tone. "Honestly, I'm not too keen on Goldman Sachs going public either. But if we continued down the route of being privately held, my team of eager young stockholders would turn on the company in a heartbeat. Sometimes, even if we ourselves aren't seeking more wealth, we must consider how others feel."

Listening to Paulson's comments, Eric outwardly nodded in agreement while internally he felt a chill. Despite appearing to be a brash twenty-eight-year-old, he was no fool; he clearly understood Paulson's insinuations about others' perceptions of him.

After all, some people were displeased with his 'youngster with a mountain of gold' demeanor.

With over $300 billion in wealth, Eric's presence was undeniably conspicuous.

Take Firefly Electronics alone; since its founding, it had exploded onto the scene with nearly $1 billion in annual profits in just a few short years. How could that not incite envy among many?

In North America, there were hardly more than a hundred companies achieving annual profits of that magnitude, and considering Firefly Electronics' speed of market expansion, the company's potential was far from fully realized.

After Henry Paulson finished speaking, he maintained his gaze on Eric for a moment, then smiled at Buffett, who displayed a hint of surprise, raised his glass, and turned to leave.

...

Once Paulson had moved on, Buffett hesitated for a moment before quietly saying, "Eric, you know, having Firefly Electronics go public might be a good option. Remember, your company..." He paused briefly to choose his words. "Your company faces significant antitrust risks."

There wasn't an obvious causal link between going public and antitrust risks, but Buffett's point was clear.

Eric was taken aback that Buffett would take the initiative to remind him and nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Warren. I understand."

Buffett assessed Eric with a scrutinizing gaze, nodded slightly, then added, "In that case, come meet some old friends with me. Eric, whether you like it or not, you should attend gatherings like this more often. For people like us, expanding our network can never hurt."

The rest of the party went by with Eric feeling somewhat pensive.

...

After escorting the two women back to Cindy's apartment on 75th Street, Eric sent them off to rest and slipped into the study Cindy had prepared specially for him.

Time passed unnoticeably until someone gently knocked on the door. Eric, wearing headphones and gripping his mouse, looked up to see Cindy standing in the doorway in her pajamas, smiling at him.

Cindy stepped in, glanced at his computer screen, and noticed Eric was playing a shooting game.

"Isn't it sad? Our attraction isn't even as captivating as a video game anymore."

Feigning disappointment, Cindy affectionately settled on Eric's lap.

"Linda is asleep?"

"Yeah, didn't you notice the time?"

Eric turned his head to check the time in the lower right corner of his computer screen, realizing it was already past 2 a.m. He removed his headphones and tossed them aside, wrapping his arms around Cindy and pulling her closer to face him.

The leather chair was spacious, but with the armrests in the way, Cindy managed to settle into a slightly awkward kneeling position on Eric's lap. Her hands braced against his shoulders as she felt his hands sliding down her waist. He lifted the hem of her nightgown, raising it up, prompting her to respond by playfully raising her hands.

Letting him explore her body, she gasped slightly, then moments later, she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Eric, do you have something on your mind?"

Eric paused for just a second, then nodded slightly, adding, "Speaking of which, what's the deal with that Patty Hearst you mentioned at the party? Can you tell me about it?"

"Are you still thinking about that little girl?" Cindy chided lightly, aware he was changing the topic, but she still answered softly, "That's got to be from 1974."

*****

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