America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

At Warner Bros. Studios, Martin and Taylor entered the "John Wick" workshop.

The latter's agent was waiting in the foyer.

Upon seeing the dog led by Chad, Martin called out, "Daisy!"

The dog immediately tugged Chad toward them, and Martin took a bag of cookies out of his pocket, tossed one to Daisy, and introduced her to Taylor, "You know Chad, the director of the crew. This is Daisy, our star animal performer."

Once Daisy finished her cookie, she gazed at Martin with longing eyes. Martin was moved by her gaze and dumped the remaining cookies on the ground: "They're all for you."

Taylor leaned in and asked, "Do you like dogs?"

"Only other people's," Martin felt some issues might be catching as he rubbed Daisy's head, "Others' dogs can always be cuddled and played with at any time, but having your own is too much trouble."

Taylor always felt there was something off about that remark, yet couldn't put his finger on it. Following Martin's lead, he said, "I have a folded-ear cat named Menendez, I'll bring him for you to see when I have the time."

After Daisy finished the cookies, Chad handed her over to an assistant and said, "Let's start working."

The group left the foyer and entered the meeting room, where Louise, the producer, and the crew's composer also showed up.

The "John Wick" crew had signed a tentative contract with Taylor in New York, under which he would specially compose and perform the theme song for the film, with a fee so low it could be considered negligible.

Unlike Martin's inspiration from the previous night's rooster crowing, Taylor had been busy with the movie song for the past several months.

Both she and the big machinery of the record company behind her were clear that this was a good opportunity for self-promotion.

Taylor's new album would also be released after the film's debut next year.

For rising stars, capitalizing on hot trends was basic homework.

Louise was more in control of the big picture and didn't participate much in the specific post-production details. She asked Taylor, "Is the song in the country style you're good at?"

Taylor responded truthfully, "A bit of an alternative country style."

Chad picked up the conversation, "This song is meant for the end credits of the film, and the country style was a considered choice on my part."

He expounded, "Jonathan, the male lead, is battered and exhausted at the end of the movie. A video shot with the female lead rekindles his will to live, and then the film ends. After the audience has experienced a bombardment of intense action scenes, the end credits need to soothe the emotions.

I wanted a song from the perspective of the female lead, expressing hopes and blessings for the male lead."

Louise nodded subtly.

Martin looked toward Taylor, "Is the song ready?"

Taylor nodded, "Finished writing it last month, and completed the final arrangement after coming to Los Angeles. The song is called 'Safe and Sound'."

Martin said directly, "Play the demo."

Taylor's agent stood up, handed the recorded demo to an assistant, and the assistant immediately put it into the music player.

Still the most common accompaniment in country music, the acoustic guitar, Taylor's singing style was clearly different from the night before.

"I once saw tears streaming down your face, remember you saying, don't leave me alone, but tonight, all the everything, the threats of death—are all over. Open your eyes, the sun's about to rise, you will be peaceful and safe, no one can hurt you now, dawn has come, you will be peaceful and safe..."

When the song ended, the meeting room fell silent for a moment. Chad looked at Martin and said, "I think it's very fitting for Jonathan who survives the great battle."

After some thought, Martin proposed, "Could it be better to match the ending with DV footage of Jonathan and the female lead?"

Chad inquired, "To act as a warm sun after the cold and bloody battles?"

"In your setup, that's what's been keeping Jonathan going." Martin replied, "But how to use it specifically is still up to you."

Chad said, "That's a good suggestion, I'll seriously consider it."

Taylor had no say in the specific use of the song.

Louise didn't comment further; post-production was largely Chad's responsibility.

After this meeting, it was also confirmed that "Safe and Sound" would be the film's end credit song.

Martin and Louise went into the producer's office.

He asked, "Has Warner Bros. decided on a release date yet?"

"Two options," Louise pulled out a chair and sat down, "Either after the Oscars, or the fall season in the second half of the year."

After a moment's consideration, Martin replied, "Let's pick after the Oscars. 'Benjamin' is only making moderate progress in post-production; the schedule will definitely be in the latter half of next year, and we need to coordinate with David Fincher's award campaign."

Louise nodded, "Having a movie in each half of the year is good for you too."

"Good for us both," Martin emphasized, "With smart handling, 'John Wick' could explode in the DVD and other offline markets, even if the box office isn't phenomenal."

Louise mentioned, "The first part just began to develop the world view, and both the plot and ending have left hints. Are you planning a trilogy?"

There was no need for Martin to hide, "As long as we can generate enough buzz with the first one, at least a trilogy, with one coming out every two to three years, we can't afford to be too frequent."

Louise smiled and pushed up her black-rimmed glasses, "Honestly, Martin, I never thought that one day I'd have to follow your lead in movies."

Martin struck at the heart of the matter, "Darling, because I'm making money for you."

He didn't conceal his point, "During my hardest times, it was you and Kelly who supported me, keeping me from taking many detours…"

Louise chuckled, "You took the shortest path, it just happened to be rough and wrinkled."

......

Inside the Academy Studio, Lily was sitting in a chair, staring blankly at a white marble slab.

Martin had called her before, saying that Leonardo wanted a large sculpture hand-carved by her, and the price would definitely satisfy her.

Lily immediately found her mentor and applied to purchase a block of stone.

What exactly to carve, she had yet to decide.

Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded, and after Lily said come in, one of her followers at the academy rushed in.

"Big sister, you have to see the news on TV."

"What is it?" Lily pointed to the remote control.

The follower quickly picked it up, turned it on, and tuned to the relevant channel, pointing at it: "Look, isn't that the person who often buys your sculptures? Seems like his name is Cassie Affleck, a Hollywood star."

The news was already at the end, showing a man dressed as a lawyer accompanying Cassie out of the police station and driving away in a car.

Lily asked, "What happened to him?"

"He hit a guy who was trying to sell him a Joker statue, and apparently, the victim was seriously injured..." said the follower, recounting quickly.
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There was a computer in the studio, and Lily turned it on, skillfully accessing the TMZ website, and read through the full account of the incident.

The latest news, Cassie Affleck had paid a high bail and temporarily left the police station.

The victim had filed a report and sued for damages, and Cassie would face a massive claim for compensation.

Others might not think much of it, but Lily always felt there was a familiar scent to it.

That Cassie had ulterior motives towards her, and she took the opportunity to sell him some worthless practice works, thinking that would be the end of it.

But Cassie had soon run into bad luck.

Lily closed the web page and said, "Let's go for a walk."

The follower hurriedly followed Lily out of the studio.

Lily sent everyone away, found a deserted place, and called Martin, "Hello, this is Lily."

"I'm busy, get to the point," Martin's tone was as unpleasant as ever.

Lily was used to this by now and said, "I just saw the entertainment news, thank you."

But just as her excitement was brewing, a metaphorical punch came from the other end, "Your verbal thanks mean nothing. The grass on the front lawn of the new house has grown too fast. Come over tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and mow the lawn."

Lily was stunned on the spot, such a large lawn...

Martin asked, "Did you hear me?"

Lily snapped back to reality, unable to just say thanks and then back out, and said with a determined attitude, "I'll go back tomorrow and trim the lawn for you."

Although Martin was sometimes harsh and headache-inducing, Lily felt that he, like Elena, truly cared for her.

And Cassie Affleck's ordeal proved it.

......

Santa Monica, Cassie, accompanied by his attorney, entered the law firm.

Ben Affleck was waiting in the attorney's office and asked Cassie upon seeing him, "What's the matter with you?"

Cassie spread his hands and said, "He provoked me!"

Ben had seen the video: "That person was just trying to sell you a Joker statue. If you don't like that jerk Martin, you could just not buy it. Why did you have to hit someone? And to injure him so badly?"

His voice grew louder as he spoke: "There's more than one video of the incident on TMZ, damn it, and they're all shot from different angles."

Cassie sat down, rubbed his face, and said, "They deliberately provoked me, deliberately framed me!"

"Yes, that's highly possible, but you can't prove it," Ben was furious, "I told you to stay calm, why couldn't you listen?"

Cassie hung his head in silence.

Ben asked the attorney, "Evan, what do you think?"

"As it stands, all the evidence is extremely unfavorable to us," said attorney Evan directly, "If a criminal lawsuit is filed, Cassie will be in a lot of trouble. I suggest settling with the victim as soon as possible and signing an out-of-court settlement agreement."

Cassie looked up, "Impossible!"

Ben pointed at him and said, "Fine, go to jail, but don't forget to bring soap, the Latinos and Blacks in there will teach you exactly how to use soap!"

"That bastard's asking for three million US dollars in compensation!" Cassie said, "Where am I going to get three million dollars?"

He shook his head repeatedly, "The guy says I broke his nose and left a scar on his face, which will cause him serious psychological trauma later in life. These are just excuses to ask for more money!"

Ben didn't respond to Cassie but instead looked at the attorney.

Evan said, "The injury assessment is also very unfavorable for us. With the video, the injuries, and eyewitnesses all available, and the suspect being a Hollywood star, the victim won't even need to pay any legal fees upfront to get a horde of lawyers to fight this lawsuit."

Ben couldn't let his brother experience the myriad uses of soap in prison and said, "Evan, start by contacting the other lawyer, try to reach a settlement for as low a price as possible."

Cassie said, "I have no money."

Ben took care of his brother, "I'll find a way to raise the money."