I’m in Hollywood

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Donald Thump was suddenly interrupted by Eric. After the waiter finished serving the dishes, Donald Thump saw Eric"s strange expression across the table, worrying that the young man would say something incomprehensible again. Donald Thump hastily opened his mouth and said, "Eric, have you been to New York before?"

"Been here a few times," Eric said, nodding.

"What do you think of this place?" Donald gestured outside.

Eric smiled and said honestly, "Nothing really. I"ve been here a few times before, but it"s all been pretty rushed and for official business."

Donald nodded and said, "You should go out and explore more. New York, this world-cla.s.s metropolis of prosperity, is truly a paradise for people like us. By the way, have you ever thought about buying a house in New York? You should know that the prices are very cheap now. Maybe after a year or two, the house prices in New York will surge again."

Eric suspiciously looked at Donald Trump. The real estate mogul had come to his door personally; it couldn"t be to sell him a house, that was too much. Eric lifted his wrist and looked at his watch, then said: "Mr. Trump, you should know my time is limited, so if there is something you can say directly."

Donald Trump originally wanted to spend a few minutes slowly guiding, but when he heard Eric"s straightforward question, the always-decisive real estate tyc.o.o.n was also decisive. He put down the tableware and changed his posture, then said to Eric, "Eric, are you interested in the real estate industry?"

Eric felt he was beginning to understand, yet was still somewhat in the dark, and could only continue to ask, "What does that mean?"

Donald Trump said with full temptation, "I mean, do you want to invest in real estate? You should know that this is a great opportunity to bottom out the North American real estate industry. If you miss this one, it might take at least twenty years to wait."

Eric didn"t know if the real estate tyc.o.o.n was doing it intentionally or not, but he really did do the math in his head, from now to the subprime crisis in 2008. That"s twenty years.

Discarding this somewhat mysterious thought, Eric asked quietly, "Why me, Mr. Trump? If it"s really such a great opportunity as you say, there should be lots of people picking it up, right?"

Donald Trump answered without hesitation: "There are certainly many people who want to bottom out, but they don"t have your advantage."

Eric smiled slightly and asked, "You mean my... funds?"

Donald Trump nodded solemnly: "Eric. I happened to read some news about you in the newspaper, so I couldn"t help but come to visit you presumptuously. But this is also a great opportunity for you. Your firefly company will generate a lot of profits this year, right? If you invest in real estate, I can guarantee to you that in a few years, this money will appreciate more than doubled, which is much less risky than investing in movies."

Eric excitedly asked, "Mr. Trump, if I decide to invest in real estate, do you have any good advice?"

Donald Trump was taken aback, not expecting the young man to be so direct. But seeing the playful glint in the other"s eyes, Donald Trump finally flashed a hint of embarra.s.sment on his face.

However, he quickly remembered his purpose this time. Putting this emotion aside, he said, "My real estate company recently needs financing, but you should also have heard about the recent economic situation in our country, so it is not too easy to get a loan from the bank. I just happened to read something about you in the newspaper, Eric. What do you think?"

Eric shook his head. "Mr. Trump, I don"t actually have much money in my hands. If you knew me a little bit more, you would find out that I have almost spent all the money I have earned this year."

"What about... the few films at the end of the year?" Donald Trump said immediately, "Eric. Your company has five films released at the end of the year, and they are all highly favored by distributors. At least it can bring in a hundred million dollars in profits, right?"

"Sorry, Mr. Trump, I"m not interested in investing in real estate," Eric said directly, shaking his head. Although Eric"s previous knowledge made him think that real estate was very profitable, he had a negative att.i.tude towards this industry. It is estimated that investing one or two hundred million US dollars would be just a drop in the bucket. Finally, whether the money can be recovered is a question.

Compared to Eric, he would rather invest in movies; after all, he knows the best-selling movies of recent years like the back of his hand. Even if he can"t spend the most money, he will definitely invest in the industry he is familiar with, rather than real estate that he knows nothing about.

After Donald Trump was rejected by Eric, he was not discouraged at all but did not persuade again. He knew that no matter how much he talked at this dinner, the other party was unlikely to agree with him immediately. The most important thing now is to establish a long-term connection with Eric first. He believes that with his social skills, even though there is a big age difference between the two, he can easily become friends with the other party.

So, Donald Trump"s expression eased, and he casually said, "Eric, I heard that your crew of "Home Alone 2" was talking to a hotel about shooting on-site. How about the Hyatt on 42nd Street? That"s my property, and I can let your crew stay for free for shooting."

Eric refused, saying, "No, we have already negotiated with the Plaza Hotel next to Central Park, and they agreed to let us use it for free."

Donald Trump was crystal clear about the grade of the Grand Plaza Hotel and incredulously asked, "For free?"

Eric nodded slightly, a bit proud. To be able to get a five-star hotel to offer its services for free to the cast and crew, and even have the staff willing to be extras, was something that wouldn"t have been easy to achieve in the past.

This is all due to the original 《Pretty Woman》 movie. After the movie became popular, the Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, where the movie was filmed, also became popular and even became a tourist attraction in Beverly Hills. Many people who visit Los Angeles will specifically go to Wilshire Hotel to take a look, and those in good condition will even stay there.

Donald Trump"s hotel at the 42nd Avenue Hyatt is not bad, but it has not reached the luxury level of the Plaza Hotel, so when he heard Eric say this, Donald Trump did not persuade him any more. After thinking for a moment, Donald Trump then said, "So, Eric, what do you think of me?"

"What?"

"I"m saying, can I have a cameo in your movie?"

Eric raised his eyebrows and thought of a certain scene in Home Alone 2, and asked, "Are you sure?"

Donald Trump saw the door and hurriedly said, "Of course, I"ve also guest starred in a few TV dramas before. I guess movies must be pretty similar, right?"

Donald Trump is not so eager for the guest role; even if he had such a pa.s.sion for it before, under the precarious situation of his company, he cannot have any interest. He just wants to keep in touch with Eric and continue to persuade him through this.

Eric nodded as expected since it was delivered to his doorstep, but with a hint of playfulness in his smile, he said, "If you wish, of course it"s no problem."

----

The lunch was quite enjoyable, and soon afterwards, Donald Trump quickly sent Eric back to the set.

"Everybody, everybody pay attention; it"s time to work, Allen, where"s Allen?" Eric walked into the set, picked up the megaphone, and shouted.

The people who were originally resting immediately gathered and started to busy themselves in their own positions.

"Mr. Williams, are you looking for me?" Alan popped out of nowhere, asking.

Eric nodded: "You don"t need to be here in the afternoon, go help me collect some information about the Donald Trump Company."

"Who is Donald Trump?" Alan asked, puzzled.

Eric lazily pointed to the approaching Elizabeth and said, "Ask Liz. Give me the materials tonight."

Alan nodded and walked towards Elizabeth.

Eric immediately began to order the crew members to prepare for the shots to be filmed in the afternoon.

-----

The hotel where the crew stayed this time was infinitely better than the one in Seattle.

The sound of gurgling water in the bathroom stopped for a moment, and then Eric, wrapped in a towel, walked out.

Nicole, who was originally wearing a light blue nightgown and lying on the big bed reading a magazine, heard some noise and got up. She picked up a file from the bedside cabinet and said, "Allen just came by; he brought this."

Eric raised his eyebrows in surprise: "You opened the door?"

The girl lowered her head guiltily: "I called you, but you didn"t hear me, so I had to...."

Eric sighed and stared at the girl for a few moments before saying, "Alright."

Nicole saw that Eric hadn"t pursued it further and secretly let out a sigh of relief. Very few people knew of their relationship, including even Anniston, who still thought Eric had chosen her through a legitimate audition.

However, although Nicole didn"t want outsiders to know about her relationship with Eric, those who need to know, such as Jeffrey, Eric"s a.s.sistant, or other important people around Eric, still need to be informed.

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