Chapter 33

The study was silent. After Li Xu spoke, he didn't say another word, and Old Edward was tapping his fingers on the table, deep in thought.

"I have someone planted at Warner," Old Edward finally spoke after a moment, "Although he is currently an assistant in the marketing department, I believe he can rise to the top."

Li Xu's eyes immediately lit up. This could be a viable method. Steve Ross's position was unshakable for now, even though Old Edward had a seat on the board. But things could change in the future.

He remembered clearly that Steve Ross passed away in the early 90s, and Warner's progress slowed as a result.

Although the steady development strategy solidified Warner's foundation, it also made the company somewhat conservative. While this wasn't a problem when Ross was around, his death, and the fact that he couldn't even serve as an advisor, inevitably affected Warner's development.

Even though the successor eventually acquired CNN and secured a large number of IPs in the new century, and made a fortune in the early years, Warner still fell short in the competition with public channels, and was subsequently overshadowed by Disney in the following years.

However, Warner's foundation was solid, and the outcome was still uncertain even when Li Xu was reborn.

If his father could control that person and really take the chairman's position after Ross's death, it would be a good strategy. But there were two issues: first, people can change. Just because someone listens to you now doesn't mean they will always do so, especially after tasting power. Second...

"You don't plan to invest too much energy in this, do you, Dad?" Li Xu asked, looking at Old Edward.

"Of course not, after all, I'm a banker now," his father said with a smile.

"You think working in media is less interesting than finance, right?" Li Xu bluntly pointed out.

Father shrugged, maintaining his smile without a word, clearly admitting it. Li Xu sighed inwardly.

His father in this life was not a conventional person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have married a Japanese wife, nor would he have resisted his grandfather's pressure for so long, only to suddenly decide to divorce his mother when his grandfather allowed him to pursue Audrey Hepburn.

Indeed, almost all the famous Hollywood actresses of the 1950s and 1960s had some kind of relationship with Old Edward, including Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Julie Andrews, Elizabeth Taylor, and others.

When Taylor came to Old Edward for funding for "Cleopatra," he signed a $5 million check without hesitation. That was $5 million in the early 1960s.

After all, Old Edward once idolized Howard Hughes—though he was disappointed after visiting him in Las Vegas in the 1960s and found him to be an old man.

However, among all the actresses, he was particularly fond of Audrey. As the old man put it, that delicate and frail girl made men want to protect her. It's no wonder that when his grandfather indicated he wouldn't mind Audrey's previous marriage and child, Old Edward was moved.

The story of this dispute was long, complex, and troublesome, and was both initiated and resolved by Li Xu, so it won't be detailed here.

In short, Old Edward did things largely because they were interesting. He took over his grandfather's business and became passionate about rebuilding the Morgan Group because he found it interesting after seeing the possibility of success.

Similarly, he agreed to Li Xu's plan to control the media empire because he found it interesting after seeing the possibility of success and wanted to give it a try.

Now, with two projects to choose from, both requiring a lot of effort, naturally, he would choose the more interesting one.

Li Xu was deeply influenced by his father in this life. His skills in charming women were taught by his father, so he quickly understood what his father was thinking.

Of course, he couldn't change his father's mind, so he said somewhat resentfully, "Can you guarantee that your person will still listen to you in the future?"

"There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests," Old Edward replied, earning a big eye roll from Li Xu.

Thinking back to something his mother said in Japan, he felt like laughing. You two, one is a half-Machiavellian, the other a half-Maoist, you are a perfect match.

"Listen, Second Generation, I know what you're worried about, but I think this is enough," his father said, unusually serious, "According to your plan, you only arranged for a professional manager to go to Disney, not to take charge yourself. Do you want to take charge yourself?"

"No, but..." Li Xu tried to explain.

"That's enough. What you need is respect in the entertainment industry, not complete control over Hollywood, right?" his father immediately added, "I'm not rejecting your proposal, whether it's to support Murdoch or to control the fashion industry."

Li Xu didn't respond. To be fair, his father wasn't entirely wrong. Without taking direct control, influencing two media groups directly and two others indirectly, with his mother's support, gaining respect wouldn't be difficult.

However, he still felt a bit frustrated. What a great opportunity to dominate Hollywood, and to give it up was a pity.

Unfortunately, he couldn't tell his father that doing nothing would naturally lead to a merger between Big Morgan and Little Morgan in 30 years.

Thinking about this, Li Xu suddenly laughed and shook his head.

"Alright, then, I'll leave it to you, Dad," he said, "Especially the shares of Disney that Godfather holds."

Greed is good, but it must be moderate. Who can predict the future? Even though he knew a lot, it didn't mean these things would remain unchanged.

There was still time. Even if Roy Disney were to challenge Ray Miller, it wouldn't happen until 1983 at the earliest, and Ray Miller hadn't shown many weaknesses yet.

Even United Artists was still hoping to make a fortune with "Heaven's Gate" and hadn't considered merging with MGM. So, instead of worrying so much, he should think more about how to make more money in the future.

With this thought, he finally let it go, feeling much lighter, and a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.

In that case... maybe it can work? Interesting, very interesting. I'm not afraid of making things bigger! Thinking this, Li Xu felt even more relaxed, and his smile became more evident.

"Of course, but you'll have to talk to your godfather yourself," his father paused, "Have you come up with some bad idea, Second Generation?"

"Do I look like I have a bad idea?" Li Xu spread his hands, feigning innocence.

"Don't doubt it, I know your reactions well," his father shrugged.

"Alright, I do have some ideas," Li Xu admitted, "But they're not fully formed and not suitable to bring up now. I'll refine them over time."

Many ideas need the right timing to be most effective, like CDS. His newly formed idea was similar. If "Forrest Gump" were released in the mid-1980s, it would still be a box office success, but its impact wouldn't be as significant as in 1995, because the U.S. hadn't won the Cold War yet.

Since Li Xu didn't want to say more, Old Edward didn't press him. They discussed other trivial matters, such as Li Xu's indirect inquiries about the situation at Northrop, which Old Edward completely avoided, telling him to ask his grandfather directly.

Old Edward also reminded Li Xu that it was already April, and if the $50 million income from the silver short needed to be deferred for tax purposes, he should notify the family accountant.

Besides various tax avoidance strategies, deferring tax payments is a must for the wealthy. For example, if Li Xu's $50 million income were to be deferred for half a year or a year, with proper management, the deferred tax could generate significant profits.

After these exchanges, Li Xu proposed that after his 18th birthday, he could consider buying a villa of his own.

To his surprise, his father waved his hand, "I've already bought a 20,000 square foot villa nearby. Consider it your birthday gift."

Li Xu just wanted to roll his eyes. I actually wanted to buy a house in Beverly Hills. Though he could freely manage his assets after turning 18, buying a house in Los Angeles right after receiving a villa from his father seemed a bit...

"Is that all? Anything else?" Father asked, standing up, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Probably not," Li Xu thought for a moment and stood up as well.

"Alright, then. Oh, by the way, your mail is in your room. Don't forget to check it," Father said, about to end the conversation, then added, "Oh, right, your mail is in your room. Don't forget to check it."

"Oh?" Li Xu raised an eyebrow. Usually, such things didn't need to be reminded, but if they were, it meant...

"I know," he finally said.

However, just before leaving the study, Li Xu suddenly remembered something and turned around, "By the way, Dad, Grandfather once mentioned something to me. He said... there's something important related to me, but he didn't specify what. He just asked me not to mind the family's investigation into my whereabouts."

"Did he really say that?" Father looked skeptical.

At first, Li Xu was taken aback, but he quickly recovered and glared at his father, "Alright, he hinted at it."

Father laughed and sighed, "I know a little about it, but it's not suitable to tell you now, so..."

He made some meaningless gestures, looking very troubled, which made Li Xu's lips twitch.

"When can I know?" he asked straightforwardly.

"Not long, but the evidence is a bit tricky. Trust me, Second Generation," Father replied.

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