Chapter 38

"你杀了我父亲！"

"我才是你父亲！"

"不！"

With these classic lines, the grand space opera's second part began to draw to a close amidst the audience's exclamations of surprise.

Unfortunately, no matter how much the people around him cheered for the... magnificent scenes and the plot twists, Li Xu, who found it boring, still maintained a detached attitude. This was what was known as a generation gap. So, when would he have enough money to indulge himself?

Afterward, the audience was still not satisfied. When Lucas brought the main creators on stage, the applause was like a tidal wave. In this era when the trope had not yet been overused, "I am your father" was indeed a huge surprise.

Therefore, during the following Q&A session, countless questions about "I am your father" were raised. Even Scott couldn't help but join Adam in discussing the possible relationship between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, and imagined a tragic ending where the father and son turned against each other.

Li Xu still maintained a calm demeanor, though he occasionally joined in the discussions with Adam and others, as he was there to support the event.

Fortunately, despite the enthusiastic atmosphere, the Q&A session did not last too long. After the main cast and crew spent about thirty to forty minutes sharing some details of the filming and answering a few questions, even though many people were still not satisfied, the premiere came to an end.

Next, it was naturally time for the party. A premiere always comes with a party, and since this movie was clearly going to be a big hit, a small celebration in advance was not out of place.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kershner. This is an excellent movie, better than if I had directed it." In the bar hall rented for the party, Lucas opened his arms and embraced an old man.

The one who could receive such formal gratitude and a warm embrace in front of everyone was naturally his teacher from USC, Irvin Kershner, the director of "The Empire Strikes Back."

Indeed, among the original three Star Wars films, Lucas only directed the first and third parts. The second part, due to his busy schedule with Industrial Light & Magic, was directed by Kershner.

Interestingly, "The Empire Strikes Back" received the best reviews among the original trilogy. In contrast, the prequel trilogy, while a box office success, had mediocre reviews. Lucas's talent as a director could only be described as average.

This was not just the opinion of film critics; even die-hard Star Wars fans more or less agreed with this assessment.

Therefore, Lucas was better suited to be a technical expert, a creative provider, or a producer, where he could let his imagination run wild and then hand over the specifics to others.

When it came to directing, Spielberg was still the better choice.

"Although it might sound arrogant for me to say this now, I still believe that Steven has formed his own style and will be a great director. I don't need to worry about the prospects of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' Perhaps you should consider setting up a film fund, Don." Near the bar, Li Xu said to a middle-aged, slightly overweight white man.

With Lucas expressing his gratitude to his teacher, the party's atmosphere began to heat up. Everyone became more relaxed and the noise level increased. This was a party, a typical American social setting.

Adam and Scott initially followed behind Li Xu, but soon disappeared to have their own fun. Li Xu didn't mind and wandered around alone, eventually running into an acquaintance.

"I don't have your good eye, Eddie." The other man shook his head vigorously in response.

"You're joking, the head of Sequoia Capital saying he doesn't have a good eye," Li Xu teased, "Should I force myself to laugh?"

Yes, this middle-aged man was Donald Valentine, the founder of the well-known venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, one of the four major venture capitalists in the U.S.

"At least, letting Apple slip through my fingers is a constant regret." The other man shrugged, clearly putting on a deliberately helpless act.

"Did you also invest in Apple?" Carrie Fisher, sitting next to the man, asked curiously.

"Yes, it was one of my most painful failures," the man continued in an exaggerated tone, "Four years ago, when Nolan Bushnell introduced me to Apple, Steve Jobs and his team were still working in a garage and dressed like hippies. I had no interest at all."

"Then, at my father's party, when he mentioned it, I was nearby and had some spare money, so I offered to invest," Li Xu explained, then looked at Valentine, "But Don, Sequoia Capital did eventually invest in Apple, didn't it?"

"But compared to you, we made much less." Valentine spread his hands, looking very reluctant.

"Alright, once Apple goes public at the end of the year, the returns will be excellent," Li Xu replied with a dismissive tone.

Valentine laughed heartily and then sighed, "I can spot good investment opportunities, but movies..."

He just shook his head, not saying more. Li Xu shrugged and didn't press the issue, exchanging a few more words before leaving.

Although this was a movie industry party, why couldn't someone from the financial world attend? San Francisco wasn't far from Los Angeles, and the relationship between Hollywood and Wall Street wasn't as superficial as some people imagined.

As for why the head of Sequoia Capital knew Li Xu and seemed to have a good relationship, did it need to be asked? The financial activities on the West Coast hadn't escaped his grandfather's notice, especially since Sequoia Capital had performed quite well, even though it was founded in 1972.

Otherwise, how could Li Xu have outbid Valentine for the investment in Apple? In fact, he had at least 50 million dollars under Sequoia Capital's management and was also a limited partner in the firm.

This was why Valentine, Lucas, Spielberg, and others were so friendly with him, treating him as an equal rather than a child. Little Edward Li wasn't just a member of the Li family; he had achievements that made his peers pale in comparison.

Sequoia Capital was a good platform that could be fully utilized. After leaving Valentine, Li Xu habitually thought this. Although he wasn't very interested in his grandfather's plans, he had spent a lot of time on this to gain support from his family, and thus... it had become a habit.

Li Xu smiled wryly, realizing this. Looking at Valentine, who was still flirting with Carrie Fisher, he couldn't help but think that his taste was quite strange.

Carrie Fisher wasn't really a beauty, at least not in Li Xu's eyes. In fact, she wasn't the first choice for Princess Leia, but Fox insisted on using her.

Despite the investment from Li Xu in this timeline, Fox still held the majority stake, and Lucas insisted on Harrison Ford playing Han Solo, so he had to compromise on the lead actress, which is why Carrie Fisher got the role.

Thinking about this, Li Xu felt a bit regretful. He really wanted a certain girl to play Princess Leia.

Then, a familiar voice caught his attention: "That's it, I'll go say hello to Andy and the others, then I'll go back. I still have to take the SAT."

Turning his head, he saw her and couldn't help but smile. He weaved through the crowd and, when she wasn't looking, deliberately bumped into her.

"Hey, be careful!" The brown-haired girl in jeans and a white T-shirt exclaimed in surprise, but quickly realized what had happened. She pushed him away and, upon seeing who it was, looked at him with a glare.

"Hi, Judy, it's great to see you." Li Xu smiled, feigning surprise as if they had met by chance.

"Get lost, Edward. I don't have time to chat with you." Judy Foster gave him a dirty look and tried to walk past him.

Li Xu shrugged and followed her, "Where are you going?"

"Where I'm going is none of your business." Judy's tone was still unfriendly, and she didn't stop walking.

"If you're going back, I can give you a ride." Li Xu persisted.

"I have a car," Judy said without turning around.

"If you have a temporary license, you need someone in the passenger seat." Li Xu continued.

"I'm sorry, I already have a permanent license, so I don't need you to sit in the passenger seat," Judy Foster finally couldn't hold back and stopped, glaring at him.

"You misunderstood. I meant that I can have my driver sit in the passenger seat," Li Xu said calmly, then added, seeing her angry look, "Of course, since you already have a permanent license, that's not necessary."

"What do you want?" Judy asked bluntly.

"To chat, since we haven't seen each other since the end of last year." Li Xu answered sincerely.

"Do you think we have anything to talk about?" Judy asked sarcastically.

"Um... the Iran hostage crisis?" Li Xu thought for a moment, widening his eyes as if he were a naive young man trying to court a girl but not knowing how to interact.

Judy rolled her eyes and, without another word, turned and continued walking. Li Xu followed, continuing to chatter: "I think President Carter's strategy is terrible. He says he's trying to rescue them, but it's not working. The CIA agents are doing a better job. Speaking of which, what do you think of the CIA's actions? Maybe it could be made into a movie..."

He kept talking as he followed Judy to the parking lot outside.

"Enough, Edward. If you keep this up, I'll give you a piece of my mind!" Judy shouted, waving her fists.

Li Xu was taken aback, then put on a sad expression, "I thought we were friends."

"No! Not anymore! Not since the night you hurt me!" Despite Judy Foster's fierce tone, she seemed to lack confidence.

Page break for AD starts

Page break for AD ends