Chapter 39

With the roar of the engine, a Chevrolet sped out of the parking lot, leaving a trail of dust. Li Xu waved his hand in front of him to clear the dust, chuckled, and shook his head as he returned to the bar he had rented. Recalling the middle finger she gave him before getting into the car, he found it quite adorable.

He was increasingly fond of the current Jodie Foster, young and beautiful, especially with those blue eyes, which were truly captivating.

More importantly, this girl was smart but straightforward, mature yet a bit naive, and they could talk about anything. Li Xu had met her a few years ago when he was frequently traveling to Los Angeles to build his network for future goals, and they quickly hit it off.

Then, he particularly enjoyed teasing Jodie, this quick-witted girl. She wasn't one to take things lying down; if he dared to tease her, she would retaliate, and the feeling of going head-to-head was truly entertaining.

But after a certain incident, Jodie started to subconsciously avoid him, and they no longer talked about everything.

However, Li Xu had no intention of letting her go. Whenever there was a chance to meet, he would pester her relentlessly, teasing her as he used to, even once getting a face full of water.

As long as the other party didn't hate you to the bone, just the right amount of persistence would only deepen her impression of you. This was a lesson taught by his father.

Li Xu was quite talented, whether it was a talent he hadn't discovered in his previous life or one he had picked up in this life. In any case, he always handled it well. Even when Jodie chose to ignore his existence, like tonight, she would eventually be provoked to the point of wanting to hit him, yet feeling it was not worth it.

Of course, there was a reason for this.

It's not my fault; I'm a victim too. Li Xu muttered this to himself as he returned to the bar, but a hint of a mischievous smile lingered on his face.

"Hey, Eddie, where were you?" Adam suddenly appeared from somewhere.

"I just ran into Jodie Foster," Li Xu replied.

"Jodie Foster?!" Adam's eyes lit up, "Where?"

"I just saw her off," Li Xu patted his shoulder.

"That's too bad," Adam was particularly regretful, "Her role in 'Taxi Driver' was so captivating."

"Remember, if you ever have the chance to meet her, don't tell her you're my friend," Li Xu warned, "Otherwise, when you get a face full of water, don't say I didn't warn you."

"A face full of water?" Adam blinked in surprise, then looked curious, "Eddie, you didn't have some... you know, with Miss Foster?"

"We're friends," Li Xu casually changed the subject, "Honestly, if she wasn't the same age as me, I would have definitely recommended her for the role of Leia."

It was indeed a regret. If Jodie Foster had played Leia, someone might have blown up the Capitol for her. Unfortunately, when 'Star Wars' was greenlit, she was only 14, too young, and Li Xu's influence wasn't strong enough.

But it didn't matter. If he missed this opportunity, there would be others. In five or six years, he could perhaps produce 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' and cast her as the lead, which would be very interesting.

The reason he invested in Lucas and Spielberg's films, attended the premieres, and networked with these people was to make things smoother.

Take Jodie Foster, for example. Her future life path was already clearly imprinted in Li Xu's mind. So, if he could influence her and twist her path to a new one, it would be very interesting.

After all, Li Xu had nothing else to do in this life. There were things he didn't want to do and things he couldn't do, so he might as well play with what he wanted.

Besides, hadn't he already twisted the life paths of Deng Lijun and Yamaguchi Momoe? A few more wouldn't hurt. It would be like playing a real-life version of 'Starlight Story,' and there were plenty of opportunities to cultivate people from a young age.

Not to mention the release of 'Star Wars.' With the foundation laid by the first film, the second one, even if it was of average quality, would still be a box office hit, let alone the fact that it was the best-made of the first three.

Li Xu would definitely get his share of the profits. Even if Fox tried to fudge the numbers, they wouldn't dare to go too far. If they did, he could adjust his plans, buy Fox from Marc Rich and Marvin Davis, and deal with them as he saw fit.

If that wasn't enough, he could dismantle and sell it piece by piece. After all, the entire 1980s in the U.S. saw many famous companies treated this way. Even if the Big Seven became the Big Six, what did it matter? Murdoch could still acquire Paramount or Universal.

So, five days later, on May 21st (five days earlier than in the other timeline), Li Xu held an 18th birthday party at his father's villa, marking his coming of age in this life.

The music, with its light and intense rhythm, echoed in the spacious room, sometimes like a sudden storm, sometimes like rain on banana leaves.

Li Xu, dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and a bow tie, sat at the grand piano, his hair neatly combed, his eyes slightly squinted, and his long fingers dancing lightly over the black and white keys.

His mixed-race face, inheriting the best features of his parents, looked even more handsome and masterful as he played, giving him a unique and distinguished aura.

Finally, with the last note, Li Xu withdrew his hands, took a deep breath, and relaxed his body.

The music was not long, about three minutes, but it was fast-paced and quite showy, requiring great control. By the time he finished, his back was slightly damp. Playing the piano was also a physical activity, and the longer you played, the more stamina you needed. Therefore, most internationally acclaimed pianists were male.

After finishing, he stood up, bowed slightly to the audience, and was met with enthusiastic applause.

There were many people present, including his parents, grandfather, and a large group of business friends, all averaging around 60 years old. After all, a birthday party was also a good social occasion.

However, these older people didn't particularly enjoy the piece Li Xu played, as it was an adaptation of the third movement of Beethoven's 'Pathétique.' Yes, the 'Pathétique V3' that Koreans released in the early 2000s to accompany a game.

The original version required four hands, but when Li Xu sought advice from Richard Clayderman—yes, the piano prince, who had been his piano teacher for a while—Clayderman, despite being called the piano prince, was not very popular among the French piano community. This was because, in the eyes of the old guard, his music was too commercial, and commercialization equaled vulgarity.

Piano is a high art; how could it be commercialized and vulgarized? Naturally, they didn't like it, even if he gained many fans after releasing albums.

Li Xu didn't know much about this, but he remembered a few pieces by pianists like Richard Clayderman, such as 'Ballade for Adeline' or 'Adeline at the Water's Edge.' After Clayderman released his first album in 1976, Li Xu expressed to his parents that he hoped Clayderman could guide his piano skills.

From his grandfather's generation, every Li child had to learn at least one instrument, and the reason, of course, was to cultivate their artistic sensibilities. It was said that little Morgan loved his grandfather's piano playing.

His deceased uncle played the violin, his father was rebellious and preferred the guitar, and after rock and roll became popular, he learned electric guitar, bass, and keyboard. His cousin, like his uncle, learned the violin.

Li Xu chose the piano, partly because it was an instrument his grandfather played, and partly because it was so high-end and elegant, perfect for showing off. So, he practiced finger techniques for a whole summer, his fingers swelling, and this was just the beginning.

What could he say? He had made the commitment, and he had to see it through, even if it meant shedding tears.

Fortunately, Li Xu had some talent for music, and he occasionally received guidance from masters—Leonard Bernstein from the U.S., Glenn Gould from Canada, and Nakamura Fukuko from Japan, all of whom had been invited to his home to provide one-on-one instruction.

In fact, this was not just for piano; in all aspects of his education, if necessary, he would receive one-on-one guidance from two to three private tutors or scholars after school to answer his questions.

Living in such a family for over a decade, Li Xu realized how rich the educational resources were at the top of the pyramid. It could be said that as long as one was willing to learn, even a pig could be cultivated into a talent.

Moreover, he had a golden finger for memory, which allowed him to learn several languages. Besides Chinese, English, and Japanese, he could fluently communicate in French and German, and could勉强 understand and speak Russian, Latin, and Cantonese, but he had no interest in becoming a scientist.

Well, let's get back to the topic. When Clayderman came to give Li Xu one-on-one guidance, he knew a bit more about him than other pianists and understood that he was different from the traditional old guard. So, Li Xu brought out the "Pathétique V3" to seek his advice.

Although the sheet music was poorly written, Li Xu had to hum it for Clayderman, but he still grasped the key points and became interested—so, if you can't get a musician to write down a piece by humming it, it's either because you're tone-deaf or the musician isn't professional enough.

In any case, with Clayderman's help, the "Pathétique V3" could be played by one person.

Although it lacked the electronic elements of the original, the piece was still not in the realm of classical music and thus not favored by the older generation, especially those who loved Beethoven.

But the young people were different.

"Very impressive, Eddie." When Li Xu returned to his peers, a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl came up to him and hugged him. This was his cousin, Eleanor Li.