As we enter mid-December, the new millennium is approaching.

While the fear of the Millennium Bug has even caused renewed volatility in the Nasdaq tech stock market, during this time, with the news of the Williams' fourth child being announced, and the continued momentum at the Gravity box office, much of the media and public attention has been drawn to the young super-mogul Eric Williams.

From December 10 to December 16, the fourth week of its release, "Gravity" once again earned $190 million at the global box office, and the total global box office of the film quickly reached $850 million.

The invincible box office figures have led most media outlets to predict that "Gravity" is likely to break the $1 billion global box office mark by December 20, which will also be the fourth global box office 1 billion film led by Eric Williams.

At the same time, with the full stamina shown by the film, "Gravity" will undoubtedly hit the box office record of $2.2 billion set by "Titanic" that year.

While the entire film industry was jumping on the opportunities offered by 3D and IMAX, Eric stayed at Martha's Vineyard Estate throughout the year.

Now that the news of the birth of the little one has been made public, during this time, the Massa Vineyard Estate is also very lively.

Cindy's parents and two sisters arrived in the following days, and while Eric didn't like Cindy and her children being disturbed too much, many of the group's top executives, business associates, and friends and relatives continued to visit in the name of visiting.

After all, the birth of a child is a happy event, and Eric can't refuse too insistently, so he can only greet him with a smile.

After a week of bustling activity, the Massa Vineyard estate was quieter, and Cindy's parents left after less than a week. Aside from the name of marriage, the couple found that there was really nothing to blame for the man of their daughter, but Cindy's two sisters continued to stay in the name of accompanying Cindy.

As Christmas approaches, the days are gradually calming down.

Although there is a delay in global data statistics, on December 22, "Gravity" still announced the news that the global box office officially exceeded $1 billion.

Celebration feasts are indispensable.

Los Angeles asked Eric if he wanted to arrange the banquet in New York, most of the main creators of the crew lived in Los Angeles, and Eric couldn't let everyone stir up the crowd for his own convenience, so he ordered the celebration banquet to be arranged on the big ship of Firefly Studios as usual, and he would take the time to rush back that day.

This year's Christmas falls on Saturday, and of course, starting December 20th, the whole of North America has actually entered the holiday season.

After returning to Long Island a few days ago, on Christmas Eve, Joanna and Virginia came to Martha's Vineyard again with the little ones, and the girl flew over from nowhere, and the manor once again had a little more of a daughter's country.

After a lively Christmas Eve, the day after Christmas, the first snow of the winter finally fell, and the snow fell all day, soon enveloping the estate of Martha's vineyard in silver, and the New Year's atmosphere was even more intense.

The heavy snow only became lighter on the 27th.

After breakfast, Virginia took a few women to the small town on the island to shop and prepare ingredients for the New Year, Eric sat on a bench under the eaves of the villa, quietly looking at the girl in the snow not far away with Emma and Kevin building a snowman, Hawaii sat next to his father as usual, holding a thick book, and his immature little face was affectionately focused.

Joanna came over with a tray, put the tray on the small table next to her, poured a cup of hot cocoa for Eric, and then sat down on the other side, gently touched her daughter's head, looked at the man's expression, and said, "You've always liked snowy days." ”

"I just like the feeling," Eric took a sip of his cup, his gaze moved up, looking at the boundless sky in the distance, and with a smile on the corner of his mouth, he said, "I'm actually afraid of the cold." ”

Hawaii, who was sitting between the two, tilted his head slightly under the touch of his mother, and when he heard his father's words, his beautiful eyes blinked, and he broke the silence rarely, and suddenly read in Mandarin: "Thousands of mountains and birds fly away, thousands of paths and people disappear, lonely boats, fishing alone in the cold river and snow." ”

The sudden "Jiang Xue" made Joanna and Eric stunned.

Joanna didn't understand it at all, but felt that the melody of the poem sounded very rhythmic and full of a certain wonderful beauty.

Eric was surprised, because, at a certain moment just now, he happened to think of this Tang poem by Liu Zongyuan in his heart. Although the connotation of the poem does not fit this situation, the loneliness of the vast world and a lonely boat inexplicably makes Eric feel very comfortable.

After a moment of silence, Joanna came back to her senses first, but she was not surprised by her daughter's words just now, Hawaii's language talent had already amazed too many people, and she just asked in a gentle tone: "So, baby, is this a poem, what does it mean?"

The little girl did not answer her mother's words, but turned to her father beside her, and with a little inquiry in her clear eyes, she said, "Father may know?"

Joanna looked over puzzled.

Eric greeted his daughter's bright eyes, his mood has been precipitated for so many years, and he may have felt earth-shattering when he heard the words in the past, but at this time, there was no wave in his heart, the smile on the corner of his mouth remained the same, and he said calmly: "This is Chinese poetry, Dad can only speak some daily words, you should explain such a profound thing to your mother." ”

Hawaii's beautiful blue eyes blinked a few times, and there was nothing he could do about his father. Turning her head to look at her mother, Joanna smiled softly, but her expression was blank. So he put the thick book in his hand on the chair, jumped off the bench a little depressedly, and ran towards the villa with his little boots on the click.

Joanna was completely confused by the sudden interaction between the father and daughter, but she didn't continue to investigate, picked up the book that her daughter had left and rubbed it, and said, "I'm more and more worried about what Xia Xia will become in the future, this book, well, I can't understand it at all, what about you?"

Eric glanced at the book in Joanna's hand, and suddenly felt a little more clear in his heart, took the book in the woman's hand and flipped it over, and said, "I don't understand it, I only know that this is about Bayesian theory." Bayesian theory, in order to be able to say a few words to our precious daughter, I deliberately studied it. ”

Joanna smiled and hummed, waiting for Eric to continue.

Eric fiddled with the pages and said, "In words you can understand, Bayesian theory is probably the deference of some unknown conclusions based on some known conditions. ”

Joanna curiously asked, "Is this any use?"

"Actually, we have been using this theory all the time in our lives, but we don't know it," Eric patiently said to Joanna, "The simplest example, if a person has a fever, cough, sore throat, and runny nose, then, according to these conditions, you can roughly determine that the person has a cold." ”

When Joanna heard Eric say this, she suddenly showed a little surprise, but she smiled and pointed to the thick book in Eric's hand, and said, "This kind of thing, can you use such a thick book to discuss it?"

"Of course, what I just said is only the most superficial understanding of Bayesian theory, as for the deeper application, it is very complicated, such as Internet search engines, artificial intelligence, etc., but they all need to use this knowledge. ”

Eric said this, but he remembered the Tang poem that his daughter had just read, and couldn't help but add in his heart: Maybe it can be used on his father.

For the fact that some of his precious daughters who may have been spied on by his own extremely smart daughter, Eric will never admit it.

As long as you don't admit this kind of thing, no one can come up with any actual evidence.

Or.

Deal.

In the future, it's good to admit to my daughter that I'm an alien.

Anyway, it's his own daughter, and his father is an alien, so of course his daughter can only be an alien. In order to prevent the whole family from being caught in the research institute, our lovely Xia Xia classmates must help hide it.

Joanna naturally couldn't know Eric's thoughts, and then said, "You're going back to Los Angeles tomorrow, when will you come back?"

Tomorrow night, the celebration of "Gravity" is a tedious long journey from the East Coast to the West Coast for ordinary people, but Eric does not have such a problem, just a few hours in the air.

"If there is nothing else, the day after tomorrow, I will definitely spend the New Year with everyone. ”

Saying this, the children playing in the snow in the yard were probably tired, and Emma ran to Eric first, still holding a small snow ball in her hand, Kevin and Drew followed behind, and the twins carefully guarded the children to prevent them from falling.

When Joanna saw the children coming, she got up and said, "You accompany the children, I'll go to the front to see, Vicky and they should be back." ”

Eric nodded, seeing Joanna leaving, Emma had already run in front of Eric, and sent a small snow ball in his hand to him as if he was invited, and said crisply: "Dad, Dad, look, I made a little snowman." ”

"It was lovely. ”

Eric took it with a smile and praised it, and when he saw that Kevin also sent the little snowman in his hand to him, he also praised it softly, and discussed the name of the little snowman with the two little guys around his lap.

The girl who followed behind walked over with a smile, sat down beside Eric, listened to him and the two little ones discuss, ignored herself for a while, hugged the man's arm and shook it with some snacks, pointed to the big snowman in the yard, and learned Emma's tone: "Daddy, Dad, look, I made a big snowman." ”

Eric listened to the girl's funny and raised his hand and knocked on her head. After so many years, I was also used to being knocked, and the girl hummed a few times like a little girl, and then continued to lean on Eric.

However, Emma, who heard the girl's words just now, was puzzled, and looked at the girl curiously with big eyes: "Aunt Drew, why are you called Dad, Dad?"

The girl smiled and reached out to pinch Emma's little face, with a natural expression: "If you don't call it Dad, do you still call it Mom?"

Emma tilted her little head.

It doesn't feel right, but it seems to make sense.

Eric glared at the girl, and in order to prevent this Nizi from continuing to distort Emma's worldview, he opened his mouth to send the two little guys away, and motioned for the twins next to him to follow, before saying to the girl next to him: "I haven't asked you yet, where did you go crazy a few days ago?"

"It's in New York," there was no one around, the girl hugged Eric's arm tightly, pillowed her head on the man's shoulder, and said: "I went to see the Victoria's Secret show, this year's is really good, the dream bra is so beautiful, but those songs, German, French, Chinese, etc., I can't understand them." ”

In order to cater to the millennium atmosphere, this year's sixth Victoria's Secret show was postponed to December 17 again, and the TV broadcast time was also scheduled for December 28 at the end of the year, that is, tomorrow night.

Moreover, compared to Victoria's Secret, which has been expanding slowly in the original time and space, after several years of rapid development, Emily is ready to take the brand further to the global market.

In order to cooperate with the follow-up promotion plan and the opportunity of the millennium, the six themes of this year's Victoria's Secret show used music in six different languages, with a bit of 'I live with you heart to heart in the global village'.

Although he has rarely interfered in the preparation of the Victoria's Secret show, when he first saw this plan, Eric still personally selected a Chinese song and stuffed it in.

It was a Chinese song that I used to like very much, and for so many years, things are not human. Originally, I thought that my big butterfly might fan that song, but at the beginning of this year, the related album reappeared.

It's just that because of the birth of Little Peter, Eric couldn't go to the Victoria's Secret show in New York in person this year, and I don't know how it will work.

The girl rested on Eric's shoulder, keenly sensing that he had suddenly fallen into some strange emotion again.

In this mood, Eric always made the people around him feel an obvious alienation, and the girl didn't like this feeling, and even felt a little uneasy, so she rubbed her cheek on the man's shoulder and interrupted softly: "Eric, I passed by Hell's Kitchen when I was in Manhattan the other day. ”

Pulled back from the girl's sudden thoughts, Eric laughed, and said in the tone of this girl, "What's wrong?"

"Then I remembered the song you sang many years ago, and realized that Hell's Kitchen was a part of Manhattan, and I didn't even notice it before. ”

Eric's memory of a long time ago was a little vague, and he said, "I don't remember any songs." ”

"How can you not remember, I remember it clearly, that night, in your house in Beverly Hills, we talked so much. ”

The girl seemed to be a little dissatisfied, and said this, and hummed quietly, but the tune was a little scattered.

Eric listened to the girl's reminder, and then gradually recalled, and nodded: "I seem to remember." ”

The girl's white face leaned forward, looked at Eric, and said, "Then will you sing it to me again?"

Eric felt that the snow in the sky seemed to increase again, raised his hand to catch a snowflake that drifted into the eaves of the porch, felt the faint coolness of his palm, and shook his head with a smile: "It feels a little strange, we are not old now, why should we recall the past." ”

"I want to hear it," the girl said, her tone suddenly felt a little more aggrieved, and she sighed with some self-pity: "You have another child now, and you will definitely care less and less about little Drew in the future." ”

"Okay, okay, I think about it. ”

Eric laughed and began to search for some tunes in his memory.

I thought that after so many years, I had forgotten the whole song, but when I thought about it carefully, the memory in my mind was very clear, so I hummed it quietly.

* The window of the Boeing 727 reflects your tearful eyes

* Overlooking the city, everything is already invisible

* When the setting sun renders Hell's Kitchen into heaven

* You turn your face

* I lifted a strand of messy hair up to your ear

* Say, everything will be safe and sound

* As long as we are together, always, always.

* As long as we are together, always, always.

*……

*……

In the depths of distant memory, the first time I heard this song was a TV series called "California Love", the last episode of the sixth season.

Tim Minchin, "Solong".

However, if you don't watch the whole TV series, it's hard to feel the sense of nostalgia that is enough to make people cry. Like many stories, if one only looks at the beginning and the end, it often doesn't make any sense.

The humming under the eaves fell, and it took an unknown amount of time before the girl whispered, "Eric." ”

"Huh?"

"We'll be together forever. ”

"Hmm!"

The next day, when the weather finally cleared up in New York, Eric didn't fly to Los Angeles until half past four in the afternoon, arriving at Firefly Studios due to the time difference, and it was just after six o'clock in the evening Western time.

Although the "Gravity" celebration party only started at seven o'clock, many guests had already begun to arrive.

He discussed some things with Katzenberg in his office in the studio, and when the party was about to begin, the two of them boarded the banquet hall on the big ship.

In the new week, although "The Lord of the Rings" began to be released and some of the screen resources of "Gravity" were diverted, the film still collected another $165 million worldwide, pushing the total global box office to a high of $1.183 billion.

At the same time, "The Lord of the Rings" also grossed $98 million in its first week, which surpassed almost all expectations given that the film's nearly twice the length of other films severely limited theater schedules, and also heralded another super-hit blockbuster franchise for Firefly Group.

Of course, the series of twists and turns of the "Lord of the Rings" series from MGM to the Firefly Group has inevitably caused some discussion in the media, and MGM's stock price has even fallen in recent times, but this naturally cannot affect the strength of the entire Firefly system at all.

"So, you're bold, Eric. ”

In the banquet hall, after a bit of socializing, Eric turned to the heroine of tonight's party, but Judy's first words made him feel a little inexplicable.

"So," Eric said with a smile on his lips, learning Judy's tone, "Did I do anything unreasonable?"

Judy glanced at Eric lightly, but there was something different in her eyes, and said, "I mean, 'The fourth child of the Williams family has been born.'" ”

"Ah," Eric nodded, "I think your 'bold' comment is very interesting, as if you have nothing to do with 'Eric Williams', I should be sad to think about it." ”

Judy pouted, "You don't look sad at all. ”

With so many people staring in the hall, Eric didn't tease Judy too much, he put away his expression after making a joke, and raised the champagne in his hand: "Now, to get down to business, I also want to congratulate you on becoming the heroine of a billion-dollar box office film, well, you, this is juice?"

Judy lifted a glass of orange juice in her hand and said, "Obviously." ”

"Have a glass of champagne, it's not a good time to drink juice tonight." ”

Judy shook her head when she saw Eric about to greet the waiter, but her tone suddenly stumbled, "I, I don't want to drink tonight." ”

Eric looked at Judy suspiciously, seemed to understand something, nodded, and said, "Okay, you, that, if you're not feeling well, why don't we go to the small restaurant above to rest for a while." ”

Judy realized that Eric was wrong, and gave the man a blank look, with a little teasing in her tone: "You seem to know very well, but I'm really a little hungry, and I really want to go to your exclusive restaurant for a bite to eat." ”

As they spoke, they left the banquet hall together and went to the company's internal dining room on the upper deck.

By now, Eric is also a little hungry.

Telling Amy Adams, who was on duty tonight, to prepare a dinner for the two of them, Eric remembered something, and asked people to turn on the wall-mounted TV in the small dining room and tune in to the ABC channel.

The screen was playing Victoria's Secret Millennial Show, but it was in between performances.

Eric was wondering if he would miss the song he had personally chosen, when the screen switched and the runway reappeared.

Under the quiet light, a plainly dressed black-haired young man sat on the small stage at the beginning of the catwalk with a guitar in his arms, gently plucking the strings.

A distant but familiar prelude sounded.

Accompanied by the angels' splendid flower-themed celestial costumes, the youth began to hum softly.

*……

* That piece of laughter reminds me of those flowers of mine

* Quietly open for me in every corner of my life

* I thought I would always be by her side

* Today we have departed in the vast sea of people

*……

Eric looked at the TV screen, all these years of thoughts suddenly came like a tide, those who are still around, those who have gone, those who remain in the memory, and those who have gradually forgotten, many people, many things, like scenes of movie shots quickly flashing in the brain painting, washing out endless emotion, but quickly turning into flat.

Perhaps, all the swaying spirits, in the end, will turn into the most beautiful ordinary.

The phone rang suddenly.

Eric picked it up and looked at it, it was from Caroline, smiled at Judy, got up and walked to the balcony outside the dining room.

The phone was connected, accompanied by the characteristic current sound of transatlantic telephones, and Caroline's voice was small.

"Eric, I'm hearing a song, on the Victoria's Secret show, it's very good. ”

"What a coincidence, I'm listening, too. ”

Eric whispered, and poked his phone into the dining room, where the two listened to a faint singing voice.

*……

* They have been blown away by the wind and scattered to the ends of the earth

*Some stories haven't been told yet, so forget it

* Those moods have become difficult to distinguish between true and false in the years

*Nowadays, it is overgrown with grass and has no flowers

* Fortunately, I once had your spring, autumn, winter and summer

*……

After listening like this for a while, Eric put his phone back to his ear.

Caroline's voice also came again, with a bit of obsession: "I miss you all of a sudden." ”

"Hmm," Eric nodded, "I miss you too." ”

There was a pause on the other side of the phone, and Caroline finally said again: "Actually, Eric, I, I'm running away again, I had a fight with my father, and he said he didn't want me to go back to the United States to work for you." ”

Eric was a little distressed and asked with concern, "Then where are you now, where is Rachel?" ”

Caroline's tone was slightly disgruntled: "Eric, I'm not a child. ”

"And, of course, I'm sorry, Carly," Eric continued, "or shall I talk to your father?"

"Don't," Caroline said, hesitating for a moment, "Eric, I just miss you, I, I know it's willful, but I want to see you now." ”

Eric listened to the weak words of the girl who was thousands of miles away, and his heart suddenly felt endless pity, and he said without hesitation: "Okay, I'll go over now, wait for me for eight hours, okay?"

"Hmm," a warm response rang on the phone, and then added, "Eric, I like you." ”

"I like you too. ”

"Well, then I'll wait for you. ”

"I'll see you later. ”

"Well, stay ...... See you later. ”

Eric took the line and returned to the restaurant, just about to explain to Judy, Judy noticed Eric's expression, and just waved her hand: "I can eat alone, it just so happens that I can eat two servings tonight." ”

Eric nodded gratefully to Judy, bowed his head and kissed the woman's lips, and hurried out of the restaurant.

Judy looked at the man's departing figure, slightly stunned, and then turned her attention to the TV screen again.

The chanting on the catwalk was nearing its end.

*……

*Lalala......

* Miss her

*Lalala......

* Is she still driving?

*Lalala......

*Go

* They have been blown away by the wind and scattered to the ends of the earth

*……