As night fell, the warm sea breeze was blowing, and before April, the air in Los Angeles was already starting to get hot. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 InfoLance drove into the rush hour, slowly driving into Melrose Boulevard, which runs through the city in an east-west direction, with bohemian shops on both sides looking peaceful and quiet in the night, most of the shops have closed early, making the street more and more secluded, although it is only two streets away from the bustling Santa Monica Boulevard, but this street has always had a touch of life-like ordinariness and casualness.

Looking left and right, Lance found a parking space, parked the car, and walked across the street in the moonlight.

It was a street of low-rise bungalows, with a mess of graffiti on the dark red brick buildings, the owners of the second-hand shops around it were closing one after another, and a few of the storefronts were already pitch black, I don't know if they were abandoned or closed early, and the rusty metal brackets stretched out lonely and barren in the light of the street lamps.

A nondescript shop was surrounded by no special sign at the door, a dark red awning had faded from the wind and rain, and the name of the shop could not even be found around, but there was a long queue at the door, and at least twenty people looked at the door, which was not very common even if it was the peak time for dinner. Especially against the contrast of the calm and peaceful scene around them, it became even more lively - lively but not noisy, everyone just whispered and waited patiently for the line to shorten.

Lance gave way to the line and walked straight to the front, walking into the storefront, where there was a black reception desk at the door, and a young girl with dreadlocks was looking down into the walkie-talkie and saying, "Roger, four positions, Natalie, four positions." Then the girl looked up, saw Lance, and showed a big smile, "Good evening, and welcome to the blue jam (blu-jam), how many do you have?" ”

"I made an appointment with a friend, Eisner." Lance said politely.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at Lance curiously, and then pointed at Lance with the tip of her pen, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't remember it for a while, and finally gave up, "Esner, right?" He lowered his head and confirmed the reservation form in his hand, "Yes, Eisner has arrived, he is waiting for you inside, table 24, I will take you in myself." ”

Walking into the store, the warm air is mixed with the sound of joyful laughter, as if you have stepped into spring with one step. The interior of the restaurant is very simple, the walls around it have retained the original red brick shape, and the oil paintings of unknown artists are neatly hung, and the coffee counter on the left hand side is connected to the kitchen diagonally in front of it, and the large blackboard behind the counter is neatly written with the menu, as well as the daily special menu.

On the surface, it doesn't seem to be anything special, as if it's just a space for friends to sit down and enjoy a relaxing dinner, and the warm and casual atmosphere is easy to relax.

The girl led Lance through the noisy lobby, down the hallway between the counter and the kitchen, "So, you're Lance, right?" The girl smiled and chatted with Lance, "My boyfriend and I are looking forward to your new work. "Down-and-out is generous and hearty and direct, and the plainness adds a touch of goodwill.

The smile on the corner of Lance's mouth was also raised, "I look forward to your support at the cinema." Lance's bluntness stunned the girl, and then she chuckled brightly, her eyes bewildered, but she didn't respond, but moved out of the way, pointing to the right front, "I hope you enjoy our dinner." ”

Looking down the girl's right hand, Lance saw the person he had made for dinner today: Michael Esner.

This famous tyrant looks like a grandfather who is enjoying his old age, even if he does not smile, his broad cheeks have a kindness, his severely receding hairline has been dyed with white hair, and his red cheeks have become red because of the warmth of the room, making his eyes look a little cloudy, and there is no aggression at all on his body, which is far from the rumor.

But Lance knew that if he just judged people by their appearance and despised each other, then it would be absolutely wrong.

In 1984, when Michael joined Disney, Disney was just a second-tier company that relied on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck to make jokes in the children's market, and the theme park was even more lifeless, and the animated image could not make a breakthrough, looking like an elderly man who could be eliminated at any time. But after Michael took over, in just a few years, Disney rose strongly, becoming one of the eight major Hollywood film companies, and since then it has created two decades of glory.

This tyrant, with his skill, scheming, ability, and courage, is also outstanding in Hollywood, where talent is gathered.

Seeing Lance, Michael didn't get up, just smiled and nodded, which was considered to be a greeting. Lance didn't mind, and took a seat across from Michael, and the waiter immediately handed over the menu, "It's dinner time, let's start by filling your stomach." Michael's voice was dull and muffled, and his words were not very clear, but he was full of breath, and he listened to them like a thousand pounds in his ears.

Lance was not polite, and directly began to look through the menu in earnest, as if he was really planning to come over for dinner. It's a traditional American restaurant with burgers, fries and steaks as its signature. Lance ordered a filet mignon with fries and salad before returning the menu to the waiter.

"Two more beers." Michael lifted the half-drunk beer bottle on the table and spoke to the waiter.

"Looks like I'm late." Lance said politely, but Michael waved his right hand indifferently, as if he didn't intend to continue the discussion on such details, "If you want to play this set, there are many occasions." Let's get down to business, what are you asking me out for dinner? ”

Lance shrugged his shoulders slightly, "I thought we had skipped the false politeness, what am I coming to you for today, shouldn't you be clear?" Since Michael wants to open the skylight and say something, then Lance is willing to cooperate.

Michael pouted, "You know what I mean. If you're going to keep going around in circles, then we might as well enjoy dinner. Unlike Barry Meyer, and unlike Shirley Lansing, Michael doesn't seem to want to play Tai Chi with Lance at all, throwing off his arms and going into battle shirtless, simply and rudely tearing apart the hypocrisy wrapped in the outside, but firmly holding the initiative in his hands in his crisp and neat words, that kind of condescending power can only be felt when talking face-to-face, but it can't be refuted.

As Michael said, today's meeting was initiated by Lance.

Lance is not a self-pitying pessimist, nor is he an innocent lamb to be slaughtered, and he meets Michael to prove his point. If all of his guesses were wrong, then ...... He pushes everything on Michael and complains to Robert that he can't take on the role of "Pirates of the Caribbean" alone. Even if the contract was torn up after signing, not to mention that the two parties have not signed the contract yet, Robert not only can't blame Lance, but should also take the initiative to stand up and confront Michael, Jerry and others to show more sincerity.

But if Robert really intends to use him as a whetstone, then he has to let Robert know that sometimes the whetstone can hurt himself. He is definitely not cannon fodder that anyone can easily call around. Tonight, he will blow the horn of counterattack!

However, these are the results of thinking on paper, and the real calculation has to beware of the other party's counterattack, and what will happen in the actual situation can only be practiced step by step.

In fact, Lance made an appointment to meet Michael, who had never known him, without revealing any tone, but Michael nodded directly and agreed. The incident itself speaks for itself - apparently Michael has heard the wind there, and Michael has a much clearer grasp of the situation than Lance who stands on the sidelines chasing after the wind and speculating.

Although Lance had already sorted out all his thoughts before leaving, because he still had too little information in his hands, in the actual confrontation, he would accidentally reveal his own horses, and maybe he would put himself in if he didn't succeed. Therefore, Lance is inevitably a little nervous at this moment, especially when the tyrant Michael Eisner is sitting opposite, and he must be more cautious.

"I've been talking to Robert Iger about a proposal for a sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, and Robert invited me to take the helm and promised to give me full responsibility for the adaptation of the script." Lance smiled at the corners of his mouth, as if he was talking as if he was unaware of the conflict between Robert and Michael, and did not know the bends hidden behind the project, and said in a normal tone and speed, "But something strange has happened recently. First the two main actors approached me and tried to dissuade me from taking the film, and then the producer gave me some interesting advice, but your company rejected my proposal. Just when I thought it was over, Robert asked me to meet......" Lance's words paused imperceptibly, and when he mentioned that Disney had rejected his proposal, Michael's hands that were cutting potatoes paused for a moment, although very briefly, but he caught it, "He wanted me to make changes to the script and develop according to their original ideas." Do you think this is normal? Or is it abnormal? ”

Lance simply and truthfully stated what had happened in the past period of time, without too much personal opinion, and looked at Michael's expression as he spoke. Michael just raised his eyes, but the kind smile on his face looked a little detached, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, and he didn't intend to hide it, "So? "So, what's my business? (To be continued.) )