"So, if you lean over here, you can really feel this itching sensation, because in virtual reality, this is—"

Surrounded by a few crew members, Robert tried to lean against a smooth wall, and he lifted his glasses and exclaimed in some surprise, "-- because in virtual reality, it's a thorn bush -- yes, it's really interesting." ”

His reaction caused the crowd around him to burst into laughter, and Robert himself applauded, "It's going to be a very interesting project, of course, we may not see it in a few years, but it is conceivable that when the technology becomes more mature, it will save a lot of money - I think it can be used in live CS, what do you think, James?" ”

Little James, whom he had brought to visit, crouched down curiously and stroked the empty air - if you looked at it in the virtual glasses, there was a bush blooming here, he sniffed a few times, and said with some disappointment, "It would be nice if we could smell the flowers—can we smell the flowers?" Grandfather? ”

Robert touched little James's head lovingly, "Maybe in a few years, we'll smell it, but I think it's pretty good now." ”

His words brought joy to the faces of the staff around him: it meant that not only would their project teams not be eliminated in the coming year, but they would probably be more funded, which was certainly gratifying.

"So, what's our next project?" Robert took off his glasses, gave them back to the researchers, and walked to the next work area, where members of another team hurriedly followed.

"It's some of the innovations we've made with Marvel content — jet skateboarding, aka Green Goblin skateboarding, which we think will become a star project in the Marvel area of the park in the future — and maybe even reach millions of households one day, but of course, it's going to have to find a way to control costs......"

Among the six existing companies in Hollywood, if there is any difference between Disney, it is that their business focus is a little different from the other five and their parent companies, for example, the development department in front of them is completely Disney's unique feature: this branch in Tennessee is mainly composed of R&D personnel, just like Microsoft Research and Google X, these basic research institutions usually do not have too much performance pressure, they can study all Disney-related projects to their heart's content, There's no need to think about costs and implementation – of course, it's up to them to convince the boss that this is an interesting idea.

One day a year, Robert would come here and be inundated with all sorts of new and interesting ideas, some of which would be transformed into real-life products over the next few years, such as Disney's animation "Frozen", in which the software used to represent snowflakes was derived from the weather system in the institute. For example, the 'real fantasy', which has made significant progress for two consecutive years, has made great interest to Robert, but because the cost is too high, and the technology has not yet been fully certified, it has not been able to be transformed into a real product, but this does not prevent it from continuing to receive funding to move forward, and one day, it will appear in Disneyland and become another signature product of the park, earning hundreds of millions of profits for it.

"I love coming to Tennessee, I always feel like one day a year is not enough," Robert stumbled a little as he got off the skateboard, but he was still in high spirits, motioning for the staff to look after James Jr., who was still yelling on the jet skateboard, and said to the young man who had been silently following aside, "Every time I come here, it feels like I'm living in a futuristic city, like you're changing the world -- your decisions are going to get these products on the market and change the world. This is the moment when I feel the last power, and it feels as if I can decide a small slice of humanity's future. ”

"Is this a new type of seduction?" The blond young man asked, with a smile on his face that showed that he was well-buried, but it was also easy to see that the smile was purely polite.

"Have you been seduced?" Robert asked, laughing, "If you had, I'd count it a success, Cesare." ”

The smile on Cesare's lips deepened, but he didn't answer Robert's words, which made the old brown-haired man spread his hands helplessly, and he gestured to the life secretary who followed him closely, and walked to the rest area first, poured himself a glass of soda, as if it were a small talk in the workplace, and talked to Cesare in a homely manner. "How is Jennifer's body recovering, hasn't she been discharged from the hospital yet?"

"Basically, she has almost recovered, and the intracranial pressure has returned to normal, but the CT can still see shadows, and she will also have vertigo, so I am afraid that she will have to be hospitalized for a period of time." Cesare replied, his attitude still so unhurried, as if he didn't care at all about Robert's net worth and his faint urging.

And, of course, Robert could only smile helplessly at this, he sighed, and simply lifted the fig leaf directly, and stopped going around the corner. "Do you have to get Jennifer's forgiveness, Chesa? I'm sure you're offering you one of the most attractive jobs in Hollywood -- and some people may find it more attractive than the president of the United States, or at least much better paid than it. And you're acting like a - IMHO - fool who values camaraderie too much, my dear, you're asking your former boss for permission to change jobs, and I have no problem with Jennifer, but what kind of answer do you want her to give you based on human nature? ”

His faint agitation didn't impress Cesare in the slightest—and he expected it to be that the smile was so unmistakable that Robert rarely saw Cesare out of control.

"The more you say that, the more I'll need to ask for her permission - with all due respect, Bob." Cesare laughed and said, "J.J made me, and of course I made her, but you have to admit that you wouldn't have promised me this position if it weren't for her, would you?" I wouldn't be in that position without her - after all, I'm still an outsider, I'm not qualified, and there are so many people in the system that I can compete with, and as far as I know, there are three or four successors in the system that the board of directors is favorite, and they have all gone through a period of more than five years of observation. If I can't get her support and get into the company, I think I'll disappoint you. ”

He also raised his glass and took a sip, his blue eyes looking at Robert exploringly, "Or is this what you want?" ”

"You're doubting my sincerity, Chesa." Robert deliberately grimaced, but soon laughed happily again: he didn't deny that Cesare was telling the truth in part, and yes, the hardest part of the whole affair was that while it was a difficult task to get Jennifer to nod in this matter, it was also the key to everything, if Cesare entered the dream at the cost of falling out with Jennifer, and finally let the wonder girl run away from the dream and join any of Disney's competitors - Warner, GE, Universal, Fox...... This is an intolerable failure for Disney, and it will be extremely embarrassing for Robert.

Of course, Robert can make Jennifer pay for it, but he will also suffer heavy losses himself, so this is also the first threshold for Cesare to enter Disney, and he must prove that he is worthy of the position: convincing his former partner to willingly arch him to the position is not a rare perverted task for the future helm of Disney. As Cesare said, with several strong competitors within the company, if he can't get the support votes of Big Dream Movies, which is an important member of the #Disney family#, then even with Robert's support, he may not be able to sit firmly in this position. If all parts of the company don't cooperate, even Robert can't afford to make a big change, let alone whether he will do it for Cesare.

- Of course, if Cesare could not even see this and broke with Jennifer and entered the company, then under the right conditions, Robert would not hesitate to sacrifice him in exchange for Jennifer's loyalty, or the other way around - depending on Jennifer's attitude. In any case, Cesare's fate would no longer be in his own hands, and would be decided by a woman with whom he had a deep hatred and seemed to be very vindictive.

"You still have some time to work on." He said, no longer talking about vague topics of sincerity: it is already clear that both sides are well aware of the situation. "What does Jennifer think now—don't blame me for gossiping, I think she's going to be a little mad at you?"

"Of course it's inevitable to be lost," Cesare said, glancing at Robert, "but she's not the kind of person who gets angry, and I think she's more sorry for losing the opportunity to work with GE, and you know, creating a media group has always been her dream." ”

"It's not too bad to be in charge of a group, isn't it?" "Of course," said Robert, "I don't think she's going to give up her acting career, or I'd rather leave the headquarters in her hands and let you go to the television department—you won't be upset about that, Chesa—"

Seeing that Cesare shook his head without any guilt, he continued, "This is the most suitable position for you, and of course in the future in the management of the group, you can continue to follow the model of the two of you today - letting you enter the headquarters is more of a compromise, and I think you should explain this to her." With your close relationship—"

Cesare covered his forehead and groaned. Groaning and laughing, Robert also realized that he was a little too forgetful, and he couldn't help but laugh, "What? ”

"J.J. told me her guess, and she said that if we agreed to your invitation, you would do your best to broker us—" Cesare said, smiling and shaking his head. Robert couldn't help but laugh along with Lang.

"And what do you think about it?" He asked slyly.

"Of course, it would be a lie to say that the accident that happened before did not touch us." Cesare didn't shy away from the question, he stared at Robert calmly, "The reason why I want to leave Big Dream and go to Disney is more or less to find a fig leaf for what might happen, to make an excuse - if that's what you want to know, Robert - but, after all, it's only one side of the story, I think, and its impact on us is very limited." ”

"Whether it's J.J. or you." Robert said confirmatively.

"Yes." Cesare said, shrugging his shoulders, "For both of us, whether or not to accept this offer depends on the plan for our careers, and of course, it's important that we both stay on the same page."

"Of course, of course......," Robert muttered, with a somewhat smug feeling: he hadn't explicitly said anything threatening in order to preserve his feelings, but Jennifer and Cesare should have been well aware of the consequences of refusal, but to his dismay, Cesare seemed to be confident and unconcerned about it.

James Jr. finally got tired of skateboarding the Green Goblin, and he ran to his grandfather with joy and showed off his record to Cesare, who touched his head and walked with Robert to the next area. "I know, you're starting to get a little anxious, Bob, and I can totally understand that—I was wondering, since we're out of Los Angeles, can you make a detour to San Francisco on the way back and explain your thoughts to Jennifer in person? After all, everything is for me to convey, and it will inevitably make her think......"

His tactful request failed to confuse Robert, and there was no doubt that Cesare was conveying Jennifer's intentions, and the little girl clearly wanted to start a counter-negotiation with him—which made him raise an eyebrow, but Robert was not disgusted by the request, at least it was better than endless waiting and speculation.

"No problem." He said cheerfully, "We're leaving Tennessee tonight -- I'll be visiting Jennifer in the hospital tomorrow morning, what do you think of the timing?" ”

"I think she'll be glad to see you." Cesare said that he smiled implicitly at Robert, but the smile was as formulaic as ever, and Robert shook his head secretly, and suddenly he began to wonder how much the Disney president position tempted Cesare. Vijri is only 35 years old this year, 15 years away from the 50 years old, which is generally considered the minimum age for the president of the group, and it doesn't seem like a big gift to him to take the throne five years early, but if it weren't for the many other factors, would he have nodded his head if it wasn't just this invitation?

Robert was cautiously skeptical.

#

Stepping into San Francisco General Hospital again was not a very pleasant experience for Robert, of course, he would not admit it to anyone, but the thought that he was 'bullying' a young girl lying on a hospital bed made him feel a little impaired. In Robert's imagination, Jennifer should now be lying in bed with a pale face, frowning and suffering blow after blow - and interestingly, although he single-handedly controlled the whole operation to save St. Jennifer', Robert couldn't help but be influenced by the reports, and his imaginary images came from the sensationalist reports made by the media outlets he directed, who were lately keen to portray Jennifer The Wound Fighter's leaning up, which also brought Robert's imagination and the hospital bed firmly together, and made him feel slightly guilty.

Surprisingly, Jennifer did not look 'pale', 'thin', and haggard for a long time - when Robert entered the suite, she sat on the sofa by the window of the reception room and waited for him, although she was still wearing a hospital gown, but judging by her smooth hair and pleasant smile, she had completely shaken off the gloom of the past - of course, the hospital gown still gave her a sense of vulnerability, perhaps because of the unfatted relationship, and her face was not very healthy.

"Good morning, Bob." She said, her eyes sparkling, as if there were a lot of extraneous meanings expressed through her eyes: The last time we met, did you already make up your mind? Or before that, when I was still dying and being rescued, you were already calculating me and planning for the future? "I'll see you again."

"Yes, I see you again." Robert said, feeling more guilty of uselessness, which made him more cramped than usual—he couldn't help but touch his nose, "I guess I should have said sorry to you, dear, and I should have said it to you personally, not to Cesare—but I really couldn't do that." ”

He tries to convey the mixed emotions in his heart: a person is always doing what he has to do, even if he doesn't like it at all, it doesn't mean that he is a bad person, at least he doesn't want Jenny to think like that. There is some genuine affection between them, and their mutual appreciation has begun in the past ten years of cooperation, in difficult moments when they have supported each other again and again, and even from the time Jennifer first attended his house party and made clear gestures of affection to him. Robert really likes Jennifer, it's not just the miracles she creates, he likes the way this genius girl talks about the future, he likes her sense of certainty that everything is under control, although she keeps jumping forward, but she always does, determined, leisurely, this calm and tenacious personality makes him admire and admire, and he wants her to understand this, all this is not personal, just business. -- He hoped that they would be able to get through this difficult time and work together as well as before.

"No," said Jennifer, and of course she didn't sink her face to complain to him, as Rob had expected, but what he didn't expect was her look and tone, "I know, Bob, I should have said sorry to you, you see—"

She paused and laughed a little embarrassedly, "About GE's investment - I should apologize for this, Bob, I should know what it means to you, but I did it anyway." ”

It was so straightforward to pick out GE's investment......

Robert shook his head, the pace of the negotiation was a little bad for him, he seemed to have lost his grasp of the rhythm from the beginning - but the mutual understanding with Jennifer gave him a little relief, he already felt Jennifer's sincerity, just as he knew she understood his sincerity. "Don't apologize, you don't have to do it - although, by my profession, I have to tell you that Disney can give you everything GE can give you, but I know-"

In Jennifer's knowing smile, he also laughed, "It's useless to say that. ”

"Yes, it's my dream." Jennifer said, "It's something we have to do -- but still, I want you to know, Bob, as I walk to the final presentation room, my heart is heavy, and I know what it means to you to get the investment -- it's not Disney, it's you, especially at this point in time......"

Robert's five-year contract with Disney will end in 2013 when his second term will end, and the board of directors will give him six months' notice of whether to renew his contract. Of course, this time the board of directors is likely to renew Robert's ten-year contract instead of the basic five-year contract, but this is also based on the premise that everything is going forward as usual, and if Big Dream leaves Disney in 2012, then this will be for Robert - for Robert, who has given resources many times in the past ten years, and even sacrificed the interests of the department, and brought Big Dream to the point where he is now -

"Okay, now, we really understand each other." Robert said that he tried to make a joke as a way to hide the traces of thinking: Jennifer separated his interests from Disney, why? Is she thinking about bribery? An exchange of interests? But this is unlikely, she is fully aware of the stakes, and should know that Robert must not accept the independence of Big Dream during his tenure - and what is she using as a bargaining chip in exchange for his concessions? Jennifer couldn't be so naïve as to think that he would back down, after all, in business, this is the basic rule of the game in this circle.

He glanced at Jennifer and asked tentatively, "Well, then, I assume that you should understand too, J.J., of course, I admire your dreams...... But in the current situation, getting Cesare to Disney is the best option for him and for you - maybe you can't have the best, for you, but it's not bad to have the second best, isn't it? ”

"It sounds very reasonable, if you can't have the first, then it's not bad to have the second best." Jennifer repeated his words, a beautiful smile tugging at the corners of her lips, still a little pale and tired, but it gave her a strange strength. Robert stared at her, and he suddenly had a sense of foreboding, as if the initiative was flowing to the other for no reason, but he didn't know why. "That's true for most people, Bob, I don't deny that...... But I'm afraid it's not good enough for me - the second best will never be good enough for me. ”

It's very capricious, but it's so natural, she's certainly qualified to say it, this damn genius girl, her "The Hunger Games" midnight show has sold 10 million at the box office-

Determined to take some of the initiative back, Robert said, "I'm going to be a little sad if we're going to say all this, you see, J.J., after all, that's going to ruin the atmosphere-"

"You really don't have to, Bob," said Jennifer, who suddenly smiled again, "Oh, let's shorten the process, Bob, after all, I have limited time to meet - I know you're having a hard time, and you can't afford to dream big for the sake of your contract extension, and of course, your solid position." And of course you have the general trend in your hands, just imagine, if the news of GE will be raising big dreams, your 'Rescuer Alliance' will instantly become the 'Avengers', I fully understand this, and I understand that you want me to accept the next best result - it's not so unacceptable to lose a little bit compared to nothing at all, is it? ”

She suddenly abandoned Robert's favorite language game and made everything so clear that it made him a little uncomfortable - he played with Jennifer's words and made sure there were no traps in them, then he nodded slowly, and said tentatively, "Well, if you do understand - indeed, I hope you understand this, so that we can all be happy - it is really not so unacceptable to lose a little bit than to gain nothing, Jennifer." ”

"I understand this," said Jennifer, leaning forward, lowering her voice, her eyes sparkling and her tone becoming more mysterious, "Really, Bob, I hope you really understand this—"

Just as Robert's heart was ringing for a long time, but he was even more dazed, Jennifer suddenly stepped back, she cleared her throat, and slightly stroked the blonde hair scattered behind her head - although she was still a little pale and a little tired, but the charm of this bundle also made Robert who was thinking about it have to be briefly distracted, and only then did he raise his vigilance and be prepared for Jennifer's next big move - although he was still a little dazed, she still had any chips to show -

"So, you want to kick Richie. Ross. "I don't think it's an easy thing to do—Richie must have a backing on the board." ”

It was old Richie - Robert breathed a sigh of relief, he resisted the urge to laugh, "Oh, J.J., if you're talking about the alliance with Richie—"

"Of course not," Jennifer glared at him in surprise, as if she wanted to blame him for making such a stupid guess, and then she laughed again, "I know, Richie must have to go, "Martian Saves the Mother" is his project, and "John on Mars". Carter, Mars doesn't seem to favor Richie, does it? It's hard for him to stay in the headquarters, and I know that—"

She looked at Robert pleasantly, blinking softly at his slowly rising bad premonition. "And you really shouldn't have asked him to make John on Mars. Carter, Bob, 'you're not supposed to let him move forward with this big project'. ”

It was as if some spring flicked in Robert's mind, gently, ominously, causing all his thoughts to pause in an instant, and then turn wildly. The conversations about Carter were retrieved and quickly flipped through in his mind: yes, he had known that the film would hit the streets, because Jennifer had predicted it, and yes, he had given the project to Richie as a foreshadowing to kick him away at any moment, and he certainly didn't anticipate that "The Martian Mother" itself would be a sad failure. Yes, Jennifer would know he meant it, but she shouldn't have any evidence, so it's a dead end-

"We first talked about the project in 2007," Jennifer said, looking at Robert sympathetically and condescendingly, as if he had lost so badly, "Of course, you must remember it well, Bob, and I'm sure you were impressed with my comment...... I'm telling you plainly, I think this is a project that's going to fail—and you, while you love the novel, are eventually convinced by me. I think that's why you used it to test Dick later, both Dick and his successor, Richie, from the natives who check and balance and spy on you...... This novel allows you to test Dick's unruliness, and Richie's obedience has also become a tool for you to kick Richie...... Of course, you're not me after all, Bob, and your instincts don't tell you that you could have saved the $400 million in unjust money and quietly watched Richie's own "Martian Mother-Savior" sing his funeral song. ”

She looked at Robert sympathetically, handed the iPad in her hand to him, and whispered, "Bob, you're not me after all - no disrespect, but you're too old to remember our flood of emails, can you?" ”

Robert, still in shock, took the tablet in Jennifer's hand and stared at the familiar mailbox, the familiar headline and the familiar serial CC, quick reply - and the small, unobtrusive sentence hidden in all of it, 'By the way, about John on Mars. Carter, I'll have to make sure you don't buy it, right? Because I heard yesterday that Disney is still very interested in this. It's like I said to you three months ago, that would be a complete failure......

This is a quote from Jennifer in the quick reply, and in Robert's own reply, he explicitly replied, 'Of course I remember what you said - it would be a loss-making work - thanks for the reminder, I'll have someone follow up'......

After that, they started talking about Big Dream's profit targets for next year, and that year's Oscar preview - a very common and friendly daily chat letter, when Jennifer was out filming, she emailed everyone, and in ten years Robert sent her at least tens of thousands of emails - fuck, when did they say that? He really didn't remember anything - it really shouldn't be, but - this feeling of stepping on the air -

"And I remember." Jennifer said, she took her iPad back and put it aside, looked at Robert and said slowly, "And I remember - Bob, now, it's your turn to accept this next best result: a little loss is not so unacceptable than nothing at all, is it?" ”

Robert opened his mouth to argue - this is certainly not the end of the world, this is just an email, he has a lot of excuses, and it is difficult to say how this affects the board, let alone the $400 million malfeasance -

But before Jennifer's pleasant, sympathetic smile, he finally sighed, choosing to retain a little last grace, after all, Jennifer had never argued with him whether the 'League of Rescuers' would go along with Robert's arrangement.

"That's the bad thing about aging, isn't it?" He said, clasping his hands and glancing at his iPad again - really, this shouldn't be, how could he forget about this email, it would completely change the whole layout -

But, in any case, the game is not over, and now, both of them have lethal bargaining chips, and the negotiation of true equality has just begun--Robert stared at Jennifer, forcing himself to smile pleasantly, and he said slowly, "Anyway, Jennifer, let's hear about this so-called 'second best outcome', shall we?" ”

"Of course." Jennifer smiled warmly at him—

She suddenly stood up, walked to the door of the suite, and pushed open the door of the concealed room that led to the inner room.

"Let me introduce you, Bob." She said, making a 'please come in' gesture," said Sharon of GE Investment. Tucker—"

A middle-aged woman burst out and calmly raised her hand to greet Robert, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Iger." ”

"Sharon has a lot to do with the rest of our negotiations, so I'm in charge of asking her to wait behind the door," Jennifer said, smiling affectionately at Sharon, "Of course, it's not without a final touch—so, am I still happy with my performance, Sharon?" ”

"Very satisfied, Jennifer." Sharon said, making Robert's worst premonition come true, and she glanced at him and slapped Jennifer on the shoulder meaningfully, adding to the complexity of the whole thing, "Actually, it's beyond satisfaction, Jennifer, completely, absolutely, beyond satisfaction—"