America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Beverly City, near the West Hollywood Area.

Ryan Reynolds drove alone and entered a villa with its own courtyard; under the direction of security personnel, he parked near the entrance.

Someone approached him, "Mr. Reynolds, please follow me this way."

Ryan nodded and followed him towards the villa.

They passed by the swimming pool, and by the end of May, Los Angeles was warm enough with seven or eight women in swimsuits either frolicking in the water or lounging on beach chairs basking in the sun.

Every skin color, every hair color, all were present.

But they all had one thing in common: they were all sexy and pretty.

Among them, Ryan thought a few were far more attractive than his ex-wife Scarlett Johansson if not for her fame.

Entering the villa, the man directly took him to the balcony.

Ryan waited briefly, then a woman with blond hair and exquisite makeup entered the balcony.

Michel Brian pulled out a chair and sat opposite him, "Welcome to Joy Valley, Ryan. I remember you; you've placed orders with Global Travel Company a few times."

Ryan smiled and said, "This time I've come to you with a big order."

Michel pointed towards the pool outside the balcony, "See anyone you like? Feel free to choose, they're all top quality."

Seeing that Ryan was unmoved, she added, "We have a rich stock here, this is just a small part: fashion models, Hollywood actors, Sacred Valley artists, cover girls, radio and TV hosts, there's nothing you can think of that I can't find."

Ryan tentatively said, "They're all too old for me, I want someone younger."

Michel stared at Ryan, on alert because the FBI often conducted sting operations; the last time she was caught by the FBI was when they used one of her clients in an operation.

Ryan took out a business card and handed it to Michel, "Mr. Charles has enjoyed these services and specifically recommended me to you."

Michel took the business card, flipped it over, and nodded, "State your specific requirements."

Ryan, eager to completely redeem himself and impress the folks at Fox, spoke in a lowered voice.

His words were not unexpected to Michel. After listening, she considered briefly and replied, "Ryan, I can find the resources, but I don't have them here. Your requirements are quite high, and it will take time to coordinate."

Ryan, anxious, asked, "How long do I need to wait?"

Michel said, "The goods you are looking for are too particular; it's hard for us to acquire them here in a short period and I can't give you a definite response."

Not just out of stock, she wanted money first, "Also, if you'd like to place a reservation, please pay a deposit of 200,000 US Dollars."

Ryan's eyes widened, "200,000 US Dollars?"

Michel explained, "Because we may have to go to Eastern Europe, even Ukraine, to find the right goods."

Ryan was somewhat hesitant.

Michel added, "If you find our prices inappropriate, you're welcome to look elsewhere."

If there had been other options, Ryan wouldn't have come here.

Michel Brian's reputation in the industry was stellar, and after brief contemplation, he agreed to her price.

After paying the deposit, Ryan left his contact information and left Joy Valley.

He went back to prepare to liquidate fixed assets to gather enough funds for a big gamble.

Ryan felt a deep compatibility with the role of Deadpool; it wasn't unfounded, as he had firsthand experience from his time filming "The Wolverine."

On the balcony, Michel picked up her phone, made a call, and once connected, asked, "Can I see the boss?"

"The boss is currently on the island and doesn't have time to see you," the person responded. "You can tell me the matter, and I'll relay it to the boss if I can't handle it."

Michel said, "I have a client who wants two completely fresh goods, can you provide?"

The person replied, "Not at the moment. We've recently hosted several major clients and all our stock is depleted. There's a slight issue with our channels in Eastern Europe; we might have shortages for a while."

"Problems with the channels in Eastern Europe?" Michel didn't expect an answer.

Yet the person simply said, "Ukrainians are holding auditions for the Saintess Pop Group, many are dreaming of overnight fame to change their lives, so the number of volunteers has dramatically dropped during this period."

"Just as everyone's daydreaming," Michel asked, "When will it be restored?"

"It's hard to say. If it's urgent on your side, you might want to send someone there; your people have been there a few times, they're not unfamiliar with the place."

Michel responded, "Alright, I'll figure it out myself."

After the call was disconnected, she dialed another number, "Lynch, come up here."

It didn't take long for Lynch to join her on the balcony.

Michel asked, "I remember you mentioned last time; among the three girls we trapped for Martin Davis, is it possible that Nicky returned to Ukraine?"

Lynch said, "I've asked several Ukrainian girls who smuggled in; several of them claimed Nicky had fled back to her hometown."

He thought for a moment and added, "I think it's quite likely; the money Nicky took with her isn't much in America but is substantial in Ukraine."

Michel said, "When do you have time to go to Ukraine?"

Lynch, surprised, replied, "Just to capture Nicky?"

"A client has special needs," Michel roughly mentioned. "You take someone there."

Lynch said, "I suggest we hang him for a while, not letting him off the hook but able to extract more money. Let me handle my current affairs and then specifically make a trip to Ukraine."

Michel wasn't in a rush. "Okay."

...

By June, the North American box office revenue of "Thieves of the City" surpassed 180 million US dollars, and the overseas box office exceeded 70 million US dollars. After that, the crew ended their publicity tour, which included North America, Europe, and Latin America, and returned to Los Angeles.

Martin rested for a few days, then received a call from Nolan and came to Warner Bros. Studios.

When he entered the studio, it was mid-morning, and there were few people in the foyer.

As Martin walked toward the elevator hall, Kevin Tsujihara approached from the opposite direction.

Both of them saw each other and simultaneously stopped.

Martin took the initiative to greet, "Hi, Kevin, long time no see."

Kevin Tsujihara smiled faintly and responded, asking, "What brings you to Warner today?"

Martin had nothing to hide. "I'm here to see Director Nolan."

Kevin Tsujihara, thinking of the huge investment in "Interstellar," said, "You and Director Nolan are a golden duo. I hope this time brings success like 'The Dark Knight.'"

Martin also smiled. "I'm confident in myself and Director Nolan."

The two didn't have a deep relationship; they exchanged a few polite words and went their separate ways.

Kevin Tsujihara didn't like Martin. Since he took office, Martin had ended his partnership with Warner Bros. and turned to sign with Disney. Afterwards, a series of events led to the dismissal of Jon Berg and the Warner Bros. presidency changing to another person.

During this period, he could also sense that Martin didn't quite like him either.

As Warner Bros.' movie business was significantly declining, for the sake of performance, Kevin Tsujihara could tolerate working with people he disliked, like Martin and Nolan.

As long as Warner's movie business got back on track, he wouldn't allow this situation to continue.

In this regard, Kevin Tsujihara specifically emphasized two points: one was the reboot of the DC Extended Universe, and the other was pushing the serialized adaptation of J.K. Rowling's new work "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!"

Martin took the elevator upstairs, and in the top-floor office, he found Nolan.

The project planning stage was about to end, and filming would soon begin.

Nolan had just rushed back from Atlanta.

Martin directly asked, "When do I start filming?"

Nolan looked at the schedule. "Your role totals 40 to 50 days of shooting, but it's divided into three major parts."

Martin asked again, "In different locations?"

Nolan handed him the schedule and simultaneously said, "The indoor scenes will mainly be shot at the Atlanta Gray Film Center, and the outdoor scenes have two parts: one in Iceland shooting the alien planet scenes, and the other at a farm outside Atlanta shooting corn farm scenes."

Martin carefully reviewed the schedule. "No problems on my end."

Nolan added, "You accumulated quite a bit of experience shooting space scenes during 'The Martian.' Discuss it more with the other actors on set."

"That's a minor issue," Martin half-joked. "For some non-essential scenes, you could let me take the helm."

Nolan, knowing Martin was studying crew scheduling, said, "I will specifically pick out a few scenes."

At that moment, he suddenly thought this could be used as a publicity point.

Marketing master Nolan online!

The assistant director who usually recorded the real behind-the-scenes was not around, so Nolan had to do it himself. While Martin was still looking at the schedule, Nolan quickly grabbed a notepad and wrote a few lines.

"During filming, Martin stepped in as a temporary director and directed a few scenes, and his impromptu performance was unanimously affirmed by the crew. Director Nolan and Producer Emma Thomas believe Martin has great potential in directing."

After writing, Nolan made sure to keep the notepad safe, planning to have it entered into the database after Martin left.

Martin also received some directorial scene sketches and shooting ideas from Nolan, making a copy to take with him.

Nolan asked, "Are you serious about this, not just fooling around?"

"I was just fooling around initially," Martin admitted wryly. "But Leonardo, that bastard, insists on competing with me; I need to make him concede defeat."

Nolan only cautioned, "Don't let this spread."

Martin responded, "I'm the only one who will see it."

Coming out of Nolan's office, Martin ran into Emma Thomas as he was heading downstairs.

She waved down Martin and asked, "How is Mene? I haven't seen him in a long time; is he not staying in Los Angeles anymore?"

Martin could only say, "I haven't seen Mene for a while either."

Emma Thomas didn't say much more and waved goodbye as she left.

Martin went downstairs, met up with Bruce, and walked toward the exit of the studio.

Bruce suddenly took out his phone, looking very serious, and said, "Martin, did you get another son?"

"What?" Martin was confused.

Bruce said, "Check Twitter."