noveldepot Chapter 82 Corporate Espionage
Chapter 82 Corporate Espionage
"Jellybean, didn't you sleep all night?"
Jon Voight is almost sixty years old.
Born in 1938, he no longer possesses the energy he once had.
People tend to cherish their families more as they get older.
When Julie was fourteen, she ran away from home and moved in with a blond guy from a rock band, which infuriated Jon.
After that, he ignored Julie completely.
Jellybean means jelly bean, and it was also the nickname Jon used for Julie when she was a child.
Julie turned to look at Jon and said, "I'm thinking about something."
"Is it still about that kung fu kid?"
"Um!"
"Didn't you already make a decision?"
Richard Gere's words make a lot of sense.
Columbia Pictures is indeed in a bit of a mess right now, but I believe those Japanese won't just stand by and watch Guber and his crew make a mess of things. I heard that Mr. Mickey Schulhoff, the person in charge at Sony here, has submitted a report to Mr. Morita, and Sony will be making a move soon. I suspect Guber and his crew won't be at Columbia for much longer.”
"I know."
"So...you feel guilty?"
"Dad, Jeffrey is really talented."
There are many talented people here; this is America, and there is never a shortage of talented people.
But success requires opportunity.
Money, connections, and power are all indispensable. I know that kid's script is brilliant, otherwise Paul Verhoeven wouldn't have been willing to spend six hundred thousand dollars to buy it. But what can I do? Without the support of a big company, his chances are slim.
I heard that Mario was very unhappy with him and said a lot of bad things about him at MGM.
In Colombia...
I'm not saying Columbia Pictures will make things difficult for him, and Mr. Akio Morita wouldn't bother with a child. What I'm saying is, this kung fu kid may be very talented, but the path he's on will be very difficult, you understand?
"I see!"
Julie lowered her head.
She was ambitious; she wanted to be the brightest star in the Hollywood sky.
She liked Xu Shengjie; she liked his talent, his strength, and the excitement and pleasure she felt when she was with him.
but……
"Dad, I want to talk to him and make things clear."
"Um?"
"What I mean is, even if we... I don't want it to end so ambiguously."
Jon sat down next to her.
He lit a cigarette and scratched his head.
Julie casually picked up a cigarette case from the table, took out a cigarette, and silently lit it.
"Since you've already made up your mind, let's be decisive."
There's no need to explain things face-to-face. If he's a smart person, he should be able to sense it.
Next, I've contacted the production team of "Outer Boundaries" for you; go and work on it.
Although this is a TV series, it's a reboot of the series of the same name, and CBS is taking it very seriously. Your Aunt Hilary will also be in it, so she'll take care of you. After filming this series, I'll take you to the set of *Heat*, which is a huge production where you can learn a lot, and then you can join the set of *Hackers*.
Jellybean, you need to understand one thing.
In the United States, Hollywood is the center of the film and television industry.
After Jon finished speaking, he put out his cigarette.
"As for Kung Fu Kid, just have Kosinski contact him."
I'll ask Hilary to explain things to Spike through him, and then I can give him some compensation."
Julie was speechless for a moment!
This is probably Jon's bottom line.
Having accomplished this much, Julie couldn't insist on continuing any further.
She looked up at Jon.
"Deal?"
"Deal!"
Julie nodded vigorously.
"Go take a hot bath and get a good night's sleep."
I'm going out to meet some friends in a bit. Call me when you wake up, and I'll take you to Matsuhisa. Robert really loves this place, and I'll have him make a reservation for us. Then we'll try out Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's cooking.
"I don't eat Japanese food!"
"what?"
"I……"
Julie recalled Xu Shengjie's comments about Japanese food when they were at the restaurant.
She suddenly laughed!
"I want to eat Chinese food."
"Chinese food? Okay, let's go to Hoy's Wok, a really good Chinese restaurant."
"good!"
Jon got up and went inside.
After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped, looked at Julie with a puzzled expression, and asked, "But I remember you used to really like Japanese food."
"I just feel..."
Julie thought for a moment and then restated Xu Shengjie's evaluation.
"Oh, I see. That sounds like it makes sense."
"Hah!"
Jon suddenly realized that he wasn't really interested in trying Japanese food anymore.
……
"James, I need your help."
"What?"
Do you know any corporate spies?
James was walking out of the police building, holding a coffee in one hand and a phone in the other.
He received a call from Xu Shengjie, intending to share some good news, but Xu Shengjie's response...
The coffee suddenly sprayed out.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
"You little bastard, do you even know what you're saying?"
"I know!"
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to hire someone to conduct a business investigation."
"What kind of investigation?"
"I want to know what Capcom is doing these days."
"What?"
James got into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and then gestured to Huang Pao in the passenger seat to fasten his seatbelt as well.
The school assigned him to conduct a social survey.
So this guy approached James, saying he wanted to spend a day with James to learn about police procedures.
Anyway, since they're staying by my side, there won't be any danger.
James did not refuse.
"What Capcom?"
"CAPCOM?"
Huang Pao, who had been sitting idly in the passenger seat, suddenly perked up.
"You know?"
"A Japanese game company."
James, with his blond hair, started the car and drove onto the main road.
"Jeffrey, you're not planning to do anything illegal or disorderly, are you?"
"What can I do? I just want to do a simple survey... Besides, it's a big company. Do you think I, a street thug, would dare to mess with them? I just want to understand some things so that it won't conflict with my creative work in the future."
"I see."
James Huang turned the steering wheel and swerved the car around.
"I'll give you a number, you can call and contact him."
His name is Joseph. He's a very capable private investigator with a wide range of services. Just say that I introduced him to you.
However, I must make it clear that this guy is a money-grubber and charges exorbitant fees.
"What's the reputation like?"
"He's very tight-lipped; I've worked with him a few times."
"I see!"
"Don't cause me any trouble."
"I understand, I understand. Does Aunt Susanna know you're being so long-winded?"
"You little rascal..."
Before James could finish speaking, Xu Shengjie hung up the phone.
James was so angry that he cursed loudly, and then said to Huang Pao, "Pao, you must not learn from this kid. He has no manners at all."
Huang Pao rolled his eyes.
He thought to himself: What does this have to do with me?
……
The private investigator is highly capable, has a wide range of services, and is tight-lipped.
That's just corporate espionage!
Everyone knows the truth.
Xu Shengjie then dialed the number James had given him.
The person who answered the phone was a woman.
"I am Joseph."
"You're a woman?"
"Is that not allowed?"
The other party was a little unhappy.
"I'd like to know about CAPCOM's current research and development projects. Is it possible to find out?"
"A Japanese company?"
"It's a game company, I think its headquarters are in Osaka. You can look into it."
His representative works include Street Fighter...
"Uh, Street Fighter? I've played it, so I know which company it is."
Yes, it's in Osaka! If you'd like to know more about this company, I can give you some information right now.
"what?"
Xu Shengjie was stunned.
The woman on the phone chuckled, "You're in luck. I got a commission earlier this year to investigate this company. I have their plans for this year and their future plans. And the employer didn't ask for this information to be kept confidential. If you need it, I can share it with you, but I won't offer any discounts."
"How much?"
"Fifty thousand US dollars, all the information."
This includes information about CAPCOM's current R&D staff and the five-year plan report presented by Kenji Tsujimoto at the board meeting in May. If you find this useful, please send me your address, and I will send you the bill.
Xu Shengjie fell silent.
Is there really such a coincidence?
Who is investigating CAPCOM?
But it doesn't matter!
He thought for a moment and said, "No problem."
He gave the other party an address, but it wasn't his home address; it was the address of a convenience store on Mott Street owned by Kenny Zhang.
Of course, the name is his name...
Xu Shengjie then hung up the phone, tidied up briefly, and got up to leave.
He called up Zhou Wenqiong and Edward, and together they drove his secondhand Monarch around the streets and alleys of Manhattan's Chinatown.
For several days in a row, he traveled throughout Manhattan's Chinatown and Brooklyn's Chinatown.
Sometimes Zhou Wenqiong and Edward accompanied him, but most often it was Oliver Wood.
A seasoned photographer.
He debuted in 70 and has been in this industry for twenty years.
From his initial odd jobs on the set of "Honeymoon Killers," he gradually worked his way up from assistant photographer to photographer to independent photographer.
His qualifications are absolutely extensive.
He previously served as assistant cinematographer and cinematographer on the set of "The Coldest Man in the World" in 87 and "Die Hard 2" in 90. In 93, he became an independent cinematographer for "The Young Master's Bodyguard," leading a team of experienced professionals.
Oliver is very talkative.
After receiving Xu Shengjie's script, he knew how precious it was to the cinematographer.
Every time he went out with Xu Shengjie, he would give advice at length.
After nearly a week of site visits, Xu Shengjie finally selected Bensonhurst in Brooklyn and Xiaoyuegang in Manhattan's Chinatown.
After determining the filming location, the next step is to submit an application to the city hall.
Entrusting this matter to Dani Ailuo is simply a matter of spending some money; it's not difficult. The key is that you need to understand the ins and outs.
At the same time, the role of the gang leader was also finalized.
In Xu Shengjie's script, the gang leader is a Japanese soldier.
Zhou Wenqiong recommended Hu Jun, who was experiencing life in New York, to him, and Hu Jun was also very interested in the role.
Why are Koreans, Japanese, or even monkeys cast as Chinese characters in Hollywood movies?
Chinese people can also play the roles of Japanese soldiers, Koreans, monkeys...
The problem is, Hu Jun is too young!
Hu Jun, born in 68, is not yet thirty years old.
He's fine playing a thug or a petty thug, but playing a mob boss isn't really suitable.
Just as Xu Shengjie was having a headache over this, Gui Bo, having somehow gotten wind of it, came over with great interest and expressed his willingness to play the role.
"I can't play a good guy, but I can play a bad guy, especially a Japanese soldier..."
Gui Bo said with great interest, "Then I know it all too well!"
Then, Xu Shengjie discovered that Gui Bo spoke fluent Japanese, and it was even a standard Tokyo accent.
Especially after makeup, the ferocity and ruthlessness of that little bastard are vividly portrayed.
"Uncle Gui, you're not a Japanese soldier, are you?"
"Get lost, I had plenty of dealings with those bastards back in Chinatown."
Those guys are mostly from yakuza gangs in Tokyo. I've seen their leaders, and I've even beaten them up, you know?"
this is life!
Danny Airo immediately declared, "You're the one..."