Chapter 364: Chapter 88 Enjoyable Harmony

AC Media spent $16 billion to acquire ABC, news which quickly spread throughout the business world. By the end of September and the beginning of October 1995, it became the most shocking news and the hottest topic, even surpassing Microsoft which was soaring due to the release of Windows 95. Though Microsoft had developed over more than a decade to achieve its current success, AC Media, only four years old, had first acquired TBS and then ABC. Such feats could perhaps not be matched by others.

Business media outlets shifted all their attention to Claude Ronris, the young head of AC Media not yet in his thirties. His various business tactics were continually brought up, and the speech he gave at the press conference after the signing was analyzed word by word. Despite Claude’s experience in attending press conferences, he was somewhat overwhelmed by the frenzied journalists.

“I finally understand why you don’t like to be completely in the limelight; those guys are really annoying,” Claude said jokingly on the phone, his tone clearly indicating his excitement.

In addition, he was constantly receiving interview requests from various magazines. Even Time wanted him on the cover of their current issue. Wearing the halo of the youngest media mogul, Claude momentarily outshined everyone. It was said that Old Ronris, talking with acquaintances, was brimming with pride. Many economic commentators also earned handsome fees for their articles about how the acquisition of ABC would affect this emerging media company. TBS, although a cable station, had not yet fully adjusted. There might be conflicts in certain aspects with ABC, and what the media industry would look like today. The impact of this acquisition was a subject worthy of headlines.

At the same time, AC Media was becoming increasingly impactful in the media industry. Even though ABC was still losing money, if TBS could rise a notch after being acquired, who could be sure that ABC would not follow?

“I’ve always been optimistic about them, and the facts have proven me right,” boasted the chairman of Viacom, Redstone. His decision to exchange shares with AC Media, despite the opposition, was undeniably correct.

“Congratulations to them, but they still have a long way to go before ABC can turn a profit,” responded Murdoch, the CEO of News Corporation, providing a more perfunctory answer as he was busy stabilizing internal expectations to emerge quickly from difficulties.

As for Michael Eisner, he had no reaction, but it was said that on the day of signing, he had lost his temper so severely that nobody dared to enter his office, including his friend Michael Ovitz, who faced nothing but frustration. It was no wonder–having been confident in the deal, he was overtaken by an up-and-comer. This upset anyone and had somewhat shaken Eisner’s authority over the year. Inside voices grew more diverse, and turning the Disney board into his echo chamber would require considerable effort from Eisner.

And was there another person forgotten by the media? Of course not. These reporters might not excel at other things, but they were extremely skilled at digging up backgrounds. After all, who was the one who stabilized TBS’s ratings with a TV show? Who planned that reality show that left several major networks feeling miserable? And who created a turnaround during the acquisition battle with the help of popular animations?

Yes, he wasn’t deeply involved in those matters, but everyone knew that television and reality show concepts came from him, and Pixar was precisely what he had advocated acquiring. Moreover, just days after the acquisition, ABC suddenly announced a collaboration with Warner to produce the well-known TV series “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which was also his idea, and Warner agreed without a second thought. Besides, there was another reality show being planned. Even without revealing more details, it was clear whose idea it was.

After all, he carried a string of titles–Miracle Director, Gold Medal Producer, Ace Screenwriter, and so on–all proving that nearly everything he picked succeeded over the years. Yet, as the chairman of AC Media, he hardly managed things directly, delegating everything to his close friend Claude and only occasionally offering some suggestions. Logically, this undefined division of responsibilities in a partnership often leads to significant conflicts, but no rumors of discord between them had arisen, and they had instead achieved exponential growth, making many companies envious.

“This is the most ideal yet fragile situation, largely dependent on their personal relationship. Maybe in many matters, they can handle well…” So spoke many economic commentators, using various economics theories, including game theory. They kept quite a few people lucratively employed.

So, could the highly prominent Claude escape the attention of journalists? He had long honed his method of dealing with entertainment media, and, besides being no ordinary celebrity, business reporters were keen but not as sharp as paparazzi. Therefore, while they tried figuring out his whereabouts, he was at his lover’s home, playing with his daughter who was just days away from being a month old.

“Hey, look who I am, who’s this, who’s this!” Adrian lifted two Little Rabbit toys in front of her, the little one in the cradle opened her eyes wide, following the toys with endless curiosity. Her mouth remained slightly open, occasionally emitting some meaningless sounds, but each time after making a sound, she would show an endearingly sweet smile.

The golden sun shone in the garden, making the scene harmoniously beautiful.

“Okay, Ed, Lily needs to sleep now.” Kate walked over, unceremoniously pushed Adrian aside, and then picked up the little one to soothe her.

“I know Lily needs to sleep, but can’t you be gentler with me? Or did all your gentleness go to Lily?” Adrian complained.

“Shut up, Ed.” Kate said leisurely, humming an unknown tune, gently rocking the child in her arms. Although the little one was somewhat excited, she soon yawned and closed her eyes to the rhythm of her mother’s movements.

It must be said, Kate was a very good mother. Although she was always flustered at the beginning, even with a nanny by her side, she became extremely patient and organized over time, not at all like a mere 22-year-old.

“Okay, the little one is asleep, watch her for me, Ed, I’m going to work out.” After putting her daughter back in the cradle and tenderly touching her soft cheek, Kate said this to Adrian, her look conveying a warning, “You better be careful, if you wake her up, I’ll kill you, I promise!”

“Alright, alright, I definitely won’t.” Adrian raised his hands, honestly, if he had to fulfill that promise, he would probably have died countless times already.

“You two are really a perfect match, madam.” The housekeeper, who brought her clothes as Kate returned to the house to prepare for the gym, suddenly said.

“Is that so?” Kate smiled noncommittally. The housekeepers and servants in the mansion all knew about her relationship with him, but they kept their mouths shut under the strict constraints of their contracts.

“Of course, both you and Mr. Adrian are extremely patient with the child. Just that alone is enough.” The housekeeper said with a smile.

Very patient, huh? Maybe. Jogging slowly on the treadmill in the gym, Kate thought to herself. She clearly remembered the third night after bringing the child home, Adrian, to let her rest well, had soothed the little one all night in the living room. In October, also at night, because their daughter started coughing incessantly without warning, he immediately drove her to the hospital, and after the diagnosis, stayed up another night.

Oh, what’s the point in thinking too much? Kate said to herself. She had already seen the dual nature of his character, always so mysterious and inscrutable. She sighed softly again and suddenly recalled the scene a few days ago when he asked her if she still wanted to act in films, she hesitated then nodded affirmatively.

“Then start losing weight immediately, the script is ready, and if you don’t slim down soon, I’ll give it to someone else,” Adrian had said, quite pleased with himself.

At that moment, she suddenly wanted to hug him and bite his neck hard to vent that indescribable dissatisfaction, as if being controlled and unable to break free. Sadly, she could be certain that if she really made that request, Adrian would definitely stretch his neck to her without hesitation, so she might never know what kind of person he really was in this lifetime.

Kate caught her breath evenly and stopped, resting for a moment before continuing, when her expression slightly shifted. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a sweating Adrian burst in, holding their crying daughter.

“Kate… I don’t know… I just…” he stammered in explanation, while the little one’s cries grew louder.

Seeing him like this, Kate couldn’t help but snort with laughter, but immediately tightened her face and took the daughter from his arms, “I knew it… What did you do to her?!”

“I didn’t… didn’t do anything… just saw the little one sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t help… wanting to kiss her…” Adrian stammered, then quickly surrendered under Kate’s gaze, “Okay, I wanted… to bite her. After all, her cheeks are so chubby and cute. Who knew she would wake up…”

“Bite?” Kate’s lips twitched, “Do you think of your own daughter as dinner, Adrian?!”

“Okay, I’m sorry, let’s not do this.” Adrian said with a pained expression, spreading his hands, “Let’s calm the little one down first.”

His ordinarily cautious demeanor appeared unexpectedly honest and straightforward, causing Kate to pause and then internally lament. God, I’m done for, I’m actually feeling this way, I’m really done for…

It was a joyful afternoon and evening, even though their daughter always found a way to be a handful, it also made Adrian and Kate feel incredibly close.

“Oh, if it weren’t for Mary’s help, I’d be 100 times busier than I am now.” After getting the little one back to sleep and returning to their bedroom separated only by a wall, Kate said softly while lying on the bed.

“You could actually delegate more tasks to her, she’s a very experienced nanny.” Adrian said as he poured two glasses of red wine and sat on the edge of the bed, handing her one.

“That won’t do, I wouldn’t give this experience to her.” Kate said, sitting up to take the glass with a little snort.

Adrian just smiled, didn’t speak, but reached out to hold her shoulder, then clinked his glass gently against hers, producing a light ‘ding’.

Kate took a sip of the red wine and rested her head on his shoulder, gazing out at the pitch-black sky through the window before finally sighing, “Mom doesn’t know about this yet.”

“You haven’t told her she’s a grandmother yet?” Adrian raised his eyebrow.

“You haven’t told your uncle you’re a father either.” Kate suddenly said, then looked up at him with a half-smile, “And there are probably many others who don’t know, right?”

“I can’t be sure, but I’ve guessed some,” Adrian seemed to respond off-topic, then laughed and pinched her cheek, “It seems you’re quite pleased with yourself?”

Kate’s lips curved slightly. She set down her wine glass, rolled over to sit cross-legged on the bed, one arm resting on her knee, her shirt slipping down to reveal her smooth shoulder–quite a seductive sight. Adrian’s eyes lit up, and he set down his glass too, tugging at his collar before reaching out toward her shoulder. However, he missed as Kate giggled and bounced off the bed.

“Do you want it, Adrian?” she asked proudly, half-removing her shirt and wrapping it around her arm, revealing her white bra while seductively swaying her body.

“You think you can escape like that?” Adrian slowly stood up, unhurriedly pacing over to Kate, gradually cornering her.

Laughter echoed through the room occasionally, and although not loud, the mood of joy was quite evident.

“Look, I told you, you can’t escape the palm of my hand.” Finally, Adrian pinned Kate against the wall, his hand moving up her thigh from under her skirt.

In response, Kate’s moist, red lips met his in a passionate kiss, accompanied by occasional low breaths of excitement, making it clear what was about to happen next–though today was slightly different.

“Ed!” Kate called out shyly, yet with a hint of peculiar excitement, as Adrian had already flipped her over against the wall. From the position of his fingers, it was clear what he intended to do.

“Shh! Don’t wake the little one. Although the timing is just right, if we make too much noise, it’s hard to say,” Adrian whispered in her ear.

“If… if you really want this, then you shouldn’t…” Kate attempted one last struggle.

“Come on, baby, it’s been a while since we’ve done this, so just take it,” Adrian chuckled, starting to make further movements.

Soon, moans of pain mixed with pleasure began to resonate.

The scrutiny of the business media did not bother Adrian too much, as Roger expressed celebration for AC Media’s successful acquisition of ABC and promised better developments. He didn’t say much else, and he declined several interviews with business magazines. Although his achievements were dazzling, the specific tasks were accomplished by others; therefore, shifting the focus modestly naturally led to a significant drop in attention.

His primary focus was still on movies, and a month after his daughter was born, the trailer for “Emma” was released. Yes, it was the trailer for “Emma,” not “Braveheart,” because after much thought, Adrian decided to release “Emma” before “Braveheart.”

The reason was simple. “Braveheart,” due to its subject matter, was bound to provoke some people in the United Kingdom or England. Consequently, “Emma,” which would follow, was sure to become an outlet for part of the audience’s frustration. They wouldn’t care about the quality of the movie; anything by Adrian would suffice. From his personal point of view, it was not a big deal. However, initially choosing to produce this movie was meant to boost Gwyneth’s fame. Since she had positioned herself well, he couldn’t go back on his word. Releasing it earlier solved this problem; would those who initially gave it good reviews contradict themselves afterwards?

However, this meant that “Emma’s” post-production had to be accelerated, as it had started after completing “Braveheart”; plans could change faster than expected. Actually, making “Braveheart” aimed to maintain his aura. As long as it was released by the end of the year to meet the Oscar selection criteria, there was still plenty of time for “Emma.”

Naturally, this trailer was aired on ABC. Although the general public lacked interest in the acquisition, they still knew about the Miracle Director’s new television series idea handed over to Warner through entertainment media. Soon to be aired on ABC, this could be the first step in saving ABC. Therefore, people were intrigued by the new trailer aired on ABC, and on the day of the trailer’s release, viewer ratings suddenly skyrocketed by dozens of percent, despite many being at work during the day.

ABC’s executives were bittersweet upon seeing the data; it wasn’t really high in general terms, but it was already the highest for ABC this year. This highlighted how dire ABC’s situation was; yet, the possibility of turning losses into profits seemed visible, and the acquisition by AC Media seemed like the right move.

As for the media’s reaction, it was neutral, thoroughly neutral. They neither praised it excessively nor offered harsh criticism, even though the trailer looked stunning. The most pointed comments were simply, “Let’s hope the essence isn’t just in the trailer.”

Such a scenario mainly stemmed from the lessons learned from “Howards End,” where those who initially mocked were starkly proved wrong upon the movie’s release, thus facing a visual slap. So, faced with a similar situation, even if displeased with an American actress like Gwyneth playing a British character, unless the movie was released, they would not say much else.(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to vote and provide monthly tickets at wuxiaworld.site; your support is my greatest motivation.)