I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1137: Talk Show Response (4)]

Due to time constraints, the news of Eric's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show only made it to previews on ABC, Yahoo, and a few newspapers well-connected with Firefly Group.

However, although Eric actually did not wish for the episode to attract too much attention, the final ratings exceeded many people's expectations. In the half-hour interview, including advertisements, the entire show lasted 45 minutes, reaching a peak viewership of 31.3 million and an average of 26.6 million viewers. This was over three times the usual ratings for The Oprah Winfrey Show, which typically only garnered around 8 million for its premiere.

With the airing of this episode, various media outlets seemed to receive a signal to begin discussing the topics Eric had brought up in the talk show. Nevertheless, most media maintained a cautious attitude.

Just yesterday afternoon, renowned Silicon Valley firm Sequoia Capital abruptly announced the departure of its LH Fund manager, Ronald Hill. Soon, some outlets discovered that Ronald Hill was indeed a key investor behind the provocative "Hollywood Gossip" website that had sparked this incident.

Meanwhile, last night, the "Hollywood Gossip" website, which had been down for an entire day, issued a statement announcing its permanent shutdown. As an entertainment news site that had accumulated substantial traffic over its more than two years of operation, given the current frenzy of new technology waves, if this website had gone public, it could have reached a market value of at least $20 to $30 million.

Yet, because it exposed gossip about Eric Williams' children, in a mere day, a fund manager controlling over $1 billion in assets departed, and a website potentially worth tens of millions was shut down entirely.

Although the parties involved kept silent about the reasons, everyone understood that these two incidents were evidently interlinked with Firefly Group. Therefore, despite the hint that discussions were permissible, most media professionals did not want to provoke Eric Williams and risk waking up to the news of their dismissal or the closure of their newspapers, websites, or television stations.

...

"There's no doubt that as a father, Eric Williams is doing an excellent job, especially considering that this super-rich man was only in his early twenties back then, making his willingness to take on such responsibilities even more commendable." -- New York Post

"While Eric Williams has a rather unique relationship with several women, his sincerity, frankness, and willingness to bear responsibility leave little room for criticism. In fact, we feel compelled to remind the world's richest man to be careful; otherwise, he might end up with a lot of children." -- Newsweek

"When I saw Eric Williams displaying those photos one by one, all I felt was envy. Although I didn't agree with his open relationships with a few women, his careful emotional maintenance towards them and his children could provide some inspiration for many families that have become numb in their marriages." -- Yahoo Women

"As a director, screenwriter, and actor, Mr. Williams has effortlessly built a fortune of several hundred billion dollars while managing a few side businesses. This certainly leaves all investors on Wall Street feeling embarrassed. However, his commentary on the Third Industrial Revolution was astutely precise; we are entering a new era of wealth distribution, so seize the opportunity, or you could find yourself waiting another hundred years -- assuming anyone lives that long." -- Wall Street Journal

"Eric Williams' disappointment with the Howard Hughes biography may stem from a general disillusionment with the media's news ethics. In recent years, the media has grown increasingly restless, with many outlets gradually losing their seriousness and diligence as news platforms, merely seeking higher circulation and viewership by focusing on sensational gossip." -- Washington Post

"Engaging in ruthless competition without ethical restraints may bring some temporary benefits to one party, but it undermines the foundation of the entire industry. When everyone abandons the necessary business ethics and habitually resorts to smearing their opponents for advantage, the result will inevitably be a complete collapse in reputation across the industry. People cannot distinguish between good and bad, and they will lump the entire circle into a basket of rotten apples and steer clear." -- Hollywood Reporter

...

Overall, subsequent media evaluations of the entire incident either maintained appreciation, lightly brushed things aside, or changed the subject, with occasional criticisms failing to impact the broader media trend.

Of course, this sudden deference from the media wasn't out of sheer goodwill. The dual influences of Eric's sincere and candid attitude on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the formidable stance of Firefly Group made most media outlets wary.

Influenced by media trends, the general public hadn't even formed biases yet and had subconsciously accepted Eric's relationships with several women, as well as the fact that he was already a father of three children.

Of course, this leniency or indifference was largely attributed to Eric's wealth and status. For a super-rich individual with several hundred billion dollars, most ordinary people assumed his private life should be extremely "colorful." The persona Eric presented to the media seemed very restrained to many.

...

As this nearly uneventful gossip incident quickly subsided, the promotional momentum for Iron Man, which had already been overwhelming, didn't diminish; in fact, it heightened viewer anticipation even further. The most noticeable effect was a significant rise in discussions and search inquiries about Iron Man across portal websites and search engines.

As the opening installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which had already garnered excellent pre-release reviews, if a gossip incident led to a box office loss for the film -- even if Firefly Group could completely absorb the financial loss -- it would critically impact the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe plan.

Now, everything had returned to normal, and everyone could finally breathe easy.

However, privately, many matters were far from over.

When someone throws a punch, if you cannot retaliate decisively enough to prevent them from striking again, further petty actions will surely follow.

...

Long Island, East Hampton.

Due to the rapid resolution of the incident, the women and children had distanced themselves right at the onset. At this moment, East Hampton seemed very tranquil, and there hadn't been any media congregations at all.

However, the two women, still with their children, did not immediately return but planned to spend the remainder of their summer vacation in Australia.

Thus, in the seaside estate in East Hampton, only Eric was at home. After participating in The Oprah Winfrey Show, Eric had arrived here, uncertain about the potential responses from the media and the public, so he opted to avoid them altogether.

The outcome was certainly satisfying. Eric then turned his focus to concluding this matter.

Today's guest, however, was George Soros.

After a long time, the old man still appeared remarkably energetic. Last year, Quantum Fund faced a major setback in the Russian bond and stock markets, losing $3 billion, though it hadn't harmed the core operations.

What impressed Eric was that, known as the boldest hedging fund investor in the eyes of everyone, Soros had, this time, skillfully and cautiously avoided the surging NASDAQ market, much like Warren Buffett. While Quantum Fund had also participated in tech stock investments, the scale was quite small, more like a trial with minimal exposure.

In contrast, the Tiger Fund, which had once been at par with Quantum Fund, had seen its capital scale swiftly drop to $11 billion -- down over half from its peak two years ago -- because founder Julian Robertson continually bet heavily against tech stocks as the NASDAQ index kept rising.

...

As summer approached, a round table was set out on the lush green lawn of the estate.

Eric and Soros sipped coffee while casually chatting about various recent matters.

"Honestly, I'm quite tempted by tech stocks, but the current situation reminds me too much of the madness before the 1987 crash. Moreover, I know very little about the new tech industry; as an old man out of touch with the times, it's probably best for me to keep my distance."

As Soros spoke about the current NASDAQ market, there was a tinge of disappointment over missed opportunities in his tone, but he remained remarkably calm.

Eric rested one hand on the table, leaning slightly while casually crossing his legs as he took in the serene afternoon scenery, "That's my biggest takeaway over the years. True smart investors have never been gamblers. Occasional losses stem from an inability to judge situations accurately, rather than from bad luck."

Soros nodded slightly, setting down his coffee cup, with a smile, "So Eric, your invitation to me today isn't just for a chat, is it? Although I do enjoy our conversations."

"Of course not," Eric replied, taking a sip of coffee beside him. "Recently, I found some listening devices in my home and office."

"Such things happen to everyone," Soros chuckled nonchalantly upon hearing Eric's words. "You'll get used to it."

"Perhaps," Eric smiled in return. "However, we did uncover some things afterward."

"Hmm?"

"Firstly, we found the person who placed the listening devices, then traced it back to the intermediary who commissioned the job. The party's operational funds originated from an anonymous fund in the Cayman Islands. You know, it's quite challenging to investigate from there."

Soros nodded, intrigued, "And then?"

"The personnel employed by Firefly didn't uncover the owners of that fund. However, we did find some cases financed by this fund, including legislation lobbying and travel funding. These cases mainly pointed towards Scott Natural Gas Company in Pennsylvania," Eric said, pulling an envelope from the table and extracting a photo to hand to Soros. "Coincidentally, we found that the CEO of Scott Natural Gas, Milos Scott, has always been an important client of the Tiger Fund, with the Scott family investing around $500 million into that fund. Here, I happen to have a photo of Milos Scott with Julian Robertson."

Soros listened patiently, fully aware that the tracing process Eric described was by no means as understated as it sounded.

After glancing at the photo, Soros quickly set it down and shook his head, "Eric, this doesn't prove anything."

"I'm not trying to prove anything; I don't plan on suing anyone," Eric shook his head as well, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I merely hope you can pass this photo along to Mr. Robertson with my advice: He's free to short any company he wishes, but he should not reach for Firefly. Everybody knows the NASDAQ market could crash at any moment, but Firefly has enough capital to sustain the stock price of any of our companies; if necessary, I could even buy back all the circulating shares of some companies in the market."

"Actually, the operations of the Clover Fund should be something that confuses but simultaneously impresses me, young man. Of course, I know you probably won't disclose anything now, but perhaps when all this settles, you can share some insights with this old man," Soros switched gears in his speech, casually tucking the photo into his suit pocket before nodding, "I will pass it along."

After discussing this matter for a bit longer, Soros bid farewell.

...

Once Soros had left, Eric returned to the lawn, where Merissa Mayer was already waiting. Upon seeing Eric sit down, Merissa couldn't help but ask, "Eric, is that it?"

Eric recalled what Soros had said earlier -- "You'll get used to it" -- and chuckled, "What else could it be?"

The recent large-scale eavesdropping incident clearly couldn't involve just the Tiger Fund alone. Eric had merely been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the Tiger Fund's tail. Since it hadn't caused him any harm, Eric wasn't about to respond as he had during the gossip incident; instead, he would have to implement tighter precautions moving forward.

Noticing the confusion on his assistant's face, Eric continued, "In the coming days, Julian Robertson probably won't attack Firefly again. If he tries, I won't hesitate to strike back. Moreover, he has completely fallen into a gambler's mindset; according to the current trajectory of the Tiger Fund, continuing to short stocks will only lead to bankruptcy. There's no need for us to do anything additional."

Merissa nodded, carefully gathering the tea set from the round table before returning to the villa for a moment and bringing back a fresh pot of coffee. "Eric, Ronald Hill, the investor from 'Hollywood Gossip,' is now in New York. He said he hopes to apologize to you in person. Do you want to meet with him?"

Eric poured himself some more coffee, casually asking, "Is that all?"

"There's a fax too," Merissa handed him a folder he had in the other hand. "The person in charge of that website confessed that Stanley Cohen, the Vice President of Distribution at Paramount Pictures, gave him $300,000, and those press releases were also provided by Paramount."

*****

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