Director in Hollywood

"Happy Birthday..."

At Melon Manor, a private birthday party was underway.

Initially, to win over Gilbert, Robert Iger suggested hosting a grand celebration. However, Gilbert declined.

It wasn't some significant milestone, like turning thirty. Gilbert did many things for business purposes, but when it came to birthdays, he preferred a private space.

Coincidentally, both his current self and his past life shared the same birthdate.

This way, he didn't have to celebrate separately; both birthdays could be celebrated together.

"Cut the cake, cut the cake..." Scarlett Johansson had been eyeing the cake for ages, her mouth still bearing traces of cream—evidence of a prior sneak taste.

"Scarlett, you've already eaten the cake. Will there be enough for us?" Sophia asked with a laugh.

Scarlett pouted and denied it immediately, "I only had a little bite, Sophia."

Gilbert playfully smeared some cream on Scarlett's cheek. The little girl, annoyed, swatted his hand away and urged him to cut the cake quickly.

After Gilbert sliced the cake, Scarlett eagerly grabbed a big piece and even snatched some from Sophia's plate. "The strawberries on top are mine. I want them all..."

Scarlett then went on a fruit-grabbing spree, swiping all the fruit from everyone's plates.

Everyone chuckled, not finding Scarlett's behavior rude.

The little girl had a close relationship with Gilbert, and everyone adored her.

The party attendees were mainly Gilbert's friends and core team members. They all knew each other well and had plenty to talk about.

After finishing the cake, Scarlett asked Gilbert, "Can I help you open the gifts?"

"Of course, Scarlett," Gilbert agreed.

Excitedly, Scarlett began unwrapping the presents. She loved this part of birthdays—opening gifts was pure joy for her.

Most of the gifts were decorative items. Scarlett took them around the manor like a little hostess, placing them in various spots she deemed suitable.

Occasionally, she would rearrange them until satisfied with her setup.

The manor's interior had been meticulously designed by professionals, and the servants usually avoided moving anything.

But no one stopped Scarlett from rearranging things. While not Gilbert's biological sister, she was treated with more affection than one.

Meanwhile, Gilbert and the others sat on the semi-open balcony on the fourth floor, sipping drinks and chatting leisurely.

"Leo, how's the progress on Titanic?" Sophia asked curiously.

Leonardo DiCaprio shrugged, indicating his ignorance. "I don't really know what James Cameron is up to. All I know is that I occasionally have to go back for reshoots."

Sophia glanced at Gilbert with a teasing tone. "Gilbert, your investment in Titanic looks like it's going to flop.

Releasing it during the Christmas season... What if it doesn't even match the performance of your The Sixth Sense?"

Anne Burton chimed in, "It's normal if it doesn't match The Sixth Sense. That movie's global box office has already hit $649 million, and surpassing $700 million is no longer a question.

I doubt Titanic can beat that figure."

"What a pity," Sophia remarked. "One movie costs $55 million, while the other costs $200 million. Gilbert, you're way better than Cameron."

Listening to his friends, Gilbert shook his head. "You're all too short-sighted, focusing on one aspect while ignoring others.

How about we make a bet?"

"What kind of bet?"

"Just $10. I bet Titanic will surpass $1 billion at the box office," Gilbert said, placing a $10 bill on the table.

He didn't mention the $1.5 billion mark to avoid scaring his friends.

As the lead actor, Leo didn't believe Titanic could cross $1 billion and quickly took the bet. "Alright, but I want to add a condition..."

"What condition?"

"When your yacht is ready, lend it to me for a while," Leo said.

Recently, Gilbert had bought the beach near the manor to build a private dock. Naturally, he planned to buy a yacht for fun.

Naomi Watts teased, "Leo, are you planning to throw a yacht party?"

Leo grinned. "Gotta enjoy life!"

Gilbert agreed, "Alright, deal. But I don't think I'll lose."

"Confident, huh? Just wait. I'll join too," Sophia added, putting down her $10.

"Why?" Gilbert asked curiously. "Are you planning a yacht party as well?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? I'd never do that."

"I heard Sophia is dating a young actor named Jude Law. And apparently, she's the one pursuing him," someone joked.

"Wow, he must be a heartthrob," another quipped.

"I've met him a few times. Not any worse than Leo or Gilbert..."

The lively discussion about Jude Law turned Sophia's face red with embarrassment.

She retorted, "It's mutual attraction, not me chasing him!"

"Alright, mutual attraction," Leo said, clearly unconvinced.

Amidst the laughter, Gilbert reminded Sophia, "Just be careful not to get deceived."

Sophia nodded, "Got it. Do you think I'm some naive fool?"

As the party wound down and Scarlett left, the staff began cleaning up.

Naomi Watts sorted through the gifts and came across a painting of a nude woman. She asked curiously, "Did Leo send this?"

"No, Leo's gift is that stone sculpture over there from Chinatown," Gilbert replied, pointing to a rock centerpiece.

"Then who?"

"Judging by the style, it's probably from Kate. Doesn't the figure in the painting resemble her?"

Kate Winslet wasn't invited to the party but had sent a gift through Leo.

Naomi pondered aloud, "Is Kate hoping to become the manor's fourth lady?"

Most of the gifts were unwrapped by Scarlett, so Gilbert wasn't entirely sure who sent what.

Every year on Gilbert's birthday, he receives many gifts. Ever since fans discovered the address of Melon Studio, they've sent birthday gifts to Gilbert despite repeated statements from the studio asking fans not to do so.

Since it's not appropriate to return these gifts, Gilbert has developed a strategy. Most of the gifts, unless particularly unique or interesting, are sold off, and the proceeds are donated to charity in the name of the fans. Gifts with signatures are credited to the sender, while anonymous ones are noted as such.

This practice has been in place for several years, earning Gilbert widespread praise from the public. The Los Angeles city government even awarded him the title of "Los Angeles Charity Ambassador" as a result.

In North America, charity work is often seen as a business strategy, with many wealthy individuals using it as a way to reduce taxes. Whether the money is genuinely used for charitable purposes is another question altogether.

Unlike some of these dubious philanthropists, Gilbert is at least sincere. While it's true he benefits from the publicity, he genuinely contributes to charitable causes, benefiting numerous children and welfare organizations.

Moreover, due to his good relationship with his Chinese friends, Gilbert also channels some of the charity funds to China. After all, in his previous life, he was Chinese, and now that he has the means, he wants to give back to his homeland as much as possible.

Out of concern, Gilbert even asked his friend in the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT), Tian Congming, "Is there any chance someone might misuse the charity funds I send over there?"

Understanding what Gilbert meant, Tian quickly assured him, "No way. What you're doing is highly publicized and has even caught the attention of higher authorities. Anyone daring to tamper with those funds would essentially be ending their career."

Reassured by this, Gilbert felt more at ease. The last thing he wanted was for the money he sent to be siphoned off layer by layer, leaving less than 1% for actual charitable work. That would render his good intentions meaningless.

Even so, Gilbert had his accounting team assign someone specifically to monitor the financial reports. He demanded that every penny spent from the charity fund be accounted for, with clear records and complete transparency.

In the future, Gilbert plans to establish a charity website where all transactions would be publicly available for anyone to view, achieving a level of community oversight.

However, some people in China, upon seeing how meticulous Gilbert was, were displeased and sought excuses to block him from conducting charity work there. "What kind of good intentions could a foreigner possibly have?" they said.

But the funds did make a difference, helping to build schools in impoverished areas and even constructing basketball courts for the children.

When these achievements were reported in the media, the critics went silent. It's hard to accuse someone of bad intentions when tangible benefits have been delivered. That would defy common sense.

What began as a spontaneous act of charity had unexpected effects. Gilbert became one of the most well-known foreign friends in China. People admired his kindness, sincerity, and high moral character, believing him to embody all the admirable qualities they longed for.

This inadvertently fueled a wave of migration aspirations, as many began to associate Gilbert's actions with an idealized view of the outside world.

Gilbert hadn't foreseen this outcome, but he understood that those whose hearts were set on leaving would still do so, with or without his influence. In a way, he thought, maybe he was helping purify the system by encouraging those with differing values to leave.

This experience reminded Gilbert that being a "white diplomat" wasn't easy. Even with good intentions, it was possible to cause unintended consequences. To make a lasting impact, one might need to take a more long-term, gradual approach.

Perhaps Gilbert's charitable efforts also contributed to the smooth release of his films in China. For instance, Saving Private Ryan, with its graphic opening battle scenes, was shown uncut, leaving Chinese audiences stunned.

At the time, such decisions were common. Many Hollywood blockbusters were screened in their entirety without any cuts. Films like True Lies, for example, featured scenes that would surely be censored in later years but were shown intact at the time.

Chinese viewers blushed while peeking at the screen through their fingers, marking a period of cultural openness. Ironically, in later years, the censorship scissors became stricter, and even mildly intense scenes were often removed, much to the frustration of increasingly well-informed moviegoers.

In July, Gilbert's film The Sixth Sense was officially released in mainland China.

Prior to this, the film had already performed well in Hong Kong and Taiwan, receiving positive reviews and box office success.

When Jackie Chan returned to Hong Kong, he even helped promote The Sixth Sense. So far, the film had grossed HK$11.23 million in the Hong Kong market, temporarily ranking fourteenth in the annual box office there.

Gilbert placed great emphasis on developing overseas markets. Warner Bros., which handled his overseas distribution, actively facilitated the quick release of his films in major markets worldwide.

As a result, Gilbert's movies rarely followed the pattern of being released in North America and then trickling out to new markets over the following year.

That said, there were exceptions. For instance, Saving Private Ryan hadn't been released in Hong Kong, even though it had already premiered in mainland China and The Sixth Sense was now playing in Hong Kong.

The reason was straightforward: the authorities in Hong Kong deemed the film too violent and worried about potential backlash.

In reality, the underlying issue was that Hong Kong cinema had been declining since 1995 due to the growing influence of Hollywood films. Local filmmakers feared that Hollywood blockbusters would destroy the foundation of Hong Kong cinema and therefore delayed the release of certain films.

However, such delays could only postpone the inevitable decline.

Meanwhile, in mainland China, the theater system had fewer such concerns. The market had not yet fully commercialized, so there was little need to worry about the impact on domestic films.

Under the leadership of Tian Congming, the push toward marketization brought about significant changes. His guiding principle was to use the globally popular Hollywood films to challenge the local industry and reshape the creative mindset of domestic filmmakers.

Privately, Tian told the directors during a meeting, "Stop making movies about rural life and poverty. Do you think foreigners like watching that? They only give you awards because they find it exotic."

From now on, directors were urged to create more commercially appealing films and embrace market-driven strategies.

Those who resisted were quickly blacklisted without hesitation.

This ultimatum left directors like Zhang, who had interacted with Gilbert before, deeply unsettled. Zhang, being pragmatic, was willing to adapt, but he was unsure how to go about it.

Coincidentally, as Zhang left the meeting, he noticed a poster for The Sixth Sense outside a cinema. On impulse, he bought a ticket and went inside to watch.