Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

(Last chapter for today, Vote your Power Stone to me. Once it reach 200. i'll upload 5 chapters daily!)

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Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Martin was enjoying his breakfast while also enjoying Charlize, his gaze occasionally drifting towards the pool outside where Nicole was playfully swimming, resembling a mermaid... This morning was truly perfect.

But the sound of a vibrating phone broke this bliss.

Martin glanced at his phone and frowned slightly.

Steve Jobs calling?

He answered the phone, and Steve Jobs' distinctive voice, filled with confidence, came through.

"Hello, Martin, Kung Fu Panda is finished at Pixar, do you want to come see the completed film? I'm sure you'll like it..."

"Sure, when should I come?"

"Now?"

Martin was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, I'll be over right away."

"Work already?" Charlize asked.

"Yeah," Martin pinched the girl's cheek. "The Kung Fu Panda animation is done, I need to go take a look. You and Nicole can stay here today. If you need anything, just let Heather and Biu know—they're the house managers here."

"Those two little beauties?"

"Yes."

"Hee hee, I'm afraid Nicole will get jealous."

"Aren't you jealous?" Martin gave her a playful slap on her rear.

"Me?" Charlize's gaze shifted mischievously as she hugged Martin's head and gave him a deep kiss. "I just want to eat you."

...

Martin left the room, sucking in a breath after Charlize bit his tongue, drawing a bit of blood.

If Nicole wore her jealousy on her sleeve, voicing her displeasure openly, Charlize was more subtle—her jealousy was hidden deep, and she would strike without warning.

Looks like he'd have to plant some "love seeds" in Heather and Biu soon. When women with "love seeds" are involved, jealousy becomes much less of an issue.

...

Pixar's headquarters was located in Emeryville, near San Francisco, more than 600 kilometers away from Los Angeles.

Martin took a private jet straight there.

An hour later, he was seated in Pixar's screening room.

Steve Jobs was there, personally coming to greet Martin.

But when Martin saw him, he was taken aback.

"Hey, Steve, how did you get so thin?"

The last time Martin saw the Apple CEO, Steve was in great shape, looking energetic due to his years of working out. But now, he was so thin that his bones seemed to be showing, and his face had no flesh left.

Even in this gaunt state, however, Steve's eyes were still sharp, filled with determination. His posture was still straight, and despite his emaciation, his chest remained broad.

Martin silently thought to himself: If the apocalypse ever comes, this guy would be the perfect skeleton warrior!

"I've had some health issues, but it's nothing serious. Let's go watch the film. I haven't seen it yet, just waiting for you to arrive!" Steve Jobs didn't want to talk much about his health and grabbed Martin's arm, leading him to the screening room, his grip still strong.

Martin didn't pry into it. It was someone else's privacy. He followed Steve into the screening room and found that Michael Eisner was also there.

When Michael Eisner saw Steve and Martin walking in, there was a flash of displeasure in his eyes, but he quickly smiled and greeted Martin, "Martin, welcome!"

Martin keenly sensed that Eisner's discontent wasn't directed at him, but at Steve.

Thinking about the ongoing issues between the two regarding Pixar's shares, it made sense.

Steve Jobs was an extremely proud and self-centered person, and Michael Eisner was the same. The two didn't acknowledge each other, treating the other like air.

The tension was palpable, making the Pixar and Disney employees in the room feel quite uncomfortable.

Martin, however, remained calm, greeting Eisner casually and sitting down without concern.

Their dispute wasn't his problem.

Besides, in terms of wealth and status, he wasn't inferior to either of them.

Once everyone was seated, the lights went out, and the film was about to start. The atmosphere finally eased a bit.

There was a legendary hero whose martial arts were unparalleled, wandering the land, doing good deeds along the way...

Martin had also contributed to the script of Kung Fu Panda, and it followed the original timeline.

Watching it now, there was a strong sense of familiarity.

That familiarity came from Martin's memories of China.

Ninety minutes later, the film ended.

Michael Eisner clapped.

Although he disliked Steve Jobs, he still recognized Pixar's animation production ability. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to argue with Steve just to get control of Pixar.

"Martin, what did you think?" Steve Jobs asked, giving a disdainful glance at Eisner, then turning to Martin.

Martin clapped as well and smiled, "It's fantastic. I can already picture the box office sales. When are you planning to release it?"

The second part of his question was directed at Michael Eisner.

Although the two CEOs were at odds, Pixar still depended on Disney for distribution, so their mutual reliance remained.

"June. These types of films are best released in the summer," Michael Eisner replied.

Steve didn't argue; it was indeed a good choice.

Argue all they wanted, but they couldn't delay making money, could they?

Martin nodded and smiled. "Spider-Man is set to release in late May or early June. Looks like there's going to be some competition."

"That's fine, we can wait a month after Spider-Man releases," Eisner laughed.

It was a simple favor—whether Kung Fu Panda came out in June or July didn't matter much to Disney.

"Thanks then."

At that moment, Eisner suddenly asked, "Martin, would you be interested in acquiring some Disney shares?"

Both Martin and Steve Jobs looked surprised.

Then Martin's heart leaped with excitement.

Steve Jobs, on the other hand, appeared thoughtful.

Right now, Disney was not yet among the six major industry leaders.

To outsiders, it looked beautiful, but from the end of 1999 to now, Disney's stock price had been on the decline.

In the two-plus years, Disney's total market value had dropped by nearly 16%.

That was a dangerous number.

What was even more alarming was that since The Parent Trap, Disney's movie revenues had been falling, with no high-grossing films to speak of, whether animated or live-action.

If not for the income from theme parks and other sectors, the company would have been on the brink of failure, comparable to MGM or Sony Pictures.

If the stock value dropped more than 18%, it could trigger panic among small shareholders, and Disney's value could plummet, eventually leading to bankruptcy, just like MGM.

In the original timeline, Disney faced a similar crisis.

Both in the original timeline and now, Disney had relied on Pixar-related business income to stay afloat—until Pirates of the Caribbean was released, halting the decline and starting to slowly rise.

Later, in 2006, Disney finally acquired Pixar, and its market value skyrocketed.

In fact, after 1999, Pixar's animated films accounted for more than 60% of Disney's revenue.

That's how significant Pixar's role in driving Disney's success was.

It was easy to understand why Michael Eisner was so determined to bring Pixar into Disney's fold.