Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

June had arrived.

The Matrix had been in theaters for nearly two months, raking in $289 million domestically and surpassing $500 million worldwide—a certified blockbuster.

Beyond that, the film's merchandise sales were through the roof, generating even more profit than the box office itself.

Most of the investment for The Matrix had come from "Meyers Pictures," with Warner Bros. contributing only a small portion while handling distribution. Even so, Warner made a killing in the process.

And in May, another film entirely funded by "Meyers Pictures" was released.

That was The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon.

The gritty action thriller received widespread acclaim upon release.

As critics put it: "The Bourne Identity delivers an impact and energy on par with The Matrix. Without relying on any clichés or conventional sound cues, it awakens every sense in the audience."

The New York Times particularly praised Matt Damon's performance: "You know, this movie is really about one thing—how insanely cool Matt Damon is. It perfectly showcases his rugged good looks and tough, steely demeanor."

Matt Damon was on fire—blazing hot. Overnight, he had skyrocketed to A-list status.

The Bourne Identity's opening weekend box office was astonishingly close to The Matrix, hitting $85.24 million—only $8 million less.

A massive hit.

The film's raw, realistic combat style—so different from The Matrix—drew hordes of male moviegoers who kept coming back for repeat viewings.

Online, fan forums dedicated to Matt Damon sprang up, buzzing with discussions about The Bourne Identity's action sequences and Damon's performance.

"Dude, you're officially a superstar."

In Matt Damon's newly rented luxury apartment, Ben Affleck scrolled through online comments, his face full of envy.

Matt Damon tried to suppress the urge to brag in front of his best friend, keeping a straight face as he said, "I owe it all to Martin—his script, his vision for the action scenes, and the fact that he chose me for the lead role."

By the end of the sentence, though, he couldn't help but let a trace of pride slip through.

He patted Ben Affleck's shoulder and reassured him, "Don't worry. You were there when I called Martin yesterday—you heard him. He's going to give you a shot too. Just wait."

The explosive success of The Bourne Identity meant another windfall for Martin, further bolstering his financial arsenal.

Though Hollywood distributors were notorious for delaying payments, they wouldn't dare pull those tricks on Martin. Not when he was consistently churning out hit after hit.

Every studio was eager to work with him on his next project.

At Warner Bros., executives were now seriously considering offering Martin a stake in the company.

There were indeed some original shares available for sale, but not all board members were on board with the idea.

However, The Bourne Identity's massive success gave Alan Horn the leverage he needed to persuade them.

"We need to strengthen our ties with Martin. Our share of the investment in The Matrix was already significantly reduced, and with The Bourne Identity, we didn't get a piece of the investment at all…"

"Why do you think Michael Eisner at Disney insisted on selling shares to Martin? He wanted to lock Martin into Disney. Just look at how Disney's stock has skyrocketed since Martin became a shareholder…"

"Right now, we're still in Martin's good graces thanks to our early investments, but goodwill is fleeting. Only a solid financial partnership will secure our future together."

With The Bourne Identity approaching the $200 million mark in just its second week, even the most stubborn shareholders began to waver.

Finally, as June arrived, Time Warner's board of directors decided to sell 5.21% of Warner Bros. to Martin—for a hefty sum of $1.2 billion.

—

June 1st.

Martin took a brief leave from the Pirates of the Caribbean set and returned to Los Angeles.

It wasn't about the Warner Bros. shares—he hadn't even received word of that yet.

The real reason was the upcoming release of Spider-Man.

In a quiet café, Martin sat across from Ivanka Trump.

She had arrived to officially start her new role. Beginning this month, Ivanka would be taking over Martin's PR team, managing his public image and handling any potential scandals.

"So, does this mean I should start calling you 'Boss'?"

Signing the contract that Martin had personally delivered, Ivanka playfully teased him.

Martin chuckled. "Call me whatever you want."

Ivanka giggled. "Then I'll stick with Martin. I'd like our relationship to be more than just professional."

Her bright, keen eyes locked onto him. With age, this boy—no, this man—had only grown more charismatic.

She was particularly drawn to his aura of power, the commanding presence of a business mogul.

Growing up under the influence of her father, Donald Trump, Ivanka had always admired strength. Combine that with the deeply ingrained female instinct to be drawn to physical attractiveness, and now, seeing Martin again, she felt an even stronger, inexplicable pull toward him.

(PS: According to a Cambridge professor, women's admiration for strength and obsession with looks are evolutionary traits dating back to primitive times—because, in terms of physical capabilities, women are naturally weaker than men. In ancient times, the best way for a woman to survive was to find a powerful man for protection. And to be accepted by such a man, beauty was essential.

This deeply embedded instinct is difficult to override—just like the so-called 'freedom of dress' that feminists champion today. The trend of wearing less and less in public—is that truly what women want?

Of course not! The desire for women to dress scantily is driven by men. So this 'freedom of dress' is, in reality, a subconscious effort by women to attract men. The same goes for wearing increasingly high heels, spending hours on makeup, and enduring painful cosmetic procedures—it's all about pleasing men!

Of course, attraction goes both ways!

Because women like strong men, men hit the gym. Because men want to be chosen, they work hard to make money. However, men also have a higher-tier drive—power! Many are willing to forgo base-level desires in pursuit of ultimate dominance!)

(GodOfReader: Author is yapping again.)

But back to the story.

As Martin and Ivanka chatted, a double-decker bus passed by outside.

Plastered across its side was a massive Spider-Man poster.

There, in his iconic red and blue suit, Martin was mid-swing, launching a web.

Ivanka pointed outside and laughed. "You are everywhere this year. From Lord of the Rings to The Matrix to Spider-Man—it's just Martin, Martin, Martin, nonstop! Hahaha."

Martin shook his head, amused. "Spider-Man hasn't hit theaters yet. We don't know if it'll be a hit."

"'Martin Can't Fail!'" Ivanka quoted. "That's the New York Times' entertainment headline."

Martin shrugged with a wry smile. "Just marketing hype."

Suddenly, Ivanka's expression turned serious. "Martin, I just had an idea. My first major initiative in this role will be to brand 2002 as the Year of Martin. I want people to instantly associate this entire year with your name. What do you think?"

Martin's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant. We can totally make that happen. Here—let me give you a number. It's for the head of PR at Meyers Pictures. He's got an entire network of online influencers…"

Just like that, their conversation took on a whole new direction.