New York 2006

Chapter 217 Michael Jackson’s Request
(5300 words)
"I'm so unlucky today, I saw your face again." Luo Ji said sarcastically as he passed by Musk with a proud look on his face.

Musk didn't care, he lowered his head and walked up with a smile: "So it's you, Logic, what a coincidence."

"I feel like it's not a coincidence at all. It seems like it was carefully designed by someone."

"Ha ha."

Musk saw a waiter coming over, reached for two glasses of wine, and handed one to Luo Ji: "Here, have a drink."

"Need not."

Musk retracted his hand and handed the wine to his girlfriend beside him, then stepped forward and hugged Luo Ji intimately: "Let's talk together."

After Musk finished speaking, he hugged him and walked outside. He felt a little baffled and resisted a little bit. He found that Musk was stronger than him, so he followed him outside.

Everyone at the party had already noticed the two of them, and several people started whispering.

"What's going on with the two of them? Aren't they enemies?"

"Who knows? We can't even guess what those big shots are thinking."

Arriving on the lawn outside, Luo Ji shook off Musk and asked, "What's going on with you? Are you mentally ill again? It's inexplicable."

"I'm just here to catch up on old times," Musk said with a smile.

Luo Ji said directly: "Don't try this with me. We're not familiar with each other. If you have anything to say, just say it."

"I hope you can be there for the fourth launch of the Falcon rocket."

Musk looked serious: "You have shares in the company, and you are still a member of the board of directors."

Luo Ji's first reaction was that Musk wanted to use his fame to advertise the company.

But he immediately thought of another question. He looked at Musk doubtfully: "Will this launch be successful?"

"80% probability."

Musk looked serious and confident.

Luo Ji felt a little moved in his heart. In fact, he was also very interested in exploring the stars.However, he then thought about the scene where Musk had become nervous with him in the media, and he felt a little unhappy.

"To be honest, I don't want to see someone say in the media that I intend to swallow up his company."

Musk smiled and said: "Haha, I have much greater control over SpaceX than Tesla. You have no chance."

Luo Ji's eyes turned cold: "Huh?"

Musk got serious: "You have my promise!"

"I'll be there." After Luo Ji said that, he walked inside.

Musk jogged up and put his arm around Luo Ji's shoulders with a smile: "I heard that your private equity fund's annualized rate of return can reach 100%?"

Luo Ji said bluntly: "The staff is not full, but it is not your responsibility."

"No, keep talking." Musk said with a smile.

To be honest, I never realized that Musk could be so thick-skinned before.

Some time ago, I was confronting him in the media, but now I am almost trying to get into his private equity fund with a stern face.Under his entanglement, the relationship between the two eased a lot.

But private equity funds have no share in it.

It looked good. Everything has two sides. The short sellers used Luo Ji as a target, which also made his reputation as an investment genius even greater.

Rashida walked up to Luo Ji, smiled and said to Robin beside her, "You don't mind if Logic and I dance."

"Of course I don't mind." Robin said with an air of grandeur.

There were still a few people around, and Luo Ji still wanted to give face to the party host.Smiling, he led her to the dance floor, and the two danced slowly to the music.

This black beauty is considered an employee of his film project, and the two will work together for a while.

Being invited to meet Musk today, Luo Ji didn't want to get angry at Quincy Jones, a music senior, so he stared at Lacy beside him and said rudely: "I don't want to encounter someone like this again next time." Do you know the situation?"

Rashida looked surprised. She didn't expect the 18-year-old boy in front of her to react like this.

After a moment, she smiled and explained: "Musk was afraid that you wouldn't come, so he asked me to hide it from you. Look, isn't the result very good? You two have reconciled."

Luo Ji looked serious: "Let me say it for the last time, I don't want anyone to hide it from me for other purposes. If you have anything, you can tell me directly. Do you understand?"

Rashida put away her smile and looked at Luo Ji. Three seconds later, she lowered her head and said weakly, "Okay."

"That's good."

After the business was over, Luo Ji calmed down the atmosphere and asked, "When will you join the group?"

"The director asked me to come over in a week."

As the boss, Luo Ji encouraged: "Well, you should be very clear about the situation of this movie. Even if your role is small, the influence of the movie is there. Do it well. This will be a turning point in your career."

"I will."

After all, Rashida is already 30 years old, and her little mood will soon pass.

She adjusted her attitude and said with a smile: "Logic, when will you go there? Do you want to go there together?"

Luo Ji said casually, "I'll go there tomorrow. The timing is unfortunate."

The plot of "Twilight Saga 2" is mainly about the interaction between the heroine Bella and the dog-licking backup werewolf Jacob after she falls out of love.

As the vampire male protagonist, Luo Ji has a relatively weak presence and does not appear in many scenes.

As Luo Ji is the biggest actor and financier of the crew, everything on the crew will be done according to his time. His scenes will be shot intensively, and the filming will be completed in about ten days.

After the song ended, Luo Ji and Rashida separated and went to socialize with each other.

…………

Mariah Carey waved, "Hi, Logic."

Luo Ji extended his hand to say hello and walked over with a smile. The two had met several times before at various music ceremonies, and they had gotten along quite well after several times.

"Hi Maria. Do you live nearby too?"

"um, yes."

The woman in front of me is the only one among the three major Diva of the last century who is still active in the music scene.

Mariah Carey is a rich little girl.According to media reports, she has no less than five luxury private islands around the world, and it is reasonable to have a luxury house in Bel Air.

Mariah Carey said with a smile: "I didn't expect you to get married at such a young age."

"Love comes so suddenly, no one expected it." Luo Ji replied with a smile.

Mariah Carey smiled and said: "Why didn't you invite me to the wedding?"

"Time is too urgent, so my family and friends will witness it." Luo Ji said casually.

"Hahaha. You can do it. You have two children at such a young age. But compared to others in the entertainment industry, you are a very responsible man."

Luo Ji: "..."

Now almost everyone in the entertainment industry knows that Logic, who was young, accidentally killed someone, so he got married.

Luo Ji changed the subject: "What are you doing recently? Do you have any plans for a new album?"

"Yes, are you recording a new album recently?"

Luo Ji asked: "What type?"

"My old profession, rhythm and blues, adult lyricism."

"Oh."

Mariah Carey looked at him doubtfully and asked: "By the way, your singer Lady Gaga has suddenly become popular recently. Do you know why?"

Luo Ji said seriously: "It should be that the public is beginning to accept electronic dance music."

"Indeed, every once in a while, listeners' preferences change. The rhythm and blues style that was popular last year suddenly cannot be sold in the past few months."

Mariah Carey mused: "So you think electronic music is the next thing?"

"At least it will be a popular style in the future."

Luo Ji continued: "You should know that I have been cooperating with Lady Gaga to promote the scandal some time ago, but I failed to make her popular. But since September, the company's promotion of her has slowed down, but she has become popular inexplicably. . It can only be said that the public is beginning to accept her music style."

"Did you write her a song?"

"Well, Bad Romance."

"No. [-] on the Billboard singles chart."

Mariah Carey then looked at Luo Ji seriously: "Did you also write the song "A Thousand Years" for Taylor? It sold very well too!"

"Well, haven't the media reported it?"

Mariah Carey took Luo Ji's hand, smiled and said, "Do you have time to help me write a song?"

It seems that the relationship between the two has not reached this stage, and they directly invited her to sing.

Luo Ji found a reason to refuse: "As you know, my output has always been relatively low."

"What about your electronic music record company? I heard there are many electronic music producers. Can I invite songs from them?"

"That's no problem. But will it conflict with your music style?"

"It's okay, I'm still willing to try new styles." Mariah Carey said with a smile.This Diva's sense of smell is really keen. No wonder the other two Diva's have rushed to the street. She is still active.

"Okay, I'll say hello to the company," Luo Ji said with a smile.

As a first-line singer, Mariah Carey has so many producers and songwriters who want to write songs for her. The DJ from Luoji Electronic Music Company can cooperate with her, which also proves the strength of the company.

It seems that attending more parties and meeting people is still useful. No, today I negotiated several business deals with Google and Mariah Carey.

Mariah Carey suddenly asked curiously: "I heard from people at the party that Zuckerberg came with you, why didn't you see him?"

"He had something to do and left early."

"Oh, what a pity. I wanted to get to know him."

Luo Ji responded casually: "We'll talk about it when we have a chance."

As the social network war gradually became clearer, Facebook stood out and ushered in great development. Zuckerberg's reputation became more and more famous. He has become the darling of the American media and is even more famous than Luo Ji in the field of entrepreneurship. , it was no surprise that Maria wanted to get to know him.

The two chatted for a while, and then Luo Ji took his leave. He wanted to meet the former first lady Nancy Reagan, the wife of the deceased President Reagan, who was not far away.

She also lives in this wealthy community, is a well-known conservative, and has great influence in the Republican Party.

"I'll take my leave if it's okay," Luo Ji said.

Mariah Carey grabbed him: "Logic, are you free tonight?"

"Free, is there anything?"

"Michael Jackson wants to meet you and invite you to dinner."

Luo Ji asked in confusion, "Do you know what he wants from me?"

"He didn't say anything, he just asked me to invite you to his home."

"Does he live nearby too?"

"Well, he also owns property in Bel Air."

"That's fine."

There are very few people who can get Luo Ji to take the initiative to see him. It is usually other people who take the initiative to see Luo Ji.

However, Michael Jackson still had to give him some respect. Although the two only met once in the UK, he helped Luo Ji once when he covered Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love".

The copyright to the song belongs to Sony/ATV, a company Michael owns half of.Classic songs like Elvis Presley's are generally not allowed to be covered. It was Michael who put in good words for Luo Ji at that time.

Luo Ji looked at Maria and said, "Why doesn't he come to Quincy's party?"

Maria said in surprise: "Don't you know? The two of them have a grudge."

"What's going on?" Luo Ji asked curiously.

"That's right, you are young and don't know about them."

Mariah Carey explained: "Quincy Jones was Michael's music producer at the time and made him famous. However, the two finally broke up due to interests, and that's what it is now."

"Oh."

This situation is all too common in the music industry. Mariah Carey broke up with Sony, and Luo Ji himself almost started working with Universal Music.

Mariah Carey looked around and whispered: "Quincy is not good. You should be careful when working with him. He is a petty person. He smeared Michael in various ways in the media, saying that Michael did not want to be black and bleached himself. .”

Luo Ji patted her shoulder to reassure her: "Okay, I'll pay attention."

It seems that Mariah Carey is on Michael Jackson's side in this matter, and Luo Ji knows that they have a good relationship.

At the end of the last century, Mariah Carey divorced her ex-husband, Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola, and had conflicts with her employer, Sony Music.

At the end of the contract, Sony used the media to harass her. She almost didn't make it through and she had some mental problems.

Michael Jackson also had conflicts with Sony Music because of half of Sony/ATV's shares.

The two joined forces at that time, holding together to keep warm and fight against Sony Music.It can be regarded as a life-long friendship.No wonder she sided with Michael Jackson.

…………

Michael Jackson's home in the Bel Air neighborhood at night.

Fiona, Robin, and Blake sat together with Jackson, chasing stars closely.Mariah Carey sat nearby and smiled.

Luo Ji stood in the living room, holding Michael's 10-year-old daughter Paris Jackson in circles in the air.The little girl was not afraid at all and was giggling with excitement.

Children's interests come and go quickly.After a while, he got tired of playing. Luo Ji took Paris' little hand and came to the sofa, where he sat with everyone and chatted.

Michael Jackson smiled and said: "Logic, do you like children?"

"Ah."

Luo Ji actually didn't like children before and always thought they were making trouble. He used to like to bully his younger brother Chucky.

But since he became a father, his mentality has changed.I really like interacting with children.

10-year-old Paris held Luo Ji's hand: "Then do you like me?"

"Of course I do." Luo Ji reached out and touched her hair.

"I like you too." 10-year-old Paris said with a smile and rubbed her face against Luo Ji's arm.

Hahaha, everyone laughed out loud when they saw her appearance.

To be honest, Jackson has done a good job in raising his children. The little girl is optimistic, cheerful, generous, and doesn't accept life at all.As soon as Luo Ji came to her home, she pestered him to play with her.

"Michael, how do you raise your children?" Luo Ji asked.

Michael Jackson said: "Spend more time with her. I don't have a childhood. I hope Paris can have a wonderful childhood."

No wonder the relationship between father and daughter is so good, but Luo Ji is too busy and wonders if he will be able to spare time to spend time with his children in the future.

Several people sat together and discussed their parenting experiences. As a father, Luo Ji interrupted from time to time, and the discussion with Michael Jackson went back and forth.

After dinner, Michael Jackson brought Luo Ji to the study room. The two exchanged pleasantries and then got down to the topic.

"Logic, why did I invite you here today?"

"what's up?"

Michael Jackson was a little embarrassed and said shyly: "Is your private equity fund still short of people? I have 2000 million meters of funds here."

"Isn't your cash flow a little tight during this time?" Luo Ji asked in surprise.

Michael Jackson's financial situation is not very good right now. He is short of cash flow.

Some time ago, Sony acquired the entire ownership of SonyBMG for US$12 billion, and the copyrights of some of its songs will be merged into Sony/ATV.

In order to maintain 50% of his equity, Michael Jackson had to invest a certain amount of money.

In order to raise funds, he has auctioned off his "Neverland Ranch" during this time.There was news that he was going to auction off his collection of memorabilia.

"It's okay, I can still come up with the 2000 million yuan."

Michael Jackson said seriously: "I'm a little old and I always want to leave something for my children. Don't worry, if you accept my funds, I will put them in your fund for a long time and will never give them to you. Adding trouble to frequent extractions.”

Luo Ji originally wanted to use clichés to deal with it, but then he thought about it. He had helped him with the song cover last time, so he wouldn't embarrass him this time.

"Okay, I just kicked someone out of a private equity fund recently."

"Thank you, Logic. I know your private equity spot is in high demand."

"Small things."

Michael smiled shyly and said, "I still have to thank you."

Luo Ji thought for a while and felt that it was a little too shallow to talk, but he still warned: "Michael, I know the peeves of those record companies. Sony will definitely continue to acquire music copyrights to support Sony/ATV's assets. You In order to maintain 50% of the shares, you have to keep investing money. You have to be careful and pay attention to your cash flow, they will not stop."

Singers, after all, have their limits.

In terms of capital consumption, how could he possibly outcompete a large company like Sony? His 50% stake in Sony/ATV was coveted by countless people.

"Hahaha, of course I know."

Michael Jackson smiled confidently and said: "I'm going to hold a global tour next year. Aren't you still confident about my ability to attract money?"

"This is your first major tour since the History World Tour in 1997."

Michael Jackson sighed: "Yeah, 12 years."

Luo Ji said in surprise, "Then you must leave me some concert tickets."

"no problem."

Luo Ji took Michael Jackson's arm and walked out: "Let's go tell Robin and the others the good news. They will definitely be very happy."

"it is good."

Michael Jackson smiled and said: "But you have to keep this matter a secret. It cannot be announced to the media for the time being. I am a bit old and I still have to rehearse. I don't know if I can return to my peak condition. I hope to be able to present it to the audience. To bring out my best.”

"You are only 49 years old, which is the golden age of a man. You are so old."

"Hahaha."

Luo Ji looked at Michael Jackson. He was smiling happily. He seemed to be 12 years younger now, back to his dazzling appearance on the stage.

(End of this chapter)