Chapter 2123: Buy a Manor?

Zhao Fusheng was genuinely surprised when he saw Scarlett Johansson.

"Long time no see, dear Zhao."

Scarlett Johansson walked quickly up to Zhao Fusheng and gently hugged him.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, naturally not refusing, and hugged Scarlett Johansson back, saying, "Long time no see, Scarlett."

"Yes, long time no see."

Scarlett Johansson looked at Zhao Fusheng charmingly and said, "How about it? My Chinese is pretty good, right?"

She said these few sentences in Chinese.

Zhao Fusheng laughed and nodded: "Very good."

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng knew that Scarlett was learning Chinese, but he hadn't expected her to learn so quickly.

It hadn't been long, yet she could already carry on simple conversations.

After all, Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn.

At that moment, Liu Yiming walked in and told Zhao Fusheng that Robert Downey Jr. had also arrived.

"Dear sir, long time no see."

Robert Downey Jr. walked in and greeted Zhao Fusheng.

"Hi, Robert."

"Hi, Scarlett."

Seeing Scarlett Johansson there too, Robert Downey Jr. was slightly surprised, but he still smiled and exchanged pleasantries with her.

After all, they were both in the entertainment industry, and though not particularly close, they were fairly acquainted.

After some small talk, they each sat down.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said, "I haven't been up to much lately, and I was planning to look around Los Angeles. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"No, not at all," Robert Downey Jr. quickly shook his head.

Scarlett Johansson smiled even more: "How could that be?"

"By the way, are you familiar with the houses around here?"

Zhao Fusheng casually asked the two of them.

Houses?

The two looked at each other, very puzzled, clearly not understanding what Zhao Fusheng meant.

"Mm, I'm planning to buy a villa here in Los Angeles, so my family can stay when they visit."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to them.

He really did intend to buy a house here.

Just then, a house suddenly appeared on the television, and Zhao Fusheng pointed and said, "Something like this would do."

"Huh?"

"This?"

Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. were both dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Fusheng was a bit puzzled, looking at them in confusion.

"Sir, that house is very expensive."

Robert Downey Jr. said to Zhao Fusheng in surprise.

"Yes, that's the Chatsworth Estate." Scarlett Johansson, knowing that Zhao Fusheng wasn't very familiar with the situation in Los Angeles, quickly explained to him.

"Is that so?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "The size looks decent to me, and the facilities inside aren't bad either. Want to go take a look?"

He paused, then smiled: "I think I can probably afford it."

As soon as he said this, both Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. fell silent.

Come to think of it, if anyone was willing to buy that estate, Zhao Fusheng would definitely be the one.

...

...

"I went to that estate once before, for a party someone hosted."

Robert Downey Jr. introduced it to Zhao Fusheng: "The estate covers four hectares, with eighteen bedrooms and twenty-four bathrooms. The wine cellar can hold ten thousand bottles of wine. The annual tax is one point three million dollars, which is equivalent to several Rolls-Royces a year."

"Not bad."

Zhao Fusheng nodded with a smile: "If the house is that valuable, the owner must be quite wealthy."

That was true; someone who could afford to live in such a house would certainly have a private jet and a yacht at the very least.

As for cars?

Heh, in the eyes of foreign tycoons, luxury cars really aren't that important.

Cars are just a means of transportation.

As the saying goes, the poor play with cars, the rich play with watches, and the super-rich play with big birds.

A billionaire without a private jet isn't really considered wealthy.

"Yes, this was the property of a deceased billionaire, built in the last century in the French neoclassical style. It includes a luxurious garden, fountains, lawns, and a swimming pool. The main building alone is 25,000 square feet."

Shrugging, Robert Downey Jr. said to Zhao Fusheng, "And the landscaping inside is also very nice. Plus, it's located in an upscale residential area of Los Angeles, very safe and secluded."

As he spoke, he laughed, "If I had the money, I'd want to buy it too."

Zhao Fusheng smiled.

He could tell that Robert Downey Jr. was being sincere.

Americans' desire for luxury homes is just like the Chinese desire for luxury goods.

Many American celebrities, once they have money, their first thought is to move into a luxury mansion, even if it's rented.

Zhao Fusheng didn't understand this reason.

But he could see that both Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. really liked the estate, especially Robert Downey Jr., who was practically滔滔不绝 when introducing it to him.

"How do I contact the owner of this house?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Robert Downey Jr.

"That shouldn't be hard."

Robert Downey Jr. said, "Since the news says the owner is selling the house, I think you can just contact a real estate agency."

"Okay, I understand."

Zhao Fusheng nodded with a smile, finding it quite normal.

Real estate transactions in the US are generally commercialized; they have specialized real estate agents handling such sales, though they certainly charge hefty commissions.

"Let's go, I'll treat you two to dinner, and later you can show me around Los Angeles."

Zhao Fusheng said to them with a smile.

They naturally had no objections. The fact that Zhao Fusheng had called them over was already a gesture of goodwill, and they were also curious about what he wanted to discuss with them.

Dinner was arranged by Zhao Fusheng through Liu Yiming at a nice Western restaurant in Los Angeles.

Although he really wanted to eat Chinese food, to be honest, the Chinese food he had abroad never felt as satisfying as what he ate in China, so he decided to treat them to Western food.

"I met with Bob Iger from Disney before."

Sipping red wine, Zhao Fusheng suddenly said to Robert Downey Jr.

"Bob Iger?"

Robert Downey Jr. was taken aback, his face full of surprise.

This was a normal reaction. For him, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, was on a completely different level.

Even though Robert Downey Jr. had made a comeback with the first "Iron Man" movie, he was still well aware that he was just a star, nothing in front of capital giants.

In life, the most taboo thing is not knowing one's place.

That goes without saying.

In the film and television industry, whether directors or actors, they must bow their heads before capital. It's the same both domestically and abroad.

Many people often say, 'So-and-so is a big-shot actor,' or 'So-and-so director is awesome.' Let them try going against the investors.

Never mind the investors; even a big-shot director like Feng Xiaogang, when drinking with cinema chain managers, would down his drink in one gulp while they sipped at their leisure.

The reason is simple: they hold your lifeline!

If they get really upset, they could mess with your screening schedule, and the losses would be huge.

By the same token, there are plenty of Hollywood actors, and Disney's momentum is strong right now. Robert Downey Jr. knew well that while Bob Iger wasn't the sole decision-maker, the people who could stand up to him were definitely not someone like himself.

"Are you going to cooperate with Disney?"

Scarlett Johansson, not just a pretty face, quickly caught on and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Barring any surprises, we will jointly control Marvel."

"Whoa!"

The two exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Unbelievable!

Truly unbelievable!

No one had expected that Zhao Fusheng would cooperate with Disney to jointly take control of Marvel.

In other words, was this a merger of giants?

But if they did that, wouldn't it mean letting Disney manage Marvel?

Seeming to read their doubts, Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and explained, "Don't worry, the company's management will still be handled by Kevin Feige and Shawn Levy."

Then he added with a smile, "And, barring any surprises, we'll launch the second 'Iron Man' movie within this year."

Here it comes!

Here it comes!

Both Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. changed expressions.

Because they knew that what Zhao Fusheng was saying now had to do with both of them.

This was probably the real reason Zhao Fusheng wanted to see them.