[Chapter 552: The Grapes Are Ripe, Hillary Is Pregnant, Mr. Nice Guy]
By mid-October, Linton made another trip to the farm. The grapes had finally ripened.
The small farm had planted 1,000 acres of grapevines back in May of '94. Though it had only been a year and a half, the vines thrived under the farm's unique, naturally charged atmosphere. This year marked the first harvest. Although the young vines yielded a modest crop -- around 300 pounds per acre -- the sheer scale of 1,000 acres meant a total harvest of 300,000 pounds.
Next year, as the vines matured, the yield was expected to soar to about 4,000 pounds per acre. That would make the farm's grape production comparable to some of the smaller vineyards used for high-quality winemaking.
Linton's motives for growing grapes were twofold: primarily to provide his family with the freshest, spiritually enriched fruit, and more importantly, to produce wine. He was convinced that wine made from these grapes, steeped in the farm's unique energy, would surpass even the finest Romanee-Conti wines on the market.
Moreover, he believed that regularly drinking such spiritually infused wine would dramatically boost one's health.
At Linton's request, Carter had flown in a world-class French winemaker on a generous contract. They established a three-acre winery right on the farm's grounds. Aside from the winery, other facilities like the rice mill, oil press, and flour mill were also built inside the farm, close to the health center.
These factories all paid well, but recruitment was rigorous. Candidates needed spotless backgrounds, with zero criminal records. Most crucially, each had to pass Linton's Soul Induction screening to ensure no spies or malicious individuals infiltrated the workforce.
When Linton arrived, Carter and house manager Erica had already recruited fifty vineyard workers from the garden staff to begin harvesting the grapes, giving them a chance to earn some extra money.
In just few days, they picked the entire first batch, gathering over 200,000 pounds of ripe grapes.
The grapes, nourished by the spirit energy, were irresistibly fragrant and luscious on the palate, earning universal praise. Even young Lina couldn't resist pouting, begging, "Daddy, I want to eat grapes!"
Since she was still so young and hadn't fully grown her teeth, Linton worried about choking hazards and refused to let her eat whole grapes. Instead, he had a small cup of fresh grape juice squeezed for her, which satisfied her craving. He instructed the nanny to give her a freshly squeezed cup each day.
Aside from a few members of the harem who were too busy, everyone returned to the farm to savor their homegrown grapes. Unfortunately, the other fruit trees were still too young to bear any fruit, but by the same time next year, the farm's harvest would be far more abundant, offering a rich variety of fresh fruits.
Linton was generous with the grapes, distributing fifty pounds each to every employee: garden workers, health center staff, tea and suma root cultivators, farm security, and the Thunder Guards. He also shipped a large batch to the Los Angeles estate.
After setting aside enough grapes for direct consumption, 160,000 pounds went into the winery to begin the red wine production process. The first batch was expected to be ready in about a month.
---
By late October, Hillary returned to Crescent Bay. In the presidential suite of the Four Seasons Hotel, as soon as Linton walked in, a passionate body pressed against him, and a fragrant kiss was planted on his lips.
"Darling, I have fantastic news to tell you."
"Oh? What's the good news? Are you pregnant?"
"Yes, I went to the hospital for a checkup yesterday -- it's definitely confirmed."
"That's wonderful. Truly fantastic news."
"Darling, for such great news, you owe me a reward."
"Sure, what kind of reward?"
"My reward is that you spend three whole days fully devoted to me, okay?"
"Three days? How do you want me to spend them? Your position means we can't go out together -- are you suggesting we stay cooped up right here?"
"Yes, exactly. I want you to stay here with me in the hotel for three days."
"Alright, I can agree to that."
"Darling, you're so good to me. Too bad I just bought the estate here in Crescent Bay, and haven't decorated it yet, or we could be living the good life there."
"No worries, there's still time. Besides, this presidential suite is pretty spacious."
Linton had expected Hillary's pregnancy would prompt her to want quiet, peaceful companionship for the three days -- reading the paper, sharing stories, watching movies or the news.
He was wrong.
Perhaps early pregnancy heightened her sensitivity, or it was simply her nature.
For three full days and nights, signs of their passionate, intimate moments were scattered throughout every corner of the presidential suite. Joyful, sweet moans and laughter filled the air.
Three days later, Hillary left radiant, glowing with vitality, but reluctant to part with Linton as she returned to Washington.
In truth, she had no time to linger in Crescent Bay -- a three-day stay was already risky. The presidential election was in its final, crucial stretch. Although Bill Clinton led comfortably, no unexpected setbacks could be allowed.
Her priority was to stay close to Clinton, projecting an image of a harmonious, happy family to the voters.
---
Meanwhile, Black Mask had been in North American theaters for four weeks, grossing a cumulative $22.51 million. It continued to make over $100,000 daily, with a projected final gross around $25 million.
For a foreign-language import, that was a remarkable success.
More importantly, Black Mask's unexpected North American box office appeal meant the upcoming Berlin Film Festival would easily see sales of European rights exceed $5 million, turning the movie from a loss into a substantial profit.
Jet Li's Hollywood star was rising with the film. His status as Bruce Lee's successor was recognized by many North American fans, giving him a solid following.
If he chose to stay in Hollywood, leading roles might be rare, but supporting parts were plentiful.
Black Mask's success had an unforeseen ripple effect: it put Golden Harvest and Jackie Chan on alert. They'd long believed they were unrivaled in the market. Now seeing Jet Li's North American success backed by Linton's film company's distribution prowess made them realize how crucial Linton's promotion was -- and that he could easily elevate others.
Jackie Chan had become an international superstar with hits like Rumble in the Bronx and Police Story 4: First Strike, which brought enormous earnings to Golden Harvest, raising many stakeholders' expectations.
Jackie demanded not just fixed fees but wanted profit sharing or investment stakes. Director Stanley Tong also pushed to share in the profits, not just a flat fee.
Golden Harvest, famously stingy with its artists, wasn't about to loosen its grip.
Raymond Chow even entertained the idea that since Jackie's two films had sold so well in North America, they might bypass Linton's company entirely for future distribution, potentially earning even more without sharing star billing or production control.
Because of these conflicts, Jackie's new film stalled in negotiations.
Jet Li's Black Mask failed in Asia but captured North America with over $22 million in box office, turning the movie's fortunes around and making the film company profitable.
This proved Linton's film company's North American distribution power was extraordinary and confirmed that Jackie's two hits owed much to Linton's marketing, not just the films themselves.
It also showed Linton's company had the capacity to elevate other films easily.
With that realization, Golden Harvest and Jackie cooled off and quickly settled on a new project.
The new film, Mr. Nice Guy, would follow the original model: co-produced with Linton's company, with Jackie exchanging his $3 million fee for a 20% investment stake.
However, Stanley Tong's demand for profit sharing was rejected; he was eventually replaced by director Sammo Kam-Bo Hung.
On October 25 -- just three days after Hillary left -- Raymond Chow, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung flew to Los Angeles to meet with Linton for further negotiations.
...
The film was set in Melbourne, Australia. Jackie Chan played Jackie, a well-known local chef who hosted a popular cooking TV show.
The film's villain was the brutal drug lord Giancarlo and his gang. After eliminating rival spies, Giancarlo's crew staged a violent warehouse shootout which reporter Diana captured on camera.
While evading the drug gang, Diana met Jackie, who bravely drew the thugs away. However, in their frantic parting, Diana accidentally took Jackie's show footage as evidence.
Soon the drug gang found Diana's apartment but came up empty-handed, shifting their focus to Jackie.
Jackie's girlfriend, Miki, arrived from afar to appear on his show. During filming, the drug gang attacked. After intense street fighting, Jackie escaped.
Meanwhile, rival gangs took Miki hostage, demanding the footage in exchange, plunging Jackie, the police, and the two gangs into chaos over the tape.
The film retained Jackie's signature comedic action style, ending with justice prevailing and villains brought to justice.
...
Unlike Rumble in the Bronx and Police Story 4: First Strike, Jackie pushed for a full English-language production shot entirely in Australia, featuring many foreign actors.
His salary had risen to $3 million, boosting the budget to $15 million.
After reviewing the script and plan, Linton found the plot somewhat cliched and the characters shallow, but the film fit Jackie's established style.
An investment of $7.5 million seemed modest to him, with profitability in North America assured.
Seeing Linton's interest, Raymond and Jackie were thrilled. As longtime partners, talks were swift with little haggling.
The deal: Linton would fund half the production cost, $7.5 million, securing North American rights and sending a producer to the set. Linton's company would also cast the female supporting role of Miki.
Originally, Raymond and Jackie intended to hand over the lead female role, Diana -- a Western character -- to Linton, since Golden Harvest lacked Western actresses. Giving that role to Linton made perfect sense.
But Linton wasn't interested in the character. His harem included several established Hollywood second-tier actresses or better; he wasn't going to waste that talent on a modest $15 million Hong Kong production.
The female supporting role, Miki, was also not favored by Michelle Reis or Vivian Chow, but Xu Qing fit perfectly.
Currently working on Final Destination 2 in Crescent Bay, Xu Qing's schedule aligned perfectly.
Linton personally called the production producer, Abella, to arrange for Xu Qing's leave and invited her to his office.
...
Raymond initially intended to reserve the supporting role to cultivate a newcomer and hesitated to agree to Linton's request but changed his mind upon learning Xu Qing -- the glamorous "Angel 21" -- would take the part.
Seeing Xu Qing in person, he knew she was the best choice for Miki, with the looks, charm, and solid Hollywood experience to own the role.
Better yet, having one of Linton's Angels star guaranteed a huge promotional boost in North America and was a plus for European sales.
The two sides quickly agreed to form the crew and begin preparations for a January '97 shoot.
Given Linton's status, he didn't personally host Raymond and the others; after discussions, Robert accompanied them to finalize details.
...
It was Xu Qing's first visit to Linton's office. After seeing Raymond and company off, she threw herself into Linton's arms and kissed him passionately. "Darling, thank you so much."
"Baby, we're family. It's my duty. Come on, let me show you around my office."
"Great."
Soon, from deep within the office, vibrant, joyful singing echoed sweetly...
*****
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