As the boss of 20th Century Fox, Mr. Murdoch was a very proud man. He was, of course, very annoyed that a "junior" like Zane Blackwood had politely brushed him off.
But this was a public party. He kept a polite smile on his face.
"Young man," Murdoch said, "let's not talk about that. As you said, it's all in the past." He glanced over at another old man, Mr. Redstone, who was standing not far away. He lowered his voice. "I heard you and Paramount had a... falling out?"
Zane immediately put on a shocked and innocent face. "Impossible!" he said. "We just finished our contract, that's all. Mr. Murdoch, you must be careful with your words!"
He knew he had to be "thick-skinned." This was a skill he could never forget!
Murdoch just smiled. "Fine, fine, my mistake. Well, you should really think about working with me. With the great 20th Century Fox! Together, we could do amazing things. Besides," he added, his voice even lower, "that old fellow, Summer Redstone, could pass away at any moment. He's seventy-five, you know."
"Thank you!" Zane said, his face lighting up with excitement. "I have always wanted to work with 20th Century Fox!"
"Oh?" Murdoch asked, surprised. "So, it's decided?"
But...
Zane's excited face suddenly turned serious and thoughtful. He shook his head.
"Sir Murdoch," he said, "even though I'm the boss of my company, I'm a very democratic boss. I like to discuss all big matters with my team, with Victor and my other leaders. If I just made a big decision like this all by myself... well, my team might think I'm being too bossy."
At that moment, Mr. Murdoch really felt like cursing.
What kind of an excuse is that?! he thought. This kid was just all excited a second ago!
Thud! Thud!
Just then, a loud booming sound came from nearby.
Zane and Murdoch both looked up. It was Summer Redstone, the 75-year-old boss of Paramount, angrily hitting his cane on the floor. He was staring right at them.
"Mr. Wald (Zane), Mr. Murdoch," Redstone said, his voice surprisingly strong. "I am seventy-five. But my hearing is quite good, and I feel like I'm eighteen. You say I'm on my last breath? Hah! When you are both dead and gone, this old man will still be alive and well!"
Murdoch: "..."
Zane: "..."
They were both so embarrassed! They had been caught talking about someone behind their back.
Zane looked at the old man, who was full of fire, and couldn't help but feel impressed. This old man is a living fossil! he thought.
Summer Redstone's life was a legend. He had gone to Harvard at 17, helped America win World War II by cracking codes, and got his law degree at 24. He survived a terrible fire that almost killed him. And then, at 63, he started all over and built one of the biggest media companies in the world, buying Viacom and Paramount.
He was always full of energy, and he would live to be 95 years old!
"hmm" Zane thought with real admiration. "To live that long and still be so passionate... what a life."
...
After a while, the movie A Bug's Life began to play.
It was an amazing movie. The story was great, the cartoon characters were funny, and it was beautiful to look at. Pixar had really raised the bar for animation!
After the movie, John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton (the directors) came on stage to thank everyone. Steve Jobs, the owner of Pixar, also came up and said a few words.
He had learned to be humble. The old Steve Jobs would have probably been arrogant and made a few mean jokes.
Right after, all the bosses from the movie theaters and toy stores rushed up. They were all fighting to get the rights to sell A Bug's Life toys. They all remembered how Toy Story had made everyone a ton of money.
"Everyone!" a man from Disney shouted. "We will hold a meeting about theater schedules the day after tomorrow. As for the toys and merchandise, that will be held at Disney's headquarters tomorrow!"
That was the sad part. Pixar had made the movie, but Disney was in charge of all the profits.
"Awesome!"
"I'll be there! I'm not missing out!"
"That's right! I missed out on Toy Story, and that little kid Zane Blackwood made a fortune! I can't miss it this time!"
All the store owners were so anxious. This was all about money!
"Hmph!" Mr. Murdoch snorted. "One day, our studio, Fox, will make a cartoon that's just as amazing as this."
Zane, who was standing next to him, just nodded.
Other people might have laughed, but Zane knew it was true. In the future, Fox's animation studio, Blue Sky, would make the giant hit movie Ice Age.
(Zane had already checked. He'd thought about "stealing" the Ice Age idea, but the script was already finished. He was too late!)
...
After half an hour, the crowd started to leave.
"Old Billy, wait a moment!" Zane called out, spotting an old friend at the door.
Old Billy was the owner of a toy store chain who had helped Zane a lot when he was first starting out. Zane had to stop him.
He knew that the A Bug's Life movie was amazing.
But he also knew that the toys were going to be a deep, deep pit that would lose a ton of money! He couldn't let his old friend fall into that trap.
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I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the sweet messages and prayers regarding my health! Reading your comments telling me to take care of myself made me smile so much. I'm incredibly lucky to have you all. I'm resting up, feeling better, and so grateful for every single one of you.
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