1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 83: Good News from ABC

Time slips away silently amidst the calm busyness.

Good news kept coming in late July.

First, the arrival of $7.7 million made Xu Shengjie, who had been feeling immense pressure, suddenly feel much more financially secure.

After receiving the money, he began to set up a trust fund.

Of course, it's complicated.

Establishing a personal trust fund in the United States in 94 required a lengthy process.

The entire process was complex and time-consuming.

Of course, if Xu Shengjie simply wanted to set up a revocable trust, it would be very easy.

Document drafting, signing and notarization, account opening, asset transfer... can be completed in 2-6 weeks.

They could even get it done before filming for "Run Lola Run" even started.

Well, since it's highly likely that Julie will not appear again, then the name "Run Julie Run" no longer has any meaning.

Xu Shengjie then changed the name to "Run Lola Run".

The female protagonist's name has also reverted to Lola.

The trust he needs to process is a highly complex one, involving taxation and some special requirements.

The establishment of such a trust fund requires complicated procedures.

The tax and legal planning alone will take two months to complete.

Then, the assets were transferred.

The matter involves studio equity and cross-border business, as well as properties under Xu Shengjie's name and properties he is about to purchase, among other things. Gong Xue and Xu Shengjie's lawyer, Jessica, made a rough estimate that it would take about 4-6 months to complete all the procedures and formalities.

Gong Xue suggested that a revocable, low-asset trust should be established first.

Then, through a trust fund, the studio received investment.

This process is estimated to be completed within a month and a half, and will not delay the investment in the "Run Lola Run" project.

At the same time, it involves more complex trust processes.

Once the trust process is complete, the previous trust fund will be cancelled, and all investment matters will be incorporated into the new trust fund.

"If everything goes smoothly, the fund establishment should be completed before December, which will not delay your tax filing next year."

Jessica Aguirre is now Xu Shengjie's personal lawyer and legal advisor.

She's definitely a newbie!

However, she has the backing of the law firm Wachtell Lipton, which can provide Xu Shengjie with strong legal assistance.

She also graduated from Columbia Law School with a master's degree.

In other words, when the law firm is not capable enough, she still has the ability to mobilize some resources and connections from Columbia Law School.

Previously, she didn't have a high position in the law firm, so she certainly wouldn't have been able to access these resources.

But after she signed a $200,000 annual legal fee agreement with Xu Shengjie, she became a rising star in the law firm.

Next, she needs some classic cases to solidify her position.

The greater her fame, the higher her future standing at the law firm will be, and she might even become a partner at Wachtell Lipton. If she reaches that point, Jessica will have firmly established herself in the New York legal community.

Xu Shengjie's case is very important.

Jessica put in a lot of effort.

Who would have thought that what started as a forced business deal would turn into a millionaire in the blink of an eye?

Where can I find reason?

……

Gong Xue and Jessica are in charge of the trust fund, and Zhou Wenqiong will also be involved, so Xu Shengjie doesn't need to worry about it.

His focus is on film crews and novel writing.

The production team has been assembled, and the male and female leads, as well as other actors, have all been confirmed.

Xu Shengjie and Danny were both surprised when Theron reappeared on the 31st after eight days of not seeing her.

She remains beautiful and captivating, still possessing that cool and alluring beauty.

However, beneath her cool demeanor lies a touch of gentleness, which adds to her original stubbornness, composure, and indomitable spirit.

She's even more suitable than Julie.

In some ways, she seems to be closer to the original female lead.

"How did you do that?"

Xu Shengjie was very curious.

Charlize Theron laughed and said, "I watched Thelma & Louise repeatedly, then read all of Susan Sarandon's works, and finally imitated Sarandon's performance style, adjusting my facial expressions in front of the mirror every day..."

She was radiant.

He looked somewhat dejected and discouraged, but his eyes sparkled with light.

Theron spoke casually.

But Xu Shengjie and Danny both knew that the process was by no means as easy as she described, and might even be very painful.

"That's settled then!"

Xu Shengjie made a decision.

Danny said, "Don't you want to reconsider? Perhaps you should take the initiative to contact Julie."

"I tried, but..."

Xu Shengjie smiled with relief.

"A week has passed, and tomorrow will be August."

I know her; this is her answer. Since that's the case, I don't need to wait any longer… Besides, you're going to Paris next month; we're all adults now and very busy. It's better for us to settle some things sooner rather than later.

She can now pursue her dreams with peace of mind.

Sally can relax and focus on figuring out her role.

After Xu Shengjie finished speaking, he looked at Theron.

"Sally, filming after it starts will be a very tough job."

It will not only be a test of your performance, but also of your physical strength and stamina. You need to prepare in advance.

By the way, I contacted Master Mai Baochan in Boston through Master Wu.

She's a Tai Chi master and also quite knowledgeable in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She'll be coming next month to check on your health and provide some treatment. She'll also be with the crew once filming starts. Please let us know in advance if you feel unwell.

Theron was very excited.

She nodded vigorously. "Jeffrey, I will definitely meet your requirements."

"Boy, she likes you."

After Theron left, Danny joked with a smile.

Xu Shengjie glanced sideways at him, "You know again?"

"Of course, I'm an expert in this field."

However, I still think Mira is more suitable...

"Stop, stop, stop. It's already been decided, so let's not change it anymore."

As for your baby Mila, everyone has their own opportunities. Besides, she's in Europe; who knows, she might get better opportunities there?

Upon hearing this, Danny Airo couldn't help but laugh.

"You're right, let's focus all our attention on this movie."

He got up and walked out, saying as he went, "You'd better get an office place sorted out as soon as possible; this place really isn't suitable for working."

"I've discussed it with Vanessa, and she's agreed to rent me the workspace in her studio that's near the elevator."

"That would be a good choice."

Vanessa's studio is very large.

But she only used two-thirds of the space, and there was another workroom next door, about 300 square meters... The renovation was completed long ago, but Vanessa's workload was so small, and she only had so many people under her, so she was always idle.

Xu Shengjie mentioned the office location by chance.

Vanessa suggested that the workspace could be rented to Xu Shengjie for about $20,000 a year.

That's on Broadway!

This price is basically a friendly price.

Xu Shengjie needs to live in this apartment temporarily, and it can't be used as an office indefinitely.

So he accepted the offer and agreed.

Being Vanessa's neighbor... doesn't seem like such a bad thing, does it?

Dani Elro said, "I'm leaving for Paris on the 20th. Before that, I'll complete all the necessary paperwork for the filming."

By the way, you should also prepare yourself. Once you've finished this film, you should consider joining the Directors Guild and the Writers Guild. You don't meet the requirements yet, but I believe it will be very easy after the film is released.

While there will be some limitations, there are also many conveniences.

"I know!"

Xu Shengjie smiled and nodded, indicating that he understood.

……

July 1994 passed just like that.

On August 2nd, the first part of The Matrix was successfully completed.

After proofreading the manuscript, Xu Shengjie printed out a copy and sent it to Robert.

He then began creating the first Resident Evil film.

As the first novel in the Resident Evil universe, Xu Shengjie adopted the Hong Kong translation of the first film's title, *The Survivors*. It seems quite fitting… This is a massive undertaking, encompassing films, animation, games, and official novels. There are eight official novels alone, and Xu Shengjie certainly won't use them all. He must integrate them based on his understanding of the Resident Evil universe; this process will be lengthy, perhaps ten years?

It's worth it!

At the same time, he also made a decision.

I designed some illustrations for each novel.

It's not difficult, it's just a simple thing... but it might make this work more vivid.

Everything is for the dollar.

Strive and work hard!

He is now full of motivation.

Jingle Bell!

The phone rang.

Xu Shengjie yawned, put down his notebook, and walked over.

"This is Jeffrey Xu."

Hey Jeffrey, are you still in New York?

On the phone came a voice that Spike recognized quite well.

Xu Shengjie rolled his eyes. "Otherwise what?"

"There's something I'd like to tell you..."

On the phone, Spike suddenly became hesitant and stammering.

……