Mickey Schulhof

Henry entered a small room with its own bar. The sofa area was empty, but there was a figure in a suit standing at the bar.

The bartender was a woman with her hair tied in a ponytail, and her white shirt accentuated her excellent figure.

When Henry entered, she was sarcastically swirling a cocktail shaker. After a few quick shakes, she poured the drink into a stemmed glass. The liquid was clear and colorless, and contained citrus peel.

Based on the smell Henry detected, it was a vodka martini, made with vodka, gin, and absinthe—a very old-fashioned classic cocktail.

The man in the suit at the bar picked up his drink, turned around, and raised it in a polite gesture. "Henry, it's great to meet you. I'm Mitch Schulhoff."

The waiter who had led the way had already closed the door and left. Generally speaking, in Western etiquette, two strangers need In-Betweener to introduce them.

What If...? there is no In-Betweener, according to etiquette, the master should greet the guest. If there is a difference in status, at least a servant should step forward.

But there were no extra people here, and in that instant, the distinction between host and guest of equal importance was made between who greeted whom.

Mickey Schulho, the one who invited Henry, took the opportunity of serving drinks to stay by the bar. This left Henry with no choice but to approach him if he wanted to greet him.

This Old Bai man, with Slavic features, was slightly overweight, but not to the point of appearing flabby. His thick hair was an advantage for his age.

But his expression was serious, and his eyes were sinister. If one's appearance reflects one's heart, then at this moment he seemed to be experiencing a series of misfortunes, and perhaps he was even openly plotting something bad.

Henry didn't respond to the greeting immediately. Instead, he went to the bar. His eyes were fixed on the bartender's prominent position, and he tapped the table lightly. "Girl, it's so hot outside, I'm dying of thirst. Give me a surprise."

Henry stated his needs but left the bartender free to do as he pleased. By this time, he was already with Mitch Schulhoff.

Extending his hand, Henry greeted, "Henry Brown. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Schulhoff."

Henry, quite tactlessly, extended his right hand to shake hands with the man, but Mitch Schulhoff's right hand was holding a wine glass. This left Schulhoff momentarily embarrassed, unsure whether to hold the glass up or put it down.

If he had smoothly placed the glass down and shook hands, it would have been Henry who would have been impolite. But Mitch Schulhoff hesitated for a moment, giving Henry the opportunity.

As he put down his glass and reached out to shake hands, Henry made an embarrassed expression and switched the gesture to his left hand.

Mitch Schulhoff was now in a double embarrassment. While Henry was impolite, Schulhoff had lost his composure, revealing his unsavory side to everyone.

When he angrily switched to his left hand to shake hands, Henry didn't switch hands this time. The two finally shook hands successfully.

In the first round, opinions differed on the outcome. However, Mitch Schulhoff knew very well that he had not achieved the desired result.

Suppressing his displeasure, Mitch Schulhoff said, "Henry, have you seen <Bad Boys>?"

"Is that right?"

Looking at the smug expression on the Old Bai man's face, Henry had to admit it.

This film, directed by Michael Bay and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, is indeed one of the few commercially successful projects since Sony acquired Columbia Pictures.

With a budget of 19 million, it grossed 141 million at the box office.

Henry frankly replied, "Yes, I saw it. It's a rare gem from Columbia Pictures recently. Ignore the critics' harsh words; commercial success is success."

Ignoring the veiled sarcasm in his words, Mitch Schulhoff said cheerfully, "Ha, I like hearing that. Movies should be big-budget productions to be box office hits."

"It's a pity that Jon and Peter, those two short-sighted and incompetent guys, only cared about making their own money and never thought about making a proper movie. Now that they've both been fired, are you interested in taking over SPE?"

This was completely unexpected! Henry, who had just placed the cocktail the bartender had mixed in front of him and was about to pick it up and drink it, paused involuntarily.

I just picked up this beer-based cocktail and took a sip.

Mitch Schulhoff, of course, didn't miss such subtle changes. With a smirk, he continued, "Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), which oversees Columbia Pictures, is not comparable to a washed-up company like Stark Studios."

"Whether you're ambitious in film or want to make your girlfriend famous, don't you think this is a better stage to showcase your talents? What can Stark Studios, which produces less than one film a year, possibly do?"

What Old Bai said is true. Although Stark Studios has a considerable advantage in equipment, the gap between it and the eight major Hollywood Big Eight film studios of this era is not just a tiny bit.

At least Stark Studios couldn't possibly outcompete any of the Big Eight studios with its equipment. This is because Stark Studios isn't the only manufacturer of film-related equipment.

Furthermore, the Big Eight film studios all have their own fully equipped studios and do not need to rent equipment from Stark Studios. It is independent films and small production companies that need to rent equipment to reduce their operating costs.

If this weren't part of the Marvel Universe, the offer made by the Old Bai man would indeed be a very tempting proposition.

Even disregarding Tony Stark's powerful connections, Henry didn't think the Old Bai man before him was a good choice. "Mr. Shulhorn, I've heard that SPE currently lacks a leader. But can you appoint someone?"

"As long as you demonstrate value, why would the Japan side refuse? The digital camera you're developing now is only at the HD level."

UHD is still under development, isn't it? I bet you can't imagine how much Sony desperately wants this technology.

"They want it, so I'll give it to them?" Henry laughed.

"This certainly doesn't mean handing over your technology to the Japan. What I need is more leverage to eventually take control of Sony's headquarters. To do that, I need your help, Henry."

"But didn't Sony Nobuyuki Idei the reins to Nobuyuki Inoue as president?"

"No, Norio Ohga is still here. Nobuyuki Izumi is just a figurehead with the title of president, doing the work of a vice president. He can still be replaced. And you don't think my goal is just the president of Sony, do you?"

"It's not that Mr. Schulhoff wants to be the president; he doesn't want the entire Sony, does he?"

Mitch Schulhoff's eyes gleamed with fervor. "Exactly! Don't you think it's our job to teach those Japan 've boasted about buying up United States a lesson?"

"Think about their expressions when Sony is no longer Sony of Japan, but Sony of United States. As an United States, wouldn't you be happy?"

Like I said, if this weren't the Marvel Universe, Henry might have given in.

But they use other people's resources to profit themselves. Although they offer some small tokens of compensation, they still rely on empty promises to persuade people.

Henry had long since become immune to this kind of empty promise-based manipulation. So at this moment, he could only chuckle twice.