The Contract Is Finally Secured

9:00 a.m.

Hedamu Street, a working-class district of Los Angeles.

Zucker drove under James's directions through streets inhabited by low-income residents. Yes, Zucker was driving a car, but true to his nature, it was definitely not a nice one. It was an old secondhand Ford he had bought for only $3,000.

"Damn it, James, why haven't we arrived yet? Didn't you say it was nearby?" Zucker complained.

"Hey, hey, hey, buddy, it's not far. Your car is just such a piece of junk that it doesn't even have air conditioning. The weather's hot and stuffy, which is making you irritable and making the trip feel longer," James said, spreading his hands.

Zucker showed not the slightest embarrassment at those words.

He was completely at ease.

There was nothing wrong with saving money.

It was a hardworking, frugal lifestyle!

"Shut up!"

"If this Candy you found for me is unreliable, or if he charges more than $2,000, I'll dock your future pay. Five hundred dollars a month. Hmm, and your bonuses too."

Zucker was not exactly generous, and he took the opportunity to negotiate terms.

That was right. At Zucker's invitation, James had readily agreed to become an employee at the soon-to-open movie merchandise chain.

"Oh no, buddy, don't dock my pay. Promise me. I'll serve you well tonight, darling," James said in a hurriedly affected coquettish voice.

Darling?

It nearly disgusted Zucker to death!

Zucker was not surprised at all that James had agreed to work for him.

James Shawn was twenty-four years old and Black. He had been expelled before even finishing high school. Even though he had some cleverness, he still had no hope of finding a good job in America.

What was more, James's father had died early, and he still had a bedridden, paralyzed mother and a nine-year-old sister to support. That was also why he often skipped classes to make money and sold marijuana at school, ultimately getting expelled.

With Zucker offering him a well-paying job, could he possibly refuse?

It was also an act of kindness from Zucker!

Not long after.

Zucker and James finally found the home of Candy, the former ace negotiation expert.

It was a 150-square-meter, two-story building reeking of rot and alcohol, with beer bottles and trash all over the floor.

The smell alone was enough to make even a lifelong bachelor nearly throw up.

The mixed stench was like three-month-old shit being unsealed and returned to the world.

It was simply indescribable!

"Hi, James, my dear friend. I knew you must be bringing me business again. So this handsome gentleman is the client? Don't stand there. Sit, sit."

A disheveled middle-aged white man with an unshaven face and oil-stained pajamas greeted them warmly while swiftly sweeping the beer cans and nutshell trash from the sofa onto the floor.

Damn, could he be one of those hidden masters? Zucker thought.

Zucker looked at the sofa after the nutshells had been swept away and saw clear traces of vomit on it. There was no way he could sit down.

"No need. I'm tired from driving, so let's talk about why we're here first," Zucker said unhurriedly.

James hurriedly added from the side, "Right, right, my boss's business is important."

Then Zucker and James explained in detail the Toy Story merchandise licensing deal, as well as negotiation expert Max Lee, including the difficulties and requirements of the negotiation.

"Uh... that's all? Don't worry. It's a small case. I can settle it for you within three days. Guaranteed satisfaction."

When it came to professional matters, Candy appeared extremely confident.

Zucker was half-convinced. "Are you sure you can settle it in three days?"

"Of course. I, Candy Edwards, am an ace negotiation expert. What the hell is Max Lee? Back then, he wasn't even worthy of carrying my shoes. Three days? Honestly, I think that's too much time," Candy said casually.

Three days?

And he thought that was too long?

Heh, he clearly had no idea who Zucker was!

James had come to understand Zucker's changes over the past few days and could not help giving Candy a look that said, May you survive this.

"Fine. I'll give you two days. If you can settle it, I'll pay you $1,500."

Zucker immediately said it, acting extremely generous.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Candy instantly spat out the beer in his mouth. He could not help being shocked. He had never seen anyone as shameless as Zucker. Man, I said three days just to demonstrate my professionalism. Did you really have to push your luck? That's humiliating, you know?

"Well, well, two days isn't impossible, but... you'll have to pay more!"

Candy was embarrassed at first, then showed a hint of resolve, which surprised Zucker somewhat.

Hearing that, Zucker said magnanimously, "More money, right? No problem. I'll add another $500!"

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Candy looked at Zucker's expression, which plainly said I'm so generous, and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Shameless!

He had never seen anyone so stingy!

After all that talk, he only added $500.

I have to refuse him. But... if I had work, I'd definitely refuse him.

No matter what, I'm never taking his job again!

It was not just Candy. Even James, standing nearby, was shocked by Zucker's shamelessness. Seeing that someone else's career was not going well, he really did everything he could to force the price down!

Three days later.

Pixar Animation Studios.

Zucker finally met Jobs. Since it was contract-signing day, the big boss himself needed to sign it.

"Mr. Wald, you really... really surprised me. Where did you find such a formidable negotiator?"

Jobs shook hands with Zucker. He had originally wanted to say, "You're too shameless," but the words never left his mouth.

Too shameless?!

John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and the rest of Pixar nodded in agreement.

"Those three are way too shameless."

"Yeah. Oh, right, his name is Candy. He has an incredibly loud voice, like a savage."

"A savage? That's putting it mildly."

"Didn't you see him nearly come to blows with Max Lee at the negotiating table?"

"And that James Shawn. He always smiled and never wasted words, but he always brought out piles of data. It was downright lethal. A smiling tiger!"

"The most shameless one was Zucker. That guy, Zucker Wald."

"That's right. He never said anything else. Just, 'I don't have that much money, I don't have that much money, I don't have that much money.'"

"Over the two days, he repeated it hundreds of times. I nearly went insane from hearing it."

The Pixar Animation people had reacted terribly.

Actually, that was nothing compared to the worst-off person: Dabel's negotiating representative, Max Lee. Facing Candy, he was practically on the verge of shutting down.

"Damn it, damn it. Candy is a savage. I never want to see him again."

The contract was finally signed.

The general terms were as follows:

Zucker had not obtained the Toy Story merchandise licensing rights for six states, but he had secured four: California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

2. The licensing fee was $800,000, paid in a lump sum, with a licensing term of twelve years.

3. Priority partnership rights for merchandise licensing of subsequent Toy Story installments, as well as all animated films created by Pixar Animation Studios over the next five years.

That was right, including all of its 3D animated films over the next five years.

This was what Zucker valued most.

The merchandise licensing rights for Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Cars, and more would be enough to ensure that Zucker's stores would rake in money every day.

"Hahaha, $800,000. This is such a steal. Forget after 2000—even when Toy Story comes out a few months from now, given how popular it'll be, $800,000 is nothing but a fantasy price."

Zucker was overjoyed.

It was easy to foresee Pixar's future regret.

In a few months, the merchandise licensing fee for Los Angeles alone would likely exceed $500,000. For all of California, it would easily exceed $1.2 million.

A few days later.

While beginning recruitment, Zucker also started thinking about writing a few scripts.

Wrong Turn, Saw, and The Blair Witch Project were all low-budget films with high box office returns. Choosing between them gave Zucker a headache.

That day, during recruitment, Zucker encountered a very unexpected applicant. Her name was Charlize Theron.