Chapter 315

This year’s Oscar ceremony, lacking any real suspense, was utterly uneventful; the only thing that drew widespread attention was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King sweeping all 11 Oscars.

Another memorable moment was Charlize Theron from South Africa winning the Best Actress Oscar for Monster; she had perfectly assembled the award-winning formula—gained thirty pounds to look unattractive, portrayed a marginalized group (a lesbian), endured childhood abuse, and suffered from psychological illness.

Though based on true events, the film clearly catered to the Academy’s award checklist, representing the only path for vanity stars seeking an Oscar.

Wu Yuchen, however, was more intrigued by another piece of news following the Oscars: Peter Jackson had reached an agreement with Universal to direct King Kong, receiving a top-tier deal of $20 million plus 20% of global box office revenue.

As of now, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King had grossed $900 million worldwide; though it hadn’t yet reached $1 billion, Universal knew it would easily surpass that mark thanks to the Oscar boost, so they immediately accepted Jackson’s terms without delay.

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this—now that Jackson had secured such terms, how far could he be behind? He too had an Oscar; all he needed now was a film that broke $1 billion. His motivation for completing the post-production of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest surged.

As April arrived and the theater lights came on, both Spielberg and the theater representatives rose to applaud.

“An incredibly brilliant sequel!”

“The visual effects are amazing! I couldn’t tell Davy Jones was CGI—so lifelike!”

“And that giant octopus—truly shocking! It’ll scare plenty of kids!”

“The Flying Dutchman’s introduction and the sea monster swallowing Jack ramped up the suspense to maximum!”

Spielberg, patting Wu Yuchen on the shoulder, said excitedly: “Wu, you’ve delivered an unparalleled sequel—Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest will dominate this summer!”

Earlier, Spielberg had been anxious—after all, the post-production timeline for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest seemed tight, and Wu Yuchen was tied up with Spider-Man 2, making him fear further delays or mishaps.

But now, having seen the final cut, Spielberg’s spirits soared to heaven.

Although his words contained some exaggeration, from his point of view, the quality of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest far surpassed the passing threshold—it deserved an 80 or even 90 out of 100, ensuring box office performance at least as strong as the first film, with its reputation secured, making the success of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 no longer a concern.

Wu Yuchen smiled at Spielberg: “Steven, I’ve done everything I can. Now it’s up to you and Universal’s promotion—I’m counting on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest to break $1 billion.”

$1 billion?

For Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, this wasn’t unrealistic—after all, the first film had already grossed over $800 million worldwide; with this sequel’s superior quality, $1 billion should be its target.

Spielberg laughed heartily: “Wu, I’m going to announce your words to the press today!”

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest aims for $1 billion!”

Thus, news of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest spread worldwide, drawing massive fan attention.

“Wow! Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is finally coming! I’ve waited three years!”

“Finally, I’ll see Captain Jack again!”

“Can’t wait—I want to see what new mysteries Wu will unveil about the pirate world!”

“Spider-Man 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Bourne Supremacy—this summer is going to be amazing!”

This summer indeed had many major releases; besides Spider-Man 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Troy, a $180 million epic starring Brad Pitt, was already in heavy promotion and set for early June.

After all, May had Spider-Man 2 and July had Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest—both were blockbusters everyone wanted to avoid.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had initially planned to join the summer rush, but after seeing these two hot sequels during early scheduling, it quietly retreated to its traditional Christmas slot—not out of fear, but simply because there was no point in directly clashing.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban could still dominate the Christmas season, but other films had no such luxury—they could only fight for scraps.

For example, Fox’s $130 million disaster film The Day After Tomorrow opened at the end of May, while Universal’s $160 million fantasy monster epic Van Helsing opened mid-June.

Other star-driven films included Spielberg’s The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Cate Blanchett, releasing mid-May; and Jackie Chan’s Around the World in 80 Days, scheduled for late June.

Looking back from the future, Hollywood’s 2004 summer was incredibly busy—and moviegoers were truly fortunate.

After completing the post-production of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Wu Yuchen finally allowed himself a slight sigh of relief.

Well, only slight—his workload hadn’t slowed; he’d already begun post-production on Pirates of the Caribbean 3, determined to finish it all at once to avoid future headaches.

But Pirates of the Caribbean 3 had ample time, and Wu Yuchen’s pace grew noticeably more relaxed.

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was on an international call:

“Congratulations, Pony—you’ve finalized Tencent’s IPO. You’ve worked hard!”

On the other end, Pony Ma was equally delighted:

“We owe it all to Wu’s continuous support! Wu, won’t you come to ring the bell?”

Wu Yuchen shook his head: “No, I’m too busy right now. Ring it louder for me.”

Wu Yuchen hung up with a smile—Pony Ma had just informed him Tencent’s IPO was fully secured, set for June on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and had invited him, as a major shareholder, to ring the bell in person.

But Wu Yuchen declined. On one hand, his presence would steal the spotlight from Pony Ma and others; on the other, he still preferred to remain behind the scenes. Though Tencent’s IPO would make information public, the public would only know White Bear Ventures—he wouldn’t reveal himself.

For now, Wu Yuchen still wanted to be seen as a director, not a public figure. Of course, those who needed to know already knew his status as major shareholder.

It was legitimate investment—no one would dare target him. As for accusations of coercion or forced deals? That was pure fantasy. With Wu Yuchen’s international influence, would anyone really risk damaging national prestige by forcing him out?

If they drove a director who brought honor to the nation and embodied Chinese excellence into exile, who would bear the responsibility? That would be a global laughingstock—no one with a functioning brain would dare do it.

…

Late April in Los Angeles, the weather was perfect. Wu Yuchen, in casual short-sleeve and shorts, sat sipping tea with Jobs.

“Steve, I heard you’ve launched a secret project called Project Purple. Care to tell me about it?”

“Oh, Wu, it’s nothing major—just a personal experiment,” Jobs tried to brush it off.

Wu Yuchen smiled: “Steve, you know if I ask about it in the board meeting, you can’t hide it.”

Jobs spread his hands: “Fine, Wu, I’ll tell you—but you must swear absolute secrecy. Not a word to anyone.”

Wu Yuchen didn’t immediately agree; instead, he grinned: “Hey, Steve, I think I already know what you’re working on—is it a phone?”

Jobs was stunned, then his face darkened: “How do you know? Did someone tell you?!”

Jobs was naturally suspicious—he feared his phone project would be noticed by giants like Motorola and Nokia, so he kept iPhone development under extreme secrecy: hiring only internally, withholding project details until NDAs were signed, and forbidding any external leaks.

Wu Yuchen shook his finger: “No one told me. You did.”

“Me?!” Jobs looked confused.

“You recently publicly declared Apple had no interest in phones, calling them garbage with no future. Combined with your secret project, it wasn’t hard to guess,” Wu Yuchen said cheerfully.

“Oh damn! Is my intention that obvious?!” Jobs cursed. He now felt the iPhone project was no longer secret—if Wu Yuchen could guess it, what about others?

Wu Yuchen reassured him: “Steve, don’t worry. I’m a board member, so I thought of it. No one else will question your statements. Besides, I’ve always closely followed Apple.”

Jobs recalled Wu Yuchen’s earlier advice and felt somewhat relieved.

Back then, Wu Yuchen had advised White Bear Charity Fund to invest in Apple. During his visit, he’d told Jobs that iPod needed Windows compatibility to truly explode in sales. Jobs initially resisted, but later compromised with the second generation—compatibility arrived, iPod sales skyrocketed, Apple gained massive cash flow, and finally found its footing. Last year, Apple launched iTunes—a move with profound long-term impact.

Jobs looked at Wu Yuchen: “Wu, you’ll support this project, right?”

Wu Yuchen gave a slightly exasperated smile: “Steve, you’ve already moved forward—what can I do, stop you?”

Jobs grinned happily: “Wu, all phones on the market are garbage. Apple will bring something revolutionary!”

Wu Yuchen smiled sincerely: “I have zero doubt.”

Apple’s market cap had rebounded to $15 billion; Wu Yuchen’s original $400 million investment had grown to over a billion. But he had no intention to sell—he knew the secret iPhone project was the true beginning of Apple’s dominance. His 7.23% stake would become his greatest future wealth.

Yes, future. His Miragemotion in America was already valued at $3.5 billion; if he sold, major studios would rush to buy—provided he agreed to future collaborations.

Then Wu Yuchen asked Jobs: “Steve, you didn’t come just to talk about Apple, did you?”

Jobs didn’t dodge: “Are you now collaborating with Disney?”

Wu Yuchen nodded: “Miragemotion partnered with Disney on The Princess Diaries—it releases this June. Why?”

Jobs considered: “Has Disney approached Miragemotion about acquiring it?”

Wu Yuchen laughed: “Eisner’s a good guy, but he hasn’t been direct—he’s only hinted at deeper collaboration.”

Jobs didn’t hide from Wu Yuchen: “He came to me about Disney acquiring Pixar. I’m hesitant.”

Wu Yuchen clearly had exceptional taste in film, and Miragemotion was now the industry’s hottest property—so Jobs had come specifically to seek his advice.

Wu Yuchen asked Jobs: “Steve, isn’t Pixar doing well? Why consider selling?”

Jobs sighed: “Wu, the film industry is too risky. Even with Pixar’s successes, I can’t be sure what the next film will bring. Audience tastes always change.”

In truth, Jobs hadn’t mentioned one thing: his true focus was always Apple. Pixar was an accident—he’d started it to sell software, considered selling it multiple times due to low offers, until Toy Story became a massive hit.

So Eisner had been right about one thing: Jobs wasn’t truly skilled in animation or film. Apple was where he poured his energy and could truly shape things as he wished.

Then Jobs added: “And you should know—I’ve been diagnosed with cancer.”