*Chapter 236: Talking About Money Again Hurts Feelings*

The sun was shining brightly on the hillside villa.

In the coffee room on the second floor, Richard was chatting with Jude Law, who had dropped by for a visit.

“Richard, you’re all over the place these days. I can’t pick up a newspaper without seeing news about you,” Jude Law said with a smile, leaning back with his legs crossed, smoking a cigar, and gazing out at downtown Los Angeles.

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s mainly because the boxing match promotion and the movie promotion coincided, creating a combined effect that drew a lot of attention,” Richard replied, lounging on a bench and enjoying the sunshine.

According to data analysis, Richard’s boxing fans significantly contributed to the movie’s box office success. Many of them organized themselves to go to the theaters and support his film. Because of this, producer Neal Moritz even invited him out for drinks and a bowling game, laughing all the while.

“Sometimes I think you’re pretty amazing. You manage to balance training and acting, and excel in both, while many people can’t even do one thing well after dedicating themselves to it for over a decade. I guess that’s the difference between a genius and an ordinary person. I’m just an ordinary person,” Jude Law said, half-jokingly.

Richard shook his head. “Jude, sometimes I think you’re pretty amazing too. At a young age, you’ve been nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe, won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, and even got to work with a great director like Steven Spielberg. Many people have struggled in Hollywood for years without winning a single prestigious award. I guess that’s the difference between a genius and an ordinary person. I’m just an ordinary person too.”

“Haha, Richard, you’re exaggerating. I was being serious,” Jude Law laughed.

“Wasn’t I serious? By the way, when does your movie with Spielberg come out?” Last year, Jude Law had worked with Steven Spielberg on Artificial Intelligence, in which he played a robot.

“At the end of the month. Make sure to come and support it!”

“I will, but I’ll have to support you from Europe. I’m heading to Switzerland in a few days for a shoot,” Richard said with a smile.

“For The Bourne Identity?”

Jude Law smiled. “There’s a rumor in the industry that you and Matt had a falling out over that role.”

“That’s just hearsay. After the audition in March, I went straight to Monaco for another shoot. I didn’t get involved in anything else, so there was no conflict,” Richard laughed.

“Your movies have been competing fiercely, and the news has been full of promotions for both. They’re also stirring up talk about your supposed conflict with Matt,” Jude Law said.

“We’ve both been caught up in the distributors’ games. What started as a simple competition has now made it seem like Matt and I are mortal enemies,” Richard said, shaking his head. When they filmed The Talented Mr. Ripley, the two got along well, but due to Weinstein, their relationship cooled. Then during the casting for Pearl Harbor, Matt had sabotaged his chances. If Matt hadn’t chosen to support Ben Affleck, Richard would have landed the lead in that big-budget movie. Afterward, Matt didn’t say anything, and Richard pretended not to know. Their rivalry truly began during the casting for The Bourne Identity, a competition driven by self-interest. Although they both played their cards, Matt slipped up, losing the role by a narrow margin. Their rivalry had been private until the recent box office battle, which brought it into the public eye and made it clear to many that their relationship wasn’t exactly friendly.

Richard glanced at Jude Law and smiled. “You’re not here to play peacemaker, are you?”

Jude Law shook his head. “I’m not that bored. You’re both American actors; I’m British. If you two are fighting, why would I need to step in?”

“That’s a bit distant. We’re all friends here. Why draw lines over nationality?” Richard smiled.

Jude Law chuckled. “Sometimes I just find it interesting. Three years ago in Italy, Matt was the lead, I was the supporting actor, and you were just an extra. But now, you’re the most successful among us.”

“Jealous?” Richard asked with a smile.

“I can’t afford to be. The world of geniuses is beyond this ordinary man’s understanding.”

“Haha, still a bit envious, aren’t you? But it’s no big deal. Our goals are different. My aim is to make money, while yours are more noble—pursuing art, winning awards. Compared to you, I’m quite mundane. Smell me—do I reek of money?” Richard said, stretching out his arm.

“A bit, yeah!” Jude Law laughed, pushing Richard’s hand away.

“True artists are mostly in Broadway theaters. Anyone who comes to Hollywood to make movies is after the money. If I had a billion, I’d quit acting, buy a big farm in England, raise sheep and cattle, and spend my days with my wife and kids. Richard, if you had a billion, would you retire?” Jude Law asked.

Richard gave him a sideways glance. “At first, I thought you were just making small talk, buttering me up. Then, when you mentioned Matt, I thought you were going to advise me to reconcile with him. When you brought up money, I figured you were here to learn from my success. But I was wrong. After all that talk, it turns out you’re just trying to convince me to retire, aren’t you?”

“Haha, am I?” Jude Law replied innocently.

“You know I’ve already made a billion, and you’re asking if I’d retire with a billion. Isn’t your intention clear?” Richard said.

“Uh, so the rumors in the papers are true? You’ve added a zero to your account each year, becoming a billionaire in three years?” Jude Law asked, wide-eyed.

"Humph, I was planning to hang out with you as just a millionaire, but all I get is skepticism. Well, I’m laying it all out—you're right. The person sitting in front of you is a bona fide billionaire," Richard said, putting on his sunglasses and lighting a cigar with a cool demeanor. "How about now? Do I look the part?"

Jude Law shook his head, "The newspapers say that at the rate you're accumulating wealth, your net worth might hit ten billion this year."

Richard smirked, "They must think I’m the goddess of wealth. Going from a millionaire to a multi-millionaire is easy—many people can do that."

"I can't!" Jude Law shook his head. "Especially not in just one year."

"And going from a multi-millionaire to a billionaire isn't that hard either."

"Not hard? There are millions of multi-millionaires out there, but how many billionaires are there?"

"But going from a billionaire to ten billion is tough. I can't guarantee that I'll add a zero to my wealth every year, but I can aim for a small goal—earning a billion each year. Maybe in ten years, I'll break ten billion."

". . ."

Jude Law stubbed out his cigarette, got up, and headed for the door.

"What are you doing?" Richard asked.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. A billion a year is just a small goal for you? Talking to someone like you can make a person depressed and start questioning if they’re a total failure," Jude Law said, clearly annoyed.

"Haha, I was just joking. The stock market did well last year, and my financial manager helped me make some good investments. I got lucky and made some money, but I can’t make a billion every year—I’m not the goddess of wealth," Richard laughed.

Jude Law shook his head, "You really shouldn’t compare people. I used to get paid 10 or 20 grand per film, and now I’ve reached the million mark. I was pretty satisfied with that, but compared to someone like you, I don’t feel satisfied at all."

"Alright, let's not talk about money. Let's talk about something else," Richard said, pouring two glasses of white wine and handing one to Jude Law.

"Agreed, no more talk about money. Talking about money hurts feelings."

"Deal!"

After chatting for a while longer, Jude Law received a phone call and left.

Richard then thought about his previous goal—earning a billion a year—or the goal the newspapers had set for him, which was to add a zero to his total wealth every year. Neither of these goals would be easy to achieve.

He called Mrs. Ellie to discuss future investments. After the dot-com bubble burst, internet stocks had been plummeting since last year, continuing into this year. For example, Amazon’s stock had dropped from its peak of $280 per share in 1999, when its market value was $50 billion, down to $8 per share in January of this year—a drop of over 99% in value.

Last year, when Amazon's stock hit its lowest, Ellie advised that if Richard still had confidence in Amazon, that was the time to buy in. Richard agreed and acquired 10 million shares of Amazon, bringing his personal stake in the company to 4.5%.

Stralem Asset Management’s analysts had believed $8 was Amazon’s lowest point, but no one predicted that May would see an even lower dip to $5 per share, almost breaking through the bottom line. The drop made Richard anxious, even doubting his own judgment.

Fortunately, Jeff Bezos managed to turn things around, stabilizing the stock, which bounced back to $8 by June. Although Richard barely broke even, there wasn’t much profit either.

His other significant investment, the internet upstart Google, was showing slow growth. After two rounds of financing, Google's valuation reached $400 million. Richard followed up with additional investments, barely maintaining his 21.5% stake. If he wanted to keep his majority shares, he’d have to invest even more money in the future.

Thinking about all this, Richard felt the pressure mounting. He knew he had to keep working hard to earn more money.

(End of Chapter)