Model to Holywood

Nighttime in San Francisco—the Golden Gate Bridge illuminated, casting a dazzling display. From a distance, it looked like a rainbow bridge stretching across the bay, stunningly beautiful.

Ed stopped his car and walked along the sidewalk for over ten minutes before finding Luca at the central viewing platform.

At the time, Luca was leaning against the railing, holding a can of beer in his hand, with a few empty beer cans piled at his feet. 

The sea breeze tousled his shirt and his long hair, giving him a relaxed and carefree posture, his lips curling into a comfortable smile—he looked breathtaking.

Just like the first time Ed saw him at the square, though now he seemed even more charming.

"Luca, why did you call me out here this late?" 

Ed stepped forward and leaned against the railing, asking.

He had been at the hotel, watching entertainment news and gathering material, when Luca's phone call pulled him away.

"Ed, you're here! Come, have a drink with me!"

Luca turned around and patted him on the shoulder.

"Just for a drink?" 

"No, and for the view."

Luca pointed at the vast bay, the cruise ships drifting on the sea, and the neon lights of Silicon Valley in the distance.

"Don't you think it's beautiful here?"

Ed glanced at the scenery and shook his head. "Not really. The most beautiful view I've ever seen is from my balcony at sunset.

"I'm standing there with a glass of red wine, looking out at Golden Gate Park in the distance, birds chirping and flowers blooming.

"There's laughter coming from the living room behind me, where Eve is watching cartoons.

"And the smell of something delicious drifts out from the kitchen, where Nina is cooking dinner.

"Compared to the view from my balcony, this doesn't even come close!"

Luca paused for a moment, then chuckled. "You're homesick again, huh?"

"No, I'm just reminding you—you haven't been back to New York in over a month. Are you planning to settle down in Los Angeles?"

Ed took a sip of beer.

Luca shook his head. "No. Back then, wherever Kate was, that was my home. But now Kate has a boyfriend, and it's awkward for me to go back to New York."

"Kate has a boyfriend?!"

"You didn't know?"

Luca looked puzzled. "Right, I forgot to ask—do you know who Kate's boyfriend is?"

"I don't know. Hold on, I'll ask Nina."

Ed pulled out his phone and called Nina, and the call was quickly connected.

"Nina, has Kate started dating someone? Luca? Yeah, he's here with me."

Ed glanced at Luca, then took a few steps away with the phone.

"What's going on?"

Luca looked confused.

A while later, Ed returned, his expression a bit odd.

"What's up, Ed? Why'd you take the call so far away?"

Luca sounded a little annoyed.

"Nothing. The signal on the bridge wasn't great."

"Alright. So what did Nina say? Who's Kate's new boyfriend?"

Luca asked expectantly.

Ed shook his head.

"Nina wouldn't tell me. She said it's not something that can be revealed yet and told me not to dig into it.

"It's company business, so it's best if I don't pry."

"But you two are married! Shouldn't there be transparency between spouses?" Luca grumbled.

"You and Kate are siblings, so why don't you just ask her yourself? And what about Lima? Why don't you ask her? Why make this hard for me?" Ed replied, sounding a little frustrated.

"Alright, alright!"

Luca smirked inwardly. Ed was clearly too whipped by his wife to stand up for himself.

The night deepened, and the wind on the bridge grew cold. After a while, the two headed back to the hotel.

The next morning, the "Honey" film crew boarded a flight back to Los Angeles. The first round of promotion had ended, and whether there'd be a second or third round depended on the box office results.

Before leaving San Francisco, Luca met with Chen Shijun at the airport, along with his two partners, Chad Hurley and Karim.

Seeing the three of them together, Luca was a bit surprised. After proposing the idea for YouTube yesterday, he hadn't felt too confident about it.

YouTube's rapid success had a lot to do with the era it emerged in. It was a product of the internet's technological development at a particular stage, as well as a response to market demand.

If it appeared too early, the supporting infrastructure wouldn't be there, and the market demand wouldn't be as urgent. So, he had prepared himself for potential losses.

But seeing these three gave him unexpected confidence.

Throughout history, great achievements required the right timing, location, and people.

While the timing wasn't quite right, they had Silicon Valley for location, and these three for people.

Even if it failed, it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

The four of them held a startup meeting at the Starbucks in the airport, discussing the company's establishment and touching on the division of shares.

Luca contributed the idea and $100,000, taking 49% of the new company.

He could've taken more, but he didn't want to have too much control.

Handing the platform over to these three would unleash their creativity.

Chen Shijun and the others invested $80,000, and they divided the remaining 51% based on their contributions.

When it came to assigning roles, Luca refused to take any position. He didn't want any titles.

He was an investor, not a co-founder. He could offer ideas and funding, but he wouldn't be part of the startup team.

After all, if the venture failed, who would take the blame?

Investors care about returns, not about being the general manager, creative director, or content director.

Besides, history shows that groups of three tend to succeed.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were three. Google's founders were three. Facebook started with three, and so did YouTube.

Adding a fourth person could lead to problems.

He made it clear that he wouldn't interfere in the company's internal matters. Everything would be handled by the three of them.

If the website turned out well, he'd continue to invest. If not, he'd find someone else to do it. It all depended on their performance.

Finally, he strode onto the plane, leaving behind a cold and distant figure like a domineering CEO.

"Mr. Kelly doesn't seem to take this collaboration seriously," Karim, the new addition, remarked, watching the plane take off.

"Yes, he has money and ideas, and Silicon Valley isn't short of people. Maybe he's got someone else working on this project too," Chad Hurley replied somewhat bitterly.

"Isn't that better?"

Chen Shijun adjusted his glasses. "You were worried about Mr. Kelly meddling too much, with an outsider telling the experts what to do.

"Now he's not involved at all, leaving everything to us. Isn't that what you wanted? 

"As for whether there's another team working on this idea, I don't care. I believe we're just as good as anyone else."

"Agreed. Let's get started!"

"I think we should buy an RV so the three of us can live and work on the road."

"Great idea!"

"Luca, what were you talking to those three guys about?" Ed asked curiously on the plane.

"You won't believe it. I made an investment in Silicon Valley yesterday," Luca replied with a smile, putting down his magazine.

"What did you invest in?"

"A website. A very cool website!" Luca grinned.

Ed shook his head. Nowadays, there were more people creating websites than there were fish in the sea, but only a few ever succeeded.

"Luca, you're an actor. You should focus more on acting.

"Now that 'Mean Girls' is finished, are you planning to take a break before your next role, or keep working? If you wait until the movie is released, your pay might go up."

Luca thought for a moment. Not only did he still have to pay off his mortgage, but he also had to fund the money-eating beast that was YouTube. His expenses were growing.

He needed to work harder to make money. Only through hardship could one rise to the top.

"Ed, I'm new to the industry, so I need more experience. If possible, help me get a few more roles."

"Alright," Ed nodded.

Once the plane landed in Los Angeles, Luca parted ways with the film crew and returned to his long-lost Malibu home.

(End of Chapter)