June 29th came quickly. Luke's two movies had already been in theaters for a week.
Today was the day the first week's numbers were being released. But instead of staying with the crew to wait for the results, he chose not to stick around at all.
That was like waiting for SAT results and not even bothering to check—who does that?
In New York's Central Park, Luke had taken Yuffie to a patch of grass by the lake. After setting up a tent, they sat back in chairs and had a picnic.
With the warm sunshine and a sweet girl by his side, his mood couldn't have been any better.
"Today's the day the box office numbers come out. You're really not worried at all?" Yuffie asked, spearing a strawberry with a toothpick and holding it out to him.
Luke didn't take it. Instead, he opened his mouth and pointed to it.
The "fairy" wasn't about to spoil him—she gave him a little smack and shoved the strawberry into his hand instead.
"Not worried. We won't lose," Luke said with a grin.
"Didn't you say your goal was to beat The Mummy Returns? That's not going to be so easy," she pressed.
"We can talk about work later. Right now, I just want to spend time with you. We won't see each other for a while."
In just a few days, Yuffie would be going back to her home country with her mother.
She had finished all her coursework and needed to return for foundational acting training to prepare for the entrance exam at Yan Film Academy next spring.
"Still, you didn't have to turn your phone off. What if someone needs to reach you?" she said.
"I just don't want any interruptions today. I'll turn it back on later—nothing urgent will be missed," he answered with a smile.
Seeing how determined he was, Yuffie stopped insisting and leaned back in her chair, enjoying the warm sunlight.
Over the past few months, they hadn't seen each other often.
Luke had been busy with the movie releases and promotions, while Yuffie had been buried in her studies.
It had been two months since their last meeting. Yet now, instead of trying to cram in endless chatter, they naturally just enjoyed being quietly together.
Sometimes, after all the hustle, it felt good to just rest.
Luke popped the strawberry into his mouth and reclined in his chair.
He looked confident on the outside, but deep down he still felt a little anxious.
For total victory, too many uncertainties remained.
For one, Jurassic Park III and The Fast and the Furious both had to outperform The Mummy Returns in profits before he could truly claim victory in his bet with Director Sommers.
In his past life, Jurassic Park III had only managed a 5.9 rating on IMDb. This time, thanks to Luke's involvement, it had climbed to 6.4—just slightly higher than The Mummy Returns' 6.2.
But would that small bump really be enough to turn a near-flop into a movie that made more money than The Mummy Returns?
And then there was The Fast and the Furious—even more worrying.
At least Jurassic Park III and The Mummy Returns were on the same level—both had budgets around $100 million.
But The Fast and the Furious only cost $30 million to make. Comparing its profits against The Mummy Returns? That was stretching it.
Still, because of joint marketing, plenty of people who saw Jurassic Park III decided to also check out The Fast and the Furious.
Unfortunately, that flow mostly went one way.
Luke didn't have much screen time in The Fast and the Furious, so it wasn't really pulling audiences back toward Jurassic Park III.
If it had, he'd be feeling a lot more at ease right now.
Whatever—he had done everything he could.
Two movies against one. Advantage: him.
But even if he won against The Mummy Returns at the box office, all that really meant was he'd won the bet.
He had a bigger task on his shoulders:
[Mission, Stage One: Star in a Hollywood movie and have its worldwide box office surpass The Mummy Returns.]
This mission wasn't about profits—just raw ticket sales.
But here's the catch: Jurassic Park III's marketing budget was lower this time around, while The Mummy Returns had gotten a huge push. Could Jurassic Park III really beat it?
A light breeze brushed their faces as the sun warmed them, and before they knew it, both of them drifted off into a deep sleep.
It was the kind of nap that erased weeks of exhaustion.
"Time for lunch!"
When Luke woke up, it was already noon.
He saw that Yuffie had set out a spread on the picnic table—carefully prepared dishes of every kind.
There were Western choices like bread, bacon, hot dogs, and milk, and also favorites like pan-fried dumplings, meat pies, and steamed buns.
"Here—drink more milk, you'll grow taller," Luke joked, handing her a bottle.
She took it with a smile and passed him a strip of bacon. "Wrap it in a meat pie. And hey, put some music on."
Luke switched on his portable speaker, and cheerful music started playing:
🎵 "It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. …" 🎵
Hearing the upbeat classic "Y.M.C.A.," an image popped into Luke's head: that blond American president who loved wearing a red tie.
He started swaying his body, fists pumping rhythmically to the beat.
Back in his previous life, in 2024, it had been an election year in the U.S. He wondered—had his "old friend" managed a comeback?
"Careful with that song. Playing it in public might get you the wrong kind of attention."
A burly bald man stepped out from the trees.
Luke looked up and saw Vin Diesel grinning at him.
He knew exactly what Vin meant.
The song Y.M.C.A. sometimes got a different kind of interpretation—it had become something of an anthem for certain communities.
But with his mastery of martial arts, swordsmanship, and knife throwing, Luke wasn't too worried about minor trouble.
After his real-life combat experience in Hong Kong, he'd stopped worrying about his own safety altogether.
In fact, he hadn't even had the chance to put his newly mastered martial arts to use yet—he was itching for a fight.
But Central Park was safe enough. This was the heart of New York, after all.
While Luke's thoughts wandered, Vin Diesel had already come closer.
"Uncle Vin, what brings you here?" Luke greeted him warmly.
Through Luke, Vin had long since gotten to know Yuffie, so he greeted her too before turning back to Luke.
"Finally found you. Man, you had your phone turned off? Don't you know what day it is?" Vin complained.
"Relax—it's lunchtime. Here, have some bread and bacon." Luke handed him a plate.
"You've got the appetite to eat? You're not even the slightest bit anxious about the box office results?" Vin said, almost exasperated at Luke's calmness.
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