"What exactly can't you accept? Tell me," Mr. Eisen asked, surprised. He'd thought Luke would be thrilled to take the deal.
"I can't accept you giving me all the shares — even if I technically earned them. If this company grows, it'll be because of both of us. There's no way I can take it all for myself," Luke explained calmly.
"I had a dream last night," Mr. Eisen said suddenly, changing the subject.
"Huh?" Luke blinked, not sure where this was going.
"I dreamed about the summer when I was twenty. I climbed into my old college dorm bed — I haven't slept in it for decades, but it still felt so familiar. The pillow, the blanket… it was like they were etched into my memory.
"I turned around and yelled to my roommates, 'There's a dance tonight — the hottest girls are all ours!'
"But no one answered. The dorm was empty. Just me."
He paused. "Then I woke up."
"I felt… hollow all day. Like someone had pulled my spine out. I'm old now, and those days are gone for good.
"I don't care about money."
He looked at Luke, eyes calm but heavy. "What I need… is for you to bring life back into me."
Then he stopped talking.
Luke understood that feeling — he'd felt it himself once.
He thought of the old Asian poems that mourned lost youth:
"In the still of night, dreams bring back the days of youth."
"I'd buy wine and osmanthus blossoms, but it could never be the same carefree days."
"The places I once roamed are gone — only a young heart remains."
He couldn't quote poetry to Eisen, so instead, he quietly said:
"I dreamed a dream in time gone by."
"When hope was high."
"And life worth living."
"I dreamed that love would never die."
"Then I was young and unafraid."
He didn't go on — he knew Eisen would understand the song.
Eisen stepped forward and hugged him gently. No words were needed.
In that moment, Luke felt they'd truly become partners.
Neither mentioned the shares again; it was silently agreed that things would stay as Eisen proposed. He didn't need the money, and Luke figured he'd make it right later anyway.
"Since you're set on the action-star path, you'll need a solid team," Eisen said once he'd steadied his emotions. "Start building your crew as soon as possible."
"Yeah. When I was in Hong Kong, Brother Chenlong already gave me the green light — he'll send over some key people."
Luke thought of Meng Tao, the guy who mixed English into every sentence. Now he could openly invite him to join.
And then there were the folks from the Jurassic Park III crew — the ones who had staged that fake bet just to help him get a safety net.
With all of them, he could finally start forming a real team of his own.
"Anything else you need me to do?" Eisen asked.
"Yes. I want to star in this movie next. Do you have any connections at Disney?" Luke handed him a piece of paper with his plan written on it.
"Pirates of the Caribbean? You're aiming for that new Disney project?"
"Yeah. It's the only one that can really boost me quickly."
Luke had gone over the upcoming blockbusters in his head. Movies like Spider-Man were out of reach for him — that left only Pirates of the Caribbean.
The film, produced by Disney, had a $140 million budget and earned $654 million worldwide, kicking off an entire franchise.
Johnny Depp rode that success straight to superstardom — until, well, he met that wife who could leave a gift on the bed…
Sure, Pirates didn't reach the $936 million of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but $654 million was still massive — and, for Luke, the only real option.
Other films were either locked down or impossible to access. Pirates at least had a chance.
After all, it was about a bunch of pirates in the Caribbean, not old Europe. A Asian-looking actor playing a pirate might be unusual — but not totally out of place.
"I'm good friends with Disney's CEO," Eisen said after thinking for a moment. "I can reach out, but it'll be tricky."
Luke's target was the role of Will Turner, the blacksmith's apprentice — the part originally played by Orlando Bloom.
Captain Jack Sparrow was too flamboyant for him — that role still belonged to Johnny Depp.
But Will Turner? He was Disney's classic "prince" type — could they really picture an Asian actor in that part?
"So even you think it's difficult — because of audience bias?" Luke asked.
"Yes, but not impossible," Eisen replied.
"You have an idea?"
"Look at this first. Finish this project, and I'll pull some strings — it might just work." Eisen handed him a new folder.
"What's this? A GG campaign plan?" Luke flipped through a few pages, puzzled.
He didn't see how shooting a GG promo would help him land a starring role in Pirates.
"You need to get audiences comfortable seeing you opposite a white female star," Eisen explained seriously. "If the public accepts you two as an on-screen couple, then the studio will, too."
"It's too big a leap to do it cold in a major film. Start with GG commercials — build familiarity, shape perception, make people like the pairing."
"Once the audience is used to it, I'll help you go for the main role. It's a kind of… indirect strategy."
And the actress Eisen picked was perfect — the embodiment of the modern princess ideal.
If Luke got linked with her on-screen, then having her play the royal-like heroine Elizabeth and him play the noble-hearted Will Turner would feel completely natural.
Anne Hathaway — that's how she entered Luke's world.