Chapter 811: Mr. Destiny

Lynch never lies. To him, lying is a serious moral failing—though he does speak strategically at times.

Many people look down on girls who use their bodies to gain opportunities, but who ever considers that everyone comes into this world the same way?

Self-respect, dignity—these girls didn’t just pay in sweat to get where they are. They also sacrificed their pride and sense of self.

Strictly speaking, they give more than those who only know how to work hard. They are, in fact, working even harder.

Don’t envy others’ success. Don’t lament the unfairness of fate. Fate has always offered everyone the same signals of fairness. It’s just that some people aren’t willing to make certain choices—or they’re too set in their ways.

But you can’t impose your principles on others. If someone likes eating shit, does that mean the whole world should join him just to make him feel better?

Obviously not.

Lynch’s fingertip continued its slow descent, encountering its first rise and fall.

Naily’s mind was a mess. She understood what Lynch was saying—more than that, she felt he was right.

“You know why it’s you?” His finger moved further, the skin reddening and breaking into goosebumps. “And why it’s me—do you know that too?”

Naily wasn’t quite ready. She had mentally prepared herself for something, but this still came too suddenly.

Fortunately, Lynch kept talking, distracting her. She shook her head forcefully, trying to block his hand, but didn’t dare. All she could do was tighten her shoulders.

“Because Fox Jr. wants to please me. The shareholders at Fox Pictures want to please me. You’re their gift to me.” Lynch’s smile was gentle, but in the girl’s eyes, he looked like the devil.

Fox Pictures had already achieved impressive results. Now, they were aiming for something bigger—going public.

And their most attractive selling point for investors was that Lynch owned 30% of the company.

Don’t underestimate Lynch’s stake. For anyone capable of creating a financial miracle in adversity, Lynch himself was a symbol of market direction.

After he invested in Fox Pictures, the company gained fame last year with its breakout inspirational film, closing the year with excellent results.

Investors and the financial market both viewed the company more favorably because of Lynch’s backing, opening the door to rapid expansion.

If the IPO succeeded, not just Lynch—every shareholder would see their wealth multiply several times over in a short period.

For that kind of money, capitalists in the Federation would dare to impeach a president—so what’s giving a girl to Lynch in comparison?

But if Lynch saw through their intentions and rejected the gift, they’d be uneasy.

Fox had kept his word and didn’t say a word after getting arrested. So Lynch would keep his side of the deal and take care of the business.

Accepting the gift signaled his stance. The shareholders and Fox Jr. could finally relax. Lynch could already guess: as long as he stayed the night, or took Naily back with him, Fox Jr. would bring up the IPO within a week.

By now, there was nowhere else for Lynch’s fingertip to go. He looked up at the girl. “You used to think fate never spared you a glance. Now, your chance is here. Will you take it?”

The girl bit her lip. Countless images flashed through her mind—none of them truly meaningful. At this point, she no longer had a choice.

She could have walked away earlier. But not now.

She didn’t know why—but she just knew.

Her hands moved behind her back. Lynch’s finger continued downward.

“What kind of movies do you like to shoot?” he asked suddenly, changing the subject. He could feel her body tremble.

Her face flushed red, her eyes conflicted and helpless. “I don’t have the right to choose, Mr. Lynch.”

For someone who barely counted as an actress, she truly had no say. The company told her what to do—how could she say no?

Just look at how many zeroes were in her contract’s breach clause—then give the company an answer.

Lynch smiled. “Now, you have the right.”

She paused, surprised. Before she could respond, Lynch added with a smile, “See? This is also a kind of effort. Like I said, not all efforts are the same. Not all sacrifices are equal.”

Naily’s mind drifted. She began thinking seriously. “Maybe… romance films?”

Young girls always fantasize about sweet love—real or not, they crave it.

Lynch replied indifferently, “Go pick a script. The company will assign you the best team.”

The girl pressed her lips together. Her face was burning, so red it looked like it might bleed.

She leaned on the back of the couch to stand, then straightened and stood before Lynch.

“Was Penny like this too?” she asked, curious—perhaps because her final mental barrier had fallen with her last piece of clothing. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a big deal.

“Her?” Lynch shook his head. “An old man wanted to shoot her first bedroom scene with her. She refused. So she found someone she could rely on—me.”

“I’m more dependable than anyone else.” Lynch withdrew his hand and stood up. “Let’s hope there’s a bathroom inside.”

He took Naily by the hand and led her into the small room.

The night passed without another word.

The next morning, when Lynch woke up, only Fox Jr. and an old butler remained in the villa. Everyone else had left the night before or early that morning. Busy schedules in Eminence didn’t allow for long indulgences.

Fox Jr. had been waiting for Lynch. When Lynch emerged freshly dressed and walked into the dining room, Fox Jr. finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His smile was warmer than usual—less fake, more sincere.

In his eyes, his relationship with Lynch had grown closer—not just because of Fox.

“Did you sleep well last night?” he asked.

Lynch shot him a look. “You really didn’t need to go through all that. But I’ve accepted it.”

The chef began bringing breakfast. The two men sat at the table and started eating.Lynch casually flipped through the newspaper. Fox Jr. sat beside him, wanting to speak but hesitating.

After several attempts, he finally asked tentatively, “Lynch, how do you think the company should develop going forward?”

Lynch glanced up at him. “Don’t you already have an idea?”

Fox Jr. let out an awkward laugh. Deep down, he was somewhat afraid of Lynch—though he didn’t know why. “There are people interested in investing. The shareholders are also considering the possibility of going public.”

“Fox Pictures has been around for nearly three years now. Especially in the last two, the company’s profitability has been strong, attracting a lot of investor interest.”

“The industry is small, and I think it’s time to grow a little.”

Lynch closed the newspaper and set it aside. “I thought you’d wait a bit longer before bringing this up.”

Fox Jr. looked surprised. “You already knew?”

Lynch shook his head. “Not until you came to me and brought that girl.”

“In principle, I support your IPO plan. For the specifics, get someone professional to handle it. With capital injection, the company can start moving toward diversification.”

Lynch shared some of his thoughts. “We already have our own screenwriters and directors. We need to start building up some recognizable actors as soon as possible.”

“The film industry is developing rapidly. In the past, a box office of $300,000 was considered a hit. Now, anything under a million is seen as a flop.”

“This kind of growth will inevitably draw more people into the business. Competition will intensify. If we don’t have our own resources, and internal conflicts arise over profit, we could get dragged in.”

Where there’s profit, there’s conflict—and the Federation is a country known for using strikes to voice demands.

Major strikes happen every few years. The faster the film industry grows, the more groups will fall behind and lose out. That creates tension and eventually, open conflict.

When that happens, the whole industry will realign and pick sides. Studios are powerful, but the workers are the underdogs—and they’ll band together.

It’s the same as the labor-capital conflict. Each side thinks the other wants too much. And once the weaker workers unite, the capitalists usually back down.

But with a fully self-sufficient team, we won’t need to worry about that—or about choosing sides we don’t want to take.

Fox Jr. took out a notebook and started writing everything Lynch said.

This was one of his strengths—he never blindly assumed he was better than others, especially when it came to Lynch.

He was still a college student, but he behaved like a schoolboy around Lynch. Even if people didn’t like him, they couldn’t bring themselves to hate him.

Breakfast ended quickly. Lynch agreed to the financing and IPO plans for Fox Pictures. Fox Jr. now had to relay the message to the board as soon as possible.

Everything he had done was also a signal to the board—that Lynch supported him, and their partnership hadn’t weakened just because Fox was in prison.

Together, their shares were enough to push decisions through. With majority control, Fox Jr.’s position within the company had strengthened significantly.

It wasn’t until after 10 a.m. that Naily finally woke up.

Everything that had happened the night before still felt like a dream.