On the way back to the hotel, Gordon glanced at the rearview mirror.
It seemed that ever since leaving Muttasim's estate, Martin's smile had never faded.
"Martin, what good news did you get? When I saw you leave the estate, Muttasim seemed really close to you?" Gordon asked.
Martin didn't hide it from his now fully brainwashed "loyal" subordinate.
"Indeed, good news. Muttasim is such a great guy. He not only gave me a hundred million," Martin squeezed the USB drive in his pocket, "but he's also willing to invest in all our mines in Guinea. Haha, that's an investment worth over a hundred billion US dollars!"
Gordon was immediately shocked.
"Muttasim gave you a hundred million? US dollars?"
"Yep, a hundred million. US dollars."
"And he wants to invest in your mines in Guinea? But didn't you say you didn't want anyone interfering with your mines?"
"Others are others, but Muttasim is different because... he's about to die!"
When you think about it, in no more than six years, Muttasim would be caught and killed by Libyan rebels. By that time, the money he invested in the mines would still be his!
As for stock agreements, all it takes is a little magic to attach to the contract and the content can change at any time.
Just like how he tricked the Texas Oil Group back then, there won't be any trace left!
And everyone had agreed, this investment would be done secretly under Muttasim's private name, not to be publicly announced.
Martin wasn't worried about him reneging; he had left a small magical device in Muttasim's mind, enough to keep it intact for at least six years.
Once the Venice matter was settled, Martin returned to New York to finish his last bit of the "clown's" role.
...
In September, Brokeback Mountain premiered in Los Angeles.
On that day, a large number of LGBT organizations came to support the movie and Martin.
As Martin's car rolled toward the red carpet, Anne Hathaway, while looking at the men and women holding Brokeback Mountain posters by the side of the road, asked curiously:
"Honestly, Martin, I still don't really get why you had to make this movie. Although it's gained some support from special groups, the conservatives have been harshly criticizing you!"
Martin smiled and said nothing.
Why?
Of course, it was to expand his fanbase and prepare for some future possibility.
Knowing what would happen in the future, he knew: the conservatives would inevitably lose influence, and support for special groups and the improvement of minorities' positions (referring to black people) would become mainstream in America—political correctness.
This political correctness would even grow to an extreme level in the future—main characters in films would have to be a certain percentage of black people, blacks couldn't be villains, and blacks couldn't be the first to die...
What's even more terrifying is that this country would eventually develop 97 different genders!!!
[GodOfReader: Sorry, but the author got it wrong since this chapter was created around 2022-2023. Let me correct him with the latest update from LGBTQ PRO PLUS Titanium edge. They have infinite genders now, and they didn't even spare Jesus, arguing that since Jesus was God, he's infinite. Therefore, he also has infinite genders.]
"Martin, Martin, Martin..."
As Martin and Anne Hathaway got out of the car, suddenly, it seemed like the world was filled with nothing but voices calling Martin's name.
It wasn't that Anne Hathaway didn't have fans, but—
The energy coming from the LGBT group was simply too overwhelming!
This was the first time a mainstream star had dared to speak out for them, through a movie.
Just this month, Schwarzenegger, also from an acting background, and who had successfully been elected as California's governor, vetoed a same-sex marriage bill that had been passed by the state's House of Representatives, opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage.
This was a huge blow to California's LGBT community.
You see, when Schwarzenegger ran for office, they all voted in support of him.
They had thought that Schwarzenegger, coming from an acting background, would have a more open-minded style, but he turned out to be a conservative!
Thankfully, now an even bigger star had stepped forward to support them—Martin Meyers. In comparison, what was Schwarzenegger?
"If Martin were willing to run for president, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat!" John said excitedly to his boyfriend when he saw Martin wave toward them.
John's boyfriend, Connors, nodded and said, "Yeah, Martin is one of the rare celebrities who supports us. If he really ran for president, I think every one of us in this group would vote for him."
As Martin walked down the red carpet first, Leonardo, standing at the entrance of the banquet hall with his girlfriend Bar Raffeli, turned around after hearing the commotion and muttered in frustration, "Why is the cheer for Martin from the LGBT community so much louder than for me?"
Bar Raffeli smiled and said, "Darling, I think it's because this movie was produced and invested in by Martin's Meyers Films, right? Those LGBT organizations see Martin's actions as supporting them, so…"
She pointed toward the crowd in front of them. "That's probably why."
"Hmm, so does this mean I should invest in some movies to boost my influence?" Leonardo pondered.
...
In the cinema.
The audience was quietly watching the big screen.
Ang Lee was a little worried whether North American audiences would accept such a movie.
People often say the West is open, but compared to Europe, America is actually much more conservative.
But he had worried for nothing.
In the film, Martin and Leonardo's acting brought the audience into a touching love story.
Of course, this was partly due to Martin using the charm of his seductive demon ability.
Even without Martin, in the original timeline, this movie would have been a global hit, showing that love, no matter the gender, could temporarily lift prejudice against same-sex relationships.
The next day, reviews for Brokeback Mountain came out, and they were all positive.
This time, the critics weren't just afraid of Martin; they genuinely liked the film.
"Brokeback Mountain deeply resonates with the delicate, mysterious, and unknown love that resides deep within the human heart. Like all great love stories, Brokeback Mountain simply brings this all to life between two men. This film is a milestone as it is Hollywood's first to strip away the twisted mask over same-sex love. It's not about sex; it's about love—the kind of love that is tangled, hidden deep within our hearts. The emotions expressed are so complex that it's hard to call it a Western film, or even a gay film." — San Francisco Chronicle
"Brokeback Mountain describes the complexities of a same-sex relationship in exquisite detail, but its star and producer, Martin Meyers, believes the film isn't about advocating for gay rights, nor is it a conservative observation of homosexuality. He's a dramatist, and for Martin, the heart of the film is the love story. This film emphasizes a universal value: love can transcend cultural differences, and when love arrives, there's no difference between heterosexual and homosexual love." — Los Angeles Times
In traditional media and online, there was almost nothing but praise. It seemed that people had overnight become more tolerant toward the LGBT community.
And the movie's release timing was quite fortuitous. With the progress of time and years of struggle from the LGBT community, America's tolerance and acceptance of this group had reached a critical threshold.
Brokeback Mountain acted as a button—one press and everything fell into place.
It was so fortunate, because if it had been released a few years earlier, it might have faced protests, or even failed to be screened; if it had been released a few years later, the LGBT community would have already been largely accepted in North America, and it wouldn't have had the same shocking effect!
It could be said that the film came at the perfect moment, riding the wind!