That evening, the study was brightly lit.
At the computer desk, Luca was chatting with Chen Shijun in San Francisco.
Chen Shijun had some news for him.
Yesterday, representatives from Oaktree Capital, a well-known Wall Street investment firm, had approached him. They wanted to invest $10 million in YouTube, in exchange for an 18% stake.
Chen Shijun was asking for his opinion.
Luca firmly declined.
YouTube was founded in September last year, and in October, the first video was uploaded: a street dance performance by Luca in San Francisco's Ocean Park Plaza.
In just six months, YouTube had grown to host over a million videos, with over 200,000 daily visitors and 50,000 people uploading videos. On average, over an hour of content was being uploaded to the site every minute.
Among short video platforms, none could currently rival YouTube, including newly founded competitors like MSN-Video and Google Video.
YouTube's growth was thriving.
Luca didn't want to sell the site prematurely at a low price.
Chen Shijun and the others supported his decision, as they too saw the potential of short-video sharing websites. Allowing capital to control the platform too early could hinder its healthy growth.
However, running a video site was incredibly expensive, and without revenue, Luca had to continually inject funds to keep it afloat.
So far, he had invested over $5 million into the platform.
"I'm starting to feel the pinch," Luca sighed softly.
Most of the money he made last year and this year had gone into the site, and now both the company's account and his personal funds were running dry. The pressure was building.
"What are you up to?"
Kate walked in, holding a glass of red wine.
"Watching videos."
"Which one? Is Miranda's video still number one?"
Kate leaned on his shoulder as she asked.
"Unfortunately, no. Britney uploaded a dance video two days ago, and it's racked up 39 million views, bumping yours to second place," Luca replied with a slight smile.
Last Wednesday, Miranda had uploaded a behind-the-scenes video of a fashion show, featuring 12 supermodels and over 40 top models. The video, titled "Supermodels Changing Backstage," instantly drew viewers' attention with its tantalizing title, driving millions of clicks in just three days.
However, Britney's video was slightly more popular.
In her video, Britney wore a white tube top and baggy sweatpants, dancing a sexy and captivating routine to a Michael Jackson song in a rehearsal room.
At the end of the video, a familiar figure suddenly appeared next to her. Wearing a bowler hat and a yellow jacket, this person joined Britney in dancing.
The person only danced for 18 seconds before leaving, never revealing their face.
But everyone believed that person was Michael Jackson.
Because of this speculation, people watched the video repeatedly, and the views skyrocketed.
"Was that really Michael Jackson?" Kate asked after watching.
"Yes, they met at a charity event, and Britney invited him to shoot this video," Luca explained.
"Britney's expression is so funny; she seems like she's judging Michael's dancing," Kate laughed heartily as she watched.
"Britney likes to joke around," Luca chuckled.
"That's cool! This site is cool too. When I told people you created it, they were all shocked," Kate smiled, letting go of the mouse.
Luca shrugged, "Yeah, it's cool, but running the site is expensive. Joseph just asked me for more money, but I'm out of cash. I'll need to dip into your account this time."
Joseph was the executive director Luca had appointed to run YouTube.
"No problem!"
Their finances were shared, and Kate didn't care about money.
"By the way, I have some good news for you," she said with a smile.
"What is it?"
"Remember the emoji series?" Kate asked. "Since last year, several tech companies have been trying to buy the rights to it, but their offers were too low. Martina suggested we hold off for a better deal."
Martina was their financial manager.
"Well, she was right. Yesterday, Google approached her and offered $1.2 million for the emoji series."
"$1.2 million?" Luca raised his eyebrows, surprised. "It's worth that much?"
"Yes, and Martina thinks we can negotiate for more," Kate said with a grin.
"Great! I'll have some spending money soon," Luca smiled.
"Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to bed," Kate stretched lazily.
"Wait, Kate, one more thing," Luca said, opening a document on his computer. "I've written another novel recently. Want to read it?"
"Another erotic novel?" she teased.
"Of course not! It's a serious romantic love story about a young girl taking care of a paralyzed guy and falling in love with him."
"A paralyzed guy?" Kate raised her eyebrows. "Is this about you? Are you writing a memoir?"
"Read it first!" Luca smiled mysteriously, making room for her at the desk.
"Me Before You," Kate read aloud as she sat down and started reading.
The story follows Louisa, an ordinary girl from a small town who loses her job at a restaurant and ends up caring for Will, a quadriplegic man.
Will, a wealthy and handsome man, becomes cynical and withdrawn after a car accident leaves him paralyzed. Despite his initial bitterness, a beautiful love story unfolds between him and Louisa.
In the end, Will dies, and Louisa's life changes forever.
This novel was both romantic and deeply emotional, eventually becoming a bestseller on platforms like Amazon, selling millions of copies. It was later adapted into the film Me Before You, with Emilia Clarke, known as Daenerys from Game of Thrones, starring as the lead.
Luca had recently remembered the movie and decided to try his hand at writing the story. Given his own experiences, writing about the male character came naturally. He planned to make this Kate's second novel.
Suddenly, before she had even finished three chapters, Kate began to cry.
"What's wrong?" Luca asked, taken aback.
"The male lead—he's you, isn't he? Did you ever think about ending it all, too?" Kate sobbed as she wiped away her tears.
Luca shook his head with a smile. "Kate, it's just a novel."
"I'm so sorry, darling. I shouldn't have been so focused on my work back then, leaving you alone in the hospital," Kate cried, hugging his waist.
Luca rubbed his forehead. This was a major misunderstanding.
But the truth was, back then, Luca did have suicidal thoughts. Once a shining star on the soccer field, he had been just a step away from joining a prestigious team. But after a car accident left him disabled, he was confined to a wheelchair. The memory of that dark time still haunted him.
"Kate, it's all in the past," Luca sighed, gently patting her on the shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, darling," Kate cried softly in his arms.
"Luca, are you bullying Kate?" Lima walked in and asked.
"Would I dare?" Luca shrugged. "She's crying over a novel."
"Really? I want to read it too!" Lima hurried over to comfort Kate.
The two women sat together reading the novel, wiping their tears and fully immersing themselves, imagining Luca as the male lead.
When they finished, they both demanded to know: who was 'Louisa'?
Luca insisted she was fictional.
Kate didn't believe him and called Aunt Regina.
During his hospital stay, Aunt Regina had cared for him most of the time.
After thinking for a moment, Aunt Regina did remember someone—a nurse Luca had dated briefly while in the hospital.
They broke up after he was discharged.
Kate and Lima immediately concluded that Luca had dumped 'Louisa' after recovering.
"You scumbag, you can sleep alone tonight!" Kate declared.
Bang!
Lima slammed the door.
(O╥﹏╥)o
Luca touched his nose, deeply regretting his choice. There were two more manuscripts on his computer—why did he have to show this one first?
Talk about digging his own grave!