There were still many children living in the manor. Jackson didn’t take Gan Guoyang’s advice to completely cut ties with those people, but he installed surveillance in many places and upgraded the security system.
Over these years, the rumors and attacks Jackson had to endure didn’t diminish. Instead, they escalated as his divorce from Elvis Presley’s daughter unfolded.
"Sonny, you were right, there are no heroes in marriage. Everyone is just an ordinary person, so ordinary that it makes one feel alienated and loathed."
Jackson reflected on his 18-month marriage, realizing he couldn’t balance life, emotions, and career.
He admired Gan Guoyang, who managed to live a stable life with his wife for so many years.
Gan Guoyang said, "The sacrifices she made are unimaginable, and of course, the rewards are also unimaginable. Marriage is more about benefits and economics than emotions. You must perfectly control the ratio. Michael, you’re not good at these."
Jackson said, "Yes, but I really want to have a child of my own."
Gan Guoyang said, "That’s not difficult for you, is it? You could run an ad in the newspaper saying ’Michael Jackson seeks child with a generous reward,’ and you’d have a line of women holding hands stretching across America."
"Don’t joke around, Sonny. I need to tell you something serious, and it’s a secret."
"What secret? Do you actually have a child?"
"Shit, how did you know?"
"Man, don’t you read the newspapers? There are already rumors flying around outside. They say you divorced because of a child, and then had your own child through artificial insemination. Michael, do you think you have any secrets left? The only thing I don’t know about you is how long your penis is. If we ever bathed together, even that last secret would be uncovered!"
Michael Jackson was constantly besieged by paparazzi, and every aspect of his life was being invaded. This was one of the reasons his first marriage failed.
Almost no woman can endure having her private life continuously scrutinized, even if she’s Elvis Presley’s daughter.
Apart from the paparazzi, Jackson was surrounded by impostors and traitors, whose sole purpose in approaching him was to one day expose his secrets for valuable gossip.
Thus, Jackson envied Gan Guoyang, but he couldn’t achieve what Gan Guoyang had, because, to a certain extent, Jackson enjoyed this kind of life and relied on these paparazzi and traitors to boost his fame.
"Sonny, do you think I should marry the mother of my child?"
"Shit, I’m not a fortune teller. Why does everyone come to me seeking relationship advice?" Gan Guoyang muttered.
"What?"
"Oh, I said, this is something you need to decide for yourself. But as always, I must remind you to be cautious with everything you do. Of course, as usual, you won’t listen to me. If you get married, remember to invite me."
"I will listen to you, Sonny. Really, looking back, a lot of what you said was spot on. Your investment advice was great; I made a lot of money."
Gan Guoyang thought to himself, I came from the future, so of course, there’s no problem with investments, but whether you get married is not something I can control.
The two chatted a lot, and at the last minute of the last day of 1996, the sky over Dream Manor lit up with beautiful fireworks.
The time had come for 1997, and Gan Guoyang stayed another day at Dream Manor to facilitate negotiations with Hollywood film companies for film and television collaboration.
In the restaurant, a producer handed a script to Gan Guoyang. The drama was called "The Gump," telling the story of Gan Guoyang’s high school days.
Gan Guoyang briefly glanced through it, shook his head, and said, "The story is too cliché and thin, the box office won’t be high, and I doubt they could find an actor to play me."
"You could star in it yourself."
"Oh, forget it, I can’t play a high school student. But if I were to act, I do have a good story..."
And so, Gan Guoyang laid out his concept for "Space Jam," leaving the producer dumbfounded.
After listening, the producer scratched his face and said, "Uh...this story also seems...bad?"
"Yes, it’s bad, but it will be more successful than my high school biopic. Especially if I star in it and invite Ewing, Barkley, Jordan, those friends for cameos, the selling points would be off the charts."
The producer was convinced and threw the "The Gump" script into the trash, preparing to launch the "Space Jam" project.
Gan Guoyang was confident that the movie could be made and successfully released, and make a big profit. All he needed to do was persuade Jordan, Barkley, and those good friends to play villains.
Barkley and Ewing were definitely not a problem, but whether Jordan would be willing was the question. Would he agree to be a villain in Gan Guoyang’s movie?
After discussing the movie, Gan Guoyang’s brief suspension leave was finally ending.
Michael Jackson personally took Gan Guoyang to the airport. Before parting, Gan Guoyang said to Jackson, "On the night of the 4th, my game against the Bulls, remember to watch the game."
Jackson nodded and said, "Sonny, should I get married or not?"
"Here’s the deal, Michael, if I win, then you get married; if I lose, hold off for a while. What do you think?"
Gan Guoyang was just joking, but Jackson agreed, saying, "Okay, if you beat the Bulls, I’ll get married! To be honest, Sonny, the Bulls are really strong right now, and it looks dangerous. Michael Jordan is really amazing; in the past two years, besides me, he’s the most famous Michael."
"So, do you want me to win or lose?"
"I don’t know, it’s up to you."