Chapter 340: Ambition Is Not Ordinary

In the lounge, Gal Gadot quietly sat next to Murphy, looking curiously at the girl across from her who was only a few years older. Murphy and she had only met by chance and did not have any special connection. She was not a film enthusiast like Mosson and John, so what was she doing here?

Of course, she wasn't naive enough to think the girl was particularly interested in Murphy. In the eyes of those in the film industry, Murphy was an invaluable gem, but this girl had little to do with Hollywood.

Gal had heard Mosson mention this genius cousin, who had dropped out of Stanford University just last year, or the year before, not because of poor grades but to start her own business!

According to Mosson, she was conservatively estimated to already have a net worth in the millions, if not tens of millions of dollars.

"I've read many reports and materials about you, Murphy." Elizabeth Holmes said with a smile, "Your experience is definitely an entrepreneurial miracle."

"Uh…" Murphy was momentarily stunned, "It's the first time someone has described me like that."

"Isn't it?" Elizabeth Holmes spread her hands, "Your Stanton Studio has been involved in several successful films and even invested in 'Deadpool'. Isn't that a successful start-up?"

Murphy didn't respond, still puzzled about her intentions.

Elizabeth Holmes seemed excited, "Any successful entrepreneur deserves respect."

"Yes, that's true." Murphy nodded slowly, beginning to grasp some of Elizabeth Holmes' thoughts and asked deliberately, "I suppose you too are a successful entrepreneur now, Liz."

"That's right, although my business has just started, it has already begun to yield returns." Elizabeth Holmes appeared quite confident.

Murphy glanced at Gal Gadot, who instantly turned into a curious girl, asking, "May I know what it is you do?"

The answer that Elizabeth Holmes provided made both Murphy and Gal Gadot widen their eyes, "I hope to establish a healthcare system that can completely transform the current state of medical care. I don't want to improve existing technologies; rather, I aim to invent a completely new technology that could benefit everyone, regardless of location, race, age, or gender."

This ambition was really not ordinary; it seemed that Obama himself had faced major setbacks in healthcare reform, hadn't he? Murphy became even more curious.

"Two years ago, I used my saved tuition to start a company." It seemed like a big deal to Elizabeth Holmes, who was quite animated, "Initially, I could only rent a room in the basement of the college, where I worked while studying, but after one semester, I officially dropped out of Stanford to fully commit to my entrepreneurship, developing it into a company that has appeared on technology and finance magazines several times."

"Oh…" Gal Gadot nodded politely, "That's impressive."

Unlike Gal Gadot, Murphy didn't initiate the conversation but continued to look curiously at Elizabeth Holmes until she seemed a bit overwhelmed by his intense gaze.

"Liz, I'm a person who likes things straightforward." Murphy didn't want to drag this out and said directly, "I believe your time is also precious."

At this, Elizabeth Holmes no longer beat around the bush, "My company is currently seeking external funding to find suitable investors."

This wasn't exactly surprising. Murphy just frowned and pointed at himself, "You think I'm a suitable investor?"

"Isn't it?" Elizabeth Holmes countered, "Do I need to list your successful investment cases? My company will become the next success in your portfolio."

For some reason, Murphy vaguely sensed a bit of Joe's character in her.

This only piqued his curiosity further, "Can you tell me about the specific projects your company is working on?"

"I founded an innovative blood testing company." Elizabeth Holmes clearly needed external financial input urgently and detailed, "Traditional blood testing has many flaws and limitations. For example, when blood tests are needed, nurses always have to draw a large tube of red fluid from the patient's arm, which can be too much for some physically weak patients, not to mention those who faint at the sight of blood. In addition to causing physical and psychological discomfort, traditional blood testing also has more serious issues, such as human errors in blood data, so often it does not fully detect viruses in the blood."

Seeing Murphy listening intently, she grew more enthusiastic, "With my plan, when testing blood, you only need to take a drop of blood with a needle tip from the finger as a sample. Don't underestimate this drop; through the device my company is developing, it can test for hundreds of indicators in the blood."

Elizabeth Holmes smiled, "This way, those who faint at the sight of blood won't have to worry, nor will those with chronic diseases who need frequent blood tests. More importantly, with the help of machines, the accuracy of blood testing also improves."

Although incomparable, Murphy could see that this young woman, like Gal Gadot, stood out among her peers

 as 'distinctive.'

Seemingly to make her point more convincing, Elizabeth Holmes continued, "Murphy, you must be aware of the terribly poor state of the healthcare system in America. How could such a convenient, affordable, and accurate blood testing service not be welcomed by the government and the public?"

"That sounds quite impressive indeed." Murphy nodded.

If Elizabeth Holmes' research succeeded and she secured the patent, this service could definitely turn her company into a shining star.

But could she succeed?

This wasn't Hollywood or the movie industry; Murphy knew nothing about it, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say he was a complete outsider. Investing in a project you don't understand must be done with caution.

Moreover, the vibe of a female Joe that Elizabeth Holmes gave off also kept making Murphy feel that something was not quite right.

Seeing a flicker of interest in Murphy's face, Elizabeth Holmes pressed on, "My goal is to raise $100 million for research and then to go public at the right time."

Murphy nodded again, seemingly completely swayed by Elizabeth Holmes.

Gal Gadot discreetly stretched out a hand and lightly pinched Murphy's lower back, trying to remind her boyfriend not to be swayed by such empty promises of IPOs and funding.

"There are already quite a few people who have expressed an interest in investing." Elizabeth Holmes tried her best to win over Murphy, "If you invest $10 million now, it could definitely turn into a stake worth $400 million in the future."

Murphy gently pinched Gal Gadot's hand in return, reassuring her that he knew what was important and what was urgent.

"Here's what we'll do, Liz." Murphy didn't completely shut down the possibility, adding, "Send your company and research project information to Stanton Studio, and if it's really as promising as you say, I will definitely invest."

"That's great." Elizabeth Holmes agreed promptly, "I'll have someone prepare it as soon as possible."

She was actively seeking investors, of course, and wouldn't miss any potential opportunity.

Murphy smiled, "I look forward to your good news."

After a few more words, Elizabeth Holmes left the lounge.

"Are you really interested?" Gal Gadot looked at Murphy, who shook his head, "I just want to see what kind of company it is."

He didn't understand much about investments but knew some very simple truths; the more gloriously a prospect is painted, the more likely it hides some serious, unknown issues.

This was true for Hollywood movie projects and probably not different for business investments.

After Elizabeth Holmes left, John knocked and entered again, speaking with Murphy before bringing in a dozen or so men and women.

These people all shared one identity: enthusiastic movie fans and members of the film club where Gal Gadot belonged.

"Murphy, this is Mosson, this is Minna…" Gal Gadot introduced them one by one, "This is Chris, this is Alston…"

No matter what, these were Gal Gadot's peers in the club, and compared to Hollywood, these ivory tower students were far too innocent and adorable.

After some simple conversation, Murphy realized that they approached him through Gal Gadot with a straightforward purpose, harboring no complex motives but just a pure love for filmmaking, wanting to understand the current state of Hollywood and how to really break into the industry.

It could be said that their passion for filmmaking was pure, stemming more from love than anything else.

Facing these relatively innocent people, Murphy also put aside his complicated thoughts and, while sticking to the facts, spoke about Hollywood movies and the industry, adding just a bit of polish to avoid dampening their enthusiasm.

"Those great filmmakers are inherently highly sensitive to the art of film. For such talent, we can only express admiration and strive to refine our skills in film production and enrich our resumes. Even today's greatest and most legendary filmmakers, like David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, or Wes Anderson, also stood on the shoulders of giants to achieve what they have today."

After Murphy's speech, John posed the first question, "What do you think is the most important aspect of making a movie?"

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