Chapter 04 - chances of success is close to zero

This woman is middle-aged, with hair and eyes the same color as Duke's. She is tall and has a distinctly Jewish face. Despite the common problem of Western women's large skeleton, she can be regarded as beautiful. In particular, she is well-maintained and looks like she is in her early thirties.

"Mom, I'm back."

Looking up at Duke, Leah Rosenberg nodded and said quietly, "Well, Let's eat."

She put down the fashion magazine in her hand and walked towards the dining room with Duke following quickly behind her.

Duke has long been accustomed to his mother's attitude. His mother is shrewd and capable, but doesn't speak much, and is especially strict with him. Even if she really misses him, she rarely reveals it in her words and demeanour.

Duke knows that she really loves him, otherwise she wouldn't go out of her way to make lunch and wait for him to come home with her busy work Schedule. He respects her enough to know that anyone who spends that much time caring for someone else, even if they're not related by blood, must deeply love them.

I went to the bathroom next to the restaurant, washed briefly, and then walked into the restaurant. he habitually sat on the left side of his mother. The lunch was not rich, simple vegetable salad, barley bread, roast beef and oatmeal. He just tasted it and knew that it must have come from his mother's hands.

They don't have that many dining etiquette at home. His mother asked with concern after eating a few bites, "Have your thoughts what you are going to do in the future?" 

"Yes, Mom." Duke looked at his mother and said very seriously, "I want to be a film director! the successful kind!"

In fact, he knew that according to his mother's idea, he should go into business.

"Do you know how difficult this road is, Duke?"

 "Are you mentally prepared?"

"I'm ready, Mom." Duke's determination never wavered, "Only you know how much time and energy I've put into this, how much effort I've put into this, I have been working toward this goal for the past ten years.” 

"What is your plan?" she knew that Duke was not impulsive, he was a man with a plan.

"In the next few weeks, I will stay here..."

Pointing to his head, Duke continued, "I had an idea a long time ago, I will turn it to a suitable script, and then I'll look for investors, and I will direct it."

Looking up at his mother, 20 years of getting along was enough for him to read the disapproval from her beautiful face, "Mom, I know that I have only made two experimental films, and qualifications and age are both an issue."

"But don't forget, Hollywood is not without young directors. Last year, when Columbia Pictures bought the script of "Boyz N the Hood" from John singleton and made him the director, how old was he? He was only twenty-two years old. He's still a black man!" 

"Hollywood never lacks scripts!"

Because her advertising company has multiple business dealings with Hollywood, she knows this very well. "John Singleton is not the norm; he is the exception."

Duke's mother reminded him. Duke thought about it and said, "According to the normal Hollywood law, I should enter a TV or commercial crew after graduation, starting from the position of assistant director or even lower, which can not only help me accumulate experience while Waiting for an opportunity. But, Mom, time is really tight for me, I have so many ideas to realize, and I can't wait endlessly."

"Duke."

As a businesswoman, she always keep her head calm, "Now your chances of success are infinitely close to zero!"

"You have to understand that 99.99 percent of the people who enter Hollywood fail."

Despite not having much experience in Hollywood, Duke has experienced many struggles in a similar circle in another country. He never backs down from a challenge, "Mom, if I try, the chance of success is infinitely close to zero. If I don't try, the probability of success must be zero!"

Duke's confidence comes from his over 20 years of experience and study in both his past and present life. While he may not always succeed, he doesn't stand to lose much, as he wouldn't have qualified for the positions he's going for anyway. The worst that could happen is that he becomes a joke to Hollywood companies and investors, and right now he doesn't even have the qualifications to be discussed by them.

This is a road full of hardships, even more difficult than taking over his mother's advertising company in the future, but Duke has long decided to take this road, even if he encounters a bloodbath, he will not back down.