The Tyrant Billionaire

"Many people use their teeth, lighters, or table edges to open bottle caps," Walter hesitated.

"Trust me, people will love this easy pull tab method, especially girls. Just a light pull, a 'pop' sound, and a cool sensation. They will love the feeling," Hardy said.

"When the new cap Pepsi hits the market, you can shoot a TV commercial on ABC. Show someone opening a bottle with their teeth and losing a tooth, someone opening with their mouth and swallowing the cap, someone using a lighter and it explodes, someone using a table edge and the table collapses. All kinds of accidents will appear.

Finally, a beautiful girl picks up a pull tab Pepsi, lightly pulls, and 'pop' it opens. She drinks it stylishly while a group of injured men stare in awe."

"By the way, use Coca Cola bottles for the bad scenes," Hardy added.

When it comes to Hitch-hiking, Hardy is also a master.

Walter, excited, nodded, "I'll have the product department work on the pull tab cap right away. It shouldn't be too hard."

"Anything else, Mr. Hardy?"

Hardy held up the bottle cap with a Pepsi logo on top, showing the layer of padding underneath.

"The second method: a lottery."

Walter was still confused, "Can you explain clearly, Mr. Hardy?"

Hardy had several bottles opened, peeling back the padding, and started writing. "Thank you for your patronage," "Win another bottle," "Win 10 cents," "Win 25 cents," "Win 50 cents," "Win 1 dollar," up to "Win 100 dollars."

Then he put the padding back, resealed the bottles, and said, "Now do you understand?"

Walter, having run Pepsi for many years, immediately grasped Hardy's idea, imagining the future scene where people buy Pepsi for the lottery chances. He believed many would choose Pepsi for that reason.

Walter imagined someone to use a pull tab to open a bottle, making a 'pop' sound then flipped the cap and showed an excited expression.

"Will I be lucky today?"

He peeled back the padding to reveal a "Win 50 cents" prize. "Wow, I won 50 cents. I can buy 10 bottles of Pepsi."

Walter grew more excited, convinced it was a brilliant idea to attract many customers.

Walter was already excited, envisioning Pepsi's big sales, with people rushing into convenience stores and choosing Pepsi over Coca Cola without hesitation.

Hardy, holding the cap, said, "This pull tab model can be patented, and the lottery cap setting can be copyrighted. If Coca Cola or any other beverage or beer imitates it, we can sue them for infringement."

Walter nodded repeatedly, "Yes, apply for patents and copyrights to prevent others from copying. Mr. Hardy, your idea is simply brilliant!"

Walter now admired Hardy immensely. No wonder he achieved such success in just two years, everything has a reason.

Andy, sitting nearby, also admired his boss's idea, confident that Pepsi would sell well with Hardy's strategy. If Pepsi sold well, the stock price would rise, and Andy was already planning to buy Pepsi stock before it went up.

Just then, Hardy suggested to Walter, "President Mack, how about we go for a walk? I'd like to see your garden."

Walter paused, then smiled, "Please, Mr. Hardy. Although my estate isn't as large as Mr. Giannini's, my wife loves gardening, so it's well maintained."

As they walked in the garden, Hardy said, "I've shared two ways to increase Pepsi's sales, but for a comprehensive reform, it's not enough."

"Would you like to hear more about my plan?" Hardy offered.

Walter smiled, "Please share, Mr. Hardy."

Hardy was already working with Walter on a plan. If it succeeded, Pepsi's market value would soar, and his profits would multiply.

After discussing Pepsi matters with Walter Mack and largely settling the issues in San Francisco, Hardy was ready to return to Los Angeles.

As for the details, that's for his subordinates to handle, and Andy would arrange the necessary tasks.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Hardy telegraphed Victor in the U.K, informing him that a shipment of medicine would be arriving soon.

Victor immediately replied, indicating his understanding and promising to handle the work in London, though he was unaware of what kind of medicine was being sent.

A box of penicillin contains 1,200 bottles, and a total of 100,000 bottles would be just over 80 boxes, occupying only a small corner of a container. It was inconspicuous, but this shipment could be worth millions once it arrived in London.

Christmas was just around the corner.

After a month of promotion, the movie "Ghost" was officially released. Hardy wanted to catch the "Christmas slot," even though the concept of specific release slots for movies didn't exist yet.

The movie had already been released a few days before Hardy returned to Los Angeles. Due to effective pre-release promotion, with ABC TV constantly airing trailers, the movie became an instant hit, filling theaters.

MGM predicted that this movie could potentially break the $10 million mark.

Hedy Lamarr became popular again.

Previously, Hedy Lamarr had gained fame for a daring role, but people only remembered her as a sexy star with good looks and a great figure. She hadn't produced any significant works afterward and gradually faded from memory.

Last year, her appearance in Playboy brought her back into the public eye. This time, with "Ghost," her acting skills exploded, establishing her as a major star in people's hearts.

Many film critics gave Hedy Lamarr's performance high praise, describing her acting as sincere and natural, with intense emotions, giving her a shot at this year's Oscar for Best Actress.

As for the male lead, Reagan, people also gave positive reviews. Previously considered a second rate actor, Reagan, with this movie, could now be ranked among the top stars.

Upon Hardy's return, Reagan reported on the actors union matters. Hardy asked if he still wanted to continue this work or focus on acting. Without hesitation, Reagan replied, "Mr. Hardy, I've discovered I really enjoy the union work, and I'd like to continue."

"Aren't you worried it might affect your acting career? You know you're famous now, and you'll get a lot of offers, earning much more money than as an assistant," Hardy said.