Global Film Emperor

Chapter 352 The blade is leaving its sheath... (11,000 words updated today!)
"This is a film you finished shooting in just two months? Good heavens... I don't know what words to use to describe it, good heavens... those money-grubbing vampires in the theaters will definitely regret this."

In the general manager's office, Saul used the word "God" twice to express the shock that "The Effect" had brought him. He was a talkative person and had already slammed the table several times during the movie to vent his dissatisfaction, even though it was a newly released and still-fresh film.

Even if "The Effect" goes through his channels and is first distributed in video stores in the UK, as a beneficiary, he feels that the film should not be profitable in the video market as a Blu-ray disc. It should belong to the theaters. Not being able to watch the film on the big screen is definitely a great loss for movie lovers.

That's what he thought, and that's what he said, because he couldn't help but praise it, couldn't help but be captivated by the charm of the film. Even though he was the owner of a film company, in the end, he was just a film enthusiast. If he didn't love it, who would invest in movies? In the face of a good film, he should follow his heart, not be a coward, but follow his heart.

"Click...snap."

Mickey pressed the power button on the CD drive, and a double-sided reflective disc with marker marks on it was ejected. Mickey picked it up, gently placed it in the disc case, and lightly dropped it onto Thor's desk.

"How about it?"

"Unexpectedly good."

Having received Saul's affirmation, Mickey looked at Lu Ze, who was sitting on the sofa to the side, quietly flicking his cigarette ash. The two smiled at each other, which did not seem like a homoerotic gesture, because their faces were full of pride and smugness.

"Since you think it's great, then show some sincerity and tell me how much stock you plan to stock. You'll take 45%, the more you invest, the more you'll earn, buddy."

"It's not like we're guaranteed to make a profit. Do you think the market can absorb 100,000 copies? With 20,000 copies, once word of mouth spreads, the domestic market shouldn't have a problem absorbing them. If 20,000 copies really sell, people from other countries will come to us on their own. According to the plan to launch across Europe, that's about... 150,000 copies? France and Italy can sell even more. As for the online market... let's leave a buffer period. We'll go live a month after launching across Europe."

"Twenty thousand is a bit too few... fifty thousand, please."

Saul stared at the disc on the table, his expression hesitant, but having seen the quality of movies before, he gritted his teeth and finally nodded.

"Fifty thousand...that's fine. If we can't sell them all, we can treat them as inventory. They won't be sitting for long. The tax on videotapes isn't high, so we can still get a good price."

Mickey didn't expect Saul to agree so quickly. This was also because he was not familiar with the videotape market and had not done any market research. If "The Effect" became a hit, 50,000 copies in the UK would be easy to sell. Didn't he see that a singer's album sold more than 300,000 copies in a month? Although movie DVDs are not as easy to sell as albums and fewer people collect them, movie lovers and people who like to join in the fun definitely have a considerable purchasing power.

Ultimately, it's because Saul lacks the guts. If "The Effect" really becomes a hit, 20,000 copies simply won't be enough to sell. But you can't blame him for that. After all, Clive's films have lost a lot of money over the years, which scared Saul. He lost his ambition and only wanted stability, not company expansion. That's understandable. When Mickey saw that Saul agreed, there was no problem. But when he looked at Lu Ze, his eyes suddenly darted around twice.

"What about the 100,000?"

"Pfft! Are you crazy? 100,000 sheets? Do you really need such a large order in the early stages? That's impossible. I don't have that much money. If I get stuck with inventory and my cash flow dries up, I'll have to jump off a building right now. 50,000 sheets is already a lot of pressure for me. Are you really planning to become a millionaire in one go? Sorry, I don't have time to play your crazy game."

"Sol, listen to me, have you seen him? He's a big star in China with tens of millions of fans. If he does an ad, wouldn't it be hard to sell 100,000 copies?"

When Mickey suddenly pointed at him, Lu Ze almost swallowed his cigarette butt. He coughed a few times, raised his eyebrows, and glared at Mickey. It turned out that this bastard had his eye on him. Ten million fans? At his peak, he only had a little over six and a half million fans. So the British also play the rounding game?
“I know very well that Mr. Lu is very capable, but I can’t afford 100,000 copies. If you want to distribute 100,000 copies, you should wait until it’s available in Asia. However, videotapes have never sold well in China, as you know.”

"Really can not?"

"Really can not."

"Okay, let's sign the contract."

Mickey shrugged and didn't press the issue further. After all, he knew Thor wouldn't agree. Making the old man bleed so much money could really cost him his life. Even if the later profits would be considerable, he didn't dare to gamble.

"Mr. Lu."

After signing the contract and confirming the distribution schedule, and keeping two copies for themselves, the two were about to leave when Thor suddenly stood up and called out to Lu Ze. This puzzled Lu Ze, as he clearly remembered the old man's arrogant attitude towards him earlier.

"Mr. Lu, I apologize for my previous arrogant attitude. You are a good actor, there's no doubt about that. I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together in the future, I hope..."

Saul's voice gradually weakened. He realized that if Lu Ze really became popular in Europe because of "The Effect," with Lu Ze's strength, he would have no problem establishing himself in theatrical films. As for him, he might make a fortune with Mickey and Lu Ze, but what about afterwards? He would still fall into the quagmire of losses, and at that time, Lu Ze would have nothing to do with him anymore.

Lu Ze was surprised by Saul's apology. He didn't care whether people respected him or not, because whether people respected him or not was directly related to whether he could stand up again. If Saul hadn't been able to save him this time, even if he cared about his reputation, he would still be looked down upon. This was an objective fact and wouldn't change because of Lu Ze's personal emotions. So he let it go easily. But whether Saul suddenly mustered up his courage or thought about it for a long time, he was willing to accept the apology.

"It's alright, I also hope to become friends with Mr. Saul."

The two shook hands. Lu Ze's smile was warm. Thor didn't feel any golden light flashing around Lu Ze that stung his eyes. He just felt that Lu Ze was a magnanimous person, and he should respect a person who is both powerful and magnanimous.

This is the simplest way to gain respect: be an excellent person and choose to tolerate others as long as they don't cross your bottom line, instead of acting like a spoiled brat and slapping others in the face. That only breeds hatred and hostility, which is inconvenient for yourself. The formation of a network of relationships often depends on how you maintain your mindset. Of course...

Except for those shameless idiots.

……

With everything settled and a major worry gone, the two could finally relax. They only needed to wait half a month to complete the poster design and CD production. Then, their labor of love, which they had poured their hearts and souls into for more than two months, would be ready to be released to the public.

Lu Ze got into the car happily, fastened his seatbelt, and intended to take a nap. He had been so tired these past two months that he could fall asleep anywhere. However, he was suddenly jolted awake by Mickey's words.

"Lu Ze, Lu Ze, I want to ask you something. Can you advertise 'The Effect' on Weibo?"

"Are you waiting for me here? I haven't been on Weibo for over a year. I guess all my real followers, except for bots, have unfollowed me. There's probably no point in advertising here."

"Who said that? Go check it out on Weibo yourself."

Lu Ze found Mickey's confident attitude a bit strange. He took out his phone and opened Weibo. Because he had changed his phone in March, he still needed to log in with his account and password. The studio's account had long been taken back by Qian Shijia. Only his personal account was the largest asset he had left over the years, but Lu Ze had never used it since he retired from the entertainment industry.

After racking my brains for a while, I finally remembered my username and password. The moment I logged in... my phone crashed. A series of rapid beeps started from that moment and didn't stop until Mickey had driven three kilometers away. But as expected, the phone finally responded.

There were over 100,000 private messages—not comments, of course. Lu Ze suddenly understood why smartphones could freeze these days; it was a miracle it hadn't exploded and smashed his hand.

"Brother Ze, are you still making movies? I haven't seen one of your films in a year, and I feel terrible!"

"Brother Ze, find yourself something to do, don't be idle. It's been so long since I've seen you make a new film, I haven't had any movies to watch, get moving!"

"I read 'Yinhuang' and it's utter garbage. I suddenly understand why you left. I wonder when we'll meet again. Just a regular fan's comment. Do you remember me?"

There were too many messages to read, so he quickly scrolled through a few. The private messages were full of encouraging words. It was impossible not to be moved, but Lu Ze had never done something like crying in front of others. He could only pretend to be nonchalant and click on his profile, then he was stunned...

Lu Ze, actor, 28 followers, 650 million fans.

He was exactly the same when he left, and he returned just as before. Nothing had changed, not even the certification had been canceled. It's just that the "young actor" certification from back then had been removed. He suddenly felt a little teary-eyed. It turned out that in the eight years he had been in the industry, no one had given up on him, only he had given up on himself.

"What? I told you so! You think I didn't do my homework before saying this? You're kidding me. Don't just stand there, get on with the advertising!"

"Okay, okay, can you please stop arguing?"

"OK~"

Then I scrolled down through the private messages and clicked on the @ mentions. It turned out that the last time he appeared on Weibo was at Zhuang Yu's wedding, when he was the best man.

Previously, when Zhuang Yu's new movie project was launched, Lu Ze had just left Qian Shijia. To those unaware of the truth, it was assumed that the two had fallen out, and that Zhuang Yu was not a good friend for not helping his friend in his time of need. Lu Ze's fans had brought this up quite a bit, which made Zhuang Yu's fans quite unhappy. It wasn't until Lu Ze became the best man that the rumors of a falling out between the two were proven to be completely unfounded.

Lu Ze was probably the last to know about this. Seeing that it hadn't caused any trouble, he finally felt relieved and planned to have a good drink with Zhuang Yu after returning to China. It's impossible for Zhuang Yu not to feel resentful about this. Anyone would feel bad in this situation. The behavior of fans should indeed be paid for by the artists. This kind of thing is common and everyone knows it.

After finally getting a general understanding of what had happened that year, Lu Ze thought for a moment, took a picture of Mickey Mouse driving a car, edited the text, turned on address display, and clicked send.

"The new film 'The Effect' will be available in video stores across the UK on September 17, 2023, at 8:00 AM. Directed by Mickey Taylor (Zhang Weiyu), starring: me."

The speed of the onlookers never disappointed Lu Ze; in just one minute, there were hundreds of comments and more than three hundred likes.

"Wait...who is this? (dog face)"

"A new movie? Lu Ze... Holy crap! Lu Ze!"

"Grandpa! The actor you follow posted on Weibo today! I'm going to burn some paper money for you!"

"Damn, I haven't posted on Weibo in over a year. I thought my account had been hacked. I was going to expose the hacker, but then I saw this ridiculous promotional slogan. Oh, it's Lu Ze."

"I'm not looking, get out."

"No money, I'll wait to watch the pirated version. (dog face)"

“I feel like throwing up when I cry. When I saw Lu Ze’s Weibo post, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I was about to throw up my dinner, but then you came back and asked me to pay for things, so… I swallowed them back.”

Lu Ze: Bro, wanna buy some DVDs? (dog face)

"The crime of producing, selling, or disseminating obscene materials for profit is punishable by imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than five years, and a fine. In serious cases, the sentence is imprisonment for not less than ten years, up to life imprisonment, and confiscation of property. (Dog face)"

Looking at these nonsensical comments, Lu Ze was so angry he wanted to laugh, but he couldn't manage it. His expression stiffened as he continued scrolling down. Sure enough, the fans were still the same fans, and the stinginess was still the same stinginess.

Has anyone replied? Let me check.

Mickey glanced curiously at Lu Ze's phone, but Lu Ze simply turned off the screen and casually hummed a British rock song along with the speaker.

"Drive carefully! Stop looking around all the time."

"Fine, don't watch it then. Why are you making such a fuss?"

After Mickey turned his head away, Lu Ze reopened his phone, only to find that many people he followed had tagged him.

"Director Zhuang Yu: Lu Ze's new movie, is anyone in the UK? Or has friends in the UK? Remember to bring me a copy @Huang Liu @Song Guiyuan @Zheng Yi @Li Wei."

"Song Guiyuan has a son: @Lu Ze, when did you go to England to film a movie? That's great, huh? Now you're keeping up with international standards. Why do you need friends in England? Isn't Lu Ze here? Remember to bring back a couple of pictures. @Zhuang Yu"

Zheng Yi: Could you please bring me a copy of @Lu Ze's photo?

"Guo Mingde: Me too, let's see what level this British director is at. @Lu Ze."

The comments were varied, but the general consensus was that Lu Ze should bring back a DVD, and that they should also tease him and make fun of him. Many directors and screenwriters expressed their anticipation for the film featuring "monster actor Lu Ze" and "British maverick director Mickey Taylor." Even more outrageous was that Song Guiyuan, that bastard, was going to report Lu Ze to customs for smuggling DVDs.

In short, it was either a joke or an expectation, but no one mentioned that Lu Ze had fallen so low that he had to make a living in the videotape market. The fact that they dared to reply to Lu Ze proved that they were his true friends. Based on their understanding of Lu Ze, they firmly believed that as long as Lu Ze had the opportunity to act, everything would be fine!
Meanwhile, in a high-end villa located on the Second Ring Road of Beijing, a woman dressed in a floral nightgown, whose elegance was still undeniable, was gently rocking a crib. The kind smile on her face was impossible to hide. Only after the chubby baby in the crib fell asleep did she quietly go to the balcony to make a phone call to her son-in-law.

"Hello? Xiaojun." "Mom, it should be past ten o'clock back home, is there something wrong with calling so late?"

"Mom wants to ask you a favor. Could you go to the video store on the 17th and buy a movie DVD called 'The Effect' and send it to me? Okay, thank you for your help."

……

Her fair little hands tapped incessantly on the phone screen, her chubby face still serious. She hid under the covers, constantly asking several British personal shoppers for prices, and then paid for the one with the most suitable price.

"Xuanxuan, why aren't you asleep yet? It's so late."

The door was quietly pushed open, and a middle-aged woman scolded her somewhat unhappily. But the moment the door was opened, she had already turned off her phone, rolled over, closed her eyes, and pretended to snore.

……

"Okay, parents, no trouble at all. Sure, then please bring your child over for a trial class this weekend. If you and your child feel it's suitable, we can continue our discussion. Okay, goodbye."

She sighed, gently rubbed her lower back, finished the last sip of tea in her cup, picked up her bag, and left the office. The only sound in the corridor was the clatter of her high heels. Then she made a phone call and communicated with the other party in fluent English.

"Hey Britney, you're doing your PhD at Cambridge now, right? I need to ask you for a favor. Could you go to the video store on the 17th and buy me a copy of The Effect videotape? Would that be great? Thanks so much."

……

From the day the news was announced, countless people eagerly awaited Lu Ze's return, hoping he would continue to deliver a visual and emotional impact a year later. Time passed slowly, and finally, everyone welcomed the arrival of the 17th. However, Lu Ze embarked on his journey home.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You've been tired from coming to England with me for so many days. Let me take you to relax."

"What you mean by 'relaxing' is definitely not a good thing. Actually, I'm not in a hurry to leave. The posters are finished, the video stores have stocked the products, and I won't get any of the profits, so there's no need for me to stay. I'd rather go home and sell alcohol than stay out of boredom."

"And also to comfort your rich girlfriend?"

"That's it."

Lu Ze stood at the airport entrance with his suitcase. A plane took off behind him, which also stirred his longing to go home. He slung his bag over his shoulder, punched Mickey in the chest, and hugged him and patted him on the back.

"Then I'm leaving, you should go back too."

"Call me when you get to China. Be careful. By the way, if we really make money this time, don't hesitate, let's team up."

Lu Ze took out his phone and sent a text message to his parents. After a moment of contemplation, he put his phone in his pocket and replied with a smile.

"I'll think about it, then I'll be going!"

See you in a while, bye!

Lu Ze walked decisively, his long legs striding into the airport gate. Security personnel took out a bomb-proof test strip and lightly rubbed it on his body twice. But then Mickey's shouts came from behind him.

"We'll definitely become billionaires, without relying on your rich girlfriend! I promise!"

"Is this man crazy?"

A white couple next to him looked at Mickey speechlessly. Their gazes clearly showed they thought Mickey was an idiot. Lu Ze didn't answer, but simply raised his right hand and made an OK sign.

……

"Upon arrival at your destination, the shop will be located on your left. The entire journey is eight kilometers and will take twenty-four minutes."

"Do you have 'The Effect'? I need three copies, the one on the poster behind you."

Pushing open the door of the music store, Ma Bohai, panting heavily, attracted everyone's attention. He had just finished class half an hour ago and had ridden his bicycle along the navigation to this rare music store in London. Pointing to the poster behind the clerk, he hurriedly asked.

The poster looked somewhat eerie. On the street of a desolate village, Lu Ze stood with his back to the camera, only turning half his face. He looked depressed and stared straight out of the poster, as if he were staring at Ma Bohai. But that wasn't the strange thing. What was eerie was that there were countless mouths around him.

Ma Bohai didn't have time to think about the meaning of the poster. He stared eagerly at the shop assistant, hoping to get a positive answer from her. However, he was ultimately disappointed. But this was not unexpected. He knew how popular this film was in China. He was lucky to be able to buy it, and there was nothing he could do if he couldn't.

He thanked the shop assistant, and only then did the soreness and weakness from exhaustion begin to show. He struggled to push open the door, plopped down on the green belt, took out his phone, and sent a voice message.

"I couldn't get one. The Effect is so popular in the UK that it's out of stock right now. If you wait, you can probably get it in two or three days. If you don't want to wait, I'll give you a refund now."

After sending the voice message, I took out the water bottle from under the bicycle and gulped down three big mouthfuls. I received a reply, listened to it, and helplessly returned the deposit to the other party. I looked up at the sky speechlessly.

"Lu Ze, Lu Ze, why is it so hard for me to earn some money from you? I'm exhausted and still haven't bought anything. I don't know what kind of magic you have. Sigh, I've lost both my wife and my army!"

He put the water bottle back, limped to his feet, started pedaling his bicycle, and slowly rode towards the school. In the end, he couldn't help but utter a curse.

"Fuck you, you damn personal shopper."

Something seems wrong...

Actually, the frenzy surrounding "The Effect" didn't cause too much of a stir. The scene was quite orderly, without the kind of head-scratching, price-dropping frenzy you see in stores. People just got up early and lined up outside the record stores. Shoe enthusiasts abroad also line up to grab shoes, so this kind of scene isn't uncommon. And the people buying them were really just trying to earn some delivery fee. No job is inherently superior or inferior, and there's nothing demeaning about making money.

However, the shift of this scene from brand stores and electronics and digital product specialty stores to audio-visual stores is somewhat newsworthy, and some people even suspect that audio-visual stores have experienced a second spring.

But that had nothing to do with Mickey. He was on the phone with Thor, who was contemplating hanging himself, looking at the sales slip and smiling.

17532/3h……

……

"What is Mickey doing?! Fuck! My daughter's movie, and he won't even send me a Blu-ray? Don't let me see him again, or I'll break his legs! Fuck!"

Depp was angry because he couldn't buy a copy of "The Effect." That wasn't so bad, really. It was also okay that there were over forty people sitting in a bar ready to watch a movie starring Elena Williams. The worst part was that he was the one who invited them...

He, a Brit, hadn't heard a thing about what was going on in China. He had no idea how popular "The Effect" was there; people were getting up at four or five in the morning to queue. And him? He didn't get up until after eight, trimmed his beard, combed his hair, and put on a suit. He strolled over to the music store, only to be told by the clerk that it was sold out!

He wanted to show these drunkards his daughter's excellent performance, but now... what a disgrace! This is definitely a major stain on his life as a notorious Liverpool football hooligan, so now he's going to intimidate Mickey.

"Mickey! You son of a bitch! You miser! I heard you made my daughter cook and clean? Elena did so much hard work, and you can't even afford to give her a single DVD? You better never show your face in Lionheart, Roberts Street, or Anfield again, or I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"

"Dad, please stop talking."

Elena, her eyes red, tried to snatch Depp's phone. She was actually heartbroken. Depp cared about the movie disc of "The Effect," and she cared about the disc as well, but it wasn't just about the disc itself, but about the meaning it represented.

"Depp, I think there's some misunderstanding between us..."

"You damn old hag! You're dead, Mickey! I'm coming for you! You better not go back to Ilklul Castle from now on. I know you have nowhere to live, you have no choice but to stay there. I'm coming for you right now, you bastard!"

"But I already mailed the CD! I mailed it three days ago, what? Hasn't it arrived yet?"

"You fucking... huh? Huh?"

"Is Elena Depp there? There's a package for you!"

Mickey, on the other end of the phone, broke out in a cold sweat. He was genuinely afraid of Depp. The sight of that burly man chasing and beating up a dozen Manchester United fans by himself back in the day had left a deep scar on Mickey's childhood. If he were to be chopped up and fed to the dogs by Depp just because the delivery was late, wouldn't he feel humiliated?

"Fuck! I'm going to complain about him! Same city! It took three days to arrive! Even a snail delivery would be faster! And you're threatening me! You scared my heart out! Mond Express... I'm going to blow it up! Depp, you son of a bitch! Couldn't you have waited a little longer! You..."

"Bye-Bye."

Depp's phone wasn't very good; after all, for him, a phone was just a tool to call people. Mickey's words were heard by all forty-odd people present, creating an awkward moment, as if even a pin dropping would make a loud noise. Depp smiled, clapped his hands, and coughed lightly.

"Okay, I know it was a misunderstanding. We have a movie to watch now, and... you fucking dare to wait for me to sign for it! I..."

"Stop him! Stop him! Don't do it! Don't do it, Depp!"

After the deliveryman, who had nearly wet his pants in fear, shakily left Lionheart Bar, Elena happily opened the package. Inside was a beautifully packaged CD case, different from those found in stores. Clearly… well, actually, Mickey had just bought a more upscale CD case…

But for Elena, this was a limited-edition collector's edition specially customized for her by Mickey, because she didn't know that this box was available at the music store her father went to that morning.

Anyway, she was completely absorbed, feeling that all the hard work during the filming and the grievances she had just felt had vanished. If she could, she would be willing to cook for Mickey and that freeloader, for as long as she wanted... She picked up the CD case, and there was a piece of paper on the back of the package. She picked it up and read it.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Lu Ze, and the Effect crew. To Elena Depp and Mickey Taylor."

She got carried away again, selectively blind, ignoring Lu Ze and the "Effect" crew. Her lovesick behavior made Depp unable to stand it anymore. He went over, picked up the disc case, and went to the bar to prepare for the screening.

"Be careful, Dad, don't scratch it. I want to keep it for a lifetime."

"I know, don't worry, baby."

Gently peel off the plastic cover of the CD case. The white-painted CD has no special features. Depp picks up the CD, gently inserts it into the CD drive, and slowly turns the volume knob on the speaker.

The disc was read by the optical drive, spinning rapidly with a slight hissing sound. Then, above the bar, the six LCD TVs hanging from the ceiling lit up simultaneously...

People watched the television quietly, occasionally taking a sip of beer, waiting for the movie to start. Little did they know that the moment Depp opened the DVD case, a demonic sword imbued with despair was slowly sheathing itself, about to pierce their hearts once more.

The story begins on a quiet, gray, rainy morning...

"..."

I wrote a total of 11,000 words today, which was a small burst of activity. Could you please vote for Matchstick? Just half of it would be fine... Thank you everyone! I'm very grateful! The next chapter is expected to be over 20,000 words, and I'll release it all at once. There won't be any more tonight.

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(End of this chapter)