Global Film Emperor

Chapter 386 A Journey to Hangzhou

On May 29th, the Electric Association meeting voted to approve it. On May 30th, Lu Ze went to the Electric Association to officially report for duty and was assigned a private office, although... Lu Ze basically didn't need it, since his current work focus was overseas, and this office was ultimately useless.

Secondly, Zhou Liguo, the head of the Theoretical Research Department, assigned Lu Ze the task of writing a report every quarter on various changes in foreign film companies and changes in the decisions of the Actors Guild, along with his own thoughts. The final decision on whether to adopt the report would be made by the entire council of the China Film Association.

This job is not easy. From now on, Lu Ze will have to shift his focus from individual actors to the overall environment of the entertainment industry. He will need to have a thorough understanding of all levels and have his own ideas to make improvements for the domestic film industry. Of course, whether the domestic industry will adopt these ideas is still unknown.

Fortunately, this was a quarterly report, unlike in China where there are monthly meetings to study the feasibility of new plans. This gave Lu Ze a lot of free time; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to film this movie.

After completing the work arrangements with the Film Association, Lu Ze should return to the film crew to continue filming "Rebirth". You know, Mickey has been frantic these past few days, calling at least three times a day to ask when Lu Ze will be back.

It was a bit of a hassle, but Lu Ze could completely understand Mickey's anxious feelings. Funds were already tight, and every day Lu Ze didn't go back, the work was delayed. Although the amount of money spent wasn't much, it was enough to make Mickey feel the pinch. It was only because Mickey and Lu Ze had a good relationship that things turned out this way. If it were any other director, they probably would have already started arguing with Lu Ze and threatened him with breach of contract penalties.

However, before returning home, Lu Ze had one more thing to do: he needed manpower. After failing to get help from Shen Jinghan, he had to consider other candidates to help him handle matters other than the Film Association and the film.

……

"Mr. Lu, wake up! This flight has landed at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. Please organize your luggage and disembark in order. Have a pleasant journey."

"OK, thanks."

I flew business class on this trip. Although the service wasn't as good as first class, the adjustable seats were quite comfortable. The extra 400 yuan was definitely worth it.

Lu Ze doesn't have the habit of wearing a mask while sleeping, and the flight attendants have already recognized him. Out of professional ethics, they didn't take pictures of Lu Ze sleeping, but they still decided to go back and pour water for the other passengers by playing rock-paper-scissors. Of course... this also caused the passengers to drink their fill and secretly resent themselves for refilling their water cups whenever the flight attendants pushed the water cups over, which resulted in having to queue up to use the restroom.

Ultimately, Lu Ze still showed no signs of waking up after the plane landed, and one of the flight attendants won the opportunity to wake him up by winning all three rounds.

It's not uncommon to encounter celebrities on flights. If it weren't Lu Ze sleeping here, the flight attendants wouldn't have been so excited. This shows that, in the eyes of teenage girls, Lu Ze is probably no match for young heartthrobs, but for these working adult women, Lu Ze's looks and rumored good character are still very appealing.

She helped Lu Ze open the storage compartment and take down his luggage. Just as Lu Ze was about to leave, she finally made up her mind and somewhat presumptuously interrupted Lu Ze's departure.

"Mr. Lu, I really like your work. I've been a fan for six or seven years now. Could you please sign your autograph for me?"

Paper and pen were handed over. Lu Ze looked at the few small heads peeking out of the flight attendants' lounge, nodded politely to them, and wrote words with the pen in his palm.

"Thank you to XX Airlines and all the crew members for your warm service, which made this journey very pleasant. Thank you for your hard work. I look forward to seeing you all again. I wish you all the best in your work. Lu Ze."

"The lettering looks a bit messy without a pad, but don't mind it. The captain and the others haven't come out yet, so please put it away quickly so they don't see it. See you next time."

Being surrounded by a group of young ladies as he left was not a first for Lu Ze. His polite smile warmed the hearts of the flight attendants, who smacked their lips in regret as they watched him disappear into the gate.

This was just a minor incident in life, at least for Lu Ze. Some people encounter certain things and are happy or sad for a whole day, or even longer. This is not surprising. But what is sad is that people who have experienced the same thing as him may not have taken it to heart at all.

Sometimes we're the happy ones, and sometimes we're the ones who forget about it as soon as we turn away. If we really had to determine a winner and loser, we'd actually hope we were the loser. Is this hypnosis? It probably is.

What you find pleasing, others find bleak, or vice versa, what you find bleak, others find pleasing—that is the root of life's stench.

In short, Lu Ze forgot about the flight attendants, the flight number, and even which airline he was flying with. He then called a private car, scrolled through his chat history in the back seat, and dialed a phone number he had asked someone for.

"Hello, is this Mr. Wang? I contacted you yesterday. Yes, this is Lu Ze. I'm in Hangzhou now, and I'll be at your company in about an hour and a half. Okay, see you in a bit."

As the vehicle drove, Lu Ze flipped through the script. This afternoon he was going to Shanghai to catch a flight to London, and filming would begin tomorrow. The most important thing now was to quickly review the script.

The journey didn't actually take an hour and a half; navigation times are always longer than the actual driving time. Just over an hour later, Lu Ze was standing at the entrance of China Railway X Bureau.

A slightly overweight man was waiting at the door. When he saw Lu Ze, he came over and shook hands with him. Lu Ze was a little stunned. Anyone who could become a general manager in a state-owned enterprise must have connections and be very capable. Yet, the man personally came out to greet him, giving Lu Ze a lot of face. This was indeed beyond Lu Ze's expectations. Of course, face is mutual. Since the man was being so kind to Lu Ze, Lu Ze's attitude had to be even more enthusiastic than he had been before they met.

"Mr. Lu, I've heard so much about you. Seeing you in person now, I'm really excited. You must take a picture with me later. When I get home, I'll have to show it off to my daughter. I've taken a picture and chatted with a big star before, hahaha. Please."

The words were warm and pleasant to hear, undoubtedly raising Lu Ze's status and treating Lu Ze, an actor in the entertainment industry who had absolutely no connection with him, as an honored guest. Lu Ze nodded in response, not uttering a single word of dissent throughout the entire conversation.

Zhejiang is one of the busiest provinces in the construction industry, so work is always very busy. Employees were rushing around in the corridors, while Lu Ze and General Manager Wang seemed to be taking their time. "Little Wang has been with us for over a year now, and his work ability is beyond question. He probably got a lot of training working with you over the years. By the way, you're not here this time to poach my employees, are you?"

"I guess you guessed right, Mr. Wang. I did come here with this idea in mind, but I had no other choice. I don't have anyone I can trust, so I can only ask you for help to talk to Zixuan. I apologize for what I did wrong and for not following the proper procedures."

Lu Ze wasn't hiding his purpose, because even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Her resume clearly stated that she had been with Lu Ze for seven years. Now that Lu Ze had come all this way, it couldn't possibly be to visit relatives.

Rather than secretly pulling Wang Zixuan away and offending President Wang, it's better to openly admit it, apologize, and acknowledge that you owe her a favor. Out of consideration for face, President Wang won't interfere too much. After all, no matter how elite she is, Wang Zixuan is just an ordinary employee with good work ability. She's not at the point where the company can't function without her.

As expected, President Wang had already guessed Lu Ze's intentions. His expression remained unchanged, and he continued to laugh heartily, as if he didn't care at all whether Wang Zixuan stayed or left. Well... we should remove the "as if".

The statement that entry-level employees don't need personal abilities actually makes some sense. Even if she leaves, someone else can be found to fill her vacancy immediately. Exchanging an entry-level employee for a favor from Lu Ze is a worthwhile deal. If she can speak up for her daughter who is studying art in the future, it will be even more worthwhile. This is also the reason why President Wang has been so polite since they first met.

After taking the elevator to the thirteenth floor, President Wang arranged for Lu Ze to rest in a small conference room. He asked Lu Ze to wait a moment and then tactfully left under the pretext of being busy with work. He was satisfied with getting a favor from Lu Ze and left the rest to Wang Zixuan and Lu Ze to talk alone. Whether they reached an agreement or not was none of his business.

Less than five minutes after President Wang left, there was a knock on the conference room door, one long knock followed by two short knocks. It seemed that Wang Zixuan had been trained to be much more particular about such things after joining the company. Lu Ze picked up his water glass, blew on it to create ripples, took a small sip, and called out.

"come in."

"Brother Lu... Brother Lu".

Wang Zixuan could hardly believe her eyes. She now believed those words. Seeing the man sitting behind the table, her eyes suddenly stung. She rubbed them hard. Yes, he was still there.

Lu Ze was also observing the changes in Wang Zixuan over the past year. She was still so small, like a middle school student who hadn't grown up. Her expression was cold and aloof, without a trace of a smile. Her clothes weren't expensive, but they were clean and tidy. However, her shoes had some mud spots, so it seemed that what Boss Wang said about her just returning from the construction site was true.

Her shoulder-length hair had grown a bit longer, which made her look even more ethereal. If it weren't for her slightly dazed expression, she would really have the air of a cool and aloof goddess.

"What are you standing there for? Come and sit down."

After saying this, the two looked at each other in silence. The scalding hot tea released its aroma, and they looked down as the tea leaves gradually fell to the bottom of the cup. Lu Ze then spoke.

Are you happy working here?

"It's alright, it's pretty good."

"That's good. By the way, do you have a boyfriend yet? Your mother used to nag me about it a lot."

"We broke up last month."

Her blind date dumped her, saying he was afraid because he never saw her smile and she was always cold. Thinking about this, she was still a little angry, but there was nothing she could do. As for feeling wronged, she didn't feel that way. Over the years, she had gotten used to it.

"It's okay, Brother Lu will introduce you to someone better. Let him go wherever he wants. I just came here to ask you if you're interested in being my manager?"

"Agent...and Aunt Han?"

“She’s a grandmother now, and her child is adorable. I went to see her. She’s getting old, and her health doesn’t allow her to keep up with my schedule. Her salary is 12% of my income. I also have shares in a company overseas. You can sign other artists in the company, and earning several million a year shouldn’t be a problem. I know it’s not appropriate to send you abroad to develop your career so abruptly, but I really need someone I can trust. Of course, it’s okay if you don’t want to go. I know you’re doing very well here. It would be a real shame to go abroad and be unfamiliar with the place.”

There was obvious hesitation in her eyes, which was inevitable, and Lu Ze was also aware of it. Right now, he just hoped that she could consider it and was not in a hurry for her to give an answer.

For her, a 12% share was already a very considerable amount, and she was willing to work for Lu Ze, as it was something she was used to and found enjoyable. However, one is often not in control of one's own destiny. She was almost 30, and her parents were getting old. She couldn't just agree to this on a whim; she needed to think it over.

"I still hope you can discuss this with your parents. No matter the outcome, my visit to you this time has fulfilled one of your wishes. You've grown a lot, and I understand your concerns. So, once you have a result, give me a call. Your work is quite busy, and I have to catch a flight this afternoon, so I'll stop here and go now."

Putting on his sunglasses, Lu Ze picked up his luggage and prepared to leave. She got up to see him off, but Lu Ze pushed her back down. Before leaving, Lu Ze gently hugged her and said goodbye. He hoped that this goodbye was to welcome their next meeting. Of course, it was also possible that the two of them had lost the feelings they once had.

"Take care of yourself."

"..."

(End of this chapter)