Global Film Emperor

Chapter 389 Pick-up
"I'm here, where are you?"

"Brother Lu, I'm a little thirsty. I'll just grab a drink at the coffee shop on the second floor of the airport. Wait for me at the entrance, I'll be right down."

"Never mind, I'm a bit sleepy. I'll have a cup of coffee to wake myself up. Also, I have something to talk to you about, but it's not convenient to talk while I'm driving. Let me go into the airport first."

Mickey's beat-up car is quite old. It's said to be the first car he bought after graduating from high school. It wasn't very new when he got it, but there are no mandatory vehicle scrapping regulations in the UK. So, despite its dilapidated condition and the creaking suspension, this twenty-something-year-old is still cruising on the road. And Mickey says he plans to drive it for another ten years, which is pretty cruel.

With some effort, he rolled up the car window, checked the interior, and was about to open the door when Lu Ze pulled the handle off. After a moment of silence, he bent over, reinstalled the handle, and then laboriously climbed onto the passenger seat and got out.

There was only one coffee shop on the second floor of the airport's international terminal. Lu Ze had rested there before. Knowing the way well, he walked to the door, pointed to Wang Zixuan sitting in the last row, and strode over.

"Brother Lu..."

She felt a bit distant from Lu Ze, perhaps a habit she'd picked up from working at a state-owned enterprise for the past year. In any case, she wasn't as comfortable with him as she used to be. When she saw Lu Ze approaching, she instinctively stood up to greet him.

He didn't speak, just nodded, reached out and patted her shoulder, then gently pushed her back onto the sofa, moved her large suitcase aside, and sat down opposite her.

"An iced coffee, no cream, please, phew..."

They both breathed a sigh of relief. Neither of them spoke. Lu Ze crossed his arms and focused his gaze on her face, while she lowered her head, picked up a spoon, and gently stirred the sundae, blending the chocolate and ice cream together.

The coffee was served quickly. Lu Ze took a sip, and the taste was just so-so. He took a tissue to wipe the water droplets from the cup, adjusted the watch on his wrist to a comfortable position, and sighed again.

"This was a very difficult decision, so I want to thank you. I'm sorry to have disrupted your life plans. By the way, does your mother know about this? I'll call her later and apologize."

"Yes, I'm fine..."

She was somewhat absent-minded, and although she wanted to adjust her mental state in front of Lu Ze, she felt powerless. She also knew in her heart that Lu Ze's attitude towards her at this moment depended on her attitude towards Lu Ze. Perhaps because her mind was in turmoil, she made the sundae even faster.

Lu Ze was still considerate. She knew in her heart that his attitude towards her had not changed, but his previous attitude was no longer suitable for her at this moment. So, his slightly distant tone, but with greetings to his parents, was to ease the atmosphere and rediscover the feeling of the two of them used to have.

"Don't worry, Brother Lu. Although I've never worked as an agent before, I will try my best to learn."

“Take it slow. I don’t have much work right now, so you won’t either. Focus on getting used to it first. Also, I’m not settling down abroad anymore. I’ll come back to China after I finish my work. I’ll only work abroad for about five to eight months a year. You can come back with me then. Unless there’s a particularly urgent contract that requires me to come back, the rest of the time will be vacation. So, it’ll probably be a lot more vacation time than you get with China Railway.”

The older people get, the more filial they become, at least for most people. When they see their parents getting old and even becoming powerless to do many things, their hearts are filled with unbearable worry.

If you let Lu Ze live abroad for a long time, he won't be able to stand it. He will definitely miss home. This is even with his younger sister who can take care of his parents. If it were Wang Zixuan, an only child, it would be even more so.

Hearing Lu Ze's explanation, Wang Zixuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much less burdened. She also seemed more relaxed towards Lu Ze. After thinking for a while, she nodded.

Her monthly salary at China Railway is around 13,000 RMB. Bonuses and performance-based pay don't make up a large portion of her monthly salary. She works overtime until 8 or 9 pm on weekdays and has two days off a week, but she doesn't get to take them off most of the time. Normally, she gets about four or five days off a month.

And what about the compensation Lu Ze offered? It was 10% of Lu Ze's annual income. Even if Lu Ze's annual income was 500,000 pounds, which is equivalent to about 4 million RMB, after deducting the high tax rate of 45% in Europe, her annual income would not be less than 200,000 RMB. This already exceeded her annual income at China Railway. Moreover, would Lu Ze's annual income only be 4 million RMB?

What appeals to her even more is the four to six months of vacation each year, which allows her more time to spend with her parents and do what she wants to do. Anyone would be tempted by such a job.

Besides, even putting all that aside, working under Lu Ze was the best choice for her. After all, she had followed him for seven years, and she felt more comfortable working under Lu Ze than working at China Railway. Even though she missed the past year immensely.

"Actually, I shouldn't have gone to China Railway to find you so soon. I forgot to tell you, the movie I'm currently filming just wrapped up today. I guess after the recording is done, I'll be going back to China to rest. This might mean you'll be unemployed for the next few months without any income. I don't know if your savings will be enough. Okay, you've relieved your fatigue. Let's go. There's a wrap party tonight. Go back and pack your things, then come with me."

"Brother Lu, when shall we sign the contract?"

She spoke as if she was eager to settle things, her tone slightly urgent. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. Although that wasn't her intention, she was afraid Lu Ze would misunderstand, so she silently slung her backpack over her shoulder and quickly took the suitcase Lu Ze was about to pick up. Not finding the handle, Lu Ze suddenly remembered a funny incident from the past, smiled, gently patted her head, and slowly led her away.

Lu Ze understood what she meant. Rather than wanting to secure the job, she wanted to cut off her escape route and give herself the courage to have no way out.

Ultimately, she hasn't been abroad much, let alone worked abroad. As a woman, she has the right to be afraid and the reason to worry, which is a good thing; it shows that she has grown up.

"The contract hasn't been printed yet. I'll find a lawyer in the next few days and we'll finalize it. You must be tired after traveling all this way to England. Go back and rest first. The contract isn't going anywhere."

"it is good."

She agreed, remaining silent as she followed behind Lu Ze. Lu Ze walked ahead, expressionless, simply shifting the backpack carrying the contract closer to his neck...

Lu Ze did not take her back to Mickey's apartment, since there were no spare rooms available. Besides, ever since Mickey won the award in Berlin, reporters had begun to focus their attention back on him. If he took a girl back now and they were photographed, given the behavior of British reporters, there would probably be some gossip spreading tomorrow.

So Lu Ze arranged for her to stay at a high-end hotel not far from Mickey's Apartment, right across from Lionheart Bar, about a kilometer away from the apartment. He escorted her to her room, warned her not to go out at night, and then left with peace of mind.

Back in the apartment, Mickey and the two brothers from the Lao Men family had already started dressing up. Dressed in suits and ties, they looked quite presentable. When they saw Lu Ze return, they only asked if he had picked up his friend and then said nothing more.

Mickey only stopped dressing up, which made Lu Ze feel a little disgusted, after she had combed her long hair until it was exceptionally smooth, just like in a shampoo commercial. She plopped down next to Lu Ze, lit a cigarette, turned off the TV, put her legs up on the platform, and gently nudged Lu Ze.

When do you plan to return to China?

"what?"

"Your investment visa has been approved and is at the company. Remember to pick up your documents from the third drawer on the right side of my desk tomorrow. Your visa expires in a few days, so be careful not to get caught by the police. I won't go to the police station to bail you out if they say you're overstaying your visa."

"it is good."

Lu Ze previously held a personal tourist visa, which was valid for two years and allowed him to stay in the UK for 180 days each year. However, due to filming "The Rebirth", his visa was about to expire in less than half a month.

Fortunately, Lu Ze now owns shares in Universal Brothers Pictures and has obtained an investment visa as an investor, which has solved the problem of filming his scenes in the next film, "Exile".

Speaking of "Exile"... This film, directed by Kesha, with Lucas as assistant director and cinematographer, Mickey as producer, and Lu Ze as lead actor, has now completed its script. However, the film was entirely written by Mickey, and Lu Ze has not yet seen the complete script. It hasn't even been officially approved yet.

After all, Universal Brothers has invested all its funds in "Exile". If the film does not perform well or even loses money, let alone "Exile", the company will have to go out of business.

"The script for 'Rebirth' is finished and it's in the safe. If you go back to China, just make a copy and take it with you. You need to work out for this film. You know why, since the protagonist is an explorer, he definitely needs some muscle. I hope you start training while you're in China, at least to get your body fat down. Then you can sculpt your physique after you come back. Lucas and Kesha, those two muscle monsters, will be your sparring partners, so you won't need to hire a coach anymore, which will save you some money. Oh, and after you come back... there's one more thing you need to do."

Mickey's smile was rather strange, somewhat lewd, with his eyes narrowed into slits, revealing two large front teeth, white smoke billowing from his nostrils, and his head bobbing up and down along with his shoulders.

Lu Ze couldn't stand Mickey's smile. The moment he smiled, Lu Ze got goosebumps. He abruptly moved away from Mickey, kicked him hard, and scrutinized him warily.

"what?"

"Nothing much, it's just for the plot, so I found you a job. Start in early November. Don't overthink it, it's not a special job, you don't need to sell your body, it's just... working as a zookeeper for two months."

"..."

(End of this chapter)