Global Film Emperor

Chapter 411 Borrow

“Dingle bell…Dingle bell…”

He nestled between two pillows, enveloped in a warm yet lightweight down jacket. His chest pressed against the silky mattress, casting a languid silhouette. The phone rang, and in his drowsy state, he lifted his head, finally giving up the fight against the dizziness. In the dark room, he reached for his phone on the bedside table, didn't check the caller ID, and answered the call.

"Hey……"

Yesterday, I spent the whole day with the Lucas brothers scouting filming locations for "Exile". By evening, we had finally covered all the pre-selected locations. Exhausted, I naturally couldn't resist having a couple of drinks to relax. However... the word "relax" was only for the Lucas brothers. For Lu Ze, it was unsurprisingly a complete blank.

These two are like bastards and bears, and their alcohol tolerance is unusually high. After downing two bottles of 40-proof vodka, they still need some beer to rinse their mouths. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't refuse, Lu Ze really wouldn't want to sit at the same table with these two beasts.

His memory only went as far as successfully arriving home; he had no recollection of how he fell asleep. After entering the system for intensive training in "Exile," he woke up at only 5:30 a.m., still feeling the effects of the alcohol. Too lazy to move, he turned over and, strangely enough, went back to sleep.

Lu Ze now keeps the training time for the system to a very short time, usually only three hours. If the training is too long, it will not exceed five hours. He also maintains a very high level of stability in the system, and can usually pass the test on the first try. The advantage is that he can not think about anything and sleep comfortably for a few more hours. The disadvantage is that he will always wake up once after exiting the system space, which will occasionally lead to insomnia.

As he answered the phone, he also found the remote control for the electric curtains. The heavy second layer of curtains slowly rolled up. He glanced outside and saw that it was drizzling. Even though it was already 10:30 in the morning, he had no desire to get out of bed.

"Hello, is this Mr. Lu Ze's phone number?"

The voice coming through the microphone was in Chinese, but he had recently changed to a local Liverpool phone number, and only a few people knew the current number. He glanced at the caller ID with a puzzled look, but couldn't recall it.

His brain raced, trying to recall who had leaked his current private phone number from his saved phone book. After several attempts, he still had no clue. It wasn't that he believed people who had his number wouldn't share it with others; rather, he believed that people who knew his number would definitely tell everyone…

While thinking, he also answered quickly. Since the person specifically asked him by name, there was no possibility of him making a mistake.

"It's me, who is it?"

"Hello, Teacher Lu, I am the director of the 'Performer' program on Zhejiang Jiang Lan TV. My surname is Du."

"Hello Ms. Du, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Lu, our production team would like to know if you have any availability recently. We would like to invite you to be a surprise guest mentor for the first episode of the show. In addition, we have another matter to discuss. You are a shareholder of Universal Brothers Pictures. I would like to ask if your company's new projects still need Chinese actors. We hope that the final prize for the male and female contestants who win the championship will be an appearance in your company's new project. Of course, we will also provide a certain amount of sponsorship fees for the new project."

"Regarding scheduling issues, you can ask my agent or call the company, not me. First of all, calling my personal number on your first contact is extremely impolite. I won't pursue who published my phone number, but please respect my privacy. Currently, the company's projects are confidential and will not be disclosed at this time. There may be projects, or there may not be. I don't know when a project will be launched or when filming will begin. If there is any financial sponsorship, please email the company email address. I can guarantee that they will definitely reply to you. Now, please resend the email to 'Universal Brothers Pictures' email address, and then the company's负责人 (person in charge) and my agent will contact you. Now, let's rewind five minutes, and I'll pretend nothing happened. You have one more chance. Be polite, OK?"

Without saying a word, he hung up the phone, glanced at his phone (he'd forgotten to charge it last night, so the battery was low), placed it on the wireless fast charging dock on his bedside table, yawned, turned over, and closed his eyes again.

He's made up his mind that he definitely won't participate in any random shows or so-called mentors. He can act well in any kind of drama. Give him a script and you can make him play E.T. naked without any problem. The only thing he can't act well in is being a mentor on a variety show. Those people are too intense and will do whatever is most exaggerated. He can't do that kind of job.

Furthermore, there are too many behind-the-scenes manipulations in variety shows, both domestically and internationally. However, in foreign shows, the people promoted are usually students of famous stars, with some nepotism involved, while in China, the people promoted are usually people associated with the sponsors.

Participating in this kind of program might mean that the contestants he really likes might not be selected, and with Lu Ze's personality, he would definitely be furious. So it's better to avoid trouble. He doesn't care about the salary, and it's better than to hold a grudge.

Furthermore, a program director dared to check her phone number and even called to ask if she wanted to be on the show. I don't know who spoiled her. You should ask the leaders of Zhejiang TV if they would dare to do such a thing.

Businesses don't just come knocking on your door like that. You always need a middleman to connect you, instead of just having an awkward chat and then deciding on a deal. The company is an obvious middleman, so why not just come here and invite trouble? Although Zhejiang TV is currently under the management of his fourth senior brother, a program team leader really treats Lu Ze like family.
It's not that Lu Ze has become arrogant because he's doing well, or that he looks down on everyone. It has nothing to do with money either. It's just that each social class has its own rules. If someone of a lower rank wants to cooperate with someone of a higher rank, they have to follow the rules. When you're playing a game, if you want to get ahead, you have to say thank you, right? And if an employee reports to their superiors without going through the proper channels, they'll get punished, won't they?
If Lu Ze were to accept it so kindly, someone might take advantage of him and try to undermine him. Official business must be done according to official procedures; not a single step can be omitted. You're out of your mind to expect him to reach the heavens without any steps.

Inside the headquarters of Zhejiang TV, the production team, whose phone had been hung up on, fell into a deathly silence. Director Du's expression was stiff, and everyone else dared not even breathe. They all made excuses and left in twos and threes to avoid seeing their leader make a fool of himself and getting retaliated against. Only after they left did those close to him talk about the incident on chat, saying things like Lu Ze was really ruthless. But this was quickly refuted. When Lu Ze first started out, he had a decent relationship with Hunan TV and Tomato TV, but with Zhejiang TV... there was absolutely no room for courtesy.

Actually, Director Du also felt quite wronged. A person in their forties who has climbed to this position must have done so through blood and tears. They can't be stupid. They just don't understand the current situation and feel that dealing with foreign companies in a businesslike manner is definitely not as appropriate as talking to Lu Ze alone.

After all, they're both Chinese, and their compatriot status is there, so the price might be negotiated lower. Besides, she heard that Lu Ze himself is very approachable, and since this is a business deal, as a shareholder, he definitely has to think about making money and is unlikely to embarrass her. Finally, she also valued the fact that the direct boss and Lu Ze are like brothers, so she thought making a phone call wouldn't be a big deal. She didn't expect Lu Ze to be so ruthless and slap her so hard she spun around eight times.

The most unfair thing is... who is Lu Ze's manager now?! She really doesn't know!!
The most frustrating thing in life is trying to get close to a principled person. She suffered because of this. The more she tried to get close to them, the more she forgot about their principles.

It was already evening in China, just past the seventh nine-day period of winter, and the sun was still setting early. The neon lights outside were already flashing. Director Du, sitting in her office, was a woman after all, and felt a little wronged. She wanted to shed a couple of tears, but considering her age, she swallowed them back. She made a phone call, found a top-notch translator, and edited an email with an apologetic tone. She then sent it to the Universal Brothers Studios email address.

After everything was settled, he made a phone call to inquire about Lu Ze's new agent.

……

"Jingle Bell……"

"Hello? Why are you calling? How's the contract negotiation going?"

Lu Ze had already gotten up and was eating oatmeal soaked in milk. This stuff was very filling and high in carbohydrates, but it was a whole grain, so it wasn't easy to gain weight. It was perfect for Lu Ze to maintain his figure. He also wanted to experience the happiness that carbohydrates brought him, since cutting out carbohydrates felt like torture.

"The talks went very well, and the contract has been signed! Fifteen percent, twenty-two million. But let's not talk about that yet. The Huaxia program team just sent me an email saying they want to sponsor the show and also want to invite you to be a guest. They seem very sincere. Are you going or not?"

"Not interested."

"Brother, please don't. The price is quite reasonable, just take it. This money is enough to upgrade the special effects and pay the salaries of ordinary supporting actors. Would you mind making a trip? Business in China should be negotiated by Chinese people. Although I have a Chinese soul and want to be Chinese, I still have a regional accent, don't I?"

"I think you're all greedy and greedy, not afraid of ghosts knocking on your door."

"Please, please! While you're at it, find me two tough guys, the toughest of the tough, you know we're short-staffed for 'Exile'."

Actually, a big reason why Mickey asked Lu Ze to go back to China was to find a few powerful figures to help him out. This movie is very likely to be released in China, which will make it easier to promote the film there. Mickey has always wanted to bring Lu Ze back home in glory. Relying on Lu Ze alone for promotion is definitely not enough; he needs to bring along a few allies. Of course, it would be best if they could also bring back some sponsorship.

"Alright, alright, enough with the nonsense. By the way, did the other party agree to the terms in the contract?"

"Agree? Let me tell you, this is weird! I didn't even have to bring it up, and they immediately asked for mutual agreement terms. After signing the contract, they asked for two people right away."

"You and Lucas?"

"No, it was Lucas and...you who were borrowed."

"..."

I'm experiencing writer's block and not feeling well. I'll only be able to post 3 words today, and I'll be back to normal tomorrow. I hope you all understand, and I'm sorry.

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(End of this chapter)