Global Film Emperor

Chapter 418 Rented Actors Arrive

In April in England, it is already springtime. Although the lowest temperature still hovers between four and five degrees Celsius, and occasional light rain causes a sudden drop in temperature, the return of migratory birds and the gentle breeze prove that the damp and cold winter has temporarily waved goodbye to people, silently leaving, waiting for the next encounter.

Three consecutive days of light rain had dampened people's energy and enthusiasm, but today the sun finally came out. Strolling along the street, one could hear the laughter and conversation of passersby in the distance. Pedestrians walked slowly by in twos and threes, without umbrellas in their hands, and there was no distance between their hearts.

"You are such a kind young man, thank you, lad."

The white-haired woman was hunched over, her back protruding even in her thick clothes. She had just returned home from the supermarket, carrying food and household items. She stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at her door with a troubled expression, until Lu Ze passed by, helped her into the house, and solved her problem.

She took off her beige hat, which was adorned with an orange flower. Her pearl necklace and earrings accentuated her elegance. Although she was old and her face was full of wrinkles, her charm remained. With a slight smile, she could amaze people.

"Of course, madam. You should rest well. I'll take my leave now. Goodbye."

There are too many elderly people like this in Western society. Although they have children, their children have the responsibility to support them, but not the obligation to come home and visit them often. Since they left home at the age of eighteen to live on their own, they have been separated from their parents into two families.

This is why the elderly do not leave their inheritance to their children. Instead, they sell everything after retirement to obtain a huge pension, squander it all while they are still able to move around, and then return to their rented rooms to wait for time to pass and eventually die. Their bodies may not be discovered until they decompose.

The old woman bid farewell to Lu Ze with some reluctance, as if it had been a long time since a young person had spoken to her. However, seeing Lu Ze leave, she did not try to stop him with words, but simply leaned quietly against the door frame until he walked out of the courtyard and disappeared from sight.

……

I bought a hot dog from a street vendor, waved off the vendor's offer to add some yellow mustard, packed it up, and got in the car. While listening to a celebrity interview channel on the radio, I ate the hot dog, which was reasonably tasty.

My gaze swept over a house by the roadside, and suddenly, the door opened. Mickey backed out of the house. His ex-girlfriend seemed very angry and threw all of Mickey's belongings outside. If it weren't for her husband stopping her, she probably would have given Mickey a good beating in the yard.

He stood at the bottom of the steps, unable to contain his temper, and started arguing with his ex-girlfriend. From a distance, Lu Ze couldn't hear what she was saying, but seeing her livid face, he guessed she wasn't saying anything nice. Lu Ze didn't bother to intervene. He sat in his car, drinking his cola, a playful smile on his face, until his ex-girlfriend's husband closed the door. Only then did Mickey pick up the gifts on the ground and slink back to the car.

"I've never seen such an arrogant woman. If it weren't for the fact that she's Fanny's mother, I would have beaten her so badly that even her mother wouldn't recognize her! Drive! I don't want to be here for another second. This is absolutely incomprehensible!"

"She won't let Fanny act?"

"No, the contract has already been signed. We're filming during the summer vacation, so it won't interfere with her schoolwork. Why wouldn't she agree?"

"So it's because Fanny was bullied at school? You deserve it. It's a wonder she didn't beat you up. What kind of father gives his daughter boxing gloves? Aren't you supporting violence to solve problems?"

The car slowly started moving, heading towards the company. Mickey was panting heavily, leaning back in his seat, and threw the gift box he was holding into the back seat. Inside were pink children's boxing gloves personally signed by British boxing champion Lennox Lewis...

"Why don't I support violence? My daughter got beaten up and I have to cry and complain to the teacher? Get lost. Humanity has reached such a high level only because of the survival of the fittest. If that kid wasn't only eight years old, I would have already stepped in and started fighting. He thinks he's so great and awesome. Okay, let him taste the fists of a really powerful person. Then he'll understand, oh, so math is still the best subject for me."

"Aren't you afraid that Fanny is the one who's better suited for math?"

"...Get lost, get lost, she's bad at math, she takes after me."

The two bickered all the way and arrived at the company an hour later. Today was the day for the actors rented from Gambiano Films to report for duty, and it was only right and proper that Lu Ze and his companion receive them.

The Russian brothers returned to the company today. Ever since the "Exile" project was launched, the two of them have been going to the beach every day, and they have gotten quite tanned. From a distance, they look exactly like two bears standing upright.

A beautiful white woman was standing next to the two men, flipping through a script. Sometimes she was deep in thought, and sometimes she smiled. When she saw Lu Ze and the other man walk in, she looked up and gave Mickey a big smile.

"Good afternoon, Elena." "Good afternoon, Mickey. Good afternoon, Mr. Lu."

As the female lead in the drama, Elena, the daughter of the former Lionheart pub owner, has successfully transformed from a bartender into a popular Liverpool star, hailed as a jewel among Liverpool fans.

Of course, this is also largely due to the fact that Lionheart Bar is a gathering place for Liverpool fans. In any case, following "The Effect," the sitcom she participated in became a hit again, providing her with the capital to take off.

Her once long, straight blonde hair has been replaced by big, wavy curls, and her pretty face is now appropriately made up. While she no longer looks worldly, she has lost the innocent charm she once had.

Mickey simply nodded, offering Elena little of a smile. He pulled out a chair and sat down. Seeing the Russian brothers still huddled together, looking at their phones and discussing script details, he clapped his hands in annoyance, drawing their attention.

"Lucas, Kesha, put aside your work for now. Like we agreed, when they arrive, give them a warm welcome, make them feel at home, the kind of people who would rather die than go back to Gambiano Films. Our sweet talk must hit the mark, understand? I want enthusiasm, a bright and enthusiastic smile! Got it?"

The two brothers snapped out of their work, exchanged a bewildered glance, nodded to Mickey, and grinned with their large, white teeth, revealing extremely twisted and ferocious smiles.

Lu Ze covered his mouth with his hand, looked away, his face flushed, and then looked down at his shoes. He couldn't help but chuckle, and quickly coughed to cover it up. In the end, he couldn't hold it in any longer, turned his head away, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably as if he had been electrocuted.

You have two people who are over two meters tall and weigh over 300 kilograms, with no hair on their heads, tattoos all over their bodies and even on the top of their heads, big beards that reach their chests, and they are tanned dark. When they speak English, they can only say five words and then flick their tongues four times. They look like pseudo-humans who are terrorists, and they are enthusiastically welcoming guests.
Do you really want the borrowed actors to stay for two days and then refuse to leave? It's a miracle they don't have nightmares at night, dreaming that two monsters are carrying a pot and are about to stew them, and they're so scared they secretly fly back to Italy in the middle of the night!

Mickey slapped his forehead, covered it, and quickly waved to the two brothers.

"Stop laughing. You two should be more serious and speak more politely, cough, hehehehehehe~"

He couldn't help it either, and his body started to tremble. He turned his head to face Lu Ze, and the two of them kept shaking. Only their laughter, which sounded like mosquitoes buzzing, echoed in the quiet office. In the end, even Elena couldn't hold back anymore. She looked up at the sky, afraid that the tears of laughter would smudge her eyeshadow.

"Is it that funny... By the way, boss, there's something I need to tell you. A few days ago, Marshall Stanford's butler told me that we can use Kassel Island for free. The rental deposit we paid has been fully refunded, and we can even live in the manor on the island. We won't have to commute anymore. We just need to maintain the cleanliness of the island. From what his butler said, it seems that he really hopes to become friends with you. You can ask him for help if you have any trouble in England."

"Become friends with me? Who do I think I am... I just want to be friends with the Gambiano family."

As a notorious British gangster, Marshall's change of attitude toward Universal Brothers could not have been a spur-of-the-moment decision or a sudden act of kindness. The change in Universal Brothers' capital structure during this period was the real reason for his overtures. Mickey was well aware of this, and with a cold laugh, he quickly moved on from the topic.

Just then, a black Mercedes passed the security guard's questioning and entered the courtyard with his credentials. Lu Ze and the others looked out the window and could see an old man and a young man sitting inside through the windshield. Everyone got up and walked out of the room. Mickey spoke first, hugging the two of them and showing his goodwill.

"Welcome to Universal Brothers Studios. From now on, make this your home. Welcome! You all probably know each other. Let me introduce you to this lady, Elena, the lead actress in 'Exile'."

"Hello, Mr. Taylor, thank you for your warm welcome. I am Sanjiv Tristov, and this young man is Cardo Ronaldinho. We are both contracted actors from Gambiano Films. Please take good care of us in the days to come."

The young man was somewhat introverted and not good with words, so the old man spoke for him. His eyes seemed to be constantly glancing at the Russian brothers. The two of them grinned at him, and he suddenly shivered and nodded awkwardly in response.

On the contrary, the older actor, who was around fifty years old, had a sharp glint in his eyes. He subtly deflected Mickey's enthusiastic words. Such a firm answer did not surprise Mickey. It would be unrealistic to let the two of them come to England if the Gambiano Company had not verbally warned them to recognize their side.

Mickey raised an eyebrow, smiled and nodded in response, then pointed behind him toward the door, met Sanjiv's gaze, and grinned.

"Come in, it's cold outside, let's talk inside..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)