Global Film Emperor

Chapter 470 Seal Yourself Up with Soil
The light touch of the fingers on the thin laptop keyboard, like the crisp sound of water droplets hitting the keys, combined with the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock still ticking in the room, creates a drowsy atmosphere and forms a tranquil and harmonious picture in the mind.

As he typed the last punctuation mark, accompanied by long, drawn-out breaths, he rubbed the pads of his other fingers with his thumbs to eliminate the slight numbness. He picked up the ring, put it on his fingers with large knuckles and calloused palms, and drank the now-cold bottle of purified water in one gulp.

"Ugh……"

He took off his black-rimmed glasses, rubbed the corners of his eyes, and let out a long sigh as he relaxed his waist. He turned his head and saw the cripple sleeping soundly on the bar, occasionally kicking his legs, probably having some kind of dream.

It was already 12:30. Before we knew it, time was flowing faster and faster, giving everyone a dazed feeling of time travel, and bringing another year's journey to an end.

It's Chinese New Year.

This small town still hasn't banned the setting off of firecrackers. People who eat early have already started setting them off. With a loud bang, the lame man was startled awake, raised his head, licked his lips, and went back to sleep.

He went home before the Lunar New Year. Today he came to the shop to put up a couplet and do some cleaning to welcome the New Year in a clean and tidy manner. The Lu family has a late New Year's dinner, so he's not in a hurry to go back.

He ate breakfast around 7 a.m. and by now his stomach was completely empty. His stomach was rumbling with hunger. He went to the kitchen, cut off half a Russian sausage that Lucas had mailed to him, microwaved it for half a minute, and while he was eating it, he saved the documents. After nearly three months, he finally finished his first book.

The book contains approximately 150,000 words. Even though it is a summary of my own theories, writing it down was quite a challenge. After all, it is not easy to make the skills I have mastered into conversational language and write them in a way that is easy to understand.

I got tired of eating too much red sausage, got up to get a glass of water, and turned around to find that the last bit of sausage was missing. I looked again and the cripple was nowhere to be seen.

He didn't pay much attention, continuing to think about which publisher in China he should collaborate with for this book. Although he wasn't writing this book for money, having a wider distribution channel and better sales wouldn't be a waste of his hard work, right? He went through all the publishers he remembered in his mind and finally chose the most suitable answer for himself: "Beijing University Press".

Once he had chosen his target, he didn't need to worry about the rest. Otherwise, why would he hire an agent? He sent a text message to Wang Zixuan, and after receiving a reply, he picked up the cripple who was hiding behind the bar and sneaking food, slumped on the bench, connected to a VPN, and started browsing overseas social media.

Even in China, he had been following the developments of the "Exile" incident. Strangely enough, "Exile," which was universally condemned just a few days ago, has now become a hot commodity abroad, especially after several major animal rights organizations in Europe reposted it. Mickey's film, which openly and subtly satirized animal rights activists, has actually become the new "bible" for animal rights activists.

The strange shift in public opinion surprised even Lu Ze, who was unaware of the truth. He could only sigh at how complex yet fragile human nature is, how a mere change in the direction of public opinion can alter the thoughts of a group of people.

Public opinion attacks are common in any country, but the fact that such a humiliating development could be humbly accepted by these "kind people" is astonishing. Even Mickey, who has been vilified for a long time, was quickly cleared of name simply by reconciling with the extreme animal rights activists who vandalized his company, thanks to the deliberate help of the media and animal protection organizations. This series of events made Lu Ze feel that life had become magical.

Regardless, this is a good thing for Mickey, for Lu Ze, and for Universal Brothers, not to mention how much box office revenue animal rights activists have contributed to "Exile".

The sheer amount of attention and fame that Universal Brothers has gained is enough to boost the company's valuation and make it a hot commodity for many investment firms.

Looking at the comments section, he saw that everyone was praising the film for its depth. The insults from the past had been deleted or buried, and after flipping through several pages, they were nowhere to be found. Confirming that the trend had not changed, Lu Ze felt relieved. He put the cripple in the safe cat bag, and after cleaning up the tavern for the last time this year, he closed it down for the last time.

A blue NIO Raptor was parked at the entrance; it was newly replaced. The original NIO had been sold to the used car market because the battery's low-temperature charging problem had not yet been resolved.

Even though he didn't end up leaving the car on the side of the road, constantly watching the mileage was still very worrying. He wasn't short of money, so he simply switched to a more worry-free car that also had good off-road and cargo-carrying capabilities. It was much more convenient for him to haul goods or pick up his mother from picking mushrooms or pine nuts in the mountains.

What's most pleasing is that this small town, whose economy is still declining, has relatively few vehicles and no restrictions on pickup trucks. Sometimes you can even see donkey carts selling vegetables and fruits on the roadside. This kind of road condition allows even a nearly six-meter-long vehicle to maintain a good driving feel, which is the main reason Lu Ze bought a pickup truck. As for the fifteen-year mandatory scrapping...

You mentioned this to Lu Ze?
Compared to the deserted first-tier cities during holidays, areas that have suffered significant population loss become lively at this time. The streets are full of children and young people playing, and the streets are filled with the innocent laughter that is rarely heard on ordinary days. It is as if the old and lifeless small town has suddenly become young again and is radiating the vitality that a city should have.

I quickly opened the car door and climbed into the already warmed-up car, afraid that the eleven-year-old cat would get cold. After all, it was an old cat, and even though it was in great health and had no problems except for a limp, its weakened resistance was unavoidable.

During the short drive, he was unlucky; his car was hit by a small firecracker thrown by the child, leaving several white marks on the hood. The child was so frightened that he stood frozen on the side of the road, too scared to move. He was quite well-behaved, though, as he didn't try to cause any trouble and just run away.

It was Chinese New Year, and Lu Ze was happy. He didn't want to fuss over such a small matter. Besides, he wasn't the one who cared about the car. The truck was sturdy and it didn't matter. But a warning was still necessary. Just because he didn't mind the bad luck didn't mean others wouldn't pursue it. It wasn't worth being chased for compensation by the car owner during the New Year.

"Go play in Daoli, keep an eye on the cars, and don't let your dad beat you up during the New Year."

After saying that, he handed out two bags of milk candy from the car. The candy was not cheap, costing three to five yuan per piece. It was meant to be distributed to the family members when they paid New Year's visits. He had prepared a lot, so it was no big deal to share some with a few children he was somewhat close to.

Seven- or eight-year-old children often have a bad habit of not being able to distinguish right from wrong. To put it bluntly, they take advantage of kindness. If you speak to them gently, they may not take it seriously. So it is necessary to give them a stern warning.

"Thank you, Uncle. Happy Chinese New Year, Uncle."

"Yes, Happy Chinese New Year. Be careful with your cars. Only park when no one is around."

During holidays, isn't this the kind of thing you want to hear on the street? It instantly brings out the festive spirit, softens your expression, and you nod. You watch as a group of children obediently lean against the wall of the residential area, standing straight like they're being punished. You shake your head with a smile, lightly touch the accelerator, and then slowly apply the brakes.

At Jinxiwang School, a bus was parked at the entrance, surrounded by a group of parents chatting with smiles on their faces. The children were also there, wearing down jackets with red edges of their clothes peeking out from underneath. Each child held a small red fan, and some even had small drums at their waists. It was unclear where they were going to perform.

He could vaguely make out Teacher Zhang's figure. Her face was painted red and green, and her eyelids were the same color as green flies. She had her hair in two buns, and her red and green floral cotton-padded jacket gave her a strong rustic feel. Lu Ze vaguely remembered her; he seemed to have heard that the school's students had been invited to perform on Liaoning TV. It wasn't the Spring Festival Gala. These days, local TV stations' Spring Festival Galas are still a day later than CCTV's. The children participated in a local TV station's afternoon program on New Year's Eve, something like "People's Stage." But even if it wasn't the Spring Festival Gala, it was enough to excite these children and their parents for half a year.

Speaking of the Spring Festival Gala, Lu Ze has also received invitations from both CCTV and local TV stations, hoping that he can make an appearance and clap his hands and laugh at the big round table. In fact, a long time ago, some TV stations, including CCTV, wanted to invite Lu Ze to perform a skit.

But Lu Ze refused them all, including CCTV. Compared to other artists, Lu Ze was better off because he had the confidence to refuse. After all, the directors of the Spring Festival Gala programs in recent years were all old friends who had shared countless meals with him. They were easy to talk to. He simply said, "I'm not going," and they didn't want to disturb Lu Ze's family's happy time.

Of course, he was also complained about in private for not giving his buddies face, saying that he would ask for help but not do it. But it was all in jest. He would be punished with three drinks and the matter would be over. No one really cared about Lu Ze not appearing on the Spring Festival Gala.

This has puzzled many people in the industry. You say Lu Ze is a star who acts in dramas, but he doesn't go to the Spring Festival Gala every year. He doesn't appear at any public events, yet hundreds of millions of people across the country still don't know him. This kind of behavior is really hard to understand.

But he knows his own situation well. A few years ago, if someone invited him, he would definitely go, partly because he wanted to go and partly because he had no choice. But now, he thinks that if he goes to the Spring Festival Gala, he won't be able to eat New Year's Eve dinner. It would be better to stay home, eat dumplings, gnaw on a pork knuckle, and drink a couple of ounces of baijiu.

If you don't find comfort during the New Year, when will you?

Even though his net worth will definitely increase after appearing on the Spring Festival Gala, his spending power... to be honest, he can't even spend all the interest he receives from the bank each year. All his big purchases are paid through the company's accounts, and the tax deductions will be a free bonus, while he only spends a few dollars on small items.
He's a tycoon now, with a net worth of several hundred million. Although he doesn't invest or speculate on real estate, and doesn't have many ways to make money besides acting, he says he's content with just enough to live on. He's still acting now, but he doesn't have much to do with the system anymore. If he really didn't want to act anymore, even if the system forced him, could he just film two months of TV dramas in China every year? Actually, he could.

The advantage of this system is that as your abilities gradually improve, the system's requirements for you also gradually relax. It won't be as demanding as before. As long as you don't waste your skills and continue in this line of work, it won't whip you anymore.

As for those people in his mind, Lu Ze's relationship with them is still pretty good. As long as Lu Ze is still acting, do they still want to come out? It's a waste of effort.

So why continue to act positively? Why not just drift through life? The real reason is that he's no longer acting. He's sitting on a mountain of gold, but he doesn't know what to do with it. That kind of state is far more terrifying than having a system pushing you.

With interest alone amounting to tens of millions a year, of course one could become incredibly wealthy simply by living off the interest without doing anything. But retiring in your thirties to tend to flowers and plants, or to train hawks and fight dogs? That's not something someone of that age should be doing. Nobody can afford that kind of luxury. You'll be sick within a few years, which means you'll die quickly.

Lu Ze was somewhat superstitious about this. He believed that being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth and enjoying a life of luxury was a matter of fate. He thought that if you were destined to work hard, your life would be over once you had some free time. This was why Lu Ze didn't let his parents live in the city, and it was also why he understood why the system still forced him to work. It was very likely because they were afraid that Lu Ze would die.

After all, who the hell wouldn't act recklessly when they have money?

He loves acting and enjoys the feeling of being treated like a god on set, which is far more real than the praise he receives in real life. He can feel that kind of admiration and makes him realize that he is a unique individual.

In countless other professions, there are many talents who are far more successful than him. But in the acting industry, he is the best, standing on the highest peak. No one can surpass him. This feeling brings him endless joy. How could he not love acting?

Finally, he had promised Mickey that they would work together to make Universal Brothers bigger and stronger. As his sense of identity with the company deepened, this dream gradually infected Lu Ze, making Mickey's dream a dream they shared. Since they had the ability to realize their dream, why not give it a try?

There are too many reasons for him to dedicate his life to the performing arts, so he should dedicate his life to this career.

Along the way, the vehicle's excellent maneuverability allowed him to quickly traverse the bumpy roads that he used to have to be careful of, wading through the mud all the way home.

Inside the courtyard, Lu Weiguo sat on a small stool, using a blowtorch to roast the hair on pig's feet. As the skin and flesh gradually charred, the smell of burning protein filled the air. After roasting one, he threw it into a basin of water that had already begun to freeze, and looked up at the approaching vehicles.

"Xiao Nan!"

"Hey!"

Lu Ze shouted, and she ran out of the house wearing an apron and sleeves. Although she was meticulous in her work and never made a mistake, she was still a bit clumsy in her personal life. Despite the cold weather, her hands were still wet, and she wiped them on her apron as she ran.

"Go back inside and wipe your hands clean first, then take the things from the car inside. Dad, give these to me, it's cold, you go inside."

Lu Weiguo did not refuse. He turned off the fire, handed the musket to Lu Ze, took the cat from Lu Ze, and was helped into the house by Lu Nan. Lu Ze was then responsible for the remaining work.

The fire was lit, and scorching flames shot out. Even though I was mentally prepared, I still shrank my neck the moment the flames came out. Then I carefully burned off all the brown hair on the pig's feet.

Sitting on a small stool, curled up in a ball, roasting pig's trotters, the wind blew, and in order to prevent snot from running down his nose, he could only take a breath every three to five seconds, and his breathing rate became faster and faster.

If you find a complete stranger, point at the guy roasting pig's trotters in the yard, and say he's a movie star who earns tens of millions or even hundreds of millions a year, only an idiot would believe that.
This is him without the spotlight; if he weren't acting, this image would be his defining characteristic.

Who could be content to hide their brilliance and become a dull, lifeless clay sculpture? Everyone's efforts are for that rare moment of glory in life, and Lu Ze, too, is accumulating his brilliance, waiting to step into the public eye again, to shed his clay-sculpted exterior, and to wholeheartedly let himself shine...

Shining on him from ten thousand feet away.

"..."

(End of this chapter)