Global Film Emperor

Chapter 476 The Prototype of the Galactic Battleship (Part 2)

"Ladies and gentlemen, this flight is about to arrive at Liverpool Rennon International Airport. Please fasten your seatbelts and refrain from moving around until the aircraft has landed smoothly. Have a pleasant journey."

With a slight vibration, the plane landed smoothly, and there was still no hijacking or loss of control, adding another very uneventful chapter to more than ten years of flying.

Taking off the somewhat silly eye mask with the crossed eye pattern, Lu Ze was still a little sleepy. He squinted and opened the sunshade, only to be blinded for nearly ten seconds by the golden sunlight.

It seemed like it had just rained. Although there were no puddles, the ground was still so wet that it reflected the light. Passengers had already gotten up to collect their luggage, and Lu Ze, who was always the last to disembark, continued his tradition of being the last to leave the plane.

"Sir, thank you for flying with us. Goodbye."

After collecting his large suitcase, Lu Ze leisurely walked towards the arrival gate. One of the things he liked most about foreign countries was that most foreigners couldn't tell Asian faces apart from each other. He didn't need to disguise himself and could walk around the crowded airport without causing any trouble.

Even if someone recognizes her, she won't pester them too much. If they ask for a photo, she'll usually leave. Passersby who aren't her fans generally won't get involved.

At the arrivals area, a short figure held up a sign and surveyed the passing crowd with an expressionless face. Only when he spotted Lu Ze did he raise his hand and wave vigorously at him. Of course, even with his hand raised, he remained in the crowd.

It was only because Lu Ze had sharp eyes that he noticed her. Otherwise, he might not have been able to hand her the lighter luggage. The two of them, who had been together for many years, had developed a considerable tacit understanding. She would not fight with Lu Ze for the luggage. How much she took depended entirely on how much Lu Ze gave her.

"Have you reached an agreement with the Earl?"

"We've already reached an agreement as you requested, but the other party's demand for liquidated damages is still quite high, at 7.5 million. They simply won't budge."

"150%, that's normal. It's good that we were able to reach an agreement. Thank you for your hard work."

Wang Zixuan explained it clearly, but Lu Ze knew that she must have put in a lot of effort to negotiate the contract to this extent. In fact, the real difficulty in negotiating this contract was not the endorsement fee and the penalty for breach of contract, nor was it changing the three-year contract to a one-year contract, but rather the right of both parties to terminate the contract in case of serious misconduct.

As luxury brand endorsements are highly sought after in the entertainment industry, it's understandable that celebrities would make concessions to brands in order to secure the endorsements; this can be considered a kind of unspoken rule.

This is why brands have always been so assertive: sign it or not, it's up to you. If you don't sign, plenty of others will. The contract is right here. I won't cheat you, but you want to change the terms? No way.

The fact that the luxury brand, as the dominant party, could back down is clearly due to the importance they place on Lu Ze, but if Wang Zixuan's efforts weren't involved, it would be pure fabrication.

Gaining Lu Ze's recognition of her professional abilities was a very happy thing for Wang Zixuan. Even though she didn't show it on her face, her steps became a little lighter.

After getting into a van, the driver headed towards the company. The two barely spoke to each other, mainly because Lu Ze hadn't adjusted to the time difference yet. This was the most difficult part of every international trip. In his earlier years, he could get back to work energetically after a good night's sleep, but as he got older, he now needed at least two or three days to adjust.

He took the thin blanket from Wang Zixuan and continued to doze off, but he didn't sleep as soundly as he had on the plane. The obvious turbulence on the road was a major reason, and the so-called first-class space seat was actually not as comfortable as a real first-class airplane seat.

An hour and a half later, he arrived at the company. When he got out of the car, he felt a little dizzy. If it weren't for the few century-old trees in the company yard, Lu Ze would have thought the driver had taken him to the wrong place.

He had heard Mickey mention the company's complete renovation, but he hadn't expected the style difference after the renovation to be so significant.

The originally ordinary vertical guardrail entrance gate has been transformed into a very luxurious Baroque style. The red brick wall has been plastered with cement and painted with milky white paint. Orange light bulbs have been installed on the top of the wall, with the distance between the lights being about five meters.

Putting aside the buildings inside, just look at the exterior walls. Luckily, it wasn't dark when Lu Ze arrived, otherwise, if the lights were turned on, Lu Ze would definitely have thought he had entered a modern European castle with complete facilities.

The exterior of the company building was not renovated. After all, the old architectural style from decades ago could add a lot of external heritage to this vibrant new company, and outsiders would also think that "Global Brothers" has a long history.

Security at the entrance has been significantly increased. According to Wang Zixuan, there are eight permanent security guards, and the same number rotate at night. More than forty monitoring points have been added inside the compound, providing comprehensive surveillance without blind spots. In addition, a security team of four people patrols and inspects the premises every hour.

Unless something major happens, this level of security is sufficient. The company suffered from insufficient night shift security personnel last time it was vandalized. Now that remedial measures have been taken, it's unlikely that any daring thief would dare to target "Global Brothers" again.

"The decoration is overly ornate and gaudy."

"Mr. Mickey said you'll like it."

He looked at her with his hands behind his back. Wang Zixuan stood behind him and explained to Lu Ze, which made Lu Ze scoff. He liked it? It was clearly in line with his aesthetic sense.

"Mr. Lu, welcome back."

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

The security personnel were all strong, professional men employed by a legitimate company, not the kind of street thugs who like to fight. They were all dressed in black hunting outfits, wearing sunglasses, with their hands behind their backs, and greeted Lu Ze in a cool manner. They took the car keys from the driver, put on black disposable gloves and hoods, drove the car into the yard, and checked whether any electronic devices had been installed on the car along the way.

The reason for wearing gloves and a head covering is to prevent personal hair or even fingerprints from being left on the car, which could displease the employer. It is worth noting that many employers are germaphobes, and security teams may even worry that leaving hair on a female employer's car could be discovered by her partner, causing unnecessary trouble. This has actually happened before.

"Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?"

Watching the security team meticulously inspect the car to ensure no electronic devices could be installed in any gaps, Lu Ze didn't quite understand. He wasn't a politician, just an actor; who would have the time to eavesdrop on him?
"Actually, it was Mr. Mickey who added the vehicle inspection item himself. After all, he... is indeed prone to revealing some big news. Since the item has already been added, we might as well have all the people entering and leaving the company inspected."

This made Lu Ze understand. It wasn't that Liverpool wasn't getting reporters back to film them, it was just that there were fewer. After the release of "Exile," there were a few more, but still not many.

However, there are risks involved. If Mickey's loose tongue reveals the inside story of the animal rights dispute caused by "Exile," it could cause an even bigger uproar. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

"You're back? How was your holiday?"

From a distance, Lu Ze heard a loud, hoarse shout. He turned around and saw Mickey sticking his head out of the second-floor conference room and waving vigorously at him.

"good."

"You've rested enough, time to get to work! Come on up, there are a few second-round interviews you need to attend today! Also, the two new guys I hired will be here soon!"

"Okay, here we come."

Upon entering the office building, Lu Ze immediately noticed the difference. The original pure white walls had been replaced with black and gold wallpaper, and the carpet underfoot had changed from a milky white and gold floral pattern to a black and gold floral pattern.

At first glance, it looks alright and has a certain elegance, but you can't keep your gaze fixed on the wall and the ground, otherwise you'll feel dizzy and disoriented. Your brain will send incorrect signals, making you wonder if you're standing on the ground or on the wall, similar to looking at a Klein bottle, as if space itself is distorted.

Don't even think about it, this must be Mickey's aesthetic sense. He has a problem with his brain, and Lu Ze has always known that.

"How are you, Jill?" "Thanks to you, I'm doing quite well. Welcome back, Mr. Lu."

Old Jill's smile was still as warm as ever. Lu Ze also noticed that the decoration in the mailroom was still in a European style, to prevent him from hallucinating from staring at the walls and floor for too long. This could also be considered a heartwarming gesture from Mickey.

Upon reaching the second floor, the sense of disorientation intensified with the addition of the long corridor. Lu Ze didn't dare to look around and went straight into the conference room. The change in floor tiles and the addition of furniture finally helped to dispel the strange feeling.

Only Mickey and Kesha were in the large conference room. Lucas had gone to Italy ahead of time to accompany Fatini in setting up the camera tracks before the shoot, trying to understand Kesha's approach to using the lens.

Wang Zixuan did not come in. Instead, she waited until Lu Ze entered the room before considerately closing the door for him and returning to her office to continue her unfinished work.

"Let's add some things to the hallway. It's not just you who's in the company; other people have to come over to discuss collaborations. I doubt many people besides you could stand this feeling."

"No, that would ruin the aesthetic."

Lu Ze was not surprised by Mickey's outright rejection. For Mickey, the inspiration brought by aesthetics or strange senses was the most important thing, and no one could destroy it. Lu Ze was just offering a suggestion. Whether it was adopted or not was irrelevant. He would get used to it after a while.

However, investors who come to discuss cooperation will probably consider the headquarters of "Universal Brothers" as one of the companies they least want to visit.

"Whatever you like, what time does the second round of testing start this afternoon?"

"Two o'clock."

"OK, so the documents are on the desktop?"

Lu Ze sat down, picked up the resumes on the table, glanced at them casually, and tossed them aside. He could look at them during the interview. Besides, Mickey had said that most of the interviewees were unknown people, so the resumes weren't very useful. He would have to observe their talent and attitude on the spot.

Western film companies and domestic film and television companies differ greatly in this respect. The division of labor in the film and television industry here is more clearly defined, unlike domestic film and television companies that sign their own artists. To put it bluntly, compared to China, the Western film and television industry does a better job of anti-monopoly.

Most artists are signed with management companies, including many big names. When an artist wants to act, the management company acts on their behalf, collaborating with film and television companies to send their artists to the production crew through overt and covert business relationships. Conversely, if a director takes a liking to an artist, they also need to contact the management company and cannot establish a working relationship with the artist privately.

This is not an industry rule, but a legal requirement. If Lu Ze did not have shares in "Global Brothers," he could not directly join the company and would need to choose a brokerage firm to manage his business.

This law was not lifted until the end of 2020 (fictional). Through the operation of capital, the relevant regulations were relaxed. Of course, artists still cannot be directly signed by film and television companies.

However, this does not mean that film companies cannot establish their own talent agencies. Now that Universal Brothers is on the right track and the company's finances are running very well, Mickey has also taken this matter into consideration. Finally, before Christmas last year, Universal Brothers Pictures obtained the business license for its talent agency and officially began its great undertaking of recruiting top talents from around the world.

The branch office space is also simple. Mickey has already rented an office in the city center, which is currently under renovation. As for the management of the agency and the agents, that is not a problem either.

The box office revenue from "Exile" is a whopping £250 million sitting in the account. As soon as they can recruit artists, Mickey will immediately start waving his money around and headhunting people. So the most important thing now is to find the artists the company needs.

"Why don't you go back and get some sleep? It's too tiring to start working right after getting off the plane."

"Kesha, you really said something heartwarming, unlike that bastard Mickey, who made me work as soon as he got back. But never mind, I'll go back to sleep now, or I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Lu Ze picked up the cup, stood up, put the capsule into the coffee machine, filled a cup with coffee, sat down again, and while drinking it, he mercilessly cursed Mickey, making the heartless bastard sit on the table clapping and laughing.

"By the way, where's the helper you found? Haven't you given me the information yet?"

"It will be kept secret for now."

"Jingle Bell……"

Mickey raised his eyebrows, still refusing to tell Lu Ze who his helper was. Just then, the internal phone rang, and he jumped off the table to answer it.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Jill. Let them come up. Hehe, speak of the devil and he appears. Am I right with this idiom? My Chinese is fluent now. Have you eaten? Oh, sorry, we're closed for today. Please come back tomorrow."

"Don't give me that crap. You've only been to God for two days and your accent is already like this? So what if you didn't get to eat lamb spine hotpot in the middle of the night? You're going to be thinking about it for half a year? How's your script coming along?"

At this point, Mickey suddenly made a bitter face, pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his chin on his hands and pouting. If this were a young girl, Lu Ze would definitely take a second look, but with Mickey like this, he just wanted to slap Mickey across the face.

"Stop talking, I'm really annoyed to death. The character design has obvious problems and flaws, and it can't support the plot. I've rewritten it more than ten times, but I just can't write such clean characters. It's so annoying."

Mickey was going crazy, and Lu Ze was also at a loss when he saw him like that. Lu Ze was definitely good at drawing storyboards, but when it came to the most basic plot of the script, Lu Ze was not good at it and could not help him.

All three of them were frowning and deep in thought, unaware that the door had been quietly opened and a pair of leather shoes and a pair of high-heeled boots had stepped onto the floor tiles, tiptoeing towards Lu Ze.

"So, are you sure that the helper you found can solve this problem?"

"What do you mean, Lu'er? Who are you looking down on? I'm good at this."

"Yeah, don't look down on people, I think you deserve a beating."

A hand patted Lu Ze's shoulder from behind, and then another slender arm quickly locked Lu Ze's neck from behind, carrying a perfume scent that Lu Ze couldn't remember the brand name of.

Lu Ze froze, not because someone had grabbed his neck, but because what he heard was clearly a genuine Beijing accent, and the voice sounded extremely familiar...

I turned my head and was almost speechless with shock.

"Holy crap! What are you two doing here?"

Zhuang Yu, a top-tier genius director in China who won the Golden Rooster Award with his first film, and his wife Wang Zhen stood behind Lu Ze, looking at him with a roguish smile.

"..."

Twenty-seven owed

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(End of this chapter)