Global Film Emperor

Chapter 505 Every breath is a step towards the future

Pulling open the heavy glass door, a strong ocean breeze instantly hits your nose, blowing your hair wild and then smoothing it down with a pair of large hands. In the distance, large ships sail straight to the port amidst the shimmering waves. Automated dismantling equipment has rendered humans obsolete, and there will be no more bustling workers under the containers.

He listened to the sound of pages turning, then went to the fish tank, grabbed some fish food, and sprinkled some into the water. The fish tank was quite large, about two cubic meters, and the ecosystem inside had been designed by a master, which not only provided a suitable environment for fish to live but also enhanced the aesthetic appeal. Unfortunately, there were only two red mint angelfish in the tank, making it look somewhat empty.

However, it is also clever. It is not fully focused when eating. With just a light touch of the finger on the tank, the fish will wag its tail and swim far away. Its liveliness is quite interesting.

"Mr. Lu, I've finished reading it."

"it is good."

He responded and sat back down at the head of the desk. The middle-aged man in front of him thought for a moment and his expression remained serious. He placed the paper on the table, as if considering how to persuade Lu Ze of his irresponsible attitude towards his health.

His name is Kenny, Lu Ze's private doctor and nutritionist. He was there to give Lu Ze a physical examination to support his weight loss plan for the future "Nothing to Hear".

"Your physical condition is good. Apart from some minor injuries that require you to avoid strenuous exercise to prevent recurrence, everything else is minor. However... I really don't recommend that you try to lose weight quickly in a short period of time, especially such a large amount as 30 kilograms. This would put a lot of strain on your body. Three months is too short and would definitely cause irreversible damage. Given your current physical condition, it would take at least six months, and only with exceptional self-discipline, since your body fat percentage is only 14%."

"I'm not that stressed about the time. Three months is just the shortest time I'm looking forward to. If you say it can be shortened, that would be great. If not... then forget it, it's okay."

“I really wish you would say that it doesn’t matter if you can’t lose 30 kilograms, and I even wanted to tell you to give up and lose a little less. But then I thought I should understand your pursuit of art. If you had given up so easily, you wouldn’t have become such a great actor, but would have been just an ordinary person like me.”

After talking for a while, he shook his head and smiled, seemingly having nothing more to say. He put Lu Ze's medical examination form into a brown paper bag, stood up, shook hands with Lu Ze with a smile, and finally described the plan he had devised.

"Your fitness trainer has contacted me. Once I get back, I'll work with the trainer to develop your diet plan, which will be sent to your email in about three to four days. You also need to prepare some nutritional supplements. After you start training, I'll come over every three days to check on your health. Also, if you feel unwell at all, even the slightest bit tired, you must call me immediately and stop training. You'll be a herbivore for six months. Good luck, Mr. Lu. That's all for today."

"Okay, I'll give it to you."

This will be no easy ordeal. Losing weight to 55 kilograms in a way that Lu Ze has never experienced before, while ensuring his health, is certainly difficult. But as Kenny just said, if he always preferred to do things easily, he wouldn't be who he is today. So come on, it's all a small problem.

After seeing off his private doctor, his day had just begun. He changed into a sharp suit, picked up a bag of instant vegetable juice, a product from a new company. He didn't know if it was a scam, but it tasted pretty good, and he liked it.

The Cullinan, which was originally covered in dust, had also undergone a major maintenance and was parked in front of us looking brand new. Lu Ze originally intended to sell this Cullinan to fill the company's financial gap, but a mere few hundred thousand euros was just a drop in the bucket for the company's operation. It would be like throwing money into a fire without making a sound.

Furthermore, the company did indeed need a luxury car to serve as a status symbol when necessary, so Lu Ze's desire to share hardships with Mickey was put on hold.

With a vegetable juice in my mouth, I got into the car, started the engine, and the vehicle quietly drove towards the company. I've been doing this every day since I returned from Italy. Although there's no company there, being in a lively place is always more comfortable than being cooped up at home alone. In short, finding something to do is an essential life skill.

The headquarters was as bustling as ever, with many reporters even staking out the entrance. This trend started after the release of "Exile." After Fatini's warning, the reporters toned it down considerably, only taking pictures at the entrance without doing anything more outrageous. Mickey turned a blind eye and even welcomed their actions, since an entertainment company always needs some exposure.

After getting off the bus, ignoring the reporters who only take pictures of what clothes I'm wearing every day, I walked into the company. From a distance, I could hear the sound of rock music, accompanied by people's laughter, coming from upstairs.

Old Gil has been dressed very smartly these past few days, perhaps because he's met his wife. Even while sitting in the mailroom, he doesn't forget to wear a top hat, as if the sunlight could really shine in through the west window. When he saw Lu Ze, he put down his newspaper and took off his hat to Lu Ze, showing the demeanor of an old gentleman, the proper kind of British gentleman.

On the second floor, pushing open the door to the meeting room that Mickey and his friends used most often, a group of people were playing pitch-pot. The ping-pong ball bounced on bottles and cans placed in specific positions, eventually missing the Coke cup, leaving the whole group holding their heads in regret.

"Good morning, Mr. Lu."

"coming?"

Everyone put down their toys to greet Lu Ze. Except for the grandson who was still wailing and clutching his head, everyone showed Lu Ze respect. Lu Ze responded, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a boy who seemed a little out of place.

"Charlie, welcome back. How was your time on set?"

"Thank you, Mr. Lu. It was very good. I learned a lot."

The blond, blue-eyed boy, clutching the hem of his shirt, looked up shyly at Lu Ze, who was a head taller than him, and responded. Although he controlled his expression well, the gesture of clutching his shirt clearly exposed the problem to Lu Ze. Thanks to Tomic, most of the actors in the company were treated differently by the directors from actors from other companies after joining the crew.

This is a treatment method that is significantly different from that of other actors in the crew, so much so that their tolerance for mistakes is much lower than that of actors from other companies. Often, if they fail a scene a second or third time, the director's criticism will come pouring in. Under such circumstances, the actors' psychological state is actually very suppressed.

If it weren't for the fact that the actors Lu Ze selected were truly outstanding performers, leaving the directors who had been indirectly offended by Mickey with nothing to criticize, the current demeanor of these actors having so much fun would definitely not be so spirited.

Charlie is different. In reality, his mental fortitude is not strong enough, and he does not have the extensive acting experience of other actors in the company. Moreover, Lu Ze has to admit that compared to other actors, he did pay too much attention to appearance and temperament when recruiting Charlie. As for acting skills, he can only say that he has a lot of talent for acting, but it will take a long time to transform it into real strength.

It seems Charlie isn't doing well on his first film set. Mickey was the first to notice and texted Lu Ze to come and talk to him. That's why Lu Ze came over today.

He took a cup of coffee and sat down next to Charlie. The two of them watched as the ping-pong ball jumped into the Coke cup. The cheers of the crowd erupted, making the two people who hadn't joined in the celebration seem a little out of place.

He took out a custom-made cigar case from his suit lining. Made of alloy, it was lightweight and had an excellent grip. The safety lever popped out with a crisp sound, attracting Charlie's attention. He watched as Lu Ze took out a classic-sized cigar, lit it, and remained silent. When Lu Ze offered him the cigar case, he waved it away. "Your first cigar after filming wrapped?"

"I don't smoke, thank you."

"It's very expensive, probably around two hundred euros a bottle. It tastes good, why don't you try it?"

At this moment, Lu Ze didn't seem like a good person; he seemed to be trying his best to promote his own products. This made Charlie a little uneasy. He didn't want to, but he was too embarrassed to refuse the recommendation from his boss and idol. After pausing for a long time, he gritted his teeth and firmly refused again.

"I really can't inhale, thank you sir."

After repeated refusals, Lu Ze put away his cigar box, tossed it on the table, and left it there. He parted his lips slightly, and wisps of smoke flowed out from the corners of his mouth. The open window acted like a natural range hood, sucking away the wisps of smoke and giving the room fresh air.

He leaned back in his chair, gently twirling a cigar between three fingers, turned around, and said to Charlie with a smile.

“Every time I light a cigar, it feels like a dream, it’s unbelievable, do you know why, Charlie?”

"why?"

"I can finish this cigar in thirty minutes, but when I was eighteen, it was my monthly salary."

This surprised Charlie somewhat, but not to the point of astonishment. However, listening to Lu Ze's words, he could sense a different meaning, something worth pondering.

He was a fan of Lu Ze and naturally knew about Lu Ze's rise to fame. However, in his memory, Lu Ze was a self-taught actor who quickly rose to prominence in the Chinese television drama industry thanks to his own talent. As for his earlier past, he did not have a deeper understanding of it.

Before Charlie could fully grasp the meaning behind Lu Ze's words, Lu Ze continued talking to himself.

“When I was your age, I worked as a waiter in a restaurant. The exchange rate was about 1 to 11 back then, so my monthly salary was about 180 euros.”

One hundred and eighty euros is probably only considered a large sum by homeless people and refugees in Britain. The gap between a waiter and an actor is like an insurmountable chasm. Charlie didn't say anything, but he already understood what Lu Ze meant.

"Later I heard that being an extra could earn a lot, so I took 200 euros and took a train for more than 40 hours to come to a completely unfamiliar environment to work as an extra. That's when my acting career began. At first I was very clumsy and didn't know how to do anything. I was scolded a lot and suffered a lot of losses. It took more than a year before I slowly started to improve. I heard that an agency was recruiting people, and I was introduced to it and officially became an actor."

This is a Lu Ze completely different from the one described in online encyclopedias. He is not as gifted, but he is more real. Charlie looked at the thick calluses on Lu Ze's hands and the scattered scars on the back of his hands, and gradually formed his own understanding of the Lu Ze of the past.

"Have you ever been scolded by a director?"

"Of course, the kind of director who can't live without criticizing me for a day, but Charlie, what I want to say is that other people's definition of you always exists in the future, not in the present. Because every breath you take is a step closer to the future and a farewell to the past. If you only dwell on the mistakes you made in the past, then the future you will still not be recognized by others. Since it has already become the past, you should let it go."

Lu Ze spoke sincerely, and Charlie understood the reasoning perfectly. He suddenly fell silent. Young boys are often inexplicably ashamed to be comforted. Perhaps he had been belittled too much on set. Lu Ze could clearly feel Charlie's body trembling slightly, so he reached out and ruffled Charlie's soft, long, golden hair.

This was a remarkably effective medicine. After a brief tremor, Charlie calmed down again, though his nose still felt sore, and he would sniffle every now and then.

Charlie finally raised his head, revealing his handsome face, freeing it from the obscuring effect of his long hair. Then, a fair hand gently rose and slowly reached towards the cigar box on the table, which featured delicate silver patterns and was wrapped in calfskin.

With a flick of her finger, the safety lever clicked crisply again, the cap popped open automatically, revealing the hand-rolled Cuban cigars to Charlie. After a moment's hesitation, her slender fingers finally grasped the leftmost one and slowly picked it up…

"Clap clap clap clap... Little Charlie is starting to grow up!"

From some point onward, everyone's attention was focused on Lu Ze and Charlie. When he picked up a cigar, applause began to ring out. This was more symbolic than an indication that smoking signified growth.

Charlie was still a little shy, holding the cigar to his lips, unsure of what to do. He just kept nodding and thanking the older brothers and sisters in his company. Even when Mickey lit a lighter and leaned over, he subconsciously prepared to light one for himself.

It wasn't until he was slapped on the head that Lu Ze snatched the cigar away and put it back in the box, realizing that something was wrong. He stared blankly at Lu Ze, who had launched the sneak attack from behind.

"Can't you learn something good at such a young age?"

Lu Ze quickly stuffed the cigar box into his pocket, slapped away Mickey's outstretched hand, picked up the ping-pong ball on the table, and casually tossed it at the pots and pans that were laid out. After a series of clanging sounds...

It fell into the Coke cup with a thud.

"..."

(End of this chapter)