Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 125: Teach the Boss a Lesson

October 2002, 10, Heng'an Pavilion, Hong Kong, the residence of Mei Yanfang.

"Brother, yesterday was your birthday. Do you have any wishes you can fulfill?"

Lu Kuan was painting a storyboard on the terrace. The early autumn sea breeze from the Xiangjiang River was still gentle and soothing.

He was stunned for a few seconds and almost forgot about his birthday.

"I just want to have a good rest. I'm so tired after three weeks of roadshows."

The mainland roadshow is over, and the next step is to cooperate with Emperor Entertainment Group to travel to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and if necessary, South Korea and Japan.

Wang Minhui laughed and said, "No, it's only once a year, and I still have to do it on my birthday!"

She and Mei Yanfang looked at each other, and she took out two red envelopes from her handbag like a magic trick.

"Here, this is the red envelope from Sister Mei and me. I know you don't like trouble, so I'll give you a red envelope to ask for good luck."

Boss Lu was overjoyed. What could be more practical than a red envelope?

"Great! The gifts from the two sisters are just what I wanted!"

Wang Minhui and Mei Yanfang both knew that he was joking and trying to make everyone happy.

Boss Lu is not short of money now, and the two of them know each other well.

"Whiplash" cost $600 million, and the North American copyright sold for $280 million.

After ten days of release in mainland China, the cumulative box office has exceeded 2100 million, mainly because it was released a few days before the long holiday.

Yesterday's first day box office in Hong Kong has not yet been released.

But does this number still matter?
Wenjie Culture and Baoli Bona published a blog post and a celebratory soft article almost every day, announcing the long-term box office success of the movie while continuing to hype themselves up to drive up the popularity.

He is no longer the penniless newcomer who had to rely on the three million yuan that Mei Yanfang gave him as a thank you for saving his life to start his first movie.

Of course, Lu Kuan was confident about this number.

In its previous life, "Warm Spring" had an investment of 200 million yuan, no famous director and no stars, but it was able to earn 2000 million yuan at the box office through roadshows covering all first- and second-tier cities.

What’s more, “The Drummer” is fully buffed with the Golden Lion Award, celebrities, hype, the country’s first private distribution company, blog network publicity, etc.?
"Wow, you two are so stingy. Sister Minhui is 3800 and Sister Mei is 9600. Isn't that a bit too little?"

Mei Yanfang laughed and scolded: "You know what?"

"'3' and '8' are Sheng and Fa, '9' and '6' are Jiu and Lu, what a good word!"

"Besides, Director Lu is still short of money!"

Boss Lu smiled and said nothing. Of course it’s better to keep a low profile after making money.

Wang Minhui said angrily, "Sister Mei, you think we are too timid. It seems that we have no choice but to bring out the thoughtful gifts."

Lu Kuan was confused: "Huh?"

Mei Yanfang watched the fun with an aunt's smile on her face, and Wang Minhui took out an exquisite little sachet from her purse like a magic trick.

"Lu Sheng, you're in luck! Your heroine asked me to give this to you."

"Xiao Liu? Does she still have such intentions?"

Boss Lu took the sachet without hesitation and sniffed it.

Well, it is refreshing and suitable for people who stay up late.

Yes, Boss Lu now feels like a coal boss and a Korean tycoon. It feels really good to have whatever he wants.

There are those who are into sex, and there are also those who are into heart like Xiao Liu. It is worth the party and the country’s cultivation of her!
Mei Yanfang was about to make a few more jokes when the servant came to tell her to answer the phone.
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"Did you call?"

"Yes, Mr. Li, Sister Mei and Lu Kuan will be at the banquet on time."

"Call Jiang Zhiqiang."

"Yes, Mr. Li."

Huo Wenxi stood beside Li Shoucheng respectfully, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"Heartstrings" and "Whiplash" were released at the same time, and both failed miserably at the mainland box office, putting a lot of pressure on Zhang Jianting, Nicholas Tse and others.

But there are no tears or regrets in front of capital. No matter how bad the condition of Nicholas Tse, Edison Chen and others is, the work must continue.

Today is the day when the filming of "The King's Woman" starts. Many Eagle King artists including Edison Chen, A Jiao, and Asa have joined the crew, and Li Shoucheng also arrived at the Yau Ma Tei set early.

Next came Nicholas Tse who rushed over after hearing the news. Although he didn't have a role to play, it was always good to show his face in front of the boss.

This was also Huo Wenxi's suggestion. He himself didn't have such emotional intelligence.

Li Shoucheng seemed unconcerned about the failure of "Heartstrings" and said to Nicholas Tse with a smile, "Hey, now that you don't have a car to drive, are you itching to do something?"

"Boss, if you're itching to make more movies, making money for the company is what's important!"

Nicholas Tse usually looks cool and arrogant, but in front of the big boss, he just clasped his hands naturally in front of him and did not dare to overstep the line.

Huo Wenxi glanced at him calmly.

In front of their elders, these second-generation stars are usually well-behaved. It would be great if they could be so mature and cautious in their words and actions in the entertainment industry and society.

However, she also knew that it would be difficult for a young person who became famous at the age of 20 to have the stability beyond his age in this world of fame and fortune.

When I thought of this, I couldn't help but think of the young director who brought trouble to Eagle King.

He seemed to be even younger than Tingfeng, but his way of dealing with people and his scheming gave her a similar feeling to the big guys who had been in her circle for many years, making it difficult for people to see through him.

"Okay, you guys get to work, Mani, keep walking with me."

Li Shoucheng stood up by supporting himself on his knees, and Nicholas Tse hurried forward to give him a light support. The former smiled and patted the back of the young artist's hand.

Huo Wenxi lagged behind the boss by half a step, with his ears pricked up, ready to answer Li Shoucheng's inquiries at any time.

"Mani, have you read today's newspaper? There's a huge gap between our movie and Whiplash's box office!"

The box office in ten days was 2100 million versus 800 million, a gap of more than two times.

Not only did the Hong Kong newspapers, which are always outspoken, make the most of the sarcasm, but the Internet was also filled with ridicule and denigration of Nicholas Tse and others.

It is a huge blow to the artist's image.

Everyone was eagerly discussing the bet that Lu Kuan had mentioned at the premiere, the bet to scam Eagle King.

"Boss Li, everyone in the company knows about it, but I don't think it's a big deal."

The two of them were walking around the set, and the crew members along the way took turns to greet them respectfully.

Li Shoucheng kept staring at the road under his feet. "Oh? Tell me about it."

"Lu Sheng is a smart young man. He said these words not to offend the Eagle King, but just to bind himself with us for hype."

Huo Wenxi answered respectfully.

Li Shoucheng glanced at her with satisfaction and said, "I knew you could see it. I'm actually becoming more and more interested in this young man. Hong Kong hasn't seen such a young man in a long time."

Then he said pointedly: "Mani, I see you have a good impression of him. After all, he is a handsome guy, and women like him."

Huo Wenxi's heart trembled. Even if the boss's words were a joke, he couldn't take them lightly.

"Boss Li, you're joking. There are so many handsome guys in the company, I can't even look at them all. How can I have the time to care about an outsider?"

Li Shoucheng turned his head and smiled. He was an old man who had been in the martial arts world for many years. Of course, he would not focus on the gains and losses of a city or a place.

It's just a few million dollars of investment, and he can spend that much on a horse race on a whim.

Li Shoucheng changed the subject: "This year, the company has been in trouble." Eagle King and Li Shoucheng personally have indeed encountered frequent accidents this year.

Previously, Hong Kong artists held a collective march to accuse East Week of publishing nude photos of female artist Liu Jialing's ex-boyfriend who was kidnapped by robbers. East Week is one of the assets of Li Shoucheng's personal group.

Later, the case was finally resolved with him obeying the verdict and performing 240 hours of social work.

"Boss, there are more company gossip incidents this year, but fortunately the artist side is doing pretty well."

"Ajiao and Asa have generated over 6000 million yuan in revenue for the company this year, filling the void left by the Tingfeng accident."

"Joey's revenue of over 3500 million is pretty good, and Tingfeng is temporarily retiring from the music industry to focus on finishing this movie, but he still brought in around 3000 million for the company."

Huo Wenxi listed the achievements of several artists who had received more resources, like he was familiar with them.

Although she is currently only engaged in brokerage business within Eagle King, her outstanding work ability has won praise from Li Shoucheng and Eagle King CEO Wu Yu. Many matters outside of brokerage business have been notified and assigned to her.

The biggest revenue generator for Eagle King this year is undoubtedly the Twins group.

This pair of idol girls, who originally imitated the popular "Pa Fei" group, had advertising fees of only around 10 yuan when they first debuted, but the latest highest advertising quotation in mainland China has reached 250 million yuan.

The rapid development of the mainland market and the pursuit of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars are also one of the factors that led Li Shoucheng to adjust Eagle King's strategy to move north this year.

Seeing that the boss didn't comment, Huo Wenxi continued, "Boss, Eason's situation needs some attention."

Eason Chan switched to Eagle Queen in 2001. Due to copyright issues, he could no longer sing the songs of the previous company at his concerts, so he became a model worker and released 2 albums in 4 years.

What Huo Wenxi meant by the need for attention was that Chen Yixun's contract was about to expire in 2004, and he seemed to have some strange emotions.

Li Shoucheng's expression rarely showed any signs of change. He nodded and said, "I know about this matter. I've already asked someone to take care of it."

Li Shoucheng seemed unwilling to talk more about this matter and changed the subject: "I'm tired. I'll go back first. You can arrange the banquet tonight."

"Yes, Mr. Li."

The senior manager respectfully escorted him to the car, and then he began to think about Li Shoucheng's instructions in his mind.

Why invite Lu Kuan to dinner?
At six o'clock in the evening, Mei Yanfang, Lu Kuan and Wang Minhui arrived at his mansion in Repulse Bay as scheduled.

Li Shoucheng has a strict side but also a warm side. Every New Year's Eve, he invites his artists to a dinner party at this house.

Mei Yanfang received a call from Huo Wenxi in the morning and immediately conveyed Eagle King's invitation to Lu Kuan.

Of course, Boss Lu has no objection.

Just as he and Huo Wenxi had said before, he had no conflicts with the Eagle King, but only had some minor disagreements with some short-sighted people.

The Eagle King needed a partner to go north, and later generations looked for Jiang Wen.

To build a wide road, one also needs a local tyrant in Hong Kong. Mei Yanfang is an actress and singer, while Jiang Zhiqiang excels in overseas channels. However, his capital scale is still an order of magnitude smaller than that of Li Shoucheng.

It would be wise for both sides to put aside their disputes and jointly develop the area.

Since Li Shoucheng organized the dinner, he certainly wouldn't put on too much airs. The Eagle King also invited several female stars to sit at the end of the table.

He was wearing casual home clothes today and shook hands with Mei Yanfang, Lu Kuan and others with a smile.

"Welcome, Mei. Are you feeling better?"

"This is Lu Sheng, he is indeed extraordinary and heroic!"

A big boss has the demeanor of a big boss. No matter how much they compete with each other, they will still maintain the proper dignity.

What's more, Li Shoucheng is also very optimistic about this talented young director. After all, there is no acquaintance without fighting.

Among the Hong Kong tycoons of his generation, which one has not fought and killed each other a few times?
Boss Lu handed over the small gift and said calmly, "Mr. Li, thank you for the compliment. I'm sorry to bother you today."

Everyone took their seats and ate the Western-style dinner, feeling rather dull.

Wild boars can't eat fine bran, so he feels that he is more suited to the atmosphere of a food stall.

Li Shoucheng raised a glass of wine and said, "Lu Sheng, congratulations on the box office success."

He turned to Jiang Zhiqiang again: "Aqiang, you have good vision, unlike my useless son-in-law."

Jiang Zhiqiang was embarrassed. Since someone was scolding his son-in-law Zhang Jianting, he naturally didn't want to say anything.

Lu Kuan was uncharacteristically modest today: "'The Drummer' was just a lucky achievement, it happened at a good time."

"Oh? Lu Sheng, why don't you tell me about it?"

"Let me explain this, but I'm being presumptuous. Directors Li and Jiang are the first to know when the water is warm. They must have already been actively heading north."

Li Shoucheng glanced at Jiang Zhiqiang, not knowing whether this was his suggestion or the young man's own enlightenment.

He is extremely politically sensitive and has been planning to exert influence in the mainland since the 1980s.

The measures taken include but are not limited to sponsoring universities such as Xiamen University and Renmin University, and opening film and television schools in Peking with mainland companies.

And arranged a high-standard Eagle Emperor office in Peking, showing an image of active cooperation.

It is not surprising that a person of his level can see through these subtle clues, but Li Shoucheng is more interested in the fact that a young director who is only 20 years old has such insights.

"Lu Sheng, there are no outsiders here today, so let's chat casually. What do you think of the current sluggish state of Hong Kong films?"

When these words were spoken, not to mention Mei Yanfang and Wang Minhui who were present, the artists such as Huo Wenxi and Twins who were called by Eagle King to accompany him were all shocked.

As a leading figure in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, the boss did not hesitate to expose his own shortcomings. It is rare to see him being so humble.

Could it be that this young director, in addition to making movies, has insights into these matters that surpass so many company think tanks and industry elites?

Yinghuang has a strong influence in Hong Kong and the entire Southeast Asia region, and Li Shouben himself is not reluctant to invest in mainland directors, such as Jiang Wen.

For Lu Kuan now, if he can have two strategic partners, Emperor Entertainment Group and Emperor Entertainment Group, in Hong Kong, it will be of great benefit to his future film distribution and the training of his artists.

Lu Kuan pondered for a while and realized that he had to come up with something useful.

For equal exchange, you must first let others see the value.

Well, let's give them a lesson.

Lu Kuan said sternly, "Now the whole world has to look to Hollywood for direction. Hong Kong's heyday coincided with the decline of Hollywood blockbusters. The conclusion of the Planet of the Apes trilogy has weakened the dominance of science fiction blockbusters over the global film industry."

"In 93 and 94, the emergence of digital technology led to the upgrading of the entire American film industry system."

"When 'Jurassic Park' and 'Titanic' took the world by storm, and Hong Kong was hit by the 97 financial crisis, how could it have escaped such disaster?"

Li Shoucheng and Jiang Zhiqiang are both veterans in the industry. They counted the timelines described by Lu Kuan in their minds and nodded frequently.

Li Shoucheng suddenly raised his wine glass and said, "Lu Sheng, why are you teaching us old men?"

"Mr. Li, you're being too serious. You're already planning to go north, so why are you kidding me?"

"Lu Sheng, we can do what we want to do, but we're just crossing the river by feeling the stones. We still want to hear your thoughts."

Boss Lu really wanted Sun Wenwen to send him a 500 million business consulting contract, but he felt it was not quite appropriate.

Lose, lose.

"You two, I heard that Director Jiang likes gambling and Director Li likes horses. You are both people who have seen a lot of things in the casino."

"Now, a huge gamble unprecedented in a thousand years is placed before you. Do you still have the courage to go all in?"

Jiang and Li looked at each other, and then looked towards Lu Kuan at the same time.

"Appreciate further details."

(End of this chapter)