Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 259 How to Make the Main Theme a Hit (900 Monthly Tickets for Extra Updates)

Everyone present listened attentively to the confidence of the young winner of the Golden Lion, Golden Bear, Golden Globe and Best Foreign Language Film.

"Secretary Zhao, I know your main appeal is to embody the Tangshan spirit and national characteristics, and to reflect the tremendous construction achievements made over the past 30 years."

"I've also read the detailed outline of the first draft of the script that Secretary Li and Director Yao brought."

"Honestly speaking, if this film is shot this way, not only will the box office figures be terrible, but there's no chance of it even being released overseas."

Lu Kuan's words were shocking, and everyone in Tangshan looked unhappy.

Zhang Huijun blinked slightly, reminding him to be careful with his wording.

Boss Lu pretended not to see it.

Since the decision to make this movie has been made, it must be made according to his ideas and requirements.

Not only should the film be a hit, but it should also be used to promote earthquake disaster prevention knowledge nationwide or in certain regions, and even to organize public welfare donations.

"In the 90s, mainstream films in our country still had relatively orthodox narrative styles. Due to the characteristics of the film market and audience groups, the box office performance was quite good."

"The 1997 film 'The Opium War' grossed 7200 million yuan, second only to 'Jurassic Park 4' which grossed 7210 million yuan."

The young director changed the subject: "But in today's cinema system, such numbers are completely unguaranteed."

"Audiences will vote with their feet, and Hollywood producers will also weigh the pros and cons from a market economic perspective. These are things that cannot be faked."

Zhao Yong frowned and offered his opinion: "Director Lu, I took some time off yesterday to go to the cinema and watch your film 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'."

"Beyond the love between man and woman, the magnificent history spanning 70 years is truly moving."

"I agree with you, but I don't know if this earthquake can be made into an epic film spanning 30 years?"

Lu Kuan complained in his heart, isn’t the epic temperament that Zhao Yong talked about the same as the way pants were photographed in his previous life?

Apart from the decent box office figures in China due to the subject matter, publicity, and the organization of private screenings, the film's performance overseas was bleak.

The revenue in the North American market is less than $10.

The main problem with Feng Xiaogang is that his movie is called "Tangshan Earthquake", but it only tells the story of one family, and the story happens after the earthquake.

The panoramic depiction of the earthquake that the audience wants to see, including the calm and unusual noise before the earthquake, the huge destructive power at the epicenter, and the starry night rescue after the earthquake, is rarely seen.

In fact, it only tells a story about Xu Fan's family, which seems too monotonous and too clickbait in the face of such historical scenes.

Lu Kuan continued to explain, "According to your ideas, the earthquake plot ends in the first third of the film, and the rest is all about the grudges, hatred, and urban changes spanning thirty years."

"If that's the case, the movie might as well be called 'Aftershock'."

Zhao Yong, Yao Jianguo and other members of the coordination team looked at each other, wanting to refute but feeling at a loss as to where to start.

If you think about it carefully, it is true.

They were only concerned with improving Tangshan's reputation and popularity through a 30-year construction process from scratch, but ignored the story of the film itself.

This is a theatrical film, not a documentary.

There were some things that leaders weren't supposed to say, so Yao Jianguo smiled and said, "Director Lu, please feel free to give me some advice."

"You're welcome to teach me. We share the same goal: to enhance regional influence and showcase our national spirit. Let me briefly discuss this."

Lu Kuan took a sip of water and said, "This film needs to be completed by combining the core of traditional Chinese culture with the Hollywood film industry process."

"Let me first explain how Hollywood makes disaster movies."

"When Spielberg was filming Jaws, he didn't have a model, so he spent nearly $500 million to make one himself. He later became the pioneer of shark monster movies."

"From the beginning of the film's development, their marketing and hype have been focused on this great white shark model, and after the film was completed, they even built a theme park."

“We need to learn from this idea.”

Boss Lu pointed at the promotional materials in front of everyone:
"It's common to promote a city's image and brand through film and television dramas. The 80s film 'Shaolin Temple' made Shaolin Temple famous, and Yimou's 'Raise the Red Lantern' made Qiao Family Compound famous."

"There are also several Jin Yong martial arts films directed by Zhang Jizhong and the film and television city invested in by director Chen Kaige's "The Promise" this year."

"This earthquake movie is perfect to imitate!"

Zhao Yong smiled and said, "You mean, the promotion and publicity of the city should be done through market activities, rather than rigidly grafting it onto the film content?"

"Oh my! He's the leader after all, and he really hits the nail on the head!"

Lu Kuan flattered him and continued to express his views: "From the time the film was approved and filming started, we chose the earthquake memorial as the location and invited media from all over the country and the world to cover it."

"We should hold the premiere next to a memorial building and invite citizens who survived and experienced the earthquake to attend. We can also make it an outdoor screening."

"If we want the world to see the reconstruction and changes in Tangshan, these media can definitely help."

At this point, Zhao Yong and others' eyes lit up.

With China Film Group and the National Film Administration taking the lead, and this talented and unrivaled director attracting attention, this is much more cost-effective than spending money on advertising on CCTV.

"This film will be made with the same level of special effects and budget as Hollywood disaster films, with a cost of around $3000-4000 million."

"I will request the restoration of some iconic buildings from the 1970s and 1980s. You can cooperate and turn them into a film and television shooting base that integrates dining, film and television cultural experiences, and sightseeing and shopping."

"Now that the movie is finished, there might be a TV series version later? What about other period dramas from the 1970s and 1980s? They're all future customers for you."

Movies have both artistic attributes and commodity attributes, and Hollywood explores the commodity attributes of a movie in an all-round way.

In fact, Zhao Yong has been convinced by him in his heart, but based on the demands of his own position, he still wants to work harder on the content of the film.

"Director Lu, our original intention was to show the surge of national spirit in the face of disaster. In terms of Tangshan's achievements in construction, I still hope..."

Lu Kuan's attitude was very firm: "Secretary Zhao!"

"The most important thing about a film is the plot and the characterization. According to your idea, it would be more appropriate to make a documentary."

"Since you want this film to reach a wider audience and have a wider publicity range, then don't dwell on this issue."

"Why? Where in the world are there no disasters? The Japanese have experienced many more earthquakes than we have. It's not like they haven't seen construction from scratch before."

Zhao Yong did not feel embarrassed about being refuted as a leader. He also knew that these artists were all stubborn and never wanted to be interfered with in their creation.

Boss Lu can't stop talking. They must unite their thoughts today, otherwise if the shooting really starts, these people with weak physiques will grind him to death.

"If we want to go global, we must show things that all of humanity can empathize with, such as love and family affection."

"These are themes that transcend nationality and ideology."

"Feng Xiaogang's 'Big Shot' was a collaboration with Columbia and featured American actors, but it only grossed less than $1000 in North America. What does that mean?"

"It means fewer than 100 people have seen his film."

It was not convenient for him to use the later "Tangshan Earthquake" as an example, so he had to bring out the previous "bad record" of the Pants at the overseas box office and criticize it again.

Zhao Yong stared at the young director for a few seconds, and when he saw him calmly pick up the cup and drink water, he knew that this was also a person with an arbitrary personality, and it would be difficult to change him.

"Okay! Let's leave professional matters to professionals!"

"But there is one thing I need to get Director Lu's promise: the script must be reviewed by us first after it's finished. We have no say in artistic matters."

"But we must ensure that the guidance is positive and proactive. Otherwise... I, as a senior official, will not be able to face my fellow villagers in the future!"

Hearing his polite words, Boss Lu naturally agreed without hesitation. After everyone had agreed on the important matter, they raised their glasses to celebrate.

After the banquet, A Fei drove Zhang Huijun home first. The president of Beijing Film Academy and the future president of Asia Film Academy had a friendly talk in the car.

"Xiaolu, you have a very broad vision. This is the first time I've seen a mainstream film being produced in the Hollywood way."

"Give it a try. After all, it's got special effects, so the visuals won't be bad."

In fact, Lukuan is just repeating what others have said.

The real marketization of mainstream films in later generations began with "Operation Mekong" in 2016.

Subsequent films such as "Wolf Warrior", "Extraordinary Mission", and "Operation Red Sea" have boldly adopted the performance techniques of mainstream Hollywood blockbusters in content production.

Trying to complete the grafting of Hollywood localization under the tone of the main theme.

During this stage of development of mainstream melody films, the film's narrative structure, character setting, and conflict rhythm have already possessed the characteristics of international mainstream blockbusters.

There will never again be the old-fashioned scene of a leader standing up from the ruins, shouting slogans, and rushing towards me with emotion.

It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it deviates from the commercial attributes of the movie.

Such national spirit and style can be fully expressed through the artistic means of film itself. There is no need to be so rigid as Zhao Yong and others think.

Zhang Huijun smiled and said, "Okay, that's great."

"Yimou just came back from North America yesterday. I had dinner with him and told him about the idea for Asian Films. He was very supportive."

"By the way, do you also need to submit your graduation project for Principal Lu?"

Boss Lu smiled and said, "I'm going to the Cannes Film Festival in May to be a jury member. I'll be making a short film, so I'll use that as my graduation project."

"The paper itself is simple."

"Just write 'On the Typological Transformation of Main-Tune Movies in the Context of the New Era'!"

Zhang Huijun clapped his hands and laughed: "You little fox, you are really lazy! Haha!"

After returning to the courtyard, Lu Kuan took out his phone and called Lao Mouzi.

The purpose is to borrow his screenwriter team.

The project of "Tangshan Earthquake" will be launched today. While the early stage of building restoration and old items collection activities are underway, the script must also be improved as soon as possible.

The so-called weak team has a goalkeeper.

Zhang Yimou's biggest shortcoming as a director is his weak screenwriting ability, so he has a very strong team of screenwriters. Boss Lu has his eyes on a writer named Liu Heng.

He is one of the top screenwriters of domestic films. "The Flowers of War", "Assembly" and Zhang Yimou's "Qiu Ju" are all his works. He is Zhang Yimou's right-hand man.

The two brothers from Beijing Film Academy chatted on the phone for more than an hour, and Boss Lu also humbly asked this master who was good at scene arrangement for advice on the shooting of group scenes.

Liu Heng responded very positively. He came to the courtyard early the next morning as invited and sat down to talk with Lu Kuan in the study.

"Director Lu, I'm wondering what kind of story you want to shoot. Do you have a draft or basic ideas?"

Lu Kuan thought about it all night yesterday: "I always like stories that are warm and powerful."

“Just like ‘Shoplifters’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, there is hope and light buried amidst hardship and adversity.”

"I hope that the viewing experience of this film is to see the future and hope of the nation through the stories of small people and small families through the realistic and eye-catching disaster special effects."

“Don’t just shout slogans.”

Liu Heng was busy taking shorthand notes in a notebook when he looked up and saw the Golden Lion Award-winning director turning the computer screen towards him.

"This movie is Abbas's 'The Long Flow of Life,' which tells the story of the 1992 magnitude earthquake in northern Iran in 7.7."

"The main plot is about the protagonist's return home after the earthquake. It's actually a road movie."

Abbas is a leading art film director in Asia, and his films have attracted much attention from authoritative media such as "Cahiers du Cinema" and "Sight and Sound".

Liu Heng has watched this disaster film and somewhat understood what the Golden Bear Award-winning director meant.

"You mean, like Schindler's List, where you try to see the big picture from the small details?"

"Correct."

"Apart from the film's recreation of the real historical earthquake scene, I didn't want to overdo the pity."

"The audience's emotions and tears should be shed out of being moved and seeing hope, rather than being crushed by bloody and cruel plots."

Liu Heng nodded. Lu Kuan's expression was very sufficient and gave him a main framework. The rest was up to him to lead the screenwriter team.

Compared with Zhang Yimou, this young director is undoubtedly better in screenwriting ability, as can be seen from his latest adaptation of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

"Guide, are there any time requirements?"

Lu Kuan hesitated for two seconds and said, "It's only the beginning of March now. If it's scheduled to be released during the Spring Festival, I'll give you a month and a half to write the script!"

"It just so happens that both the set design and the restoration of historical buildings require time."

Consistent with the shooting rules of Hollywood movies, such disaster special effects films have longer pre-production and post-production time, but very short shooting time in between.

Especially when it comes to group scenes during earthquakes, they must be shot by separate crews, and he will only be responsible for shooting the characters that play the main role in the plot.

Liu Heng nodded. "Okay, I'll have a meeting with my team this afternoon, and tomorrow we'll go to the Tangshan Archives to collect information and interview the survivors."

"I'll give you a call. Secretary Li of the Municipal Party Committee. Just contact him with anything. He will definitely arrange it for you."

"Okay, Director Lu, let's talk about it later."

The next day, the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee, Wenjie Holdings and China Film Group held a press conference at the Media Center in Beijing.

The press conference was of a very high standard, with Deputy Director Zhang of the General Administration and leaders from the Culture and Art Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in attendance.

At the press conference, Deputy Director Zhang personally read out the film project decision and announced that "Tangshan Earthquake" will become a key project of the General Administration.

The leaders of the Literature and Art Bureau affirmed the efforts made by Tangshan, China Film Group and the community in promoting excellent culture and core values.

The film project is listed as one of the "Six Ones" key tasks of the Ministry of Culture and Art this year, and active guidance and cooperation will be given in its publicity.

Among them, Wenjie, China Film and Tangshan's investment shares are 60%, 20% and 20% respectively, with a total amount of 2.8 million yuan.

Tangshan paid more than 5000 million yuan in the form of 30% in cash and 70% in kind.

Physical objects include prop-based restorations of buildings on site during the earthquake, collection and purchase of old costumes and props, etc.

Looking at Lu Kuan enthusiastically shaking hands with various leaders on Travel Satellite TV, Zhou Jun and others in Huayi's office all looked unhappy.

Their preparations were also thorough:

The first joint venture between China's private enterprise, China Film Group and six major Hollywood studios should be a very attractive offer for Tangshan.

After all, their appeal is to go out and expand the publicity effect.

It’s just that the core competitiveness is too different.

Considering that Lu Kuan won the Golden Globe, Golden Bear and Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in the first three months of 2005, any additional value-added conditions seem too pale.

Zhou Jun's face turned pale, and Wang Xiaolei was in grief. It was Wang Dajun who stood up to boost morale.

"Just shoot it. This kind of main theme movie will have average box office and reputation. At least we don't have to worry about the industry during this year's Spring Festival."

Wang Xiaolei nodded in agreement, but Zhou Jun was far less optimistic.

Judging from Lu Kuan's character of not getting up early unless there is something beneficial, such a main theme movie would not be his first choice.

Especially since "Alien Land 2" has been officially approved as a project through the Wenjie Blog, how could he give up the opportunity to continue to make money at the box office and make a main theme movie that is not very cost-effective?
If you discover that you have launched a tentative attack on Wenjie and Blog.com, it will be difficult to deal with it if you are prepared.

Of course, Zhou Jun could not have imagined that Lu Kuan was entirely a preparation for three years later, and he did not consider so much.

In this matter, it seems not an exaggeration to say that good people will be rewarded.

After sending Liu Heng away, A Fei took him to the crew of "Bad Genius" at the Beijing Film Studio.

The film is about to be completed this month and is expected to premiere at the end of June, seizing the summer box office.

Going to the Beijing Film Studio is equivalent to going to the Beijing Film Academy. Lu Kuan walked towards Lao Tian’s new office carrying cigarettes, alcohol and tea.

Recently, he has taken over Xie Xiaojin's position as the director of the Beijing Film Academy and started to coordinate all work.

He made a phone call first: "I'm already here, can you still chase me away?"

"Hey, you've become so cautious now that you're the department head. You used to be unhappy when I gave you cigarettes and alcohol!"

Lu Kuan was chatting and laughing with Tian Zhuangzhuang on the phone as he walked into the inspection building. Suddenly, he bumped into a woman coming towards him.

"oops!"

The books in the woman's hands were scattered all over the floor. She was about to look up and say something to the young student who was not looking at the road, but she was stunned at the first sight.

"Wide road?"

Boss Lu was also in a daze for two seconds, then he smiled and said, "Teacher Xu, hello, hello."

This woman is Xu Jinglei, who returned to Beijing Film Academy to teach last year.

Around 1991, Wang Shuo, one of the core members of the first generation of Beijing circle, began to make money by writing scripts.

In that era, every film and television project based on his work made millions in profit.

About four years later, he gave his first investment in a drama to the young Meng Jinghui, and rehearsed a play called "I Love XXX", which was directly rejected because it did not obtain a license.

The male and female protagonists of this film are Guo Tao and Xu Jinglei, the latter of whom was a 20-year-old sophomore girl at the time.

What happened this year completely changed the fate of the sophomore girl. Wang Shuo started dating her without getting divorced.

It is worth mentioning that this "talented woman" praised by later generations once painfully recounted the pain she suffered after her boyfriend cheated on her at the age of 19 when she reminisced about her youth in her blogs and other memoir-like texts.

"I was so sad at the time. When I passed the entrance of the Film Academy, I wanted to jump into the river."

Then, in the blink of an eye, this pain was transferred to another woman: Wang Shuo's original wife, Ms. Shen, took their daughter to the United States and completely severed ties with him.

The sophomore girl quietly entered this mysterious circle.

In the 90s, the right to speak in the film and television industry was in the hands of screenwriters and writers, and writers such as Wang Shuo, Haiyan, Yu Hua, and Liu Zhenyun were among the best.

As the girlfriend of the core character, the sophomore girl reaped a wave of bonuses from her works. A detailed count of her works reveals:

Behind "A Romantic Affair" are Zhao Baogang and Haiyan, behind "Beijing Love Story" is Xie Dong, and behind "New Romance Era" is Teng Huatao.

Xu Jinglei, who is still one of the four little beauties, has embarked on the path of building a talented female image. She returned to Beijing Film Academy to teach and also starred in a movie invested by Dong Shuangqiang.

It's just that she broke up with her old patron Wang Shuo last year. The latter's current girlfriend is Wang Ziwen, Qu Xiaoxiao from "Ode to Joy".

Regardless of the Beijing circle connections that Lu Kuan and Huayi rely on, Xu Jinglei is naturally very warm and welcoming.

"Oh, I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but I never had the chance. How about we have a drink together tonight?"

Boss Lu declined and gestured to her with something in his hand: "I'm afraid it won't work today. I came to see Teacher Tian. I'm about to graduate and wanted to bribe him."

"Haha, okay, then leave me your number and I'll treat you to dinner someday. I just happened to have a new notebook, could you help me take a look?"

It was the first time the two of them met and they had very little interaction before, so it was actually a bit presumptuous to say this.

But Xu Jinglei just stood in front of you slowly and leisurely like a big lily, and spoke in a seemingly impolite manner.

It seems to sound quite similar.

Lu Kua sneered in his heart, thinking that Wang Shuo must have been like this back then.

This is how he wrote about Xu Jinglei in "Floating Out of the Sea":

She's beautiful but oblivious to details, tying her hair with shoelaces and drinking a glass of baijiu at any moment, all with a hint of pride. Even though Mr. Lu isn't impressed by her demeanor, it's fair to say that every top actress has her own unique aura, a legacy of life and relationships.

The two exchanged numbers, Lu Kuan walked up the stairs and pushed open the door of Tian Zhuangzhuang's office.

"Wow! Teacher Tian, ​​if you don't open the window, the fire department will be here soon."

Boss Lu was suffocated by the smoke in his room and quickly opened all the windows.

The cool breeze of the beginning of spring blew back, and the air in the house became much fresher.

"It's all because of you, the Pan-Asia Film Academy."

"Who has Hollywood poached?"

"It's hard to poach big names anymore. There's someone called Nolan. I think he can become a big director in the future, no less than James Cameron."

Tian Zhuangzhuang was surprised and said, "You saw that while someone was reading your fortune, so what?"

"Oh no! That's impossible! His Batman will be released in China in May. Then you'll know his level."

"Besides him?"

Lu Kuan lit a cigarette and said, "There's no one suitable for Korea's Park Chan-wook right now. I'm planning to invite Zhou Xingchi from Hong Kong."

"When we get to Cannes in May, I'll invite Luc Besson, and then with Christopher Nolan and I, there will be five of us, which is about right."

"The first batch of students will definitely be selected based on merit and strictness. I estimate there will be only five or six people, which is basically enough."

Tian Zhuangzhuang nodded: "No matter how many people there are, Qingying Studio can't meet their teaching needs. After all, our teachers and students also need it."

Lu Kuan has found big names in commercial films. Park Chan-wook was the first Korean to call for learning from Hollywood. There is no need to mention Stephen Chow, as his "Kung Fu Hustle" was the champion of last year's Lunar New Year box office.

Nolan and Luc Besson are both industry elites who are proficient in operating commercial films, and are the most suitable people to teach these students.

The two chatted for a while, and then Lu Kuan strolled to the studio of "Bad Genius" at the Beijing Film Studio next door.

From a distance, he saw Xiao Liu with long hair standing at the entrance of the shed and making a phone call. He walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"what!"

The girl's scream scared Lu Kuan. Looking closely, he found that she was shorter than Liu Yifei, but her figure and hairstyle were somewhat similar when viewed from behind.

Liu Shishi covered her chest in fear, and when she saw a tall and strong man standing in front of her, she instinctively stepped back.

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake, haha."

Boss Lu recognized who this person was, and remembered what Lu Yao had reported to him. He said that this person was now an artist under Liu Yifei, and he didn't know how he appeared here.

"Lukuan, are you here?"

Liu Yifei, who had just finished filming, walked over in her school uniform, looking as pure as a little white flower.

Liu Shishi had severe myopia of 700 degrees. In her panic, she thought he was a lecher, and then she nodded shyly.

"Xiao Liu, this is the road guide."

Liu Yifei blocked her way, preventing the washing machine from getting close, and smiled at Lu Kuan as if to show off: "How about it? An artist from my studio."

Boss Lu wanted to laugh when he heard this: "You're not even 18 yet, and you call me Xiao Liu? Do you think you are me?"

He gently pushed aside the girl in school uniform in front of him: "Liu Shishi, right? Hello, Xiao Liu."

"You are not allowed to call me Xiao Liu!"

Concubine Liu Yi pulled him a few steps away, her eyebrows raised!

"I'm older than you all, what's wrong with calling me Xiao Liu?"

"It just doesn't work!"

Lu Kuan teased her with a smile: "Then I call her Little Master?"

"I have a name, why do you have to call me so affectionately?"

"No, isn't this your company's artist? As a boss, you should enthusiastically recommend him to me, right?"

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "No need. I asked Director Xue to reserve a role for her where she can show her face. We can talk about the rest later."

After Liu Shishi left the sugar man, the role of Long Kui naturally had nothing to do with her. Jang Nara played Xuejian, and Long Kui was finally played by Yang Mi.

The young blind sister timidly watched the female boss and the big boss in the entertainment industry "flirting" on the side, and felt a sense of loss for no reason in her heart.

Feeling her own weakness, and feeling that the man just now had obviously mistaken her for Concubine Liu Yi.

Do I have to live in her shadow forever?
In fact, she had watched Whiplash when she was a freshman at Beijing Dance Academy, and the story in that movie has always inspired her.

"Master, come here!"

Concubine Liu Yi waved at her and said, "Director Lu just agreed to let you play guest roles in both 'Zhu Xian' and 'Wulin Wai Zhuan'."

Liu Shishi was surprised and said, "Ah? Thank you, Director Lu."

Concubine Yi really didn’t lie to me. She was able to appear in two Travel Channel’s original dramas right after she came on board.

She didn't know that this was the condition her female boss got in exchange for Li Ziqi's videos on Mytube.

The female boss sold herself to me in exchange for a role. She really did it. I cried my heart out!
"Shishi, go put on your makeup, it will be your turn soon."

"Well! Goodbye, Guide Lu!"

Boss Lu watched helplessly as Liu Shishi walked away, and Liu Yifei in front of him blocked his view just right.

"Aren't you being too cautious? I came here to see you today."

"Haha, you better be."

Liu Shishi is now just a low-profile version of Xiao Liu, and Boss Lu is indeed not very interested in her.

"What are you thinking about? You're distracted while I'm talking to you!"

Concubine Liu Yi patted his arm in dissatisfaction.

"It's okay. Ask Yang Siwei to contact Long Danni and shoot the first episode after the filming is finished."

"What exactly is it?"

Boss Lu spread his hands and said, "I don't know either. I've already asked them to plan it. They should build a pastoral scene, and you can make some traditional food in it!"

“Maybe the first episode will involve going to your hometown of Wuhan and making lotus root starch or something!”

Liu Yifei excitedly said, "Really? Sure, sure. I'm in the US for Chinese New Year this year and haven't had time to visit my grandma and aunt."

"Actually, I'm quite interested in cooking. It's definitely more interesting than filming!"

Lu Kuan looked at her smiling face in her school uniform, and she looked like a female college student skipping classes in the future.

In fact, she is still lazy and casual at heart, but in this life, Boss Lu has been pushing her forward.

Help her improve her acting skills, set goals for her, and arrange work for her under various pretexts...

If Liu Yifei were to choose for herself, she would probably prefer to shoot pastoral videos like Liziqi every day, where she can eat and have fun.

"I saw the press conference for your new film, 'Tangshan Earthquake'. Is there no role suitable for me?"

Good guy, you are so arrogant because of your favor. You, Liu Yifei, are the only one in the domestic entertainment industry who directly asks him for a role.

"You can't make it to the schedule. It's almost the season for 'Zhu Xian', and the movie will be released during the Spring Festival."

"If there's a small role, you can play it for free, and it will be convenient for you to help with publicity later."

Concubine Liu Yi raised her eyebrows: "You are called Lu Pa Pi, right?"

She didn't know what she remembered, but then she folded her arms and nudged Lu Kuan's arm proudly: "I think you can't live without me now."

"what?"

I, Lu Kuan, have never seen such a confident (shameless) girl!

Xiao Liu provided his own data to support this: "I looked at the latest box office data for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' released by Wenjie. It took in over 3 million yuan in just three days."

"There are over 30 messages from fans on my blog sharing their tickets. Even if each ticket costs 45 yuan, that's a total of yuan at the box office!"

Liu Yifei's expression was exaggerated: "I! I alone can create 45 box office for you, so you can just be happy!"

"Oh~~~45 is really a lot!"

Boss Lu also cooperated with her: "It seems that my strategy is correct. I should train ten Liu Yifei!"

"If every Liu Yifei helps me promote, wouldn't that mean the box office is 450 million?"

"Quick, send that Liu Shishi you signed to me to the world of questions for training!"

"You wish! I'll beat you to death!"

Xiao Liu was amused by his shamelessness. The damn washing machine is not ashamed of it but proud of it, right?
Now you're baring your teeth in front of me!

The two chatted and joked, and Su Chang had also finished filming. Hu Ge, Zhu Yawen, and Wang Baoqiang, the three who bravely fought against the pervert Chen Sicheng last time, were all there.

"Road guide!"

"Mr. Lu!"

"Boss Lu!"

Liu Yifei patted Lu Kuan's shoulder familiarly and said, "Come with us tonight for dinner, hot pot!"

"Mr. Liu, are you treating us?"

"sure."

"Okay, let's go then."

Several cars drove to Fenglan International on Xizhimen North Street in HD District. A woman with short hair and an office lady style was waiting by the elevator in the employee passage.

"Ms. Liu, ladies and gentlemen, welcome everyone."

Boss Lu was a little puzzled. What kind of hotpot restaurant is this? The service is so poor at the bottom of the building.

This group of people are all big and small celebrities. Except for Boss Lu who works behind the scenes and is less well-known, they are all surrounded by assistants when they enter the store.

"Manager Yang, it's still the same."

"By the way, please give us an extra portion of tripe and pig throat."

Xiao Liu still remembers the time at Little Sheep in the United States. The washing machine felt sorry for not being able to eat these two dishes. How thoughtful.

Although Yang Xiaoli was now the assistant general manager stationed at the main store in Beiping, she still maintained the etiquette standards from when she first started the business: "Okay, Miss Liu, I wish you a pleasant meal."

"Haidilao?"

A few people turned the corner and entered the restaurant from the employee passage. Lu Kuan was confused to see the original Haidilao words. There was not even a logo now.

"Yes, you've been here? They just opened in Peking last year."

Liu Yifei felt a little puzzled. Washing Machine usually prepared three meals a day at home except for social events outside. How could she seem to know about Haidilao?

Boss Lu smiled and shook his head: "No, it's my first time here."

Everyone entered the private room, and Liu Yifei mysteriously pulled Lu Kuan to a small office.

The young director looked horrified: "What do you want to do? I'm not that kind of person!"

"What?! I want to discuss something with you."

"Ok?"

"Lend me 3000 million!"

Boss Lu sneered, "What? You want to support a male model?"

"roll!"

"Didn't I tell you I want to invest in a hot pot restaurant, and I've chosen this one."

"The woman just now is Yang Xiaoli. She is the secretary of their boss Zhang Yong and is now the manager of two stores in Beiping."

"I asked Yang Siwei to have a preliminary discussion. The other party is willing to accept a stake. Next week, Zhang Yong and his wife will come to Beijing in person to discuss the matter."

Boss Lu was shocked.

He didn't know that the nine-word mantra he said last time in Los Angeles about standardization, easy expansion, and easy financing was firmly remembered by her.

It’s a mess, too much chaos. The whole northwest Shanxi is in a mess.

Liu Yifei and Haidilao are so similar that they are actually tied together by these two words.

"Can you help me talk about it next week?"

Concubine Liu Yi looked at him with sparkling eyes.

When it comes to cheating people in business, Xiao Liu feels that no one is more shrewd than Boss Lu.

Lu Kuan was a little amused and confused. He didn't know how the world line in this life could become so chaotic.

"Then what good is that to me?"

Xiao Liu grinned: "I'm already volunteering to help you promote the movie. What's wrong with lending me some money? I'm not refusing to pay it back."

"The salary from 'Planescape 2' is enough! If it's not enough, I can just take on a few more endorsements next year."

Boss Lu now wishes she could lend him more money. It would be best if Haidilao would go bankrupt in a short period of time.

He owes me 3000 million and can't pay it back, so why don't you let me control you?
As for the small Haidilao, he has not taken a fancy to it yet. The payback period for investment in the catering industry is very long, especially for Haidilao which is in the expansion stage.

Even if Liu Yifei can get a decent dividend of 3000 million yuan every year, most of it will be used for reproduction and opening new stores.

Boss Lu said, "Let's talk about it later. I have to go to Tangshan next week to check on the progress of the building restoration."

"No, you have to come with me. I rarely talk to you!"

Concubine Liu Yi pitifully tugged at his arm and refused to let go. Her pout was so tight that a bottle of oil could be hung on it. Her cute and adorable look made Lu Kuan's index finger twitch.

Be patient, be patient, it will be over soon.

"Okay, okay! I'll try my best."

The honey trap worked.

The two returned to the private room, and everyone tacitly agreed not to ask where they had been.

If Liu Yifei was alone, Zhu Yawen and Hu Ge would still dare to joke around, but with a big boss around, these young actors are more restrained.

Even though Lu Kuan is usually kind-hearted, he is, after all, a big director with a high status and position, and he has a hold on their careers.

There were two more people in the private room of the hot pot restaurant, Tong Liya and Zhang Jingying.

"Lu Kuan, let me introduce you. This is my good friend Liang Ying, the third place winner in the finals of your Super Girl."

Liu Yifei knew that Boss Lu was very busy and might not have heard of it.

Her friendship with Zhang Jingying originated from the time when reporters broke out about the scandal and Zhang Jingying, as a singer and contestant, protected her.

It’s the fate of past and present lives.

"Hello, Xiao Zhang."

Zhang Jingying shook hands with him excitedly. After all, she was also signed to the music industry, but all her musical talents were trained by Zhang Yadong.

"Mr. Lu, I've heard of you for a long time. Today, thanks to Xixi, I finally get to see you!"

"Haha, don't be polite, everyone, please sit down."

He glanced at Tong Liya again.

Being able to come here means that he has obviously withstood Concubine Liu Yi's "obedience test", which means his innocence has been proven.

Good.

"Xiao Tong, how's the filming of 'Wulin Wai Zhuan' going lately?"

Tong Liya had just sat down nervously and then suddenly stood up, making everyone else very nervous.

"Director... Director, I'm working hard and things are going well lately..."

Liu Yifei looked at Lu Kuan with dissatisfaction. How could you treat a hotpot dinner as a meeting?
Look at Zhu Yawen, Hu Ge, and Wang Baoqiang, they are like quails, not daring to make a sound.

"Lukuan! It's time to get off work now, don't put on that big-name director airs of yours."

"What's wrong with the Golden Bear and the Oscar? Don't they still have to eat meat from the pot with us little actors?!"

Su Chang nodded silently and gave her best friend a thumbs up.

You have to treat this person.

Boss Lu was at a loss for words: "Why should I put on airs? Everyone, sit down and get ready to eat. I'm hungry too."

"I have to go back to work on the script today, so I won't drink anymore. You guys can do whatever you want."

He shouted at the three male actors and then started eating.

Hu Ge smiled and said, "Baoqiang, Yawen, how about we have a drink? Director Lu is drinking water, shall we toast?"

"Okay!"

"Let's do something."

The scene became lively when someone drank and toasted.

Concubine Liu Yi was a considerate person and would pick up some food for the reserved Liu Shishi from time to time.

As far as this table is concerned, she is the only outsider.

Although Xiao Liu is not from the industry, everyone at this table knows her relationship with the boss.

Outsiders?
That's my wife!

"Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding~~~"

The Nokia that Lu Kuan placed on the table rang. It was an old model that had just been brought down the mountain and had never been replaced.

Everyone at the table fell silent at the same time.

(End of this chapter)