Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 267: Telepathy? That's collusion!
Ouyang Changqing stayed in an ordinary three-star hotel when he went to Beijing on business, adhering to the business trip allowance standards and the expected level.

As the most entertaining and market-oriented local station, the temptations he faces are much greater than those of ordinary people.

He is well aware of the difficulties faced by leaders of reforms, just like Shang Yang, and must be extremely cautious.

Hong Tao and Yao Jia walked into his room one after another carrying fruits and cakes.

Hong Tao is also an old subordinate of Ouyang Changqing. He followed the old director Long Xing from Jingshi all the way to the present. He and Long Danni are the two generals of the variety show section under Ouyang Changqing.

He was one of the chief directors of the later "Super Girl" and also had a brilliant resume including the hit shows "Variety Show" and "I Am a Singer".

"Leader, it's time for you to take a break here, right?"

As the sky gradually darkened, the old director adjusted the angle of the desk lamp, took out his reading glasses and put them on: "Well, wait a moment."

Hong Tao and Yao Jia looked at each other, one sat on the other bed in the standard room, and the other sat on a chair, silently waiting for him to finish.

With a long sigh, Ouyang Changqing put on the pen cap, simply broke off a banana to satisfy his hunger, and motioned Yao Jia to close the door.

"I asked you to come here because we anticipate adjustments to the direction and content of the Super Girl program, and we need to make plans early."

Hong Tao was stunned when he heard this. The station had started planning and preparing for this program since the final of "Super Girl" during last year's National Day.

Countless times of studying and evaluating the recordings of the "Super Girl" program, countless tug-of-war negotiations with the title sponsors, and countless internal debates and tone-setting.

This established the current style of the program.

Ouyang Changqing sighed deeply and recounted the content of the day's meeting in detail.

Yao Jia frowned, and Hong Tao was furious: "Isn't this too much of a bully?"

"The governor is allowed to set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps? Besides, isn't he also a common people?"

Yao Jia smiled bitterly: "Two years ago, he was a commoner, but now he can be considered a big landlord, the kind of landlord who can bargain with the government officials."

"But what he said about strange clothes and novelty, including the people we invited, Yang Er and Ke Yimin, are all..."

The words were not fully explained, but the old director and Yao Jia knew it clearly.

They are all professional venomous tongues, all part of the plot arrangement, and all of them are aimed at the "ugly aesthetics" and "curiosity" cultural influences that Boss Lu is precisely attacking!
But this was the winning magic weapon and eye-catching tool they painstakingly came up with to stand out from "Super Girl". How come it failed before it even started?

This is the approach taken by later Hunan TV talent shows, especially in the field audition stage.

For example, Yang Erche Namu often expresses her likes and dissatisfaction in a more exaggerated way, and enhances her presence and program effect by creating a unique sharp-tongued image.

Ke Yimin is also very direct, often saying things like, "Stop singing, get out," and "You have no talent, don't waste your time."

When the contestants were nervous, she cursed and stuttered. There was also one who had some gender identity disorder, and Ke Yimin directly asked for a physical examination.

This included arranging random contestants to deliberately clash with the judges. In the 2006 Chengdu competition, hosts Sun Guoqing and He Jiong even bickered and fought each other.

Who would believe that it is not a script and is not deliberately designed to be ugly or bizarre?
Yao Jia felt very sympathetic towards Hong Tao, who was under tremendous pressure. With such a good example before him, no one would dare to take it lightly.

She tried to chime in, "Director, in this kind of meeting... Lu Kuan can say whatever he wants, but he might just be talking nonsense to disrupt our plans."

"Yes! Director, we have to be on guard against this, but we can't completely believe it. Our relationship with the bureau isn't necessarily any worse than his, right?"

Ouyang Changqing looked at his subordinates who were full of resistance and smiled, "Don't be nervous yet. I just asked you to make a contingency plan. It's always good to be prepared."

"In terms of systemic closeness, we are certainly closer, but in terms of shared interests and personal connections, I wouldn't dare to say."

"Also, Travel Channel has also cut its own arm this time by voluntarily giving up 'Super Girl 2'."

He paused and said, "I just inquired about it. I think they sold the copyright to Oriental TV or Jiangsu TV. It seems that they really want to snipe us."

Yao Jia was the first person at Xiang TV to come into contact with Boss Lu, and she knew him best. "Director, Travel Channel probably has other ideas. I'll ask Sister Long out for dinner one of these days."

Ouyang Changqing nodded silently, knowing what she meant.

"I just finished a meeting and someone from Huayi came to see me. Jang Nara's album 'One' was just released recently, and the promotion for 'Seven Swords' is about to begin."

"The station needs to come up with a plan. We need to continue to deepen our cooperation with Huayi."

Although he was reluctant to admit it, seeing Wang Dajun's forced silence in the face of Lu Kuan at the meeting, Ouyang Changqing knew that the pressure brought to the two families by Wenjie was no longer something that the previous loose alliance could withstand.

He is considering setting up a film, television and variety show production company under the name of Tianyu, which is controlled by Xiangtai, and investing in Huayi so that the two companies can reach closer cooperation.

This is also learned from Travel Channel and Q&A World.

Whenever there is a movie in the world, Travel Channel is inevitable to provide one-stop promotion. The well-known artists they cultivate will then feed back to the TV station and boost the popularity of their variety shows.

For example, the episode that just ended, "Young Director and His Heroine."

The peak ratings exceeded that of "Art Life", which made the industry exclaim that another phenomenal interview program was born.

Seeing the two subordinates' somewhat pessimistic and sad faces, the old director also encouraged them: "Just go for it, just like you did at Jingshi TV. You lead the charge and I will be your strong support."

"I'll handle all the radio and television matters and public affairs!"

Hong Tao and Yao Jia looked at each other, and when they thought of their sudden rise and rapid progress in those years, their hearts were filled with fighting spirit!
Ouyang Changqing is far from being just a talker and a chicken-blooded person. As a leader, he has his own responsibilities.

Later in 2011, because Hunan TV violated the regulations on broadcast duration and time, the program was suspended, and even "Happy Camp" and "Day Day" were implicated.

Ouyang Changqing went to Beijing alone to apologize, taking all the responsibility on himself, and eventually a heavy fine was imposed instead of banning the program.

It was also from this incident that strict supervision of the pan-entertainment of domestic entertainment variety shows and talent shows began.

This includes the Jiangsu TV program "If You Are the One", where female guest Ma Nuo's outrageous remarks, "I would rather cry in a BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle," also put the program under accountability.

Domestic entertainment variety shows carried out collective self-examination and self-correction.

If Boss Lu didn't have other purposes, he certainly wouldn't have the time to attend the meeting. This was just a declaration of war using the authoritative microphone.

Last October, Zhou Jun and Hua Yi launched a cyberbullying campaign against Liu Yifei, who had close ties with the Wenjie community. After being retaliated, both sides have since stopped the violence.

At the beginning of the new year, Zhou Jun began to make a fuss about his identity as the actual controller of Blog.com and Travel Channel, trying to weaken his voice in the battlefield of public opinion.

For Boss Lu, introducing other allies could easily resolve the Zhou army's offensive, but that would be a bit of a loss of sight.

What’s the difference between this and agreeing to let Zhou Jun invest from the beginning?
The most important thing is to have all the power in your own hands.

In addition to the efforts and plans made in "Aftershock", the Olympics, and the donated building, actions are also underway against Zhou Jun and Huayi's current top star Jang Nara.

For example, in the envelope in front of him, there were a few photos that Zhuo Wei had secretly sent:
Zhou Jun and Jang Nara were seen entering and leaving the InterContinental Hotel in Financial Street and kissing intimately in the car.

This old guy is quite careful. He was driving a Passat Lingyu, which was produced just last year, with dark car film on both sides. The photo was taken by Zhuo Wei's studio when he was driving in the opposite direction.

Zhou Jun's father-in-law is not an ordinary person either. This photo is certainly useful, but it cannot be thrown out casually. It must be used at a critical moment.

If he posts it online now, it will just be scratching the surface. With Zhou Jun's methods, he can easily get away with it. It's not even certain whether his wife cares or not.

However, Jang Nara can think about it and take action.

To hit the snake, strike at its most vulnerable part. The first milestone work of Jang Nara's later career in China is "My Sassy Girl" which will start filming this year.

Coincidentally, the producers of this TV series are Wu Dun and Deng Jianguo.

"Hello, Mr. Lu. Thank you for your help last time, Focus Media."

Wu Dun has been busy with real estate in Taiwan for the past two years, and he does not have enough funds to invest in film and television.

In 2004, the TV series "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan 3" in which he participated in the investment and production was broadcast. However, the publicity funds were stretched to the limit. It was Boss Lu who lent a hand and asked Focus Media and Blog.com to provide some low-priced resources.

"Mr. Wu, is there a new play coming out soon?"

"Wow, Director Lu has a really sharp ear. I just found someone to start writing a script called 'Slam Dunk' and I'm planning to work with Jay Chou."

"Do you have time to take a look for me?"

Boss Lu was stunned when he heard this. He wanted to talk about the TV series.

As for "Slam Dunk", it started filming at the end of 2006 and was released in early 2008. It doesn't matter whether you watch it or not, it's the worst of the bad movies.

"Sure, I'm going to Hong Kong in the next couple of days, and Jaylen will be there too."

"Getting back to the point, I heard you asked Jang Nara to star in a costume drama? Alec Su is also involved in it."

Wu Dun was well aware of his relationship with Huayi and was planning how to take advantage of it: "Yes, Huayi gave me an investment share in their new movie Red Cliff. It was a very difficult deal to negotiate."

After the aforementioned China Heng Film and Television Company was established, the first major production officially announced was "Red Cliff", a project that Wu Yusen had been preparing for many years.

Wang Dajun felt that the company did not have a director like Boss Lu who was proficient in Hollywood, so he had to seek external help in making big movies.

Such themes must at least ensure profitability from copyrights in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, as the possibility of making a profit domestically is too small.

Boss Lu went straight to the point: "How can a Korean play the role of our Chinese princess? Change the actress, use Su Chang from the Ask World."

"Su Chang plays the unruly and headstrong junior sister in 'Zhu Xian'. She fits the role very well. She has a sweet image and excellent acting skills."

Wu Dun smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, the key is..."

He didn't finish the rest of the sentence because he knew the person on the other end of the phone knew everything.

"Wenjie Tongyinghuang has launched a film called 'The Disciple', and you, Boss Wu, are also involved. Also, you don't have to worry about the promotion of 'The Princess'."

"Also, it's not certain whether the $8000 million they claimed to have invested in Red Cliff can even make a profit. That's what I'm saying."

Wu Dun's heart was pounding when he heard this. He had just reached a verbal agreement with Wang Dajun and others. How could a delicious meal become stinking dog shit in your eyes, Lu Kuan?
However, the young director's repeated victories since his rise to fame forced him to cheer up and think carefully.

"Director, this..."

"Okay, Mr. Wu, we are friends, so I am telling you the truth. Just keep it in mind."

"Waiting for your reply."

Beep beep beep...

The second call was made to Li Meijing of CJ Entertainment. The two parties had already reached an agreement on the Pan Asia Film Academy project.

South Korea's domestic film unicorn companies value working with this director who has both business acumen and artistic talent.

Grabbing "My Sassy Girl" is the appetizer, and nailing her to the pillar of shame through CJ Entertainment's influence in South Korea is the main course, accompanied by fine wine and dessert.

Zhou Jun likes to play games under the table, so Lu Kuan continues to use the chain of interests to drag his girlfriend under the table.

Maybe when it is really desperate, this little stick under the table will choose to lick Boss Lu's feet?
The next day, Boss Lu leisurely boarded a plane to Hong Kong.

In the past, I would go to see Mei Yanfang, do distribution, and talk business with Li Shoucheng. This time, the purpose was relatively pure, which was to play football and do charity.

The Hong Kong Star Football Team was founded in 1986 and was initiated by the late Hong Kong team football player Yin Zhiqiang and singing mogul Alan Tam.

At the beginning of its establishment, the lineup was extremely luxurious, with the starting members including Fang Long, Alan Tam, Andy Lau, Eric Tsang, Yuen Biao, Kenny Ho and others.

The initiator Alan Tam wore the captain's armband and Andy Lau served as goalkeeper.

Anita Mui was passionate about charity and had a close relationship with Alan Tam and others. She joined the team and became the head of the cheerleading squad.

Later, the team established the Hong Kong Star Sports Association Charity Fund.

This time, she happened to arrive at the right time and felt that her younger brother had suffered this misfortune because he had saved her before, so she wanted to help him accumulate some blessings through charitable donations.

So this exhibition match between mainland and Hong Kong football stars was created to raise funds for education in poor rural areas of Sichuan Province.

The mainland team also has a kung fu boy named Wu Jin, who did not return to the mainland because he was filming "SPL" in Hong Kong and was waiting for the main team there.

Zhao Benshan booked the business class ticket with a wave of his hand. He was very enthusiastic about this trip to Hong Kong and was ready to publicize his upcoming ambition of taking over Liaoning FC.

The road ahead is wide. Zhao Benshan, Yu Quan, Sun Nan and others played Gouji together in the business class. There were six people playing Gouji, and the remaining one was Chen Yufan’s girlfriend Bai Xue.

That is white lily.

Chen Yufan was born in a naval compound and has a good family background. Although he is in the Beijing circle, he is not opposed to making friends with Lu Kuan.

Circles and banners are used to make profits, not to bring trouble to yourself. Just because you, Huayi, have an unpleasant experience with Lu Kuan, doesn't mean that so many people have to share the same hatred with you.

Ultimately it's a matter of interests.

"Xue'er? How about you ask the flight attendant to pour some water for Teacher Zhao, Teacher Sun, and Director Lu? Let Yifei play cards."

"Okay." Bai Xue stood up obediently. She is now a junior in the musical theatre class of the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama.

Xiao Liu on the side waved his hands: "No, no, I don't know how to play cards, I'd rather read a book."

"Sister Bai Xue, please continue."

Zhao Benshan glanced at the brown cover in Liu Yifei's hand and said, "Oh my god, you're so grown up and you're already reading 'Dragon Slayer'. Are you trying to start a revolution?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Liu Xiaoli was also speechless, wondering what had happened to this girl.

"How could she understand? Teacher Zhao was just watching and playing."

Concubine Liu Yi smiled and said, "Study to improve your wisdom and fight against bad elements!"

The bad guy didn't even raise his head to play cards, and ignored this.

He looks expressionless, but in fact he is very panicked.

You should read Water Margin when you are young, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms when you are old. Now you are just 18 years old and you are starting to read Dragon Slaying. This is not a good sign!

Chen Yufan wanted to let his girlfriend show up in front of Lu Kuan, which was also the main purpose of bringing her along this time.

Bai Xue is a smart person and has been actively feeding cards to show her goodwill.

She knew that compared to her boyfriend who was in the music industry, this guy was the one who could help her raise her profile without any effort.

His voice in the domestic film industry is far beyond what Chen Yufan could compare to the Beijing drama that she had just been cast in.

In 2004, Ye Jing spent more than three years combining Wang Shuo's "Playing with the Heartbeat", "Rubber Man" and "Ferocious Animals" to create "Days Related to Youth".

The TV series was advertised as the second part of "Blood Color", but it didn't make any waves.

Not all the actors in this crew at that time were big names, but the leading actors all had good subsequent developments, such as Tong Dawei, Wen Zhang, and Bai Baihe.

There is no need to say much about Tong Dawei. Although he came from an ordinary background, he became famous thanks to the help of a noble person behind him. His career has been smooth sailing and he can be considered an evergreen.

Wen Zhang married "Commander Ma", who was eight years older than her. The reason why it is called "marriage" is because of the word "Commander".

Commander Ma is a well-known figure in the circle. He is very capable and proficient in matchmaking.

Wen Zhang’s first film to break the circle, “Snow Leopard,” was previously mentioned as a production by Zhang Ruoyun’s father, but the director, Du Yuming, is an old friend of Ma Siling;

The director of the two reality-themed films "Dwelling Narrowness" and "Naked Marriage" is Ma Yili's tough male best friend, Teng Huatao, who has now been pulled by Huayi to shoot "The Legend of Immortal III".

Including the later "33 Days of Broken Love" and "Little Daddy", they all relied on Teng Huatao's relationship.

So is Wen Zhang, and so is Bai Baihe.

Chen Yufan is to Bai Baihe what Ma Yili is to Wen Zhang.

Bai Baihe, like all soldiers, is a smart and insightful girl from Qingdao.

As early as the National Day in 2000, Bai Baihe, who was still studying at the dance academy, auditioned for Zhang Yimou's "Happy Times" and competed with Dong Jie.

Lao Zhao, who is playing cards with us now, is also one of the leading actors.

Zhang Yimou thought she had good qualifications and suggested that she apply to the Central Academy of Drama or the Beijing Film Academy. Bai Baihe listened to him and enrolled in the drama school in Dongmianhua Hutong in 2002.

At the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Bai Xue and Chen Yufan met and joined the crew of "With Youth", and later they fell in love.

Chen Yufan recommended her for one reason, and her own conditions were also an important factor. Ye Jing chose her for two reasons:
First, she looks like a smaller version of Xu Jinglei;

Second, she is an artist from the company of Ye Jing's friend Stanley Kwan.

Stanley Kwan is a famous Hong Kong director. Anita Mui's "Rouge" and Hu Jun and Liu Ye's "Lan Yu" are his works.

If nothing unexpected happens, after the filming of "With Youth" is completed, Chen Yufan will take Bai Xue to celebrate his mother's 2006th birthday next year, that is, in , and get married and have children the following year.

Bai Xue is preparing to make a comeback after her confinement, and Chen Yufan is doing his best to help her.

First, he asked his good friend Sun Nan to get her to star in "Who's in Charge of My Youth" directed by Beijing director Zhao Baogang, playing a supporting role to Wang Luodan, and then he handed his wife to Wang Jinhua, who had already left Huayi.

The second thing is to change the name.

From then on, Bai Xue became Bai Baihe, and she seized high-quality resources as a family member of a certain circle and became very popular.

Bai Xue called the flight attendants to serve the celebrities. Chen Yufan winked at Sun Nan, who understood immediately.

"Director Lu, I heard that casting for 'Tangshan Earthquake' is about to begin, right?"

"Ah, yes, it's basically settled."

"Ah?" Chen Yufan was stunned when he heard it, and his girlfriend opposite him looked gloomy.

Hu Huanquan chimed in: "Director Lu, Bai Xue is actually quite talented as well. If it's convenient, please see if there's a role that's suitable for her."

"It doesn't matter if she has any lines or not, as long as she can get some practice and show her face a little bit, that's fine."

Boss Lu raised his head and looked her up and down leisurely.

Although she is not particularly bright and pretty, she can still play the role of ordinary people fleeing from an earthquake without any problem.

Unlike Concubine Liu Yi, who had to be painted ugly in order to be brought down to the standard of an ordinary person.

I'll just go along with the favor and not bother to talk too much.

People are social animals, and the Beijing circle is not a monolithic entity. At least Lao Han has been tied to it by his own interests.

Whether it is Zhang Jizhong who is already on the list or the shrewd Zhang Guoli, they are all people who can play a role at key nodes.

"Bai Xue, right? You should practice your Tangshan dialect. When you go back, go audition with the crew. If you can speak it well, you'll get a line."

"Everyone, is this arrangement okay?"

Chen Yufan stopped playing cards and shook Boss Lu's hand with a smile on his face: "Thank you, thank you!"

Then he turned to Zhao Benshan and said, "Hey, Mr. Zhao, thank you for organizing the event for us Inner Earth Friends. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten to know Guide Lu."

"I think we should do this activity more often in the future!"

Zhao Benshan smiled and thought to himself that today he had made things easier for you, Chen Yufan.

Liu Xiaoli watched coldly from the side, lamenting that Lu Kuan now had such great power in the entertainment industry that he could easily control the future of many people.

After landing at Kai Tak Airport, although he boarded the plane via business class and left through the VIP channel, fans and entertainment reporters who had learned the news in advance were already waiting for him.

Most of them came for Concubine Liu Yi, and a small number were fans of Lu Kuan.

The works of the other three singers and Uncle Benshan do not have a large audience in Hong Kong, especially the skit culture in the northern context, which is not very popular among audiences in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"Xixi! We like you so much, and we hope you have a smooth journey!"

"Fairy sister, I hope you have fun in Hong Kong!"

Later in 2005, Liu Yifei's popularity in the country reached a temporary peak due to the fans she accumulated from dramas such as "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "The Story of a Noble Family", and the explosion of "Chinese Paladin".

36 personal websites, 117 forums, more than 17000 Penguin groups...

Bai Xue looked at her enviously as she walked "hard" all the way over. The two assistants and A Fei protected Xiao Liu tightly in the middle.

With the whole process of signing, taking photos and receiving gifts, Ah Fei and Yang Siwei were already full.

Of course, Hong Kong’s specialty, paparazzi, is indispensable.

"Yi Fei, are you dating Kuanzi?"

"Fei Yi, there have been so many scandals with Kuanzi lately, are you on the road?"

Hong Kong paparazzi have always been undisciplined about food, such as Chef Xie’s “Zha Zhi” and Xiong Dailin’s “Massacre in the City”.

This move obviously has a hidden meaning.

Yang Siwei glared at him and asked, "Be careful with your words, please."

Xiao Liu smiled without saying anything, looked at the group of people waiting for him at the end, patiently signed his name and walked over.

She nudged Boss Lu's arm and said, "Lu Kuan, aren't you a little envious? I have so many fans?"

"of course!"

"These aren't fans, they're movie tickets! They're money!"

"Tsk, a washing machine like you doesn't deserve fans!"

Boss Lu looked at her with a smile: "It's okay, I have a dog to lick."

If a dog has fans, aren’t they your fans?
Xiao Liu didn't understand what "licking a dog" meant, otherwise, if he knew it was implying that he would have to give him an elbow.

Li Shoucheng hosted the Hong Kong side and invited charity stars and football players from both places to his mansion in Repulse Bay.

After watching their daughter and Lu Kuan leave in the same car, Yang Siwei and Liu Xiaoli returned to the hotel first.

She was becoming less and less suited to such occasions. She was almost an adult, and it was impossible for her to attend an event with her mother following her everywhere. "Aunt Liu, why are you and Xixi acting like we're parting forever? You can't even see the taillights of other people's cars!"

Yang Siwei looked at Liu Xiaoli with amusement, not understanding where her reluctance came from.

As Liu Yifei became more and more independent, Liu Xiaoli couldn't help feeling a little lost, a happy loss.

"Hey, I'm almost eighteen years old, and it's time to leave my parents."

She turned to Yang Siwei and said, "Siwei, you're studying at Communication University of China. Will your parents in Nanchang miss you a lot?"

"No, he hasn't come to see me in three years of college." Yang Siwei graduated early last year and is now a full-time studio general manager.

"So you don't miss them either?"

"No, the world outside is so much more wonderful!"

Liu Xiaoli felt even more lost, and I'm afraid Xixi felt the same way?

You guessed right, your good daughter is smiling happily at Lu Kuan in the car!
"The road is wide, and it seems there is a car following us."

"Don't worry about it, paparazzi."

Lu Kuan flipped through the "East Weekly" in his hand, and marveled at the large-scale freedom of the press. Fortunately, he did not live in Hong Kong, otherwise his underwear would be exposed.

Xiao Liu leaned over and looked at a semi-nude photo of a female star in a magazine, a little shocked: "The reporters and media here are so wild."

"That's right, the mainland is still better. It feels safer."

"Haha, is it the blog network that gives you a sense of security?"

Lu Kuan pointed to a hidden camera shot of an elevator in East Weekly and said, "See? In Hong Kong, it's useless to disguise yourself."

Hong Kong paparazzi are very skilled. Magazines like "East Weekly" and "Next Weekly" have a group of senior entertainment reporters. They can tell which celebrity's car it is just by looking at the license plate of the car on the road.

"They know where you like to eat, shop, or take your pet to the vet."

"They will bribe your regular doctors at private clinics, your fitness trainers, your makeup artists on set, and even the staff at the airlines you fly with."

Wang Fei has a hardcore paparazzi who has been following her for many years.

This paparazzi once boasted that even if Wang Fei returned to BJ, he would still be under his control.

As soon as her driver picks up the car from the garage, the community security guard will call to inform her and rush to her door to start filming before leaving.

Every time the paparazzi arrived in Beijing, the first thing they did was to give the security guard a bonus in advance.

Xiao Liu was shocked when he heard this: "Fortunately, you don't come to Hong Kong often, otherwise it wouldn't be a washing machine, it would be a cement mixer."

"All the dirty stuff is mixed together!"

After saying this, he probably found it funny himself and covered his mouth with his hands, laughing uncontrollably.

Lu Kuan glanced at her helplessly: "Don't smile, your teeth will show."

His answer was a heavy punch.

The two got out of the car at the Repulse Bay mansion, and Huo Wenxi greeted them at the door: "Lu Sheng, why are you rubbing your arm? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just bumped into the car door."

The instigator, Concubine Liu Yi, greeted Huo Wenxi and walked in gracefully.

"Miss Mei!"

Mei Yanfang smiled and hugged her, holding her hand and chatting for a while. In fact, they had just separated in Chengdu not long ago.

"Little brother, what are you doing, covering your arm?"

Why is it that there is always a certain pot that is not opened and a certain pot is picked up?

"Oh, Xiao Liu fell asleep leaning against me in the car. Her head was too big and it got numb from the pillow."

Mei Yanfang laughed at him for talking nonsense.

Liu Yifei's expression turned cold as she stared at Boss Lu's healthy right arm. The threat in her eyes was obvious.

Li Shoucheng and Fang Long walked over together.

"Lu Sheng, it's been a long time since you came to see an old man like me?"

"Haha, I'm sorry for being rude. I'll definitely bother you more in the future!"

He turned to the Kung Fu superstar again; "Brother Fang Long, long time no see!"

"Oh, I was so excited when I first heard that Boss Li invited you to direct 'The Myth', but I didn't expect it to be in vain."

After saying this, he looked around and said, "Tang Jili isn't here, right? I'm glad he's not here."

"Hahaha!"

"Has a premiere date been set?"

"The Myth" is a fantasy action blockbuster produced by the joint venture film company of Fang Long and Eagle King, and China Film Group. It also took advantage of the popularity of the Korean Wave and invited Kim Hee Sun to play Princess Yushu.

"Around September, I'd appreciate your support."

"No problem, I'll definitely be there."

Fang Long turned to the beautiful Xiao Liu and said, "Fei Yi, you have grown very fast in the past two years. Director Yuan Heping also praised you with me."

"They say you're an extremely good and beautiful Bajiquan fighter. In a few years, you'll be the top female fighter in Chinese opera."

Okay, okay, this is the third time. Boss Lu couldn’t help but touch his still sore arm.

Fang Long, don't say anything. Don't I know whether she is good at boxing or not?

"Thank you, Brother Fang Long. I will continue to work hard."

While several people were talking, a rich young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses kept staring at Concubine Liu Yi.

Are there girls with such temperament in the mainland?

"Mr. Li, who is watching us?" Boss Lu felt a little unhappy.

The man wearing gold-rimmed glasses showed no embarrassment at being discovered. He nodded slightly and walked over.

"Mr. Li, Jackie, this is... the road guide, right?"

Li Shoucheng laughed and said, "Don't you like watching his movies? Don't you recognize the real person?"

"Director Lu, this is Mr. Cheng Guoqiang, a wealthy man in our Hong Kong entertainment industry."

Only when Boss Lu got closer did he see clearly which Buddha it was, and it was indeed a big Buddha.

Isn’t he the famous “Shell King” in Hong Kong?

He is born into a wealthy family and has a close relationship with cucumbers.

He made the most money by tinkering in the financial field, and became famous because of his constant scandals with various female stars such as Guo Xianni.

In fact, this is an executioner in the Hong Kong stock market.

Cheng Guoqiang's classic battles:
In 1991, Huanggua invested HK$2000 million in his construction company. He borrowed the money and invested it in a Canadian real estate company that was about to go bankrupt. He sold it for 2001 billion Canadian dollars in 15.
In April 2006, Jinxing Trading, owned by Cheng Guoqiang, followed suit, buying first and then selling the CD production company Memorex, cashing in HK$4 billion and making a fortune.

After saying goodbye, they left. Li Shoucheng pulled Lu Kuan and Fang Long aside to talk, and Boss Lu asked Xiao Liu to find Mei Yanfang.

Liu Yifei curled her lips, knowing that he had to attend a social event, and went to the buffet area out of boredom.

"Hello, Miss Liu?"

The little girl turned around and saw Cheng Guoqiang who had just greeted a few people.

"Hello."

Don't hit a smiling person. Xiao Liu responded with a smile and prepared to find an excuse to go find Mei Yanfang or Liang Jiahui.

The look in his eyes just now was too unscrupulous and disgusting.

"Ms. Liu, Boss Li's chef made a delicious fresh fish salad with saffron sauce. It's perfect for girls like you who are concerned about your figure."

"If you don't understand, how about I help you with one?"

Cheng Guoqiang looked at the mainland actress in front of him, who was as beautiful as a newly bloomed rose, with anticipation. He felt that the saying "people are more beautiful than flowers" was true, and his possessive desire suddenly exploded.

Today's cold dishes are of high standard. The chef is invited from Caprice, one of the top western restaurants in Hong Kong. You can choose your own salad toppings.

For example, what low-gluten salad dressing should I choose, and which leafy greens are suitable for lemon, olives, or vinaigrette?

There are certain rules to follow, including the saffron sauce and black truffle sauce he just mentioned, and what flavors of fresh fish should be paired with them.

Mainland female celebrities usually don’t attend any high-end cocktail parties. I guess Liu Yifei doesn’t understand much about these things?

Young Master Cheng has used this trick many times and it has always worked.

Concubine Liu Yi was looking around hesitantly, and when she heard this, she glanced at him awkwardly.

"No thanks."

"You're welcome, Miss Liu. A gentleman should serve a beautiful woman."

Xiao Liu smiled and looked at him for a few seconds.

"Well, can you get me some sturgeon caviar with white truffles? I also want a glass of Courvoisier from 80 years ago."

Cheng Guoqiang was stunned when he heard this.

One kilogram of sturgeon caviar costs 24000 pounds, which is about 22 yuan.

White truffles are rarer than black truffles, which are known as "black minerals". Wild white truffles are only found in the Balkan Peninsula of Italy and Croatia.

Last year, a wealthy businessman from Hong Kong and Macau spent US$33 to buy 1.5 kg of Italian white truffles, which became a legend among gourmets.

Of course he also knew Courvoisier, it was Napoleon Cognac.

But isn’t it a bit nonsense what happened before 80? Is this mainland actress pretending to know something she doesn’t?
He looked up again and saw the beauty in front of him wearing a puff-sleeved ice-grey-blue tulle gown, layered with Italian gold foil mesh and hand-embroidery, which matched her snow-white skin...

It is just like the bright light of the crescent moon and the snow-covered flowers and trees.

Concubine Liu Yi just looked at him gracefully, with neither humility nor arrogance, and with pride and confidence.

This comes from vision and experience. These top luxury foods mentioned are all things I saw during my time in North America following Lu Kuan’s public relations for the Oscars.

Although she herself does not think there is anything good in showing off her superiority, it is very useful in shutting up such philistines.

Learn from the barbarians and develop skills to control the barbarians.

Cheng Guoqiang was a little displeased.

In his eyes, why do female stars have the right to be so proud in front of him?

"Miss Liu, are you kidding? You can't eat these things today. If you want to eat them, I'll treat you next time."

"And Courvoisier, which is usually published after 1985. Maybe Ms. Liu remembered it wrong? Haha."

His uncertain tone immediately drew Liu Yifei's ridicule: "No, it was made 80 years ago, and it was 1880, not 1980."

Cheng Guoqiang's family used to be a contractor, and they had become rich in recent years, so they didn't understand the luxurious expenses of the upper class.

His expression was somewhat gloomy: "Miss Liu, are you teasing me?"

Concubine Liu Yi covered her mouth and chuckled, revealing two faint dimples: "How could that be?"

"At the beginning of the year, we had dinner with the Oscars PR team, and a friend of Lionsgate owner Gustavo took us to his estate."

"It's the Coral Castle in Los Angeles. I wonder if you've heard of it."

"The owner of the castle likes to collect antique wines, including an 1805 Sazerac de Forge, an 1824 Courvoisier, and an 1865 Rouyer, but the most precious one is a bottle of brandy from 1788."

"It's only one year later than the French Revolution!"

Xiao Liu slapped his smooth forehead and said, "Oh! By the way, Lu Kuan likes to drink. He spent over a million dollars to buy some recent Napoleon Cognac."

"If you haven't tried it, I'll treat you next time you come to Peking."

The mixture of French, English and Chinese names of antique wines made Shell King dizzy, but the girl's beautiful French pronunciation made him not doubt it.

His confident smile was a little stiff: "Okay, then I'll bother you next time I go to Peking, hehe."

Concubine Liu Yi smiled and nodded, then curled her lips and turned around to find something to eat.

Looking at these cold, dead things in front of her, she missed the hot state-banquet Chinese meal in the washing machine courtyard.

Cheng Guoqiang walked around a few times, but still felt uneasy. He looked around, wanting to find Lu Kuan, whom the mainland girl kept talking about, to chat with him.

Maybe he can give it to me?

"Director Lu, I heard you like drinking too?"

Boss Lu turned around and saw that it was the fly from before.

"Oh, it's OK."

"Oh, next time you go to Peking, would you like to try the antique wine you bought at the Coral Castle?"

Cheng Guoqiang tried to test the waters and saw Lu Kuan on the other side was stunned, but his hopes were soon dashed.

"Well, no problem, no problem, haha."

Boss Lu was suspicious, but he just casually brushed it off, clinked glasses with a few people and walked away.

In a remote place, little Liu Zhengsi was stuffing lettuce into his mouth politely, but it tasted like chewing wax.

"Are you done with your socializing?"

Concubine Liu Yi was delighted to see him approaching. "How about we go to the night market to eat something tonight? I really can't get used to these raw and cold foods."

"What did you say to that guy with gold-rimmed glasses just now when you were standing there together?"

The little girl's focus shifted significantly: "Hey, you've been paying attention to me? Hehe."

"Nothing much, just small talk."

"He asked what my antique wine was?"

Concubine Liu Yi opened her eyes wide: "This person is very interesting. He even went to find out the truth?"

She repeated the conversation just now.

"It's over. This is embarrassing. I just wanted to scare him. He was like a fly."

Boss Lu shook his head helplessly, took out his cell phone and made an overseas call, asking Gustav to help him find the owner of the manor and buy some "antique wine".

"Ok?"

"I just helped you get through it. You pay for the wine."

Concubine Liu Yi was pleasantly surprised and said, "Really? Then we are quite in tune with each other!"

Cheng Guoqiang: Telepathic? That's called collusion!
. . .

Xu Ke came over with two male actors.

"Director Lu, why don't you drink and hide here chatting with the girl?"

"Hello, Director Xu." Liu Yifei greeted him. They had met at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Is the post-production of Seven Swords ready?"

"It's still a little short. Why don't I just go straight to you, the boss of Butian Film, to urge you to hurry up! Haha."

Xu Ke leaned sideways and said, "Let me introduce you to Zhen Zidan and Wu Jin."

"Zhuan Zi is an actor from 'Seven Swords'. He and Wu Jin were partners in the 'SPL' crew."

"Really? I've heard a lot about you."

Lu Kuan shook hands with everyone. When he reached the baby-faced Wu Jin, Zhen Bullet snatched Boss Lu's hand away without meaning to. "Director Lu, Director Yuan Heping has mentioned you a long time ago."

He nodded to Liu Yifei in a gentlemanly manner and said, "And Miss Liu, Director Yuan often praises your fighting scenes."

"We finally meet. Please give me your guidance in the future!"

Xiao Liu smiled back politely.

Wu Jin pursed his lips and stood aside, as if he had become accustomed to the behavior of this Hong Kong actor. However, even Liu Yifei could see his helplessness and embarrassment.

"Okay, okay, there's a chance for cooperation."

Boss Lu, of course, had a sharp eye and calmly extended his hand to Wu Jin: "We're going to be teammates tomorrow, haha. We can't rely on the old Zhao and the others for their weak arms and legs."

Wu Jin is thirty years old, and Boss Lu is twenty-three or twenty-four, which is the right age to break into the football field!
Zhao Benshan can just guard the goal and don't get hurt.

When they saw Lu Kuan and his female companion sitting together, they tactfully exchanged pleasantries and then wanted to leave.

"Wu Jin, let's talk about tomorrow's tactics? Haha." Boss Lu called out to the kung fu boy who had obviously been stranded in the Hong Kong circle.

"Ah? Okay!"

The three of them chatted under the complicated gaze of Zhen Zidan as he left.

Wu Jin sat upright in his chair. He didn't expect that this internationally renowned young director would be so easy-going.

"The Hong Kong Stars team has regular training sessions, and we..."

Wu Jin was a little unsure about the director's football level. As a martial arts star, he certainly had no problem with physical fitness and athletic ability, and he had been playing football for some years.

Xiao Liu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Lu Kuan, can you actually play football? You seemed to be talking so well at the Asian Cup last time. You can't really play football, right?"

"Ha, just kidding. I'll show you tomorrow."

Liu Yifei suddenly pointed at Wu Jin's forearm and said with a smile: "Why are you rubbing your arm all the time?"

This is a good use of words. This is the fourth time tonight.

Wu Jin casually said, "I got injured a little while filming 'SPL' last week, but it's nothing serious."

He said it calmly, but Lu Kuan knew the sadness behind it.

Wu Jin is a Manchu, born into a family of martial arts. At the age of 21, he took on the role in "Kung Fu Kid" and embarked on the path of a martial arts actor.

The 1997 film "Tai Chi Master" became a hit, and the 1999 film "The Flying Dagger of Li Xiao" was also a hit, but after the millennium, martial arts dramas fell out of favor, and he began to try action movies.

It is said that choice is more important than hard work. He went to Hong Kong around 2002 to seek opportunities, which was completely contrary to the historical trend. He also joined the National Army in 49.

In the movie "SPL" mentioned above, he and Zhen Zidan had a street fight.

In order to achieve a realistic fighting effect, he did not use any set moves and broke four sticks at the same place on his arm. However, in the finished film, he only had a few minutes of scenes and very few lines.

"Leave me your phone number. I'll contact you if there's a suitable role in the future."

Lu Kuan didn't get carried away with the politeness and his approachable attitude made Wu Jin particularly grateful.

Originally he thought it would be nice to be able to meet and get to know each other.

"By the way, the director of 'SPL' is Ye Weixin, right?"

"Yes."

Boss Lu nodded with a smile, then asked something surprising: "Can you practice Wing Chun?"

"Wing Chun?"

"Ah."

Wu Jin didn't understand what he meant and answered bluntly, "Wing Chun is a southern style of boxing, and it's different from the martial arts routines I learned before."

Liu Yifei interjected, "Wing Chun is short-sword, a close-combat technique. It's different from northern martial arts, but I've seen director Yuen Woo-ping demonstrate it."

In "Alien Land", her martial arts moves are mainly Bajiquan, mixed with other beautiful southern routines, such as the close combat in the opening car racing scene.

The question of whether it was Wing Chun or not was enough to confuse Wu Jin, but he didn't expect that what he said next was even more shocking.

"If you have time, you can practice it first to get a feel for it. Maybe it will come in handy for a movie later."

Boss Lu left his number and left with Liu Yifei, leaving Wu Jin alone who seemed lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)