Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 331 The Obsessed Female Warrior

The secretary came in, and Hastings' office was filled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans. On the wall hung a poster of "The Godfather" with the words "Fast is better than perfect".

Concubine Liu Yi's "admonition" begins here:
"Mr. Reed (Hastings) just mentioned my purpose. I think I should have made it clearer."

"Obviously, my appeal is that Netflix dominates the DVD rental market, and I can also get better opportunities for roles with my shares."

"Fast is always better than perfect, isn't it?"

2006 was the peak period for DVD sales in Hollywood, which replaced VHS tapes and became the main medium for consumers to purchase and collect movies.

On average, DVD revenue generally accounts for 40%-50% of a film’s total revenue, much higher than box office revenue at theaters.

As an actress eager to make a name for herself in Hollywood, Liu Yifei's argument is persuasive.

"Mr. Hastings, I have great confidence in Netflix."

"Thank you, me too." Hastings said confidently, "Ma'am, you and your family have made the right decision. I will arrange the share purchase as soon as possible."

"I have to say, you've chosen a great company. Not only do we want to dominate the DVD market, but we've also set our sights on the future of streaming media!"

Liu Yifei was shocked when she saw Hastings painting big promises for investment.

What Boss Lu told her that Hastings might have conceived the idea of ​​streaming media seemed to be true.

The young director is only making an estimate, after all, Netflix's real drastic transformation was in 2007.

The girl pretended to be puzzled: "Streaming?"

"Yes! Streaming!" Hastings said proudly: "DVD rentals will always have a ceiling, but streaming can break through the physical medium, provide a richer content library, and meet the diverse needs of more users."

"Actually, I've got some ideas, but we've got to beat that damn Blockbuster first, right?"

"They have dominated the market for 30 years, but they are eventually eliminated by the times."

The confident and conceited CEO was talking freely, but was surprised to find that the Chinese girl with a mysterious background suddenly stood up!

"Are you kidding me, Mr. Hastings?" Liu Yifei's pretty face was filled with doubt. "My $3 million is not to pay for your unrealistic dreams!"

“I’m going to pay for my own dream!”

Hastings was stunned when he heard this, and felt a little contempt for these investors who had no idea about the market.

It seems that this delicate and beautiful oriental girl is just a vase wielding the stick of money.

"Innovation! Madam, you must understand what innovation is!"

"The six major Hollywood studios have a monopoly on the big screen, but I'm telling you, the future of PCs will be dominated by Netflix! That's innovation!"

Liu Yifei marveled in her heart. The words between the lines were basically consistent with what Boss Lu said. He talked about the integration of three screens in the movie channel. Hastings just missed the so-called mobile terminal.

Even she herself couldn't quite understand the scene of "watching movies on the phone" that person mentioned.

Perhaps the release of Apple's first generation of smartphones next year will give her a deeper understanding of the so-called mobile terminal.

The little beauty frowned, things were getting a little complicated.

It has to be said that Hastings is worthy of being the entrepreneur who will make Netflix's market value surpass Disney in the future.

In 2006, when all conditions were not yet ripe and the world's first smartphone had not yet been released, the strategic intention of establishing an emerging streaming platform had already emerged.

But now Xiao Liu's mission is to stop him.

How to stop it?

You can't expect a 19-year-old girl who is still in her learning stage to convince a dictatorial entrepreneur how to manage a business and make strategic decisions.

According to a 2005 report Netflix filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Hastings held about 12% of the shares.

However, because of the AB share structure, he has up to 97% of the voting rights in the company's decisions.

With 300 million US dollars, Liu Yifei could not expect to persuade him, and it was completely impossible for her to suspend the streaming business through a board resolution after acquiring shares.

There is only one way, which is to take advantage of the battle between Netflix and Blockbuster and use the $3 million to delay him as much as possible.

Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows. "Innovation requires capital. Does Netflix have that now?"

Hastings remained silent. "Why not?"

"Really?" Liu Yifei stood up, crossed her arms, and looked at him with a smile. "In February, you pledged your own shares to get a loan of $8500 million."

"You were also forced to issue $7.25 million in convertible bonds with an interest rate of 2% and a conversion price of 14.5, far exceeding the market price of 3.8!"

"Tell me, what kind of capital is this?"

Hastings looked at the Chinese girl in surprise, and gradually corrected his previous impression in his mind.

It doesn't look like a vase.

Of course, everyone knows how to read data, especially the public data of listed companies. Hastings is not impressed by her yet.

"What I mean by capital is not just these simple numbers." Hastings also stood up, trying to put some pressure on her.

"Our company's innovative spirit and culture, our industry-leading execution and transformation determination, and our core technical talent are our real capital."

"Those you're talking about are called numbers."

The authoritarian entrepreneur became more and more confident as he spoke, just like the way he led the up-and-coming companies to challenge Blockbuster, which had dominated the industry for 30 years.

"Netflix was founded in 1997 and went public in just five years. Blockbuster dominated offline rentals, so we innovated online."

"While Netflix was fully embracing the DVD market, Blockbuster was still holding onto its massive VHS inventory."

"By the time we spent millions of dollars developing Cinematch, a recommendation system to predict customer preferences and viewing habits, Blockbuster hadn't even started its integration efforts."

Hastings spread his hands towards Liu Yifei and said, "Ma'am, I believe this is also the reason why you chose Netflix instead of Blockbuster?"

The Chinese girl smiled at him for a few seconds, then spoke directly to the heart of the matter: "No matter how slow Blockbuster's previous actions were, Antioch's $1.5 million grid connection project has finally begun."

"Netflix knows how to innovate. It was 50 steps ahead of Blockbuster in the online rental business."

"But don't forget, Blockbuster's legs are twice as long as yours. This little lead is nothing."

Before Hastings could retort, she continued to put forward her own arguments, which were the results of her careful research during this period, and she did it intentionally under the guidance of Boss Lu.

"I have a few questions for Mr. Hastings, is that all right?"

"please say."

Liu Yifei's expression was cold. "In 2006, the average download speed for American households was only 1.2Mbps. It took 3 hours and 6 minutes to buffer 'The Lord of the Rings: Resurrection'. If you were to use it to watch 'The Matrix,' Neo wouldn't even draw his gun before it would freeze into a mosaic. How are you going to attract users?"

Hastings put it simply: "We're looking at the future. Last year, the number was 1.0 Mbps, wasn't it?"

Xiao Liu didn't argue and continued to express his views: "Okay, you can look at the future, but do you want to look at the present?"

“根据奈飞去年的Q4报表，运营现金流从6280万美金骤降至310万，因为囤积《达芬奇密码》等热门影片更是导致库存周转天数从58天延长至到了89天。”

"Based on the current trend, if Netflix continues to focus on streaming, without any fresh revenue, can it survive until 2008?"

This time, Hastings did not respond smoothly and hesitated a little: "In fact, in addition to you, we have also contacted other investors. This is not a problem."

"Haha, okay, then I'll ask one last question."

Concubine Liu Yi decided to use her trump card after she and Lu Kuan confirmed that this was a problem that Hastings absolutely could not solve, or even find an excuse to avoid.

Format tomb.

"There are currently three incompatible technology silos in the global video playback industry."

"RealPlayer, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player are three of the most popular video game platforms."

"Among these three players, one is from Apple and the other is from Microsoft, and they each support different playback formats. This is simply too deadly!"

"Hollywood studios like Warner, Miramax, and Universal only license their films for a single format. If Netflix were to force its way into streaming, it would have to pay an additional 30% format conversion fee."

Hastings' face was gloomy, and before he could refute, he was interrupted by Concubine Liu Yi's louder words:
“Even if Netflix innovates again, it should also consider user experience, right?”

"What's the DVD experience like? Open the envelope, insert the disc, and play it."

"And what do you call streaming? Downloading a player, updating drivers, installing a codec, buffering, and finally a blue screen!"

"Rstings, tell me, how loyal a Netflix user must be to endure a 1.2Mbps download speed for nearly ten hours, only to find out that what you're fiddling with is bullshit?"

Liu Yifei leisurely picked up her latest LV Speedy handbag from the sofa and said, "I still say the same thing, Hastings."

"My $300 million is to pay for my dream, not yours or Netflix's dream."

The conceited Netflix CEO had no intention of stopping her from leaving. In fact, this was also the reason why he could not convince the team to start the transformation now.

Later, when Hastings transformed in 2007, he chose to go all out and bet on H.264/AVC encoding, abandoning the then mainstream formats such as RealMedia and Windows Media.

This is also one of the boldest technological gambles in the history of streaming media.

But in 2006, Hastings was still facing a life-and-death battle with the giant Blockbuster, and his thinking had not yet expanded to this point.

He made a wrong move in chess and was immediately silenced by the "female hero" who acted unintentionally.

The charming and charming chivalrous woman turned the doorknob and left. Before leaving, she suddenly asked, "Hastings, I heard you're a military enthusiast. Did you go to West Point specifically to listen to the instructors lecture on our country's 'The Art of War'?"

This is her homework.

The authoritarian entrepreneur, still with a gloomy face, uttered a noncommittal "hmm".

Concubine Liu Yi killed people and hurt their hearts: "Then I don't understand your decision even more."

"If the Allies had stormed France right after landing in North Africa in 1943, the people speaking French now would probably be Nazis, right?"

“Streaming is your Normandy, but D-Day requires meteorologists, airborne divisions, and disinformation—do you have those now?

Xiao Liu, the female hero, said goodbye formally: "Thanks for the meeting, Hastings. If you have thought it through, I am still willing to leave the $300 million to Netflix."

"Otherwise, maybe Blockbuster also needs this life-saving money."

"Please consider this as soon as possible. Netflix doesn't have much time left."

With the infusion of the old demon's forty years of power from his previous life, Liu Yifei, the female hero of Jianghu, didn't seem to have to use much strength. With a light sword strike, she pierced the vital point of a certain Western Region master.

The Cherokee drove away from Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, with Mia driving.

The girl in the back seat breathed a sigh of relief and called the old demon.

"Ok?"

"Sorry, I failed."

"...Tell me more about it."

Xiao Liu tells the story in a straightforward manner, but she does not forget to observe Hastings' micro-expressions from her perspective as an actor.

"He seemed to be wavering, but in order to avoid him getting suspicious, I had no choice but to leave first."

Boss Lu laughed and said, "It's not a failure. Who do you think he is? It's not bad to be able to achieve this."

"Since Plan A didn't work, I will have someone buy out Carl Icahn's Blockbuster shares as soon as possible. The media will spread the news, and Hastings will realize the crisis."

"If you keep in touch with him, I think he will contact you again."

Liu Yifei was a little tired. "I understand. I will ask how this investment will be used when the time comes. We will focus on competing with Blockbuster in the DVD rental market."

"Well, what are your plans next?"

Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment and said, "According to Sister Chunru's notes, there are also the George Washington Library in Washington, the Library of Congress, PBS TV, etc."

"Next, I plan to go to the library at Yale Divinity School and then go to Germany to meet with John Rabe's descendants. She will accompany me."

"Finally we're in Jinling. It's almost time to join the group, right?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while. Liu Yifei didn't know what he was thinking. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted: "You... should pay attention to your mental state."

The sound of electricity suddenly swallowed up the second half of the sentence, but Liu Yifei clearly heard the muffled sound of his Adam's apple rolling.

As if she felt his concern, the little girl's heart softened: "Don't worry, mommy is with me every day, I'll be fine."

"To be honest, I've gained a deeper and newer understanding of many of the things you taught me in the past this month."

"The road is wide, you know. I can't wait to push open that door. I can't help but want to throw myself back to 1937 or 1995, to touch that history and capture the resonance of that emotion."

The young director's voice was a little hoarse, perhaps because he smoked too much. "I can hear that you speak with a Huaiyin accent."

"Maybe we can talk in Jiangsu dialect in the future. Jinling and Huai'an are very close."

Concubine Liu Yi covered her mouth and laughed: "Haha! Now is the time!"

Hearing that she seemed to be in a normal mood, Boss Lu was relieved: "Then follow your own plan."

"If you feel stressed, you can stop for a while, check Twitter, watch Blockbuster or Netflix, and divert your attention."

Xiao Liu feigned anger: "You're just a washing machine, trying to trick me into working illegally for you all day, right?"

"If you don't want to, that's fine too. If you want to relax, try some other methods."

"any solution?"

Boss Lu teased her from a distance: "Video, at worst I can show you my bare chest. Don't say that I, the richest man, am taking advantage of you, a little girl."

"roll!"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up next time!"

Boss Lu's suggestive and awkward words seemed to create static electricity on her eardrums, and Xiao Liu's coquettish cry hit the dark car window and shattered into eight pieces.

She couldn't help but think of the beauty in the video that day. She felt her face and body were very hot, so she gently opened the car window.

The breeze lifted the strands of hair at her temples, revealing a hint of rouge behind her ear, which was now invading her carotid artery.

Xiao Liu glanced at Mia who was driving, thinking it was a good thing she didn't understand Chinese. "You, you, you, stop being a hooligan. That was really an accident!"

"Yeah, I know. It was an accident, an accident." Boss Lu said in a knowing tone, and the red cloud rising on her face could be seen through the phone.

After chatting and laughing for a while, the old devil's teasing of the female hero ended and the phone was hung up.

Boss Lu from the Wulong "Curse of the Golden Flower" set sighed leisurely. He was very conflicted now.

I first met Liu Yifei in December 2001, and it has been nearly five years now. Young directors may be the ones who can best understand what she just said about an actor's self-perception and evolution.

It sounds a bit mysterious to say that this is like breaking through a barrier in martial arts novels, but for an actress who is not particularly talented, it is a rare opportunity to have such a chance to experience it at such an age.

Considering her mental state, maybe she should stop;

But in order to achieve her long-cherished wish of becoming a top actress, she should undoubtedly be encouraged to keep going, even if the road ahead is full of difficulties and inner demons.

In recent years, Boss Lu has been like the harsh teacher in "Whiplash", who has been giving frustration education to his student Xiao Liu and forcing her to move forward step by step.

Now the student has really reached the point where he has to be crazy and wants to live, and the teacher has become hesitant.

Whether interrupting her progress or asking the girl to help him mediate with Hastings;
Or the occasional jokes and teasing were all done to try to relieve her stress.

The female hero in Jianghu naturally had no idea of ​​the old demon's inner conflict.

She still happily licked the occasional care and tenderness revealed by Boss Lu, enjoying the special treatment given to her by her Machiavellian personality, and entered the next stormy journey.

Late May, Library of Congress, Washington.

Liu Yifei appeared in the underground archive room with a constant temperature of 21 degrees, wearing a women's suit, black-framed glasses without makeup, and carrying a shoulder bag.

Her cuffs were stained with some dust from the old file bag, and Hua Xiaofei asked the administrator to find the carbon paper of Zhang Chunru's borrowing record in 1996.

There are ballpoint pen marks on the yellowed paper, and the writing strength of words such as "Asahi Shimbun 1937" can be recognized.

During the months in the Asian Department of the Library of Congress, Zhang Chunru maintained a high-intensity work of copying historical materials for eight hours every day for six consecutive weeks.

It was rainy season in Washington, D.C., and when Xiao Liu was checking microfilm at the National Archives, his right pinky finger would always curl up unconsciously.

This is an imitation of Zhang Chunru's habitual movement of holding a pen.

Concubine Liu Yi wrote in her biography: "I added a callus mark to the first joint of my right middle finger, and I would hold a mint candy in my mouth while proofreading. The slight sweetness counteracted the fishy smell of the historical materials, and the coolness served as a reminder of the nation's blood feud."

Mid-June, Georgetown Library.

"Double concentrate, no sugar added."

Liu Yifei pushed the coin to the freckle-faced barista, her voice hoarse from staying up late.

The indigo color unique to microfilm remained between her nails, and the joints of her index finger were light blue from holding a pen for a long time.

A head with silver earrings dangled from behind the counter. "Ma'am, you look a bit like that Asian blogger on Mytube who's been off for a few months."

Liu Yifei, the writer, was filling in character details while waiting for coffee. She didn't even look up when she heard this: "You're talking about Crystal. I'm also urging you to update."

The barista was wiping the latte art pitcher when he suddenly lowered his voice to his companion, "Why do I feel like she's that Lan Yue?"

"No, she's much thinner than Blue Moon, and her accent is from the Midwest."

The person suspected to be Lan Yue mentioned by the two people walked away with a cup of coffee. Her figure, appearance, temperament and conversation had almost completely changed into another Zhang Chunru. It was no wonder that they could not recognize her.

She returned to the empty seat in the library, staring at the gradually collapsing vortex of milk foam in the cup, a tired arc rising at the corner of her mouth.

The morning light penetrated the little girl's knuckles as she gripped the cup handle, casting a butterfly-bone silhouette on the table.

Liu Yifei took a sip of coffee and suddenly had an epiphany. She walked to the electronic reading room and posted a blog post:

[It turns out that playing a scholar is not about being serious, but about learning to fall in love with historical materials.

When my pen scratched the paper for the fourth time out of anger, I suddenly understood why Ms. Chang Chun-ju always put her coffee cup on the corner of the table.

That is the seat reserved for the dead souls of history.

As the camera opens and closes, we all hold space for those who cannot speak.

After spending a week in Georgetown, Xiao Liu left gracefully and headed for the next battlefield.

The top young star in the domestic entertainment industry has not appeared in any official domestic events for nearly a year, but her legend has never been absent from the world.

Starting from the beginning of May, her "Character Life Experience Series" blog posts began to be serialized on the blog network.

I share my daily life, routine and experiences with my fans.

With nearly 1300 million followers, this blog post quickly topped the blog's hot search list and received countless replies.

[Washington Rain]: I stumbled upon Sissi, makeup-free, researching at the Georgetown Library! Her ponytail is so tall it could hold a backpack, and she looks like Conan holding a magnifying glass!

When I was secretly filming, I was warned by the administrator as a suspicious person...

[Graduate School Entrance Exam Girl]: I stocked up on thirty boxes of Hershey's mints with Xixi, and now everyone in class calls me the Walking Green Arrow. But my vocabulary memorization efficiency has really skyrocketed! The only thing I do is scare the guy away on a date.

[Gu Xiaobai VIP]: In April, I had the honor to attend the press conference for the project launch of "The Sky of History" in Jinling. When Director Lu announced that the heroine would be Liu Yifei, to be honest, I didn't quite agree with it.

Putting aside her physical appearance, can her experience and age alone allow her to portray the indomitable spirit and pain seen in the eyes of a female historian and author?
The crew has been setting up the set for the past two months and no more news has been released. I have only been following Liu Yifei's blog posts.

This sentence really stung me today: When the camera opens and closes, we are all holding space for those who cannot speak.

Looking forward to your character development.

The heated discussion on the Internet has never stopped, and everyone wants to take advantage of this traffic.

"Liu Yifei's Makeup Tutorial" appeared on Tianya Forum: The ponytail should be tied at a 15-degree angle, and the pen must be pinned to the second button!
Xici Hutong launched the "Search for Zhang Chunru-style coffee cups" campaign, and the sales of the same enamel pots in Yiwu soared.

Penguin Space went viral with the article "Test which stage of life are you experiencing with Liu Yifei? Take everyone to experience the top ten libraries in the United States."

Yale Divinity School Library, Connecticut, late June.

If the Hoover Institution, her first stop, was one of the most important scenes, then the importance of this seminary library was no less.

Because it was here that Zhang Chunru discovered clues to "Rabe's Diary".

In the fall of 1995, when Zhang Chunru was browsing the Bates Papers in the seminary library, she found several files mentioning "John Rabe, Chairman of the International Committee of the Nanjing Safety Zone."

In December of the same year, she tracked down the contact information of Rabe's granddaughter Ursula Reinhardt through death records in the Berlin city archives.

1996年3月，在柏林郊区一栋公寓楼内，莱因哈特从橡木箱中取出尘封59年的《拉贝日记》——80本手写日记、2000余页文件、120张照片组成的铁证。

Zhang Chunru brought the copies to China and handed them over to official and non-governmental organizations. In 1996, she held a press conference at the InterContinental Hotel in New York, where they became a powerful weapon against the right-wing scum who denied history.

Walking in this world-famous theological library, Concubine Liu Yi was completely immersed in another history.

This scene is an important one in the movie, and she must treat it with more enthusiasm and energy.

The morning mist condensed into fine water droplets on the Gothic stained windows, refracting the nine o'clock sunlight into pale blue diamonds, just like chessboard squares falling on Concubine Liu Yi's back.

She was curled up at the top of the oak ladder, her light blue denim shirt washed to a pale color - it was a replica of Zhang Chunru's work photo from 1995.

The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, revealing the pale blue veins on the inside of the forearms, like the blurred ink lines on an ancient book.

As my fingertips stroked the gilded spine of the Beddes Documents, the paper fibers stuck in Liu Yifei's hair floated in the beam of light, like ashes raised by history.

She quietly flipped through the copy of "Rabe's Diary" in a single seat. Those bloody photos seemed to shock her soul more than any other historical documents.

This female hero, who is bent on touching the door of the performance temple, does not know that she is on the verge of going astray.

The weather was getting hotter, but her heart couldn't stop feeling cold and sinking.

The more she immersed herself in the play, the closer she got to the character and the further away she got from herself.

In order to see the tiny handwriting clearly, she bit her lower lip unconsciously, and the coral lipstick peeled off between her teeth, revealing her originally pale lips.

The sweaty hair stuck to the back of his neck, sometimes taut as a full string, sometimes hanging down like a broken spear depending on the progress of the review.

Concubine Liu Yi suddenly felt a palpitation, took a few deep breaths, and scratched her head fiercely.

When I lowered my head again, a few strands of hair fell out between my fingers...

"Sissi!"

Xiao Liu was patted from behind while in a daze, and suddenly turned around.

shock!
Why does this person look so much like me?

Oh, no...it's Sister Chunru.

In early July, Zhang Chunru, her face sweating with anxiety, found her. She squatted down and for the first time used her most stern tone to address this little girl: "We called you more than ten times, why didn't you answer?"

Then he called Mia: "Pack up your things, let's go back first."

Concubine Liu Yi looked at them in confusion: "My phone seems to have died from recording the video. Why are you so anxious?"

Zhang Chunru was helpless: "You are a person who can make people feel at ease, right?"

When his admired elder sister spoke, Xiao Liu didn't have the nerve to rebel like he had with his old mother. He just let her make the decision for him and went all the way back to the hotel in downtown New Haven.

The atmosphere in the room was solemn, and Zhang Chunru and Liu Xiaoli both stared at her with complicated eyes.

The little girl burst out laughing: "What's going on? You guys are so weird!"

Liu Xiaoli shook her head: "Xixi, you can't go on like this."

"It's been almost three months. Look at your chin, it's become thinner and pointed. You suffer from insomnia, nightmares, and hair loss. You..." The old mother's eyes were red and she was choked with sobs and couldn't continue.

Concubine Liu Yi waved her hand: "Don't worry, I know what's going on."

The girl waved her notebook at them and said, "You can't imagine how much I've learned. I truly understand that one must practice firsthand."

"Sister Chunru, you will soon see another version of yourself in the movie."

Zhang Chunru looked at the girl with a slightly hoarse voice with a bitter heart. Her external appearance, including her accent, was almost identical to hers.

Even the aroma of the mint cube in her mouth as she spoke.

Countless living habits like these have been imitated and captured by her, almost becoming natural.

When Zhang Chunru first met Liu Yifei in 2002, she was often infected by her cuteness and adorableness.

Last year, her words "I won't allow it" during the Fox live broadcast made Zhang's father and mother cry and say to their daughter - she looks like you.

But what made Zhang Chunru most sad was that this little girl infected herself with her innocence when she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown;
Yet, she shouldered the burden of this painful history and devoted herself to this film that was destined to fulfill the nation's long-cherished wish.

In some mysterious way, an emotional exchange of happiness and pain was completed between her and Concubine Liu Yi, but this was not what Zhang Chunru wanted to see.
"Xixi, please don't become another me. I know what kind of torture that is."

"I think you can stop for a moment."

Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but say, "Xixi, Mom knows you've grown up and are very independent, but this time the situation is different. You may not be able to notice it yourself, but everyone around you can see that you're different!"

"You can't go on like this!"

Xiao Liu knew their good intentions, but she really didn't want to give up such a good opportunity: "Think about it, from the time Lu Kuan decided to start the Holocaust film project, how many obstacles have we encountered in the past year?"

“To this day, there are still a few right-wing scums stalking us and harassing us.”

"The way to shut them up is to make a Chinese version of Schindler's List!"

"Sister Chunru, the more I walk the path you've taken, the more I realize the importance of this movie."

"With filming set to start in just one month, how could I back out at this moment?"

Zhang Chunru warned her with an unprecedented solemnity: "I know better than anyone how much pressure you are under. This pressure once tried to destroy me, but this movie gave me hope again."

"Movies are important, but you are more important."

"Besides, we just want you to stop and get ready before filming. What's wrong with that?"

Concubine Liu Yi bit her lower lip tightly and begged helplessly, "Can we go back to Nanjing after we go to Germany?"

"no!"

"no!"

Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Chunru said in unison, with the latter gently coaxing, "How about this: cancel your trip to Germany. You'll still have to go when the filming begins, so just familiarize yourself with the location beforehand."

"Besides, just ask me anything you want to know. Is there anything I know better than you?"

"I just contacted Xiaolu. He will go to the set for inspection in the middle of the month."

"Let's go back to Jinling first. Wouldn't it be better if you could familiarize yourself with the scene there?"

Seeing that they were determined not to give up until they agreed, the little girl had no choice but to pick up her full notebook and agreed worriedly.

Seeing her return to the room listlessly, Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Chunru looked at each other helplessly and sighed.

"Don't worry too much, Sister Xiaoli. Once she returns to Jinling and meets Lu Kuan, and the environment in China is more down-to-earth, she'll naturally get better."

The old mother shook her head and smiled bitterly: "You don't know, Chunru, this girl is really a little bit obsessed now."

"Sometimes she's so absorbed in her thoughts that she loses her appetite, and sometimes even Xiaolu can't persuade her. This used to be the case..."

Zhang Chunru was speechless.

She naturally knew about Concubine Liu Yi's feelings for Lu Kuan, but this didn't seem too surprising.

Concubine Liu Yi's character is inherently proud and persistent.

She who refused to take off her pointe shoes even when they were bruised and purple as a child;

She had done four years of meticulous morning exercises to get started in acting;

She who resolutely jumped out of the frame in order to be the most special color;
She is willing to defile herself in front of the whole world in order to protect the people she cherishes.

Starting from the night of her birthday party, from the moment she said, "I, completely and absolutely, control myself," even Boss Lu, who had the greatest influence on her, seemed to be intermittently ineffective on certain issues.

For example, when it comes to loyalty and uniqueness in love, the washing machine would never dare to test or touch her.

Or the role of Zhang Chunru in "The Sky of History".

In the heart of the little girl who was too immersed in the play, nothing was more important than this movie.

To the public, this is the hard work and expectation of so many people.

Just think about what Schindler's List means to the Jews.

Personally, this was also the key for her to cross that threshold and an opportunity to break free from the shackles of stereotyped roles in her acting career.

In this life, her eventful and colorful life and emotional experiences have shaped her into a more resilient, wise and independent female image based on her innocent and tranquil background.

When it comes to acting and emotions, she has her own unique attitude and aesthetics——

Build the character with steely willpower and let the emotional cracks bloom into flowers in the dark.
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At the end of July 2006, several news items were quietly published in the Wall Street Journal, but those who were not involved glanced over them, while those who cared about others were amazed.

Marvel Studios has reached a principled acquisition agreement with a mysterious Eastern buyer and plans to submit a comprehensive acquisition proposal this year.

Relatively speaking, this is a piece of news that no one cares about, because Marvel is really in a state of turmoil right now.

The interruption of cash flow has forced the management to put almost all their hopes on "Iron Man", which is about to start filming next year.

It is reported that this superhero movie, jointly invested by North America, Miramax and Disney, will premiere worldwide in 2008.

For example, Wanda's acquisition of AMC was successfully completed in 2012, and in the same year, companies such as Chengtian also successfully acquired Legendary Entertainment in North America.

On this day in 2006, a film company that started with series such as "Paranormal Activity" and "Insidious" acquired Marvel. Even though it was owned by Chinese, it was not a very sensitive transaction.

Marvel has already mortgaged all its assets, and Chinese capital is seen by outsiders as stupid money taking over.

The battle between Blockbuster and Netflix is ​​in full swing. After attracting investment, both sides will change sides and continue the battle!

The industry first reported that Blockbuster's major shareholder Carl Icahn sold 15% of his shares to a mysterious North American private equity fund for US$1.5 million.

Feeling the pressure, Netflix CEO Hastings was not to be outdone and announced that a Chinese consortium had invested in the company, injecting $3 million into the DVD rental war.

Not only that, Hastings also received support from Miramax and Disney.

Not only will Miramax's film library be given priority, but Disney's recent "Toy Story" will also be considered for exclusive distribution on DVD channels.

This is a huge negative for Blockbuster.

Of course, these were all the result of Boss Lu's covert manipulation, with the goal of quickly defeating Blockbuster, absorbing funds through the secondary market, convertible bonds, and bulk transactions, and ultimately completing the acquisition.

The next step is to swallow up Netflix, which is forced to start a full-scale DVD war.

In 2006, Netflix's total market capitalization was less than $20 billion. As long as the situation could hold out until early 2007, when Paulson's first CDS profit would arrive, all he would have to consider was the review by the U.S. Trade Commission and the Department of Justice.

In addition, the two North American films "Twilight" and "Alien: The Last Airbender" will be released in the North American summer season at the end of July and mid-August respectively.

What’s different from the past is that this time the distribution will be much easier with the help of our ally Disney.

However, while everyone in the company, including its partners Harvey and Lionsgate, was worried, Boss Lu was quite confident and casual.

"Foreign Language 2" is a series with a fixed audience and Leonardo's appeal, and "Twilight" is a box office truth that has been tested by later generations.

In this life, with the marketing boost from Internet tools such as Mytube and Twitter, the numbers will only be more impressive.

As long as nothing unexpected happens, just wait for the harvest.

Unknowingly, the tentacles of a certain Eastern entertainment capital have taken root in Hollywood.

In terms of content, it relies on B-grade movies such as "Insidious" and "Paranormal Activity". It is about to acquire Marvel and begin to gradually recover the superhero IPs scattered in the hands of the six major companies.

In terms of channels, the big screen has the support of allies such as Disney and Lionsgate, starting with Blockbuster/Netflix, aiming at the future streaming media track;
The number of Twitter users for Fourth Estate Marketing has exceeded two million. With the huge success of "Twilight", the IPs and products that are bound to each other can grow synergistically.

This does not include Boss Lu’s shares in Facebook, which are held in the name of the Gunner Fund and are not being publicized for the time being.

There is also $10 billion worth of stock in Google and Android, which will shine in the era of streaming media and mobile Internet.

In the middle of 2006, the Eastern Old Devil, who had lived two lives as a human, had driven the first nail deeply into North America and began to lay a solid foundation step by step, waiting for the day to bear fruit.

The female hero he personally trained had no choice but to accept the arrangement of Zhang Chunru and Liu Xiaoli and returned to China at the end of July after being away for nearly a year.

She is about to complete Jinling, the last stop of her life experience, and then join the crew to start filming.

(End of this chapter)