Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 45: Hong Kong Trip, Gathering a Crew

Lu Kuan received a call from Li Dawei after he got off the plane the next day.

The young director, who was in his early thirties, first informed him that he had passed the audition and become the actor of Ouyang Yujian, and then hesitantly inquired about his relationship with Jiang Qinqin.

When he learned from Boss Lu that Jiang Qinqin took care of him like a sister, the love-struck director excitedly expressed his welcome and vowed to take good care of him on the crew.

Lu Kuan hung up the phone speechlessly. He wasn't shameless enough to mock or make fun of the director who was deeply in love with him, but he just felt quite embarrassed...

Although it was embarrassing, Boss Lu received a total of 20 yuan in salary and sales of the theme song, and he was one step closer to his movie dream.

"Lu Sheng! This way!" Wang Minhui stood on tiptoe and jumped excitedly in the crowd, her chest curves in her short-sleeved shirt showing off proudly.

The average temperature in Hong Kong in April is basically above 4 degrees Celsius. At noon, the sun is high in the sky and it is already a little hot.

Wang Minhui drove him to his mansion in Heng'an Pavilion, constantly looking for topics to talk about along the way.

"Lu Sheng, Sister Mei and I both saw your rock performance. It was so impressive!"

"Really? I even broke my voice. I think Sister Mei would laugh so hard she could not stand up straight!"

Wang Minhui smiled and said, "No, the lyrics really moved her. She read it online several times."

"By the way, how are the mother and her two children in Sister Mei's family doing now?"

Shortly after leaving Hong Kong last time, Mui Yin-fong's second brother Mui Deming was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer.

He did well and actively cooperated with the treatment. He also cultivated his character as Lu Kuan instructed and rented a house near the famous Taoist temple Penglai Xianguan in the New Territories to practice Taoism. He was very honest.

This diagnosis really scared the eldest brother Mei Qiming. He had a high fever for several days before he finally recovered. Now he looks more kind than anyone else.

Including the old witch Qin Meijin, who kept begging Mei Yanfang to contact Lu Kuan to save her two sons. She was so scared that she had no time to act like a demon anymore.

Wang Minhui became even more excited when she mentioned this: "That's great. Now the family is loving and the children are filial, all thanks to your advice, Lu Sheng."

"Ding ding ding ding~" Wang Minhui's cell phone rang again, and the female driver hung up without even looking at it.

She glanced at Lu Kuan, who was sitting in the passenger seat on her left, and asked tentatively, "Lu Sheng, could you please calculate my feelings?"

"Oh?" Lu Kuan turned his head curiously and took a closer look at the beautiful girl who was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. "Is that even worth mentioning? You look so charming."

"The call that just hung up was from Nicholas Tse, right?"

Wang Minhui was shocked: "Oh my God! You really can calculate it?!"

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "I guessed it. I heard the flight attendant gossiping about you guys on the plane. It made everyone else envious."

Wang Minhui blushed and said nothing, then turned a corner and arrived at her destination.

Mei Yanfang was already waiting eagerly on the second-floor terrace.

"Brother, is Hong Kong hot?"

Lu Kuan looked up and saw that Mei Yanfang's hair was cut even shorter, but her face was rosy and she looked energetic, not like a middle-aged woman suffering from a serious illness.

"Sister, you look good."

The two smiled and hugged each other gently. Lu Kuan could clearly feel that her body was not as thin as before. As the saying goes, a happy heart makes the body fat, and a good mood is the most nourishing.

"You're so busy in the mainland that you haven't come to see your sister for two months." Mei Yanfang pretended to be angry as she looked at Lu Kuan drinking sugar water to cool off.

"Here, let me count for you." Lu Kuan counted on his fingers: "I took the art exam, wrote a movie script, wrote two songs, and auditioned for a CCTV TV series. Filming will start next month."

Wang Minhui flattered him at the right time: "Lu Sheng is very ambitious. Sister Mei, you watch his rock video every day, don't you know that?" "Sure you are so talkative!" Mei Yanfang scolded with a smile.

"No matter how busy you are at work, you need to rest. Just look at your sister. She's become ill over the years."

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Don't worry. By the way, sister, have you read the script I sent you?"

"Whiplash, it's really well written. I now suspect you're a fake Taoist priest. Are you possessed by some famous director?"

That’s right, I was possessed by a demon from outer space.

Mei Yanfang got down to business: "Tell me, how can I help you?"

Lu Kuan said seriously, "The teacher in this movie is too dark and will have a hard time getting approved in mainland China. I'd like to go the co-production route and cast Hong Kong actors for the lead and supporting roles."

"Which?"

"Nicholas Tse, Edison Chen, and Vivian Ng are fine, and the pay is..."

Mei Yanfang smiled and said, "If you need money, I can invest."

"No, the current preliminary budget is 600 million. I have 400 million in cash. With Nicholas Tse and his team taking on the lead roles, we can still earn at least 150 million from the product placements for the drums and coffee shop in the film. There's basically no big gap."

Wang Minhui asked, "What is your target salary for the three of them?"

"Nicholas Tse received 100 million, Edison Chen received 60, and Vivian Yu received 40." (Note 1)

Mei Yanfang and Wang Minhui looked at each other. The estimated salary was very accurate. It was a discount on the market price, and the friendship price was basically around this number.

Lu Kuan certainly came prepared. Nicholas Tse is currently the undisputed number one young actor in Hong Kong Island. He comes from a musical background and has certain acting skills.

From image to age, it is perfect for the protagonist who needs a certain level of musical literacy.

In terms of the box office appeal of co-productions, he is also the first choice.

The reason why Lu Kuan waited until now to come to Hong Kong and ask Mei Yanfang to invite him was that he chose a very awkward time for Nicholas Tse.

This involves his recent scandal.

This incident directly led to a sharp drop in his real-time net worth, with advertising prices falling from 200 million to 100 million during the same period.

The cunning and treacherous Boss Lu took advantage of the situation where Nicholas Tse was in a very passive position in Hong Kong and invited him to film in the mainland, and he could also lower his salary. Why not do it?

"Minhui, please invite Nicholas Tse and have Xiaolu talk to him in person tomorrow."

Chen Guanxi's status at this time was average, so he first dealt with Nicholas Tse, and the rest were just extras and not worth worrying about.

"Yes, Sister Mei."

Mei Yanfang was in a rather conflicted mood. Seeing Lu Kuan's ambition, she was pleased, but at the same time, she couldn't help but worry whether a 20-year-old youth could shoulder the heavy responsibility of producing a 600 million movie.

After all, this is a student who has just come out of the mountains and into the world for more than half a year, and is still taking the entrance exam for the directing department.

"Brother, how about I help you find a producer? Is Jiang Zhiqiang suitable?"

Lu Kuan hesitated for a few seconds and said, "We can meet and discuss the distribution, but I don't need to be the producer."

　Note 1: The salaries are based on their advertising salaries during the same period (film salaries can be inflated due to wedding gifts and accounting adjustments). Both of their salaries plummeted following the scandals. Furthermore, the advertising salaries of entertainment stars in various industries are generally higher than their film remuneration or salary.

　　For example, when Yao Ming's annual salary was 1500 million US dollars, Toyota offered him an endorsement fee of 3 million yuan, but he did not accept it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)