The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 376 A woman is most charming when he doesn't know how deep she is.
……

For Netflix, 2015 was a year of ups and downs, but they managed to push their market value to over $400 billion.

At the same time, traditional giants like Time Warner also had a market capitalization of around the same amount.

Netflix also sparked huge controversy that year.

"Boss, today is Christmas. Even Satan can't take away my right to celebrate Christmas."

Accompanying Ted Sarandos was his trusted subordinate, Greg Peters, who is currently in charge of developing the Asian market.

This is a star player in Netflix's middle management team and a key talent that Ted Sarandos is grooming.

Over the past two years, Greg Peters has helped Netflix successfully develop the Japanese and South Korean markets, enabling Netflix to make a fortune in these two markets.

Therefore, Greg Peters has been handpicked by several bigwigs on Netflix's board of directors as Netflix's crown prince and the next CEO.

"Even if Satan were to invade Los Angeles today, you would still have to come and have dinner with him. Because he is your boss. He only comes to Los Angeles 3 to 4 times a year."

"You have to make him feel good about you in limited situations."

Ted Sarandos calmly explained the importance of the dinner to his trusted subordinate, Greg Peters.

This was not a simple dinner party.

Greg Peters must gain the approval of Lu Zhiyuan, Netflix's third-largest shareholder, if he wants to become Netflix's next CEO.

If Lu Zhiyuan doesn't like Greg Peters.

Therefore, major shareholder Reed Hastings would also have doubts about Greg Peters.

Once he reaches that point, Greg Peters will no longer have to work like a slave at Netflix and can take advantage of his youth to find another job.

Because he will never have a chance to succeed on Netflix.

"Boss, I swear to God, I didn't mean to complain at all. I just wondered if I had bought one less Christmas present?"

Greg Peters immediately corrected his attitude.

He had to show everyone that he had great respect for Lu Zhiyuan.

From one perspective, Netflix could easily recruit dozens of people from Yale and Harvard, and then select the best from among them, simply by sending out job offers to someone like Greg Peters.

But where can Netflix find a historically great director like Lu Zhiyuan? Each one is a gem, something you can only dream of.

David Fincher alone ensured that Netflix could produce two high-quality TV series every year, helping Netflix firmly hold its ground in the streaming media arena.

They don't want other competitors like Disney and HBO to disrupt their plans.

While David Fincher is a very good director, it's a pity that the kind of dark films about human nature that he excels at making are not suitable for creating spin-off series.

Lu Zhiyuan is the most beloved person in the entire Netflix company.

Lu Zhiyuan's films are all grand and epic, and people of all ages love them.

For Netflix, every film by Lu Zhiyuan is worth exploring and creating season after season of phenomenal TV series.

……

Just as the two were chatting, Lu Zhiyuan appeared in the restaurant with Nazha, who was wearing a black evening dress that was completely covered except for the plunging back.

"Ted, it's been a long time."

Lu Zhiyuan gave Ted Sarandos a light hug, then looked at a middle-aged man next to him who was about five or six years younger than Ted Sarandos.

Lu Zhiyuan did not know Greg Peters, but the fact that he was present at the dinner party meant he must be one of Ted Sarandos's confidants.

Lu Zhiyuan nodded slightly to him as a greeting.

After the four of them were seated, Lu Zhiyuan handed the menu to Nazha: "Nazha, you can order."

Would you like some?
Hearing this, Nazha was completely dumbfounded.

She glanced at the menu and realized it wasn't in English... If it were in English, she could secretly take out her phone to translate it.

The problem is, this is an Italian restaurant, and the menu is in Italian.

She doesn't recognize a single word.

Fortunately, the menu also includes set meals.

Naza didn't hesitate to choose Package A for everyone.

Anyway, in this kind of setting, it's impossible for anyone to actually be there to eat.

It's just a token gesture.

Moreover, when Lu Zhiyuan was filming in Italy, Nazha visited the set and knew about a custom in Italian restaurants.

Set menu A is usually the restaurant's signature combination and also its most representative dishes.

"Good choice."

When Lu Zhiyuan saw what happened just now, Nazha panicked a little, but she still calmly finished ordering the food and elegantly put on a cool and aloof demeanor.

If this were a movie, Gulnazar's performance would be excellent.

He perfectly portrayed the naivety of a newbie pretending to be an expert.

Indeed, acting skills all come from life.

"hey-hey."

After receiving praise from Lu Zhiyuan, Nazha couldn't help but show her signature silly smile.

She finally showed her cleverness in front of Lu Zhiyuan.

“Ted, after the company released its third-quarter earnings report, it attracted a lot of attention from Wall Street. Even in China, I have seen a lot of negative news about the company.”

Lu Zhiyuan took a sip of lemonade and, using the initiative, questioned Ted Sarandos as the third largest shareholder.

Take the initiative first.

Next, he could soften his tone and then make a small suggestion to Ted Sarandos: to get Nazha into David Fincher's film crew.

This will happen naturally.

"Mr. Lu, this year our company has invested more than 45 billion US dollars in original content. I have already made a formal report on this at the last shareholders' meeting."

"Although you did not attend the shareholders' meeting, the detailed meeting minutes should have been copied to your company email by the secretary."

"In addition, our cooperation with some major production companies, such as Disney, is probably coming to an end. The new copyright licensing agreement offered by Disney is 10 times more expensive than the previous one, and they have no sincerity in cooperating at all."

Several years ago, when Netflix announced its intention to create original content, several companies raised the prices of their content licensing agreements several times over.

They want to destroy Netflix at its source.

However, Netflix managed to weather this storm thanks to its original series.

At this critical juncture, Lu Zhiyuan resolutely stood on Netflix's side and acquired a large number of Netflix shares on the secondary market, becoming one of Netflix's behind-the-scenes owners.

No, that's not what I meant.

Although Netflix's development over the past few years has been quite positive, the process has been precarious, with it encountering a hurdle every so often.

However, streaming media is the future trend.

It's the same in every country.

Because, with the development of technology, home theaters will become increasingly affordable. People will no longer need to drive several kilometers to a movie theater, fight for a parking space, and then spend more than ten minutes waiting for the movie to start.

Simply lie on your sofa at home, remote control in hand, grab a soda and some snacks, and you can spend the half hour you used to spend at the movies rewarding yourself.

This way of watching movies is clearly more in line with the lifestyle of modern young people than going through the trouble of going to the cinema.

However, Netflix will certainly encounter problems during its development.

"What I want to talk about is the TV series 'Marco Polo.' The company invested so much in it, but the response was so poor."

“As the company’s art director, I voted against this series when it was first conceived, but you still went ahead with it anyway.”

Lu Zhiyuan pretended to be very angry.

The first season of the TV series "Marco Polo" had a budget of $90 million, which is higher than that of "Game of Thrones".

The production method of this series is completely comparable to some Hollywood blockbuster movies.

Shot on location.

The costumes and props were very elaborate.

Many big-name actors were invited, including Chinese actresses Zhu Zhu and Chen Chong.

Most importantly, in order to attract the attention of Western perverts, this TV series incorporated a large number of fictional court intrigues and erotic scenes.

The sex scenes are so numerous they're almost unbearable.

Ultimately, the show flopped.

Film and television dramas are cultural products, and if a product doesn't sell well, that's the biggest problem. No matter what excuses you give, it doesn't change the fact that you're losing money.

"President Lu, I admit that our content team did not listen to your advice when it came to the project's initiation."

"This was the biggest mistake I made last year."

Ted Sarando readily admitted that it was his fault.

However, he also had his successes.

For example, at his insistence, the company invested roughly the same amount of money to produce a spin-off series of "Real Steel".

That show was very well done, almost on par with Game of Thrones.

As a result, Liu Shishi has garnered a large following in Europe and America.

"Mr. Lu, I have already fired the person in charge of the 'Marco Polo' series."

After adding a sentence, Ted Sarandos looked up and looked at Lu Zhiyuan seriously: "If Mr. Lu has any doubts about my work ability, he can propose to the board of directors to dismiss me."

Netflix is ​​notoriously cold and ruthless in its corporate culture, adhering to Darwinism.

If you have doubts about an employee's work ability, then a leader only needs to ask himself one question: Would you rather pay a huge severance package to fire him, or would you rather give him a chance?
If you just ask yourself a question, the answer to many things will become clear.

"Ted, it's Christmas today. I was just rambling on. Why are you being so serious? I've even prepared a Christmas present for you."

Lu Zhiyuan turned to look at Nazha.

Naza quickly took out two gold-plated "Crescent Moon Amulets" from her bag.

This is an amulet that has been popular since ancient Egypt and ancient Rome.

It is usually worn by girls.

May she be healthy and safe, and free from all evil spirits.

This is a gift that Lu Zhiyuan bought for his daughter a few days ago while strolling on the street.

However, he thought the amulet was very beautiful, so he bought several.

"If I'm not mistaken, is this Lunula (Latin for a small moon)?"

Greg Peters, having just overheard Lu Zhiyuan seemingly rebuking Ted Sarandos, didn't dare utter a single word.

Unexpectedly, after scolding them, Lu Zhiyuan gave both of them a birthday gift.

Even a nobody like him received a gift.

This really surprised him.

"Thank you, Mr. Lu. This is absolutely beautiful. I'm sure my daughter will love it."

Greg Peters took the gift from Nazha's hand, looked at her, and earnestly praised her, "Thank you, beautiful Miss Shirley Young."

"You're welcome."

Nazha feels like she's become famous too. This junior manager at Netflix actually knows that she played Shirley Young?
At that moment, Nazha felt that the Italian food she ate that night was especially delicious.

Greg Peters thought so too.

He felt that Lu Zhiyuan's attitude towards him was still quite good; at least he had given him a Christmas present.

In addition, a beautiful woman was also there to keep me company tonight, making this Christmas dinner particularly memorable.

"Mr. Lu, Merry Christmas! We'll have to take our leave now."

After dinner, Ted Sarandos took Greg Peters and left quickly, as if they were running away.

"Brother Yuan, why did they leave?"

Naza is acting a bit strange.

Before Lu Zhiyuan could even speak, he had already shoved her into the new spin-off series of "Real Steel." Why did those two Netflix executives run away in such a panic?
"Old fox."

Lu Zhiyuan seemed to know something, sighed softly, and patted Nazha on the back: "I'll look for other opportunities. Don't be disappointed."

What am I disappointed about?

Naza felt especially happy tonight, having actually spent Christmas with Lu Zhiyuan.

There was no one else besides her.

Tonight, the violin playing in the restaurant was exceptionally beautiful.

"Nazha, even though you didn't complete the task, I can't let you come all this way for nothing. Here's a small gift for you, hoping you'll be safe and sound."

Lu Zhiyuan took out a gold-plated "Crescent Moon Amulet" from the small bag in Nazha's hand and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Brother Yuan, I'm so happy! This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received!"

Naza completely forgot that Lu Zhiyuan brought her out not to spend Christmas with her, but to squeeze her into the spin-off series of "Real Steel" season 2.

At this moment, Nazha opened the gift box, looked at the golden crescent moon amulet, and hesitated whether to let Lu Zhiyuan put it on for her himself.

"Let's go upstairs and go to sleep."

Just then, Lu Zhiyuan stretched. After eating his fill, he suddenly felt extremely sleepy for some reason.

It's highly likely he suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about the important matter!"

Upon hearing this, Nazha instantly perked up.

Which street to go to?

Sleep is the most important thing!

At that moment, Nazha turned around, took Lu Zhiyuan's arm, and pulled him upstairs with all her might, afraid that Lu Zhiyuan might suddenly change his mind.

Inside an executive sedan.

Greg Peters was fiddling with the golden crescent moon amulet that Lu Zhiyuan had given him.

This gift is beautiful.

He really loves it. His daughter will love it too.

After carefully putting the gift back into the box, Greg Peters turned to Ted Sarandos: "Boss, from what I heard from Mr. Lu just now, he clearly had something he wanted to tell us. Why did you run off so quickly?"

Ted Sarandos took out a glasses cloth, wiped his glasses, chuckled, and said, "Mr. Lu has absolutely no interest in our Netflix business development and hardly interferes with our work. He's only interested in his own movies' box office performance."

"Today, he brought his new pet to have dinner with us. Although he didn't say a word during the meal, what he was thinking had already sounded an alarm bell in my heart."

Lu Zhiyuan wants to cast Gulnazar in a sequel to the "Real Steel" series.

They want to leverage the popularity of the spin-off series to solidify Nazha's popularity over the next two years.

Then, when he went to film "Real Steel 4" himself, he directly converted Naza's popularity into box office revenue, allowing "Real Steel 4" to compete with "Avatar" for the throne of the highest-grossing film in history.

Ted Sarandos knew exactly what Lu Zhiyuan was thinking.

However, Ted Sarandos also had his own troubles.

Because director David Fincher was on the verge of a breakdown after taking over the role of Liu Shishi from Lu Zhiyuan.

On the very first day after he finished filming the Real Steel spin-off, he rushed to Netflix's top-level office and found Ted Sarandos.

At that moment, director David Fincher hesitated for a long time, wondering whether he should slam the Glock pistol from his waist onto the table.

Although he didn't ultimately do it, director David Fincher still slammed his fist on the table and warned Ted Sarandos that if he dared to put Lu Zhiyuan's female lead in his spin-off series again, he would jump ship to Disney and come back to destroy Netflix!

Both are my flesh and blood.

When faced with Lu Zhiyuan's hints, Ted Sarandos could only pretend to be stupid and even chose to flee as the best of the thirty-six stratagems.

They didn't give Lu Zhiyuan a chance to speak.

“Greg, you must remember this. Sitting in the CEO position, compromise is a great art. But sometimes, compromise is not a panacea.”

"If you compromise on this side, it will trigger conflict on the other side."

"Therefore, you need to learn some skills."

If you can't resolve the conflict, then ignore it and prevent it from arising in the first place... If the conflict does arise, then try to delay it as much as possible to prevent it from erupting in your hands.

We should trust the wisdom of future generations.

Greg Peters is the next professional manager that Netflix's board of directors values.

This contradiction was bound to explode sooner or later in Greg Peters' hands.

"Both Lu and David are undoubtedly artists. And artists all have their own ideas and principles."

"They are both top performers in their respective fields and are used to having the final say. You have to work to reconcile their relationship."

After being tricked by Lu Zhiyuan once, how could David Fincher possibly fall for it again?

Ted Sarandos chose to flee.

This time, he believed that Lu Zhiyuan could understand his predicament.

But he can only escape once.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will definitely be a next time.

Therefore, in order to prevent Lu Zhiyuan from continuing to try to include Nazha in the spin-off series, Ted Sarandos is prepared to take the initiative.

He quickly typed a text message in his executive sedan: "Mr. Lu, I forgot to mention something to you during dinner."

"During the second season of 'Real Steel,' director David Fincher told me that he had designed some spin-off storylines for Ms. T, but he wasn't sure if Ms. T would be available."

Under normal circumstances, Ted Sarandos should contact Jing Tian's agent directly in this situation.

However, everyone knows what kind of relationship Lu Zhiyuan and Jing Tian have.

Given her abilities, how could Jing Tian possibly have been chosen by director David Fincher?
It's simply because Lu Zhiyuan already had this intention, so Ted Sarandos, as a worker, naturally had to share the burden for his boss.

Choosing Jing Tian is better than choosing Gulnazar!
At least, Jing Tian does have some acting skills.

"Ted, you're a cunning fellow."

Upon seeing the text message from Ted Sarandos, Lu Zhiyuan had just been thinking about how to find another reason to get Nazha back in.

It now seems that Ted Sarandos must have been warned multiple times by director David Fincher, and perhaps even subjected to extreme measures.

It’s all Liu Shishi’s fault.

It hurt director David Fincher quite a bit.

In any case, it would be good to send Jing Tian there for further studies.

I didn't make a wasted trip.

"Mr. Lu, is it a deal then?"

After receiving Lu Zhiyuan's agreement, Ted Sarandos breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ms. T will be coming to the Oscars red carpet next month. You can have someone discuss the specifics of the collaboration with her agent then."

The general intention to cooperate has been agreed upon, but it is not appropriate for such important figures as them to get involved in the specific details.

Otherwise, being as petty as a market vendor is really undignified.

……

After putting his phone back in his pocket, Lu Zhiyuan turned around and saw Nazha looking at him expectantly.

He suddenly realized that doing this was somewhat unfair to Nazha.

Therefore, Lu Zhiyuan decided to give Nazha some compensation.

He smiled and asked, "Nazha, it's Christmas today, is there anything you want as a gift?"

"Have."

Having finally gotten her chance, Nazha turned around, closed the door, rushed to Lu Zhiyuan, and hugged him tightly.

She asked very directly, "Brother Yuan, will you let me be your girlfriend?"

Lu Zhiyuan didn't know how to answer, so he could only hint to Nazha, "You know my situation."

Naza wasn't surprised by Lu Zhiyuan's tactful rejection. Instead, she firmly said, "Brother Yuan, I know you have three girlfriends. Since you already have three, one more won't make a difference, right?"

"According to an ancient book from my hometown, a man can have four wives. Can I be the fourth one?"

Nazha felt that Lu Zhiyuan still liked her very much.

Back when she was a child model, she had so many scandals, and Lu Zhiyuan helped her clean them up.

Later, Lu Zhiyuan personally took her to register for the Beijing Film Academy entrance exam, which made her the envy and jealousy of countless people.

She absolutely loves the feeling of being the center of attention.

“Nazha, I’ve known you since you were 18. You’ve always been very well-behaved over the years. Although your acting skills are a little lacking, your personality is very lovely.”

"Haven't you noticed? When I'm not working, I actually really like to chat with you and grab a bite to eat."

Yeah!
Naza nodded repeatedly.

When Lu Zhiyuan wasn't working, he liked to have her come to his house to serve him, bringing him tea and water, treating her like a maid.

However, others who want this treatment are not yet eligible.

If Yang Mi were given this treatment, she would probably be able to pour Lu Zhiyuan's foot bath water.

“Nazha, if there’s nothing you particularly want, I have a Christmas present for you.”

"However, you have to go back to your room and take it apart."

Just then, Lu Zhiyuan gently pushed Nazha away and took out an envelope from his drawer.

He placed the envelope in Nazha's hand.

"Nazha, I'll give you two choices."

"Option one: you stay in this room tonight. As for what will happen between us? I won't give you the answer."

"Option two: Take this gift and go back to your room. I promise you, in the next movie, I will definitely create an unforgettable role for you."

Lu Zhiyuan gave the choice to Nazha.

"I choose two!"

Without any hesitation, Naza took the mysterious gift Lu Zhiyuan had given her and left the room.

If she chooses option one, Lu Zhiyuan might give her a severe scolding and then impose a soft ban on her.

In addition, Nazha also had to worry about Hanikezi coming to knock on the door in the middle of the night, and then discovering that she was in Lu Zhiyuan's bed. She then reported her to Reba, Gao Yuanyuan, and Jing Tian.

She's not ready for this yet.

She's not like Hanikezi, who obtained licenses for three people.

Although an ancient scripture from their hometown says that a man can marry four wives, there is a condition.

The fourth wife must have the consent of the first three wives.

She has not yet obtained authorization.

This step is crucial and you absolutely cannot make a mistake, or you'll get your head blown off.

……

Return to the room.

Naza quickly closed the door, crawled into bed, and then mysteriously opened Lu Zhiyuan's envelope.

There is only one sentence above.

It was written by Lu Zhiyuan in a very beautiful artistic style.

—A woman's charm lies in her mystery.

"What does it mean?"

Naza was completely confused, having no idea what Lu Zhiyuan meant.

But this must be a compliment, right?

Naza felt that this was the most crucial test of her life. If she answered incorrectly, she would likely not have another chance.

At this moment, Nazha chose to seek help from the audience outside the venue.

She scrolled down her WeChat chat history for several minutes and finally found Xin Yukun, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time.

"Brother Kun, I need your help urgently."

"Help your little sister, this is the last time."

Naza remembers clearly that Xin Yukun patted her on the shoulder after a party one day and said that from now on, she would be his half-sister!

Now, my younger sister is already fighting the final boss. Where is Xin Yukun, the super support?

A little while later, Xin Yukun called via WeChat, muttering, "Nazha, my little sister, I stayed up all night last night and just got home and slept for two hours. What's up?"

"Brother Kun, Brother Yuan wrote me a letter. There's a sentence in it: 'A woman's charm lies in her mystery.' What does that mean?"

Naza always used Xin Yukun as a solution card for Lu Zhiyuan.

Otherwise, Xin Yukun would be of no use to Nazha.

"Idiot, don't you understand?"

As a seasoned womanizer, Xin Yukun instantly understood the meaning of this sentence: "When a man doesn't know the depth of a woman's feelings, he will have endless fantasies about her."

"When a man knows how deep a woman is, she has no secrets in his heart, and her charm drops sharply."

In other words... he really wants to sleep with you, but not now.

"Right now, you are very attractive in his eyes. He must finish making all the movies that belong to you, so that all his endless fantasies about you can be transformed into the creation of movie characters."

"Only when you lose all your instrumental value in his eyes...can he treat you as a real woman."

Look at when Dilraba rose to fame?

After filming "Real Steel 3"!
In the final scene, after the iconic moment where Alita becomes both god and demon, Dilraba's portrayal of Alita was finally completed in Lu Zhiyuan's mind.

As a character, Alita is perfect.

In Lu Zhiyuan's mind, this character has become a complete work of art.

At this very moment, Nazha and Hanikezi encountered the same situation.

Lu Zhiyuan has to finish filming the "Real Steel" series... and in this series, the roles of Hanikezi and Nazha are not yet over.

Since it wasn't over yet, Lu Zhiyuan's mind was naturally filled with sketches of these two characters.

Even the actor himself cannot disrupt his portrayal of these two characters.

Naza felt she understood and happily said, "So, he plans to finish filming the 'Real Steel' series and then make me his fourth wife?"

Isn't that something for next year?
I can wait a year!

“My little sister, your idea is good, but I won’t say more, so as not to hurt your pride.”

Xin Yukun told Nazha not to think too much, to focus on acting, earn more money so that she could support him in his old age.

Why did you hurt my self-esteem?

"Brother Kun, explain yourself clearly."

"You hung up? You hung up on me at this hour? Do you believe I'll report you?"

At every crucial moment, Xin Yukun refused to say a word more.

This made Nazha extremely anxious.

However, upon seeing the note Lu Zhiyuan had written to her, Nazha chuckled and said, "Is a woman's charm in mystery?"

"In that case, starting tomorrow, I'm going to be a mysterious woman!"

(End of this chapter)