Extracting skills from movies

Meanwhile, newsstands in the streets and alleys of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau were almost completely sold out.

The front pages of major newspapers have all been changed to:

A Shining Star for the Chinese! Du Sheng Wins Best Actor at Venice!

Double Crown Winner! Du Sheng Makes History, Winning Best Actor at Both Cannes and Venice!

Even before its release, "The Man from Nowhere 2" has already made Du Sheng a global focus!

"........."

Mainland Cultural and Entertainment Department, Office.

The leader held several newly delivered newspapers in his hand, flipping through them over and over again, his mouth agape in a wide grin.

Who would have thought that what started as a casual gesture would yield such a wonderful surprise!
This film not only broke various box office records, but the emotional storyline between mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong mentioned in the main theme is now trending around the world, and it has also won important awards.

This is not only a success in cultural export, but also a major victory for the country's soft power!
The leader was all smiles, already planning how to send a letter of commendation to Xingji Media.

As for Du Sheng himself...

I must meet him in person when he returns to China!
This is not just about celebrities and the wealthy; it's about the pride of the Chinese people!
Ignoring the outside noise, Du Sheng returned to the film crew to get busy after receiving the award.

Fortunately, there weren't many scenes in London, and filming was completed in just nine days.

Next, all that's needed is to go back to Los Angeles to wrap things up, and the whole movie will be finished.

After dinner that evening, the film crew took a short break to rest and regroup.

Jessica Alba sat down next to Du Sheng, took the coffee her assistant handed her, and turned to Du Sheng, saying:

"I'm a former child star, yet I'm completely outclassed by a newbie like you who's only been in the industry for a few years. It's truly disheartening."

She was referring not only to her acting skills but also to her awards.

Du Sheng smiled and said, half-jokingly:

"Perhaps this is what it means to be born with a special talent."

Jessica Alba shook her head helplessly and admitted:

"You're not only handsome and have a great physique, but you're also talented. You were born for this industry."

Du Sheng shrugged and said:

Are you consumed by jealousy?

Jessica Alba, twenty-seven years old, is in the prime of her life, and she puffed out her chest and laughed:

"Let it overflow when I get home tonight!"

At this moment, Ma Yaowei walked over, glanced at Jessica Alba, and said:

"Hades just called to say that the revenue sharing from the three films, 'Rob-B-Hood,' 'The Departed,' and 'Wanted,' has been paid to the agency."

Du Sheng nodded, turned to Jessica Alba, and smiled, saying:
Let's go out for a stroll this weekend.

Jessica Alba smiled slightly:
"Of course."

The man beside her has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it, so she certainly wouldn't mind letting him spend it.

Du Sheng then asked:

"You must have received a share of the revenue from merchandise sales for the movies you made before, right?"

"As long as the film makes money, you'll basically get all the well-known roles."

Jessica Alba nodded and explained:
"For example, with Fantastic Four, I signed a supplementary agreement with the production company that allows me to receive 2% of the revenue from all channels each year, which has been around $10 million annually for the past few years."

Of course, this amount of money is nothing compared to Du Sheng's.

Du Sheng laughed:

"Not bad. Although I'm not short of money, I still have a long way to go before I can become a member of the 2000 million club."

Jessica Alba said meaningfully:

"After you become a top star, you have to be careful not to get married casually. If you do get married, you must sign a prenuptial agreement."

She seemed to have suffered from this, citing an example:

Do you know why Martin Scorsese can still maintain such a high shooting frequency to this day?

Because he has been divorced four times.

Every divorce involves not only the division of assets but also child support payments, the total of which can easily bankrupt even a multi-millionaire.

Since breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, Jessica Alba has lost interest in marriage and just wants to enjoy life to the fullest.

After their break, Du Sheng and Jessica Alba got back to work on wrapping things up.

October rainy days bring cold weather.

Even on the weekend, Du Sheng and Jessica Alba had no plans to go shopping.
Instead, they hide in their hotel rooms to explore "humanity's most primal desires" and find joy in them.

On Monday, two more film crews moved into the studio.

One is Warner Bros.' own "The Hangover" crew.

If Du Sheng's memories of his past life are correct, this low-budget film grossed nearly $5 million worldwide, making it a big winner.

The other cast is also quite impressive, packed with stars, clearly a big-budget production.

During a break from filming, Du Sheng met with some people from both film crews.

The actors for the former haven't all arrived yet, but filming for the latter has already begun in full swing.

Ma Yaowei followed Du Sheng out of the photography studio, talking as they walked:

“I’ve inquired about it; the new production is called ‘Hurricane Season’.”

Du Sheng saw a familiar figure in the distance hurriedly leaving the photography studio, the movements somewhat rushed.

He squinted for a moment to make out the details and said:

"Looks like Lear Wayne."

Ma Yaowei nodded in confirmation:
"That's right, it's that famous little king of North American rap."

When you released your English album earlier this year, his "Tha Carter III" had just come out, and it even competed with your single.

Du Sheng smiled:
"Oh? That's the young man known as the 'Godfather of Southern Rap'?"

Ma Yaowei nodded:
"Recently, he has been thinking about developing his career in the film and television industry. It is said that this film, 'Hurricane Season,' is his first attempt at this field."

Du Sheng raised an eyebrow:

What movie is this?

Ma Yaowei answered directly:
"Produced by Weinstein International".

Upon hearing this, Du Sheng immediately understood and shook his head with a smile:

"We bumped into each other again, what a coincidence."

Harvey Weinstein's company is called Weinstein International.

Not long ago, his investment in "The Assassination of Jesse James Bond" failed at the Venice Film Festival. Now back in Los Angeles, he has run into Du Sheng again.

This can be considered a different kind of fate.

Just then, Jessica Alba came out of the studio, overheard their conversation, and interjected:
“I auditioned for this film earlier this year. There was a role for a female teacher, and Harvey Weinstein was the one who interviewed me.”

Du Sheng joked:
"Didn't get selected?"

"You're so beautiful and charming, you probably won't pass the test unless you give Harvey a little 'sweetness'."

Jessica Alba smiles sweetly:
"Mainly because the role required me to get a tan, which I couldn't accept."

Since she rose to fame, her mixed-race features, deep brown eyes, and smooth, silky skin have become her trademarks and an important part of her personal brand.

Du Sheng understood immediately and asked with a smile:
"Contractual restrictions?"

Jessica nodded slightly:
"Yes, the contracts I signed for clothing, cosmetics, and endorsements all have clear clauses that cannot be changed arbitrarily."

This is actually quite common; a celebrity's image itself is part of their commercial value.

"Most endorsement deals come with high fees; it's the same everywhere," Du Sheng laughed.

"My contract with McDonald's also has a similar clause, which means I can't just eat burgers from other brands."

Jessica smiled and continued:

"The cast of 'Hurricane Season' is pretty strong. In addition to Taraji, there's Sarah Lauren, Courtney Vance from 'The Mummy,' and Lil Wayne, the rap king."

Du Sheng didn't recognize many of them and said, "All of them combined aren't as famous as you alone."

The two talked as they returned to the studio to continue filming.

They didn't have many scenes to film today, so they wrapped up early before it got completely dark.

Blake has almost finished filming his scenes these days, and the day before yesterday he went to film the second season of "Gossip Girl".

Jessica and Du Sheng had the most scenes together, almost becoming a "couple" on set.

The group walked towards the parking lot.

Just as Du Sheng was about to get into the car, he suddenly heard a rumbling engine sound from not far away, which sounded just like an American muscle car roaring.

He turned his head and saw a black Hummer rushing out of the parking area. It wasn't going fast, but it was driving erratically, like a drunken cowboy.

Ma Yaowei immediately became alert:
"careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, Du Sheng grabbed Jessica Alba and quickly slipped behind a nearby pillar.

That car was clearly heading this way!

Jessica was shielded behind Du Sheng, clutching the hem of his coat tightly, feeling both nervous and reassured.

Although this guy is unpredictable, he's actually quite reliable when it counts.

The Hummer lurched forward, half of its front scraping against the roof pillar with a piercing metallic clang, and its headlights shattered with a loud bang.

The two sides were only a few meters apart; if they hadn't dodged, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The driver seemed to realize what was happening, and swerved the steering wheel sharply. The car crashed into the wall with a loud thud and finally came to a stop.

Ma Yaowei walked around to the side of the car, watching the black man in the driver's seat warily.

Du Sheng recognized the other person at a glance and made a gesture to Ma Yaowei.

Jessica pressed herself against Du Sheng, and only then did she feel a little more at ease.

The car door swung open abruptly, a foot popped out first, followed by a string of profanities:
"Fuck! Damn concrete pillar, why are you blocking my way!"

Like a shrew, the woman kicked the main pillar:

"Get out of here! Who gave you permission to stand here!"

He even raised his middle finger and made a "Fuck" gesture.

Du Sheng remained expressionless.

"You almost bumped into us, shouldn't you apologize first?"

The other person turned around, and sure enough, it was rap star Lil Wayne.

His eyes were unfocused, his face was flushed, and his eyes were bloodshot; he was in a very bad state.

This phenomenon is familiar to anyone who has spent even a few days in North America.

Du Sheng could tell at a glance that this guy was high on drugs.

Lear Wayne shoved the bottle into his pocket in a daze, and as soon as someone spoke to him, he started swearing:
"You trash, you bitches, get out of here!"

He might be a mild-mannered person normally, but after taking drugs, his brain short-circuits and he completely loses control.

Du Sheng initially didn't want to deal with this kind of person, but the other person's mouth was full of foul language, which made her angry.
"Can't you understand human language?"

Lil Wayne squinted at Du Sheng and Jessica, swaying his body as he raised his hand as if to give them the middle finger.

With a flick of his wrist, the arm swung towards Jessica's chest.

This is really stepping into a minefield.

What is Du Sheng's personality like?

Even in the calmest of times, they can find something to cause trouble, let alone now that the other party has delivered themselves to their doorstep.

It is impossible to endure it.

He rushed forward in one stride.

Before Lil Wayne's middle finger could fully extend, Du Sheng grabbed his forearm with a joint lock, twisted his wrist, and sent him flying behind his back.

Immediately afterwards, Du Sheng kicked him in the back of the knee, pinning him to the ground.

"Aww——"

Lear Wayne screamed in pain, his face pressed against the rough cement floor, his mouth almost twisted out of shape.

Du Sheng pressed down on his arm with his left hand and used his right elbow to press against the back of his neck. The movements were clean and efficient, a standard "chokehold suppression" posture.

Jessica Alba couldn't help but blink. This was too fast!
Du Sheng turned around and winked at her, telling her to be careful and cooperate later.

Ma Yaowei had already investigated the situation of this factory area.

The equipment is outdated and the monitoring is practically useless, making it perfect for operation.

Lear Wayne struggled and roared:
"Fuck you! You dare attack me?!"

Unfortunately, he was like a turtle that was pinned down, unable to turn over no matter how he tried.

Just then, a sharp scream pierced the night sky!

"Indecent assault! Help! Someone is bullying me! Du Sheng, help me!"

Jessica Alba understood Du Sheng's idea and immediately started screaming at the top of her lungs.
It was as if they had truly been bullied to the point of collapse.

Ma Yaowei covered his face, speechless.
"These actors... are so into their roles."

He quietly put away his camera; everything was under control.

Du Sheng pressed down on Lil Wayne, his voice low and angry:
"You're going to run us over with your car? Are you even a man? All you do is bully women?"

Lil Wayne was dizzy, mumbling incoherently, his face covered in dust, and still under the influence of drugs.

A series of hurried footsteps came from the corner of the parking lot, and several figures rushed over.

The first two were security guards, followed by Whittaker, Taraji, and Sarah Lauren.

They had just finished filming and were heading back to their hotel when they heard the shouting and rushed over immediately.

Du Sheng recognized these people at a glance, and his mind raced.

He knew that Harvey Weinstein was behind the "Hurricane Season" crew.

That old rival who got beaten down by himself in Venice.

Jessica certainly wouldn't let herself or the man suffer a loss, especially since that guy had just called her a "bitch."

She took out her phone and dialed 911 without hesitation, saying as she spoke:

"I want to call the police!"

Ma Yaowei glanced at Lear Wayne's condition; experience told him:
This guy is definitely high on drugs.

He nodded slightly, indicating that legal proceedings could proceed.

Du Sheng said expressionlessly:
"This person intends to attack us, let's call the police."

After all, this guy is mentally unstable, and who knows when he might cause trouble again.

It's especially dangerous for Jessica and Blake when they don't have bodyguards around.

A group of people quickly approached, and Jessica staggered and slumped against the Mercedes door, her face filled with terror—her acting was superb.

Security personnel rushed over and recognized Du Sheng and Jessica Alba. Seeing Lil Wayne lying on the ground, they quickly stopped them and asked:
"Mr. Du, what happened?"

Du Sheng said calmly:
"This person almost hit us with his car. His behavior was abnormal, and he seemed to be high."

Jessica had just finished calling the police when she gestured to Du Sheng, indicating that everything was under control.

Ma Yaowei called the production team, and Warner Bros. producer Zakaria Allawi immediately came over.

Whittaker, Taraji, and Sarah Lauren also gathered around.

Sarah Lauren and Jessica, who had worked together before, went over to comfort her.

Although Whittaker recognized Du Sheng, he had a good relationship with Lil Wayne and frowned as he advised:

"Buddy, let him go first, don't make a scene."

Taraji, also a Black man and a key member of the "Crippled Gang," chimed in:

"Is it a car malfunction? Wayne usually pays a lot of attention to his image."

…(End of this chapter)