Actor: Thank you.

In the evening, Vin Diesel went to the hotel restaurant to have dinner with the producer, his face dark with anger.

When Murray arrived at the appointment, he noticed that Old Van's expression was not good.

"what happened?"

"This damn Chinese guy attacked me with Eastern witchcraft!" Vin Diesel gritted his teeth and replied.

But he kept his voice very low, afraid that Zhang Yuanzhen might have evil powers and be able to hear him from a thousand miles away.

"There's now a dark purple 'devil's palm print' on my back!"

"What?" the producer asked, puzzled.

At the other person's prompting, I glanced at their back through the collar of their shirt.

I was immediately startled!
"Oh my god!"

"I'm going to sue him," Old Fan said through gritted teeth.

"Calm down, Fan, calm down," Murray advised.

“If he really does know some kind of Eastern sorcery, then we absolutely cannot sue him.”

"Because this will only make him more popular, you understand?"

The producer said it in a "warning" tone.

Hearing this, Old Fan was stunned and swallowed hard.

What does the other party mean?

To put it simply, many groups in China that were officially labeled as cults were forced to flee and came to North America, where they were treated like honored guests.

Especially in Hollywood and the business world.

Because people in the entertainment industry want to stay young forever, and big businessmen want to live forever.

Why is the first thing Chinese merchants do when they become wealthy to transfer their assets overseas?

Because the Chinese mainland is one of the "worst" regions in the world for businessmen, ranking among the top.

In the Western world, the rich can do whatever they want, which makes these guys in China extremely envious.

They didn't want to be capitalists; they wanted to be slave owners and feudal lords.

Because Western business tycoons live such carefree lives, with virtually no constraints, whether moral or legal, they are even more eager to achieve immortality.

It's the same principle as Emperor Jiajing, who was so intelligent, yet simultaneously believed in magic and amassed wealth from all over the country.

Once people reach a certain position, they become extremely selfish, and ultimately their actions are all pretty much the same.

Even the Russians believed in the infamous charlatan Rasputin, and in the end, it was the prince and the grand duke who joined forces to kill him.

Moreover, these two were exiled to other places for killing the evil monk, which actually saved them from the October Revolution.

Even after returning, he was respected and pardoned for killing the evil monk, and was not purged as a member of the old aristocracy.

This illustrates that only regions tainted with "red" ideology are anti-feudal, anti-superstitious, and more materialistic.

The remaining areas of human activity still bear a strong mark of feudal superstition.

Old Fan and the producer have been in this industry for many years and know all too well what many people in the industry are doing behind the scenes.

Throughout Hollywood, at least half the population adheres to various strange cults.

They might even take pride in participating in various bizarre rituals, because it allows them to befriend wealthy and powerful people.

Producer: You can't just say things like that!
If this gets out, Zhang Yuan will be even more popular in no time.

They'll use us as sacrifices again.

"So I'm just supposed to swallow this?" Vin Diesel said angrily after a long silence.

Murray cut off a perfectly cooked medium-rare Angus steak and ate it as he spoke.

“I heard from people at Global Times that Zhang just made over $5 million through a Chinese internet company listed on Wall Street.”

"No one will go against the US dollar."

"Therefore, Universal hopes to cooperate with him in the long term."

Old Fan was stunned when he heard the figure of 5 million US dollars.

Foreigners use a different method for counting numbers than Chinese people. We round up to the hundreds place, while they round up to the thousands place as well.

Chinese is significantly more efficient than English.

So the producer said "Half Billion," which is half a billion.

That sounds even more exaggerated.

Billionaire is the English word for a billionaire.

Although everyone says that you earn US dollars and spend US dollars, this much US dollars is still quite ruthless.

Old Fan asked himself, "I've been in this business for so many years, yet I can't compare to someone who suddenly becomes rich."

I knew he had shares in a listed company before, but I didn't know they were worth so much money.

Poverty makes people lose their spirit, but money gives poor people courage.

If you are not as wealthy as others, you will naturally feel inferior.

"Face reality, Fan," the producer advised kindly. "This Chinese man isn't as simple as he seems."

"Furthermore, we also need to consider the market in China."

"He has his own film and television company in China, and it's quite large."

“If Universal wants a long-term partnership, and you’re getting in their way,” the producer gestured to his throat.

"You know the outcome; no one will help you."

"And nobody will care about you."

"But that's for later, in this film crew..."

“Listen,” Murray interrupted.

“I also learned from Global that they recently have a project they want to partner with Zhang for investment.”

"After all, he's very rich now."

"Think carefully about what I said, and behave better."

Old Fan fell silent and lowered his head to eat.

He was so frustrated that his face, which had already been blocked by Zhang Yuan's palm strike, turned even darker.

Although he's a big guy, he's not completely brainless.

Universal is trying to squeeze money out of them. If I piss them off, they might just agree to kill me off without even making a sequel.

In the world of capital, money is naturally the primary focus.

"Ha, you guys eat here too?"

Hearing someone greet him, Old Fan looked up and saw a handsome, yellow-skinned face.

His lips twitched.

"Good luck and have a good meal," Zhang Yuan said with a smile as he passed by, taking Xiao Bai's hand and leading her to another seat.

"Keep your expression natural," Murray advised.

"And look how good he is to the Olsen girl, maybe he'll start doing business with her family again soon."

"They might even arrange a marriage, which would make them even richer."

Old Fan nodded helplessly, glancing at the two people who had just sat down not far away.

How come he gets all the good things?
……

After the drinks and dishes were served, Zhang Yuan placed a gift bag on the table.

There are several gift boxes inside.

“What is this?” Elizabeth asked.

"See for yourself."

She took out a small box, and the moment she opened it, a red light flashed across Bai Niu's face.

This shade of red suits the witch quite well; it's crimson.

“This…” Elizabeth was so surprised that she couldn’t speak. Then she leaned back a little and put down the small gift box.

"I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet."

"Huh?" Zhang Yuan looked puzzled.

The other person grasped his hand.

"Although you are a gentleman, you are outstanding in both appearance and career."

"We are also very...harmonious in bed."

"But I think it's too early."

"My career is just starting out, and I have no plans to start a family."

"Huh?" Zhang Yuan scratched his head and picked up the small gift box.

Inside was a red tourmaline ring the size of a pigeon's egg.

You're treating this like a marriage proposal...

Then you're really hallucinating.

"What you said hurt me deeply." Zhang Yuan didn't explain, but went along with what the other person was saying.

“I’m just not ready for a stable relationship yet,” Elizabeth said, her eyebrows slightly lowered, looking apologetic.

"And you and I come from different countries."

"When I was studying in Moscow, several Russian men pursued me."

"But in the end, it all came to nothing because we would eventually be separated by thousands of kilometers."

“Okay,” Zhang Yuan replied casually.

I never intended to become a live-in son-in-law in North America.

However, since the other party was returning to their home country, he went to the gem market and bought some gifts to give to them.

Well, although being rejected is a bit upsetting, at least I'll have an explanation for the future.

"It's okay, you can give all these things to your family as gifts."

"Even though we haven't met, please accept this as a token of my appreciation."

There are also tourmaline necklaces, bracelets, and the like.

It's much cheaper than diamonds; a set with the best clarity only costs tens of thousands of US dollars, and it can be used as a decorative item.

"Okay, thank you for the gift. I'll give my regards." Elizabeth pinched his cheek, making a friendly gesture to ease the awkwardness from before.

He would have been embarrassed if the other party had actually agreed.

You can ride a big foreign horse, but you can't take it home.

Moreover, they have that bandit-like attitude of Westerners.

If I were to marry Elizabeth, her two older sisters would surely set their sights on my assets.

Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. We can associate with them, but we cannot associate with them too deeply.

Moreover, being rejected has one advantage.

Seeing that he wasn't in a very high mood, the other person leaned forward slightly and said softly.

"You look so pitiful, I'm so sorry to have saddened you."

"How about we go upstairs later, I'll give you some compensation?" Zhang Yuan: If you're going to talk about this, I'm not sleepy anymore!
"You said it?"

"Of course," the other person grinned in agreement.

That night, Zhang Yuan managed to get through to all the Scarlet Witch's connections.

The next day, I went to the airport to see her off. After a long hug, we agreed to communicate across the ocean via email or video.

Back on set, he felt a sense of emptiness.

"Your blonde girlfriend left?" Gadot asked, arms crossed, as she looked at him.

“Yes.” He stepped forward and took out a small gift box.

"Wow." The other person took it, and inside was a golden tourmaline necklace.

This color is called canary yellow, and it's quite eye-catching.

Women can't help but like anything that's translucent and sparkling.

"Your girlfriend just left, and you're already giving me a gift."

"Hehe, you really are a playboy." Gadot looked at him with a playful smile.

"I just want to thank you for standing by my side when the producer arrived."

"It didn't mean anything by it."

"Hope you like it."

Those who support me deserve a reward.

After delivering the items, he went about his own business.

His role wasn't very big, and it was over in just over a month.

If you have something to say, say it at length; if you don't, say it briefly.

In the blink of an eye, his scenes were finished.

Paul and others came to see him off.

“You really do keep your word.” Gadot hugged him.

Even after Xiaobai left, he did not have a relationship with her.

Let this woman know he's serious.

Even the giant rock came to see him off.

Vin Diesel was the only one who didn't come, citing being busy with work.

Purely petty.

Zhang Yuan was very magnanimous and didn't take it to heart, but he just made a mental note of it...

"Finally, I can go home." After saying goodbye to everyone, I headed to the airport.

"On the way," the assistant sighed.

"what happened?"

"I don't like Brazilian food, I just want to eat mutton soup with flatbread and braised pork belly," the assistant said, wiping the corner of his mouth.

When you're far from home, no matter how good the food is, you always seem to miss the things you've eaten since childhood.

I was thinking about the taste from my memories.

Zhang Yuan also missed Brother Qian's cold dishes a bit... Cheng Hao said he had pica.

"Then you'll have to bear with it." Zhang Yuan told her to take out her plane ticket and look at it herself.

"I don't speak English," the assistant replied.

"I told you to study, but you didn't. This is a flight to Los Angeles."

"We still need to go to North America."

Upon arriving in Los Angeles with his luggage, he first called Elizabeth.

Ask if she's in the area so we can arrange to meet.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say.

Unfortunately, the other person wasn't there; they were in New York with their family.

He could only focus on his work.

This trip directly from the film set to Hollywood was at the invitation of Universal Pictures.

"Hey Zhang, how was your trip to Brazil?"

Upon arriving at the company and entering the office, production manager Mike warmly embraced him, as if they were very close.

Americans love this kind of fake enthusiasm.

"It's not bad, there was just a small problem, but it's all over now."

Zhang Yuan understood that the other person knew what had happened but was pretending not to. The other person's expression changed slightly.

How to do it?

Both sides are equally important; they need Vin Diesel to boost the film's box office, but they also need him to "make money," so they can't neglect either one easily.

"No matter what happens in the future, you can contact me directly." He replied meaningfully, then turned his head and pointed to the crowd behind him.

He could tell as soon as he entered the room that the people attending today were of high rank.

When the production manager greeted him, the rest of the foreigners remained seated.

Let me introduce you.

Not counting the scattered personnel, a total of two vice presidents and one general manager came.

The vice president in charge of finance, the vice president in charge of distribution, and the general manager in charge of IP operations.

They are all senior managers in the company; apart from the board of directors, these people are basically high-ranking officials.

With such high standards, Zhang Yuan knew it must be no small matter.

After he sat down, the other person first showered him with compliments.

From acting career and regional popularity, it all comes down to investment acumen.

Zhang Yuan listened with his arms crossed the whole time, trying to figure out where the other person was going to land.

And that landing point arrived very quickly.

“We learned that you previously invested in Jason Brun’s Blum House film.”

That makes sense.

So that's what they wanted to talk to me about. Zhang Yuan chuckled to himself, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at the group.

The goal is clear, just three words: James Wan!
James Wan's new film "Insidious" has finished filming and has been released.

Filming takes a month, post-production takes half a month, and then it can be broadcast.

This aligns with the stereotype of Asians being exceptionally efficient at work.

The film "Insidious" has been showing in North America for over a month and has already grossed nearly $5000 million.

For a low-budget horror film, this is quite an achievement.

It was also released overseas and performed well.

Global Times then had an idea.

Because the ending of "Lurking" clearly left a foreshadowing.

The woman who helped the male protagonist communicate with spirits was killed, and the male protagonist was possessed by a black-robed demon. These are all foreshadowings that couldn't be more obvious.

If the box office is good, making a sequel is incredibly easy.

In fact, James Wan left far more foreshadowing than these.

The film contains many seemingly contrived scenes, such as a piano suddenly playing, a toy car moving, or a knocking sound that comes out but no one is there when the door is opened.

These are what the audience perceives as the director's way of scaring people, but that's not actually the case.

In the second movie, James Wan will reveal that all these events were actually orchestrated by the male lead himself.

In his conception, the spirit world has no concept of space or time.

The possessed male protagonist wanders around his family's home in the spirit world to attract their attention, trying to prove his existence through these movements.

This is a trick narrative technique; only viewers who have seen both the first and second parts will understand why.

Otherwise, James Wan would be a master.

Before James Wan achieved another great success with "Insidious," he had already been blacklisted by the Big Eight Hollywood studios due to the failures of his two previous films.

Of course, he also blocked the Eight Greats, feeling that these people were not worth talking to.

She used to call her "sweetie," but now she's called "old hag."

The problem is, after seeing his success, Mrs. Niu became a sweetheart again.

You bunch of idiots only care about money.

Universal's idea is that since a sequel is going to be made, why not do it together?

We also provide funding and are responsible for the issuance.

After all, our big company definitely has stronger capabilities in distribution and promotion.

However, Blenhouse did not agree.

The fruit is ripe, you've come to pick it.

Why weren't you among those planting trees?
Universal isn't a company known for horror films, would you really promote this kind of movie?
Besides, does James Wan need you to publish this?
Once the name was printed out, everyone wanted it.

So no agreement was reached with Bren.

After learning that he was also a shareholder, they set their sights on him.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Zhang Yuan cursed inwardly.

James Wan's films have extremely low budgets, so he's never short of money.

What can you do besides offering your own random opinions when you interfere?

Director Wen was so fed up with being tormented by big companies that he turned to collaborating with independent production companies again.

Moreover, Brenhouse was originally responsible for production and distribution, and I was supposed to share the profits.

After you all come in, there aren't enough for me to go around.

He expressed his opinion frankly.

Now that I have money, I have the right to speak my mind freely.

"Even if a sequel to 'Lurking' were to be made, there would be no shortage of funding."

"But..." He couldn't just refuse.

They're showing absolutely no respect; what if these guys try to make things difficult for me again?

"I think that if there are any horror or thriller works with slightly higher production costs after Blumhouse, it would be worthwhile to collaborate with Universal."

Draw a pie in the sky.

And it wasn't just a random drawing; Brun had actually told him about it.

Because "Lurking" made a lot of money, many directors and producers approached them, including some that looked pretty good.

In particular, a script called "Purification".

Purification is a direct translation, because the play is called "The Purge".

Later, this film was called "The Purge" in China. (End of Chapter)