Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 470 America is too corrupt and decadent.

The sun was shining brightly in Beverly Hills this morning.

Link was running on a tree-lined path wearing a sports t-shirt and shorts, accompanied by Milla Jovovich, Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore.

They are preparing for a new movie, and running every day is part of their daily training.

Link slowed down and jogged with the four of them.

With his current physical condition, when he runs at full speed, he is no slower than a cheetah, but has more endurance.

Because of his incredible physical strength, he can run 100 kilometers without getting tired.

Morning runs don't provide him with any exercise benefits.

But he still insists on going for a run in the morning, treating it as a part of his life, just like brushing his teeth and washing his face.

While I was running, two bodyguards were also jogging about 50 meters behind me to prevent any unexpected situations.

Both bodyguards were Chinese, one nearly forty and the other in his early twenties.

The older man is named He Tiejun, a team leader in the security group, who served in the army for eight years.

Two years ago, when Link was active in China, he needed bodyguards to accompany him.

He Tiejun and Hong Youfu joined Link's security team at that time. Later, they followed Link to the United States and, after six months of training, obtained professional bodyguard qualifications.

Currently, he is the leader of Group B of the Linke Security Team.

The young man next to him is Liu Jianshe, 24 years old this year, who used to be a soldier under He Tiejun.

At the end of last year, He Tiejun heard that Lin Ke was recruiting new bodyguards.

After consulting with Linke, he called Liu Jianshe and two others and asked them to bring them out of China.

These three men are all quite skilled, each with their own strengths, and are among the best in the military.

However, Liu Jianshe had just finished his training and had not yet fully adapted to his current role; he was not yet experienced enough in his work.

"Company Commander, I heard that Boss Lin has more than eighty wives, is that true?"

Liu Jianshe asked as he ran.

"Pay attention to discipline!"

He Tiejun glared at him, his face stern, and said, "This is America, not the military. You need to call me team leader. Also, I've emphasized this many times in meetings: we shouldn't ask too many questions about Boss Lin's private affairs, we shouldn't pry, we shouldn't discuss it privately, and we absolutely cannot tell anyone. Our job is to protect Boss Lin and his family's safety. Other matters are none of our concern. Don't ask questions or say anything out of turn. This is my last warning to you. If you make another mistake, I'll buy you a plane ticket and send you back home."

"Yes, squad leader!"

Liu Jianshe instinctively stood at attention and saluted, but then, remembering that he was in America, he quickly withdrew his hand and continued running forward with He Tiejun.

But I was still thinking about the news I'd heard in the past few days.

Back in China, he had heard news about Link, who was said to be the richest Chinese person with a net worth of tens of billions, and also a great philanthropist who had invested billions in China to build many Hope Primary Schools and hospitals. The media said that Link was a very benevolent rich man.

After arriving in the United States, he couldn't speak English or read newspapers, but during training he heard others talk about Link's scandals, saying that he was a playboy with more than a hundred girlfriends.

At first, he thought it was fake, but after he came to work at the villa, he found it was real. Although he had never entered the manor and had never seen Link with his more than one hundred girlfriends, he often saw Link coming and going with different women while on guard duty, most of whom were blonde, blue-eyed foreign women.

He secretly calculated that there were 65.

He was shocked when he learned the truth. How could a man have so many wives?

If this had happened in China, Link would definitely have been arrested as a gang leader, and a few years earlier, he might have been executed.

Not only was Link not worried about being arrested or executed, he also openly lived with dozens of women.

Liu Jianshe couldn't help but sigh that what the book said was true: capitalist society is too decadent, and no matter how good a person is, they will turn bad when they go to America.

He also secretly reminded himself not to make a mistake or be corrupted by capitalist society. If he turned bad here, he wouldn't be able to marry Xiaofang when he went back.

"Xiao Liu, go check ahead and make sure the paparazzi don't interfere with Mr. Lin's run."

"Yes, team leader!"

Liu Jianshe quickened his pace and ran to the fork in the road to check the situation. He saw a car parked at the intersection and went over to ask what was going on.

There were two men in the car: a driver and a man with a camera, who looked like a paparazzi.

Liu Jianshe pointed to a sign on the roadside and advised the two to leave in broken English.

The mountain, along with the surrounding 32 hectares of land, is Mr. Lin's private property, and entry is not permitted without an invitation.

The owner of the land and his bodyguards have the right to shoot and drive away unauthorized intruders, or to call the police.

However, Liu Jianshe's spoken English was not good, and after a few sentences, the other party could not understand him, nor did he understand what the other party meant.

Seeing that the driver still wasn't leaving, Liu Jianshe reached into his clothes and took out the pistol that was tucked into the holster under his arm.

The person with the camera swore, and the driver started the car and left the road below the mountain road.

After driving for a while, I stopped again, ready to take pictures with my camera.

However, Link and Julie stopped and ran back when they were almost at the bottom of the mountain.

“It’s really inconvenient to exercise here. I really miss my vacations in Hawaii, where I could do whatever I wanted, even run naked on the beach,” Angelina Jolie complained. “It’s not that bad. This is Beverly Hills, the heart of the entertainment capital. It’s already a wonderful thing that we can run freely in the mountains every day,” Cameron Diaz laughed.

"I think so too."

Milla Jovovich and Drew Barrymore are also quite satisfied.

Land in the upscale Beverly Hills neighborhood is incredibly valuable; living here is a true luxury.

Link not only has a villa here, but also owns the entire mountain land. They live here with Link and have more freedom than those who live in small villas and apartments.

If they don't want to be harassed by paparazzi, they can run on the lawn and sports field of the estate, or on the treadmill in the gym.

They chose to accompany Link on his run because they thought it would be more fun.

"Hmph! You think you're so sensible? Don't you want to run and roll around on the Hawaiian beach with Link, and do all the things you love to do?"

Angelina Jolie asked.

"miss you!"

"Drew shouted."

Cameron and Milla burst into laughter.

"We'll move there once the Lanai Island resort is finished."

Link said.

"That would take two or three years. Actually, living in Moon Beach Manor isn't bad either."

"I've been too busy with work lately to go on vacation. We'll go after we finish filming the movie."

"it is good!"

The four girls followed Link's footsteps and continued running up the mountain. Soon they were drenched in sweat, and their sports t-shirts were soaked.

After breakfast, Link drove to the company to continue his work, and handed over the storyboard he had drawn to the production team for study, in preparation for the location shooting of "Pirates of the Caribbean".

At noon, bald director Steven Soderbergh came to visit, bringing his new screenplay, "Erin Brockovich," which is based on a true story.

It tells the story of former beauty queen Erin Brokovich, who, after becoming a single mother, took a job at a law firm to earn money to support her family and children.

One day, Erin discovers some highly suspicious medical receipts in a pile of documents concerning assets and liabilities, which arouse her confusion and suspicion.

With the support of her lawyer Ed, Erin is investigating the matter and has uncovered a major environmental pollution incident hidden in the local community: an illegal discharge of toxic wastewater is harming the health of residents without their knowledge.

After much effort, Erin gained the support of the local residents and became their lawyer, seeking compensation from the polluting company.

Ultimately, Erin overcame numerous hardships and won the largest civil settlement case in U.S. history with her unwavering courage and perseverance.

Erin also became a winner in life thanks to her generous legal fees.

"Link, how's the script?"

Steven Soderbergh asked nervously.

"Yes, it has the potential to be a box office hit. The company can invest in it."

"Erin Brockovich" is also one of the representative feminist films. Julia Roberts, the lead actress, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film and became a top Hollywood star.

This also shows that the movie is good.

"Link, do you really think the script is good, or are you just trying to comfort me?"

Director Soderbergh looked worried and conflicted. He had previously asked Link to read the script, and Link said it was good after reading it, but when the film was released, the box office performance was mediocre.

This time, Link said it was true again, making him unsure whether Link was telling the truth or not.

Link laughed and said, "Your previous scripts were very mature in terms of story and design, but they were too niche, so the box office results were not high. This script is different. It is about women and other disadvantaged groups resisting the powerful. It is relatively more popular and belongs to the standard Hollywood model. If you make it well, the box office results will definitely be better than the previous ones."

Soderbergh nodded, but the worry on his face still lingered. "Link, there's another issue. I'm planning to invite Julia Roberts to play Erin. She has that optimistic, cheerful, and resilient quality."

"Understood. Don't worry, I won't interfere with the casting process. If you hear rumors that Guessing Pictures and MGM can only cast my girlfriend as the female lead in their movies, that's definitely a rumor. I never interfere with the company's casting decisions."

“Link, that’s not the issue. The problem is that Julia Roberts’ salary is very high. Casting her as the lead actress will result in a very high budget for this film. I’ve done a preliminary estimate, and it will be at least $40 million. That’s a significant investment. The film needs to gross over $100 million worldwide to break even. If the box office is lower than expected after the film’s release, it will likely cause some losses for the company.”

Director Soderbergh said with a worried look on his face.

“Steven, investing in movies is my and the company’s job, making movies is your job. As long as you make a good movie and it gets the right to be shown during the internal screenings, the box office results after the movie is released are the company’s business and have nothing to do with you. You don’t need to bear too much pressure. Besides, this script is very good. I have faith in this project. You can shoot it with confidence. I will take responsibility if there are any problems.”

".good!"

Soderbergh nodded, his face full of emotion. "Link, rest assured, I am determined to make this film a success, both critically and commercially. If it fails, I will retire."

“Steven, there’s no need for that. The most important thing in making movies is your mindset. Relax and you’ll perform better during filming. Just treat this movie as a learning experience and a chance to grow. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

"Link, I understand."

Soderbergh didn't waste any time; after discussing the film, he left with a determined look on his face.

(End of this chapter)