Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

There aren't that many coincidences in life.

The odds of one in twenty did not favor Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah.

The two who didn't win the lottery naturally couldn't participate in Lin Yuan's autograph session.

So they followed Lee Soo-man and the staff member in charge of reception as they walked outside.

Lee Soo-man, walking ahead, was trying to ingratiate himself with the staff member: "Mr. Lee, thank you so much for your help today. We're practically from the same clan, aren't you from the mainland?"

The receptionist had yellow skin and black hair, a typical East Asian appearance.

There were too many people and too much chatter inside the airport, so there wasn't much time for conversation. But now that we're out of the terminal, Lee Soo-man immediately struck up a conversation.

“President Li, you’re too kind. I’m from Hong Kong,” Mr. Li replied.

Looking at Mr. Li's tall and strong figure, I realized that it was thanks to him that we were able to squeeze through a path at the airport.

Considering his Hong Kong identity, Lee Soo-man immediately had a premonition.

So he smiled and asked, "Are you a member of Mr. Meng Tao's martial arts team?"

Several years ago, Meng Tao, as a member of Chen Long's Chen Family Team, was seconded to Lin Yuan during the filming of "Jurassic Park 3".

Later, because the collaboration went very well, and Lin Yuan was in dire need of action direction, he negotiated with Chen Long and kept Meng Tao on the team.

With Meng Tao at the core, the action team of Linyuan Pictures was built.

If I'm not mistaken, this strong Hong Kong man in front of me should be the one who joined Lin Yuan Film Industry with Meng Tao back then, right?
Just as Lee Soo-man had predicted, Mr. Lee nodded and said, "Yes, I have been very lucky to have followed Mr. Lin for five years."

Upon hearing his answer, Lee Soo-man was filled with respect.

He followed Lin Yuan five years ago?

Wasn't that during the filming of Jurassic Park 3?

Lee Soo-man has conducted in-depth research on Lin Yuan's rise to prominence.

He knew that when filming "Jurassic Park 3", Meng Tao had joined the crew along with two other martial arts instructors.

This Mr. Li must be one of those two martial arts instructors, right?
Upon learning Mr. Lee's identity, Lee Soo-man's tone became even more respectful.

This is a veteran who followed Lin Yuan in conquering the world; he must have Lin Yuan's deep trust in him, so it's essential to show him respect.

Lee Soo-man's mind raced, and an idea immediately popped into his head:

This Mr. Li was not just an ordinary receptionist, but a veteran employee of Linyuan Film Industry. What does it mean that such a person was sent to receive them?
Pay attention to!

If Lee Soo-man doesn't think he deserves Lin Yuan's attention, then the answer is very clear.

He turned to look at the two little girls behind him, his expression filled with emotion.

There must have been many things he didn't know about in the past 24 hours.

There's no need to know whether they had anything going on with Lin Yuan.

There's no need to know if it's Kim Tae-yeon, Im Yoon-ah, or both.

What Lee Soo-man was certain of was that they had seized the opportunity to get Lin Yuan to take extra care of them.

Once Lee Soo-man understood this, he knew exactly what he had to do.

If Lin Yuan were here, he would definitely be surprised by Li Xiuman's inner thoughts.

Mr. Li was indeed his long-time employee, but that didn't mean Lin Yuan was going to give the two girls special treatment.

In fact, he had no intention of interfering with their careers, because towering trees cannot grow in a greenhouse.

Without weathering the storms, the former "Korean Wave Empress" will become nothing more than a beautiful flower with no substance, just like their successors.

The reason for sending Mr. Li is that the scene at today's star-awarding ceremony was very chaotic.

Without a colleague who is familiar with all departments in the company to lead the way, it would be really hard to guarantee that they would have a smooth experience attending the ceremony.

But even such a small arrangement made Lee Soo-man's mind wander.

Often, those above simply speak, while those below run themselves ragged.

It's not that those above intentionally want to make things difficult for those at the grassroots level; it's just that when you become a big shot, countless people are observing your words and actions and trying to figure out what you're thinking.

Every word you utter and every instruction you give is something that those responsible for carrying out it fear will not be executed properly and will be questioned about their loyalty.

Therefore, the burden is added layer by layer during the downward transmission process, resulting in the entire system being over-executed.

Even legitimate work arrangements can become complicated due to subordinates' speculations.

This is especially true for men and women.

Which large company or organization doesn't have any gossip about its leaders?

Even if it's just hearsay, the female protagonists will receive special treatment because of their "suspected relationship with the leader".

People generally maintain an attitude of neither offending nor getting too close when interacting with the female lead in a scandal.

The reason for not offending them is that if they really have an affair with the boss, then it would be easy for them to make things difficult for you.

The lack of closeness is what most people disapprove of in this "shortcut" behavior.

The so-called "disapproval" is not entirely based on moral criticism.

More often than not, it stems from resentment—resentment towards this behavior of seizing others' resources by taking an unconventional approach.

Since we can't afford to offend them, we can only politely keep our distance.

After his thoughts wandered for a while, Lee Soo-man sighed, "Even Lin Yuan can't control his crotch."

Actually, at that moment, Lee Soo-man felt a vague sense of unease.

When he concluded that Lin Yuan had already had something happen with Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah, this uncomfortable feeling kept rising within him.

It wasn't because he had any designs on the two girls.

If he truly had ulterior motives, he would have acted and succeeded long ago.

It's no exaggeration to say that any executive at an entertainment company has the power to control the fate of their undebuted artists.

Every trainee hopes for a chance to debut after investing a huge amount of their youth in the process.

This coveted opportunity, however, fell entirely within the purview of the company's top management.

If someone tries to manipulate you at this point, would you dare to refuse?

If I refuse, all the years of my youth will have been wasted.

Should I go back to school to prepare for the college entrance exam?

You've fallen behind in your studies for several years, how can you pick it up again?
Lee Soo-man had already had his fill of fun when he was young.

Now that I'm older and my health isn't so good, I'm not very interested in matters of the heart anymore.

But the vague unease in his heart still kept him alert:

Why am I dissatisfied?

This emotion is instinctive, which means it's difficult to control and will surface from time to time.

What if Lin Yuan finds out...

Lee Soo-man couldn't help but break out in a light sweat on his back.

He had certainly heard the rumor: it was almost impossible to hide it from Lin Yuan.

After much internal struggle, Lee Soo-man finally understood why he was dissatisfied after dissecting the darkest part of his heart:

Because of jealousy.

Even if he had no feelings for Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah, when he saw a young man shamelessly taking advantage of this beautiful thing...

His genetic instincts still stirred a sense of jealousy within him. Youth is truly wonderful!

To have power in one's youth is something everyone dreams of!
Lee Soo-man had to admit that he was incredibly jealous.

But being the rational person he always was, he quickly realized that this jealousy would do him no good whatsoever.

This is a mountain that can determine your career fate, so you need to have the right mindset!
Everything they have is earned through hard work and sacrifice; you have no right to be jealous!
Lee Soo-man angrily berated himself in his heart.

Unbeknownst to him, he began to tame himself.

Mr. Li looked at President Li in front of him with shifty eyes, wondering how much he had imagined, but he just felt that he was strange.

"Koreans are so hard to understand, I really don't know what's going on in their heads," Mr. Li said helplessly.

As a "brute" who started as a martial arts instructor, even though he has already taken on a management position, he still doesn't like to use his brain.

Even when we use our brains, we only apply them to professional action design.

As for the shady dealings and underhanded tactics in the workplace, he really had no interest in figuring them out.

"President Li, let's go, the car is parked up ahead."

"Okay, okay."

The group quickly walked into the parking lot, and Mr. Li took out his car keys and pressed the button.

A Land Rover Range Rover not far away emitted a "beep" sound.

This scene once again made Lee Soo-man's expression serious.

This 2004 Range Rover is the top-of-the-line V8 Autobiography, priced at a whopping $88000.

The reason he knew the model and price so clearly was because he had seen the car some time ago.

This kind of SUV, which exudes both domineering power and understated luxury, has an irresistible appeal to men. How could Lee Soo-man not be tempted?

After much hesitation, he still couldn't bring himself to buy it.

In fact, as a major shareholder and actual controller of SM Entertainment, with his wealth, he shouldn't be unable to afford a Range Rover.

However, his wealth is only on paper, and most of it exists in the form of company stock.

The eight million dollars he earned last year has already been used by his wife to buy a new house and to help their two sons settle down and start their own families.

Damn it, the housing prices in Gangnam District of Seoul are so high!

The eight million dollars were spent in an instant, and they even owed three million.

This meant that Lee Soo-man's plan to purchase a Land Rover Range Rover had to be postponed indefinitely.

Seeing the latest Land Rover Range Rover in front of him, Lee Soo-man couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Lin Yuan Film Studio is really rich and powerful; they even have company vehicles like Range Rovers to receive guests.

In other companies, this car wouldn't be considered cheap or inferior as the boss's vehicle.

However, when placed at Lin Yuan Film Studio, it can only be used as a public reception vehicle.

“Let’s go, it’s not a short distance, it will take a while to get there.” Mr. Li opened the car door and invited the three of them to get in.

Lee Soo-man consciously sat in the passenger seat, while Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah sat in the back.

When Lee Soo-man settled into the passenger seat, he was surprised to find a small photo frame on the dashboard.

The photo frame contains a smiling family portrait.
The husband is tall and strong, the wife is gentle and lovely, and they have a cute little girl who is about seven or eight years old.

This is clearly a family photo of Mr. Li.

Lee Soo-man's mind was immediately activated again: "Mr. Lee, is this Range Rover your car?"

That's completely pointless. Why would you put such personal items in a car that isn't your own?

Of course, there is another possibility: although the car is owned by Linyuan Film Industry, it has been used solely by Mr. Li for a long time.

Regardless, this means that it is not a public vehicle, but a privately used vehicle.

This realization somewhat broke Lee Soo-man's defenses:

Can employees of Linyuan Film Studio simply own a car that he himself is reluctant to buy?
If the company had purchased it and given it to Mr. Li for use, Li Xiuman would probably feel more at ease.

But if Mr. Li purchased it himself...

The next moment, Mr. Li said, "Yes, I quite like the Range Rover."

Lee Soo-man: "..."

Is this what I'm asking?
What I want to know is, can you afford such an expensive car?
Mr. Li continued, "I've always loved the Range Rover, and it's the only one I love. This is my third one."

Lee Soo-man was completely numb...

The third one?
You actually bought three cars?
Judging from his tone, buying a Land Rover and buying cabbage seem to be not much different.

No, does Lin Yuan really give you that much money?

At that moment, the phrase "You can always trust Lin Yuan" suddenly popped into Lee Soo-man's mind again.

At that moment, Lee Soo-man understood the meaning of those words with profound clarity.

Looking back on Lin Yuan's career over the past few years, he has never strived for personal gain.

Those who stood behind him, supported him, and followed him—whether they were major shareholders, investors, partners, or company employees—all received returns that exceeded their expectations.
If this point is not seen, one might mistakenly believe that Lin Yuan is so popular because his movies are good.

But it would be naive to think that way.

No matter how well a movie is made, it's still just about emotional value.

Audiences can be moved to tears during the movie, and they may even clap their hands until they are red.

But once they leave the theater and return to real life, their fervor for Lin Yuan will inevitably fade quickly.

The only thing that can truly sustain the public's long-term, fervent following of Lin Yuan is tangible benefits.

It is precisely because Lin Yuan carries the interests of countless people on his shoulders that he is able to walk so steadily.

But it is precisely because he carries the interests of so many people on his shoulders that he has walked such a tiring path.

Lee Soo-man suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt for his earlier jealousy.

What was I just doing?
How could I be jealous of Lin Yuan?

He has made so many contributions for the benefit of everyone, shouldn't he have a few more women?
Moreover, given Lin Yuan's circumstances, he doesn't need to resort to tempting women with benefits like other greasy tycoons.

Many women were even willing to pay him off...

Hey~
A real man should be like Lin Yuan.

If there is an afterlife, could I pray to live a life like Lin Yuan's?

While Lee Soo-man was lost in thought, the Range Rover started up and drove onto the straight avenue, heading towards Hollywood Boulevard.

The vehicle was powerful and sped along at breakneck speed.

The entire 46-kilometer journey was completed in just 18 minutes, covering 40 kilometers.

Then... there was a traffic jam...

Six kilometers from the destination, the road was already completely blocked.

The SM trio in the car stared in disbelief at the endless support posters, slogans, and light boards along the roadside.

Only then did I realize that compared to the spectacular crowd at this moment, the tens of thousands of people welcoming passengers in the airport terminal were nothing.

Outrageous!

The number of people at this scene... I'm afraid it's at least half a million!? (End of Chapter)