Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 292: Encounter at the Airport, Heading to Chicago

On the morning of the 29th, the crew of "Tangshan Earthquake" and the Wenjie Hope School Donation Foundation gathered in Chengdu.

The purpose of this trip is, on the one hand, to formally accept the completed Shuimo Town Primary and Middle School, to promote and popularize the aid work more thoroughly, and to do a good job in quality control.

On the other hand, the crew will make their first collective appearance and participate in earthquake escape and self-rescue drills and lectures.

This will become a normal practice after the film officially begins its roadshow, and a portion of the overseas box office profits will be used to sponsor such science popularization activities.

I work hard just to sow more seeds of hope before that day comes.

At 10 a.m., celebrities from "Aftershock" including director Lu Kuan, actors Song Jia, Hu Jun, Zhou Xun, and Wang Baoqiang put on volunteer uniforms and walked into Rongcheng Caotang Primary School.

The school gave a grand reception, expressed gratitude and accepted the earthquake escape-related books, manuals, first aid kits and other materials donated by the Earthquake Group.

After the school leaders’ speeches, earthquake experts used vivid and interesting videos and picture albums to help primary school students understand the dangerous areas and safe zones when an earthquake occurs.

Several promotional sessions were conducted, including escape skills demonstrations and interactive quizzes on earthquake knowledge, before leaving for the next school.

Although the crew members and stars did not quite understand the purpose of this arrangement, due to Boss Lu's absolute authority, everyone cooperated happily.

In the afternoon, accompanied by leaders from Aba Prefecture, Wuchuan County and Shuimo Town, the large group of people came to the newly completed Hope Primary School and held an unveiling ceremony.

Under the witness of media such as Chengdu Business Daily, West China Metropolis Daily, Blog.com, and Wenjie Video, two brand-new teaching buildings appeared in everyone's sight.

The children's gray faces were filled with joy, and the villagers kept giving them eggs, tea and local specialties.

There was also the courtyard wall that he had damaged and then repaired, and the national flag flying high.

How comforting and reassuring it looks!

The earthquake experts were giving their routine interactive introductions, while Boss Lu and Zhou Xun were collecting folk songs on the old Tea-Horse Road near the tea mountains.

"Why did you think of this place then?"

"Fan Jianchuan told me the tea here is good, and I love tea."

Zhou Xun looked at Lu Kuan wearing sunglasses and asked curiously, "I've seen you wearing sunglasses all day long."

"My eyes have been damaged recently because I've been editing so many videos that I can't help but cry when I look at the sun."

"The doctor told me to stay out of the sun and it will be fine after a while."

Zhou Xun suddenly gossiped, "Xixi is going to America. She asked me and Jielun to have dinner at her house yesterday. Why didn't you go?"

"I go? I'm afraid she'll kick me out."

"Don't be fooled by her skinny arms and legs. After training with Yuan Heping, she's very strong. When she hits someone, it hurts!"

Zhou Xun laughed out loud at the young director's cowardly look. It was not easy for outsiders to see him in this state now.

She was naturally a person with a clear mind, and she did not interfere or interrupt the affairs between Lu Kuan and Concubine Liu Yi.

People with the white phosphorus personality type know best what feelings are. It is something that no one can see clearly except the person involved, and there is no way to reason with it.

"Why are you always looking at your phone? Is someone looking for you?"

Boss Lu started talking nonsense: "Yes, I have an appointment with a venture capital firm in Peking to find funding for the mall project."

In fact, he was waiting for the Olympic plan to be leaked online.

Zhang Nara's video and photo attacks have caused a fire in Zhou Jun's backyard. Now he has no choice but to cut the Gordian knot and cut off the possibility of his successful bid.

But he has received the materials for two or three days. If he doesn't send it out by the 30th, then he may really not plan to send it out.

The plan being leaked from the insider and being selected by the Olympic Committee after being reported and then leaked are two different things, and the severity is completely incomparable.

Boss Lu was ready to add fuel to the fire.

On the evening of the 29th, due to the earthquake public welfare publicity activities carried out by the crew of "Tangshan Earthquake" in Sichuan Province and the philanthropic act of Wenjie Hope School's donation, the Provincial Department of Education and the Civil Affairs Department jointly hosted a banquet for guests who came from afar.

Before the dinner began, the president of Wenjie Holdings accepted interviews from several media outlets and discussed the Olympic bid, which was due at the end of the month, appearing full of confidence.

Lu Kuan said that the Wenjie team studied and polished as many as fifty or sixty program plans, and finally selected the best ones. They are now ready to submit bids and present their proposals.

Reporters learned from interviews that this time the team's plan will combine grand cultural connotations with gorgeous and dynamic modern technology, and will definitely do its best to contribute to the country's Olympic cause.

Promote, publicize and stimulate Zhou Jun!

On the 30th, the crew and the Hope School Donation Group continued their tireless work, visiting all the more than schools involved in this charity event, and inspecting and checking the completed teaching buildings.

In the evening, Chengdu Mayor Ge personally attended the event, expressed his gratitude to Lu Kuan and his party, and gave them a farewell party.

As a film and television company, Wenjie's influence in local governments is limited.

However, since "Tangshan Earthquake" became popular through film cooperation, the city's popularity and reputation have been greatly enhanced through the construction of Tangshan's local commercial streets and film shooting bases, the global launch conference, and the global premiere.

Especially the shooting progress and highlights that are constantly promoted in media such as Wenjie Video and Travel Satellite TV.

This makes the leaders of Chengdu a little jealous!

At the banquet, Mayor Ge personally attended the banquet. They were all experienced wine lovers, and the two bottles of Jiannanchun on the table were sold out in an instant.

"Director Lu, I've been following the latest trend and checked out your Ask the World video."

"That behind-the-scenes footage of 'Tangshan' you posted was so moving, it brought tears to my eyes."

This is referring to the night scene of the big explosion, where the survivors and their descendants acted out their true selves in an extremely shocking scene.

The behind-the-scenes footage released in advance is also a warm-up for the Lunar New Year holiday three months later.

Mayor Ge, slightly tipsy, recalled the glorious past with some emotion: "Actually, around the time of Tangshan, earthquakes were frequent here as well."

Hu Jun asked curiously, "Mayor Ge, Chengdu is so far away, and you felt the earthquake too?"

"It has nothing to do with Tangshan. We've had regular early warnings since 76. At that time, almost every family in Sichuan Province had to sleep in an earthquake shelter."

Judging from the lingering fear on Mayor Ge's face, he had obviously experienced a chilling cold.

This is a good thing, as it will be more beneficial for donations from the community and the promotion of earthquake escape science.

Mayor Ge, remembering the huge success Tangshan had achieved thanks to this film, was also eager to try. He asked, "Director Lu, can we replicate your cooperation model with Tangshan?"

"You decide on the professional matters. Take out a notebook, gather a team, and we'll fully cooperate!"

Boss Lu was suddenly inspired by his thoughts.

It is not uncommon in later generations to use cultural industries to boost local reputation, establish a city's business card, and promote the development of tourism.

There are many success stories in the film industry.

The Shire, where the Hobbits live in the movie "The Lord of the Rings", was filmed in the small town of Matamata in New Zealand. The picturesque rural scenery there blends perfectly with the fantasy world in the movie, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

After the movie was released, the town of Matamata quickly became a pilgrimage site for "Lord of the Rings" fans around the world. Tourists flocked to the town, wanting to experience the scenes in the movie firsthand, which promoted the booming development of the local tourism industry.

The town has also developed a series of tourism projects related to "The Lord of the Rings", such as tours of the Hobbit Village and guided tours of movie scenes, further enhancing its tourism appeal.

"Avatar" has become popular all over the world for its stunning visual effects and the fantastical world of Pandora.

Among them, about half an hour of footage is shot with the "Hallelujah Mountain" against the backdrop of Zhangjiajie's quartz sandstone peaks. This unique Chinese element makes the movie more mysterious and also allows the beautiful scenery of Zhangjiajie to be presented to global audiences.

In early 2010, Zhangjiajie established the "Avatar Theme Tour Comprehensive Affairs Office" and launched the "Avatar Journey", combining 15 scenes from the film to launch multiple tourist routes, including Zhangjiajie's Huangshizhai, Jinbianxi, Yuanjiajie and other scenic spots.

There is also Hokkaido in "If You Are the One", Chiang Mai in "Lost in Thailand", and the mountain city in "Passing by Your World".

However, there are very few films like "Tangshan Earthquake" that have themes and features that are 100% consistent. At most, they are embedded as urban soft advertisements.

"Mayor Ge, actually...it doesn't have to be a movie."

"You've also seen the interface and content of Wenjie Video. We can create some variety shows that incorporate Chengdu's cultural elements, such as hot pot, ancient Shu civilization, and pandas."

"Oh?" Mayor Ge became interested and pulled the young director over to chat while drinking.

The guests and hosts were all having a great time at the dinner. All the people from the government were big drinkers. Boss Lu drank a lot during the meal and returned to his room very late.

Chengdu was still experiencing high temperatures at the end of August. Lu Kuan slept until three in the morning, then got up to drink some water and opened the window to smoke.

Because the air is very humid, I feel groggy.

It was past midnight and it was already the 12st, but Zhou Jun had not taken any action.

Did he really give up?

But with his vengeful personality and arrogance of claiming to be a noble, could he let go of such a great opportunity?

From Zhou Jun's perspective, the choice of time to disclose the information was actually a bit hesitant.

He was worried that if the information was leaked too early, the industry would immediately come up with a new plan. Although the possibility was small, he was unwilling to take the risk.

If it's leaked too late, it won't create the illusion of an accident. It's clearly aimed at the bidding team!

He didn't have a God's perspective, so of course he didn't know that the fuse, Sun Wenwen, had already successfully left the country and could no longer be touched or seen.

For Lu Kuan at this moment, if he really wanted to drag Zhou Jun into the water and drown him this time, he could even choose to leak it himself.

But the risk is so great that it's not worth it.

The cell phone on the table vibrated without warning. Boss Lu shook off the ash in his hand, grabbed the flip phone and answered it.

Calling in the early morning? Not sure yet...

"Lu! It's Steve! Good news!"

Damn, that kid Chen Shijun.

"Hmm? It better be good news. You just woke me up from my sweet dream."

"Jerry Yang from Yahoo contacted me and wanted to buy Mytube!"

"what price?"

"$12 million."

Boss Lu crushed his cigarette butt fiercely: "He's dreaming!"

Chen Shijun didn't understand: "Huh?"

The original YouTube was sold to Google for $2006 billion in 14.5. At that time, Jerry Yang and Yahoo were the first companies to contact it, but they gave up because they could not agree on the price.

Yahoo's current CEO, Terry, is the former CEO of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of China Huayi Holdings, in which China Huayi holds a stake. During his tenure at Warner Bros., he transformed one of Hollywood's six largest companies into a top three company in the world in terms of both size and entertainment products.

Yahoo recruited him mainly because of Terry's experience working at Warner and Disney, which is of great significance to Yahoo, which is currently ranked first in the United States in music videos.

Similarly, because Yahoo is trying to expand further in this field, it has also become interested in the booming Mytube, similar to Wendi Deng.

"Wall Street analysts have only given a valuation of $12 billion. Currently, internet companies in the North American market have a 50% premium. Isn't Jerry Yang a bit too arrogant?"

Chen Shijun smiled bitterly: "We had a preliminary talk."

"Terry has always used the profit model and the increasingly huge copyright fees as excuses. It is difficult for us to avoid these two deadlocks."

While Mytube is growing wildly and savagely, it naturally has its limitations. In addition to the incurable disease mentioned by Chen Shijun, the risk of censorship and the proliferation of vulgar content are also major flaws.

This defect limits the enthusiasm of advertisers of high-end products. After all, no one would open a gold store in front of a smelly toilet. Of course, this is an exaggeration.

"Don't worry, keep stalling. Find a financial journalist to write an article about Yahoo and News Corp.'s interest in us, and drive up the price."

"Furthermore, AOL, Viacom, and Google are all listed, regardless of whether they have had any contact with them or not. They will raise the price, raise the price, and raise the price!"

Chen Shijun fully understood his leader's intentions, but he still had one important matter to report: "Boss Lu, could you please take a look at Crystal's video?"

"Oh, very quickly. Don't be impatient, and don't always rely on her. Take good care of those Indian accounts."

Xiao Liu's account mainly attracts Chinese traffic, but Indians have the greatest customer potential in Mytube.

The second episode of the Mytube video is about Chinese Kendo, and it was directed by Wu Ershan, the director of "Zhu Xian 2". After the filming, Xiao Liu will fly to the United States for pre-shooting training for "Alien Land 2".

The studio and Wenjie negotiated face to face, which was the result of mutual compromise.

Late at night, Boss Lu recalled the happy freeloading days of the past two years, and said that he was already lost at that time.

Let’s take a look at the three key buyers of Mytube in the North American market.

Wendi Deng was naturally the number one bootlicker, but she didn't want the Myspace shares, and she was obviously not very willing to pay cash either.

Yahoo was too short-sighted. When the Internet bubble burst in 2000, Yahoo was hit hard and its market value shrank significantly. Subsequently, in the confrontation with emerging competitors such as Google, Yahoo's search business gradually lost its advantage and its market share was continuously eroded.

The resulting strategic mistakes in the search business and the over-expansion and fragmented industrial lines completely brought down this veteran Internet company.

Among them, the most talked about thing in later generations was that around 2006, Yahoo had offered to acquire Facebook for 10 billion, but at the last minute the price was lowered to 8.5 million US dollars, and the acquisition plan was thus scrapped.

Two months later, Yahoo resubmitted its acquisition offer, but it was rejected by Facebook's board of directors.

In response to this, the Red Leader once privately cursed Yahoo, from Jerry Yang to John Terry, as a bunch of idiots and short-sighted fools.

Faced with Lu Kuan's price expectation of less than 20 billion, Jerry Yang and Terry probably found it difficult to accept.

The only one left is Google, which is also the buyer that Boss Lu most wants to sell to. He is coveting Google's shares.

The main reason is that Google acquired Android, a company founded by Andy Rubin, in the first half of this year. If it can get a share of this track and have some say by holding Google shares, it will naturally be a good move for the future layout of mobile Internet.

Boss Lu smoked two cigarettes and fell asleep again, but less than half an hour later his cell phone started buzzing in his ear again.

Could it be this time?
He squinted his eyes and looked for two seconds. Is Chen Shijun crazy? It's him again.

"Hello? I hope someone has made another offer. You're the one waking me up from my wet dream this time."

"Hey?"

Chen Shijun on the other end of the phone hesitated for a long time before seeming to confirm something and exclaimed, "Lu, your Olympic plan!"

"what?"

"Your Olympic plan has spread across America! It's on Mytube!"

Boss Lu was shocked. Zhou Jun was a cautious old man, just like him, playing the game of having flowers bloom outside the wall and fragrance inside the wall.

"Tell me more about it."

Chen Shijun scrolled through the progress bar. "Hmm... The title is 'Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Plan,' but I saw your name and team name at the beginning."

"The video contains a program rendering and a three-dimensional presentation of your plan, along with some text descriptions, including a feasibility analysis of the ignition plan."

"In short, it's quite detailed."

Boss Lu yelled, "Good...you're such a killer! You've ruined my plans!"

"Okay, I'm going to hang up first. I'll talk to you later!"

He got up and turned on his computer without using a proxy to browse foreign websites.

Sure enough, the intranet also began to be flooded with "suspected plans for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics" under the pretext of reprinting.

Zhou Jun seized the opportunity well!

Even though he didn't know it was a poison bait, choosing to leak it at this time put Boss Lu in a dilemma.

If Wenjie came up with a perfect new plan, then when the recording material was delivered, Zhou Jun would be dragged into the water and could bite back. This was a trap deliberately set by Lu Kuan.

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that a plan that was no less effective than the leaked version was produced in just 10 hours?
If Wenjie fails to produce a plan and report materials that can convince the Olympic Committee, then his goal has been achieved. The possibility that Lu Kuan will be able to become the deputy chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games is extremely low!
He can start planning the splitting and dismantling of the public opinion tools under the Wenjie system.

If the original Olympic bidding work was a big test for Boss Lu, now Zhou Jun has obviously added an additional question.

He was forced to submit a bid with a "castrated" proposal using more outstanding eloquence, more complete reports, more fascinating program content, and some surprising ingenuity.

Everything has its pros and cons. Zhou Jun has a special background, and the opportunity to bring him down is precious. Lu Kuan chose to use the Olympic plan as bait to launch a counterattack against Zhou Jun, and thus took the risk of reporting failure.
But for Zhou Jun, this was the only flaw in Lu Kuan, which was more impenetrable than steel. He thought he was fully prepared:

It was leaked on the Internet, and the time chosen was extremely embarrassing for Boss Lu.

Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" says: "If the enemy is crossing a river, do not meet them in the water. Allow them to cross halfway before attacking them. This will be beneficial."

What he did was similar to what Sun Tzu's Art of War said: attack when the enemy is halfway across the river.

He decisively called the newly appointed assistant Chen Zhixi.

"Hello? Mr. Lu?"

Interns who were tricked into working like slaves in the industry with the promise of movie roles are going crazy.

The 996 work intensity isn’t enough, and you’re calling me at 4am?

The man on the other end of the phone spoke in a deep, angry voice: "Call the police!"

"what?"

"Immediately report this to the police station and tell them you're representing the World Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremony recruitment team. Someone has deliberately leaked our company's plan and it's now online."

Chen Zhixi was shocked when she heard this: "Yes! I understand."

"By the way, notify the Olympic planning team members one by one and have them gather at the company at 8 a.m. I'll be there straight after I get off the plane."

"receive."

At dawn, the crew members of "Tangshan Earthquake" were still dreaming, but Boss Lu and A Fei had already arrived at the airport early to wait for them.

Because of this accident, the cultural industry project meeting between Wenjie and the Chengdu Municipal Government was shelved this morning.

Mayor Ge was shocked to hear the bad news and specially coordinated a flight with the Civil Aviation Administration through his personal connections.

Flight schedules are public resources, and the government plays a leading role in their allocation.

Government leaders in popular tourist cities generally have good relations with regional administrations and can apply for additional flight schedules for local airports in accordance with prescribed procedures and priorities to arrange more flights.

But there were reasons for this, and with the help of Zhang Heping from the Olympic Committee personally calling to coordinate, the normal steps were skipped, creating this special precedent.

Every minute you arrive earlier gives you one more chance to make up for it.

There are still 5 hours left until the bid closing time of 12 pm.

The flight from Chengdu to Beijing, plus the time it took to reach the company, was at least four hours. While the two were catching up on their sleep on the plane, the leak had already become a hot topic.

This year's August seems to be even hotter than July.

From the Yi Fei incident that started on the 25th, to Bingbing posting a paternity test to clarify rumors, and Jang Nara crying about being sexually exploited by a man with a mainland background, the onlookers from all walks of life were dazzled.

Today's news is obviously another big news.
-
At 6: in the morning, Liu Yifei had already gotten up and washed up.

Today is the day she leaves Peking.

All her belongings had been packed yesterday, and bored, she decided to log into her blog, which she hadn't visited for almost a week.

It's time to say goodbye to the fans and friends who have always supported and cared about me.

As soon as I opened the blog website, the homepage was almost entirely filled with video clips of her at Jay Chou's concert the day before yesterday. It has replaced Jang Nara's video as the hottest topic.

These are all thanks to Yang Siwei, but the cooperation of Blog.com and Wenjie Video is also indispensable.

This time it's not about who is taking advantage of whom.

She received money for cooperating with the recording and filming of "The Voice of China" and Mytube videos, and she also received money from Blog.com and Wenjie Video for doing public relations for her. These are normal market transactions.

Seeing that the number of fans of my blog has returned to 1050 million, the difference between the inflow and outflow can be considered as a purification.

It is customary to attach an "ugly photo".

Xiao Liu is still a chicken soup girl:
If the world were to sink tomorrow, I'd trade my suffering for a smile! I'm about to leave for North America to prepare for a new film and a new life. I love you all forever!

She replied to several highly-rated comments and went to her own theme website to interact with her fans. These were usually done by Yang Siwei and her studio staff.

Just as she was about to close the interface, a pop-up news from Penguin caught her attention.

"The bidding plan for the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Olympics has been leaked online!"

Liu Xiaoli's voice urged from outside the door: "Xixi, come out when you're ready. We'll go to the airport waiting room in advance."

"Oh, got it!"

Xiao Liu tried to ignore these words that made him sensitive. Just as he was about to close the computer and get up, he couldn't help but click on the news.

Of course, Penguin did not publish the leaked content, but if you just search Tianya or Maopu, you will find that it is already in an uproar.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, featuring a large-scale stage set and numerous actors;
Tai Chi, which embodies the traditional Chinese philosophy of "harmony between man and nature" and the value of pursuing harmony;
Using advanced digital imaging technology, the magnificent Four Great Inventions show is projected onto the stage backdrop.

Even if it is just 3D renderings and simple special effects CG, combined with a brief introduction in the bid, programs full of cultural heritage and modern technology seem to have jumped onto the screen.

Liu Yifei was not an expert, but looking at the "Lu" on the cover of the bilingual bid and the replies below the post, some expressing regret, some gloating, she naturally knew that Lu Kuan was in trouble.

It looked like catastrophic trouble.

Liu Xiaoli knocked on the door and came in: "Xixi, why are you still dawdling? Come out and have breakfast and get ready to go."

Xiao Liu was startled. He quickly closed the computer and walked out of the room thoughtfully.

At around 9:30, the mother and daughter arrived at the Capital International Airport. On the way, fans who recognized her occasionally asked for photos and autographs, and she gladly obliged.

Liu Xiaoli complained in her heart that her daughter's popularity was indeed affected this time. According to the previous situation, she would have been surrounded by people.

But when they turned the corner in front of the VIP passage, they suddenly saw Ah Fei constantly pushing and shoving the reporters who were swarming over, and the onlookers were enjoying it.

The man, who was surrounded and unable to move, looked helpless and kept rubbing his eyes under his sunglasses with his fingers.

Xiao Liu knew that he never wore a watch or glasses, so this must be because his eyes were sore from the cuts.

"Why is Xiaolu here?"

Liu Xiaoli was very surprised. Could it be that he was here to send his daughter to the United States?
But now was obviously not the right time to talk, so the mother and daughter had no choice but to follow the crowded crowd and squeeze forward.

"Director Lu! What do you think about the plan being leaked?"

"Mr. Lu, is there any remedy for this incident?"

"Director Lu, do you think this leak was caused by an insider or was it a frame-up?" Liu Xiaoli whispered to her daughter, "The Olympic plan of the world was leaked?!"

"How could this be?"

Xiao Liu looked at him with a complicated expression as he was trapped by the crowd: "I just saw it this morning."

She had never seen Lu Kuan look so helpless.

In front of me, except for the first time when the filming of "Whiplash" was stranded for a few days due to the backstabbing of a Hong Kong actor, it was rare to see him in a helpless and embarrassed state.

More importantly, he is free and easy and decisive in the business and film circles.

The moment Xiao Liu saw him rubbing his eyes helplessly, he realized that he must be under a lot of pressure as well.

Including the true ownership of the blog website, Lu Kuan did not deliberately conceal anything from Liu Yifei.

However, he never mentioned the underwater battles with Liu Zeyu, Zhou Jun, the big and small kings and the like in front of Concubine Liu Yi.

Because it involves too much insidiousness, absurdity and darkness, and it is a ruthless fight with bayonets, tearing off bloody human skin masks.

It is said that a grain of sand in the era is like a mountain when it falls on an ordinary person.

Even if you are a time traveler, it is not easy to deal with the plots, hunting and sniping from the second generation.

The bigger and sweeter the cake he makes, the more attacks and covetousness he will face from abnormal channels.

If it had not already built a closed industrial chain of a certain scale and gained more capital and confidence in public opinion channels and international reputation, perhaps the jackals would have pounced on it and bit it long ago.

At this moment, I see him so close to me, but I have no chance to travel with him.

The complex image in Liu Yifei's heart that made her love and hate deeply became clearer.

A talented director, artist, business leader with a deep love for the nation, and a standard-bearer of film industrialization.

The extremely controlling bastard who I hate, the mastermind behind the entertainment industry, and the bastard with an extravagant private life!

Perhaps, now is the time to add a new label.

A responsible person who carries the heavy burden forward.

"I've gone through security, Sissi. I don't have time to say hello to Xiaolu."

After finally squeezing through the surging crowd, Liu Xiaoli grabbed her daughter and signaled her to go through security check quickly.

"Wait! Right now!"

Xiao Liu took out his cell phone, quickly flipped to the text message interface and entered a number.

Lu Kuan's number had been deleted by her, which meant that her mobile phone didn't have a blacklist function yet, otherwise she would have done it all on her birthday night.

Input: I'm leaving.

Click Send and close the cover.

The girl put her phone and bag on the tray to go through security, and couldn't help but turn her head to take one last look at him.

Lu Kuan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and was stunned for a second when he saw the message. Then he looked around and locked onto the beautiful figure in the crowd.

The two people, both wearing sunglasses, looked at each other for a second, then one walked into the security check passage and the other squeezed through the crowd of reporters.

At that moment, I wonder if they can capture each other's hidden true feelings through their own dark optical glasses.
-
After being delayed by reporters for a while, the young director arrived at the Ideal International Building at almost ten o'clock.

In the conference room, the members of the previous Olympic bidding team have not yet gathered.

Several foreigners, including Dragon and Michel, have returned to the United States after the last plan was finalized and temporarily ended their consulting work.

The atmosphere was solemn. Despite the scorching July weather, the room was so quiet that it seemed as if water could freeze to ice.

Boss Lu hurriedly pushed the door open and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. A team must have a leader and a backbone.

He personally formed this bidding team, and Lu Kuan was the only authority.

"Have you confirmed it?"

Chen Zhixi nodded solemnly, "Yes, it is indeed our last bid. There are slight changes, but it is basically the same."

Boss Lu thought that this slight change might be Zhou Jun's attempt to cover up his mistake.

Whether in terms of the time of leakage, the channel of leakage, or the content of leakage, Zhou Jun has already reached the extreme.

The young director slammed the table, his face livid. "Alright! Everyone, listen to me."

"I spoke with Director Zhang Heping on the way here. The bidding deadline of 5 p.m. cannot be changed. This is a national matter and cannot be changed by the will of any unit or individual."

"The only thing we can do now is to quickly come up with a relatively complete plan for the remaining forty or so programs, following the previously agreed-upon cultural or technological paths!"

Lin Ying raised her hand to interrupt him: "Time! Time! There's not enough time!"

She was going crazy too.

"Don't think too much about this issue." Boss Lu made the final decision.

"Everyone should remember that we are not the unit that registered on our own; we are the unit that the Olympic Organizing Committee specifically solicited bids from."

"The most important task today is to deliver a qualified bid to the Qinglan Building. As for the subsequent bid presentation, I will do my best to gain the approval of the Olympic Organizing Committee."

"Once we are shortlisted, we will have the possibility to provide additional materials."

"Butian Cinema is right downstairs from us. Everyone is on standby, awaiting orders from our office."

He dragged the whiteboard over and began to deploy the tasks.

"The bid document consists of three parts: the creative proposal, the budget proposal, and the technical proposal."

"The creative solution is the simplest, because every program we have discussed before is a combination of culture and technology. The content of the program is similar, so we only need to make slight changes."

Since the last time he decided on a program, Lu Kuan had been careful and did not choose the program he thought was the best.

As the saying goes, there is no best in literature, and in the eyes of the team, this is not something worth delving into.

Most of the programs leaked this time were the parts that Lu Kuan viewed from the perspective of future Olympics. He believed that they were not 100% outstanding and would not have much impact on his real trump card.

"Chen Zhixi will bring the finance staff to help with the budget plan. It won't take too much time."

“The most difficult part is the technical solution.”

Boss Lu checked the time on his phone: "Including the delivery time on the road, we only have five and a half hours left."

"So we have to make choices between the technical solution and some creative special effects. I'll clarify the key and unique core points, and I'll dictate the rest to the IOC leaders!"

"Okay, now everyone should do their job. I'll go to Butian Films to participate in the production."

The moment the young director put pen to paper on the whiteboard, the meeting room, which seemed to be frozen three feet thick, suddenly thawed. The sound of tables and chairs being dragged was accompanied by the busy figures of everyone.

Lin Ying watched his leaving figure with admiration, and was glad that she gave up Ang Lee's team and chose Wenjie.

Only in times of adversity can one reveal his true heroic qualities. To be the deputy chief director of the Olympic Games, the pressure one has to bear is terrifying and unimaginable to ordinary people.

If you can't handle the pressure at such a critical moment, you may not be able to make it to the end even if you become the chief director.

In early 2001, the office of the International Olympic Committee was located in the Xinqiao Hotel in Chongwenmen. Later, it moved to the Qinglan Building on Dongsishitiao. In 2006, it will move to the Olympic Building on Beisihuan Middle Road.

If the bid documents were delivered at the Olympic Building today, Wenjie would have nearly an extra hour of preparation time, because the Ideal International Building is only 4 kilometers away from the Olympic Building.

But now we need to exclude the time in transit and leave at least one hour of safety time.

Even if you are late for one second, you will be considered to have forfeited the bid.

Countless eyes are watching this matter. No matter how good your plan to widen the road is, there is no room for favoritism at this scene today.

Starting from 12 noon, there was a busy scene of traffic in front of the Qinglan Building.

Not to mention the fourteen teams that participated in the targeted recruitment, there are also a large number of grassroots teams and spontaneously formed artist teams. Regardless of whether they are selected or not, they all want to do their part for the centenary Olympic Games.

At around two o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Yimou walked into the Qinglan Building with his assistant. Minister Wang of the Cultural Activities Department of the Olympic Organizing Committee happened to be making a phone call at the stairs.

"No, there is indeed no news for the time being. Yes, yes, I will continue to pay attention."

He turned around and saw Lao Mouzi, then he smiled a smile that was uglier than crying: "Oh! Yimou, you're finally here. Today is not a day for human beings to live."

"I'm counting them on my fingers: Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, the Central Song and Dance Troupe..."

Lao Mouzi grinned, revealing two distinct lines on his face. It was obvious that he had been working overtime recently. "Is it because of the leaked plan?"

"Oh no! Who said it wasn't true? Chairman Liu was so angry that he smashed the cup in his office!"

Zhang Yimou smiled bitterly, understanding what Wang Lin meant.

If it is a mediocre plan, to put it bluntly, it will be leaked.

However, the entire plan is a masterpiece in terms of cultural heritage, international vision, core logic and feasibility.

What a pity!
"Hey!"

Lao Mouzi sighed deeply: "I called Xiaolu as soon as I saw the news. How could such a thing happen? It's really a pity."

To be fair, even with the level of his top bidding team, he couldn't say that he had won against this proposal.

The power of a forward-looking perspective is enormous, especially in a project that requires the creators and directors to have the ability to examine themselves.

Relatively speaking, the level of creation must give way to the level of aesthetic scrutiny.

Because in a team composed of top artists, what everyone worries about is not a lack of programs, but too many programs!

I don’t know how to choose or connect them in series.

Lao Mouzi recalled Lu Kuan's heavy tone on the phone and wanted to find Leader Liu to plead for mercy first.

It's a bit too much to say that we should open a back door. Let's see if we can leave a gap and allow them to come up with a rough plan first.

Minister Wang led him to the fourth floor: "The leader is not here right now."

"Huh? Why isn't he here on this day? Didn't you just say he was throwing cups in the office?"

Wang Linna was surprised and said, "I'm also surprised. At noon, his secretary delivered an envelope to his office, and within two minutes he left in a hurry."

He checked his watch: "It's been two hours and he hasn't come back yet. Maybe there was something unexpected."

The two looked at each other while talking, and both felt a chill in their hearts.

What an eventful year it has been.

At 2:30, New York artists including Ma Wen and Tan Dun arrived to submit their bids.

At three o'clock, the PLA team arrived to submit their bids.

At 3:30, the extremely luxurious Gehua team arrived to submit their bid.

Gehua is a key recruitment unit for this Olympic Games. Its main personnel include rock godfather Cui Jian, People's Art Theatre director Lin Zhaohua, and famous director Ang Lee.

Among them, Atlanta Olympics director Michelle and Chinese designer Lin Ying were both team members in later lives, but were poached by Boss Lu in this life.

By four o'clock, the remaining teams from the National Song and Dance Troupe, CCTV and Bei Ao Company, France's ECA2 team, and Chen Kaige's team had all arrived.

In the conference room on the fourth floor, the artists were drinking tea and chatting, looking relaxed.

Cai Guo-Qiang laughed and said, “I thought our proposal was already perfect, but after seeing the copy that was circulated online, I realized I underestimated the heroes in the world!”

"Yes, what a pity, what a pity."

Lao Mouzi kept muttering that no one answered the call he just made to Lu Kuan, and he didn't know what was going on with him now.

Chen Weiya from the PLA team nodded: "The most outstanding aspect of the Wenjie proposal is that it perfectly integrates traditional culture and modern technology."

"To be honest, many of our teams lack that kind of international perspective. They have no understanding of many cutting-edge technologies in the world, let alone how to apply them."

Bearded Zhang Jigang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Director Lu Kuan is probably too young. The Olympics is a systematic project, and there's no room for carelessness."

"Yes! That makes sense!"

Feng Xiaogang laughed and said, "That's right, young people are still not thorough enough in their work."

The current situation is a bit like discussing heroes over wine, but the regrets are all about the outdated plan and the evaluation of Boss Lu being too young.

Wang Lin walked out of the office and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already half past four, and there was only half an hour left.

Among the list of targeted recruitment units, the only one that has not been delivered so far is the Lukuan team of Wenjie.

Xiao Gangpao walked a few steps away with his cell phone, went to the end of the corridor and dialed the number of Zhou Jun who was sitting at the bottom of the building drinking coffee.

Criminals usually like to return to the scene of the crime.

That’s right, as he still hadn’t arrived by 4:30, Zhou Jun felt that he was halfway to success.

Go to the Arno Coffee at the bottom of the Qinglan Building and watch the people coming and going through the glass windows. You may see Lu Kuan's hurried figure running here to ask for leniency or to be let off.

This will greatly satisfy his emotional needs and bring a strong sense of accomplishment and excitement.

"Okay, I get it. I guess I can't come. What a pity."

Of course Zhou Jun couldn't tell Feng Xiaogang that he did it himself, and today he was just accompanying him to deliver the bid under the guise of doing so.

There is still half an hour before the bid is delivered. Where is Boss Lu at this time?
He is in Leader Liu's car.

The driver was standing guard in front of the car, and now it was a private communication between the parties involved and the authorities.

Early this morning, the news of the leak of the Wenjie plan reached Leader Liu's ears. After he saw the entire plan circulating on the Internet, he was really regretful.

What a pity.

However, during lunch, a recording file that was delivered along with the work meal completely raised the seriousness of the matter to a new level.

This incident may seem like a trivial one if it is just a leak of information from a commercial company.

But after confirming Zhou Jun's identity in the recording, both parties involved in the incident became more sensitive.

Let’s not talk about Zhou Jun and his background for now, what about Lu Kuan?
On the surface, he is a semi-Grand Slam director of international film festivals, the dean of the Pan-Asia Film Academy whose influence spans China, Japan and South Korea, and he has a certain say in the international art world.

In addition to his domestic industries, he also has export tools such as Mytube in the United States.

Although it may be a bit inappropriate to say it, those who control public opinion and the discourse power in the art world are, to a certain extent, qualified to "use foreign powers to bully others."

Just like Spielberg, who quit the creative team due to some issues before the 2008 Olympics, which made everyone very embarrassed.

These are the voice and capital that Boss Lu has been committed to accumulating since he came down the mountain to deal with some "force majeure factors".

At a time when the Olympic Games are in full swing and everything is going well, it is very important to calm down the loud speaker of Lu Kuan, which may be a hidden danger.

There were too many things involved behind the scenes, and he couldn't make a decision on his own. He had to ask for instructions and report first, which led to the current private communication.

"Comrade Lu Kuan, I'm not representing anyone right now. I'm just an ordinary Olympic Committee worker. I'd like to ask for your opinion on how to handle this matter."

Lu Kuan looked incredulous: "Are you sure it's him?"

"It's tentatively confirmed, but its authenticity needs further verification. Don't overthink it. I'm not here to put pressure on you today."

Leader Liu smiled and said, "I will make a fair judgment on right and wrong. I will definitely give you an explanation."

Boss Lu sighed deeply: "Boss, to be honest, I really can't swallow this!"

"International friends and artists from all over the world have gathered together to ensure the smooth hosting of the Olympics we dream of. It's been four months since I signed the contract in May!"

"Tangshan, Cannes, Beiping, Chengdu, how many days and nights have we endured!"

The Berlin Film Award winner started to act, but he didn't act too exaggeratedly, as too much would be as bad as not in front of such a senior leader.

"Leader, I also understand the difficulty of this job."

"Considering his status, if this matter were to be exposed, it would also be an international scandal and affect our current image of a united nation."

Leader Liu looked at the young director in front of him, and besides a hint of scrutiny, he also nodded with appreciation.

This is a general idea.

It’s no wonder that many senior leaders give thumbs up to this young man when they mention him.

Boss Lu seemed a little speechless. He wanted to say something but then he sighed deeply.

"Speak! It's just you and me in the car, so just say whatever you want to say."

The young director smiled bitterly: "Leader Liu, we can ignore the superficial issues, but we must find a fair and just explanation."

"We can't just let this matter go without mentioning it, right?"

Leader Liu said sternly, "Don't worry! Even if you say forget it, it won't work!"

"Some people, relying on the good fortune of their parents' ancestors for too long, have no idea how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is!"

He looked regretful and said, "Such a good plan! It's such a shame that it was posted online like this!"

"By the way, don't tell me you came empty-handed today, kid? Zhang Heping said you guys rushed out a backup plan. Have you sent it over yet?"

Boss Lu looked at his phone and said, "Well, it should have arrived."

"Boss, we only have time to come up with the outline of the alternative plan. We will gradually fill in the details after the bid presentation. Please take a look..."

"Good! Good! Good!"

"These are all small matters, as long as you can come up with something good."

Leader Liu patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "I've been paying attention to you since you brought up the topic of cultural output at the research meeting. That's a great point!"

"When it comes to promoting national culture abroad, should we listen to the voice of money or the voice of knowledge? This is the first question to consider."

"'Foreign Land', 'Tangshan Earthquake', and the videos you filmed about Hanfu and tea culture all embody our excellent national culture and spirit."

"Comrade Lu Kuan, many leaders are optimistic about you and have praised you. Starting from the opening and closing ceremonies of this Olympics, I hope you can shoulder even greater responsibilities!"

Lu Kuan's expression was more solemn than ever before: "Yes! It's my duty!"

Things have come to this point, basically in line with his development expectations.

It is most appropriate to handle the leak privately. First, no one will ask about the cause of the matter, and second, there will be no mortal enmity with the Zhou family.

I have already let your son go. If you are still looking for trouble, not to mention others, Leader Liu, who is in charge of the matter and coordinating the work, will be the first to disagree.

As for the toothless Zhou army, it is not worth mentioning.

The bid documents of the Wenjie team were delivered in another vehicle and were escorted by Chen Zhixi.

At about 4:50, Boss Lu arrived at Qinglan Building in Leader Liu's car. After shaking hands with the leader and saying goodbye, he walked towards the building.

"Eh? Mr. Lu?"

Zhou Jun waited for him here for a long time and almost thought he would not come.

Looking at Lu Kuan's solemn expression and the staff around him who had not yet carried the bid documents, he could not contain the joy in his heart.

Boss Lu looked up at him calmly. Without the yellow jacket on his body, Zhou Jun seemed just like an ordinary person to him.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou. Long time no see."

It's been a long time since we last met, but the fights between us were always full of swords and sabers, and they were all so painful.

Although the Zhou army was showing off its strength with an attitude of victory, it had not yet achieved complete victory, so it still looked reserved.

He said with regret, "Director Lu, please don't take it to heart, as I heard such tragic news so suddenly."

The young director looked at him expressionlessly for a few seconds.

"Boss Zhou, good trick."

Boss Lu suddenly felt that he had entered sage mode, and the Zhou Jun in front of him was almost like a living dead.

He had no interest in talking any more with the living dead, nor did he even have the interest to pretend to express his anger. He walked towards the Qinglan Building.

Zhou Jun felt a little wary as he watched his departing back, but he just thought that he was helpless and succumbing to reality.

only. . .

Why is there so little sense of satisfaction after winning this great battle?

Shouldn't Lu Kuan be desperate and come up to punch me, and then be bravely subdued by me, and angrily scold him for losing the battle and losing face?
"Zhou Jun? Why are you here?"

In order to avoid suspicion, Leader Liu did not get out of the car with Lu Kuan.

After all, the submission of bids and bidding are imminent, and he cannot express any position.

But he still felt disgusted when he saw Zhou Jun wagging his tail and coming out to take advantage of the situation in the car.

What a useless thing.

"Oh! Uncle Liu, long time no see. I was abroad for the Chinese New Year this year and didn't visit you!"

Leader Liu smiled and nodded, his voice steady and powerful: "It doesn't matter if you don't go to my house, just go back to your own home quickly, Zhou Jun."

He looked up at the national flag fluttering on top of the Qinglan Building and sighed.

"The wind is going to pick up."

Zhou Jun watched him leave with a humble demeanor, then looked up at the clear blue sky with white clouds in the afternoon in the capital.

Is it windy?

Where did this begin?

　I'm going to be very busy at the end of the year. I'll add 3000 first, and I still owe 7000.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)