A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 108 Good Reputation

There were no tickets left to give away, and not even time to continue chatting with her, let alone what she said about accompanying her to the Shanghai Theatre Academy for casting—Shinji Tanimura's concert started at 8 p.m., and Lin Jianlu had to be backstage before 6 p.m.

He's flying away first thing tomorrow morning.

However, we still managed to have time to have dinner together.

She's incredibly talkative.

Of all the people Lin Jianlu has met in the past, the most talkative person is Xie Yuan, who never stops talking and has a great desire to express himself and share. Jiang Wu is also talkative. Among the directors, Jiang Wen is considered to be quite talkative, but he only talks a lot to people he feels a connection with. Su Huilun is actually a bit of a chatterbox, and Liang Yongqi also loves to chatter on and on.

But none of them could speak as well as Li Shaohong!

The meal lasted an hour, and she did almost the entire thing, talking and talking.

From her early days at Beijing Film Studio to the industry's difficulties in recent years, to her friendship with Li Xiaowan, to clarifying Lin Jianlu's doubts, to talking about the relationship between Li Xiaowan's family and Chen Kaige's side, to founding the company, to the difficulties of preparation, and so on—recalling the glorious past.

Li Xiaowan's family and Chen Kaige's family did have a good relationship. They were colleagues for life, and in their generation, Chen Kaige could even be considered to have helped Li Xiaowan. However, Li Xiaowan's relationship with Chen Kaige was always just so-so. There was no way around it; the great director Chen was indeed very arrogant and the kind of person who needed to be flattered at all times, while Li Xiaowan was also a stubborn mule and was not very willing to flatter him or associate with him.

In short, we want you to feel confident investing in us. We know about the time you publicly criticized Chen Kaige, but let's keep that separate and focus on working with you wholeheartedly!

…………

When he took the stage in the evening, the audience was very enthusiastic.

It wasn't exactly a surprise. Tickets went on sale two weeks ago, and Lin Jianlu's photo was on the poster, which was one of the selling points. However, it's hard to say how many people would buy tickets just to hear him sing two songs.

It still revolves around Shinji Tanimura.

These days, foreign artists are highly sought after in the domestic market!
After he finished his performance, he went backstage to say goodbye to the organizers and then left. It wasn't until he turned on his phone in the taxi on the way back that he saw a missed call notification. When he called back, it was Li Bingbing on the other end. "Brother Lu, you're in Shanghai? Why didn't you tell me? I'd treat you to a meal!"

"Hey! I was thinking of calling you, but I remembered you've been taking on a lot of work lately, and I was worried about bothering you, and also worried that you might not be at school..." His mind immediately picked up on the topic. The news must have come from Shen Aojun; someone at the Shanghai Theatre Academy knew he was in Shanghai, and it reached Li Bingbing's ears. Remembering what Shen Aojun had said about bringing a classmate and good friend named Bao Lei with her if they got two tickets, it was normal for the news to spread. There was no need to worry about who leaked it. "Later, when you go to the capital to take on another role, I'll give you that chance and treat you to a big meal!"

Li Bingbing laughed heartily, but persisted, "Which hotel are you staying at? I'll come over and see you!"

It's the middle of the night...

"Don't come! My flight is early tomorrow morning, I can't stay up all night chatting with you! We'll meet again sometime, just contact me when you go to the capital."

However, to Lin Jianlu's surprise, Li Bingbing, who had always seemed so generous and cheerful, even a bit boyish, was actually quite good at being affectionate. "Oh, Brother Lu, I miss you, I want to see you!"

Moreover, her way of being coquettish was different from others; it was very direct: "Besides, you're already here, and you haven't left yet! I know you're in Shanghai, and I'm so anxious to see you..."

Lin Jianlu isn't afraid of people giving him the cold shoulder or being tough with him; what he's afraid of is people putting him on a pedestal and saying, "Hey... stop, stop! What kind of coquettish act are you giving me! Go be a coquettish guy to your boyfriend!"

However, despite saying it, I still told her the hotel and room number.

Twenty minutes later, she arrived—she was dressed smartly in a white shirt and jeans, which matched the impression she had left on Lin Jianlu in the past. But as soon as she entered, she opened her arms wide, her enthusiasm burning like fire, "Brother Lu, I missed you so much!" and then hugged him directly.

Lin Jianlu laughed and patted her on the back. After she let go, he offered her his seat and poured her a glass of water.

We chatted about what had happened since we last met, and before we knew it, an hour or so had passed.

During this time, Lin Jianlu's phone vibrated several times in her pocket.

This girl is clever. She didn't mention once that Lin Jianlu came to Shanghai, called Shen Aojun to send her tickets, but didn't call her. All she said was kind words, full of gratitude, and exceptionally sincere.

I had her film a music video, and later, by chance, I managed to get her a role in Zhou Linggang's "Changfeng Escort Agency." But from the way she said it, it already felt like we had a very close relationship.

"I owe my success today entirely to your support!"—that's roughly the gist of it.

Moreover, she was very tactful. When it was almost ten o'clock, she quickly got up to say goodbye. As she left, she complained, "Next time you come to Shanghai, be sure to give me a call. I'd love to treat you to a meal!"

"Fine! I'll definitely come back next time!"

…………

The call was from Shen Aojun. She had been calling since the performance ended, but no one answered. She thought about going straight to the hotel, but then felt it wasn't appropriate to bring her classmate Bao Lei along, so she continued calling while walking back to school together. Finally, Lin Jianlu called her back, "Oh dear, you're leaving tomorrow! I was thinking of coming to see you on Saturday! You haven't explored Shanghai yet, have you? I wanted to show you around!"

"Maybe next time! I have a performance tomorrow night, I have to fly to Hong Kong first, and then transfer to Taipei. Sigh, I promised them all, and they put my picture on the tickets to sell them!"

This refers to the Rolling Stones' 1996 tour, the first show of which is in Taipei, tomorrow night.

So Lin Jianlu had to get up early to catch a flight, transfer, land in Taipei, have lunch, and then go to the venue in the afternoon to familiarize herself with it. She was going to sing three songs on stage that evening. When he agreed, Duan was already very generous, offering $50,000 per show, which is equivalent to a whopping 1.5 to 1.6 million NT dollars. Compared to Su Huilun, who only received tens of thousands of NT dollars before and only 200,000 NT dollars now that she is famous, it was sky-high. However, if the price were to be lowered to $80,000 per show now, Duan would probably be embarrassed to ask!
I accepted eight offers in total, which means I'll lose two or three hundred thousand dollars!

After thinking for a moment, I reminded her, "A film crew will be coming to your school to cast actors in the next couple of days. The director is a friend of mine. I've already given them your information, so be serious and do your best to get selected."

"Huh?" The person on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, but then, instead of the expected surprise, she remained silent for a while before finally letting out a soft "Mmm."

He then said, "Thank you, Brother Lu."

Then, as if realizing what he had just said, he quickly replied, "Don't worry, I'll definitely do my best."

…………

I got up early the next morning to catch my flight.

He's gotten a bit tired of flying lately, but he'll be flying even more in the foreseeable future. Not to mention the distant future, he'll have to fly back and forth every weekend for the Rolling Stones' eight concerts.

In the future, I will need to fly long distances to and from New York.

However, he recently found a solution. He didn't have a phone to play with or a tablet, but he could read a book—just a copy of "Water Margin." He had just reached the part about accepting amnesty, which made him quite unhappy.

After takeoff, he was constantly being asked for autographs by flight attendants and other passengers in first class. It was the norm for him to sign his name and then smile and say a few words to them in a very professional manner before sitting down to read. Then, as the plane landed and made transfers in various cities, many passengers disembarked, and the first class cabin was almost empty. It took about ten minutes before a new group of passengers came in.

Lin Jianlu paid no attention to the changes in the outside world and focused on reading.

But at some inexplicable moment, he clearly sensed that someone was watching him, and that they were staring at him intently—so he knew it was time for another group of people to sign autographs.

The daily life of celebrities.

He sighed helplessly, looked away from the book, and turned to look at the other side, only to be stunned for a moment.

The other person's eyes darted away slightly, but then they turned back and smiled, "Hi, hello Lin Jianlu."

Wang Zuxian.

Lin Jianlu smiled, extended her hand from afar, and shook hands with her, "Hello, Miss Wang!"

They definitely knew each other, both were quite famous, but not close. It was their first meeting. However, Lin Jianlu knew that she was a close friend of Brigitte Lin—Brigitte Lin herself admitted to having only a handful of close friends. The late Teresa Teng is another story, but there are also Sylvia Chang, Nansun Shi, Hu Yinmeng, and Wang Zuxian.

Even without makeup, Wang Zuxian is still almost a god.

Because her beauty largely stems from more than just her facial features. In fact, if we're talking about facial features alone, she wouldn't qualify as someone like Brigitte Lin—but she is simply beautiful.

She looked beautiful in a white dress, with long hair flowing down her shoulders and no makeup.

It wouldn't be good to not communicate at all, so after exchanging a few simple pleasantries, seeing that the other person seemed unwilling to talk any further and looked rather gloomy, Lin Jianlu stopped talking, quickly changed the subject, and opened her book again.

But strangely, she still seems to be looking in my direction.

Once, twice, and the third time, I couldn't resist anymore. I looked up at her again. Her eyes awkwardly and stiffly darted away for a moment, but then she looked back and smiled apologetically.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head immediately.

So she nodded and smiled, then continued reading her book—she didn't know anything else, but she had heard Brigitte Lin mention that Lin Jianyue, the boss of Huanya Films, seemed to be pursuing her quite aggressively.

Lin Jianlu had no recollection of when she debuted, but even those born in the mid-95s knew that she became an instant sensation with the film "A Chinese Ghost Story." After traveling between Taiwan and Hong Kong, she gradually learned that, at least in this era, her fame extended beyond traditional strongholds of Hong Kong films like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia; she was also very popular in Japan and Korea.

She can be considered a goddess of East and Southeast Asia—this one film alone has established her status.

Of course, by now, she has created many successful screen images and has long since transcended the limitations of simply being a beautiful woman in period dramas. However, in recent years, the news surrounding her seems to have focused on her romantic drama with Qi Qin, and it seems that she has even retired from acting in the last two years.

When others talk about it, they always say that the news of their passionate romance back then caused a sensation in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and had a huge impact. However, in the years that followed, the two broke up and got back together many times. Qi Qin was criticized by many people as a "playboy in the music scene" and said that he was not good enough for Wang Zuxian. However, playboys have their own unique charm when it comes to picking up girls. It is said that once, Wang Zuxian had made up her mind to break up, and had been breaking up for a long time, refusing to answer his calls. But one day, she suddenly heard Qi Qin's new song on the street, called "Heartless Rain, Heartless You". Oh my, this beautiful woman was instantly struck by his talent again, felt so heartbroken, and took the initiative to go back to him and get back together.

Of course, this latest breakup seems to be final. According to insiders, the two had been separated for three or four years. During that time, although Qi Qin tried to win her back, even begging on his knees, she ultimately didn't soften her heart again. However, along with this final breakup, she started reducing her film output, and in the last two or three years, she seems to have completely stopped making films. There are even very few reports of her making any public appearances anymore.

Passenger boarding was completed quickly, the plane taxied out, and then took off.

Suddenly, she asked from the side, "Is this book... good?"

Lin Jianlu turned her head in surprise to look at her, then looked down at the book "Water Margin" in her hand. "The beginning is very exciting, with killing and arson, but the later part is not good and frustrating. But I still have to finish reading it."

"why?"

"Hmm... It's great before forty. You're young, you can eat, drink, and sleep, and you can do whatever you want. After forty, things start to get a little unpleasant, and by sixty, you're completely unhappy. But you can't just die, can you?"

She couldn't help but purse her lips, but ultimately didn't burst out laughing.

Hmm, this girl is definitely not as straightforward as Brigitte Lin.

After suppressing her laughter for a moment, she pointed to the book in Lin Jianlu's hand and said, "I read this book when I was in junior high school. Everyone said it was a good book, and I knew it was definitely a good book, but I don't know why, I just couldn't get into it."

Lin Jianlu was somewhat surprised—was he really planning to have a serious talk with me?
After thinking for a moment, he simply closed the book. His ability to talk nonsense was honed from years of live streaming and watching short videos in his previous life. Even in this day and age, his level of nonsense was so high that Jiang Wen especially enjoyed chatting with him. "Do you know what the greatest suffering of human beings is?"

Sure enough, one sentence completely stunned me!
A clear sense of bewilderment was evident in the beautiful woman's eyes.

Lin Jianlu didn't expect to get a reply from the other party. "In one's life, one will experience all kinds of things, learn all kinds of knowledge, and increase all kinds of wisdom. But unfortunately, your next generation cannot directly obtain these things. They still have to start from scratch. They need to relearn even how to crawl and walk."

The beautiful woman remained bewildered, her clear eyes staring blankly at Lin Jianlu.

"So the smarter a person is, the more distressed they are that their children are so incompetent, but they have no way to teach them. A new person has to go through it all from scratch. Moreover, talent, opportunity, era, region, and many other factors limit you, and even your descendants. No matter how hard generations try, they may never reach the wisdom of a certain ancestor."

She seemed to be starting to understand something. The CPU, which had been overheated, gradually cooled down and regained some function. "You mean, books are the best things that wise people leave us to learn wisdom from, right?"

"What I mean is, if you don't understand it, that's fine, you don't have to read it..."

"puff……"

This time she couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, quickly becoming uncontrollable. She covered her mouth with one hand, then her stomach with the other—laughing for a full half minute before she came to her senses and asked, "Are you laughing at me?"

"You're overthinking it! What I mean is, if you can't understand it, it means it's useless to you."

She was taken aback when she heard this.

His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression.

But Lin Jianlu didn't intend to say anything more. He waved the novel in his hand at her and then looked down at it again.

…………

It was nearly noon when the plane landed.

Before getting off the plane, Lin Jianlu put the book away, leaned forward once again, reached out her hand to Wang Zuxian, shook her hand, and said goodbye.

Su Huilun came to pick him up at the airport.

They've gone all out, not caring about reporters or paparazzi anymore. After all, it's not like they haven't had their scandals before, and it's already long past the stage of mere rumors. They're practically living together as a couple, so what's there to be afraid of?
She hugged me right away.

Lin Jianlu was startled instead. "Alright, alright, get down. Don't ruin my good reputation. I still have to pick up girls!" Su Huilun laughed heartily, cupped her face, and kissed her. "I'll make sure you don't succeed!"

Just then, Wang Zuxian came out wearing a hat, mask, and sunglasses—fully armed—walking with her head down. She noticed Lin Jianlu over there, with a girl holding her arm, and the girl was smiling so brightly. She couldn't help but stop and take a few more glances—it seemed to be the girl who sang, the Taiwanese beauty.

So, a little over half an hour later, Brigitte Lin received a tip-off call.

"Oh dear, I knew it all along. He never hides things from me, he never hides things from anyone. But what can I do now that I know? I feel like I've hit the jackpot! ... You're on the same flight as him? ... I didn't know. How could he tell me his itinerary? Please, he's not going to marry me! But I don't care. He's so handsome, so talented, and so rich. If I can get pregnant with his child, it'll definitely be handsome too, and maybe it'll even inherit some of his talent. He certainly wouldn't let me go hungry... What more could I want?"

"Men, Ah Xian, don't have too high expectations of them. I've been in love before, and I know what men are like! If you really want to get married, just remember what I told you!"

"You need to have some money. Life will be very hard if you don't have money. And once you make him take money from you, he won't cherish it. He won't even care if he uses your money to support other women. How many examples have we heard of?"

"Also, you can't have a legal wife! Seriously, this is very important! As for Lin Jianyue, I think you did the right thing. He has a wife at home, which is a big problem! Even if you want to find a rich young master like him, even if you're just a mistress, you have to do it before he gets married, otherwise you won't be able to talk back when people criticize you!"

"And, it's best if he's sexually proficient. That way, even if he goes out and cheats on you, he won't be completely clueless about how to handle you when he gets home! ...Please, I haven't dated in years, and I don't really want to, but once you've had sex again, I'll miss it, I really will!"

"Especially... hahaha, really, I'm not bragging! It was the first time I'd ever known a man could be like that, like a mad dog... Ugh, you've never experienced it, and I'm too lazy to explain, you probably think I'm bragging!"

"Hahahaha, I don't care what you say about me, I've long since lost all sense of shame! What's the point of having a face? I want happiness, I want to be happy, Ah Xian!"

"By the way, what did you guys talk about? Did he try to seduce you?...Really? Oh...right! Well, actually, we haven't known each other for very long, he's only been in the industry for a short time, but he's always been a very discreet person. I was the one who seduced him...hahaha! I already told you, I've already abandoned all shame!"

"Wasn't I just like you when I was young? I was willing to do anything for love! Oh, looking back now, how stupid I was! It's not that... love is bad, love is too good, we're not good enough for each other!"

"You're still too young, baby. Go back to filming and don't bother with boyfriends. Don't pay any attention to Lin Jianyue. Wait a few more years of acting, save some money, and trust me, find a young man, the strong and healthy type. If you don't know how, use Ah Lu as a template. That height, that build, he looks strong and fierce, he's usually pretty good. Then enjoy a few years of sex life, don't get married, have two kids, and if you want to break up, just break up. Anyway, I have kids and savings!"

"Me? Please! How could I bear to break up! I'm not like you, and A-Lu isn't just anyone. He... he's so charming! It's not just his youth and talent, I like everything about him! I'm just... just a little infatuated with him... hahaha, anyway, I'm not breaking up! As long as he doesn't say he wants to break up, I'll stick with him. I'd rather treat him like a king than break up with him!"

"Not only will I not break up with him, but as long as he doesn't object, I'm going to have his child! When I get old and he doesn't care about me anymore, he can't not care about his own child, can he?"

...headed straight to the performance venue.

When we got backstage, almost everyone from Rolling Stone was there; it was a gathering of talents, young and old alike.

Too many familiar faces.

This is the first time I've seen Takeshi Kaneshiro. He's handsome!

They're only slightly inferior to me, but they're far superior to those ugly guys from Rolling Stone backstage!
It was the first time I'd ever met Alex To.

We exchanged pleasantries, grabbed a quick bite of boxed lunch, and then went on stage to test our voices and familiarize ourselves with the stage structure and layout. That was pretty much it.

There were too many people, and no one paid attention to anyone else. Everyone was chatting idly in groups. When no one was looking, he took a moment to tug at Chen Shuhua's hand and exchange a glance—she smiled knowingly.

There will be one show in Taipei on Saturday night and one show in Kaohsiung on Sunday night.

On Sunday afternoon, while they were still scouting locations in Kaohsiung, Ge Fuhong and Zhang Aijia's plane landed in Taipei, and they rushed to Kaohsiung almost without stopping, arriving in the evening.

After grabbing a free boxed lunch backstage, the two of them pulled Lin Jianlu along and went outside together.

They were both very excited, talking back and forth.

"The results are excellent. Even the Columbia headquarters wanted to sign you directly, but we definitely couldn't agree. It's more reliable for us to cooperate with Zhao Mingxin's Sony Columbia."

"The three songs you wrote received very high praise. A senior music director from Columbia University kept asking me if I would be willing to submit them to other singers, but I refused. We don't sell! At least these few songs, we absolutely will not sell!"

"Don't think about anything else right now, just get yourself together. Zhao Mingxin hasn't come back yet; he's stayed there to coordinate everything for you. We're coming back to arrange some things. It's all settled. Aijia will be flying back in a few days. Don't worry about anything there; everything will be taken care of. Just get yourself together, fly over, and focus on recording!"

"Now we're absolutely certain that as long as you record the effect you want, the entire American music scene, no matter how big the international record giants are, won't reject you! We'll also negotiate the best signing terms with Zhao Mingxin... Ah Lu, look at me, you'll be a sensation! Based on the attitudes shown by those musicians over there these past few days, I'm certain you'll be a sensation in America too!"

"The Chinese music scene is definitely not your final destination; your goal should be the whole world!"

…………

Throughout November, and even into early December, Lin Jianlu's schedule was packed every Saturday and Sunday—the Rolling Stones 1996 Asia Tour.

But at other times, he is able to relax.

There is no longer any necessary work.

The only thing worth looking forward to is what's happening in Hong Kong. Ge Fuhong is in talks with several domestic companies about endorsing her: Pantene shampoo, Aido VCDs, Changhong TVs, Golden Monkey shoes, Romon suits, Darlie toothpaste, Little Swan washing machines, Wahaha purified water, and Gree air conditioners. Lin Jianlu thinks they're being a bit ridiculous. Endorsing other products is one thing, but endorsing a washing machine? What's with that? Shouldn't brands and products like these be hiring female celebrities over thirty?

But it doesn't matter. As long as they ask and pay enough, I'll endorse it!
It is precisely because these things are equally important to Lin Jianlu and to the two agents that Ge Fuhong is unable to stay in America or stay closely by Lin Jianlu's side. Liang Yongqi thought that Ge Fuhong rushed back because her new album was about to be released, so there was no need to explain.

Of course, even without a mandatory job, there are still countless other things to do outside of work!
On Monday, November 10th, Lin Jianlu flew to Hong Kong in the evening.

That evening, I took Leung Wing-ki to see a movie, "Comrades: Almost a Love Story," directed by Ko Kei and starring Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung. It had just been released a few days earlier and was a romance film with good reviews. Of course, seeing a movie wasn't important, and what movie we saw wasn't important either. What was important was going out together, holding hands, specifically choosing a movie theater in a busy downtown area, and being as unpretentious as possible so that the paparazzi could take pictures of us!
To put it bluntly, she came out to show off, spread a rumor, and boost Leung Wing-ki's popularity.

It was no coincidence at all; they were discovered, and the news spread like wildfire. When they came out of the movie, a large group of paparazzi surrounded them, snapping photos of the two holding hands. Lin Jianlu knew that some of them were arranged by Ge Fuhong, because this was a publicity stunt with a very clear purpose.

"Dating? Haven't we been dating all along?"

"The breakup is temporary. I'm going to Taiwan to record, so we can't hold hands anymore. Doesn't that mean we're breaking up?"

"Yes, yes, the movie was great! It was so well made! Director Chen Kexin is top-notch!"

"Huh? Someone said that? That Leon Lai isn't handsome enough? No way, we're tied. Out of 100, let's be modest and give him 99!"

"Yeah! It's her first time as a singer, of course I have to come! It's a new album! Everyone remember to buy Gigi's new album tomorrow, I'll sing for you all!"

From beginning to end, Liang Yongqi held Lin Jianlu's hand tightly, occasionally revealing a sweet smile, turning her head to look at Lin Jianlu with a look of infatuation—this was probably the ultimate enjoyment she had always been pursuing!

Lin Jianlu actually loved her. He publicly acknowledged being her boyfriend, publicly admitted they were dating, and publicly supported her. Being close to him always made her feel incredibly happy, but she also unconsciously felt that invisible, intense jealousy that almost every girl experiences upon hearing the news—"I am Lin Jianlu's real girlfriend!"

For this reason, she felt it was worth it to put up with other things!
…………

On the morning of November 11th, Leung Wing-ki's debut album, "Love Yourself," entirely in Cantonese, was officially released.

The news that Lin Jianlu came from another company to support his girlfriend spread throughout Hong Kong overnight, and a huge number of Lin Jianlu's fans came to the sales event the next day.

however--

"Deer Boy, do you know qigong? If you stand still and release your qi, how far can it reach?"

"Deer Boy, can you take me as your apprentice? I love kung fu so much, and I can endure a lot of hardship!"

"Little Deer, Little Deer, is it true that you can smash someone's head with one punch?"

Therefore, uninvited reporters and fans who aren't part of a planned schedule will genuinely not follow your script and will ask all sorts of random questions!

"Qigong? Look closely, 'Love Yourself,' it's actually a qigong manual! You should buy it!"

"I'll pass on you as a disciple; I'm too lazy to teach apprentices! But I see you have extraordinary talent. Here, I'll sell you a secret manual, 'Love Yourself,' for only 98 yuan, and I can even offer a discount! Young man, the responsibility of maintaining world peace in the future is entrusted to you. You must work hard!"

"Smash someone's head... I don't even have the chance to try! I have such a beautiful girlfriend who can sing so well, why would I smash someone else's head? Young people, don't be so hostile, have more love in your hearts, you should 'love yourself,' just like this album..."

Lin Jianlu's stand-up comedy show hasn't been running for a long time. The main reason is that Lin Jianlu is a bit tired of the paparazzi's relentless pursuit and fabrication—but when the time comes, it can still be held anytime.

Just making things up!
This is an essential skill for anyone working in online live streaming!
Leung Wing-ki could only cover her mouth and bend over laughing – she's a little girl, too embarrassed to laugh out loud like Brigitte Lin and the others, she cares a lot about her image!

Well, it's still a success. He still has the influence of an Asian superstar, the record holder for Hong Kong record sales, a scandal-making machine, a master of casual talk, a master of qigong who can hit a cow from behind a mountain, an unparalleled genius disciple of a secret sect, and one of only two extremely handsome men in Hong Kong with a 99-point appearance...

The atmosphere at the launch event was electric.

But how well it sells depends, to be honest, on the quality of Leung Wing-ki's album – Cantonese. When it was recorded, Lam Kin-lu couldn't even do basic Cantonese conversations and didn't participate at all.

Furthermore, since it's in Cantonese, don't expect too much from sales in Taiwan. Focus on selling to Hong Kong and supplement with sales to Southeast Asia. Only if it becomes a huge hit in Hong Kong will it be possible to sell well in Taiwan as well.

With the release secured, Leung Wing-ki will be busy with various promotional activities. One thing is certain: Ge Fu-hong has high hopes for her and is very supportive. From filming movies to releasing records, the management company has already paved the way for her. Therefore, the promotional efforts for her first album will be substantial.

But Lin Jianlu definitely wouldn't run away with her.

…………

The night is fading.

It started raining in the evening, not heavily, but it kept drizzling. A thin sea breeze blew the raindrops onto the window, and before they could dry, new ones were already drifting up, creating layers of mist. As a result, the scattered ship lights on the bay outside the window appeared somewhat mottled and hazy.

Lin Jianlu stood naked by the window, holding a cup of hot water in his hands, sipping it slowly while staring blankly out the window. Lin Qingxia quickly came out, drying her hair. Seeing his back standing there motionless, she paused, then tossed her hair, walked over, and slowly hugged his waist from behind. She leaned over his shoulder, looking up at him, "What's wrong?"

He pursed his lips, turned his head to glance at the woman, and said, "Nothing, just standing here for a bit."

Lin Qingxia was puzzled, but she didn't ask any more questions. After throwing the towel on the sofa, she hugged him again, rested her head on his shoulder, and stood there with him, looking out the window at the misty view.

Suddenly, out of the blue, he blurted out, "Hong Kong is actually a good place."

Lin Qingxia was surprised and turned to look at him again.

But he didn't seem inclined to explain. He suddenly handed the cup in his hand to Lin Qingxia. She took it, turned around and put it down. When she turned back, the man was still standing there, motionless for a long time.

I don't quite understand.

I've never really understood him.

Fortunately, the part of him that I could understand resonated almost entirely with me.

Thank goodness, he's a womanizer.

So she ignored him, turned around and went back to the bedroom to clean up the mess. The sheets were wet and sticky, so she picked them up, washed them, and when she came out of the living room, he was already back on the sofa.

So she went over and sat on his lap, acting coquettishly, "Ah Lu, I heard you on the phone just now, you're going to America in a while? Take me with you, I'll come and cook for you! The food there is awful, it's okay for a few days, but after a while you definitely won't like it."

Lin Jianlu chuckled, "Come on, you're going to cook?"

"What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?"

"Unappetizing!"

"Pfft... Don't be so direct! I've already been working very hard!"

Lin Jianlu pulled her close, his hands restlessly tracing her slender waist, slowly kneading it. He didn't seem to reciprocate her jokes, instead speaking with a serious tone, "I know you don't really care about Forbidden City Film Studio, but you should still care a little. Hong Kong and Taiwan are both markets too small. It's already remarkable that they've seen such explosive growth in the last ten years. Whether things go well or badly, the mainland market is huge; it's bound to rise! Old Zhang and Zhang Heping called me, saying they invited you to be the general manager, but you turned it down. Don't turn it down. Even if it's just a nominal position, go and support them for a year!"

Lin Qingxia, hearing his serious tone, nodded without hesitation, "Okay! You want me to go? Then I'll go! I can just fly back on Friday and fly over on Sunday."

"No need! Just go there every now and then for a few days!"

"it is good!"

"Don't you always say you don't want to date any more old men and want me to support you for the rest of your life? Listen to me, put a little effort into this company, and your future gains will be much more reliable than those of a womanizer like me!"

"Pfft... You think so little of yourself?"

"Hey! Is that a low rating? I'm just a womanizer, that's all. I don't do anything immoral or use sweet talk, so I've never considered myself a bad person. Yeah, just a womanizer."

Lin Qingxia laughed again, then hugged her neck, "By the way, what are you going to America for?"

"recording."

"Recording? Why go to America to record? Hong Kong and Taiwan are fine, aren't they?"

"Recording English songs requires a rhythmic feel that only local musicians have. I'm not qualified to hire someone, so of course I have to go myself...maybe I can even pick up a foreign girl!"

"Pfft... Recording English songs? Why would you record English songs? I saw a program mention you a few days ago, saying you're so lazy. It's been more than half a year since 'Cold to the End' was released, and you still haven't released a second album. I heard them say you should strike while the iron is hot and release the next album as soon as possible!"

"They don't know anything!"

"Won't it be... a waste of time? I've seen many Hong Kong singers try to go international, and without exception, they all failed. You need to think it over carefully! Also, I remember Leslie Cheung mentioning that people in Europe and America generally look down on our music scene. Will you suffer if you go there? Going international... it should be quite difficult."

Lin Jianlu chuckled and turned to look at her.

The beautiful woman in his arms had just finished her spring, her cheeks still bearing an indescribable rosy pink hue, her clear eyes, and her almost perfectly sculpted features. She wore a sheer pink dress that, in reality, couldn't hide anything...

Lin Jianlu suddenly reached his other hand towards her lower body.

She paused for a moment, wanting to laugh, but also feeling a little scared. "Ah Lu..." The experience just now had overwhelmed her. Her legs were still feeling a lingering tingling and numbness, as well as a faint, persistent pain.

However, before she could say anything, Lin Jianlu said, "There are some things you don't need to worry about. Just do what I tell you to do."

Upon hearing this, Brigitte Lin immediately realized that she had gone a bit too far in her inquiries.

Consequently, she dared not object to Lin Jianlu's actions, but only pleaded. Lin Jianlu noticed that her voice was off and turned her head in surprise.

She gave an awkward laugh. "How about tomorrow?"

She'd heard the saying "thirty is like a wolf, forty is like a tiger" for years, but the reality is, that's nonsense. Twenty-year-old young men are truly like wolves and tigers!

He has no sense of contentment whatsoever!

Lin Qingxia laughed heartily and punched Lin Jianlu hard in the chest with both fists!

…………

The next morning, he got up early and went for a run or practiced his boxing. The only annoyance was that he had to wear sunglasses while running to avoid being noticed by passersby in the neighborhood. After a relaxing breakfast, Lin Jianlu quickly tidied up and quietly went out to the airport to board a flight heading north.

As soon as the plane landed, right there at the airport, Xue Zhongding, the old man, came to pick him up and brought some new news: "Alu, before I came out to pick you up, I just received a notification from CCTV that you will be participating in this year's Spring Festival Gala!"

Ok……

This was both reasonable and expected.

However, Lin Jianlu's mind was not on this matter at all before, and she did not expect to get involved in the Spring Festival Gala.

Since he's quite famous, he was invited to appear as a special guest. Lin Jianlu could skip the first two rounds of program selection and go straight to the last round—actually, the last round doesn't matter, he almost has to go!
Sales figures, influence, reputation, and fan popularity speak for themselves!

But the third round of screenings is in December, so there's no need to think about it now—going on stage just means singing a song, and frankly, I can just ask the Spring Festival Gala for any song. The Spring Festival Gala is really strict with its programs, reviewing and revising them again and again, but for mature pop songs like mine, there's really nothing to review.

Go home. Go back to my own little nest.

He instructed Xue Zhongding not to tell anyone and not to see anyone.

This trip started with a flurry of commercial performances, followed by a major incident in Hong Kong, and then a busy time in Taiwan working on an album for Chen Shuhua—a journey that lasted over a month. While physically not tired, I was quite mentally exhausted.

He needs to return to the human world and rest his mind.

***
This chapter has 11,000 words. I'm still asking for your guaranteed monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)