A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 117 Domineering
Being Lin Jianlu's personal assistant actually involves quite a lot of work.

The first issue is the two courtyard houses – one has already been renovated, but it needs someone to take care of it on a daily basis. So Liu Xiaoli needs to hire someone, preferably a couple: the man as the driver, boiler operator, and housekeeper, and the woman as the cleaning, wiping, grocery shopping, and cooking.

The other set is still being worked on, so I need to go over and check on it frequently, keeping an eye on the materials and the dates.

These days, master builders are recommended by people; no one dares to mess around and ruin their reputation. Those who can afford a master of this caliber, who can bring a whole team to do renovations, are not short of money. The profit is already included in the labor cost; they don't need to earn that so-called profit squeezed out from materials and labor.

Especially the one Lin Jianlu chose, this is already the second job he's been given, quite a good master craftsman.

But no matter how reliable your mentor is, you still have to keep an eye on things yourself.

Then, Lin Jianlu plans to buy more courtyard houses, more villas, and more houses...

He recently planned to give Xu Qing a car, a big American SUV, the kind that looks strong, big, and imposing—it would create a striking contrast with the petite and sweet 168cm tall girl.

I also plan to give Jiang Qinqin and Zuo Xiaoqian each a small car—like a Beetle, a MINI, or a Volvo V40. That would be enough; it would be unique, niche, and show good taste.

Honey may be honey, but it can't be used for nothing.

Honeybees aren't easy to raise—and besides, neither of them considers themselves honeybees!
In addition, as things gradually increase, Lin Jianlu herself can no longer remember or keep track of daily social obligations, and needs someone to help her remember them—she has many friends, and maintaining relationships with them requires a lot of time and energy every day.

By handing it over to an assistant to manage, and only needing to personally intervene when necessary, you avoid neglecting personal relationships and connections!

Then there's investment.

The Forbidden City Film Company project has been delayed for so long and is still not finalized, but the variables are no longer significant. It is certain that it will be established, so I will have to pay more or less attention to what happens to this company in the future.

In addition, he also partnered with Haiyan and Ma Wei to start a company called Qingkong Film and Television. Although he had handed it over to Xu Qing from the beginning, and even the name contained the character "Qing" (晴), so it could be considered her territory, he was still the big boss. He should at least have some control over the company's situation.
Also, while in Shanghai, because I wanted to introduce a job to Shen Aojun, I unexpectedly met Li Shaohong and even more unexpectedly decided to invest in Rongxinda Film and Television, the company she and Li Xiaowan owned. This is yet another mess.

After I left, Li Shaohong went to the Shanghai Theatre Academy and, as expected, chose Shen Aojun and another girl. Now that she has her money, the preparation for "Thunderstorm" will definitely be accelerated. Shouldn't someone keep an eye on this? Even if it's just symbolic and they don't actually interfere, they should still keep an eye on it!
This is the same reason why my mom insisted on becoming an accountant at Forbidden City Film and Television!

Even before Forbidden City Films was finally established, how was the post-production editing of Zhang Yang's "Spicy Love Soup" progressing? How was the preparation for Zhang Guoli's "Kangxi's Private Visits" going?

As for the collaboration with Qiong Yao on "Princess Pearl", will it be promoted and prepared next?

These alone constitute a huge amount of work.

Liu Xiaoli even became her own personal assistant, and she might need to hire another assistant to keep up with the workload—not to mention that as a personal assistant, she would definitely have to take care of her own food, clothing, accommodation, transportation, contact her agent, contact the record company, and finalize air tickets, hotels, and so on.

In short, it's impossible to be idle now!
"Anyway, that's about it. I'll let you know if I think of anything else! ...What's wrong?"

"nothing!"

She was actually a little confused—anyone would be confused in her shoes.

Previously, I only knew that Lin Jianlu suddenly became popular this year and is now the most popular superstar in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He was incredibly famous. After following him on a long trip, I learned that he was also very popular in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. But that still only proves that he is already an international superstar.

Little did anyone know that he had quietly acquired so many companies.
Three film and television companies: Forbidden City Film & Television, Qingkong Film & Television, and Rongxinda Film & Television.

A movie currently in post-production: "Spicy Love Soup".

The TV series that the cadres are currently preparing to film include: "Kangxi's Private Visits", "Thunderstorm", "A Romantic Tale", "Princess Pearl", and "Sunset in the Forbidden City".

In the past, all these things were actually on his shoulders alone.

This feeling... he's actually much busier than he imagined!
"I think I've got it. I'll sort it out slowly later and try to get things sorted out as soon as possible."

"Okay! But there's no rush. Just keep this in mind for now. I'll take you to meet these people one by one later so you can get acquainted with them and gradually take over."

"okay, I get it."

…………

She went to Xu Qing's house that evening. During the day, Xu Qing had moved all the things she had left in Lin Jianlu's house over, and also brought a lot of Lin Jianlu's clothes and shoes.

Her house is a little smaller, but it's a house she bought herself.

Now that Lin Jianlu is going to vacate his rented apartment for his parents to live in, the two of them will have to live together until they buy the big house, so they will have to come to her house.

Afterwards, they took a shower together, but it wasn't time for bed yet, so they sat down on the sofa, drank some water, and chatted—Zhao Baogang had conceded a point regarding her main achievement for the day.

He meant that he didn't need to consider co-investing in his Xinbaoyuan Film and Television; he would only take the director's fee. However, he still hoped that Xu Jinglei could play the female lead—which surprised Lin Jianlu.

If he could do this much, he would have done a great job of living up to Wang Shuo's expectations.

Xu Qing was quite familiar with him; even Lin's parents had watched and liked the TV series "The Imperial City." Xu Qing played a role that was roughly equivalent to the second or third female lead, named Jinzhi. That series was directed by Zhao Baogang—and she had a high opinion of Zhao Baogang.

I've heard her say before that this person is exceptionally capable.

He came from a background as a worker at Shougang Group. Later, he attended an amateur acting class at Beijing Film Academy for a few months. His classmates included Zhang Guangbei, Li Chengru, Zhu Lin, and others. He later played a traitor in "Four Generations Under One Roof". When "Yearning" started filming, the script couldn't keep up with the filming schedule. The director was busy working on the script all day, so he, as the assistant director, was basically in charge of directing most of it. After filming was completed, the title he was given in the credits was "Director".

From that moment on, he embarked on his path to becoming a director.

Then came "Stories from the Editorial Department," followed by "The Imperial City," and then "Addiction." Two years ago, he filmed "East Is Sunrise, West Is Rain"—yes, it was after filming that show that Wang Zhiwen and Xu Qing officially broke up, reportedly having a huge fight on set. Xu Qing herself said so. In short, many of the most influential TV dramas produced by the Capital Television Arts Center in recent years have been directed by Zhao Baogang. If we're talking about directing TV dramas, besides the renowned directors at CCTV who excel at big-budget productions and specialize in big IPs, he can be considered the foremost independent director.

At least in the top three.

He is a typical example of someone who is high-quality and fast at work.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the ambition to start his own company—however, it was all for naught. His Xinbaoyuan is still just an empty shell. His main job right now is as a director at the Capital Television Art Center, a government job where he works for the government.

I had an idea: to start my own business. But I had neither the money nor the opportunity.

Having had more contact with people over the past few months, Lin Jianlu has gradually come to understand that this is how the times are. With the policy opening up, capable people are no longer willing to work for state-owned enterprises and earn a meager salary. They all want to go out on their own and start their own businesses—Li Shaohong, Li Xiaowan, Haiyan, Ma Weidu, Zhao Baogang, and even Zhang Zien, Zhang Guoli, Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yibo are all like this.

"Haiyan prefers to work with him, and Ma Wei also thinks he's a safer choice as director. Or, how about we let Xu Jinglei play the female lead? Anyway, I can't play the role..."

Xu Qing was still unsure who Lin Jianlu wanted to promote, so she spoke somewhat tentatively.

She's been like this lately, wanting to be jealous but also knowing that some jealousy is pointless and futile. "However, Xu Fan called me this afternoon, saying he wanted to invite me to dinner, and I agreed. We haven't set a time yet. I guess... maybe Feng Xiaogang is thinking the same thing? He directed 'Capital City in New York' before, and it was quite good. If he were in charge, Haiyan would probably be satisfied. ... What do you think?"

As she spoke, she sat at one end of the sofa, her half-dry hair hanging down to the other side, her silk nightgown only reaching her upper thighs. Lin Jianlu's head rested on her ample thighs, humming in response to her intermittently. At this moment, she offered a few comments, "Xiaogang is having a tough time too, half-dead, stuck here. I asked Lao Han before, and he said he didn't have a good solution either. He's a bit sensitive, so we can only take it slowly."

"Then... let him direct?"

Lin Jianlu didn't really care—letting Feng Xiaogang direct was a way for him to test the waters. If he couldn't direct movies anymore, surely he could direct TV series? He still had to be able to make a living, right? Wang Shuo was infamous, but I was directing a drama about Haiyan, praising the police. I couldn't afford to make another mistake, could I? This could even be considered a positive act of repentance, right?

By having Zhao Baogang guide the way, things went according to Haiyan's wishes, resulting in a win-win situation for everyone.

It was our first time working together, and we managed to sell the film smoothly, make money, and get off to a good start.

But in the end... how big of a deal could it really be?
After thinking for a moment, he stood up, took his phone from the coffee table, and said, "Read Zhao Baogang's number."

Xu Qing was somewhat surprised, "You're just going to call him directly? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to mediate in this kind of situation?"

Lin Jianlu chuckled, "Hey... what's the big deal? Why are you all going back and forth like this? It's just a few words. If you can do it, do it; if you can't, then forget it! Read it!"

The last word, "read," was spoken a little loudly, so Xu Qing didn't dare ask any more questions. She took out her phone, quickly searched for a number, and read it aloud. Lin Jianlu dialed it immediately. When the other end answered, she said, "Hello, is this Director Bao Gang? I'm Lin Jianlu... Xu Qing and the others all think highly of you and want to work with you, but we heard that they haven't been able to reach an agreement because of something. So I'm here to talk to you. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

The two had eaten together and drunk at the same table. Although they hadn't talked much, they hadn't completely been strangers—Zhao Baogang had witnessed Lin Jianlu's style of speaking and acting.

Sincere and thoughtful, yet also very assertive.

Sometimes he exudes an air of dominance.

The phone call was somewhat abrupt, especially given the apparent tug-of-war between the two parties, who were still haggling over their interests. However, Lin Jianlu's sudden call made him subconsciously sense that Lin Jianlu was getting impatient!
This man is a living bodhisattva in the capital's film and television industry, a timely rain like Song Jiang.

During dinner tonight, he also heard some new information: the company that Li Shaohong and Li Xiaowan run, called Rongxinda, has secured investment, which was also from Lin Jianlu.

Therefore, the TV series version of "Thunderstorm" that they had been preparing for a long time was about to start a major production.

They don't care about that little bit of money at all.

One million, two million, three million, five million—people just say they'll invest and they'll invest; it might just be a matter of a single word!

Because it's said that he earned tens of millions of dollars from just one album!

But then again, people can choose to vote or not. They might agree to support you without batting an eye, even if it means spending millions. But if you do something wrong, they might never bother with you again. They have the right, the status, and the temperament.

Moreover, the Forbidden City Film Studio is about to be established, and among the investors is my own unit, the Capital Television Art Center. We might have to deal with the Forbidden City Film Studio in the future.

"I... I don't really want anything, I just want to discuss things. If you think highly of me and are willing to let me direct this film, then I have nothing to say. Just say the word."

"Alright! You direct then, and you want the female lead, right? Here you go. Tell me straight, what else do you want?"

"I, uh... I have a company and I'd like to do some projects. This isn't the beginning; I have a lot on hand..."

"I've voted! I'll vote for you! Is there any more?"

"Oh my... you really are... I have nothing else to say, I'll definitely work hard for you! If I don't do a good job this time, you don't need to hire me! Don't even look at me properly from now on!"

"Two different things! It's settled then, let's go for drinks another day, bye!"

"Ah, ah, goodbye!"

She hung up the phone, tossed it back onto the coffee table, and turned to lie down again, only to find Xu Qing staring at her in disbelief. Lin Jianlu raised her hand and waved it in front of her, "Hey..."

The next moment, she shoved Lin Jianlu's hand away and pounced on him, giving him a hard kiss.

"Honey, you're so awesome!"

(End of this chapter)