A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 128 Eye-opening
After a day of practice and a day of rehearsals, on Thursday, "Baby" officially began recording.

First, record the accompaniment track and the harmony track. The black guy we invited was amazing at harmonizing; his grasp of rhythm and the quality of his voice completely met Lin Jianlu's requirements.

Then he went into the studio by himself, sang it three times, came out and listened, and said it was done!

His usual practice was to record without delay, without making various attempts and adjustments. As long as there were no mistakes, he always got it right in one take. At this point, Chen Hong had already started going into the recording studio with him.

Undoubtedly, this was her first time entering Columbia Records, one of the world's top record companies, in its most luxurious recording studio, but she showed no interest in anything around her, only staring at Lin Jianlu from beginning to end.

I never expected that he could sing English songs.

Judging from the tone of his agent, assistant, and the record company general manager named Zhao Mingxin, his English song is going to be released globally—and not just by his entourage, but more importantly by the staff, musicians, recording engineers, backing vocalists, and so on in Columbia Records. Everyone is full of praise for the song.

Chen Hong understood very well that her own people were very likely to lie and flatter, but outsiders would not.

Especially these Americans, and even more so these black guys, they are all straightforward and will tell lies, but they would never put on an expression or tone of genuine admiration like this.

Of course, I've heard English songs before. Although I haven't listened to as many as professional musicians or American musicians, I still have basic aesthetic sense.

Chen Hong herself also thought the song was really good!

So his gaze toward Lin Jianlu became more and more focused and profound.

He said he wouldn't let you bring him soup, but you did anyway, and he drank it, didn't he? Not only did he drink it, but he also felt bad about kicking you out, right? But it wouldn't be polite to make you sit outside and wait, so he invited you into his workplace, didn't he? Did you then personally witness the entire process of him recording his first English song?
This is a top-notch intelligent person. You can't deal with this kind of intelligent person using the same methods you used on Chen Kaige.

Both of them are smart, lustful, and greedy, but Chen Kaige is arrogant, pretentious, and domineering. So you can't flatter him; you have to lure him in and make him willingly come to you and flatter you.

But the one in front of me is not.

He is intelligent, but humble, and you can tell that he is genuinely not arrogant about his current success in music, wealth, and the like.

He lived with exceptional clarity of mind.

But this kind of person also has a weakness: he is afraid of genuine feelings.

To deal with this kind of clever person—provided they are clever, intelligent people who can see things clearly—you must give them your love and care, without getting tired of it. Give them your concern, your care, your tenderness, your sincerity, your true feelings, your admiration, your following, your worship, your infatuation, your instant attraction, your unwavering devotion, your vow to marry no one but you, your silent love, and the message, "It's okay if you don't want me, just allow me to love you!"
He came out. "How was it?"

Chen Hong smiled, not intending to praise her in any particular way, but instead said, "I don't know how well you sang, but I saw those Americans looking at you with such admiration."

Oh my...tsk!

Lin Jianlu was visibly happy.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingxin remained expressionless, while Lin Xilei seemed lost in thought.

Ge Fuhong's face appeared somewhat stiff.

There was really no way around it. She had watched as the two people's relationship gradually changed from being polite and courteous to being able to talk about things in tacit understanding over just a day or two. From her perspective, it could even be said that she had watched Lin Jianlu being won over by a few bowls of soup.

With this level of skill, let alone Liang Yongqi, even Lin Xilei has no chance!

Brigitte Lin has enough emotional intelligence and probably isn't lacking in skills, but how old is she? Facing such a stunning beauty whose looks are in no way inferior to her at her peak, what competitive edge does she still have?

That's it, we can't beat them!

There are still some amazing people in mainland China!

So when they went downstairs for dinner, she took the initiative to chat with Chen Hong. When she asked, she learned that Chen Hong had signed her management contract with Qiong Yao in 92, which had expired last year, but the two parties renewed the contract. However, the new contract only extended the management contract in Hong Kong and Taiwan to Qiong Yao, which would not expire until 98.

Even if she got a deal with someone from the mainland, it wouldn't be of any use. Ge Fuhong knew very well that she didn't have much influence in the mainland.

Unfortunately, we had to give up.

…………

It's been almost a week since we arrived, and we've only recorded one song, "Baby," but everyone, including Lin Jianlu, is already very satisfied with the results—we've made a start.

After recording "Baby", Lin Jianlu went downstairs to have a meal together, and then he had to take Lin Xilei to the airport. Due to the time difference, he had to fly back half a day early so as not to miss the concert on Friday night.

Ge Fuhong is also going back, but not on the same flight. She needs to take advantage of the weekend to go back to Hong Kong to handle some things. On the other hand, the final stop of the Rolling Stones tour will be at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and after that, everyone can fly back together on the same flight.

After saying goodbye to Chen Hong and watching her get into a taxi, everyone left the hotel and headed straight to the airport, where they embarked on another long flight that lasted almost a whole day.

They gathered together and sang and danced.

Flying to Hong Kong, the last show, the finale.

Suddenly, a lot of big names from the Hong Kong music scene appeared backstage: Lo Ta-yu, Leslie Cheung, and Aaron Kwok. Their record contracts were all with Rock Records, but Lo Ta-yu was basically past his prime, Leslie Cheung didn't sing much anymore, and Aaron Kwok was a big name who wasn't willing to participate in Rock Records' packaged commercial performances. Therefore, they only participated in the last stop. As the saying goes, the less famous you are, the more you benefit from these packaged concerts. If you are famous enough, you can make a lot more money on your own than with these kinds of shows. There's no need to exhaust the fans' expectations with these kinds of concerts.

Leung Wing-ki has arrived.

Brigitte Lin has arrived.

Rosamund Kwan also came.

Lin Jianlu had tried her best to mingle with Leslie Cheung, Lo Ta-yu, and Jonathan Lee, but in the end, she couldn't help but fall into the trap of women—Rosamund Kwan quietly asked, "Hey, are you really dating that Leung Wing-ki?"

If it were someone else, anyone with a slightly thinner skin, they wouldn't know how to answer this kind of question.

But Lin Jianlu's problem wasn't just his thick skin; it was mainly his consistent sincerity. "I couldn't resist, and we slept together. I couldn't very well say I wasn't dating, could I?"

Rosamund Kwan laughed heartily.

When Brigitte Lin arrived, she spoke of serious matters, making no mention of Lin Jianlu's involvement with women. "I went to see the Beijing Film Studio building. It's very nice, and the equipment is complete. I heard that the approval process is almost finished, so it might be officially open by the time you go back next time."

Well, Lin Jianlu actually received this news earlier than her. She then asked, "Why did you go to New York to record? I asked Lao Zhang, but she wouldn't tell me!"

Why ask that? Just wait for the news. It'll be a pleasant surprise!

"How many more days do you plan to record? Do you want me to come and keep you company?"

"It's hard to say. Let's record three songs first. It might take another week."

"Have you dated any foreign girls?"

"No. Foreign girls smell! No matter how thick their perfume is, I can still smell it!"

"Hahahaha!"

When it was Leung Wing-ki's turn, she cleverly didn't get jealous. Instead, she subtly straightened Lam Kin-lu's collar and brought up another matter, "Recently, the Hong Kong media have been hyping up the topic of your creative decline. You need to be careful. They're very shrewd! I also reminded Sister Ge, but she doesn't seem to care."

"Oh, it's alright. As long as you don't think I, Lin Lang, am completely exhausted, it's fine."

It took Liang Yongqi a while to realize what it meant. She smiled shyly and wanted to snuggle into Lin Jianlu's arms, but there were too many people backstage. She had a strong personality and could be a bit feisty at times, but she had only been in the industry for a little over a year, and she wasn't that unrestrained in such a big setting.

…………

Others might be fine, but Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun were furious to see their man flitting among women, all of whom were rumored to be having affairs with him and getting very close to him without any restraint!
But it was alright for the two of them, since they were both mentally prepared beforehand.

The people who were truly dumbfounded by what was happening backstage were Lin Jianlu's long-legged dancers. They had attended five concerts with her and seen many singers come and go. They had also seen Lin Jianlu chatting and laughing with many female singers, and even being a little intimate. To be honest, they had gradually become desensitized to these Hong Kong and Taiwan superstars. But today, they were once again amazed!
My boss is amazing!

Lin Qingxia's slender waist, he could hug her without hesitation; Liang Yongqi's forehead, he could kiss her without a word.

Rosamund Kwan, who is known as the most beautiful woman in Hong Kong, actually came backstage to visit her boss. The two were together, and although they didn't hug or kiss, their relationship was obviously very close.

Look over there, Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun, who were also very close to the boss before, are clearly jealous, but they are calm and composed, showing no intention of catching them cheating or making a scene.

Long insight!

…………

The final battle was a great success.

After eight concerts, Rock Records made a fortune, while the young singers only made a small profit – they might have earned around 100,000 to 200,000 NTD per concert, just like Su Huilun did back then, but if they could participate in five or six concerts, they could earn up to one million NTD.

It's just catching a few flights; this money is practically free!
They're not famous enough, and their influence isn't significant enough. Things are a bit better within Taiwan, but outside the island, commercial performance opportunities aren't that plentiful. Therefore, this is actually a rare opportunity for them to make money.

However, Lin Jianlu had already made it clear to her two agents that she would not participate next year!

This year is a return of favor. They've helped you out, so even if they don't pay you, you have to support them through all eight shows so they can make their money.

But I won't be taking it next year, it's too damn busy. I have to fly back and forth so many times to earn that $40!
…………

Ignoring the expectant looks from his wives and girlfriends, Lin Jianlu returned backstage after the performance, simply greeted everyone, and then left immediately. At the airport, he met up with his private manager at HSBC, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries briefly, and then boarded a plane—another nighttime flight—directly to New York.

He currently holds $6800 million in cash, but he doesn't plan to throw it directly into the stock market, and the reality doesn't allow him to do so all at once. His plan is to invest the bulk of it, $5000 to $6000 million, and slowly accumulate shares over one or two months, or even two or three months.

There's only one target: Yahoo!

While in New York, he read newspapers, and if he didn't know English, he could ask Lin Xilei. In short, according to the judgment given in the newspapers, Yahoo's stock price was at a high level—a place it shouldn't be!
But Lin Jianlu didn't care, he bought it!
The only concern is that Yahoo's overall size isn't large enough right now. Its average market capitalization over the past two weeks has been just over $14 billion. Investing $50-60 million would result in significant volatility for a company of its size—so we must proceed slowly. The goal is to gradually convert the money into stocks without causing any disruption to the share price.

Sixty million would be enough to acquire about 4% of its shares.

For Lin Jianlu, this first investment was complete—it was the only one he could think of.

The plan is to hold the shares for about three years, and then start shipping them out gradually after two years. He doesn't know when companies like Google and Amazon will go public, but he'll exchange them for shares once they do.

I believe it won't result in a loss.

I ate and slept all the way, until I couldn't sleep anymore and started to overthink. When I got tired of even overthinking, I started reading.

The plane finally landed in New York in the afternoon. I don't even know if I'm jet-lagged anymore, but I'm really tired. So we decided to go to the hotel after leaving the airport, rest for the night, and start working again tomorrow.

Lin Jianlu's solution was to exercise and practice boxing, otherwise he really couldn't sleep at night.

I had only practiced halfway when my phone rang—stop! I'm guessing it's probably Chen Hong.

They're so patient, and they really keep chasing after me relentlessly!

I'm almost smitten!

But when I picked up my phone, it seemed to be a call from the capital. I answered, "Hello?"

"Hello Lin Jianlu! Sorry to bother you."

It had a slightly nasal tone and a somewhat hoarse voice, making it a very memorable voice.

Lin Jianlu was taken aback. "Yu Feihong? Why...did you need something? Were you crying?"

Instead of responding, she spoke in a serious tone, "There's something I'd like to ask you for a favor. It's... could you help me put on a show? Let's find a crowded place, a place with lots of people in the film industry, and have a public falling out so everyone can see it, okay?"

"Uh... what's wrong? Are you okay? Why... are you like this?"

She sobbed, paused for a long time, and then spoke, her voice trembling with tears, "I only found out today that everyone thinks I'm your lover. I know it's definitely not you who said it, but I can't stand being talked about like that, so... can you do me a favor? Let's break up in public!"

(End of this chapter)