A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 169 Kneel!
May 3rd, Saturday, morning.

Gang Gang, a private room in a teahouse.

Hung Kam-po arrived before 10 a.m., ordered a pot of tea, and started reading the newspaper.

His face was gloomy.

On the way here, the driver habitually turned on the car radio for him, only to hear nothing but good news about Lin Jianlu's English album "21"—"Baby" had retained its number one spot on the Billboard charts, a successful two-year run. The radio also excitedly announced that, following three songs entering the top ten and eight entering the top twenty last week, the album had achieved another breakthrough this week, with eleven songs now in the top twenty, accounting for more than half! Simultaneously, five songs entered the top ten, again representing half!
The broadcast even went so far as to announce that "21" had completely dominated Billboard!

What else is there to say? This is an unprecedented and great victory for the Chinese music scene!
It's so annoying!

When he arrived at the teahouse, the newspapers were quickly delivered. He casually flipped through them, and without exception, all the entertainment sections were reporting on Lin Jianlu's English album being released on Billboard. When he turned to the news section, however, it was full of various previews about the comeback. Many newspapers dared not say anything openly, but subtly expressed various concerns about the comeback.

It's all so annoying.

Around 10:30, Tang Jili arrived.

Hung Kam-po immediately put away his previous depressed look, laughed heartily, shook hands with Tang Chi-li, exchanged a few pleasantries, offered him a seat, and began to drink tea and chat.

Tang Jili has now established himself in America and recently invited Sammo Hung to develop his career there. He secured a collaboration offer for a major drama series, tentatively titled "Crossing the River Dragon," and believes that Sammo Hung is very suitable to play the male lead. In fact, Sammo Hung has been considering immigration for the past two years.

It was a perfect match.

I originally had some hope that Hong Kong films could still be saved. For example, that Lin Jianlu is a really good talent. If everyone could work together, maybe it could bring another peak to Hong Kong films!
However, to everyone's disappointment, the kid had an air of independence and was not easily persuaded. After much persuasion, he finally relented, but then the joint venture deal fell through, which made Sammo Hung completely disappointed in him. Yet, this guy was surprisingly good at making music and even managed to go to America and succeed before everyone else!
Sigh, I'm so upset.

Tang Jili advised, "Don't rush into immigration. You know Hollywood TV shows require a pilot episode. Let's film the pilot episode first, sign the contract smoothly, finish filming the first season, sell it, and then getting immigration status will be incredibly easy!"

Hung Kam-pao could only sigh.

In fact, from the perspective of an ordinary person, or even from the perspective of an expert, Hung Kam-po should be enjoying the best of times right now.

During this year's Spring Festival season, on January 31, the 1rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year in northern China, Jackie Chan's new film "Mr. Nice Guy" was released. By the time it was taken off the screens, it had grossed HK$4542 million, almost securing the title of the year's box office champion.

Director Hung Kam-pao.

The following day, February 1st, the 2th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Southern Chinese New Year, "Once Upon a Time in China and America" ​​was released, starring Li Lianjie and Rosamund Kwan. It grossed HK$3026 million in Hong Kong, temporarily ranking second on this year's box office chart. Furthermore, due to pre-release promotion claiming it would be Li Lianjie's last "Once Upon a Time in China" film, the movie performed quite well in the declining markets of Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

The director is Sammo Hung again.

Two blockbuster movies were released in two days, and both were huge hits!

If this isn't considered being in the limelight, then what exactly constitutes being in the limelight?

However, whether it's Sammo Hung, Stanley Tong, or Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie, they are all experts, and no one should try to fool anyone else—Hong Kong films are finished, there is no future!
In fact, it started as early as 93 or 94, and the situation has become increasingly obvious this year.

At the peak of Hong Kong cinema, the annual box office in the local area could exceed one billion Hong Kong dollars, and the films were also sold to markets such as Taiwan and Southeast Asia, where they also performed strongly at the box office. Naturally, everyone's pockets were bulging and they were full of energy.

However, since the 90s, not only Hong Kong itself, but also the traditional markets of Hong Kong films, such as Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and even Korea, have been gradually invaded by Hollywood blockbusters, and now the market has been completely lost.

In 1990, Hong Kong films grossed HK$9.36 million at the local box office and a staggering HK$14 billion overseas. In the same year, foreign films grossed less than HK$4.7 million in Hong Kong.

By 1992, Hong Kong films reached their peak, grossing HK$12.4 billion domestically and HK$18.6 billion overseas. In contrast, foreign films grossed only HK$3.1 million in Hong Kong that year.

But that was the peak; after that, things went downhill.

For example, last year, in 1996, Jackie Chan's film "Police Story 4: First Strike" directed by Stanley Tong grossed HK$5752 million, breaking Jackie Chan's personal box office record and the overall box office record of Hong Kong films. The ignorant thought that Hong Kong films were still glorious, but what is the truth?
Last year, the total box office revenue of Hong Kong films in Taiwan was less than 6.6 million HKD. In just four years, it has been reduced to only half of its peak. The box office revenue of Hong Kong films in other regions has also plummeted as the Taiwanese, Southeast Asian and Korean markets have been conquered by Hollywood blockbusters, leaving only 4.35 million HKD.

From the days when every film made money, big shots bought mansions and yachts, and even small extras earned money to buy houses, to now, eight out of ten films lose money—in such a harsh and cold wind, what glory is there to talk about?
This year was even worse. Despite the good reviews for "Mr. Nice Guy," the box office just wouldn't pick up. Jackie Chan is still very popular, and people still love him, but they just wouldn't buy tickets. Compared to last year's "Simple Mission," the box office dropped by a huge amount, a full 1200 million!

Otherwise, why would Jackie Chan insist on studying what Hollywood people like to watch? Why did he start trying to collaborate with foreigners extensively a few years ago? And why did he immediately shift his career focus to Hollywood after the success of "Rumble in the Bronx"?

Otherwise, why would big-name directors like Tsui Hark, Stanley Tong, and Johnnie To willingly go to Hollywood to take on small jobs? Li Lianjie has already moved to Hollywood to settle down, and I'm going to go and film American TV series too?

Given their dire situation, with no money to be made in their hometown, how can they expect to be successful?
The one who is truly riding high is someone else!
After chatting for a while, Tang Jili noticed the newspaper that Hong Jinbao had just flipped through. He picked it up casually and laughed, "Lu Zai is really famous! Now many newspapers are calling him Master Lu, haha! You might not know this because you're in Hong Kong, but before I came back, there was a lot of coverage about his album called '21' in America. When I saw the cover, I realized it was Lu Zai, so I did some research. The most famous music chart there is Billboard. Every single that has topped the Billboard charts over the years has gone on to become a superstar!"

As he spoke, he sighed, then laughed, "Lu Zai, a Chinese guy, went to America to make English songs, and he actually managed to become such a hit with just one album! ... He's probably going to be even more famous than Ah Long in America!"

Sammo Hung sighed, with a hint of resentment, "What's the use of being famous? People don't want to work with me anymore!"

Tang Jili smiled but did not reply.

He had already heard the news and knew almost everything inside—it was Sammo Hung who, in league with Golden Harvest, wanted to take them over! They had already agreed to collaborate on a film, but as soon as they realized something was wrong, they disappeared!
Let's not even mention that he suddenly became popular in America. Before his English album became a hit, he was already quite famous in the entire Chinese entertainment industry. There was no question of mutual support between them; at most, it was a collaborative relationship. So, some concessions should have been made!

If you insist on taking everything and leaving them with only a small fee, expecting a top-tier celebrity who earns tens of millions of dollars a year to work like a slave for you, it's obvious they won't do it!

That's too greedy!
Of course, having worked in Hong Kong films for twenty years, Tang Jili also knows that this industry is like this. When a newcomer comes in, unless he has made a certain level of success and been ripped off a few times, everyone will tacitly allow him to stand out on his own. Only if you help everyone make money will you be allowed to stand out!

In the past, this system was always effective; the higher one's position, the more well-fed one was.

But now, it's clear they've kicked a hornet's nest—even though they themselves might feel they've been polite and accommodating enough towards Lu Zai.

Hong Kong produces many erotic films every year. If you look at them, let's leave aside the 1980s, when Hong Kong people weren't as self-important. But since the 1990s, it's almost impossible to cast local Hong Kong girls in these films. They're all from other places—Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, etc. The Hong Kong film industry has long accepted the path of debuting by showing skin and refuses to cast local girls. So, even if Shu Qi, a Taiwanese, is highly regarded, she still has to make erotic films, and even if Leung Wing-ki is considered naive and innocent, she still has to play pure and innocent roles.

Now, Lin Jianlu is playing leading roles right away, directed by big-name directors, and supported by big stars—haha, to be honest, the treatment isn't bad, unless Lin Jianlu is famous enough and has enough backbone!

"Do you want……"

After some hesitation, considering that they were all old friends and had plans to collaborate, he agreed to act as a mediator. "I'll contact Aunt Hong and help you two mediate," he said.

Upon hearing this, Sammo Hung was immediately tempted—if there was a way, he still wanted to continue working in Hong Kong films and wanted to bring some salvation to the visibly declining Hong Kong cinema—but soon, he sighed, "Forget it! He was already tough enough in the past, and now he's becoming a sensation in Hollywood. You said he might become even more famous than Ah Lung next! He'll definitely be even tougher! If we can't work together, so be it. Do you expect me to beg him? Ha, at least I still have a job, I don't have to lower myself to that level!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Jili couldn't help but sigh.

But all he did was sigh.

He hadn't gotten involved in the discussions between Sammo Hung and Lam Kin-lu. He and Lam Kin-lu had always maintained a good relationship, and Lam Kin-lu had been very interested in the period kung fu film he had mentioned. They might actually collaborate in the future—everyone was just looking for their own path. He was happy to lend a hand in small ways, but since the other party had politely declined, he let it go and didn't insist on intervening.

After chatting for a while and drinking tea, Tang Jili subconsciously picked up a newspaper to read.

"Oh, sold out! Sigh..."

According to newspaper reports, after being on the market for half a month with consistently sluggish sales, Lin Jianlu's English album "21" has finally started to sell well. Moreover, once this sales trend started, it immediately became a craze. It is said that as of Wednesday this week, many stores in the local area had already sold out of "21", and the media estimated that the total sales had exceeded 200,000 copies!

After all, he was in the entertainment industry. Even though he didn't have much contact with the record industry, Tang Jili vaguely knew that, not to mention English albums, even Cantonese and Mandarin albums that could sell more than 50,000 copies in the local area were already considered a hit albums and platinum records!
Many singers spend their entire careers without ever getting a double platinum album in Hong Kong!
Lin Jianlu, on the other hand, is quite remarkable. His English album broke four platinum records in just over ten days!
But thinking about it again, it makes sense—this album has even conquered Hollywood, with a number one single and more than half of the top ten and top twenty songs. Hong Kong people have never seen such an amazing record before, so of course they admire it to the extreme. It would be strange not to buy it!
Tang Jili then laughed, tapped the newspaper, and exclaimed, "We've made a killing!"

Sammo Hung sighed, but also smiled helplessly, “So of course they look down on our box office! I called A-Fong (Mui Yan-Fong) a few days ago, and she told me that Lu Zi’s album might sell three to five million copies, and the royalties for one album would be twenty to thirty million US dollars! She also said that Lu Zi’s commercial performance fee was already 100,000 US dollars per show, and now it’s going to skyrocket! A-Fong said don’t even think about anything less than 200,000 US dollars, and if he gets more and more popular, it might be 300,000 US dollars per show! Think about it, he can earn two million Hong Kong dollars in just ten minutes on stage! Why would he work hard for a month to make a film and only earn three to five million?”

Tang Jili laughed, while Hong Jinbao shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "Alas, we missed out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and glanced at it, not paying much attention at first, but then he suddenly remembered that the number looked a bit like Zhang Aijia's. So his eyes lit up and he answered it immediately.

"Hey? Haha, having dim sum? I heard you're in Hollywood?"

"Oh, yes, that's right, you're amazing now! Lu Han is so popular now. I heard it in Hong Kong too. He's dominating the Hollywood music charts, got a number one single, and is going to be a global superstar! In Hong Kong, the newspapers are already calling him 'Master Lu'! I heard in Hong Kong that it wasn't selling well before, because people didn't like English albums made by Chinese people, but now it's selling like hotcakes, and it's already sold 20 copies! ... It's all thanks to you helping him!"

"Haha, you're so humble! It doesn't even sound like you saying that to me! ...Yes, yes, I know he's a genius! I understand! I understand! Yes, everyone's just following a genius to make a living!"

"Sigh!... It was just a little conflict, not really a conflict. I know Lu Zi has a stubborn temper, but as you know, I've always been assertive. We just couldn't reach an agreement on the cooperation, it didn't escalate to the point of a conflict! It was me who spoke a bit harshly... Oh, Hong Gu told you!"

"Huh? He said that? Oh... Hahaha, Lu Zi, of course I've always admired him. Others may not know, but you do. When we first met last year, I wanted to work with him!"

"Oh, oh, okay! Okay! That's great! It's alright, I'm quite free now! If he comes to Hong Kong this month, I'll wait for him! We can all have tea and chat together! I heard that Lu Zi really likes playing cards, which is perfect, I guess I'm getting old lately, I'm also getting more and more into playing cards, let's all play cards together!"

"Hahaha! Great, great! Thank you for still giving your old friend some face!"

"Okay, okay! Then we'll talk in detail when you get back!"

Unbeknownst to him, Hung Kam-pao's tone became increasingly humble and weak, but ironically, the longer the call went on, the more his smile grew. When he hung up, Tang Chi-li even saw a look of elation on his face, and his voice rose in pitch. "It was Zhang Aijia who called! She said she's in Hollywood, busy with Lu Zi's new album promotion and release there. She was talking to Hung Kuk and Ge Fu-hong on the phone a couple of days ago when she suddenly found out that Lu Zi and I had a falling out. She called me as soon as she finished her work."

Tang Jili watched Hung Kam-po answer the phone from beginning to end, feeling a strange, indescribable feeling in his heart—he wanted to laugh, but also felt a strange sadness. He thought to himself, how could the once mighty big brother of Hong Kong cinema, who could command the wind and rain, have fallen to such a state of desolation? But he still asked, "What did she say?"

Sammo Hung stretched his arms, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and felt quite refreshed. His smile no longer held the dejection and disappointment of moments before. "She said that Ah Lu had told her more than once that Hong Kong films are treasures, kung fu films are the treasures among treasures, and Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Li Lianjie, Wong Jing, Tong Jili, and Yuan Heping are the most dazzling pearls and diamonds on that treasure. She also said that I, Sammo Hung, am the number one person in Hong Kong films in her heart… Haha, he truly deserves to be a songwriter; he writes excellent lyrics, and even his speech is so refined!"

Tang Jili laughed.

He guessed that his name was added by Sammo Hung himself—but it didn't matter. He knew very well that he was indeed much weaker than Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, but precisely because of this, Lin Jianlu was more willing to talk to him about cooperation. Zhang Aijia's phone call made him feel relieved.

The decline of Hong Kong films could no longer be concealed at the beginning of this year. We are all veterans in the industry, having made our living here for most of our lives, and no one wants to see it decline like this.

Sammo Hung is indeed a leading figure in Hong Kong films. As Lin Jianlu's agent, Sylvia Chang has had a long-standing friendship with Sammo Hung. Her decision to make this call to smooth things over is more appropriate than that of Ge Fuhong!
They're much more suitable than me!
In other words, there's still room for negotiation on cooperation!
As a rising star deeply loved by young people in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, Lin Jianlu suddenly became a sensation in Hollywood this year. If the collaboration can be completed, it will be a great opportunity for Hong Kong films - perhaps it can even test the waters of the Hollywood market like Jackie Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx"!
"Then let's talk! Let him name the terms!"

Tang Jili said, "Although Lu Zi is tough, he never does things that are unreasonable. I know some friends in the film industry in mainland China, and they all have a very good reputation for him! They say he is good at interpersonal relationships and is willing to support people. He has invested a lot of money in film productions in mainland China before! He would never do something like leaving people with nothing to eat!"

At this point, Hung Kam-po laughed, "Yeah! Let's talk about it again! At worst, I'll play mahjong with him and lose some money to him!"

The joke was funny, and Tang Jili laughed.

He quickly chimed in, "He also likes beautiful women, and has a wide range of tastes! You can also promise that the leading lady is entirely up to him! ... Oh, and everyone says he likes raising birds, and that he keeps several hundred thrushes in the capital! He also likes to drink Taiwanese high-mountain oolong tea!"

Hung Kam-po laughed heartily and waved his hands repeatedly, "I wouldn't stoop to that level of flattery!"

He paused, then added, "We could ask a friend in Taiwan to help us buy some tea!"

In fact, the entire port was completely bewildered.

The kind of bewilderment that leaves you completely speechless—Lin Jianlu, English album, Billboard—any one of these three terms is familiar to everyone. Even though Billboard, an American music chart, is certainly not known to the mainstream population in Hong Kong, there are so many people in Hong Kong who love listening to English songs that Michael Jackson's album sold over 400,000 copies locally, outselling local superstars. So it's not exactly unfamiliar. As for "Lin Jianlu" and "local singers releasing English albums," there's no need to say more.

However, when these three words are put together, it's no exaggeration to say that everyone is completely bewildered.

Even the media and journalists, who are usually well-informed and sharp-tongued, were momentarily taken aback. Some were able to understand because they admired and were familiar with Europe and America, yet they were precisely the ones who looked down on Hong Kong people and Chinese people the most, always considering themselves subjects of Great Britain and regarding the Western world as their sovereign. Therefore, they were genuinely unwilling to accept the idea of ​​a Chinese person going to America and becoming famous on Billboard.

Taiwan is actually quite similar.

In its first week of release, "Baby" reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and the entire album "21" had as many as seven songs on the chart. Hong Kong and Taiwan only received a little media coverage, feeling surprised and astonished, thinking it was big news and that they had to mention it, but they couldn't quite grasp what the real bombshell of this news was.

This is probably the mentality of ordinary people in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well.

I thought it was big news, quite surprising, but it also seemed like just news.

For several days, everyone thought it over and over and felt that something was wrong. Some reporters and media writers who had friends in Europe and America couldn't help but call and inquire, and gradually they came to their senses.

This is the first time since the beginning of time!

Then, the media began to wake up. While some were dissatisfied, there were still more excited people. Suddenly, they started to exert their efforts, and everyone rushed to dig up old news from the past few days and report and hype it up. Just then, Billboard released its new weekly rankings, and Baby magazine surprisingly surged to the top spot. So, the fire was ignited!

Hey, stop smearing him! Stop attacking him all the time for being a womanizer or having many lovers. That's rubbish! He's on Billboard now! Lu Han has already gone to Hollywood and become a superstar!

Talented men have always been known for their romantic affairs. Lu Han is a great talent, recognized by everyone in Hollywood. They all support him and make him number one on Billboard. So what if he's a bit of a womanizer and has a few lovers?
It's an honor for a girl to be liked by him!
Well, just at this time, Sony Columbia revised its marketing plan and suddenly started to go all out, throwing money and connections at it—they were supposed to say good things anyway, even if they didn't have money, they would still say good things, and now that they had money to be made, of course they had to praise it from beginning to end, from top to bottom!
This kind of flattery is very sincere, and taking this money is not against one's conscience at all!

Overnight, "21" became a huge hit in Hong Kong and Taiwan!
Local newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television stations are reporting on it everywhere, praising it everywhere. Fans who love listening to English songs but have always refused to listen to English albums by local singers are seeing this and exclaiming, "Wow, it's true! Lu Zai has actually taken over the Billboard!" If even Americans think it's good, then it must really be good!

So, I bought it to listen to!

This immediately sparked a buying frenzy!
It can be said that it was only at this moment that both Hong Kong and Taiwan finally woke up to the fact that the three words "Lin Jianlu," "Billboard," and "English album" suddenly became one in the minds of the media, fans, and ordinary people in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

And then, when the album was finally available and listened to, even ordinary fans were blown away—as expected of Lu Han! As expected of an album that topped the Billboard charts!
I love you, I love you so much!

This is truly a source of pride for us Chinese!

As a result, the radio station's request line was inundated with calls because of rumors that Lin Jianlu had recently been seen at Luo Dayou's music factory. The music factory was besieged, but Lin Jianlu couldn't be caught. However, one of his managers, Ge Fuhong, was in Hong Kong, so they blocked her. Even if they only managed to get a single sentence, they would use it as a headline and write about it extensively.

As a result, Leung Wing-ki, who was always recognized by Hong Kong people and the Hong Kong media as the "official wife" of Lam Kin-lu, suddenly became the most beloved person of the entire Hong Kong media - they searched for her everywhere, and once they found her, there was a huge crowd, with at least a hundred microphones shoved in her face, and people asked all sorts of strange and bizarre questions.

Is Lu Zi strong enough? He has so many lovers, is it enough for you?

Do you usually get jealous? Have you ever accompanied Lu Zi with Brigitte Lin? Did Brigitte Lin serve you tea, or did you serve Brigitte Lin tea?

Has Lu Zi ever considered proposing to you? Would you consider having a baby with him first?
Does Lu Zai usually teach you to sing at home? Has he ever written sheet music on your back?

How's your new album going? Is Luhan planning to help you with the production? He produced an entire album for Chen Shuhua, so he definitely won't refuse to do it for you, right?
Lu Han is so popular in Hollywood, he's a Billboard number one! Have you ever suggested you go to Hollywood with him? Has he ever written an English song for you?
Lu Zi went to Hollywood to record a song. Did you find a new girlfriend there? Did she offer you tea?

All of these are different.

Leung Wing-ki was so proud that her chin was practically pointing to the sky. Even though she only got five songs, she was already boasting, "My boyfriend came, of course he'll help me with my new album!"

Then that afternoon, she called, sounding so humble she almost knelt on the other end of the line, pleading, "Please do it for me! There are only five songs left! They've forced me into this situation. You've even done the whole album for Chen Shuhua, and now the reporters are asking me questions like this. I can't stand it..."

Later, he gave up on himself, saying, "At worst, I'll just go with Rosamund Kwan next time!"

Of course, Rosamund Kwan instantly became a headline again. For many years, she has been a headline-worthy beauty. Because she is so beautiful, Hong Kong people love her so much. They have also disliked and despised her. But later they found that even if she willingly degraded herself to be someone's mistress, they only hated themselves for not having enough money to support her. They still couldn't hate her. Later, they simply stopped disliking her.

But this time was different. Rosamund Kwan smiled and publicly told the media, "I'll support him!"

Excitedly pressed by the media, Hong Kong's number one beauty spoke without hesitation, saying, "If he loses money gambling, I'll pay the bill! I'll pay whatever he loses! If he drinks and it goes on the tab, I'll pay! Whatever! I love him! I'm willing to spend all my money on him! I don't care what you say!"

These words alone instantly made it to the front page headlines!
Hong Kong's number one beauty was actually paying for her!
In the past, if such news came out, all those people in Hong Kong who admired her beauty would have been disgusted. Those who had spent a lot of money and gifts on her, only to lose out in the competition and not even get a chance to be her sugar daddy, would have been even more upset. But this time, there was no problem; the whole of Hong Kong felt very calm.

This kind of news is interesting, I love reading it, so I'll write more of it and update it quickly!

My son Lu Zi not only sings Mandarin songs well, but he's also a champion in singing English songs in Hollywood. He just looks down on me. If he did, I'd be willing to go bankrupt and give him my all!

What's so special about Rosamund Kwan?

Lu Zai allowing her to pay him off is already a huge favor!

The situation in Taiwan has gone crazy too.

Taiwan and Hong Kong are separated by a narrow strait and share the same language and culture. Their entertainment circles have always been intertwined and intimately connected, so gossip spreads extremely quickly. It wasn't until this time that Taiwanese entertainment reporters suddenly realized that Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun had actually disappeared for more than a month!

Previously, there were reports of Chen Shuhua promoting her album and Su Huilun making a fortune through commercial performances in mainland China. But suddenly, in the past month or so, these two popular celebrities have mysteriously disappeared!

Various rumors began to circulate instantly!

Rumors circulate that the two of them have been called to America by Lin Jianlu to begin training in English singing techniques, and that they are about to release an English album and become hugely popular. Others say that the two of them have completely fallen out with Lin Jianlu because of his womanizing. However, they are both loyal people. Previously, Lin Jianlu's English album did not sell well, so neither of them wanted to come forward to say anything negative. It seems that a big scandal is about to break!

Even more outrageous, rumors circulated that both girls were pregnant and had secretly gone to America to protect their pregnancies—at first, it seemed laughable, but upon closer examination, it actually made some sense!

Unfortunately, no evidence could be found!
Those two people seemed to have vanished into thin air—Rock Records quickly issued a denial, stating that both of them felt unwell during the intense promotional campaign before the Lunar New Year and had gone abroad for vacation and recuperation.

Then...we'll capture Liu Ruoying.

This time, Liu Ruoying has learned her lesson, but perhaps she was also stunned by Lin Jianlu's sudden rise to fame in America. Of course, it's also possible that Zhang Aijia had warned her beforehand. Even if she were famous enough, let alone not being that famous now, in Taiwan, she wouldn't dare to go against Zhang Aijia, who has a very powerful background.

So this time, she didn't say a word and simply hid.

In short, there was constant turmoil.

During the interview, a reporter asked Mui Yen-fong for her opinion on Lin Chien-lu. The diva Mui frankly said, "I am a big fan of Lin Chien-lu! Although I only started listening to his songs at the end of last year, if he were to issue numbers to his fans in the future, I would compete for the number 001 die-hard fan badge!"

"I listened to his album on my knees!"—This statement made headlines in major and minor newspapers in Hong Kong and Taiwan the very next day!

Another reporter interviewed Hong Kong film mogul Sammo Hung, asking about the rumors of his falling out with Lam Kin-lu some time ago. Hung laughed and waved his hands repeatedly, saying that he had long been a fan of Lam Kin-lu's songs and that Lam Kin-lu was also a fan of his movies. He said that the two were close friends despite their age difference, like brothers!

He further stated, "I've long known that Lu Han's future is limitless. His musical talent is overflowing; even I, who don't understand music, can see it! It's perfectly normal that he became a sensation in Hollywood this time!"

Thus, the phrase "His musical talent is overflowing!" once again became the headline!
Furthermore, Lin Jianlu's old friends, who are already well-known to Hong Kong people and media, are almost all facing the fate of being besieged - including Luo Dayou, Li Zongsheng, Zhang Guorong, Huang Zhan, Wang Fei, Lin Yilian, Karen Mok, and even Zheng Xiuwen, Chen Xiaochun, Zheng Yijian and others in Liang Yongqi's circle of friends.

Basically, they just grab anyone they can interview, say a few words of admiration and worship for Lin Jianlu, and they can immediately make the news. If they say something brilliant, they can make the headlines!
However, these are all minor matters—all minor matters!

On May 7th, the "Entertainment Express," which had previously become an instant sensation in Hong Kong for its sensational news of Lin Jianlu traveling in New York with two beauties, once again sold out its entire four-page report!
A large photograph of Lin Jianlu pushing his motorcycle out of his courtyard house in the capital occupied the entire front page of the newspaper—it was probably taken from a distance and wasn't very clear, but it was definitely Lin Jianlu. Two girls were standing behind him at the doorway.

Turning to the second edition, I saw close-up photos of the two girls, and it suddenly became clear—Brigitte Lin was pregnant!

No one paid attention to the other girl anymore—although almost nine out of ten men who saw the recent photo couldn't help but feel a flutter in their hearts, marveling at her looks, figure, and temperament, which were in no way inferior to the two beauties of the North, they only glanced at the introduction afterward and knew that her name was Xu Qing.

The important thing now is—Brigitte Lin is pregnant!

Whether it's Hong Kong or Taiwan, things exploded completely in an instant!
That's Brigitte Lin!

Even when she's old, she'll still be Brigitte Lin!
Of course, this four-page report, accompanied by many photos, was a picture-rich article and, for the first time in history, provided readers and fans in Hong Kong and Taiwan with a comprehensive introduction to Lin Jianlu's life in the capital!
A luxurious detached courtyard house in the heart of the capital. Four beautiful women live there year-round. They enjoy riding motorcycles and have countless friends. They entertain guests almost every day in the capital, but not extravagantly. Most of the time, they entertain guests in ordinary restaurants that do not appear luxurious.

Famous singers, musicians, directors, and stars from mainland China are all his guests.

The reporter even took a candid photo that was clearly taken through a window—Lin Jianlu was holding a cigar, but with one arm around Gong Li, a well-known mainland actress in Hong Kong, and the other around Maggie Cheung, one of the so-called "Hong Kong beauties." The three of them had their heads huddled together, seemingly talking about something.

The scene was clearly a gathering of friends. Those familiar with mainland Chinese people could roughly identify them, such as internationally renowned director Jiang Wen and famous mainland actor Ge You, who were both present. Jiang Wen was also holding the same type of cigar.

Of course, this is just to illustrate Lin Jianlu's circle of friends.

The main focus is on his lovers in the capital.

Reporters discovered, or rather, any information that a reporter could easily obtain by making contact with even a nobody in the capital's arts and culture circles, revealed that, in addition to servants, Lin Jianlu's residence housed four of his lovers: the pregnant Brigitte Lin, Xu Qing, a renowned top beauty in mainland cinema, and two young actresses currently studying at the Capital Film Academy.

In addition, Lin Jianlu also had a mistress's residence.

This time, they were all hidden in ordinary residential houses in the capital—coincidentally, the very same "two beauties of the North" that were hyped and sought after by Hong Kong and Taiwan media three or four months ago.

Reporters also captured photos of Lin Jianlu holding hands with the two girls as they left together!

Moreover, this time the reporter went to the capital and the information was more complete and accurate—Chen Hong is indeed very popular, and now she has become a boss and established a brokerage company that specializes in handling commercial performances by Hong Kong and Taiwan singers in the mainland. Yu Feihong's detailed information was also found out; it turns out she is a teacher at the Capital Film Academy!

…………

Whether it's Hong Kong or Taiwan, all the media, reporters, paparazzi, and of course, all the readers, fans, and even ordinary gossip-loving people have once again started a gossip extravaganza!

The central idea is just one thing—

That talented man is a real womanizer!
This food is all refined grains! And all meat!
We're absolutely in awe of these scandalous gossips!
***
I won't break up the 10,000-word chapter!
By the way, I'm slow to realize it again. I just noticed a large donation in the backend. Thank you to "Dragon Fighting in the Wild" for another generous donation!
There's a sense of happiness, like "finally having a sugar daddy," yeah.

I'll try my best to add an extra chapter before the end of the month!
(End of this chapter)