A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 178 Explosion!

The next afternoon, a tired-looking Zhao Mingxin arrived.

Of course, Zieg Schuberman and David Shelby weren't much better than him.

Zieg Schuberman, the vice president of Columbia Records, was in Europe, while David Shelby, the global marketing director, was in Australia. Upon receiving news from North America and around the world, they rushed back immediately.

In the afternoon, they arrived at Lin Jianlu's residence one after another. Everyone looked exhausted, yet they all seemed unusually excited. "We've adjusted our goals. It's no longer about pushing global sales to over 2000 million copies within a year of the launch! Now that we've finished talking to you, we're going to headquarters immediately for an emergency meeting to revise the overall promotional plan. Our new goal is to push global sales to over 3000 million copies by the end of this year!"

"Once the goal is achieved, your album '21' will directly surpass Michael Jackson's 'Bad' and 'Dangerous,' surpass The Beatles' 'The Beatles,' surpass a series of famous records you've ever heard, and infinitely approach Pink Floyd's 1973 album 'The Dark Side of the Moon' and Led Zeppelin's 1971 album 'Led Zeppelin IV.' But if you extend the timeframe slightly, '21' will surpass them without any problem!"

"Now standing in front of you and your '21' album is only one album left, the pinnacle of a century of recording history, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' released in 1982!"

"Global sales exceeded 5800 million copies!"

"It's a bit difficult to catch up with this album now. It still sells about 200 million copies every year, and every time Michael releases a new album, it sells more than 300 million copies! But it's okay, Lin, '21' already has a place among the top two greatest records in human recording history!"

"Number two on the world's top 100 records!"

"Even ten years from now, '21' has a good chance of gradually surpassing 'Thriller'!"

"Michael can no longer rule the world of pop music. You will ascend the throne and become the new king!"

They arrived one after another between 3:00 and 3:30 in the afternoon, met up at Lin Jianlu's house, chatted for about 30 or 40 minutes, and almost everyone became very talkative. Then, a little after 4:00, they left together.

Sylvia Chang also left with them.

They were heading to Washington together to attend a global conference call that evening held by Columbia Records in response to the sudden explosion of "21"—Sylvia Chang represented Lin Chien-lu.

Then, no sooner had they left than Lin Jianlu welcomed new guests.

Lin Xilei went to open the door, and surprisingly, Tommy Mottola walked in.

He laughed heartily, hugged Lin Jianlu and patted her repeatedly, "It's okay, they can't hold the meeting if I don't go, so they have to wait for me!"—He had actually rushed over from Los Angeles.

This morning, he met with Howard Stringer, president of Sony North America.

Obviously, it's because of "21" and the music video for "Believer".

"Mr. Stringer also praised your brilliant idea! Combining rock and Chinese kung fu is absolutely the most imaginative and brilliant idea ever! And your kung fu is so amazing, wow, that kick with your knife made Mimi so excited that she even abandoned the Cold War and started talking to me!"

"Yes, I'll go back and hold a meeting with them! Columbia Records' biggest task this year is to use all their resources and energy to push the sales of '21' to over 30 million copies! To that end, I will ask them to put aside or postpone all other tasks! They all need to focus on this one thing!"

"Mr. Stringer also agreed with my plan!"

"But believe me, Lin, all this work combined can't compare to our friendship! Going back to the meeting is definitely not as important as coming to see you right now!"

"Lin, I will personally place you on the throne of godhood!"

"21 will become the second best-selling record in human history! And as long as I remain the president of Columbia Records, I will make it the best-selling and greatest record in the world, surpassing Thriller, within ten years! I will make you the king of the world record industry! The king of the world pop music scene!"

…………

It was the middle of the night, I don't know what time it was.

When Lin Jianlu woke up in a daze, he didn't realize what had happened. He just felt that something was wrong with his body, so he woke up.

Still half-asleep, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Jianlu was still a little dazed. Her mind went blank, and she blurted out, "Are you crazy? I told you, only the middle few months are okay. I'm due to give birth in a month, and I'll miscarry!"

Lin Jianlu twisted his body, wanting to turn on the light, but the next moment, the woman blocked his arm, leaned down, found his lips, and kissed him passionately. Lin Jianlu gradually woke up from the pleasure, and his mind began to process what was happening. The woman's abdomen was very flat, so it couldn't be Chen Shuhua or Su Huilun. "Holy crap... Sister Aijia? Is that you?"

Now he was completely awake. "Are you fucking crazy? You have...!"

Lin Jianlu reached out to push her away, but she immediately hugged Lin Jianlu tightly. The strength was so great that Lin Jianlu's ribs hurt, and she felt her fingernails digging into her flesh.

She might really be crazy!

However, a minute or two later, when she spoke again, her voice was suddenly hoarse and tinged with tears, "Jianlu, I've really fallen in love with you, I've loved you for so long! Please, I admire you so much that I can't take it anymore! I can't control myself!"

Hmm, I don't know what time it is, but I'm still not awake, so it must be before 5:30.

But she's already back from her meeting in Washington, so it must be after midnight, no, probably past 2 AM—it's about 400 kilometers from Washington to New York! Even if she drives fast, it would still take about four hours. Motula didn't leave until almost 6 PM, and their meeting probably wouldn't start until 10 PM. Even if it's only for a minute, and Zhang Aijia finishes her meeting in the middle of the night and rushes back, she wouldn't get back until after 2 AM!
Fuck!
I wonder what triggered this woman again!
Ironically, as a grown man living in his own home, who the hell would lock the door in the middle of the night?
He was becoming more and more lucid—in fact, Lin Jianlu had been holding back for more than a week since he left Hong Kong. To be honest, it was better not to think about it, but the more lucid he became with a naked woman in his arms, the less he could bring himself to push her away.

…………

"call……"

Lin Jianlu slowly got up. Only then did she have time to pull off her already soaked underwear and turn on the bedside lamp.

Turning around, just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized that the door had been open for some time, and Lin Xilei, dressed in pajamas, was standing in the doorway, looking intently at her.

Looking down, Zhang Aijia was lying limply on the bed, still panting heavily, seemingly lost in thought.

Fuck!
Chaos! Everything is in chaos!

Ignoring the two of them, Lin Jianlu's eyes swept around the room, then she looked up and shouted at the door, "Stop looking around, go find where her cigarettes are and bring them to me!"

Lin Xilei suddenly came to her senses, subconsciously swallowed, and quickly turned and left.

The corridor lights on the second floor were quickly turned on, and her footsteps could be heard. She went downstairs first, then came back up, climbed to the third floor, and finally came down, holding Zhang Aijia's cigarettes and lighter in her hand.

He stopped wearing his underwear, took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Zhang Aijia was still unable to come to her senses.

Lin Xilei stared at his lower body.

"Have you seen enough? If you have, go find me some clothes!"

After he finished speaking, he turned and went to the bathroom, throwing the remaining half of his cigarette into the toilet and entering the bathroom barefoot.

…………

By the time everyone had finished getting ready and sat down in the open-plan meeting room on the second floor, it was already past five o'clock. Lin Jianlu felt a slight headache and sipped the coffee that Lin Xilei had brought over.

Sylvia Chang was only wearing a bathrobe, Lin Jianlu's, and her freshly washed hair was still wet, dripping water. She was also holding a cup of coffee, sipping it slowly.

Lin Xilei, her dog, crept furtively to the sofa in the corner. No one urged her to go to sleep; she clearly wasn't going to.

Finally, Sylvia Chang spoke.

"The situation is even more exaggerated than they have shown or said. The data summary I obtained in the Columbia Records conference room should be the most accurate and timely one. Three days ago, the North American sales figure was 538 million copies, and the total sales outside North America were 504 million copies."

"But that doesn't include the last three days."

"They previously distributed more than 720 million copies in North America. Outside of North America, including their own channels, they also distributed through agents in some places, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, which is now Sony Columbia's channel. In mainland China, they were introduced by mainland audio-visual companies, which is considered an agent distribution. In this way, the total distribution was about 800 million copies, probably around 796 million copies."

"Now, up to today, no, let's count yesterday, up to around 4 pm yesterday, not only many distributors in North America have reported stockouts and placed large orders, but also in Europe, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Denmark, including Russia, as well as many countries in Latin America, Australia, and so on. I haven't counted carefully, but it seems to be more than twenty markets that have started reporting stockouts!"

"In other words, of the more than 1500 million units that were previously distributed globally, at least three million have been sold in the past three days! At least! By now, many countries and distributors may have already emptied their shelves, which could very well exceed four million units shipped!"

"Oh, right, there's also Japan and Korea. Japan has a huge market, and European and American records always sell well there. Sony's headquarters are also there, so I paid special attention to the data. Columbia has distributed a total of 270 million copies there, and now many distributors are reporting shortages."

"Tommy Mottola praised you at the meeting, saying that making a music video with rock and Chinese kung fu was a brilliant idea, and that the music video 'had the power of a nuclear explosion'!"

"According to the previous promotion and distribution plan, the more than 1500 million copies were supposed to be restocked around the end of October or the beginning of November, and it might even have been delayed until the end of November, depending on the sales situation at that time. But now, the music video was broadcast and it sold out in one go!"

"In just one or two days, we sold out the volume planned for the next three months!"

"You have to understand, the album has been on the market for more than three months. Logically speaking, this album should be popular enough, and the promotion has been very effective. At least in the first year of sales, it should have already achieved about half of the expected sales, or even more! Their promotional plan was to push it to 2000 million global sales in the first year, but in fact, they would be quite satisfied if it could sell 1500 million copies by next April!"

"In just over three months, we have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide!"

"Starting from the second week, when 'Baby' first became a number one single, it also topped the Billboard album chart, and you've now been number one for 13 consecutive weeks!"

"The all-time record is still Michael Jackson's 'Thriller,' which lasted thirty-seven weeks!"

"Therefore, 'Thriller' not only became a legend back then, but it still is now. In Europe, Australia, and especially in North America, when a child grows up and starts to like music, they will probably buy a copy to collect, even if they don't listen to it, because it's 'Thriller'!"

"If you haven't heard that album, you have no right to say you love listening to music; if you haven't collected a copy of 'Thriller,' you can't say you like Michael Jackson... Zieg Schuberman said that even more than a decade later, 'Thriller' still sells more than two million copies every year!"

“I’ll buy it too! To be honest, I have the first edition and vinyl version of ‘Thriller’, and I also have two or three CD versions that were released later, I can’t remember.”

"And now, it's not the flattery of the past anymore. They really see the next Michael Jackson, or rather... you're already a global superstar!"

"From now on, we can say that Michael Jackson is washed up, because you appeared!"

"With over 10 million copies sold globally in just over three months, the foundation is already there. Now, thanks to this music video, '21' has suddenly experienced another sales explosion! And it's even surpassed the sales explosion of the month when it first became a hit!"

"With the factory and transportation teams working overtime for two or three days, the new stock has already been delivered to every grassroots store and counter. They estimate that this week, the sales of '21' in North America should reach more than 5 million copies! Outside of North America, the enthusiasm for Chinese kung fu may not be as crazy as in North America, but it's about the same. Even if it doesn't reach 5 million copies, it shouldn't be too far off! In short, one week is enough to reach the sales of the previous three months!"

"1000 million records sold worldwide in one week!"

"This is the kind of sales that even Michael Jackson's new album, with its immense fame, could never achieve in its first week of release!"

"His latest stats are for 'Dangerous,' which sold over 1400 million copies worldwide in just five weeks! He's so popular, everyone was so excited, so sales exploded in the early stages!"

"But his 'Dangerous' only sold 2100 million copies in its first year on the market! ... I'm sorry, I was too arrogant. 2100 million copies, and I actually used words like 'only' and 'just'!"

"However, now, your album '21' will most likely surpass 2000 million copies sold worldwide next week! So, you are probably the only artist in the entire record industry who can describe 'Dangerous' selling 2100 million copies worldwide in a year with the tone of 'only 2100 million copies'—I'll also brag a little because of you! I'll say the same thing!"

"Therefore, the meeting will be very quick, ending in just over half an hour. There are only two points: all resources will be focused on the album '21,' and selling over 3000 million copies this year will not be a problem at all, and 3500 million copies is very possible!"

"Secondly, Motura consulted psychology experts, communication experts, and some experts who specialize in popular culture. They concluded that Chinese Kung Fu carries a strong sense of mystery in the public's mind. Therefore, after discussion, they decided that you should not appear in public or participate in any of the previously planned promotions during the next two to three months of the record's peak sales period!"

"So... all the previous preparations are now null and void! Your plan to appear on TV shows is no longer feasible. They believe that frequent appearances, especially on TV shows, will inevitably lead to being asked to demonstrate your skills, which, at least for now, will actually lower your market value!"

"Of course, not letting you do promotions doesn't mean there won't be any! Next, Columbia Pictures plans to import three to five martial arts films from Hong Kong. We need to get it done immediately and try to release them on the market within a week. We're not asking for a huge market share or anything like that. We just have one requirement: keep promoting the concept of Chinese kung fu. In short, get everyone itching to watch your music videos and buy your records. That's enough. Right now, your fans have all become kung fu fans. The next promotional focus is to turn those kung fu fans into your music fans!"

"They have survey data showing that there are plenty of people who watch movies but don't listen to music much. There are also plenty of people who like to rent kung fu and martial arts movies on videotape but don't listen to music!"

"This is a huge market! If we can successfully convert even just 10% or 20%, it will bring in millions of copies sold—the more successful we are, the higher the sales will be! The key to whether we can sell more than 35 million copies lies here! And the thing is, this step doesn't actually require your participation!"

"Now you can go and spend time with your wife and kids!"

"How amazing! The album sold even better after its release without any promotion!"

"Of course, it won't always be like this. Their marketing department estimates that this wave of enthusiasm for you and Chinese Kung Fu will gradually subside in about two to three months. By then, around the end of October or the beginning of November, you can start doing promotions and show off your Kung Fu on TV shows, especially your knife kick. It's said that over 100 million people in North America want to see you perform live!"

"At that time, we can create another wave of promotional hype and try to push album sales over 3000 million, or even 3500 million copies!"

"Then... Tommy Mottola said, you've become a god! The god of pop!" "Oh, right, it's not like there's nothing for you to do. Tommy Mottola said that Howard Stringer, the president of Sony North America, called him again tonight, hoping you could help make a list. Their film buying expert is already on a plane, and they need to hurry to Hong Kong to buy films!"

"They said that Warner Bros. already has the North American distribution rights to several of Jackie Chan's films, and they might send someone to Hong Kong to negotiate. And the films they buy will definitely be ones recommended by Jackie Chan. But Columbia Pictures has you. You're the kind of person who can make a music video like 'Believer.' Your understanding of the psychology of North American audiences and fans, and your understanding of kung fu movies, is definitely top-notch."

"Your music video suddenly sparked a craze for Chinese kung fu in North America and around the world. No film producer would miss out on making money from this wave! Although you are definitely the most authentic, and everyone recognizes you the most, even Jackie Chan can't compare to you, you don't have another kung fu music video, right? So, apart from you and Jackie Chan, all the kung fu movies and martial arts movies that have already been produced are theoretically worth trying in this market!"

"Of course, whether it sells well and whether the audience will buy it is another matter!"

…………

He talked on and on while drinking coffee.

Later, he started talking while smoking, still rambling on and on.

She stopped, and the room fell completely silent. She looked at Lin Jianlu, then turned to look at Lin Xilei, whose hair was still a mess, and asked, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Lin Jianlu pursed her lips, her expression calm. "Really not."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Then... I'll go back to the mainland for a few days? I'll go to Hong Kong first to finish up the rest of the recording, and then go back to the capital to stay for a while. Once things are ready with Tang Jili and Hong Jinbao, I can take advantage of that time to shoot the movie. Hmm, it's better for me to sell it myself than for others to follow suit!"

Zhang Aijia stared at him intently.

She had been staring at him the whole time, except for the occasional cup, coffee, or cigarette ash flick. Throughout the entire conversation, she kept her eyes fixed on Lin Jianlu's face.

His face and eyes were filled with infatuation.

At that moment, she suddenly stubbed out her cigarette, leaned over, and touched Lin Jianlu's face. "I'm sorry! I broke your rules! I know you don't sleep with your assistants or married women! But I just couldn't take it anymore, Jianlu, I admire you so much! I love you so much! You don't know, after the meeting, when I drove back from Columbia Records headquarters, I was practically slamming on the gas like a madman!"

I just want to see you even a minute sooner!

"For this, I'm willing to risk being killed in the next moment!"

"I've been in love with you for a long time, but I always knew I could control myself! But last night, I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself anymore."

"I know you've always been very good at separating work and personal relationships, and you don't want to mix work and sex! I know that, but I really couldn't resist!"

“If you mind, I’m willing to retire or resign. Old Ge is very capable. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, having her as your agent is more than enough. In North America, you can find another top local agent to handle your brokerage business globally, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan—it will be incredibly competitive! You deserve to have the best and most outstanding agent in the world!”

"And... this time when I go back, I'll get a divorce!"

"I don't expect you to maintain a romantic relationship with me. I know I'm getting old. I can still look good now, not too old, but even like this, I can't stay this way for many more years. I'll get old before you and all your lovers. How dare I hope you'll still like me?"

“But I broke your rules, so I should punish myself.”

“My original plan was that no matter what his father did, I wouldn’t get a divorce, and my son had to inherit his assets. But now, I don’t care anymore. I’m willing to get a divorce and set him free.”

"At least this album of yours, '21,' was negotiated by me as your manager. I'll split it 50/50 with Lao Ge. I've calculated it out. If it sells 30 million copies, you'll get 200 million US dollars in royalties, and Lao Ge and I will each get 10 million US dollars!"

"That's enough! I will leave this money to my son as compensation for betraying his father and our little family!"

At this point, she took a deep breath and looked at Lin Jianlu.

She reached out and grabbed Lin Jianlu's hand tightly, her face full of pleading.

"Is this alright? Can you forgive me?"

Lin Jianlu stared at her intently. Their eyes met, and after a while, he looked away, stood up, and said, "Stop talking nonsense, get ready, make breakfast! I'm going for a run!"

…………

Lin Jianlu provided Columbia Records with a list of Hong Kong kung fu movies that he recommended.

This includes early mainland films like "Shaolin Temple," as well as Li Lianjie's representative works such as the "Once Upon a Time in China" series and "Fong Sai-yuk," including "From Beijing with Love," and Tsui Hark's "New Dragon Gate Inn" and "Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain"—the latter being Lin Qingxia's first officially starring film after going to Hong Kong.

In addition, the list also includes "Rain in the Mountain" and "A Touch of Zen." Both are by King Hu, and they're older films.

Whether the North American rights still exist, and how much box office revenue they generate after the film is released, are completely outside his consideration.

It is said that Columbia Pictures' purchasing specialist has already landed in Hong Kong by plane, waiting for Lin Jianlu's list, and then purchasing according to the list!

Then, he had Lin Xilei book a flight back to Hong Kong three days later, and he moved out of the townhouse in the Upper East Side once again and into the penthouse where the two pregnant women were housed.

Anyway, there's no need to do any publicity for now. As long as the reporters and paparazzi haven't found out where I live, and I'm careful, I don't need to worry too much about being exposed. So I'll go and stay with them for a few more days.

…………

May 7, morning.

Despite not having rested all night, he showed no signs of fatigue and instead went to Columbia's office building in New York full of energy.

We'll discuss some things.

Incidentally, they also got their hands on what Columbia Records had predicted as their rival – a rap album officially released across North America today, called "No-Way-Out".

The singer's name is "Puff -Daddy & the -Family".

Of course, it's now practically impossible to consider this album, which is highly regarded in the industry, as any rival to "21". This week, "21" is very likely to sell a whopping 500 million copies in North America!

Forget about a single week, and forget about Puff Daddy; even if Michael Jackson suddenly released a new album this week and it sold like hotcakes, 500 million copies sold this week would be comparable to his sales figures!

Aside from the superstars, in fact, in the entire North American record market, if a singer can accumulate 500 million copies sold throughout the entire lifespan of an album, that's enough for them to be famous and live off it for a lifetime!
Even if Puff Daddy is incredibly successful and the industry has high hopes for him, this is about the limit.

How could they possibly be worthy of being Lin Jianlu's rival and his "21"?
Of course, after receiving the album, Lin Jianlu immediately opened it and listened to it, and he praised it highly.

…………

Return to port.

Whether it can be considered a triumphant return or not, the album "21" achieved remarkable success, including topping the Billboard singles chart and remaining number one on the album chart for thirteen consecutive weeks, meaning it won the sales crown in the North American market for thirteen consecutive weeks. In Hong Kong, this was basically reported simultaneously, and everyone knew that "21" was a huge hit, a global phenomenon.

But the huge success of the "Believer" music video after its release in North America and around the world doesn't seem to have really reached Hong Kong – it's already a hit, we all know it's a hit! How much more popular can it get?
Therefore, although the media reported on it, it didn't feel like it became a hot topic.

It's fine, it doesn't matter.

The popularity of "21" in Hong Kong has basically reached its peak.

With a population of only six or seven million, "Cold to the End" sold more than 78 copies, which is simply a miracle. "21," an English album, has reportedly sold nearly 60 copies, which is an even greater miracle!
The sales of one English album have completely surpassed the sales of almost all albums by local singers!

Whether it's a Mandarin album or a Cantonese album!

I had planned to rest for a couple of days before making any decisions, but when I picked you up from the airport, Ge Fuhong said, "Mr. Zou Wenhuai from Golden Harvest Films called me personally to express his gratitude. He said he hopes you can let him know when you return, as he wants to treat you to a meal to thank you in person. Xu Ke is also waiting for your return! In addition, Mr. Xiang from Win's Entertainment and Stephen Chow also called me to express their gratitude and to invite me to dinner."

Hmm... I had already received a call from Shi Nansheng. Columbia Pictures acted quickly, but the North American screening rights for the first "Once Upon a Time in China" series had already been sold. Although the box office was extremely poor, the rights had not yet expired. If Columbia Pictures wanted to re-release it, they had to contact the buyers. However, it was probably not easy for them to buy it. But it didn't matter, they bought the remaining five films in a package.

Even the copyrights aren't owned by the same company, but you can still buy them with money.

These are all old films that have already recouped their costs and made a fortune. The North American rights were only sold for videotape distribution. Now someone is willing to take the initiative to come to us and buy the North American distribution rights. And it's Columbia, one of the seven major Hollywood film studios. Isn't that a good thing?
Firstly, it will generate some revenue, and secondly, it can help explore sales channels.

This was a completely unexpected delight!

The first three films in the "Once Upon a Time in China" series, as well as the fifth film, were all directed by Tsui Hark.

In addition, Lin Jianlu recommended "New Dragon Gate Inn" and "New Legend of Zu Mountain", both of which are works by Tsui Hark and have been bought. Stephen Chow's "From Beijing with Love" is produced by Win's Entertainment.

In short, it seems that by listing these films and Columbia Pictures coming to buy them, Columbia Pictures actually gained a lot of goodwill in Hong Kong—although in reality, they probably only spent a few million US dollars to buy so many movies. They're all old films; if you dare to haggle and ask for too much, they can simply not buy them!
Moreover, the copyright belongs to the production company. Even if it sells for a lot more money, it has no financial relationship with directors like Tsui Hark and actors like Stephen Chow. However, this is, after all, an opportunity to test the waters in the North American market. Who wouldn't be grateful that they were able to get it just because of Lin Jianlu's recommendation?

Although Lin Jianlu had only called Shi Nansheng beforehand to remind her to be a little firm on the price, but not to go too far, and didn't intend for everyone to be grateful to him, the news still got out through Shi Nansheng's side. She figured accepting the favor wouldn't matter.

"Mr. Zou Wenhuai is not young, is he? Oh... seventy years old. Never mind, let's skip the meal. You can make the contact, and I'll take the initiative to pay a visit to the old gentleman."

"As for Yong Sheng..."

Well, it's a bit of a headache. Wang Jing is from the Iron Yong Sheng faction, but Lin Jianlu has always avoided meeting with Yong Sheng's boss since he met Wang Jing. Even though they had started to carefully clean up their mess before the return, the dirty stuff is still dirty. Even if he could keep things stable and nothing happened after many years, Lin Jianlu's food is very clean. What good would it do to associate with them?

I'm not a local, and I don't rely on them for food.

"Please call Mr. Xiang for me and politely decline."

"As for Stephen Chow, let's do it another day. I was originally planning to stay a few more days this time, so I have time."

"As for Xu Ke, tell him that I just got back and need to rest for a few days. I'll arrange to play mahjong with my sister Nan Sheng in a few days, and I'll let her lose more money to me!"

It was unclear whether Ge Fuhong approved of this entire approach, but since Lin Jianlu had made this decision, there were no major problems, so she immediately agreed.

Go home and rest.

Lin Qingxia had already flown back to Hong Kong to prepare for childbirth, and was overjoyed. When Liang Yongqi returned home in the evening, she was so excited that she jumped up and down with excitement—good, this time Lao Ge kept it a secret.

Pamper Liang Yongqi first, then sleep with the pregnant woman tonight.

The next day, he invited Rosamund Kwan to stay at his home for a while.

Emmmmmm……

…………

Tommy Mottola's "silence" strategy should be effective.

On July 25, "Believer" unsurprisingly topped the Billboard 100 singles chart, officially becoming the fourth number-one single from the album "21"!
Meanwhile, of course, 21 dominated the Billboard 200 album chart for its fourteenth week.

Lin Jianlu specifically called Zhang Aijia, who was stranded in New York, to ask her about Puff Daddy's album "No-Way-Out". It was indeed quite powerful. In its first week of release, it not only entered the TOP200 album chart, but also directly jumped to second place, second only to "21" - according to inside sources, it should have sold more than 20 copies in its first week!

However, in Zhang Aijia's words, "Don't worry, he poses no threat to us!"

Although Lin Jianlu had heard many of Puff Daddy's works in his previous life and knew that he must have been very popular, yes, his new album was released without a single single that broke into the top 100 of the singles chart. Although the album was ranked second on the chart, it only sold around 200,000 copies!
He's no longer a match for 21!
The phenomenal sales of "21" this week, reaching five million copies in a single North American market, are impossible to replicate and unsustainable. However, the music video is still a huge hit, and the North American fanbase's enthusiasm for Chinese Kung Fu is only just beginning. They are currently searching for information about Chinese Kung Fu everywhere, and their worship of Lin Jianlu is also at its peak. This collective emotion will slowly spread and permeate, eventually influencing many people who are completely unaware of these popular cultures and trends, prompting them to open their wallets and ultimately pay for their pop idols.

It's a gradual process; it's faster at first, then slower and slower, but it's always happening.

Some people are just a step away from fashion trends and are easily influenced, but there are many more ordinary people who are on the fringes of society, far, far away from fashion trends. Some are stubborn, and some are simply influenced by distance—for example, a Texas rancher or an oil worker who lives in Saudi Arabia year-round. It takes much longer to influence them.

The prediction given by Columbia Records is actually the two or three months they asked Lin Jianlu to remain silent and not promote anything—after that, there will definitely still be something, but it will be slower, so there's no need to wait any longer.

And now, this spread and infiltration is actually only just entering its explosive phase.

Columbia Records' marketing team predicts that "21" will easily surpass one million copies sold per week in North America within at least two to four weeks!

Puff Daddy is no match for Puff Daddy!
As for whether this will affect Puff Daddy's career, Lin Jianlu has no way of knowing!
All he knew was that he might become more famous than he had ever imagined—his original intention was really just to earn some money and, incidentally, slap Chen Kaige in the face.

***
I'm begging for your guaranteed monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)