A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 187 Super Bowl Invitation

Normally, Lin Jianlu would definitely get up earlier than most people, but on set, sorry, 5:30 is just the normal wake-up time, even a little late. Just as he was about to wake up, he felt some movement beside him. A cool breeze slipped into the blankets from both sides, and then he groggily opened his eyes.

"That's mine! Yours is in the bathroom!"

"Here, it's rotten!"

"Oh no! What should we do? Should we go back and change our clothes now?"

"Who told you to be so provocative yesterday!"

"You're the slut!"

"You're so slutty!"

"You're so slutty!"

"Tch, you're yelling like that and still won't admit it!"

"You're talking about this? Someone called me 'Dad' yesterday, and it made me cringe!"

"You didn't shout?"

"I was forced, you were willing. Who knows how horny you are in private, tch!"

"Don't make me slap you, you little dwarf!"

"Come on, bighead, let's fight and see who he sides with!"

"Oh my, you think he'd favor you? Go look in the bathroom and see how short you are! Do you think you can even reach the mirror? He'd favor you? He prefers tall people!"

"Hey Jiang, don't go too far! I know whether my brother likes me or not, you don't need to stir up trouble here! I'm his girlfriend, after all, and what are you? A girl who pushes other people's butts!"

"Oh my, girlfriend? You're really good at flattering yourself! Did he buy you a house? I do! A big courtyard house, his main residence, that's where I live! If we're talking about girls, someone like you who can't even live in or enter his main residence is what a girl is! No, you're not even worthy of being called a girl! The girls in the main residence are all aboveboard, but what about you? A maidservant! Do you know what a maidservant means? Someone who can't be brought into the open, someone who can't stand the light of day!"

"Ha, don't think I don't know. You've always been a slut! You begged and pleaded to be by my side, and that's how I got you to be a maid in my house. Do you know what happened? My brother has always cared for me and loved me, and he's always spoiled me. I've always loved him willingly! A concubine's wife? A concubine's wife is fine. As long as my brother loves me and is willing to live with me, a concubine's wife is still a wife's wife. What? You look down on concubine's wives? Do you even deserve to?"

"Ha, just wait until this movie is finished, and see if I dare to tear you apart! ...Sharp-tongued!"

"Tch! You dare touch a finger of mine? I'll scratch it until it's bruised!"

Ugh!
Lin Jianlu lay motionless on the bed and simply stopped making a sound.

They argued in the dark for a while, keeping their voices very low, clearly not wanting to wake him. So he let them be. Sure enough, after arguing for a while, the two of them tacitly separated, each picking up their own clothes and going to the living room. He could still vaguely hear their argument, but the sounds had become increasingly faint, and he could hardly hear what they were arguing about.

Yes, I could have expected that.

It's impossible that this is just between the two of them. If Xu Qing and Chen Hong were to clash, their argument would be even fiercer. Extending this further, even now, after living in the same courtyard for half a year, Jiang Qinqin and Zuo Xiaoqian are far from harmonious. Chen Hong and Yu Feihong outwardly appear to have a harmonious relationship and are considerate of each other, but behind the scenes, they have no contact and ignore each other. Liang Yongqi had already become timid and increasingly obedient in front of Lin Qingxia, but once Guan Zhilin moved in, she quickly became closer to Guan Zhilin and paid less attention to Lin Qingxia. When Lin Qingxia reprimanded her, she quickly complained, and Lin Jianlu reciprocated by reprimanding Lin Qingxia, causing the two to become completely at odds.

This is what a philandering and greedy person deserves.

…………

The crew got up early at five in the morning. The production assistants, lighting crew, prop crew, and others quickly ate a bite of food and then rushed to the set in several large trucks to set up the set in advance. The other actors and makeup artists also ate a few bites and then had to put on makeup. Even actors who didn't have scenes to film that day had to get dressed up, in preparation that a scene might have to be replaced at any time.

Lin Jianlu obviously didn't need to be in such a hurry.

He got up at 5:30 as usual, just in time to catch the two girls getting ready to leave. He even had time to hug them and give each of them a kiss. After they left, he changed into his workout clothes and went out for a run.

Chen Hong has stopped trying to keep up; she can't keep going.

On the contrary, today, Liu Xiaoli took the initiative to wait at the hotel entrance. When Lin Jianlu came down, she accompanied him out for a run. So she deliberately slowed down, but he still couldn't keep up with her. So he simply stopped waiting for her and ran ahead.

When they came back, they ran into her again, and she was still running, which was great. So they greeted her, and she turned back. Lin Jianlu really slowed down and ran with her.

Seeing that they could already see the hotel, Lin Jianlu stopped completely and waited for her to come up. The two of them then slowly walked back to the hotel together. After she caught her breath, Lin Jianlu asked her, "You came out with me. What will happen to Qianqian at home by herself?"

She replied, "I called my sister over; she's free anyway, so she can help me watch the kids!"

"You have a sister?"

"Yes! She's eight years younger than me, and... sigh, we're getting a divorce, and she's a teacher, so she has summer vacation."

"Oh, you dance too? You teach dance?"

"Yes, I teach dance. She watched me practice dance since she was little, and then she started practicing with me. I was the one who taught her. Later, she strained her leg and couldn't dance professionally anymore, so she went to an arts school to teach dance."

"Wow, an artistic family!"

"Hey, please don't make fun of us. What kind of artistic family are we!"

"How are Sisi's grades? Can she adapt to the teaching style here in the capital?"

“Great! She takes after her dad and has always had good grades since she was little! I’m not like that; my academic performance has always been just average.”

"Ah."

Time flies, and before you know it, it's been almost a year since Liu Xiaoli became his assistant. Over that year, Lin Jianlu's expectations of her have dwindled. Initially, he planned to entrust her with many things in the capital, but he gradually softened his intentions. Plus, Chen Hong suddenly appeared, proving to be far more suitable than her. So now, she's only responsible for managing his residences and social connections in the capital. In fact, she's become more like Lin Jianlu's housekeeper in Taipei and Hong Kong.

Well, all I can say is that it's a matter of ability.

She's really good-looking and attractive, and she's also the future mother-in-law. To be honest, if she were any better, Lin Jianlu would be willing to give her more responsibilities. But as they spent more time together, Lin Jianlu discovered that even though she was in her late thirties, she was still a bit willful, straightforward, and reckless.

She certainly wouldn't dare to do that in front of Lin Jianlu. She was earning a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan, and was only responsible for helping Lin Jianlu with some small things. Moreover, Lin Jianlu only stayed in the capital for a few months a year, so she didn't even have to show up for work. Her life was really easy and carefree. Of course, she knew that this job opportunity was hard to come by, so she was careful in handling it.

But from the dance team, the girls in the courtyard, and even from some friends, the feedback from many angles suggests that she is not very capable.

There's nothing we can do about it. We can't just hand over tasks that she's clearly not up to the task of just because we like her daughter. That would not only delay things and damage relationships, but also leave her with no way to face the consequences of her mistakes.

So, let's just keep her as a housekeeper!
"You've been living in the capital for about a year now, haven't you? Haven't you met anyone suitable or someone you like? Are you planning to stay single forever?"

When this topic came up, she seemed a little embarrassed. She raised her hand to smooth a stray lock of hair and reluctantly replied, "Why would I look for someone else? I'm doing great now. You pay me so much every month, and my job is so easy. I have more time to spend with my daughter. It's perfect! Looking for someone else... sigh!"

Lin Jianlu turned to look at her, "Then teach Qianqian well, I have high hopes for her! She's a little beauty in the making!"

She was delighted to hear this and immediately turned to look at her. "Thank you! Sisi... is very good! Very obedient!"—Clearly, her mother hadn't thought much about the little girl who was only ten years old.

Uh... to be eyeing someone's ten-year-old daughter, that does seem a bit...

Forget it, let's talk about it in a few years. Anyway, she grew up right here beside me. My dream of Fei Yuan Bing Tian will definitely come true—except for one Tian who is nowhere to be found. Who knows where she is now!
Thinking about this makes me feel inexplicably sentimental.

It's been less than two years since I transmigrated here, and I have to say I've done pretty well. From the very beginning, I was just hoping to make some money, and then I would lie low and wait for my Fei Yuan Ice Cream to appear. I was quite content with just one of them. But as I've been doing this all along, I never imagined that I would actually become a global superstar!

To be honest, I don't really care about Fei Yuan Bing Tian's four wives anymore!
Fei Yuanbing is certainly beautiful, but putting aside the fact that Gao Yuanyuan is so eager to rush into her arms as soon as they meet, even if she doesn't, what is the difference between Rosamund Kwan, Wang Zuxian, Zhou Huimin, and Chen Hong, who are at their peak, Yu Feihong, who is on the verge of her peak, and even Jia Jingwen, Jiang Qinqin, and Zuo Xiaoqian?

They've definitely surpassed them!
Their only advantage is their youth.

Time and years will gradually allow them to surpass this batch of old Bentleys!

As she was about to enter the hotel, Lin Jianlu subconsciously turned her head to look over, wanting to speak. Suddenly, she realized that she must have felt hot, so she unzipped her running jacket, revealing an elastic vest underneath. Wow, it was bulging out, with a large expanse of white skin on her chest and a deep cleavage in the middle!
"By the way, after you've eaten..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her throat suddenly feeling dry. Actually, she'd seen it many times before; everyone rehearsed together, wearing practice clothes, and this baggy outfit... well, let's not even talk about her, there's at least one other person in the dance team, Li Dabai!
But I don't know why, maybe it's because we were talking about Liu Yifei earlier, but when I suddenly saw that patch of white on her chest and that cleavage, I suddenly felt aroused.

"Huh? What?"

She turned to look at Lin Jianlu, then followed his gaze to her chest. In an instant, an awkward expression appeared on her face. Her hand hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to zip up her pants, but then stopped immediately, as if she felt that zipping them up now would only make things more awkward—awkward for both of them.

"I never noticed before, it's quite big!"

"Uh……"

She completely underestimated Lin Jianlu's thick skin. She never expected him to say such things so openly. So she opened her mouth several times, but couldn't say anything.

Well, that's actually another of her weaknesses; she's a bit tongue-tied.

Don't even mention Chen Hong's level; she's far inferior to Lin Xilei. When it comes to reading people and being eloquent, Lin Xilei already had a very good foundation, and she has made rapid progress in the past year or so.

She can now easily argue with Zhang Aijia, and can sometimes make Zhang Aijia furious. She is also very good at coaxing Lin Jianlu, and is extremely skilled at flattery and subtle sarcasm.

In short, she is now quite favored by Lin Jianlu, and her power is growing.

In comparison, Liu Xiaoli's mouth is really a bit clumsy.

Even after everyone had entered the hotel one after the other, she was still a little embarrassed and blushing, her hands still frozen, unsure whether she should zip up her pants, and she didn't say another word from beginning to end.

…………

I was sitting on the set in the morning when He Xiuqiong came over around 9 a.m. She went straight to Lin Jianlu and Chen Hong, took out two sheets of paper from her bag and handed them to them. "I told my mom you came to the set, and she arranged for someone to fax me two sets of lyrics. It's all arranged, you write the music and choose one to sing yourself."

Lin Jianlu took it without hesitation.

Ah, sure enough, one song is "When," and the other is "Rain Butterfly."

After a quick glance, Lin Jianlu found that it was no different from the original version in her memory, so she didn't bother to analyze whether there was anything in the wording that needed to be considered or adjusted, and immediately nodded, "Okay!"

As for "When", I'll sing it myself. The reason why Qiong Yao was willing to cooperate with me was firstly because I owned Forbidden City Film and had access to mainland TV broadcasts. Secondly, although I couldn't act in her dramas, singing a theme song for her would greatly help her dramas gain popularity in mainland China.

Cooperation, to put it simply, is about mutual benefit.

As for the song "Rain Butterfly," I remember it was quite popular in my past life. It's hard to compare it with "When," which almost became the theme song of Hunan TV, but with the popularity of the TV series, this song would have been a hit no matter who sang it. To put it bluntly, if someone was short of money, they could have made a living by performing commercial shows for ten years starting in 2000. After that, they could take a break and then perform on variety shows after 2020, making a living off the nostalgia factor.

We definitely can't let others benefit from it.

Vivian Chow's voice is clear, bright, sweet, and gentle, making it highly recognizable. However, to be frank, her vocal range is quite narrow, mostly concentrated in the middle register. She also has a short section in the high register, but it's only a small part. Once she exceeds this range and tries to push higher, the stability of her voice immediately becomes compromised.

Leung Wing-ki is not qualified either.

"Rain Butterfly" has a lot of high notes and requires a bit of power, so the two of them ruled it out first.

The original singer seems to be Li Yijun, who is quite popular in Taiwan. Finding her would definitely be a good choice, and she has probably sung theme songs for Qiong Yao dramas more than once. But finding her would be like giving the opportunity to an outsider.

Besides her, Na-Ying, Lin Yi-Lian, and Zhang Hui-Mei are all suitable singers, and might even sing better than her—but, sorry, let's leave it to Chen Shu-Hua!

Chen Shuhua's singing skills, timbre, and brightness in the high register are, without exaggeration, far superior to Li Yijun's.

…………

I went to the Summer Palace on August 10th and stayed there for two nights.

I used up a whole bottle of medicated oil, but I still got bitten by more than a dozen mosquitoes. I managed to defuse the superficial conflict between the two young ladies, sang two songs, and even specially ordered two local roasted whole lambs for lunch. When they arrived, I unpacked them all and treated the entire crew to an extra meal. Oh, and by the way, I also glanced at my future mother-in-law's chest a few times...

On the morning of August 12, Lin Jianlu and his entourage officially set off and returned to the capital.

That afternoon, he went to Rolling Stone Records.

For him, he had already been back to work mode since he went to the Summer Palace to visit the set on the 10th—checking out the films he had invested in, seeing his long-legged backup dancers, and then the news would spread. Without a doubt, a large group of friends would start to come knocking on his door.

You're famous, you're rich, and through investments, you now have power and status... that's how it should be.

Daily life will then be filled with social interactions.

Fortunately, they haven't been out making money much in the past year, and the long-legged guys have maintained a considerable level of training. You can tell at a glance that they haven't been slacking off or overeating, and they've all maintained their physiques very well.

When asked, Li Dabai said, "How could I dare? I weigh myself every day! Besides, everyone says that Lu Han is a global superstar now, and he'll definitely lead us around the world to make money. Who would want to miss that?"

"Great! It's good that you have the ambition! Next, I'll really take you all around the world to make money!"

There aren't any concrete performance plans yet, let alone a global tour. That's a huge undertaking with immense organizational pressure, and it can't be assembled overnight. However, there is indeed a major performance under negotiation—just the day before yesterday, before I left for the summer resort, Sylvia Chang called again, saying that the NFL had contacted them and wanted to invite Lin Jianlu to perform at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. They can offer eight to ten minutes, and the previous asking price was 600 million US dollars.

Lin Chien-lu had an impression of the Super Bowl halftime show and thought it was a very high-profile event, so she was somewhat interested. However, as Chang Ai-chia stayed in America for longer and longer, she gained more and more information. She said that the Super Bowl halftime show had invited Michael Jackson once in 93, which was a sign of an intention to change things.

Michael Jackson's performance that day was truly explosive, instantly boosting the Super Bowl's global profile. However, before and after that, the Super Bowl halftime show remained relatively quiet, mainly attracting American football fans.

In the arts and culture world, its influence is not great. Those who participate in the halftime show are generally catering to the tastes of rugby fans, and they are mostly invited to be some washed-up old singers and groups.

However, according to officials from the National Football League who have been in contact with her, they had internal discussions this year and set the tone for investing heavily to seriously develop the halftime show.

After they completely changed course, the first singer they planned to invite with a large sum of money was Lin Jianlu.

But Zhang Aijia was dismissive, "Six million US dollars is not a lot of money! We can't possibly go for that price! Four years ago, for Michael Jackson's event, they reportedly spent ten million US dollars to persuade Michael, so our bottom line is ten million! If we can't afford that, we won't go!"

Alright then, Lin Jianlu has no objection.

This kind of comparison, especially since it's your first time doing such a large-scale, high-profile commercial performance, means you have to emphasize your own market value, which is something you can't help but consider—everyone says you're the second-best pop star in the world after Michael Jackson, but Michael Jackson's appearance fee was 1000 million US dollars, and yours is only 600 million! That clearly shows you're not worth Michael Jackson's price!
If the promoter doesn't recognize you as worth 1000 million, but only 600 million, you can refuse the gig, thus breaking the established practice. However, once you accept the gig, it will be very difficult for you to exceed the 600 million price per gig in the future!
This is the most intuitive criterion for judging commercial value!
Then let's authorize Zhang Aijia to talk to the other party.

As it turned out, after only the first round of negotiations, they realized Lin Jianlu was interested and promptly raised their offer to 1000 million US dollars for a basic performance fee, plus a 500 million US dollar floating clause!

They demand a live demonstration of their kicking knife skills!

The requirements of the floating clause are phased and only based on ratings—Michael Jackson's 1993 Super Bowl halftime show garnered 1.334 million viewers, a record that stands out from the past. Before and after him, the ratings were generally between 80 million and 100 million viewers.

So, by appearing and performing a knife kick, you can earn 10 million US dollars. If the viewership exceeds 100 million, you get an extra million, and so on. Once the viewership exceeds 1.25 million, you take away the entire 15 million US dollars!

Zhang Aijia has currently negotiated a price of 1200 million plus 800 million with the other party.

That's about the price.

The base performance fee exceeded Michael Jackson's by 200 million. With the face of the new global pop king, it also set a sufficiently high base price for Lin Jianlu's subsequent commercial performances. However, four years have passed, and prices have increased and currency has depreciated. Michael Jackson's side could have easily said that, calculated according to constant prices, the price was actually the same, so that neither party could lower their status.

In short, everything went well, and we got the twenty million dollars.

He could easily earn over $1500 million – once the contract is signed, the NFL's promotional campaign will definitely begin. If all goes well, it will be the first time Lin Jianlu has publicly performed the kicking knife skill he showed in the music video, and the ratings are bound to be high!

The people of America, North America, and even countless fans around the world are now wildly worshipping Lin Jianlu's Chinese Kung Fu!

If this performance is successfully organized, it can be said that the follow-up promotion of "21" will be in place!
A good thing that kills two birds with one stone!

When it comes to this performance, Lin Jianlu can't just bring a bunch of black and white people to the show. He has been raising his own group of tall, long-legged guys for more than a year, and they will definitely have to make an appearance at the Super Bowl!

(End of this chapter)