A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 193 Flying Man
February 10, 1997, Los Angeles.

After signing, Lin Jianlu quickly shook hands with Joe Silver, one of Warner Bros.' top producers.

"Happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

After the two sides let go, Lin Jianlu went to shake hands and hug the Wachowski brothers one by one. The two brothers were a bit childish, waving their arms and legs and constantly shouting "Yay!"

Then, Lin Jianlu shook hands with Terry Semel, Chairman and Co-CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures. Semel seemed quite pleased, patting Lin Jianlu's arm and saying, "Lin, I believe this will be a fantastic collaboration and the beginning of our future partnerships!"

Lin Jianlu smiled, "I believe that too!"

Well, this can be considered Lin Jianlu's decision to stop while he was ahead—it had already gone through multiple rounds of back-and-forth negotiations, but there was still room for discussion. The core reason was that the Wachowski brothers, the key figures behind *The Matrix*, were staunch fans of Lin Jianlu and were very insistent on inviting him to join the project. However, conversely, for producer Joe Silver and Warner Bros., Lin Jianlu was by no means the only candidate; at best, he was the best candidate with a higher degree of fit and more suitable qualifications in all aspects.

A popular star, a global pop icon, and a kung fu master—if they're paired with "The Matrix," they're guaranteed to attract attention and generate a certain box office revenue. But the other backup options aren't too bad either.

Moreover, the Wachowski brothers are already proven directors, and more importantly, Joe Silver, a top-notch producer, has considerable influence in Hollywood. His past achievements as a producer, including the Predator series, Lethal Weapon series, Die Hard series, and Incredibles, make his new production, a big-budget sci-fi blockbuster, a sure thing that he won't have to worry about not having big names involved.

So, make a quick decision and know when to stop!

Lin Jianlu, born in the late 95s, is very familiar with sci-fi blockbusters like "The Matrix," having probably watched it at least two or three times and really enjoyed it. So it's easy to imagine that it would be a huge success in this era. Moreover, the futuristic and sci-fi feel, along with the cool visual effects, would be a huge boost for any male actor—it's definitely a win-win situation, even more beneficial for the actors. Therefore, there's no need to drag things out and miss out due to slightly lower conditions here or there.

You only win if you get it in your hands.

Moreover, the $1500 million salary, plus a 5% share of the box office revenue from Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and Southeast Asia, while not quite reaching the so-called $2000 million club, is still a significant amount for a Chinese male actor, especially a singer who is not a professional actor.

So, to everyone's satisfaction, we signed.

Warner Bros. staff quickly opened champagne, and everyone raised their glasses together at the signing ceremony.

The film is scheduled to start shooting at the end of April or the beginning of May next year, with a shooting period of 120 days. Lin Jianlu will receive the final version of the script in March and begin preparations. He is required to maintain daily exercise to prepare his body for shooting some action scenes. In addition, he needs to obtain an American gun license or undergo at least 100 hours of shooting training. Of course, the production company will reimburse the cost of the shooting training.

Then, he would receive his first payment, $500 million USD, a week before filming officially began. He would receive his second payment, also $500 million USD, 60 days after filming started. When filming wrapped, he would receive his final cash payment.

Warner Bros. will audit and pay the film's box office revenue share in Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and Southeast Asia within three months after the film's theatrical run ends worldwide.

In addition, Lin Jianlu needs to participate in at least eight promotional events during the film's release.

During the film's preparation and filming, as long as Lin Jianlu joins the production team, and during the subsequent promotional period, the production company must provide him with a presidential suite in a five-star hotel or the highest standard of accommodation in the local area, provide two RVs for rest on set, and provide at least two professional Chinese chefs to cook for him. He can bring at least two personal assistants and two personal bodyguards. During the work period, the salaries of the personal assistants and bodyguards will be paid by the production company, and they will be provided with a hotel room of no less than 30 square meters per person.

Etc., etc.

The contract even stipulated that the production crew must provide what level of transportation and hotel rooms for Lin Jianlu's friends during filming—a fact that greatly surprised Lin Jianlu.

Drinking champagne, chatting animatedly, looking forward to filming, and then... leaving.

As they left the Warner Bros. building, the excitement on Sylvia Chang's face gradually faded. Once in the car, she finally couldn't help but sigh, "I'm not sure how this movie will turn out. I just have a feeling... those two director brothers are a bit crazy. Sigh... are you really that optimistic about it?"

Lin Jianlu laughed, "The contract's already signed, why are we still talking about this now?"

Sylvia Chang shrugged. "Okay! You're always right, and you're definitely right this time too!"

Go straight to the airport.

The bodyguards returned to New York and will have a short break, but their wages will still be paid. However, the break will not be long, because Zhang Aijia will only stay in Hong Kong and Taiwan for a short time before returning again. As Lin Jianlu's personal assistant and manager, she still has a lot of work to do in America.

Of course, she also has a heavy task to complete when she goes back this time, and Lin Jianlu has allowed her to take a vacation, so she will have at least ten days to half a month to go through the divorce process.

…………

Back in Taipei.

I met my dear housekeeper from my Taipei home again.

Haha, he was Xue Zhongding's junior high school classmate. He's a very meticulous person. We haven't known each other for very long. He was only introduced to our home as a housekeeper after we bought that luxury house in Taipei. But after getting to know each other, both Lin Jianlu and Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun have a very good impression of him.

A cautious and meticulous personality, and a responsible and conscientious work ethic.

When they arrived back at the gate of her large villa, Zhang Aijia didn't even get out of the car. She just hugged Lin Jianlu in the car, kissed him on the cheek, and then watched him get out of the car first.

We're finally back.

Lin Jianlu didn't really have any feelings for Taipei. It was just because two girls from Taipei had become his wives and had children with him. They had also worked together to create a comfortable home for him. So, without realizing it, Lin Jianlu's feelings for Taipei started to improve. He would occasionally come over to stay with them for a few days, and he always felt quite relaxed.

Second only to the capital, but stronger than Hong Kong and New York.

"Hello, sir!"

Even the servants in the house had exceptionally bright smiles on their faces—the two mistresses had returned with their two young masters the day before yesterday, and the master of the house had returned today, and everything seemed different all of a sudden.

Lin Jianlu nodded casually to everyone, "Hello to you all too!"

Su Huilun had already been notified and skipped downstairs, rushing over. The petite woman, just over 1.6 meters tall, had lost weight rapidly a month or so after giving birth, now weighing just over 90 pounds. Lin Jianlu caught her in one go, scooping her up and kissing her for a while before she jumped off, looking extremely happy. "Home is the best! No matter how expensive or nice the house is in New York, it's not as good as home!"

Lin Jianlu laughed heartily, and when he looked up, he saw Chen Shuhua coming down the stairs again.

New York in September and October is actually quite pleasant and comfortable to live in. The rooftop villa we rented for the two pregnant women to prepare for childbirth was quite luxurious. They lived there for several months and it was clear that they liked it. But once they gave birth and were done with their babies, they couldn't resist the homesickness. A few days ago, Chen Shuhua also finished her postpartum confinement, and the two of them couldn't wait to come back.

It fulfilled their wishes.

So now, just two days apart, they are reunited in Taipei.

The child is still young and sleeps most of the day, and there are nannies taking turns to take care of him. So, back in New York, the three of them gradually had space and time to be alone again. Now that they are back in their home in Taipei, they are naturally relaxed, and Lin Jianlu is also very relaxed.

I had a good two-day rest.

Su Huilun wants to make a comeback and has started practicing singing. She wants to wean her child and switch to formula feeding, but Chen Shuhua has no intention of continuing to sing. When asked, she says she wants to continue spending time with her child and doesn't want to wean her. She has a high milk production and has even decided to breastfeed Su Huilun's baby girl as well.

The two children and their two mothers spent all their time together before they were born, and after they were born they were often put together. They had each drunk each other's mother's milk, and were probably more familiar with each other than siblings who were born to the same parents but were a few years apart.

But actually, there was a task right now that was assigned to Chen Shuhua.

They plan to arrange for her and Wang Fei to perform "Meet in 1998" together on the Spring Festival Gala this year. Su Huilun is very willing to work, but to be honest, she is not high-profile enough and does not represent Taiwan enough.

On the contrary, Chen Shuhua, in terms of status, fame, and experience, is a more suitable and balanced choice to represent Taiwan on the Spring Festival Gala and sing this song with Wang Fei.

She was very obedient. Although she didn't plan to start working so soon, she agreed as soon as Lin Jianlu mentioned it. After receiving the sheet music, she immediately fell in love with the song.

…………

Relatives began to come to visit one after another.

Chen Shuhua's parents, Su Huilun's parents, and sister.

When they first met, they would usually exchange pleasantries, but soon Lin Jianlu stopped taking on the responsibility of entertaining them. By then, she had even had a child, so even if her elders and sisters still had opinions about her, they could no longer bring them up, and naturally, there would be no unpleasantness.

Although they had no marriage certificate and not even a ceremony, they had already had a child. He was with a notorious womanizer and playboy. But regardless of how much money Lin Jianlu had or how well he provided his two wives, just looking at his appearance, his height, looks, and overall aura left people speechless.

To captivate so many exceptionally beautiful and outstanding women, many of whom are already wealthy and famous, talent alone is not enough.

Lin Jianlu's overall appearance is truly top-notch among Chinese men.

So after Chen Shuhua's mother met him once, she was basically able to accept him. After meeting him twice more, she gradually began to like her son-in-law. Su Huilun's parents were no exception.

Moreover, the little ones who have finished their postpartum confinement period and are starting to get chubby are just too cute!
Seeing the adorable appearance of their grandchildren, the elders simply couldn't resist taking a break.

While they came to see the children every day, Lin Jianlu became too lazy to stay at home and started going out to meet friends for meals. He didn't spend a lot of time in Taiwan, but he still had quite a few friends.

Let's meet up for a meal and have a chat, without putting on airs like some international superstar.

Then, we went to Rolling Stone Records to sit for a while. There were a bunch of old friends there, so we had a meal together.

…………

It was past eight o'clock at night.

The relatives had all left, dinner had been eaten, and the two babies had finished their milk and gone to sleep. With some free time, the three of us went up to the large terrace on the second floor to sit and enjoy the cool air.

They talked about children, the present, and the future. Before they knew it, they started talking about their previous stock investments—it was quite a coincidence. Although the Southeast Asian financial crisis was still far from over and hadn't really reached Taiwan, the Taipei stock market had indeed started to decline. Looking back now, Chen Shuhua had actually made her moves at the peak.

So everyone was very fortunate.

If we sell it three months later, we'll lose tens of millions of NT dollars.

Just then, Lin Jianlu's phone suddenly rang.

Lin Jianlu took the phone, glanced at it, gestured for them to be quiet, and then answered the call, "Hello, who is this? Oh... Sister Hong! Hello!"

On the other end of the phone, Kara Hui's voice was tinged with tears, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lin! I never expected you would actually help me like this! I haven't had any acting work in so long, and the market is so bad right now. I was even planning to switch careers, but I didn't expect you to remember me and give me this opportunity! Thank you! Thank you!"

Hmm, it seems Yang Peipei has already contacted her.

Lin Jianlu didn't know who Yang Peipei would have chosen to play the middle-aged Huang Rong if he hadn't been involved, or even if it were in his previous life. But now, he had suggested Kara Hui, and Yang Peipei obviously thought she was suitable for the role. In middle age, life is often not as smooth as it seems, and Kara Hui's already strong features became even more fierce. To be honest, she lacked the charm that Huang Rong should have. But then again, Huang Rong in the TV series is also middle-aged, so with some attention to makeup, a slight adjustment to make Kara Hui's face look more heroic wouldn't be a big problem.

And now it seems true, people only begin to truly understand gratitude after experiencing setbacks and the trials of life. Just a few years ago, or even two years ago, would the high-flying Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress winner, Anita Yuen, have been willing to play a minor supporting role as Li Mochou in a TV series? Let alone express gratitude! But now, she not only gladly accepts supporting roles in TV dramas, but is even very grateful. Kara Hui has endured far more hardships in life than Anita Yuen, so she can even be described as deeply grateful.

that's enough.

Whether they are from the mainland, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, as long as they don't have any blatant misconduct, Lin Jianlu is willing to give them a chance and a little help if they are in his current position.

For no other reason than united front work, we must first unify. Those who can be united are comrades; those who cannot are the ones who need to fight. You've been supporting me, Lin Jianlu, for so many years, living a life of luxury, and now you're saying you want to betray me? You want to cause trouble for me? You'll lose your moral ground!
At that time, if anyone disobeys my orders, I can just swing this stick at them and they won't be able to say a word!

Lin Jianlu comforted her and encouraged her, "Everyone can see your diligence and dedication, and so can I! Keep up the good work in acting, and I'll recommend you for roles when the opportunity arises."

On the other end of the phone, all she could say was, "Thank you, Mr. Lin! Thank you, Mr. Lin!"

After hanging up the phone, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment, like "giving roses and having fragrance linger on your hand." When I turned around, both of my wives were looking at me. Chen Shuhua asked, "When I was in New York, Aijia mentioned that you like to invest in movies and TV series. Are you good at making TV series? Are they easy to make?"

Lin Jianlu waved his hand dismissively, "Guaranteed profit! You can trust me when I do things!"

Chen Shuhua just smiled and didn't say anything.

Su Huilun pouted again, then suddenly reached out and poked Lin Jianlu's arm with her index finger. When Lin Jianlu looked over, she complained, "I really can't help but expose you. Are you making a TV drama? You're just trying to pick up girls! We all learned this in Chinese class. Your real intention is not what you seem, but rather the scenery!"

Lin Jianlu, with her long arms, flicked her forehead with her backhand, saying, "Misusing the textbook!"

…………

When they flew back to Hong Kong, even Lin Xilei didn't come along.

She had been away from home for a long time, and this time she escorted Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun back, so she was given a two-week leave.

Lin Jianlu flew to Hong Kong but did not stay there. He transferred in Hong Kong and flew back to the capital.

There's something that's been dragging on for a long time; we've been waiting for him to come back.

The film "Spicy Love Soup" is going to hold a celebration banquet.

The movie was released in mainland China at the end of June and was unexpectedly popular, becoming a dark horse in this year's summer movie season. Later, it obtained an extension key and continued to be shown until the beginning of September. The box office revenue was reported by cinemas in various places themselves, which was actually more than 3600 million yuan!
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it's practically locked in as the highest-grossing domestic film of the year!
Lin Jianlu couldn't say how others felt, but for him, winning the box office champion was like a joke—how could such a stream-of-consciousness art film win the box office champion!

With a population of over one billion in mainland China, the annual box office champion only grossed 3600 million!

It's not even as big as Hong Kong's market, which has a mere six million people!
However, this film is quite significant—for Lin Jianlu personally, it's his first film role, regardless of whether it's a cameo or how many minutes he has, it's his first time on the big screen. And for Chinese cinema, its significance is perhaps even greater.

In recent years, there have been growing calls for reform of the domestic film market, but the pace of implementation has been slow. Television dramas have been opened up quickly, and private film and television companies have sprung up everywhere. As a result, the entire television drama market and even the revenue of television stations have begun to be revitalized rapidly. However, although foreign investment in co-productions and private capital participation in investment to a certain extent have long been allowed for films, the overall discourse power, production direction, and even the issuance of filming and screening permits at the administrative level are still firmly in the hands of the government.

The establishment of Forbidden City Film Studio was itself an exploration of film production models.

The film "Spicy Love Soup" underwent several changes in investors, eventually becoming a joint production and production project of Xi'an Film Studio and Forbidden City Film Industry. Although Forbidden City Film Industry is state-owned and holds a controlling stake, it was actually controlled by Lin Jianlu with the tacit approval of higher authorities. Therefore, the composition of the company was complex. However, on the surface, this was a successful collaboration between a state-owned film studio and a private film company in film production.

It is significant in itself.

Moreover, the film's box office success was so remarkable that it suddenly seemed to have acquired a certain symbolic significance in terms of direction.

The film grossed over 3600 million yuan, but the production company received less than 1300 million yuan in box office revenue. This was then divided between Xi'an Film Studio and Forbidden City Film Studio, each receiving 50%, meaning each studio received over 600 million yuan!

Compared to the production cost of 100 million yuan for each company, totaling only 200 million yuan, this is clearly a very market-driven victory—Forbidden City Film Studio did a great job, taking this step very well, and Xi'an Film Studio also dared to explore, which is excellent!

Of course we have to have a celebration banquet!
And it should be done openly and honestly!
…………

When the plane landed, Xu Qing wasn't there; she was filming. Liu Xiaoli came to pick her up in a car. Seeing her attire, Lin Jianlu suddenly realized something was wrong, but Liu Xiaoli had already handed her a leather jacket.

In early October, and into the middle of October, in just half a month, Lin Jianlu flew from Hong Kong to New York, then from New York to Los Angeles, then from Los Angeles to Taipei, and now she has returned to the capital. Her journey was filled with hurried comings and goings.

In early October, Hong Kong was still quite hot and dry, while New York was enjoying a refreshing autumn breeze. When I returned, Taipei was already starting to feel cool at night. Little did I know that the capital city was already feeling like late autumn at this time of year.

Once in the car, Lin Jianlu sighed and, before Liu Xiaoli could speak, blurted out, "I'm so busy every day, I'm practically flying!"

Then I asked her about her family situation.

Yes, Chen Hong is very good. She's busy with all sorts of things, a real busy person, but she occasionally invites Liu Xiaoli, including the girls from the dance team, to have a meal together. She also signed Li Xiaoran and Liu Dan to her agency, saying that she plans to train them to act if there's an opportunity.

Xu Qing is great. After finishing filming "Party A, Party B", she immediately joined the next production team.

The renovation of the two villas she shared with Brigitte Lin is currently being overseen by Liu Xiaoli, as Brigitte Lin is in Hong Kong and still in postpartum confinement. Hsu Ching is also extremely busy and cannot take care of it either.

Yu Feihong returned after filming "The Lucky Guy". It's a Hong Kong film, and it's another one starring Wong Jing. Filming was very fast, and it wrapped up in just over a month. Yu Feihong had asked for leave in advance at the Beijing Film Academy, but it didn't need to be used. She came back. The students' military training hadn't finished yet, so she took a break for a while. She recently started going back to class.

Zuo Xiaoqian is a senior in college and doesn't have many classes anymore, so she often stays in the courtyard house. But recently she has become obsessed with bowling and even got a membership at a bowling alley. She goes two or three times a week, sometimes with her classmates, and sometimes when she can't find anyone to play with, she'll drag Liu Xiaoli along.

Oh, by the way, Ada Chia is indeed pregnant, but the hospital can't determine the gender yet. Considering that Lin Jianlu isn't around, Liu Xiaoli just took her for a check-up and then sent her back to continue filming "My Fair Princess".

Also, Jiang Qinqin is currently filming away from home and can't come back, but Zuo Xiaoqian is at home and there are always guests. Several of her junior classmates, led by Zhao Yanzi and Huang Xiaoming, are close to her and often come to visit.

Gao Yuanyuan got quite tanned during military training, but she seems to have integrated well. Originally, she rarely stayed at the courtyard house assigned to her, and usually lived at school. For the first two weeks, she would ask for a car on Friday afternoons to take her home, but she hasn't gone back for the past two weeks. She has started staying at the courtyard house for two days at a time and is even entertaining friends there.

Four girls went in total. Two of them were supposedly her classmates, named Chen Hao and Fu Jing, and the other two were her seniors, but they had a good relationship and had helped her before. I think their names were Zeng Li and Hu Jing.

Also, not only is there a celebration party for "Spicy Love Soup," but "The Dream Factory" has also been preliminarily edited. If you have time, please let Forbidden City Pictures and director Feng Xiaogang take a look.

"Um……"

The car drove smoothly. Lin Jianlu squinted and leaned back in the back seat, listening to Liu Xiaoli talk about one thing after another beside him, occasionally responding with an "uh-huh".

He already knew a lot of the information from their daily phone conversations, but hearing Liu Xiaoli summarize it all for him was still quite nice. However, unexpectedly, he suddenly remembered something: "Your sister went back, right? If you come to pick me up, who will pick up and drop off Qianqian from school?"

Liu Xiaoli paused for a moment, then replied, "My sister didn't leave. She doesn't want to go back. She's staying at my house! She usually helps me pick up and drop off the kids, tutors them, and so on. Uh... she keeps bothering me to introduce her to a job."

Lin Jianlu turned to glance at her, suddenly becoming interested, "Hey, do your sister, or your family, think you've climbed the social ladder now? Or do they think I'm keeping you as a mistress?"

Suddenly, Liu Xiaoli's face turned bright red, and she stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

Lin Jianlu laughed, "Then it seems it's true!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli became even more speechless. After a long while, as the car entered the Third Ring Road, she finally managed to stammer out a few words, "They... don't really understand the nature of my work. They all think that no one would pay a junior assistant 20,000 or 30,000 yuan a month. But I've explained it to them. Whether they believe it or not, there's nothing I can do."

Lin Jianlu laughed again, and after a while said, "I can't take care of your sister. I'll take care of you and your daughter. You won't go hungry. I'll cover everything for Qianqian's schooling in the future. But I really can't take care of your sister. You'll have to figure out how to arrange things yourself. Don't waste my connections!"

He paused, then said, "Forget about the arrangements. Just give her some money every month and let her take care of your child for a few more years! That way, you won't be so busy that you can't take care of everything, and you won't let Qianqian go hungry!"

Liu Xiaoli opened her mouth a few times, a look of gratitude on her face, "Thank you so much for always thinking of Qianqian!"

"Hmm! Of course! You're working for me!"

Then he asked, "By the way, have you found a place for the yard? I'll go take a look around tomorrow, and once I've decided, I'll start preparing as soon as possible. And the house, have you chosen one too?"

"Everything is ready, just waiting for you to come back and see! I know you're preparing these for Ms. Jia Jingwen, so the apartments I chose for you are all very close to the hospital, making it convenient for her to go for prenatal checkups and give birth."

"it is good!"

As she spoke, Lin Jianlu reached out and patted her thigh. "Well done!"

(End of this chapter)