A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 217 Thank you!

On her way back, Lin Jianlu dialed Zhuang Cheng's number.

He was a layman in the film industry, but Zhuang Cheng was an expert to the extreme, especially in the Hong Kong film circle and even the several cinema chains in Hong Kong, which he was extremely familiar with. So he asked him, "How good is Jiang Zhiqiang at running cinema chains? Is it possible to cooperate?"

Zhuang Cheng seemed to be taken aback for a moment before replying, "Their family has been specializing in foreign films for many years, so they certainly have the capability, and they can be considered very strong. In the early years, their cinema chain was not very good, and foreign films did not sell well in Hong Kong, but in recent years, they have really made money."

Lin Jianlu was satisfied with the answer, but after waiting, he didn't hear the next sentence. So, with his emotional intelligence, he knew that there must be a second half to the story. However, Zhuang Cheng didn't understand his attitude, so he didn't say it directly.

So he took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything else?"

Zhuang Cheng's tone immediately carried a hint of relief as he replied, "I don't really know how to put it. To give you an example... actually, according to our industry estimates, the actual box office of 'Titanic' since its release should have already exceeded 6000 million Hong Kong dollars!" Lin Jianlu was stunned for a moment, "Oh! Box office fraud!"

As of yesterday's box office rankings, "Titanic" had just surpassed 5600 million!

However... it's not a major problem.

In every industry, there is almost no one who doesn't steal. By extension, almost everyone who does business engages in cheating. You have the Advertising Law, but I have small print in the corner to deal with it. Putting aside other things, just take Lin Jianlu's acquaintance, Old Duan of Rolling Stone. In the Chinese music scene and the Chinese record industry, he is basically well-regarded for his character and work, but he still steals sales figures.

"Cold to the End" was a bit better. At that time, Lao Duan also wanted to generate incredible sales figures for promotion to establish Rock Records' dominant position in the Chinese music scene, so he didn't steal much in the early stages. It wasn't until later, when it was basically certain that the number of copies sold would exceed ten million and that the record would be certified as platinum, that he started stealing more like crazy.

But when it came to "Nocturne," his thefts became anything but ordinary.

Experienced accountants can detect these things when auditing accounts.

Perhaps in mainland China, you could say that the unexpected release of "Cold to the End" and the earlier piracy led to lower sales for "Nocturne," which is understandable. But in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Southeast Asia, frankly, it should have already surpassed 10 million copies sold. After all, Lin Jianlu's fame and influence are far beyond what they were when he first debuted with "Cold to the End"; he's already an international superstar. Yet, almost four months after its release, at the end of the year, Rock Records finally announced that global sales had surpassed 10 million copies.

According to Zhang Aijia, based on conventional estimates, they stole approximately 150 million copies of the sales figures.

Ge Fuhong was also very clear about this.

I know it, but it's really inconvenient to openly expose it.

It's become an industry practice, somewhat like the saying "If the cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be done"—this is certainly not a good habit or practice, but since the whole industry does it this way, it's hard to say that anyone can reverse or stop it in the short term.

Today, Lin Jianlu may have the confidence to challenge others, but when he first debuted, it was thanks to the strong support of Rock Records that he became a big star and took the crucial first step in his life. Now that he's famous, he immediately turns around and challenges others. To be honest, Lin Jianlu now considers singing no longer his main profession, and he's too lazy to ruin this friendship that was given to him for some profit.

There are other things in life besides interests. Some relationships, once destroyed, are destroyed forever.

Anyway... in a few years, when the entire record industry is gone, things will be fine.

As for stealing movie box office revenue...

Lin Jianlu was still pondering when Zhuang Cheng on the other end of the phone suddenly said, "You want to do cinema distribution? Did Jiang Zhiqiang contact you first? Or did you approach him?"

There was nothing to hide. Lin Jianlu frankly told Zhuang Cheng about being blocked at the private screening earlier. Zhuang Cheng smiled upon hearing this, his attitude somewhat subtle and ambiguous. However, Lin Jianlu didn't bring it up and waited for him to speak first.

Sure enough, after a pause, he asked, "How much money do you plan to invest in the cinema chain? Are you planning to do it in Hong Kong or in mainland China? Can't we use Media Asia's shell?"

Oh, I see. So he was also thinking about getting into theatrical releases.

Do not care.

People who make films are more likely to consider trying their hand at distribution.

Why not do it? I spent half a year filming and another half a year on post-production, expending so much manpower and money to produce this film, and all I get is a third of the box office revenue? The distribution team takes almost a third of it? They're splitting the profits about the same as me?

Why don't I figure it out myself and publish it myself?
Similarly, those who have already done distribution can't help but think about running their own cinemas.

Conversely, it also holds true: once Jiang Zhiqiang, who runs a cinema chain, makes money, wouldn't he also consider investing in movies?

Ha, let's not laugh at each other.

Ultimately, everyone is part of this industry chain. No matter which end makes money or grows big, everyone will want to extend their own industry chain. They will grow their own land, harvest their own wheat, open their own flour mill, and then open their own instant noodle factory—I want to eat the whole chain!

"You want to start a movie theater chain too?"

"I've always wanted to! But running a cinema chain is so expensive! In Hong Kong, a decent three- or four-screen cinema requires an investment of tens of millions, not including land and rent. If you buy the building yourself, it's even more expensive. You know, although property prices have dropped recently, they're still high overall. We filmmakers work so hard, from filming to post-production to distribution. So many people toil in it. Even if we don't lose money, we only make a few million. You only make tens of millions in profit with films by Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow. What can you do with that in the real estate market? You can't buy anything."

"Ah."

"Last time I chatted with Mrs. Lin and Mr. Nan, according to Mrs. Lin..."

"Wait, Mrs. Lin?"

"Ah? Qingxia, haha, we all call her Mrs. Lin."

"Hi... okay, go on."

According to Mrs. Lin, the mainland is currently reforming its film system with a radical overall approach. Specifically, the entire film production process in the mainland will retain the approval system but will gradually loosen restrictions on filming entities in several steps. In other words, it is possible that in ten years, it will no longer be necessary for mainland state-owned film studios to form joint ventures to make films. Then, the film distribution and cinema markets will be completely opened up, allowing private capital to enter. Mrs. Lin said she specifically asked that although Hong Kong capital is not considered private capital, it will most likely still have market access rights. However, according to Mrs. Lin, the policy openings will probably allow for a 49% shareholding.

"Oh……"

Actually, listening to him is pointless; it's just that it's hard to interrupt. The inside story was something Lin Jianlu discussed with Han Shanping and Zhang Heping over drinks when he stayed in the capital last August.

It was much more detailed than the third-hand information he heard from "Mrs. Lin".

First, the market is not working. The mainland film market, despite more than a decade of reforms, has never addressed the fundamental problems. As a result, the more it has been reformed, the less vibrant it becomes. Now, when reforms are needed again, the higher authorities are determined to make a major overhaul and completely break the old chains of state-owned capital.

Secondly, recently, everyone from top to bottom has been very enthusiastic about joining the WTO. The negotiations for accession have gone back and forth many times. In the cultural industry, which involves ideological issues, the mainland has always been very strict in guarding against them. But precisely because of this, the accession negotiations are very difficult to resolve.

So when we were chatting, Lao Han said that the higher-ups had actually made a slight exception to smooth things over, which is what Zhuang Cheng referred to as the 49% shareholding limit.

Even foreign investors will be allowed to hold up to 49% of shares in the future, so it's clear that Hong Kong investors will at least have the same treatment—however, these are minor matters.

Regardless of who he partners with to develop cinema chains, Lin Jianlu only wants to utilize their personnel, experience, and management. He has no shortage of money, and he is not a Hong Kong-funded company; he remains a pure-blooded capital city!
Therefore, whether Jiang Zhiqiang or Zhuang Cheng were interested, Lin Jianlu didn't care.

He'll only do this if he gets absolute control.

"So... you really do want to do theatrical releases."

"Yes. I've wanted to do it for a long time, but I've never had enough money."

"Hmm, is Media Asia Films handling the production, or are you doing it personally?"

“Media Asia Films is in a difficult position. Unless you strongly push for it and I cooperate with you, and I persuade a few of the shareholders who invested money in the beginning, so that the voting rights can be pushed through to more than two-thirds, it will not be able to be pushed. People have doubts about the mainland, not just about the issue of not being able to adapt to the local conditions, but mainly about the concerns about changes in mainland policies.”

"oh, I understand now."

Lin Jianlu pondered for a moment, while Zhuang Cheng on the other end of the phone remained silent, awaiting his final decision.

While Lin Jianlu was touching Liang Yongqi's long, white legs under her coat, he couldn't help but drift off into thought. After a while, he finally spoke, "How about this, I've arranged to meet Jiang Zhiqiang tomorrow morning so we can all meet and talk?"

Zhuang Cheng immediately responded, "Okay!"

Lin Jianlu added, "Jiang Zhiqiang has experience in operating cinema chains and theaters. We need his experience, so let's take it one step at a time and try opening a few theaters first. I'll ask the higher-ups about the policies; it shouldn't be a problem. I'll personally take 70%, and you and Jiang Zhiqiang will each take 30%. Is that okay?"

“Sure! At least I have no problem with that. And if you want to set up cinemas in the mainland, I’m willing to handle that. As long as you can handle the policy issues, it won’t be a big problem. Like you said, start with two or three small ones to test the waters. It’s easier to change course when you’re small.”

"Okay, don't worry about the policy, I'll go ask."

"Of course I'm at ease, you're the Governor of Hong Kong."

"Hi...I'm hanging up."

After hanging up the phone, Leung Wing-ki immediately leaned in for a kiss. Lin Chien-lu lingered with her for a while, but his eyes quickly turned to the window again—outside the car window, fleeting glimpses of the bustling nightscape of Hong Kong Island flashed by.

Who could have imagined that just over a decade later, the prosperity of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen would rival that of Hong Kong!

Especially with the advancement of the large-scale infrastructure policy, high-rise buildings are springing up everywhere, and people have more spare money for cultural consumption. Coincidentally, the large-scale infrastructure construction of the entire film industry has also laid a certain foundation. So, if my vague memory is not wrong, it should be before 2010 that the domestic film market ushered in a collective explosion in various aspects such as box office and social influence.

That was truly a glorious and beautiful time!
The vibrant beauty of an economic upswing!

Unfortunately, despite the favorable economic conditions and the prepared wallets of the residents, both Hong Kong and the mainland experienced a gradual decline in filmmakers. Or perhaps, this sudden market was simply too large, too lucrative, and too easy to make money from. Everyone rushed in, hastily producing films that quickly became cash cows. As a result, capital poured in, and all sorts of dirty tricks and scandals erupted. Coupled with the power of online dissemination, these filmmakers frequently orchestrated media bombs, ultimately exposing the public to their farcical behavior. In the end, this promising situation, which should have allowed the world to flourish and become the world's largest film market, ended up being utterly worthless.

If it happened to coincide with Stephen Chow's creative peak, if it happened to coincide with Zhang Yimou's creative peak, if Wang Jiawei, Du Qifeng, Chen Kaige, Hou Xiaoxian, Cheng Long, Li Lianjie, Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung... all had their breakthroughs during that period, and produced many great works...

Or perhaps, if during that period, the mainland film industry had seen the emergence of more new stars like Stephen Chow, Zhang Yimou, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Gong Li, and Maggie Cheung…

Ugh!
However, of course... within the next twenty years, operating a movie theater chain will still be profitable.

However, while Jiang Zhiqiang could be used, he couldn't be fully trusted, so what about adding Zhuang Cheng as well?

It also seems difficult to say that Zhuang Cheng is one of his close confidants.

We've only known each other for a little over six months, and we haven't had much in-depth interaction. Even our daily contact is pitifully little. So, we don't even reach the level of knowing each other's faces but not their hearts.

Then we must put one of our own people in this round.

Chen Hong is the first choice. Her intelligence, ability, shrewdness, and vision are all sufficient. However, she already holds multiple positions and controls too many things. Leaving aside the aftereffects of excessive concentration of power, just considering the time factor, no matter how capable she is, she is still just one person!

Shi Nansheng is the second.

This woman's abilities and skills are more than enough, but the question remains: she has already been chosen to represent herself in Media Asia Films, so why should she also work part-time in mainland China to handle cinema distribution?

If she withdraws from the project for an extended period and is unable to manage Media Asia Films, who will take care of this mess?
Brigitte Lin is not good enough, at least not now.

Her ambitions now seem quite large, and I'm happy to give her opportunities, but her actual abilities and what she can achieve remain to be observed and verified.

Alas, there's no one available.

The car entered the villa, and Lin Jianlu got out. She waited for Liang Yongqi as usual, then took her hand and walked into the house. She glanced back and saw Lin Xilei also getting out of the car.

tsk...

It's been almost two years since she came to be by my side.

As they spent more and more time together, it was clear that she was a graduate of the University of California, possessing both intelligence and wit. When she first started as a junior assistant, she was timid and hesitant, but she gradually grew. Especially last year, when she stayed in America with Zhang Aijia for an extended period, she must have had many arm-wrestling matches, but she also learned a lot from her. Her overall progress was rapid, and by the end of the year, she was able to hold her own against Zhang Aijia.

Yes, a girl who is both bold and sensible.

His abilities, wit, insight, and handling skills have all been honed to a high level.

The key point is that he is also very considerate.

He was so close to her that he could be naked in front of her without any psychological barrier.

A night breeze blew, ruffling her cascading long hair. She casually tidied it, took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped. "What's wrong, brother? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lin Jianlu thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to see Jiang Zhiqiang with Zhuang Cheng. You can go too, sit down and listen in."

She didn't care at all. Over the past six months, she had been by Lin Jianlu's side and had participated in many of his investments, many of which were still unknown to the outside world. She was already used to it. "Okay!"

…………

It was a pleasant meeting.

It could even be described as an instant match.

Lin Jianlu has no shortage of funds or connections, can handle policies, and is a mainlander, which are natural and powerful advantages. He wants to take absolute control, and even Jiang Zhiqiang has no objection.

The mainland has such a large population, almost two hundred times that of Hong Kong. Even if the majority of the population is poor, just occupying a few spots in a major city like Shanghai would give them a market that far surpasses that of Hong Kong.

Therefore, Lin Jianlu provided the money and connections, Jiang Zhiqiang provided the team and was responsible for site selection, decoration and providing the initial management model, while Zhuang Cheng joined as an independent investor and participated in the management from beginning to end.

The planned cinema chain company will have an investment of HK$100 million, with Lin Jianlu holding 70% of the shares, Jiang Zhiqiang holding 25%, and Zhuang Cheng holding 5%. It will be a small company without a board of directors. Lin Jianlu will serve as the general manager, while Jiang Zhiqiang, Zhuang Cheng, and Lin Xilei will serve as deputy general managers.

"Okay, it's settled then. Happy to cooperate!"

In the private tea room, Lin Xilei looked surprised, wondering how she had become the deputy general manager, but she didn't ask a single question. Her eyebrows twitched a few times, but she quickly regained her composure. It wasn't until the business was finished, everyone shook hands and said goodbye downstairs, and then got into their cars, that she finally asked, "Brother, is there still something for me?"

Lin Jianlu replied, "You've been by my side long enough and are one of the people I trust most. But just because I trust you isn't enough. If you want to have greater development in the future, I need to actually give you something to do and let you try to do it. That way, you can accumulate more experience in doing things."

"Go to the mainland and help me set up a few cinemas, not too big, not too small, just right for you to practice. Once you understand what it means to learn from them and watch them successfully get things done for you, and once they've succeeded, you'll have fully mastered their skills and can kick them aside at any time. You'll also be able to control the company yourself. That's when you'll be considered to have graduated! Only then will I dare to entrust you with bigger tasks in the future."

At first, it was obvious that she was a little reluctant, and even seemed a bit timid, but as Lin Jianlu continued talking, her eyes lit up, "So... does this count as me being transferred to a post outside the capital, or being promoted?"

Lin Jianlu glared at her irritably. "What promotion? We're just ordinary folks, what kind of official-centric mentality do we have? We're just sending you out to get some experience and see if you can handle things on your own!"

"That means being sent to a remote area, establishing one's own territory!"

Lin laughed when he saw the deer.

However, as the car moved forward, Lin Xilei stared at him for a while, and then suddenly said, "Brother, thank you!" Lin Jianlu turned to look at her in surprise, couldn't help but smile, and reached out to pinch her cheek.

Yes, it's full of collagen.

…………

What is collagen?

When this question was asked, the family of three was sitting on the floor in their large villa in Taipei. Lin Jianlu was holding a chubby baby sucking on a pacifier, and his older sister was lying on the floor.

Lin Jianlu said that the two little ones are now all chubby and full of collagen. She doesn’t know if this term is a bit new in this day and age, but neither of the two ladies had ever heard of it.

Well, after meeting with Jiang Zhiqiang in the morning, Lin Jianlu quickly reached an agreement on a joint venture to establish a cinema chain in mainland China within an hour or so. Then, Lin Jianlu went straight to the airport. When the plane landed and she returned to her home in Taipei, it was only a little before 2 p.m. - just then, both babies woke up and were babbling to each other. So, Lin Jianlu held one baby and then the other, kissing her mother while holding the baby.

Lin Shunqi is the eldest daughter in her family. She was born at the end of August last year and is now five and a half months old. In the first few days, she was already able to sit up. She even tried to crawl when she couldn't sit up properly and fell over. The elders said that this was a sign of her having very good bones and muscles. Of course, she can't crawl yet.

As the older generation says, a baby girl should roll over at three months, sit up at six months, and crawl at eight months. She might be able to do this half a month earlier, but it's unlikely she'll learn to crawl two and a half months earlier.

As for her younger brother, Lin Shunping, he's just a chubby little guy now, completely unlike his sister who's stubborn and active. He's lazy all day long, but he's not picky about who he's with. Just like his sister, he can be held by his father when he comes over. Once his father puts him on his lap, he'll sit there quietly sucking on his pacifier.

"Collagen is..."

Lin Jianlu really didn't know how to explain, so she just made up a story, "A chubby little fat chubby ...

They were both clearly a little confused, but Su Huilun quickly reacted and poked Chen Shuhua's chest with her finger, "Is this it?" — Chen Shuhua slapped her back, feeling incredibly embarrassed, but she laughed and dodged it.

Oh dear, we've been married for so long, you'd think we'd long since lost all sense of shame.

Leung Wing-ki and Rosamund Kwan can appear naked in front of each other without any problem and do whatever they want. Recently, Chiang Chin-chin and Zuo Hsiao-chien have been doing something similar. In fact, if the three of them were to get along in private, Chen Shu-hua would have gotten used to it by now, but it's not okay in front of the baby. She can accept it, since the baby probably doesn't understand anything, but she will still feel shy.

They spent some time with the child, then handed him over to the nanny to continue taking care of him, and the three of them went upstairs.

They have great chemistry.

They were so eager to have this opportunity, they were definitely going to enjoy themselves first.

After they had their fun, it was time for dinner. Su Huilun didn't mind, but Chen Shuhua had a blush on her face the whole time, as if she was being mocked by the servants for indulging in pleasure.

After dinner, the family of three would hold hands and go for a walk in the community and on the streets. Then they would come back and, on the small terrace outside the master bedroom on the second floor, brew a pot of tea, drink it, and chat about everyday things.

They recently wanted to go to the mainland to make money.

Especially Chen Shuhua—this is quite a rare occurrence.

Since becoming pregnant, Chen Shuhua has been talking about retiring. It was Su Huilun who persuaded her to wean her child and prepare for a comeback to work on an album. It was also Lin Jianlu who made the decision, which is why she went to record "Meet in 1998" and appeared on the Spring Festival Gala with Wang Fei.

But this time, her tone changed.

"Meet in 1998" was extremely popular in mainland China. Because it featured two of the most popular superstars in the Chinese music scene, Chen Hong received offers of up to two million yuan from local companies to invite them to sing the song together.
Two million! This is mainland China! And it was mainland China in 1998!

This is an absolutely unprecedentedly high price!
Going alone is fine too. Whether it's Wang Fei or Chen Shuhua, they're willing to pay 800,000 yuan just to have you come on stage and sing this one song!

Well, in the past ten or twenty years since the reform and opening up, the overall poverty situation in the mainland has not been completely reversed. However, the first group of people to get rich has indeed begun to get rich, especially in places where appearances are important. In these cases, mainland enterprises and bosses are really willing to spend money!

Just performed on the Spring Festival Gala, this song is incredibly popular, and last year's two hottest divas teamed up to sing it—only two million, not expensive!
Even if you invited a hundred other minor singers, they wouldn't have this kind of prestige!

It is said that Wang Fei insists on not accepting commercial performances. Even though she was offered a million RMB for singing half a song, she still declined. It was only because of Chen Hong's relationship with Lin Jianlu that she spoke more tactfully, saying that she would contact him if she had time to accept commercial performances in the future.

But Chen Shuhua was actually tempted.

She said, "Singing one song earns 800,000, which is three million NT dollars. That management company is yours, so they take a low percentage from us, and we can keep most of it. I heard that we can sing two shows a day, which means we can earn five million NT dollars a day! I'm free anyway, so if I go and do this for a month, I can sing forty shows, which would be about 100 million NT dollars! That's three million US dollars. Before I met you, we might not even earn that much from making an album!"

Yes, there's a lot of wisdom in what he said.

But Lin Jianlu still felt something was off—although they had given her all their savings, they also gave her living expenses every month, so it was impossible for them to be short of money. In particular, it was impossible for them to be so short of money that Chen Shuhua, who wanted to retire from the entertainment industry, would be so actively going to the mainland to perform commercially and earn money.

So... I turned to look at Su Huilun.

Queen Lun is known for her straightforwardness and outspokenness, and she bluntly revealed, "She's worried you don't have enough money!"

Seeing her husband's astonished expression, she disdainfully stretched out her little foot and placed it on his thigh, then lifted it up and poked his lower abdomen with her thumb, complaining with utter disgust, "It's in the newspapers, you spent 700 million Hong Kong dollars to buy ATV, and they say you'll invest even more later. She's already worried about you. No matter how much you earn, you can't keep up with spending like this! Not to mention chasing girls, you have girls everywhere you go, and you have to pay to support each one. You're such a fool as a wife, you still have to go out and earn money for you, help you with your career, support your women, and even try to convince me to come too!"

Ah... I see.

Turning to look at Chen Shuhua again, he felt a mix of emotions.

They had long known that she truly loved him to the point of obsession; otherwise, almost no woman would be so foolish as to hand over all her life's savings to the man she loved to squander without even a marriage certificate. Yes, they had always believed that Lin Jianlu was squandering her wealth. However, even with such a deep understanding of this love, Lin Jianlu still felt a sense of unease and apprehension whenever she encountered such a situation.

Chen Shuhua was a little embarrassed. "She talks nonsense all day long, don't listen to her! I just think that it's obvious that you can earn money with a little hard work. I think it's a good career for you to work in a TV station. But I've asked a lot of friends, and they all say that working in a TV station is indeed very expensive. It's the kind of project with a large investment but a slow return! I believe you can do it well, but I'm afraid you'll encounter difficulties. So let's prepare in advance. Anyway, it's not something you can't do. It's just a bit tiring and involves some travel. Huilun and I can take turns. I'll go for a month, come back to rest and take care of the kids, and she can go for another month. I'm popular now, so I'll earn more. She disappeared for a year and isn't as popular anymore, so she'll earn less. But in this way, in two months, the two of us can still earn about four or five million US dollars, which is about thirty or forty million Hong Kong dollars. In a critical moment, this money can help."

Lin Jianlu pursed her lips, and after a moment, waved to her.

She paused for a moment, then got up. As soon as she got closer, Lin Jianlu grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her lap. Then she called to Su Huilun, and when she came over, she also grabbed her hand and pulled her into her arms to sit down.

He buried his head between their chests, kissing one on one side and the other on the other.

Then he said, "Do you know what I did with the money you gave me last year?"

At that time, the two of them sold their stocks, bonds, and real estate accumulated over the years, raising a total of more than ten million US dollars, which they handed over to Lin Jianlu. However, more than half a year has passed since they gave away so much money, and neither of them has asked where the money went or what it was used for.

"Huh? Didn't you use it to pick up girls?"

These are the words of the diva, carrying a touch of adorable mischievousness and a hint of coquettish jealousy.

Chen Shuhua smiled and then asked, "Didn't you use it to buy that TV station?"

Lin Jianlu said, "No, I used it to buy stocks."

"ah!"

Upon hearing this, Su Huilun's expression immediately changed. "That's terrible! The stock market has been crashing lately! Shu Hua and I were just saying how lucky we were to sell early, otherwise it would have lost so much! We'd rather use the money to help you pick up girls than see it plummet like that... and you actually used it to buy stocks again! If we had known this would happen, we would have preferred not to sell at all!"

Lin Jianlu laughed and shook his leg. "I bought American stocks!"

This was completely unexpected and clearly outside of Queen Lun's knowledge. "Huh? American stocks didn't fall? So you made a profit?"

Lin Jianlu said, "The money you gave me was enough to buy about 200,000 shares of that stock. At the time, its price... I remember it was $56 per share, I think! It was around that price! So, now guess what its price is?"

Chen Shuhua had already come to her senses, and now her face lit up with a broad smile, "Looks like we really made money?"

Lin Jianlu said with a smile, "According to the news I saw this morning, its current stock price is $363 per share!"

Both ladies looked surprised.

Lin Jianlu, with an air of arrogance, spread his arms wide and said, "Me, short of money? Me, Lin Jianlu, short of money? What gave you the wrong impression that I'm just a useless person who can write and sing songs?"

Seeing his expression, Chen Shuhua felt both happy and amused, and couldn't help but laugh, "Really?"

Lin Jianlu, still not satisfied with his pretentious attitude, said smugly, "My wives, would I be willing to let them run around doing commercial performances just to earn three or five million dollars?"

"joke!"

"Your man is now worth more than a billion US dollars!"

"Note that I'm referring to net assets, excluding all liabilities and loans!"

"So, do you think I'd need you to go out and do commercial performances to make money for me?"

Su Huilun raised her arm and put it around Lin Jianlu's neck. "Really! Don't brag! Ten billion US dollars!"

"No bragging, one billion US dollars!"

Queen Lun was very happy, blinking her eyes repeatedly. Far from understanding Lin Jianlu's attempt to show off, she suddenly changed the subject the next second, "So, in that case... when Aping and Aqi grow up, they can get a lot of money! Sister Shuhua, they'll be very rich, right?"

Chen Shuhua smiled, ignoring her comment, and looked down at her man. Seeing his speechless expression as he looked at Su Huilun, she couldn't help but laugh again. But even as she laughed, her eyes held an intense, unwavering adoration and joy. "So... we won't take any commercial performances? We'll just rely on you to support us for the rest of our lives?"

"Of course!"

But after saying that, Lin Jianlu unconsciously stopped smiling.

He raised his hand again and hugged them both tightly. Looking this way and then that, his voice was low and unusually emotional. "Shuhua, Huilun, thank you!"

"I love you all!"

(End of this chapter)