A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 246 New Album!

When I woke up in the morning, I had a slight headache.

Lin Jianlu knew that her schedule had been a complete mess these past few days, traveling from Hong Kong to America, so she wasn't sure how long she had slept.

She was about to grab her watch from the bedside table to check it when Yu Feihong groaned and hugged her even tighter. As her senses returned, she gradually realized that she was surrounded by two women, one on each side, who had almost perfectly positioned themselves in the middle.

Two plump, long legs, one on the left and one on the right, were draped perfectly over her own legs. Two soft, smooth arms, one resting below her collarbone, almost choking her throat, and the other below her chest—well, thankfully, Yu Feihong didn't sleep with her all night.

They were all fast asleep.

The room was pitch black, but the curtains didn't let in any light, so it was clear that it wasn't dawn yet.

"Well……"

In a very discreet manner, he barely managed to stretch.

Thankfully, I felt refreshed and had slept enough, so I decided not to stay in bed any longer and got up directly—I pulled this person over and kissed them, then pulled that person over and kissed them too. Both of them reacted, humming sweetly for a few moments, and then went back to sleep.

Well, it took a bit of effort last night, mainly because Yu Feihong was a little resistant at first.

But actually, when they really started having fun, she ended up having much more fun than Wang Zuxian.

As for Wang Zuxian, despite her consistently cool and aloof image, and despite having captivating fox-like eyes, she doesn't come across as seductive or delicate. Even after becoming famous in America, the entertainment and fashion circles here have recognized her for a modern, independent spirit rarely seen in Eastern women. In reality, she has always been the most obedient type. She was easily drawn into the relationship between Rosamund Kwan and Leung Wing-ki by Lin Jianlu, while Brigitte Lin came much later.

Yu Feihong was more pretentious and aloof than Wang Zuxian—but, to borrow a phrase from later generations, she was also more of a contrast.

I pulled myself out from between two soft, smooth bodies, crawled out of bed, washed up, went to the toilet, opened the wardrobe, put on a simple set of sportswear, and went up to the rooftop on the third floor—unexpectedly, it started to rain.

On the third floor, there is a large lounge of about 100 square meters, half of which can be enclosed and the other half is semi-open. Beyond that is a huge rooftop with a 120-meter running track that surrounds the entire rooftop, and a helipad at the end.

Lin Jianlu originally wanted to come up here for a run.

I pushed open the door to the lounge and stepped outside. The lights were off, and in the distance, the Manhattan night sky shone with a faint glow. Rain continued to fall incessantly, and in the buildings near and far, lights were still on all night. In the hazy rain, sirens came from some unknown direction, echoing through the night sky—yes, for a moment, I felt that this was very New York.

Gotham, Sin City—that's not fiction, that's damn realism.

Lin Jianlu smiled, looked up at the moderate rain, and ran straight into the rain—running in the rain has a unique feel to it.

After finishing my run and taking a shower, I remembered to go back to the bedroom to get my watch. I glanced at it and realized it wasn't even four o'clock yet—damn! I'd only slept for less than three hours!

…………

Late at night, a person sat down in the study.

He opened the combination lock suitcase he always carried with him, took out several large notebooks, and began to search through them.

Well, I promised Columbia Records that I would record at least one single this year, but actually the song selection is no longer limited to singles or not; if we're going to choose, we should choose songs for the next album.

Let's tentatively set it at fifteen poems.

Rock, rap, R&B, adult ballads, teen pop, electronic dance music... the most basic categories, as always, must be taken into account. However, I really don't remember their performance back then, so I can only choose based entirely on my own preferences, just like with the first album. But, anything that reached my ears as a Chinese person after 2013 must have been popular.

Ah... "Crawling," has Linkin Park even debuted yet? Was this song ever written?
Well, I really like this song, but it's too disjointed. The songs I chose for my last album seem to be a mix of styles, but they were actually carefully adjusted, and there was still a little bit of unity in the overall singing style. If I bring this song in, it would be a bit of a "breakthrough".

Hmm, let's keep it as an option!

Ah, "Thank-You," such a heartwarming little song. It probably hasn't been officially released yet. I've loved it for so long, and even the fan-made works by Eminem based on this song are really interesting.

Yes, if we make "Thank-You", then we can also do some derivative works and make "Stan" as well.

On the other hand, if you were to tell a girl that this song was written for her and sing it to her, Emmmm... at least a cultured young woman like Sophie Marceau probably wouldn't be able to handle it.

Thinking of this, Lin Jianlu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows—damn, I don't think I've ever used songwriting to pick up girls before, how stupid! This thing is extremely effective at attracting girls!

But then I think about it again, I've never actually dated a girl, I'm always the one being dated!

He only had one concubine, whom he could barely consider as someone he had managed to seduce, but it was actually a case of half-hearted resistance. Back then, the concubine couldn't even withstand a little teasing and would blush completely. Now, the concubine can walk freely in front of him with her bare bottom exposed, and she even asks with great interest, "I heard you have a particularly big bed in Hong Kong, and you often sleep in the same bed with Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, and Leung Wing-ki." Even if the bed is big enough, is it comfortable for so many people to sleep together?
Well, Eminem, okay, Rap-God.

I've heard that in the past year, the American rap scene has been severely divided whenever people talk about themselves or "Lose-Yourself," with one half worshipping themselves and the other half despising themselves.

So, what if we recorded this song again?
God of rap, ha...

Oh, right, the monologue at the beginning of this song, isn't it a line from "V for Vendetta"? I can't quite remember. I think I specifically searched for it back then, but I still can't remember if it was the original line or if Eminem wrote the line in that style. But, it doesn't really matter, because "V for Vendetta" probably hasn't been released yet. No, let alone released, it probably hasn't even started the planning stage yet!

If I remember correctly, it was a movie from around 2010?
Never mind, I really can't remember.

Hmm, Sold-Out is good too.

By the way, Linkin Park's "In-The-End" is still usable; it's not as jarring.

Imagine Dragons, "Bones" is great, "Natural" is great too—keep leeching off them, these geniuses will definitely produce even better and more outstanding works!

The song "Price-Tag" is incredibly flattering to girls, but for now, there isn't anyone in America who needs such a promotion—hmm, suddenly I'm reminded of Britney Spears. Hey, before her debut, Britney Spears was such a country bumpkin! But she doesn't need me to promote her; she'll become famous on her own, and a hugely popular one at that, a true global icon after Madonna.

"Low" is great, I'll add it.

Worth-It is also quite good at promoting girls!

Similar to "Price-Tag", if you are willing to promote and push a song like this as a global pop king, you can basically make her famous all over the world with just one song, right?
Three fashion shows made Wang Zuxian famous, and one music video made Yu Feihong famous. And they are both Chinese. In fact, even if they become famous, they can only barely squeeze into the fashion industry. Moreover, most of the brands that are willing to cooperate with them are interested in the oriental elements they represent, and they want to use them to enrich their global brand image. If it were a foreign woman, she would be even more successful!

One song is enough for them to live off their fame for a lifetime!

Hmm, "I-See-Fire" is really good, and it has a really great atmosphere. I wish some epic movie from Europe or America would ask me to write a song for it. Oh, right, has "The Lord of the Rings" started filming yet?
But it doesn't really matter if we don't start filming. I'm a reader of "The Lord of the Rings." I read the book, and I wrote this novel. Bingo, it's settled!

"The Phoenix," this song is good, I've used it.

Oh, did I actually copy down the song "Radio"? But thinking about it again, the song is actually quite good. It's not particularly amazing, but the catchy chorus is impressive, considering it was a hit even in the fast-paced era more than 20 years later.

It's a bit short; stretching it to three and a half to four minutes would be much better.

"It's My Life" is great. I vaguely remember that this song was released quite early, but thinking about it again, it doesn't matter. Although the production cycle of an album is often longer in Europe and America because of the large market and abundant resources, you'll understand after being around them for a while. There's no need to mythologize them too much. Everyone finishes an album and then gets busy making money, touring, drinking, having fun, and chasing girls. They only return to music creation and work on the next album after the noise subsides—especially in the rock and rap scene!

So, well, when you're chatting later, ask Bon Jovi when their last album was released, and you can probably guess whether this song has already been written—it's absolutely impossible within a year, there's a small risk of it clashing with their work in about two years, and they'll give up after three years.

Ah, we've finally arrived at Justin Bieber's section. We'll have to choose one or two songs here...

Love-Yourself?
Or is it "What Do You Mean?"?
…………

The door was suddenly pushed open with a click.

Someone peeked in, so Lin Jianlu stopped playing the guitar—there was also a piano in the study, extremely expensive, but Lin Jianlu didn't consider herself a very good pianist, far inferior to her guitar skills, so she often preferred the guitar—it was Yu Feihong, "Are you awake? Or did I disturb you?"

She shook her head, pushed open the door and came in. "The soundproofing is excellent. You can't hear anything in the bedroom. You can only hear a little bit when you get closer, almost to the door... Are you writing a new song?"

She was wearing a thin, gauze-like nightgown, but nothing underneath. She looked exactly the same as when she slept last night—Lin Jianlu chuckled, put down her guitar, stood up, and opened her arms to her.

She hurried over, only to be embraced by Lin Jianlu, who buried her face in the hair behind her ear, took a deep breath, kissed her, and then released her. She asked again, "Writing a new song?"

Lin Jianlu nodded, "It's almost done. I've been writing songs all along, just accumulating them, and before I knew it, I had enough for an album!"—She smiled, raised her hand, and touched Lin Jianlu's face with eyes full of affection, "I thought you were busy buying TV stations and making movies now, and you had stopped writing songs!"

Lin Jianlu said shamelessly, "Tch, is writing songs that difficult for me?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Feihong couldn't help but laugh, her eyes filled with adoration.

I glanced at my wrist and saw it was almost seven o'clock. "Oh, you guys should get up too!"

Yu Feihong laughed again, "Actually, it's already late! I've been running and doing all sorts of training lately, so I should have gotten up at 6:30!" Then she jokingly complained, "Who told you to make such a fuss at night! It's a waste of time!"

Lin Jianlu smiled, cupped her little face, and kissed her again, "Want to do it a little more?"

She froze, her face full of surprise. She reached out and touched it, becoming even more astonished. "Big brother! Are you serious? Just last night..."

A dozen minutes later, when Wang Zuxian opened the door, she saw Yu Feihong sprawled on the piano, which made her both amused and exasperated. She unusually spoke up sarcastically, "Hey, where's your composure?"

Yu Feihong held back for several seconds before finally managing to shout, "Close the door!" during a brief respite.

…………

I had a slight headache all day.

The main problem is that my recent sleep schedule has been really messed up. Even someone as physically strong as Lin Jianlu can't do anything about it. I can only wait for my body's biological clock to adjust to New York mode before I feel better—not getting enough sleep is what causes headaches.

But no problem.

Meeting, exchanging pleasantries, signing, shaking hands, taking photos.

It won't affect my work at all.

He secured contracts with two companies in a single day, and the next day, he met with BMW's global marketing director and signed another major contract in front of countless cameras.

That's four endorsement deals already! Just the hard endorsement fees that can be obtained this year alone have reached a staggering 5600 million US dollars!

Then, well, we went into the photo studio.

We need to shoot still photos, and we also need to shoot commercials later.

Mariah Carey calls almost every day. It's not good to ignore her, but if you do answer, she always comes up with new ways to express her love, and once they start talking, it never ends. This gives Lin Jianlu a bit of a headache, and she doesn't know how to handle it. It turns out that when a dignified diva really lowers herself to pursue a man, she can be so uninhibited, so naked, so humble, and so cheesy.

Lin Jianlu didn't mind having a friendly fling with DIVA, whom he liked so much in his previous life. What's more, she was a super flirt whose figure and looks were still at their absolute peak. He no longer needed to care about Tommy Mottola's influence or whether he would hate him. He had completely lost power, and after his current desperate attempt to get more compensation, it was unlikely that any company would be willing to hire him.

Simply put, his professional career is over.

He must understand this himself, but if you put yourself in his shoes, once he gets two or three hundred million US dollars, who cares about a career? He could live a life of leisure and idleness for several lifetimes!
But without a professional career, he's just a rich man at best.

It's actually quite a pity that they got divorced. If they hadn't, Diva could have added some points to her husband's current standing.

Sophie Marceau called again. Hearing that Lin Jianlu seemed to be in the studio and that he was very busy, she subconsciously started to speak faster. She was still speaking English, but suddenly her words had a touch of French flair, which added to her charm. She had failed her audition, but recently she was planning to audition for "007" to compete for the role of a Bond girl.

Before hanging up the phone, this beautiful woman, known as the Rose of France, expressed in a way that was both subtle and direct: although it was a hasty encounter that day, she was completely captivated by Lin Jianlu's demeanor and temperament, and she would feel honored if she could have dinner with Lin Jianlu someday.

Well, we don't know if this counts as pursuing her or in the West.

In any case, compared to Charlize Theron during rehearsals, she was actually more proactive, but compared to Diva Mariah Carey, she seemed too reserved.

During this time, she also received a call from Hong Kong. Lin Jianlu was in New York and suddenly found herself on the entertainment headlines in both Taiwan and Hong Kong. Ye Quanzhen had recently revealed in an interview in Taiwan that she was actually more interested in girls. This was already somewhat explosive, but since she wasn't very famous lately, it was just a topic for attention and a novelty. However, halfway through her sentence, she suddenly changed the subject and frankly admitted to the media, "Only someone like Lin Jianlu would make me willing to be a girl again!"

Yes, within a single day, the Taiwanese media circle was in an uproar.

The next day, various media outlets in Hong Kong began to follow up extensively, reporting on her words and actions.

Lin Jianlu, completely bewildered, suddenly found herself on the front page again—Shi Nansheng called to apologize, explaining that the girl was almost out of control and he regretted specifically bringing her to Lin Jianlu for help. However, he also subtly explained that the girl actually admired him greatly and was a bit outspoken, so she probably wasn't trying to create any hype, since she hadn't had any recent work…blah blah blah!
Hmm, what else can I say?

Whether she's trying to take advantage of you or not, it's not exactly negative news. The fact that a girl who actually likes girls is willing to act like a girl for you seems to indirectly prove that you have a lot of masculine charm—although you certainly don't need her approval or endorsement.

Well, in short, I've been busy.

On May 17th, still in the studio, Li Wen suddenly came to visit. She's been busy working on her first all-original English album in New York lately, and apparently quite busy. She took some time out of her busy schedule to visit Lin Jianlu on set.

There's not much to say. Although Lin Jianlu had firmly rejected Zhao Mingxin's suggestion to bring Li Wen to the three major music award ceremonies, and she didn't know if the other party would hold a grudge, Lin Jianlu still really hoped that this girl could succeed in America.

Judging from her demeanor, she remained as affectionate and adoring as ever. Upon arriving, she took the initiative to replace Zhang Aijia, transforming into a devoted fan and assistant. She accompanied Lin Jianlu to film the commercial for most of the day. When they finished work in the evening, Lin Jianlu specially treated her to dinner and a chat.

Then, well, with the endorsement work temporarily put on hold, Lin Jianlu could finally breathe a sigh of relief and have a short day of rest.

…………

Hey, Diane!

Zhang Aijia's introduction helped Diane Kruger land a trial modeling job in New York for three months, earning $60,000. For a star, this wasn't a high income, and it was hard work, but for a struggling actress and model who had nowhere else to turn, it meant that Diane Kruger could stay in America for at least another three months. So she happily went to New York to work.

This girl was quite clever. After staying for only a few days, she went out of her way to flatter Sylvia Chang, repeatedly expressing her desire to sign a management contract with Chang's small agency. Chang hesitated, however, because Diane Kruger's ambition was to make her way in Hollywood and act in movies, but Chang herself had limited connections in the film industry.

The only network she's managed to build so far is within the fashion industry.

However, Diane Kruger relentlessly pursued her, and the girl's looks, as well as some of the qualities she displayed, made Sylvia Chang somewhat optimistic about her.

"Lin! Oh God! Lin!"

She was so excited that what was supposed to be a polite hug turned into a tight embrace that she wouldn't let go. When she finally released her, her eyes were already red. It was hard to tell if it was real or just acting, but it didn't matter. Lin Jianlu reached out and wiped away her tears. "Kamuang, Hani, do you see how sad I am?"

The German girl chuckled, "Oh no, you know, I'm just too excited!"

She added, “You have no idea what I was doing when I got your call. I was hesitating whether to call home and ask my dad to wire me some money, even just $100, because I was short $40 for my plane ticket back to London! Oh, but you, Lin, thank you! Thank you! Your agent, Aijia, is amazing. She's a good person and immediately arranged work for me so I can live in America again!”

Yes, it's pretty much confirmed that the tears were real, and the gratitude was real too.

The reason was simple: you could tell at a glance that this girl wasn't the type with great acting skills, at least not to this extent—so he gently pulled her into his arms again, "Kamuang, Hani, it's all in the past, it's all in the past, you'll definitely get better and better!"

Well, the top-notch restaurant in Central Park, with its upscale seating, cost the German girl half a month's salary in one dinner. Then, naturally, Lin Jianlu took her back to Zhang Aijia's rented apartment in New York.

The hotel is no good; it's very unsafe.

The kind of studio apartment Diane Kruger lived in was even less likely. It wasn't like when she was recording in New York over a year ago. Back then, she was completely unknown in the Western world, practically penniless. If she and Chen Hong had sex in her private apartment, at most the neighbors would complain. Now, if Lin Jianlu went to a place like that, she wouldn't even be sure if a neighbor who suddenly passed by would sell her information the next moment. Or even, well, it wouldn't be uncommon for them to rob her—Free America, shootings every day!
But bringing it home directly is a bit inappropriate.

So, kick Sylvia Chang out, and I'm going to use your house to hook up with a girl!

It's fine if you don't leave, just listen from next door!
Diane Kruger was passionate and unrestrained, yet at the same time, she strangely possessed a touch of shyness and coquettishness unique to Eastern women. When Lin Jianlu finally succumbed to her ecstasy, she lay sprawled on the bed, looking half-dead. Her incredibly alluring long legs made Lin Jianlu unable to resist giving them one last, greedy touch before getting up. As she gradually calmed down, she couldn't help but hug Lin Jianlu, expressing her adoration and adoration, "Lin, you are the most perfect man I've ever met! Oh God! I actually slept with you, God! This will be my pride for the rest of my life, Lin! You... are truly, truly perfect!"

Hmm, it was a very good experience. In particular, it also confirmed some of Zhang Aijia's words: the entertainment and fashion circles in Europe and America are much more advanced than those in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Girls here who are determined to enter the entertainment industry are very, very shrewd. When they sleep with the big shots in their eyes, they don't mention anything about love.

They seemed to be very aware that they were just playthings.

And they enjoyed it immensely.

They not only enjoyed it, but they were also secretly pleased and felt honored.

After Lin Jianlu finished a cigarette and chatted with her casually for a while, feeling refreshed, he touched her long legs and became interested again. When he pressed her down, she seemed unusually happy even while providing service—her eyes were full of flattery as she looked at him.

The feeling Lin Jianlu had was something he had never experienced with any of the many Chinese girls and women he had ever met before... well, a strange sense of happiness, like "I have an owner now!"

It was quite a novel experience.

…………

On May 20th, another business charter flight departed New York and flew directly to Los Angeles.

Actually, there are still follow-up projects in New York, but we can only come back to handle them when we have time. Alternatively, we could have Sylvia Chang negotiate with them to have them come to Hollywood to film.

The Matrix is ​​about to start filming.

For the next four months, Lin Jianlu will definitely focus most of her energy on this movie.

Of course, Lin Jianlu always liked to use his time on airplanes to look at documents.

Yes, it was all faxed over by He Zhiqian and Zhou Jinyun after they compiled it. The former mainly compiled the recent week's movements and policies of a series of companies under his control in Hong Kong, as well as a summary of some major economic and financial events that happened in Hong Kong. The latter mainly compiled a list and reported what his women had done in the past week—his mistress went to audition and stayed for two days. Zhou Jinyun said she didn't need to do anything; Lin Qingxia arranged everything. The fax also included a photo that had become blurry after being faxed. It could only be roughly identified as Lin Qingxia, Rosamund Kwan, Leung Wing-ki, Chow Wai-man, and Chow Hoi-mei sitting with Gao Yuanyuan having dinner. They must have taken a photo together at the time.

Tsk, not bad, Mrs. Lin is quite good at understanding my feelings.

Gong Li's prenatal checkup results were good. Her family's mahjong table was quiet last week. Zhou Jinyun has been going over to chat with her every day, accompany her downstairs, and take walks on the beach.

Last Thursday, Maggie Cheung contacted Zhou Jinyun, saying she wanted to go to Paris for a while. However, Zhou Jinyun reported that she had persuaded Maggie Cheung to stay, telling her that even if she wanted to go, she should wait a few months to make sure the baby was healthy before going. She explained that the journey during early pregnancy was not a joke. Maggie Cheung agreed.

In short, some casual household chores.

In contrast, the documents faxed over by He Zhiqian were much thicker.

The main item included a handwritten letter from a current non-director vice president of Wing Lung Bank, in which he strongly opposed merging Wing Lung Bank into Hang Seng Bank and clearly stated several reasons.

It was probably an old colleague of He Zhiqian from when he worked at Wing Lung Bank, so in the end, his letter was delivered to her by fax—and it was handwritten, which seemed to highlight the other party's sincerity and seriousness, reminding Lin Jianlu of the time she specially wrote a letter to her leader in her own handwriting.

What he said makes sense.

First, although Hang Seng Bank is larger in scale, its operating performance is not better than that of Wing Lung Bank, which shows that Wing Lung Bank's current predicament does not stem from its operating capabilities.

Secondly, although Hang Seng Bank has insisted on independent operation for many years, the Ho family father and son cannot completely prevent HSBC from interfering in Hang Seng Bank's internal affairs. Wing Lung Bank, on the other hand, has been an absolutely independent Chinese-owned bank for many years, and its management is more trustworthy than that of Hang Seng Bank.

Third, Wing Lung Bank is a full-license bank. Once new funds flow in and alleviate its current predicament, it can develop independently and compete with Hang Seng Bank, forming a "two-horse race" competitive landscape. This would actually make it easier for both banks to improve through healthy competition, rather than adding internal strife by bringing Wing Lung Bank under Hang Seng Bank's umbrella.

Yes, the subtext is obvious. Although they are both banks, they are already operating independently and can continue to operate independently and compete internally. There is no need to merge them into one company. Even if the two companies fight, they will be more likely to obey each other.

This perfectly suits Lin Jianlu's thoughts.

Then it's better not to merge. Just inject some funds into both banks to provide a safety net. Then agree to allow the two banks to have a certain degree of internal competition. To be honest, if Hang Seng Bank is in disarray, Wing Lung Bank's management can be temporarily pulled in to take over in a critical moment, and vice versa.

that's it.

Sign a document to agree in principle not to place Wing Lung Bank under Hang Seng Bank.

Hmm, this person could be promoted; let's see how their abilities are.

This handwritten letter represents more than just some opinions; it represents a pledge of allegiance and a declaration that I am wholeheartedly considering your interests!
In major decisions, ability is always at most second in importance.

Loyalty will always come first!

Suddenly, Zhang Aijia's phone rang. She glanced at it, answered, and heard a man's voice rambling on and on, seemingly a little excited. But Zhang Aijia maintained her composure, responded calmly for a few moments, and quickly hung up. She then said to Lin Jianlu, "That Mr. Spears!"

She paused, put down the phone, and was about to continue reading the documents when she suddenly looked up again. "Do you think that girl has a talent for singing? Have you heard her sing?"

Lin Jianlu looked up, thought for a moment, and said, "No need! Besides, I don't know if she has any talent. All I know is that when I passed by, I clearly heard the manager of Columbia's production department expressing his optimism about Britney Spears, but they were unwilling to pay the breach of contract fee, which was about 30 US dollars. So let's give it a try!"

Zhang Aijia shrugged, her eyes full of suspicion.

Lin Jianlu laughed again, pointing at her, "Trying to talk nonsense again! Think about it, who am I? A singer! My influence is destined to be the greatest in the music and record industry! So, when you're out in the public eye, as my manager, your greatest influence is definitely in the record industry. But this is America, our connections are average, even very poor. How do we monetize our influence, or even maybe make it bigger? By promoting a new singer! In the process of promoting, connections will open up, and we'll start to have more and more dealings with the record industry! If they don't become famous, so be it; but if they do... you know!"

Well, before that, Sylvia Chang had already sent a CD personally signed by Lin Jianlu to Britney Spears, and two days later she received a call from Jamie Spears, who was also in New York. After getting in touch, with just a few simple words, Jamie Spears was impressed, saying, "As a manager, you are not as good as me! In the record industry, there are things you can't do, but I can do with just one word."

Therefore, Jamie Spears decisively gave up being his daughter's agent and instead agreed to sign Britney Spears to Sylvia Chang's agency.

Immediately afterwards, Sylvia Chang took the initiative to contact Jive Records, Britney's current record label, as her agent to represent Britney in discussing the contract and album release. Upon hearing that Lin Chien-lu's agent had taken over Britney's management contract, the matter immediately reached the level of the general manager, who met with Sylvia Chang. After returning, they decided to immediately begin preparing a new album for Britney Spears!

It is said that Lin from the East is very optimistic about this young girl. Anyway, the breach of contract fee is only 30 US dollars. Since you are unwilling to produce an album for her, Lin really wants to start his own company, sign her, and package and promote her!

Thus, Britney Spears, who was by no means dispensable but just temporarily out of the running, immediately began to receive the full support of Jive Records.

For "big shots," changing a person's fate is that simple.

What's next is even more interesting—if Britney becomes famous, it's because Lin Jianlu had keen insight and foresight, and everyone should be grateful to him. Jive Records should also be glad that they didn't choose to let her go. But if she doesn't become famous, it must be because your production is inadequate and you didn't find the right path!
In short, Lin Jianlu will definitely not hold a grudge.

In fact, what no one would know is that although Lin Jianlu was certain that Xiaotian would become famous, in his vague impression, the road to fame seemed quite complicated. So, firstly, he didn't have the time or energy to actually promote Xiaotian, and secondly, to be honest, he wasn't entirely confident.

Therefore, he was more willing to do Zhang Aijia this favor, strengthening her base as a manager—no joke, even though in his previous life, by the time Lin Jianlu grew up, started listening to music, and became aware of the famous Little Sweetie, Little Sweetie had already been imprisoned, Lin Jianlu was still quite familiar with Little Sweetie's popularity back then! If things went well, with Lin Jianlu and Little Sweetie under Zhang Aijia's control, she would truly be the top singer manager!

This time, Zhang Aijia understood and seemed to be convinced.

She nodded slowly. "That makes sense! Once you're on the team, I really need to come to New York again to see this girl properly!" Then she asked, "Are you sure you want her to stay with her original record label? Not to transfer her to Columbia Records?"

"of course not!"

Lin Jianlu took her cigarette, lit it, and said that although he claimed to not smoke now, he basically relied on others to smoke whenever he wanted, acting as if he didn't care anymore. "We've poured all our resources into Columbia Records. Even if it succeeds, it won't be ours. If we make a name for ourselves in the record industry outside of Columbia, then not only me, but even you, Columbia will have to show us respect! In the future, when it comes to tearing each other apart, they'll have more to think about!"

"Besides, connections! The wider the better! How to make them wider? By going out into the world!"

Zhang Aijia nodded slowly, but then quickly looked up at Lin Jianlu, "Not renewing the contract with Columbia?"

Lin Jianlu shrugged and blew a puff of smoke at her. Zhang Aijia didn't dodge, letting the smoke envelop her head. Then Lin Jianlu said, "You can renew the contract, but you must have the right to switch jobs at any time!"

Zhang Aijia nodded, remaining silent.

Outsiders may not know, but in fact, Lin Jianlu and Zhang Aijia were both very clear about the situation. Although the influence and control of the entire Sony North American system had declined significantly after it was acquired by the Japanese, this super media group, which combined film companies, record companies, and the broadcasting and television company CBS, still acted like a large umbrella, steadily sheltering Lin Jianlu from and blocking countless attacks. In the past year, despite Lin Jianlu's immense popularity, the extensive media coverage across North America and even the world was almost entirely positive!
Hong Kong is not some remote, backwater place. Not only is its media industry highly developed, but more importantly, although Hong Kong is located in East Asia, it has always implemented various systems closely connected with the Western world. If it weren't for Sony North America's powerful influence and its strong deterrent effect on the media throughout North America and even the world, Lin Jianlu's scandals and gossip in the Chinese entertainment industry would have been uprooted and brought to America long ago for his fervent fans to enjoy!

So, when Michael Jackson was that famous, he could do whatever he wanted, as long as he didn't constantly think about climbing the ladder of success, he was safe. The whole world was praising him, and in the mouths and writings of various media outlets, he was almost portrayed as an angel. But once he established his own copyright company and intentionally distanced himself from Columbia Records, all sorts of negative news about him immediately started. And once various figures in the underworld saw that he had a weakness, you see, things like the child molestation case suddenly surfaced—it was like a bone-deep affliction clinging to him, and he still can't get rid of it to this day!

Frankly speaking, in Lin Jianlu's opinion, if Michael Jackson had realized he couldn't handle these problems when they first came out, and had decisively backed down and quickly returned to the protection of Sony North America, although he would still have suffered some losses, he would probably be fine by now.

In America, a massive, comprehensive media group wields influence over politics, business, and even the general public far beyond what ordinary people can imagine!

They can smooth over almost anything for you—as long as you hold something of interest for them! As long as that interest is big enough!
Unfortunately, Michael Jackson was probably unwilling to give in, or perhaps he believed that with his influence and wealth, he could resolve these troubles himself and truly become independent. So, instead of giving in, he stubbornly resisted and, incidentally, made his copyright business even better and bigger.

So, he died later.

A billionaire worth billions of dollars, a superstar with extraordinary global influence, died just like that!

The lessons learned from the past are still fresh in our minds!

Although Lin Jianlu often considers himself not a very smart person, he is not so stupid as to not even have this much precaution. Although it is still too early to talk about changing companies, there is still one album to go, but he always feels that he can choose not to change companies, but he must have the right and ability to do so!
…………

Perhaps the topic was a bit too heavy, because for a moment Zhang Aijia fell into deep thought and refused to speak, while Lin Jianlu just quietly smoked.

After he'd smoked half a cigarette, Zhang Aijia suddenly leaned over, snatched the remaining half from his hand, took a puff, and then suddenly laughed. "By the way, I checked for you. Seventeen isn't allowed! She's a minor in America! And she's only sixteen and a half now, so either you wait another year and a half, and I'll keep an eye on her to make sure no one else gets to take advantage of you, or you take her to France. In France, girls can get married at 15. In Italy, it's 14; in Brazil, 16; and in Korea and Japan, it's also 16! Even though she's American, even if she ends up in court one day, there's still a chance to win!"

Lin Jianlu was speechless. The next moment, he raised his middle finger at her.

She laughed, "Come on! Come and fuck me!"

Lin Jianlu burst into laughter.

Once the relationship became harmonious, her courage seemed to suddenly grow again.

(End of this chapter)