A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 247 makes its debut!

Night in Los Angeles.

When Charlize Theron came out of the shower, Lin Jianlu was still there making a phone call.

She couldn't understand it; it must have been Chinese. But she could sense the relaxed ease in Lin's reclining posture on the sofa. She didn't know what kind of call it was or who it was for, and she also didn't know if Lin had any taboos in this regard. So Charlize obediently didn't go any closer.

But surprisingly, Lin Jianlu waved to her.

Their eyes met, and her face immediately lit up with her sweetest smile. She walked over gracefully, and halfway there, she even took the initiative to untie the belt of her bathrobe that she had just tied. She leaned back with her arms, letting the bathrobe slide down freely, and then sat obediently and nakedly in Lin Jianlu's arms.

Lin Jianlu switched the phone to her other hand, and with her free hand, she placed it on her chest, rubbing it wantonly, still laughing and joking, "Hey, that's just how she is, so ambitious. It's up to you. If it's inconvenient for you, then forget it. Anyway, running a movie theater chain doesn't make money! Hahaha, okay, no problem! If it's inconvenient, then don't do it! Hmm, hmm, good, good, as long as you're not inconvenienced! Hmm, she must have told me. How could she do something like this without telling me? But I don't care. I've already got one license, how could I ask you for another!"

"Hahaha! Okay! Good! Let her handle it then. In the end, I'll inevitably be the one footing the bill, damn it! Hahaha... Hey hey hey, damn it... Old Han, watch your position! You're... right? Hahaha! Alright! Alright, when I get back, let's have another round, and have a good drink! Okay..."

After hanging up the phone and tossing it onto the small coffee table, Lin Jianlu buried her face in Charlize Theron's chest, took a deep breath, and was immediately greeted with a soft chuckle from Charlize Theron, "Honey, are you done with work?"

Lin Jianlu looked up and thought for a moment, "It seems not yet... but that won't stop you from starting work!" As he spoke, he smiled and picked up his phone again. Charlize Theron raised an eyebrow, smiled, and immediately slid down to lift Lin Jianlu's bathrobe, looking up at him with a fawning yet provocative expression.

Lin Jianlu finished dialing the number, listened to the dial tone waiting for the call to connect, turned his head and saw her expression and eyes, and patted her head with satisfaction.

"Emmmm...GOOD!"

The next moment, the call connected. "Hey, Lao Cai, are you awake? Yeah, I have something to tell you. That letter from Wing Lung Bank, yeah, I know you must have seen it. I think what he said makes sense. Let's hold off for now! In three or four months, both banks have handled things this way. Let's get a clear picture of the internal situation first. Before we transfer the money in, we need to understand what kind of problems we'll have to deal with, right? Wing Lung Bank and Hang Seng Bank are both listed companies, unlike Wing On Bank, which is now practically my private company."

"Okay, okay! Let's do it that way! Get busy!"

Bye.

As she casually glanced down, Charlize Theron, who was working diligently, raised an eyebrow and looked up. Their eyes met, and she smiled again, her ingratiating expression growing even stronger. She was an extremely intelligent girl. Although she couldn't understand what Lin was saying, from his previous calm and composed demeanor to the condescending and nonchalant tone of his voice during the phone call, she could guess from his tone alone that a high-profile star like Lin must have decided the fate of countless people and the success or failure of some unknown matter through these two phone calls.

His words, his fleeting thoughts, can determine so many things!

So when she lowered her head, she immediately began to serve with even more effort.

…………

Between 8 and 10 p.m. every night, especially when he is on the other side of the ocean, Lin Jianlu often makes and receives a lot of phone calls—to his company, business, women, and sometimes his parents. In short, this is his "contact time," which has gradually become known to him and many people closely related to him.

After the contact time ends, it's usually his happy time.

Two days ago, another ocean beauty, Diane Kruger, had already captivated him, and now Charlize Theron has given him immense pleasure. They each have their own unique charm, but what Lin Jianlu likes most is that they have quite a few similarities. The most important one is that they are both models with extremely enviable figures, absolutely long curves, and super long legs!

Honestly, it was so much fun.

After finishing her business, Lin Jianlu was lying in bed resting when her phone rang again. She picked it up and answered. Zhang Aijia's voice was brief: "I'm back. Want to come to your room?"

"Okay, come on!"

A little over a minute later, someone knocked on the door. Lin Jianlu, without even putting on his underwear, got up, swaggered over to check the peephole, and then opened the door. Zhang Aijia didn't seem to care and followed him in. When they reached the bedroom door, she deliberately peeked inside through the doorframe—Charlize Theron was still recovering from her earlier outburst. Noticing Zhang Aijia's actions, she said "Oh," and quickly pulled the blanket over herself. "Kamen Rider, Jia, give me some privacy!"

Zhang Aijia chuckled, turned and walked away, glancing back to see the used bag hanging precariously beside the trash can. Reassured, she ignored Lin Jianlu and busied herself in the living room, filling the kettle, boiling water, and tossing hotel tea bags into a glass. Then, leaning against the counter next to the tea bar, she took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled before laughing, "Alcohol doesn't quench thirst, tea does! Ha... all set!"

How many do you guess?

Lin Jianlu was already sitting on the sofa in the living room, resting her chin on her hand on the armrest. Seeing how smug she was in her room, she smiled when she heard this, "Judging by your posture, ten million?"

Sylvia Chang laughed, "We underestimated Friends, it's so profitable! We also underestimated NBC's determination to get you to guest star in this episode!..." At this point, her eyes sparkled, "1300 million US dollars! Your guest star fee!"

Lin Jianlu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously exclaimed in Chinese, "Holy crap!"

This is really a bit too exaggerated.

I'll definitely be making a cameo appearance, because it's not just an NBC project, but more importantly, it's a Warner Bros. project. I have to give them face. But before I go, I estimate that both Lin Jianlu and Zhang Aijia can raise the price from six million to eight million US dollars, which would be enough for me!
It's only one episode!
Rumors circulate that with the annual success of "Friends," which has become the king of American TV ratings, Jennifer Aniston, who plays the beloved female lead Rachel, has reportedly received a staggering $2500 million for the fifth season this year. She's a national goddess, a quintessential American sweetheart, and Americans adore her—her salary is far higher than that of most A-list movie actresses!
But that show has over twenty episodes, so each episode only costs around a million!
As Lin Jianlu exclaimed "Holy crap!", a voice quickly followed from the bedroom, "What?" The next moment, Charlize Theron seemed to disregard any privacy, grabbed a bathrobe from the floor, and ran out while putting it on. She was still fastening her belt at the door when she stared at Zhang Aijia in astonishment, "1300 million...? Gissers!"

Zhang Aijia shrugged, blowing a puff of smoke into her face, a provocative and defiant gesture, but she wasn't annoyed.

They had already gotten along quite well during rehearsals in New York in January before the Spring Festival. Flirting with Lin Jianlu was only one aspect; Charlize Theron also made a point of flattering Zhang Aijia, and they gradually became good friends. Well, it has to be said that Li Xiaoran was quite impressive in this regard. She completely ignored Zhang Aijia, her "little agent," and only focused on pleasing Lin Jianlu. Several times, her tone of voice infuriated Zhang Aijia.

During that period, Li Xiaoran's attitude forced Zhang Aijia to adopt an exceptionally tough stance: "Leave her in the capital, spoil her however you like, but as long as you have even a shred of respect for me, don't bring her to America again!"

Well, so there's no other way. After the New Year, we'll definitely arrange for Li Xiaoran to film a TV series.

No matter how down on her luck Zhang Aijia is, no matter how much face she loses in front of Lin Jianlu, no matter how willingly she lets Lin Jianlu deal with her or even humiliate her, she still has to give him face in front of outsiders.

Of course, Li Xiaoran thought she had leveled up and could officially become an actress, no longer needing to dance, so she was quite happy—but that's another story!
But Charlize Theron is not Li Xiaoran, and Diane Kruger is actually quite humble in front of Sylvia Chang!

To reiterate, with Lin Jianlu in her hands, Zhang Aijia is now one of the top-tier agents in America. When she goes out to parties or business negotiations, she must speak directly with the people who have the power to make decisions. Sending an ordinary nobody to deal with her means that the negotiations have broken down.

It's a very reputable brand, and it's very prestigious!

Charlize Theron snatched the cigarette from Sylvia Chang's hand, took a puff, and said, "Camuang, Jia, 1300 million?"

Zhang Aijia laughed, reached out and ruffled the contents of her large bowl, then turned to look at Lin Jianlu. The inexplicable contempt for "those girls" in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a smug and excited expression, like a kitten showing off its catch to its master. "I was talking to Terry Semel, president of Warner Bros., and David Tupler, vice president of NBC, who is in charge of production and acquisitions. I didn't directly quote a price; I just said a cameo was fine, but six million was too low. And guess what? Terry said, 'Eight million it is!' I thought, 'Wait a minute! They're so generous!'"

At this point, she laughed, turned her head, snatched the cigarette back from Charlize Theron's hand, took a puff, and said with a smile, "Then I said, 1500 million US dollars! They were both shocked, haha, David said how could that be, only one movie for that price! We just asked Lin to guest star in one episode of a TV series! He even said there's no way there's such an expensive TV series fee in the world! I said he is Lin! David got angry and said I could get Marlon Brando, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and George Clooney together and it wouldn't cost 1500 million US dollars!"

"When I saw how angry he was back then, I knew that $1200 million to $1300 million was their bottom line! Haha, after the deal was struck, they were both very happy! After all, $1300 million could probably get Michael Jackson, but nowadays, Michael Jackson isn't as famous as you! And he's too controversial now. TV shows like Friends wouldn't dare to cast someone as controversial as him. You're the best! The most famous, yet the most mysterious. If you make a guest appearance, you'll definitely be the king of American TV ratings this year! Next year's advertising fees will probably increase by another $500 million per ad, and you'll get all the money back in one go!"

Yes, I could tell she was quite pleased with herself for closing such a deal.

Charlize Theron, who was standing to the side, had been listening in stunned silence. When Sylvia Chang finished speaking, she was still slowly coming to her senses, sighing softly, "1300 million US dollars! My God! That's 1300 million US dollars! It would take me three or four years of hard work to earn that much money!"

Zhang Aijia smiled and turned to look at her, "That's because Lin is willing to give you a chance!"

She immediately came to her senses. "Of course! Of course it's because of Lin! Of course I know that, otherwise I would never have earned so much money in my life! But... Lin loves me, and I love him too! I love him like I love you, no, even more than I love you, isn't that right?"

Zhang Aijia smiled. The water had just boiled, so she went to make herself some tea. Then she turned back and suddenly switched to Mandarin, "By the way, Shuhua and Huilun went back to Taipei!" Lin Jianlu nodded, but then asked in confusion, "How did you know?"

She laughed, "Because at the party just now, Shu Hua suddenly called me. She went for a run early in the morning and passed by my house. She told me that I need to replace my housekeeper because my lawn is overgrown with weeds!"

Lin Jianlu burst into laughter.

…………

Lin Jianlu was delighted to secure a cameo role in "Friends" for 1300 million US dollars. The next day, he went to Warner Bros. Studios for styling and photoshoots, smiling almost the entire time, demonstrating exceptional professionalism.

Yes, filming for "The Matrix" is about to officially begin.

Of course, a large portion of the filming also took place at Warner Bros. Studios. During makeup and costume fitting, Lin Jianlu specifically asked Larry Wachowski about the location, and was told that it was only a three-minute drive from the Friends filming location. So, once they got into character and started filming here, they could stretch the pace, and when it came time to film other actors' scenes, they'd have plenty of time to go over and film their cameo appearances for that episode. All of these were Warner Bros. projects.

While they were busy taking costume photos, Joe Silver and his group arrived. He was the first producer of the production team, followed by the Wachowski brothers. These three were the most powerful people on set. But behind them were several other names, all production managers, each responsible for their own area. Lin Jianlu didn't recognize several of them, and had never even met them before. This was their first meeting, so Joe Silver took the opportunity to bring them over to greet Lin Jianlu.

Anyway, it all started in a flash.

Lin Jianlu remained unusually calm, but Charlize Theron was clearly a little excited—she knew all too well the attention that starring alongside Lin Jianlu in a big movie would bring in the future!
This is not in the same league as "The Devil's Advocate"!

…………

May 24, 1998, Burbank, Los Angeles, Warner Bros. Studios.

Before nine o'clock in the morning, the press hall in the cinema, which is specially used for holding press conferences, was already packed with people. Behind the podium where speakers were to speak, the newly released promotional posters for "The Matrix" had been put up, and a banner was also hanging on it—"The Matrix" Press Conference.

Many reporters, upon entering the venue and seeing Lin Jianlu's image on the poster, were immediately drawn to it and had already taken photos. Well, the start of a new film wouldn't attract so many reporters; countless films start production in Hollywood every year, and even the Wachowski brothers, who have gained some recognition in the Hollywood film industry in recent years, couldn't possibly have this much influence. Frankly speaking, the fact that so many people came to this small press conference meant that almost 90% of them were there because of Lin Jianlu.

Despite the relentless digging into his life, and the fact that news about him in Hong Kong and the East is no secret to journalists in American newspapers, magazines, and television stations, the sheer volume of in-depth reports and feature articles about him over the past year has piled up in various media outlets. However, news about him that is "reportable" remains scarce. Yet, his every move is closely watched by his fans. Columbia Media Group has "points" that can be used to buy "restraint" from various media outlets, suppressing any articles or reports unfavorable to Lin Jianlu. This level of competition and power struggle is clearly beyond the reach of journalists who dare to be the first to expose him!

Of course, in fact, the longer someone has worked as a journalist, the more curious they will be about Lin Jianlu if they have been interested in digging into his background and past reports about him in Oriental Daily News!
Ignoring the even more outrageous rumors circulating among the public, just based on what has been reported in the newspapers, it is said that he had as many as six or seven lovers in the East, and almost all of them were semi-public!
Moreover, it is said that his lovers get along exceptionally well with each other—although such things are not uncommon in the Western world, how should I put it, when a Chinese person does this, it subconsciously reminds people of their corrupt and decadent monarchical system that has lasted for thousands of years!
And it's not just about his lover; his meteoric rise, conquering the Chinese music scene and then the global music scene in just one or two years, is truly astonishing—a testament to his astonishingly extraordinary talent that is almost unbelievable!

There is no doubt that countless people have suspected that Lin might be a front-line puppet put forward by the Japanese to make money, and that there is actually a powerful creative team behind him, all piled on him just to highlight his musical genius and facilitate hype. When people have doubts, of course, there will be people who take action seriously and do all sorts of meticulous investigations!

But the result was baffling; the deeper the investigation went, the more speechless it became!

His path to fame in the great Eastern country is clearly traceable, and as early as 1996, in his debut album, he had already fully demonstrated his outstanding songwriting and singing talents, as well as his unique modern arrangement style and his unique album style that mixes multiple styles and genres.

Later, he came to New York and started recording singles, trying to impress Columbia Records. The story is easy to find. Almost everyone involved in the recording of his albums unanimously and without any pretense vouched for him—Lin directed the recording of this album from beginning to end! In his albums, he never listened to any opinions, and there was absolutely no possibility that anyone was directing him behind the scenes. He was so autocratic that he was like a recording studio tyrant!

Therefore, he is a musical genius, and his talent is unparalleled in the world. He is a womanizer with many lovers, and he is extremely skilled in Eastern martial arts. In Hong Kong, he once had the feat of knocking an adult more than ten meters away with an elbow while leaving the other party unharmed. Just the parts of him that are allowed to be reported are enough to interest too many people.

Moreover, he's too mysterious!

If he attends today's press conference, it will be almost his first public interview in the Western world—which organization would be willing to miss it if they could make it?
Taking it back would definitely make headlines!
Around 9:50 a.m., Warner Bros. staff began to enter. Soon, Warner Bros. President Terry Semel, renowned Hollywood producer Joe Silver, and the Wachowski brothers, who have risen to fame in the past two years, walked in one after the other. Then, a tall girl was recognized by reporters familiar with the film industry as Charlize Theron, who starred in "The Devil's Advocate" and recently became a sensation for her amazing performance with Lin Jianlu at the Super Bowl, showing off her beautiful back.

The last to enter were three men: the famous Black actor Laurence Fishburne, an Australian actor known only to a select few in the film industry named Hugo Weaving, and the one walking between the two, talking to them, was none other than the familiar Eastern face, Lin Jianlu—and with a sudden commotion, the huge news hall erupted in commotion.

Lin was chatting with Laurence Fishburne with a charming smile, but as soon as he entered, he stopped talking, waved and nodded to the reporters' seats.

The press section immediately erupted into another uncontrollable commotion!

Lin seemed friendly and easy to get along with—this is going to be interesting. Even under pressure from Columbia and Warner, I'll have to ask him a few interesting questions!

I didn't dig into his past. I asked him questions on the spot, and he answered them on the spot. There were so many reporters present; I couldn't just not allow them to report on it, could I?
A group of people came in, first lining up for reporters to take photos, and then entered the venue one after another, taking their seats on the stage. Lin sat in the center, with a Wachowski on his left, followed by Charlize Theron, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Silver. On his right was Warner Bros. Pictures President Terry Semel, followed by another Wachowski, Laurence Fishburne, and a staff member responsible for hosting the press conference.

Production began, with Joe Silver as producer responsible for reading the press release.

As he read, the people sitting below were all expressionless, with only a very few scribbling in their notebooks—not taking notes of the manuscript, but rather jotting down their impressions of Lin Jianlu in person, so that they could capture his character traits in a few words when writing about him later.

At press conferences like these, the organizers are very considerate. After the conference, each person receives a tote bag containing a prepared and printed press release, along with a small gift, such as a Walmart gift card worth a few hundred dollars. This is the unspoken rule, so there's no need for reporters to transcribe the press release.

Finally, the script was finished, and it was time for the Q&A session. A Wachowski took the microphone.

Indeed, reporters passed the microphone around, and a few people asked a few simple, formulaic questions about the film's creative motivation, the concepts it conveyed, and what the story was about, but it ended quickly.

Despite the fact that this is a sci-fi blockbuster with a budget of 7500 million US dollars, despite the fact that its directors, the Wachowski brothers, are already established directors, and despite the fact that the Wachowski brother who was just answering questions was trying very hard and trying to convey to the reporters that "our film is very interesting and cool," I'm sorry, but everyone was clearly not very interested. From the beginning until now, reporters have been looking at Lin Jianlu constantly, and they have been staring at him for quite a while.

Finally, the director finished speaking, and the press officer announced that questions could begin.

In a flash, arms appeared everywhere below!

This is completely different from when we asked the director questions earlier, when everyone seemed to be just going through the motions.

The first reporter was chosen, took the microphone, and asked, "Hi Lin from The Hollywood Star! I heard you're currently recording a new single. Is that true? If so, will you release a single? When will it be available for fans? If not, when will the new album be released? Also, uh... why did you choose to act in this movie?"

After the question was asked, a low chuckle rippled through the reporters in the press room.

Well, the last question is actually related to the movie—this guy has already been very kind!
Lin Jianlu took the microphone, and countless cameras were already pointed at him. At this moment, the flashes were as bright as the Milky Way—yes, at this moment, the phrase "starry sky" was so apt and realistic!
"The single is written, but not recorded yet. I've already promised my boss it will be recorded in the second half of the year, and I'll try to get everyone to hear it before the end of the year. As for the new album... maybe next year! As for this movie, well, because I really admire the Wachowski brothers, they're both good brothers of mine. We hit it off really well. Their concept for this sci-fi story, and those wildly imaginative ideas, impressed me during our first conversation! That's it! It's definitely not because I was poor at the time and hadn't received my record royalties yet, and Warner Bros. president Terry wrote me a large check... It's definitely not because of that!"

The audience burst into laughter.

The microphone was quickly passed to a second reporter. "From NBC, greetings to you, Lin. Your song was the biggest surprise in the global record industry last year. Thank you for your creation! And... uh, will you be showing off your kung fu in The Matrix? You know, it's a science fiction movie."

Yes, without a doubt, this is the friendly side.

  "Thank you! ...Yes! And it will be really cool, I promise! And that's not all, I think combining the futuristic science fiction theme with Chinese kung fu will create something amazing! Thanks to the two Wachowskis for coming up with this idea! Those two guys always have really cool ideas!"

A third reporter quickly followed up, "Lin, from Fox News, you're very mysterious. Do you live in America now? Which do you think is better, living in America or in your home country?"

Oh dear... The problem that Zhang Aijia reminded me of last night has indeed appeared all at once.

Fox, very well, I'll remember you.

Without even needing to prepare a speech, he spoke fluently: "I lived in China for twenty years and in America for... well, less than a year in total. But I must admit, there is one thing that I could never do as well in my homeland, China, no matter how hard I try! That is, in America, I am always filled with exotic charm!"

Both the audience and those on stage were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The Fox reporter paused for a moment, then smiled, a mixture of surprise and astonishment in his eyes—he seemed to have no intention of pursuing her, and appeared to appreciate Lin Jianlu's clever answer.

Their eyes met, and he even smiled and nodded in greeting.

the fourth……

the fifth……

sixth……

All the attention in the room was completely focused on Lin Jianlu, but Lin Jianlu showed none of the stage fright or aloofness that a young man in his early twenties should have. He was elegant, quick-witted, and eloquent, speaking entirely off-script. He could always turn smooth topics into watertight answers with American-style jokes, and he could also defuse difficult topics with a joke.

After a few questions, even the seasoned reporters present couldn't help but change their expressions and treat him with respect—this was no longer the image of a singer or creative genius, but rather that of a debonair university professor!

Those seated on the stage, whether it was Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving, whom they had just met in the last two days, or Charlize Theron, who was currently completely obsessed with Lin Jianlu, all stared at Lin Jianlu with wide, curious eyes. People generally believe that Eastern Confucian and Taoist societies have a cultural foundation that highly values ​​talented people, but little do they know that the veneration of artistic geniuses in Western societies is also at its peak!

Moreover, he is a free-spirited and intelligent young genius!

(End of this chapter)