A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 28 Good Eyebrows

Let's make a music video!
The plan to shoot a music video for "Hua Tian Cuo" and promote it as the fourth single after "Tong Hua" and "Shi Nian" was a pre-arranged publicity strategy that was already in place when they were still in Taiwan.

Lin Jianlu had previously stated that he would find a mainland team to film the movie after returning to the mainland.

Ge Fuhong and Duan Zhongtan agreed to release the people, as they had repeatedly instructed them beforehand, and told them to hurry up and film after returning.

Since she had nothing better to do, and being young, Lin Jianlu didn't really have a concept of being tired. She lay on the bed for a few more minutes, sorted out her thoughts, and then opened her notebook, found Gu Changwei's phone number, and called him.

Having learned from the previous collaboration, Lao Gu was able to figure out his own requirements more easily. Moreover, as far as I could remember, he had also worked as a director and had his own representative works. So, we decided to stick with what we knew and not do anything new. We simply asked him to be the cinematographer and direct as well – before, he had actually been doing the work of director and cinematographer for "Cold to the End" and "Super Cool".

When the call was made, the phone was switched off.

Looking at the time, it was just past three o'clock, still a long time before his parents got off work. He simply got up, locked the door, pushed his old bicycle, and ignored the subtle probing questions from the neighbors as he rode out the door. He sped off on his bike and pedaled furiously. Old Gu actually worked at Xi'an Film Studio, but had settled in the capital for several years. Lin Jianlu had visited his home once during their last collaboration and still remembered the place.

Despite being a photographer for many years and winning awards, he hasn't made much money and lives in a rented apartment.

When I got to his building, I locked my bicycle and went upstairs to knock on the door. "Old Gu, are you home?"

The door opened, and there was Jiang Wenli. "Oh, what brings you here? Come in!"

Lin Jianlu stepped inside. "Old Gu isn't home? Why is his phone off?"

Jiang Wenli squatted down to get him slippers. "Hey, he went to America for further studies! He said the roaming fees for his phone there are too expensive, so he didn't bring it, and I turned it off!"

"Yo..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianlu pulled back the foot she had already stepped inside. "Then I'm leaving!"

Jiang Wenli was taken aback, then stood up. "Wait a minute! What's wrong? You're famous now, and you don't want to talk to us anymore?"

"Hey! You're this age, I'm this age, you look like this, I look like this, and Old Gu isn't home. There are people who will talk but won't listen. If word gets out..."

Lin Jianlu patted her face, "We need this!"

Jiang Wenli leaned against the door and laughed heartily.

Old Gu is sly and mischievous, but Jiang Wenli is not; she has a cheerful and generous personality and can definitely take a joke.

Seeing that Lin Jianlu was about to leave, she didn't really want to stop her. But realizing there might be an opportunity, she said, "If you need anything, I can call Lao Gu and ask him to come back. Your business must be important!"

Lin Jianlu was already downstairs, waving her hand as she walked back, "No need! It's not enough for a plane ticket!"

That means there really is a chance.

Jiang Wenli knew that Gu Changwei had some connection with Lin Jianlu. The two had drunk and boasted a lot during the filming of the MV. She also knew how popular Lin Jianlu was now. She heard that he had released an album that had swept through Hong Kong and Taiwan. Even the media in Hong Kong and Taiwan were calling him the new king of pop.

His work, there's no distinction between big and small jobs, they're all important!
It has nothing to do with how much money he has; it's the person he is that represents opportunity. "Hey, Jianlu! He'll be back in a week at most. I'll have him call you when he gets back."

"Got it!"

As he rode to the alley entrance, Zhou Lao Er, the shopkeeper, stopped him. "I have a phone call for you, an international call! He said he'd call back at 4:30!"

Hi……

Having no other choice, I stopped the car and stood at the window of the convenience store, chatting idly with Zhou Lao Er.

He was two or three levels higher than Lin Jianlu. He used to be quite arrogant. Lin Jianlu had always dared to go against him since he was a child. He couldn't beat him when they were young, but when he was eleven, he finally beat him up and gave him a good beating. From then on, the kid became very well-behaved.

Just a minute before 4:30, the phone rang. Zhou Lao Er said it must be that long-distance call, so Lin Jianlu simply answered it. Sure enough, it was Old Gu Changwei—Jiang Wenli, Jiang Wenli, so generous and shrewd!
After chatting for a while, Lao Gu realized that it was just a music video and the job was only worth about ten thousand yuan. Even if the other party was being generous, they could only offer an extra ten thousand or so yuan, making it thirty thousand. If he had to fly back and forth twice, it would not only interfere with his classes, but it would also only cover the airfare. He was a bit conflicted. After thinking for a while, he said, "There are quite a few people from our factory who make a living in the capital. Can I get them in touch for you? I guarantee it will be a good job!"

She just wouldn't let go no matter what... "Alright, you can make the contact for me. I'll go visit my sister-in-law later; she's got a lot of free time."

"Screw you! Wait for my call!"

"Wait, let me tell you my phone number."

"Alright, let me find a pen."

Having transmigrated less than half a year ago, Lin Jianlu has already mingled in the Beijing, Taiwan, and Hong Kong social circles. He is basically a well-regarded person. Despite his smooth-talking dirty jokes, he never takes advantage of anyone in reality. Honestly, with his appearance, if he were even slightly improper, or if he glanced at someone more than a few times, any woman with a girlfriend would be worried sick. But no, the current situation is different. Women can joke around with him freely once they get to know him, and no one worries about his reputation.

Looking at the time, it's 4:30 in the capital. If Lao Gu were in America, it would be the darkness before dawn. But he didn't waste a moment. Lin Jianlu had just returned home and turned on the stove to boil water when his overseas call came in again. "Two buddies, one is Zhang Yang, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama's directing department. He works at the Beijing Film Studio, but we're really good friends. His skills are definitely top-notch. The other one is Zhang Zi'en, my classmate. Have you seen that TV series that's been airing in China lately? It's called 'Prime Minister Liu Luoguo,' it's on CCTV, it's quite popular. He directed that show. I asked, and they're both free!"

Okay...

After thinking for a moment, Lin Jianlu said, "Then let's go with the one in the back. My film will involve some period dramas, uh, I should call it period costumes, so it would be good to find someone who is good at period dramas."

So it was decided on the spot.

The director paid 30,000 yuan, and all other miscellaneous expenses, such as renting cameras, purchasing costumes, renting venues, and buying film, were reimbursed based on actual costs.

However, if the director needs to bring a cinematographer and lighting technician to the set, that will be paid as part of the director's fee, and no additional money will be charged.

The job only takes three to five days, and this is already much higher than the market rate. Gu Changwei used to pay 30,000 yuan for two music videos combined, which was the normal market price.

…………

"Listen to that, listen to that! The stuff he's talking about doesn't even keep me full!"

“He ate three plates of roasted meat! How do you expect him to survive? Listen to what he said, those plates weren't small. With his appetite, that must have been three or four pounds of cooked meat! You're worried he'll go hungry? Don't you know your own son? He's like a wolf. In a famine, with his temperament, he'd dare to lead a bandit up the mountain! How could he possibly go hungry?”

Night, after dinner.

After dealing with the curious neighbors, the family of three sat down for a chat. Around dinner time, the neighbors came to pry again, but Lin's mother didn't let slip a word. With her sharp mind, she was the boss of the factory, known for her shrewdness and ability to argue and fight. She wouldn't be fooled by these neighbors. It was true that she had become somewhat famous and had made some money, but she hadn't been paid yet. Who knew when those people from the Kuomintang would get their money?

Whether others believed it or not is unknown, but they were sent away anyway, and they gritted their teeth and said they didn't get the money back.

Then, the family of three chatted casually, listening to Lin Jianlu talk about his experiences in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Before they knew it, they were talking about how Lin Jianlu had eaten four large pancakes and two and a half pounds of braised pork knuckle in one go. After all, she was still his mother, and she felt a little sorry for her son. But Lin's father, unusually, retorted, and a few words from him silenced Lin's mother.

That's right, this kid is just faking it. There's no way he would starve himself!

Thinking about this, a trace of compassion gradually faded away.

Comrade Lin Guodong was still lecturing his son, "Don't go crazy eating meat whenever you see it. When you're out, you should at least have some dignity. If you want to eat it, we'll buy it ourselves when we get back! Eating three plates of meat in one meal outside will make those Taiwanese people laugh at us, as if we've never seen meat before. You ate it all, while some other people might not have even taken a single bite... It makes you look like you have no manners!"

Comrade Lao Lin probably didn't understand what a barbecue gathering meant at all, so never mind, I won't explain.

He obediently lowered his head, accepting the instruction, "Yes, I'll remember, Dad!"

Mom has brought the magazine over again, and flipped through it. "These two girls are both nice. This one looks quite tall, not much shorter than you. Girls this tall are rare. Have you taken a liking to one of them?"

Wait, weren't we supposed to be discussing looking at houses in Fangchengyuan? How did we end up going off-topic?
"Mom, do you think I can handle such beautiful thrushes?"

"Get out of my way! Don't try to shut me up with those old arguments! Times have changed!"

"Well... I'll trick you into getting them all later, and you can choose for yourself!"

Well… just from that one sentence, Lin's mother knew that neither of them had a chance. This was a typical boast, so she was very disappointed. "Two… with the little money you earn, if you could even get one of them, I'd burn incense at your Lin family's grave for three days! Don't think I don't know anything. The magazines have all said that big stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan earn tens or hundreds of millions a year! And you only have a few hundred thousand… never mind, let's go to sleep!"

(End of this chapter)