A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 50 Human World
After running 10 kilometers, I took a cold shower, then sat down for soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns.

Ah, that feels good.

He has always been very clear about the difference between working in Hong Kong and Taiwan and living in the capital.

He went there to make money: music, records, connections, socializing, drinking, playing cards, endorsements, autograph sessions, etc. Just don't think about having fun. He handles even his relationships with women with extreme caution. He seems carefree and unrestrained, flirting with this person and drinking with that person, and even talking nonsense in front of the media, but in reality, he is always very sensible.

Returning to the capital immediately brought a sense of relaxation and ease.

Here, we don't think about making money; we simply return to the human world and live our lives.

He lay on the recliner for half an hour, then went downstairs, hopped on his old bicycle, and leisurely made his way through the sweltering heat to his courtyard house to check on the construction site. He chatted with the master craftsman for a while, and received an additional 100,000 yuan for labor and materials. The remaining amount would be settled after the completion and acceptance of the project—the exterior had been completely transformed, the roof had been replaced entirely, and the entire courtyard house had truly become a huge construction site.

The job is huge. These days, 65 yuan is enough to buy a small courtyard house or three apartments. There's hardly any trend of renovating old buildings these days. The construction workers suddenly took on such a big job, and they even hired more than ten laborers. The construction schedule is very fast.

After spending half a day at the construction site, I bought a big watermelon and headed to my maternal grandparents' house. Before entering the courtyard, I went back and ran to the small supermarket to get a case of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) for my grandfather. My uncle and aunt had both gone to work, and even my cousin wasn't there; I don't know where he went to play. Only the old folks were there, and oh my, they were so affectionate with their grandson.

I sit for half an hour, fanning myself with a large palm-leaf fan, chatting with the two of them. In front of a bunch of elderly neighbors, I get all the respect I deserve. It's lucrative, incredibly lucrative! Over ten thousand a month! I'm always picked up in a car, my treatment is almost like that of the President of America. You've seen those foreign presidents visiting on the news, right? Mine is the same—someone opens the car door for me and holds an umbrella for me. Wow, over ten thousand a month! You want it?

He chatted for a while, mostly bragging, and then he patted his behind and was about to leave. The old lady stopped him and asked him to stay for lunch, but he refused. "I met a girl at noon. Look, I'm already twenty!"

Of course, they'd let them through immediately and leave them there.

Meeting your partner is more important.

The main problem was that Lin Jianlu's maternal grandmother was a bad cook and her work was rough. The original owner of the body always remembered that the old lady's cabbage was cut so badly that there were cabbage stalks everywhere in a bowl of vegetables.

It was already past eleven o'clock, so he rode his old bicycle again to his grandparents' house.

This time, I was even more generous. I weighed out a pound of pork tenderloin for the old man. I remembered that the old man's big enamel mug for tea had long been chipped, so I specially bought him a new mug. I also weighed out two pounds of pork tenderloin.

From afar, you could see the old man dozing off under the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard. A group of old men from the courtyard were sitting there, chatting about how they would work together to get things done in Taiwan this year.

"grandfather!"

The shout startled the group of old men, and the old man opened his eyes and immediately dozed off.

That's enough chatting. I picked up my little chair and headed home. My grandson was back.

The old lady was preparing lunch when she saw her grandson arrive. She took his hand and touched him here and there. Then Lin Jianlu took the initiative to tie on an apron and, after a while, ended up preparing a few dishes for the old couple.

It was also Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and I had two cups with the old man.

Ah, everything's great. The work is easy, just singing. I'm practically an artist now, not tiring at all. I'm making a good amount of money. I've saved enough to buy a house. Last night I was discussing with my parents about buying an apartment in Fangchengyuan. We'll renovate it, and you two can move in first. It's more comfortable living in an apartment building.

Regardless of whether you live in the house you bought or whether you need the money they gave you, at least it sounds comforting.

Finally, the old lady took his hand and whispered some gossip about the counter-revolutionaries, "People say you can marry several men in Hong Kong. Can you transfer your household registration there? Our family is a bit small. Your father only had one son, and it's not the same for you. This time, the country won't allow you to have children, so you're still the only one! We don't care about anything else, but if you can transfer your household registration there, we can marry a couple more men and have a bunch of kids. That way, our money won't have been earned for nothing, right?"

"Oh my god, what are you thinking? I'm a registered resident of the capital! I'd rather die than transfer my household registration!"

"What good is a Beijing hukou? Everyone says it makes it easier to get into good schools, but you didn't even graduate high school. It's more important to marry a few more wives and have a bunch of kids!"

"I'll have a granddaughter-in-law, and I'll have a great-grandson! My granddaughter-in-law will definitely be the most beautiful girl in the country, and my great-grandson will definitely be chubby and healthy, weighing nine and a half pounds at birth!"

The old lady chuckled foolishly, "My grandson has had this damn sharp tongue since he was little!"

The old man chuckled, "How about we eat our first meal of the night?"...

I took a proper day off, the kind where I didn't do anything.

Of course, there's not much entertainment these days, and Lin Jianlu isn't very interested in the few forms of entertainment he has. For him, the best way to rest is to buy some vegetables at the market, pick, wash, chop, and cook them himself, and then spend the rest of the time with the air conditioning on, lounging in a recliner, sipping tea, doing nothing, thinking nothing, and completely emptying his mind.

He tried his best to integrate into the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment industry in the most seamless way possible, neither flattering nor arrogant, doing good deeds and making many friends, just hoping to earn the money smoothly. So far, it seems to have been done quite easily for him, but in reality, it is still quite tiring and he has always been under pressure.

For many people, it's a situation where they can neither stay too far away nor too close.

It requires careful handling and quick thinking.

During this time, Xue Zhongding called to say that BMW was giving him, as their spokesperson, a car.

Lin Jianlu has never had an agent in mainland China. In fact, he often uses Lao Xue as his agent, and Lao Xue is happy to do so. So he entrusted him to handle the matter of the car that BMW gave him.

It turned out that the next day, Lao Xue personally went to choose a car for Lin Jianlu. According to Lin Jianlu's wishes, he chose a top-of-the-line 3 Series in jade white. He also busied himself buying insurance and getting the car tinted. The next day, he personally drove the car downstairs for Lin Jianlu.

When the phone rang, Lin Jianlu went downstairs to take a look, sat down for a while, and even personally tore off the protective film. After receiving the keys, she invited Lao Xue upstairs to sit down and have a pot of tea.

Logically speaking, after more than half a year since he transmigrated, and as a so-called superstar who claimed to have made a name for himself across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong with one album, Lin Jianlu has finally managed to own a car. He should be happy, but in reality, he doesn't care much. He even gave the car he had in Hong Kong to Liang Yongqi, even though she didn't have a driver's license yet. Ge Fuhong provided her with a driver, so she temporarily had a private car.

At least it's more prestigious than a Mazda, and it avoids traffic jams.

Hong Kong media didn't mock Lin Jianlu for buying his girlfriend a BMW 3 Series despite his album's huge sales, because it was a free gift from the brand—Lin Jianlu had only been famous for a few months and was already endorsing BMW. He gave the car to his girlfriend first; what more could you ask for? It's true love! That tall girl is so lucky!
The tea was a gift from Zhou Huajian; it was a high-mountain oolong tea, a specialty of Taiwan. Lin Jianlu didn't know anything about tea ceremony, so he just grabbed a big teapot, poured boiling water, poured a cup for each of them, and chatted briefly.

From the time we first met last winter and I signed with Rock Records, to the release of "Cold to the End" on March 1st, and up until now, we've known each other for more than half a year. It seems like I've taken such a beautiful first step in my career, but the time I've had to sit down and chat with Lao Xue in a relaxed and casual manner is still quite limited.

It's nice to have a chat.

Knowing him was like a meteoric rise for me; I was practically guaranteed a life of wealth. Xue Zhiqian had struck gold. As his manager, not only did his business volume and power increase rapidly, but his influence and industry standing within Rock Records and even across the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong music industry also grew ever stronger.

This is a typical example of everyone helping each other succeed.

Moreover, they have always gotten along well.

After chatting for about an hour, Dou Wei suddenly called – he had gone to Moyan to discuss the next album and heard that Lin Jianlu was back. He simply asked where she was and then hung up. Just over ten minutes later, the sound of a motorcycle came from downstairs, and soon he was knocking on the door.

The last time we met was in April, in Hong Kong. It's been about three months since then. I heard he's been back in the capital for a month or so. He looks much better, more energetic, and has returned to how he was when I met him last winter—relaxed and at ease. It's a stark contrast to his melancholy and taciturn demeanor in Hong Kong.

"She's heavily pregnant, and you come back and stay for a month or two, is that appropriate?"

"Hey, what's the big deal about being suitable or not? I don't see her often over there either. She's either singing or playing cards. I often don't see her for days on end."

Lin Jianlu was surprised and somewhat astonished upon hearing this.

At this moment, Xue Zhongding secretly winked at him—Lin Jianlu was even more stunned.

They got married because she was pregnant; they only got their marriage certificate in June. It can't be that serious, right?

***
It's already reached 130,000 to 140,000 words, and judging by the time, it'll probably be off the new book list soon.

I'm asking for a few more monthly votes, let's give it one last boost!
(End of this chapter)