A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 90 Pursuing Back
The days of being idle and unemployed were uneventful.

Spend time with girls, go shopping, meet friends, have meals, drink alcohol, and brag a little.

Later, I went to Nanchizi Hutong to see that courtyard house with a price tag of 360 million yuan. It was really well-maintained. Not only was it an old house, but it had also been maintained many times after the founding of the People's Republic of China. If you take over the house, replace the windows and doors, do some interior work, and repair the exterior paintings, it will be a good house.

Of course, if we want to make it neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer, we still need to carry out engineering work.

But it doesn't matter, it's just another 65 yuan! Even the manpower is readily available.

The main reason is that the location is great!
You can see the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City from the courtyard!

If a kite string is even a little long, it's entirely possible for it to get caught on a corner of the Forbidden City!
Walk 500 meters south and you'll reach East Chang'an Avenue—oh my!

It's a three-courtyard mansion that covers nearly two acres!

Alright, $3.6 million it is, consider it buying what you like. After negotiating the price, the homeowner immediately agreed when he heard that he could pay in US dollars. After a brief discussion, he agreed to sell for $400,000!

That's equivalent to saving about 20 RMB!
I have to say, these days, American dollars are incredibly popular in China!

Especially those people who are planning to sell their goods and go to America, they absolutely adore the US dollar.

Transaction.

With the help of the real estate broker, the transfer was completed in one go. It was still Old Xue, who came over like a thief, carrying a leather suitcase full of rice knives. He paid in cash, and that was it!

In the afternoon, the master craftsman was called over to inspect the work. When the master craftsman heard that another large house needed to be renovated, he came over and was stunned. The house was worth millions of dollars and consisted of three courtyards on a plot of land of a few acres. How could anyone buy such a large house as if it were a cabbage, and then keep buying more?

"Okay! Don't worry, I understand what you mean. I'll take the key and bring someone over to take the measurements and come up with a plan for you. Rest assured, I'll definitely do a good job for you!"

They've hooked up with a big spender! This job looks like it'll be another six months or more. The master chef is even more serious about it than before, and he's become noticeably more polite in his speech.

…………

I made an appointment with Xu Qing for dinner tonight.

This person not only agreed immediately, but also readily, even with a hint of joy.

When we met, she actually brought me a pound of tea leaves. "A friend gave it to me. He said it's tea from a protected area. They don't allow picking it, so we have to pick it secretly and have an experienced craftsman process it for us to share. Here, if you don't mind, please accept it!"

It had no name and no fancy packaging, but after the beautiful woman told this little story, the tea suddenly seemed precious. "Alright, thank you! I'll treat you today!"

The beautiful woman laughed heartily.

Honestly, this person is exactly Lin Jianlu's type.

Some girls are generally recognized as beautiful in the industry, and some people even adore them, but Lin Jianlu personally may not think they are beautiful. There are also some girls that others may think are average, but he thinks they are okay. They are not top-tier beauties, but they are definitely not ugly.

What pleases the eye is beautiful.

However, there are some people who, no matter how much you argue, are absolutely stunning beauties!

Hong Kong and Taiwan actresses such as Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, Li Jiaxin, Wang Zuxian, and Ada Chia...

Xu Qing, Chen Hong, Jiang Qinqin, Gao Yuanyuan, Fan Bingbing, Liu Yifei from mainland China...

They are all included here.

If I had to make another list, a certain baby, and that famous Hong Kong woman involved in the scandal, are also stunning beauties.

They are all objectively beautiful, and their beauty is not affected by any one person's subjective opinion of whether they are good-looking or not!
Dining with such a stunning beauty is truly a pleasure... well, you know how it is for men!

This is a senior from the 88 class of Beijing Film Academy, a classmate of Xu Jinglei, Jiang Qinqin, Zuo Xiaoqian, and also Jia Jingwen, among other beauties. Born in 69, she is 27 years old, truly at the peak of her beauty.

Oh, by the way, she was also my sister-in-law Jiang Wenli's classmate.

Both of them were naturally beautiful. I've heard that they were the two famous beauties of the 88 class at the Beijing Film Academy.

She's very good at being charming. Lin Jianlu had already witnessed it when she came to her house for noodles with soybean paste last time. To be honest, she's even better at it than Jiang Qinqin—she's just naturally good at winning men's favor.

But you can tell that she's a bit arrogant. Although Lin Jianlu can guess that she also admires her looks and temperament, and you can also sense from her conversation that she is quite envious of her so-called "talent," the arrogance and princess-like feeling of a literary young woman in the heart of this great beauty is still unmistakable.

Why did Lin Jianlu insist on making her a high-calorie drink when she brought a roast duck to freeload and tried to ingratiate herself with him? To put it bluntly, Lin Jianlu couldn't stand girls who needed him to fawn over them all the time. He needed girls to pamper and fawn over him in return, so he simply gave up on the idea from the start.

Surprisingly, the girl persisted.

They wanted to send tea and treat me to a meal, and as soon as they heard I was back, they immediately called...

Of course, it's fine if everyone enjoys just eating and chatting.

Anyway, Lin Jianlu is quite good at bragging and telling jokes...

After the meal, perhaps because of the alcohol, the girl became a bit cloying in her speech. She laughed frequently during the meal, and her eyes started to mist over. By the time they finished eating, her eyes were watery. After Lin Jianlu paid the bill, the two got up and left. Outside the restaurant, the girl tilted her head and asked, "Hey, Lin Jianlu, do you have a girlfriend?"

"If I say no, you definitely won't believe me. If I say yes, you definitely won't be happy."

He shrugged. "Alright! Why don't you teach me how to answer in a way that satisfies both sides?"

The girl chuckled, "Get lost! You have a girlfriend, why would I be unhappy? Tch, so vain!"

"Okay, okay! I'm vain! I'm vain, alright? Should I take you home, or will you take a taxi yourself?"

The girl immediately became unhappy. "Aren't you happy staying with me? Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?" — "Hey! That's nice! No way, you're coming back with me, let's talk all night?"

"Pfft... How can you be so annoying!"

In the end, Lin Jianlu drove her home. She said it was hard to get a taxi. Actually, she had her own car. In this day and age, even though her salary was much lower than that of people in Hong Kong and Taiwan, she was still considered a wealthy person and could afford a car. But when she came to eat, she refused to drive herself and insisted on being picked up and dropped off by a car.

She called again early the next morning, her voice sweet and affectionate, "I want to eat your fried noodles again. What should I bring over today to get you a meal?"

I had to cancel; I was too busy.

In the morning, I continued to rehearse dance and practice with a group of beautiful girls.

In the afternoon, while Lin Jianlu was still in the dance studio, she called again, "Hey, Jianlu, there's a dinner party tonight, come with me, there's a bunch of guys, it'll be awkward if I don't go, I'll feel more at ease if you come with me."

Forget it... She's a princess of the Beijing film circle, and not even the so-called Beijing circle that Wang Shuo mentioned. That's too lowbrow. Xu Qing has been in the high-end art film circle since her debut. To put it bluntly, if you put all the people in the domestic film and television industry together, there are very few she would even look down on.

Lin Jianlu had heard a lot of gossip about her from casual conversations at dinner parties before—Chen Kaige pursued her, but she didn't even look at him; You Yong, a very popular actor in China, also pursued her, but she didn't look at him either; her real boyfriend was actually Wang Zhiwen, who was recognized in the industry as a man of character and talent, to put it bluntly, a great talent; but the two of them were both extremely arrogant, neither of them knew how to coax the other, and they reportedly dated for two years, often arguing, and eventually broke up.

Her status, her level of expertise, and her beauty—to put it bluntly, she's the kind of person that every man in the entire art film industry envies, but someone without real substance wouldn't even have the right to think about her.

Definitely the white moonlight of the film and television industry.

Otherwise, why would she be called the "Princess of the Beijing Circle"?

Would she be afraid of "a bunch of men" when she goes to a dinner party?
But Lin Jianlu didn't think he would want to coax her. He preferred the type of girls like Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun, who were either gentle or obedient, or even if they were a little willful, they were still cute and actually very sensible.

Or like the older auntie Lin Qingxia, she's sensible and doesn't need to be coaxed; she can take care of herself. Actually, even Liang Yongqi, while fun to be around, he regretted it a little afterwards—she was clingy, immature, and had a lot of temper tantrums; in short, she was difficult to handle.

"Come on, sister! I'm a respectable married man with a girlfriend. It's not appropriate for me to go with you!"

"You mean those two girls from the film academy? Don't think I don't know, they're not girlfriends, they're mistresses! Seriously, I'm begging you this once, please help me out this time!"

Wow, you actually went to the trouble of asking around!
Many people knew of Gao Yuanyuan's existence, but Lin Jianlu kept her well-protected, rarely taking her to parties or meeting friends. There were only two occasions: once was when he had dinner with Zhou Linggang, partly by chance, and partly because Zhou Linggang is from Taiwan and doesn't have much connection to the circles in Beijing. The second time was when Zhang Guoli was raising investment; it was a small event with few people, and few people know about it now.

On the contrary, Jiang Qinqin and Zuo Xiaoqian, whenever Lin Jianlu is in the capital, whenever there is a party, he will basically invite one of them to eat and drink. They are recognized as Lin Jianlu's best friends in the industry.

"You... need me... to back you up?"

"Pfft... Really! You understand, right? It's great to have someone pursuing you, but if you don't like the person pursuing you, and they keep pestering you, wouldn't you get annoyed?"

"Oh, so you went to use me as a scapegoat! This matter..."

"It's not for nothing! You'll benefit from it! How about... we date for a few months? It won't stop you from having your other girls, but there's one of them. If you really fall for me by then, you'll have to dump the other two!"

"This is supposed to benefit me? You're the one getting the better deal, aren't you?"

"Pfft... You're so annoying! Hey, please help me, Jianlu..."

It's a bit hard to refuse now.

The more you interact with her, the more you realize that while she can be quite proud and a little temperamental, she can also be quite clingy. And once she starts to cling to you, she really won't give up. Even if you deliberately make her some strong liquor, she won't get angry. Instead, she'll turn around and offer you tea leaves, continuing to try to please you.

Given Lin Jianlu's personality, he found it somewhat difficult to refuse a girl like this for a moment.

However, on the other hand, he's mainly concerned with the people in the capital, whether they're in music or film. He's not afraid of offending anyone. "Just this once! And don't let it happen again!"

"It's so nice to see you, Lu! ...Will you come pick me up?"

…………

If we count from the official release of "Cold to the End", it has been almost half a year since Lin Jianlu entered the industry.

I've grown so tired of socializing and attending drinking parties!
But when you're in the game, there are many times when you can't do anything about it—this isn't the era of making money through live streaming. On the other hand, even in the era of making money through live streaming traffic, it's said that those big influencers who are doing well still have to network.

Lin Jianlu now believes he has enough money and has no ambition for his career. At most, he'll record another album after the New Year and sell it, that's about it—writing a few songs for others doesn't count as a career.

Then, actually, the three-year, two-album contract with Rock Records was pretty much fulfilled.

Of course, after finishing two albums, three years is still a long time. You can release another album to make money. It's just that you won't be as active in promotion and marketing then. Instead, you can hold a concert tour to continue making money.

The eleven beautiful women in the dance studio, and the over ten thousand yuan per person for clothing expenses, were all prepared for this.

Then, I need to change jobs.

With Wang Fei's sales figures, EMI dared to offer her a sky-high signing bonus of 60 million yuan. If I switched companies, wouldn't I be offered at least 100 million yuan? This money comes so easily and comfortably; it would be a sin not to earn it!
Of course, if Lao Duan is willing to pay, he can stay at Rock Records. Anyway, he only wants money, so it doesn't matter who he signs with. It's almost 99, and the golden age of the record industry is coming to an end.

I'll release a few more albums, probably around 03 or 04, then I'll retire.

By then, the internet age will be just around the corner!

Clutching a handful of money, one should wait outside the stock market and start buying before 2000. Buy any newly listed internet or technology stocks that you'll later recognize the name of. It seems there was a major internet stock market crash around 2000, and you could play the game of selling and then buying back in. But in reality, the profit or loss is not that important—as long as you get in at that point and hold on, you'll make a fortune in ten years no matter what.

Whether it's domestic movies or TV series, if someone is looking for me and I've heard of the shows, investing a little is no big deal. The expenses are small, ranging from two or three million to four or five million. There are gains and losses, but even if I lose, it won't hurt me much. I can also keep the girls I've met.

Moreover, with the Forbidden City Film Industry platform, the platform invests money, and everyone shares the profits and losses, so the expenses are even less!

So, you see, I'll just muddle through for a few more years!

In the capital, I'll quietly buy a few houses, and then I'll go back and look at villas, choosing those with good locations, nice houses, and large plots of land. That'll be enough to support my wife.

A few years after the turn of the new millennium, he would retire from the game, have three or four wives and concubines, and leave the martial arts world behind!
But for now... I still have to keep navigating this circle!

A little after 5 p.m., I drove over to pick up Xu Qing.

Oh my goodness, the girl has dressed up again, wearing light makeup, and she looks absolutely stunning.

Then, I rushed to a drinking party.

Actually, many of them are acquaintances.

Even the most prestigious film and television circles in the capital are nothing more than the same people—Gu Changwei and his wife are there, along with a screenwriter named Wang Peigong, Jiang Wen and Han Shanping are acquaintances, and surprisingly, we even saw the famous host whose reputation and fame have been rising steadily in recent years, known in the industry as CCTV's number one sister, Ni Ping!

There are also a few people I shouldn't know, but in fact, I definitely do.

Ge You, Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi, and Li Xuejian.

Everyone shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. They were probably not familiar with each other, but Lin Jianlu had become incredibly popular in the last six months. In terms of popularity, her fame among the general public was already ridiculously high, let alone among those who had been in the arts and culture circle for many years.
They were both very polite to each other.

Xu Qing clung to Lin Jianlu's arm the whole time, enthusiastically introducing this person to that person. Judging from the situation, many people in the room were somewhat surprised to see Xu Qing so proactively sticking to Lin Jianlu and praising her, but they all accepted it calmly afterward.

Inside sat a "big shot"—when Xu Qing brought in Lin Jianlu, the superstar who had become a sensation, almost everyone stood up to exchange pleasantries and pleasantries, but this person alone did not make a single move to get up from beginning to end.

The renowned director, Chen Kaige.

Lin Jianlu caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, but since the other person didn't get up, he wasn't interested in approaching them.

Once everyone was familiar with each other, Xu Qing nudged his arm, trying to move towards the sofa, but Lin Jianlu pulled her back with a slight tug. She simply turned to chat with Jiang Wen—sitting there calmly, did she expect him to bend down and shake her hand?

Xu Qing suddenly realized something was wrong, but without saying anything, she grabbed Lin Jianlu's arm again.

On the contrary, Ni Ping also realized that it was inappropriate, and took the initiative to go over and seemed to pat Chen Kaige's arm. It is unclear what they exchanged with each other, but in any case, Chen Kaige got up with a displeased expression.

Ni Ping pulled him over, her face beaming with a lively and friendly smile. "Jianlu, let me introduce you, Chen Kaige... Old Chen, Lin Jianlu! A big star!"

As she spoke, she made a subtle movement with her hand, seemingly nudging him. Chen Kaige finally managed a smile, extended his hand, and said in a deep voice, similar to Jiang Wen's, "Hello, Lin Jianlu!"

Lin Jianlu smiled and shook hands, "Hello, Director Chen!"

They were all shrewd people, and they all realized that the atmosphere was a bit off.

But others seemed reluctant to step forward or get involved. Ni Ping was a little anxious. Her eyes swept around and suddenly landed on Han Shanping's face. She smiled brightly and said, "Director Han, I heard that your Beijing Film Studio has partnered with Jianlu to start a film and television company? Even the big star from Taiwan, Brigitte Lin, has a stake in it? Aren't you going to invest in the new company?"

Han Shanping, having been singled out by her, immediately understood and had no choice but to step in and smooth things over, "Not necessarily, it hasn't been established yet! Whether or not to invest will be decided at another meeting! Jianlu has always been very interested in investing in mainland Chinese films, and Kaige's films are always of guaranteed quality!"

So everyone chimed in, and in an instant, the inexplicable tension between Lin Jianlu and Chen Kaige was dispelled by everyone's interruptions.

So soon everyone gathered in twos and threes again and chatted.

Xu Qing didn't say a word, but just held Lin Jianlu's arm tightly from beginning to end, listening to him chatter nonsense with Jiang Wen and Han Shanping.

(End of this chapter)