Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

Chapter 68 Plan B: A Fantasy Blockbuster! System's 3rd Settlement: [Da Vinci's Painting Talent]

Shanghai, the Bund.

This place can be described as an exhibition of architecture from all over the world.

At the same time, the Bund is home to many flagship stores of top international brands, making it a hub for luxury goods and designers.

Many fashion events are held here.

At that very moment, Nazha was having a stylish dinner at another hotel not far away.

Because these days happen to be Shanghai Fashion Week.

As a currently popular fashion star, Gulnazar is favored by countless brands and is making a fortune.

If she could trick Lu Yunzhou into going with her to be her male companion, her income these past few days would probably be even higher.

Since we've entered the world of fame and fortune, let's put aside love and romance for now and focus on making a name for ourselves.

But for Lu Yunzhou, this level of exposure was meaningless, so no matter how Nazha tempted him, he remained unmoved.

Besides luxury goods, there are also many restaurants on the Bund.

【DAVITTORI0】This restaurant, which translates to 【维托利奥家】in Chinese, is the most expensive among the many Italian restaurants on the Bund.

This restaurant specializes in seafood feasts and is very skilled at combining Italian cooking techniques with local Chinese seafood to create a unique Shanghai flavor.

Perhaps it's because this restaurant is relatively expensive, making it very popular among Shanghai's wealthy residents.

Around 5pm.

With his right arm in a sling and his left arm held by Wang Ran, Lu Yunzhou walked into the restaurant under the watchful eyes of countless people.

President Weidler reserved a window seat because the view of the Bund below was breathtaking.

"Lu, my hero, it's been a long time."

Upon seeing Lu Yunzhou, President Weidler warmly came up and gave him a big hug.

"Lu, aren't you going to introduce this beautiful lady next to you?"

After hugging Lu Yunzhou, President Weidler glanced at Wang Churan beside him and made a joking remark with a smile.

Lu Yunzhou had changed female companions again, and this one was very tall.

The rumors were true; he does like girls with long legs.

President Weidler had actually met Wang Ran, but he had long forgotten who Wang Ran was.

One reason is that foreigners are less able to distinguish faces.

Secondly, Wang Ran is neither a big star nor an important guest, so he doesn't need to take her seriously.

"Mr. Weidler, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Wang Churan, our company's future superstar."

Lu Yunzhou politely introduced Wang Ran to President Weidler.

"Wang Chiran? Wang Chuan?"

Upon hearing the name, Mr. Weidler muttered to himself for a moment, then laughed heartily: "It's a good name. In short, very good."

Of course he knew that Lu Yunzhou's nickname was "Little Boat Brother".

All I can say is that this is very interesting.

"Lu, what would you like to eat? This restaurant's caviar tarts are unique. I highly recommend them."

The two chatted as they walked to their seats.

At that moment, two elderly white men noticed something and came over to greet Lu Yunzhou.

"Lu, the movie was awesome. The only regret is that you didn't endorse our group's Dior jewelry brand."

The old man who came over to speak is the CEO of LVMH Group's Greater China region.

Before the movie was released, Dior, a brand under this group, was negotiating with Ji Rujing, wanting Lu Yunzhou to be the spokesperson for Dior's jewelry collection.

However, Lu Yunzhou never agreed.

After the movie was released, they were surprised to find that Lu Yunzhou had incorporated a memorable necklace into the film.

Swan's Tears.

The luxury brand was launched simultaneously with the movie's release.

The Swan Tears necklace sold out instantly in China, and sales in Europe also began to grow slowly, directly competing with Swarovski.

Realizing what they had missed, the LVMH Group regretfully slapped their thighs.

Because the Swan Tears necklace is sold at such a low price.

If it were jewelry from their company, Dior, the price would be at least 10 times higher.

The CEO of LVMH Group wasn't dining alone; he was having dinner with Loro, the Italian cashmere brand.

Piana's global CEO.

This brand is also under the LVMH Group.

The two CEOs probably have important work to discuss today. They met Lu Yunzhou but only came over to say hello.

The global CEO of LoroPiana looked Lu Yunzhou up and down, then smiled and said, "Lu, our company has released a new bomber jacket. It would look amazing on you. Perhaps we could collaborate sometime."

Lu Yunzhou became the spokesperson for Estée Lauder's high-end fashion line.

But that's okay, a suit is a suit, and a flight jacket is a flight jacket.

These two are not in the same category.

Presumably, Lu Yunzhou and Ji Rujing will have made this very clear in the treaty.

"Thank you both for your recognition."

Regardless of whether a collaboration can be reached, appearances still need to be maintained, and Lu Yunzhou is very grateful for the two people's recognition of his fashion sense.

"Lu, let's talk again next time. Hope you enjoy your meal."

Seeing that Lu Yunzhou and President Weidler still had things to talk about, the two greeted each other and then left.

They've been in China for a long time and know that when doing business with Chinese people, they like to play the emotional card first; once they're on good terms, everything is negotiable.

Before the New York shooting, they weren't particularly enthusiastic about Lu Yunzhou.

Because China has many idol stars that they can choose from.

However, after the "New York shooting", Lu Yunzhou became almost the number one idol and influencer among the younger generation worldwide.

Before him was Robert Pattinson, who became a global sensation with "Twilight".

Robert Pattinson is Dior's eternal muse.

However, 30-year-old Robert Pattinson, being British, often tells nonsensical and easily misunderstood jokes.

For example, he once said in a public interview that he rarely washes his hair.

This lame joke led to increasingly exaggerated rumors, with the whole world saying that he didn't wash his hair or brush his teeth, and even that he had an unpleasant odor on set.

This greatly impacted Robert Pattinson's commercial value.

Later, having no other option, Robert Pattinson had to come out and clarify that it was all just a joke he made up.

But nobody believes it anymore.

The whole world believes that he doesn't wash his hair or brush his teeth.

This is not over yet.

He once fabricated another story in an interview, such as that he witnessed a clown being blown up as a child and that he was a hand model—after seeing these things, many viewers felt that his mental state might be problematic.

Although all of this was later clarified, rumors are like weeds; once they take root, no matter how many times they are cut, they will grow back, showing remarkable resilience.

This led to a significant drop in Robert Pattinson's commercial value.

But as long as he doesn't go bald, Dior will always consider him his muse.

However, in East Asia, Dior needs another muse, and Lu Yunzhou seems to be a perfect fit.

"Lu, you've become a global fashion darling, everyone's chasing after you. Compared to a year ago, you're like a superstar now."

After being seated, President Weidler spoke very sincerely.

He felt that he had excellent judgment.

The moment he saw Lu Yunzhou, he knew that this kid was no ordinary person.

Sure enough.

Lu Yunzhou smiled and said, "I think that driving an Audi R8 past some university gates and seeing the admiration that young girls have for me and the worship that young boys have for me is the most fashionable thing in the world—because it makes me feel how wonderful it is to be successful at a young age."

Lu Yunzhou's words were an unintentional compliment to Audi.

President Weidler understood Lu Yunzhou's subtext, and couldn't help but laugh, raising his glass: "To the young and promising."

Seeing Lu Yunzhou also raise his glass, Wang Churan gently tugged at him and whispered, "Brother, you can't drink alcohol. Let's have juice instead."

President Weidler, of course, had no objection and gestured for him to proceed.

He looked at Lu Yunzhou with some envy and couldn't help but sigh in German, "He who has never cried through the long night is not qualified to speak of life."

Wang Churan had no idea what President Weidler was talking about.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunzhou immediately added, "Respect Goethe! Thank him for letting us understand how wonderful youth is."

President Weidler was surprised that Lu Yunzhou could understand German: "I almost forgot, you study classical music, so it's normal for you to understand German."

The three towering figures of classical music—Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart—all spoke German.

The line of poetry he just quoted in German comes from Goethe's novel, "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship".

But the story of who prompted Goethe to write this sentence is another one.

The elderly Goethe would come to Marienbad for recuperation almost every year.

During his time in Marienbad, he often stayed at the home of Mrs. Amélie Lefzo.

The landlady's eldest daughter, Ulrike von Lefzo, was in the prime of her youth and often accompanied Goethe on walks; the two grew increasingly close.

In June 1823, Goethe returned to Marienbad and considered marrying 19-year-old Ulrike, but was rejected.

It was only when Goethe was leaving Marienbad's carriage that he realized he had lost his youth, and that youth could not be replaced by anything.

The elderly Goethe was a leading figure in German literature, one of the leaders of European literature, and enjoyed a high status in the fields of science and thought.

He possessed everything a young person could have, except for his youth. But even so, the 19-year-old girl didn't like him.

How wonderful is youth?

At this moment, President Weidler, like the 74-year-old Goethe, possessed almost everything a man could have.

But he still envied Lu Yunzhou.

Because Lu Yunzhou is young enough.

"Brother, even if it's juice, you should drink less of it, as it's not good for your wound to heal."

When Wang Churan saw that Lu Yunzhou could actually converse with President Weidler in German, her admiration for Lu Yunzhou deepened even further.

"If Goethe had seen this, he would probably have been jealous of you too."

Seeing how much Wang Ran cared about Lu Yunzhou, President Weidler felt that this seafood feast was tasteless and that it was best to end it as soon as possible.

But as the host, he had to make sure that Lu Yunzhou, his guest, had a good time.

About half an hour later, President Weidler saw that Lu Yunzhou had almost finished eating and said, "Lu, let's talk about serious matters."

"Do you have any plans for a sequel?"

"What I mean is, no matter how much investment is needed, Audi can cover it all, so you don't need to look for other investors."

"No problem with anything under $1 million."

"Between $1 million and $2 million, I might need to apply to the group for that. But I think a racing movie shouldn't cost $2 million, right?"

That's hard to say.

Because the production cost of "F1 Racing" exceeded 2 million US dollars.

Of course, the reason why this movie had such a high production cost was because the Hollywood strike occurred during filming, wasting a full four months and significantly increasing the cost.

If filmed normally, it would easily gross a little over 1 million US dollars.

"Mr. Weidler, of course I'd love to make a sequel. Who would turn down money? But we need a catalyst."

Lu Yunzhou subtly hinted that he had already done his best.

Based on the first part, he will adapt it based on real history—the key point now is that Cheng Congfu hasn't had a chance to create history yet.

In 2012, Cheng Congfu won the LMP1 non-factory group championship at the WEC Shanghai station, which is the peak of his current professional career.

He needs to break through his peak and win at least a few championships—if he only wins one championship, there will definitely not be enough material.

"Alright, Lu, I understand your predicament."

President Weidler was actually just trying his luck, and now that he has been clearly rejected by Lu Yunzhou, he is not angry.

Lu Yunzhou's brilliant film for Audi was like winning the lottery.

However, if winning the lottery happened every day, there would be no need for him, the CEO, to rack his brains to run the company.

"Lu, I heard you've been preparing for a new project lately. Do you have any ideas? Could you share them with me? I mean, Audi could provide some sponsorship."

"As long as you make the movie look cool enough, that's all that matters."

President Weidler doesn't care about the box office performance of Lu Yunzhou's film "Crazy Racing".

After watching the movie, he had only one thought: the main character was too handsome.

Other racing movies, although the protagonists are very skilled drivers, exude a loser vibe, or the aura of a loser, or a sense of decadence.

But the protagonist played by Lu Yunzhou doesn't give the impression of being repressed at all. Even though he faced some discrimination in the UK, he quickly won everyone's trust with his abilities.

Just like Lu Yunzhou himself.

His skin color wouldn't cause Lu Yunzhou to face discrimination abroad; on the contrary, it would generate great interest among young girls in Europe and America in this yellow-skinned boy.

They had never seen such a handsome Asian man before, and they were filled with a sense of novelty.

In the past, whenever Asians appeared on screen, they were always depicted with small eyes, wide cheeks, and a Tungusic appearance.

How can such an ugly screen image be liked by young girls in Europe and America?

Lu Yunzhou single-handedly shattered the stereotypes that Western audiences had about people of Asian descent, and they began to realize on a large scale that handsome men of Asian descent are also incredibly charming.

"President Weidler, I have enjoyed working with Audi very much."

"Audi played a lot of the role in making the movie 'The Speeding Racer' a hit in Europe and America, especially in Europe."

"I am very grateful for this."

"If possible, I certainly hope we can continue to collaborate on the next film."

"Since you brought it up, I have two ideas for my next movie that I'd like to discuss with you."

Lu Yunzhou has signed an agreement with Audi that is similar to a lifetime endorsement contract, which means that the two parties are deeply bound together.

This agreement should last a long time before Audi withdraws from the Chinese market.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yunzhou briefly explained his two ideas.

"First, I want to make a crime film. I've almost finished the concept, but considering the current market for crime films isn't particularly good, I need to conduct more in-depth market research before making a final decision."

"Secondly, I want to create an epic fantasy film series similar to Harry Potter, in which a second world full of mysterious power is hidden in the real world."

"This could be a huge film series with a complete world view, world history, and various ethnic groups."

""

"However, I need to film a prequel for this mysterious world first."

"I will be the male lead, but I still need to find a young female lead. Besides that, I'd like to film in England, France, and..."

Four children from Germany and Italy will be chosen to team up with my heroine and enter that mysterious, unknown world.

"I will adapt the monsters in this mysterious world by referring to the Classic of Mountains and Seas and adding some elements of European and American mythology."

"This will be a massive undertaking."

"Anyway, I want to give it a try, to make a prequel first, and to create a few characters that the audience will like."

Lu Yunzhou is actually quite confident in making action movies.

But as I said before, Hollywood in the 90s had so many different genres that the talented directors practically made every gangster film they could.

There are two reliable models for movies these days.

First, it's based on a true story. This allows the audience to feel a strong sense of immersion.

Secondly, by adapting true stories and adding the unique characteristics of the era, a strong cultural barrier will be formed, preventing it from being impacted by Hollywood blockbusters.

For example, "Dying to Survive" is a typical example.

However, both of these films are limited by their domestic markets and are unlikely to achieve global success.

If you want to truly conquer the world while also gaining acceptance in your domestic market, there's really only one option left—visual blockbusters.

Chinese kung fu movies — actually aren't doing so well anymore.

In the past, action movies were able to sweep the world because Hollywood lacked action stars; they could only shoot scenes of muscular men delivering punches and kicks, and scenes of gunfights.

Fighting styles like those of Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jet Li, which are known for their "Chinese Kung Fu," are extremely rare.

It's precisely because Hollywood can't film these movies that these two are able to conquer the entire world.

However, with Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jet Li setting a high bar, Hollywood has now brought in many Chinese action directors and learned those techniques.

Chinese kung fu movies are finding it increasingly difficult to gain international acceptance.

The Ip Man series has tried this approach.

In fact, the Ip Man series performed very well on streaming platforms. But its box office performance was poor.

It's absolutely impossible for Lu Yunzhou to perform as spectacularly as Donnie Yen.

Even if he were to transform Dai Si into an action star, it probably wouldn't work.

Because Donnie Yen truly possesses martial arts skills.

"Lu, I don't know much about movies, but I'm tired of Marvel blockbusters. I think you could give your idea a try."

From a cinematic perspective, Lu Yunzhou only needs to shoot something fresh, with a solid narrative, adequate visual effects, and good promotion to succeed.

As a spectator, President Weidler will most likely give it a try.

Everyone likes new things.

Most importantly, Lu Yunzhou is currently very popular, and no matter what he films, audiences all over the world will give him a chance.

But there may only be one chance.

Therefore, Lu Yunzhou must seize this opportunity.

Lu Yunzhou himself is clearly aware of this. Therefore, he is very cautious and is constantly thinking about how to maximize his personal commercial value.

"No matter what, Lu, Audi will support you, and I personally will support you too."

According to President Weidler, he would wholeheartedly support Lu Yunzhou's willingness to shoot visual blockbusters.

If Lu Yunzhou succeeds, he will become a world-class superstar, bringing Audi a large number of new customers.

If Lu Yunzhou fails, then he can come back to making racing movies. If he can't make Cheng Congfu's movies, he can make Tom Christensen's.

When the time comes, we can just find a handsome European or American actor.

The director is still Lu Yunzhou.

They could even turn "Racing Cars" into a racing universe, filming all the drivers from the Audi team.

Let everyone become a legend.

If Lu Yunzhou is willing to take this bid, Audi would probably be happy to pay any price.

"Thank you for your support, President Weidler."

Having secured a major client, Lu Yunzhou was in a fairly good mood.

Although no contract has been signed, President Weidler has already revealed his bottom line: Audi is willing to support him with $1 million.

Let him pursue his dreams.

Clearly, the huge success of "Crazy Racer" made Audi willing to place a big bet on it.

After the meal, the company's nanny van picked up Lu Yunzhou and Wang Churan.

"Brother, have you been working very hard lately?"

Wang Churan assumed that Lu Yunzhou's sudden disappearance after the huge success of his film was because he had gone out and celebrated wildly, not wanting anyone to know.

Now she realizes that the success of "Crazy Racer" is just the beginning.

Lu Yunzhou has even grander plans.

He actually wanted to create an epic fantasy IP similar to Harry Potter, set in the East.

Just listening to it made Wang Ran feel his blood boil; he was willing to risk his life for his brother and dedicate everything he had.

"It's not hard work at all; I'm enjoying it."

Lu Yunzhou reached out and gently pinched Wang Ran's cheek: "Five years after Harry Potter ended, The Lord of the Rings..."

Thirteen years after its conclusion, audiences worldwide are awaiting the next epic fantasy IP.

"In addition, China has become the world's second strongest country. Domestically, there is a desire to export culture, and the world also wants to understand Eastern culture—we are standing at the forefront of this trend, and this is our best opportunity. Who knows what will happen in two years?"

Although Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings have been over for a long time, their derivative works, such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find The Hobbit, still sell very well.

This demonstrates just how powerful the lifespan of a super IP can be.

At this moment, Lu Yunzhou couldn't help but think of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," which was released in 2021 and directed by Tony Leung.

At first, Lu Yunzhou thought it was a terrible movie that would most likely flop.

Whether it's North American audiences or Chinese audiences, they probably won't like it.

But after checking the data carefully, he suddenly discovered that the movie had grossed $2.2 million in North America and $4.3 million worldwide!

This achievement is quite remarkable, especially considering the raging pandemic of 2021.

The film's box office performance in North America even surpassed that of "Black Widow" ($1.83 million) and "Venom 2" ($2.14 million) during the same period!

And its freshness rating on rotten tomatoes is as high as 92%.

The film received very high praise from North American audiences.

This was truly unexpected for Lu Yunzhou.

Originally, from the producer's perspective, the film could have been released in mainland China and grossed another $2 million at the box office.

In this way, the film's global box office may exceed $6 million, which would be a very good result.

However, the production company was too arrogant and made a film that was not the kind of movie that Chinese people like, and it couldn't even pass the censorship.

The box office success of Shang-Chi made Lu Yunzhou realize that North American audiences were not actually that xenophobic; they also wanted to see different types of visual blockbusters.

It's just that no one had filmed them before, and no production company had made any attempt in this regard.

Most importantly, China has now become the world's second strongest power, its influence is rising, and Westerners are full of curiosity about China.

The movie "The Great Wall" was actually quite visionary, seizing this opportunity to export some visual blockbusters with Chinese cultural elements to the world.

Unfortunately, the story of this movie is not engaging enough.

Despite all this haphazard approach, the film still grossed $4500 million in North America, surpassing Hendrik Willem Van Loon's "Rumble in the Bronx".

"Boat Girl, if the prequel is successful and makes the brand famous, I will create a very beautiful classical character for you."

"If you wore ancient costume, you would definitely become a global sensation."

Wang Churan looks quite good in modern clothes, but she still pales in comparison to her ancient costumes.

Perhaps because of their background in traditional opera, Wang Ran, like Li Lin, exudes an indescribable classical charm when dressed in period costumes.

"Um.

""

Wang Ran and Lu Yunzhou made eye contact, and it was as if her eyes were being burned, so hot that she quickly lowered her head.

Lu Yunzhou's burning gaze seemed to scald her heart.

It made her heart pound, and then the warmth from her heart spread throughout her body, making her cheeks flush.

At this moment, she was too shy to meet Lu Yunzhou's gaze. She turned to look out the window, exhaled a breath of stale air, and felt as if she was about to suffocate.

Taking several deep breaths, Wang Ran turned around, mustered her courage, and firmly grasped Lu Yunzhou's left arm with both hands.

Then, Wang Ran looked up and whispered, "Brother, when I grow up, I'll be your girlfriend, okay?"

After saying that, she felt her whole body go limp and she couldn't muster any strength.

Because she had already gone all in.

Now, she must await her fate's judgment.

If she were rejected, she would become the clown.

She swore to God that she would beat Cai Xukun to death when she got back.

It was definitely that brat who said he had big feet in front of Lu Yunzhou, which made him lose a lot of points.

Lu Yunzhou turned his head, looked deeply at Wang Cheran, and suddenly smiled: "Let's talk about it when you're older."

I didn't become a clown.

This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Although Lu Yunzhou didn't immediately agree, he didn't refuse either.

This relieved Wang Ran, and she was even very happy.

At that moment, Wang Ran seemed to sense something, and tugged at Lu Yunzhou's sleeve, suddenly saying very cleverly, "Brother, tell me honestly, have you secretly started dating someone, but you can't let anyone else know?"

"Brother, who is your girlfriend? Can you tell me? I swear to God, I won't tell anyone."

Wang Ran really wanted to know, which girl could be better than her?

She possessed the long legs that Lu Yunzhou admired, a sweet and lovely face, thick hair, and an adorable smile. She was also devoted to Lu Yunzhou.

Most importantly, her family is also wealthy.

Moreover, she calls herself "Boat Girl," and Lu Yunzhou calls her "Boat Brother"—Lu Yunzhou's nickname is "Porridge King," and she especially likes to go to Porridge King for breakfast.

They looked like a match made in heaven.

She has only one flaw: her feet are a bit big, she wears size 40.

But Lu Yunzhou was unaware of this shortcoming.

Damn!

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Wang Ran's eyes at the thought.

"That little brat Cai Xukun, I'm going to kill him when I get back!"

"Brother, I have to go now. Can I come to your company next weekend?"

Lu Yunzhou escorted Wang Churan to the school gate.

Wang Churan got out of the car, looking back every few steps, thinking that she wanted to go on a date with Lu Yunzhou next week and have a big meal.

Lu Yunzhou thought for a moment and said, "Next week, I might be in Yanjing for a Directors Guild forum. When I get back, you'll most likely be joining a film crew."

"6

"Okay~"

Wang Churan pouted, looking somewhat helpless.

Being a celebrity is already busy enough, but Lu Yunzhou also has the identity of a director, making his work even busier than that of ordinary top-tier celebrities.

Since that's the case, we can only meet at the top.

Wang Churan composed herself, tossed her hair, and confidently returned to school.

Wang Churan returned to her dormitory, changed out of her date outfit, removed her contact lenses, and put on thick black-rimmed glasses with a prescription of 600 degrees.

She prepared to wash her feet until they were clean and then go to bed.

She was quite happy today.

Lu Yunzhou treated her to a lavish meal and revealed a global fantasy film project he was planning to work on. He even hinted that if the project succeeded, she would definitely have a role in it.

-

This made Wang Ran realize that Lu Yunzhou favored her.

The 17-year-old girl had never seen anything like this before, and immediately felt that love had come her way.

All day long, her heart was filled with sweetness.

"Little Boat, did your date go well today?"

Wang Churan's roommates were lying quietly in bed, scrolling through Weibo with their legs crossed, casually teasing her.

Wang Churan got up early in the morning to dress up; she was definitely going out on a date.

However, no one knew that Wang Ran was on a date with Lu Yunzhou.

Just then, as if she had discovered something amazing, she suddenly shouted "Holy crap!" and almost fell off the bed: "Little Boat, Weibo is exploding! You're trending!"

Upon hearing this, the others turned around and asked, "Where? Where?"

"So fast?"

Wang Ran had anticipated this, muttered something under his breath, and quickly picked up his phone, held it up to his eyes, and stared at it.

They were afraid of missing their moment of glory.

[Director Lu Yunzhou on a date with a mysterious woman on the Bund; he still prefers Italian restaurants as always!]

A mysterious woman, tall and imposing.

The first trending topic is alright.

Wang Ran was initially quite pleased, but soon she saw another message, and after reading only half a sentence, she couldn't hold back anymore.

"You're the tall one! I'm definitely tall and slender."

Despite his dissatisfaction with the wording, Wang Ran still clicked into those entries to read the details.

"I thought it was our rumored affair that had been exposed—but it turns out it was this."

Wang Ran quickly gave up, a look of disappointment on his face.

Because this wasn't a scandal at all, but a press release from the company.

After clicking in, the real content in the trending search is her personal resume, including her experiences from childhood to adulthood, especially her experience as a child star on Qilu TV.

Besides that, there's the fact that she won first prize in the National Middle School Drama Competition last year.

Of course, there were also compliments about her figure, praise for her temperament, and director Lu Yunzhou's unique aesthetic sense.

In short, she is incredibly talented!

Then, "A Love So Beautiful" officially announced that Wang Ran had joined their production team and would play the female lead.

Having seen this, netizens probably understand the whole story.

"It turns out that Director Lu took his company's newest actress to the Bund for dinner and to meet the client, the president of Audi."

"It seems this new actress is quite favored. She hasn't been with the company long, yet she's already the lead actress and was personally taken by Director Lu to meet investors."

"Have you guys noticed? This new actress looks a bit like Liu Yifei, and a bit like Li Lin?"

Wang Ran didn't think he looked like Liu Yifei.

She's much sweeter than Liu Yifei, and her shoulders are much prettier. Liu Yifei has sloping shoulders and particularly thick thighs.

She has none of these flaws.

Wang Churan didn't think he looked like Li Lin at all.

How can Li Qin's withered figure compare to hers? Her figure is much more beautiful, her legs are longer, and her personality is more adorable.

I heard that Li Qin and Lu Yunzhou went to New York Fashion Week together, but Lu Yunzhou didn't even bother to look at Li Qin.

And Lu Yunzhou's attitude towards her—

Nobody knew before, but now the whole internet knows.

Lu Yunzhou took great care of her.

at the same time.

In the "Porridge and Rice Family" Shanghai No. 1 group.

The group members also saw that Wang Ran was trending on social media, and the chat history in the group instantly reached "999+" messages.

"My goodness, no wonder Chuanmei didn't want to be the group leader anymore. It turns out she made a glamorous transformation and was signed by Zhouzhou into the company and is being treated like a precious darling."

"Chuanmei, she's definitely the pinnacle of fan site admins, right?"

"From being a fangirl to being cast as the leading lady by her idol, even eating at Michelin-starred restaurants together and wearing matching necklaces, I'm so jealous!"

Wang Churan opened it and glanced at it; it was full of people's envy, jealousy, and hatred towards her.

-

The comments from netizens didn't make her feel any sense of reality.

However, the sour remarks from her group members, with whom she usually joked and boasted, pushed her girlish vanity to its limit.

Naza is preparing for the MK Fashion Gala.

They are also active in Shanghai.

After seeing the trending topic online, she instantly became envious.

"Sister Liang, I asked you to help me investigate, and you've been searching for so long without finding a single useful piece of information. Come and take a look, is it her?"

Wang Ran looks a bit like Liu Yifei and a bit like Li Lin. The key difference is that she is much younger, has very long legs, a lot of hair, and a particularly sweet smile.

Naza felt she had discovered a rival in love.

"I have no idea."

Sister Liang shook her head and said very seriously, "But based on my personal experience in the industry, if Lu Yunzhou dares to swagger around and take this young girl out to dinner, and then hype it up afterward, they are probably not a real couple."

Real couples keep their relationship a secret; how could they possibly reveal it openly? Those that are revealed are basically fake couples.

The reason why the relationship was exposed was either because of a breakdown or because of a dispute over the division of spoils, with one party unwilling to accept the situation and trying to drag the other party down with them.

Which of these two matches, Lu Yunzhou or Wang Churan?

"Besides, Nazha, if you click on the title and take a look, you'll see that the article doesn't promote them as a couple at all. Instead, it introduces this young girl's resume, saying how many awards she has won and how much her acting skills are highly anticipated. Then, it prematurely cancels the 'A Love So Beautiful' project."

This is clearly Huace's way of building hype for the drama.

Lu Yunzhou was merely brought over by Huace and used their traffic for a while.

Considering the relationship between Lu Yunzhou and Huace, if Wang Ran were Lu Yunzhou's real girlfriend, Huace would definitely not try to capitalize on the situation; instead, they would help Lu Yunzhou keep it a secret.

After hearing this, Nazha felt that things were not so simple: "Zhouzhou is very shrewd. He might do the opposite."

"Nazha, believe me, this is definitely not his girlfriend."

Knowing that she couldn't easily persuade Nazha, Sister Liang sent Nazha a comment from a well-known hater ID on Lu Yunzhou's Weibo.

—【Little Octopus Long Legs 99】: "Fake!"

The posts made by this ID are just like authoritative certifications.

After seeing this post, a large number of fans came to support and like it.

"When Sister Octopus appeared, my heart calmed down."

"I knew it. Once Zhouzhou has a scandal, Sister Octopus will definitely be the first to jump out."

"By the way, when did you return to China, Sister Octopus? I saw your IP address last week and you were still in Italy. How come you're in Jiangsu today? Anyway, I hope your business grows bigger and bigger."

"Sister Octopus, could you post some more photos of Zhouzhou when she was little? You have so many rare photos that you can't find anywhere online! Tell me the truth, you must be Zhouzhou's childhood friend, right?"

"Sister Octopus, my eternal idol. Zhouzhou's number one hater, but also a true warrior of pure love, only targeting Zhouzhou with her hate!"

Because of the ID "Zhang Ruonan," whose IP address jumps all over the world, many people assume that Zhang Ruonan is a rich second-generation who has taken over the family business and therefore needs to travel all over the world.

Moreover, Zhang Ruonan always had some photos of Lu Yunzhou when he was a child, and everyone believed that Zhang Ruonan was Lu Yunzhou's childhood friend.

She may have been consumed by unrequited love, which turned into hatred, and she kept a close eye on Lu Yunzhou, giving her a haunting and persistent aura.

Faced with constant inquiries from netizens, 【小章鱼大长腿99】didn't say anything nonsense, but instead posted a gift box.

It was a gold pinky ring.

It's the same brand as Swan Tears, but it's the Singles' Day special.

Zhang Ruonan believes that since she is the brand ambassador, whatever she posts online is primarily for the purpose of promoting the brand.

After all, she is also a minority shareholder of this brand.

The major shareholder is Lu Yunzhou's family.

She's building up her family fortune for her future son, so of course she's full of motivation.

"Is this a single-person style for Singles' Day? Is it a new style?"

"It seems this pinky ring isn't available online."

"Sister Octopus, you seem to have revealed your true identity—I knew it, you and Zhouzhou have a close relationship!"

"It's being said on the internet that the brand Swan Tears, which appears to be an Italian accessible luxury brand, is actually owned by several Wenzhou business owners."

"Your family is one of them, right?"

"So, the 'Swan Tears' brand that Zhouzhou featured in the movie is actually your family's business. You're Zhouzhou's number one sugar daddy, and Tang Yan is even ranked behind you."

No wonder you both love and hate Zhouzhou.

This logic is absolutely perfect.

Clever netizens have perfectly connected the stories of Zhang Ruonan and Lu Yunzhou.

The two of them are probably good friends who have known each other since childhood.

Zhang Ruonan harbored inappropriate feelings for Lu Yunzhou, but Lu Yunzhou looked down on her completely, causing Zhang Ruonan to hate him out of love and keep an eye on him online every day.

But since he was the man she had loved, Zhang Ruonan couldn't bear to hurt him. Instead, she used her family resources to forcibly reconnect with Lu Yunzhou through business cooperation.

In no time, "Sister Octopus" became Lu Yunzhou's number one pure love fan.

"As long as Sister Octopus hasn't let go of our Zhouzhou, I can be sure that our Zhouzhou is definitely single!"

"Everyone, let's disperse."

"7

"Even our number one hater, Sister Octopus, has confirmed it's a fake rumor. What are we worried about?"

Originally, Lu Yunzhou wanted to generate some buzz for Wang Ran, but the appearance of Zhang Ruonan's ID immediately dampened the netizens' enthusiasm.

It's obviously fake, so what's the point of arguing?

Zhang Ruonan, who was filming in Nanjing, was completely baffled.

She stared blankly at her phone, her brows furrowed, making her two round eyes almost cross-eyed.

"How did I become a hater?"

"I clearly want to promote our products."

Given her intelligence, it's difficult for her to understand the netizens' line of thinking.

However, after her efforts, the number of people who pre-ordered the "Singles' Day Gold Pinky Ring" increased by thousands.

Anyway, the family business is getting better and better, and that's good.

As for the rumors about Lu Yunzhou and Wang Ran, Zhang Ruonan didn't react much.

Wenzhou is not far from Fujian, and there are similar proverbs there.

Basically, a man's life boils down to three things: [Building a big house, having a son, and taking a concubine]

Zhang Ruonan had heard her father say that a certain Quanzhou boss, after marrying his second wife, had his first wife take care of the three children (two born to him and one born to his second wife), while the second wife was responsible for accompanying the boss to social events outside.

The division of labor between the two is very clear.

Anyway, as long as she controls the family finances, she can prevent her aunt from causing trouble.

The crew of "Wolf Warrior 2".

Before heading to Yanjing, Lu Yunzhou first went to the countryside in Hebei and met Dai Si.

After all, Dai Si was someone he had thrown into the film crew, so he couldn't just ignore him.

"Brother Chuan, you're so heroic!"

When Lu Yunzhou arrived at the film crew, the entire crew was in an uproar.

Even the cafeteria workers came over to watch the spectacle, circling around Lu Yunzhou as if they were seeing a giant panda for the first time.

"Director Lu, what does it feel like to be hit by a bullet?"

Even Wu Jing, a privately trained special forces soldier, was very curious about what kind of mentality Lu Yunzhou had when he helped Jing Tian take the bullet.

"You'll know when you get hit by a bullet."

Lu Yunzhou had no desire to recall the past, and gave Wu Jing, who was eager to try, a terrible idea.

"Then forget it."

Wu Jing has endured a lot of hardship and suffered many injuries while filming, but all of them were within a controllable range. The time Lu Yunzhou was shot was something completely uncontrollable.

He definitely wouldn't dare to go that far.

"Director Lu, it's such a pity that we can't fight side by side in the movie."

Wu Jing was filled with regret that Lu Yunzhou missed out on "Wolf Warrior 2".

Although he used to have great trust in Lu Yunzhou's popularity and influence, he didn't really admire Lu Yunzhou himself.

But now, Lu Yunzhou is even willing to block bullets for others, making him a true tough guy.

Most people would be terrified in that situation; how could they possibly have the courage to shield someone from bullets?

For this reason alone, he respected Lu Yunzhou for life.

"Little Boat Brother, I'm so worried about you."

Unlike the others who were chatting and laughing, Dai Si's eyes instantly reddened when he saw Lu Yunzhou with one arm in a sling.

She stood there, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, hesitant to come over and hug Lu Yunzhou, but then she thought about it and wondered what her identity was.

It seems a bit unworthy.

"I was worried about you too. I was afraid you'd get hurt on set. I heard you bumped your head and broke it, it scared me. Don't push yourself so hard next time."

"You're not smart to begin with, and now you've broken your brain? What will you do then?"

Upon seeing Dai Si, he seemed to want to come over and hug her, but hesitated.

The perceptive Lu Yunzhou realized something, so he stepped forward, opened his left arm, and gave the little girl a hug.

He gently ruffled her hair.

Lu Yunzhou whispered in Dai Si's ear, "But don't worry, your efforts will definitely pay off. The movie 'Wolf Warrior 2' is bound to be a hit. By then, you'll be a big star, and I'll take you to make even bigger productions."

"Um."

When Dai Si touched her head, she felt even more dizzy than when she was hit on the head with a brick that day.

At that moment, she could barely breathe.

"Oh, right, Xiao Dai, I brought you a gift."

Lu Yunzhou gifted Dai Si a complete set of the "Swan Tears" jewelry.

Anyway, he gave a set to every female celebrity he knew.

Whether the other party wears it or not, as long as someone wears it, it will bring huge exposure to their business.

"Thank you, Little Boat Bro."

Dai Si carefully put the gift away, preparing to wear the jewelry for any important events in the future.

After having lunch with the crew, Lu Yunzhou took photos with many of them before heading to Yanjing.

On the train to Yanjing.

Ji Rujing couldn't help but ask, "Yunzhou, I feel your attitude towards Dai Si is quite unusual. Are you really planning to promote Dai Si as the female lead?"

Lu Yunzhou shook his head slightly: "She's too honest. This kind of personality makes her a great all-around supporting actress. But she's not quite there to be the leading lady."

"Besides that, although her appearance is somewhat distinctive, it's not particularly stunning. She might be suitable as a supporting actress, but she can't be the leading lady and can't carry a whole show."

The "Cleaner" project probably won't be able to continue.

Sometimes, many projects are created because of people.

Lu Yunzhou wanted to find a beautiful female fighter, and Nazha was originally the most suitable for the role, but the clever Nazha actually refused.

Dai Si is Nazha's substitute.

Before heading to Yanjing, Lu Yunzhou made a special trip to see Dai Si, just to find out how different Dai Si was from the female lead in his mind.

After careful consideration, he felt it wouldn't work.

Therefore, he can only use plan B.

"Liu Haocun, I hope you won't let me down. It's a film carefully selected by Zhang Yimou, so it shouldn't be too bad."

With a similar background in dance, and given that Dai Si was able to transition into an action star, Lu Yunzhou felt that Liu Haocun should be able to as well.

Liu Haocun's family seems to have recently been embroiled in a lawsuit.

Her family must be quite short of money.

At this moment, in Lu Yunzhou's eyes, Liu Haocun, this young girl, was full of weaknesses.

Having a weakness makes things easier.

After some troubles, the second film project finally got back on the right track.

"A 16-year-old girl, burdened with enormous family pressure, will definitely give her all for this role."

Lu Yunzhou felt that Liu Haocun would work even harder than Dai Si.

Now, it's not Liu Haocun who's coming to save him, but rather he's descending like a god to save Liu Haocun, this little girl who's been tormented by fate!

-

"Um?"

Just as Lu Yunzhou was pondering how to tap into all of Liu Haocun's potential, he suddenly heard some familiar mechanical turning sounds in his mind.

It's been almost half a month since "Crazy Racing" was released, and the system has finally appeared again.

"Sister Ji, I'm a little tired. I'll take a nap first. Wake me up when we get to Yanjing."

Lu Yunzhou pretended to be asleep, closed his eyes, and quietly enjoyed the moment.

He was filled with anticipation.

I wonder what kind of grand prize the system will give him this time?

A moment later, the system began to broadcast a cold, impersonal message.

[Congratulations to the player! Your film, "Racing Madness," has received acclaim from hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.]

[Congratulations, player! You've helped actress Tang Yan transform into a versatile queen, completely redeeming her acting skills and making her a representative of the post-85 generation of actresses known for their acting prowess.]

—【Congratulations to the player for helping Zhang Ruonan, a post-95s actress, become the ideal first love for countless young men around the world, making her an overnight sensation!】

— [Congratulations to the player for helping the post-90s actress Gulnazar develop a cinematic presence on screen, creating a deeply memorable wealthy woman image for her and making her a darling of the global fashion world.]

—【Congratulations to the player for actively and enthusiastically participating in the "New York Shooting Incident," sacrificing themselves for massive marketing to make the movie a hit. Such a willingness to go to any lengths is imbued with romanticism. System Administrator Professor Y gives you a thumbs up!】

Wait a minute?

Did they actively and proactively participate in the New York shooting?

Is this something I'm capable of doing?

Lu Yunzhou always felt that he was not that great and selfless.

Under normal circumstances, if he noticed someone firing a gun nearby, he might be able to shield Jing Tian in front of him, using her as a human shield.

But whether it was the surveillance footage or the truth told by those around him, it all told him that he was a hero.

A hero admired by the whole world.

Now, even the director believes that all of this was his proactive and positive behavior, all for the sake of making a big splash and sacrificing everything for the movie.

This outrageous behavior received strong support from the system administrator, Professor Y.

Furthermore, the system specifically mentioned romanticism? It seems the system administrator highly praises this crazy behavior.

"So, the system likes romanticism."

Lu Yunzhou has captured another useful piece of information.

Knowing the system's preferences makes it easier for him to exploit the system more effectively in the future.

Just then, the system resumed broadcasting.

— [Congratulations to the player! Having borrowed visual techniques from *F1: Racing*, and added their own Bach-esque, meticulously crafted framework, incorporating the explosive rhythms of a drum kit, using the style of Romantic painter Friedrich as emotional climaxes, and employing Neoclassical rationality and order as the framework, they have created the globally popular racing film *Racing*, once again exerting a wide influence on the domestic film industry and a 2% impact on the current global entertainment industry.]

Correcting the course!

[System Administrator: We appreciate your unique style and have high hopes for you.]

What the hell!

The system administrator is awesome.

How did he know that "Racing Speed" incorporated the explosive rhythm of a drum kit?

In fact, the scenes of the protagonist showing off in this movie were not randomly arranged by Lu Yunzhou, but rather incorporated the explosive rhythm of a drum kit, using rhythm to drive the narrative, shape the characters, and create the atmosphere.

All the emotions and atmosphere created in the early stages were for the sake of the protagonist's final smile, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

That smile is the moment the drumbeat explodes.

[Congratulations, player! The scene of someone shielding Jing Tian's head with their hand during the "New York shooting" has become a world-famous painting, and the most romantic moment of 2016. 5 million women worldwide found that scene deeply moving and considered you their dream lover.]

—[Congratulations, player! You have received the reward—(Da Vinci's Left Hand). Your left hand will inherit Da Vinci's artistic talent. We hope you will practice more; your right brain will undergo secondary development, infinitely enhancing your artistic perception.]

What?

Did I hear that right?

Leonardo da Vinci's left hand?

At this moment, Lu Yunzhou was truly stunned.

Many artists are left-handed because the left hand corresponds to the right brain, which controls artistic perception. Leonardo da Vinci is definitely the most famous left-handed artist in history.

"Who did I just see?"

"Dai Si, is that so?"

'

"Good girl. She's my real lucky star."

Lu Yunzhou remembered that he had touched Dai Si's hair with his left hand earlier that day, and then the system gave him Leonardo da Vinci's left hand.

From this moment on, his left hand will be priceless.

"Sister Ji, give me paper and a pen."

What was it like to have Leonardo da Vinci's left hand?

Lu Yunzhou couldn't wait to try it out.

"Here you go. What's wrong?"

Seeing Lu Yunzhou frantically asking for paper and pen, Ji Rujing assumed that he had suddenly had a burst of inspiration while sleeping and wanted to write something down.

"Sister Ji, let me draw a portrait of you."

Lu Yunzhou opened the notebook, glanced at Ji Rujing a few times, and suddenly felt as if a photograph had been taken in his mind.

Moreover, this photo is full of spatial depth.

Furthermore, numerous nonsensical guiding lines appeared, and even various data indicators of Ji Rujing's facial contours were marked.

Lu Yunzhou had the illusion that his brain at this moment was like a sophisticated miniature computer, and an automatically guided one at that.

"My God!"

"You've actually learned to draw?"

About five minutes later, Ji Rujing saw her own sketch on Lu Yunzhou's pen. It couldn't be said that it was exactly the same as her own, but it was full of spirit.

Lu Yunzhou even made minor adjustments to the corners of her eyes, restoring her youthful appearance and giving her a vibrant aura of dreams, which had caused her eyes to droop slightly with age.

At this moment, Lu Yunzhou looked at the 40-year-old Ji Rujing, but what appeared on the drawing was the 20-year-old Ji Rujing at the peak of her beauty.

No.

This 20-year-old Ji Rujing also possesses the elegant temperament of a successful 40-year-old woman.

Absolutely amazing.

"Yunzhou, what's wrong with you? Not only have you learned to draw, but you're drawing so well? Have you been possessed?"

Looking at the sketch that Lu Yunzhou handed over, Ji Rujing could only say that this was completely below Lu Yunzhou's usual level.

Everyone knows that Lu Yunzhou's painting skills are basically nonexistent.

Even stick figures know this.

However, no one had ever told her that Lu Yunzhou's left hand held a hidden talent for painting.

Lu Yunzhou couldn't explain any of this either, because it was too unscientific. His painting talent, which had been taken away, had been returned to him by the system.

And they even increased it countless times.

This is Leonardo da Vinci's left hand.

One of the three masters of the Renaissance, and one of the greatest painters in history.

It has to be said that at this moment, Lu Yunzhou was also taken aback by his own painting talent.

At this moment, to avoid being mistaken for an alien, Lu Yunzhou racked his brains and finally came up with a reason: "I was shot in the right shoulder, and my right hand is immobile. So, over the past month, my left hand has developed [functional compensation] — Sister Ji, you should have heard of this, right? It's a kind of compensatory mechanism of the brain, and everyone has this potential talent."

"Really? So everyone has that."

Ji Rujing was completely stunned, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that she had indeed heard something like "functional compensation" before.

But isn't that a bit too exaggerated?

This must be a miracle from Buddha!

Under normal circumstances, Ji Rujing would never believe the nonsensical scientific theories Lu Yunzhou was spouting.

However, Lu Yunzhou gave her a live demonstration of how a painting failure could become a genius.

In this situation, she had no choice but to believe it.

At this moment, Ji Rujing was stunned for a long time before finally cautiously asking, "Yunzhou, which temple does your family usually go to to burn incense and pray?"

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