Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

"Brother Lu, Nan Fang's article over the weekend was disgusting. What do they know about opportunism and idol worship? They don't know anything."

Lu Chen didn't say anything and continued eating his instant noodles.

"Aren't you angry?"

"What are you angry about?"

"They say you're being opportunistic."

"They're right."

"What?" Wang Yan thought he had misheard.

"There was definitely an element of speculation involved this time," Lu Chen said, putting down his chopsticks.

"Valentine's Day releases, dialect comedies, roadshow marketing—these are all forms of speculation. But speculation itself isn't shameful; what's shameful is failing at speculation."

Wang Yan opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"Moreover," Lu Chen stood up and walked to the window, "that article in Southern Weekly, while seemingly criticizing me, was actually criticizing the entire industry. They weren't targeting me personally, but rather the phenomenon of high returns on low costs."

Why?

"Because if this phenomenon becomes more frequent, they won't be able to promote those big-budget art films anymore."

Wang Yan was taken aback. "What should we do then?"

"There's not much we can do." Lu Chen sat back down at the table. "We've made money and gained fame. Let them bark a few times; it won't hurt us."

"So what are your plans for the next one?"

"The next one won't rely on luck."

"Rely on what?"

"Rely on your abilities."

Lu Chen sat back down at the table and continued eating his instant noodles.

The instant noodles had gone cold, and the noodles had swelled up from soaking.

After finishing eating, I threw the box into the trash can, wiped my mouth, and opened my notebook.

The first step, Coordinates Pictures

He wrote those words on the paper and then drew a line below them.

"Brother Lu, what are you writing?" Wang Yan leaned over to take a look.

"Project proposal."

"What plan?"

"Dude, I'm starting a company. You're going to be my vice president."

"Brother Lu, if you want to start a company, I'd be willing to be the vice president, or even just the receptionist."

Lu Chen looked at his roommate Wang Yan, and then thought of another roommate, Zhao Bo, both of whom were rare talents.

If Liu Bang could conquer the world with the people of a single county, then Lu Chen could build a company with the people around him.

In March, the wind was still cool in Beijing.

But Lu Chen knew that his spring had arrived.

The company registration process went more smoothly than Lu Chen had expected.

In 2003, the threshold for registering a cultural media company was already very low.

The materials he prepared in advance included: the company's articles of association, proof of registered address, shareholder identification documents, and a capital verification report for one million yuan.

The money had just been transferred from his personal account to the temporary verification account twenty minutes earlier.

"Have you decided on a company name yet?" the business registration agent asked from across the counter.

"Coordinates Film & Media Co., Ltd."

"Name verification takes three business days. If the name is already taken, you will be notified to change it."

"OK."

He deliberately chose a combination that didn't use common industry terms.

The coordinates represent both the ambition to become an industry benchmark and the anchor point after Lu Chong's rebirth.

When Lu Chen thought of the anchor point, he couldn't help but think of that lively girl again.

Three days later, the business license was issued.

Name: Coordinates Film & Media Co., Ltd., registered capital of RMB 1 million, legal representative: Lu Chen.

Business scope: film and television planning, radio and television program production, artist management.

Another company, Coordinates Music Culture Communication Co., Ltd., was also registered at the same time.

The registered capital is 500,000 yuan, and the legal representative is also Lu Chen.

The business scope is listed as: music copyright agency, audio-visual product sales, and artist management.

On March 25th, Lu Chen found an office near the Beijing Film Academy.

It is shared by both companies.

A 60-square-meter office on the third floor of an old office building next to Jimen Bridge, with a monthly rent of 2,800 yuan.

The window faces the road, so during the day I can hear the bus announcements, and at night I can hear the shouts from the barbecue stalls downstairs.

When Wang Yan went to see the house, he stood at the door for a long time, stunned.

"Brother Lu, you're a director whose films gross 20 million at the box office, why are you renting an office that costs 2,800?"

"The 20 million is from box office revenue, not mine. There's also the theater chain and distribution involved."

Wang Yan spent two days cleaning it up.

Two tables, a few chairs, a filing cabinet, a used computer, and a printer.

A poster for "Crazy Stone" hung on the wall, next to which was a handwritten note: Coordinates Pictures.

"So this is considered established?" Zhao Bo stood at the door, his expression complicated.

"It has been established."

"What are we operating? We don't even have another film yet."

"It will happen."

Ning Hao stood in the corner, hands in his pockets, looking around the office.

Then he said, "It's better than my basement in Taiyuan."

"Coordinates Pictures currently has no projects, no funding, and no film sources. But we have people."

Lu Chen sat down at the table and took out a piece of paper.

He wrote several names on the paper:

Wang Yan, Vice President of Operations.

Zhang Songwen, Chief Acting Instructor.

Ning Hao, core director.

Zhao Bo, core photographer.

Xing Aina, a core member of the screenwriting team.

He looked at the names and then added one more: Liu Yifei, partner.

That night, Lu Chen called Liu Yifei.

"Twenty-six million," he said.

"I saw it. Everyone's talking about it online."

"Your dividend has been calculated. You didn't make a lot, but you didn't lose money either."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone.

"You called just to tell me this?"

"right."

"You used to text me, but never called me."

"I'm making the call now."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few more seconds.

"Lu Chen".

"Um."

"Next time you call, could you please not call at 10 PM?"

Why?

"Because I was already in bed by 10 o'clock, I had to get out of bed to answer the phone."

Lu Chen smiled. "Okay. Next time, nine o'clock."

"Nine o'clock won't work either, I'm reading the script at nine o'clock."

"What time?"

"Either is fine," she chuckled.

"By the way, I've started a company. Come visit sometime."

That was Liu's mother's voice on the phone, "Xixi, come here for a moment."

"I'll definitely go see him. I have to go now." She paused, her voice tinged with concern.

"Lu Chen".

"Um?"

"Eat your food properly. Don't eat instant noodles again."

"understood."

"Knowing is not enough; you have to do it."

"OK."

Lu Chen held his phone, stood in front of the window, and looked at the night sky over Beijing in March.

I was still thinking about the sweet, innocent girl who had called me earlier.

"It's my money, I'm in charge," she said at the time.

Lu Chen put his phone back in his pocket and walked back to the table.

He looked at the plan spread out on the table and wrote two more words: Hong Kong.

It is also necessary to open up distribution channels in Hong Kong, establish a presence in the "Hong Kong circle," and build its own "coordinate" system.

Then he looked at the paper and remained silent for a long time.

In my past life memories, there were two faces flickering.

One of the photos is of Anita Mui. She passed away on December 30, 2003, at the age of forty, due to lung failure caused by cancer.

One of the photos is of Zhang Guorong. On April 1, 2003, he jumped from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and died at the age of 46.

It is the evening of March 25, 2003. There are seven days left until April 3st.

He picked up his phone and dialed Han Shangping's number.

"Mr. Han, I want to go to Hong Kong."