Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

Thank you to Jelly Qian and Dried Chili Potato Shreds for the generous donations!

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After leaving, Shen Yulan started making business calls.

Her contact list contains hundreds of names: former distribution managers at film studios, retired screenwriters, directors and deputy directors of film archives, and so on.

These people hold the copyrights to many old movies.

"Hey Lao Zhou, this is Shen Yulan. Do you still have the copyrights to those old movies from your factory?"

"What copyright?"

"Right to disseminate information online".

"What is that? We've never heard of it."

"It's about licensing the streaming of movies online."

"Streaming movies online? Can you even see them clearly?"

"I can see it clearly, I can see it clearly. How much do you want?"

After a moment of silence, someone on the other end said somewhat uncertainly, "How about five hundred per unit?"

"three hundred."

"OK."

After hanging up, I started on to the next one.

Xiao Zhou followed her for a month and lost five pounds.

"Xiao Zhou, do you remember how much we bought?"

Xiao Zhou quickly flipped through his notebook: "One hundred and twenty copies, President Shen."

"How much did it cost?"

"Less than 300,000."

"Mr. Shen, if our video website becomes popular, the copyright will be worth a lot of money. Wouldn't we be considered profiting from its success?"

"It's not like we're not going to pay," Shen Yulan said without even looking up.

"We spend money, they collect money, it's a fair trade. Let's move on to the next one."

Xiao Zhou thought to himself: This isn't buying copyrights, it's more like wholesale at the vegetable market.

At nine o'clock the next morning, Shen Minghu appeared at the company's front desk on time.

He had a buzz cut, was 1.82 meters tall, had shoulders so broad they could fill a door frame, and muscles that reached his fingernails.

He wore a faded camouflage jacket and old military boots, standing ramrod straight.

The young woman at the front desk looked up at him and was startled.

"Excuse me... who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Lu Chen." The voice was rough and had a slight accent.

Do you have an appointment?

My aunt told me to come and see him.

The receptionist paused for a moment, then asked, "And...who is your aunt?"

"Shen Yulan".

The receptionist picked up the phone and dialed the internal line.

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Shen Minghu is looking for you... Oh, okay, I'll have him go over there."

After hanging up the phone, the young woman pointed to the innermost office.

"Keep walking straight, it's the last one."

Shen Minghu nodded and turned to walk over.

Lu Chen was already waiting for him in his office. There were three knocks on the door, each one evenly placed.

"Come in."

The door opened from the outside. Shen Minghu stood in the doorway and gave a military salute.

"elder brother."

Lu Chen stood up, walked in front of him, circled around him once, and finally punched him in the chest.

"You've grown taller and stronger; I almost don't recognize you."

"I spent a long time in the army," Shen Minghu said, scratching his head, a little embarrassed.

"Sit down first, don't stand."

Shen Minghu sat down, his back ramrod straight, his hands resting on his knees.

Lu Chen poured him a cup of tea.

"How long have you been discharged from the military?"

"Two months."

"What branch of the military are you in?"

"A reconnaissance soldier. He served for five years."

Lu Chen nodded.

Reconnaissance soldiers are a good type of soldier.

"Do you have any jobs you'd like to do here?"

"Brother, I'll do whatever you say." Shen Minghu didn't mince words. "My aunt said you need people, so I'll do anything."

Lu Chen looked at him.

"Then you'll come with me. Wherever I go, you go. Ten thousand a month salary, are you in?"

Shen Minghu stood up and gave another military salute.

"Mr. Lu, I'll do it."

Lu Chen was amused by him and reached out to pat his shoulder, telling him to sit down.

"From now on, you don't need to salute or call me President Lu. Whether we're at the company or out with me, I'll still be your brother, and you'll still be my younger brother."

"Yes, brother."

Lu Chen took a key out of the drawer.

"There's a Mercedes E320 downstairs at the company; you can drive it from now on. Also, take this for now." He then took an envelope from the drawer and handed it to Shen Minghu.

"What is this?"

"You should rent a place closer to the company. I don't think you'll be comfortable living with my mom."

Shen Minghu was embarrassed to accept.

"Brother, I haven't even started working yet..."

Lu Chen shoved the envelope into his hand and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Start work tomorrow, less talk. Just get to work. I've talked to your aunt, and she'll ask her to save up some more money for you. We'll buy you a house and help you get married in the future."

Shen Minghu's eyes reddened.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

"Go ahead." Lu Chen waved his hand.

Shen Minghu stood up and gave another military salute.

Lu Chen could only shake his head and smile wryly; being too honest wasn't a good thing.

After Shen Minghu left, Lu Chen picked up his phone and sent a text message to Shen Yulan: "Mom, Xiaohu's arrangements are all set. From now on, wherever I go, he'll go."

After a while, Shen Yulan replied: "Son, your uncle told me to thank you."

Lu Chen placed his phone on the table.

The pile driver outside the window started up again, bang, bang, bang, making the windowpane tremble slightly.

During his first week at work, Shen Minghu did only one thing: learn the way.

The route from the company to Lu Chen's home, the route from the company to the airport, and the route from the company to various hotels in Beiping.

After finishing his business, he wandered through the streets and alleys of Beiping, carrying a small notebook with him to write down the traffic lights, one-way streets, and congestion times of every road.

Lu Chen sat in the back seat watching him drive.

He gripped the steering wheel firmly, turned slowly, braked without lurching, and yielded without changing lanes. A man with a reconnaissance background, he was meticulous in his work.

"Little Tiger".

"Brother, you say it."

"From now on, when we go out, you should talk less and do more."

Shen Minghu glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Understood, bro."

Lu Chen nodded. Shen Minghu's personality and abilities meant he didn't need to explain much.

In mid-October, Wang Yan walked into Lu Chen's office with a financial statement in his hand.

There was also an oil stain on the cuff.

"Brother Lu, blogs and video platforms are burning through money like crazy these days."

"I know."

"How do we make money?"

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, and the chair springs creaked.

"Don't rush, it's not the right time yet. Sit down first, don't stand."

After Wang Yan sat down, Lu Chen asked a question.

Do you know how many internet users there will be in China in the future?

"How many?"

"Let's not talk about the distant future, let's just talk about five years from now."

Lu Chen held up two fingers. "Two hundred million."

Wang Yan was clearly stunned by this number.

"Brother Lu, was it you who guessed again?"

Lu Chen smiled slightly. "Yes, that's what I guessed."

Wang Yan stared into Lu Chen's eyes, trying to glean something from them, but he failed.

"Every time you say that, I feel like you're lying to me."

"So, do you believe it or not?"

This time, Wang Yan's expression became more serious.

"Brother Lu, we've gone from making short films to filming 'Stone,' and now we're starting a company together. How could I not trust you?"

"Then what the hell are you talking about?"

"Hey, Brother Lu, let's not talk about chickens, let's be civilized for each other."

After a moment of silence, Lu Chen asked Wang Yan.

"Wang Yan, what if we fail?"

Wang Yan stood up and walked to the window.

"Then let's jump off the building together."

"Fine. Even if I jump off a building, you'll have to be there to cushion my fall; you're so fleshy."

Wang Yan pushed open the door and went out.

His voice and that of Xiao Chen, his assistant, could be heard in the corridor.

"What are we having for dinner?" This was Wang Yan's question.

"Let's eat noodles."

"Another fucking noodle meal?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to save money?"

"Save that shitty money, I'll treat you to some skewers."

Lu Chen sat alone in his office.

He opened the backend of the coordinate video app; the product was still in beta testing.

The content library is still being expanded, but piracy may be difficult to prevent, which is another major challenge.

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Liu Yifei sent a text message.

"It's so cold in Harbin. It's below zero today."

Lu Chen could imagine what she looked like right now, wrapped in a military overcoat, tapping on her phone keyboard with her fingers red from the cold.

He replied: "Wear more clothes."

Two seconds later, the phone vibrated again: "You too. It's gotten colder in Beiping too."

Lu Chen didn't reply, but immediately called Wang Yan.

"How's the crew's preparation going? I want to start filming, starting tomorrow."

"Brother Lu, don't be in such a hurry. As the saying goes, even when you're breastfeeding, you have to wait for me to unbutton your clothes."

"Get the hell out of here! You're spouting nonsense, are you planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam?" "I'm turning on the computer! Did you hear me?"

"Okay, turn it on, bro. Let's turn it on now."