Global Film Emperor

Chapter 301 The Movie Begins

Lu Ze used to think that having money would make life easy, but now it's the opposite. He's getting more and more tired, with increasing psychological pressure, burdened by expectations from people he doesn't even know who gave him, and a constantly expanding network of relationships and endless social interactions. Now, a feeling called "exhaustion" is really affecting him.

It was just an ordinary night, uneventful, without any surprises, just two cans of beer, yet it plunged his thoughts into a black hole called loneliness.

From Shanghai to Beijing, it was a two-hour flight followed by a four-hour car ride, and we didn't arrive at the hotel until after 10 p.m.

He's used to drinking some beer when he's tired, then lying in bed for a good night's sleep, so he can continue living a robot-like, assembly-line life the next day.

In fact, Lu Ze is no different from ordinary people. Perhaps the only difference is that he has a rather unusual job with a higher but not outrageous income. He doesn't have the money to live in a detached villa in Shanghai, nor can he afford a dozen top-of-the-line luxury cars. Like people with ordinary jobs, he hasn't truly laughed in a long time.

Like ordinary people, they become increasingly numb, learn to shirk responsibility, learn to stand by and watch, learn to bear the coldness and warmth of human relationships alone, learn to pretend to be strong in front of outsiders, become timid and cowardly, afraid of being involved in everything, and want to avoid happy events.

In the end, I could only stay alone, habitually in this hotel that I would stay in whenever I came to the capital and it wasn't too far away. I opened the familiar standard room, turned on the TV, and lay on the sofa in front of the ever-changing colored lights, rubbing the stylish silver ring on my hand.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, sat up, flicked off the ash, picked up his phone, thought for a moment, put it down again, lay back down, and closed his eyes. He had just wanted to ask everyone on social media.

What do you do when you're tired?

A few days ago, Lu Ze saw a video on a short video app of a young man who broke down in tears after being caught riding an electric bike against traffic. He guessed that young man was probably like him, waking up the next morning to greet the new day's dawn.

I opened my suitcase, gently picked up the prepared suit, stood in front of the mirror, looked at my slightly protruding belly, the three scars extending from my lower back to my armpits, and my collarbone that was no longer very noticeable. I put on the white shirt and buttoned it up one by one.

He put on the blue plaid tie, picked up the blue suit, and wore it. The watch face gleamed in the sunlight. His slicked-back hair was slicked back and combed meticulously. His sideburns were also groomed, not messy, but rather exuding a unique masculinity.

Clive Christian's cologne sat on the sink, the bottle making a soft click as it bumped against the porcelain surface.

He tucked his phone into his inner pocket, his leather shoes clicking on the marble floor with a pleasant sound. He picked up his room key, opened the door, and walked out. The moment he closed the door, the electronic lock gears turned, locking the door from the inside. Only the half-glass of clear water on the table remained in the room.

"Lu Ze! Could you sign this for me? I absolutely love your movies!"

"Holy crap! Isn't that Lu Ze? My idol! So what if I'm a guy? Can't I have an idol? If I, a guy, think he's handsome, shouldn't women think he's even more handsome?"

With a gentle smile, he picked up the water cup the girl handed him, signed his name, and asked the girl who was staring blankly at Lu Ze if she wanted to take a photo with him. The girl nodded somewhat blankly and took a photo with Lu Ze that she thought made her look incredibly dazed.

When there aren't too many people and he happens to have the time, Lu Ze never refuses requests for autographs. He genuinely doesn't think his artistic signatures, which have no legal effect, and his casually taken photos are worth much money. If people want them and like them, then he'll give them to them.

One of the expectant mothers was helped by her husband to Lu Ze's side. The three of them took a group photo. Lu Ze offered his blessings to the unborn child and received an insole that supposedly had a foot massage function.

Actually, Lu Ze's fans weren't that stingy. Qian Shijia always received gifts from his fans, none of which were expensive, but they were all heartfelt. Lu Ze would take all these gifts home and take photos with the cripple to post on Weibo.

It was those things that were sent over. They were a bit odd, and Lu Ze could hardly use any of them. There was an alarm clock that only stopped when he got up to dunk, a foot bath that he could walk in, a jacket with ears on the hat that could move if you held something in your pocket, and a green toad that Lu Ze used to play with when he was a kid, which could jump if you wound it up and twisted it, and so on.

The most terrifying thing is that because Wang Zixuan often took photos of his daily life, everyone found that Lu Ze's daily life was like that of an old cadre, so they mailed him more than 100 kilograms of goji berries, more than 400 kilograms of cat food, and boxes and boxes of fresh flower nutrient solution.

Putting everything else aside, just the goji berries and cat food alone would probably keep Lu Ze and the cripple eating them until they pass away.

"Please be careful on the road. Pregnant women are the most important. You can post on Weibo and tag me after you get home safely. I have something to do, yes, the premiere, so I have to go now. See you all."

After saying goodbye to his fans, Lu Ze walked out of the hotel and waited for Liu Bin's car to arrive. The fans looked out the glass window at Lu Ze, who was standing with his hands in his pockets, exuding a stylish vibe, and whispered about an interesting rumor about him.

"So there really is light in Lu Ze's eyes."

In the car, Lu Ze took off his shoes, stuffed the insoles back in, and put them back on. He felt the shoes were a bit small, so he had to take them out and put them aside. He looked at Wang Zixuan, who was taking pictures of him, reached out, and took the soy milk.

Soon, Lu Ze saw the Weibo post from the fan who had taken a photo with him in the hotel earlier. He had just liked it when he saw the photo posted by his studio showing him stuffing shoe insoles into his shoes.

She glanced at Wang Zixuan, who was staring out the window expressionlessly. Occasionally, she would turn her head to look at Lu Ze, but when she saw that Lu Ze was also looking at her, she would quickly turn her head away, pretending to be nonchalant, almost whistling.

He glanced at her with amusement, crossed his arms, and looked out the window. Apart from the song "Heart of Gold," which Lu Ze liked very much, there was no other sound in the car.

As the vehicle drove to the International Convention Center, some of the outside noise could still be heard even inside the well-insulated van. Lu Ze glanced out through the opaque window. Although it was Saturday, there weren't too many people. After all, it was scorching hot, and Lu Ze's fans weren't the kind of dedicated fans who would travel a long way to support him. It was normal that there weren't many people.

The fans who came to support the event were all sitting on the green belt under the big tree, eating popsicles. They only rushed over when they saw a car approaching, popsicles still in their mouths, shouting a few times. Lu Ze could even see the popsicles melting and dripping onto their clothes. On the contrary, the reporters were very dedicated. Under the blazing sun, wearing the small umbrellas Zhao Si used when he went to the market—the kind that cover your head—they held up their cameras, glaring angrily at the popsicle-licking fans, almost shouting at the top of their lungs, "Please get out, you fake fan!"

The car came to a stop, and Lu Ze got out. Besides Lu Ze's fans, there was no one else who could come to support him. Could you really expect Song Guiyuan's fans to come? That's unrealistic. As for hiring extras, they're not even out taking jobs in this sweltering heat. Hiring ten or twenty at a time is pointless; it's better not to hire anyone at all.

As is customary, after fulfilling the fans' requests for autographs and photos, Lu Ze entered the venue. As soon as he entered, someone suddenly covered Lu Ze's eyes from behind and deliberately lowered their voice, suppressing a laugh.

"Guess who I am?"

"Are you mentally challenged? Who do you think you are? You're a grown man, don't play these tricks on me, let go."

How could Lu Ze not recognize Lu Nan's voice? He turned around and there she was, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, standing behind him. Her eyes, which were usually quite big, were almost invisible when she smiled. Then Lu Ze kicked her, completely wiping out her smile.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I was planning to see you after the premiere. How did you get in? Did you buy a ticket?"

"No way! The tickets were so expensive, 2280! That's terrifying! I called Brother Song, and he brought me and my roommate in. I wanted to give you a surprise, didn't I? Humph! You even hit me in front of so many people! Let me tell you, bro, my roommates are all your fans, that's why I brought them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to the premiere in this sweltering heat. I'm tired of looking at you. You snore like a pig when you sleep, but I didn't say anything."

Seeing Lu Ze's increasingly terrifying smile, Lu Nan immediately shut her mouth and ran away. A short while later, she returned with three girls, while Lu Ze started talking to the reporters beside him.

"My sister, my own flesh and blood, remember to blur her face."

"Don't worry, Brother Lu. We're old friends. I've attended several of your premieres. I know what I can and can't do."

"Thank you. Please accept an extra red envelope later. It's been a long and tiring trip in this heat. Consider it my treat for you and your colleagues to tea."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Lu."

The reporter put down his camera and thanked Lu Ze with a bright smile. Even if Lu Ze didn't give him a large red envelope, he would still be happy. After all, Lu Ze said to blur the image, not to stop the article from being published. This meant that the "Lu Ze's sister attends the premiere" topic was a good opportunity to capitalize on. Blurring the image was just to avoid causing trouble for his sister who wasn't in the entertainment industry. In this way, it meant that Lu Ze agreed to let the reporter take the money for this hot topic, which was already very generous of him.

He patted the reporter on the shoulder, and the reporter understood and explained the situation to his colleagues. Afterwards, Lu Ze chatted with Lu Nan's roommates. Perhaps because they were excited to see Lu Ze in person, the three girls were a little shy and didn't talk much, just listening to Lu Ze and his sister talk.

Graduate students are indeed considered top students in the eyes of ordinary people. It's not that top students aren't pretty, but the three top students in Lu Nan's dormitory are of average appearance, not ugly, but not particularly good-looking either.

Lu Ze also introduced Lu Nan to the other actors and directors along the way; otherwise, it wouldn't be right not to introduce relatives when they come.

However, Lu Ze was not worried that Lu Nan would be targeted by an old lecher like He Ruikuan. After all, He Ruikuan was the number one director in China. What kind of woman hadn't he seen?

Although Lu Nan is beautiful, she's not exactly a celestial being descended to earth; she's still a mortal. Plus, she has a successful brother. For He Ruikuan, turning against Lu Ze for a woman is definitely not worth it. He Ruikuan knows what kind of woman he can play with and what kind of woman he can only treat as a junior.

In addition, he owed Lu Ze a favor by getting his mistress into Bai Xiqun's film crew. He Ruikuan patted his chest and said that in the capital, if you need anything, just go to her, Uncle He.

Don't underestimate the big director's connections. He has friends in academia, government, and business. Lu Nan isn't the kind of girl who likes to cause trouble. He Ruikuan can definitely protect her from minor squabbles. He can even help Lu Nan when she wants to take the doctoral entrance exam.

After the conversation ended, Lu Nan led a few classmates back to their seats. She didn't sit right next to Lu Ze, otherwise, what would it look like if she left three classmates behind and sat in front of them?

Throughout the entire premiere, Lu Ze watched as Lu Nan made funny faces at him from below the stage when no one was looking, which made Lu Ze so angry that the veins on his forehead were throbbing. On the other hand, Song Guiyuan, who was sitting next to him, kept laughing so hard that he kept hitting Lu Ze's thigh.

With a blank expression, he reached out and pinched the inside of his thigh.

Seeing Song Guiyuan's flushed face, Lu Ze smiled gently and answered the reporter's question.

comfortable.

After the Q&A session ended, the main cast members stepped down from the stage and sat in the front row. The lights were turned off, giving everyone one minute to prepare. All cell phones were switched off, and filming was not allowed. Lu Ze watched the golden dragon logo appear on the screen and sighed inwardly.

Another work has begun.

"."

(End of this chapter)