Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 342 Andy Lau's Phone Call

By the end of August, the swimming pool on the roof of Cao Shengxin's villa was completed.

That afternoon, under the blazing sun, he went to the rooftop, changed into his swimming trunks, and stepped into the pool to experience the feeling of a rooftop pool.

The scorching sun heated up the pool water, but even on such a hot day, soaking in the pool was still very comfortable.

He swam back and forth several times by himself and was in a good mood.

As he swam, he began to swim on his back, just like when he was a child swimming in the river. Facing the blue sky and white clouds, he gently paddled the water with his hands. When he was a child, he liked to swim on his back the most. It didn't require much effort. With his eyes looking at the blue sky and white clouds, his heart seemed to open up a lot. It felt like looking at the boundless sea, and the blue sky had no end.

When he came out of the pool, he was surprised to see his new assistant, Cui Xinyu, sitting under a parasol not far away, smiling at him.

Cao Sheng subconsciously covered his private parts with his hand.

Seeing that she looked at him openly and without any embarrassment, he smiled and decided not to cover up. He wasn't naked; many people swim in pools and at the beach dressed like this.
He walked towards her confidently.

"When did you arrive?" he asked casually.

Looking at his well-defined muscles and the water droplets rolling off them, Cui Xinyu subconsciously squeezed her legs together, bit her lip, and tried to maintain a natural smile as she replied, "We've only been here a little while, aren't you going to swim a bit more? What do you think of the pool? Is there anything that needs to be changed?"

Cao Sheng entrusted her with the task of building this swimming pool, so he was a little worried that the finished pool might not meet his expectations.

Cao Sheng walked over and sat down on another rattan chair next to her, casually picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and smiled, "It's alright, no need to make any changes!"

He paused, looked at her, and asked, "You came to see me at this hour, is there something you need?"

Cui Xinyu nodded and handed over a blue folder.

"These are the phone records of people who have contacted me recently, wanting to invite you to dinner or discuss scripts with you. I've written them all down. Would you like to take a look?"

Cao Sheng reached out and took the folder, then casually flipped through it.

The phone records in the folder were very detailed, with one call recorded on each line. The first page was full, the second page was also full, and the third page was also mostly full.

The last call was recorded at 12:21 pm today, when Andy Lau's agent called.

Seeing this record, Cao Sheng was a little surprised and looked up at Cui Xinyu, "You're showing this to me now because Andy Lau's manager called you?"

Cui Xinyu nodded, "Well, after all, he's Andy Lau's manager, so I felt I couldn't be negligent. That's why I quickly brought it over for you to see. Do you think... you should call his manager back yourself? By the way, his manager said that Andy Lau wants to call you personally."

Cao Sheng was a little surprised that Andy Lau wanted to call him personally.
"Did his agent say what Andy Lau wanted to talk to me about?" Cao Sheng asked.

Cui Xinyu shook her head. "No, he just said that Mr. Andy Lau really wanted to have the same phone number as you. I felt that he is a superstar after all, and I couldn't keep him waiting too long, so I came over to tell you as soon as possible."

Superstar...

Cao Sheng nodded slightly.

If he were an actor, a call from a superstar would definitely excite him, but he's just a writer, or at best, a screenwriter.

He couldn't think of any reason why he needed to curry favor with the superstar.

However, he felt that Cui Xinyu was right, after all, Andy Lau is a superstar.

Moreover, among Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, Andy Lau has a very good reputation. He is known as a workaholic in the entertainment industry and an evergreen in the industry.

He used to enjoy listening to Andy Lau's songs and watching many of his movies. For several years, he really enjoyed listening to Andy Lau's songs.

So Cao Sheng picked up the phone on the table and asked, "What's the number?"

Cui Xinyu quickly took out her phone, found Liu Dehua's agent's number, and gave it to Cao Sheng.

Cao Sheng dialed the number.

After a while, the call was connected.

Hello? Who is this?

A strange man's voice came through the phone.

Cao Sheng: "I am Cao Sheng! Are you Mr. Liu's agent?"

The man on the phone immediately became enthusiastic, "Oh, yes! Yes, yes, I'm Mr. Liu's agent. Thank you for your call. Please wait a moment! I'll pass the phone to Mr. Liu right away. He'd like to speak with you..."

Cao Sheng: "Okay, sure."

A moment later, Andy Lau's voice came through the phone.

"Mr. Cao! This is Andy Lau! I'm sorry to have contacted you so abruptly, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Cao Sheng smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Liu! I'm Cao Sheng. May I ask what brings you here?"

Andy Lau: "Uh, Mr. Cao, I am very grateful to you for recommending me for the role in 'A World Without Thieves.' I am truly grateful. Actually, I have wanted to thank you in person for a long time, but I was afraid of disturbing your creative process, so I have been putting it off until now. By the way, I happen to be in mainland China recently. I wonder if you have any free time lately? I would like to come over and invite you to dinner to express my gratitude in person. Would you be willing to give me the opportunity?"

Cao Sheng: "..."

At this moment, Cao Sheng felt a little unreal.

Is Andy Lau going to invite me to dinner? Is he trying to thank me in person?

Luckily, I'm not a die-hard fan of his, otherwise I would have fainted from excitement.
"Mr. Liu, you don't need to be so polite. It's my honor to have you act in the script I wrote. It's so hot lately, you shouldn't come over! It's too tiring for you. I appreciate your kind offer, okay?"

Andy Lau: "No, no! Yes, yes! I'm not afraid of hard work at all. Coming to Huizhou is no trouble at all. I love traveling all over the country. I've heard that the scenery in Huizhou is very beautiful. I've wanted to come for a long time. By the way, are you in Huizhou now? I heard that you are still studying in Huizhou. I really want to come and have a meal with you and do some sightseeing in Huizhou. Is that alright?"

What does it mean to be unable to refuse such a warm invitation?

At that moment, Cao Sheng sensed it.

He increasingly felt that some people's success was inevitable.

For example, Andy Lau, Feng Xiaogang, Jackie Chan, and so on.

These people not only have excellent professional skills, but they are also very enthusiastic in their interactions with others. They say things that are so pleasant that it's hard to refuse them.

Being good at interpersonal relationships will inevitably lead to more opportunities than others.

Their outstanding work ability allows them to perform exceptionally well when given the opportunity, gradually creating a virtuous cycle. Over time, it's hard not to succeed.

At this point, Cao Sheng felt too embarrassed to refuse again.

"In that case, alright! Welcome to Huizhou, Mr. Liu. Please let me know in advance when you are coming, and I will pick you up from the airport or train station."

Andy Lau: "No need, no need! Just give me an address, it's so hot, don't bother."

……

The two chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.

As Cao Sheng put down his phone, Cui Xinyu, who was standing next to him, asked in surprise, "Boss, is Andy Lau coming over to invite you to dinner?"

Cao Sheng nodded slightly.

Cui Xinyu: "..."

She lost control of her expression for a moment, looking a little dazed and stunned, staring at Cao Sheng with wide eyes.

Who is Andy Lau?
A superstar? Absolutely.

But for people their age, like her and Cao Sheng, Andy Lau's presence was incredibly strong during their formative years.

Their youth coincided with the heyday of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong. During this period, the Four Heavenly Kings were highly regarded, idols of countless teenagers, and a frequent topic of conversation.

Someone who owns a cassette tape of Andy Lau's album will become the focus of attention for a group of friends for a period of time, and everyone will want to gather around to listen to Andy Lau's songs.

Someone had a poster of Andy Lau, which they put on their bedroom wall, and the whole bedroom seemed to be upgraded several levels.

Someone copied the lyrics of the Four Heavenly Kings' classic songs into a small notebook, and then the notebook was borrowed and passed around by a group of friends.

……

and many more.

During Cao Sheng and his friends' youth, the mainland entertainment culture was barren, but Hong Kong's entertainment industry was in its golden age.

At that time, the Four Heavenly Kings were in their prime, possessing both good looks and talent. In the eyes of many teenagers in mainland China who were struggling to make ends meet, the Four Heavenly Kings truly shone brightly, and in many people's hearts, they were like the brightest stars in the sky.

Learning their songs, their hairstyles, their clothes, and even their way of speaking is all considered trendy.

As a reborn individual, Cao Sheng's admiration for the Four Heavenly Kings had long since faded.

Not only because he was already mentally mature and no longer worshipped anyone, but also because before his rebirth, he had seen the Four Heavenly Kings showing signs of aging.

He had seen on the news that Andy Lau's long-prepared concert had to be canceled due to a sudden illness. He also saw on the news that Andy Lau was in his twilight years, bowing to his fans with tears in his eyes, looking like a man in his twilight years.

I've also seen how Li Ming lost his handsomeness after gaining weight.

I've also seen news reports about a singer's daughter feeling sorry for her father, who is over 60 and still has to hold dozens of concerts. She accused her mother of being a devil for making her father work so hard at his age.

and many more.

Therefore, Cao Sheng no longer idolizes superstars like Andy Lau as much as he did when he was younger.

But Cui Xinyu is different.

She wasn't a reincarnated person; she was only in her early twenties, and the halo of being a star hadn't faded from her mind.

I've never seen Andy Lau look old.

Moreover, Andy Lau is only 40 years old now, and his looks and physique are still at their peak, which is the most charming age for a man.

What Cao Sheng didn't know was that Cui Xinyu was also a fan of Andy Lau.

This is also one of the reasons why she immediately reported to Cao Sheng after receiving a call from Andy Lau's agent today; she wanted to help her idol speak with Cao Sheng.

And now?

Her idol was coming to Huizhou to invite Cao Sheng to dinner, and she thought it was all too unbelievable! It didn't seem real at all. The boss in front of her was so young, yet he had such influence? What did he have that made Andy Lau invite him to dinner? Did he deserve it?
Cao Sheng found her dazed look amusing and waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Hey! What are you thinking about? Daydreaming?"

Cui Xinyu was startled and came to her senses.

He smiled with a complicated expression and said, "Boss! I never dreamed that Andy Lau would invite you to dinner. I feel like I underestimated you before."

Cao Sheng smiled and said, "Oh? How could you have underestimated me before? Did you think that I would never have any connection with a superstar like Andy Lau? Didn't you know that I wrote the script for the movie 'A World Without Thieves' that he recently starred in?"

Cui Xinyu shook her head. "No! I know you wrote this script. I just think it's normal for him to act in your script. It's quite unbelievable that he specially came to invite you to dinner."

Cao Sheng smiled.

After thinking for a moment, he changed the subject. "He should be coming over in the next couple of days. Don't you have his agent's phone number? Remember to contact his agent frequently to find out when they're coming, book a hotel for them in advance, and also book a nice private room at a restaurant. Although he said he'd treat me to dinner, it's just one meal. As the host, we shouldn't let our guests spend that money. Please put in a little more effort for these things, okay?"

Cui Xinyu nodded repeatedly, "Okay, boss! I understand, I'll arrange it."

Cao Sheng nodded.

Cui Xinyu got up to leave, but stopped and turned back to say, "By the way, boss, you've been getting a lot of calls lately. In the call log I just sent you, there are several directors and more than a dozen film companies. I suggest you take a look! I don't think we can be too negligent."

Cao Sheng glanced at the folder on the table, smiled and nodded, "Okay, I understand."

"I'll get back to work now, goodbye boss!"

Cao Sheng nodded and watched Cui Xinyu leave.

The temperature under the parasol was still very high. Cao Sheng raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and looked at the folder on the table.

After hesitating for a moment, I still reached out and picked up the folder.

He saw the call logs from Huayi Brothers; he saw the call logs from Feng Xiaogang; he saw the call logs from Zhang Ziyi's agent; he also saw the call logs from celebrities such as Zhen Zidan, and so on.

At a glance, almost all of these call records were from the entertainment industry.

It represents either a certain celebrity, a certain director, or a certain film company.

Cao Sheng looked a little scared.

Feeling that if he were to call each of these people back, he wouldn't have to do anything else all day, he glanced at the folder, closed it, and got up to walk back to the pool.

He could guess why these people contacted him.

All I wanted was for him to help me write the script.

He doesn't want to write screenplays anymore for the time being.

Why not go swimming!

"Pfft!"

Water splashed everywhere as he jumped into the pool, temporarily putting those call logs out of his mind.

……

Cao Sheng, who jumped into the pool, didn't see the phone screen on the table light up, displaying the caller ID: Xu Ke.

This wasn't the first time Xu Ke had called him in recent days.

Cao Sheng, who dove from one end of the pool to the other, didn't hear his phone ring.

Hong Kong.

Xu Ke frowned, put down his phone, and sighed deeply with mixed feelings.

His wife, Shi Nansheng, stood to the side, frowning as she asked, "Didn't Cao Sheng answer your call again?"

Xu Ke nodded with a stern face.

Shi Nansheng smiled wryly, "I never expected a screenwriter to be so arrogant, it's truly an eye-opener!"

He paused, then said, "If we had known that 'Ong-Bak' would turn around at the box office, there would have been no need to reschedule the release of 'The Legend of Zu.' We could have struck while the iron was hot. Sigh!"

(End of this chapter)