Abstract Art Award Winner

Chapter 136 Mr. Lei, have you ever heard of are you ok?
Of course, there is no need to have a cleaning lady when you are on a business trip.

After all, the cleaning lady has to go home and cook after get off work every day.

So Zhou Le could only explain.

The aunt suddenly realized and said frankly that if the company was not making money, it would be okay to reduce the salary a little. After all, it was not easy to find a job in the company with few employees and easy work.

Otherwise, she would have to interview with the company again if she really couldn't continue working there.

However, Yu Zheng was very quick and started preparing for the project right after the initial discussion.

Multiple tasks are carried out simultaneously.

The actors have almost finished their interviews.

When Zhou Le was looking at the list sent by the other party, he found an old acquaintance.

Tan Zhuo.

The other party played Concubine Gao in "Story of Yanxi Palace".

The male lead was Nie Yuan, who had been decided in advance, and the female lead was Tian Xiwei, who was personally appointed by himself.

The second and third female characters are Qin Lan and Charmaine Sheh.

They are all well-known actresses.

Seeing this lineup, Zhou Le couldn't help but think that Yu Zheng really has a way with casting.

At least now we have all the veteran actors.

Afterwards, Zhou Le sent another message to Yu Zheng: "When the time comes, be strict with Xiaotian. If he doesn't do well, tell him what needs to be said."

He did this because he didn't want Tian Xiwei to put on airs and not act properly just because she had the producer's backing.

He also believed that after he said this, Yu Zheng would not indulge her.

Of course, Zhou Le also asked Su Yingxia to pay more attention to her life.

After doing all this, Zhou Le also left the company.

Yu Shuxin first called Xiaomi and said she would go there tomorrow.

Zhou Le now has another endorsement.

To endorse several product lines of Xiaomi.

Seeing that the new product was about to be launched, they contacted Zhou Le some time ago and asked him to go there to shoot a commercial.

At the same time, the shooting plan was also sent over.

The team hired an outsourced contractor, but Zhou Le still had to go over for a visit and then hold a meeting. After all, being a spokesperson does have some restrictions, so everyone sat down and talked.

So Zhou Le went directly to Xiaomi headquarters the next day.

But to Zhou Le's disappointment, he did not see Lei Jun when he arrived. He just walked around and then went into the meeting room.

The requirement for endorsement is that you cannot show a competing mobile phone in public, nor can you endorse or promote competing products.

Zhou Le had a question at this time.

"Then if there are variety shows sponsored by other mobile phone brands, can we go?"

Soon the person in charge said, "Of course you can, but just don't do any voiceover for them regarding ad placement, or you'll have to pay for breach of contract."

Zhou Le nodded.

This makes sense. After all, if you take someone else's money and then turn around to promote your opponent, isn't that the same as being a traitor?

But after the meeting, Zhou Le wanted to ask the other party for a few mobile phones in private.

As a result, the staff member first ran over and talked to the director of the marketing department, and then the director of the marketing department nodded and came to Zhou Le.

"Teacher Zhou, we have something else we'd like to trouble you with. Our CEO Lei just came back and learned you were here, so he wanted to meet you. Since you're currently filming a video on TikTok, CEO Lei wants you to film two short videos with him."

Zhou Lele was happy.

"Short video? That's fine. I've admired Mr. Lei for a long time."

Then Zhou Le was taken there again.

And Yu Shuxin followed behind.

When Zhou Le arrived at Lei Jun's office, he took a look and had only one evaluation in his mind.

"Holy crap, it's huge!"

Such a big office!
As expected of a company boss.

But Lei Jun looks just like in the videos I saw online before. He seems very humble, without any bossy airs, and his eyes are bright, but he doesn't seem materialistic.

"Mr. Lei."

"Hello, Teacher Zhou."

Lei Jun came over and shook hands.

"Mr. Lei is too polite. Just call me Xiao Zhou. Otherwise, if Mr. Lei, with his status, calls me Teacher Zhou, I always feel like I am someone else."

"Haha, that's Lao Zhou, but sometimes we also call him the Big Brother in Red."

Zhou Le muttered to himself as he heard this.

In that photo, you didn't look like someone who would call the guy in red brother.

The two chatted here for a while, but at the beginning they mainly talked about investment in film and television.

"Xiao Zhou, you're also involved in investment now. Are there any promising investment projects in the film industry?"

Lei Jun said so, but Zhou Le didn't think the other party was really short of projects to invest in.

Although Xiaomi is now Xiaomi, Lei Jun is a well-known angel investor in the industry. Every day, there are a lot of people who come with project plans hoping to get investment.

Zhou Le is more inclined to think that the other party is more approachable.

Find something to talk about with yourself.

It’s just that the other party can ask casually, but you still can’t answer casually.

After thinking for a few seconds, Zhou Le said, "Actually, among the projects I know of now, I think the most promising ones should be 'Nezha' and 'The Wandering Earth'. One is an animation, and the other is science fiction, but I think both are the kind of movies that can change the current market landscape."

"I've heard of Nezha. I know they hired a lot of special effects companies. When we were looking for companies to do the special effects for the promotional video at the beginning of the year, many companies couldn't spare the time. I also know about The Wandering Earth. Their director seemed to have come to Xiaomi to solicit investment before, but I don't think they gave it to me at the time. However, I remember these two. I'll look into it later."

Zhou Le nodded, thinking that the other party was just asking.

But soon Lei Jun asked about his own brand.

"I wonder if you, Teacher Zhou Le, have ever used our Xiaomi phone before?"

Zhou Le nodded. "I've definitely used this. I was a student back then, and I waited for days to get a Xiaomi 2s. It was cheap, easy to use, and cool. Some of my classmates were envious of it when I got to college. It wasn't until I saved up money from working that I bought a Xiaomi 4s. Mr. Lei, to be honest, I immediately swore you weren't my idol anymore."

As soon as he said this.

The marketing director, the director of the fourth Internet department in charge of short videos, a short video operations manager, and Yu Shuxin, who were also in the office, all broke out in sweat.

Can you say this in front of Mr. Lei?
But Zhou Le said it, and said it so calmly.

Lei Jun was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "Alas, the Xiaomi 4s is indeed not well optimized. It is one of our most unsuccessful product lines so far. I am really sorry for giving you a bad experience."

When Lei Jun said this, Yu Shuxin's forehead was covered with sweat.

I couldn't stop wailing in my heart.

“Very spicy!”

"Brother Le, why don't you know how to be emotionally intelligent at this time?"

But Zhou Le waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I wasn't the only one using it anyway. But Mr. Lei, since you're the spokesperson, could you give me a few of our phones? I can promote them regularly."

Lei Jun was stunned again.

"Didn't they give it to you?"

But before Zhou Le could say anything, the marketing director said, "Yes, but we haven't held the product launch conference yet."

Only then did Lei Jun react.

What Zhou Le just said was also about that time.

"Oh yeah, I didn't sleep well last night, so my mind is a little fuzzy now."

When Zhou Le heard this, he immediately said, "Actually, I still like Xiaomi very much. It allowed me, a poor student at the time, to use a cheap and easy-to-use smartphone. However, I also learned a lot from chatting with Mr. Lei today, otherwise..."

He was thinking about Lei Jun saying that he didn't get enough rest.

Shouldn't you give the other person a break?

Lei Jun then asked, "Teacher Zhou, do you have anything else to do today?"

Zhou Le: “No.”

"If not, I won't take a break."

The vice president at the side immediately followed up, "Boss Lei wants to collaborate on a video. After all, Boss Lei took a whole day out today just to shoot promotional videos."

Zhou Le: “.”

Entrepreneurs are such a hassle.

But if you think about it, you won’t lose out.

Among entrepreneurs, Lei Jun is considered a top internet figure.

Among internet celebrities, Lei Jun is his predecessor.

"Okay."

But the next moment Lei Jun asked Zhou Le to think about the topic, since they only had one day.

Zhou Le wondered if Lei Jun felt that the online memes about himself were a bit outdated and wanted to create some new ones?
The first thing that came to his mind was a dragon sucking water.

If Lei Jun could do something like a dragon sucking water, it would definitely become the number one hot search.

But after thinking about it, I decided to give up. After all, if a big entrepreneur really tries to play the dragon-sucking water trick, it would not be down-to-earth, but a bit too down-to-earth. I guess he would be laughed at when he meets with other colleagues in the future.

A few minutes later.

Zhou Le thought of two.

"Mr. Lei, I think we can film the screwing process on the production line. Firstly, it can arouse everyone's curiosity about the new product, and secondly, it fits your personality."

Lei Jun thought for a moment and said, "We can try this, but we have to go together."

"Going together, it would be a good gimmick for the spokesperson and the boss to enter the factory together."

Lei Jun agreed immediately.

This is indeed a good idea, and the marketing department immediately contacted those departments to arrange the filming.

"For the second one, can I collaborate on a song with Mr. Lei?"

Hearing this, the marketing director who had just walked to the door almost stumbled. Based on Zhou Le's speaking style just now, he could guess with his toes what song Zhou Le wanted to collaborate on.

Lei Jun: "Are you ok?"

Zhou Le: “!”

"Boss Lei is so sharp-eyed that he saw through my thoughts right away!"

Zhou Le was looking forward to it. What would it be like when the ghost animal was reflected in reality?

Lei Jun thought about it and said: "It's OK, but I'm not very good at singing."

Zhou Le didn't know whether this was an agreement or a polite refusal, but the people in the company knew Lei Jun.

I know Lei Jun doesn't mind making some fun.

"Mr. Lei is fine, we can tune it later."

Lei Jun thought about it and agreed.

Anyway, he knew that this song was already very popular.

But soon the director of Internet Department 4 also had an idea: "Let's arrange for Mr. Zhou to interview Mr. Lei. He can ask some questions from netizens, or Mr. Zhou can come up with some questions himself."

All the previous ones had been agreed to, so Lei Jun did not refuse this one.

Then they began to make arrangements immediately.

Some people went to find a recording studio, some contacted the factory, and some arranged the interview venue and equipment.

The first thing arranged was the interview.

After all, it’s the easiest to prepare.

Zhou Le had already prepared a lot of questions in his mind.

After the venue is set up.

Zhou Le also wrote down some questions in advance, and after reviewing them, the people in the video department and Lei Jun felt that there were no problems.

It’s just that Lei Jun thought that Zhou Le’s previous remarks about Xiaomi 4s could also be included.

After all, you can't start the interview right away, you have to chat for a while.

So Zhou Le put his face close to the camera again and opened the camera wide, and Lei Jun behaved more humble and calm.

Then came the interview questions.

"Mr. Lei, many companies are now starting to build cars. I wonder if Xiaomi has any plans to do so?"

Lei Jun thought for a moment and said: "We don't have any plans in this regard at the moment. Our current task is to do a good job in Xiaomi and the ecosystem first."

"Mr. Lei, since we're going to build an ecosystem, would you consider large appliances like refrigerators?"

Lei Jun: "Refrigerators are not currently within our consideration. Apart from televisions, we are currently only considering making some small home appliances."

"Then are you not considering washing machines?"

"correct."

"As for mobile phones, does Xiaomi plan to release some phones with higher pixels or more cameras in its product line this year?"

Lei Jun laughed: "As for pixels, I don't think the bigger the better, nor the more cameras the better. All products must meet the needs of different users."

Then Zhou Le asked about their opinions on friendly competitors.

Lei Jun naturally said that competitors should encourage and spur each other so that everyone can make progress together.

Finally, Zhou Le asked the other party if he had ever heard of "are you ok".

After Lei Jun said he had never heard of it, he played it on the spot.

The interview is over.

Afterwards, the two of them drove to the factory.

But of course it is impossible for Lei Jun to really screw in the screws. He just staged a photo. Then, I don’t know which smart video operator suggested that Lei Jun take a nap, and after a few days of fermentation, he let Lei Jun post on Weibo saying that it was indeed a staged photo.

Zhou Le thinks Xiaomi’s promotion is also very abstract.

No wonder everyone likes to watch Lei Jun and Luo Yonghao’s press conferences.

"This world is just a huge abstraction."

Zhou Le sighed.

"Fortunately, I'm a normal person."

Because Lei Jun went there to pose for photos, but Zhou Le really spent the whole afternoon fixing things.

Although most of the production lines are automated, including assembly and testing, manual spot checks are always required.

Zhou Le spent the entire afternoon conducting random inspections there.

until night.

We also eat in the factory cafeteria.

Just after finishing his meal, Zhou Le had to go record a video again.

Zhou Le’s task was to record the drum set and then guide Lei Jun in singing.

The day is over.

Zhou Le actually felt a little regretful.

Wouldn't it be great if I could just casually tell some jokes and everyone could take a video of it? Damn, now I feel like a big entrepreneur, like Lei Jun is the boss, the money he makes in a day is enough for me to make in a year, and his daily schedule can be detailed down to the minute, but I don't need that!

But think about it, Lei Jun's size can still add a lot of followers to his Douyin account.

"Whatever, I make money, it's not shameful. From now on, I can tell others that I am also Lei Jun's music teacher."

Lei Jun sang very enthusiastically.

After finishing all the recording, Lei Jun took Zhou Le out for a midnight snack.

"Teacher Zhou, is there a good place for a late-night snack? Take your pick, it's my treat."

Zhou Le sat in Lei Jun's Maybach S600, looking at the night scene outside the window.

"Eat barbecue? I know a good little place."

Lei Jun: “???”

To be honest, after being an entrepreneur for so many years, no one has ever asked him to take him to eat barbecue, especially at a small restaurant.

"Teacher Zhou Le, I've noticed you're really down-to-earth. Even though you're a celebrity, you're still willing to go to a small shop. Is this how you usually do it? Or do you consider this part of filming the video?"

Zhou Le spread his hands and said, "Boss Lei, I actually like to eat for free, but usually they choose the place and I go there. Normally, whether I'm filming or taking a break, I eat at small restaurants. Although roadside stalls may not be as hygienic, they all have a great atmosphere."

"Of course, the main reason is that since they're treating me, I definitely can't choose an expensive place, just like I can't order too expensive dishes when someone treats me."

Lei Jun smiled.

Although he usually doesn't care about these things when he's with people he knows, after all, how much does a meal cost? Not counting the alcohol, a table would cost at most a few hundred thousand. It would be completely unnecessary to spend more than that.

And the key point is that when Zhou Le said this, his eyes were very sincere.

No desire for heat.

"Okay, let's go have barbecue. I haven't had it in a long time."

However, Lei Jun did not drink any alcohol while eating barbecue. He only drank the mineral water bought by his assistant. Moreover, there were only two people eating together. The driver, assistant and Yu Shuxin were waiting outside.

Get yourself something to eat.

Zhou Le didn't know why, but the meal felt like a Buffett dinner.

But the person sitting opposite him was Lei Jun, and what they were eating was not Western food, but barbecued meat skewers, the signature meat skewers weighing half a pound each.

Lei Jun didn't eat much.

Zhou Le ate his fill.

"Oh, after this I have to eat a fat-reduced diet for the next six days."

Zhou Le sighed.

Lei Jun also became more and more appreciative of Zhou Le.

Nothing else, just sincerity.

However, while they were eating, other customers in the restaurant noticed the two of them and came up to take photos with them. Some even secretly took some videos.

After finishing the meal, Lei Jun's assistant came in to pay the bill.

Including food and drinks, the total cost was more than two hundred yuan.

Lei Jun himself lamented that he had not eaten such a cheap meal outside for a long time.

Zhou Le: “About how many years?”

Lei Jun: "At least more than ten years."

Zhou Le: “.”

What a hateful capitalist.

Zhou Le packed up the rest and was sent back home by Lei Jun.

"Ah, you're so lucky, eating and drinking with Mr. Lei. I only had two meals in the cafeteria today."

Zhou Le put the barbecue he packed on the table.

“There are still some here.”

Yu Shuxin: “!”

"I won't eat your leftovers!"

But it was getting late, and Yu Shuxin planned to stay here for the night.

Otherwise, Zhou Le will go to Xiaomi to shoot a commercial at 5:30 tomorrow, so even if he goes back, he won’t be able to rest for a few hours.

But at night Zhou Le continued to familiarize himself with the advertising script.

Yu Shuxin couldn't sleep either.

After watching for a while, Zhou Le got bored and started exercising at home again.

After working out, I went to the toilet to take a shit and came back feeling a little hungry again.

"I want to eat some leftover barbecue. Do you want any?"

Yu Shuxin: "No! I'm losing weight!"

"Ok."

Then Zhou Le put them on a plate and heated them in the microwave.

Yu Shuxin sat on the sofa with her arms folded and looked at Zhou Le.

"He's so big, eats so much, and gets hungry so quickly, so every time he poops, it must be a huge poop! And it must be smelly!"

Two minutes later.

As soon as the plate was brought out, the smell of meat began to waft around.

Zhou Le ate while watching Xiaomi's previous advertisements.

Yu Shuxin, like Jerry smelling cheese, came over stealthily with a smile on her face: "Brother Le, what are you eating?"

(End of this chapter)