Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 411 The Unpredictable Events at the Oscars

The crew of "The Sky of History" arrived in Los Angeles after a 14-hour flight and immediately began the final push for public relations.

They organized high-intensity, large-scale film screenings and discussions, ostensibly to explore the artistic and commercial merits of films that won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, while subtly inviting opinion leaders to these events.

Starting from February 17th, the positive effect of Sky's award boosted the number of screenings in art-house cinemas and some commercial cinemas across the United States, and the box office performance suddenly became encouraging.

On its North American opening day, February 8, the film grossed $5.5 million, but by the time it reached the Berlin Film Festival awards ceremony more than a week later, it had only grossed less than $23 million.

Those within the family know their own situation best. Considering the enormous figure of nearly 6000 million in costs and promotion, the situation is undeniably perilous.

Of course, the huge sums mentioned here are relative to art films; the investment in commercial films far exceeds this range.

After the crew completed their final promotional tour in North America, and with the Golden Bear award, increased screenings, and a further intensified promotional campaign, the film grossed $3200 million in its second week, bringing the total box office to $5500 million.

According to the revenue-sharing rules of the North American film industry, the return on investment coefficient is approximately 2.5-3.

In other words, if we temporarily disregard the performance in the Asian and European markets, the box office of 6500 million is still far from breaking even.

But one must take things one step at a time. On the morning of February 24th, Pacific Time, Lu Kuan, Harvey, and the rest of the crew were doing some calculations at their Beverly Hills mansion.

The box office trend in North America is gradually improving, and everyone is waiting to see if they can achieve some success at tonight's Oscars.

"We've basically reached agreements with the European distributors. The total agreed-upon copyright price is around $1400 million. Koslick has been a great help."

“We haven’t reached a final agreement yet, but I think we can raise the price further after tonight.”

Lu Kuan nodded: "Don't worry about the European copyright. The performance of the North American and Asian markets will also have a stimulating effect on them. If they win two Oscars, it will be a piece of cake."

"The festival chairman, Koslik, is a flexible German who is easy to work with. We can ask him to continue to help us make connections."

"With Monta's help in facilitating the collaboration, we also reached a cooperation agreement with a German special effects company. Considering the Golden Bear Award, it was definitely worth the trip."

As for the $1400 million figure mentioned by Harvey, it was an astronomical price in the European art film market in 2008.

In contrast, the sales of Chinese films that have won the top prizes at the three major European film festivals have not been very optimistic.

Before 2008, sixth-generation artists such as Wang Quan'an and Jia Zhangke generally did not have more than 800 million followers;

The 2002 film "Hero" sold 800 million copies in Europe;
The highest was "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which sold for a total of 2000 million euros in Europe at the Venice Film Festival in 2000, despite having the prestige of an Oscar.

This is also what "The Sky of History" is emulating; let's see if it can achieve something tonight.

After Harvey and the others finished their business, they said their goodbyes. Lu Kuan then turned on his computer to check the box office performance of "Secret" in mainland China.

Released on Valentine's Day, February 14th, it has already grossed nearly 40 million in East Asia in just over ten days, far surpassing its predecessors.

With an investment of around 1400 million RMB, the film grossed 3675 million RMB at the mainland box office and around 8000 million RMB worldwide.

Now, with the full support of the Wenjie flagship, distribution partners in China, Japan, and South Korea, the young star's large fan base in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and the addition of Wenjie actress Su Chang, a rising star.

It is expected to be a huge hit throughout Asia.

Instead of discussing matters with Harvey and the others downstairs, Liu Yifei was in her bedroom flipping through the official Oscar guide, looking at the list of nominees and competitors for "The Sky of History".

The road was wide enough that I could push open the door and enter.

"Are you done talking?"

"The talks are over. The box office situation is excellent. Let's see if we can make one or two more fish tonight."

"Even the best director can boost box office numbers."

Xiao Liu pursed her lips: "To be honest, are you confident?"

"of course not!"

Mr. Lu laughed and said, "The Oscars are not like Berlin. The Berlin Film Festival has always been pro-China, and our subject matter perfectly matches the anti-war narrative, plus we have the German character John Rabe."

"The key is that there are only a few judges at the three major European football clubs. Although it's not convenient to openly engage in public relations, it's relatively easy to cater to their preferences in terms of publicity."

“But there are more than 5800 Oscar voters this year. Harvey just handed me the data, and 94% of them are white, while the other 6% are minorities. We are at a huge disadvantage.”

It's worth mentioning that Li Lianjie was also selected to participate in the voting that year, which was perhaps the vote that "The Sky of History" was relatively confident of getting.

Once an Oscar is nominated, the voting process in the final selection stage becomes quite complex.

For example, for Best Picture, all 5800 people will vote collectively on the 10 nominated films, and the film with more than 50% of the votes will win.

If not, the film with the fewest votes is eliminated, and its votes are distributed to other candidates in second place, until a film obtains an absolute majority, that is, more than 50%.

This year, "History of the Sky" received a total of six nominations, including Best Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, surpassing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" from that year, making it the most nominated Chinese film in recent years.

Although the film was submitted as an English-language film for global distribution.

Liu Yifei pointed to the Best Supporting Actor nominee list: "You nominated Hanks for Best Supporting Actor to avoid Lewis, didn't you?"

"Yes, Lewis is too strong. The key is that he was 'tricked' in Berlin. These white judges will definitely get revenge for him. Hanks has no chance of winning."

Film crews have complete autonomy when submitting their applications for the Oscars.

Based on the role's screen time, narrative function, and strategic needs, male characters can be categorized as either the best leading man or the best supporting man.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences typically respects the film crew's choice of submission and rarely forces a change in category.

For example, in the 2025 film "Real Pain", Keenan Karkin had a role close to that of the male lead, but he applied for and won the Best Supporting Actor award.

Hanks' role in "Sky" is somewhere between a lead and a supporting character, but he can avoid applying for Best Supporting Actor without Lewis.

While it's not so easy to go up against Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men," it's still much more ideal than the former.
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Since I have to return to China after the Oscars, my next trip abroad will probably have to wait until after the Olympics.

During this week, Lu Kuan and Xiao Liu split into two groups to review and investigate the various business segments of North American Worldview.

Liu Yifei's task remains the North American Twitter, a project she created during her time at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and later became deeply involved in the operation of Twilight 2.

Twitter is currently the most money-burning industry in North America, even more lucrative than Netflix, but Roadwide has never had any plans to go public.

Between two evils, choose the lesser. Considering the closed nature of Twitter's equity structure and the privacy of its shareholders, the period during which the "corporate veil" remains intact needs to be extended.

The harm referred to here is, of course, the tight cash flow, because Netflix's technological expansion for its future streaming strategy also requires a large amount of cash.

Since Netflix officially went private last August, it has been preparing for original series and building up its technical reserves. It is too early to completely cut off online DVD rentals now.

The preliminary preparation of these technologies and infrastructures is crucial and will be key to Netflix's potential takeoff starting next year.

For example, the construction of a content delivery network (CDN), a global CDN built in cooperation with Akamai, supports stable transmission of high-definition video, mainly to solve the problem of buffering in early streaming media.

This is the key technology that Netflix uses to beat other North American streaming services; otherwise, a large number of viewers would be turned away by the terrible experience of loading for half an hour and watching for three minutes.

Secondly, we need to negotiate with major manufacturers to expand device compatibility and extend the Netflix platform from PCs to streaming applications on devices such as Xbox 360, PS3, and Blu-ray players.

In addition, like domestic video platforms such as Wenjie Video, we need to accelerate the expansion of our video library.

The only difference is that domestic companies acquired their products at bargain prices before the copyright issues were resolved, while Netflix negotiated with major film and television companies to ease restrictions, taking advantage of the financial crisis.

The last important task, which Lu Kuan believes is the core of Netflix's future, is to accelerate the research on the recommendation algorithm "Cinematch".

The principle behind this C algorithm is very simple, and it has been used by almost all internet companies since then. It provides operational references by obtaining real-time user viewing behavior, including playback duration, pause/fast forward frequency, device type, etc.

This is the prototype of big data.

This was the most valuable legacy that the visionary Hastings left to Boss Lu, but before Hastings could convince the board of directors and investors, it was snatched away by the extraterrestrial demons.

In the true history of the development of the North American Internet, the C algorithm was the earliest large-scale data application case in the streaming media era. Its algorithm principle became the basis for the recommendation system of later platforms such as YouTube and Amazon, and can be regarded as a pioneering work.

Once this system is sorted out, Wenjie will be in for a major boost in the domestic and international internet industries, getting incredibly powerful.

However, as mentioned earlier, the closed nature of Twitter and Netflix's equity structure has led to huge cash flow depletion, which even forced Twitter to launch Twilight 2 ahead of schedule, essentially exploiting users like a browser game.

In addition, both the investment in "Iron Man" and the collaboration with Disney required funding.

Last month, they also temporarily borrowed $3000 million from China and established a joint venture with the Cai family in Hong Kong to develop the merchandise market after the release of "Iron Man".

The only fresh revenue streams in North America right now are the long-tail revenues from series like Twilight, Insidious, and Ghost, as well as the CDS from Paulson.

The tricky part is that the $35 billion obtained by pledging CDS last year for Netflix's full acquisition, including its liabilities, has been replaced by assets that are no longer worth that amount.

This is because Netflix's streaming strategy has not yet gained market recognition and cannot yet be reasonably valued, following the bankruptcy of traditional DVD rental companies such as Bestone.

Even Paulson's highest CDS yield was only 590%. Even if the $35 billion obtained from the initial mortgage for the Netflix acquisition were fully invested, it would be difficult to achieve a higher return on the initial $10 billion.

After deducting the 35 billion yuan Netflix acquisition funds and mortgage interest, the net proceeds would be less than 20 billion yuan, which is the ideal situation. Moreover, a portion of the 20 billion yuan would be a highly private political donation, i.e., a protection fee.

Therefore, the current situation is that the overseas operations are operating at full capacity and are in dire need of cash flow, while small-cap companies like Focus Media have already mortgaged all their assets and have no more funds available.

They can only continue to survive on "Twilight 3", "Iron Man" this summer, and "Inception", which will be co-produced with Disney.

Domestically, the entire online community will undergo a radical overhaul after the Olympics; for example, domestic blogging platforms and microblogs will be preparing for financing and IPOs.

Because after 2008, there was no longer any need to hide their true ownership.

With the addition of Wenjie Mall and video platforms, which are already on the track to financing and listing, there will be far fewer money-making behemoths in China besides the cinema business.

But this timeframe will still have to wait until at least 2009, or even 2010.

Because of the devastating impact of the financial crisis, companies that went public at the same time will face a triple blow:

The company's valuation was suppressed before listing, its stock price plummeted after listing, and its fundamentals were impacted by the crisis.

Even a company with excellent fundamentals cannot withstand the crushing force of market trends in the face of systemic risks.

As the saying goes, one should only eat as much as one can eat. In the past few years, the development of the domestic and international markets has been advancing by leaps and bounds, with each strategic sector vying for dominance without hesitation.

This has led to the current situation where both advantages and disadvantages coexist.

The advantage lies in the gradual improvement of the industrial chain. As long as we can weather the financial crisis of the past two years, domestic microblogs, blogs, video platforms, and e-commerce platforms will go public one after another. The only cash flow behemoth left is the cinema chain, which greatly reduces the pressure.

The downside is that we haven't had any money in the past two years. If the film and television production sector, which currently supplies the group with funds, encounters problems, such as being targeted by a film company, leading to a collapse of the capital chain and systemic financial risks, it would be extremely serious. At that time, we would have no choice but to sell ourselves at a loss.

But whether it's Twitter and Netflix abroad or Wenjie Mall in China, they have all been following the path of the times step by step.

If you don't intercept the deal, it will be extremely difficult to start a new competition.

As Twitter and Netflix grow larger, will they face persecution from the US authorities under the pretext of "national security when in doubt"?

We'll have to wait and see how Guan Hai performs after taking office next year.

Having one's fate in the hands of others is a last resort, and it is currently the best solution.

With Xiao Liu sharing the Twitter business, Boss Lu was able to free up time to inspect and supervise the internal operations and integration of Netflix and Marvel.

Before arriving in Los Angeles for a rest today, our last stop was to watch the completed post-production version of "Iron Man" with Liu Yifei, Guo Fan, and others.

The latter is expected to premiere in the non-competitive section at Cannes, followed by a global release in July during the summer season.

For Liu Yifei, who had starred in "A Home Away From Home", the special effects of "Iron Man", which was released four years later, were naturally a step up. She and Guo Fan were thrilled by the mecha effects and action scenes.

Cyber ​​Daji was also invited to broaden his horizons. He and Lu Yang would be put into the Avatar crew through connections, so they could experience firsthand what the creative process of top-tier North American film industry science fiction is like.

When drinking privately, Boss Lu jokingly referred to this as the Westernization Movement of 21st-century Chinese cinema.

Like the 30 young students sent to the United States by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang in 1872, they both carried an important mission.

Of course, the gap between Butian Pictures and top North American special effects companies is definitely not that big.

However, among domestic directors, only Lu Kuan currently has the concept of film industrialization in mind.

He wants to take advantage of the Pan-Asian Film Academy to continuously send talent here for training and learning, and then bring them back to China for localization, so as to cultivate a few commercial film masters.

First, it's to make money for him; second, it's to use genre films to carry Chinese culture and stories to market to the world, thereby enhancing, strengthening, and even mastering cultural discourse power through film.

Science fiction and animation are important mediums in this process.

Of course, this goal may take him a lifetime of effort, and he may not even be able to achieve it.

It was only after the Zhang Chunru incident that he gained a clearer understanding of the extent to which the wealth, resources, and forward-looking perspective he possessed could change the world, or even just the film industry.

If "The Sky of History" can succeed, then this goal will not be just a pipe dream; everything depends on human effort.
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On February 24, 2008, Pacific Time, the 80th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, which later became the Dolby Theatre.

A 300-meter-long deep red wool carpet, edged with the classic gold Oscar logo, was laid out outside the theater well in advance.

Security personnel strictly checked entry passes, and screams erupted from the fan area.

Photographers jostled for a better shooting position, accidentally knocking over a champagne tower. George Clooney, who was passing by, helped to pick up the glasses, eliciting laughter.

This year's Oscars will be broadcast live to more than 200 countries and regions via Disney's ABC channel. Chinese viewers will not be able to watch the live broadcast, but they can watch a pre-recorded broadcast with original audio and subtitles at 10 pm on the 25th.

In fact, Hollywood's influence on domestic movie fans is growing, and the broadcasting of movies by movie channels is also contributing to this trend.

Since 2003, CCTV's movie channel has broadcast the Oscars ceremony for many consecutive years.

During the 77th Academy Awards broadcast in 2005, CCTV-6 not only broadcast the ceremony live, but also launched an "Oscar Winning Film Showcase Week," showing nominated films in advance.

During this period, including the Korean dramas imported by CCTV's drama channel, there was insufficient understanding of the importance of the cultural front in China. Hollywood was indeed too powerful and was a topic that the whole world could not avoid.

If a movie channel only thinks about "de-Hollywoodizing," then it will be impossible to produce programs.

Because of CCTV's broadcasting monopoly, domestic portals such as Sina and Sohu, as well as offline media, can only broadcast via text and images, resulting in poor timeliness.

"Here, get out of the car."

The crew of "The Sky of History" arrived in two stretch Lincolns. Lu Kuan gentlemanly got out of the car first and let Liu Yifei, who was wearing 10cm Jimmy Choo high heels, take his hand.

It gives off a feeling of a high-ranking eunuch and a dog.

"Don't sprain your ankle again today. You've gained so much weight since filming the movie, I can't carry you anymore."

This refers to the time four years ago when Liu Yifei, who rarely wore high heels, attended the Oscars with the film "A Home Away" and twisted her ankle on the spot, walking the red carpet shakily.

"Who cares if you carry me? What are you showing off for?" The girlfriend was in a great mood, feeling a sense of satisfaction and security after her success in Berlin.

Especially after going through the entire process of public relations and the judges' profiling and evaluation, from a realistic point of view, such a subject matter does indeed present too many constraints.

Harvey once jokingly said that even if he were to make a film of lower quality like "Pearl Harbor," he could still handle these older white men to a considerable extent.

Unfortunately, arrogance and prejudice are always objective realities.

With lead actors Hanks and Moore, and guest stars Andy Lau and Gong Li, whose roles were minor, all present, the cast was just as star-studded as other Hollywood films.

However, Li Xuejian, Feng Yuanzheng, and others were not particularly fond of such occasions and had relatively few scenes, so they did not accompany them this time.

As everyone's eyes were drawn, today's Oscars red carpet was undoubtedly much more shabby.

The breakdown of copyright revenue sharing negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and production companies led to a 100-day strike that directly resulted in the cancellation of shows such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives".

The Golden Globes were suspended, and the Oscars were forced to cut seven or eight musical numbers.

All writers will be absent today. Javier Bardem and others are wearing WGA strike badges. George Clooney and Martin both spoke to reporters in support of the writers' group, calling for "respect for creators' rights."

The red carpet ceremony officially began, and Hollywood stars, influenced by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild, agreed on their outfits in a coordinated manner, resulting in a noticeable change in how everyone dressed.

Cate Blanchett wore a purple satin fishtail dress by Dior and only wore two earrings;

Liu Yifei's biggest rival—Marion Cotillard of "La Vie en Rose"—wears a gold embroidered long dress, paired with a retro wavy hairstyle, and her lip color is specially adjusted to "rose leaf red."

Oscar-winning actor Lewis wore a custom-made black suit with handcrafted leather shoes, holding his wife Rebecca Miller's hand tightly throughout. He only smiled and nodded at the camera, walking onto the red carpet one after the other with Mr. Lu and his entourage.

Lewis turned around and exchanged pleasantries with the Chinese director: "Lu, 'Sky' is truly a masterpiece. I wish you success tonight."

"Thank you, Daniel. I have a feeling you'll win Best Actor tonight."

"Hahaha!" Lewis laughed heartily. He wasn't obsessed with the Oscars; he had already won one in 1989 for "My Left Foot." But who would complain about having too many awards?

Lewis then introduced his wife Miller to everyone, and immediately shook hands with Liu Yifei: "Congratulations, Berlin Film Festival Best Actress. Should I call you Liu or Crystal?"

"Liu, Mr. Lewis."

This time, in the official Oscar application materials, she no longer used her English name, but instead used the pinyin abbreviation, just like Gong Li's "Li" and Lu Kuan's "Lu," similar to Liu Yifei in "Mulan" in later years.

This sound also has a root in English, so Westerners have no trouble pronouncing it.

Lewis, a theater fanatic, asked: "Liu, are you a method actor?"

"No, I learned Stanislavski's experience-based approach and Grotowski's training methods."

As mentioned earlier, Stanislavski's work in China was largely uninnovative, but he developed the Method School in North America.

For example, Lewis, who has won the most Best Actor awards in Oscar history, played a cerebral palsy patient in "My Left Foot." During filming, he insisted on using a wheelchair, learning to write with his feet, and even asked the crew to treat him as a disabled person.

He is a typical representative of the American method school. "Oh! You gave an outstanding performance, I can't believe you're only 20 years old."

Liu Yifei was delighted to receive praise from such a renowned actress: "Thank you! I have someone I can directly imitate, so it's actually a shortcut."

Lewis waved his hand: "No, no, no, imitation is not necessarily easier than innovation. I only realized this much later."

It wasn't a good time for small talk in front of the red carpet, so the group chatted briefly before proceeding to the red carpet in an orderly fashion.

"Hey, how about we be like the Lewis couple?"

"what?"

Liu Yifei smiled and pointed to Lewis and his wife Miller's intertwined hands.

Washing Machine frowned: "Well, for this kind of occasion, it would be more formal to link arms..."

Arguing and resisting were useless. Liu Xiaolv had already "gently" pried open his stubborn fingers, and was just short of saying, "Don't force me to beat you up in such a lively place."

The cast and crew of "The Sky of History" made their official debut, with top stars from both China and the United States walking the red carpet and being frequently stopped by reporters.

Liu Yifei's makeup and dress today are relatively more mature. No longer is her usual long, straight black hair tied up and carefully styled into a neat bun, showing elegance and poise.

The light green sleeveless dress accentuated her perfect shoulder and neck lines, and her delicate collarbone resembled the wings of a butterfly about to take flight.

The dress's form-fitting design perfectly showcased her slender waist and beautiful hip line, with every curve just right—neither overly flamboyant nor lacking in feminine charm.

Just as the expert on judging women said, twenty is the most beautiful age for a woman, especially Xiao Liu in the throes of new love, who is full of unique charm.

Outside the police cordon, reporters' cameras and microphones were instantly aimed at the youngest Berlin Film Festival Best Actress in history, while the attention of some second-tier American actresses on the red carpet was stolen.

With her nominations for the Silver Bear for Best Actress and the Academy Award for Best Actress, Liu Yifei's popularity and fame in North America have clearly reached new heights.

"I just saw Tang Wei."

Lu Kuan nodded: "Following Ang Lee's lead, 'Lust, Caution' also received several nominations."

Gong Li was stopped for a photo. Turning around, she saw Lu Kuan looking utterly dejected, and her gaze shifted downwards...

Everyone else was holding hands, but a certain Chinese director who had just won the Golden Bear was forced by his girlfriend to hold hands with his fingers, becoming the non-mainstream figure on stage today.

"Xiao Lu, you and Yi Fei have a very good relationship."

Boss Lu was speechless for a moment: "Heh..."

Liu Xiaolv said excitedly, "Yeah, he insisted on holding hands, it's so cheesy."

As she spoke, she pinched the washing machine's hand, warning him not to talk nonsense.

The washing machine felt its public image was crumbling further.

Liu Yifei felt that her transformation was being further strengthened.

“Sissi, the reporters and Chinese fans are so enthusiastic. I think you should greet them with both hands. It would be more polite.”

"Really? Okay!" Liu Yifei did as she was told, but she didn't let go of the washing machine, and waved her hands up and down while holding the washing machine with her fingers intertwined.

It looks like stage actors taking a bow.

It's like a circus trainer taking a bow with his animals, and with Boss Lu's expression, it becomes even more vivid.

This directly resulted in Tang Wei and Ang Lee, who were waiting at the end of the red carpet, having complicated expressions.

We are rigorously trained not to laugh, no matter how funny it is, unless we can't help it.

As he himself said, he instantly transformed from a stern and aloof director into a lovestruck college student in an art film, which was quite absurd.

"Director Lu, you're in high spirits when something good happens. You two seem to have a great relationship."

"Thank you!" the washing machine replied with a smile. Liu Yifei could feel his palms sweating. She gave her boyfriend a subtle glare before letting go.

What a great obedience test!
Ang Lee shook hands with Mr. Lu gratefully: "Director Lu, thank you for helping Tang Wei and for being willing to sign her to the company. We are ashamed."

"It's nothing. I've already spoken with Tang Wei. Her appearance and characteristics are very suitable for developing her career in South Korea. CJ Entertainment in South Korea is our partner, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Tang Wei, Lewis, who just walked past us, is your senior at the Strasberg Actors Studio. He's the biggest favorite for this year's Oscar for Best Actor. Good luck to you."

Tang Wei looked at the young director who had just won the Golden Bear and became even more respectful: "Yes, Director Lu!"

Even in the bustling world of fame and fortune, time is still allotted for guests to exchange pleasantries before the opening ceremony.

With Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Durant, Leonardo DiCaprio, and others arriving one after another, the old buddies were able to get together again to chat and joke around.

Xiao Liu was naturally intelligent. Seeing that they looked like they wanted to say something but hesitated, he gently patted Boss Lu's back to smooth out the wrinkles before leisurely taking his seat first.

It's unclear whether this is a warning or a seal.

Quentin looked at Lu Kuan, who used to hang out with him in the Sunset Boulevard strip clubs, with a resentful expression, almost blurting out "you bastard."

"Lu, are all Chinese men like this? Once you're in a relationship, you become caged canaries?"

Boss Lu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. What a terrible analogy!

"To put it simply, the heaviest punch from a female boxer in the 50kg weight class at the WBC (World Boxing Championship) is around 200 pounds."

The washing machine gestured with its chin towards Tang Wei's girlfriend, who was sitting next to it and chatting with her, saying, "She can now hit 140 pounds, making the punching bags in the gym scream."

Quentin's body stiffened, his pupils contracting slightly: "You must!"

After a round of laughter and chatter, Leonardo put his arm around Boss Lu's shoulder and said, "I've read the script for Inception. Why aren't you directing it?"

"You have a conflict with Nolan?"

Leonardo shrugged: "No, I just think you would have done a better job."

“I own a stake in Nolan’s studio, and this project is a collaboration with Disney and Miramax.”

To be honest, if there were a director in China right now who could make a good film like "Inception," the boss wouldn't let go of such a great project.

The key issue is the lack of new generation directors in China, and he himself isn't very interested in them.

However, Inception, which began preparations in 2008 in the original timeline, will only be more profitable in this life with the original team at the helm, plus Disney's distribution capabilities and Harvey's public relations.

These are all high-quality projects that support Twitter and Netflix.

In addition, Iron Man will be released this summer, and Disney's Iger, who has always been pessimistic about Marvel, only symbolically invested a small share.

To maintain this alliance and gradually establish a foothold in North America, preventing other powerful entities like Fox News from bullying them, it's essential to share good projects.

Putting aside others, is Harvey, who is currently serving the washing machine so diligently, some kind of "loyal subject" who would be trembling with fear and bowing down to it?

It's all friendship bought with profits from the distribution of the "Lurking" and "Twilight" series over the years.

Every single one of these people in Hollywood prioritizes their own interests above all else, then adds the finishing touches by talking about personal relationships. This inversion of priorities only invites betrayal.

Leonardo DiCaprio was somewhat disappointed that there hadn't been another opportunity to work together since "A Home Too Far," and he still remembered the script for "The Revenant" that had been given to him back then.

After hearing his story, Boss Lu was taken aback. This was the script he used when he was just starting out, the one he had long forgotten about when he first started out.

“I’ll talk to Iger and see if any directors are willing to take it on. The investment will come from the mix. You can ask Martin.”

Leonardo DiCaprio was a little down, but he still saw a glimmer of hope, especially since Liu Yifei, a complete newcomer when filming "A Home Too Far" five years ago, has now become a Berlin Film Festival Best Actress winner.

It seems like it's been a long time since he last won a world-class award.

If you push him any further, he'll be tempted to have a homosexual relationship with the washing machine!
Isn't it just offering your body?

Liu Yifei has it, and so do I!
"Mr. Lu!" A familiar female voice came from behind. Even without turning around, Mr. Lu could tell it was Wendy Deng, the female hunter.

Since deciding to get involved in the murky waters of the mainland entertainment industry, the president of Myspace Asia has become increasingly fond of participating in these events.

Accompanying her were Zhang Ziyi and her Israeli boyfriend, who seemed to be enjoying a blissful relationship.

Zhang Ziyi's mindset has improved a lot now, and she doesn't seem so jealous of Liu Yifei anymore, since she has also found a wealthy man to marry.

Even if I don't have the wealth of Lu Kuan, at least I've sold myself for a price, haven't I?

"Ziyi, you look beautiful in that dark green dress today."

Mr. Lu shook hands with Wendy Deng again with a calm expression, as if the previous hatred had long since vanished: "Ms. Deng, it seems that you have been in China for a long time now."

"Mr. Lu, the pressure from Wenjie is too great. Since Mr. Ma and I have decided to invest in Huayi, we have to face competition from you. Please understand."

As expected, they had been slapped before, so their attitude was quite good, but they didn't mince words when issuing the challenge.

"There's no need to apologize. The mainland film industry needs everyone to work together to grow. I hope Huayi Brothers will produce more low-budget, high-grossing films like 'Assembly'."

Wendy Deng secretly cursed him for being hypocritical, unaware that these were Boss Lu's true feelings.

He couldn't be happier that Ali and Wendy Deng would continue to invest heavily in Huayi, pushing its valuation as high as possible!
When enemies meet, their eyes don't turn red at all; they exchange pleasantries with composure until a rather abrupt voice comes through.

"That must be Liu Yifei, right? I don't think she's as pretty as you!"

Deng Wendi greeted the young Chinese man who was speaking with a normal expression: "Si Cong, let me introduce you. This is the very famous Mr. Lu in China."

"Your father's Wanda Cinemas and Golden Harvest Cinemas are direct competitors, aren't they?"

Wang Sicong and Ellen Page, the female lead of "Juno," arrived together. Seeing Lu Kuan smiling, they showed no embarrassment at all about being overheard talking about someone else's girlfriend.

"President Deng is mistaken. President Lu is my idol! He's famous not only in China, but I've heard about him constantly during my time in the US!"

Wang, who is 20 years old this year, should be studying at University College London in the UK. How did he end up at the Oscars, especially with Wendy Deng?
Boss Lu looked at Xiao Wang calmly and asked, "What's your name?"

Wang Sicong was extremely respectful, showing no trace of his later recklessness: "Hello, Mr. Lu, just call me Xiao Wang, Wang Sicong. My father is Wang Jianlin."

"Oh! Like father, like son. It's a pity I've never met Mr. Wang."

Wang Sicong pressed his advantage, saying, "But he always uses you as an example to inspire me."

"This year, I did some research with the company and wrote an analysis of the development trend of commercial real estate in China. I didn't have much experience and he scolded me severely. He even said that I had already founded Wenjie at my age, haha."

"It's nothing, just a coincidence." Boss Lu noticed that Wendy Deng, Ziyi Zhang, and the others were secretly observing him. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he left.

As everyone watched his dashing departure, Xiao Wang, who had just been looking at him with admiration, became a little more composed: "President Deng, you can misjudge people sometimes. He didn't react to what I just said."

"Heh, maybe, anyway, I've learned my lesson the hard way." Wendy Deng remained noncommittal, her attempt to sow discord between the two had failed.

Wang Sicong's eyes were bright, and his attitude was casual: "So you're going all out to sabotage 'The Sky of History' this year?"

“That’s not right. ‘There Will Be Blood’ was released by Fox, and ‘Juno’ was produced by Fox.” Wendy Deng said seriously, “‘Sky’ is an excellent work, and as a Chinese American, I should support it.”

"But there are no fathers and sons in the card game. In the business world, the only responsibility one has is to the investors. There's nothing we can do about it."

Listening to these high-sounding words, Wang Sicong recalled his father's dying words: "Speak less and observe more."

Today, whether it was Lu Kuan, Deng Wendy, or even Zhang Ziyi, who was insanely jealous of Liu Yifei but still managed to walk over and greet her with a smile—

It taught him a lot about business acumen and shamelessness.

“I’ll take a seat first and wait to see you win Best Actress, Ellen.” Wang Sicong waved to the up-and-coming American actress, whose response was indifferent.

Xiao Wang didn't mind and casually went to take his seat in the audience.

Wendy Deng thought to herself that like father, like son; judging from the attitude and demeanor of their conversation, wealth really does nurture character.

Wang Sicong, who is only 20 years old, met Wanda Business in China after they had business negotiations.

Unable to resist her persistent nagging, Old Wang kept asking her to take his son to the Oscars to broaden his horizons.

As for what Wendy Deng discussed with Wanda, and whether she was representing News Corporation or Huayi, that's not for outsiders to know.

This is also what Lu Kuan, who is now sitting in his seat, is wondering about.

Will Wanda get involved with Huayi?
"What's wrong?" Liu Yifei gently patted his thigh and asked softly.

"It's nothing. I just ran into Wendy Deng, who was subtly trying to provoke me." Boss Lu remained nonchalant: "Women really do hold grudges."

Xiao Liu covered her mouth and chuckled: "You made her suffer so much, how could she not hold a grudge? She'd hate you to death too."

"Isn't this to get revenge for you? Who told her to bully you and force you to go on TV shows?"

Liu Yifei clicked her tongue: "Actually, thinking about it later, I'm quite grateful to her, otherwise we would have taken a long detour."

"Who said that?" Boss Lu said with a mocking smile. "You've never escaped my grasp, have you?"

His girlfriend pouted and said, "Tch, what are you pretending to be?"

Mr. Lu's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at it. It contained the names of several Oscar Academy opinion leaders and judges.

Looking up again at Harvey not far away, their eyes met, and they both looked at Murdoch, who was socializing with Wendy Deng and others. Clearly, the situation had changed.

Liu Yifei noticed something amiss this time, but didn't ask. Instead, she took her boyfriend's hand and held it with him.

"Several important judges have turned against us; News Corp. has stepped in."

Lu Kuan leaned back comfortably in the velvet chair, his right hand caressing the girl's delicate skin: "As expected, it was bound to be a fierce battle."

"There's no use thinking about it now, let's just wait and see!"

Actually, compared to the Oscars, which are no longer within his control, he is more puzzled by the appearance of Wang Sicong.

Is this just a recreational study tour for the second generation in North America, or does it represent some of Wang Jianlin's will or intentions?
If Wanda really merges with Huayi, the situation will obviously become more complicated for them.

Funding was secondary; Wanda didn't have that much cash in 2008, as it was still in a phase of rapid expansion.

But Wanda also has cinema chains and official connections accumulated from acquiring land and building houses across the country. Ali, Huayi, and Deng Wendi will appreciate and approve the addition of such strong reinforcements.

Moreover, Wanda had already established a cultural and entertainment strategy based on movies and cinemas several years ago.

Huayi was his target for besieging the enemy's stronghold and attacking their reinforcements. He also brought in Ali and Wendy Deng according to his plan, creating conditions for Wenjie Mall to overtake the competition.

But what about News Corp.?

For example, this year's Oscars have created direct competition with the North American media industry, so what about News Corporation, which will inevitably resort to all means to conduct anti-public relations?

This is a behemoth whose overall strength currently far surpasses that of the Quest Realm.

According to Fortune magazine in 2007, News Corporation's total revenue was $300 billion.

North American companies painstakingly planned and spent a huge sum of about $40 billion to acquire Netflix.

Last year, News Corp. spent $50 billion to acquire Dow Jones, including The Wall Street Journal.

News Corp. is backed by the Republican political capital it has gained by endorsing issues such as the Iraq War and tax cuts.

It includes BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company; Vanguard Group; and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a long-term strategic investor, among others.

It is true that Mr. Lu is in possession of News Corporation's scandals.

But if those incriminating evidence, such as the wiretapping of the former British Prime Minister, fails to bring Murdoch down, it will be a fight to the death.

He will face a full-scale backlash from across the United States, from politics to business, including from the bigwigs behind News Corp., and even a "real business war."

However, given his current financial situation, he simply cannot absorb the collapse of News Corporation. He also lacks the connections and capabilities to unite with other competitors in North America, besides Disney, to gradually erode News Corporation's influence.

This isn't a matter of stabbing each other in the back and then walking away.

If you stab someone, your hysterical opponent might drag you down with them, or they might be slightly injured and then shoot you dead.

Then his remains were devoured by other circling vultures.

Even those reborn with exceptional advantages can only proceed cautiously and employ a strategy of befriending distant powers while attacking nearby ones, whether facing domestic business giants like Xiao Ma and Xiao Mutou, or established foreign capital with deep roots.

Otherwise, the collapse of the building will only happen in an instant.

Especially after the internet companies in the Wenjie Group are about to abandon closed-end financing and go public, as long as they do not have absolute control, they will leave many loopholes for their competitors in the secondary market.

Just like when he targeted Netflix.

Xiao Liu held her boyfriend's hand tightly, unaware that at that moment, the names of various domestic and foreign capital and forces were echoing in his mind, and he was deducing the future direction of the situation.

Where there are interests, there will be struggles; fighting with others is truly a lifelong endeavor.

The orchestra at the event suddenly started playing the Star Wars theme, and a montage of classic scenes from the 80s Oscars played on the screen.

The Oscars ceremony has begun.

(End of this chapter)