Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 472 I offered my heart to Mingyue, but Mingyue was a middleman.
"You two, please come in."

Harvey and Iger, two increasingly close allies in North America, stepped into the house with smiles.

Lu Kuan waved to Su Chang and the other person: "Yi Fei needs no introduction. This is our friend Su. She's currently filming 'Inception' on Nolan's set."

He had previously spoken to Harvey, asking him to take good care of Su Chang in the United States. In fact, Iger was no stranger to her, after all, this film was a collaboration between the three companies.

"Hello, beautiful Su."

Su Chang stepped forward and shook hands generously: "Thank you, Mr. Iger. I am a Disney fan! I am looking forward to the opening of Shanghai Disneyland."

“Oh, thank you! It’s an honor to hear you say that,” Egger replied politely.

Harvey added, "Su's acting is very good. Nolan praised her to me, but she still needs to adapt to the pace of Hollywood."

Su Chang nodded: "Hollywood's concepts are the most advanced in the world right now, and I will seize the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn more."

“Finally, I’ve seen a typical Eastern woman.” Aiger joked, “Lu, neither you nor Yi Fei are typical Chinese people; sometimes you’re not very humble.”

"Hahaha!" After a few jokes, everyone sat down at the table. It was a not-so-authentic Chinese meal, prepared by a hired chef.

Xiao Liu's interest in cooking usually occurs when the two of them are alone, creating a warm and cozy feeling of home life. When there are outsiders present, she is less likely to cook.

After a brief chat at the dinner table, the two women tactfully excused themselves and went upstairs, leaving the three of them with space to discuss their business.

Harvey raised a glass to warm up the atmosphere: "A belated celebration! Congratulations on the great success of our first anthology film, Iron Man!"

Boss Lu smiled and agreed, but Aiger only wore a bitter smile.

Unfortunately, he couldn't have predicted that Marvel, which was on the verge of collapse, would become such a huge hit with its very first film after being acquired by this Chinese man.

Iron Man ultimately grossed over $6 million worldwide, and the merchandise market has sold a total of $3.5 million to date, with the long tail effect becoming increasingly apparent and still growing.

Considering that Netflix will release the DVD version in three months, it's no exaggeration to say that this deal is incredibly profitable.

However, Wenjie profited the most from its quantum toy derivative factory and 50% investment share, while Harvey also gained nearly $6500 million from acquiring the 10% stake that Iger voluntarily relinquished.

If earning less is considered a loss, then Disney is the only one who will suffer a huge loss in this game.

If Iger were also a time traveler, and knew that in his previous life in 2009, Disney acquired Marvel after the huge success of "Iron Man," he would probably be even more furious.

"Lu, does Marvel have any plans for developing more superheroes?"

Lu Kuan explained, "We will gradually take back each superhero. The lawyers have reviewed the original rental and sale contracts, and we can proceed according to the redemption clause. For the others, we will directly pay the penalty for breach of contract."

The early sale agreement stipulated that if the buyer failed to develop the film and television project within the specified period, the copyright would automatically revert to Marvel.

When Marvel sold itself, it was also trying to maintain its popularity by leveraging the film and television works of other film companies. This is similar to how domestic real estate companies that fail to take action after acquiring land are subject to government repossession within a specified period.

Iger nodded thoughtfully. He had come today for two purposes: one was to ask him to open up Marvel's future development to allies, and the other was to find out the truth about the Film Promotion Act.

Lu Kuan, the time traveler, knew that the East Conference would open up quotas and revenue sharing ratios after ultimately losing the case, but these Hollywood bigwigs were still unsure.

Fortunately, their ally is a prominent figure in the Dongda film circle, who has actually reached the position of setting the rules. Although he is only involved in consultation, it is already quite remarkable for someone outside the system.

Iger quickly analyzed the current situation: "Everything else is fine, but News Corporation doesn't have a good relationship with you, and now the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool are all in Fox's hands..."

"If needed, Disney can act as an intermediary to negotiate."

Boss Lu smiled as he looked at Aiger, whose expression remained indifferent. His true intentions were not what they seemed.

Regarding this issue, Disney in its previous life chose the most direct method, spending $710 billion in 2019 to directly acquire Fox from News Corp.

Mr. Lu laughed and said, "Who said I have a bad relationship with News Corporation? I have a bad relationship with Wendy Deng. Mr. Murdoch is still a competent businessman."

Harvey, with his keen eyes and sharp mind, smiled knowingly.

Iger sighed inwardly; Murdoch was indeed very qualified.

When this person exposed the business scandals in London and Australia, Disney also gained a lot of news and media resources.

If he could, he wouldn't mind watching them have another big fight, with Wenjie getting beaten up and Disney getting the better deal.

Even if News Corporation were to suffer a crushing defeat, the lost territory would still be in sensitive sectors involving both online and offline public opinion, making it impossible for North American media to gain any influence.

The bait he threw out was thrown back, and Iger casually asked, "So, how does Wenjie plan to deal with the superhero IPs in Fox's hands?"

Lu Kuan calmly replied, "Let's first have normal communication and negotiation, and see what conditions Fox proposes."

"Now that the financial crisis is a foregone conclusion, Wall Street is running out of resources. I imagine Fox doesn't have spare funds to produce big-budget productions either, and they might still need to use redemption clauses."

He paused, then turned the tables and offered bait: "We currently have Thor and Captain America that we can reclaim for development. The market capacity is limited, so we haven't decided which one to choose yet."

"There's still time; we can negotiate with Fox slowly."

Boss Lu calmly sipped his tea, while Harvey glanced at Egger, feeling a sense of shared vengeance.

He had no grudge against Aiger, but having worked with Boss Lu for so many years, he was actually closer to him, both emotionally and in terms of benefits.

Compared to Disney, Wenjie is not a big company, but now it's making a fortune with a small investment, and he's really enjoying the excitement.

Aiger was a little annoyed. He had just said that this person was not a typical Chinese, and now he was playing coy with him, not revealing a single word.

With the huge losses of "Iron Man" already made, how could he be willing to give up the next few delicious dishes?

"Perhaps we can reduce some of the issuance fees in the later stages of the project."

Iger smiled sincerely: "You provided great convenience for communication with your allies during the negotiations in Shanghai. Wenjie is Disney's friend in the East, and I think this is what we should do."

Mr. Lu cooperated by showing surprise: "Thank you, Disney is also an excellent partner."

“Yes, Miramax too,” Harvey added, and the three of them clinked glasses with smiles.

However, Lu Kuan's real intention was not what he seemed. After a roundabout approach, he probed further, "Aiger, my special effects company in China is considering adding an animation department. Could we perhaps learn from Pixar?"

"We would like to purchase some of Pixar's technology and also ask you to help train some technical personnel."

Aiger was startled, and the wine glass in his hand wobbled slightly.

If others say such things, he can simply scoff inwardly at their overestimation of their abilities, refuse, or make demands that would discourage them.

But this Chinese director is different.

Why not focus on making your live-action films and becoming a cinematic master? What interest do you have in animated films?
Unfortunately, he also possesses resources that Disney is currently envious of—

The share of Marvel superhero movies, and Lu Kuan's personal influence over Dongda University and the film industry.

"Lu, you don't actually know anything about animated films, do you?"

"I don't understand, but one of our top leaders is quite interested in this." Boss Lu casually made up a story: "You've all heard about the Film Promotion Law. I've attended three meetings, and now there are a few relatively clear directions."

"First, we are considering increasing the annual import quota for films and the revenue-sharing ratio. Second, in addition to regular films, we are increasing support for science fiction and animated films."

Mr. Lu feigned helplessness: "The leadership expects us, as the largest film company in the country, to take on more responsibilities. You know, it's a mission!"

Iger said doubtfully, "Science fiction is fine, but animated films have a high barrier to entry. IP development is a long-term process, and the technical requirements are also very high."

"But I'm also having a headache! Disney has so many animated characters, and even Japanese animation has characters that are popular in Europe and America, so what should we make?"

"I'm afraid that if we make a film about Sun Wukong, he'll be called a Saiyan in the West. That would be such a shame!"

He tapped the table lightly: "So, I was thinking of doing a superficial project to get by, symbolically importing some basic technology from you, and just to get by and hand it over."

Boss Lu lowered his voice slightly: "Importing animation technology comes with substantial cultural industry subsidies. I wanted to complete the task while also..."

. . .

The conversation at the dinner table was somewhat subdued, as Harvey and Egger were frantically processing the news he brought, unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

What kind of statements are the most deceptive?
Seven parts truth, three parts falsehood.

It's true that the government is under pressure to increase import quotas and revenue sharing for films, but its determination to strengthen support for science fiction and animation is only half true, as Lu Kuan himself is still working on this matter.

As for the claims of "perfunctory work" and "fraudulently obtaining subsidies through technology imports," those are pure nonsense and utter rubbish!

After acquiring Dumpling and proposing its core future proposition, it seems they've already set their sights on Pixar's complementary products!
Aiger's expression was uncertain; he didn't have much more information to make a decision at the moment, so he could only probe further:
"Lu, you are, after all, only the director of the advisory committee. As for the final legislation..."

Boss Lu didn't mince words: "You have questions, right? It's like this—"

He said seriously, "You know Han from China Film Group, right?"

“Of course!” Harvey’s eyelids twitched, and Egg’s heart pounded. They were about to hear firsthand information from this powerful figure at East University.

They not only knew, but also knew that "Han and Lu" were close friends.

The conditions for film distribution that Lu Kuan proposed when he first reached an agreement with him for a film syndicate were facilitated by the latter.

Mr. Lu said in a deep voice: "It is now basically confirmed that he will take a further step next year and take charge of the two import film management departments of China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution, and concurrently serve as the deputy director of the Film Bureau."

"Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China at Southeast University. His promotion and appointment will be officially announced after a commemorative film, which is perfectly justified!"

"Now that the higher-ups have spoken, this matter is also related to his political achievements, and it is our common goal, so we have no choice but to do it."

He looked up at Iger and pressed on while Iger was still undecided: "Our collaboration on Marvel can be deepened, but Disney also needs to consider the legitimate demands of its allies!"

"Only when Wenjie becomes stronger and our positions as Han and I become more secure can we provide our allies with more convenience, right?"

"What is relatively certain now is that China will definitely increase the import quota and revenue sharing ratio for films. But who will get the extra quota? How will it be distributed? Who will make the decision?"

“Aeger, including Harvey, you can think about it.”

After delivering his personal opinions, Boss Lu sat down in his chair with his arms crossed, drinking tea and patiently blowing on the floating leaves in his cup, showing no interest in observing the two people in front of him.

But Iger and Harvey wouldn't let go of their observation of him so easily.

After a few hesitant glances, he gave up.

The world-renowned Disney president never imagined that his simple desire to inquire about the next Marvel superhero project would inexplicably escalate into a deeper deal.

But he just couldn't resist such temptation.

"Road, what kind of technical support do you need?"

“Some of the equipment we use to develop animation rendering software is subject to government embargoes at the level of sensitive manufacturing processes.”

"There are also some computing tools that can be used for military simulations and nuclear explosion predictions, all of which are very sensitive."

Aiger harbored some probing intentions, wanting to see if Lu Kuan might be using a feint attack.

Mr. Lu shook his head: "I don't know yet. The policies in mainland China are still being formulated, and Marvel's superheroes will also be gradually recalled."

Of course he knew! He had already discussed it with Xie Ning before coming.

As for nuclear explosions and chips, those are just Iger's wild ideas; Boss Lu isn't that bold.

What he needs are Pixar's three industry-renowned treasures:

RenderMan, which is responsible for lighting and shadow rendering; Marionette, the character modeling and rigging system; and Ringmaster, the production process management platform.

"Never mind." Lu Kuan waved his hand and smiled as he picked up his glass of red wine. "We can discuss these troublesome matters later. After a year of intense work, we'll have a drink together today, and tomorrow we'll start our vacation."

Harvey's appetite was whetted, and he said awkwardly, "Lou, Marvel's next project can be put on the agenda. We can still aim for next year's summer blockbuster."

"Let's see!" Boss Lu said noncommittally.

Who the hell is talking to you about "we"?
Especially you, Iger?
The Disney president, being somewhat reserved, noticed that he was trying to pique the interest of others and immediately stopped talking. Instead, he made a brief conversation about vacations before preparing to take his leave.

Lu Kuan called his fiancée down to see the guests off, and to his surprise, the two of them were very polite in a very Eastern way before leaving.

Aiger instructed the driver to take the gift box out of the car and opened it in front of the two of them. Inside was a Vacheron Constantin Grande Artisan Astronomy series watch, with a market value of around 400 million RMB.

The dual barrels provide 65 hours of power reserve, and the exclusive custom star chart dial allows you to mark your wedding date and zodiac sign, which is a nice little feature.

"Lu and Yi Fei, happy marriage." He didn't elaborate further, leaving it to the recipients to assess the value themselves.

"Thank you!" Liu Yifei accepted the gift with a smile, her expression showing no unusual reaction.

Even without a nouveau riche boyfriend like Mr. Lu, she could easily afford this level of luxury item now; it really is just a small gift.

Lu Kuan smiled and looked at Harvey: "Don't feel embarrassed if you haven't prepared a gift. Just give me a few bottles of your collection of old wines from the castle."

"Of course it's ready. It will be shipped to Beiping in a little over a month." An Lushan, the Jewish man, said confidently: "It's the top-of-the-line Freightliner QX390 RV currently available in the United States, modified according to the compliant parameters in your country."

Due to model and optional specifications, Freightliner QX390s were almost never in stock. Harvey, a man of many connections, immediately arranged to place an order after the rumors of their marriage circulated on the night of the Olympic opening ceremony.

The original was 11.88 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 3.81 meters high, with a wheelbase of over 7 meters and an interior area of ​​40 square meters, almost equivalent to a small apartment, but it has been modified into a smaller version.

Even so, the vehicle still boasts a Cummins 8.3-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engine, a 380-liter capacity, and top-of-the-line features such as GPS navigation, a water purification system, and independent air conditioning.

Xiao Liu smiled and said, "Thank you, Harvey. The Anderson RV that Lu Kuan gave me last time is still sitting at home. Looks like it's time to upgrade."

"Haha! That one was stolen from Leonardo DiCaprio, this one is specially for you guys..."

Harvey couldn't help but boast halfway through when he suddenly noticed the subtle look in Boss Lu's eyes and immediately shut up.

"Aig, shall we go?"

"Okay, goodbye, Lu, Yi Fei, have a great holiday!"

"goodbye!"

The young couple watched the two leave. Liu Yifei looked at her fiancé with a displeased expression. Harvey's slip of the tongue had triggered a series of clues in her mind.

For example, to deceive himself into working illegally, he gave Anderson's luxury RV as a gift, and even had his initials engraved on the wooden center console.

A wave of nostalgia is coming (Chapter 239)

Liu Yifei instantly realized what it meant: uneven!
That was originally Leonardo's RV, but this bastard ground off all the letters after the L in "To Leonardo"!
He even lied and claimed that it was a birthday gift he had prepared for himself a long time ago, because luxury RVs are all custom-made!
Liu Yifei squinted at her boyfriend, a dangerous smile playing on her lips: "What did Harvey mean by the RV he just mentioned that he stole from Leonardo DiCaprio?"

Her fingernails were already in place on the latter's arm muscles.

This deception of one's former innocent self, brewing for years before the truth came to light, could no longer be resolved with a simple beating.

Only by pinching the tender flesh and rotating it mercilessly 360 degrees can one slightly lessen the hatred!

Looking back now, I realize how ridiculous I was!
He even confidently told Zhu Yawen, Huang Xiaoming, and others that it was the original state of rosewood.
They probably thought through all the saddest things in their lives in that instant to stop themselves from laughing out loud.

Liu Yifei looked at this "emotional swindler" with uncontrollable rage!

I had my heart set on Mingyue, but it turns out that this bastard Mingyue is just a middleman in the art of carving!
The washing machine felt it was a completely undeserved misfortune; if Harvey hadn't mentioned it by chance, it would have been something it had completely forgotten about.

The details still seem to have been handled poorly; otherwise, how could he have been brought to justice four years later?

Still have to practice.

"Sissi..."

"Get lost! Don't call me that so affectionately! Call me Miss Liu!" "Oh, Miss Donkey."

Liu Yifei laughed in anger, and then used her nails to pinch and twist him mercilessly before jumping onto her boyfriend's back and biting his ear!

Lu Kuan dared not resist too much, and could only hold up "Kardefy's" pert buttocks, shrinking his head in a sorry state.

"Su Chang is still here, you have to give me some face!"

Liu Yifei was furious: "Did you even give me any face back then?!"

"No, didn't the founding of the nation include a general amnesty? That's ancient history! Laws don't apply retroactively!"

After laughing and joking around for a while, Xiao Liu stood on tiptoe and tightly gripped his neck: "There are people around today, so I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'll remember this!"

You wait! Don't leave once you're in bed!
Mr. Lu was grabbed by the neck by his savage girlfriend. He bent down and deliberately fell into her arms, giving his face a thorough "face wash".

His warm breath, penetrating the cotton fabric, soothed her skin, making Xiao Liu feel both shy and ticklish, so she pushed him away.

The girl couldn't help but smile, revealing a dimple. Perhaps realizing that this wasn't intimidating enough, she put on a stern face again: "What else haven't you confessed! Tell me the truth now!"

"Luckily I found out early. If I had waited a few more days, I would have married you, you middleman. Wouldn't that have been a huge loss!"

The washing machine retorted, "Same here! You're still the leader of my hater group. This time last year, you could speak but you pretended to be mute, and in the end, you tricked me into your lover's heart!"

"And another thing! You tricked me into going surfing when you were on your period, and I practically drank my fill of seawater, and then you said the door was closed tonight?"

"Hahaha!" Liu Yifei covered her mouth and laughed. Thinking back on all the pranks they had played on each other over the years, she realized that this was the joy of being with someone you like.

The two went upstairs, and Su Chang sat in the living room with a mocking expression, munching on an apple. She had been dieting because of filming and hadn't eaten much for lunch.

"Oh dear, sometimes I really wish I were deaf, so I wouldn't have to hear all those sweet, chattering voices that make me so annoyed."

Xiao Liu said angrily, "Don't mess with me, I'm really angry right now! I don't want to do anything to Lu Kuan, but I can do whatever I want to you!"

Su Chang was so angry she wanted to curse him out. Showing off their love was one thing, but threatening me was another!

Have you forgotten who stayed up with you in bed to cry secretly in the middle of the night, and who played videos for you at your birthday party?

Big-wavy scumbag!
"Su Chang, how was your experience in Inception?" Lu Kuan plopped down on the sofa, looking at his future "sister-in-law" in front of him.

"That's great! I can learn a lot. I was chatting with Sisi this morning."

Boss Lu nodded: "Seize the opportunity. No matter how good the resources are in the industry, there aren't many opportunities like this to ride on the coattails of Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan."

"Hollywood is an extremely realistic place. Nicolas Cage is a big star, right? Last year's 'Ghost Rider' had a budget of $1.2 million, but only grossed $2.3 million worldwide. Sony immediately canceled the sequel."

"Now this Oscar-winning actor can only make movies like 'Bangkok Dangerous,' which has dropped significantly from the 2000 million club. If he can't carry the box office, he'll only be able to act in DVD releases."

Su Chang seemed a little nervous after hearing his words, but she was actually quite confident in her acting skills and professionalism.

“I understand. I’m actually following the same path as Sissi, but I don’t have her skill in martial arts roles, so Western audiences might not be so interested.”

Lu Kuan nodded: "Let's get familiar with each other first. At the eighth anniversary celebration, Wenjie talked about how to promote Chinese films and culture overseas, which requires directors, technology, policies, actors and many other aspects."

"As far as the actors are concerned, the top priority is always to let Western audiences see more Asian faces, become familiar with them, and be interested in them. This is a very long process."

“We don’t have the policy space to control the theater chains, but we can release DVDs. This year, Netflix has put Golden Harvest and the best movies from the last decade into its North American special offer packages.”

"It's all about using the 'get a good deal' mentality to force users to watch Chinese-language films and see Asian faces. Besides, they are still very interested in Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers' kung fu films."

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "Yesterday, I saw on Twitter that the search index related to Chinese culture, movies, and the Olympics has increased rapidly, which is incomparable to the same period last year."

"The revolution is not yet complete." Su Chang sighed, then encouraged himself, "We must continue to strive!"

Mr. Lu laughed and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The issue I just mentioned is a project that spans ten or twenty years or more, requiring multi-dimensional and cross-industry collaboration, and it also needs the support of the national superstructure."

"As members of the industry, we can only participate in the historical trend to the best of our ability."

"So whether it's you or Xiao Liu, doing what you can is enough. In the future, we will try various other approaches, such as American dramas with Eastern themes and animations based on Chinese mythology."

"Keep trying!"

After discussing business, they moved on to personal matters. Xiao Liu curiously inquired about her best friend's love life: "How are things going between you and Zhuang Xu?"

"Great!"

"Didn't they mention when we'd get married?"

Su Chang laughed and said, "Please, we're only twenty-one! Do you think everyone is like the two of you?"

Boss Lu joked, "Then you'd better keep a close eye on him!"

"Now Zhuang Xu holds a high position of power. Whether in the internet industry or the film industry, there are countless women eager to throw themselves at him, hehe!"

Su Chang hummed twice without saying anything. Xiao Liu sighed and facepalmed. Her boyfriend was so shameless, daring to stand on this moral high ground and lecture others.

The three chatted for a while. Lu Kuan told Su Chang to bring bodyguards when going out and that she could contact Huang Anna or Harvey directly if anything happened. The latter left with great ambition.

As an actress who gets to act alongside top stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, she knows this opportunity is hard-won and is aware of Wenjie's future plans for the global cultural industry. She wants to do everything she can to realize her value.

Whether it's the subprime mortgages harvested in North America and Netflix's nascent streaming services, or Yang Yu, whom they recruited and nurtured in China, or the challenges they've presented to Iger today, these are all examples of how they've leveraged the situation to their advantage.

Lu Kuan continues to practice his goals and ideals, and is also inspiring all the directors, actors, special effects technicians, and even people like Han Shanping who are part of the system, who are united around him.

True leadership charisma depends not only on position and authority, but also on the ability to transform a vision into a collective belief.

People were not forced to obey, but willingly "drawn in" to this cultural Long March that was destined to be recorded in history.

On the afternoon of September 1st, Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei arrived at Twitter's headquarters in Mountain View and went directly into Sun Wenwen's vice president's office, without being disturbed by ordinary employees.

Sun Wenwen had already met Liu Yifei yesterday, and she was even more delighted to see Lu Kuan again today.

Even while enjoying a comfortable and respectable life in America, she would still maintain an emotional connection to her homeland, and Lu and Liu were clearly her link.

"Mr. Lu, thank you for the message you sent me at the celebration in May! I will always be Wenjie's employee number 002."

Boss Lu nodded: "Yes, this employee number has been sealed. We didn't even give it to Xiao Liu when he asked for it."

“Nonsense! When did I ever want that?” Liu Yifei laughed, with a hint of winning people over by playing the husband and wife together: “You, as the boss, are actually very sentimental. You often tell me that it was easier when Wenwen was around.”

Sun Wenwen smiled.

Back then, she went along with Xiao Liu's willfulness, but she herself went astray.

He regained his chance after self-redemption, which was also a way of pledging his freedom to his cause.

Fortunately, all of that is in the past. Now, Sun Wenwen is able to fully utilize everything she has learned from following her boss over the years to expand the business in North America.

The former chief steward felt only gratitude and dared not, nor would he, harbor any resentment.

Lu Kuan then teased her, "You've become more fashionable in America, haven't you? Back in China, you always wore business attire. You're doing much better now."

"Yes, the work pace is a bit different overseas. I went shopping with Ms. Liu yesterday."

"That's good. We can date normally, find partners, and enjoy life. Life isn't just about work."

Sun Wenwen didn't respond to these words, but just smiled. Chen Shijun knocked on the door and entered the room. The group then started discussing their current work at Twitter.

Twitter's development in this era is much smoother than in the previous one; it's no longer a social media upstart that suddenly rose to prominence because of some random music festival.

Whether it's the marketing experience accumulated in promoting movies like the "Insidious" series and "Iron Man," or the attempt to exploit new users in web games during the "Twilight" campaign, they have all been at the forefront of the times.

As 2008 approached, if the Tokyo Olympics were the most important event, then the election year in the United States was also attracting attention, and Twitter couldn't possibly pass up such a marketing opportunity.

Not only will Twitter not give up, but neither will the main candidates such as Obama, Hillary Clinton, and McCain.

Chen Shih-Chun reported some data: "During the entire election period, our total number of registered users increased by 1200 million, and the current total number of users is 8200 million, with a daily active user (DAU) of nearly 5000 million."

"The biggest benefit of participating in this election marketing campaign for the platform is the surge in users aged 35-49. According to our communication with the official election office, the voter turnout among teenagers aged 18-24 across the United States has reached a new high in nearly 40 years."

In 2008, there were only over 100 million voters in the United States. This means that 10% of the users were converted, and they were all middle-class people in society who were more sensitive to and enthusiastic about political life. This was a very good change.

This could allow Twitter, a hub for public opinion that originated from the hype surrounding Twilight among young fans, to officially move towards becoming a global public dialogue platform.

With the increased promotion and hype during the August Olympics at Lu's behest, coupled with the previous publicity and marketing for "The Sky of History," Twitter's image and functions have become increasingly diversified.

Lu Kuan asked curiously, "How are the candidates doing? I heard from Harvey that Guan Hai seems quite active and very supportive of our platform."

“Yes!” Chen Shih-Chun laughed. “His number of fans has exceeded 3000 million, surpassing all other candidates.”

"Moreover, his team is very professional, with staff monitoring ordinary netizens 24 hours a day. Even his opponents follow him back quickly, and he has a very approachable image."

“People like Hillary Clinton usually only announce their hard schedules on Twitter, but this person seems to have an entire response team responsible for releasing campaign schedules, policy proposals, and answering voters’ questions in real time, which is incredible.”

Boss Lu asked calmly, "So the others gave up?"

"Yes, nowadays, Mrs. Hillary mainly posts her speech videos, charity videos, and so on on Mytube."

“Most importantly—” Chen Shih-Chun added, “the Federal Election Commission has a regulatory requirement for campaign finances.”

"All donations exceeding $200 must publicly disclose the donor's name, address, occupation, and other information, regardless of whether the donation comes from online or offline sources."

“But Obama’s team is very clever. They set up fundraising groups on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace, and raised nearly $2800 million in campaign funds through small donations of no more than $100 each. $1500 million of that came from us alone!”

Lu Kuan asked in surprise, "Regarding compliance..."

“No problem.” Sun Wenwen added, “Huang Anna has communicated fully with the election committee. We are fair and transparent in both the campaigning of candidates and the statistics of small-amount fundraising, and the data is subject to supervision.”

"Guan Hai's online victory can only be attributed to his team's own emphasis on and proficiency with Twitter. Other candidates do not seem to have realized the importance of his grassroots leader image."

"That's good." Boss Lu smiled without saying anything.

"According to the current public announcement, Guan Hai officially accepted the nomination on August 28, and the final sprint for the general election will begin in early September."

Liu Yifei couldn't help but shake the newspaper in her hand. She really didn't expect that her black neighbor in Heidelberg Park would actually turn into a dragon when the wind and clouds came.

Of course, she wouldn't voice her vague suspicions—

How does this older Black man manage to use Twitter so professionally, instead of Facebook, Mytube, or Myspace?

Besides Twitter, in her previous life, Guan Hai was also quite active on YouTube, with the famous "Guan Hai Girls" viral spread being a prime example.

Xiao Liu recalled that he had only met Lu Kuan a few times, but he was the one who knew Guan Hai first and then introduced him to Lu Kuan.

From this perspective, the logic doesn't quite hold up.

After all, living in Heidelberg Park and going to the University of Chicago were entirely her own decisions.

Boss Lu wasn't worried about his fiancée having any suspicions. Even though he would never say it outright, it was hard for him to be wary of Liu Yifei. He immediately joked:

"Who governs America is none of our business, as long as we take care of Twitter's business."

After finishing his business, he got up to leave: "Whether it's the financial crisis or the election, there will definitely be major public opinion events in the fourth quarter, including candidates' televised debates, online campaigning, and their policy platforms under the financial crisis. Until the voting ends in November, we can continue to attract users aged 35 and above."

"Shijun, Wenwen, keep a close eye on things."

"Okay!" "Yes!"

Sun Wenwen saw the two off and said, "Boss, congratulations on your marriage to Miss Liu."

"Actually, I thought about what wedding gift to give you for a long time, but I felt that nothing would be presentable. I'll express my feelings at the formal wedding!"

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Don't be shy."

"Let's go back, we're leaving." Liu Yifei waved to her, and Sun Wenwen watched the two leave, silently wishing the perfect couple well in her heart.

. . .

In the pool of the Beverly Hills mansion, the two swam for a while in the warm afternoon sun and then chatted on the lounge chairs about where to go on vacation.

Boss Lu was so busy that he only had time to consider this issue now, while Liu Yifei was suffering from decision paralysis.

There are so many places she wants to go.

Liu Yifei leaned lazily against the rattan chair, tilting her head back and coquettishly asking her boyfriend to dry her water stains. Her neck arched like a swan, and water streaks slid down her collarbone into her snowy cleavage.

Her shoulder strap slipped slightly, revealing a half-smooth curve kissed by the sunlight, like soft frosting about to melt on a cream cake.

"Does it look good?"

"think."

Xiao Liu chuckled: "Thinking about you, my foot! Asking if you look good, what are you thinking about!"

As if remembering something, the girl's voice suddenly became sticky: "I suddenly remembered that it was around this time last year, the day you took me away from here and escaped from the whole world."

Boss Lu, the straight man, said, "I was fooled by you, you pitiful little mute. Otherwise, why would I have retired from the martial arts world?"

Thinking of their love-defining trip to Sicily, Liu Yifei's eyes softened even more: "Those were wonderful times, but now they're even more wonderful, and they'll be even more wonderful in the future!"

The man embraced his girlfriend, who was lying beside him, and looked at her two slender, jade-like legs stretched out in a cross shape: "So, have you decided where to go?"

Liu Yifei murmured, "There are so many places I want to go: Northern Europe, North Africa, Russia, South America, the Caribbean..."

"But I was just thinking about it. You're almost on the cover of Time magazine now, so it must be inconvenient for you to go to a big city, right? Considering safety issues..."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "I'm not a female celebrity like you, who would remember me?"

"However, security is an issue that needs to be considered. We've brought Mia along, along with the entire North American security team, on chartered flights."

“It would be even more inconvenient in big European cities.” Xiao Liu leaned on her boyfriend’s shoulder, somewhat discouraged. “If only we were two unknown ordinary people, now we have to go to the ends of the earth so that no one will recognize us.”

Lu Kuan smiled and said: "The end of the world? WANDS's "The End of the World" (Until the End of the World)?
He suddenly thought of a place: "But there is indeed a place that can be considered the end of the world, which is quite far from Los Angeles and China. We have to rush back to Beiping on the 9th, so we won't be able to stay for more than a few days."

"Where?" Liu Yifei sat up straight curiously, looking at her boyfriend with sparkling eyes.

Have you seen "Happy Together"?

Having done some preliminary film analysis, Xiao Liu immediately realized: "Ushuaia?"

Ushuaia is the southernmost point of the Southern Hemisphere and the starting port for Antarctic research vessels.

There's a wooden sign at the port that says 'Fin del Mundo,' which means 'the end of the world' in Spanish.

"In the biting sea wind, the rusty lighthouse guards the Drake Passage. When blizzards come, even the albatrosses take refuge in the harbor taverns."

Lu Kuan read her a passage from Jules Verne's "The Lighthouse at the End of the World," while using his knuckles to draw an imaginary coastline on his girlfriend's collarbone, arousing both her body and mind.

Xiao Liu rolled over and straddled her lover, completely absorbed in the anticipation of their pre-wedding honeymoon.

"Eat me quickly, then we'll set off!"

(End of this chapter)