A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 14 Idols

Lin Chien-lu returned to Taipei on March 29 and spent the next morning resting at his hotel. However, he didn't get much rest because enthusiastic fans had already gathered downstairs. After touring around Taiwan for less than two weeks, his popularity among fans seems to have skyrocketed. It's no longer just that his albums are good; he's become famous.

The key point is that he's not one of the singers from Rock Records' past, from Luo Dayou and Li Zongsheng to Zhao Chuan, Zhou Huajian, and Zhang Zhenyue. Rock Records' singers have never been associated with good looks. But he's absolutely top-tier in terms of appearance, which immediately spurred Taiwanese fans, who previously at most followed Wang Jie, Qi Qin, Lin Zhiying, the Little Tigers, or maybe the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong, to fall head over heels in love with him.

He had no choice but to go downstairs, deliberately wearing a pair of disposable hotel slippers, and casually signed autographs for everyone. It took him quite a while to persuade these people to leave.

In the afternoon, there was another small gathering.

This time, it was Duan Zhongtan who organized and convened the gathering, because Luo Da had returned from Hong Kong and unexpectedly saw Wu Bai, but Xin Xiaoqi and Zhou Huajian were missing again.

Let's eat, drink, and chat.

Lin Jianlu gradually found the rhythm and skills to deal with this group of people.

Unlike when he was in the capital, his method there was quite simple and direct: give money and treat people to meals. As long as someone helped, he had to give them a generous sum of money and then treat everyone to a good meal from time to time—the music scene in the capital is generally still struggling to make ends meet!

Dou Wei, Zheng Jun, Black Panther, Tang Dynasty, Tian Zhen, Lao Lang, and the like are really just a minority. They may not make much money from record sales, but when they go out to perform and do gigs, they can earn at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per show. Then there's Liu Huan, who, although not in a professional troupe, is within the system, and he became famous in the 1980s with songs like "The Sun in My Heart" and "Young Ambition Knows No Sorrow." These are all rare big names and wealthy individuals.

But for most people, they are actually "Beijing drifters," and it's the norm for them not to earn much money.

So, from the initial live performance in the small conference room of the New Grand Hotel, the entire recording and MV shooting took only a month or so. Lin Jianlu didn't mind spending the money on recording and took good care of his poor friends who weren't doing so well. Each recording session cost at least three or five hundred yuan. Regardless of whether they helped or not, if they got along well, they would have a meal together. There was plenty of food and oil, enough to keep them from going hungry for at least a day.

He has a good reputation and extensive connections in the capital's social circles.

But this approach definitely doesn't work in Taiwan, so when he first arrived, he tried to talk as little as possible, observe, listen to their conversations, and after a few interactions, he understood: be sincere and frank, but don't show off or pretend to be something you're not. Occasionally, he would throw out a really bad joke, and if the occasion and atmosphere were right, he would throw out a dirty joke.

Hey, it's easy to use, and most people like it.

What's a bit surprising is that most men instantly understood his dirty jokes, and it was normal for several older female singers to burst into laughter at the same time. Su Huilun was even able to fight back, but what was strange was that Chen Shuhua and Liu Ruoying looked blank at the slightest thing, as if they didn't understand.

It shouldn't be that bad, they're not little girls anymore.

Although Liu Ruoying is a newcomer to fame, she is definitely several years older than Lin Jianlu.

Of course, in these kinds of gatherings, Lin Jianlu tries her best not to steal the spotlight from others. Besides... they are all very gossipy. Luo Da is often in Hong Kong, Lin Yilian often has activities there, and even Li Zongsheng will take time every year to stay with Lin Yilian. There are all sorts of gossip in Hong Kong circles, which Lin Jianlu loves to listen to and never finds it boring.

However, some people still noticed the anomaly.

When Lin Jianlu quietly returned with another plate of barbecue, intending to fill his stomach while catching up on Hong Kong entertainment gossip, Chen Shuhua approached him in shock, exclaiming, "Wow, you've eaten your third plate!"

The gathering was held at the big boss's villa, with someone specifically in charge of cooking and grilling the meat.

Lin Jianlu's plate was overflowing; it probably held at least a pound of meat. "Did you count it?"

She said very seriously, "Yes, I saw you finish plate after plate with my own eyes, this is the third plate!"

"Can you blame me for having a big appetite? Besides, I'm only twenty years old and still growing, sis." "Don't talk nonsense! That's ruining my reputation! This is clearly my fourth plate!"

"puff……"

Chen Shuhua burst out laughing on the spot, "You..."

After laughing, she felt conflicted. She leaned closer and watched Lin Jianlu eat heartily, then whispered, "Do you eat this much every meal? Won't you get fat? You have such a great figure, can you teach me how you do it? Why do I gain weight if I eat even a little bit more?"

"Simple, I'm young!"

One sentence killed the conversation. Chen Shuhua was even a little angry. Perhaps it was because they had gradually become more familiar with each other. The little fangirl attitude she had when she came to worship the R&B master was gone, and the sense of distance was gone. She raised her hand and slapped Lin Jianlu's arm, turned her head away, and ignored him.

But Lin Jianlu suddenly became serious again, "It's just exercise! I get up early every day to run five kilometers, and if the weather is nice, I'll run ten kilometers!" Sure enough, she turned around and wasn't really angry, "Really! Wow, I run too. I've been gaining weight all the time these past few years, so I started running."

So they started talking about running and exercising.

As Lin Jianlu chatted, she carefully examined her several times. Judging from her frame, she was indeed prone to weight gain. Even without considering anything else, you could tell just by looking at her hair. Her hair was thick and lush, indicating strong blood circulation and the type with heavy and regular menstrual flow. She must have starved herself a lot to maintain such a slender figure. "I'll teach you a set of weight loss exercises later, guaranteed to work! But eating less and exercising more are still the foundation!"

In his past life, Lin Jianlu was a live streamer for many years and always paid close attention to his figure. After all, he didn't have much good looks to sell, and if his body was swollen, who would want to watch him? No matter how well he sang, it wouldn't matter! He was able to eat as he pleased and still maintain an excellent figure, so he must have some of his own tips and tricks.

"What were you two talking about?"

Their whispered conversation quickly attracted attention. When it turned out they were talking about weight loss, and Chen Shuhua mentioned Lin Jianlu was going to teach her a set of exercises, everyone immediately perked up, especially the women.

Male singers don't have to be idols, as long as their physique is roughly the same. But female singers, even if they can't be idols, absolutely cannot afford to have an out-of-shape figure—if they gain even a little weight, it will be especially noticeable on camera, and they might even be too ashamed to show their faces!

Lin Jianlu instantly transformed into a weight loss expert, chugging down half a plate of barbecue in a few bites. She then stood up and gave a live demonstration. Wow, each of her movements was incredibly difficult, leaving everyone wide-eyed in astonishment.

After he finished demonstrating, Su Huilun suddenly ran over, lifted his jacket, then his T-shirt, and touched him directly. "Wow... his muscles are really well-defined!"

So a large group of women came over and touched his abs.

To be honest, Lin Jianlu is already quite embarrassed, but this time, he was still somewhat embarrassed.

How can you just lift someone's clothes like that, lady!
Besides, I just ate a lot of meat, so how could I possibly have any muscle definition to speak of!
In the end, even Lao Luo, Lao Li, and the Duan brothers, Duan Zhongyi and Duan Zhongtan, came over to touch his abs. They even pulled Zhao Chuan over and beckoned over Richie Jen, who was helping with the grilling, and insisted that the three of them compare their abs.

They must both be regular exercisers, with well-defined and muscular abs. Wu Bai also came over to compare, and he also works out, but he's not quite as good. However, none of the three of them have abs like Lin Jianlu's. They look strong and powerful, but they're not as stiff and rigid as the others, and they're so muscular that they seem disproportionate.

He looks full of energy, not just a bunch of dead muscles from strength training.

"It's great to be young!"

Luo Da sighed again.

…………

There's still some serious business to attend to.

As the gathering drew to a close, people tended to gather in small groups. Duan Zhongtan took the initiative to approach Lin Jianlu and discussed three things with him—

Firstly, Sylvia Chang has a talent agency called Red-on-Red, which means "red on red." Currently, it mainly handles talent agency activities in Taiwan. However, she herself has been making movies in Hong Kong since the 1970s. She is a movie goddess of her generation. She has acted in art-house films like Ann Hui's "The Spooky Bunch" and commercial films like Jackie Chan's "Aces Go Places." Those were all more than ten years ago. Therefore, it is conceivable how well Sylvia Chang has connections there.

In fact, in the 1980s, Cinema City was a hot commodity. The so-called "Seven Wonders of Cinema City" each had their own unique skills, enough to rival Golden Harvest, which had Jackie Chan. At that time, Sylvia Chang was already the head of Cinema City's branch in Taiwan, and she planned and filmed the highly acclaimed "Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?" She herself became a de facto big sister in the entertainment industry across Hong Kong and Taiwan.

When Du Qifeng was filming "All About Ah-Long," he insisted on inviting her to play the female lead because the male lead was Chow Yun-fat, who was famous throughout Asia at the time for "A Better Tomorrow."

In the same year, the only agile fat man in Hong Kong who could outshine Jackie Chan starred in the only art film and romance film in his acting career to date, called "Eight Taels of Gold". He said that he agreed to star in it because the director, Mabel Cheung, promised that the female lead would be Sylvia Chang!

In the mid-1980s, Brigitte Lin was embroiled in various love triangles, which ruined her reputation in Taiwan. For a time, she had no acting opportunities. It was Sylvia Chang who sent her to Hong Kong and introduced her to the Seven Wonders of Cinema City. This led to the support and reshaping of her career by director Tsui Hark. In recent years, she has successfully transformed her career and established a new persona.

Cheng Long invited Rock Records to write a song through her, which led to his representative work "My Ambition Is in My Heart". Li Zongsheng wrote the lyrics and composed the music. He also collaborated with Chen Shuhua, who was at the height of her popularity at the time, to create a classic duet love song, "My Heart Is Clear". Yes, it was also written and composed by Li Zongsheng.

But Ge Fuhong is no ordinary person. She is already very successful in running her own agency, with a wide range of businesses, including branches in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Japan. She has considerable business and influence and is one of the top agents in the entire Chinese-speaking entertainment industry.

Her husband, needless to say, is surnamed Qiu, a famous media tycoon in Taiwan! He has a powerful influence in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even Southeast Asia.

Although he has been forced to retreat to Taiwan in the past two years, it is mainly due to the special circumstances and his own helplessness.

But even just a few years ago, he was the one who invested in and propelled "A City of Sadness" to fame at the Venice Film Festival. At that time, he even dared to take Hou Hsiao-hsien and the crew to Xiamen for location shooting, despite the pressure. He also invested in mainland director Zhang Yimou's "Raise the Red Lantern" and "To Live," but some unforeseen circumstances prevented them from continuing their collaboration.

Even after returning to Taiwan, he still holds a large media conglomerate like Era Group, with a whole host of radio stations, television stations, newspapers, magazines, variety show production companies, and more, making him an absolute tycoon.

With such a powerful tycoon backing him and his own exceptional skills, you can probably imagine Ge Fuhong's influence.

Now, both of them are very optimistic about you and want to sign you to a management contract. They've both asked me to help them. You don't have to make a decision right away, but you should think about it. After all, whether in Hong Kong or Taiwan, you'll have a lot of activities and business to handle, and you'll definitely need a manager to manage them for you.

Both of them are actually quite suitable in terms of energy and reputation; it's up to you to decide.

The second thing is that the album sold very well, but everyone generally felt that it could be even better. Fans in Taiwan generally like you very much. The company also discussed and felt that it was entirely possible to try to make you the first idol at Rock Records. So, it was decided to invest more money in you and shoot a few more music videos!

You can choose the songs yourself. I've read your scripts for "Fairy Tale" and "Ten Years" before, and they're both very good. You can film them directly according to those scripts. Just tell me what you need the company to do for you, and how much funding you need.

However, we must act quickly and strike while the iron is hot; we cannot delay.

The third thing is, take two days off. The company is going to arrange for you to go to Hong Kong. After all, sales there are very good, and if you go there yourself, you will definitely be able to sell even better! And next, depending on the situation in Hong Kong, it would be best to take three to five days to go to Singapore and Malaysia as well.

(End of this chapter)