A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 232 Excitement!

Ge Fuhong's management company is located upstairs from Millennium Records.

When Lin Jianlu went upstairs, Ge Fuhong was already waiting at the elevator entrance. Seeing the elevator doors open, she smiled and said, "Is this your first time visiting my agency?"

Lin Jianlu thought about it and realized it was true.

In April 1996, he signed management contracts with both Sylvia Chang and Ge Fuhong. He had at least visited Sylvia Chang's agency in Taipei once, but he never visited Ge Fuhong's agency even once.

Actually, Millennium Records was downstairs. Lin Jianlu came over quite often when he recorded and produced Liang Yongqi's album "Short Hair", but he never thought of coming upstairs to sit for a while.

My first visit was actually for Cecilia Cheung.

Ha, I really do love chasing girls—I know this girl is pretty, but since her debut, she has been constantly accompanied by all sorts of negative news. It's not just about the photos. To be honest, it's not shameful for young boys and girls to date, sleep together, or even play role-playing games for fun. But to have someone take photos of her is just a sign of being brainless and careless. Her bigger problem is actually that she's spoiled.

In her past life, Lin Jianlu was quite fascinated by her looks. Whenever she came across a video of her, she would always linger for a moment. As a result, she had seen a lot about what happened to her back then. After she became famous and popular, she immediately became arrogant. It is said that when she was filming a movie, Andy Lau was suspended on wires, but she deliberately answered a phone call below, discussing the purchase of a handbag. As a result, the entire crew had to wait, and Andy Lau was left hanging in mid-air. Although Andy Lau did not say anything on the spot, he was so angry that he never accepted any invitations that had anything to do with her again afterward.

During the filming of an advertisement, which involved a large group of people, she stayed in the dressing room and refused to come out. She made phone calls and rested inside, leaving everyone waiting for an entire morning. Later, her agent begged and pleaded with her until she finally came out. However, when she did come out, she immediately said to the people who had been waiting for her all morning, "You didn't want to wait for me? If you didn't want to wait, you could have left!"
In short... he committed countless evil deeds.

Don't bring up things like Anita Yuen's numerous misdeeds back then, such as refusing to go back to reshoot scenes and angering Jackie Chan. At most, her issues can be considered as having problems with professional ethics—but Cecilia Cheung's issues go to the level of having problems with family upbringing!

Of course, Anita Yuen was only slightly better off than her back then.

They're all the type who become arrogant and overbearing once they gain power!

If you really want to talk about it, Lin Jianlu has spoiled Gao Yuanyuan a bit. In the entire film and entertainment circle of the capital, Gao Yuanyuan is definitely a high-ranking princess. No one dares to offend her, and everyone has to fawn over her. However, Lin Jianlu often disciplines her and makes her cry at the drop of a hat. So, unknowingly, he has raised her in a different direction. She is concerned about face, generous, doesn't care much about money, and like Liang Yongqi, values ​​friends and likes to stand up for the weak.

He's just asking for trouble!

They are also quite trusting and easily deceived.

In short, Chen Hong and her classmates all fawned over her, especially Jiang Wenli recently, who practically made her out to be the most important person in the Central Academy of Drama. Everyone in trouble would turn to her. Liu Xiaoli had reported that she had lent out over 200,000 yuan!
This was in 1997! 1998!
Let alone ordinary actors, even relatively popular second- or third-tier actors are considered lucky if they get a few thousand yuan per episode for a show. After working hard for two or three months to film a show, even if you play an important supporting role or even the lead role, you can only earn a few hundred thousand yuan. But that little aunt of mine spent less than a year in school!

The amount I give her each month isn't much; it only increased to 20,000 yuan after the New Year. Her credit card limit is also 20,000 yuan, but she's spoiled and doesn't care. She asks Liu Xiaoli for small amounts of money, and if that doesn't work, she asks Chen Hong. If neither of them dares to give her any, she goes to Lin Jianlu to whine and beg, saying things like, "She's really in a hurry, and she asked me for help. She just needs that 30,000 yuan. I can't just ignore her, can I?" Oh dear... there's nothing I can do!

However, it must be admitted that the younger sister-in-law is kind-hearted at heart and has a good upbringing. Even though she is spoiled, she never bullies anyone. So whenever Lin Jianlu senses that she is showing signs of wanting to get too big for her britches, she just scolds her and doesn't really restrain her. In addition, with Chen Hong and Liu Xiaoli keeping an eye on her, to be honest, she won't make any big mistakes, and she can accept her minor flaws.

Sometimes Lin Jianlu even thought she was silly, so easy to fool, and quite cute.

But Cecilia Cheung was clearly different; her arrogance was tinged with a hint of wickedness.

If you carefully compare her image when she first debuted with her appearance twenty years later, anyone with some life experience can probably figure something out—she ruined herself!

However, how should I put it?

It's definitely beautiful now, at least for now!

Speaking of "King of Comedy" and "Fly Me to Polaris," Lin Jianlu watched them during her university years, in her dormitory. More than ten years had passed since the movies were released, and by then, her reputation was already ruined because of the photos. Yet, Lin Jianlu was still immediately captivated by her beauty.

Pure!

Unparalleled purity!
If Lin Jianlu were to really judge, speaking of the stunning looks when she debuted in her youth, especially the pure and innocent type, in Lin Jianlu's mind, only Leng Qingqiu in "The Story of a Noble Family" can be considered comparable to her. The others are at least a step below her. Mu Wanqing in the bearded version of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and the mute girl in "Kung Fu Hustle" are pure enough, but they are not as good as her.

Other actresses, like Liu Yifei, the superstar "Fairy Sister," who appeared around 2000 as the aunt Gao Yuanyuan in "Beijing Bicycle," and the girl dancing in the warehouse in a movie called "Once Upon a Time in America," which Lin Jianlu quite liked in her past life, all pale in comparison.

Cecilia Cheung is a classic example of someone with both excellent bone structure and beautiful skin!
So... let's meet. According to Ge Fuhong, she idolizes me, so let's see if I can steer her life back on the right track. Everyone has a devil in their heart, especially when they are young, especially when they are suddenly rich after a long period of poverty, especially when they become famous overnight. It's understandable that the devil in their heart cannot be hidden or suppressed.

If she lacked proper upbringing in her youth, then it can be made up for later. As long as someone can steadily keep her in check and prevent her from getting carried away, and guide her onto the right path, after ten or twenty years, when she has experienced and matured, she may suddenly understand things on her own one day.

That can be considered a good deed of one's own!
And frankly speaking, after her, Hong Kong cinema has hardly produced any representative female stars. With her around, I was able to protect her, which can be considered as leaving behind the last goddess for Hong Kong cinema!
The Dharma-ending Age has arrived; there will be no more after this time!

…………

The company is quite large, occupying an entire floor of this building, and has a lot of staff—Ge Fuhong is a very powerful big-name agent in the entertainment industry in Hong Kong and Taiwan!
As they walked along, many people saw Lin Jianlu and instinctively showed surprise.

Especially girls.

Lin Jianlu kept smiling the whole way, and would wave and greet people every now and then.

As he walked into the office area, he glanced at it casually and walked past, but then took two steps back and looked into a small conference room—there was a long, vertical glass panel on the door, which allowed him to see inside clearly.

Zhang Min.

How did she end up with you?

Ge Fuhong smiled, explaining with a hint of trepidation, "She doesn't have a management company anymore, unlike before when she was with Win's Entertainment, where the big boss could just arrange what films she needed to film. Now she needs an agent, and... the management department at Media Asia hasn't been seriously set up, so I advised her to sign a two-year contract with them first..."

Lin Jianlu turned to look at her.

He knew the inside story. It wasn't that the talent agency hadn't been seriously established. The main reason was that Shi Nansheng had a falling out with her in the past, and it was still difficult to resolve. Therefore, Huanya was not very willing to take her. Well, he understood. When she was being pampered by Yongsheng back then, she was quite spoiled!

Yeah, they're behaving themselves now!
Ge Fuhong smiled apologetically, "If you don't agree, that's fine. I'll tell them to stop right away. I'll definitely follow your instructions."

Lin Jianlu waved her hand, "No need! It's normal competition, it doesn't matter!"

But the next moment, he couldn't help but look inside through the glass—hmm, he seemed to have seen her once not long ago, oh oh, he remembered, it was at Gong Li's house, but the last time before that was before the Lunar New Year, and he still remembered her squatting on the ground to help him change his shoes, and then looking up at him with a charming look in her eyes.

Tsk... I really am a pervert!
Perhaps it's because it's been a long time since I've tried anything new—nowadays, apart from Gong Li, who's pregnant, there are also Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, Leung Wing-ki, Chen Shuhua, Su Huilun, and Maggie Cheung. I'd be welcome to sleep with any of them, but I still can't resist the urge to try something new.

Even last night, while he was having fun, he actually thought of the intoxicating pleasure Charlize Theron gave him, and then he thought of the German girl he met in Hollywood—in fact, he could hardly remember her name anymore, only that she was also a dancer and model, and he remembered that she had a pair of enviable long legs and an exceptionally good figure!
Hmm, no, no!
It's not that I want to try something new, it's just that I've recently become excited again!

The huge success of "Cold to the End" was exhilarating, but with "Nocturne," while it still sold very well and people were happy, it was hard to say that there was any more excitement left.

"21" is a huge hit, it's exhilarating!

But by the time of the Super Bowl halftime show, the excitement had long since worn off, and it was purely about making money.

I bought a lot of Yahoo stock and was excited, but when it really started to surge in September and October last year, the excitement only lasted a few days before it wore off—as expected. Why should I be excited anymore?

Last autumn and winter, the financial crisis suddenly hit Hong Kong, which was truly exciting!

Lin Jianlu still clearly remembers that during that period, he had to read a massive amount of data every day, do all kinds of analysis, hypotheses, and speculations, and also had to handle various other things, go to the film studio to shoot movies, and then take out loans, mortgages, negotiate, and spend money to acquire things. He could only sleep for about four hours a day, but he was full of energy for many days in a row. He was so busy that he even forgot to sleep with women—that was really great!

Exhausting yet exhilarating!

But frankly, even though Cai Zhongxin carefully sold off his 4% stake in Hong Kong City Telecom and got HK$57 billion in cash, it wasn't exactly a pleasant surprise!
However, recently, he suddenly became excited again!
Targeting the banking industry!
I, Lin Jianlu, have never imagined that one day I would be able to buy a bank!

In my past life, I had a really tough time carrying a mortgage. Now, things are much better. Once I buy a bank, I'll become someone who lends mortgages to others—no, not just one. If I'm not careful, I might end up with two or three banks and then just sit back and wait for Hong Kong's economy to recover so I can make a fortune!

So, well, my hormones are kicking in again!

My desire to conquer was instantly reignited!
"She's good. Take good care of her and help her find some opportunities!"

"That's for sure. But the key is... you have to give her more opportunities!"

Lin Jianlu turned to look at Ge Fuhong, smiled, and said, "Okay! I'll try my best!"

…………

Ge Fuhong made Lin Jianlu a cup of tea, then turned and left.

Four or five minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Lin Jianlu answered, and the next moment, a girl pushed the door open and came in—wow, it was eighteen-year-old Zhang Baizhi!

"what……"

She gasped in surprise, her face filled with disbelief. She even covered her mouth with her hand for several seconds before Lin Jianlu stood up. Then, she pointed at Lin Jianlu with a look of delight, "Lu-zai! Are you really Lu-zai?"

Ah...it's been so long since anyone called me Lu Zai!

This nickname has now almost become the exclusive nickname used by fans!

In Hong Kong, whether in the business world or the entertainment industry, people who are decades older than him will generally address him respectfully as Mr. Lam. Only very close friends will occasionally call him Ah Lu in private conversations. As for his women, they have almost all started calling him "husband".

"It's me. You must be Cecilia Cheung?"

…………

Surprisingly, the girl wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

Youth is pure, joyful, and yet tender and shy.

It was full of beauty.

With Lin Jianlu's current knowledge, understanding, and experience, he has clearly long since passed the rudimentary stage of simply analyzing other people's character through their words. He observes their eyes and brows, examines their body language, and of course, listens to their tone of voice and discerns their mindset, comprehensively assessing a person's true character.

Hmm, my initial impression is that this girl is alright at heart.

She has a hint of the rough-and-tumble spirit of Hong Kong folks, but it is clear that she is also a thoughtful girl. It can be roughly determined that she became famous too quickly and too early. More importantly, once she became famous, basically no one, including her parents, family, agent, or agency, could suppress her!
Because she is a girl who is certainly not lacking in intelligence.

Well, as long as there's nothing wrong with his nature, everything can be corrected.

It's too late this year; it's already April, the art exams are long over, the results are out, and the passing certificates have already been mailed to us—so let's send her to study in the capital next year! She can take on film roles, film "King of Comedy" if she wants, and become famous if she wants to, but I don't care how famous she becomes. Next year, she'd better go to the capital and receive some socialist values ​​education first. Last year, I got my aunt into the Central Academy of Drama, and this year Fan Bingbing got her passing certificate for the Beijing Film Academy's art exam. As long as her tutoring results aren't too bad and she meets the admission requirements, she'll definitely be admitted. So next year, it'll still be the Central Academy of Drama!
Nowadays, the campuses of the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy are not necessarily clean. As the domestic entertainment industry gradually takes off, all kinds of frivolous trends rush into schools like the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy almost immediately without any restraint. Not to mention the mistresses, there are many girls in these two schools who start to date rich men and celebrities as soon as they enter the school, and are kept by them or become their mistresses!

However, that's still much better than throwing Cecilia Cheung, who is actually quite smart but also clearly a bit naive, into the Hong Kong entertainment industry and letting her be corrupted!
She'll be famous, she'll be famous for a while, and then she'll quickly leave this cesspool and go to the capital to be my little concubine!
School may not teach you many skills or provide you with a good environment, but that small circle can at least give you three or four years of buffer time—even if it means delaying this simple yet intelligent girl's entry into the entertainment industry by a few years, or just giving her some buffer time during the period when she wants to become arrogant after becoming famous, it will definitely be much better than her outcome in another time and space!

Okay, it's settled then!
It is said that she did not like studying much. She immigrated to Australia with her mother a few years ago, but she did not even plan to finish high school. During the Chinese New Year, she came here for an interview. Ge Fuhong took a liking to her almost at first sight. Perhaps based on her own behavior, Ge Fuhong felt that she did not like a rough girl who had not even gone to university. So, she signed her up and sent her to a school in Hong Kong to continue her senior year of high school.

Ge Fuhong promised to make her famous, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue her studies while receiving various training programs.

She said: Cherie Chung is so good to her! She really likes Cherie Chung!
Yes, it's similar to how Chen Hong brought Fan Bingbing under her wing; they probably had the same idea—Lin Jianlu and Chen Hong are both intelligent people. Many things don't need to be said outright; they understand each other's feelings. Her taking Fan Bingbing as her "sister" was actually for Lin Jianlu!
Even Brigitte Lin, who has seemingly "rejuvenated" and is almost back to her peak beauty, has recently started having other ideas. She cautiously discussed with Lin Chien-lu that she had her eye on two girls. One was Lin Chih-ling from Taiwan, who is currently working with Chen Chia-ying and Chiu Li-kuan. She had previously filmed "My Fair Princess," but after finishing the show, she came to Hong Kong to develop her career without much success. However, she said the girl was very beautiful and she had high hopes for her future. The other was Sheren Tang, the third runner-up in last year's Miss Hong Kong pageant. She admired her and contacted her, wanting to poach her.

The gist is pretty much the same—you just like chasing girls, you just like trying new things, right? I'll prepare a new girl for you. Do you want to come and stay with me for a few more days? Do you want me to give you more business, or power?
Lin Jianlu denied it.

The main reason is that he has basically no interest in those two.

But Fan Bingbing and Zhang Baizhi are really...

Hmm, upon closer inspection, one can vaguely see some of Brigitte Lin's incomparably beautiful demeanor when she first debuted in the past, even in her expression at a certain moment—another fleeting thought that suddenly reminded Lin Jianlu of the proud and sharp Qu Lin.

This one is eighteen, that one is forty-two but looks like she's thirty-two, and Qu Lin, in a daze, feels like she's somewhere in between—not that they're absolutely alike, but rather in terms of her charm and spirit.

…………

I had a very good chat with Cecilia Cheung.

There's nothing wrong with it.

Lin Jianlu is a man who could possibly be unable to handle an eighteen-year-old girl who idolizes and adores him.

So I took her out for a meal. On the way to the restaurant, I saw that she couldn't take her eyes off the luxurious features of the Rolls-Royce. After dinner, when I dropped her off at the roadside near her apartment building, it was even more obvious that she was reluctant to leave.

Yeah, I understand.

The higher Lin Jianlu climbed, the more fame and influence he gained, and the more wealth and power he possessed, the more he understood and tolerated people's materialism and vanity.

He even forgave himself, deep down, the girls who left him one after another because of money, bride price, and other reasons.

Nobody needs to blame, money is just that good!

If you can't earn enough money to support the girl who's with you, it's your own problem as a man—throughout history, who can escape the cage of fame, power, and profit?

You're trapped in your own situation, so why blame others?

Fame and fortune are things that one can only talk about being indifferent to after obtaining them. If one has never obtained them and yet speaks of being indifferent to fame and fortune, it is merely adding to the ridicule of wise men.

Will you come to see me again tomorrow?

"Tomorrow? Not necessarily, I've been too busy lately! There are so many things to do! But as long as I have time, I'll definitely come to see you!"

"Okay! You said it yourself, so you have to keep your word!"

"I keep my word!"

"Okay! Then I'll wait for you to come find me!"

"By the way, I'll put in a good word with Stephen Chow. Sister Hong will be taking you to an audition in a few days. Don't worry, I remember there's a role that's quite suitable for you. If Stephen Chow thinks you're probably a good fit, he'll definitely cast you!"

"Okay! I understand, thank you, Brother Lu!"

"Go! Go back!"

What a lovely girl! She kept turning back every few steps, her eyes filled with admiration and longing.

Well, with proper upbringing and protection until she graduates from university and returns to Hong Kong, there shouldn't be any major problems. If she's raised with kindness, pampered, and protected, she might still have some spoiled nature, but I don't think she'll commit any serious misdeeds—it's the lack that breeds malice! A girl raised with ample resources and a combination of kindness and strict discipline will only be charming and willful, at most a little foolish, but she won't turn out like she did before, revealing the monstrous, skeletal nature of a demon.

…………

"Hello? Ah... Mr. Lin? What? You're at my door? Oh, oh, you, you... wait a minute..."

Half a minute later, Zhang Min, who had hastily put on a knitted long dress for home, rushed to her front door. Looking through the peephole, she saw that Lin Jianlu was indeed standing outside, and she couldn't help but open her mouth slightly again.

There was an indescribable surprise in them.

How could this be? How is this possible?

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and he never paid any attention to him once. It seemed that his act of helping him was just a fleeting memory to him, and he had completely forgotten about him afterward!
But then, one night, out of the blue, he suddenly appeared at his own doorstep.

Without realizing it, I became a little dazed.

But as she came to her senses, she quickly opened the door and looked at the tall, handsome, and ridiculously young man outside. "Mr. Lin!"

Lin Jianlu turned around, smiled, and asked, "Asleep?"

Zhang Min quickly shook her head and subconsciously wrapped her skirt tighter around herself—a knitted long skirt with eight buttons from top to bottom, reaching all the way to her knees. It wasn't fitted, but rather very loose, so she usually only wore such loose yet comfortable clothes when she was home alone.

"No, I was just taking a shower."

Lin Jianlu nodded. "Am I welcome?"

Zhang Min was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Welcome! Of course you're welcome!" Only after saying that did she come to her senses and realize that she was still blocking the door and had been rudely preventing the other person from entering.

"Please come in quickly!"

So Lin Jianlu stepped inside.

She closed the door behind her, then instinctively ran over, squatted down to open the shoe cabinet door, only to immediately face a new awkward situation. "Uh... I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, I threw away all the old men's slippers a long time ago, and I haven't bought any new ones. I... I don't have many guests..."

But the next moment, Lin Jianlu lifted her foot and rubbed it against herself, taking off her leather shoes and stepping onto Zhang Min's carpet in just her socks. Zhang Min thought for a moment, straightened up, and looked at Lin Jianlu, "I'll buy them tomorrow! I really didn't mean you weren't welcome..."

Lin Jianlu, who had been looking around her house, turned around and smiled as she reached out to touch her face. It was smooth and slightly damp from a bath. "I've been hearing gossip lately. Everyone's saying that I rescued Miss Zhang Min from Yong Sheng, and now she's my woman. I feel so wronged. I've never done anything to you."

Zhang Min let his hand caress her face without moving.

A pair of beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at Lin Jianlu.

"However, I'm actually quite happy today because I'm about to do something big, and I suddenly realized something! Since everyone's saying this, and my reputation with women is so terrible, I figured no one would listen to my explanations anyway. So I might as well come over and ask you for some benefits, solidify the gossip, and then I won't have to bear this false reputation. What do you say?"

She bit her lip, still not speaking, but her eyes unconsciously began to drool.

To be honest, when you look at her face, her lips are quite full and alluring.

"I'm asking you, are you willing to follow me?"

This time, she nodded immediately.

"willing!"

Lin Jianlu smiled and reached out to touch her wet hair. "I was just thinking of taking a shower too. You're not done yet, are you? Come on, let's take a shower together!"

…………

call……

Comfortable!

It really feels good to change things up!
Although beauty is subjective, Lin Jianlu's girlfriends were already quite diverse. He could change them every day if he wanted, and even try several different types at once. But since he had already tried them all many times, a new model might not be as beautiful as Brigitte Lin or Rosamund Kwan, as gentle as Vivian Chow or Kathy Chow, or as tall as Leung Wing-ki or Wong Cho-yin, but it could still bring enough novelty.

Zhang Min lay there, her mouth slightly open, like a dying fish, only able to gasp for breath, completely oblivious to everything else—Lin Jianlu rested for a while, then leaned over and kissed the large white bowl again, before getting up and easily finding the cigarettes and lighter on the coffee table in her living room.

He lit a cigarette and, as always, inspected his new territory. Hong Kong people value houses and real estate to an extreme degree, but after Lin Jianlu made his fortune and bought his first courtyard house, he didn't care so much about houses anymore. However, he still liked to wander around a woman's house after sleeping with her.

For him, it gave him a sense of triumph.

The house isn't very big; it's just a small flat. At first glance, it's probably what Hong Kong people call a "thousand-square-foot mansion"—but Zhang Min is actually quite wealthy, and she owns many properties.

She debuted around 86 and became famous not long after. She was supported by a big shot and received a constant stream of film offers, always taking on big productions and working with top male stars. Gradually, she started earning millions of Hong Kong dollars per film.

It is said that she is not good at anything else but buying houses. During the Hong Kong stock market crash in 87, house prices plummeted, but Zhang Min started buying a house for every movie she took on. According to Ge Fuhong, up to about three or four years ago, when she broke up with Yong Sheng and officially separated from Mr. Xiang, she already owned more than ten houses.

Xiang Tai's eyes were fixed on her properties.

In the past six months, her relationship with Vivian Chow has improved somewhat. Although it's impossible for them to return to the close friendship they had before their falling out, they have indeed been seeing each other more often and their relationship has become closer. On one occasion, Vivian Chow mentioned that Zhang Min told her that she had originally planned to sell several properties and go to Shanghai to start a small business. Now, of course, she doesn't need to sell them anymore, and she doesn't need to flee to Shanghai. Although the value of her properties has greatly depreciated, she still receives more than HK$60 in rent every year!
Honestly, as long as she doesn't cause any trouble and just holds onto these houses, her assets will definitely exceed 100 million yuan in five years, and in ten or twenty years, these houses will probably be worth hundreds of millions!

This is something some people should keep an eye on!

As he was smoking and looking out the window at the twinkling lights on the sea in the distance, a cell phone suddenly rang in the bedroom. Before he could even put out his cigarette, he heard other noises. The next moment, Zhang Min ran out, naked and covering his genitals, and handed him the phone.

Lin Jianlu laughed as she answered the phone. As soon as the call connected, she heard Cai Zhongxin's voice come through, "Boss, HSBC has offered HK$75 billion for a 56.4% stake in Hang Seng Bank!"

(End of this chapter)