A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 243 Golden Body!

On May 11, the three parties and four companies officially signed an agreement to merge Music Factory and Millennium Records. Lin Jianlu also invested in the company through a pre-signing of a record contract, holding 70% of the shares. The new Music Factory was established, with Ge Fuhong serving as the general manager and Luo Dayou as the art director.

A lively little celebration.

Vivian Chow, Hai Mei Chow, and Leung Wing-ki, as well as Lee Chung-sheng, Lam Yee-lin, Wakin Chau, and Coco Mok, who were in Hong Kong at the time, all came to join in the fun. Aaron Kwok and Alex To are also Rock Records artists and were in Hong Kong, so it goes without saying that they were there too.

I also met Leslie Cheung, whom I haven't seen much lately.

Yes, she still looks as charming as ever, only a little more haggard.

Huang Zhan, Andy Lau, Faye Wong and others also came to congratulate him. Many companies and singers in the industry heard the news in advance and sent people to send flower baskets. Zhao Mingxin from Sony Columbia even flew over to offer his congratulations.

As for Li Wen, she's reportedly in America recording her first original English album and won't be able to make it back—well, she's got some nerve. After all, she was a backup singer who got some screen time at the Super Bowl alongside Lin Jianlu, so it's understandable that she'd want to test the waters with a fully original English album on her own.

Wang Fei's two agents came over together again, and they even brought Lin Zhiling, who has absolutely no connection with them, along to hang around. Previously, Qiu Likuan had worked very hard to help Lin Zhiling compete for the role of Xiaolongnu in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," but without a doubt, in Lin Jianlu's project, how could she possibly compete with Zhang Baizhi, who was pushed out after Chen Hong, Lin Qingxia, and Ge Fuhong worked together in a tacit agreement? However, although she lost the competition, there was no resentment between them. She and Lin Jianlu didn't have any of that kind of resentment at all. In fact, she would first congratulate them and then thank them when they arrived.

Wang Fei got four new songs from Lin Jianlu. It is said that he made some outrageous remarks while playing mahjong, saying that he would sell another three million cards. Judging from Qiu Likuan's attitude, he came to promote Lin Zhiling instead.

Look at this girl, how pretty she is! She's so well-behaved and obedient. You should mentor her!

Old Duan also specially called and invited several newcomers from Rolling Stone Records, including Xu Huaiyu, who is currently very popular, a band called Mayday, and a shy girl, Liang Jingru.

As Luo Yonghao aged, the de facto art director at Rolling Stone became Li Zongsheng, who signed all the artists, from Mo Wenwei to the current ones.

This time, Lao Duan specially brought people over from Taiwan, and Li Zongsheng worked very hard to promote and show off, especially Liang Jingru, who felt that Lao Li regarded her as his favorite student, saying that she would definitely become popular!

Hmm, what naive courage!
Unfortunately, most of the people she knows are quite familiar with Kolin Deer, so it's highly unlikely that she'll get her hands on one herself. They've already been using it extensively on Vivian Chow and Winnie Leung, and they'll probably continue to use it before she does.

Well, Old Li is talented, and Rolling Stone has a large group of creative people, so they should be able to make the young girl famous!

At worst, I'll just return the song to her later.

It didn't matter to the group of old-timers, but when a bunch of young newcomers arrived, they all expressed their desire to take a photo with Lin Jianlu. And after taking a group photo, they also wanted to take individual photos together—well, understandable, let's take them!
A little after 10:30, Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun arrived carrying two little babies, causing a stir among the crowd. Lin Jianlu held one in each arm, carrying two infants on either side of her—they were quite cooperative today, not struggling to get their mother's attention, especially little Lin Shunqi, who is usually so restless but today obediently tugged at her father's ears, nose, and hair, looking around at these unfamiliar uncles and aunts.

A group of old friends vied to hug him.

Zhou Haimei was clearly not very familiar with Su Huilun and Chen Shuhua, but she took the initiative to come over and greet them. She carefully hugged the two chubby little ones, her face full of joy and excitement.

During lunch, Lin Jianlu took a moment to say to Leslie Cheung, "You look a bit haggard. Have you been having a lot on your mind lately?" After receiving a few words of explanation from him, Lin Jianlu waved his hand and said, "Don't dwell on those things. Don't get bogged down in trivial matters. You're quite familiar with the mainland, so go and explore the beautiful landscapes of our motherland to broaden your horizons! Also, more physical activity can help relieve your anxiety and stress, and allow you to sleep well at night. As long as you sleep well, believe me, everything will be fine."

Finally, she added, "If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know. Trust me, with our friendship, I'll definitely help you... There's nothing to be afraid of!"

He broke into an unusually bright smile and thanked him repeatedly.

Then she pulled another unlucky guy, Andy Lau, along with some gentle encouragement, "So what if you lose money? Enduring it is victory! Don't sell. If you sell now, you won't make any money! Hold on to it and wait! Even if you want to sell, you have to wait until the situation eases up a bit before you make a move! You're short on money, right? Go to the mainland. I have a performance company, you know that. Go there for a month and relax! Also, if you want to get more endorsements in the mainland, just sign your mainland management contract there!"

If Lin Jianlu hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine. Andy Lau is a man who is very good at self-control and self-discipline, so you can't really tell anything from his expression. But as soon as Lin Jianlu brought it up, his face immediately turned full of worry, and he couldn't keep up the act anymore.

Hong Kong films were already in a slump, and the film contracts he used to have, which required him to rush from one film set to another, were long gone. In the last two years, he started to focus more on releasing albums and writing songs. However, a financial crisis almost bankrupted him. Anyone in his position would have been on the verge of collapse.

So as the conversation went on, he enthusiastically pressed Chen Hong about signing a mainland agency contract with her. Unlike Hong Kong, which, despite being the most famous free port in East and Southeast Asia and a showcase for major international brands in the region, is a fashion, business, and information center, Hong Kong is still too small. In contrast, the mainland's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, and it is much larger. More and more companies can afford and want to hire big names from Hong Kong and Taiwan like Andy Lau as spokespeople.

At that time, any Hong Kong or Taiwanese star who was willing to go to the mainland and sign a management contract with Chen Hong was, without exaggeration, basically making a fortune there. And a lot of money at that!
Andy Lau was certainly interested.

Lin Shunqi liked him very much. Andy Lau once again took the initiative to hug her. The little girl rushed over and sat on his lap while being held. She didn't forget to look up at his face—"Hey, isn't your dad more handsome than him?"
…………

Before leaving, Lin Jianlu made two more decisions.

Firstly, after entering May, the yen-to-dollar exchange rate had fallen to over 140:1, a depreciation of nearly 19% compared to 114:1 when Lin Jianlu took out the loan in November 1996. Therefore, Lin Jianlu decided to repay the yen loan at this time, with a principal of 814 million US dollars, plus interest and penalties, totaling about 9 million US dollars, thus repaying the loan originally worth 10 million US dollars. In fact, he had wanted to repay it for a long time, but with the idea that it was a loss if he didn't make a profit, and after he was not short of money, Lin Jianlu waited and waited. Finally, a relatively large depreciation of the yen came, and he was too lazy to wait any longer, so he stopped after making a small profit.

Secondly, despite spending heavily to acquire Wing On Bank, Wing Lung Bank and Hang Seng Bank, including investing in China.com, Lung Wah Investment still holds more than HK$2 billion in cash. Considering that Liu Changle of Phoenix TV is indecisive and Zou Wenhuai of Golden Harvest Films has expressed resistance to Lin Jianlu acquiring stocks before his retirement, this money is temporarily useless.

Perhaps it's possible to avoid using the newly expanded $3 million credit line from Citibank, but at least this money shouldn't continue to sit idle in the account—Lin Jianlu is certain that this financial crisis is completely over, so the current stock market is the best time to buy at the bottom.

So, we'll deal with any future cash needs later; let's convert the money we have into stocks first.

He signed an authorization allowing Cai Zhongxin to use approximately HK$22 billion to HK$23 billion to acquire another 3% stake in Hong Kong City Telecom. Just half a month ago, Hong Kong City Telecom's market capitalization had exceeded HK$1500 billion, but now, despite the financial crisis having passed, it is still hovering around HK$700 billion, making it a good time to buy.

Yes, Boss Qiu withstood this wave of pressure and didn't sell. That's the right thing to do!

Although he had taken out a loan, which meant he would inevitably bear a significant portion of the financial costs, Lin Jianlu had a premonition that with this wave of financial reaping effectively complete, the return of US dollars was inevitable, and a massive internet bubble in the US stock market was just around the corner. And once US internet stocks started to surge, the second son of the Li family from Hong Kong would most likely step forward to rake in this quick money!

Within a year to a year and a half, Hong Kong City Telecom will definitely be associated with him, and its price will subsequently be driven up to an alarming level—having just experienced repeated losses during the financial crisis, the entire Hong Kong stock market is in a slump, yet Li Ershao has managed to create a behemoth with a market value of trillions of Hong Kong dollars through the acquisition of Hong Kong City Telecom! The key is that this behemoth has no physical support, no technological capabilities, and doesn't even have a clear development direction!

Ha, everyone will be able to ride this wave and make a fortune!
After settling everything, the situation in Hong Kong was basically sorted out. So, on May 13, Lin Jianlu flew to Korea as agreed.

Yes, they met up with Zhang Aijia and the group of backup dancers she brought from America. And just an hour or so later, the car picked up another group of backup dancers from the capital who had come to join them.

It's just a little regrettable that Li Xiaoran and Liu Dan, who were favored by Chen Hong, have already been signed to her agency. In addition, Liu Xiaoli has already left, so the current "Big White Legs" group has actually shrunk a bit.

However, when the two groups of dancers joined together, there were still more than 20 people, including both black, white and yellow dancers, and both men and women, which immediately brought back the feeling of the Super Bowl performance.

No problem, we'll rest this afternoon and practice together the next morning.

There were minor errors, but the main problem was Lin Jianlu's own.

He funded and supported both of the backup dancers, who were dedicated to his performances and trained every day. How could anything unprofessional happen?

On the contrary, he himself had been idle for quite some time since the Super Bowl, the Spring Festival Gala, and the American Music Awards ceremony. In the past two or three months, he has been busy chasing girls, having sex, and trying to conceive, or drinking, doing business, writing scripts, and attending meetings. Dancing is not something he is particularly good at, so he inevitably made mistakes at this time.

Fortunately, no one can blame him. He just feels embarrassed and doesn't rest in the afternoon, continuing to practice.

So when they went on stage at night, it was once again a dazzling display of stars and a thunderous roar of cheers.

The grand gesture of hiring someone for 1500 million US dollars must be reciprocated with sufficient prestige and attention.

They sang three songs in a row, performing energetic songs and dances.

The stadium, Daegu Stadium, is said to be the largest in Korea and will host the World Cup third-place match four years later. It can accommodate up to 65000 people at a time. More than 30,000 spectators came tonight. According to the organizers, a street survey showed that more than 70% of the fans came because of Lim Chien-lu.

The audience roared like a tsunami!

Yes, Korea has also just been ravaged by the financial crisis, and the losses may even be more severe than those in Hong Kong. So this concert is said to be held to boost national morale. Major companies in Korea have donated generously, and even the Korean Presidential Palace has provided special funding. In short, many top European and American stars have been invited. Lin Jianlu even saw Celine Dion on the performance list—Titanic is still being shown in many countries. Riding on the popularity of the movie, the most popular people in the world this year are Leonardo DiCaprio and Celine Dion. Looking at the world, they have almost no rivals!

Of course, according to information obtained by Zhang Aijia, Celine Dion's appearance fee is 900 million US dollars.

Yes, Lin Jianlu is the only one who received an appearance fee of over ten million US dollars.

With the two performers' combined appearance fees, even if the average ticket price for this concert were $1000, the organizers wouldn't be able to break even. Without donations and funding, it simply wouldn't be possible to hold the concert.

They didn't exchange greetings. Given their respective statuses, if she didn't take the initiative to greet her, then it was almost impossible for Lin Jianlu to go over to see her on her own initiative—it would require a chance encounter.

Pass by.

When I returned to the hotel that evening and opened the door, I indeed saw another acquaintance from Korea.

Kim Tae-hee.

The little girl pounced on him as soon as they met.

Zhang Aijia was also helpless. She had originally wanted to sit in Lin Jianlu's room for a while and chat about the upcoming trip to Japan, but seeing this, she had no choice but to turn around and leave.

Well, first, the youngest member, Song Hye-kyo, actually managed to slip away from the Capital Airport and return to the film set. Then, her "good sister" Kim Seo-sun persuaded her agency to agree to sell her agency contracts in all regions of the world except Korea to a Hong Kong agency. She then flew to Hong Kong. Of the three sisters who used to fight amongst themselves on the set of "The Myth" but also unite to fight with Fan Bingbing and the others, only she remains in Korea.

The good news is that she has maintained excellent grades and claims that getting into Seoul National University is no problem. In addition, she has hired a professional tutor to learn Chinese and is making rapid progress. She can already have basic conversations fluently.

Of course, there would occasionally be some Korean mixed in, which she would then replace with English. Anyway, as long as you could understand what she meant, that was fine.

The little girl's eyes were shining—but after letting her sit in the room for an hour or so, and even after hugging her, Lin Jianlu finally managed to resist all the temptations and persuaded her to go back.

This is Goryeo!
Meeting a pretty girl at night isn't a big deal. After all, we worked together on "The Myth" and forged a deep friendship. I'm in her country now, and she made a special trip to see me, so it's perfectly reasonable!

But if he were to stay overnight and end up having sex with her in the hotel, he would inevitably feel uneasy. One should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others. No matter how charming the pretty girl is, Lin Jianlu is not someone who has never been before, and he is absolutely unwilling to let the small head command the big head at this time and take such a risk!
So they repeatedly reassured her, promising to invite her to Hong Kong during the summer vacation, and then arranged for bodyguards to escort the reluctant young beauty back to her hotel—yes, she had to leave, she couldn't even stay at the hotel and book another room!

Goodness, he came here to earn some pocket money, but then the Korean media suddenly broke it up: a global superstar is infatuated with a minor Korean actress, and they're having a secret rendezvous at a hotel at night...

Sleeping with someone might not be too shameful, but being exposed after sleeping with someone, or even being used to advance one's own career, is extremely shameful—even years later, one will feel ashamed to face them!

…………

Go to Japan.

Before even boarding his plane in Korea, after overcoming numerous difficulties at the airport and being escorted by airport staff to break through the crowd of fans and finally enter the waiting hall, and then heading to the tarmac where the chartered plane was parked, he received a call from Mariah Carey: "Hahaha, I'm already at the hotel, Lin, I miss you so much!"

Yes, the performance in Japan was also to warm up for the World Cup and cheer on the Japanese team, but the scale was much larger than that in Korea—there's no other explanation, Columbia Records is owned by the Japanese!

However, when Lin Jianlu arrived in Tokyo, he only stayed at the hotel for a short while.

In the evening, we were treated to a meal by the Japanese performance organizers, and even Sony's current co-CEO, president, and representative director, Nobuyuki Idei, personally greeted us and dined with us.

Mariah Carey is one of the main spokespeople for Sony's entire line of electronic products, and Lin Jianlu is about to sign a contract during his visit to Japan—a long-term, large contract.

The contract is for a five-year term plus a two-year term, with the brand's global main spokesperson receiving a $1500 million endorsement fee in the first year, increasing by 10% annually thereafter, totaling $9000 million over five years. If both parties are satisfied with the partnership and do not raise any objections or request termination of the contract, the contract will continue for the sixth and seventh years at $2000 million per year. Therefore, this contract, without any incentive clauses, amounts to $1.3 million on paper.

There are also incentive clauses.

For each music video Lin Jianlu shoots that is publicly broadcast in more than 20 countries worldwide, Sony will award him $50. For each film he shoots and which is released on a large scale in more than 20 countries worldwide, with a minimum screen time of 30 minutes, he will receive a reward of $100 million from Sony. During the contract period, if he shoots more than three films, he will receive a reward of $150 million per film, and if he shoots more than five films, he will receive a reward of $200 million per film.

In addition, there is a brand sponsorship program, which means that as long as Lin Jianlu participates in the filming of any movie, and the movie is willing to give any electronic product of Sony a guaranteed sponsorship of 100 million US dollars.

There's also a concert sponsorship program. If Lin Jianlu wants to hold a formal solo concert, whether it's three or five shows or a global tour, Sony will not only sponsor all the necessary high-end electronic and audio equipment free of charge, but also provide an additional 50 USD per show. If the venue supports the placement of billboards, advertising fees can be calculated separately. Of course, if Lin Jianlu agrees to be the title sponsor, that would be a separate contract. The 50 USD per show only requires Lin Jianlu to mention Sony's brand name more than three times during the concert and express his gratitude.

In short, it seems Sony has really gone all out.

Now that we've signed you as our spokesperson, we'll do everything we can to encourage you to get as much exposure as possible!
Lin Jianlu wasn't sure how Sony's performance had been in recent years. He had a general impression that Sony had been declining ever since the beginning of the new century, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly when its performance had plummeted and it had lost its dominant position in the consumer electronics field. In short, he felt that Sony really supported singers like himself and Mariah Carey, who were very popular and successful in Europe and America, and was willing to spend a lot of money on them!

Then sign it! It's all about making money!

When he first became famous, around 96, he signed his first batch of endorsement contracts. Now, almost two years later, some of these contracts have already triggered termination clauses. So, if there are any conflicting international endorsements, Zhang Aijia suggests terminating the contract and exchanging the smaller one for a larger one. But Sony is not a problem. Lin Jianlu's previous consumer electronics endorsements only had one that barely touched on the topic, a learning machine, which was signed in the fall of 96, but it was only for two years, so there are still six months left until it expires. Sony doesn't have learning machines, and the contract has a waiver clause, so he just needs not to renew the contract with them.

They ate together and complimented each other.

But Lin Jianlu firmly declined the offer of sashimi—he claimed to have a physiological phobia and insisted on not eating raw food!

I had a few drinks and barely managed to fill my stomach. After dinner, I said goodbye and went back to the hotel.

As soon as she got into the car, Mariah Carey climbed in and started moving. She then wrapped her arms around Lin Jianlu's neck and asked, "Lin, why have you been avoiding me?"

Lin Jianlu didn't bother to dodge her, and pulled her arm down. "Please, good friend, OK? Don't cross the line!"

Even if he were to sleep with a foreign beauty, Lin Jianlu preferred a blonde bombshell like Charlize Theron, and ideally, he'd sleep with her when she was penniless. That way, he wouldn't even need to pay her; he could just arrange some job opportunities for her, and she'd be incredibly grateful. He wouldn't even need to put his heart into it, let alone have any romantic feelings. They could just hang out for a couple of years, pick a time to break up, and neither of them would feel any burden. How wonderful, how easy and carefree! Diva is different! She's already famous enough. Even if she's after his looks, once she's slept with him, it's not easy to deal with the situation!

Lin Jianlu doesn't want to repeat the scandalous behavior she's had in Europe and America!
He's currently in Europe and America, following a route that combines a brilliant talent, mysticism, and Eastern culture. He's discussed this with people from Columbia Records, including Sylvia Chang and Zhao Mingxin. This route means that the more mysterious Lin Jianlu maintains, the more attractive he becomes—once a scandal breaks, oh, so this Eastern guy also likes to chase girls and leave a trail of broken hearts. With the kind of openness typical of Americans, they might even expose your underwear size and how long you last. What's the point of being mysterious then?

I politely decline.

DIVA is very sad.

Since they met last year, when she was still in the midst of her divorce proceedings with Tommy Mottola, she had already expressed her love for Lin Jianlu several times. At first, she was somewhat subtle, seemingly hinting that she was interested in Lin Jianlu and hoped that he would pursue her. Later, she gradually became more open about it. After she got divorced at the end of last year, she became even more unscrupulous. At the recent awards ceremony of the three major American music awards, if Lin Jianlu hadn't reacted quickly, she almost did the thing of kissing and proposing on the spot—please, no way!

"Oh, Lin, you...you've broken my heart! I love you so much, I fell in love with you the first time we met, I admire you so much..."

"Mimi, do you know? You and your music are so captivating, so lovable, even infatuated with. But precisely because of this, I don't want anything to happen that might ruin the beautiful image you have in my heart. No, I absolutely won't allow it. In my heart, you must always remain perfect! Yes, perfect!"

"But I love you! Lin, I love you!"

"But I didn't want to know that Mimi, who was so perfect in my heart, also had to poop every day, and even got constipated to the point of looking grotesque..."

"Oh, shit! Kamuy, Lin! Hahahaha... You're so annoying! I'm not constipated!"

"NO! NO! NO! Let's not talk about this anymore. I won't allow anyone to ruin the perfect image of you in my heart, not even yourself! I absolutely cannot accept it! Kamuang, give up, Mimi, we're best friends, best friends for life!"

"NO! I won't accept it! I love you, Lin!"

"What? You really want me to see you grimacing from constipation? Oh, Kamuang, that's too cruel, Mimi..."

"Hahaha, I'll say it again, I'm not constipated!"

Well, what was supposed to be a heartfelt confession and the quiet sadness after its failure was completely derailed by a rather vulgar joke—Lin Jianlu learned this from those relationship gurus on short videos and live streams in her past life. Apparently, if you want to date or even sleep with a girl, you should quickly make those vague feelings and empty words of "I love you" and "you love me" tangible and worldly, quickly turning feelings into small, aggressive physical contacts, and then quickly winning her over. But if you want to politely reject a girl who is professing her love, you should tell her as many jokes as possible, the cruder the better. Everyone will laugh, the awkwardness will dissipate, and the confession will be politely rejected without hurting feelings or, at least, saving face.

Unfortunately, Lin Jianlu didn't really have a chance to use it in his previous two lives!
He rarely had to exert much effort with those he liked, and a few exceptions were won over with just a little flirting. He didn't need any tricks. As for those he didn't like, he only needed to give a slight hint, and they would generally back down feeling ashamed.

On the contrary, the American DIVA was direct and brave enough to make Lin Jianlu finally use this little trick for the first time—and it actually worked to some extent. Once the conversation progressed to the point of the other person taking a dump, it felt like even Mariah Carey couldn't bring herself to talk about love anymore.

Yes, there's an event the next morning.

Accompanied by Nobuyuki Idei, the de facto head of Sony, they visited Sony's factory.

From production lines to research and development centers.

After wandering around for a full two hours, with cameras following them the whole way, they finally finished their tour and returned to Sony's headquarters. Lunchtime had already passed, and the two sides finally got down to business and officially signed the contract.

A huge order worth hundreds of millions of US dollars was secured directly.

After exchanging contracts, Lin Jianlu shook hands with Idei Nobuyuki, ignoring the camera flashes, his face beaming—and then, back in the car, rewarded Zhang Aijia with a kiss.

Yes, she's been doing a good job lately!
It could even be said that since she first arrived in America last year, she has gone from being awkward and reserved at the beginning to becoming more and more accustomed to the way things work there. This time, she brought Yu Feihong and Wang Zuxian there to make money. According to the conversation between the two women over the phone, she is increasingly showing the demeanor of a top agent.

She had a very good deal with Sony this time.

Putting everything else aside, with this contract in hand, in a real emergency, it's easy to get a loan of 100 million US dollars by simply going to the bank. Aside from his status as a top global superstar, Lin Jianlu is now more like a mature businessman, and he's starting to look at each of his contracts from a financial perspective.

The global economy in the coming years will be fraught with both dangers and opportunities, with turbulent waves everywhere. Lin Jianlu is already doing this, and will continue to do so, trying to make as much money as possible for his retirement from this turbulent situation, but he is always wary of falling into someone else's trap.

Each endorsement contract like this is a top-tier endorsement of his earning power as a superstar. And once these endorsements are financialized, they immediately become capital in his hands. Even if he doesn't use it for expansion, it will become his last line of defense, creating an almost indestructible golden image for him in the capital market.

…………

Zhang Aijia pursed her lips, gazing intently at Lin Jianlu. When Lin Jianlu looked over, she smiled, but seemed about to shed tears. "You've finally given me another kiss!"

Lin Jianlu chuckled and reached out to touch her cheek. "Because you really worked hard and did a great job."

"So, is it a reward?"

"That's it!"

"What would be the reason for such a reward next time? The BMW global ambassadorship I told you about before, five years, 120 million US dollars, is that okay?"

Lin Jianlu burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)