Reborn in Hollywood

Li Rui's wording was milder than Neil's, but his sharpness was in no way diminished.

"The Fast and the Furious franchise is a whole, never a one-man show. Brian O'Connor and Dominic Toretto are both part of this family, and no one should put themselves above the team."

The reporter pressed him for his opinion on Vin Diesel's remarks.

Li Rui smiled.

I don't judge other people's choices. I only look to the future.

He paused for a moment, then added, "I'll make this series more dynamic and have more potential. Just wait and see."

Vin Diesel's team reacted quickly.

The next day, another wave of statements followed.

This time, the focus has shifted to Universal Music – accusations of "discarding the millstone after it has served its purpose," "ruthless capital," and "erasing the contributions of creators" are being leveled one after another.

The article also suggests that Universal was in a hurry to make a sequel because the success of "Fast & Furious 1" was entirely due to the character of Dominic.

Now they want to replicate the success, but they've forgotten who the real soul is.

The two sides went back and forth, creating quite a lively scene.

Interestingly, the other actors in "Fast & Furious 1"—Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, and others—have all maintained an eerie silence.

When interviewed by reporters, he declined to comment.

He declined to comment when pressed by the media.

It was as if everyone had fallen silent.

Only Li Rui knew why.

A week before the press conference, he called each of these people one by one.

He didn't say much on the phone, just one sentence:

"Get some rest and recharge. We'll call everyone back for the fourth installment."

That one sentence is enough.

In early 21st-century Hollywood, there were no trending topics, no social media, and no 24/7 entertainment news.

The public opinion fermented much more slowly than it would have twenty years later, but the scope of its spread was no less significant.

In the following days, the entertainment sections of several major media outlets became quite lively.

The Hollywood Reporter, page two: "Fast & Furious infighting escalates: Vin Diesel vs. Universal, who's lying?"

Variety, Page 3: "Raphael Lee responds discreetly: I only look to the future."

The Los Angeles Times entertainment section: "The Fast and Furious 1 cast remains silent; what's the story behind it?"

Even the New York Post, known for its sensationalism, dedicated a small section on page four: "Bald vs. Youngsters? The Fast & Furious series presents a real-life Fast & Furious."

Li Rui gets up as usual every day, eats as usual, and spends time with Jessica as usual.

Occasionally, I would receive a call from Alibaba, where they would mutter things like, "The buzz is building," "Another reporter wants to interview you," and "You played the 'wait and see' tactic brilliantly."

He could only laugh when he heard that.

Using stillness to control movement?

He just didn't want to be led by the nose by that bald guy.

Jessica would sometimes lean on the back of the sofa and watch him flip through the newspapers.

"Aren't you angry at all?"

Li Rui raised his head.

"What are you angry about?"

"He's so arrogant and conceited..."

Li Rui thought about it.

He is telling the truth.

Jessica paused for a moment.

"what?"

"Dominic is truly the soul of Fast & Furious."

Li Rui explained, "I'm just letting this soul rest for a few years. When he's rested enough and is willing to come back, the door will still be open."

Jessica stared at him for a long time.

"You're really good at holding back."

Li Rui smiled.

"I'm not that easy to talk to. I just want to take control. Once the second and third installments are box office hits, then I'll be in charge of this series."

He leaned back on the sofa, looking out at the sea.

"This series is just getting started, and there's a long road ahead."

Two weeks later—on January 25, 2002, Li Rui's twentieth birthday arrived as scheduled.

On his birthday, Jessica wanted to throw him a big party and invite their friends from the industry, but Li Rui declined.

The reason is that birthdays that occur every ten years are of great significance and should be spent with family.

So on his birthday, Li Rui took Jessica to his mother's house, where Madeline and Philip had been waiting for a long time.

The first meeting between the "daughter-in-law" and the "mother-in-law" was harmonious.

The main reason is that Europeans and Americans see things very clearly. They believe that it's enough for both sides to maintain a reasonable relationship; there's no need to become overly friendly.

It's not like the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law are living together.

Li Rui felt that it was good enough to be able to take time out of his busy schedule to have a meal with his family.

After his birthday, Li Rui, who had just turned twenty, immediately threw himself into his busy work.

First, there was the scriptwriting for Fast & Furious 2 and 3.

Alibaba called early in the morning.

"Raphael, Neil is pressing us for a script reading session at Universal headquarters this afternoon at 2 PM."

Li Rui leaned against the headboard and glanced at Jessica, who was still sleeping beside him.

"understood."

2 PM, Global Headquarters, Conference Room 3.

The long table was filled with people on both sides.

Neal Moritz sat in the head seat, surrounded by several screenwriters and Universal's production manager.

Li Rui and Ali sat opposite each other, with a cup of coffee and a thick stack of papers in front of them.

Neil spoke with a smile.

"Raphael, the first draft of the script is finished. Take a look."

Li Rui opened the script and read it page by page.

His brows gradually furrowed.

The plot of the second film is similar to the original "Fast & Furious 2".

Brian was fired from the police force for letting Dom go and ended up in Miami, where he was captured by the FBI and forced to go undercover. He partnered with Roman and eventually captured Carter Veron to clear his name.

The plot of the third installment is even more absurd—it's actually Tokyo Drift.

Should we send him to Tokyo to drift?

There is absolutely no continuity in the plot between parts 2 and 3!

Li Rui closed the script and looked up.

"Neil, I'm not entirely satisfied with this script."

The atmosphere in the meeting room paused slightly.

Neil's smile froze for a second.

"What are you unhappy about? Tell me."

Li Rui pushed the script back.

"The second movie, Miami Undercover - the story is fine, but the scope is too small. Brian is just captured by the FBI to go undercover. The whole process is like an ordinary police movie, which is too disconnected from the street racing style of the first movie."

Neil opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Li Rui continued.

"The third one, Tokyo Drift—this is a completely different story. The protagonist goes to a different location to race a group of Japanese students? What does this have to do with the Fast & Furious series? Apart from a cameo appearance by Dom in the post-credits scene, it's basically a spin-off! The funniest thing is... do you really think he wanted to appear in a post-credits scene?"

One of the screenwriters couldn't help but speak up.

"The concept of Tokyo Drift was designed to make the series international—"

"Internationalization is not a problem."

Li Rui interrupted him, "But we can't lose sight of the core! What's the core of Fast & Furious? It's family, team, street racing culture. Does Tokyo Drift have those?"

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Neil rubbed his temples.

"So what kind of story do you want?"

Li Rui did not answer directly.

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and picked up a marker.

"My idea is to use the second and third films to create a prequel to Brian O'Connor's story."

He wrote a few words on the whiteboard: police academy, undercover, origin.

"Right now, all the audience knows about Brian is that he's a former police officer who was fired from the force for letting Dom go, but how did he become a police officer? Why can he drive? What happened to him before? These are all blanks!"

Neil looked at the whiteboard thoughtfully.

"You want to make an origin story?"

"Yes! The timeline goes back to before Fast & Furious 1. The second movie tells the story of Brian's starting point—entering the police academy, starting as a rookie, and gradually growing into a qualified police officer. The third movie tells the story of his first undercover mission—being sent to Miami, getting in touch with the real criminal world, getting deeper and deeper into the darkness, and finally being sent to Los Angeles to carry out the mission that changed his life."

He then wrote a second line: Police academy—the starting point, Miami—the trial, Los Angeles—the end.

"In the second movie, Brian is a freshman in the police academy, naive and impulsive, but exceptionally talented. He has to face rigorous training, complicated relationships with his classmates, and witness the dark side of the police world for the first time. This movie makes the audience fall in love with the character and understand why he chose this path."

Neil nodded slightly.

"In the third installment, Brian goes undercover for the first time. He's going to Miami to make contact with a drug lord named Carter Veron, but the deeper he investigates, the more he discovers a much larger force behind him—the Reyes family of South America..."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

One screenwriter whispered, "This premise...it's kind of like an undercover story..."

Li Rui glanced at the screenwriter but did not refute him. "But what I want is not an ordinary undercover agent, but a process of how a young man gets lost in the darkness and how he finds himself again. At the end of the third movie, Brian completes the Miami mission and is noticed by his superiors, who send him to Los Angeles to carry out the next undercover mission—the target is a man named Dominic Toretto."

He paused.

"Then, the opening of 'Fast & Furious 1' begins."

Neil's eyes lit up.

"You mean, you want to make the second and third movies prequels to the first one, so that viewers will have a completely different experience when they watch the first movie after watching the second two?"

"That's right. When the audience knows what Brian has been through, when he walks into Dom's garage, his eyes, his hesitation, and his final decision to let Dom go have a deeper layer."

He walked back to his seat and looked at Neil.

"Neil, if this series is to go far, the audience has to fall in love with the characters. And the best way to fall in love with a character is to learn about his past."

Neil remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke.

"This idea... is risky. Prequels usually don't generate as much buzz as main series."

"But this is Brian's story."

Li Rui's tone was unusually firm: "The audience has already fallen in love with him in Fast & Furious 1. They will want to see his previous stories, just like how Star Wars made the original trilogy first and then the prequel, and it was just as successful."

Neil rubbed his temples.

"What about costs? What about time? Our schedule is very tight—"

"Neil."

Li Rui interrupted him, "I have a question for you."

"What?"

How many Fast & Furious movies do you think will be made?

Neil paused for a moment.

"Well... it depends on the box office. If it does well, we'll keep making films."

Li Rui pressed further, "If we keep filming, Brian needs a complete character arc. The audience needs to see where he comes from, where he's going, and what he goes through in between. Without these, he's just a tool for speeding cars, and it wouldn't matter who plays him."