"I know what you're thinking." I laughed. "But do you think I, Chen Yang, am the kind of person who spends money to promote celebrities? Don't be naive. I have no ulterior motives towards Jenny. However, don't forget, I'm also a businessman! I'm still the boss of this company! Making money is the top priority, no matter what. Although we successfully dealt with this scandal and it even had a miraculous effect on Jenny's popularity, we also spent a lot of money! Popularity is a good thing, but I don't want to do something as foolish as losing money to gain publicity. So, since we've spent so much money, we have to find a way to make it back."
Part Three, Peak Chapter Seventy-Four: Little Tiger Films an Adult Film??
I looked at Ning Yan: "Jenny is at the peak of her career right now. We should get her more endorsement deals that will boost her image. Also, her upcoming concert tour is sure to be a huge hit. But that's not enough. Strike while the iron is hot, that's the smartest move. In my opinion, entering the film industry is the best opportunity right now. All eyes are on her! This way, we can save on film promotion! And we'll definitely make a fortune."
After saying that, I smiled and patted Ning Yan on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I'm considering this from a businessman's perspective."
The news that Deep Blue Entertainment would be co-producing a movie with Hollywood's Billy Hill Company was being publicized everywhere.
I'm a man of action; I immediately made a phone call and assembled a crew from Billy Hill Films in the US… As for what kind of movie they'd be making…
This is a question that doesn't really require my attention. In fact, the Hollywood film system is completely different from that in China. Every reputable film company in Hollywood has its own dedicated scriptwriting department. These departments spend their days collecting potentially useful material; sometimes, even a single idea, if accepted in Hollywood, can be profitable.
Every film company has a large stockpile of material and scripts. The most classic example is Warner Bros.' purchase of the film adaptation rights to Harry Potter! At the time, they only valued the potential of the novel's adaptation into a film, spending a few hundred thousand dollars to buy it. Moreover, after the purchase, they didn't immediately start filming, but instead stored it away as a stockpile of scripts until Harry Potter's books became a global phenomenon, at which point they finally decided to make a movie out of it.
As a well-established Hollywood film company, Billy Hill naturally had a large stockpile of material and scripts.
I simply assembled a team, and they first conducted a thorough market survey. This survey was incredibly detailed! You could say that this kind of commercial operation is completely different from what we do in China.
These people calculated the box office revenue of all films released domestically in recent months, breaking it down by genre to determine which films were currently most popular. They then conducted several simple surveys among Jenny's fans. Based on these results, a final decision could be made regarding the genre of Jenny's directorial debut.
“We’re not making a classic art film.” The head of the team was a typical American, speaking in a humorous and casual manner: “Since this is a film tailor-made for Miss Jenny, our most important first point is commercialization! We need to make sure that Jenny’s first film is quickly accepted by the audience! Smooth acceptance is the most important thing.”
I don't need to worry about these things, so I simply handed them over to Ning Yan to work with these guys.
As for me, on a bright morning, I secretly went to the airport to pick someone up.
Lei Xiaohu's return to China was conducted in secret. Officially, he was invited by our region to participate in the pre-production work for his first film with Jenny...
actually……
What's there to prepare? The script for the new film isn't even finalized yet! We don't even know if he'll be playing a beggar or a prince, what's there to prepare for?
He's just using this as an excuse to come to China for tourism. I heard from people at the film company that Lei Xiaohu is incredibly popular in Hollywood lately.
He was young, handsome, and incredibly skilled—a perfect combination of a good-looking guy, a cool guy, and a tough guy! Add to that his early success and the global box office hit of his latest film, and he was riding high, with countless fans going crazy for him.
And incidentally, social activities increased. Countless parties, those glitz and glamour, plus the seductive eyes of blonde beauties, even blatant sexual enticement... Of course, there were also many sex traps, after all, there are many women who want to be famous. In Hollywood, if you can hook up with a big star, create some scandal, and you become famous in the process.
Lei Xiaohu really did encounter quite a few such situations, but fortunately his manager was capable enough to rescue him several times. However, Lei Xiaohu was also getting somewhat tired of this kind of life.
This time, as the boss of the film company, I summoned him, and of course he had a perfect excuse. He eagerly escaped the sun, beaches, and beautiful women of Hollywood, and without even taking any luggage, he bought a plane ticket and flew over empty-handed.
Given Lei Xiaohu's current status as a popular action star, he would normally be accompanied by several bodyguards and assistants when he goes out. However, this time he stood up his manager and ran away, so naturally everything was kept simple.
I stood at the customs exit in the airport for twenty minutes. It had been almost an hour since the plane landed, and there were hardly any people in the exit area. I couldn't help but start to get anxious.
As I was looking around, I saw the kid sneaking out from inside. He was wearing a tight-fitting shirt with the collar open, and a unique little awl hanging around his neck, intentionally or unintentionally revealing a bit of his muscular chest. He was wearing huge sunglasses that covered a third of his face, and he walked out of the house with his head down in a hurry, hiding and dodging along the way, as if afraid that someone would recognize him.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but chuckle and shouted, "Little Tiger!"
The young man's body stiffened, and he saw me following the sound. He immediately grinned and ran quickly to my side, finally letting out a long sigh of relief: "Uncle-Master! I've finally seen you! My God! Please don't make me go back to Hollywood! I can't stand that kind of life anymore! This time, I'm never going back, even if you kill me!"
I smiled and sized him up a few times. He'd gotten even more muscular than I'd seen in days. The company had hired a professional fitness coach for him; he'd certainly put a lot of effort into building his physique. I don't know if his kung fu had improved, but his muscles had certainly become increasingly sexy.
He used to be a tall and handsome young man, but now he looks like a sexy and cool guy.
Seeing his evasive manner, I knew what he was hiding from. Given his current fame and media exposure, if he were recognized outside, he'd likely be surrounded by a crowd immediately.
Actually, it's not just him; I have to wear sunglasses whenever I go out now.
With the help of my accomplices, we exited through the VIP lane and retrieved our car from the parking lot. Once inside, Lei Xiaohu finally breathed a sigh of relief and managed to remove his sunglasses.
"Hehe, you didn't fly here wearing sunglasses the whole way, did you?"
"No, I was in first class, no one bothered me," Xiao Hu sighed. Then he began to plead with me, "Uncle-Master, I know I was wrong... Could you please not make me go to Hollywood to make movies again?"
Not taking pictures?
That won't do! He's our film company's star performer right now! Such cheap labor... it would be a waste not to squeeze him dry!
I smiled mischievously: "Don't you love movies? I remember you got a few movie props back then and you were so fond of them. Now that you can experience making a movie yourself, you should be very happy."
Lei Xiaohu thought for a moment: "Making movies is very interesting, but... everyday life is just too terrible..."
As he spoke, he even shuddered violently.
Poor young man! He remained calm and collected when facing terrorists' guns, and when he was playing on the swings outside a skyscraper. But now he's so afraid?
"Uncle-Master, do you know what? Now, even if I go out for a few steps, I'm followed by at least a dozen reporters... I even worry about being photographed when I eat out or go to the restroom..." Lei Xiaohu said with a worried expression, "Last time, I took a job shooting an advertisement with a beautiful female model. When we finished, she tripped and fell in front of me, and of course, I instinctively went to help her up... But someone took a picture right then and there! The next day, more than twenty reporters were waiting outside my house, asking me what my relationship was with that female model, whether she was my new girlfriend, and so on. That's when I found out that the woman had deliberately fallen so I would help her up."
"Haha, this is the result of becoming famous." I shook my head: "Many people want to be famous. You've become a star, what more could you want?"
“It’s not that I’m ungrateful.” Lei Xiaohu shook his head and said very seriously, “I really like being a movie star, and I really like making movies… but if even the color of my underwear every day is studied by dozens of people… that feeling is just too unpleasant! There were a few times when I really wanted to kick a reporter into the Atlantic Ocean with a side kick! But my agent stopped me, otherwise, I’m afraid I would be on the front page again.”
Lei Xiaohu probably hadn't confided in anyone for a long time. His eldest brother was very strict with his son, and although he valued his son highly, he would never allow him to complain or whine. In this respect, Lei Xiaohu was quite close to me.
"Hey, you know what? Last time I got some flour at home, planning to make some dumplings, but I threw the unused flour into the trash can... and guess what happened? The next day, a reporter who specializes in rummaging through my trash cans pointed at the flour I threw away and said I was doing drugs!!" Lei Xiaohu got angrier and angrier as he spoke: "My agent told me to sue them, but these guys are actually hoping to sue me, because if I sue them, their tabloids will become famous."
He then recounted a few more unfortunate incidents. When he mentioned that a shameless website had somehow found a Japanese adult film with a male actor who only vaguely resembled him from the side, it brazenly featured it on its homepage for download! The website even went so far as to claim that it was an adult film made by the popular action movie star Lei Xiaohu before he became famous!
Within a day, the website's traffic increased several times, and the number of downloads of those short adult videos actually exceeded 100,000!
Part Three, Chapter Seventy-Five: Wood, the classic Wood!
Lei Xiaohu recounted all these unfortunate events, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"I'm here to relax for a few days, no matter what!" Lei Xiaohu said through gritted teeth, clenching his fists.
Upon arriving at my lodgings, the four wolves naturally gathered, and even the little money-grubber Amei, who had been avoiding me for the past two days, came over.
It turns out that the little money-grubber is actually a fan of Lei Xiaohu!
I once told her about Lei Xiaohu, and mentioned that the movie that made Lei Xiaohu famous was actually based on a real hostage incident, and the character Lei Xiaohu played was actually me.
When the money-grubber heard this, he curled his lip with a disdainful look, and then suddenly threw out a remark: "Hmph! Luckily, it's our Little Tiger who's starring! Otherwise, if an old man like you went up there, there probably wouldn't be many viewers."
Old man...
Honestly, I'm only twenty-six years old this year!
Faced with a handsome young man like Lei Xiaohu, who barely turned twenty, I, an "old man," could only retreat in a magnificent defeat...
Now that Lei Xiaohu himself has secretly arrived here and entered the den of the four wolves, this money-grubber is of course determined to get in, no matter what.
Originally, Lei Xiaohu didn't mind having a female fan of his here, but the little money-grubber's two sentences almost made Lei Xiaohu cry.
In the first sentence, the little money-grubber's eyes sparkled: "Wow, Tiger! I like you so much! I love your movies! You're so handsome!!"
Xiao Hu, slightly shyly, said, "Thank you..."
The second sentence. Her eyes sparkled even more: "I really support you! I even downloaded one of your adult films the other day!..."
Little Tiger cried sadly, "That wasn't me acting."
The third sentence, delivered in a very understanding and magnanimous tone: "Oh, don't be like that. Everyone has their down times. I understand you! Many big stars have done this kind of thing before they became famous, you're not the first! As your fan, I'll always support you! By the way, I watched that downloaded movie three times, your body in it is amazing. Your pecs are so well-defined... And... why is there a mosaic?"
"Ahem... If I go any further, it might get a bit inappropriate for children." I quickly coughed twice to interrupt the little money-grubber. Otherwise, I was really worried that the rampaging Landmine Tiger might throw this woman out of the house.
Judging from the little money-grubber's expression, it seemed like he wanted to reach out and pinch Lei Xiaohu's chest muscles at any moment...
In particular, a lewd gaze couldn't help but sweep towards "a certain part" of Lei Xiaohu's body.
Seeing that Xiaohu was about to explode, I quickly shooed him upstairs to his room to shower and change. Besides, he had flown all the way from the US, a flight of over ten hours. He needed to rest and adjust to the time difference.
After settling Lei Xiaohu in, I came downstairs. There I saw the little money-grubber still enthusiastically explaining to the other wolves, "that porn movie starring Lei Xiaohu."
Looking at the little pervert's lingering expression, and her blinking eyes with infinite regret, he said, "It's a pity there's mosaic... sigh... By the way, Aze Qiaoqiao, you guys haven't seen this movie? There are tons of them online! You can just download them."
When asked by the little money-grubber, Qiaoqiao was the first to answer, and her answer was brief and clear!
"Hmph. When I watch porn, I only look at the beautiful women, not the men."
Oh... I almost forgot about JoJo's lesbian identity...
Aze's reply: "My answer, refer to Qiaoqiao."
Hmm...that makes sense. Aze is a big pervert, of course he only looks at beautiful women.
And wood...
Alas! That blockhead truly lives up to his name! His words are brief yet profound, uttering a classic phrase familiar to countless lecherous people!
Wood glanced at the money-grubber with a nonchalant air and said:
"Is it censored? Oh... yes, it is censored. I won't download it, just showing my support."
Jenny's matter has finally come to a temporary end. The successful handling of this matter has undoubtedly boosted the confidence of everyone at Deep Blue Entertainment, especially Ning Yan and others, in me.
Originally, although Fang Nan transferred the company to me, these people still had some concerns about whether I could lead them to continue to develop it well, even if they didn't say it. Especially since I was such a "hands-off, irresponsible manager".
These past few days, I've continued to stay at Old Man Qiao's clubhouse.
Every day I go to the company during the day, finish my work, and then rush home to get a good night's sleep. Life is pretty hectic.
I didn't see Yang Wei again at the club. Although I knew she lived there, I couldn't resist the urge to see her several times, but I forced myself to resist.
Indeed, given the current situation, what would be the point of me seeing her again?
Seeing is as if you never saw!
I vaguely knew that Yang Wei and Qiao Qiao's father seemed to be meeting frequently lately, as if they were discussing something very important, but I didn't ask them anything.
One more thing... Qiaoqiao's father has really given me a lot of face now. He did me a huge favor this time, introducing me to Ouyang. I already owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
Later, Qiaoqiao, worried about my safety, ran back without hesitation. We all thought that Qiaoqiao would probably be caught and locked up by her father again this time.
But after a few days, Old Man Qiao suddenly changed his attitude. He no longer cared about his precious daughter, who was always by my side. This attitude was truly perplexing.
The old man has already gone to such lengths, so naturally I'll obediently listen to him.
Of course, I also suspect that Qiao Qiao's father probably has something to discuss with me!
Sure enough. After settling Lei Xiaohu in, I chatted with a few close friends for a while, shamelessly wasting another day of my youth.
That evening, I was about to wake Lei Xiaohu, who had been sleeping all day and was jet-lagged, because I was planning to take him out for dinner. But before I could even shower, change, and go out myself, someone came to deliver a message: Old Man Qiao had invited me to dinner.
I didn't even have time to shower, I just quickly changed my clothes and then kicked Lei Xiaohu back onto the bed: "You can sleep for another two hours!"
After I finished speaking, I followed the people there.