Chapter 252: Congratulations, Mr. Xu Wenqiang

"Snap, snap."

Inside the nightclub private room, a series of ravenous sounds rang out.

Su Mang caught her breath.

She sat up, panting heavily.

She stared fixedly at Li Luo, who was devouring fruit, her eyes still filled with a trace of horror; his manner of eating and drinking was just like before.

It was full of aggression.

The first impression he gave was that of a man with extremely intense desires.

She slowly pulled her thong over her legs.

She slid it up smoothly.

In no time at all, it vanished beneath the hem of her skirt, and after a few adjustments, she was dressed neatly once more.

This task had been quite an effort for her to complete.

The lingering aftertaste remained.

Her thighs were still trembling.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly leaned over to retrieve the golden rod once more, wrapping around it with an insatiable desire.

"Snap!"

"Gulp."

"Snap!"

"Gulp."

The sound of Li Luo gnawing on an apple and Su Mang's movements formed a perfect duet; they were each eating their own things, and everyone had their own flavor to savor.

He looked down at the back of her head.

Li Luo, having just received a physique reward, took another heavy bite of his apple.

At the same time, he looked toward the door of the private room with slight nervousness.

Fortunately, during those twenty-some minutes of wind and rain, there had been no sign of the door opening, and he had been able to have a good contest with this fashion magazine editor-in-chief; she was truly worthy of being in fashion.

To be able to think of such tricks.

What he had thought of just now was merely to duck into the restroom.

Risky, but worth it.

The reward he gained couldn't have been more satisfying.

It was not in vain that he had exerted himself!

This woman was crazy enough to play; she could handle full-power output for twenty-some minutes, and the way her little waist twisted was something else—it was incredibly stimulating; she was definitely a player.

Watching the woman below, who was reluctant to let go and was happily tasting,

Li Luo felt his blood boil once again.

A few hundred yuan might not be enough for her to eat a meal, but once they reached a certain level, all it took was a knowing exchange of glances to have a polite, friendly match.

"Pop~"

A hollow sound rang out.

"Amazing!"

Su Mang swallowed, offering a double-entendre compliment, then raised her head with great reluctance: "I have a bottle of fine red wine at home; are you interested in tasting it properly?"

As she spoke, her fingers moved nimbly up and down.

In terms of technique.

She had maxed those out too.

Although her looks were slightly lacking, she completely made up for it in this regard.

"Next time!"

Tossing the apple core aside, Li Luo hooked the woman's chin, revealing his stark white teeth: "Brother Luo has things to attend to; next time, I will properly taste the Editor-in-Chief's fine red wine."

With a flick of his fingers, he pinched the woman's cheek.

Turning his finger into a palm.

He patted it lightly.

His forceful words and actions made Su Mang nod impatiently; she quickly shook her head again, gently biting Li Luo's finger.

It was originally a friendly match born of desire.

It was hard to say who lost out or who took advantage; it was just a case of each getting what they needed!

But he hadn't expected the other party's strength to far exceed his imagination.

Looking forward to the next time.

That was only natural.

The two of them, now dressed neatly, smiled at each other and drank the cocktails in their glasses with a straight face; apart from the dice scattered everywhere and the many water stains on the carpet, there was no trace left of what had happened.

The next morning.

A high-spirited Li Luo drove the BMW he had borrowed from Wang Fei, roaring toward the Little Red Building located in the 798 Art Zone.

Amidst a chorus of greetings, he walked quickly to the second-floor office.

Manager Lin Da and the accountant had been waiting for a long time.

Just as he sat down in the leather office chair, documents were quickly placed before him; he reviewed what needed reviewing and signed what needed signing, while Lin Yue methodically recounted the status of the company and the artists.

The so-called artist was, in fact, Bian Xiaoxiao.

With the hit broadcast of *Divine Physician and Heroic Couple*, his classmate's audition work had become much smoother.

After all, she was a major supporting role in a big production.

When brought up, it still carried weight!

She was currently filming a costume drama in Hengdian, with a significant amount of screen time and a very reasonable salary; from here on, she just needed to stay steady, and as her exposure increased, her fame would naturally rise.

Compared to most actors, her path had already been extremely smooth.

Another thing was the endorsement advertisement for Taobao.

With Li Luo's authorization, this time Lin Yue signed the contract on his behalf.

Opening the contract, the endorsement period was two years.

The contract amount had increased slightly.

Nine million!

This was the time of the Taobao vs. eBay war; as long as Li Luo could help win over young netizens, Boss Ma was very willing to spend money; people in the internet industry had simple thinking.

They weren't afraid of burning money, as long as they could bring in traffic.

All he needed to do was cooperate with filming videos and print ads, and attend the endorsement press conference in Hangzhou at the agreed time.

Looking at the amount above.

Li Luo remained calm on the surface, but in reality, he was laughing inside.

Excluding the six million-plus in his private account, now that the salary for *The Return of the Condor Heroes* and various endorsement fees were all coming in, even after deducting expenses, the company account would hold a massive pre-tax sum of nearly twenty-five million.

Although it still couldn't compare to the salaries of future traffic actors.

And there was still a long way to go compared to some veteran big names of today.

But for him.

It was already extremely good!

Seeing the smile in Li Luo's eyes, Lin Yue waved for the accountant to leave the office, and after the door closed, she stood up and looked at her boss: "How about it, you must be thrilled, right?"

"There are two more pieces of good news."

"Hmm?"

Li Luo beckoned for her to come over.

Rolling her eyes, Lin Yue swayed her full hips toward the office door: "In a few months, the endorsement contracts for Anta and Septwolves will also expire; I've already looked into this."

"The sales data for these two years has been excellent."

Locking the door, Manager Lin Da returned in her high heels: "Boss Ding and Boss Zhou are both very satisfied with your endorsement effect; renewing the contract is definitely no problem, and that will be two more high-value endorsement fees."

To be able to easily earn tens of millions by oneself—the money-making ability of a popular star honestly surprised her slightly.

As she spoke.

Manager Lin Da moved her plump hips and sat on the large office desk.

Crossing her legs, she smiled at Li Luo:

"As long as you can maintain your current momentum, the company's financial situation will be as healthy as can be; actually, you might want to consider some other investment projects, with such a large sum of money lying in the account."

"To be honest, it's a bit of a waste."

Maintaining momentum was the easiest thing in the world for him.

Not to mention Xu Jinglei's film—the screen time was simply too little—but next were *SPL: Sha Po Lang* and *The Return of the Condor Heroes*; these two works were as solid as they could be.

He could continue to maintain his popularity.

The news he got from her made Li Luo look even more happily at the incredibly hot-bodied manager before him.

At the time, wanting to sign her actually carried the thought of using her connections.

As long as Lin Yue was there.

The endorsements for Anta and Septwolves were basically secure.

This income was not low; every two years it was at least ten million-plus, which was equivalent to him having a constant money bag tied firmly to his waist.

"I'm filming a new movie in May."

Li Luo gently stroked her plump thighs wrapped in black silk, pondering the next steps: "When you help Bian Xiaoxiao pick up roles, pay attention; the schedule for the next few months needs to be cleared."

"Yu Feihong is filming a TV series, and she and Wang Ou will join my crew then."

"For the specific contract, contact Sister Feihong later."

"Whatever price she offers, take it."

Enjoying the incredibly smooth texture, he nodded slightly and said: "This is a favor role; Sister Feihong gave us two very important supporting roles, so there's no need for us to haggle over that bit of salary."

"Okay."

Lin Yue narrowed her eyes, keeping the matter in mind.

"I took a magazine cover shoot last night."

Picking at the silk stockings with his fingertips, Li Luo tore a hole, revealing the fair skin underneath: "It's called *Harper's Fashion Basha* or something; I'll give you the editor's number later."

"Arrange the specific time for after *The Return of the Condor Heroes* finishes filming!"

"*Harper's Fashion Basha*?"

Lin Yue was a bit surprised and said happily: "This magazine is quite good; I subscribe to it too."

"You're annoying."

Her tone shifted, and she looked at her stockings with a hint of heartache: "I just bought these; they were quite expensive."

"Just buy ten or eight more."

Li Luo tore at them again, and the originally exquisite and smooth black silk instantly became tattered: "Find an excuse to reimburse it in the company's operating accounts; hmm, let's call it office wear and tear."

Grinning, he tore even more vigorously: "Let the money in the account just lie there."

"I plan to set up a project next year."

"I'll make a movie myself to play around with; the money needed for that won't be a small amount."

"Ah!"

After a light cry, Lin Yue was pushed onto the large desk.

The boss's desk was extremely spacious.

Let alone her, it would be more than enough for another person to lie down.

"Wait!"

Lin Yue barely managed to fend off her little boss's actions and asked in shock: "What did you just say? Make a movie to play around with? Do you know how high the risk of investing in a movie is?"

The hem of her white shirt was grabbed by Li Luo's hands.

Immediately after.

He exerted force suddenly.

After another exclamation, buttons flew everywhere.

The giant thunder wrapped in a black bra also shook into Li Luo's view; in the span of just a few sentences, Manager Lin Da, who had been dressed properly just a moment ago, now became incredibly alluring.

The black silk was tattered, and the shirt was torn into pieces.

The surprised look behind those black-rimmed glasses made Li Luo's inner fire rise rapidly.

"I know!"

With a *swish*, he quickly stood up and moved forward: "Don't worry, your boss knows what he's doing; just help Brother Luo handle things well!"

"Hmm!!!"

Temporarily suppressing the thought of dissuasion, Lin Yue gritted her teeth hard.

Li Luo certainly knew how high the risk of filming a movie was; this thing was like Russian roulette—one step to heaven, one step to hell; it wasn't just having a good cast that could make a blockbuster movie.

And it wasn't that a good film would necessarily make money.

Stephen Chow was awesome enough, right?

*A Chinese Odyssey* was excellent enough, but it still caused his company to go bankrupt.

Andy Lau also had great ambitions back then, inviting a bunch of big names to make *The Legend of Speed*, only to lose tens of millions, nearly bankrupting himself.

Hollywood was the same; it was common for a massive production that lost a fortune to drag down a studio.

Not to mention the distant past.

Hengdian filmed so many series every year.

How many could actually be broadcast?

Countless people walked in with dreams of getting rich overnight, and eight or nine out of ten ended up losing everything, leaving in dejection; without a big heart, one simply couldn't play the game of investing in film and television.

This was also the reason why many actors, despite not lacking money, never involved themselves in investments.

Acting was safe and steady; one way or another, there was money to be made.

They had seen too many tragic situations where millions were poured in without even a ripple.

But Li Luo didn't care about that; even if *The Lone Agent* didn't make money.

He would still film it.

He was still young and had the opportunity to accumulate capital again, but if he didn't take this step, no matter how glamorous he looked, he would always be a small fry eating in someone else's game.

Thinking of this, he thrust his waist with a fierce look in his eyes.

After a muffled groan, Lin Yue's fingernails sank deep into the muscles of his back.

Feeling Li Luo's intent.

Manager Lin Da completely discarded the thought of dissuasion and gritted her teeth, saying: "If you want to film, then film; at worst, we'll start over from scratch!"

With a hearty laugh, she exerted force and flipped Li Luo over.

And sat up.

The giant thunder swayed!

The messy desk was tidied up as usual.

Smoke curled upward.

Quickly flipping through the *Shanghai Bund* script in his hand, Li Luo reviewed the story outline again, and just then, the office door was knocked on softly.

"Please come in."

Flipping a page, he looked up.

"Brother Luo."

Lin Yue gave a wink and welcomed the two people behind her with a smile: "Ms. Li Mi and Director Gao Xixi have arrived."

"Li Zong, Director Gao."

Li Luo hurriedly stood up and quickly walked around the desk: "Sorry, sorry, I should have gone out to welcome you instead of you calling ahead; Sister Yue, why didn't you tell me?"

Before him were Li Mi and Gao Xixi, whom he had eaten with just last night.

Just now, while flipping through the script.

Li Luo had called Li Mi to ask if they could discuss the script, and the latter immediately asked where he was, leading to this situation.

He hadn't expected Gao Xixi to come along as well.

The polite way these two were acting made him feel embarrassed not to receive them!

Of course.

When it was time to be embarrassed, he would be embarrassed all the same.

"It's fine."

Li Mi waved her hand and looked around curiously: "We were already at the door anyway, so we just came in; I happened to be discussing filming matters with Director Gao, so we just came together."

"Li Luo, your studio is set up very nicely; it has quite a lot of style."

Her gaze fell on the most prominent cabinet.

She moved toward it curiously.

"Li Zong, you're too kind."

Li Luo shook hands with Gao Xixi again and invited his senior to sit on the sofa: "It's just a place to work; actually, I should have gone to find you; I'm really sorry to have made Li Zong and Director Gao come over."

"It's a small matter; we happened to be nearby anyway."

Gao Xixi wasn't the least bit unhappy; on the contrary, he felt very pleased.

He had only handed over the script yesterday.

And today he was already calling to discuss the plot.

This showed that the other party wasn't just brushing it off, but was placing his project in a very important position; compared to those flowery pleasantries, he preferred this attitude of genuine importance.

On the other side, Li Mi's gaze swept over the items in the cabinet.

The plaque for the Heroic Charity Foundation.

The Double Top Ten Actor trophy.

The honorary certificate from the Sammo Hung Charity Foundation.

Although there were few items, the weight was not light at all, which made Li Mi unable to help but turn back in surprise: "I really didn't expect it; Li Luo, you're actually a philanthropist!"

The actor trophy was one thing, but the plaques and honorary certificates were not ordinary.

Without putting in real money.

One could never get their hands on them.

Compared to many people who only cared about making money, this was a fresh change.

Regarding this title, Li Luo hurriedly waved his hand, saying he didn't deserve it.

After introducing Lin Yue.

Everyone took their seats.

Manager Lin Da was in charge of making tea, while Li Luo opened the conversation: "I've roughly read through the script story and found that it's still quite different from the original, especially the character of Xu Wenqiang."

"Would it be too positive?"

"It's like this."

He looked at the producer and director sitting on the sofa and began to discuss: "I actually don't mind my screen image; could we add some gang-related plots to make Xu Wenqiang more vivid?"

Chow Yun-fat's character was both righteous and evil.

Through reading the script, Li Luo found that this version of Xu Wenqiang was too positive and lacked that gloomy temperament.

Li Mi and Gao Xixi looked at each other and nodded with satisfaction.

The actor they had found.

It seemed he had truly studied it carefully.

"Thank you."

Li Mi first smiled as she took the tea, cleared her throat, and looked at Li Luo: "Actually, Director Gao and I have the same thought as you, but some people have different ideas."

"The script has been polished many times, and this version of Xu Wenqiang can only walk on the edge of the gang."

"I believe you will definitely understand."

At the beginning, her script was about Xu Wenqiang rising from the bottom to become a tycoon of the Shanghai Bund, a story audiences would like more, but it was quickly shot down.

After repeated revisions, the script was changed to its current form.

Hearing this, Li Luo understood in an instant.

A matter of value orientation.

If the background wasn't solid enough, filming a TV series about the rise of a tycoon would be useless if it couldn't be broadcast.

"There's no way around it."

Gao Xixi saw Li Luo's furrowed expression and also explained: "Some things can be filmed in Hong Kong, but we can't; Xu Wenqiang can only be portrayed as more righteous, leaning toward being more scholarly and patriotic."

"However, in terms of character interpretation, you can be more decisive and tough."

"That can also make up for a lot."

This was indeed unavoidable; the other party couldn't risk tens of millions going down the drain to challenge the censorship system.

Restructuring the story was inevitable.

Li Luo could only press this aside and continue to discuss the various contents of the script with the two, so as to further understand the director's creative ideas; with a classic work ahead, this had to be handled with caution.

Gao Xixi also understood this, so most of the time he was the one talking.

Li Luo nodded repeatedly as he listened.

After a round of discussion, there were no more doubts in his heart.

Li Mi was excellent at reading people; seeing that her young brother's expression had completely relaxed, she immediately gave Gao Xixi a wink.

"Sorry."

The latter understood immediately and stood up with a smile: "You guys talk first; I'm going to the restroom."

When discussing matters to the end, one always had to see the real money.

Regarding this.

It wasn't convenient for him to participate.

Lin Yue saw him to the door and quickly returned to sit down.

This kind of thing.

She was naturally expected to participate.

"Actually, how should I put it."

Li Mi sipped her tea and looked at Li Luo earnestly: "You should be able to feel that we are very sincere in inviting you to participate in the production of *New Shanghai Bund*; I believe you will definitely be able to play Xu Wenqiang well."

"For this, I am also willing to pay great sincerity."

"We expect the finished product to be 42 episodes; in terms of salary, I think you, Li Luo, are very worthy of the figure of 4.2 million!"

Li Luo, who had been ready to sharpen his blade.

Blinked his eyes instantly.

This elegant producer had offered a price with great sincerity!

Usually, when calculating salary, it wasn't based on how many episodes the finished product had.

Even if the protagonist had a lot of screen time, the number of shots in some episodes would be few and far between.

So a corresponding shrinkage.

Was inevitable.

Li Mi's offer seemed to be 100,000 per episode, but calculated carefully, it was already firmly above that; the cast was not bad, and with a big director, it was definitely giving him the treatment of a top-tier popular actor.

To raise it any further would be a bit ungrateful.

Lin Yue also understood this point.

So she simply shut her mouth.

There was no need for her to haggle at all; it all depended on whether Li Luo himself was willing to take it.

"Besides that."

Looking at the silent man, the boss of Tianzhong Film continued to offer terms: "All corresponding living conditions will be in accordance with high standards, and everything will be implemented in the contract."

"Li Luo, you just focus on acting; leave the rest to me."

"In addition, regarding the supporting actors."

"If you have any good suggestions, you can bring them up."

Li Mi looked at her young brother with full anticipation; she didn't hide anything and laid out all the terms she could offer; whether it succeeded or not depended on this moment.

"It's like this."

A smile appeared on Li Luo's face, and he said very frankly: "My studio has a female artist; actually, her image is very suitable for Fang Yanyun; I wonder if there's a chance for her to audition?"

He wasn't afraid of making requests; he was afraid of not making any.

Li Mi was ecstatic and, without a moment's hesitation, held out her palm: "Actually, I think she's quite suitable too!"

That role was very important.

In the play, she was Xu Wenqiang's childhood sweetheart and also Feng Jingyao's lover.

And she was also the number one socialite of the Shanghai Bund. 【266】 But no matter how important, she couldn't compare to the soul of the show, Xu Wenqiang.

No matter how heavy it gets, it still can't compare to the soul of the show, Xu Wenqiang.

Still the same saying.

If Xu Wenqiang stood firm, the show was half successful; although she didn't know who it was, and Li Mi had no interest in knowing who it was, she only needed to know that Li Luo thought that woman was suitable, and that was enough.

"Thank you, Li Zong, for your trust in me."

Li Luo gently rested his hand on hers and nodded: "Happy cooperation."

"Happy cooperation!"

A smile bloomed on Li Mi's face as she gripped his palm firmly.

Setting everything else aside.

Her show was being filmed after Zhang Da Hu Zi's *The Return of the Condor Heroes*; she wouldn't dare say anything too far, but within this year, Li Luo was definitely on an upward trajectory; signing a popular actor would definitely not be a loss!

"Congratulations to both of you."

Lin Yue smiled as she picked up the teapot and poured tea with elegant movements: "Congratulations, Li Zong, and congratulations, Mr. Xu Wenqiang."

"Congratulations to us both."

Li Luo and Li Mi said in unison.

Happy laughter rang out in the office.

Gao Xixi, who had excused himself to the restroom, soon returned following the sound; seeing everyone's smiling faces, he immediately knew that the producer had already recruited his desired Xu Wenqiang into the fold.

He didn't care at all what price was offered.

He only needed to know.

That he had gotten the person he wanted to use.

He immediately laughed happily and shook hands firmly with his junior.

The matter was settled.

Li Luo invited the two to dine at a nearby hotel.

Gao Xixi and Li Mi naturally agreed readily, and accompanied by Lin Yue, everyone had a joyful meal, and amidst the clinking of glasses, they finalized the time for signing the contract.

Watching the departing vehicles, Li Luo lowered his enthusiastically waving arm.

Having secured a good show, with a salary that hit a new high.

He was in a pretty good mood.

"Congratulations."

Lin Yue said with her hands in her pockets and a smile: "You have more capital to toss around, and your confidence for what's next will be even greater; but when do you plan to let me see the script?"

"I'm currently conceiving it."

Li Luo tapped his temple with his finger, his smile even broader than the woman's: "I'll let you be the first to see it when it's written."

"What the Fuck?"

The beautiful high-achiever from Wharton School couldn't help but curse; Lin Yue stared at this guy in a daze: "Are you crazy? You're planning to write a script yourself?"

"Manager Lin."

Li Luo said with his hands in his pockets, laughing as he walked toward the parking area: "Not just writing the script; your boss is going to write, direct, and act in it himself."

A gust of cold wind blew, causing his suit jacket to flutter in the wind.

He looked entirely high-spirited.

"Crazy!"

Lin Yue looked at his back with infatuation and couldn't help but curse with a smile.

High heels clicked.

The big sister chased after him nimbly.

Walking with firm steps, she followed steadily behind Li Luo.

The press conference in the afternoon was extremely lively.

Li Luo, full of energy, hugged and greeted a group of friends he hadn't seen in a long time, watched the movie trailer with the reporters, and after that, accompanied the lead actors to participate in interviews.

As a supporting actor.

One had to have the self-awareness of a supporting actor.

Although the producers really wanted to pull him next to Xu Jinglei to attract the reporters' attention.

Li Luo still declined repeatedly, giving other actors the opportunity.

This kind of thing that could attract hatred.

He couldn't do it.

Even though Xu Jinglei and Jiang Wen had no objections to this.

After quietly participating in the press conference, quietly answering a few questions, and having dinner with Xu Qing, who had come to show support, along with the crew members, Li Luo boarded the flight back.

Two days of short rest could be considered a full harvest.

A cover figure for a fashion magazine.

A nine-million-yuan endorsement ad, and finally a new show with a salary of 4.2 million.

It made him throw himself into his filming work with a heart full of excitement.

In the blink of an eye, it was March 4th.

Li Luo finished filming early, and after dinner, he took his two assistants straight to the hotel entrance.

"Brother Luo!"

A shout made him stop his steps; Guo Xiang, whose little face was frozen red, asked curiously: "You're dressed like this; where are you going?"

All three of them were wearing casual clothes, and Li Luo was even wearing a mask.

If they weren't extremely familiar with each other.

She really wouldn't have recognized them.

"Did Wu A finish work so early today?"

Li Luo signaled for Wang Ou and Wu Yu to get in the car and looked at Yang Mi, who was showing signs of fatigue.

"Anyway, I'm done for the day!"

Yang Mi exhaled and stretched her body vigorously.

The filming work had entered the middle and late stages.

Fatigue had enveloped everyone; no one had ever experienced such high-intensity filming, where the time for one show was equal to two for others; even New Year's Eve last month had been spent filming.

After the crew had a meal and rested simply for two days.

They continued with the busy filming.

Now, the two words they most wanted to hear every day were "wrap up"; only then could they barely relieve their fatigue.

After speaking, she stared at Li Luo with her big eyes.

Indicating that she hadn't received an answer yet.

"Going to watch a movie."

Li Luo pulled at his mask and said in a muffled voice: "A movie I filmed before is being released today; I'm going to see how the effect turned out."

"Sister?"

Yang Mi hurriedly turned her head and looked pitifully at the assistant assigned to her by the company.

"Go, go!"

Her assistant thought for a moment and simply stopped caring.

Filming day after day.

Let alone this eighteen-year-old girl, even she was exhausted; everyone needed time to catch their breath.

"Yay~"

Yang Mi jumped three feet high and excitedly squeezed into the business car.

"Did I invite you?"

Li Luo spread his hands in confusion.

"I'm going anyway!"

The Beijing girl made a face and sat down in a chair.

She also happily greeted the two assistants.

Amidst the chattering of the women, the hotel's business car roared toward Ningbo City; nearly two hours later, the four of them got off near a bustling commercial district.

After a scream, Yang Mi excitedly grabbed Wu Yu and Wang Ou and dashed toward a roadside stall.

This posture.

Was just like being let out for a break.

Li Luo very automatically and consciously stepped forward to pay, while the three women each held large cotton candies, licking them with great delight.

Without an assistant watching, Yang Mi completely let herself go.

In just ten minutes, she had picked up all kinds of night market snacks.

Her mouth couldn't stop smiling.

Anyway, she didn't have much fame, so it was fine for her to eat and drink freely, unlike Li Luo, who could only gloomily wear a mask; *The Return of the Condor Heroes* was being filmed in nearby Xiangshan, and people went to watch the excitement every day.

They were all too familiar with the actor playing Yang Guo.

He didn't want to take three women and stage a massive escape in the commercial district.

After strolling for a while, Li Luo directly grabbed Yang Mi's hat and dragged her toward the cinema; he didn't want the show to start while this guy still hadn't had enough fun.

"Let's play a bit longer."

The girl's face was puffed up like a hamster's, and her speech was slurred.

Her mouth was stuffed with all kinds of food.

"Ouch!"

After another cry of pain, she rubbed her head vigorously.

Finally, she behaved.

The group headed straight for the cinema; Wu Yu was in charge of buying tickets, while Li Luo watched left and right with interest; he had watched plenty of his own TV shows, but this was his first movie.

The feeling was indeed a bit fresh.

Unlike TV, in a cinema, one could observe the most direct reactions of strangers to oneself.

A movie could quickly mobilize the audience's emotions within an hour or so.

Whether the acting was good or not was clear at a glance.

Midnight show culture used to be popular in Hong Kong; before a new film was released on a large scale, it would be arranged for a midnight screening at the cinema, and the creators would even visit the scene to be inspected by the audience.

If it was filmed well, naturally the whole audience would applaud and cheer.

If it was a big piece of trash, the director and actors would be pointed at and cursed by the audience, and there were even situations where full-scale brawls would break out.

That was what could be considered exciting.

Li Luo felt that if that culture could be preserved, perhaps surpassing Hollywood would be just around the corner.

"Shh~"

Yang Mi took a big bite of a roasted chicken leg and poked his arm, whispering: "Look, look, look, I see you; it seems you have quite a lot of screen time; you're really handsome!"

At her signal, Li Luo looked at the light-box advertisement on the wall.

The poster was gray and white.

It looked very textured.

The movie title was on the left, and on the right were close-ups of the actors.

Jiang Wen, wearing glasses, was at the very top, looking like a scholar, and in the most prominent position of the poster, Director Xu looked blankly at the camera, and further down was none other than himself in a crisp military uniform.

The headshots of the other actors were much smaller.

The so-called C-position, although there wasn't a clear concept of it yet.

But the status of the actors, who was more important, could be seen clearly through the poster.

His own name.

Also firmly occupied the position below Jiang Wen.

"Hmm~."

Li Luo raised his eyebrows and made a gesture to her: "To tell the truth, I only filmed this movie for eight days."

"Ah???"

Yang Mi was completely dumbfounded, her mouth wide open.

Nowadays, it wasn't the Hong Kong of the eighties or nineties; a theatrical movie produced seriously always had a filming cycle of at least three months; having only filmed for eight days, why would he be in such a prominent position?

Li Luo could guess some of the reasons, but it wasn't easy to say.

Whoever is popular gets promoted, right~

One could tell from the performance of the investors at the press conference that those people were very much hoping that he would use his influence to help promote it vigorously.

Regarding this, Li Luo also tried his best to cooperate.

But at the time, firstly, he didn't want to steal the spotlight, and secondly, he didn't want to be used too much.

So he pretended not to see many of their eye signals.

It was only a few hundred thousand in salary.

Why risk his life?

He had run back from far away to help stand on stage and promote it, which was enough of a favor!

This poster was obviously also trying to mislead the audience into thinking he had a lot of screen time, attracting fans to watch it; it was normal commercial behavior, nothing to talk about, and Li Luo didn't take it to heart.

As for the scene he acted in at the time, if it hadn't been cut.

It should be enough for the fans to feel the ticket price was worth it.

"Yang Guo~"

Just then, a cry of surprise rang out, giving Li Luo a start.

Soon, three girls ran forward from behind, excitedly arriving at the poster.

"What Yang Guo, his name is Li Luo!"

"Fine, fine, fine."

"*Letter from an Unknown Woman*, what kind of movie is this?"

"What are you looking at, what are you looking at?"

The girls chattered, their gazes quickly sweeping over the row of posters before them.

Li Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

He was also curious about how these people would choose; why movie stars had a higher status than TV stars, actually the reason was very simple: the former required one to take out real money to support them.

At such times, one could best witness the gold content of an actor.

Whether one was amazing or not wasn't something blown out of proportion.

This was entirely through market reaction, fighting one-on-one with all kinds of stars.

"Let's watch this one!"

The girl with long hair pointed to a poster, her tone slightly excited: "I even went to watch when *The Return of the Condor Heroes* started filming in Xiangshan; Li Luo looked so handsome dancing with his sword."

"I wonder if there will be scenes of him fighting in this one."

The other two nodded one after another.

Greeting each other as they walked toward the ticket counter.

"Tsk tsk."

Yang Mi looked at Li Luo with a smile and couldn't help but say: "Some people are still quite popular; but you'll probably disappoint your fans; in eight days, I can't imagine there being any fighting scenes."

"With the name of the talented Director Xu, this show is likely an art film."

"If they came for my beauty."

Li Luo thought for a moment and nodded firmly: "I think they won't be disappointed."

"You're so thick-skinned!"

Although Yang Mi agreed, she couldn't help but complain.

"Done."

Wu Yu hurried back with four tickets and signaled toward the entrance: "The time is just right; we can check tickets and enter now."

Greeting Wang Ou, the four of them crossed the ticket gate.

Arriving at the viewing hall.

At Wu Yu's signal, they headed straight for the best viewing position in the middle.

As he walked, Li Luo began to mutter to himself.

The movie tickets the little assistant bought near the screening time, yet the best seats were still left; this situation looked a bit ominous!

A short ten minutes passed quickly.

Before the lights went out, Li Luo quickly turned his head to scan the room.

To tell the truth, he didn't know what occupancy rate was considered good, but judging by what his eyes saw, this situation obviously couldn't be considered good.

In the two corners, left and right, there was a couple in each, hugging and gnawing on each other.

Obviously.

They weren't here to watch a movie; they just picked a random film to secretly do some romantic things; I have to say, this idea was really good, especially since there were generally no cameras.

No need to worry about performing a big show for the people in the monitoring room.

And then.

There were those three girls from just now.

Finally, there were only the few of them left.

The bustling, noisy scene he had imagined of the cinema being full of audience members simply didn't appear.

This was the golden time of the evening; if he hadn't brought people with him, there would only be seven people choosing to watch the movie, and this was the first day of release; this thing made his heart tremble.

The film industry, the risk is truly high!

If it weren't for the system's production.

He really wouldn't dare to try it rashly.

"Eat."

His actions were noticed by Yang Mi, who looked around and hurriedly took out the food she had hidden: "You can't tell anything from just this one cinema; the show you acted in must be good."

"It's an art film, after all; fewer people watch it."

"Don't take it to heart."

"I know."

As the lights dimmed, Li Luo also took off his mask.

The situation was just like this; he could only be patient and see how the finished product turned out.

Although it had nothing to do with his own interests, as the first movie to appear on the big screen, even if it wasn't a blockbuster, he hoped he could deliver a relatively good performance.

Regardless of whether the movie was trash or not, at least his performance couldn't be trash.

He took a roasted chicken leg from the Beijing girl on his right and a cola from the Hunan girl on his left.

Li Luo took a big bite toward the big screen that had lit up. ===== CHAPTER 253 =====