Chapter 179: All Good Reviews, Soaring to the Sky

4:52 PM, July 15, 2007, Beijing, Hilton Hotel top floor presidential suite.

"Chen-kun, is the tightness okay?"

Chen Nuo's height of 181cm is just an ordinary person in the mainland, especially in the north, and it is easy to miss in the crowd.

But if he stood in front of these few Japanese women, he would be a mighty and strong Chinese man.

A Japanese girl who was just over 160cm needed to stand on tiptoe to help him organize his bow tie.

So much so that a fragrance rushed to his face, and in front of him was a pair of blinking big eyes, a pretty face flushed, looking at him shyly.

He had learned a little Japanese for two days because of the Takeda devil in "The Message," so he understood the word "Chen-kun."

He really didn't understand what else was said.

It was all his fault for saying two sentences of Japanese out of politeness when he greeted this makeup team invited from Japan by Warner, which made people mistakenly think he was some kind of Japanese expert.

Fortunately, the female translator next to him seemed to see his doubts and explained in English: "Minako asked you, is this tightness okay?"

Chen Nuo shook his neck left and right, nodded and said: "It's okay."

Makeup artist Hayakawa Minako nodded regretfully after listening to the translator's words and stepped aside.

Immediately, another pretty woman in her 30s took Minako's place and chattered a lot.

The translator said: "Miyuki asked you, do you think there is any place that needs adjustment? No matter what request, they will satisfy you."

Chen Nuo always felt that the American female translator's words were a bit strange, and glanced at her sideways.

She only saw her expression was serious, quite solemn, not at all like she was saying any double entendre.

Speaking of which, Chen Nuo felt that he had been surrounded by enemy countries in the 24 hours since he returned to Beijing.

From translators to all kinds of staff, they were all white men and women.

And I don't know if it was intentional or unintentional, from Luo Rui Aisina downwards, except for those three burly black bodyguards, the others were all women.

Chen Nuo thought with the heart of a villain, would it be the capitalists of Warner who wanted to use some useless schemes to test him, this proletarian fighter?

Otherwise, are there no makeup artists in Beijing?

Why did they inexplicably find a team full of women from Japan to take care of his styling?

Isn't this the Japanese-American coalition provoking him together, trying to make him pull the trigger?

Hehe, looking for trouble, wanting him to be the first to start the battle, right?

Who are you looking down on?

Little Chen is also a young general who has been through many battles, how can he fall for your little tricks.

Chen Nuo looked at the man in the mirror.

To be honest, in this era, Japanese makeup is indeed top-notch in Asia. No wonder so many people pay tuition to go to Japan to learn makeup.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Chen Nuo finally determined that after months of exercise and recovery, he had succeeded in losing weight and recovered from the middle-aged freak of the Joker to a handsome young man.

It felt like he was reborn again.

For a moment, his narcissism came up.

He looked at different angles left and right, and said: "Damn Japanese flower girls, they are quite good at it."

The female translator asked in surprise: "Chen, what did you say?"

Chen Nuo switched back to English from the Sichuan dialect mode: "I said nothing, it's quite good."

But Miss Miyuki didn't seem to think so.

The translator said: "She thinks your eyebrows are too thick..."

Then, this red-haired, brown-eyed Texas girl shrugged like a cowgirl, "But, to be honest, I don't think so. I think they want to make you into a sissy like a Japanese man."

Chen Nuo laughed, "Have you been in Japan for a long time?"

"Yes... eight years, I like Tokyo very much. The only problem is that Japanese men's are not as thick as my little finger."

Chen Nuo laughed out loud, and was about to chat more with this quite interesting translator and explore the size issue he was very interested in. Anyway, the few Japanese girls next to him didn't understand English.

Just at this moment, Luo Rui Aisina suddenly walked into this independent dressing room in the presidential suite.

She knocked on the door seriously and said: "Girls, please go out, thank you."

Chen Nuo didn't know why, although Luo Rui Aisina looked sweet and cute, her prestige seemed to be surprisingly high within Warner.

At her command, everyone in the dressing room, including the translator, filed out.

Until only she and Chen Nuo were left in the room.

At this time, Luo Rui Aisina's expression was like an iceberg melting, revealing a sweet smile.

After a day of contact, this iceberg woman who had always been cold was smiling like this in front of him for the first time.

Just like an 18 or 19-year-old American flower girl.

It made Chen Nuo feel a bit flattered.

Is there any good news?

But Luo Rui Aisina sold him a pass, just asking somewhat diligently: "Chen, what do you think of this Japanese team? It's mainly because the time is too tight, and they can't arrange the schedule over there. Otherwise, I think the Singapore team would be more suitable for you than the Japanese one."

Chen Nuo said: "It's okay, but why is it so troublesome? Are there no makeup artists in China?"

Luo Rui Aisina said seriously: "It's not troublesome. Warner has not yet established an independent headquarters in mainland China, only a simple office, so many personnel need to be transferred from other countries through the Asia-Pacific headquarters. Please rest assured, we will definitely prepare more thoroughly next time."

Chen Nuo was more and more certain that something must have happened, otherwise how could this woman treat him like a father.

Just asking casually, she actually answered a lot.

Noticing Chen Nuo's suspicious eyes, Luo Rui Aisina couldn't help but be dazed, recalling the phone call she received before.

That call came directly from the US headquarters.

Luo Rui Aisina is responsible for this department at Warner, and she knows that for the three nights after the release of such a major movie, many colleagues should be sleepless.

But she really didn't expect that at 4:00 AM US time, the deputy director of the marketing department of the headquarters responsible for the promotion of this movie, Jessie Bruner, would call her, and in that tone.

Even after a brief greeting, the first sentence was: "Luo Rui, do you know IMDb?"

Luo Rui Aisina felt that the old woman on the phone she hadn't dealt with was simply insulting her.

IMDb, also known as the Internet Movie Database, was founded in 1990 and became a website under Amazon in 1998.

Although it has encountered the impact of rating websites like Rotten Tomatoes, it is still the well-deserved number one movie website.

As a person responsible for film promotion... no, even just an ordinary filmmaker, it is impossible not to know.

Luo Rui Aisina said: "Of course. Jessie, what do you mean?"

"OK, that's easy to handle. Sorry, Luo Rui, the reason I mentioned this is because the current time is too late. Comments or reviews on other websites haven't come out yet. Even old guys like Roger Ebert who like to write reviews all night haven't moved yet."

"However, I know you are about to set off for the media interview in China, so I have to call you in advance to let you be prepared. I only have the comments of more than 20 mass film critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and the score opened by IMDb two minutes ago."

Luo Rui Aisina's brain with an IQ of 138 was simply in a mess, and she didn't understand what the other party was saying at all.

"So? Jessie, what do you want to say?"

The other party seemed determined to go around in circles, and still didn't answer her directly, but asked her a question: "Do you know what the highest-rated movie on IMDb is?"

Luo Rui Aisina showed her professionalism without hesitation: "The Godfather, 9.6 points."

"Beautifully done, Luo Rui, um, you are indeed as beautiful and wise as the rumors say."

Shit, you are indeed as annoying as the rumors say. Luo Rui Aisina replied politely: "Thank you, Jessie, so, I still don't understand what you mean."

"Luo Rui, I want to tell you." Jessie's tone was very soft, like a breeze that only appears in the sweetest dream.

"Currently, just two hours after the midnight screening, the number of people who rated our movie on IMDb has exceeded 5,000, and our score is now 9.8."

When saying this, Jessie deliberately paused, seemingly giving Luo Rui a time to think and react. But she gave too little time.

When the voice came from the phone again, Luo Rui Aisina's blank brain was still a bit dull.

And Jessie seemed to know what was going on on her side, and said considerately: "Can't believe it, right? In fact, I was the same two minutes ago."

Luo Rui Aisina knew IMDb too well, so she really couldn't believe her ears.

IMDb is not a website that can brush scores, its algorithm is very complex, in short, most of its rating weight comes from old-qualified real users.

So, it's been so many years.

Only in 1998, The Godfather was briefly surpassed by The Xiao Shenke Redemption for a period of time.

Since then, this eternal classic in the hearts of American movie fans has firmly occupied the first position on the rating list.

Luo Rui Aisina calmed down and said: "And then, Jessie? Continue."

The tone on the phone had a trace of appreciation, "Of course you also know that this score is only for now. Perhaps tomorrow, the day after, or next week, those crazy fans of The Godfather will definitely try every means to pull us down from the throne of first place."

"However, at least at this moment, we have taken away the supreme throne of The Godfather. Luo Rui. It's been many years, I've been thinking, whose hands will The Godfather's seemingly indestructible status end in? And when will it be? One year, two years, or 10 or 20 years later?"

"But I didn't expect that it would be today, we actually did it. 13 years have passed, we actually avenged the arrow of 1994 with our own hands. We single-handedly killed The Godfather, we made the triumphant faces of those bastards at Paramount finally unable to laugh."

Jessie's tone was not urgent or slow, just like telling some family trifles.

But the content in the words was full of wind and clouds. If it were a layman, they wouldn't understand it at all.

But Luo Rui Aisina, as the niece of the Disney tyrant, of course knew why the other party would have this performance.

The grievances between the six major Hollywood studios can't be finished even in three days and three nights.

However, if you ask any Warner employee who experienced the 1994 Oscars, which Hollywood company is their mortal enemy.

Except for Paramount, there will be no second one.

Like Jessie, an old woman responsible for promotion at Warner, Luo Rui Aisina even suspected that the other party had participated in that public relations war that year.

"Forrest Gump" vs "The Xiao Shenke Redemption."

Paramount vs Warner Bros.

God vs God.

The result was that "The Xiao Shenke Redemption," which entered seven nominations aggressively, ended up with nothing.

And Paramount's "Forrest Gump" won six awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

The story that happened in it can simply be written into an Oscar public relations manual.

Since then, many Warner people, especially employees responsible for marketing and public relations, have regarded this as a great shame.

Luo Rui Aisina said: "This is really a miracle."

"That's right, this is a damn miracle, the reason for creating this miracle is the unremitting efforts of each of us."

Then why don't you hurry up and contact Nolan, Christian Bale and the others?

Don't hurry up and use this wave of upcoming word-of-mouth effect and media carnival to advance in the North American market and add a fire to the weekend box office?

Why are you calling me?

Luo Rui Aisina's smart brain reacted quickly.

Letting Jessie dial the phone to her hand across the Pacific Ocean two minutes after getting the IMDb score,

It certainly couldn't be that she took a fancy to the sesame-sized Chinese market.

It must be for something else.

She didn't want to go around in circles anymore, nor did she want to listen to these polite words, and asked directly: "Besides the efforts of each of us, is it related to Chen?"

A burst of triumphant laughter came from the phone receiver, "Don't be so anxious, Luo Rui Aisina. Don't you think that at the moment of picking the fruits of victory, slowly tasting its taste is the best choice? By the way, didn't I tell you that it was me who first suggested to Michael to list Chen as the core figure in the promotional plan."

Luo Rui Aisina couldn't stand the crazy woman on the opposite side, and said with thorns in her words: "Jessie, it seems you are about to be promoted, right?"

"Giggle, you're right, Luo Rui. Before calling you, I had a brief exchange with Michael, and he is ready to propose that I be promoted to the director of the marketing department next month."

Luo Rui Aisina was shocked.

Even for her, this position is the final goal in her 5-7 year plan. Getting it is equivalent to getting an admission ticket to the high level.

And this woman, actually damn it, just took a right step and stepped over that step?

Although Luo Rui Aisina knew that the other party's seniority was far above her, she felt a bit sour in her heart for a while. "Then that's really congratulations to you, Jessie."

The voice on the phone suddenly became serious: "Alright, Luo Rui, I think you have guessed it. That's right, the reason why we made such a good start shows that we have done our best in every link."

"However, there are indeed other factors in this. That is the Joker actor you are cooperating with."

"The comments on IMDb have already praised him to the sky, and at this moment, among the mass film critics on Rotten Tomatoes, almost more than 90% of the content discussed is about this unprecedented Joker. Including the largest movie fan forum in the United States, all the posts posted in this hour are talking about Chen. To be honest, this even exceeded the best expectations I judged from the test screening."

Luo Rui Aisina had been listening silently, and couldn't help asking when she heard this: "What was your original expectation?"

The woman on the phone laughed again: "Secret. Alright, in short, you must remember now that my prediction was successful, and this Chinese Joker is the soul of the whole movie."

"I really hate those idiots, why did they only decide to put him in Asia, if... in short, Luo Rui, I believe you have understood the ins and outs of the whole thing now. My request to you now is to go and have a good chat with him."

"Chat about what?"

Jessie laughed: "Chat about what? Go and tell him that the Joker he performed seems to have been a great success, and he may jump from an unknown nobody to a star sought after by Hollywood, perhaps as many comments say, about to lift the little golden man."

Luo Rui Aisina was silent for a while and said: "Alright, I understand."

"What do you understand?"

What a damn woman! Luo Rui Aisina was cursing in her heart, and finally knew why the people in the media marketing department at the headquarters wanted to give this deputy director the nickname Gargamel.

Sure enough, ugly and annoying.

Luo Rui Aisina finally suppressed the anger in her heart and said: "I will say nothing for the time being, and seize the time to make up for the relationship between Warner and him. I know that his agent had some unpleasantness with us because the promotional period was too long."

The voice on the phone was very sharp, stinging Luo Rui Aisina's eardrum: "Very good. Luo Rui Aisina. You finally know why I called you. Hey, listen, for us, only putting him in Asia for promotion is a complete waste of talent."

"However, before making more plans, we need to clarify his attitude. It is best to get his active cooperation. So, I need you to use every means to use some information misalignment to gain his trust."

The woman on the phone emphasized the pronunciation on the words "every means."

"Luo Rui, I know who your uncle is. However, he has already retired. Hollywood is always forgetful, and how your career will be in the future ultimately depends on yourself. Think about it, if you have a friend who is a planning director at Warner headquarters in the future, I think your career base point shouldn't be in Singapore."

Luo Rui Aisina happened to be standing in front of the mirror, looking at the blonde woman in the mirror.

Her hair is the kind of gold that will shine in the sun, like flowing honey, and like the wheat fields of the harvest in autumn.

Her face is heart-shaped, her chin is pointed, her cheekbones are slightly protruding, her skin is white and almost transparent, without the freckles that ordinary American girls have, and her eyes are deep blue, like the ocean in summer.

She is wearing a white shirt on her upper body, and because of her full upper circumference, her chest is very tight, and the buttons look like they are about to burst.

The lower body is a black one-word skirt, and shiny black silk stockings are on her plump and fleshy slender calves.

The silence on the phone lasted a little longer this time. But in the end, Luo Rui Aisina said: "OK, I understand."

Back to the dressing room at this moment.

Luo Rui Aisina made up her mind and said: "Chen, I have to tell you, now things have changed a little."

(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 180 =====

Luo Rui Eisner made up her mind and said, "Chen, I have to tell you, things have changed a bit now."

(End of chapter)