Chapter 218: The First Hype of 2004

The director and main creators of *Racer* spoke in an orderly manner, and invited the producer Seeing Lu Kuan to announce the opening of the premiere. The whole venue fell into darkness, and the dragon mark on the screen started.

"Yuanyuan, what perfume are you wearing today? It smells quite good."

The cinema was pitch black. Seeing Lu Kuan and Gao Yuanyuan sat in the corner of the second row, with a few empty seats around them.

Gao Yuanyuan only felt numb and crisp in her ears, and she was secretly happy in her heart.

I thought you really changed your nature!

Why are you pretending to be a gentleman just now?

Gao Yuanyuan was wearing a tight skirt today. The heating in the cinema was very sufficient, so she took off her coat and put it on her lap.

"This year's new style, Dior's chris1947, oh my, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Big beauty also turned her face to whisper to him. This coquettish tone, even if she couldn't see the expression on her face, was enough to make people imagine.

Bingbing was filming *The Legend of the Twin Dragons* at the Zhenbeibao Film and Television Base in Yinchuan. Boss Lu had indeed been vegetarian for more than half a month.

Should I...

Big beauty suddenly changed the position of her legs. Her left leg stuck to Seeing Lu Kuan's suit pants, and both sides felt a heat exchange.

The clear-mouthed girl is the clear-mouthed girl. Only this pure face can do these actions to have a contrast.

Boss Lu had a tendency for the small head to control the big head.

"Tonight..."

"Seeing Lu Kuan!"

Damn!

Boss Lu was startled, and looked up to see Liu Yifei, who was smiling, standing beside him.

He sat on the edge of the second row. Liu Yifei locked onto him without any effort under Su Chang's guidance.

"Wow, Sister Yuanyuan is here too!"

Liu Yifei smiled and greeted Gao Yuanyuan, but the light in the cinema was too dark, and she didn't see the gnashing of teeth of the big beauty.

Why is it you again?

Boss Lu also wanted to say this sentence, why is it you again?!

On the day of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala rehearsal, just as he was about to say a few words to the Northern Xinjiang beauty Little Tong, Liu Yifei popped out.

This time it was even more precise. The timing was so good that she could go to the app to grab Moutai!

"Didn't you say you weren't coming?!"

"The rehearsal went very smoothly, and it ended early."

Liu Yifei was afraid of blocking the audience behind, so she squatted halfway: "Move inside, I haven't seen *Crazy Racer* yet!"

The young girl's long hair hit Seeing Lu Kuan's face, and there was a very simple shampoo fragrance, which made his nose itchy.

He hated it in his heart!

The two moved a seat inside. Gao Yuanyuan put on her coat again very unwillingly, and looked at the movie with a cold face.

What a broken movie, it's not funny at all!

"Where is your mother?"

"Oh, chatting with Changchang outside. She asked Changchang to go to our house for the New Year."

Liu Yifei glanced at him: "Why did you put your suit on your lap? Won't it get wrinkled? I'll help you hang it up."

"No need, no need, watch the movie, watch the movie!"

Messing around, can the bunker be moved casually?

"Oh, that's fine, you are very strange today, Seeing Lu Kuan."

Boss Lu sighed: "Recently... angry."

Liu Yifei suddenly jubilantly said: "I met Brother Xiaoming at the *Return of the Condor Heroes* crew yesterday, and he wants to invite you to dinner."

"Ah? Then let's have a meal at the courtyard house. It's troublesome to eat outside."

Since Huang Xiaoming met Boss Lu following Zhou Xun, he came to support him whenever there was an activity, and asked for warmth whenever there was an opportunity.

Regardless of whether people are sincere or fake, this brother can be dealt with.

"Tomorrow... hiss..."

Boss Lu just wanted to say what time tomorrow, when suddenly he felt a hand stretch into his right suit pocket!

The suit was on his lap, the light in the cinema was dim, plus his wide body was blocking it, and he didn't expect to be discovered by Liu Yifei on the left.

But this big beauty is too explosive, really just went straight in?

Gao Yuanyuan laughed from time to time, and the audience watching the premiere in the cinema also gave face, and the overall feedback effect of jokes and baggage was good.

Liu Yifei felt that he was even stranger today: "What exactly is wrong with you? I always feel that you are very strange."

"Angry, angry, toothache, do you understand, hiss~~~"

Before the words fell, he felt that he was firmly clamped by the two bombs and one star, making the washing machine have a special taste in his heart.

Boss Lu felt that his throat was a bit dry, knowing that if he played again, something would happen, so he stretched his right hand into his pocket as if unintentionally.

"Yuanyuan, how did you come?"

He turned his head to ask, raised his eyebrows to signal her to stop.

Big beauty was just unbalanced in her heart for a while, thinking that she had been spoiled by this little girl twice, so she simply went straight to the point and expressed her attitude.

I'm already 25, so I won't play any ambiguity with you, straight!

It's just that she was afraid he would be angry now, so she smiled and returned to her original state.

"The manager sent me here, should be waiting outside."

"Come to the house for dinner tomorrow night. Huang Xiaoming, Zhou Xun, and others are all coming."

Gao Yuanyuan was happy when she heard it, and bloomed a gentle smile: "Okay, I'll bring two bottles of good wine. A friend brought it back from a winery in Bordeaux, France."

"It's a pity, Yifei, you are not an adult yet, you can't taste good wine."

Liu Yifei heard them talking, didn't notice being cued, paused for two seconds and laughed: "It's okay, I'll drink ad calcium milk."

"What's good about red wine? There is sediment at the bottom if it's been a long time, and there is sawdust if it's authentic original wooden barrel irrigation."

"How can it be as good as ad calcium milk, sweet and sour, comfortable to drink, and not going to the head

"How can it be as good as AD Calcium Milk? It's sweet and sour, comfortable to drink, and doesn't go to your head."

Boss Lu felt a pang of sympathy in his heart and tried his best to lean back into his seat, giving the big and small beauties a chance to talk directly.

You guys chat; I won't interfere.

Gao Yuanyuan was a bit bewildered; was this little girl implying something about her?

What does "left for too long and has sediment" mean? Why does it sound so disgusting?

Boss Lu deeply regretted coming to the premiere of "Crazy Racer." To earn this bit of stinking money, he had suffered a great deal!

Fortunately, both of them, with different thoughts, didn't speak again. The movie ended, and Seeing Lu Kuan went on stage again to pay his respects with the creators, bringing it to a successful conclusion.

New Year's Eve in 2004 was January 21st on the solar calendar. "Crazy Racer" would have roadshows for half a month starting today, opening in January and closing at the end of the month.

Immediately following that, Xue Xiaolu would take Zhang Baizhi, Zhu Yawen, Su Chang, and others to promote "Lost in Love," which would hit theaters on February 14th.

December 31st, the last day of 2003, Gongjian Hutong, Ice Cellar Wang Fu.

It was the same group of old friends like Zhou Xun and Feng Yuanzheng, only today Zhang Songwen, Li Xuejian, Huang Xiaoming, and Gao Yuanyuan were added.

Liu Yifei strolled into the room from the other end of the hutong, not knowing if it was intentional or unintentional, but she was indeed carrying two rows of AD Calcium Milk.

"Xixi, this stuff is just sugar water; you'll get fat if you drink it!"

Zhou Xun politely declined her enthusiasm. She was getting older, her metabolism had slowed down, and she couldn't compare to a young girl.

Liu Yifei, of course, didn't care. She did her morning exercises for an hour and a half without fail every morning, occasionally did fitness yoga, and was at an age where she was still growing.

This little calorie bomb had very little effect.

"Sister Yuanyuan, do you want some?"

Gao Yuanyuan was just taking small sips from a wine glass; hearing this, she only glanced at her faintly.

"Thanks, Xixi, I'll drink this instead."

Three women make a play, but these three didn't have much interaction, and being together only led to awkward small talk.

On the other side, Seeing Lu Kuan was taking Li Xuejian and the others to tour the courtyard.

"This hanging flower gate is actually the second gate. It has the same meaning as the partition wall over at Nanshan Street, not the same concept as in the old sayings."

Li Xuejian actually liked such a down-to-earth courtyard, but he was an old artist with very low material desires.

He had accepted an advertisement once in his life and made a small mistake, so he never accepted one again.

Zhang Songwen and Feng Yuanzheng lagged behind, chatting. The future Gao Qiqiang was asking the People's Art teacher about acting techniques and schools.

Only Huang Xiaoming looked eager to move. If he could buy a house nearby, wouldn't he be neighbors with Director Lu? It would be more convenient to visit each other in the future.

"Brother Huang, if you're satisfied, I'll give you a number. For Sihe Academy, you just need to find him. He handles everything, perfectly."

"Really! That's great. I'll go ask him tomorrow."

Li Xuejian laughed and said, "It's still more comfortable to step on the floor tiles of these bungalows. Now that everyone lives in suites, I always feel unsettled."

"Teacher Xuejian, if you like it, you can live here. I bought the small courtyard next door too. It's empty and quiet."

"No, no, it's not hard to want to live in a bungalow. There are plenty in my hometown of Heze, over a dozen!"

Seeing Lu Kuan knew he wouldn't agree, but whether it was because of Tian Zhuangzhuang or his admiration for this old actor's character and artistic integrity, he still tried to find ways to provide benefits for him.

Having stayed with the "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" crew for about a month, according to the top Hollywood acting employee salary of $500 a day, Li Xuejian received a remuneration of about $15,000.

And even that was only accepted after much insistence.

This time, Boss Lu was also prepared to pay him according to the standards of a first-tier actor for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Even without considering factors outside the movie, his level was worth this price!

"Seeing Lu Kuan, when are you planning to start filming this movie? I need to prepare."

Li Xuejian had a habit, which was also the habit of many older-generation actors, of experiencing the character in advance.

In 1990, when he filmed "Yearning," in order to play the simple and honest workshop deputy director Song Dacheng, he went to the Beiping Second Machinery Factory more than a month in advance.

During this period, he truly lived and ate with the worker brothers, which led to the empty streets after "Yearning" was released.

"Probably March. How is your health?"

"Pah! What about health? These Americans are indeed good at treating illnesses. I feel much more relaxed after this trip back."

Li Xuejian waved his hand with a smile. He had read the script these past two days, and the role of Li Ming's father attracted him very much.

This was a complex character with two sides, who abandoned Li Ming when he was born and finally repented, leaving his inheritance to Li Ming.

It was full of the helplessness and frustration of small people in a big era.

Coupled with the intent of the entire script and Seeing Lu Kuan's directorial ability he had observed before, Li Xuejian was looking forward to this collaboration.

Huang Xiaoming, who was listening to the two of them chat on the side, felt incredibly itchy in his heart.

What movie?

Seeing Lu Kuan's next movie? How did it sound like the actors were already found?

He was still thinking about how to bring it up when Boss Lu smiled and teased, "Brother Huang, how is your schedule for the first half of the year? Would you condescend to play a supporting role?"

"Okay! That's great! I've long wanted to collaborate with Junior Brother!"

Xiaoming still had high emotional intelligence, and he smiled and bowed to Li Xuejian again: "Being able to learn from Li Laoshi in person this time, I'd act even without pay!"

The CEO sighed with emotion. Fortunately, he had mentioned it casually to Liu Yifei on the "Return of the Condor Heroes" set. He didn't expect this little girl's words to be so effective!

He had pestered Zhou Xun for more than half a year without any movement, but this one unintentional act succeeded.

Once there is one, there is a second. Huang Xiaoming told himself that he must cherish this opportunity, show his true strength, and future collaborations could be fully expected.

Li Xuejian and Zhang Songwen went to the study to research the script of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and Seeing Lu Kuan took the opportunity to talk to Huang Xiaoming about some private matters.

"Brother Xiaoming, where is your agency signed now?"

Huang Xiaoming was stunned; did he want to poach me?

"Century Element."

Boss Lu smiled: "Not bad. President Chen is also a big shot in Xiangjiang with abundant resources."

Huang Xiaoming didn't have any plans to change his agency for the time being: "Pah, just muddling along. As long as there's food to eat, haha."

The boss of Century Element was Chen Zhemin, known as Brother Nine, who had personal friendships with Boss Li of Emperor, Boss Xiang of China Star, and Lin Jianyue of Media Asia.

He was also the father of Guanxi, and Chen Guanxi's management contract was also at Century Element.

But what was awkward was that there were rumors in the underworld that this Brother Nine liked men, just like Huang Xiaoming's previous boss, the wealthy businessman Shi Xue...

What was more famous was that the model Hu Bin had a very close friendship with this Brother Nine. After the photographer Chen collapsed in later generations, his father's company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and he even asked Hu Bin for the sports car he had previously gifted.

One can only say that this group of people is too flashy, like the recent James maid outfit...

Eye-stinging.

Seeing Lu Kuan was not prepared to sign him; the company's resources were not infinite, and there were already enough male artists now.

And he would not interfere with Fan Bingbing, Zhou Xun, Zhang Jizhong, Huang Xiaoming, and others connecting with Yanda Huayi.

Instead, he would encourage them to actively seek to buy shares in Yanda Huayi's several capital increases and share expansions before it went public.

Boss Lu had an evil long-term plan.

"Raise your glasses, comrades, it's the last day of 2003!"

Zhou Xun was a bit dissatisfied: "Where are those good wines of yours? Can't you take them out for us to taste?"

It turned out this person wasn't satisfied with just red wine.

Liu Yifei chimed in: "He's a Grandet, don't you know? So stingy!"

"This matter is my fault. I get greedy when I smell the wine, but I can't drink now. Seeing Lu Kuan is taking care of me!"

Li Xuejian laughed and helped him out.

This person from Heze, Lu Province, had a level of drinking white liquor starting at one or two catties.

Gao Yuanyuan supported her chin with one hand, looking at Boss Lu with graceful demeanor, holding a high-footed glass with bright wine in her right hand.

"Little Lu, you are the host today. You invited so many good friends today, and industry seniors like Li Laoshi, why don't you propose a toast?"

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes covertly upon hearing this, biting the straw in her mouth until it was covered in tooth marks.

This unlucky Zhou Zhiruo, calling him Little Lu, Little Lu, she really has no shame!

Boss Lu raised his glass: "Alright!"

"May everyone here sleep until they wake up naturally in 2004, and count money until their hands cramp!"

"Go! Perfunctory!"

"Vulgar!"

Everyone laughed and finished the wine in their glasses, and the host and guests were all happy.

On January 1st, 2004, while the domestic entertainment industry was still quiet, the certified account of Blog Network on Travel Satellite TV released a piece of news.

Starting in June, Travel Satellite TV would bring the Xianxia drama "Zhu Xian," with special effects not inferior to Hollywood blockbusters, to the audience at a pace of one episode every Saturday.

This seasonal drama would have well-known domestic director Seeing Lu Kuan as the producer, who would personally take charge of the filming of the first four episodes.

In addition, Asian little king Zhou Jielun was invited to sing the theme song and make a cameo appearance.

The series would uniquely adopt a "film while airing" mode, maximizing interaction with the audience. For related topics, please pay attention to the "Zhu Xian" section on Douban.

Filming was expected to officially start in early February, and casting was now open to major domestic entertainment agencies and artist units. For specific role requirements, please pay attention to the official announcement!

One stone stirred up a thousand waves. The heads of major domestic film and television companies and TV stations woke up to find the sky falling.

Damn it, what is that washing machine doing again!

It's almost New Year's, what innovation are you making again? And a damn drama, now we have to work overtime to study your new model!

Employees of film distribution companies liked it; you guys have also experienced this kind of pain, right!

What made a large number of domestic entertainment agencies happy was that, including Yanda Huayi, which was temporarily at odds, they submitted audition applications with lightning speed.

Your Wang Baoqiang from the Inquiry Realm is also confirmed to act in "A World Without Thieves." At the very least, you have to give our Yanda Huayi's Bingbing a role, right?

Boss Lu: That's exactly my intention.

Douban had previously cultivated the usage habit of audiences participating in discussions and ratings through the hit "Chinese Paladin." Once the Travel Satellite TV post came out, the novel army quickly assembled.

"Zhu Xian" began serialization on Fantasy Sword Book Alliance in 2003. At this time, the latter had only been established for two years, and the development of domestic online novels was also in its early stages.

The entire novel had fewer than 40,000 readers, but these 40,000 people were extremely sticky fans and were also the internet surfing users most proficient with the internet at this time.

They quickly carried out spontaneous popularization and introductions on Blog Network, Douban, Tianya, and Mop Community.

In just two days, the "Zhu Xian" section on Douban already had more than 3,000 posts, with a total of nearly one million views.

Fans of different stars began to cast roles for their idols, and Douban was incredibly lively for a time.

Wang Xing quickly communicated with Zhong Lifang, the supervisor of the Inquiry Realm, and set up a role collection vote.

Among them, Hu Ge was far ahead in the voting for the male lead Zhang Xiaofan due to his portrayal of the classic character Li Xiaoyao.

Following him were Huang Xiaoming, Chen Kun, Zhao Wenzhuo, Nie Yuan, and others.

The female leads Bi Yao and Lu Xueqi, one a willful noble girl, the other an icy beauty, aroused great voting enthusiasm from the audience.

Liu Yifei goes without saying, the number one female star of the new generation;

Gao Yuanyuan and Jia Jingwen, the dual female leads of "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre" currently airing;

Fan Bingbing, who won the Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards and the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress in 2003;

Qin Lan, a newcomer who just broke out in "My Fair Princess III" because of the character Zhihua;

And the unchanging Four Little Dan actresses, Zhou, Zhao, Xu, and others.

The fans didn't care that these few were almost thirty years old; they just kept pushing the vote count up.

The entire domestic entertainment industry fell into an orderly madness. Under the guidance of Travel Satellite TV and Douban, even before the script for "Zhu Xian" was complete, the heat was hyped to the sky.

Thus, a world where only Big Beard was injured was achieved!

Damn it, I want to hype it too, my "Return of the Condor Heroes"!

In later generations, Zhang Jizhong still used the same old tricks, wanting to use Zhou Xun, Huang Xiaoming, Liu Yifei, Nie Yuan, and others to hype "Return of the Condor Heroes," but it ended with Zhou Xun and others announcing their withdrawal in advance.

In this life, he simply gave up, only relying on Huang Xiaoming, who became popular with "The Prince of Han Dynasty," and the new generation female star Liu Yifei to release press releases.

And Boss Lu's Zhen Zhiping could also be considered a gimmick, but it was better than nothing.

Because his only fans were movie fans, going for the work.

As for him personally?

Between the washing machine and the Dragon Knight, such a reputation for private life could hardly be called an idol in the contemporary era.

(End of chapter)