Chapter 235: Copyright Strategy, Visiting

As expected, the Chinese team unfortunately lost again in yesterday's Asian Cup, suffering a narrow one-goal defeat on home turf.

As expected, Zhang Shuguang and Old Zhao still failed to successfully sweet-talk Lu Kuan into opening his wallet.

Instead, Zhao Zhao Benshan was sweet-talked by Lu Kuan into promising to buy out the theater for his employees once more to support "Exotic Realm."

As expected, Zhou Jun, having tried and failed to reach Lu Kuan through Dong Dong Shuangqiang time and again, turned his predatory sights toward Yanda Huayi.

With both sides joining forces to seek a public listing, the current priority was to once again replicate the miracle of the rise of little star Liu Liu Yifei.

The Wang brothers were shocked and envious of the hundreds of millions in revenue that a 17-year-old girl could generate.

Why is Lu Kuan even bothering to film movies? He should just hold onto Liu Liu Yifei and live off her!

This was a dimensional strike against the backward domestic entertainment industry by a future "cheat-code" user employing internet economic models.

While they were still counting traditional income like film fees and advertising endorsements, Lu Kuan had already turned the nearly ten million fans Liu Liu Yifei gained after the release of "Exotic Realm" into account balances.

To replicate her, one must have a foundational product, right?

Their foundational product was Jang Na-ra from South Korea.

With a sweet appearance, excellent professional skills, and the potential to excel in film, television, and music, the foreign monk is better at chanting scriptures.

Especially now, with the domestic entertainment industry facing a full-scale Korean Wave invasion, Yanda Huayi believed that going with the flow would yield good results.

On August 10th, Yanda Huayi held a massive signing ceremony, proposing a development goal for Jang Na-ra of at least three film/television works and one album per year.

They also made bold claims that she would rank among the top domestic young actresses within a year or two, changing the current landscape where there was only "one Liu Yifei."

Under Zhou Jun's instruction, Wang Wang Xiaolei spent a large sum to poach a vice president from under Lu Yao's wing at the Wenjie artist management department, causing some of Wenjie's internal artist management plans to leak.

Rongxinda, Wang Wang Jinhua, Tangren, Xiaoma Xiaoma Benteng, and even Xiangjiang's Emperor Group cast their eyes of concern toward them.

Every agent envious of Liu Liu Yifei's current economic value and popularity was watching, studying, and reviewing.

Aside from Liu Liu Yifei's own advantages in appearance and personality, how did Lu Kuan build her into this "Liu Yifei" existence?

The Chinese are most adept at imitation and following trends; once they got the hang of it, every company began scouting for their own "foundational product."

Rongxinda had Yang Mi, a child star born in '86, who was only one year older than Liu Liu Yifei; her conditions were suitable in every aspect, and she would also appear in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," which began filming in October.

Guo Xiang is also a likable character, so who says one can't replicate Liu Liu Yifei's rise to fame?

A vice president at Tangren discovered Liu Liu Shishi, whose temperament and appearance were somewhat similar to Liu Liu Yifei, in a television drama titled "Moon Shadow and Wind Lotus" produced by the Shanghai Media Group in the first half of the year.

She was a student at the Beijing Dance Academy, the same age as Liu Liu Yifei, and had also practiced dance since childhood; her temperament was gentle and moving.

Just market her as Liu Liu Yifei's cousin—it's a guaranteed win!

On Yanda Huayi's side, Fan Fan Bingbing now had her own ideas; that whole fashion route was something she cooked up herself, and the results were surprisingly good.

Wang Wang Jinhua temporarily let her fly, naturally taking over the work of cultivating Jang Na-ra.

The talent scout dispatched by Huo Huo Wenxi, the person in charge of Emperor Group in Beiping, discovered a girl named Tang Yan, who was a student at the Central Academy of Drama, during the selection program for the "Athens Eight Minutes" Olympic babies directed by Zhang Zhang Yimou in 2004.

Long legs, a heart-shaped face, and a perfect figure—very much to Mr. Li's taste!

Sign her!

Perhaps even the instigator, Lu Kuan, never expected that the hurricane his butterfly wings stirred up in the domestic entertainment industry would push the "post-85s" flowers to the forefront ahead of time.

Regardless of the reason, a hunt to replicate Liu Liu Yifei and snatch resources was beginning in the domestic entertainment industry.

Everyone wanted a piece of the pie in this race.

On August 8th, Lu Kuan took a day off to come to Wenjie to handle official business, then had to rush to Shanghai to continue filming "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

The conference room was already packed; today, everyone's spirit was clearly different, carrying an undisguised sense of reverence and expectation.

This was, of course, due to the huge success "Exotic Realm" had achieved both domestically and abroad.

Some companies and organizations might hold skills training or team-building activities to boost cohesion.

But in Lu Kuan's view, what is the best team-building?

Being able to lead employees to win battles is.

From its inception to its current status as the number one entertainment company in the domestic industry, Wenjie's development had taken almost no detours.

Today was about planning the main work for the second half of the year.

"Ms. Xue, I gave you a four-month vacation; it's time to continue struggling (working), right?"

Xue Li Xiaolu, who had returned to the school to participate in teaching work after finishing "Love," laughed: "Listen to you, as if I haven't done anything at all these past few months."

"Haha, the preparation work for 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' is about done, right?"

Xue Li Xiaolu nodded: "Yes, the schedules for the two actors in Xiangjiang have all been coordinated; the opening ceremony is in early October."

This was still aimed at the 2005 Valentine's Day slot.

"Hmm, how are the talks with Yanda Huayi going?"

Xue Li Xiaolu gave a bitter smile: "That bunch really doesn't treat Fan Fan Bingbing as one of their own; they kept communicating with me about wanting to use Jang Na-ra, and only gave up after the audition."

Lu Yao, who was on the side, chimed in: "Mr. Lu, I think if you went yourself and used some honey-trap tactics, you should be able to take Fan Fan Bingbing down, and we'd have another top-tier actress."

Everyone laughed, knowing Mr. Lu wouldn't get angry.

"Greed leads to indigestion; it's good enough if we can cultivate Su Chang and Tong Tong Liya."

"Fan Fan Bingbing is now one of the 'Two Bingbings'; her signing fee and commission requirements are very high, and she is also very resource-intensive. It's not very cost-effective for us to sign her now."

Su Chang is currently starring in "Zhu Xian," and Tong Tong Liya is also making a guest appearance; we'll talk about other things after she enrolls in the Beijing Film Academy and trains for a semester.

Mr. Lu's gaze turned to Ning Hao, Wu Wu Ershan, and Xu Zheng.

"Your 'Zhu Xian' iron triangle should also be broken up so you can each pursue your own future."

"Ning Hao's 'Breakup Buddies' is going to compete for the New Year slot; it can't be delayed any longer."

"Wu Wu Ershan should be able to take over 'Zhu Xian' in October, right?"

Having experienced the training as an assistant director for "Exotic Realm" and "Zhu Xian," Wu Wu Ershan was now very confident: "No problem, Director."

He was still used to calling Lu Kuan "Director"; this was his guiding mentor, even though he was nearly 10 years younger than him.

But seeing big shots like Han Han Shanping and Li Li Shoucheng arm-in-arm with him, Wu Wu Ershan didn't feel there was any problem with such a title.

The learned are teachers, after all.

Xu Zheng felt a bit nervous; he had approached Lu Kuan last year to express his desire to transition to directing and hoped to get an opportunity.

After working himself to the bone and giving up a year of his acting career to follow the "Love" and "Zhu Xian" crews for so long, he felt today was the time.

Mr. Lu had long had plans and threw a script for "Night Shop" in front of him.

"Think it over carefully; although the investment is small, the results might not be poor."

Ning Hao said with dissatisfaction: "Then what about my 'Breakup Buddies'? You and Huang Bo still have to play the leads for me?"

Xu Zheng was already grinning from ear to ear: "Oh, Director Lu has already arranged it; I'll leave the crew after filming wraps, and I can just learn from you during this period."

Today, Jiang Wei and Kang Kang Honglei from the television department didn't come; the latter was leading a team to film "Drawing Sword," preparing to take over after "Soldiers Sortie."

"Soldiers" had already been airing on Travel Channel for two weeks, attracting great attention from the whole society.

The image of Xu Sanduo played by Wang Wang Baoqiang was vivid and three-dimensional, and his spirit of "never giving up, never abandoning" moved many viewers; he could be considered an overnight sensation.

By the time "A World Without Thieves" is released at the end of the year, Wang Wang Baoqiang might be the second male artist at Wenjie to make it big after Hu Ge.

Jiang Wei, following "Lurk," was continuing the filming of his new drama "Before Dawn," which was already preparing to wrap up; Teacher Jiang from the Beijing Film Academy had already become a godfather-level figure in spy dramas.

Overall, Wenjie's system continued on the path of cultivating artists with top-tier works and maintaining the reputation of the Travel Channel with top-tier works.

After the artists' market value skyrocketed, they would feed back into the company, creating revenue for Wenjie through film fees, endorsements, and merchandise.

In 2003 alone, Hu Ge, who had just become popular because of "Chinese Paladin," generated over 13 million in revenue for the company, and his own market value doubled; he had also purchased properties in both Beiping and Shanghai.

The second tier was Huang Bo and Wang Wang Baoqiang.

Then there was Zhang Zhang Songwen, who had always been accumulating strength.

Zhang Zhang Songwen would play an important supporting role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," to see if he could win Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards and smoothly start a career as a character actor.

Mr. Lu flipped the document in his hand to the second page; the performance of the ringtone department made him beam with joy.

Just like the information Zhou Jun obtained through commercial investigation, besides Liu Liu Yifei, the classic tracks of Dao Lang and others also continued the path of popularity from the future, with extremely high download volumes.

The entire ringtone department's operating income for the first half of the year reached as high as 280 million.

Just like how they fished dying internet companies like Penguin and NetEase ashore in the future, this SP revenue provided a steady stream of cash for Blognet and Douban to burn.

Venture capitalists had been waiting until their flowers were about to wither, but who the hell would go public when they aren't short on money?

Once you go public, you have to give away shares, and your own bottom line would be stripped bare.

Now, even if someone like Zhou Jun could guess it, that was his business; at least in the filings with the industrial and commercial departments, not a single trace could be found.

In August, Mr. Lu also bought the ringtone copyrights for Zhou Jielun's new album songs at a high price; although the profit had to be shared with him, overall, it was definitely profitable.

It was just that there was no "free-loading" Little Liu, only the songs of Dao Lang and others who held the copyrights making money.

"Sun Wenwen, have the ringtone department reissue the semi-annual bonus; you and the finance department should come up with a specific plan and bring it to me for signature."

"Yes, Director Lu."

A burst of excited discussion erupted in the conference room; the bonuses for the film and television production department were issued after the box office split, but the ringtone department had just started operating this year, so this was their first time receiving a bonus.

"Go back and make it clear to your own people; don't spend the money on drinking, gambling, or whoring. Be honest and scrape together enough to buy a house in Beiping."

Mr. Lu kindly told a little lie: "Do you know why the company is spending a lot of money to buy buildings now? I won't say much more, but if you believe me, buy in quickly; delays lead to changes."

Now, not only the happy Jin Jin Zhiwen, but even Xue Li Xiaolu, Ning Hao, and others looked at each other in dismay.

Usually, Mr. Lu would intentionally or unintentionally remind them to buy houses, but this was the first time he had spoken about this topic so solemnly.

In fact, he was also thinking for himself; this time, even ordinary employees had an extra income of nearly 100,000, and if they picked up bad habits, it would affect their work, wouldn't it?

Secondly, reissuing the bonus was also to deal with the recent "black swan" event of the artist management department vice president being poached, to stabilize morale and max out employee loyalty with money.

Mr. Lu signaled for everyone to be quiet and pointed at Long Li Danni, signaling her to report on the situation of the Super Girl.

Long Li Danni cleared her throat, thinking to herself that it was finally time for her to report the good news; this boss was like a dragon, seeing the head but not the tail, and she couldn't even see the person.

Xiangtai required everything to be reported and everything to have a response.

This place, Wenjie, was like starting her own business; the boss would throw out a general direction and then not care about anything else.

"The data for *Super Girl* is encouraging, and the finals are tentatively scheduled to begin during the National Day holiday."

"The current average viewership rating is as high as 15%, and there hasn't been any significant fluctuation even during the two months of the Athens Olympics."

"In terms of advertising, including the 25 million title sponsorship from Mengniu and the time-slot ad sales, it totals about 45 million; after weighting it against real-time viewership fluctuations, it comes to about 55 million."

Wenjie holds a 70% stake in the *Super Girl* project, having shared 30% of the profits with Dong Dong Shuangqiang in exchange for the low-cost purchase of Ideal Mansion.

Advertising fees are then paid to the Travel Channel proportionally, with 25% of that going back into Wenjie's own pocket.

"Additionally, the voting revenue from our cooperation with Mobile and Unicom is 32 million, and the voting share from Blog Network is 24 million."

Long Dan'ni paused slightly after saying this, observing the boss's expression.

He seemed to see his husband in a "sage mode" state.

That's right, Boss Lu was feeling a bit listless right now.

Let this pocket change stay for expanded reproduction and the purchase of Ideal Mansion; he was already mentally fixated on the astronomical figures from *The Other World* and *Fahrenheit 9/11*!

"Director Lu? Director Lu?"

"Hmm? Go on, I was a bit distracted."

Long Dan'ni deliberated: "It's like this, according to your requirements, we have invited all 10 contestants who made it to the finals to sign contracts."

"But recently, some rumors have spread that other companies might come to poach them."

Boss Lu was incredulous: "The breach-of-contract penalties are in the millions; are people actually eyeing these amateurs?"

"It might be the Xiang Station, possibly."

Long Dan'ni sighed; this news came from a friend at her old company.

Boss Lu frowned: "What are they thinking? They don't want to invite these people to participate for another season and create voting revenue for them too, do they?"

"They probably just want to intercept a few they favor before the finals, so they can swoop in and take the credit once they actually win."

"Huh? Fine, do this: I'll give you a list of names, you ensure these few don't get signed, and use the others as decoys."

"If the Xiang Station is truly blinded by greed, let them poach if they want."

In fact, the Xiang Station's goal is very simple; they also saw the revenue from ringtones and voting.

Even if the signed contestants don't end up winning, just these two sources of income make them worth poaching.

Currently, the ringtone download volume for Zhang Zhang Jingying, Zhang Zhang Hanyun, Li Li Yuchun, and others, who have higher online vote counts, is extremely impressive.

But due to the massive traffic effect, the popularity of those in the loser's bracket remains quite high.

You, Wenjie, can't possibly focus on cultivating all ten, right? How could they not manage to poach two?

Boss Lu returned to his office in a "sage mode" state, checked his watch, and had Sun Sun Wenwen bring in the last "prospective employee" of the day.

Liu Hong.

While struggling against the pirated resources of *The Other World*, Boss Lu was surprised to discover it was already the middle of 2004.

Besides Section Chief Jia, who was always trying to piggyback on his fame, there was also an Accountant Jia from Shanxi who would be returning to the country next week and about to make a sudden appearance.

In the later years of November 2004, LeTV was founded, and it immediately began its low-profile path of acquiring copyrights at dirt-cheap prices.

And this Liu Hong was the key figure Accountant Jia poached from CCTV!

He was a senior reporter for CCTV, named and praised by the Publicity Department in '98 for his flood-relief reporting, and followed a scientific expedition team to the North Pole in '99.

Because he had been in contact with counterpart units for years, he had rich connections and resources, making him very adept at buying dramas.

It's just that Liu Hong had sat in on Boss Lu's entire "showing off" wrap-up meeting today, and he was a bit confused.

Why was he invited here?

"Director Lu, shouldn't you explain the purpose of this visit?"

Boss Lu had a rather humble demeanor, rising personally to pour him tea: "Reporter Liu, excuse the mess; it's just a makeshift team holding a meeting, all chaotic."

Liu Hong had traveled far and wide and had been received by many high-ranking leaders, so he was naturally unmoved by Lu Kuan's "attentiveness."

"Director Lu, Boss Lu! You invited me over, but I've just been sitting here dryly watching your employees collect bonuses all morning?"

"Hahaha! Reporter Liu is humorous."

Boss Lu revealed his true intentions: "Actually, the reason I presumptuously invited you here is that I want to smash your iron rice bowl!"

Liu Hong shook his head with a bitter smile; why was this rising young director so unprofessional?

"Explain in detail."

"Wenjie wants to build a video website, and I want to hear Reporter Liu's opinion."

Liu Hong didn't respond, waiting for him to continue explaining.

What the hell does you building a website have to do with me? I don't understand it anyway.

"Reporter Liu knows I control a television station; it is currently the loudest external window in the country, and I can output all legal content without restraint."

"Whether it's promoting my own projects, gilding my own lily, or guiding public opinion, it's all very convenient."

Liu Hong nodded: "That's great, but why does Director Lu still want to build a video website?"

"Satellite TV has the infrastructure for transmission, and the cost doesn't change whether there's one more viewer or one less, but the internet is a money-burning business, isn't it?"

Lu Kuan smiled: "Not right now, but some work can be started first."

"What?"

"Hoarding copyrights."

"To be honest, when Wenjie was founded two years ago, we established a copyright management department, but we haven't taken any action; we've only collected some movie and TV scripts."

Liu Hong was dumbfounded; is this person really Lu Kuan, who built Wenjie into the top tier of private film and television?

Why does he talk so "humorously"?

"Director Lu, do you not go online? Do you know how many free resources are on the internet now?"

"Take your *The Other World*, didn't it cause quite a stir a while ago?"

Boss Lu said solemnly: "Look at problems with a developmental perspective; it was the piracy of *The Other World* this time that inspired me, and I have also communicated with the leaders above..."

He pointed his finger at the sky mysteriously. Liu Hong thought about how this person was someone who had been named by the Publicity Department and appeared on the news broadcast, and his pupils couldn't help but shrink.

Could there really be some inside information?

"Boss Lu, tell me in detail."

Boss Lu sat down opposite him: "It's simple: the website burns money, but we collect copyrights first."

"With your connections as a big reporter, Liu, these copyright holders can't get money from pirate sites anyway, so whatever we give them is profit."

He didn't reveal his entire plan to Liu Hong; the website wasn't urgent, and he could just drive traffic directly through users' Blog Network and Douban accounts later.

Referring to the later years after LeTV was founded, Accountant Jia had Liu Hong use his years of connections at CCTV to wantonly acquire copyrights for movies and TV dramas; the prices at that time were no different from cabbage prices.

In verifiable data, the average online copyright price for a TV drama in 2007 was around 17,500—for each one!

It wasn't until the copyright war between video websites broke out in 2009 that Sohu, Youku, Ku6, Tudou, and UUSEE sued each other, directly driving copyright prices to soar.

Accountant Jia was overjoyed.

Others laugh at me for being too crazy; I laugh at them for not seeing through it!

By 2011, LeTV earned 400 million just from the copyright distribution business alone.

Boss Lu fed the well-informed Reporter Liu another serving of the internet economy pie until he was full.

The copyright management department, which had been established for two years, finally had a line manager, and the company's current cash flow was incredibly abundant; they just needed to keep buying, buying, and buying this high-quality content.

After returning to Magic City and filming day and night for another month, the crew moved to North America in September 2004.

On this trip, Lu Kuan quietly brought Fan Bingbing along to fulfill an appointment with Wang my lord.

Previously, Boss Lu had asked him to make a few sets of costumes for the *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* crew, and they felt acceptable.

This time, *Single Men and Women* was a fashion film to promote Fan Bingbing, and Boss Lu was still prepared to find him to work on the costumes, allowing Fan Bingbing to firmly establish herself on the fashion path.

The headquarters of *Vogue* is at 4 Condé Nast Building in New York's Times Square.

Condé Nast is the world's largest magazine publishing group, and *Vogue* is the fashion publication with the greatest global influence under the former.

As mentioned earlier, the prototype of the silver-haired devil in *The Devil Wears Prada*, starring the famous Anne Hathaway in later years, is none other than the current editor-in-chief of *Vogue*, Anna Wintour.

Boss Lu walked into the building with Fan Bingbing; the big star, who had fought hard last night, showed no signs of fatigue and was spiritedly holding Boss Lu's arm.

Here, global superstars gather, and no one knows who you are, let alone two Asian faces.

Wang my lord was waiting at the entrance; generally speaking, ordinary people are of course not qualified to visit.

It was only because Lu Kuan was a celebrity with three major European honors and a global weekly box office championship, plus the unique creativity of that bamboo-rhyme gown, that he obtained an "audience" with the devil.

Wang my lord shook hands with Boss Lu cordially and greeted Fan Bingbing, who was standing quietly and prettily to the side, with a smile.

Out of professional habit, he looked her up and down, thinking to himself that this figure was truly a good clothes hanger.

Lu Kuan looked around at the office environment curiously; it was almost exactly the same as in *The Devil Wears Prada*.

Black *Vogue* subtitles, brown reception desks, and small spaces divided by glass partitions.

And the employees who never stopped their footsteps, always running.

Fan Bingbing leaned over and whispered: "They are so busy; the phones haven't stopped ringing."

Boss Lu smiled: "Hmm, comparable to Wall Street."

He was actually more curious about Anna Wintour herself, mainly because the character image in *The Devil Wears Prada* was quite prominent, and he didn't know how much she resembled the real person.

After a while, Wang my lord brought a woman over; judging by her appearance, it was clearly not Anna Wintour.

"Grace, this is Chinese director Lu Kuan and actress Fan Bingbing."

"Director Lu, Fan Bingbing, this is the editor-in-chief's assistant, Miss Grace."

Fan Bingbing looked up at her, her expression showing a moment of horror, then naturally smiling like a flower.

Boss Lu, however, was mentally prepared.

This female assistant was a beautiful model disfigured in a car accident; now she looked like the heroine in a horror movie, with red hair, wrinkles, and scars intertwined on her face.

Grace's first husband was the son of Peking Opera master Zhou Xinfang, but they later broke up due to cultural differences, so she didn't have a good impression of Chinese people.

However, looking at Fan Fan Bingbing staring straight at him without fear or sympathy at this moment, the corners of her mouth held a slight smile.

"I heard from Alexander Wang that that gown was your design?"

"I wouldn't call it a design; I just provided a concept."

Grace chuckled: "No wonder. The substance is fine, but the design is very vulgar; it simply doesn't live up to the creativity."

Boss Lu felt he should record this and let Guo Pei hear it, so she wouldn't keep churning out fried eggs in the future.

"Are you here to pick out costumes for this lady? For your Chinese fashion film?"

"That's right, and to exchange ideas and learn, to experience the style of the world's most influential fashion magazine!"

Flattery will get you everywhere.

Boss Lu came here just to get his face known, see if there were any opportunities to seize, and expand his own fashion resources and connections!

"Grace, your ten o'clock appointment is coming up, why are you still here?"

Grace, who had been incredibly calm just a moment ago, as if she had seen through life because of her car accident, saw her complexion visibly tense up; she responded and packed her things to leave the office area.

Boss Lu looked back; it was Anna Wintour and her other assistant, Lauren.

"Ms. Wintour, a pleasure."

Anna Wintour did not, however, refrain from smiling as she did in the movies, but this smile looked very plastic.

You could actually just not smile...

No wonder the disfigured Grace was so afraid of her.

"Let's talk in my office."

This person's conduct fully displayed the style of the world's top fashion magazine, and Fan Fan Bingbing watched in secret amazement.

A great woman should be like this!

Just like the countless employees in the magazine office rushing to greet guests or making and taking calls, Anna Wintour was only busier than them, never idle.

It was only out of regard for Alexander Wang and curiosity about the Bamboo Rhyme gown that dazzled at Cannes that she gave him the face and spared the time.

Anna Wintour's editor-in-chief office was filled with clothing racks and ready-to-wear garments, mostly design proposals sent by up-and-coming designers for her to appraise.

Once they could gain her favor, young designers could rise rapidly and elevate their status.

"Your Bamboo Rhyme gown concept is excellent. I heard from Alexander that it originates from your Chinese traditional culture."

"It was a chance occurrence. Actually, I don't know much about fashion; I just have some appreciation for aesthetics."

Boss Lu spoke the truth; there was no point in putting on an act for professional matters like this—one would be exposed as soon as they started talking.

Wintour frowned and said nothing.

The fashion circle needs inspiration; not just designers, but those who make magazines need it even more.

And this kind of fusion of Eastern and Western culture is an artistic concept that countless designers pursue their whole lives, but there are too few famous works.

Her second assistant, Lauren, seeing her boss's displeased expression, thoughtfully handed her a knife: "You aren't plagiarizing, are you? Do Chinese people even know what fashion is?"

Boss Lu looked at her indifferently for a few seconds; it was one thing for your master to act pretentious, but now any stray cat or dog was trying to pick a fight.

"When Chinese people were playing with fashion, your ancestors were still slaves to the Romans, Miss Lauren."

"You! Rude Chinese!"

Boss Lu laughed: "Editor-in-chief Wintour, when I came, I thought Vogue was some fashion mecca; I didn't expect your assistant to be so shallow."

Alexander Wang was anxious hearing this; how could Director Lu have such a temper, turning hostile at the slightest disagreement?

Actually, this wasn't Lu Kuan being overbearing; it was just that one must never be polite to these white people who look down on everyone—it was the same principle as dealing with Harvey.

What's more, since Wintour was willing to see him, she must be interested in his Bamboo Rhyme series.

Lauren was furious: "How dare you say that? You savage from a fashion desert!"

"I'm a savage?"

Boss Lu walked smilingly up to a bright yellow dress: "Lauren, tell me, what is the inspiration for this piece?"

Wintour shook her head imperceptibly, and Lauren sneered out loud.

A Chinese person running to the Vogue headquarters to test the assistant of a top magazine's editor-in-chief.

This was no different from a foreigner running in front of a Chinese person to show off that they could recite "Ode to the Goose."

"Van Gogh's 'Fifteen Sunflowers,' right, great director?"

Boss Lu continued walking forward and picked up a Japanese-style dress with a high collar: "And this one?"

The smugness on Lauren's face stalled slightly, and she walked over to observe it carefully.

Finding inspiration for fashion from world-famous paintings is a very common design approach, especially since Impressionist paintings often become objects of "plagiarism."

However, this dress, which looked like the work of an Asian designer, was somewhat unique and exceeded Lauren's scope of knowledge.

Wintour looked at her assistant with dissatisfaction; she didn't even have this bit of artistic literacy, and she still had to look for so long?

Boss Lu chuckled inwardly; this wasn't some young designer's idea at all, this was a work by the pirate master Galliano.

"What? The assistant to the editor-in-chief of the world's most influential magazine can't even tell this?"

Lauren's face flushed red, and she raged impotently: "You ate a delicious fried egg; do you have to know which chicken laid the egg?"

"Besides, dozens of these young designers' works are sent every day; why would I study works that have no artistic substance?"

"Knock, knock!"

A man dressed in avant-garde fashion knocked and entered, not intending to wait for Wintour's permission at all.

Boss Lu looked up, and wow! It's Galliano!

No wonder he could enter and exit Wintour's office so casually.

These two regarded each other as best friends, helping each other out when they were down on their luck; his current position as creative director of Dior was also recommended by Wintour.

Galliano smiled: "Lu, I've seen your 'Exotic Land.' The composition of the final scene comes from 'The Starry Night Over the Rhône,' right?"

"That's right. I didn't expect you to recognize me at a glance. Hello, John."

"Because I was in Cannes at the time and also watched your premiere. Even for someone who doesn't understand film, appreciating your design of light and shadow is a treat."

Lauren, on the side, had a very ugly expression; she didn't expect this Eastern director to gain Galliano's favor.

Boss Lu certainly didn't forget her, turned his head and smiled: "Miss Lauren's professional ability needs improvement; it doesn't seem like she is very suitable for working at a magazine of Vogue's level."

"This originates from Katsushika Hokusai's 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa'."

Wintour was a ruthless dictator; she was very dissatisfied with her subordinate's lack of artistic literacy, and even more dissatisfied with her contempt for Galliano's work.

Such an ignorant and incompetent person did not deserve to be on her team.

She didn't even bother with a word of nonsense to the ashen-faced Lauren, and directly picked up the desk phone: "Lauren is fired. Process her paperwork and have her leave within an hour."

Fan Fan Bingbing watched from the side, feeling extremely envious; when would she have such power?

She watched Lauren speechless and pale as she left the room, then looked admiringly at the man beside her who remained calm and had an extraordinary bearing.

Was there anything that could stump him?

This time, it was really Lauren's bad luck; this Katsushika Hokusai's 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' was a representative work of the Japanese Edo period Ukiyo-e, and also the favorite of director Kurosawa Ping.

If it were works by some European painters, other than those like the Impressionists that inspired the director's art, Lu Kuan might not really be able to recognize them.

Wintour looked at him with new eyes; she believed this Eastern director's artistic literacy and aesthetic appreciation were qualified to converse with her.

"Lu, Galliano is very interested in your design inspiration; perhaps you two will have more common topics."

Boss Lu turned smilingly toward this fashion master coveted by countless actresses, outputting his own bullshitting philosophy as always, frequently smuggling in private goods of Eastern philosophy, leaving both of them feeling like they didn't understand it but it sounded profound.

It was no accident that Galliano was interested in this Chinese-style gown.

In 1997, Galliano exhibited two Chinese-element cheongsams at the Dior show he organized.

One of them was chosen by Tom Cruise's ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, who wore it to attend that year's Oscar ceremony.

This was also the first time the cheongsam appeared at the center of the Hollywood stage.

Besides that, this guy had even gone to the Shaolin Temple for a month of advanced study; he talked to different monks, wanting to explore the proposition of the balance between man and nature in Chinese philosophy.

Boss Lu was a layman in fashion design, but an expert in Chinese philosophy and aesthetic appreciation; as he bullshitted, he directly stated his purpose.

"This lady is the lead actress of my company's film. I want to ask Alexander to design costumes for her."

"In addition, if possible, I would like to borrow a few gowns from John for her; she is your loyal fan."

Boss Lu looked back and gave Fan Fan Bingbing a wink; the latter had long been prepared and skillfully began to socialize with the two.

Galliano's gaze lingered on her without any restraint; she was indeed a clothes hanger, and many designs with bold and atmospheric lines were very suitable for her.

Boss Lu knew he was gay, so he stood on the side with his arms crossed, feeling at ease.

The bridge had been built; now it was up to Fan Fan Bingbing's own efforts. With foreign aid of this level in the domestic entertainment industry, she was already unrivaled on the broad road of fashion.

"No problem, but I also have a condition."

Galliano stroked his small mustache, his eyes glowing green as he looked at Lu Kuan.

Damn it, this old gay.

"Can you chat with me more about the concept of the Bamboo Rhyme series? Perhaps I can make your creativity into an art piece better than that young designer of yours in the mainland."

Bring me a pen!

Borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha, being generous at others' expense—this was what Boss Lu was best at.

He immediately copied all the designs he still had an impression of from the bamboo series of Armani's 2015 spring/autumn haute couture and dumped them all on him.

Wintour and Galliano watched them one by one, hungry and thirsty.

Excellent!

Lauren, who had already been swept out the door, didn't have such a good mood; standing at the busy intersection of New York's Times Square, she felt the world's immense malice.

Lauren clenched her fists bitterly, her sharp nails digging into her palms.

Recalling the mental torture she had suffered under Wintour during her few months of internship, she secretly swore to write a novel to expose her cold, dictatorial face!

Boss Lu's butterfly wings flapped, and "The Devil Wears Prada" was born before "The Devil Wears Prada" (the movie).

At night, next to Central Park in New York, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Today, Fan Fan Bingbing was exceptionally hardworking, sitting until Lu Kuan's hip joints were a bit sore.

The top-tier fashion resources this man helped her graft onto during the day were like a high dose of pure medicine, leaving the big star's body trembling with exhaustion after several rounds of intimacy.

"Still looking? They will send the photos to your email tomorrow."

In the afternoon, John Galliano personally selected several suitable haute couture outfits for Fan Fan Bingbing, tailoring them on the spot, and they also took a photo together.

Fan Fan Bingbing flipped through the photos Wang my lord had taken with her phone, and seeing an intimate, sweet photo of herself arm-in-arm with Lu Kuan, her heart inexplicably dimmed.

Why can't I openly post this kind of photo?

The big star was tangled up in her heart, and she didn't know what was wrong with herself.

Ever since that incident with Liu Liu Zeyu, it was as if she had become possessed.

An ambition growing like wild grass sprouted violently, and the persistence and tenacity to never give up until her goal was reached, which were inherent in her nature, gradually took the lead.

She wanted to prove her worth, and she wanted to cure her own heart's ailment!

She felt that all she lacked was time.

Perhaps time is a kind of antidote, and also the poison she is currently taking.

(End of chapter)