Chapter 248: Passion and Showdown After the Golden Globes

The live streaming data for the Wenjie Video debut kept refreshing; after the red carpet ceremony ended, the number of concurrent viewers stabilized at around 4.2 million.

The full name of the Golden Globe Awards is the Golden Globe Awards for Television and Motion Pictures; on the screen, the television portion of the ceremony had just concluded.

As mentioned earlier, the Golden Globes are just a big party compared to the Oscars.

But precisely because of its fun and entertainment value, it is more suitable than the Oscars as a program for the Wenjie Video debut.

For instance, the blonde, busty Scarlett Johansson is on screen right now; she was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes last year for *Girl with a Pearl Earring*, and this year she appears on stage as a presenter.

Entering the main venue, the Wenjie Video live streaming team did not obtain authorization and could only cite the official director's feed from the venue.

However, the officials understand the audience very well, and the Black Widow's beautiful figure appears on camera frequently.

(Report to book friends: There was an image here, but she is truly too large; photos that were even slightly revealing were deemed vulgar and would not upload, so please look it up yourselves.)

This is simply a bullet-chat detonator, even more eye-catching and topical than Liu Liu Yifei just now, though she is not yet very well-known domestically.

"Who is this? Top-tier cannon rack!"

"Within 5 minutes, I want all the information on this blonde girl!"

"Science popularization: Scarlett Johansson, height 165cm, bust 32 inches, waist 24 inches, hips 35 inches."

"Thanks, Science Guy, good people live safe lives."

"Science Guy, do you have the resources? Borrow a film to talk!"

"Get lost, she doesn't do adult films."

The Golden Globes ceremony is in the form of a dinner party, which is to say, eating and playing at the same time—why else would it be called a big party?

Guests are seated according to the organizing committee's arrangements, and the seating order is very particular.

Just like at major film festivals, those nominated for important awards and those with higher buzz and likelihood of winning are generally seated closer to the front; status and popularity are secondary factors.

For example, the director of this year's hot favorite *The Sea Inside*, Amenábar, was arranged at Table 4.

While Tom Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman, because her nominated film *Birth* this year was rather mediocre, was relegated to Table 18.

Domestic netizens waited for a long time before seeing the *Exotic* trio combination appear at Table 54, which is a central position directly facing the stage and also an advantageous spot.

Zhang Zhang Yimou and Zhang Zhang Ziyi were relatively further back, sharing a table with the crew of *The Chorus*.

Judging from their position, even if they won, it would take several minutes to walk to the stage; clearly, they were not highly favored.

On stage, Scarlett and McGregor were co-hosting, and the official director cut to the guests seated in the front.

"Hey, Liu Liu Yifei is still too young; look at those two big thunder-bags on Scarlett."

"Nonsense, Scarlett is several years older than Liu Liu Yifei; she hasn't even finished developing yet!"

"I think it's tough! Look at Scarlett's wide hips; you can tell at a glance she's good for bearing children!"

Liu Liu Yifei heard Boss Lu and Leo laughing and commenting on the beauty, and suddenly spoke up to ask: "Do you all like full-figured girls like Scarlett?"

This was asked in English; Leo gave his fellow wolf Lu Kuan a look that said "a good show is coming," and smiled as he sipped his champagne.

Boss Lu took the initiative: "Liu, don't you know Leo has a weird habit? He only looks at age when finding a girlfriend; if they are over 25, he can't keep dating them."

Leonardo's future girlfriends had an average age of 22, with only one over 25.

That is the red line; once they pass it, they break up.

However, in his heart, fellow wolf Lu Kuan was the same kind of person as himself.

When he was with international supermodel Gisele Bündchen, she was only 19; she was the youngest girl he had ever been with.

Yet the Crystal in front of you, Lu Kuan, just turned 18 this year!

Lu Kuan successfully shifted the focus, diverting the trouble elsewhere.

Liu Liu Yifei looked at Leonardo with a face full of disdain.

What a coincidence, you're a scumbag too?

Leonardo felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze and flatly denied it: "Bullshit!"

"Lu is completely slandering me; Gisele is only 24 now, and we are already engaged."

The group had been running promotions together for half a month, and Liu Liu Yifei had met Gisele Bündchen.

Boss Lu chuckled to himself: they'll break up next year, guaranteed.

But this was the only one he had actively proposed to and gotten engaged to; the ones after didn't even get that treatment.

Leo had a strong sense of revenge: "Crystal, I heard Lu gave you an RV?"

When he said this, his eyes were fixed on Lu Kuan, and his intention was self-evident.

"Yeah! How did you know? Did Lu Kuan tell you?"

Liu Liu Yifei liked this topic.

"Oh, yes, I envy you; you know, Lu has never given me, his American friend, anything."

Boss Lu heard the extortionate tone in his words and decisively took over the conversation.

"Leo, I'm planning to film a food program in China; are you interested? I can take you to eat any Chinese cuisine you want."

Leonardo smiled craftily: "Food is nice, but I'd rather see if you have a role that suits me."

Boss Lu looked sincere, as sincere as the American President with his hand on the Bible when taking office: "I promise, we will work together again very soon."

"Very good, I accept your invitation."

Leo turned back to the bewildered Liu Liu Yifei: "Lu is an honest man, Crystal; I think if you want to find a boyfriend, you could consider him."

The young girl didn't understand what riddle these two were playing, and her pretty face turned slightly red at the words.

As soon as she turned her head, she saw Boss Lu looking at her with a smiling (lecherous) expression.

Is it that easy?

While they were talking, Scarlett Johansson and McGregor began to present the Best Foreign Language Film, and clips of the five nominated films appeared on the screen.

The live director cut to close-ups of the nominated guests, and the fans of Wenjie Video finally saw the two crews from the mainland again.

Besides *Exotic* and *House of Flying Daggers*, the other three competitors were *The Sea Inside*, *The Chorus*, and *The Motorcycle Diaries*.

The order of the clips was also intriguing; *Exotic* was placed last, as if it had a bit of a finale implication.

Liu Liu Yifei's palms were almost sweating, and so were the viewers in front of the screens.

This kind of award ceremony should be live-streamed; what is the point of the Movie Channel's recorded broadcast? It's not exciting at all.

But you really can't blame the official channel; many people in Hollywood at this time have foul mouths, and to show off their sense of superiority on stage, they often express opinions on our internal issues.

The Movie Channel definitely has to cut that part out.

Even the Wenjie Video live stream right now is delayed by 5 minutes, just to handle such special situations.

The Wenjie backend was slightly lagging; Liu Hong communicated with the support team sent by Blogcn and received a reply that there was no cause for concern.

The reason for the lag was that the volume of bullet comments was just too damn high!

This was a feature that Mike Suoluomen hadn't considered when he originally designed it.

The American Mytube would launch promotions during the Oscar live stream, so this patch could be applied in advance.

The whole venue looked at Scarlett Johansson with expectant eyes; there was a Chinese actress at the scene whose mood was even more anxious than Liu Liu Yifei's.

Zhang Zhang Ziyi.

She felt she couldn't be hurt any more.

Or rather, she herself didn't understand why a film like *Exotic* had pushed her to this point.

Back when the eight actresses were auditioning for *Exotic*, she had looked down on Liu Liu Yifei.

The latter's lines, acting, and improvisational ability—none of them could reach her level.

Except for the fight scenes, which were barely passable.

But what about now? Not to mention her popularity in the country, even if that was because of the marketing Lu Kuan did for her.

But if *Exotic* really won the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, she would truly soar into the sky and press right up against her former self!

Wasn't it by winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* that Zhang Zhang Ziyi herself rose to fame and gained her current status in the domestic entertainment industry?

She hadn't caught up to Gong Li in front of her yet, only to find that she was about to be dragged down by Liu Liu Yifei, who was so much younger than her.

Zhang Zhang Ziyi couldn't accept such a reality.

It's just a pity that heaven doesn't follow one's wishes; Scarlett Johansson's beautiful eyes looked toward Table 54 directly opposite the stage, where there was a handsome Leo, making it very easy to locate.

The director's camera also aimed at this table, and the lens language explained everything.

"*Exotic*, Lu!"

Boss Lu rose leisurely, hugged Leo and Tom Cruise, and finally Liu Liu Yifei.

He then clasped his hands together to signal to Zhang Zhang Yimou, who was smiling and clapping across a few tables, before walking onto the stage.

"Washing Machine is awesome!"

"Why are you hugging again? Can you stop hugging Sister Xixi? You animal!"

"How many times have I seen you hug in the last few months? Where did you learn this bad habit? Can't Chinese people just shake hands!"

"Hugging at the Golden Rooster Awards, hugging at the Golden Rooster Awards, hugging at the Golden Rooster Awards, then hugging at the Golden Globes, hugging at the Golden Globes, then hugging at the Oscars..."

The bullet comments flew by rapidly, a chorus of curses.

Unfortunately, before they could finish cursing, Boss Lu hugged Scarlett Johansson again.

"Cai Chusheng! Damn it!"

"Washing Machine, there will be two big dents on the chest of your suit in a moment."

Lu Kuan did indeed feel some pressure on his chest; according to his experience, there shouldn't be any technology involved.

Good, good, good, I like the natural kind.

"I am very happy to receive this award; thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for their affirmation of the film, and thank you to all the cast and crew, thank you!"

The speech was very simple, because there really wasn't anything to be excited about.

The Golden Globes' prestige is truly not high; it just has a big reputation.

How should I put it? Winning it is fine; at least it means the Oscars are within reach, and one can try to grasp them.

Soon, the awards ceremony ended. Generally speaking, the winning teams and the Big Six studios would all host cocktail parties for their winning films to increase their influence.

Leonardo walked over with a man of medium build and graying hair.

"Lu, let me introduce you to Martin Scorsese."

Lu Kuan smiled and reached out his hand: "Finally meeting you, Mr. Scorsese."

Martin Scorsese was a director he had liked very much in his past life, known as a film sociologist.

Perhaps because of his immigrant background and humble origins, Martin Scorsese was exceptionally skilled at dissecting the stubborn ills of society and human nature through lens language.

The themes and elements of his films were mostly gangs, violence, and crime, yet they were also saturated with an inescapable religious aura, making them very unique.

At the end of the 60s, while Spielberg and Lucas—who were mentioned alongside him as the "Four Genius Directors"—were relying on massive investments and special effects technology to attract audiences and win Oscars, he still insisted on his own film allegories, which was very rare.

"Lu, I saw Impressionism and Van Gogh in your films."

Martin Scorsese was a film buff; without the slightest bit of polite small talk, he just started chatting with him like that.

Liu Liu Yifei watched the two of them interact from the side, inexplicably feeling that there was a mysterious aura between them—the aura between artists.

She glanced at Leonardo, who responded with a wry smile and a shrug, meaning he was already used to it.

Lu Kuan knew he was referring to the final scene composition in *Alien Territory*, which came from Van Gogh's *Starry Night Over the Rhône*.

Back at *Vogue*, Galliano had also pointed out the origin at a glance; one could only say that all art is interconnected.

"That's right, I like Impressionism. The Impressionists' play with light and shadow gave me a lot of inspiration for lens language and the use of color."

Martin Scorsese laughed heartily upon hearing this: "The word 'play' is well put; you are a special young man."

Leonardo interjected: "Martin, you should see his *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*; it's too stunning, especially the backlit overexposed parts inside, which reminded me of Bonnard's *Nude in the Mirror*."

*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* was undergoing final special effects touch-ups in Los Angeles, and Harvey, Leonardo, and others had already seen it.

Harvey was already crying and begging him to let him handle the North American distribution.

Little Liu was stunned: You, Leonardo, look so handsome, how come you also understand this dead stuff?

She could at least recognize things like Impressionism, Van Gogh, Bonnard, and Lei Nuoa.

But she couldn't understand it at all!

So, am I the only uncultured one here?

Liu Liu Yifei wondered if she should also improve her artistic cultivation; otherwise, she wouldn't even have common topics with Lu Kuan in the future and would just be a pure vase.

The three of them were chatting about the schools of Impressionism.

Lei Nuoa was a representative of French Impressionism, with a style that was warm and joyful.

Just like in the first third of *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, the experience of Li Ming growing up and meeting the love of his life.

The style of this part of the film's plot was similar to Lei Nuoa's.

Van Gogh was a representative of Post-Impressionism, characterized by frantic catharsis and passion, as well as reflection on life.

For instance, in the final reflection on humanity and the environment in *Alien Territory*, Lu Kuan used light and shadow effects and screen layouts similar to *Starry Night Over the Rhône*.

Bonnard was a representative of Neo-Impressionism and had the strongest grasp of color; Zhang Zhang Yimou held him in relatively high regard.

A typical example was the fervent and unbridled red in *Red Sorghum*.

When Jiu'er got married, she wore a red bridal gown, rode in a red sedan chair, and was sent to Shibalipo amidst an atmosphere of red, full of vigorous vitality.

Martin was very interested: "You like Bonnard?"

"What I like most is still Van Gogh; Bonnard is a bit too flamboyant for me."

The two agreed to have a meal together in a few days to chat about Lu Kuan's new film *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, and they temporarily parted ways.

Liu Liu Yifei looked at Leonardo with frustration: So you're not a vase, damn it?

"Leo, you actually understand Impressionism and fine art too?"

Boss Lu sneered: "His name is Leonardo, obviously he has a connection to Da Vinci, right?"

"Someone with a connection to Da Vinci, how could they not understand art?"

Leonardo had an 'I know you get me' look: "My mother felt me move when she was visiting the Da Vinci Museum in Italy, so she gave me this name."

"My biggest hobby is collecting Renaissance art."

Boss Lu interrupted him: "You missed one."

"What?"

"You have two major collecting hobbies: Victoria's Secret Angels and art."

Leonardo laughed heartily, feeling that Boss Lu was his soulmate, and the two walked away with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Leaving Little Liu looking completely bewildered.

"Tch! Birds of a feather, colluding together!"

Fan Fan Bingbing, Yang Mi, Leonardo.

A man's name appeared on the Death Note for the first time.

After the Golden Globe Awards ceremony ended, the news of Boss Lu winning the Golden Globe for *Alien Territory* spread rapidly.

Domestic mainstream film print media and internet media all published this news on their headlines, mostly accompanied by photos of Boss Lu holding the Golden Globe trophy high on stage.

The domestic literary and artistic circles could only hold it in even if they were unconvinced, especially a certain big director who liked to recite poetry.

His *Farewell My Concubine* was previously one of the only two films to have won a Golden Globe; the other was Li An's *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*.

Well, now there was another young man in his twenties who could stand on equal footing with him; how distressing!

Besides the topic of the Golden Globe Awards, the nearly three-hour live stream on Wenjie Video, which was almost lag-free and featured a unique bullet-comment design, also went viral!

Netizens who came hearing the news logged onto the video website and found that it was simply dazzling, with everything one could wish for!

*Chinese Paladin*, *Zhu Xian*, Ning Hao's *Crazy* series, and Boss Lu's previous films.

The entire collection of classic old films from Golden Harvest!

Of course, there were also other annual blockbusters including *My Fair Princess*, all of which Liu Hong had purchased at low prices relying on his own connections.

Walk LeTV's path, leaving LeTV with nowhere to walk.

However, it was foreseeable that the emergence of Wenjie Video would inevitably lead to the appearance of countless copycat websites, and there was nothing they could do about them for the time being.

Because there was still some time before the copyright war broke out.

The only advantage Wenjie Video might have was the architecture designed by the genius architect Tang Mu; the lag issue alone was enough to ugly-reject most competitors.

And the large-scale film and television series for which copyrights had already been purchased in advance.

The cocktail party ended, A-Fei held his overcoat for him, and the two walked toward the car.

"Lu, please wait a moment."

What the hell?

The blonde bombshell Scarlett Johansson called out to him.

What the hell.

There was also a middle-aged man following behind her.

"Wait for me a moment."

Lu Kuan let A-Fei get in the car first and walked over to shake hands with the two.

Scarlett Johansson giggled: "Luckily I called out in time, otherwise I would have let you slip away."

"Let me introduce you, this is the French producer Emmanuelle."

"Hello, we met at Cannes last year, right?"

Emmanuelle smiled: "Yes, I attended the premiere of *Alien Territory*."

"It's like this, Lu, at this year's Cannes, the organizing committee has decided to screen a short film composed of 20 small stories; the film is called *Paris, je t'aime*."

"These 20 short films represent the twenty districts of Paris, and we plan to invite twenty directors from around the world to participate."

"Currently, the Coen brothers and Assayas have already agreed; what do you think?"

Boss Lu smiled: "Communicating with so many excellent directors is very good. I wonder what the theme is?"

"Love, just this word. Only love; the rest is up to you directors."

"Okay, I agree. Please send the detailed requirements to my email; this is my contact information."

Lu Kuan handed over a business card. Emmanuelle was very excited; he had successfully roped in another internationally renowned director.

And an Eastern director who valued both artistic and commercial styles, which was very rare.

Emmanuelle left in an excited mood, but Scarlett Johansson did not intend to end the night just like that.

"Lu, can you take me for a drive?"

The 1.65-meter-tall Scarlett walked over gracefully; with the addition of high heels, the fair and creamy breasts made Boss Lu, who had lowered his head, feel a bit dazzled.

Which director could withstand this kind of temptation?

He very gentlemanly took off his suit jacket to drape over the blonde beauty and turned to go to the car.

"A-Fei, I'm going to have an all-night talk about film art with Martin Scorsese; you go back first."

"By the way, watch out for counter-surveillance."

The young bodyguard gasped; again?

Boss Lu excitedly got into Scarlett Johansson's car and headed toward her mansion in Los Angeles.

White girls just like to be direct: "Lu, I'm very interested in you."

"Why?"

"I saw multiple personalities in your films."

Scarlett leaned sideways in the back seat like a fan girl: "The dark inspiration in *Whiplash*, the ultimate reversal in *The Thief*, the humanistic reflection in *Alien Territory*."

"My God, I think you must be a schizophrenic."

"How could the focal points of someone who has experienced so many different ages, different fortunes, and different cultural backgrounds appear in the mind of a young person in their twenties like you?"

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Aren't you only 21? You've also filmed quite a few movies; you should know that life experience will actively shape your personality."

Scarlett was born in 1984 in Manhattan, New York, to a middle-class family.

Her mother was a film producer, and she also had a Danish grandfather who was a screenwriter.

By early 2005, Scarlett had already been in the industry for 10 years, though she had previously only appeared on Broadway stages and in guest roles.

In 2003, Scarlett received two Golden Globe nominations for *Lost in Translation* and *Girl with a Pearl Earring*.

However, for the past two years, her career development had stalled.

Last year, she appeared in *Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines*, and every role offered to her since then had been a sexy action woman, which was very boring. (Note 1)

Actors from such American middle-class families, like Leonardo and Tom Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman, were all very eager to prove themselves through art films and dramas.

As mentioned earlier, Leonardo was once resistant to *Titanic*, thinking it had no substance and that he was just going up there to sell his face.

In 2007, to take a role in the art film *Margot at the Wedding*, Nicole Kidman lowered her salary from $15 million to $6,000.

Scarlett was the same, but she had a complex that caused her great distress.

The two arrived at Scarlett's large mansion, where she kicked off her high heels and went to the bar to pour two glasses of whiskey.

"Lu, about the movie Emmanuel just mentioned, I think you could consider me."

"I don't want a salary; I am very willing to play such a role."

Only then did Boss Lu realize what Scarlett was after.

Damn it, I thought she was craving my body!

"It seems you are aware of the disadvantages of your appearance?"

Scarlett openly lifted her breasts, signaling how burdensome this pair was, and then helplessly spread her hands.

"I absolutely hate David Fincher."

"He publicly said I am too sexy, that the audience's first impulse upon seeing me is to push me down, that they won't think about the plot, and that I'm not suitable for art films."

"Bullshit!"

She sat down right next to Lu Kuan: "Lu, you have box office success in Hollywood, a Golden Lion award in Venice, and a Jury Prize in Cannes."

"You tell me, can I actually act in art films?"

"I want to explore more in roles with more depth!"

Boss Lu looked at the blonde beauty staring him down at close range and thought to himself, me too.

I also want to explore more in roles with depth!

"Hmm... as a man, I have to say, your sexual tension is too strong."

Durant wants to drink her bathwater;

Hawkeye Jeremy confessed to the media that his most memorable Marvel time was every scene he played against Scarlett;

Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. also marveled that every time Scarlett Johansson entered the set, his eyes couldn't look away.

Scarlett's sexiness was quite unique, and the most eye-catching part was her two luscious red lips.

Added to her natural shoulder-length blonde hair, she looked like a star from the Golden Age of Hollywood, possessing both classical and modern beauty.

Scarlett was dissatisfied with his excuse; she leaned in close, her jade hands pressing directly onto the Eastern director's legs.

"A man's perspective? I've heard too much of that. I want to hear the director's perspective?"

"I want to explore film, do you want to... explore me?"

The blonde beauty bit her lip and leaned in, her pert nose touching Lu Kuan's, her warm breath mixed with the scent of perfume hitting his face.

Since things had reached this point, we'll talk about the rest later.

The two film industry figures began an intense exchange on film art, regarding the depth of character thought.

Just how deep did one have to dig to achieve the most perfect interpretation?

Director Lu believed one should go all the way.

The feedback given by the American rising star was full of passion, even disturbing the wild cats in the villa's courtyard.

The communication between the two was very smooth and silky.

Scarlett greatly admired this young director's artistic talent; truly, even Martin Scorsese spoke highly of him.

She believed she could find a genius director outside of Hollywood to help her achieve a transformation.

David Fincher, you old thing, just you wait; when I, Black Widow, film an art movie, win an award, and pour my foot-washing water on your head!

Durant: Don't waste it, pour it into my mouth!

In the process of discussing film art, the two, being in the land of basketball, inevitably talked about that topic as well.

What surprised Scarlett very much was that this director from China was actually so proficient in dribbling techniques.

One-handed dribbling, two-handed dribbling, charging, behind-the-back dribbling!

After talking all night until the sky was almost dawning, the two filmmakers finally reached an agreement.

Scarlett felt very fortunate that this was an all-around genius director.

Besides his pursuit of artistic depth, his control over time scales was also very on point.

Satisfaction and fulfillment were the true reflection of Black Widow's physical and mental state at this moment.

When the Eastern sunrise shone on the land of the United States of America, the Eastern director and the Western beauty ended their historic meeting and agreed on subsequent cooperation matters.

Obviously, this was a win-win.

Boss Lu wore sunglasses and walked back to his room with a light, unsteady step.

A-Fei was just preparing to go out: "Boss, so early?"

Lu Kuan's face darkened; are you mocking me, kid?

It's already seven-thirty, and you call that early?

Don't you know how exhausted I was last night?

The blonde girl had incredible combat power; in his view, she was almost on par with Fan Fan Bingbing.

What a spirited American horse.

"A-Fei, take me with you when you work out in the future, for example..."

"For example, squats or something."

A-Fei was clueless: "I'm just about to go to the hotel gym now, want to come?"

Boss Lu slapped his thigh and went back to his room to change clothes: "Let's go! Let's train for a while."

The group was staying at the top-luxury Beverly Hills Hotel, also the beloved place of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, who once had long-term exclusive rooms there.

Before even entering the gym, they heard a girl's crisp "hey-ha" sound, which was very familiar.

Boss Lu guessed it must be Liu Liu Yifei doing her morning workout; walking closer, he saw the little sword-dancer Liu swinging battle ropes.

"Huh, did the sun rise from the west today?"

Liu Liu Yifei looked in disbelief at Boss Lu appearing in a place like a gym.

At most, she would see him get up in the morning to go for a run or practice that "Eight-Section Vajra Skill" thing.

"Not bad, little sword-dancer, keep training hard!"

Boss Lu thought about training his legs, found a Smith machine, added the bar, and started with 50kg!

After all, his legs were a bit soft now.

"Can you even do it, weakling? Only this much weight? And you're using a coward's rack?"

Lu Kuan turned red: "Who's a weakling? Who's a weakling? Didn't you start with a warm-up set?"

"If you're so good, you do it!"

"Fine, I will."

Little Liu pushed him aside with a haughty look.

Liu Liu Yifei had hired a professional fitness coach, and with Grotowski's professional physical training, she could really handle this 50kg.

Even if it was a failure set, doing it up and down two or three times wasn't a problem.

Lu Kuan saw her take a deep breath, her abdominal and glute muscles tightening, her lower back straight.

Exhaling, she straightened her legs, her rounded buttocks pushing forward, and her body lifted.

Damn, she can actually do it?

Boss Lu carefully observed her lower limb development and strength level, feeling that if this continued, she might be able to compete with Scarlett.

After all, Scarlett was only 1.65 meters tall, and this little girl was 1.70 meters!

There's a good saying in the fitness circle.

When men do squats, women can't take it.

When women do squats, men can't take it.

When men and women train together, the bed can't take it!

Little Liu's squat level... is not low!

A sense of crisis welled up in Boss Lu's heart.

She is 17 this year, I am 23.

When she is 30, I will be 36.

When she is 40, I will be 46!

This...

Could it be that I will meet my weakest self at the time when Little Liu is at her strongest age?!

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Boss Lu reflected deeply; from now on, he must exercise restraint! He must exercise! He must conserve his essence!

Although he is still more than capable of handling wild horses like Fan Fan Bingbing, Sister Yu Feihong, and Scarlett, he cannot account for the effects of aging and declining physical function!

Especially that little opera-singing Liu; it looks like if she develops into her ultimate form, she might be stronger than all of them...

"Hoo~~~ How was that? Not bad, right?"

With the help of A-Fei, Liu Liu Yifei had successfully performed a pull-up, looking at Lu Kuan with a proud face.

"Your turn, go on."

"Hey, Martin Scorsese insisted on chatting with me about his new film last night; I didn't sleep all night."

"You keep practicing, little Liu, I'm going back to catch up on some sleep."

Liu Liu Yifei grabbed him: "Wait."

She leaned in and sniffed, but didn't find any suspicious scents; the smell of smoke and alcohol was still the strongest.

It was a good thing he had changed his clothes and washed his face.

However, her next words made Boss Lu feel a bit anxious: "I'll go back with you; I'm done practicing."

"Uh... let's go?"

Lu Kuan swiped his card to open the room, and Liu Liu Yifei glanced at the doorway, finding nothing unusual.

"Still not going back? You can't just enter a director's room, you know?"

Doubts arose in Liu Liu Yifei's heart, and she pushed him aside: "I'm going to use your bathroom."

A few seconds later, she pushed the door open and came out: "You weren't wearing this outfit yesterday, where are the clothes you changed out of?"

"Sent them to the laundry room."

Boss Lu sat on the bed, smiling at her.

He was teasing Liu Liu Yifei on purpose; if you're curious, just come in and look, there's nothing here anyway.

How could he not have made preparations for such an obvious flaw?

Little Liu looked at him expressionlessly, then suddenly said in surprise: "Eh? There's a long hair on your shoulder? A golden one?"

"Don't move, don't move, let me help you take it off."

Boss Lu sneered inwardly; still trying to trick me.

You don't even look at who taught you these skills.

Trying to betray your master?

Liu Liu Yifei walked over, discovered that the man's expression hadn't changed from beginning to end, and angrily slapped his shoulder.

Only then did she realize she had been played, and angrily wanted to flick her sleeves and leave.

When she reached the door, she slammed it shut with a bang—quite the dramatic exit!

The curtains had been drawn the whole time, and the entire room fell into dimness.

Boss Lu was startled: "You... what are you doing? I'm a serious director, you know."

"Don't think that just because you're a minor you can do whatever you want; America isn't a place outside the law!"

Liu Liu Yifei was in no mood to entertain his banter, and she also loathed his attitude of dodging the issue.

"Seven months."

"What?"

"In seven months, I'll be 18, and our two-year distribution agreement will be over."

Lu Kuan crossed his legs expressionlessly: "And then?"

"I don't know how much money I've earned for you in these two years, but you know it in your heart."

"After I turn eighteen, whether it's cooperation or exploitation, if you still harbor certain motives toward me..."

"Then I demand that you consider my feelings when you do things!"

Liu Liu Yifei looked at him with burning eyes.

Boss Lu let out a long sigh, looking for the first time with such a serious expression at the actress he had cultivated with his own hands.

"Liu Liu Yifei, you've grown; you know how to threaten me now."

"Yes, I am threatening you."

Liu Liu Yifei took a step closer, so close that Lu Kuan could see her fluttering eyelashes.

"I know your methods are ruthless; you can deal with me just like you dealt with that group at Yanda Huayi Society, and cast me into the dust—I don't care."

Little Liu did not back down; she had thought it through clearly on that restless night in Yinchuan.

She knew clearly what she wanted and had analyzed the current situation.

Economically, she didn't believe Lu Kuan would abandon his sunk costs, abandoning her, his "money-making tool" who could easily bring him huge profits every year;

Emotionally, she didn't believe that in these three years, he hadn't had a shred of genuine feeling for her.

That night, when she was most helpless, she looked back and saw Lu Kuan standing at the door; she saw something different in that man's eyes.

Call it having grown wings, or call it being spoiled by favor, in any case, she couldn't hold these words back for another moment.

Boss Lu let out a long sigh; he loathed this feeling of being out of control, just like that day at Red Star Dock.

Since his rebirth, he had calculated everything in his career because those things operated around interests.

As long as he held tightly to the chain of interests in his hands, whether it was Eagle Emperor, China Film, or even the complexly-backed Dong Dong Shuangqiang, they could all become his allies, to be used as he pleased.

But there were some people who simply couldn't be coerced with interests.

In his past life, he had never been involved in Liu Liu Yifei's public relations, nor did he know she had such a "burn everything to the ground" personality.

What to do?

There is a term in economics called a rational person.

A rational person refers to an individual who, in economic activities, aims to maximize their own interests and conducts rational analysis and decision-making regarding various situations.

The fundamental conflict between Lu Kuan and Liu Liu Yifei now is a conflict between a rational person and an irrational person.

It is a conflict between an economic brain and a love-struck brain.

Shelve her? Let the results of three years of cultivation go down the drain?

That would be a lose-lose situation.

Even if his own loss were small, it was not a decision-making path a rational person should take.

Besides, are there any other "money-making tools" in the domestic entertainment industry that have been proven by history and are worth cultivating?

There is one who is perhaps close, and she is currently in his hands.

But once he agrees to her, looking at Liu Liu Yifei's "burn everything to the ground" appearance, could she tolerate Fan Fan Bingbing?

Damn, my head hurts.

The current Boss Lu facing the "wide-eyed" little Liu is like a scholar meeting a soldier.

Whether he uses threats or inducements, Liu Liu Yifei simply doesn't take the bait!

What she wants is the emotional value of being devoted to one person; this thing is exclusive—how could it be so easy to give?

Liu Liu Yifei watched him remain silent for a long time, feeling both disappointed and encouraged.

At least it showed he was wavering.

Little Liu calmed her mood and firmly expressed her stance to the washing machine:

"I heard you talking about art yesterday, so I went back and studied it."

"I discovered a color in pigments called Titanium White; its covering power is exceptionally strong, and when mixed with other colors, it changes their transparency and purity."

The young girl hit the nail on the head: "My meaning is, this color cannot coexist with other colors."

"Lu Kuan, you can play dumb."

"But I want to tell you, I am that color."

Note 1: Not a sequel to the orthodox Terminator by Schwarzenegger, but an independent sci-fi action film.

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(End of chapter)