Chapter 51: Buying into Red Star Dock

"Lu Kuan, your reputation has been rising rapidly lately!"

People in the industry scratch each other's backs; Cheng Jingfei spoke with the refined air of a scholar-merchant, though his slicked-back hair was a bit on the rough side.

Zhang Jizhong had long since become familiar with Lu Kuan, seeking him out every few days to calculate his fortunes. What convinced him most was the advice Lu Kuan gave him before he was officially confirmed as the producer of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*.

At the time, the main investor, the Su Platform, refused to commit, so Lu Kuan suggested that Zhang Jizhong go straight to the source, taking local specialties from his hometown in Zhejiang Province to pay a visit.

Later, with this person mediating, he was able to make the position completely his own.

Having been tipped off by Lu Kuan in advance, he smiled and played along: "Mr. Cheng, you don't know, but there are countless people in the industry now looking for the business consulting reports from Young Master Lu's Wenjie Company—one order costs 300,000!"

This was an exaggeration; as the preparations for his first film progressed smoothly and his connections in the circle continued to expand, he also intended to downplay his "Little Immortal" image.

In the future, such flashes of insight must be saved for critical moments; he could not allow people to form a stereotype of him being "too wise to be human," as it easily invited wariness and the covetousness of political figures.

If a high-ranking leader asks you to calculate, and you get it right, you become their personal mystic; if you get it wrong, they brand you a practitioner of feudal superstition and prosecute you—isn't that disgusting?

Boss Lu understood this all too well; the entertainment industry was chaotic, but at least there were some rules to follow, whereas once you got involved with...

That was a place where no mercy was shown at all!

Liu Xiaoli had a favor to ask of him today, so she also smiled and buttered him up: "You two don't know, but Little Lu is not only smart and understands music, his acting skills are truly excellent!"

"Chen Kun's acting is considered quite good, right? Liu Guoquan is considered an old director, right? Sometimes when they aren't sure about a role, they have to ask him for advice!"

Lu Kuan chuckled inwardly; no matter how much you talk, it's useless. Today, I, Boss Lu, am only here to handle three things with you.

Red Star Dock! Red Star Dock! It’s always the damn Red Star Dock!

Starting next year, Liu Yifei is about to enter the fast lane of development; both her endorsements and film fees will skyrocket.

She is not yet an adult, and everything is managed by Liu Xiaoli. With no possibility of poaching her, the only option is to first seek a portion of the equity before making further plans.

While *The Story of a Noble Family* is still filming, it is undoubtedly the best time for Lu Kuan to leverage his resources to command Red Star Dock.

The waiter poured Wuliangye into the decanter, and the three men soon began to exchange toasts.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Jizhong quietly gave Lu Kuan a wink, and the latter went straight to the point.

"The three of you, we've known each other for a few months now, and my relationship with Old Zhang is quite good. Since the crew started filming during this period, I feel that Little Liu's personality is truly excellent—she can endure hardship, considers the big picture, and has a unique image; she is a good seedling."

Cheng Jingfei found his old-fashioned tone rather amusing; it felt incongruous coming from the mouth of a 20-year-old.

But he had to admit that in the past half-year, his rise had been too fast; just the money he made through Wenjie Company by "swindling" was quite substantial.

Cheng Jingfei was an old hand and knew his tactic of suppressing before elevating, so he smiled and set down his wine glass: "Mr. Lu, speak your mind; it's not our first day knowing each other."

"Liu Yifei is a good seedling, but she still needs cultivation and growth. Mr. Cheng and Lady Liu are people close to her, but you may not necessarily be able to plan her development path very reasonably. I am willing to lend a hand; what does Mr. Cheng think?"

Liu Xiaoli was somewhat startled, but the real estate businessman's expression shifted slightly: "How would we cooperate?"

"Let me buy into Red Star Dock!"

"Impossible!" Cheng Jingfei refused flatly; no businessman would easily give up equity, even if Liu Yifei's prospects were not yet clear at the moment.

But he believed that with his own connections and social ties, her future would certainly not be bad.

"Hehe, Mr. Cheng, don't be in such a hurry to refuse; you might as well listen to my conditions."

Cheng Jingfei's face was livid and he remained silent, but Liu Xiaoli's position was different from his; as long as it was good for her daughter, she was willing to try.

"Little Lu, go ahead and speak. Jingfei, don't be angry; everyone is just sitting down to chat today. Whether it works out or not, let's not hurt our friendship."

Lu Kuan spoke eloquently: "Nowadays, everyone emphasizes being a triple threat in film, television, and music; Little Liu's future development will be no different."

"In film and television, with Director Zhang's help, I believe film offers for the next few years will not be a problem."

"But what about music? What about works for the big screen?"

The contempt chain from the film circle to the television circle has always existed. In the early 21st century, the development path for film and television artists was generally:

Domestic TV dramas—co-produced TV dramas—domestic films—Hong Kong/Taiwan films or co-productions—Hollywood films.

Currently, only Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat from Xiangjiang, and Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi from the mainland have successfully entered Hollywood, yet they are often marginalized and co-opted, becoming important forces for Hollywood to enter the Asian market.

Cheng Jingfei sneered; in his eyes, these were all useful platitudes.

Every circle has its own rules. Even the most powerful capital, upon entering the entertainment industry, must conform to the laws of development and act according to the rules. He naturally knew this development path, but how to arrange it?

A girl who had just returned from abroad and had not yet entered the systematic training of a performance school—even a wealthy man like him could not make her improve in a short time.

Cheng Jingfei said with a hint of sarcasm: "Does Mr. Lu have a way? I haven't seen it."

Zhang Jizhong was now the person who understood Lu Kuan's background best. He sighed slightly in his heart: Old Cheng, you know nothing of Master Lu's power!

"Little Liu can enter the music scene at the right time. I will ask the big sister of Xiangjiang, Anita Mui, to promote her."

"Sister Mui has her own music company, and she herself has extensive friendships in the music scene and numerous disciples. You should be able to trust that, right?"

Liu Xiaoli's eyes lit up upon hearing this. This candidate was too suitable; Anita Mui was a woman, and she was known throughout the "Jianghu" for being righteous and upright, so there was no worry about her daughter being bullied.

"Why would she want to promote Xixi? Because of your face?"

Cheng Jingfei was, after all, a real estate businessman and had not yet heard the rumors spreading in small circles in the Xiangjiang entertainment industry:

"The Little Immortal broke the terminal illness on a snowy night, Sister Mui was blessed by heaven to remove the evil disease."

He, of course, did not yet know the relationship between Lu Kuan and Anita Mui.

Boss Lu smiled slightly and took out his phone; it was time to let Anita Mui be a tool for once.

"Hello, Elder Sister, this is Lu Kuan."

"Little brother, go ahead, I'm listening."

"There is a very intelligent girl in the mainland, her vocal conditions are also quite good. I would like to ask Elder Sister to help promote her, is that possible?"

The phone was on speaker; Liu Xiaoli was moved beyond words to confirm it was Anita Mui's voice, and Cheng Jingfei was also somewhat suspicious and uncertain.

He actually had such connections?

Anita Mui chuckled: "It's all easy to talk about, we're family after all."

The two exchanged pleasantries and hung up. Boss Lu smiled at the group, composed and relaxed, signaling that what he said was true.

Listening to the "beep-beep-beep" busy signal coming from the phone, Cheng Jingfei swallowed a mouthful of bitter wine and asked unwillingly: "Then how will you help Xixi break into the big screen?"

(End of chapter)