Chapter 72: The Little Swallow

If one were to look for a star whose public persona is most at odds with their true personality, this person would surely make the top three.

She is a first-generation idol, with a complex web of influence behind her.

In his past life, Boss Lu had heard many rumors about her in the industry.

At just 16, she started with *Painted Skin* and caught a glimpse of the entertainment industry's dazzling corner.

Thus, she flapped her wings and flew straight from the Wuhu Teachers College to the Hengtong Star School in Shanghai.

This was a connection managed by her uncle, who was the head of the Shanghai Drama Troupe at the time.

True wisdom lies in understanding the ways of the world; true mastery of human sentiment is the essence of life.

In this regard, she had a natural, self-taught talent.

First, she was exceptionally skilled at dealing with seniors and mentors.

When Director Xie fell ill and was hospitalized, she arrived at the very first moment.

Without makeup or dressing up, she kept watch at the hospital with a plain face, coming quietly and leaving silently, like a little nanny for the Xie family.

This gesture moved a host of seniors in the Shanghai film and television circle; who wouldn't like a young girl who is so affectionate and loyal?

The resources this brought her go without saying, and it also led her to meet a certain teacher who carefully selected that role for her, making her an overnight success.

Secondly, she was also extremely skilled at dealing with leaders.

Why was Deputy General Manager Jiang of Shanghai Film so close to her?

Besides her uncle's connection, it had to be her own high emotional intelligence.

Jiang once recounted on a drinking table a heartfelt piece of advice she gave him when they went out to eat together before he had made his mark.

When it came time to pay the bill, she adamantly refused to let him reach for his wallet.

She said, "Brother, in the future, when you go out to eat with people, never pay with your own money."

Jiang was puzzled, "Why?"

She explained, "You are an official of some standing; if you treat, people will just think you can get reimbursed and won't appreciate your kindness."

"If you get an invoice, people will only know the meal was paid for by your unit, and they won't be grateful to you in their hearts."

"If you don't get an invoice, people will think your money comes too easily, so much so that you're too lazy to even get reimbursed."

"You are an honest and upright official who lives on a salary; don't do such thankless work."

At the time, she was barely over 20, the age of a sophomore, yet she could navigate social situations with such familiarity and emotional intelligence.

And what did this bring her?

Shanghai Film gave her the role of A-Feng in the film *Chinese Odyssey 2002*, extending a helping hand to someone who was drowning.

Boss Lu had also lamented in his past life that if he had half her emotional intelligence and means when he graduated from USC, he wouldn't have ended up sinking in this industry.

Returning to this day in May 2002, she contacted Lu Kuan and even called him "Master Lu" on the phone; her purpose was self-evident.

This was a "seeking medical advice" visit.

Emotional intelligence is one thing, and means are another; although Boss Lu is ruthless, he would not do anything to help a villain.

However, Master Lu could certainly sharpen his blade for this little lamb that had delivered itself to his door, planning to rob the rich to help the poor.

The two met at a teahouse near the film set; when Lu Kuan arrived, she had already been waiting for a long time.

Her sister-in-law and manager, Chen Rong, was keeping watch in the van outside, guarding against prying paparazzi and reporters.

She looked at Boss Lu in his casual suit with a strange expression; judging by appearance alone, no one could tell this was the mainland director who had recently risen to fame.

A director who became famous without a single work to his name.

Of course, he had another identity, which had been highlighted in recent half-true, half-false celebrity anecdotes in the circle.

This was the main purpose of her visit.

"Nice to meet you!"

She didn't speak, just smiled and sized him up, before finally resting her hand on the tea tray and saying softly, "I didn't expect you to be so young."

"Master Lu must have heard about my situation; I hope you won't hesitate to offer your guidance this time."

Boss Lu ignored her direct approach.

"I think you've misunderstood; I'm a newcomer to the film and television industry, and I don't know what I could possibly guide you on."

She smiled helplessly and very directly pulled a contract and a slip of paper with her birth characters from her bag.

"I understand the rules; this is a 1.5 million commercial consulting contract."

"Whether Master Lu can take it today depends on what kind of words you can leave for me."

Boss Lu glanced at the birth characters on the paper and calmly pushed the contract away.

"I can't earn this money."

Saying this, he prepared to stand up and leave.

Now she was the one who panicked.

She had sought out this "little immortal" under the "exhortation" of her manager sister-in-law, Chen Rong, who claimed he had pointed out Anita Mui's serious illness.

He had also accurately predicted that Zhang Tianshuo, who had clashed with him, would end up in prison.

Was he just putting on airs?

Why would he turn down 1.5 million and just walk away?

She grabbed Lu Kuan's arm: "If the money isn't enough, we can talk; what does Master Lu mean by this?"

Boss Lu shrugged helplessly: "Everyone wants to earn money, but your destiny has huge variables, and improving it is far from a one-day task."

Seeing her staring at him intensely, Lu Kuan sighed and sat back down.

"How so?"

"People have their own fortunes, and the fruit of their actions has its own fortune."

"Your birth characters—Bing Chen, Xin Mao, Gui Hai—are a typical case of strong 'eating and wounding' stars; wood generates fire, and the 'eating and wounding' stars generate wealth, which is very suitable for artistic work."

"But for some reason, recently, it has been clashing severely with the four pillars of the fruit fortune: Ji Chou, Gui You, Jia Zi, and Ren Shen!"

"This causes the day master, Gui Water, to be born in the month of Mao; Mao is the death ground for Gui Water. Although Gui Water has Xin Metal as a source and sits on a Yang blade, the problem is that Xin Metal is bound by Bing Fire, and Hai Water is semi-combined with Mao Wood; both useful elements are relatively weak."

"Chen Earth is a water reservoir, but it is pierced and harmed by Mao Wood. The day master's original spirit in the first three pillars is excessively drained, and the day master has become extremely weak!"

She knew what Lu Kuan was implying and, with an ugly expression, defended herself: "Nonsense, what does my situation have to do with the fruit fortune?"

Boss Lu reprimanded her sternly: "Foolish!"

"The *I Ching* says that those who govern a country look at the heavenly fortune, and those who govern themselves look at the fruit fortune; how can you say it's unrelated?"

"I don't know if this was your own doing or someone else's suggestion, but it is undoubtedly an attempt to trap and kill you through destiny."

Boss Lu took his time picking up the now lukewarm Jin Jun Mei tea and took a sip.

The young woman opposite him, her face turning pale and then flushed, had shifting, uncertain eyes.

Zhou Xue! Everything was that bitch Zhou Xue's fault!

She suddenly looked up and glanced at the calm and composed Lu Kuan.

Because she knew how evil human nature could be, she never easily trusted others.

"You've rambled on about so much, but these are all things that have already happened; I can't believe you."

"And I have already resolved this matter, so I don't need you to say anything more."

To be honest, no one would easily believe this if it happened to them; just because you made a mistake that hurt public sentiment, does it mean your whole life is going to be ruined?

It would be more direct to call it karma; why bring up birth characters and destiny?

Moreover, she had already thought of a way to avoid disaster, and with the support of a group of big shots behind her, a comeback was only a matter of time.

"Upper Xun and Lower Kan make 'Huan' (Dispersion); it stirs up waves and flows in all directions, causing the water to be vast and deep, which is 'Wang' (the surname)."

"The so-called resolution, or the shelter you've found for yourself, should have something to do with this Wang, right?"

Her disdainful mouth seemed to twitch, and she struggled to pull it back into a neutral expression.

Her large, bright eyes were almost bulging out as she looked at the calm and breezy "little immortal" in shock and suspicion.

It was a bit difficult for him to say anything else.

He couldn't just predict the future and tell her how to harvest it now, could he?

He could only give her a small shock by predicting her romantic life; these things are relatively private before the parties involved announce them, so he wasn't afraid she wouldn't fall for it.

At this time, she had only asked a middleman to introduce them and was far from being involved.

He hadn't expected to have it pointed out in one word!

She took a deep breath, her attitude shifting from arrogance to a nervous, fawning demeanor.

"Master Lu, I wonder if this person can help me avoid disaster?"

Boss Lu sneered and waved his hand.

"It's just a temporary relief. Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, don't you understand the principle that if you rely on a mountain, it will collapse, and if you rely on a person, they will run away?"

She took a bank card out of her bag and slapped it directly in front of Lu Kuan.

"This is a 2 million bearer card that I carry with me for business; please, Master, give me some guidance!"

Boss Lu frowned tightly, looking thoroughly troubled.

He had the intention of utilizing the network of connections behind him and the support of the China Film Group, but it was too abrupt to mention it now.

The pit wasn't dug deep enough yet.

"Retire from the industry to study, support public welfare, be indifferent to fame and fortune, and restore your reputation."

"You mean..."

"Acting is good, but directing is better. You should temporarily retire from the industry, go take the entrance exam for a graduate degree in directing, and do more public welfare activities to repair the public sentiment you've damaged."

"For you right now, scattering wealth is gathering blessings."

Boss Lu decided to give her the cold-shoulder treatment first; it wouldn't be easy to extract benefits from her rashly.

This person's heart is not so easy to deal with.

She is now like a frightened bird, cautious and timid, and hearing these words from Lu Kuan, her suspicions arise once more.

No, this sounds like a public relations firm pitching a PR strategy to her!

A look of anger flitted across her face: "Is Master Lu using this as a pretext to tell me what to do?"

Boss Lu felt a jolt in his heart; she really is a sharp one, suspected the moment he tried to sneak in a little private agenda.

Seeing that things were not going well and that turning the Golden Scissors into a cripple could not be achieved in a single day, Boss Lu decided to quit while he was ahead.

"I have said all I can; whether you believe it or not is up to you!"

"You have quite a few films coming out next year, right? When the time comes, you'll know how your luck is by looking at the box office."

Lightly, Master Lu departed, not taking a single bank card with him.

"You!!!"

Before her incident, she was undoubtedly the top star in the domestic entertainment industry, being flattered and praised wherever she went, and had always held herself in high regard.

At this moment, being rebuked by Lu Kuan without rhyme or reason, and even having her big-screen Waterloo predicted, she was both shocked and furious.

Boss Lu was not afraid of offending her; at most, by next year, the little swallow would still have to flutter her wings and fly back to deliver money to him.

In 2003, she had several films released, including *Green Tea* and *Warriors of Heaven and Earth*, but they were flops in terms of both word-of-mouth and box office.

Among them, *Green Tea* had a pitiful opening box office of only 600,000 in Shanghai and Yangcheng.

*Warriors of Heaven and Earth* was an even bigger flop, losing nearly 50 million and making Columbia spit blood.

It is no exaggeration to say that this was a year of failure for her transition from the small screen to the big screen.

For someone as deep-thinking as her, it is difficult to control her mind until she has been thoroughly hurt.

The true moment for Boss Lu to capture her alive should be at that time.

This chapter is already unrecognizable, with over 1,500 words deleted. Sigh, let it be!





(End of this chapter)