Chapter 234: Breaking the Fantasy
Zhang Guozhong didn't react for a moment: "Which Mr. Lu?"
King Liu immediately reminded him, "That's Mr. Lu who was very successful in Hong Kong some time ago, defending Hong Kong's financial sector, fleecing the wool of the wool, and making a lot of money from international hot money."
Zhang Guozhong suddenly realized what was going on, and after a careful look, he finally recognized Lu Yiming. After all, a month ago, Lu Yiming's handsome face was printed on newspaper headlines many times.
King Liu was immediately excited, his eyes sparkling.
He doesn't understand investing, but Lu Yiming does.
Thinking of this, King Liu stopped eating, stood up and walked towards Lu Yiming.
"Hello, Mr. Lu."
King Liu bowed slightly, spoke respectfully, and kept a low profile.
Lu Yiming, who was eating with his head down, didn't see King Liu coming at all. He only looked up when King Liu spoke.
Seeing King Liu's familiar yet unfamiliar smile, Lu Yiming was somewhat stunned: "King Liu! Do you know me?"
Although his face once appeared in newspapers, Lu Xun said that a goldfish's memory lasts only seven seconds and a person's memory lasts only seven days. Even in later times when the Internet is popular, many so-called Internet celebrities with millions of fans would probably be recognized by few people when they walk down the street.
But King Liu recognized him at a glance and even ran over to say hello. It can be said that he is a thoughtful person.
In front of Lu Yiming, King Liu acted very modestly, smiling broadly as he said, "You can just call me Hua Zai. Mr. Lu, you are a famous person in Hong Kong. If there is a chance, I would naturally hope to meet you."
I have to say that King Liu knows how to behave himself and he doesn't act arrogantly just because he is a big star.
The way he speaks and does things gives people a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze. No wonder he was born in a humble family but was able to be promoted by noble people. Whether in singing or acting, he has achieved huge success and become one of the top artists in Asia.
The essence of human civilization is group collaboration, so the more socially skilled a person is, the easier it is for him to succeed.
There is no doubt that King Liu is the kind of person who has maxed out his social skills.
As a second-generation person, Lu Yiming's social skills are naturally not comparable to those of teenagers. He did not feel the slightest bit unnatural because of Liu Tianwang's identity. Even when facing a superstar, he could still act at ease.
"Haha, King Liu is really quick to speak. I'm determined to make you my friend. By the way, I have a few companions who are all your fans. When we returned to the hotel today, they wanted to get your autograph and take a photo with you, but your fans were too enthusiastic and they couldn't squeeze into the front row."
King Liu smiled modestly: "I feel very honored to be loved by everyone. I can arrange autographs and group photos at any time. I wonder where your friends are now?"
Lu Yiming raised his head and glanced around: "They just finished their meal and are playing outside. They will probably come over soon. You haven't eaten yet, right? Ask the waiter to come over and see what you want to eat. I'll pay for it. Waiter, come here..."
A waiter nearby hurried over, bowed slightly, and then asked softly, "Sir, how can I help you?"
Lu Yiming pointed at the empty dishes on the table and said, "Please clear all of these away and tidy up the table. King Liu hasn't eaten yet. Bring the menu over. I'll treat him to a meal."
"Okay, wait a moment."
King Liu waved his hands repeatedly in a reserved manner: "How can I let Mr. Lu treat me to a meal? I'll treat you first."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "It's okay. I also grew up watching your TV and movies. It's a pity that there are too few genuine discs in the mainland. This meal is just like paying back the money for your movie tickets."
"In that case, I will refuse your request."
King Liu is now heavily in debt and would rather spend every dollar carefully. The consumption in this five-star hotel is really not cheap. When Lu Yiming wanted to treat him, he just symbolically declined and then agreed.
Lu Yiming originally wanted to call Lin Yuzhen and the others, but Lin Yuzhen and the others didn’t have cell phones, so he had to wait here.
More than ten minutes later, Liu Tianwang and Zhang Guozhong were toasting with Lu Yiming when Lin Yuzhen and others came over.
Seeing Lu Yiming chatting and laughing with King Liu, they almost went crazy.
"Liu Tianwang!"
"It's really King Liu!"
Lu Yiming coughed twice, signaling everyone to calm down, and then said: "Okay, what are you yelling about? Can't you see that King Liu and I are drinking? Stop making noise. If you are not full, you can eat more. If you are full, wait until we are full before talking."
Li Zhengkai grumbled in dissatisfaction: "Didn't you just eat with us? You also said you were here to clean up the mess."
Lu Yiming said calmly, "How can I be like you? You guys are full after two bites, but I can still eat two more bites after I'm full. King Liu, these are the companions I just told you about. They are all my classmates from the mainland and your fans."
Liu Tianwang politely said to several people: "Hello."
"Hello, hello."
"Ah, Huazai, you are so handsome."
Several girls had hearts in their eyes and were so excited that they stuttered when they spoke.
Lin Yuzhen looked at Lu Yiming and stepped forward to ask fiercely: "Tell me the truth, how did you know King Liu? Why didn't you tell us before?"
Lu Yiming blinked and said innocently, "To be honest, I just met you."
"I don't trust you."
"Lord Liu, can I take a photo with you?"
"I want King Liu's autographed album!"
With King Liu around, these female fans never have a moment of silence, and all of them turn into chirping larks.
King Liu naturally agreed to their request for Lu Yiming's sake, and even asked Zhang Guozhong to bring his promotional photos and album discs, and signed them for everyone on the spot.
Several people got the autographed photos they wanted, and Andy Lau even asked Zhang Guozhong to personally take a group photo of several people with a camera.
Wu Qiuya asked with a face full of longing: "Lord Liu, what is the entertainment industry like? I heard that the people in the entertainment industry are all glamorous and beautiful, and they can easily make a lot of money by shooting a commercial. Do you think I can enter the entertainment industry with my conditions?"
King Liu thought of himself who was heavily in debt, sighed, and began to complain: "People outside always think that the entertainment industry is glamorous and that they can make money by entering the entertainment industry, but in fact it is not the case at all. There is a theory called survivor bias. The reason why the stars you see are glamorous is because you can't see those who are not glamorous at all."
Lu Yiming nodded upon hearing this: "Any industry follows the 80/20 rule. Income is in a pyramid structure. What you see are just the pearls on the crown, and most of them are the common people at the bottom. People who reach the top of any industry are glamorous, even beggars are no exception."
"Indeed, Mr. Lu's words are very insightful."
In front of Lu Yiming, King Liu didn't have any idol baggage, but spoke the truth: "It is not a good choice for ordinary people to enter the entertainment industry. The probability of success is too low. With the same amount of effort, you may have achieved success in other industries, but in the entertainment industry, if you don't have a noble person to help you, you can only be a supporting actor for the rest of your life and be unknown."
Being in the entertainment industry, King Liu naturally knows that in this world of fame and fortune, those who are truly qualified to make decisions are capital and rich people.
The so-called stars are nothing more than puppets in the hands of capital.
Anyone who dares to resist will be banned or blacklisted. King Liu himself has suffered from this, so he understands how deep the water in the entertainment industry is.
Although King Liu and Lu Yiming took turns to persuade them, the girls still had an interest in the entertainment industry. After all, ordinary people like them had few opportunities to get involved in the entertainment industry. The unknown always breeds curiosity.
At this point, King Liu took the opportunity to say, "I have also been shooting some behind-the-scenes footage and promotional videos here recently. Are you interested in going to the studio with me? You young people are so pretty. Maybe a talent scout will contact you and help you debut."
"Okay, okay."
The three girls naturally would not miss such a good thing.
Lu Yiming thought that he might as well do nothing. Most of the schools in Hong Kong did not have evening self-study classes, so he could go and have a look and broaden his horizons.
"It's still a bit late today, how about tomorrow afternoon? You can send someone to pick us up after school."
"Okay. Let's contact each other tomorrow. Here's my business card."
"Well, this is my business card."
King Liu and Lu Yiming exchanged business cards, and King Liu took Zhang Guozhong away.
Back in the room, Zhang Guozhong said to King Liu in a somewhat depressed tone: "That's Lu Yiming, why do you always talk to him about things in the entertainment industry? You should talk to him about investment and find a way to get money from him."
King Liu smiled, shook his head and said, "How can we talk about money right after meeting? We have an appointment to visit the crew tomorrow, go down and make arrangements quickly so that everyone can perform well."
Given the current situation in Hong Kong, there are fewer and fewer wealthy people investing in movies. Except for a few rich second-generations who occasionally want to make female stars famous, most of the crews are disbanded because they cannot attract investment.
The once prosperous "Oriental Hollywood" is now in ruins.
Those who are still in this industry are nostalgic for the good old days, but cannot see where the future lies. They are like fish caught in a net; the more they struggle, the more desperate they become.
No one knew what Zhang Guozhong was thinking, but he looked bitter and sighed, "Well, whatever, given the situation, I'll just cheat as many as I can."
King Liu laughed and scolded: "What are you talking about? Can making a movie be called cheating? Okay, let's do our best and stop complaining. Since we have chosen this line of work, we should grit our teeth and keep going. Maybe there will be a smooth road at the end of the road."
Zhang Guozhong sighed and said in a bleak tone: "Yeah, let's do our best. Anyway, people like us don't know anything except making movies. Even if we want to change our career, we don't know what to do."
The filmmakers who are still persisting at this time all have an obsession in their hearts and want to restore the former glory and splendor.
Thinking back to the golden age when Hong Kong movies were at their most popular, Zhang Guozhong was even put a gun to his head. If it were an ordinary person, he would have changed his career long ago.
On the other side, the few people who returned to the room were so excited that they couldn’t sleep and were discussing with each other.
What happened tonight was too magical for them.
Now not only has he got King Liu's autograph , but he has also successfully taken a photo with him, and can even visit the filming set of the movie tomorrow.
This kind of experience was something they would never have dared to imagine in the past.
Seeing Lu Yiming's indifferent expression, Lin Yuzhen asked curiously, "You took a photo with King Liu today, and you can visit the filming location tomorrow. Aren't you curious about the entertainment industry at all?"
Lu Yiming recalled the entertainment industry shit he had heard before his rebirth, shook his head, and said solemnly: "Believe me, if you knew what the real entertainment industry is like, you would definitely not be curious, and you might even feel disgusted."
Lin Yuzhen was puzzled when she heard this: "Why do I feel sick?"
"What does this have to do with the entertainment industry?"
Teenagers are at the age when curiosity is at its peak. As soon as the three girls heard the tone of Lu Yiming's voice, they immediately became very interested in what he was talking about.
Lu Yiming shook his head slightly: "Forget it, I'd better not say it. I believe you don't want to hear it."
"Go ahead , if you don't tell us, how do you know if we want to hear it?"
"That's right, you're just keeping us in suspense, you bad guy."
Being surrounded by Lin Yuzhen and the other three, his head was almost dizzy. Lu Yi knew that if he didn't explain things clearly, he would probably not be able to sleep tonight, so he had to tell the truth: "Since you want to know so much, then I will tell you briefly."
“Ah, this…”
"real?"
With just this one case, Lu Yiming almost destroyed all the good impressions that several girls had towards the entertainment industry.
For the first time, they realized that the so-called stars who looked so glamorous on the big screen actually had such appalling private lives.
The so-called entertainment industry is far from what they originally imagined.
Celebrities are nothing more than playthings in the hands of the rich.
It is too easy for rich people to make someone famous or ban someone, and it will only become easier in the future.
