MC Bookstore Chapter 87 Lin Shufen's Opportunistic Nature
Chapter 87 Lin Shufen's Opportunistic Nature
Chen Yan put down the silver editing ruler in his hand.
The metal struck the tabletop, producing a short, crisp sound.
Wu Gang reached out and wiped the edge of the aluminum lunchbox, removing the remaining oil stains with his fingertips.
"Lin Shufen sent a car, which was parked under a utility pole in the back alley of Beidian University."
Wu Gang glanced down at the pager and said.
Chen Yan grabbed his black trench coat from the back of the chair, the cuffs brushing against the table, scattering a few pieces of scrap paper in the process.
"Walk."
Chen Yan said.
The two walked through the dormitory corridor.
The smell of coal smoke from the boiler room was left behind.
The back alley of the school.
A black, old-fashioned Hongqi sedan started up, its exhaust pipe spewing out white exhaust fumes.
The driver was a burly man wearing a leather jacket. He pulled his hat down low and his eyes met Chen Yan's in the rearview mirror.
"Director Chen, Sister Lin is waiting inside."
The driver got out of the car and opened the back door, saying...
Chen Yan sat down in the car, and the leather seat cushion sank in.
The car rolled over the frozen ground, creating a series of soft vibrations.
Forty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of an old alley near Di'anmen.
Two gray vans were parked side by side on the side of the road.
Several men in black suits and with buzz cuts stood at the base of the alley wall.
One of them had a half-smoked cigarette in his hand, and there was a ring of cigarette butts at his feet.
Chen Yan got off the bus.
The men's eyes were fixed on Chen Yan.
"What are you looking at?"
Wu Gang took a step forward, blocking Chen Yan's side, and asked.
The man with the cigarette squinted and exhaled a puff of bluish smoke.
He pointed to the vermilion gate deep in the alley and said nothing.
Chen Yan walked past the men in black suits and headed towards the red gate.
The door hinge turned, making a tooth-grinding creaking sound.
There was an old jujube tree in the yard, its trunk cracked and showing dark brown veins.
Lin Shufen sat at the stone table under the tree.
She was wrapped in a large, purplish-red cashmere shawl and was holding a purple clay teapot in her hand.
A charcoal stove sat in the middle of the stone table, and water in a copper kettle was boiling, with white steam rising into the air.
"sit."
Lin Shufen raised her eyelids and pointed to the stone bench opposite her.
Chen Yan sat down.
A bone-chilling cold emanated from the stone bench.
"The commotion in Venice is quite significant."
Lin Shufen pushed a washed teacup in front of Chen Yan and asked.
"good."
Chen Yan replied.
Lin Shufen picked up the teapot, poured the tea into the cup, and a light green foam appeared.
"Lu Haiming called me three times yesterday."
Lin Shufen put down the teapot and rested her right hand on the edge of the stone table as she spoke.
She wore a bright green jade ring on her finger, which gleamed dimly in the glow of the charcoal fire.
"What did he say?"
Chen Yan picked up his teacup and asked.
He said the things you brought back were too hot to handle.
Lin Shufen leaned back and said.
She shifted her posture, the tassels of her shawl sweeping across the table.
"His exact words were: Chen Yan cheated foreigners out of their money and ruined the reputation of Chinese directors. Anyone who invests money in him for post-production at this time is a traitor to the industry."
Lin Shufen continued.
The sound of a car horn came from outside the courtyard gate.
a bit.
Two times.
A very regular, short, sharp sound.
"That's his dog outside."
Chen Yan put down his cup and said.
The bottom of the cup tapped on the stone surface, producing a crisp sound.
"Wang the comprador."
Lin Shufen nodded.
"He stood there for two hours, and his meaning was very clear: if I sign your checks again, my three cinemas will not be able to get new copies from China Film Group next month."
Lin Shufen picked up the teapot and poured herself another cup.
Are you scared?
Chen Yan asked.
Lin Shufen did not answer immediately.
She stared at the swirling tea leaves in the cup, her eyelids drooping.
"Chen Yan, I'm in business."
Lin Shufen took a sip of tea and said.
"Businessmen are mindful of costs. It's not worth offending Lu Haiming, who controls half of Beijing's publicity and distribution, for a film that hasn't even been scheduled for release yet."
Lin Shufen added.
Chen Yan reached into his robes.
He took out a brown paper bag and threw it in the middle of the stone table.
The paper bag knocked over the wooden box containing the tea.
"have a look."
Chen Yan said.
Lin Shufen reached out her fingers and untied the thin string on the paper bag.
She pulled out a stack of bound A4 papers.
That was a copy of the contract signed by Vincent on behalf of Berlin Film Company.
Lin Shufen's gaze moved quickly across the paper.
When her eyes landed on the amount column on the fifth page, the fingers holding the paper trembled violently.
That's a minimum guaranteed amount of five million US dollars.
"Is this true?"
Lin Shufen raised her head and asked in a slightly tense voice.
"Vincent's seal is genuine, and the notary's seal is also genuine."
Chen Yan said.
He pointed to the large red sealing wax mark at the end of the contract.
"Lu Haiming said I cheated foreigners out of their money."
Chen Yan continued.
"Foreigners aren't stupid. They gave us a cash check for five million US dollars, which is a little over forty million yuan."
Chen Yan added.
Lin Shufen took out another sheet of paper and carefully checked every letter on it.
Her fingertips traced the number "5,000,000 USD" over and over again.
"What do you want to do?"
Lin Shufen stuffed the contract back into the paper bag and asked.
Her tone was no longer as casual as before.
She leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees, crossed over each other.
"Lu Haiming wants to build his 'Oriental Hollywood' on the outskirts of Beijing."
Chen Yan said.
"He lacks both fame and cash. He wants to prove his authority by crushing me."
Chen Yan continued.
He pointed outside the yard.
"Sister Lin, can you do two things for me?"
Chen Yan raised his index finger and said.
"First, use all your connections to get the film scheduling managers of Beijing Film Studio and several major film studios in the north on board."
Chen Yan said.
"I want 'Thunder' to have a screening rate of more than 30% every weekend before the Lunar New Year season."
Chen Yan said.
Lin Shufen's brows furrowed, and three clear horizontal lines appeared on her forehead.
"There's a 30% chance Lu Haiming will go crazy."
Lin Shufen said in a deep voice.
"Then let him go crazy."
Chen Yan continued the conversation.
He extended his middle finger.
"Second, release the news about this five million US dollars. Not through your mouth, but through those reporters who took Lu Haiming's dirty money."
Chen Yan said.
"I want them to know that the person they're criticizing just brought back to China a foreign exchange quota equivalent to the annual earnings of a large chemical plant."
Chen Yan said.
Lin Shufen looked down at the blue bricks under her feet.
Two gray pigeons landed on the eaves, their flapping wings making a loud noise in the quiet courtyard.
"What can I get in return?"
Lin Shufen looked up and asked.
Her eyes were fixed on the bridge of Chen Yan's nose.
"My priority investment rights for my next three films."
Chen Yan said.
"I'll give you the bottom price."
Chen Yan added.
Lin Shufen picked up the teapot again.
The stream of water coming out of the spout has become thinner.
"Including that big-budget historical drama that hasn't even started filming yet?"
Lin Shufen asked.
"Including all."
Chen Yan replied.
Lin Shufen stood up and slammed the purple clay teapot down on the center of the stone table.
"Sign the agreement."
Lin Shufen said.
She turned around and waved to her secretary, who was standing guard in the shadows of the corridor.
A young woman in business attire walked briskly over, carrying a folder in her arms.
Fifteen minutes later.
Chen Yan signed the newly drafted letter of intent for cooperation.
Black ink spread across the white paper.
Chen Yan stood up and turned up the collar of his trench coat.
"Tomorrow morning, I want to see the newspaper report on the change in the wind direction."
Chen Yan said.
"Money can make the dead talk."
Lin Shufen said.
She grabbed two checks from the stone table and stuffed them into the pocket of her cheongsam.
Chen Yan walked out of the vermilion gate.
Wang, the comprador, was still standing in the same old spot.
When he saw Chen Yan come out, he casually threw away his cigarette butt and spat out a mouthful of saliva.
"Director Chen, are you done talking?"
Wang, the comprador, stepped sideways and blocked Chen Yanlu's path, asking questions.
He tilted his head, his right hand in his trouser pocket.
"President Lu has booked the entire Kailai Hotel and would like to invite you there to wash away that foreign tacky smell."
Wang, the comprador, continued.
Wu Gang stepped forward, pressing his fist against his side.
The vermilion gate opened again.
Lin Shufen walked out in high heels, the heels striking the stone pavement with a rapid, rhythmic sound.
"Wang the comprador."
Lin Shufen called out.
Wang, the comprador, turned his face and put on a smiling one.
"Sister Lin, do you have any instructions?"
Wang, the purchasing agent, asked.
Lin Shufen walked up to Chen Yan and stood down next to him.
She reached out a hand and gently patted the wrinkles on Chen Yan's shoulder.
"Go back and tell Lu Haiming."
Lin Shufen looked at Wang, the comprador, and said.
"Director Chen's tea is soothing to drink. But my stomach can't handle President Lu's strong liquor."
Lin Shufen continued.
Wang, the comprador, twitched a muscle on his face.
He glanced at Lin Shufen, then at the contract bag in Chen Yan's hand.
"Sister Lin, you row that boat really fast."
Wang, the comprador, asked in a cold voice.
"The water is deep; if we don't paddle fast, we'll sink."
Lin Shufen answered.
She gestured for him to enter.
Wang, the comprador, stared intently at Chen Yan for a moment, then turned around and got into the gray van.
The car door slammed shut with a loud thud.
"Old Wu, drive."
Chen Yan said to Wu Gang.
The black Hongqi sedan started.
Chen Yan sat in the back seat and saw Lin Shufen still standing on the steps of the jujube tree gate.
She was taking the jade ring out of her pocket and folding it in the sunlight to examine it.
"Old Chen, shall we go back to school now?"
Wu Gang gripped the steering wheel and asked.
"I won't reply."
Chen Yan leaned back in his chair and said.
He closed his eyes, and his breathing slowed down.
"Go to Tianjin."
Chen Yan gave the order.
"Lu Haiming's old stronghold?"
Wu Gang asked.
"Go see the ruins of that collapsed bell tower."
Chen Yan said.
His palms opened and then slowly closed.
My fingertips gripped the leather seat cushion, leaving five light-colored marks.
The wheel rolled over an old newspaper on the road.
The newspaper was rolled under the car and torn to shreds instantly.
The distant chimes of St. Mark's Square seemed to still echo in Chen Yan's ears.
But what he hears now is the roar of heavy bulldozers driving through the construction site.
Chen Yan opened his eyes.
His pupils reflected the gray telephone poles rushing past the window.
"Let him cover it."
Chen Yan muttered to himself.
"The higher it is built, the more it will shatter when it falls."
The black Hongqi sedan accelerated and merged onto the national highway leading to Tianjin.
By the roadside, a dead poplar tree was broken by the wind, and the broken branches fell into the ditch, raising a cloud of dust.
The image freezes on Chen Yan's hand, which is clenched into a fist.
The veins on his wrists bulged out, like snakes coiled beneath his skin.