Arc 1.3 [Chapter 3]
Early the next morning, Luo Qintian was blocked in front of the Luo mansion.
He was waiting at the gate for his driver to bring the car over, and to his surprise, a man suddenly appeared from the bush beside him.
The person blocking him was a good-looking young man, about 1.82 tall, with a white shirt and black trousers. His curly hair was a bit messy and his black shoes were covered with a thin layer of dust, so it seemed that he had been waiting for some time.
The young man was carrying a deflated transparent briefcase tightly in his hand. From the outside, you could see only two pairs of black sunglasses and a CD box inside. His chin was slightly raised as he stared with a look of both expectation and excitement, obviously looking a little unkempt but also like an energetic young leopard, which made people feel good for no reason.
It was naturally Bai Lixin, who was blocking someone, as the system had resumed its normal operation yesterday afternoon.
As soon as it came out of sleep mode, Bai Lixin immediately had S419M lock on to Luo Qintian's geographical location, which allowed him to block him. Otherwise, for someone like Luo Qintian, who had more than a dozen flats, where would he have gone to block people?
When he saw that the two bodyguards beside Luo Qintian were about to come forward to take him, Bai Lixin consciously raised his hands above his head to show that he was harmless, "Mr. Luo, I am Lu Xuefei, the president of Lu's entertainment company, and I have an urgent matter to talk to you about the TV advertising contract that my company has signed with your company."
As Luo Qintian looked Bai Lixin up and down, Bai Lixin was also looking at Luo Qintian. Luo Qintian was worthy of being the overlord of a big family. Being able to sit firmly at the helm of the Luo clan when he was less than thirty showed he really did have the strength and the courage for it.
Luo Qintian was 1.95 metres tall and had a sharp, handsome and unpretentious face. He exuded a chilly domineering aura around him. His eyes were cold and steely as if all lies could not escape them.
Luo Qintian looked at Bai Lixin a second longer, and when he saw the driver pulling the car over, he suddenly said, "Get in."
Bai Lixin faintly froze, "What?"
Luo Qintian raised his eyebrows and said with some impatience, "It's eight o'clock, I have a meeting at 8:30. I don't have time to sit out and listen to you. Either get in the car or come back another day. " He opened the car door and sat in the back.
How could the duck that was in the mouth just fly away?
Seeing Luo Qintian get into the car, Bai Lixin also hurriedly ran to the other side and opened the door to sit in the car.
"Mr. Luo, I'm really sorry for disturbing you in such a hasty manner under such circumstances. I will definitely apologize some other time. Your company signed a TV commercial contract with Lu's Entertainment not long ago, and it was mentioned in the contract that Wang Sisi would play the female lead. However, as fate would have it, our company terminated the contract with Wang Sisi shortly afterwards. In that case, your company is able to file a breach of contract lawsuit against my company and claim damages for breach of contract. "
"It's not that I don't want to pay damages for breach of contract, but please watch these videos first before making a decision. If you still insist on doing so by then, then I have nothing to say. " With these words, Bai Lixin pulled out the CD box from the briefcase he was carrying and held it in front of Luo Qintian with both hands.
Looking at the disc that was offered like a treasure, Luo Qintian couldn't help but feel a little amused. He raised his eyebrows slightly and took the disc out of the box and put it into the DVD player connected to the car TV in the back.
Luo Qintian had a habit of watching the news in the car, so the car TV set installed was the best in terms of performance and resolution, and the presentation of the picture was somewhat affected, but never by much.
Two simple video titles appeared on the TV screen, one said "one" and the other had "two".
Luo Qintian raised an eyebrow and looked at Bai Lixin on his side. Bai Lixin scratched the side of his nose and laughed, "The title is not important; what matters is the content."
With that, he pressed the remote control and clicked on the first video.
Immediately afterwards, the silent video leapt into action, instantly hitting all of Luo Qintian's visual cells.
In the middle of the ocean, there was a small ship, and on it were two lovers clinging to each other in diving suits. After hugging for a while, they both plunged into the sea.
The moment they jumped into the sea, Luo Qintian's eyes lit up with them. The blue and clear water, the dappled sunlight, and the colourful underwater world all made a huge impact on his vision through the display. His eyes widened as he followed the couple closely, and he saw them swim past schools of colourful tropical fish and through meandering, twisting schools of kelp. It all looked so real.
He even saw a huge whale swim past them as if it were swimming past him. When the whale flipped over as it swam by, he could even feel the obvious fluctuations of the surrounding water. After the whale had gone, the couple were confronted by a terrifying great white shark!
The couple was in a panic. They turned and fled in haste, but in front of the great white shark, any swimming would have been useless. Just as the shark catches up with them, the scene changes to a cosy room with the couple wearing black glasses on their faces, snuggled together with terrified expressions, pointing at the great white shark on the TV that frightened their hearts out as if it were really coming for them.
The video was only a minute long, and there was no sound throughout, only the powerful impact of the images. But even though there was no sound, Luo Qintian could still relate to it, as he had just watched the whole thing from the beginning to the end.
Seeing Luo Qiantan's reaction, Bai Lixin's heart was clear. He coughed twice and said, "Your company can actually cancel the contract with us and then re-contract Wang Sisi to shoot the TV commercial, but I feel that since you are shooting, you should shoot the best. This video was made with the most advanced post-production in the world, something you won't find in any other company. "
"Wang Sisi's acting skills are certainly outstanding, but I think that your company's products are sold mainly for their timeliness and practicality, and nowadays, with the rapid development of technology, even the most advanced electronic products will be obsolete in a few years."
"She can use emotion to get this TV from your company to break into the public eye, but what people ultimately look for when they buy it is practicality. I've seen Wang Sisi's ad suggestion, and the raw film is very touching, but it's so touching that it's not conducive to selling. The first thing that comes to a buyer's mind when they see your TV brand is the melancholic ad. Who would spend all day looking at a television set that evokes a sorrowful memory?"
"I have researched your TV, and apart from having the same performance as a regular TV, your TV also has a special feature that supports 3D viewing mode. Nowadays, 3D movies around the world are just starting to take off. Since that's the case, wouldn't it be better to use it as an advertisement like the video shown just now, to get closer to the theme? "
Luo Qintian held his arms over his chest and crossed his legs, his eyes glancing at Bai Lixin, "What do you mean?"
"I hope you will consider amending the contract to still work with us, just changing the content of the advertisement. As compensation, I will also make a trial 3D video tailored to your company's TV set. Moreover, our company intends to launch its own 3D film at a later stage, so if you agree to work with me, we can even promote and publicize it together with your TV at that time, which is not only mutual help but a win-win situation. "
Luo Qintian was a born businessman, and as soon as he saw Bai Lixin's video, he already smelled the business opportunity.
Looking at the global film market today, Hollywood and other places have already started experimenting with 3D film promotion and publicity. However, China was slow with the times, and he could not master 3D technology without the resources or talents. This is why he has been hesitant to try out 3D TV sets in China.
Bai Lixin added, "This is only one of the videos on the CD, the other video is the real 3D video. Of course, I have also prepared two pairs of glasses, and this is for you. " Bai Lixin said, taking out two pairs of 3D glasses from the briefcase he carried with him, handing one pair to Luo Qintian and putting on the other one. After putting them on, Bai Lixin then clicked on the video button and opened the second video.
The moment the video played, Luo Qiantan felt as if he was in a sea of flowers, everything was so real and three-dimensional.
This video was also silent, but Luo Qiantan felt that this video was more realistic and shocking than the 3D videos he had seen abroad with sound effects. He was watching the video on a 10-inch car TV, but if he had used a normal big screen, the effect would have been unimaginable.
It was as if endless exotic flowers and plants were actually blooming around him, glowing blue under the moonlight as if he could smell them through the screen. The moon was just above his head, and he felt he could reach it with the slightest stretch of his hand.
Countless colourful butterflies fluttered from afar, some floating on top of the flowers, some swimming around mischievously, and a few restlessly, even flying towards him, looking like they were about to fly into his face!
He knew they were fake, but Luo Qingtian couldn't help but step back to avoid these restless butterflies.
When Luo Qintian saw the butterflies landing on the flowers, he wanted to smell the fragrance of the flowers, but just as he was thinking that the image suddenly stopped abruptly and went back to black.
Luo Qintian took off his glasses and let out a breath of relief. He was certain that even Hollywood, the most advanced film industry, could not present such a perfect 3D effect.
Bai Lixin watched Luo Qintian's expression carefully and was already confident. He had created this video using the technology of the future. In the future, with the development of technology, 3D, 4D, and even holographic projections would be images that could be seen everywhere in everyday life. But now the video reader could not read the future video format, so he transcoded the video to DVD format to facilitate the presentation to Luo Qintian.
"Mr. Luo, do you think you can accept the proposal I just made?"
Luo Qintian thought for a moment, "Okay, I will amend the contract this afternoon and re-sign it tomorrow. Also, you mentioned earlier that you were planning to make a 3D movie. Have you found a partner yet? "
Bai Lixin smiled awkwardly and showed an embarrassed expression, "I'm not afraid of your jokes. Our company, Lu's Entertainment, originally planned to shoot a film about family love, and the main character was already set to be Wang Sisi. But because of my unilateral termination of the contract, everything had to be overturned and started all over again. If I hadn't been desperate, I wouldn't have brought out my secret weapon to negotiate with you. Originally, I was planning to perfect this 3D movie before releasing it next year, and by then, I would have directly crushed all the other film and television companies and entered Hollywood in one go."
Wang Sisi was more or less a contracted actress for his TV brand, so Luo Qintian had also heard something about Lu's Entertainment Company, and he had no doubt about this. After a while, he asked, "I'm curious, Wang Sisi was promoted by you guys. How come you decided to just have her contract terminated? "
"Because I liked Xu Haoran." Bai Lixin didn't say much and only returned this sentence. He then lowered his eyelashes and covered his eyes.
Luo Qiantan first froze, then looked at Bai Lixin with flickering eyes.
He was secretly in love with Xu Haoran, so he was jealous of Wang Sisi, which was why he drove her away. But unexpectedly, once Wang Sisi had left, Xu Haoran also decided to leave. Wang Sisi's contract was terminated by Lu's Entertainment on their own initiative, so she did not need to pay for the breach of contract. But Xu Haoran and his group decided to terminate their contracts on their own and were required to fulfil their final responsibility by paying the liquidation damages. But Lu Xuefei chose to put his company at risk of bankruptcy rather than let Xu Haoran pay for the breach of contract.
He really didn't know whether it was better to call him affectionate or so stupid that he was cute.
"Since you don't have a partner yet, then I hope to work with your company when the time comes," Luo Qintian said with a nod, not pursuing the matter further.
Hearing Luo Qintian's words, Bai Lixin immediately revealed an excited expression as he heavily nodded, "Mr. Luo has always been my idol, and it has always been my lifelong expectation to work with Mr. Luo."
Bai Lixin smiled brightly. His crystal clear black eyes were like two small suns, shining so brightly that Luo Qintian felt he would be blinded.
He ducked his head to hide the abnormality in his eyes and reached down to take the disc out of the DVD player and carefully put it into the case before handing it back to Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin hurriedly pushed it back with both hands and said sincerely, "I still have a copy, so I'll give you this disc. I hope you can watch it again on the big screen when you get back. It will definitely be a different experience."
Luo Qintian didn't push back either. He did love this video a bit, and since Bai Lixin had said so, he took it back straight away.
They were still a few minutes away from the office, and neither of them spoke again after talking business. Luo Qintian leaned against the backrest and sized up Bai Lixin.
The car slowly drove into the headquarters of the Luo Group, Luo Qintian said to the driver before getting off, "Send Mr. Lu back."
He then stepped out of the car and wad led a group of people to the conference hall.
At the end of the meeting, Luo Qiantan was still reflecting on the magnificent scene he had seen this morning.
He had been at the helm of the Luo Group for many years and had been involved in all walks of life. The Vision TV was a television set that they had developed on their own, but it was only a small enterprise under the Luo Group with the intention of testing the waters. But when he saw the two videos today, he suddenly changed his mind.
There were three videos lying quietly on the laptop desktop. The first two were the two videos Lu Xuefei had played for him this morning, and the third was the one he had just asked his secretary for, the one of Wang Sisi's audition.
Clicking on the third video, Luo Qintian watched on.
But as he watched, he frowned.
Emotion in an ad was certainly novel, but this was not the effect he wanted.
His company's television set was not created for the sake of remembering others, but to give a better visual effect. If this ad was put out, it might rise to the top of public opinion for a short time, but the beneficiaries would certainly not be them. In time, the first things that come to mind when talking about their television set will be the deceased grandfather and the sad and dutiful granddaughter.
Then the audience for the TV set will change from the middle-aged and young generations he had hoped for to the older generation, and sales will definitely decline significantly. And selling too much emotion would be counterproductive and offensive.
In this way, Wang Sisi's advertisement was not even a tenth in comparison to the one Lu Xuefei showed him.
Arc 1.4 [Chapter 4]
That afternoon, Bai Lixin received a personal call from Luo Qintian, who said that he had redrafted the contract, but there were still some areas that needed to be revised and improved, and he hoped to meet in person.
Bai Lixin put down the phone and smiled.
The other day, in Luo Qintian's car, Luo Qintian suddenly asked why he gave up on Wang Sisi. He naturally would not answer, "because he liked Xu Haoran" for no reason. It was because he knew that Luo Qintian was also uncompromisingly gay.
Since his goal was to make Lu Xuefei's love life and career a success, it's easier to go after a gay man than a straight man. And since he was looking for a lover, he had to find the most powerful lover under the sky, and that person, in his opinion, was Luo Qintian.
But S419M didn't remind Bai Lixin that there are two kinds of gays; 1 and 0. Whereby, 1 is born to press people and 0 is born to be pressed. If Bai Lixin finds another man, he might still be a 1, but if he provokes Luo Qintian, he will only be a number 0 for the rest of his life.
Bai Lixin put on his white shirt and black suit trousers, tied the buttons to the top one and finished it with a bow tie. While wearing the jacket, he suddenly remembered that he had to seduce Luo Qintian. So he threw the jacket aside, took off his trousers, undid his bowtie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing a glimpse of milky white skin.
Putting the neat black jacket back in the wardrobe, he took out a khaki-grid one and put it on, instantly transforming the young man in the mirror from a somewhat rigid figure to a vibrant one.
Feeling good about himself, Bai Lixin smiled at the man in the mirror and turned to leave.
Luo Qintian chose an upscale French restaurant with flickering candlelight, wine, and a romantic ambience.
This Western restaurant was only open to members, retaining absolute privacy, and was favoured by some people who valued privacy.
As soon as he stepped into the restaurant, Bai Lixin was led by the waiter towards the private room. But halfway there, his steps suddenly stopped. It was because he had seen three people.
Xu Haoran, Wang Sisi, and the handsome Zhou Yun.
The three were in the lobby, and there was an argument going on, and Bai Lixin could vaguely hear words like "let go" and "respect yourself".
The three were tugging and pulling, attracting stares from the people around them. It's a good thing the paparazzi couldn't follow them in, otherwise, tomorrow's entertainment headlines would have been;
"Suspected romance revealed! Zhou Yun and new generation actress Wang Sisi dine intimately! "
Xu Haoran probably also felt that the three people pulling and tugging on each other were a bit unsightly, so he looked around and apologized with an embarrassed smile. He instantly stiffened in place when their eyes met, but Bai Lixin was unconcerned, only nodding his head in greeting and continuing to follow the attendants.
Luo Qintian had been waiting inside for a while, and when he saw that Bai Lixin was a little distracted when he entered, he asked casually, "What's wrong? You're distracted."
Bai Lixin shook his head, "Nothing, I saw Xu Haoran when I came in just now."
"Oh?" Luo Qintian raised an eyebrow at his words, "And then?"
"Then, I'm now wondering why I looked at him in the first place. Was I blind? " Bai Lixin laughed, "Even if I was to like someone, it should be someone who..." He stopped his voice with a pause and looked at Luo Qintian awkwardly.
Luo Qintian also did not continue to ask further questions. He poured a glass of red wine for Bai Lixin and said, "I brought the contract here. You can go through and see. If there is no problem, we can sign it tomorrow. "
Bai Lixin nodded, picked up the glass and gently shook it a few times to let the mellow aroma of the wine emanate before he gently took a sip and let out a quick sigh of relief, "A 1978 vintage Romanee Conti, mellow and sweet, a fine product among fine products." He licked his lips with his pink-coloured tongue and made a tsk, looking as if he couldn't get enough.
Luo Qiantan was staring at Bai Lixin's movements, only to see his bright pink tongue sticking out of his mouth and licking the corners of his lips with a satisfied smile on his face, which was indescribably seductive.
Swallowing his saliva, Luo Qiantan said, "I didn't expect you to know how to taste wine at such a young age. When I brought it out, I was afraid you wouldn't know how to taste wine and spoil a bottle of good wine for nothing. "
Bai Lixin giggled, "How could I not know wine? If you want to ask me what I like most, it must be wine. But you, Mr. Luo, are the one person I never thought I'd meet."
"When my father died and I took over Luo's Entertainment, I idolised you then. You took the helm of Luo's at the age of 19 and not only transformed it perfectly but also made it prosperous in a way that I could never have done. I said to myself at the time that if Mr. Luo could do it, so could I. So I survived the first hurdle, and then later Xu Haoran also came to my aid before the company improved."
"The only star you have launched under your banner in the past two years is Wang Sisi. Now she has jumped ship, what do you want to do next? " Luo Qintian's eyes were deep as he asked in a low, hoarse voice.
Idol mm? The words on his lips were nice, but wasn't there a Xu Haoran in his heart? Somehow, when he heard Bai Lixin say Xu Haoran, he actually felt a bit uncomfortable, so he had hurriedly changed the topic.
"I don't plan to sign artists anymore. I want to transform my company into a 3D film company." Bai Lixin thought about it and replied back.
Luo Qintian's eyes darkened at his words, "Why? Just because it means stealing resources from Xu Haoran? Won't he get up if he falls down? "
The reason why Bai Lixin had decided to transform the company into a 3D film company was that he was sure that he could promote it internationally and reach heights that no one else could reach. He hadn't even thought about whether he would grab resources from Xu Haoran or not. Besides, he is not a saintly mother. Even if he didn't grab resources from Xu Haoran, weren't there others who would do so?
Bai Lixin hurriedly shook his head and explained, "No, Mr. Luo also saw that 3D video of mine. Let me ask you, how is the effect of my 3D video compared to those Hollywood 3D effects? "
"In my opinion, your 3D effect is better." Luo Qintian said, without thinking about it.
"So, I'll still make the films, and if I need a lead role, I'll sign with an artist from another company. I won't bother training my own artists anymore. It's too much of a waste of energy and resources to cultivate actors, and since each actor's performance has its limitations, I'd rather look at the entire entertainment industry and find actors who are really suitable for the roles in the film. And in my films, the focus will always be on gorgeous special effects and scenes, not on the protagonist's acting skills. What I want people to remember is the sense of impact, the sense of explosion that comes from my films, as if the heart and soul are trembling along with it. I want them to watch my films with their eyes firmly locked on the movie screen and not want to let go for a moment."
"Of course," Bai Lixin's words changed, and he playfully stuck his tongue out, "This is just my conception. Don't take offence, Mr Luo. Just think of it as a daydream. " But Luo Qintian shook his head and said, "It will not be just a dream."
He took a sip of wine to hide the unnatural look on his face. The confidence and excitement on Bai Lixin's face as he spoke freely was so heartwarming that he almost went to hug him.
The two of them ate for a while longer, and after the meal, Bai Lixin looked over the contract and identified a few changes before Luo Qintian helped the slightly drunken Bai Lixin into the car to take him home.
The driver drove unhurriedly, with Bai Lixin leaning on Luo Qintian's shoulder. In a short while, the driver drove over a rough area, and Bai Lixin fell into Luo Qintian's arms, his hot cheek pressing against the sturdy chest through the thin shirt.
The smell of testosterone emanating from Luo Qiantan's body actually stirred up Bai Lixin's heart. It was originally intended to be an act, but he didn't expect to really drink too much. And he actually reacted to Luo Qintian. Could it be that sexual orientation can also be inherited by the body?
He had already planned to make Luo Qintian fall in love with him. When it came to having sex, however, he would let the system manipulate his body rather than himself. He had consulted S419M on this issue, and S419M had given a positive answer that it was possible. So if he lived with Luo Qintian for the rest of his life, would Luo Qintian fail to fall in love with him?
Luo Qintian was no better. Lu Xuefei's appearance was clean and handsome, coupled with the fact that he had a good impression of him, and now that he was so close to him, it was hard to hold back. Luo Qintian stifled a grunt and vaguely felt his immensity have a towering erection.
When the car finally arrived in front of Lu's house, Luo Qintian dragged Bai Lixin out of his arms and held him upright. He patted Bai Lixin's face and said, "Lu Xuefei, you're home."
When he saw that Bai Lixin still looked confused, Luo Qintian sighed and resigned himself to helping him out of the car.
As soon as he stepped out of the car, he saw Xu Haoran, who had been waiting at the side for a long time. Luo Qintian frowned slightly as he helped Bai Lixin continue walking forward.
Xu Haoran had accompanied Wang Sisi to the Western restaurant for dinner today, but he had not expected to run into Zhou Yun. For some reason, Zhou Yun always had a good reputation in the industry, but Wang Sisi always resented this person very much.
When the two of them started to argue at the slightest disagreement, he had to pull them apart himself. And when he looked up, he actually saw the person he was ashamed to face – Lu Xuefei.
When he first defected from Lu's entertainment company, he had made a decision not to communicate with Lu Xuefei. Since it was a choice between love and friendship, he could only choose love.
He had expected Lu Xuefei to come over and question him, but to his surprise, he just nodded his head and left, as if nothing had happened.
But when he took a closer look, he saw that Lu Xuefei had actually gone to Luo Qintian's private room! Luo Qintian was known to be gay, so if he took a fancy to him, would Lu Xuefei still be able to retreat?
Because he was worried about Lu Xuefei, Zhou Haoran went straight to the Lu house after sending Wang Sisi home and waited until now. But the moment he saw the car door open, Xu Haoran's brow was furrowed.
Luo Qintian, what's under your suit trousers?! Are you all hard?
The two of them were so intimately close that Xu Haoran suppressed his disgust and stepped forward to pick up Lu Xuefei.
But how could Luo Qintian let him have his wish? He was nearly 2 meters tall, while Xu Haoran was only 1.85 meters tall. Luo Qintian looked down at Xu Haoran with a look of disdain and said, in a toneless voice, "Let go."
Xu Haoran trembled, and for a moment, he felt that he was not being stared at by a human, but by some kind of demon from hell.
"Wait, wait a minute." Luo Qintian had just taken two steps out when Xu Haoran stopped him again.
In a slightly pleading tone, Xu Haoran said, "Xue is not in the same boat as you, so let him go. He's even had a cleanliness problem since he was young. He hasn't even touched a woman."
Luo Qintian paused and clearly felt the body pressing against him stiffen for a moment. He glanced at Xu Haoran with dark eyes and suddenly asked, "What if he's the same as me? Would you accept him if he suddenly confessed his love to you?
Xu Haoran was slightly stunned and quickly waved his hand, "No, Xue and I are good brothers. How could he be....no."
Luo Qintian sighed and his hand pinched Bai Lixin's butt without a trace, "Since you can't tolerate him, get out of his sight and stay away from him. Between your brother and a woman, haven't you already resolutely chosen the woman? "
Xu Haoran was dumbfounded. He did feel very guilty about this matter. He left in a moment of anger, only fearing that Wang Sisi was out there alone and unable to protect herself, neglecting his brother who had no one by his side.
After saying this, Luo Qintian stopped paying attention to Xu Haoran and helped Lu Xuefei walk directly to the front of the Lu residence. As the door of his residence was locked with fingerprints, Bai Lixin got up and pressed a finger, and the door opened at a beep. The two entered, and Xu Haoran was directly shut outside the door.
Xu Haoran was a little overwhelmed. This was the first time in all these years that he had been shut out by Lu Xuefei.
Inside the room, Bai Lixin wrapped his arms around Luo Qintian's neck and looked at him with wet eyes as he said aggrievedly, "You deliberately revealed my scars."
Luo Qintian chuckled softly and said, "Short-term pain is better than long-term pain. But you should have heard about my sexuality. If you keep looking at me like that, you'll lose your reputation tonight."
Bai Lixin smiled mischievously, "You should also know about my sexual orientation."
He originally did this to seduce Luo Qintian, and now that Luo Qintian was here, did he have to let him go?