HCB Chapter 175 Invitations came like snowflakes, but Lin Zhou rejected them all.
Chapter 175 Invitations came like snowflakes, but Lin Zhou rejected them all.
On the dining table, the millet porridge was still steaming, paired with a half-cooked poached egg that Su Qingge had personally fried. It should have been a warm and pleasant breakfast.
But the atmosphere now is even more tense than on the trading floor of Wall Street.
"Buzzing—"
As soon as Sister Hong forcibly turned on Lin Zhou's phone, it started vibrating violently, as if it were tap dancing on the mahogany table.
"Huh? Director Wang, oh, you're too kind. What? You want me to be the closing act at the Spring Festival Gala? And you even want to give me a ten-minute solo performance?"
Lin Zhou slurped his porridge while speaking casually into the speakerphone.
"Director Lin! This is the Spring Festival Gala! Over a billion viewers across the country are watching!"
On the other end of the phone, the CCTV director, who was known for his aloofness, spoke in a humble tone, as if he were praying to a god.
"As long as you're willing to come, you'll be paid the highest fee! You can choose any kind of performance! Even if you want to perform a huge, chaotic stew, that's fine too!"
"I don't want a big, chaotic mess; I'm afraid it'll blow up the stage."
Lin Zhou smiled and casually hung up the phone.
Before he could even put his phone down, another call came in seamlessly.
"Mr. Lin! I am the President of Hermès Greater China! We sincerely invite you to become our global brand ambassador! The endorsement fee is 500 million RMB over three years, plus lifetime free use of all our products!"
"Five hundred million?"
Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow, glanced at Su Qingge who was eavesdropping across from him, and deliberately dragged out his voice.
"That sounds pretty tempting... but..."
"beep--"
It's down again.
Immediately afterwards, calls came in one after another from Hunan TV, Tomato TV, and even a well-known Hollywood film studio.
Behind every incoming call lies an astronomical amount of resources and money.
Hongjie stood to the side, clutching the schedule filled with invitations, her whole body trembling.
It wasn't cold, it was excitement.
Looking at the top-tier resources that she could never have obtained in normal times, now which were like cabbages in a market for Lin Zhou to choose from, she felt as if she were in a mountain of gold.
"Lin Zhou! Lin Zhou, listen to me!"
Seeing that Lin Zhou had turned down another variety show offer that was worth 100 million, Sister Hong finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She rushed forward, placed her hands on the table, and stared intently at Lin Zhou, her eyes filled with a greedy, money-blinded gleam.
"What are you doing, my goodness!"
"That's five hundred million! That's real money! If we accept this endorsement, we won't have to worry for the rest of our lives!"
"And what about the Spring Festival Gala! That's a stage that countless artists would kill for! And you actually turned it down? Do you know how many people will criticize you for being ungrateful if word gets out?"
Su Qingge also put down her chopsticks. Although she had seen many big scenes before, she was still a little frightened by such crazy capital pursuit.
"Honey, how about... you reconsider?"
She looked at Lin Zhou with some concern.
"Although we are not short of money now, these resources are indeed quite rare. Especially the Spring Festival Gala, if you go there, your status in the industry will be truly unshakable."
"status?"
Lin Zhou chuckled and slowly wiped his mouth with a tissue.
He tossed his phone onto the table like it was a useless brick.
"Honey, do you think I need to prove my status by appearing on the Spring Festival Gala?"
"and……"
He stretched, leaned back in his chair, and looked utterly dejected.
"It's been pushed back, all of it has been pushed back."
"Whether it's 500 million or 1 billion, whether it's the Spring Festival Gala or the Autumn Festival Gala, turn them all down."
"What?"
Hongjie's eyes widened, wondering if there was something wrong with her ears.
"You pushed them all down? Lin Zhou, are you crazy?"
"This is the best chance you can ever reach the top! If you capitalize on this wave of popularity, you'll be the emperor of the Chinese entertainment industry! You can do whatever you want!"
"I can do whatever I want now, can't I?"
Lin Zhou countered with a question, his tone carrying a calmness that was infuriating.
"Sister Hong, I know you're doing this for my own good, and for the company's good. But can we ever make enough money? Have we gained enough fame?"
"But……"
Sister Hong was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet, and her face turned red.
"There has to be a reason, right? They've practically delivered the money to your doorstep, and you just turn them away without even looking at it? That doesn't make sense!"
"And look at these conditions, how humble they've been! How can you be so disrespectful?"
Su Qingge couldn't help but nod.
"Yes, honey, I also think it's a bit of a waste. Even if you don't want to be too tired, it would be better to pick a few easier ones to take."
Seeing the two women's "Are you stupid?" expressions, Lin Zhou sighed helplessly.
He stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked at the little figure squatting on the grass in the garden outside, playing with mud with a small shovel.
That's his daughter, Nuonuo.
The sunlight shone on her little head with two pigtails, making her look like a little angel fallen to earth.
Lin Zhou's eyes softened instantly, and the ruthless aura he displayed in the world of fame and fortune vanished without a trace.
"reason?"
He turned around, pointed to Nuonuo outside the window, and a warm smile appeared on his lips.
"That's the reason."
"what?"
Hongjie and Su Qingge looked in the direction he was pointing, completely bewildered.
"Nuonuo? What does this have to do with Nuonuo?"
Sister Hong got impatient. "Don't tell me you have too much money and nowhere to spend it, so you're playing in the mud with your daughter?"
"More or less."
Lin Zhou turned around, looked at the two women who were still confused, and slowly said:
"Last night when I was putting Nuonuo to sleep, she told me that recently all the children in kindergarten have been listening to the sequel to 'Journey to the West'."
"I promised her I would tell her the story of the real and fake Monkey King tonight."
He paused, his tone becoming incredibly serious, even carrying a hint of fatherly pride.
"Tell me, if I go to record a show and earn a few measly bucks, only to disappoint my daughter in the end, wouldn't I be a terrible father?"
"So, that's my reason."
"I need to go home and tell my daughter stories; I don't have time to play with them."
Dead silence.
The entire restaurant fell into a deathly silence.
The itinerary in Sister Hong's hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
Su Qingge stared wide-eyed at the man in front of her who could reject a multi-billion dollar offer without hesitation just to tell his daughter a bedtime story. She felt as if something had exploded in her head.
This is...
This is too Versailles!
but……
Why does it sound so irrefutable, and even make you want to applaud him?