*Chapter 196: You're Impressive*

During some casual conversation, the plane took off on time.

Of course, most of the talking was between Wayne and Leo, while the others, even big names like Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, mainly smiled along and chimed in occasionally. They only really spoke when they were asked something.

It’s just the way things are—fame can make a person stand out.

Even though Wayne and Leo both seemed quite young, their status and influence in Hollywood and globally were undeniable.

From Jackie and Sammo's perspective, Wayne and Leo’s presence was incredibly strong.

Things got especially interesting when Amanda noticed Liu Yifei sneaking glances at Wayne. Not sure if she was annoyed or just having fun, Amanda teased Liu Yifei. To that, Wayne responded with a straightforward, “Stop it, you’ll all be good friends from now on.”

This left everyone stunned.

Even Leo couldn’t help but lean back in surprise.

Seeing Amanda stick out her tongue playfully and settle down, Leo couldn’t resist giving Wayne a thumbs up.

“You’re impressive!” Leo said sincerely.

After all, who was Amanda? She was the little princess of the Hearst family!

Amanda was the daughter of Annie Hearst, the third-generation leader of the Hearst family!

Originally, people thought Amanda held the dominant position in her relationship with Wayne. They assumed that one day, other women would be pushed aside, and only Amanda would remain because of her powerful background.

But now, it seemed like that wasn’t the case at all!

“If I were half as good as you, that’d be great!” Leo admitted.

Wayne, with Amanda in his arms, laughed and said, “You must be dreaming! With your level, you're not even one-tenth as good as me!”

Leo froze for a moment before quickly responding, “That’s impossible! No way I’m not even one-tenth as good as you! That’s slander! Slander, I tell you!”

But even as he said it, Leo couldn’t help but think back to the last time they were on a yacht together, and he suddenly felt conflicted.

To be honest, maybe he really wasn’t as good as Wayne, even by one-tenth.

Feeling a bit down, Leo quickly changed the subject.

“Do they have cards on this plane? How about a game of poker? Texas Hold’em?”

“I don’t know how to play and I’m not interested, but I can watch you guys play. There are four of you, right?”

“Alright then.”

Leo shrugged and called for the flight attendant to bring some cards so he could play poker with Jackie and the others.

Meanwhile, Liu Yifei was still in a daze, her mind filled with Wayne’s earlier words. It wasn’t until Liu Xiaoli pinched her several times that she snapped out of it.

Of course, Liu Xiaoli was even happier than Liu Yifei, though, being an adult, she didn’t show her excitement like a young girl.

“Mr. Wayne, Yifei has been really focused on preparing for her role as Ru Yue. She’s even been consulting with acting coaches. But since Director Zhang isn’t around, could we trouble you to give her some guidance?”

“Sure,” Wayne agreed without hesitation.

Just like in his previous life, Hero would officially start filming in Dunhuang this August, and Liu Yifei would stay in China after her return.

Jet Li would also start his training two weeks before filming, but he had already spoken with Director Zhang about his schedule.

For Hero, Jet Li agreed to take a pay cut, so Zhang Yimou didn’t mind letting him take some time off when Wanted needed him. After all, Wanted was Wayne’s film, and Zhang was counting on Wayne to help sell Hero’s North American and global rights for a good price.

“This is the script,” said Liu Xiaoli as she handed it to Wayne.

Wayne took the script, glanced at it, and began guiding Liu Yifei, comparing her performance with that of Zhang Ziyi’s version of Ru Yue from his past life.

Truth be told, Liu Yifei genuinely loved acting and wanted to improve.

In her previous life, however, she hadn’t had any formal training before being cast in The Story of a Noble Family. She became famous because of her looks.

Neither Liu Xiaoli nor her godfather understood the importance of acting skills. They were only focused on boosting Liu Yifei’s fame.

As a result, she missed the best time to learn. By the time she wanted to improve, her acting had already become somewhat set, making it difficult to change.

But in this life, after being discovered early by Wayne, she took acting seriously from the start, with one-on-one guidance from professional coaches. Her acting skills were far better than in the same period in her previous life.

Now, if she were to audition for the film academy, no one would suspect she got in through connections.

“There’s nothing wrong with your performance. From my perspective, you’re more than capable of playing Ru Yue. But in terms of appearance, you still have a bit of baby fat. I think your cheeks should be a bit slimmer. Of course, don’t go overboard. As for your line delivery, I’m not the expert. What do you think, Li?”

Over at the poker game, Jet Li, who had just been eliminated, had also been watching Liu Yifei’s performance. He smiled and said, “The line delivery could use some work, but with more practice, it should be fine. She could have a coach help her go over the lines one by one. And if all else fails, we can always use a voice actor in post-production. In Hong Kong, films released in mainland China are usually dubbed, so this is pretty common in the Chinese film industry.”

Wayne shook his head and said, “There’s a saying in China: ‘You need to be strong yourself to forge good iron.’ I’m planning to make her the leading lady of Lighthouse Entertainment, so her acting, physical presence, and line delivery all need to be top-notch.”

Hearing this, both Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli were overjoyed.

Even Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung were a bit surprised. They hadn’t expected Wayne to place such high hopes on Liu Yifei.

Suddenly, Liu Yifei’s status in their eyes rose even higher.

Wayne continued, “I really like her look in ancient costumes. I think she’s very suited for period dramas and wuxia films. I know most wuxia dramas in China are currently produced in Hong Kong, so I’ll have to rely on you all for those kinds of opportunities.”

Jet Li readily agreed, and both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan did as well.

With their connections, getting wuxia and period drama roles wouldn’t be a problem.

As for wuxia films, Wayne didn’t bring them up.

After the overproduction of wuxia films in the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong’s wuxia film industry had significantly declined in the 21st century.

Nowadays, it was more common for wuxia films to be produced in mainland China or Taiwan, where they would bring in actors from across Greater China.

While many wuxia films were being made, very few of them were of high quality.

The market for martial arts films on the mainland was oversaturated, which indirectly accelerated the genre's decline.

Wayne then turned to Liu Xiaoli and Liu Tianxian, saying, "It’s convenient for Xixi to stay here in China for a while. Her next focus will be on historical dramas and martial arts films. Besides honing her acting and dialogue skills, she also needs to work on her manners, etiquette, and even her overall demeanor. So I’ll have Fok Wenxi arrange for her to receive professional training in traditional culture and etiquette. You should also supervise her progress. As the saying goes, 'Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the work.' If she follows my plan step by step without rushing, she should be able to become a top Hollywood star by the time she's around 20 years old."

At this, both Liu Tianxian and Liu Xiaoli were visibly excited, with Liu Xiaoli’s face turning red.

If someone else had said this, even a big director like Spielberg, she might have been skeptical, thinking it was just an empty promise.

But since it was Wayne, though it might still be a dream, it felt like one that could actually come true!

Just look at the example of Jessica, sitting right next to Wayne.

In less than 10 months, Jessica went from being a completely unknown actress to becoming a top Hollywood star, thanks to three films: Happy Death Day, The Bourne Identity, and The Notebook.

And currently, she’s one of the hottest stars in Hollywood.

"You can count on me. I’ll make sure to supervise her closely!" Liu Xiaoli immediately promised, her determination even more intense than Liu Tianxian’s desire to become a Hollywood star.

Her firm tone startled Liu Tianxian, who instinctively shrank back a little.

In fact, ever since Wayne signed Liu Tianxian, he already had a role in mind that would give her global recognition: Cho Chang in the Harry Potter series.

As the love interest of the protagonist, Cho Chang is a key supporting character in the films.

Considering the Harry Potter series consistently grosses over a billion dollars per movie, it's no wonder that many Asian actresses would fight for this role.

Several hours later, the plane safely landed at Beijing Capital International Airport.

As soon as the group exited the VIP terminal, they were met by Fok Wenxi and her assistant, who had been waiting for a while.

"Hello, Mr. Chairman, I’m Fok Wenxi."

Though this was their first meeting, Fok Wenxi was not unfamiliar with Wayne. After all, over the past two months, Wayne had dominated the global film industry.

The cold, ruthless 'Bourne' and the charmingly roguish 'Noah' had become the crush of countless girls.

However, not knowing Wayne's personal preferences, she addressed him formally.

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Sir, Boss, or even 'Boss'."

As Wayne spoke, he observed Fok Wenxi. In his past life, having been familiar with the Chinese entertainment scene, he had heard of her but never met her in person.

He couldn't help but think that with her looks, it was a pity she hadn’t become a star herself. Even in the golden era of Hong Kong cinema in the 80s and 90s, she would have been competitive.

But her decision to become a manager had clearly been the right one.

Though being an entertainment director at Emperor Entertainment didn’t earn as much as some stars, her influence and power in the industry far surpassed that of most celebrities.

"Alright, Boss. The cars and hotel are ready. Would you like to head to the hotel first?" Fok Wenxi relaxed a bit and asked.

"First, take Leonardo, Mr. Chen, and Master Yuan to the hotel. You’ll take me and Li to the company."

"Understood, Boss."

A moment later, the group left the airport.

Outside, five brand-new black Audi A6s and two Silver Angels were parked, drawing the attention of passersby.

The fleet of seven cars attracted a lot of attention, especially since the combined cost of the five Audi A6s was nearly three million yuan, and each Silver Angel was worth close to ten million yuan.

At that time, these cars could have bought a 3,000-square-meter courtyard house in Beijing’s Third Ring Road area.

Of course, because they were "prop cars" and rented, Lighthouse Entertainment only had to pay some taxes and didn’t spend much on them.

"Jessie, you and Amanda take another car."

Afterward, Jackie Chan and his assistants took three of the Audis to the hotel, while Wayne, Amanda, Liu Tianxian, Liu Xiaoli, and Fok Wenxi headed to the company.

While Beijing’s traffic at that time wasn’t as bad as it would be in the future, Wayne still chose a company location near the Summer Palace and Haidian Park for long-term convenience.

"Have you finalized the guest list?"

"Yes, Boss. We’ve received confirmation from 87 guests for the opening ceremony," Fok Wenxi said, handing over the list.

Thanks to the connections of Master Yuan, Zhang Yimou, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan, the ceremony would be packed with stars.

In addition, Fok Wenxi had also invited the heads of major talent agencies like Huayi and Rongxinda, as Wayne had requested, making his intentions clear.

Moreover, she followed his instructions and invited professors and students from the acting departments of the Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama.

With this lineup, not counting the fans who would learn about the event from entertainment news and newspapers, there would be at least five or six hundred attendees.

Among them, the acting students were undoubtedly the most excited.

They would have the opportunity to mingle with numerous top celebrities, directors, and high-level executives from talent agencies and production companies, not to mention current Hollywood stars and Wayne, the owner of Hemera Pictures, one of the most prominent companies just below the Big Seven studios.

This kind of opportunity was almost unprecedented.

Yes, after The Notebook was released, Wayne had firmly established himself as a Hollywood superstar. Even Tom Cruise had been left in the dust.

The only actor who could compete with him in terms of popularity was Leonardo DiCaprio.

In less than a year, Wayne had risen from being a newcomer to achieving a status that most could never reach in a lifetime.

The most legendary part? The films that catapulted him to fame were all produced by his own company.

His talent agency’s allure to aspiring stars and students didn’t need to be explained.

(End of the chapter)