Chapter 141: Entirely Different Mindsets

Chapter 141: Entirely Different Mindsets

From then on, Ou Guohua’s coveting of Xingfeng Group came to a temporary end.

It wasn’t that Ou Guohua didn’t want to, but because he genuinely had the heart to kill the thief but lacked the power to turn the tide.

To take control of Star Peak Entertainment and retrieve Ou Junlang’s artist contract, Ou Guohua’s shareholding ratio would have to surpass Chen Feng’s to become the largest shareholder.

But according to the current valuation, plus considering the premium required for a forced acquisition of a company in its growth phase, even if he only wanted 47.5% of the shares, the offer would have to exceed four billion.

The capital required was immense to this degree; even for the Ouhe Group, it would be crippling.

“Dad, do you think I should ask Master to talk with you again later?”

Ou Junlang rubbed his face and asked with a chuckle.

Ou Guohua pointed at the door. “If you don’t want another beating, get lost right now!”

However, even if Ou Guohua still wanted to talk to Chen Feng, he had no chance.

On the second day after Star Peak Entertainment’s huge breakout success, Chen Feng and Zhong Lei boarded a plane to Los Angeles once more.

This time, they didn’t bring Meng Xiaozhou as a translator.

This trip wasn’t for a business collaboration, so no formal negotiations were needed.

Zhong Lei’s English was basically adequate, and Chen Feng had improved by leaps and bounds, making basic communication seamless.

The two walked side by side out of Los Angeles airport.

Zhong Lei looked at Chen Feng with an apologetic expression. “I already told you didn’t have to accompany me. I could have just reported to the college directly. Then I planned to go into seclusion for training. I wasn’t planning to go out for three months.”

Chen Feng shook his head and simply said, “I wasn’t comfortable with that. I need to see you settled in.”

Zhong Lei had no way to deal with his inexplicable stubbornness.

Although she didn’t quite understand it, this feeling was actually quite nice.

Although Los Angeles is a big city, its layout is very spread out, with districts scattered east and west. Without a car, getting around is practically impossible.

The Mason College that Zhong Lei had chosen for her training was nearly eighty kilometers from the airport, nestled between mountains and the sea, in a quiet and secluded environment.

As a privately-run specialized music college, Mason College is world-renowned. It has unique strengths in deeply cultivating music theory, advanced mastery of various instruments, and capturing emotions during creation, among other high-level knowledge. Many well-established, famous musicians are honored guests, or even students, at Mason College.

However, its fees are also steep. A three-month training session for one person costs as high as two hundred thousand US dollars.

Since Zhong Lei was the creator of “Self-Combustion” and already had some fame here, the college offered a fifty percent discount as they saw fit, charging only one hundred thousand.

They didn’t wait long before a Mercedes-Benz Vito drove up smoothly.

A Black driver hopped out, first looked down at a photo, then craned his neck looking around, quickly spotting the two at the airport entrance.

They got in, and off they went.

The Black driver was extremely enthusiastic, chatting non-stop the whole way.

However, Zhong Lei was only warm towards Chen Feng and showed little interest in engaging with strangers.

Feeling it hard to refuse such enthusiasm, Chen Feng had no choice but to use his barely passable English to make small talk with this driver who talked like he was rapping.

Actually, Chen Feng was also quite distracted; he was thinking about his own matters.

His reason for following to Los Angeles, worrying about Zhong Lei’s safety, was only one part of it.

Another layer was that he still hadn’t decided whether or not to try and impart the matter of the Golden Record to Zhong Lei this time.

If he were to do it, how should he implement it to both achieve the goal and not interfere with or limit the full play of her abilities, maximizing the chances of success?

Operations involving the future, while seeming simple, are actually very delicate.

Even carelessly saying the wrong word could ruin everything.

With less than ten days left until the next crossing-over, Chen Feng decided to clear his mind these days, staying here to carefully ponder this major decision.

Suddenly, the Black driver’s tone became excited.

“Hey, man, see that villa area on the hill over there?”

Chen Feng turned his head. On the hillside to the left of the vehicle, rows upon rows of magnificent standalone villas stretched out, both imposing and elegant.

Chen Feng nodded. “Very beautiful.”

“Yeah, and look to the right, that’s the Pacific Ocean! You know, how wonderful it is when you push open the back door of your living room, walk into your backyard, stand by your own pool, and can look up and see the Pacific Ocean in the distance. You can throw parties. All the beauties of Los Angeles would want to come here to see what it’s like. Then, the beach, sunshine, hot girls, wild parties… You won’t find anything better in the world.”

Chen Feng nodded. “It is great.”

He started seriously thinking that when he had time later, maybe he really should come buy one here.

Whether it’s for vacationing here or for establishing a new sphere of influence, he would always need a base to operate from.

If he wanted to more accurately influence the future on a technological level, he inevitably couldn’t bypass this country.

Los Angeles, New York, and Oakland were also three important cities that couldn’t be bypassed.

“Man, don’t you want to know what this villa area is called?”

Chen Feng looked down and checked his phone’s map. “I know, Newport Beach.”

“Right! This is Newport Beach! Do you watch basketball? Do you know Kobe Bryant? His home is right here. You could be neighbors with Kobe! Okay, friend, here’s my business card. Besides driving for Mason College, I actually have another job. I’m one of the top ten real estate purchasing agents in Los Angeles. If Mr. Chen, you are interested in buying a villa in Newport Beach, you definitely can’t go wrong with me.”

Chen Feng took the business card and looked back once more, his eyes flickering, his thoughts complex.

Arriving at Mason College, waiting for them was a tutor from the college, Ms. Lesna.

Chen Feng accompanied [Zhong Lei] inside to help her settle into her room, which was a decent single dormitory.

As for Chen Feng himself, he planned to get a suite at the hotel across the street.

Lesna was quite surprised by the arrival of this boss, Chen Feng.

It was quite rare for a boss to personally accompany an artist coming for training.

Upon hearing that this boss was also an amazing music producer, Lesna was even more astonished.

Her eyes shifted, and she said, “Tomorrow, the Grammy judging committee is hosting a party at Beverly Hills. I have an invitation here to pass on to Ms. Zhong, inviting her, the creator of ‘Self-Combustion,’ to attend. However, I have a private invitation slot and can invite one male companion to accompany me. Mr. Chen Feng, would you be available?”

Chen Feng thought for three seconds, then nodded. “Okay.”

He agreed, making Zhong Lei, standing beside him, hesitate to speak.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and this tutor, roughly in her forties, said her goodbyes and left. Before leaving, she and Chen Feng exchanged numbers, and she even threw a flirtatious glance his way. If Chen Feng had a Twitter account, she probably would have wanted to add him or something.

Then the tutor swayed her hips and left.

Although she was not young, she kept her figure very well and didn’t look old.

In this country, middle and upper-class people like her, especially attractive women, are very strict about managing their figures and physiques.

Zhong Lei quietly scoffed.

She really had a hard time adapting to the openness of people here.

“You want to go to the party?” Zhong Lei asked.

Chen Feng nodded. “The Grammys are world-famous. A small-scale party like this probably invites people besides the judges and committee members, like well-known local singers or producers. Their level isn’t low. Getting to know more people like this would be good for the company. It’s an opportunity for us to expand our influence.”

“Hmm, okay then. But when you go in with her, after you enter, you have to stay with me.”

Chen Feng nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t give those playboys a chance to hit on you.”

Zhong Lei smiled sweetly.

Actually, she hadn’t wanted to go, but since Chen Feng agreed first, she felt uneasy if she didn’t go.

After all, in her mind, Chen Feng’s creative ability was too astonishing.

Once people learned his identity and creative abilities, Chen Feng would instantly become walking testosterone.

In the relatively restrained domestic environment, even the new female artists couldn’t resist his “charm,” let alone in the more open atmosphere of Europe and America.

So Zhong Lei wanted to go and keep an eye on him for everyone, to make sure he didn’t get lost in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

Hmm.

But he actually said he wanted to keep an eye on her instead. The feeling in Zhong Lei’s heart was very good.

The Grammy Awards, as the world’s most prestigious music awards, had influence that reached far beyond just the European and American music scenes.

Many big stars in the Chinese Music Industry yearned for it and dreamed about it constantly.

Even if they could only get a back-row seat in the awards ceremony hall, these Chinese stars would pay for photographers themselves, buying nicely angled photos for thousands of dollars each. They would then have the photos professionally retouched, turn them into press releases, and spread them all over the internet.

Or, if they didn’t even qualify to attend the ceremony, they would just find a corner in a crowd, pretend to be very popular, put on rented formal wear, take a few glamorous photos, and then give them a title like “XX Invited to the Grammy Awards, Outshining Everyone, Aura No Less Than Madonna’s,” and so on.

This was a symbol of status and rank.

Even if they had to freeload, they had to freeload their way in.

However, only the big award ceremonies were possible to freeload at. For such a high-level small-scale party like this one, people who weren’t of the right rank were almost never invited.

After all, while they called it a party, the real purpose was networking and expanding connections.

For useless connections, talking to you for even one more sentence was a waste of life.

Someone like Chen Feng, a newly risen music producer in the middle of an inspirational burst, was truly high-quality networking material that everyone wanted.

Chen Feng himself didn’t take it too seriously. He ate and drank as usual. The next day, during the day, he went with Zhong Lei to some luxury stores to buy a few sets of nice clothes. Then, they had the same black driver from yesterday take them around. They went to the Staples Center to watch a Lakers game and visited quite a few tourist spots.

It wasn’t until the party time was almost there that the female mentor called to hurry them. Only then did the two tell the driver to turn the car towards Beverly Hills.

Hearing they were still driving, the female mentor suggested, “There’s only an hour and a half left until 5 PM. Los Angeles traffic during peak hours gets very congested. Within five kilometers of your current location, there’s a private helicopter rental company. It’s best to take a helicopter to Beverly. You can get there in about forty minutes.”

Zhong Lei seemed a bit tempted, but Chen Feng flatly refused. “No. I don’t really like helicopters.”

The other party said, “Then you’ll be late! You’ll be at least an hour late!”

Chen Feng shot back, “Does being late mean we can’t enter? If that’s the case, then there’s nothing we can do.”

“No, but I’ve arranged to meet a few friends here. Everyone really wants to talk with you more. You know, everyone’s time is very tight, and their schedules are packed.”

Chen Feng said, “Ms. Lesna, I understand your feelings, and I’m very grateful for your referral. But I don’t need to force myself to do things I dislike just to accommodate other people’s schedules. If it’s not absolutely necessary, I really don’t want to take a helicopter. We didn’t manage our time well; that’s our responsibility. I apologize to you, and I’m willing to accept the consequences. If it’s really too inconvenient, then we just won’t come. I’m very sorry…”

“Oh, no no no! Mr. Chen, that’s not what I meant. We will wait for you.”

The person on the other end hung up the phone in a panic.

Zhong Lei covered her mouth and laughed. “You’re so arrogant. Clearly, we’re the ones in the wrong.”

Chen Feng shrugged. “I bet a hundred dollars. Not only will the people waiting for us not be angry, they’ll actually take us more seriously. Do you believe it?”

“Alright, alright, I get it! If you have the skills, you can go anywhere without fear.” Zhong Lei spread her hands in exasperation. “I’m just worried this might cause some negative impact for the company.”

Chen Feng shook his head. “It won’t. In fact, this is the most efficient way.”

Zhong Lei fell silent.

Here it was again, that familiar sense of “rushing against time.” She had no idea what he was so anxious about.

Over here, Chen Feng was laid-back and didn’t care about being late, content with the slow traffic jam.

On the other side, outside the gate of a $40 million mansion’s wall in Beverly Hills, a group of Chen Feng’s fellow countrymen who had come from afar were burning with anxiety.

There were about ten of them, including three or four young men and women dressed fashionably with meticulous makeup—standard young idols.

At the moment, they were pestering the person in charge of the party, the private butler of the mansion’s owner, talking incessantly.

The main speaker was a middle-aged man in a suit.

If anyone familiar with the domestic entertainment industry, like an artist or a reporter, were here, they would recognize him.

This was Zhongyi Entertainment’s second-largest shareholder and vice-chairman, Wang Xilei.

In the domestic entertainment circle, he was a heavyweight whose words carried considerable weight.

But here, his influence didn’t work so well.

The young idols he brought, who back home were huge stars with at least a hundred bodyguards when they went out, hitting fans and trending on hot search lists, held even less status here.

The butler was very impatient and tried several times to turn and go back inside.

Another “intermediary” acting as a persuader kept pulling him back.

Because this agent had decent influence in Hollywood, the butler couldn’t manage to leave.

“Mr. Wang. You also know this is a small party hosted by the Grammy committee. Without the corresponding invitation and prior registration, I cannot let you in.”

Wang Xilei leaned in and lowered his voice. “There are so many people inside, probably several hundred, right? A few more people shouldn’t be a big problem, should they?”

The butler still shook his head. “No, it’s a big problem. Let me show you. Among all the invited and registered names, there are only seven Chinese names in total. Chinese faces will stand out. What’s more, your people are dressed so… in short, they are too eye-catching. It’s not allowed.”

The young idols were indeed going all out with their outfits to sneak into today’s event.

Their cheapest clothes were high-end custom dresses and suits worth at least a hundred thousand dollars. Especially the female idol, with a low-cut dress showing a lot of cleavage, wore a top-tier luxury necklace worth millions of dollars that she had rented herself.

Wang Xilei lowered his voice. “A hundred thousand.”

The butler remained silent.

“Two hundred thousand.”

Continued silence.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand.”

“Hmm…” The butler was tempted. His expression began to waver.

But he thought about his career and, in the end, forcibly resisted the devil’s temptation, though it pained him.

Afraid that Wang Xilei might suddenly offer an even higher price, increasing his agony, he decisively turned and walked away.

It was a truly difficult choice.

The group looked at each other but had no choice. They could only wait idly outside.

Not long after, as the party start time drew closer, more and more European and American superstars arrived, timing their entry into the villa precisely.

Wang Xilei simply had his young idols pose right outside the villa gate, pretending to walk the “red carpet,” using passing European and American music, fashion, and sports industry big shots as backgrounds, taking photos on their own.

Truth be told, it actually looked quite convincing.

The turning point came ten minutes after the party officially started. The butler came out.

“You are very lucky. Two invited Chinese musicians are delayed for some reason and probably won’t come. So, two of you can go in, one man and one woman. But I will only write the names of those two invited individuals on the entry register. I won’t make you fake invitations. Once inside, you’d better not go around chatting up people. Just have some food, look around, finish whatever you want to do quickly, and leave early. Absolutely do not cause any trouble for me.”

Wang Xilei was overjoyed. He nodded and bowed repeatedly in thanks, then quickly picked one man and one woman to go in.

As for the others, they could only be left feeling dejected.

Opportunities were fleeting and so scarce. To be abandoned right at the doorstep… well, they could probably only blame themselves for not having good enough bedroom skills.