Los Angeles at night is famous for its dazzling city lights, romantic coastline and diverse cultural atmosphere.
The handprints of stars on the Walk of Fame shine even brighter under the lights at night, and the night performances at the Hollywood Bowl attract many people, who can enjoy the city lights while listening to the concerts.
The Grove shopping centre is ablaze with lights, and there are occasional impromptu dance parties by the fountains.
The iconic Ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier is lit up by tens of thousands of LED lights, and paired with the night view of the Pacific Ocean, it creates a dreamy atmosphere.
Of course, the night view of Beverly Hills is also a unique beauty of Los Angeles.
On one side of the Santa Monica Mountains, countless luxuriously decorated private villas light up in the night, and from a distance they look like a Milky Way composed of stars.
Everyone knows that this beauty contains money and wealth that ordinary people can hardly imagine.
988 Angelo View Drive.
Under the illumination of lights inside and outside the house, this manor villa located halfway up the mountain looks more beautiful and dazzling than in the daytime.
The ivory white exterior walls, modern decoration style, and the appropriately proportioned lawns and vegetation around it give it a clean and simple beauty.
The infinity pool shines with a dreamy blue luster under the lights, like a sapphire necklace surrounding the outermost layer of the manor, adding a touch of nobility to this simplicity.
"Crash~"
A slender and graceful figure emerged from the water, with long hair thrown back, revealing a perfect figure with curves in all directions.
Viewed from the side, the figure was wearing a black bikini that only covered the most critical parts of her body.
The exposed skin is as white as ivory, the nose bridge is high on her small face the size of a palm, and her facial features are as three-dimensional as those of a Westerner, but her temperament still has the gentleness of an oriental beauty.
After shaking her head left and right and swimming for a while, Reba climbed up the swimming pool holding the metal handrail at the edge.
"Why don't you come down and swim?"
Picking up the bath towel and draping it over herself, Reba asked Gu Wei who was lying on the bench.
“It’s a pleasure to watch you swim.”
Gu Wei raised his hand and grabbed Reba's arm, and with a gentle pull, she fell into his arms.
The warm big hands caressed the delicate and smooth skin, one covered the soft and slender waist, and the other slid gently down from the pretty face.
"Is the mermaid tired of swimming?"
"Stop it, I'm still wet~"
Gu Wei was only wearing a pair of beach shorts, and his perfect figure, like an ancient Greek sculpture, was exposed without any concealment.
Reba twisted her body slightly, and the large area of skin contact and the big hands moving around on her body made her skin turn a little red.
Gu Wei has a great body. The muscle lines that fit his body are the most perfect works of art in the eyes of women. His whole body is full of male hormones.
His skin texture is very good. From Reba's perspective, Gu Wei's skin is even more delicate than hers and feels wonderful to the touch.
Although the two of them were just sticking together, it was already a very pleasant experience for her.
"I'm a little tired. If you don't come down, it's a bit boring for me to swim alone."
The bench was spacious and sturdy enough. Reba, who was pulled over, was already lying on Gu Wei, with her little hands on his strong chest, as if she could feel Gu Wei's heartbeat.
She had a particularly happy time on this North American roadshow, as if she was back in the days when she was filming "You Are My Glory".
"Time flies so fast. I have to go back home tomorrow. I wish I could stay a little longer."
“The scheduled itinerary cannot be changed, and I have other work to do later.
But you can always come back if you have time in the future."
Reba nodded slowly, then looked up at Gu Wei: "Will you accompany me next time?"
"As long as there is time, nothing is impossible." Gu Wei replied.
After receiving his affirmative answer, Reba showed a happy smile on her face.
"Have you read the news these past two days?
News about [Extreme Pursuit 4]'s roadshow in Los Angeles has spread back to China.
The film has done so well at the North American and global box office that many netizens are saying you are the first international star among the new generation of actresses!"
"I've seen it, it's all just fan praise. I know my own worth."
Although she spoke modestly, it can be seen from her expression that Reba was very happy about what netizens said.
Gu Wei smiled and said, "It's not really flattery. You played the leading female role in a globally popular movie, so the title of international actress is not an exaggeration.
And judging by the design of the last shot in John Wick 4, there's a high probability that you'll be cast in the next installment of the series, and by then, this title will be even more well-deserved."
"Will you still appear in the next one?" Reba asked.
Her role is closely related to Gu Wei's role, because the killer LIN played by Gu Wei is the murderer of Akira's father.
In the last scene of the movie, the two meet in a square in Paris and she goes to seek revenge on Gu Wei.
Therefore, if she wants to maintain a certain role in the next part of "John Wick", the role of Gu Wei is indispensable.
“Jon mentioned it to me, and I told him I had to read the script first.
If you are satisfied, you can continue acting.”
If the "John Wick" series can really become a global super IP movie that continues to sell well like "The Fast and the Furious", then Gu Wei would not mind continuing to participate as one of the leading actors.
He and Keanu Reeves can completely cooperate in the same way as Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, with the Japanese female assassin Akira played by Reba and other characters joining in to form a small team.
Although the word "family" is a bit old-fashioned, there is nothing to be embarrassed about as long as you make money and gain fame.
After sitting on the shore and chatting with Gu Wei for a while, Reba recovered some strength and went into the water again, but this time she dragged Gu Wei along.
At night, the stars are shining brightly.
In the sapphire-like swimming pool, two figures were chasing and playing, causing layers of ripples. Lines of starlight and lights reflected tiny rays of light between the ripples, like a pool of liquid galaxy.
"I don't want to play anymore, I give up, I give up"
At the edge of the swimming pool in the opposite direction of the villa, Reba stopped swimming and kept begging for mercy.
Seeing that she had given in, Gu Wei, who was holding her, stopped splashing water on her face.
The two of them rested for a while by the edge of the swimming pool. This is the outermost layer of the infinity pool and also the best viewing spot on the first floor of the villa.
Looking down from here, you can see the entire Los Angeles at night.
Neon lights flickered in the city, and all kinds of lights converged into a sea of light, while the long and narrow coastline was the real sea at one end, which was now pitch black.
The two different oceans are like the yin and yang parts of Tai Chi, intertwined and blended under the same night sky, creating an extraordinary beauty to the eyes.
“So beautiful!”
Reba lay on the shore with her upper body, looking into the distance.
“It’s really beautiful.
In the whole of Los Angeles, besides the Griffith Observatory, this is the best viewing angle."
The Griffith Observatory mentioned by Gu Wei is also a landmark building in Los Angeles. It is located at the top of the Santa Monica Mountains, slightly higher than his villa.
“Of course, the viewpoints at Mulholland Drive and the Getty Center are also great. Everyone sees different views from different angles.”
Reba nodded: "Given this beautiful view, the villa's price tag of hundreds of millions seems worth it~"
Gu Wei gently put his arm around Reba's slender waist from behind: "Los Angeles is indeed prosperous, but the United States has now entered a period of decline.
As a promoter of American ideas, Hollywood cannot continue to maintain its grand status under such circumstances.
After a period of stability, it will inevitably slowly decline.
What we need to do is to develop steadily and gradually take over the other party's position in the world through cooperation, competition and other means.
The future is on the other side of the sea..."
"I believe what you said, but it will definitely take a very long time~"
Gu Wei nodded: "Ten years? Twenty years?
Even thirty or fifty years.
As long as China's comprehensive national strength surpasses that of the United States, it will only be a matter of time before domestic entertainment replaces Hollywood!"
Hollywood movies are popular all over the world not because of how well they are made, but because of the strength of the United States itself.
Admiration for the strong is human nature. As the world's largest country, the United States has an aircraft carrier fleet that travels across seven continents and four oceans, so Hollywood movies can be accepted by audiences around the world.
Otherwise, given the different historical, cultural and social backgrounds, a plot that many Americans take for granted may seem illogical to audiences in other countries, so how could it contribute so much to the box office?
It’s simply that everyone thinks that what is American is good. Even if it conflicts with their own culture, they will think that the other side is right, otherwise how could they be so strong.
This is just like the prosperous Tang Dynasty when all nations came to pay tribute. Its culture and influence naturally radiated to the surrounding areas, and the surrounding small countries were proud to speak Tang language and wear Tang suits.
When China replaces the United States as the world's largest country and restores the glory of the Tang Dynasty, Chinese culture will naturally become something other countries will learn from and emulate.
As part of the cultural industry, the film and television industry will be as popular around the world as Hollywood is today.
At that time, even a movie like "The Promise" which is generally recognized as a bad movie by Chinese people might receive high praise in other countries.
Just like Douban in China, it is easy for European and American films to get high scores, but it is difficult for domestic films.
There is no other reason, just "admiring Yang".
Many viewers and critics who rated the films are not young. When they were born and grew up, China was still poor and backward. The Americans described to them the beauty of a land of freedom and democracy, which led to their distorted values. They feel that no matter how good their own country is, it is still bad, and no matter how bad foreigners are, they are still good.
After admiring Los Angeles at night for a while, Reba turned to look at Gu Wei beside her.
"What a great face!"
She sighed in her heart.
Viewed from the side, Gu Wei's face looked more three-dimensional under the light, with light reflected in his deep eyes, contrasting with the stars in the sky and the city lights in the distance.
He has a high nose bridge, thin lips, and slightly upturned corners of his mouth. The temperament he inadvertently reveals can charm countless girls.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Wei noticed something, withdrew his gaze from a distance, lowered his head slightly, and saw Reba staring at him eagerly.
"Ah? It's okay~"
Reba was caught peeking and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Gu Wei chuckled: "Reba~"
"ah?"
"you are so Beautiful!"
Reba raised her head, Gu Wei spoke to her seriously, and then slowly lowered his head and kissed her pink lips.
Reba was a little surprised when being kissed, but soon became intoxicated by this long kiss.
The night was cool, and the sea breeze from the western Pacific Ocean blew through Los Angeles and into Beverly.
In the sapphire-like swimming pool, two slender figures intertwined, and the originally calm water surged with waves under the night breeze.
On the tall palm trees around, the huge leaves swayed left and right in the wind, and the shadows of the trees were cast on the ground like groups of dancers dancing happily.
Everything is so harmonious and beautiful.
If we rank all the movies released in China during the summer this year, "John Wick 4" will undoubtedly be at the top of the box office list.
It broke 900 million in the first three days, 2.3 billion in two weeks, and 3 billion in three weeks. This first Hollywood blockbuster starring Gu Wei swept the entire domestic market in the second half of the summer season.
Of course, there are movies that can be compared with this one. The science fiction comedy "Lone Moon", which was released a week earlier, relied on dense jokes and the box office appeal of the "Shen Ma Combination" to earn 2.2 billion yuan at the box office in four weeks, following closely behind "John Wick 4".
These two movies are considered the real leaders of this summer's box office.
The third place is "The Detective" which was released in early July. Because there were no strong competitors in the same period, this Hong Kong film with good reputation won a box office of 711 million yuan, which is one of the few Hong Kong films that have sold well in recent years.
The science fiction film "The Tomorrow War", which is also a Hong Kong film and also stars Liu Qingyun, was not so lucky.
Because it was released on the same day as "John Wick 4", the screening rate of "The Tomorrow War" was greatly affected.
This sci-fi mecha blockbuster, which claimed to have invested 450 million Hong Kong dollars (about 388 million RMB), only took in 480 million RMB in box office in three weeks, which was a huge loss.
Louis Koo, the leading actor and investor, tried his best to promote the movie when it was released, but when he found out that the box office was not good, he used sympathy marketing everywhere.
The publicity and promotion team also secretly spread rumors on the Internet that "John Wick 4" and "The Lone Moon" had taken up all the screenings, leaving "The Tomorrow Fighters" no chance to be screened.
They say this behavior is a suppression of Hong Kong films by mainland film capital.
The most interesting thing is that during the promotion of "The Tomorrow War", the idea of using big influencers on Douyin to promote the movie and sell tickets in the live broadcast room was thought of, and they began to look for influencers under "Wuyou Media".
Only after being rejected did I find out that the MCN company the internet celebrity signed with was a company owned by Gu Wei.
".【Tomorrow's War】lost so much, Louis Koo is in big trouble now!"
On the plane back to China, Gu Wei and Reba talked about the movies released this month.
“There is a loss for sure, but not as much as reported.
"The Tomorrow War" was filmed in 2019, with a production cost of no more than 200 million yuan, and even with publicity and promotion, it would not reach 300 million yuan.
According to the current box office trend, this movie will probably take in over 500 million yuan by the time it's released, so it'll probably make a small loss of tens of millions."
When the release date of John Wick 4 was set, Gu Wei had already learned about the movies that were released at the same time.
"The Tomorrow War" is a movie that the Hong Kong film industry attaches great importance to. It originally wanted to take advantage of the popularity of domestic science fiction movies brought about by "The Wandering Earth", and with Louis Koo's fame, it could at least get a box office of more than 1 billion.
Unexpectedly, it faced Gu Wei's "John Wick 4" and Chen Teng's "The Lone Moon". The screening schedule was reduced and the word of mouth failed to spread. No matter how hard the publicity and promotion worked, it could not change the fate of the movie's box office failure.
“When I was a kid, I watched The Return of the Condor Heroes and I loved Louis Koo so much!
He has been active on the big screen in recent years and has made many movies, but his roles are very similar.
It’s hard to get interested in new movies after watching a few.”
Reba was born in 1992. For her generation, Hong Kong movies and TVB dramas are truly childhood memories.
The most classic Jin Yong martial arts dramas such as the 1983 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and the 1995 version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" are rebroadcast over and over again in mainland China.
As the backbone of the Hong Kong film and television industry at the time, Louis Koo was also loved by countless audiences.
"Gu Zai is now the president of the Hong Kong Actors Association and the owner of a film and television company. At a time when the Hong Kong film and television industry is in a period of transition, many crew members depend on him for their livelihood. If he doesn't start working, many people will have nothing to eat.
This is also the reason why he has made so many movies in recent years.
However, as the quantity increases, the quality cannot be guaranteed.
Moreover, Hong Kong films are really not doing well right now. There is no money and no people.
Just like the current "The Tomorrow War", which is also a mecha science fiction film, it has a clear gap with movies like "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Pacific Rim".
"Edge of Tomorrow" had a domestic box office of 400 million, "Pacific Rim" had 690 million, and it's not normal for "The Tomorrow Wars" to have a box office of more than 500 million" (End of this chapter)
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