A Gulfstream G550 business jet with a starry sky pattern printed on its tail landed at the airport. Under the arrangements of the flight attendant, several people got off the plane.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to China."
Cao Xuan smiled and hugged several of the main creators of "Now You See Me" in greeting. Mr. Tao, who was relatively familiar with him, glanced at the private jet behind him.
"Cao, if the traffic is like this during the promotion period, I don't have any objection to flying."
"At least it should be fine until you return to the United States."
Cao Xuan told the truth. In the early stage, everyone flew everywhere together, and there were not many main creators, so they could sit down easily.
However, the follow-up promotion scored several sets, and Cao Xuan himself had to fly back and forth, making it difficult to meet other people's private jet needs.
In fact, it is possible to charter a flight, and private jet rental is also very common in the United States, but this budget is quite high.
It’s not that renting a plane is expensive, but compared to simply paying a check, it’s a bit flashy.
Even if Cao Xuan agrees, Warner doesn't agree. First class is already a good arrangement. Many crews directly ask actors to travel in economy class, and even a few stingy crews simply don't reimburse them and let the actors pay out of their own pockets.
Mr. Tao and the others didn't pay much attention.
To be honest, Cao Xuan sent his own private plane to pick up several of the main creators, which was already a great honor.
Before this, they had never enjoyed the privilege of flying on a private jet when promoting or participating in events.
Cao Xuan and others exchanged pleasantries, left the airport, and got into a commercial car.
Gal Gadot asked curiously: "Where's Yang, isn't she with us?"
"She is participating in an event now. She will come over in the evening and we will meet up tomorrow."
Damimi is the main promotion force in Asia, so how could she be missing? She just has some finishing work, and after finishing it, she will concentrate on following the crew for promotions.
Cao Xuan sent everyone to the arranged hotel, and a total of five of the main creators of "The Shocking Demons" came.
Mr. Peach, Gal Gadot, Juan Fu, Mark Ruffalo (The Incredible Hulk) and director James Wan.
Counting Cao Xuan and Damimi, these people happened to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse plus the two police detectives who were their apparent opponents.
As for the real villain, Oscar-winning actor Forrest Whitaker, he took a leave of absence because of family matters. He will come over if the matter is resolved, but if it cannot be resolved, he will wait for the next stage of publicity.
Everyone got off the plane around three o'clock in the afternoon and rested in the hotel for the whole afternoon. In the evening, Cao Xuan treated everyone to a meal to wash away the dust.
Houhai, flying on the grass
When several people learned that this restaurant was opened by Cao Xuan, they curiously looked at the plaque at the door.
"Cao, what does this mean?"
"Well."
Cao Xuan hesitated for a moment, then explained: "This is the name of the restaurant. The literal translation means green grass flying in the sky."
"Wow, what an artistic sight."
Several other people also echoed Gal Gadot's praise of Mianzi and speculated that the word had any special meaning. They had previously filmed with Cao Xuan and had heard Cao Xuan popularize some Chinese allusions.
In the past few years, only James Wan, who is of Chinese descent, has looked a little strange.
Although he grew up abroad and is not very proficient in Chinese, he still knows some basic words, at least the three characters "flying on the grass", and has a general understanding of what it means.
However, as a half-fluent Chinese speaker, he was not sure whether this word had other meanings, so he felt strange in his heart, but he did not ask because he was afraid of showing his cowardice.
Cao Xuan fooled a few people, and then led them into the store. The building with Chinese elements made everyone marvel.
Because Caoshangfei opened its store earlier, in the summer of 1999, it has been a ten-year-old store.
Coupled with commercial reasons, Caoshangfei carried out comprehensive rectification and construction very early, and continued to supplement and optimize during the period.
As a private high-end restaurant, Caoshangfei is not as shabby as many old courtyards. Instead, it is very clean and refined, and full of Chinese classical style, with fine workmanship, magnificent temperament, and great beauty.
There is a high chance that some Chinese people will be shocked when they enter a restaurant like this, let alone foreigners who know little about it.
They may not understand the value or preciousness of these furnishings, but the aesthetics are not lost. At first glance, it is a very high-end restaurant.
"This place is so beautiful, it feels like entering an ancient palace."
"Where are we now? If you want to see the palace, I will take you there the day after tomorrow. I will restore it one by one. There are several dynasties there."
Cao Xuan called the waiter to take orders, basically taking care of the tastes of these foreign friends.
He has spent a year or two in the United States sporadically over the years. He has been to many American Chinese restaurants and communicated with many foreigners and Chinese. He has a certain understanding of the tastes of these Americans.
I prefer sweet and sour food. For example, the famous Chinese dish "Left Rooster" in North America is a bit like sweet and sour chicken nuggets.
In addition, Americans prefer sweeter and spicy food, and pursue strong and exciting flavors. Of course, some also like to eat bland food. Many American-style Chinese food even have a lot less salt than domestic recipes. They don’t like to eat salty food.
.
There are also some taboos, such as offal. Americans don’t eat it, but they rarely eat it. For example, the nine-turn large intestine, these people will definitely not be able to enjoy it.
Although Cao Xuan sometimes likes to promote Chinese food, he will not force others to accept it. Especially when treating guests, he will take care of other people's tastes.
Otherwise, if you are happy with yourself and others are not used to it, you will have to grit your teeth and eat it. Isn’t this bullying others?
Therefore, most of the dishes are mainly based on the taste of these people, and a few distinctive dishes are served in small quantities. They will be introduced during the banquet. Everyone has a try and can eat it if they like it. If you don't like it, don't force it.
"These are the purest Chinese food. The head chef has worked for state banquets. I can't say they are the highest level of Chinese food, but they can represent one or two."
Cao Xuan is really not bragging. The old master chef has retired, and now his apprentice is in charge of the kitchen. He has joined the state banquet team three times in 2009 and 2010.
If you don't have little ambition, based on your level, you can definitely work as a head chef in a high-end hotel chain or well-known restaurant in Beijing.
Cao Shangfei has been able to stand up over the years and has even made a name for itself in the catering industry in Beijing. The Siheyuan and Cao Xuan bosses are just a gimmick. The real core selling point is the master and apprentice duo.
Of course, Boss Cao doesn't treat him badly. He gets a good salary every year and a certain amount of dividends. In terms of income and benefits alone, it's no worse than being a head chef in a big hotel.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Tao and others also clumsily tasted the dishes with chopsticks. Because the dishes were more to their taste and the craftsmanship was good, they received a lot of praise.
Mr. Tao also held up his mobile phone high, turned his back to the dining table, took a photo of himself and Cao Xuan with the dishes on the table, plus several photos of the interior of Cao Shang Fei that he had taken before, and then tweeted.
[Beautiful building, delicious Chinese food, Cao treated us to an unforgettable dinner in his restaurant, happy]
After the tweet was sent out, it attracted the attention of many netizens. At this time, "Captain America" was still in theaters, Mr. Tao was currently very popular, and Cao Xuan showed up, so everyone was very curious.
[I saw Cao, will The Avengers be filmed in China?]
[Didn’t you read the news? This is Cao’s new movie "Now You See Me", Chris Evans is one of the starring roles]
[Haha, Hawkeye, Captain America, and Mark Ruffalo, who was revealed to be playing the Hulk, are the Avengers going to assemble in advance?]
[This movie is definitely profitable, and Evans is now famous]
[Gal Gadot is also good, she was really good in "Fast and Furious 5"]
[Good-looking face, average figure, too small]
[What a beautiful place, is this Cao’s restaurant?]
[Look at the one in the upper right corner, it looks like Detective Charlotte]
[Those dishes look delicious, are they available in New York?]
[I am a Chinese student studying abroad. I know that restaurant. It is a very famous restaurant in Beijing. It is difficult to find Chinese food of the same level in New York.]
[I’m going to Beijing next month. Can you tell me the address and how much it will cost?]
[This restaurant only accepts reservations and it is difficult to queue up. If you want to go, it is best to gather a few more people and eat more dishes. If you don’t order any particularly expensive dishes, it will cost about US$50 to US$80 per person]
【So expensive】
[This is not a top-notch restaurant in Beijing, but it is still a well-known restaurant, and the price is definitely not cheap]
【……】
Soon, the news on Twitter crossed the wall and returned to China without even having to cross the wall. After the meal, Cao Xuan also took a group photo with the main creators in the box and posted it on Weibo.
Compared with North America, domestic audiences react differently to these people.
Mr. Tao, who is very popular in North America, is actually not very popular. "Captain America" has grossed less than 40 million at the mainland box office so far, and many people don't know him at all.
Even if they know each other, the team logo may not be Captain America. Everyone remembers him more as the Human Torch in "Fantastic Four".
Mark Ruffalo is not very well-known in China, and director James Wan is even more transparent. Only a handful of people who are familiar with the European and American film industry or horror film lovers know him.
Juan Fu's "Charlotte" is very popular in Europe and the United States, and is also slightly famous in China, but it has not been out of the entertainment industry. Its main influence is among fans of American or British dramas.
Among the few people, the only one who may cause waves is Gal Gadot.
On the one hand, she is a girl, and on the other hand, the first two characters of "Fast and Furious 5" have just been released, with a box office of more than 250 million, which can be regarded as a small hit.
As one of the leading actors, and with her eye-catching seduction scenes, Gal Gadot still left an impression on many viewers.
Of course, the most important thing is that she is an actress who collaborated with Cao Xuan, and she sat next to her during the meal. Based on Cao Xuan's reputation in the country, Gal Gadot basically concluded that she "suffered a murderous attack."
Even though there have been countless scandals about Cao Xuan, everyone has even become numb.
But she can't stand up to her high popularity, and the overall popularity is still very impressive. Especially since she is a foreign girl, with the aura of "bringing glory to the country", she is always more attractive than other scandals.
Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, and now there's Gal Gadot.
Many people have discovered this rule. Cao Xuan is a movie series replaced by a Hollywood beauty.
Where is the morality?
Where is the conscience?
Where is Jessica Alba?
Where is Keira Knightley?
Where is Kristen Stewart?
They were very dissatisfied with Cao Xuan's efficiency. Why did he only come one at a time and not a few more? Everyone thought he was innocent every time he did one.
The officials of Cao Cao had long been content with this and would not have cared about it.
On the contrary, Gal Gadot opened a Weibo account at the invitation of Cao Xuan. Looking at the crazy increase in the number of fans, she was somewhat confused.
Is she so popular in China?
………
After a cleansing, the crew of "Now You See Me" started promoting the show after meeting up with Damimi who had just returned.
The movie is expected to be released on August 8, which is less than two weeks away, so the promotion plan is still a bit tight.
First, I will participate in a few interviews and activities in the mainland, then fly to Japan for two days, then head to Europe, where I will visit several countries such as England and France. If there is enough time, I may also arrange to visit Australia.
The last stop is North America. The crew will hold a premiere ceremony in New York and then have a week-long road show.
There is no way, North America is the number one ticket market, and it must be the focus of promotion. After a week of road show in North America, we will split up activities according to the previous arrangement.
Of course, Cao Xuan still attaches great importance to the mainland, otherwise he would not publicize that the first stop is the mainland, which is his base camp.
With Cao Xuan's current resources and popularity, 99% of domestic programs and interviews will be open to him.
However, most programs are not suitable. After all, he is not the only one participating, but there are also several foreign friends. He sent a private plane to get these people here for no reason.
Therefore, some entertainment programs have been specially selected. When Damimi comes back from North America, she can contact a few popular ones, Cao Xuan and others.
They first attended a film forum lecture by Six Princesses, and then accepted an exclusive video interview with Penguin & Fengyun Studio.
Afterwards, we set off to Star Cinema to record "There's a Show Tonight" which is currently very popular on the Internet.
"Tonight's Show" has been airing for several years now. With its two popular hosts, Liu Yan and Xiao Hei Fatty, it has received a steady stream of high-quality guests, and it has now become one of the most popular talk shows.
Basically it is on par with "A Date with Lu Yu" and "Very Quiet Distance", and even occasionally exceeds it.
The popularity on the Internet has even surpassed "Qiang Qiang Threesome", and the related playback volume and discussion level are almost overwhelming.
This is not surprising. Although "Qiang Qiang Threesome" has an excellent reputation, it is actually somewhat niche. Most of the people who like this show are young netizens who like some in-depth topics.
"Tonight's Show" undoubtedly takes a popular route, focusing on celebrity gossip and family stories, and is aimed at audiences of all ages.
Coupled with Xiao Hei Fatty's gullibility and Liu Yan's professional ability and good looks, she has attracted a large number of die-hard viewers.
At present, although "Tonight's Show" is still cooperating with TV stations, its main battlefield has gradually shifted to the Internet. At the end of last year, it officially moved into a professional studio located in Fanxing Film and Television City.
This is a new section launched by Fanxing Film and Television City in the past two years. The studio has been renovated and several fixed studios have been built to cooperate with Fanxingxing variety shows.
"Tonight's Show", "The Voice of China", "If You Are the One" and many other star variety shows have moved their base camp to this place.
There are pros and cons to moving several programs here.
The advantage is that you save money. If it is a long-term program, the annual studio rental and renovation costs are not a small sum.
And there is no need to compete with other program companies for studios and rely on others. You can use your own studio as long as you want and use it as you want.
At the same time, the studio is located in Fanxing Film and Television City and is directly protected by the base, so security and confidentiality are greatly enhanced.
And fortunately, we can find an audience. There are a lot of college students who come to travel and work part-time on weekends, so they can directly attract young men.
If it's not weekend time and you don't have enough manpower, you can just spend a little money to hire a group of professional extras. If you have strong organizational skills, you can get whatever effect you want.
The disadvantage is that Fanxing Film and Television City is a bit remote after all, so it is not as convenient as going directly to the capital.
But then again, Fanxing Film and Television City is a mature scenic spot and film and television base after all, with well-developed transportation and various configurations. It is not far from Beijing and Tianjin, so it can offset this disadvantage as much as possible.
After comprehensive comparison and calculation, the company decided to move the program to Fanxing Film and Television City, adding a bit more starlight and selling points to the already bustling film and television base.
During the recording of "Tonight's Show", Little Black Fatty rarely asked for leave, so Liu Yan hosted it alone.
This is understandable. The fat little black guy barely understands English. Others can't understand what he says. Others can't understand him when he talks. This occasion is too embarrassing, so it's better for Liu Yan to come alone.
As a professional host, Liu Yan has studied English specifically. She is not an outstanding host, but she can handle it.
If it didn't work, Cao Xuan and Damimi were still communicating in the middle, speaking in both Chinese and English, so the whole interview went smoothly.
Let's talk about interesting things during the filming, some thoughts about the movie, and some feelings about being in China these two days. Not only is it full of useful information, but the amount of information is quite large.
After the recording was over, Cao Xuan took "Now You See Me" to visit the Star Cinema City. Mr. Tao and the others were quite curious about this place.
Cao Xuan acted as a guide and took them to visit Tangcheng, Spring and Autumn and Warring States City, Chaoge City, Millennium Street, North and South Chao City and other scenic spots in batches. The palaces, street scenes, and cities made several foreign actors couldn't help but take photos.
When the tour was almost done, Juan Fu couldn't help but sigh: "I never imagined that China also has such a large-scale shooting base."
James Wan also nodded: "Except for Hollywood, this is the largest film and television base I have ever seen. Although the film technology may be slightly inferior to Hollywood, I still found many bright spots."
Listening to the remarks of several people, Da Mimi stood beside Yourong. When she was in Hollywood, she only let a few of them give her lessons, but this time she finally seized the opportunity to get a chance.
"Chris, Director Wen, do you know who owns this movie studio?"
"It can't be...Cao, right?"
Mr. Tao and the others knew that Da Mimi mentioned this matter for no reason, and they had vague guesses in their hearts, but they still couldn't believe it.
Even though they had expected Cao Xuan's financial resources, the mere figures were not as shocking as the fact that a film and television city the size of a town was owned by one person.
Looking at the surprised and uncertain people, Cao Xuan smiled slightly and gently opened his arms.
"Everyone, welcome to my Hollywood!"
Many years later, Chris Evans wrote in his autobiography that although Robert Downey Jr. was very good at acting, whenever he thought of the word billionaire, the first thing he thought of was Cao Xuan, who played Hawkeye.
Because no matter how good Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is, it's just a performance, and Cao Xuan made him feel what it means to be a real rich man in the world...
