Chapter 350: Enjoying Hot Springs Together

Located in the southwestern Kanagawa Prefecture, 90 kilometers from Tokyo, Hakone Onsen was the setting for a surprise get-together. Charles had only called Lin Chi-ling, but Gao Yuanyuan ended up joining them too.

"It's great to soak in hot springs during winter," Charles enjoyed the scene as surrounding white snow decorated the landscape, and the steamy hot spring made his body feel comfortable.

Lin Chi-ling and Gao Yuanyuan sat on either side of Charles, enjoying sake and sushi together as they soaked in the hot spring.

"Aren't you filming a movie? How do you have time to be here?" Charles asked Gao Yuanyuan.

"My scenes are already done. I mainly had action scenes and not many of them!" Gao Yuanyuan, excited about the success of her recent movie, Painted Skin. 

"Oh," Charles nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yuanyuan has been so busy. Painted Skin's box office is the second highest in China history for a Chinese-language movie and the third to pass 200 million RMB," Lin Chi-ling admired with a hint of envy.

"No wonder, the joy is written all over her face!" Charles chuckled. "It even beat Hero?"

"How about your movie Red Cliff, the biggest investment in Chinese cinema?" Charles turned to Lin Chi-ling.

Playing the lead role in such a film was a significant opportunity for her.

"It's finished, but it's planned to be released in two parts," Lin Chi-ling, although the female lead, noted that the film still mainly focused on male characters.

"The investment is substantial, so splitting it into two movies can indeed help draw more box office revenue," Charles commented insightfully.

"By the way, has that Taipei tycoon contacted you again?" Charles recalled seeing Terry Gou in Hong Kong previously.

Lin Chi-ling shook her head, "No, my main business is here in China now!"

"Well, you don't need to worry. Developing Red Fruit Entertainment is most important. You all know what these people are after, so in the future, you yourself will be the capital!"

"Yeah, Ms. Lily also said she would support Red Fruit Entertainment. However, it seems like she has been busy with her matters recently," Gao Yuanyuan added.

"Oh, she's indeed busy helping me with some investments. If you have extra money, you can let her invest it for you," Charles reminded them.

"The global economic crisis caused by the American subprime mortgage crisis is getting worse, and the entertainment industry will also be affected by the financial environment."

Gao Yuanyuan trusted Lily Ying more since they were familiar, but Lin Chi-ling, who had less contact, decided to invest with her after hearing Charles's recommendation.

Charles poured three glasses of champagne and, after handing them to the two women, took one for himself and smiled, "Christmas is right around the corner. Do you want to go somewhere else for vacation?"

Lin Chi-ling, gazing at Mount Fuji in the distance, sipped her champagne and laughed, "Hakone is great. North is Mount Fuji, and South is Sagami Bay. Hot springs in the winter are pretty wonderful."

"Want to go sailing in Hong Kong? Charles, your yacht is docked at Deep Water Bay," Gao Yuanyuan suggested enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's head to Hong Kong tomorrow night then," Charles agreed easily, enjoying the idea of Hong Kong's warm climate.

After saying this, Charles downed his glass of champagne and embraced Gao Yuanyuan, giving her a passionate kiss.

After the kiss, Gao Yuanyuan reminded him, "I have something to discuss with you!"

"Hm? What's up?" Charles let go of Gao Yuanyuan and pulled Lin Chi-ling into his arms, caressing her curves.

Compared to Gao Yuanyuan, Lin Chi-ling had a better figure, snuggling in Charles's arms while watching Gao Yuanyuan.

"It's about Capet Pictures' distributed films. Last month, Live Free or Die Hard was also released, making 28 million RMB, and Red Fruit Entertainment earned over 8 million RMB. Adding the earlier DOA: Dead or Alive earnings of five to six million, both films made us about twelve to thirteen million RMB!"

As soon as Gao Yuanyuan said this, Lin Chi-ling exclaimed in surprise and laughed, "That profitable?"

"And then there's The Pursuit of Happiness, scheduled for January next year. Who knows how much it will earn?" Gao Yuanyuan pondered.

"That will be tough. The Pursuit of Happiness was released in North America at the end of last year. If there had been Oscar buzz, maybe, but releasing it next January won't attract much audience here. It's a drama and has been out too long!" Charles doubted its box office success in China, considering the rampant piracy. An action or special effects film would have had a better chance.

"Yeah, distributed films are hard to sync up. They're often delayed by three to six months, or even more!"

Gao Yuanyuan was new to the business but was fortunate that few companies were interested in film distribution, and Charles was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

"So, which of my movies caught your eye?" Charles asked.

"Uh, Taken is good. It's an action movie, right?"

Charles nodded, "Alright, there's also a low-budget film, Slumdog Millionaire, which is decent. You should buy that one too."

Taken wouldn't attract the Chinese audience since it had no big stars or special effects other than through distribution.

Slumdog Millionaire wouldn't either. Capet Pictures planned its release for the end-of-year awards season, so Red Fruit Entertainment could aim for a 2009 release. With the Oscars buzz, it should secure a distribution slot!

After that, Charles embraced Lin Chi-ling and kissed her.

*****

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