210. Paparazzi

The New Year's bells bring not only joy, but also an even more bleak winter.

Jiangcheng experiences snowfall year-round and lacks central heating, making winters particularly damp and cold along the Ling River.

In early January, on a quiet night, a sudden heavy snowfall blanketed the entire city.

The soft snow absorbed the sound, making the whole city quiet and still. It was perfect for warming yourself by the fire indoors, reading a book or watching a movie, and drifting off to sleep while watching the snow fall outside the window.

Early in the morning, Lu Ban opened the window and saw the world outside covered in silver. He took a breath of the New Year's air.

"It's so cold."

He closed the window and turned the air conditioner up one degree.

Lu Ban picked up a book explaining the connection between psychology and dreams, intending to immerse himself in the Ocean of Knowledge and spend his free time there, but his phone soon rang.

I glanced at the caller ID; it was Li Zijian, Song Yunyan's secretary.

"Isn't today a holiday?"

Lu Ban answered the phone and asked a question as soon as he started.

"You're really good with words."

Li Zijian chimed in with a comment, then continued with the main topic.

"It's like this, aren't you working on this worldview project? Mr. Song said he introduced some investors who are interested in the project and would like to talk to you about it."

"Investors?"

Lu Ban thought for a moment.

"Are you asking me to make you a meal?"

He used a simple and easy-to-understand explanation.

"You can understand it this way."

Li Zijian was speechless.

"But I don't lack money."

Lu Ban immediately said.

Including the revenue share from the online streaming of "Hyakunin Isshu" and the income during the film festival, Lu Ban is now worth at least tens of millions. With the nationwide release of "Crying" and the box office exceeding 100 million yuan in a single day, his share of the profits has not yet been settled, but it will be substantial. With this wave alone, Lu Ban can actually afford to buy several properties and live off the interest and rent until his next life.

So he really isn't short of money.

Most startup teams will find themselves in a situation of insufficient funds, since they are short of money for initial investment, promotion and development. At this time, many teams will seek financing, and many investors are actually not short of money and do not mind investing and taking a gamble.

This situation can sometimes lead to the startup team being taken over by investors who then reap the rewards, or it can cause internal disagreements that ultimately lead to the team's disintegration.

But Lu Ban was different. He made money right from the start, and he didn't have any startup team. He was all alone, so he could do whatever he wanted and slack off whenever he didn't want to. It was great.

Therefore, Lu Ban doesn't need to bring in investment; he can even invest in other people's investments.

"Well, it's like this. Over the years, President Song has received help from many people while developing her business in Jiangcheng. They see that you're doing quite well and want to get to know you. President Song doesn't feel comfortable refusing, so... why don't you give her some face?"

Li Zijian explained.

In short, some of Song Yunyan's business associates wanted to get a share of the profits after learning that Jiangcheng Industries was the primary investor behind Lu Ban. Song Yunyan couldn't refuse them directly and risk damaging the relationship, so she had Lu Ban deal with them.

"That works too."

Lu Ban isn't an unreasonable person. Song Yunyan has helped him so much, he certainly won't embarrass her.

"There's one more thing. Now that you're a well-known figure, you need to be more careful about your words and actions. If you have a girlfriend, dating is fine, but don't lay a hand on your fans, don't get involved in anything that involves a messy private life, and don't take drugs."

Li Zijian then earnestly advised him.

"?"

Lu Ban found it unbelievable. How could someone as positive as him do such a thing?

"Brother Li, don't misunderstand me, I'm not that kind of person."

"Hey, I know, but that girl who keeps coming to your house, isn't she a small-time live streamer? Also, did you go to the movies with other girls on New Year's Eve and come home very late?"

Li Zijian questioned.

"These paparazzi are disgusting."

Lu Ban was speechless.

He and Qin Tiantian were just friends. Lu Ban had no interest in middle school students. As for Feng Yu, Lu Ban was trying to avoid him as much as possible, let alone anything further.

Lu Ban's greatest wish right now is world peace; as for everything else, he can take a backseat.

These guys who snoop on other people's privacy are disgusting and troublesome.

Lu Ban went to the window and looked at the snow scene outside. With his [True Sight], he quickly discovered that there were cameras in several windows of the building across the street, probably reporters from different media outlets.

These reporters somehow ended up here. Considering the situation with Qin Tiantian and Feng Yu, it's likely that reporters have been coming here one after another since the "Hyakunin Isshu" event.

"Okay, Brother Li, you can arrange the meeting with those people. I'm free anyway, so it won't be a problem for me to chat with them."

Lu Ban agreed to meet with the investors, put down his phone, and glanced at the person opposite him again.

His eyes searched for the window and soon spotted a paparazzi filming.

Through the camera lens, Lu Ban met the other person's eyes.

"We need to find a way to deal with these guys."

Lu Ban thought for a moment and decisively drew half of the curtains.

"Is it just my imagination?"

In the apartment building opposite Lu Ban's, entertainment reporter Sun Cheng rubbed his eyes.

He clearly saw Lu Ban make eye contact with him, but at such a distance, the camera would need a telephoto lens. How could Lu Ban, an ordinary person, possibly see him?

"It's been so many days, and it feels like we haven't gotten any juicy material. Why is Lu Ban such a shut-in?"

Sun Cheng couldn't help but mutter to himself.

He rented a place here hoping to capture some gossip about Lu Ban's daily life, such as that girl Qin Tiantian. A colleague had previously photographed the two of them eating out together, and Sun Cheng felt that she and Lu Ban must have some kind of relationship. So he had been staking out the place for a while, but he couldn't find any clues at all.

Lu Ban was just like an ordinary citizen. He would get up at eight o'clock in the morning, and then either read and study or use the computer. At noon, he would eat takeout or go downstairs to eat a Sha County chicken leg rice that cost a dozen yuan. After his lunch break, he would read and study again in the afternoon. It felt like he was immersed in the Ocean of Knowledge all day long, which made Sun Cheng feel a little ashamed.

"No, he doesn't go out and socialize at all. Is he gathering material for his research?"

Sun Cheng knows many people in the entertainment industry who either go out every day for socializing, parties, and business engagements, or are constantly away from home traveling around the world to gather material. But Lu Ban seems to just sit at home every day doing nothing. How exactly did he make his movies?