Having completed the box office improvement mission for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," he received another 2 Distributable Attributes.
It was a timely boon, exactly what Lin Yuan needed right now.
He immediately added the 2 points to Strength and Constitution.
Name: Lin Yuan Age: 18 Strength: 13→14 Agility: 15 Constitution: 13→14 Distributable Attributes: 0 Skills: Master Swordsmanship, Master Parkour
His attributes had improved once again, and both his Strength and Constitution were nearing their current limit of 15 points.
The stronger muscles made Lin Yuan feel that his jumping ability was already no worse than that of some professional basketball players, while his punching power could rival that of a professional boxer.
The boost to his Constitution not only brought him another step closer to titanium-alloy knees, but also greatly increased his endurance. Lin Yuan estimated that he might even be able to run a marathon now.
As his physical fitness improved, Lin Yuan felt more confident about the meeting Director Cohen had arranged.
Tonight, Director Cohen would take him to meet Stephen Sommers, the director and producer of "The Mummy Returns."
When it came to "The Mummy Returns," it was undeniably a classic fantasy film.
Scarabs, the Book of the Dead, the Book of Amun-Ra, High Priest Imhotep—these classic elements became familiar to many people in China after the film's release.
So much so that many web novels used those classic elements. Even in many infinite-world novels, "The Mummy Returns" was one of the early mandatory dungeon challenges for the protagonist.
Another noteworthy point was that Dwayne Johnson played the villain Scorpion King in this film, marking his movie debut.
When he made a cameo in that role, he surely had no idea that he would accidentally complete his transition from professional wrestler to action actor.
In short, it was a classic fantasy film and a wonderful memory from Lin Yuan's youth, so of course he hoped to be part of it.
To demonstrate his sincerity, Lin Yuan had not only choreographed action moves suited to the film's style, but also recorded them into a video.
He had also considered that his strength alone was limited. To help the entire production improve the quality of its action scenes, he would need a team.
So, through Zhang Ziyi, who was filming "Rush Hour 2," Lin Yuan contacted Jackie Chan and asked to borrow several stunt performers from the Jackie Chan Stunt Team to help choreograph the action scenes.
Although Jackie Chan, who was filming in Hong Kong, did not meet Lin Yuan in person, he readily agreed over the phone. His only condition was that Lin Yuan make a cameo appearance in "Rush Hour 2."
Rather than an exchange, it was more like a senior helping a junior.
Lin Yuan was grateful from the bottom of his heart.
After making so many preparations, he had already shown more than enough sincerity.
Lin Yuan believed that he would definitely win over Director Sommers tonight and secure an important role in "The Mummy Returns."
To look more formal, he carefully styled his hair to make himself look older and put on a handsome suit.
Once everything was ready, Lin Yuan drove out.
He drove all the way to the Conrad Hotel in downtown New York.
The Conrad Hotel was a famous luxury hotel in New York. It stood beside Central Park and offered a bird's-eye view of the Hudson River. Even its cheapest rooms started at 700 dollars a night.
Director Sommers was staying at this hotel tonight, showing that he had rather high standards when it came to quality of life.
When Lin Yuan arrived, Director Cohen was already waiting for him at the hotel entrance.
Upon seeing Lin Yuan, Director Cohen walked over. "Let's go. Director Sommers is already waiting for us."
"Is there anything I should pay attention to?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Talk less tonight. Leave the communication to me as much as possible. Director Sommers doesn't have the best temper."
Hearing Director Cohen's answer, Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and a faint sense of unease flashed through him.
Still, he replied, "I'll have to trouble you, Director."
Lin Yuan was very grateful that Director Cohen cared so much about him and was willing to go out of his way to pave the road for him.
Although "The Fast and the Furious" and "The Mummy Returns" were both produced by Universal Pictures, the first "Fast" film was only the start of a new franchise, with an investment of just over 30 million dollars. It was essentially a trial run.
"The Mummy Returns," meanwhile, had a budget of nearly 100 million dollars and was the sequel to a successful film.
It was clear that, to Universal Pictures, Director Cohen and Director Sommers carried vastly different weight.
Would Director Sommers really give Director Cohen this favor?
Lin Yuan's worries deepened.
The two entered the living room of a luxurious suite, where Stephen Sommers was sitting on the sofa waiting for them.
Born in 1963, Director Sommers was thirty-seven years old, at the prime age for a director. Compared to the fifty-one-year-old Director Cohen, he appeared far more forceful.
He stood 1.88 meters tall, and his strong build easily gave people the false impression that he was all brawn and no brains. But once one saw the sinister, cunning look in his eyes, it became immediately clear that he was no ordinary man.
When he saw the two enter, Director Sommers did not rise to greet them. His gaze merely swept over Lin Yuan before he spread his hands, signaling them to sit.
"Director Sommers, this is Lin Yuan, the person I wanted to introduce to you. Don't let his age fool you. Give him a few years, and he'll definitely become a legend like Jackie Chan," Director Cohen said.
"Is that so? Then I wish him luck." Sommers was clearly unimpressed.
"If he joins your 'The Mummy Returns,' he'll definitely make your action scenes even more spectacular. Take a look at this carefully prepared proposal of his."
Director Cohen handed over the proposal Lin Yuan had prepared.
Director Sommers accepted it, casually opened it and flipped through a few pages, then tossed it aside.
Seeing what he did, Lin Yuan's heart sank.
Director Sommers had not read his proposal at all. His eyes had not even moved; he had merely pretended to flip through a few pages before tossing it away.
"The proposal is decent enough, but my film is already fully cast. There's no room to squeeze in a role for him."
"I've read the script. The role of the Pharaoh's guard captain would suit Lin Yuan perfectly. Trust me, he'll surprise you!" Director Cohen continued trying to persuade him.
"That wouldn't be appropriate. I only use authentic Westerners for important roles in my films. Easterners are out of the question."
"But—"
Director Cohen had barely opened his mouth when he was cut off.
"Even using a Black actor would be better than using a yellow man. I will never use Chinese actors!" Sommers flatly refused.
"..."
"Fine, then. You truly have no idea what kind of genius you're passing up. You'll regret this someday."
With things having reached this point, Director Cohen could only stand and leave with Lin Yuan.
Only after watching them leave did Director Sommers sneer. "If I didn't have to keep up appearances, I wouldn't have wasted time meeting them tonight. Yellow-skinned monkeys want to make it in Hollywood? Ridiculous!"
"Lin, I'm sorry. Your hopes were dashed tonight," Director Cohen said apologetically after they left Sommers's room.
"No, Director, you shouldn't apologize. I'm the one who made you go to so much trouble."
"That bastard is actually a racist. What damned arrogance!" Director Cohen cursed.
Seeing Lin Yuan's poor expression, Director Cohen continued, "Don't worry. I'll introduce you to new opportunities!"
But he seemed to suddenly realize something and muttered, "Though now that I think about it, there really aren't many directors willing to use Chinese actors as leads. These people and their prejudice..."
Lin Yuan was indeed feeling somewhat down, because he had suddenly realized that he had still been too naive and had taken too many things too simply.
He was willing to fight and capable in a fight, but was that enough?
This was Hollywood, a world dominated by white people and white supremacy.
Perhaps Black people could crouch in a corner and get a share of the scraps, but Chinese people did not even have that opportunity!
And this was not merely caused by the racist attitudes of certain directors. It was determined by the Western world's stereotypes about Chinese people as a whole.
Westerners' fixed impression of Chinese people was backwardness, ignorance, slanted eyes, Fu Manchu...
The prejudice in people's hearts was like an invisible high wall, and today, Lin Yuan had finally slammed headfirst into it.
You didn't want to play villains? You wanted to appear with a different image? Dream on!
But Lin Yuan refused to accept it. He not only wanted to tear open a gap in that wall like Jackie Chan had, but wanted to tear it down completely!
Sensing Lin Yuan's resolve, golden system text appeared once more:
The host's ambition has been established. Chain mission activated: Legendary Action Superstar.
First stage of the mission: Star in a Hollywood film whose worldwide box office surpasses "The Mummy Returns."
Attribute rewards will be granted according to the host's performance.
Before you continue