Early September, in a dilapidated industrial park outside Burbank, Los Angeles.
The California sun baked the corrugated iron roof, creating a sweltering heat. At the far end of a row of unassuming auto repair warehouses, a roller shutter door was half-open, emanating the harsh sounds of metal grinding and the strong smell of engine oil.
Lin Qi bent down and walked through the half-open roller shutter door alone.
There was no air conditioning in the Stephen Curry; an old-fashioned industrial fan hummed in the corner.
Amidst a wall covered in wrenches, spark plugs, and discarded tires, a man with slightly disheveled hair and stubble, wearing overalls stained with black oil, squatted beside a disassembled old Norton motorcycle, intently tightening screws.
He is Keanu Reeves.
Hearing the sound of leather shoes stepping on the oily cement floor, Keanu didn't turn around. He simply wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, which was covered in black mud, and his voice was hoarse and tinged with fatigue.
"If you get lost, turn left after you exit the gate; there's a gas station there. If it's a reporter or someone delivering a script, tell my agent that I'm not taking on any roles this year."
Lin Qi walked over to the motorcycle, ignoring the oil stains on the ground, casually pulled over an overturned plastic oil can, and calmly sat down.
" Matt Damon told me I could find you here."
Upon hearing the name, Keanu paused in tightening the screws. He turned his head, his deep, slightly melancholic eyes peering through his disheveled hair at the incongruous visitor before him.
Earlier this year, while filming the sequel to " The Matrix " in Australia, he booked an entire island for a vacation at his own expense, and Matt Damon and Brad Pete were among the guests. Only his closest, truly inseparable friends could accurately provide the address of his private garage.
Keanu's guard lowered slightly. He grabbed a rag and wiped the engine oil off his hands. "Who are you? Matt's friend?"
"My name is Lin Qi." Lin Qi looked at him, his tone calm as if chatting with an old acquaintance. "A few months ago, when you were vacationing on the island with Matt and Pete, they probably didn't mention me. I'm the owner of the Boston Celtics. I funded Matt and Benedict Cumberbatch's ' Good Will Hunting ' back then."
Keanu raised an eyebrow slightly. He had certainly heard of the Boston Celtics' owner, but he never expected to see him sitting in his Stephen Curry.
"What do you want? I don't know anything about basketball," Keanu said frankly.
"I'm not here to play ball with you, nor am I the kind of Hollywood producer who tries to dazzle you with a commercial popcorn script and a few tens of millions in salary." Lin Qi placed his briefcase on his lap and looked directly at the other person. "I have a film project. David Fincher is directing, Brad Pete has already signed a contract for the second male lead, and Matt and Ben will be making cameo appearances."
Keanu stopped wiping his hands completely.
Matt and Pete are his close friends, and David Fincher... is a name he has publicly admitted is the contemporary director he most wants to work with. This lineup is extremely attractive to any aspiring actor.
" David Fincher?" Keanu's tone finally showed a hint of genuine interest. "Why would he make a sports movie?"
"Because this is not a simple sports movie at all." Lin Qi pulled the thick, finalized script by Aaron Sorkin from his bag and placed it on the greasy workbench.
"I've seen you play the lawyer in ' The Devil's Advocate,' and I know you know how to portray a well-dressed, calculating scoundrel. I also watched ' The Hardball ' last year, and I know you understand what it's like for marginalized people struggling in the mud at the bottom of society, trying to find a sense of real breathing."
Lin Qi pointed to the script. "This protagonist is a combination of those two people. David Fincher thinks that only you can play this role in Hollywood."
Keanu glanced at the script cover, then his gaze returned to Lin Qi: "Who is this character?"
"It's me."
"The script tells the story of an outsider who uses data and probability to change an old-fashioned league that operates entirely on experience and personal connections. He sees trends that others cannot, and therefore has to overturn the existing rules."
"But this is destined to be a path of isolation." Lin Qi looked calmly at Keanu. "When you do the opposite of everyone else and ruthlessly prove them wrong, you become the rule-breaker, the oddball. You have no one like you around, and no one to tell you how difficult things are."
Lin Qi stood up and straightened his suit jacket.
"I need someone who can portray that 'out of place.' Someone who can maintain quiet and detachment amidst the noise. Only you in Hollywood can avoid that slickness of the traditional white elite."
Lin Qi pointed to the script on the workbench, then turned and walked towards the garage door.
"You can flip through a couple of pages of Aaron Sorkin's script first. After you've fixed this carburetor, if you find it interesting, call the number on the cover."
After saying that, Lin Qi walked straight out of the tin garage filled with the smell of engine oil and stuffy air without lingering, and got into the car parked by the roadside.
For someone like Keanu Reeves, who is extremely self-centered and utterly fed up with Hollywood's commercial formulas, simply standing still and waiting for him to read the script and give an answer, or pressing him too hard, will only backfire.
The best approach is to leave them with enough curiosity before making a move.
Back at his hotel in Beverly Hills, Lin Qi sat quietly in his suite, dealing with business emails from Europe and China.
He was still unsure, and he considered other candidates, such as John Zhao...
But he felt he should wait a little longer.
He waited for a whole day and night.
The phone on the suite's desk finally vibrated the following evening.
Lin Qi pressed the answer button. On the other end of the line, he heard the whistling wind and the dull roar of an old motorcycle engine speeding down the highway.
" Aaron Sorkin is indeed a good screenwriter. I'm going to Boston next week. I need to see for myself what your usual place is really like."
beep.
The call ended.
Three weeks later.
In late September, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety magazine were just published.
Two of the most authoritative entertainment media outlets in the United States published the same explosive news on their front pages.
David Fincher teams up with Aaron Sorkin! A top Hollywood cast creates a business thriller!
Keanu Reeves and Brad Pete face off in a dual male lead showdown! Matt Damon and Ben Affleck make cameo appearances!