Living in California, the cost of living isn't cheap. Even for someone like Zheng Bai Cheng, who could be considered a high-income earner, things were still expensive.
He sighed and muttered to himself, "If you want to live comfortably, you need to have some money on you. Otherwise, being a stranger in a strange land, you'll never feel safe."
Indeed, money makes the man bold. The ancients never lied!
"Boss, you guys have been here for two months, and we haven't seen you actually go out and have fun. Should we go out together?" Amanda put down her work and interrupted Zheng Bai Cheng's musings.
Zheng Bai Cheng felt a little embarrassed. He had lived two lives, and except for last month when he went to sign a contract, he had spent all his time in this rented house writing his novel.
During this time, he would contact Hong Kong every week. Things were relatively calm there now. When Za Huo Qiang had nothing to do, he would go to the grocery store, chat with the neighbors, or go fishing near the port. Life was pretty comfortable for him.
Zheng Bai Cheng had asked him to hire a maid, but he refused. "Why hire a maid? I'm perfectly healthy. You guys can go on your European tour and don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. When I go back, I'll see the neighbors, have a chat, and go fishing. It's more relaxing than being a rich man."
Zheng Bai Cheng couldn't convince him, so he let him be.
As for why he wanted to stay in North America for a long time, it was because he didn't want to be forced to take sides. He knew from his memories that things would get chaotic this year due to certain events. As for safety, it wasn't too much of a concern.
"Xiao Hua, the weather is nice today, and it's warm. Let's go out and have some fun."
"Ah, oh, okay. No problem." Lin Xiao Hua was organizing her notes for the day. When she heard about going out, she was stunned for a moment but then agreed. In her opinion, going out for a change was a good thing, and the sun in Los Angeles was quite nice.
"Where should we go? We don't have a car."
"Let's buy a car. We're going to be staying here for a while."
That day, they had no choice but to go car shopping. Zheng Bai Cheng was clueless about this. Amanda was also half-understanding, but Hans, upon hearing they were buying a car, immediately got excited. He loved cars and knew a little bit about them.
Car dealerships were mostly located in remote areas of the suburbs, where there was more space. Cars, unlike other goods, needed a lot of space.
"Hey, Chinese kid, looking to buy a car?"
The group arrived at a nearby used car dealership. Zheng Bai Cheng walked ahead of them. He didn't understand these so-called vintage cars.
"Oh, we're looking for a car that can fit a lot of people and is fuel-efficient..." Zheng Bai Cheng was a bit unsure of himself, as he didn't know the market for cars here.
"Hey, boss, we should get a high-horsepower, big-displacement car. That's what men love." Hans usually kept quiet, but when it came to buying a car, he was very enthusiastic. He talked on and on about it.
The owner, upon hearing this, realized that Hans was a connoisseur and got excited. He joined in and chatted with Hans, ignoring everyone else.
In the end, after talking with the chubby owner, Hans decided on a Volvo Amazon station wagon. It was a four-seater with space for luggage. Originally, he wanted a Mustang, but it only sat two people, so he had to give up. He wasn't the one paying; the boss was.
They paid a thousand dollars for the used car. As they were leaving, the chubby owner said to Hans, "Buddy, I'll take care of the paperwork. When you want to sell it, you can come back to me. I'll give you a good price."
"Of course. You're a good, honest boss."
After Zheng Bai Cheng and his group left, the owner smiled happily. This car was a patchwork of other vehicles, and he had bought it to sell, hoping no one would notice.
"Such a naive guy. I feel bad about ripping him off." The chubby owner smiled and took his check back.
"This car's not bad." The car drove on the highway. The road was really fast, and the ride was comfortable.
"This is Hollywood. Wow..." Amanda in the car was yelling and screaming, as if she were on a pilgrimage.
"Amanda, why are you so excited?" Zheng Bai Cheng said.
"Hehehe... I've always wanted to be a star since I was a kid, but I never had the chance. Can you imagine, a woman who wants to be a star, now works as an assistant advisor for someone? Can you imagine the frustration?"
"I think it's pretty good. Not everyone can become a star. To become a star, you have to pay a lot." Zheng Bai Cheng stated a fact he knew, in a melancholic tone.
In the film industry of every country, there was a rule that directors, producers, or other powerful figures liked to exploit, the unspoken rule. It was not friendly to those who were new in the industry, including those who had been around for a while. They only cared about their looks, whether they were handsome or beautiful, or whatever. Other than that, those in power didn't think much of them.
Such a sad story. The older generation did it this way, and the younger generation learned from them, preserving this fine tradition and continuing it forever. So, getting into the film industry, as long as you didn't use your own money to make films, it was a very happy thing.
Obviously, Amanda didn't understand what Zheng Bai Cheng meant. The only thing that could be compared to the film industry was the financial industry, like in the movie "The Big Short". The parties they threw always turned into wild, chaotic orgies.
At that moment, an idea struck Zheng Bai Cheng, "Could I also make some movies? Of course, they would be low-budget movies that didn't require much money. Of course, they wouldn't be those movies with only two or three people, or even just one person, where the other thing isn't even a person."
In the future, there were many films that didn't require much investment. But in this period, the investment was even lower. For example, there was the movie "The Man from Earth", which was said to be made for $20,000, but reportedly had great box office success. This kind of low-budget movie was perfect for making money. And there was that zombie film, etc. It could all be done the same way.
During their tour, Zheng Bai Cheng was distracted and seemed out of place. The others had noticed this.
"Shall we go back?"
"Oh, okay!" Zheng Bai Cheng's reply was too quick, and the others… sweatdrop.JPG