After completing the box office increase mission for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Lin Yuan gained another 2 attribute points.
This was a timely boost, exactly what Lin Yuan desperately needed right now.
He immediately allocated these 2 attribute points to Strength and Constitution.
[Name: Lin Yuan]
[Age: 18]
[Strength: 13 → 14]
[Agility: 15]
[Constitution: 13 → 14]
[Allocatable Attributes: 0]
[Skills: Master-level Swordsmanship, Master-level Parkour]
His attributes were enhanced once again, with Strength and Constitution nearing the current limit of 15 points.
The increased muscle strength made Lin Yuan feel that his jumping ability was already on par with some professional basketball players, and his punching power was enough to rival professional boxers.
And the enhancement of his Constitution not only brought him one step closer to "titanium alloy" knees but also significantly boosted his stamina. Lin Yuan estimated that he might even be able to run a marathon?
As his physical fitness improved, Lin Yuan felt more confident about the meeting arranged by Director Cohen.
Tonight, Director Cohen would take him to meet Director Sommers, the director and producer of "The Mummy Returns."
Speaking of "The Mummy Returns," it was definitely a classic fantasy film.
Classic elements such as the scarab, the Book of the Dead, the Golden Book of Amun-Ra, and High Priest Imhotep became well-known to many people in China with the film's release.
So much so that many online novels utilized the aforementioned classic elements. Even in many transmigration novels, "The Mummy Returns" was one of the mandatory early challenges for the protagonist.
Another point worth mentioning is that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson played the villain, the Scorpion King, in this film, which was his film debut.
When he was guest-starring in this role, he certainly didn't expect that he would, inadvertently, complete his transition from a wrestler to an action actor.
In short, this was a classic fantasy film, and also a fond memory from Lin Yuan's youth, so he naturally hoped he could star in it.
To show his sincerity, Lin Yuan not only choreographed action moves that fit the film's style but also recorded them as a video.
He also considered that his own strength was limited, and to help the entire crew improve the quality of their action scenes, a team was needed.
So, through Zhang Ziyi, who was currently filming "Rush Hour 2," Lin Yuan contacted Big Brother Jackie Chan, wanting to borrow a few martial artists from his Chan Family Class to participate in guiding the action choreography.
Big Brother Jackie Chan, who was filming in Hong Kong, did not meet him, but readily agreed over the phone. His only request was for Lin Yuan to also guest star in "Rush Hour 2."
Rather than an exchange, it was more like a senior helping a junior.
Lin Yuan was grateful in his heart.
With so much preparation done, his sincerity was clearly displayed.
Lin Yuan believed that he would definitely conquer Director Sommers tonight and secure an important role for himself in "The Mummy Returns."
To appear formal, he even meticulously combed his hair like an adult and put on a handsome suit.
Everything was ready, and Lin Yuan drove off.
He drove all the way to the Conrad Hotel in the heart of New York.
The Conrad Hotel is a famous luxury hotel in New York, located next to Central Park, offering beautiful views of the Hudson River. The lowest room rate for one night starts at 700 US dollars.
Director Sommers was staying at this hotel tonight, which showed his high standards for living quality.
When Lin Yuan arrived at his destination, Director Cohen was already waiting for him at the hotel entrance.
Seeing Lin Yuan, Director Cohen greeted him, "Let's go, Director Sommers is already waiting for us."
"Is there anything I need to pay attention to?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Say less tonight, and let me handle most of the communication. Director Sommers doesn't have a very good temper."
Hearing Director Cohen's reply, Lin Yuan's heart sank, and a premonition of something bad flashed through his mind.
He still replied, "Thank you, Director."
Lin Yuan was very grateful that Director Cohen cared so much about him and was willing to pave the way for him.
Although "The Fast and the Furious" and "The Mummy Returns" were both films produced by Universal Pictures, "The Fast and the Furious 1" was just a new series, with an investment of only over 30 million US dollars, considered a test product.
However, "The Mummy Returns" had a budget of nearly 100 million US dollars and was a sequel to a successful film.
It was clear that for Universal Pictures, the level of importance placed on Director Cohen and Director Sommers was vastly different.
Would Director Sommers give Director Cohen face?
Lin Yuan's worries deepened.
The two arrived at the living room of a luxurious suite, where Director Sommers was sitting on the sofa, waiting for them.
Born in 1963, Director Sommers was 37 years old, at the prime of a director's career, and appeared more assertive compared to the 51-year-old Director Cohen.
He was 1.88 meters tall, and his strong physique easily gave people the mistaken impression of being brainless, but when you saw his sinister and cunning eyes, you would immediately realize that he was by no means an ordinary person.
Seeing the two enter, Director Sommers did not get up to greet them. His gaze briefly swept over Lin Yuan, and then he gestured for them to sit down with an open hand.
"Director Sommers, this is Lin Yuan, whom I wanted to introduce to you. Don't let his youth fool you; give him a few years, and he'll surely become a legend like Jackie Chan," Director Cohen introduced.
"Is that so? Then I wish him good luck," Sommers clearly showed indifference.
"If he can participate in your 'The Mummy Returns,' he will definitely help you make the action scenes even more exciting. Look, this is the plan he meticulously prepared."
Director Cohen handed over the plan Lin Yuan had prepared.
Director Sommers took it, casually opened and flipped through it, then tossed it aside.
Seeing his actions, Lin Yuan felt his heart sink:
Director Sommers didn't even look at his plan; his eyes didn't move, he just pretended to flip a few pages and then threw it away.
"The plan is decent enough, but my film is already fully cast, there's no room to fit him in for a role."
"I've read the script; the role of the Pharaoh's guard captain would be perfect for Lin Yuan. Trust me, he'll give you a surprise!" Director Cohen continued to persuade.
"It's not suitable. I only use pure Westerners for important roles in my films. Easterners are out of the question."
"But…"
Director Cohen was about to speak but was interrupted.
"Even using a black person is better than an Asian. I will never use a Chinese person!" Director Sommers flatly refused.
"..."
"Alright then, you truly don't know what kind of genius you've missed. You'll regret it in the future."
With words already spoken to this extent, Director Cohen could only get up and leave with Lin Yuan.
Seeing the two leave, Director Sommers sneered, "If it weren't for saving face, I wouldn't have wasted my time meeting them tonight. A yellow-skinned monkey wants to develop in Hollywood? How absurd!"
...
...
"Lin, I'm sorry, your hopes were dashed tonight."
Coming out of Director Sommers's room, Director Cohen said apologetically.
"No, Director, you shouldn't apologize. It's I who caused you trouble."
"That guy is actually a racist, damn arrogant!" Director Cohen cursed.
Seeing Lin Yuan's expression, Director Cohen continued, "Don't worry, I'll introduce you to new opportunities!"
But he seemed to suddenly realize something and murmured, "But thinking about it, there really aren't many directors willing to use Chinese people as leads. Those guys' biased views..."
Lin Yuan was indeed a bit down, because he suddenly realized that he was still too naive, thinking many things too simply.
He was very daring and capable, but was that enough?
This was Hollywood, a world dominated by white people and white supremacy.
Perhaps black people could squat in a corner and get a share of the leftovers, but Chinese people didn't even have that chance!
This was not only due to the racist views of some directors but also determined by the entire Western world's stereotypes of Chinese people.
The inherent Western impression of Chinese people was backward, ignorant, slanted eyes, Fu Manchu...
The prejudice in people's hearts was like an invisible high wall, and today Lin Yuan finally crashed into it head-on.
You don't want to play a villain? You want to appear in a different image? You must be dreaming!
But Lin Yuan refused to accept it. He not only wanted to tear a gap like Jackie Chan but also wanted to completely tear down this wall!
Feeling Lin Yuan's conviction, the golden system text reappeared:
[The host's ideal has been established, initiating the serial mission: Legendary Action Superstar.]
[Mission Phase One: Star in a Hollywood film, and its global box office must surpass "The Mummy Returns."]
[Attribute rewards will be given based on the host's performance.]