Chapter 48 Attempts

Lin Ming Yang hadn't shown up for the last two weeks or so of his time at Yamakasi, and knowing that he hadn't left, the reporters outside the door naturally had no reason to leave first. In fact as they got to know more about parkour and watched so many other members of Yamakasi train, they had been very curious about the effectiveness of Lin Ming Yang's training, and in the end it was a piece of video footage provided by Sabasti who stepped in to satisfy their needs.

This video was not Lin Ming Yang's solo show, but more like a Yamakasi promotional video, in which Sabasti had managed to convince David Bell that all the members of Yamakasi were making a group appearance, and then each of them individually demonstrated their own mastery of their skills. The one about Lin Ming Yang was the shortest, this was because Lin Ming Yang's movements were very brief, when traversing various obstacles, he chose the most direct and effective method, compared to the other members it was more like a performance.

After the video appeared on the front page of several major entertainment portals in the United States, the number of clicks and downloads both passed the website record. In explaining the concept of parkour, Sabasti deliberately emphasizes the symbolism of this sport for freedom, which can be said to hit the soft underbelly of Americans. Thrilling and exciting, but also with a little taste of the pursuit of freedom, parkour quickly became a symbol of youth culture in the United States.

During this period, Yamakasi and two famous European sports brands reached a commercial cooperation agreement, and then they obtained a considerable amount of sponsorship, the whole Yamakasi's financial situation has been greatly improved. And this was just the first small step in that grand and ambitious plan that Sabasti had set up.

The night before Lin Mingyang left, Yamakasi specially organized a small farewell party for him. The great changes that had taken place in Yamakasi during this period of time, and the joy of fame had left all the members in high spirits, so everyone made an exception for this parting party and drank beer.

At the party, everyone was so excited to drink beer after beer, and a drunken Sabasti was so excited to tell the others about the future of Yamakasi that they were so mesmerized that they didn't even notice that there were two less people around them.

"You don't drink?" On the empty roof, Lin Ming Yang saw David Bell sitting alone, looking up at the sky, not knowing what he was thinking.

"This is a party specially organized for you, but didn't you not drink either?" David Bell didn't turn around, and Lin Ming Yang nonchalantly sat down next to him.

"I don't think the laws in France allow underage drinking either, I don't want to get you in trouble before I leave."

"In fact you've already caused us quite a bit of trouble." David Bell smiled, unscrewing a can of juice and handing it to Lin Ming Yang, "Prohibiting alcohol consumption was something we all agreed on when Yamakasi was founded, at the time we wanted to find a healthy state of living, so we made this rule. Although the current Yamakasi is no longer the Yamakasi of old, allow me to have my own insistence!"

"Actually it's me who should be saying sorry, maybe without me, Yamakasi would still be the original Yamakasi!"Lin Ming Yang heard the hint of bitterness in David Bell's words.

"This has nothing to do with you, as you said, this is a trend that none of us can change!" David Bell shook his head, "Everyone else welcomes this change, except me. Maybe it won't be long before I'm gone like you."

The sweet and sour juice but in Lin Ming Yang's mouth, he drank out a bitter meaning, he was now even somewhat beginning to doubt whether that decision he had made in the first place was true or not. He wanted to change the historical trajectory of Yamakasi's development, but there was still a pair of invisible hands pulling the strings of fate, David Bell ultimately had to choose to leave Yamakasi, as a participant in the whole thing, Lin Ming Yang didn't even know how to open his mouth to persuade him. A strong sense of guilt weighed heavily on his heart.

"This is my own decision, I don't know if I made the right choice, maybe when I realize I was wrong, I'll come back again!" Seeing Lin Ming Yang looking downcast, David Bell in turn consoled him for a few moments before saying with some emotion, "I actually hope that in the end I was wrong, because it's easy for me to turn back, whereas it won't be so easy for Sabasti and the others to turn back!"

That night, apart from Lin Ming Yang and David Bell, the other members of Yamakasi were all drunk, and no one knew that there had been such a conversation on the roof. The next morning, everyone together sent Lin Ming Yang to the door, his manager Ecks who had already waited outside brought 8 bodyguards with him, and under the crowd of reporters' flashing lights, Lin Ming Yang reluctantly said his final goodbyes to the members of Yamakasi.

Sabasti was the first one to go up and hug Lin Ming Yang, then he whispered in Lin Ming Yang's ear, "I'm waiting for your good news in America!"

For some reason, Lin Ming Yang suddenly felt that Sabasti's voice was very harsh, and he gave a casual "hmm" as a reply to the other party.

The black man, Brooke, said with a choked voice during the hug, "We'll miss you!"

"Me too!" Lin Mingyang, who was wearing sunglasses, was still slightly touched, and the other members all hugged him last in turn, with David Belle still at the end of the line.

"If you think you're right, then keep going with perseverance, good luck!"

----

The difference between last time when Eccles merely picked him up at the airport and this time when he personally flew from the US to Paris says a lot. Unlike last time, this time Lin Ming Yang no longer had that feeling of being flattered, it was not mature to talk about it, it was just a more thorough look at some issues.

"I heard that you've resigned from Disney?" This was Lin Ming Yang's first question after getting on the bus.

"Yes, from now on I'll be your full-time agent!" Ecks replied with a smile on his face.

"I don't know how you convinced my parents, but you have to be clear, in two more years, I'll be able to make any decision independently, and that includes firing you!" Lin Mingyang unceremoniously put the ugly words in front of him.

"That's why I flew from the US to Paris, compared to your parents, I'm more eager to get your approval!" Ecks understood that friendship was friendship and work was work, which was a tradition in the American business world. After experiencing so many things, Ecks had long since put away his contempt for Lin Ming Yang's age.

"So I'm in demand now?" Lin Ming Yang asked seemingly casually.

"Basically, you can say that, even in the eyes of some people, you are the greenbacks!" Ecks used a very graphic analogy, "The sales of Twilight in the US have already exceeded ten million copies, in Europe, only the UK region has sold 1.5 million copies so far, with just the royalties plus the sales dividends, you've already managed to cross over into the rich man's club in the US, and that's not even counting the royalties in addition to the books. "

"So how much money do I really have now?" The rich class in the United States only accounted for 5% of the total population, which was a very vague concept, so Lin Ming Yang wanted to know a specific number.

"Your current account balance at **** is 46,372,318 dollars." Ecks accurately reported a string of numbers.

"So I'm already this rich!" Lin Mingyang laughed as if mocking himself, "No wonder you hired such a luxurious security team!"

"It's also your parents' intention!" On the surface, Ecks' most direct employer was still Lin Ming Yang's parents.

"Aside from the publication of Twilight, what about other aspects?"

"Pirates of the Caribbean got $860 million in box office receipts worldwide, the shooting of the sequel is already in the preparation stage, the good news is that this time around, your honorarium for the shooting of the sequel has risen to $1 million."

"Only this much?" Lin Ming Yang hummed softly, thinking that this was considered good news, "Then how much is Mr. Johnny Depp's fee?"

"Ten times yours!"

Lin Ming Yang shook his head helplessly, "The gap is still huge!"

"With all due respect, if it's purely about income, your biggest advantage right now is still in the creation of the Twilight novel." Ecks smiled, "And just so you're clear, Johnny Depp's paycheck was less than a tenth of yours when he was your age."

This kind of answer made Lin Ming Yang satisfied, he had now initially recognized Ecks' ability, so he began to ask for the other party's opinion, "So what should I do after I return to the US? Honestly go back to school and study?"

"That's exactly what your parents would like to see the most." The upturned corner of Ecks' mouth flashed with a hint of cunning, "But I don't think you'll be a good obedient boy!"

"I'll go back to school, but I don't want to be idle in the meantime, so you'll have to help me out." This was the benefit of a professional agent, Lin Ming Yang could leave all his troubles to Ecks to solve.

"If you have a mature idea or a very good concept, using this time to write a script should be a good choice!" Ecks sincerely suggested.

"What if I want to make a movie?" Lin Mingyang's sudden idea startled Ecks.

"Are you sure you're not joking with me?"

Lin Ming Yang nodded seriously, "Does it look like I'm joking with you?"

"What worries me is that not only do you want to make a movie, but you're also planning to write and direct it?" Ecks confirmed his concern from Lin Ming Yang's expression, "From a budding actor to a movie director, don't you think that's too big a span?"

"Because someone told that if one thinks it's right, one should try it!"

"Just try?" Ecks keenly caught the wording in Lin Ming Yang's words, "If you promise me that it's just a try, whether it's successful or not."

"Does this topic need to be so serious?" Lin Ming Yang still had an indifferent expression on his face, but in his heart, his evaluation of Ecks went to the next level. For all those wild ideas in his head, what Lin Ming Yang needed most was to have a prudent person by his side to help him transform those ideas into rational, implementable plans.

"If you can give up three months of your precious time to stay in France, then why are you in a hurry to become a director?" Ecks heard the wiggle room in Lin Ming Yang's tone and then began his bitter persuasion of Lin Ming Yang, "I've seen a lot of young geniuses in Hollywood, all of them have talents that are not inferior to yours, and at the risk of sounding presumptuous, some of them are even better than you, but in the end, how many of them were able to leave their names on the Walk of Fame? They are like a shooting star that burns for a short exciting time before disappearing completely. And which of those respected big stars in Hollywood are not late bloomers, does it mean that they lived their days in vain when they were young?"

Without waiting for Lin Ming Yang to answer, Ecks shook his head to himself, "Of course not, because they worked hard to accumulate when they were young, and that's how they came to be thick and thin later on. Premature fame is both an advantage for you, but also a burden. What you can represent now is merely a young trend, not a constant classic. Only after the years have deposited a certain thickness on a person's body, will your whole person become as flavorful as Johnny Depp or Tom Hanks, a flavor that does not fade with the years, but is able to be brewed more and more purely like a fine wine, a feeling that you are able to feel in Sean Connery's body."

"You think I should just be an actor for the rest of my life?" Lin Mingyang asked rhetorically.

"For most people, being able to do one thing well for a lifetime is already very difficult." Ecks sighed with some emotion, "I've never been able to see through the thoughts in your head, so I can't draw any conclusions about you. And don't you think it's still too early to draw a conclusion about yourself?"

"Alright, I admit that I just want to try it out." Lin Ming Yang finally confessed his thoughts to Ecks, he didn't intend to become a director right away, he just wanted to experience what it was like to be a director ahead of time, and in the meantime kill this next period of boring free time.