Global Film Emperor

Chapter 363 Russian Brothers
"Finished getting ready? You look quite young in casual clothes. Don't always wear formal attire, or you'll look old and dowdy. It's about time, let's go."

"Can I not go? I'm so sleepy right now, I really don't want to drink anymore, I just want to sleep. Why don't you go by yourself, I'll find a hotel to sleep in and then come find you."

"No way! I've already made plans to meet them at the Lionheart entrance tonight. What would it mean if you didn't go? Stop talking nonsense, we're running out of time, get in the car now."

Mickey stood by the car, waving and urging Lu Ze to come over quickly. Lu Ze thought about it and agreed. This was the first gathering of company members, and it wouldn't be good to miss it. It would easily leave a bad impression on the other two directors. He glanced at Mickey, who was excited as long as there was alcohol, put his hands in his coat pockets, and walked down the steps with a helpless expression.

"That's more like it. There's no ball game tonight, Lionheart is throwing a rock party, let's have a good drink, and after we're all drunk, we can go back and get a good night's sleep. Sleep for ten or twenty hours and no one will bother you. By the way, did the rich woman argue with you when you got back?"

Lu Ze knew, of course, who the rich woman he was talking about was. He leaned wearily against the car door, his gaze constantly shifting to the rearview mirror. As the scenery receded, the dim streetlights illuminated, marking the boundary between day and night.

Respectable people living in the suburbs called their children home, while unreliable people strolled out of the alley. Lu Ze pinched the bridge of his nose, lazily lay down in a comfortable position, and let out a long sigh.

"It's probably too cold now."

"What? You broke up so quickly? Looks like she wasn't that loyal to you after all. Oh well, out with the old, in with the new. You don't need to take it too seriously. Find a hot babe later. With your current fame in Liverpool, plenty of sexy girls would be willing to crawl into your bed for free and have a fling, all to collect celebrity fluids."

Mickey was right. With the explosive popularity of "The Effect" in Liverpool and even throughout Britain, Lu Ze is no longer an unknown. Although his fame is still not as great as that of British stars, those British people who are not face blind can still recognize the culprit who made them depressed for several days.

"I think everyone is more suitable to say comforting words to me than you are. Besides, don't cause any trouble. Put away your repressed feelings. I just want to see those two people and then go back to sleep."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say. I was going to introduce you to some pretty girls, but since you don't seem interested, I'll pass. But I still think that girls in Liverpool have much hotter figures than girls in other cities in England, especially their upper bodies, wow! Their skin is also smoother than girls in other cities, like butter. That's probably one of the benefits of the humid climate of coastal cities."

When the topic turned to women, Mickey perked up and kept talking until he realized that Lu Ze hadn't answered him at all and had instead yawned. Only then did he reluctantly shut his mouth, but his eyes kept glancing at Lu Ze until he realized that Lu Ze didn't seem to be completely uninterested in the topic.

"Nonsense..."

"Hahahaha! You actually listened to me, didn't you! You said I was a repressed pervert, but I'm openly perverted, okay? On the contrary, you..."

"You should just shut up."

……

Less than an hour later, the two arrived at the entrance of Lionheart Bar, but since the parking spaces in front of the bar were full, they could only drive to a slightly more secluded corner.

Lionheart Bar is located not far from the predominantly Black neighborhood, so it's not exactly safe. The two walked through the dimly lit streets, past Black women standing on the street, and groups of thugs lingering on the street. The surrounding walls were covered in graffiti, making it look no different from those gang communities in America.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, the two quickly left, clutching their wallets and phones tightly, and only breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the main intersection.

"That's why I hate coming here. It's really chaotic. Refugees, gangsters, prostitutes, drug addicts. It's just that it gets dark soon, otherwise it would be quite dangerous. I won't get hurt, but I won't be able to keep my money. Damn refugee policy. Never mind that. I'm going to call them and ask them where they are."

Looking back down the dark alley, they crossed the street when the light turned green, greeted the regulars at Lionheart Bar, and then Mickey's phone call was answered.

"Keesar, where are you? I'm at the entrance of Lionheart Bar right now, yes, with Lu Ze. Are you crossing the street? Okay, I see you. I waved, did you see me?"

Lu Ze leaned against the railing by the roadside and looked in the direction Mickey was waving. He immediately noticed two tall and burly men. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Mickey with some surprise at their somewhat familiar faces.

"The Mendeleev brothers?"

"Correct answer! You have a great memory. You recognized me after meeting me a few years ago?"

Lu Ze has always had a good memory for top talents in the film industry, especially after seeing their works. He has a vivid memory of the two brothers after watching "Cold Period," which won the Cinéfondation Award for Best Film at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.

The younger brother Keishal's excellent control of the film's pacing, and the older brother Lucas's superb mastery of the camera as a cinematographer, along with their reckless passion for filmmaking, are enough to ensure that Lu Ze retains memories of the two of them, and will not forget them for a long time to come.

Although the two had changed quite a bit, they didn't mind the cold in the dead of winter and both shaved their heads. As they got older, the wrinkles on their faces increased, making them look somewhat fierce, while their brown beards grew very long, as if their hair had grown backwards.

Lucas's tattoos even extended to his neck and the back of his head, making him look more like a gangster than a movie actor. Although Lu Ze wouldn't say he knew the two brothers inside and out, he was quite familiar with them and naturally made no secret of his admiration for them. These two brothers were truly talented.

"How did you manage to sign them?"

"What? You look down on me, a nobody? Don't forget you're a boss too. You're not happy about signing two talented people? It's just that they're not doing well. The Russian film industry is in a slump and can't satisfy their ambitions. After they left, European film companies looked down on Russians to some extent, resulting in poor treatment and little room for advancement. So I brought them here. I'll explain in more detail later. Hey! Lucas! Kesha!"

"Hey buddy, how are you doing?"

Most Russians actually live in Eastern Europe, around Moscow. It's not as cold as people imagine, not even as cold as Northeast China. And the people there aren't as physically imposing; they're about the same size as normal Europeans.

But these two brothers do indeed come from a region close to Siberia, and their physiques are very much in line with people's impression of Russians. They are over 1.9 meters tall and weigh at least 300 kilograms. They probably also work out, with very obvious muscles and are as strong as bears. Their physiques are definitely comparable to Depp's.

So much so that when Lucas and Mickey hugged, Mickey's feet couldn't even touch the ground. He was being roughly handled by Lucas like a pet, unable to break free and forced to endure it helplessly.

“Mr. Lu, hello. It’s a pleasure to see you again after three years. I never imagined you would become my boss, Keishar Deitre Mendeleev. You can just call me Keishar, that’s what my friends call me. This is my brother, Lucas.”

Kesha had a particularly good impression of Lu Ze because when Lu Ze won an award at the Cannes Film Festival that year, he was the only one who caught his attention and who he sincerely congratulated. For this reason, Kesha is still grateful to this day.

Appearances and large tattoos are not enough to judge whether the two are good or evil. Kesha's behavior is also inconsistent with his burly physique; instead, he seems like a very polite gentleman.

"Let's stop talking on the street and go inside." After Lu Ze and Lucas shook hands, the four of them entered Lionheart Bar together. Here, Lu Ze and Mickey were veritable celebrities, and upon entering the bar, they were immediately greeted with a warm welcome by the regular customers.

"Look who's here! Long time no see, buddy, Mr. Lu, how have you been lately?"

"Lu! Tonight we're drinking until we drop! Your bill's on me. Have a great time in Liverpool, my friend!"

Tonight's rock party isn't upbeat country rock or melancholic Britpop; it's hard rock, hot and hormone-fueled. On stage, the guitarist is headbanging and playing a solo to the beat, while a bunch of burly men in leather jackets drink beer, embracing their sexy and scantily clad female companions, and bragging to their friends.

Lu Ze responded with a smile, hugged several familiar friends, and then the group of four went to the bar. Seeing that Depp was busy, they did not disturb him. It wasn't until Depp handed a beer to another customer that Lu Ze noticed them and burst into laughter.

"Mickey, you haven't been here for months, Lu Ze. How's my pronunciation? I went to learn it specifically. Do you still remember it? When did you arrive?"

"It's pretty standard, this afternoon."

"I knew it... I could tell you didn't sleep well just by looking at you. How about a man's bedtime drink?"

Lu Ze slapped his hand against Depp's rough, large hand with a loud thud and shook it three times to show his friendly and close relationship. He then took out cigarettes from his pocket and offered them to the four of them, including Depp. After lighting them, he casually tossed the lighter on the bar and looked around the bar.

"Where's Elena?"

"This is all thanks to you guys. She's now joined an acting company and is currently filming a sitcom as the second female lead! For a TV series with over fifty episodes, that's pretty impressive, right? Did you bring friends? They're unfamiliar faces. Would you like something to drink?"

"Vodka."

Lucas answered Depp's question first, and his thick, trilled English made Depp frown. Although he didn't give either of them a look, he grabbed Mickey, who was closest to him, and whispered something in his ear.

"Why did you bring two Russians with you? You know Lionheart doesn't welcome Russians."

If it were just a preconceived notion that Russians are rude and aggressive, Depp wouldn't have said anything. But after the incident where thousands of fans were chased and beaten by hundreds of Russians, creating a huge embarrassment, the two sides became bitter enemies. Also, Liverpool really doesn't like Chelsea.

"Depp, this is the first time I've brought a friend out to play. Are you going to kick me out? Come on, man, give me some face, for Elena's sake."

"This is the last time... Vodka, okay. Not many people drink vodka here, and we only have half a bottle left. Is that enough?"

Although Depp didn't show any hostility, the two brothers weren't stupid and were quite clear-headed. Their attitude cooled down a bit, but Depp didn't care at all. Letting the Russians in was already giving Mickey face; otherwise, they would have been kicked out of the bar by the patrons, who were all die-hard football fans and drunk, the moment they uttered their first words.

Just as he took the remaining half-bottle of vodka out of the cabinet, Mickey suddenly took over, jumped onto the bar, and, under Depp's glare, swaggered over and took four glasses, placing them on four napkins.

Ice cubes were poured into the glass and shaken to chill it until condensation formed on the glass. Then, a full half glass of absinthe, which was over 70 proof, was poured in and shaken again until the absinthe was diluted to a milky white. A layer of syrup was then placed on top, followed by about three centimeters of whiskey, then three centimeters of vodka. The empty spaces in the glass were then filled with beer. Finally, with a sinister grin, five or six drops of 96 proof eaux-de-vie were poured in.

The beer glass had five distinct layers of beer. This glass was something Mickey had just made up and hadn't been named yet. If it were to be given a name, "Drinking to Death" would be quite fitting. Lu Ze subconsciously swallowed and picked up the glass with trembling hands, only to find that Mickey and the other two had already clinked glasses.

Without going abroad, you really wouldn't know how foreigners treat their lives like this. They really know how to court death. Lu Ze first smelled it, gritted his teeth, and took a big gulp like them. The first taste was of dark beer, which neutralized the bitterness of the "water of life" like industrial alcohol. Then the vodka was very easy to drink, but the burning sensation in his throat rushed up and directly to his heart. Finally, the peaty taste of whiskey came back up.

He hadn't even tasted the absinthe yet, but just one sip was enough to make Lu Ze realize he was intoxicated, so much so that he didn't stop Mickey from cracking two raw eggs into his glass.

The band on stage was covering ACDC songs. Perhaps they were having too much fun, because the lead singer even took off his clothes and was only wearing his underwear, which made the female customers scream. Accompanied by the sharp guitar, the whole cup of "killer drink" was put into Lu Ze's stomach. His consciousness began to blur. In the red-dominated light, he could not stand up and kept leaning on other people.

Mickey and his two companions weren't much better off. Even a gorilla would have passed out after drinking that glass of wine. Their alcohol tolerance might not even be as good as Lu Ze's, but they dared to drink it, truly not valuing their lives.

The atmosphere reached its peak as the alcohol took effect, to the point that Lu Ze was completely unaware that he was soaked in beer. When you're drunk, you can't taste the alcohol anymore; your tongue goes numb, and even if the alcohol content is high, it tastes like water. In this state, it's really impossible to control alcoholism.

"Three! Two! One! Go!"

As the cases of beer were unpacked, the regular customers drank much faster than Lu Ze, who was already quite drunk. Amid the shouts of the others, Lu Ze drank his sixth bottle of beer and couldn't hold back any longer, spraying all the beer onto the floor, which drew laughter from the others. It wasn't mockery, but rather encouragement and comfort.

Then Lucas, who had the best alcohol tolerance, took off his shirt, revealing his muscular physique and tattoos all over his body, while Lu Ze was helped to the bar and dozed off right under Depp's nose.

"Have some water, it's warm, it'll make you feel better."

"Thank you, Depp."

With his eyes half-closed, Lu Ze picked up the water glass and slowly drank, not even noticing the water trickling from his chin to his chest. It had been a long time since Lu Ze had drunk like this; the last time was probably the night before Zhuang Yu and Wang Zhen's wedding. Until the glass of water was completely spilled, he could no longer control his urge to sleep, and his head slammed onto the table along with the glass…

“He’s really drunk. I wouldn’t have dared to drink like this on my first drink when I was young. Mickey, that madman. James, give me his phone and wallet, or someone will steal them.”

A black leather wallet and a phone with a cracked screen were placed on the bar. Depp looked towards the stage and saw Mickey acting drunk and behaving wildly with the lead singer, wearing only his underwear and throwing wild punches. He almost got hit by the bassist. Depp shook his head with a smile, picked up a white towel to wipe his wine glass, and chatted with the middle-aged man named James.

"Judging from their appearance, it's clear that... people who work in filmmaking aren't exactly normal."

"There's always a fine line between genius and madness. Perhaps living like us is just mediocrity in their eyes."

"..."

(End of this chapter)