Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 288: Advocate (Monthly Ticket Plus)
Chen Nuo had not originally planned to talk to Liu Xiaoli about Liu Yifei in Cannes.

But Bong Joon-ho seemed to be really sad about the 2.6 points. Even if he made a little joke on the phone, it could only make the fat guy laugh a little.

Afterwards, Director Bong said that he didn't want to worry about the movie for the next few days and planned to swim in the hotel, sunbathe on the beach, look at the bikini beauties, and be alone.

It sounds like if it weren't for him as the leading actor, Director Bong might have been ready to flee the sad place of Cannes and fly back to Korea to see Girls' Generation.

As a result, Chen Nuo was completely idle during the week or so before the closing ceremony and awards ceremony.

On this day, three days before the closing ceremony, Qi Yuntian took a few employees to Paris and would not be back until the next day. Liu Yifei and Li Jing went shopping to buy souvenirs for their family members.

After lunch, Chen Nuo received a call. An old friend came to Cannes in the last two days and asked him to meet.

When I walked in from the swimming pool and was about to go upstairs to change clothes, I saw Liu Xiaoli watching French TV in the living room. I suddenly had an idea and simply didn't ask the person on the other end of the phone to send a car to pick her up.

……

……

"Aunt Liu, thank you very much."

"You're welcome. I have nothing to do anyway. Where are we going, Xiao Chen?"

"I know. Let me show you the way, Auntie. Just follow this road."

"Oh, Xiao Chen, you are so familiar with Cannes?"

"Haha, it's no use knowing the road well, you still have to know how to drive. Aunt Liu, you drive really well. You really deserve to have an international driver's license."

Chen Nuo was not talking nonsense. Liu Xiaoli was indeed a good driver. Although the accelerator of the BMW rented by Qi Yuntian was a bit hard, she drove it neither fast nor slow, and was very stable.

On the way, Liu Xiaoli was touched by the scene of one sitting in a car and the other driving, and took the initiative to talk about her past in LA.

Recalling the time when she was stopped by the police and the panic and confusion she felt, Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but feel as if she were in another world.

"To be honest, at that time I thought you were still a child like Xixi, Xiaochen. Now, in the blink of an eye, you have grown up so much. You even won an Oscar. Alas, I am old too."

Chen Nuo watched from the side and saw that although the woman had some fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, her hair was still jet black without a single grey hair. Her gaze still showed her former charm and she didn't look old at all.

I couldn't help but laugh and said, "How is that possible? When you and Liu Yifei go out, who can tell that you are mother and daughter? They must think you are sisters. If you were ten years younger, it would be hard to tell who is the older sister."

Liu Xiaoli was amused. She held the steering wheel with both hands, shook her head and laughed, "Xiao Chen, you are really... Auntie, sometimes I really can't stand it."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "I'm just telling the truth. Auntie, you're only in your 40s, and your life has just begun... Have you ever thought about doing something else?"

Liu Xiaoli was a little surprised and asked: "What do you mean? How do I get here?"

Chen Nuo said, "Just keep going and turn right at the second traffic light. Our company is planning to promote Liu Yifei's agent, Li Jing, to vice president. When I talked to her, I asked her if there was anyone suitable to replace her as Xixi's agent, and she recommended you to me."

Liu Xiaoli screamed "Ah".

Chen Nuo observed the woman's expression from the side, and seeing that her face seemed to be happy and worried, he continued to ask: "Auntie, what do you think?"

Liu Xiaoli pursed her lips and said hesitantly, "Xiao Chen, I won't hide it from you. Of course I am willing to do this. But Xixi...Xixi may not agree."

Chen Nuo said: "Aunt Liu, if you agree to this, I will definitely go and talk to Liu Yifei. It shouldn't be difficult to convince her, right? In fact, I also know her general idea. She also mentioned it to me a little bit in Hubei."

"I think it's normal for you to be strict with her since she was young. If you hadn't been strict with her, she wouldn't be so successful today, right?"

Halfway through his words, Chen Nuo dragged out the words: "But..."

Speaking of which, Liu Xiaoli herself couldn't believe that at her age, she was still a little nervous around a young man.

Maybe we usually see it on TV or in news reports, so we don’t have deep feelings about it.

This time in Cannes, she finally experienced some things firsthand.

She had a nightmare last night. She dreamed that, like Jin Huizi in the movie, she also killed someone for Liu Yifei. When the unknown man fell limp in a pool of blood, she woke up suddenly, and she was dazed and couldn't fall asleep since then.

I felt weak when I woke up during the day and didn't want to go out at all, otherwise I would have gone shopping with Liu Yifei and the others.

However, when Chen Nuo called her, she didn't know what to say and couldn't say no, so she agreed immediately and agreed to be his driver.

She was a little nervous after getting in the car, until the two of them started talking about the past, her emotions slowly eased.

Hearing Chen Nuo say this, she felt very complicated. Even though she was a capable and eloquent person, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
I could only ask directly: "Xiao Chen, just say whatever you want to say. Are you turning here?"

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Yes, that's it. Turn around and then go straight. Auntie, if you're willing, I have to say some ugly words in advance to avoid hurting the relationship later."

Liu Xiaoli said: "Well, what ugly words are there? You can tell me."

Chen Nuo said, "You have to promise me that your relationship with Liu Yifei at work will follow the rules between our company's agents and artists. Only if you can accept this, will I go talk to Xixi. Turn right ahead."

Liu Xiaoli was silent for a while, then said, "Okay. I agree."

Seeing that things were going smoothly and Liu Xiaoli's serious expression, Chen Nuo couldn't help but make a joke: "After you join the company, we will become colleagues. Calling you Auntie is not appropriate, so I will call you Sister Liu, how about that? Well, Sister Xiaoli is also fine."

Liu Xiaoli was both angry and amused, "Mr. Chen, this is inappropriate, isn't it?"

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "As for work, let's talk about our own business. Okay, right here, there's a parking lot in front, park the car and we'll come over later."

Liu Xiaoli turned around and looked, only to see that it was a coffee shop with few people. "Xiao Chen, you have an appointment to talk about something, right? Then go ahead. I won't go in. I'll go to the parking lot and wait for you in the car."

Chen Nuo said, "How is that possible? We are all friends, so why don't you go in and have a cup of coffee together? Why are you waiting in the car?"

Liu Xiaoli shook her head and said, "Really, that's not necessary. The people you know are all big stars, and I'm nothing... It's not good."

Having said that, Liu Xiaoli still couldn't convince Chen Nuo. After parking the car, she was dragged into the coffee shop.

I don't know if the coffee shop was cleared out or what, but there was no one else in the entire hall.

Only Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Dicaprio were chatting in a corner.

There were two people's agents sitting at the same table.

There were a few burly men sitting at the other table, probably bodyguards.

When Chen Nuo and Liu Xiaoli entered, Leo and the old director stood up with smiles on their faces.

While Liu Xiaoli was standing at the door in a daze, Chen Nuo walked forward with a smile.

Leo hasn't changed much compared to three years ago. He's probably only gained ten pounds. He's still quite a distance away from the Water Gun Uncle.

"Chen, why didn't you contact me when you went to the United States last year?" Leonardo gave him a big hug without any hesitation.

Chen Nuo patted him on the back and said, "I was too busy this time. I only went for a few days for promotion. Next time, I will definitely go next time."

It must be bullshit.

Chen Nuo actually went to see Leo once, which was after filming The Dark Knight in 2007.

I had just finished filming and wasn't completely out of the role yet, so I was ready to find a place to relax.

I remembered that when this guy was in Cannes, I asked him to go fishing and play motorboat. As a result, I contacted him and stayed in his seaside mansion for one night. Before going out to sea the next day, I found an excuse to leave.

Because, Brother Nuo considered himself to be a well-informed person, but he had never seen a scene where a group of handsome men and beautiful women played games without covering their faces at a party, and he could not quite stand it.

If he also took off his clothes, it might cause psychological harm to many people.

Da Chen felt that if this was the case, he and Xiao Li might no longer be friends.

After hugging Leonardo Dicaprio and shaking hands with the smiling Martin Scorsese, Chen Nuo turned aside and introduced: "Leo, Martin, this Ms. Liu is the mother of my good friend. She is also from Los Angeles..."

Liu Xiaoli really didn't know how she did it.

She kept smiling as Leonardo Dicaprio and Martin Scorsese kissed her hands, and finally maintained her elegant demeanor as she took her seat.

Although the waiter came over to ask her what she wanted to drink, when she said the word "cappuccino", the sound seemed to be squeezed out of her throat.

Liu Xiaoli sat quietly aside, listening to the company boss, Mr. Chen, chatting with another actor and a director like they were old friends.

".I don't have time this year. As you know, in the second half of the year, I'm working with Warner and Christopher on a new film."

Martin Scorsese sighed with some regret, "I know, but I didn't expect you to start filming so early, this year."

Chen Nuo said: "What a shame, it's so sad, God knows how much I want to act with Leo. I'm a big fan of his."

Leo laughed and said, "If you were my biggest fan, you wouldn't have just left me a note and flown back to Hong Kong that morning."

Chen Nuo shook his head and said, "No, no, no, Leo, it was precisely because I am your fan that I saved your face that night."

Leo didn't react at first, then he burst into laughter and said, "Oh oh oh, I don't believe you."

However, considering the presence of a lady, the topic that only two people would understand was not extended. Since there was no chance for them to meet at work, then it was time for small talk.

Speaking of which, Europeans and Americans really like to chat, and it is extremely common to sit in a cafe and chat with friends for an entire afternoon.

Leonardo DiCaprio talked about his vacation to Spain. He was having a great time with the beauties on the yacht, but he flew here specially after he found out that Chen Nuo was coming to Cannes again this year.

"I thought it was Martin who asked you to come over."

"No, no, no, we've already discussed Martin's new film, so I don't need to arrange a schedule with you, right? It's simply because we're friends and we haven't seen each other for a long time, OK?"

"Oh, right." Leo suddenly showed a curious look, "Martin just told me something about your new movie. What did you do, Chen? What kind of dance did you do in the movie that made Martin look like he saw a ghost?"

Chen Nuo laughed and recounted what happened at the beginning. "To be honest, I don't know what I'm doing. I just wanted to do it, so I did it. It's not as exaggerated as Martin said. It was just, you know, a flash of inspiration."

Martin Scorsese had been smiling and listening to the two young people chatting, but he suddenly interrupted at this point and said, "Chen, you are the most talented young man I have ever met besides Leo. I think many years from now, you and Leo will definitely be compared by many magazines and media."

After the pre-dinner party was over, we got back into the car and Liu Xiaoli slowly drove the car back.

Chen Nuo has been savoring this sentence, because he really doesn't know whether it is a compliment or criticism. If someone mentions this in 10 years, should he laugh or cry?

He was thinking about something and didn't speak for a while, and Liu Xiaoli was the same.

Until the car stopped at a traffic light, Liu Xiaoli made a phone call to ask, and it turned out that Liu Yifei and Li Jing had not yet had enough shopping and planned to go shopping after dinner.

Chen Nuo suggested to Liu Xiaoli that they should find a place to eat something before going back.

There happened to be a BBQ in front of the place with a large parking lot at the door, so without choosing, they parked the car and walked straight in.

When Chen Nuo walked in, Hao Lei was chewing a mouthful of meat with great satisfaction, with oil all around her lips.

Opposite her, Qin Hao was talking to Lou Ye about the movie they watched the day before.
Chen Sicheng next to him was exchanging glances with a blonde beauty at the next table.

Seeing Chen Nuo and a woman sitting at a table in the distance, Hao Lei's eyes widened. She quickly swallowed what she had in her mouth and motioned for the others to look.

Chen Sicheng turned around and was surprised, "Who is that? His girlfriend?"

Hao Lei said: "No, I looked at the front, he is quite old, he should be an elder."

Qin Hao asked: "What do you mean, has he seen us? Should we go up and say hello?"

Hao Lei said, "We have to go, right?"

"You guys go if you want to go, I won't go." Chen Sicheng said, "I don't want to flatter others."

Hao Lei didn't care much about anything other than eating and acting, but when she heard what Chen Sicheng said, she immediately frowned and said, "What are you talking about? I just went over to say hello, how can you be considered flattering?"

"I just said it casually, please don't take it seriously."

"Why am I being so serious? I'm just curious, who are you talking about?"

Hao Lei was arguing with Chen Sicheng when Qin Hao suddenly stood up and walked over there without saying a word, which scared everyone.

Turning his head, he saw Qin Hao walking over. Without saying a word, the man turned around and looked over here, smiling in this direction.

Chen Sicheng whispered, "Fuck."

……

"Brother Nuo, I've heard a lot about you. I have the same last name as you, Chen, Chen Sicheng. I really like your plays and have wanted to meet you for a long time. When your movie premiered, we all went there. I really wanted to go up and say hello to you, but I didn't have the nerve to do so. So I had to ask Lei to say hello to you on our behalf. Did she tell you?"

"Yes. Hello, Chen Sicheng."

Chen Nuo didn't know much about these people except Hao Lei. Hao Lei would occasionally hear Zhang Yiyi talk about them.

As for the other three, I have only heard of their names and know what movies they have starred in, but the only one I have seen is Qin Hao's Harbin 1944.

After the two groups introduced themselves to each other and exchanged greetings, they separated.

"Goodbye, Brother Nuo. When you go back to Beijing, please tell me that you will give me a chance. You can treat me to a meal, okay?" Chen Sicheng's waist was slightly bent at about 75 degrees. His face was full of wrinkles, making his handsome face look a little distorted.

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Let's talk about it later." He couldn't help but feel a little fond of this handsome and sensible young man.

Who was his ex-wife?

Oh, Tong. Yeah.

After the Chunfeng quartet went over to say hello, they returned to their seats.

Of course the topic cannot be separated from what just happened.

Chen Sicheng stretched his neck to take a look over there, then lowered his head and whispered, "Look at how proud he is. Does he think he will definitely win this time?"

Hao Lei acted as if she didn't know him and stopped talking to him, just continuing to eat.

Qin Hao looked around and said, "I think it's about the same."

Chen Sicheng snorted and turned around and asked, "Director, what do you think?"

Lou Ye took a breath and shook his head, "It's hard to say. After all, this is Cannes, not China. Although there is a lot of support for him in the media right now, there is still a possibility of an upset until the last minute."

Hao Lei has worked with Lou Ye several times, but as far as she can remember, this is the first time this gentle middle-aged man has spoken like this.

She thought the meat on her plate had turned sour.

However, as an old friend, she understood.

Although the mother’s score was not high either, she was different from them.

In their movies, even Qin Hao and Chen Sicheng performed completely naked, which can be said to be their best efforts.

But in the end, it only received the evaluation of "vulgar, bold and meaningless" in the media.

What about "Mother"?

Hao Lei has paid special attention to it these days.

Whether it is the French local "Le Monde", "Libération", "Le Figaro", or "Screen" and other Cannes publications,

Or Hollywood's mainstream magazines such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Film Review, and Time,

The film critics in these media were like crazy, hyping up the best actor trophy for the leading actor.

Rachel Moore of Time wrote in her review: "Artistically, the last part of the film is undoubtedly the best of the year. In terms of performance, the first 100 minutes are definitely above the passing line. If the Best Actor award is given to someone else, Huppert and the judges had better give a convincing reason."

Even Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, which were biased against him last time, have changed their attitude this time.

The Hollywood Reporter said that he is "the only highlight of the film and a solid reason to keep you in the cinema. When the big screen lights up again, you will feel that the past 100 minutes of waiting are worth it. After the immaturity of Blueberry Nights, the Cannes jury should pay more attention to this young Chinese man."

There is also "Variety Show". Hao Lei thinks that the film critic named Sam Something is the most exaggerated one. In a long film review, he praised Chen Nuo as Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" and Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

At the end of the film review, it also said, "His hand has reached the podium, and he is only an inch away from holding the trophy. If the nine judges of this year's Cannes jury call it a day, they must be prepared to be blacklisted by Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux. Because they were also present at the premiere of "Mother" and witnessed the dance in heaven with their own eyes."

Look where this is going.

Everything about heaven and God came up, no wonder Director Lou felt uncomfortable.

If she and Qin Hao hadn't persuaded him for a long time a few days ago, he would have given up attending the award ceremony and went to Paris to relax.

Because their score of 2.4 on Screen is still the second to last to this day, and only that Filipino director has a lower score than them.

This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Director Lou, who was proud and had studied Western films all his life.

Hao Lei sighed slightly and continued to eat the meat on the plate.

Although it tastes sour, she has good teeth.

Chen Sicheng listened to Lou Ye's words and laughed, "The director is right. I analyzed it before. Who is Isabelle Huppert? With her status in the French and world film circles, what is she afraid of? If she doesn't want to give the Best Actor award to Chen Nuo, she has at least 10,000 ways to do it!"

"And, to be honest, in terms of artistry, we are no worse than him. At least in terms of subject matter, we are more likable, don't you think? Haozi, Lei."

Qin Hao nodded slightly.

Hao Lei also knew that this two-faced guy was telling the truth. Same-sex themes do have a natural advantage in Cannes, otherwise Director Lou would not have filmed it this time.

However, she really couldn't bear to listen to it anymore, and her heart was becoming more and more sour.

She swallowed the beef in her mouth, stacked the empty plate in front of her on the other seven empty plates, wiped her mouth, and said, "I'm full, let's go."

(End of this chapter)