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

Chapter 438 Unparalleled Treatment

How much is Mar-a-Lago worth?

this is a problem.

When Donald bought it in the 80s, it should have cost only $800 million.

By 2023, when Donald was embroiled in legal troubles, Chen Nuo saw in the newspaper that a real estate valuation agency valued him at $5 million.

Let's go back to this time in 2011.

Although the estate has been transformed into a high-society club under Donald's management, it is no longer the abandoned and neglected old mansion it once was.

However, it is definitely not the one that later acquired many meanings and became arguably the most famous private residence in the world.

So when he was in Rome, he saw that Donald had eagerly faxed him a real estate appraisal report, which valued the estate at a staggering $3 million. This made Chen Nuo both annoyed and amused.

He immediately sent Old Tang a text message: "I've read your book, Donald. Don't play games."

Later, when he accompanied the distribution team from Italian distributor Eagle Pictures to Sibiu, Romania, for a roadshow for "No Man's Land," the second valuation he received from Florida was much more reasonable—

1.2 billion US dollars.

This is actually a relatively reasonable price.

After all, Mar-a-Lago had become a well-known private club under Old Tang's management by this time. There were quite a few Palm Beach homeowners who wanted to join the club, play golf on the course, dine at the estate, stay for a few nights, and socialize in the elite circle. The annual membership fee was $15 per person, and the final income was enough to cover the maintenance costs of the estate, and there might even be a surplus.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, considering inflation over the years, maintaining a valuation of just over 1 million is acceptable.

Even so, Chen Nuo didn't intend to let Lao Tang off so easily. He sent Donald a text message saying, "Keep going down. We're getting there."

Upon arriving in Paris, the third offer he received was even more reasonable.

1 billion US dollars.

At the same time, he also received a text message from Donald: "This is the bottom line."

Chen Nuo replied with a text message: "'The bottom line I told you the first time wasn't the bottom line at all—Donald, The Art of the Deal'."

Chen Nuo didn't know what Donald thought about his student so quickly applying what he had learned and using his own methods against him. Anyway, after sending the message, there was no reply from the other side.

Over the next ten days, he flew from Paris to London, then from London to Barcelona, ​​Budapest, and so on, probably covering half of Europe. He also became acquainted with the general managers and CEOs of various local film distribution companies, signed several agreements, and finally received Donald's latest offer while flying to Asia at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

$9500.

When Allison showed him the number in the email on her laptop, Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh.

He guessed that Lao Tang had probably gone around trying to come up with another plan. In the end, he probably still couldn't find any cards to play, so he had no choice but to come back to him, breaking his bottom line and losing 500 million.

It's not fair to say that Old Tang only associated with disloyal and shady friends who wouldn't lend her money when his credit with the bank collapsed. But this isn't 480, or even 48 million; it's a whopping 4800 million US dollars!
Could Epstein, that pimp, really have that much money? Could Tom Barack, that real estate tycoon who's also mired in trouble, really have that much cash? Karl Zay probably does, but every penny of his is used for his financial schemes; why would he lend it to someone else?
9500 million, haha, Old Tang must have been heartbroken when he lost 500 million.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo actually laughed out loud.

Unfortunately, the Bombardier Global Express 6000 business jet he rented for $100 million a month only offered satellite internet service with limited speeds. At 3 feet, he could only check emails at most, and there was no cell phone signal, so he couldn't text Donald immediately.

In the end, Allison was only allowed to reply to the other side via email with "done," which was considered a way of letting Old Tang off the hook.

After all, he wasn't going back on his word or trying to force Old Tang to jump into the sea. He just wanted to let them know that he wasn't a rich and foolish man, and that they shouldn't try to play tricks on him in the future.

Clearly, Old Tang was thrilled by the news. As soon as he got off the plane at Seoul Airport in South Korea, he received two text messages from Donald on his phone.

The two arrived together, more than two hours apart.

The first condition is: "This is the real bottom line. You will give up 50% ownership of Mar-a-Lago. What more do you want? Chen, I really can't give in any more this time."

The second message is: "When are you going back to the US?? THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Seeing all the capital letters, Chen Nuo knew that Lao Tang must be really excited, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Ivanka, who helped him write the text message, to write it like that. He replied with "See you in a week," and then put his phone in his pocket.

After spending more than half a month in Europe, surrounded by all sorts of foreigners, Chen Nuo's first reaction upon returning to Asian soil was that his nose felt better.

No more need to get close to people, no more need to smell all sorts of perfumes. In the Chinese cultural sphere, although the same culture has bred all sorts of oddities, at least everyone maintains a sense of distance, which makes Chen Nuo feel very comfortable.

This time, it was CJ's people who came to pick me up again. After all, it was this familiar company that bought the Korean rights to "No Man's Land". But at the airport, in addition to the CJ veterans, there was another group of people.

Chen Nuo was surprised that Shin Young-kyun, chairman of the Grand Bell Awards Foundation and honorary chairman of the Korean Film Federation, would actually come to the airport to pick him up in person, dressed in a traditional Korean hanbok.

In accordance with the Chinese etiquette of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, he immediately stepped forward, shook hands with him, and said with a smile, "How could I trouble you, Senior Shen, to come and see me?"

Shin Young-kyun held his hand and said in a serious tone, "In the past few years, the influence of Asian films on the international stage has gradually increased, and you, Chen Nuoxi, are undoubtedly the most dazzling promoters of this. This time, our Grand Bell Awards has established the 'Special Contribution Award for International Film' to be awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to international film exchanges. As the first recipient, it is a great honor for us to be here to receive the award. On behalf of the Grand Bell Awards, I should extend my welcome to you immediately."

After finishing his speech, not content with that, the gray-haired Shen Rongjun took a step back and bowed.

Having no other choice, Chen Nuo could only bow respectfully in return, saying, "I dare not accept such a compliment."

Afterwards, he shook hands with everyone at the Grand Bell Awards who accompanied Shin Young-kyun, and finally met with his old acquaintances from CJ.

Han Yonghao said sincerely, "Chen Nuoxi, long time no see. Congratulations on the amazing success of Inception."

He had been watching Chen Nuo and Shen Rongjun exchange pleasantries the whole time, and he was filled with mixed emotions.

The Grand Bell Awards, South Korea's oldest and most prestigious film awards ceremony, is considered by many South Koreans to be the most influential film awards ceremony in South Korea and even East Asia. It is also regarded by South Korean media as the most authoritative and impartial film festival.
Prior to this, this award, as a prestigious symbol of national cinema, had never been given to non-local filmmakers.

This time, upon learning that this person would be coming to South Korea in late October, at the very Grand Bell Awards ceremony, a special International Film Contribution Award was specially created for him.

The real purpose, however, is to leverage the other party's current global reputation to help the Grand Bell Awards enhance its international prestige.

This sounds somewhat unacceptable and hurts the pride of Koreans.

But that's the reality.

With the emergence of this person, the Chinese film industry, which was originally on par with South Korea, has now taken the lead.

In the past two months, "Inception" has become the second highest-grossing film in global history and has won over moviegoers worldwide with its critical acclaim. Not only is the lead actor Chinese, but more than 50% of the shares behind it are also held by Chinese capital. This is irrefutable evidence.

Shin Young-kyun personally went to the airport to pick him up. It might seem like he was humiliating himself, but from the perspective of the Grand Bell Awards and promoting Korean films, it was actually only right.

However, according to Han Zhenghao, the airport pickup tonight is a secret.

Speaking of which, the same applies to tomorrow night's awards ceremony. The "Special Contribution Award for International Film," which was added at the last minute, and its winner, were not on the previous nomination list.

However, keeping the airport pickup secret is to avoid rumors, while keeping the winners' identities secret is simply to create a surprise.

After meeting with the members of the Grand Bell Awards organizing committee, Chen Nuo finally came to Han Zhenghao and extended his hand, saying, "Minister Han, hello, I'm sorry to trouble you again this time."

Han Zhenghao grasped Chen Nuo's hands firmly and shook them up and down, saying, "This is all I should do. President Li is hosting a banquet for you at the hotel. Shall we go there now?"

"it is good."

……

One of the advantages of private jets is the ability to conceal one's whereabouts.

There were no crowds waiting at the airport, no hysterical fans. At most, there were some vague rumors online that he had secretly arrived in South Korea, but whether it was true or not, there were no paparazzi photos or fan witnesses, so everything remained in a state of uncertainty.

This also gave Chen Nuo greater freedom than before.

This time, he didn't stay at the conspicuous Shilla Hotel, but instead stayed in a Korean-style courtyard arranged by Lee Mi-kyung. This was Lee Mi-kyung's private residence, specially designed to accommodate high-end guests. It had five entrances and exits, high walls, and tight security, making it arguably the most private place Chen Nuo had ever stayed in, apart from Palm Beach.

This allowed him to smoothly meet Jeon Do-yeon after Lee Mi-kyung's banquet.

That night was truly like rain after a long drought, or dry wood meeting a raging fire.

For the past two weeks, Chen Nuo has been behaving himself and hasn't done anything, and he's been furious for a long time. Jeon Do-yeon is undoubtedly even more so.

So that night, the two of them went all out.

The next morning, Jeon Do-yeon, after showering and with her hair still wet, walked into the gym, leaned against the door, and said in Korean with a grin:

"You've really lost weight."

Chen Nuo pressed the stop button, and the treadmill slowly came to a stop.

He looked down at his upper body and indeed, compared to a month ago, he could vaguely see his ribs, which showed that the expensive weight loss nutritionist he hired in America did have some effect.

He wiped his sweat, and without bothering to put on a shirt, turned around and sighed, "It's still not enough."

Jeon Do-yeon stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the door frame, looking him up and down with a smile, seemingly very interested.

Chen Nuo initially thought that this woman was up to some wicked scheme again so early in the morning, but after watching for a while, Jeon Do-yeon suddenly said, "I envy Chen Nuo-xi, you have a new goal. It seems that you really love this role. That's great."

Chen Nuo remained silent.

Jeon Do-yeon spoke again: "Chen Nuo-xi, can I ask you a question? How do you manage to maintain such enthusiasm all this time?"

Her eyes held a mixture of confusion and admiration: "You just had a hugely successful movie released, and now you're promoting another movie where you have a cameo role. I remember there's supposed to be another movie of yours in December, one of the Twilight series... But you're already preparing for your next new film?"

"I've met a lot of workaholics, but you are truly the craziest person I know."

"Is this your secret to success? Working, working, and working non-stop? Even giving up time for sex, travel, and romance?"

“I admire your passion, but sometimes I find it terrifying. Perhaps that’s why I’m not worthy of your talent, and I can’t possibly reach the heights you’ve reached.”

Jeon Do-yeon spoke very seriously, without any hint of joking, but Chen Nuo sounded like he was about to burst into tears.

……

Her words made Chen Nuo finally make up his mind.

He was actually a little hesitant at first.

Netflix was indeed very sincere, and with the favor he owed Rory Eisner, he even considered taking on the series after finishing Quentin Tarantino's movie, thinking it wouldn't be so bad.

But Jeon Do-yeon's words were really hurtful.

He reflected on it—for the past few years, he'd been either on set or on the road, either filming or promoting, or preparing for projects. He'd only managed to slack off for a month or two recently. Now, he was back to a mountain of plans, and even this trip to South Korea was being forced upon him to accept an award.

Is this even a human being's life?

Thinking of Leonardo DiCaprio and then of himself, Chen Nuo felt like he had become a beast of burden. He was almost brought to tears after being pointed out by Jeon Do-yeon.

So, that night he really figured it out:
I'm not filming anymore.

After finishing filming Quentin's movie next year, he will have to take a break for a while.

It's not just about resting; spending time with his family and children also gives his face a break.

Think about it, since *Inception*, besides *No Man's Land*, he has two more films scheduled for release—the commercial film *Twilight* and the art film *Dorp*, constantly making headlines. It's strange that no one on Weibo has given him the nickname "Workaholic No."
But frequent exposure is really not a good thing. Actors need breaks to reflect, to experience life and feel change, instead of constantly outputting like a factory machine.

Similarly, audiences need time to miss you and wait for you, rather than seeing your next movie poster hanging on the wall in the theater before they've even recovered from your previous work.

Therefore, in the backstage dressing room of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, South Korea, where the Grand Bell Awards ceremony was held, Chen Nuo first told Luo Rui about this.

"...First of all, I'm sorry to tell you this so early in the morning, but I've already thought it through. Next year, I will only be making one movie. Sorry, Luo Rui."

"Okay, it's a shame, but... I respect your decision. I'll talk to Hastings about it."

Chen Nuo looked at the beautiful stylist in the mirror, who was styling his hair strand by strand, while he was on the phone with one hand.

He didn't bring Michelle this time, so the makeup artist from the awards ceremony did his hair, but given the overall style, there shouldn't be any major problems.

He asked, "Do you think Reed will continue to invest?"

"I don't know, maybe it's 50% to 50%. But I will try my best to get it."

“I’m so sorry, Luo Rui.”

“It’s okay. I’ve said before that I understand whatever decision you make. Besides, your reasons are perfectly valid. You really should take a break. Relax and enjoy a long vacation.”

"OK, thank you. Bye."

"Bye."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Nuo knew that Rory Eisner was actually quite disappointed. He would have to make it up to her in other ways later. As for "Eagle Catches Chickens," even if Netflix didn't invest, he would still make it happen, even if it had to be produced independently.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the dressing room.

Gulnazar got up to open the door. She thought it was staff from the awards ceremony, but when she opened the door, she saw a group of girls in black performance costumes, each with an incredibly short skirt that revealed their thighs.

The girl in the lead was short and spoke a string of Korean, which Nazha couldn't understand a word of. Luckily, the blonde girl behind her quickly corrected her in English, and Nazha finally understood their purpose.

They came to "say hello" to Chen Nuo.

"Please wait a moment," Nazha replied politely, then closed the door.

There was a moment of silence outside the door, then the girls began to whisper among themselves.

"so beautiful."

"Is this Chen Nuoxi's assistant?"

"He looks like he's of mixed race."

"Yep."

"Taeyeon, do you think he'll let us in?"

"I don't know. Just stay put, Yuri, and don't say anything."

"Yoona, what are you laughing at?"

"nothing."

"Are you laughing at Taeyeon for speaking Korean just now?"

"I do not have."

"Wow, Senior Chen Nuo really came! We wouldn't have known if President Li hadn't told us."

"Yeah, I've never seen one in person... What about you guys?"

“My sister has met him.”

“I know, Jessica, you’ve said it many times.”

"I……"

The door was suddenly pulled open, and the chatter ceased instantly, leaving only silence.

Gulnazar stood at the door, smiling as she stepped aside: "Please come in."

Chen Nuo was already familiar with the elaborate "senior" and "junior" etiquette of the Korean entertainment industry and thought it was rather silly. But today, it just so happened that Girls' Generation was there...
Hey!
As soon as the door to the dressing room opened, a line of girls of varying heights filed in, like a flowing black landscape.

Each person was dressed in an exquisitely tailored black stage costume, with bare legs beneath their short skirts. Especially when they stood side by side, their legs neatly spread out, it really gave off a feeling of the "thigh era".

"3, 2, 1." Leader Kim Tae-yeon counted down, and then a row of girls bowed in unison, their movements swift and synchronized, as if they had rehearsed it many times before, and said in unison, "Honey, we are Girls' Generation."

Then everyone said the same thing.

"Senior Chen Nuo, I am the team leader Taeyeon."

"I am Yuri."

I am Yoona.

"I'm……"

After quickly finishing speaking, the girls bowed in unison, saying, "Senior Chen Nuo, please take good care of us."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Hello." Then, because he wasn't in a good mood, he didn't continue.

After they had performed with great fanfare for quite a while, he replied with just this one sentence. After that, the idol group, which is currently popular all over Asia, bowed again and left one by one.

As soon as they stepped outside, the girls started chattering away again.

"He's even more handsome in person than in the movies."

"Your face is so small."

"Yes, yes, I think he's even thinner than in the movie."

"Wow, he truly deserves to be number one as the man I most want to date."

"I was so nervous when he looked over."

"Did you guys notice that he was looking at Yuri the whole time?"

"How could that be? Don't talk nonsense."

“Really, I noticed. He really… Yuri, did you feel it?”

"I……."

"Alright!" The agent suddenly interrupted their discussion. "Stop talking."

The girls, who had initially been skeptical, felt a sudden jolt of realization when they saw their manager's expression turn serious. Their laughter abruptly ceased, and their gazes all fell upon Kwon Yuri.

Yuri's cheeks flushed red, as if a flame had spread from her neck all the way to her ears.

……

……

Actually, this is a misunderstanding.

As mentioned before, Chen Nuo's Korean girlfriend from his past life once took him on a road trip, traveling through the United States along Highway 1. Along the way, they not only visited Silicon Valley, but also encountered Krystal Jung and Jessica Jung filming a program together, and the group even had a meal together.

Why are we able to eat together?

That was certainly not an instant connection.

It was because his girlfriend, who graduated from Berklee, was Kwon Yuri's cousin. She later broke up with him, returned to South Korea, and became a well-known composer.

So, he couldn't help but glance at Yuri a few more times.

But that was all; he wasn't really interested. To be honest, there weren't many women in the "Big Thigh Era" who could catch his eye. Yuri was a level below her cousin.

During the awards ceremony that evening, Chen Nuo went on stage as the third to last to receive his Special Contribution to International Cinema Award.

The award presenters were none other than Jeon Do-yeon and Choi Min-sik, who were his closest friends.

Chen Nuo didn't have much to say about the award that came so easily to him. He simply expressed his gratitude to the organizers and said some words of encouragement.

That night, she refused Lee Soo-man's arrangement and spent the night with Jeon Do-yeon anyway.

The next day, after attending the premiere of "No Man's Land" held by CJ, he flew from South Korea to Japan in the afternoon.

It should be explained that the original release date in Japan was early October, but due to the overwhelming response to "Inception" in the Japanese market, Toho decided to adjust the release date in an emergency to avoid direct conflict and internal competition, and postponed the release of "No Man's Land" to October 20.

In retrospect, although it still couldn't completely avoid the impact of the two films, it at least managed to avoid some key release dates.

However, this also brought an unexpected benefit—his popularity in Japan was indeed quite good at the time. A single premiere had already generated considerable publicity, much to the delight of Toho's executives.

After the premiere, Toho President Noriyuki Seto invited him to dinner. After a round of drinks, the two signed a three-year strategic cooperation agreement the next day.

This is Huanxin Pictures' fifth distribution agreement in the "Silk Road Alliance" strategy—following Eagle Pictures of Italy, BBC Films of the UK, Constantin Film of Germany, and CJ E&M of South Korea, it has finally filled the most crucial link in the East Asian market: Japan.

From this moment on, Huanxin Pictures' overseas distribution network finally began to take shape. It now had its own channels and resources in major international box office markets outside the United States.

what does this mean?
First, if he were to make another "The Message 2" now, it wouldn't be as pathetic as the original "The Message 1," with only a mere 40-odd theaters showing. The "100-theater screening" that the Nakamura father and son begged for back then is now just a blink of an eye for Toho Pictures. The agreement even explicitly states that as long as he personally participates, the number of theaters showing must not be less than 300.

Secondly, and more importantly, in these countries, Renewal is no longer just a seller of copyrights, but has the distribution capability to "participate in revenue sharing." In other words, its films no longer need to be sold outright; instead, it can share revenue with local distributors based on box office figures—precisely the global model of Hollywood giants like Disney, Warner Bros., and Sony.

Of course, expanding from five countries to the whole world and achieving a truly simultaneous global release is not so simple; it will be a long, protracted, and massively costly battle.

Over the next two days, Chen Nuo tirelessly dealt with matters related to "Legal High." In a meeting with Fuji Television executives, he bluntly pointed out the serious delays in the project's progress, especially the fact that the male lead had not yet been cast, and he lost his temper on the spot.

At the meeting, he made the decision directly to cast Masato Sakai as the lead actor, Kensuke Komikado. Although some people at Fuji initially looked hesitant, they ultimately had to accept the reality.

Looking at those Japanese dogs... and seeing people bowing their heads and admitting their mistakes, Chen Nuo felt that the efficiency would likely be higher afterward.

After he traveled to Brazil in South America and rushed back to Palm Beach, ending his round-the-world trip which lasted for more than half a month, it was already October 28th, US time.

The plane came to a slow stop at Palm Beach International Airport. As Chen Nuo stepped out of the Bombardier cabin and down the passenger stairs, he suddenly saw Lao Tang standing by the stairs, smiling broadly and holding a large bouquet of flowers.

He was taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle.

This treatment...

It must be one of a kind in the world, right?

(End of this chapter)