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

Chapter 517 Grazie mille
"Grazie per l'ospitalità, Grazie mille."

Who says only Chinese people get excited when they hear foreigners speaking Chinese?

As it turns out, the Italians did the same.

This is an old restaurant located on the banks of the Grand Canal, named Trattoria da Romano, which translates to "Romano's Little Restaurant" in Chinese. Of course, when the first Mr. Romano opened this restaurant a century ago, it may have truly been just a small corner shop. But today, it is a renowned high-end restaurant in Venice, a popular destination for filmmakers and celebrities.

Outside the window, the canal water murmurs gently, shimmering with a soft silver light under the moonlight and lamplight. Occasionally, a gondola glides by, stirring up delicate ripples.

Inside the restaurant, a small band in sharp suits was playing soft jazz in a corner, while the walls were covered with old black and white photographs, featuring signatures and photos of celebrities and dignitaries from around the world.

A golden crystal chandelier hung from the dark wood ceiling. When Chen Nuo said "Thank you for the hospitality, thank you very much" in Italian, the black-haired actress sitting opposite him smiled radiantly and exuded charm amidst the swaying light and shadow.

At this moment, Monica Bellucci, 38 years old, still looks radiant under the golden lights.

“Ha ha, parli l'italiano?” the woman asked with a look of surprise.

Saying to an elderly Chinese woman, "Oh my, you can speak Chinese too," has the same tone.

So, although Chen Nuo didn't understand, he guessed what she was saying and replied with a smile in English, "That's all I know how to say. I just learned it on the way here."

Bellucci switched back to English and praised him with an appreciative tone, "You speak very well, very standard."

“I told the translator that I hadn’t prepared any gifts, but I had to at least learn this sentence well.”

"Hahaha..." Bellucci covered his mouth and chuckled again.

This once globally renowned "global beauty" now has some laugh lines around her eyes.

But for a woman, perhaps her thirties are the most exquisite time, sculpted naturally by time, beyond the reach of technology. Even by the most demanding standards of fashion and film, Monica Bellucci at this age remains a stunning beauty capable of captivating all.

Sure enough, as soon as they sat down, they were surrounded by many pairs of eyes that were secretly observing them.

Of course, Chen Nuo couldn't leave everyone else behind and go out for coffee with Bellucci alone. So after the movie ended, they arranged to meet up. He brought his people, while Bellucci brought her makeup artist, stylist, assistant, and agent. The two teams went together to find a place to eat.

This restaurant is supposed to require reservations, but Bellucci seems to have enough influence; her agent made a phone call and it was all taken care of. With so many of them coming together, the restaurant, which is always packed during film festivals, actually provided all the seats they needed.

Several tables were pushed together to form a long strip, and he and Bellucci sat facing each other in the far corner. Pan Shouyi and Chen Duling sat next to him, followed by Li Ruijun and his wife, Gulnazar and Allison, and Linghu. Opposite them were the handsome men and beautiful women from Bellucci's team.

While this way of sitting conforms to Italian social customs, it's honestly a living hell for him; he felt quite uncomfortable.

Chen Nuo turned her head and saw Chen Duling sitting opposite Bellucci's sexy male makeup artist, who was wearing a low-cut dress. Chen Duling didn't even dare to look at Bellucci. Chen Nuo couldn't help but chuckle.

However, his attention immediately returned to Bellucci.

“Many of my friends asked me to send their regards to you,” Bellucci said with a smile, standing close by. “They are all very grateful that you came to Venice and made this year’s Venice Film Festival so lively.”

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "I think I should be the one saying this. I should be the one thanking the Venice Film Festival for allowing me to be nominated."

Bellucci shook his head and said, "I remember the last time our film festival was featured in Time magazine was more than a decade ago, and that was because of you. The whole world was paying attention to this year's festival, and everyone wanted to know if you could win an award. That was truly a rare opportunity for us. So, thank you."

Chen Nuo asked, "Are any of your friends judges?"

Bellucci paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "No, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Chen Nuo shrugged and said, "A little."

Bellucci laughed for a long time before he stopped.

Then, the woman picked up her wine glass, clinked it against Chen Nuo's, and sipped the deep red wine, pressing her rosy lips to the clear glass. Throughout this, her dark eyes remained fixed on Chen Nuo's.

Imagine this scenario.

Even with his extensive experience, Chen Nuo had no choice but to look away and temporarily avoid the limelight.

Putting everything else aside, Pan Shouyi, who was standing next to him, kept blinking her big eyes and glancing at him every now and then.

Fortunately, at that moment, a restaurant waiter came over to serve the food and helped him out of the predicament.

The waitress serving their table was an Italian woman in her early twenties, wearing a blazer and a ponytail. She looked quite young, was very pretty, and seemed extremely professional. She not only unintentionally saved his face but also had a friendly smile. She took special care of the few Chinese people in their group who couldn't speak the language, trying her best to communicate with Gulnazar and Pan Shouyi in her not-so-fluent English.

When she brought him his steak, Chen Nuo sincerely said, "Thank you."

The waitress flashed a bright, sweet smile and said, "It's my pleasure, Mr. Chen. Enjoy your meal." As expected of a high-end restaurant, she must have received proper training; she said just that one sentence before gracefully pushing her food cart away.

After this interruption, Chen Nuo and Bellucci's conversation returned to the topic of movies.

"The Master is a great film, and both male leads gave excellent performances. However, I'm still more looking forward to your film in three days. I feel that your performances always surprise me and the audience. Ever since Blueberry Nights in Cannes, every time I see your work, I enjoy the feeling of 'Wow, I can't believe you can act like that!' It's really fantastic. Could you tell me a little bit about how you felt about your performance this time?"

Chen Nuo smiled wryly, "I haven't seen the movie yet..."

"You haven't seen it yet?" Bellucci asked in surprise. "This is an entry in the competition. Why didn't the director show it to you beforehand?"

Chen Nuo said, "The situation is complicated, just like he didn't come to the premiere today. Anyway... I can only see its final form with you all on the day of the premiere."

“Okay, I was going to let you spoil a little bit beforehand,” Bellucci smiled, “but for now, let’s save the surprise for last.”

I hope I won't let you down.

This time, Chen Nuo took the initiative to raise his glass and lightly clinked it against Bellucci's. The glasses clinked softly, and the two smiled at each other, the atmosphere warm and natural.

Overall, the meal was quite enjoyable. Bellucci, the Italian actress, undoubtedly fulfilled her duties as host.

The two also made a pact that when Bellucci has time to visit China in the future, Chen Nuo will personally host a trip for her to see the gardens in Suzhou and the giant pandas in Chengdu.

Speaking of China, Bellucci mentioned that she had actually just visited Shanghai on July 6th last month to attend an offline event for Dolce & Gabbana as their global ambassador. However, due to her tight schedule, she was in a rush and didn't have time to properly explore the city.

After hearing this, Chen Nuo immediately said that he would take her to have a good time next time.

The meal lasted for nearly two hours. Everyone was finally full and ready to leave when Bellucci's agent walked up to her and whispered a few words in her ear.

Bellucci frowned slightly after hearing this, then turned and spoke a few more words in Italian to his agent. The agent glanced at Chen Nuo, his eyes showing a hint of embarrassment and awkwardness.

Then, Bellucci turned to Chen Nuo with a somewhat helpless expression and said apologetically, "Chen, when this guy made the reservation, he specifically told the restaurant owner that you were coming, and then the owner asked if he could take a photo with him... and he actually agreed."

Chen Nuo was slightly tipsy at this point, and waved his hand with a smile, saying, "It's alright, let him do it."

Bellucci glared at her agent again, then said helplessly, "If you don't want to, we can say it's inconvenient..."

“It’s alright,” Chen Nuo interrupted her with a smile. “I also think this restaurant has great food and excellent service. Let’s take a picture together to encourage them to keep up the good standard.”

"Thank you, thank you so much, Chen. I really didn't think too much at the time. I'm so, so sorry..." Her agent also apologized repeatedly.

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "It's alright."

While the female agent went to call the restaurant owner, Bellucci suddenly lowered his voice and said, "She actually owns shares in this restaurant."

"Huh?" Chen Nuo was taken aback, but then smiled and didn't ask any more questions.

He was used to this kind of thing. It's the same all over the world; where there's fame, there's fortune, and where there's fortune, there's scheming. The relationship between artists and their agents is especially intricate and complex. Many domestic actors establish their own studios, while foreign artists frequently change agents; the reasons behind these changes are actually quite similar.

Before long, the restaurant owner arrived. He was a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, handsome, elegant, and spoke with a fluent London accent. He was incredibly enthusiastic upon meeting Chen Nuo and immediately offered to waive the bill for the entire meal. He then shook Chen Nuo's hand and said "Thank you very much" seven or eight times.

However, when the photos were actually taken, it still caused quite a stir in the restaurant.

The guests who were dining quietly saw Chen Nuo taking photos and signing autographs with the boss and probably mistook him for some kind of "fan service" or "celebrity interaction". In an instant, the corner was surrounded by a crowd of guests in suits, tuxedos and high heels.

Some people are of high moral character and simply watch, while others are of lower moral character and secretly start taking pictures with their phones.

At this moment, Chen Nuo noticed that the young waitress at their table had been standing by, helping to maintain order. She was both stopping people from getting too close and quickly rushing over to block the camera when she saw someone taking pictures, making them put their phone away. She was sweating profusely, but her face still maintained the same bright smile as before.

After Chen Nuo finished signing autographs and taking photos with the other person, he asked, "What's her name?"

The restaurant owner followed his gaze and said somewhat nervously, "Her name is Bella, she's a new waitress here. Is there something wrong with her service? I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, I'll have her come over and apologize to you right away. I promise you won't see her again next time you come." Bella.

Chen Nuo ignored his boss's words. The alcohol was starting to take effect, and he suddenly thought of Twilight. The movie that made him the most money had a female lead with the same name.

Perhaps this really is fate.

……

……

2012 8 Month 30 Day.

With Paul Thomas Anderson's film "The Master" officially opening the Venice Film Festival, the festival has officially begun.

Reviews of the film "The Master" have also emerged.

Numerous authoritative media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, The Cinema Club, Christian Science Monitor, Cahiers du Cinéma (France), The Guardian (UK), and Cinema Review (Italy), immediately gave it astonishingly high praise.

"A revival of cinematic art, the ultimate nirvana for film lovers."

"One of the greatest films in recent years."

"The two leads have mastered the art of visual presentation, pacing, and emotional expression, and their performances are impeccable."

"The director uses an almost provocative and ambiguous narrative to keep the audience constantly torn between mental oppression and rational resistance."

"The film calmly dissects the belief system, father-son relationship, and mentor-apprentice dependence in American society, and integrates them into a cold yet intense psychological masterpiece."

"The breathtaking visual beauty and the complete subversion of traditional narrative structure challenge the limits of the audience's cognition."

"The profound revelation of individualism, human weaknesses, and spiritual emptiness is chilling."

Among them, *Screen*, the program book for one of the three major European film festivals, not only featured the poster of *The Master* on its cover the following day, but also wrote in the article: "This is a masterpiece that could bring Nuo Chen's dream of a grand slam to an end. Although we haven't seen his new work yet, the possibility of a third-generation amateur director from the Pritzker family making a masterpiece is far less than other possibilities. Yes, what I mean is, it's hard to be interested in an American story about Chinese immigrants. Besides Chen's name, can you find any reason to want to watch it?"

For The Weinstein Company, everything seemed perfect.

But on that very morning in LA, across the Atlantic, a tense atmosphere descended upon the area near the CEO's office. Employees passing by could hear a series of furious, manic roars emanating from behind the thick soundproof glass:

"%#￥！##@！#！#%@！！！"

No one knew who he was cursing, and no one dared to ask. Harvey Weinstein roared at some non-existent "target" for more than ten minutes, until he was panting and hoarse before finally stopping, but the anger on his face had not subsided.

Bob Weinstein, sitting across from him, wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and sighed helplessly: "Harvey...you need to take your medication."

“Shut up, Bob!” Harvey interrupted angrily. “I’m not in the mood for jokes right now!”

He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes bloodshot, and pointed at the computer in front of him, saying, "Look at this! Such a good movie, so many dazzling reviews, it's rare to see anything like it in our past works!"

"Paul Thomas Anderson, he's an absolute genius! Joaquin Phoenix, after a few years away from the film industry, returned and his acting skills only improved! Philip Seymour Hoffman, needless to say, his Oscar win is well-deserved, and there's Amy Adams, Laura Dern... every film critic has praised their performances in the film."

"I just saw the media rating statistics released by the Venice Film Festival. Among the 25 international media outlets that participated in the first round of rating, 23 gave us a high score of four stars or higher!"

"We sent this masterpiece, which is a once-in-a-decade gem, to Venice, hoping it would become the main attraction and the focus of attention! In fact, we did just that."

At this point, he slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth, "But what about now? Besides these magazines, who's talking about it? Huh?! What the hell are people online talking about now? Tell me, Bob, what is it?"

“Yes…” Bob Weinstein glanced at the computer on Harvey’s desk.

He certainly knew what was displayed there.

In fact, before he came over, he had also smashed a coffee cup in his office.

To achieve these positive media reviews, they leveraged many existing connections, and the film itself was indeed of high quality, resulting in a dense and impressive string of high scores and positive feedback. With such considerable effort invested, their motives were certainly not simple.

On the one hand, it's their usual manipulative tactic—first influencing the judges' opinions through media word-of-mouth.

On the other hand, it paves the way for market promotion, using the endorsement of authoritative media to attract public attention and secure the best price for subsequent global copyright sales and theater negotiations.

The third and most troublesome layer—certain members of the Pritzker family—made contact with them. Facing those ruthless figures who truly played the game of capital, they personally patted their chests and gave their assurances.

Who would have thought that such a farcical incident would ultimately divert all attention away from their film?

Even more outrageous, the major media accounts that had previously praised "The Master" also jumped in, posting multiple tweets about the Chinese person's situation—at least three, sometimes five or six—trying to generate buzz and ride the wave of traffic.

It makes you grit your teeth.

Harvey was certainly angry. But wasn't Bob just as frustrated?
Bob gritted his teeth and said, “Harvey, I bet he did it on purpose. He just wants to see you and me get angry and go crazy. He wants to provoke you, he just wants you to lose your temper. As long as you lose control, he wins.”

Harvey Weinstein took two heavy breaths, his face contorted with rage, and asked in a low voice, "You really think so?"

“Yes, Harvey, I’m sure he’s playing mind games.” Bob stared at him. “We need to look at it from a different angle. If he’s willing to do something like this, what does it mean? It means he doesn’t have confidence in his film.”

Harvey remained silent, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“Think about it, this is completely unlike him,” Bob continued. “It shows that he’s not confident. He knows that this film is likely no match for us, so he’s trying to get attention this way, to divert the media’s attention, and to disrupt our plans.”

After he finished speaking, Bob looked at his brother and finally calmed down.

Harvey paused for two seconds, then slowly nodded and said in a low voice, "Bob, you're right... that's very likely the case."

“Yes, so what we need to do isn’t get angry, Harvey.” Bob stood up, leaning down to look at Harvey Weinstein, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with a fierce light. “It’s to fight back!”

……

More than 10 minutes later, Bob Weinstein came out of Harvey's office and went back to his own office next door.

He sat back down in his boss's chair behind the table and lit a cigar.

Then, amidst the swirling smoke, he pressed his forehead thoughtfully, deep in thought.

If "Dorp" truly becomes that person's Waterloo in their career, then, as we just discussed, I believe that as long as they use their connections to get one or two biased reports, and give it a little push, many media outlets will be willing to follow suit and hype it up. Even a slight shortcoming can be magnified into a complete failure.

But what if that's not the case? What should we do then?
Bob turned his attention back to the computer screen.

After refreshing the page, I saw that BBC News had once again published a special report on the same issue.

This time, these European media outlets clearly had a greater advantage in terms of location and connections than their American counterparts. Their reports included not only bills but also oral interviews with those involved.

As Bob watched, his heart gradually calmed down.

Based on his understanding of that Chinese man, he wasn't the type to seek the limelight, so there must be a reason for his actions... His analysis should be correct!

……

……

"...I'm a single mother, and I really didn't expect this. Actually, throughout the entire process of serving him, Chen didn't say much to me. I was just doing what I was supposed to do, serving each customer well. I was just fulfilling my duty..."

"...Of course, I've seen his movies, and I like him a lot. In fact, I was very happy to be able to serve his table. But our restaurant rules don't allow us to be overly enthusiastic in front of guests. So, I only said one sentence to him from beginning to end..."

"...No, he wasn't only with Monica Bellucci, there were many other people with him. This wasn't a date. I've seen some media reports, and what they said isn't true. To me, it was just a normal get-together between two old friends, perfectly normal."

"...Yes, my life is tough. I don't want to talk about my personal life, but for me, this tip is a lot of money. After taxes, it will help me a lot. I can move into a nice apartment, buy lots of toys for my kids, and I can use the money to go to university in Milan to study fashion design, which I love..."

"...No, Chen didn't say much. He just signed a tip slip and left. When my boss told me, I couldn't believe my ears. Really, I didn't even have a chance to thank him. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, Chen. You changed my life with your kindness. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to serve you again, but I will remember this for the rest of my life. Thank you for the 50 euro tip, Grazie Mille!"

After Chen Nuo finished reading the report, he looked up and glanced around. He saw that his uncle, aunt, grandparents, and other relatives were all looking at him with complicated and inexplicable expressions.
He was speechless for a moment.

He turned his head, glanced at his father who was standing to the side watching him and sneering, and finally said sincerely to Pan Chengrong, whose face was stern, "Mom, if I said that I was drunk and so I pressed two extra zeros, would you believe me?"

(End of this chapter)