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

Chapter 543 Eastern Cultural Bomb
"what?"

"I said, it's really okay."

"what?"

"Really, it doesn't matter how many sons or daughters you have, I can accept it all. You, me, Sister Bingbing, Sister Yuanyuan, and Yaya, we can all sleep together. If you get tired, I can even give you a little push-up from behind—"

"Holy crap, is it really true?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you? You're so amazing, I've been thinking for a long time that I can't handle it anymore, and I've been wanting to ask some of my older sisters for help."

"...Speak properly, don't joke with me like that!"

"I'm not joking. By the way, I'll tell you a secret, actually—"

"Actually what?"

"Actually, I'm Dingdingdangdingdingdingdingdingdangdangdang~"

"What the hell..."

It wasn't a ghost; it was the default ringtone of his new iPhone 5, which had just been released in mid-September—"Marimba"—that was playing.

Chen Nuo was woken up by the noise. He opened his eyes with difficulty, groggily reached for his phone, and said "hello" to his ear.

"HELLO, Chen, did you—"

Upon hearing this voice, before the other end could finish speaking, Chen Nuo pressed the hang-up button, tossed the phone aside, turned over, and tried to continue sleeping, hoping to pick up where he left off from his dream.

She had only closed her eyes for a few seconds—

"Ding ding dong~ Ding ding dong~ Ding ding ding dong dang dang dang~"

The phone rang again.

Fuck!
Chen Nuo suddenly rolled over, grabbed his phone, glanced at the screen, and unsurprisingly, it was still that unfamiliar number starting with +1.

After staring at the screen for a few seconds, he pressed the answer button.

As soon as the call connected, someone shouted loudly:
"HELLO, I'M SORRY, OK?!"

Chen Nuo snorted and said, "Is this how you apologize?"

"Okay, okay, I sincerely apologize to you, okay? I really shouldn't have lied to you back then. I swear, I regretted it so, so much afterwards! I was completely blinded by jealousy when I made up such a long lie. You know what? There was the sea right outside my window, you know? But instead of going to the yacht to sunbathe, I stayed in front of the computer all day! That was absolutely insane!"

"I really don't want to admit it, yes, I really don't want to say that it was absolutely the best TV series I've ever seen, because that sounds like flattery... That's why I made up that lie."

"By the way, do you know what its rating is on IMDb right now? It's been half a month, and it's still 9.4! It's on par with the first season of Game of Thrones! You know what? I played a part in that!"

Early in the morning, Chen Nuo was still half asleep when he heard the person on the other end of the phone rattling off a long string of English. He frowned, barely resisting the urge to hang up before finally listening to the end, and then sneered:

"What does it have to do with you?"

"Of course it's related! There are over 50,000 people who give it a 10 out of 10, and I'm one of those 50,000!"

Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh: "Really? Then thank you so much."

"You're popular, haha! Not only that, I've recommended this show to many friends, like Toby and Kate. I told them it's definitely one of the best TV series of the 21st century, and people will probably still be talking about it 10 years from now. What do you think of my comment?"

Chen Nuo snorted and said indifferently, "I think it's good because—this one comes from The New York Times."

The person on the other end of the phone, caught red-handed, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, they chuckled twice and asked again:
"Are you in LA right now? Let's grab a couple of drinks and chat about the movies."

Chen Nuo said, "I returned to China a few days ago."

"What? You're in China?"

"YES."

"Emmm... what time is it where you are?"

Chen Nuo glanced at his phone and said casually, "4:21 a.m.

"Hahahahahaha! I'm so sorry, I had no idea you were in China. I just got back from vacation and was trying to contact you, but your phone was always busy, so I used my girlfriend's phone to call you. I mean, you didn't... block me, did you?"

Chen Nuo yawned and lazily interrupted, "Alright, enough of this nonsense. Let's get down to business. Is it because of Quentin?"

The person on the other end immediately admitted, "That's right, he contacted me a few days ago. He said his script was almost finished and asked me to reserve my schedule for the first half of next year. He also said you would be in the film... I didn't know, you know, he messed us all up last time. I don't know if I can trust him this time."

It turns out that Leonardo DiCaprio called to confirm Quentin Tarantino's new film.

Hollywood's top male stars like Leonardo DiCaprio only make one movie a year, so their schedules are incredibly precious. Last time, he turned down many films to make time for this one, including "The Great Gatsby," which he was originally cast in. It was a significant loss, so naturally, he has some reservations this time.

However, Chen Nuo would not try to persuade the other party, neither out of sentiment nor reason.

After listening, he simply recounted what he had learned from his meeting with Quentin a few days prior.

Then Leonardo DiCaprio said, "So this time it's for real, right? Is he going to cause trouble again?"

Chen Nuo said, "I think so. Actually, we all know what happened last time, so we can't blame him entirely."

"Okay, I think you're right. Have you read his script?"

"You think he would show me the script? But it's true that he gave me half a box of materials, which were all things he had recorded in China over the past year."

"Hahaha, that sounds like a real challenge. I believe he's serious now. Damn, you know what he said to me on the phone? He said this movie could get me an Oscar."

"What?" Chen Nuo was wide awake now, sat up abruptly, and asked, "Did he really tell you that?"

"Yes, he said his script has two male leads, so...did he tell you that?"

Chen Nuo replied sourly, "No."

Little Li laughed heartily and said, "Wow, is that so? OK, then it seems I can reply to him and ask him to bring the contract over for me to look at."

"Haha, I see. Then I can probably reply to him and ask him to bring the contract to take a look."

"Maybe he's just teasing you."

"No, that doesn't sound like it. Hey, think about Oscar, gaining 20 pounds doesn't seem so painful."

"You've never experienced any pain when gaining weight."

"Haha, now it's your turn to be jealous of me, hahaha."

The laughter on the phone actually calmed Chen Nuo down from her sour feeling.

He then thought, what period of history is this film supposed to depict? Indeed, no matter how left-leaning Hollywood is, it wouldn't go so far as to hand an Oscar to a villainous character like him, who is at odds with white people, on a subject that exposes America's dark history. Even if Quentin Tarantino were God, he couldn't do that, let alone him.

Therefore, from the perspective of awards politics, if this film truly has Oscar potential, then indeed, the probability of it going to Leonardo DiCaprio is much, much greater than that of him.

Last time at the Oscars, Leonardo DiCaprio, encouraged by him, arm-wrestled with Harvey Dufresne, spending millions of dollars but returning empty-handed, and even losing the lead role to Dufresne in *Inception*. If this time, with Quentin Tarantino's new film, he can finally realize his dream more than a decade earlier—

Actually, it's fair.

"What preparations are you planning to make?" Little Li asked after laughing for a while.

Chen Nuo said, "I'll lose weight, and also make time to find a quiet place to look at the materials Quentin gave me, and while I'm at it... experience life a bit. What about you?"

"Me too. DAMN, but no one prepared any materials for me. I might have to go to the library to look them up!"

"Hahahaha." Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh, and the thought of the party boy having to spend time in the library made him feel much happier.

He knew that Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't joking.

Because Quentin had told him before that this was a movie with two male leads.

Just as he would put in his best effort for this movie, afraid of embarrassing himself during filming, he didn't believe that Leonardo DiCaprio wouldn't be afraid of being crushed by him when they acted together.

So, eldest brother, don't talk about second brother, let's all suffer together.

Chen Nuo was in a better mood.

At this moment, Leonardo DiCaprio seemed to be thinking about the difficult life ahead, and his voice didn't sound so happy. He sighed and said, "Okay, that's enough. I'm going to call Quentin now and have a serious talk with him. Also, when are you going back to the United States? We'll meet then."

"I don't know, but it will be at least after November 8th."

"Okay. By the way... do you know how much Netflix's stock rose today?"

"How many?"

"Go see for yourself~bye~"

After the phone call ended, Chen Nuo couldn't fall asleep for a while.

He vaguely felt like he had just had a dream, a particularly beautiful one, but he couldn't remember it.

With no other option, he simply listened to Leonardo DiCaprio, opened his US stock trading software, and took a look.

After seeing this, oh dear, he was completely unable to sleep.

……

……

Indeed, while Chen Nuo was neglecting his duties on "The Birth of an Actor," Netflix's stock price was experiencing a rollercoaster ride across the ocean.

$135 – that was the target price Morgan Stanley set for it ten days ago, according to Tong Liya.

However, just ten days later, the price seemed to have been underestimated.

119.83 dollars.

This is the closing price that Chen Nuo saw on September 29th.

Compared to the lowest price of $56.3 in March of this year, it has more than doubled in six months, and has also increased by nearly 100% compared to his purchase price of $61.3.

The 12.3% surge that day suggests that its upward potential has no end in sight.

The reason?
Just as Chen Nuo was basking in the glory of his nearly $4000 million paper profit and plotting how to spend this windfall, which was practically free money, analysts at major investment banks on Wall Street were also working overtime like crazy.

There were countless analytical reports about Netflix stock during this period.

Almost without exception, all analyses mention a core keyword: "The Eagle Catches the Chickens".

The performance of this Chinese TV series within just two weeks of its release on September 15th is widely considered the primary driver of Netflix's soaring stock price. It has already broken countless records and expectations in the American television industry.

Before its launch, everyone overestimated it because of its creator, Chen, who had never made a mistake.

However, after it was actually launched, two weeks later, the hype has not subsided. Instead, thanks to the positive word-of-mouth from the first batch of early adopters, it has entered a period of explosive popularity, with almost every netizen talking about it and Netflix's new model.

In North America, Netflix's core users engaged in heated discussions on IMDb, Reddit, and Twitter, while fan-made videos on YouTube also exploded. Leading channels specializing in film and television analysis, such as ScreenJunkies, Collider, and WhatCulture, released in-depth analysis videos lasting 20 to 30 minutes, further pushing the buzz to new heights.

Meanwhile, traditional media outlets quickly followed suit. After initial plot reviews and actor performance analyses, a surge of in-depth articles analyzing industry trends emerged. One key focus was Netflix's strategy of releasing the entire season at once.

After all, this completely overturned the old model of American television at the time, which relied on weekly broadcasts and accumulated viewership over time.

In response to this, The New York Times, in its September 25 editorial, did not simply offer a single sentence about Leonardo DiCaprio; it actually wrote the following:

"Netflix has hit the mark on the future. By releasing the entire season at once, it gave viewers their first immersive experience of 'cinematic storytelling' on television, a model that changed the established rules of the industry."

Perhaps 10 years from now, we will all be grateful to it. It was this web series, "Eagle Catches Chickens," that allowed us to say goodbye to the agonizing process of binge-watching, and instead, to immerse ourselves completely in the story.

Allison copied this entire passage into Chen Nuo's weekly public opinion report, which is why he knew about it.

However, what Allison hasn't noticed yet is that
Compared to American media, which focuses on changes in business models and user habits in a matter-of-fact manner,

On that continent of Europe, which had been lost since World War II, this simple entertainment trend was given a more complex meaning by some media figures.

On September 26, 2012, The Times of London, Europe's largest-circulation newspaper, published some rather eccentric opinions on the popularity of "The Eagle Catches the Chickens" among Netflix family subscribers in the UK, on ​​its second page:

"The enthusiasm for learning Chinese in the UK is accelerating!"
From London to Yorkshire, Chinese schools of all kinds have sprung up. Looking at statistics on the number of students enrolled in Chinese language classes across the country, the number of people learning Chinese in the UK has increased from less than 2 in the early 2000s to over 12 currently.

According to industry professionals, the number of Britons enrolling in Chinese language classes is expected to exceed 20 by the end of this year. Of these, 80% are young people aged 18-32!

If that's not enough to illustrate the problem, then the fact that we can see traces of Chinese characters in many places throughout London, from graffiti on walls to menus in ordinary restaurants, is even more worrying.

In a survey of viewers of "The Eagle Catches the Chicks," I was surprised to find that over 70% of ordinary British families chose to watch it with the original Chinese audio…

When popular culture from the Far East quietly rises among young people in England, we should be wary; this may be the prelude to a cultural invasion…

After this report was published, someone complained in Chinese:

"What nonsense! These British people are just spouting nonsense all the time."

"Then... what do you think, should we just give in to their wishes? Should we... invite him over?"

"How can we invite them? We don't know them... We can't even find anyone to contact."

"We can ask the higher-ups..."

"Stop talking, it's even more impossible."

"Then we have no choice but to give up?"

"...Let me think, maybe there's another way we can try."

"what?"

"Let me call Lao Kong."

……

Such remarks, as seen in The Times, are not unique to Britain.

Three days after its outrageous remarks, on September 28, Le Figaro, France's oldest and most influential right-wing daily newspaper, also published a similar lengthy editorial on its third page, with a straightforward title:

"Eastern Culture Bomb"

"As Netflix announced that it had surpassed 300 million subscribers in France, The Eagle Catches the Chickens—a Hong Kong drama series recently broadcast on the Netflix platform—is creating an unprecedented wave of 'China fever' in France."

The games featured in the show have been widely discussed, and the characters have been analyzed one by one. The previously unknown Asian actors have also sparked heated discussions on French social media, with many young people even creating new French-language fan pages for them.

In film critics' discussions, 'class' became a frequently used keyword. Metaphors are everywhere in the plot, from the bottom players to the power manipulators, from the struggle for survival to the allocation of resources. This extreme social structure silently echoes the cracks in contemporary society.

This may be a meticulously prepared 'cultural bomb,' a precise projection targeting the Western value system. And there are probably more such bombs than just this one.

Because just one week later, another film that had recently caused a sensation at the Venice Film Festival was about to be released in France. According to numerous film critics, this film, starring the same actor as "The Eagle Catches the Chickens," is definitely not a heartwarming work…

On the same day that this article in Le Figaro was published, somewhere in Paris, in an elegantly decorated study similar to the one in London the day before, a conversation in Chinese also took place:
Good afternoon, Lao An.

"Good day, Ambassador. What brings you here today?"

Have you read today's Le Figaro?

"I've looked at it, are there any problems?"

"The movie is going to be released in France next week, did you know?"

"……Know."

Do you know... if he'll come?

"Uh, I don't know."

"Haha, Old An, how could you not know? You're not him..."

"Well, actually... so, I really don't know."

"Alright, Lao An, don't overthink it. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that I received a call from Ambassador Liu in London yesterday, and then I saw the Frenchman making some outrageous remarks in the newspapers today, and an idea suddenly popped into my head. What do you think, why don't you step forward and, taking advantage of the film's promotion, invite him to the Confucius Institute for a non-governmental exchange activity?"

"This...shouldn't we ask what the higher-ups think?"

"Ever since he went to the White House, the attitude from above has been to remain silent and not interfere. However, the Academy is a non-governmental organization, so if it is done in the name of cultural exchange, the higher-ups will not have any objections."

"……Oh."

“Old An, these French media people say we’re throwing bombs at them, one after another, which shows a lot of hostility towards us. In this situation, we need to tell them that these aren’t bombs, but bridges of friendship wrapped in flowers, and sweet gifts. We might not be able to convince them ourselves, so let capable people do it for us. What do you think, Old An?”

The handsome Dean An remained silent for a long time, then took a deep breath and nodded: "...I understand."

……

……

Similar voices emerged almost simultaneously across the European Union, in Britain, France, London, Italy, and elsewhere.

But at this time, Chen Nuo was unaware of the intricacies unfolding on the European continent.

Little did he know that the success of his TV series, due to its immense popularity, had touched the sensitive nerves of certain people, causing him to be both an unwitting intruder and a potential threat. As a result, his girlfriend's father was preparing to invite him to Paris as a people-to-people exchange ambassador to see if he could accomplish the Führer's ambitions.

On the morning of September 30th, he was simply happy that he had finally made back all the money he had lost on Netflix in his previous life, with interest. He then immediately decided to spend the money he had earned there. At 9 a.m. Beijing time, he called Allison and asked her to help him find a ranch in America.

The reason is also very simple.

On the one hand, in 2012, the United States had only just begun to recover from the far-reaching economic crisis of 08, and land and housing prices were at an absolute low. Just look at Old Tang's financial situation to know that buying at this time could guarantee returns for the next 10 years.

In addition, I also wanted to find some more private space for myself.

After all, his living space is getting smaller and smaller. Since he has the means, he still doesn't want to confine himself to his room. If he weren't short of cash, he would have liked to go and look for a small island in the Pacific Ocean.

But let's take it slow.

That morning, after finishing the last part of the recording for "The Birth of an Actor," he said goodbye to Li Er, greeted the other mentors, and left.

He didn't know that long after he left, Song Yi and Jiang Yiyan came to his room with carefully prepared gifts, only to stare blankly at the empty room.

A few hours later, around 3 p.m., he arrived at Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, passed through security smoothly, and boarded the Gulfstream G650 parked on the FBO private tarmac.

Just as he pushed open the cabin door and stepped into the aircraft, he, like Song Yi and the others, paused for a moment, then frowned and asked with obvious disdain, "Why are you here?"

Pan Shouyi chuckled and said, "I'll go to South Korea with you for a few days."

Chen Nuo asked, "Don't you go to school?"

"National Day."

Depend on.

It really is.

Chen Nuo shook her head helplessly and nodded to Chen Duling beside her, saying, "Hello."

Chen Duling wasn't as at ease as Pan Shouyi. With a slightly flushed face, she bowed and said, "Hello, Brother Nuo. I... I didn't want to come, but Xiao Yi dragged me here..."

Pan Shouyi exclaimed from the side, "Since you're calling me 'Auntie,' of course I'm going to take you with me!"

Chen Nuo pretended not to hear and comforted her, "It's okay, have fun during the National Day holiday."

After he finished speaking, he greeted his parents, who were also on the plane.

However, Pan Chengrong's mind was focused on Cui Xueli, whom she was about to see, and she was organizing the Sichuan specialties she was carrying with her. She had no interest in paying attention to him.

Chen Bicheng did want to talk to him, but the first thing he did was brag about his business in Vietnam, talking about how rich that female tycoon was, not only in real estate but also in banking. The most impressive thing was that she borrowed money from her own bank to fund her real estate business, making her incredibly powerful. Even domestic companies like Vanke and Greenland could only admire her.

He listened listlessly for a while until the plane took off and began to fly towards the Republic of Korea, entering gliding mode.

Just then, Pan Shouyi came looking for him, and he took the opportunity to get away.

Chen Nuo was pulled to the other end of the G650 plane by Pan Shouyi, and then the girl said mysteriously, "Brother, look at this."

He glanced at the Motorola in Pan Shouyi's hand, then looked up at her and asked, "What's this?"

Pan Shouyi said, "This is a broken phone."

Chen Nuo said, "It's not broken, it looks quite new."

Pan Shouyi said seriously, "No, take another look, it really is quite dilapidated."

Chen Nuo glanced at Chen Duling, who looked a little embarrassed, and turned back to say with a half-smile, "Just say what you want to say."

Pan Shouyi said, "Brother, I think the iPhone 5 that you're using now, which Apple just released, looks pretty good."

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

Pan Shouyi said, "I've saved up 2000 yuan now. Can you lend me a few thousand? I heard that Apple phones are cheap in South Korea. I want to go and buy an iPhone 5 that's as beautiful as yours."

Chen Nuo said, "Bye-bye."

After saying that, he got up and prepared to leave.

But Pan Shouyi suddenly grabbed his hand and said, "Brother, let me finish."

Chen Nuo hadn't intended to leave; he just wanted to scare her. He sat down again, crossed his legs, and said casually, "Go ahead and say it."

Pan Shouyi leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, I'm an aunt now, right?"

The words fell,

Just listen to a "pop" sound.

It turned out that Gulnazar, who was drinking tea next to her, had sprayed all the tea out of her mouth.

(End of this chapter)