I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 555 A Book and a Movie

Time passed quietly.

Before we knew it, Christmas Eve had arrived.

The day after my mother attended Alizee's concert, she flew back to China.

Qianqian then returned to Mays.

After the concert, Alizée wanted to stay and spend Christmas with Liu Jin.

Unfortunately, she had to go to America first to attend Universal Music's celebration party and discuss the release arrangements for Universal Music's third album next year. She was also graduating and would no longer be the carefree and willful young singer she once was.

Many things will be as free as before.

To be honest, Universal gave Alizee a lot of freedom.

But in the future, that might not be the case!

Just like Marissa said about the 07 world tour, Alizée wasn't very willing, as she felt it would be very tiring.

But she had no choice!
Do you think Shakira's 0203 concert tour, which spanned three continents and consisted of sixty-one shows, was easy?

Her schedule is even more packed than Alizée's tour this time.

Although the tour grossed $7200 million, it was earned by Shakira through sheer hard work.

Next year, Shakira will hold the "Oral Fixation Tour," a tour spanning five continents, with a total of 119 shows.

Shakira was even cursing on the phone!

But there was nothing she could do; it was her duty...

To be honest, Liu Jinzhen thinks that future Chinese stars are really living a very fortunate life.

Can you hold an airport concert in a year?

They were all so delicate, as if they couldn't bear the slightest hardship.

Check out Broken Eyebrows' concert in Hangzhou 25 years ago.

Despite being soaked in sweat from head to toe in that intense heat, I persevered to the very end as planned before finally taking off my coat.

China's entertainment industry...

Forget it, I'd rather not say anything more, it's disgusting!
……

Mom has returned to China!
Alizee went to America.

Chloe and Meera went home to celebrate Christmas together.

Where is Liu Jin?
He was indifferent to Christmas.

Even though I lived in Europe for more than a decade across two lifetimes, I felt nothing at all.

Mr. An, upon hearing that he had come to Paris, called to invite him to a Christmas dinner hosted by the local chamber of commerce.

But he refused!
The security situation in Paris is not very good right now.

The main reason is that a riot had just occurred in October.

The incident began on October 27 in Clichy-sous-Bois, a town in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, where two teenagers were electrocuted while fleeing from police.

As a result, local youths set fires to vent their anger, and within a week, the fires quickly spread to more than a dozen surrounding towns.

Then-Interior Minister Sarkozy ordered the use of high-pressure water cannons to clear out these rabble in the suburbs.

That's exactly what he did, and it did indeed quell the riots quickly.

However, the media believes that Sarkozy's actions were the trigger for the planned riots.

Liu Jin was in seclusion in Grysang at the time.

I only saw some related information in the newspaper.

In addition, his mother was extremely disgusted by this kind of thing, so Liu Jin didn't pay attention to it.

It wasn't until I returned to Toulouse that I learned some inside information, mainly that France's long-standing policy of racial and cultural assimilation had exacerbated this conflict.

Why were the two teenagers hiding from the police?

No one bothered to inquire about the truth; they simply blamed the police.

Liu Jin learned that the area where the riots occurred was a predominantly populated area of ​​Black and Arab immigrants.

That makes sense!
assimilation?

Assimilation my ass...

Those black people from Africa are just lazy and good-for-nothing; they will riot whenever they are wronged.

So those who advocate for opening up immigration policies are either stupid or malicious! France initially accepted immigrants to make up for its labor shortage, but what happened? In the end, not only did they become a bunch of scrawny people, but they were also almost driven away by the authorities.

That's enough!

In short, Liu Jin didn't pay much attention to the course of the riot.

But he felt the result!

The security situation on the streets of Paris this year has indeed been rather poor.

Especially in Ward 13, around Chinatown, the number of Black and Arab people is increasing, while the Chinese are behaving unusually weakly. This will further embolden the Black people, and the situation will only worsen.

Liu Jin left Paris on the afternoon of the 24th.

At the same time, he called Chloe to discuss selling the house in the Mahai neighborhood.

"why?"

Chloe was very confused.

"Didn't your aunt really like that house?"

"It feels unsafe... I've noticed that the number of refugees there is increasing, and there are a lot of Black people among them."

Chloe immediately understood what Liu Jin meant.

She thought for a moment and said, "How about we give the house back to Michelle?"

"Which Michelle?"

“Michel Uelbek, that house was originally his.”

Later, I ran into trouble, so I sold it. In September, Mela and I attended an event for you and met him.

He asked us if we wanted to sell the house.

If you're interested, you can contact him first...

Liu Jin remembered!

Michelle's book, "The Possibilities of an Island," became a sensation.

Sales were excellent, reportedly exceeding one million copies. That guy definitely made money.

They have a grudge against each other, but it's not insurmountable.

Previously, when Liu Jin and Xiao Rizi had a conflict, Michelle stood by his side in the media on several occasions.

Even though his book has been translated into Japanese, it is said to sell well on Little Days.

However, he still spoke up for Liu Jin, always believing that creative works are not history textbooks and that exaggeration and fiction are permissible.

The slanderous remarks made by Xiao Rizi against Liu Jin have hindered the development of his literary creation. Regardless of Michel's motives for saying these things, Liu Jin will accept the favor he has done for him.

"Sell it to him at the original price."

"what?"

"Sell it to him for the same price you paid when you bought it."

"It can't be that bad. Your house is worth at least three million euros now."

"Is it worth that much?"

Liu Jin was stunned.

How much did he spend when he bought it?

It seems to be 180 million euros!

It's only been two or three years...

This also shows that European real estate prices have risen very quickly in the past two years, stimulated by the favorable economic situation.

"Then you decide what to do. I don't need that little bit of money."

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a big spender. I'll handle this then..."

"Let's make this clear first, you won't get a single penny of the extra money. Mela and I will split it."

"Haha, whatever you want!"

Liu Jin laughed it off and didn't take it to heart.

"By the way, aren't you really not staying to spend Christmas with us?"

"No, Ernest and I have already made plans to go to sea... We'll return to Toulouse on the 5th, and then go back to school."

"Go to sea?"

Chloe asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly thinking of going to sea? Aren't you planning to celebrate the New Year?"

"No!"

"You're not planning to celebrate your birthday?"

"Men over thirty should stop celebrating their birthdays."

"Okay, I don't really understand the way you writers think."

Have a pleasant voyage, and Happy New Year!

Liu Jin thanked him, hung up the phone, and then walked into the train station.

He took the train straight to Marseille.

After resting for two nights at a hotel in the port of Marseille, they boarded the same fishing boat that Ernest had sailed on five years earlier and set sail.

Ernest no longer makes a living by fishing.

Because of "The Old Man and the Sea," his ship has become a cultural symbol of the port of Marseille.

Every year, many people take his fishing boat and travel along the same route he and Liu Jin took five years ago.

He, on the boat, earned a considerable income by telling stories from that time.

When Liu Jin called to say he wanted to go out to sea, Ernest canceled all his reservations without hesitation...

They sailed into the azure Mediterranean Sea, drifting aimlessly.

Liu Jin followed Ernest and cast the net twice more, but they caught nothing.

When passing by the island of If, Liu Jin had Ernest dock and stay there for a day.

He went to the island alone and wandered around aimlessly...

This island is where Edmond Dantès was imprisoned in Alexandre Dumas' famous novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

When Liu Jin found the island's management and showed his identity, they generously gave him a pass, granting him complete access to the entire Château d'If, including restricted areas.

Before leaving, he took a group photo with the management.

Back on the ship, Ernest laughed and said, "I bet it won't be long before everyone knows you've been here."

"It doesn't matter!"

"So where do we go next?"

"I don't know, I'll just keep walking and see where it leads."

……

And so they spent five days at sea.

On December 31, they sailed the fishing boat out of French waters and into Italian waters, approaching Sardinia.

In the afternoon, the fishing boat, named "The Old Man and the Sea," was intercepted by the Italian Coast Guard.

However, upon learning that Liu Jin was also on the ship, the captain greeted him with great pleasure.

It must be admitted that the language talent that God bestowed upon him after his rebirth was indeed remarkable.

Liu Jin spent a year learning to speak Italian fluently... He and the captain got along very well.

Finally, the captain took a photo with him and wished him a Happy New Year.

Liu Jin stood on the deck of the ship and waved goodbye to the patrol boat.

This place is nearly 300 kilometers away from Marseille, or more than 160 nautical miles.

Ernest walked up to Liu Jin and said, "Amos, we need to stop at the port of Torres to replenish our supplies."

We need to add more gas, otherwise I'm afraid we won't be able to get back to Marseille.

"how long?"

"If we go now, we can only stay for one night at most."

"Let's stop here then."

Liu Jin didn't pay much attention and agreed to Ernest's request.

Ernest then contacted the port of Torres in his fishing boat. Only after receiving permission to enter the port did he steer his boat into the harbor.

Today is the last day of 2005, and the port of Torres is exceptionally lively.

Is that a lighthouse?

Liu Jin suddenly pointed to a lighthouse on the distant sea and asked loudly.

Ernest leaned out, glanced at it, and exclaimed, "Yes, that's the lighthouse in Torres, but it's been abandoned for a long time."

Liu Jin stared intently at the lighthouse.

Suddenly he said, "I want to go and see!"

"Once we get to the port, I'll go find Simon and have him take you there."

"Thank you then!"

Liu Jin smiled and nodded, then his gaze returned to the lighthouse, and a book, a story, came to mind!
……

(End of this chapter)