I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 797 The Opportunity Provided by Old Marco

November 7th, Saturday, Beijing time, the beginning of winter.

A private Airbus plane landed at the capital airport, and Liu Jin and his family disembarked in a grand procession and took a shuttle bus straight to customs and border control.

It was 3 a.m.

The airport was not crowded, so the group quickly passed through immigration.

Qianqian and Xiaochen rented a minibus and waited at the airport early in the morning.

When she saw Alizee, she flew over like a cheerful lark, wanting to give Alizee a hug.

However, Liu Dasheng stopped him.

"Didn't you see your aunt was tired? You have no sense of propriety."

Aunt?

Qianqian was taken aback, and her gaze immediately fell on Eva.

She was closer to Alizee and had relatively less contact with Eva, but they were not strangers.

However, Qianqian's gaze immediately fell on the babies.

In November, the capital city was already a bit chilly, so the four babies were wrapped in thick swaddling clothes and could not be seen very clearly.

Four younger cousins ​​and two aunts-in-law?
Even though Qianqian already knew that her uncle was a playboy, she was still shocked by the scene before her!

You're really not afraid of committing crimes.

Three wives, five children...

Are we still talking about family planning?
She quickly led everyone to the minibus, and after everyone was on board, she stopped Ottilie and Old Zhong with a smile.

"Ottilie, I miss you so much!"

"Noemi, I miss you so much too..."

Qianqian's original English name was Vivian.

But later, Mela persuaded him to change it.

Mela said that Vivian's name was too ordinary, too...

Actually, the meaning isn't very good.

Many Chinese girls who go abroad choose random names.

Most of the time, they don't even know what those names mean.

Vivian is one of those names with negative connotations.

So, while at the University of Metz, she changed her name to Noémie, a sweet and cultured name in French, especially suitable for a girl. Since then, Qianqian has continued to use the name Noémie.
"Old Zhong, how could you bear to come back?"

"What do you mean I'm willing to come back? This isn't my first time returning to China, okay?"

"I've just been a bit lazy these past few years..."

Qianqian smiled, expressing her disdain.

"What's going on? Why hasn't my uncle come back?"

"He put on that 'Music by the Fireplace' show, and he was almost out of material, so he had to rush back to Salerno to finish it."

I guess they're recording right now.

Who are they?

"Joan Jeter."

"Who?"

As someone born in the 1980s, Qianqian had never heard of Qiongjiete before.

But if you mention the song "I Hate My Devotion," she's heard it, and so has Chen Qi.

"And Gunflower."

"do not know."

"Bob Dylan?"

"never heard of that."

"Xenia Town?"

"I know that... but why are they all America's singers? Why not let Ali go? She's a pop star too."

Alizee, sitting in the back, leaned out and said, "Little diva, you have no human rights."

She spoke Chinese, and it sounded a bit odd.

But all the Chinese people in the bus understood, and even the minibus driver couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Although I don't know why 'pop divas have no human rights', those pop divas in China are incredibly powerful. Is she being sarcastic?

After all, Alizée has held concerts in China, but not everyone can recognize her.

……

"Uncle, aren't we going a bit too far?"

Chen Qi and Qianqian sat in the back of the car, whispering to each other.

He knew of Liu Jin, but had never met him.

Qianqian told me that her uncle was having a very wild time in France.

Now it seems like it was a real piece of work!
"Very envious?"

Qianqian glanced at him.

"Why would I envy him? I hate philandering men the most."

Old Zhong, sitting in the front row, turned his head and stretched out his hand to Chen Qi, saying, "Womanizing men are all bad."

“Jules, I understand Chinese.”

"what!"

Old Zhong scoffed, "Only you treat Amos like a treasure, and that silly girl Eva too."

"What did you say I did?"

"That's what it is!"

“Jules, I will tell Amos what you said.”

Everyone in the car laughed.

Qianqian acted as the translator, and her parents couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm afraid of him?"

Old Zhong remained dismissive.

The night is deep.

There weren't many vehicles on the streets of the capital.

The minibus arrived at Beiluoguxiang without any obstacles. After everyone got off the bus with their luggage, they jogged into the courtyard house.

The room was very warm.

Although it was cold outside, it was warm and cozy inside.

Although it's a private plane, the long journey is still very tiring.

The courtyard house had plenty of rooms, and after receiving the news, Qianqian had them cleaned again, making sure every room was spotless and that new bedding and sheets were put on.

Alizee, Eva, and Alizee's parents, and Eva's parents were all exhausted and fell asleep immediately.

……

I slept until midday.

After Alizee and the others got up, Liu Dasheng, following Chinese custom, made dumplings at home.

These are called dumplings that face the wind.

The elderly couple, along with Alizee and Eva's parents, had a hearty drinking session at home.

As a result, all four foreigners collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Qianqian then drove Eva and Alizee around Wangfujing.

Alizée has held concerts in China before; this is her second time in Beijing.

But this was the first time Eva had ever been so impressed by the scenery of the capital.

It turns out that China isn't as terrible as Western media portrays it... This sparked her great interest in China.

Over the next few days, Qianqian led everyone on a tour of the capital city.

They watched the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, visited the Forbidden City, and climbed the Great Wall.

Originally, the two women's families had some negative impressions of China, but after a few days, their views changed drastically.

Having four children here doesn't seem so unacceptable!
While Alizee and the others were enjoying the scenery, tasting the food, and experiencing China's long history and culture in the capital, Liu Jin was also busy filming a program in Salerno.

After hosting Joan Jeter, Liu Jin went on to host Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Guns N' Roses, Donna Samantha, Tina Turner, Michael Bolton, and Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson's sister.

From the beginning of November until the end of November, recordings continued non-stop.

The show has already exceeded thirteen episodes, but Liu Jin doesn't really care; he's just having fun!
It's actually quite interesting to chat with these musicians who were already world-renowned in the 1970s and 80s, about music and life.

It's worth noting that the vast majority of these people will receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards in the future.

Looking back ten years from now, you'll realize its true value...

Liu Jin had a lot of fun, and he sang a lot of songs.

Cui Jian and Tian Xian also joined in.

Especially starting from the fifth episode, after the celestial beauty appeared on screen, "Music by the Fireplace" became increasingly popular in mainland China.

In other words, after Cui Jian arrived, no one knew his phone number.

Otherwise, who knows who might call and harass you?

……

As December arrived, the intense recording finally came to an end.

Leslie was really struggling, so he called Maggie over to help him with the production.

Maggie is now also showing a tendency to develop in the direction of becoming a producer.

She took over the Chinese-language adaptation rights to "The Chorus" from Liu Jin and is currently looking for someone to try adapting the script.

Jiang Wen happened to be there too, and she wanted to have a good talk with him about the ideas for the adaptation.

Liu Jin was exhausted!
Although I was very happy and excited, I was really tired.

After all, in addition to recording programs and designing scripts, he also has to keep writing.

He originally planned to finish "Angels & Demons" in mid-November, but due to Alizee and Eva giving birth, coupled with the high-intensity recording throughout November, he didn't finish the book until December.

He's a little tired!
After much deliberation, I decided to abandon the project of creating "The Legend of 1900".

Let's talk about it next year.

On December 7th, after hosting Janet Jackson, the Michael Jackson feature came to a close.

I haven't seen my son and daughter for over a month.

AA also called, saying that she would take Liu Yalin, also known as Camille, to the capital before Christmas.

After that, Camille will stay in China.

Camille will be six years old next year, and she will be studying in the capital.

Liu Dasheng has already made all the arrangements, and is just waiting for the start of school next year.

I went there early for two reasons: first, to adapt to the environment, and second, to learn Chinese in advance.

Although Camille had learned a little Chinese before, it was far from enough... AA had very strict requirements for Camille in this regard.

Liu Jin also needs to go back before Christmas.

Otherwise, it would be like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms!

After seeing Janet Jackson off, he chatted with Leslie about the post-production process before preparing to return to China.

However, just as he was about to set off, a phone call from old Marco forced him to postpone his trip.

"TV station?"

Liu Jin and Old Marco boarded the Anita yacht and sailed into the Mediterranean Sea.

"Zagaria has been captured!"

"Who?"

"It is the head of the Contini family in Naples, which is the Casalesi family under the Camorra family... Although the Casalesi family mainly deals in DP and arms, they also own many public institutions in Naples."

Pozzoli Television is one of their family's businesses.

Old Marco lit a cigar, sat on a chair on the beach deck, and spoke in a somewhat somber tone.

"The Contini family suffered heavy losses in last year's financial crisis and has yet to recover."

The Contini family has suffered a major blow from Zagaria's arrest. Zagaria has many enemies, and with him imprisoned, the leaderless Contini family is in danger of collapse. Therefore, they want the Camorra family to yield to them and hand over their public institutions, including hospitals and public transportation businesses, in order to preserve their assets.

Pozzoli TV is a local television station in Naples that has historically been operating at a loss.

Last year, Pozzoli TV lost more than seven million euros, and the Camorra family was unwilling to take it over... Moreover, it is a local TV station, with coverage mainly in Campania, but you can also get the signal in Sicily.

The Contini family is looking for a buyer for the television station.

Amos, I watched your production of "A Musical Evening by the Fireplace." Would you be interested in receiving it?

A strange light flickered in old Marco's eyes.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If you're interested, the Camorra family has indicated they can offer some additional assistance. For example, they could acquire twelve local television stations in the Campania region, including Trinita and Pisiota, as well as ten local television stations in the Molise district, such as Parata. They can also help you acquire the signal tower in La Madalena in the Sardinia region, which will cover both Sardinia and Corsica."

Liu Jin was stunned!

Are Italian television stations facing such difficulties these days?

Marco laughed and said, "Of course not."

In fact, Italy's broadcasting and television networks have always been a three-way competition.
Rai (the national broadcaster); Fininwest Group, which you should be familiar with, is Berlusconi's media group, including Canale 4 and Canale 5. Besides these two, there's Alma TV, Italy's national mainstream media, headquartered in Rome and part of the Cissone Media Group, primarily broadcasting cultural programs.

Of these three television networks, Rai and Alma are funded by the government, while Finningwest's networks are commercial networks with ample funding.

But in addition to these three television networks, Italy also has many regional local television stations.

Before 90, these local television stations received local government funding. In 90, Rai and Finning West fought a lawsuit over operating rights, resulting in the cancellation of government subsidies for the local stations, which then began operating independently.

After 00, Telembardia in the Lombardy region formed a television network covering northern Italy, giving local television stations in the north a much-needed respite. But you should know that northern Italy is the heart of Italy's economy and finance… Telembardia could earn substantial advertising revenue, but in the south…”

This involves the issue of economic development between the north and south of Italy.

Italy borders France to the north, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria, and has close ties with the European continent.

In the south, there is nothing but the sea.

Across the strait lies Tunisia, Algiers...

Therefore, Northern Television was able to obtain support from Telelombardia Television Network.

However, local television stations in the south are really struggling, except for receiving a very small amount of subsidies.

Hmm, it's a bit like a local cable TV station in China in the 90s.

However, with the popularization of television networks, those distinctive local cable television services gradually disappeared or transformed into local television stations.

The Campania, Molise, and Sicily that Old Marco just mentioned are all located in southern Italy.

The available funds are extremely limited.

Liu Jin smacked his lips, starting to plan in his mind.

He had previously inquired about the possibility of buying a television station in Italy, but the answer was essentially zero.

But now...

"Your Excellency Marco, you must understand that I am a Chinese."

Even though Liu Jin had a good relationship with Mara, Meloni, and even Berlusconi, he didn't believe the Italian government would allow him to buy a television station.

Putting aside other factors, which of the following could get approval: the Italian Communications Commission BABT, the operator TÜV SÜD, or the EU CE certification body?

Old Marco laughed.

"Dr. Amos, if you want it to be broadcast throughout Italy, or even in the EU, that's definitely not possible."

The problem is that these local TV stations are only limited to their local area.

The approval authority rests with the county and municipal governments of the respective regions, which possess independent approval power for these television stations without needing approval from the Italian government. Similarly, the Ramadalena signal tower is an independent satellite tower for the Sardinian region, covering Sardinia and Corsica, and also does not require Italian government approval, belonging to the local authorities.

This year, the economic situation in the major regions of southern Italy is quite dire.

……

(End of this chapter)