I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 803 America's Call
A private club on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing.

Wang Lao Er stormed into the room, sat down, picked up a glass of whiskey from the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

"What's wrong, Mr. Wang? Who are you angry with?"

The private room was filled with prominent figures.

The king frowned slightly and said, "Didn't I tell you to invite Mr. Mark Müller over? Where is he?"

"Stop talking, I ran into an idiot, it made me so angry!"
Old Ma was there too. I was thinking that Jubao Yuan was too low-class and suggested we go somewhere else. But that idiot gave me the cold shoulder and yelled at me. Looks like Old Ma is closer to him. And that guy surnamed Jiang, is he even from Beijing? He's sucking up to some bookworm from Henan province? Bro, I think that guy surnamed Jiang isn't on our side anymore.”

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, which idiot are you talking about?"

"Who else could it be? It's that guy who writes books abroad, Amos, whose Chinese name is Liu Jin."

Amos from "The Old Man and the Sea"?

A short man who looked remarkably like E.T. was leaning against the sofa.

As soon as Wang Lao Er finished speaking, he sat up straight.

"That idiot."

"What did he say?"

He said I was not qualified to talk to him, and that I should talk to him again when Huayi's market value exceeds 100 billion RMB.

Oh, and he was bragging too, saying he ate with the Speaker of the French Parliament, the Prime Minister of Italy, and President America…

"Then he wasn't wrong."

The short man smiled.

"what?"

"You really don't deserve to sit at the same table as them."

He made over 30 billion US dollars in 2008 by riding the subprime mortgage crisis… and his personal assets are close to 20 billion. Don't even mention you; even Alibaba's market capitalization might not be worth his attention.

Mr. Wang, I have to say a few words to you. You can listen if you want.

If you don't want to listen, just pretend I didn't say anything.

Rich people have their own personalities. If they don't like something and you force them to eat it, don't blame them for flipping the table and cursing you.

Moreover, you should find out more about the other person before you speak.

You might think Jiang Zemin doesn't treat you like a brother, but if Jiang Zemin weren't sitting there today, he might have flipped your table.

After the short man finished speaking, he stood up.

"Mr. Wang, I have to take my leave now."

After saying that, he left on his own.

The other people in the private room quickly got up and left with the short man.

A few people remained motionless, but their gazes toward Young Master Wang seemed somewhat mocking.

The eldest brother glanced at the youngest brother, then turned and asked, "Xiao Ming, are you still in contact with Tianxian?"

Huang Xiaoming was taken aback and said, "We have been in contact all along."

However, after The Return of the Condor Heroes, her path changed. She didn't value domestic resources as much and focused mainly on Europe and America.

That's true, she has Director Jiang and Mr. Liu backing her up.

She has no shortage of Cannes and Oscar nominations, and projects by directors like Eastwood and Nolan are readily available. Even Shu Chang landed a leading role in Woody Allen's film because of her connections… Nowadays in China, she only considers exceptionally good projects; she rarely takes on ordinary ones, mainly focusing on her connections within European and American circles.

Huang Xiaoming's words carried a hint of envy.

These days, every actor, male or female, wants to go to Hollywood and win an award at one of the Big Three.

That's all about class!

Having a high-end image is essential to securing better endorsements and resources.

Huang Xiaoming did want to go out and try his luck, but he really... had no way to do it.

In Europe and America, Chinese actors are not valued. Unless you have someone promoting you, you can't get any resources at all.

The king sighed and said, "Could we contact the celestial being? Second Brother did act rather rashly this time."

"Brother, I..."

"shut up!"

The eldest son shouted a reprimand, and the youngest son immediately shut his mouth.

Outside, he acts all high and mighty, but in front of Boss Wang, he's really just a little brother.

"At this moment?"

Huang Xiaoming said, "Sissi should be in America, right? She's a presenter at the Oscars this year. And at this time..."

He checked the time. "It should still be early morning in Los Angeles."

That girl is notoriously grumpy when she wakes up…

Mr. Wang couldn't help but tease, "Xiao Ming, how do you know she's grumpy in the morning? It couldn't be......"

Huang Xiaoming's expression immediately changed.

The eldest son grabbed a wine glass from the table and smashed it. The younger son instinctively dodged, and with a loud crack, the wine glass shattered against the wall.

Huang Xiaoming said with a wry smile, "Mr. Wang, please don't joke around. Qianqian and I are just ordinary friends."

She was still asleep the last few times I called, so…

"Alright, let's ignore this guy."

Xiao Ming, contact Qianqian later and ask her to talk to Mr. Liu about how the second son really did something wrong this time.

Could you ask her to help contact Mr. Liu and see if we can arrange to have a meal together?
They're capable; they built their empire in Europe and America from scratch. We're all Chinese, so we should help each other out.

Huang Xiaoming felt a surge of satisfaction.

What can you do to help them?
Isn't it just that I want to borrow other people's resources...?

However, if Mr. Liu can help, it would definitely be a good thing for Huayi.

When Huayi went public last year, he received a lot of original shares and can be considered a small boss of Huayi, with a deep connection to the company.

Deep down, Huang Xiaoming also hoped that Huayi would cooperate with Liu Jin.

only……

He glanced at Wang Lao Er.

Mr. Wang is capable, but the arrogance of the Beijing elite circle... those in the circle will definitely fawn over him. But someone like Liu Jin, who doesn't even work in China and even donates his royalties from domestic publications directly to charity, is someone you can't really control.

They're not in the same circle.

……

The gathering ended unhappily.

Once the eldest son got into the car, he ignored the second son and immediately dialed the short man's number.

"Mr. Ma, do you think they'll take this seriously?"

"I don't know, I've never met him, so I don't know his personality."

But I know he's a ruthless person... He took out $50 million from America and crippled Will Smith, but no one from America's side, from top to bottom, bothered him.

Also, do you remember Mr. Lai who criticized Anita Mui a couple of years ago?

"Of course I remember, he wasn't..."

The king suddenly stopped talking halfway through his sentence.

"In China, people might not do anything to him, but if he goes abroad... don't think that just because someone writes a book, he's just a writer. His book, 'The Big Short,' is said to be considered a bible in America now."

Old Wang, he's really capable of killing!
That is, he offended some people in the cultural circle in China, so he is not reported on much.

But they're really doing very well overseas... They're not in our circle, so it's best not to mess with them.

"Then, about our cooperation..."

"The cooperation will continue, but you'd better have Mr. Wang apologize to them."

"I've already found someone..."

"Why bother looking for anyone? Just go directly to Director Jiang, right? By the way, his movie 'Let the Bullets Fly' is coming out this year, isn't it?"

The king understood immediately and said, "I understand!"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at Mr. Wang.

After sighing, he said, "Zhong Lei, don't blame me for not giving you face just now."

Things are different now. Huayi has gone public, that's right, we have some capital now! But you know, let alone globally, even domestically, our money isn't much. You think we're all kids from the compound, but you have to understand, others are kids from the compound too... In terms of rank and background, theirs might not be any worse than ours.

Making money is fine, but don't be too ostentatious.

Liking women is fine, liking men is also fine, but there's one thing: be discreet, don't give anyone a handle to use against you...

As Mr. Ma said, they're not on the same page as us.

In the industry, people usually rely on you for resources, so they give you face.

But outside that circle, if someone wants to get rid of you, you won't even know who did it! Especially those who don't rely on their family and have made their way up through their own efforts—they're not easy to deal with. Even if they have billions, let alone tens of billions, they can easily destroy you.

"Brother, I understand!"

Xiao Wang lowered his head and responded timidly.

He heard what Mr. Ma said earlier; he's a truly ruthless person.

In China, as long as a person is alive, doesn't embezzle or break the law, and behaves honestly, no one from top to bottom will bother him.

But abroad...

Young Master Wang knew in his heart that he really wasn't up to the task.

At Jubaoyuan, several old men were blushing.

The four of them drank five bottles of wine, and Lao Han was in high spirits.

Old Jiang put his arm around Old Ma and started bragging, while Liu Jin chatted with Wang Sicong.

At this time, Wang Sicong was still just Young Master Wang, not yet Principal Wang.

Weibo was only launched last August, and he wasn't even a discipline inspection official yet...

Last year, he served as a director of Wanda Group, but was not responsible for any specific affairs. However, Mr. Wang gave him 500 million yuan, and he founded Pusi Capital to gain experience.

Young Master Wang said he has already identified several projects and is ready to invest.

Liu Jin stopped him, telling him to be careful.

Because in Liu Jin's memory, it seemed that Young Master Wang's 500 million investment ultimately resulted in a complete loss.

As for the projects he invested in...

Why don't you invest in Weibo?

"Bro, do you think Weibo has potential?"

"Of course!"

However, Liu Jin immediately remembered something and after a moment of silence said, "But don't rush into action. GST will be making some moves in the second half of the year. If you trust me, how about we play a game together?"

“Sure, the main problem before was not having the connections, otherwise I would have preferred to invest in GST.”

"Hehe, no problem. I'll let you know when the new leader of GST takes office in the second half of the year."

"That's settled then, I'll drink this glass!"

Wang Dashao is actually a person worth befriending.

He's a bit of a spendthrift and reckless; he likes internet celebrities and has even been scammed by them...

This is nothing.

It's better than those brothel workers who are clearly worthless but act all high and mighty every day.

"Brother, are you sure you don't need me to invest in your movie?"

"Let me be frank with you, I entrusted the assassination of the Emperor to Lao Jiang, and I never intended to make a profit."

I just wanted to make my ordinary life a little unpleasant.

"Brother, is it really that serious?"

"Of course it is! How could it not be? Damn it, they've been committing atrocities in China for fourteen years and killed so many of our people."

The gun was put down, and that was the end of it?
Thirty-five million compatriots, thirty-five million lives, just like that, gone?
Who agreed to this? Who gave permission? Who can forgive those 35 million people? Why, tell me, why?

"Xiao Jin, you've had too much to drink!"

Han Shanping suddenly came to his senses and quickly tried to dissuade him.

“I must say, Third Brother.”

These days, everyone is friendly and welcoming, and I've become a guest of honor in this humble place.

We have to coax them, cater to them, and serve them... Why the hell do we get to do that?! We're not allowed to mention the compatriots who died in Unit 731, but the deaths of 300,000 compatriots in Nanjing were filmed by some idiot to whitewash our lives... Sometimes I just don't understand how you guys let those kinds of films pass? And then there's all this Qing Dynasty drama, whitewashing everything.

Still calling it the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong era of prosperity? Was it even a prosperous era?
From the first shot fired in the Xinhai Revolution, what were those countless martyrs and predecessors who sacrificed themselves for the Chinese nation?

"Xiao Jin..."

Liu Jin stopped talking, picked up the wine bottle on the table, poured a full glass, and then downed it in one gulp.

"I'm just not happy, damn it!"

The private room was unusually quiet.

Han Jianu handed Liu Jin a bottle of mineral water, and Liu Jin took a big gulp.

"That's all for now, let's leave it at that."

I'm so disappointed today. Another day, Lao Ma, another day!
Let's drink until we drop again.

Han Shanping and the others could only manage a wry smile and remain silent.

……

Liu Jin is an angry young man at heart, and he becomes more and more angry as he gets older.

He knew very well that what he said today would eventually reach the ears of those gentlemen.

But he didn't care!
However, he forgot that this was the capital city.

The next day, after I sobered up, Aunt Xiaotang called.

He gave me a severe scolding.

But Liu Dasheng didn't care about that; on the contrary, he felt that Liu Jin was right.

At noon, Tianxian called and talked about how he had argued with Wang Lao Er yesterday.

On the phone, Tianxian laughed heartily.

"I'm just relaying a message from Brother Xiaoming. You can continue as usual."

"Huang Xiaoming?"

"Yes... please don't cause him any trouble. Brother Xiao Ming is a very nice person; he took great care of me when we were on set."

"Okay, I understand!"
"I'm just a nobody writer, what trouble could I possibly cause him?"

"Hmph, that's good if you know!"

"By the way, who won the Oscars this year?"

"How was I supposed to know? The list wouldn't be released until the awards ceremony."

However, I heard from director Eastwood that Monica's performance in "I Am Legend" was exceptionally outstanding, and she has a very good chance of winning Best Actress.

"She won Best Actress?"

"Hehe, just wait and see."

Monica Bellucci's acting...

In fact, that's it.

She looks a lot like Sophie Marceau, but it's hard to say how outstanding she is.

Some specific roles are indeed good, but overall, they're only above average.

This year's Oscar nominees for Best Actress include Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie (The Gone Black), Laura Linney (The Savages), and Ellen Page (Juno).

In the original timeline, another nomination was Marion Cotillard's "La Vie en Rose".

However, "La Vie en Rose" was nominated in 08, and Marion Cotillard won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.

So, is "I Am Legend" a replacement for "La Vie en Rose"?

Liu Jin was somewhat surprised.

"I Am Legend" is still showing in North America and has already grossed over $200 million.

It is said that Monica's performance in the film was amazing.

But Liu Jin still hasn't seen it.

It has been confirmed that the film will be imported to China, but it will be released on February 14th, which is the first day of the Lunar New Year.

However, Liu Jin wasn't interested.

Who knows how much the giant scissors will cut off?
I'll go see it when I get back to Italy.

Can Monica win the Best Actress award?
Judging from her performance in the film, it's truly amazing.

but……

Can this movie, which is clearly aiming for a global box office of 400 to 500 million, really win the approval of the Academy members at the Oscars?

Liu Jin was also a little uncertain.

……

On February 11, Liu Jin took Eva, Alizee, and their five children to the Military Museum for a stroll.

I got home at four o'clock in the afternoon.

He had originally planned to go to Jiang Wen's house for a drinking contest.

Then a phone call came in, which took him by surprise.

"Amos, I'll be arriving in the capital tomorrow. Remember to pick me up."

"Monica?"

"Yeah, you can't even recognize my voice?"

"No, you're coming to China?"

"I Am Legend will premiere in Beijing on the 14th. I and director Howard will both be there."

Liu Jin scratched his head, looking very surprised.

"Weren't you nominated for an Oscar? Why aren't you staying there to do PR?"

"Don't you even look at what day it is now... The Oscars' public relations campaign ended the moment the nominations were announced."

I doubt it's likely, but I might as well come and participate in the promotion.

I'll be returning to America on the 20th... By the way, would you be interested in attending the Oscars with me?

(End of this chapter)