Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

Berlin, which I haven't been to in a long time

Only four people came to "Hearing Girl".

Liu Yifei, Xie Yuan, Jiang Wenli, and Luo Jin, a cousin who was specially brought along to broaden his horizons.

Du Hua thought he had great potential. Zhou Yang was also signed. As a family member of his own Wolong, how could Wang Zhiyong let her go to another company?

My cousin got his wish and joined forces with the three heroes from the vocational high school class to form a new "Four Heavenly Kings" group.

As soon as I arrived at the hotel arranged by the organizer, a greasy, middle-aged fat man came up to me with an exaggerated tone and tried to give me a hug.

"An, my friend, it's so nice to see you in Berlin."

Zhuang Huai'an quickly dodged away, extended his hand to shake his, and said, "Harvey, I'm also very surprised to see you here."

The man who arrived was none other than Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood's most notorious distributor, who was known as the King of Public Relations for turning "Shakespeare in Love" down to "Saving Private Ryan" to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

He was also admitted by Feng Xiaogang himself to be a half-step big shot whose character was even worse than his own.

"Director An, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello, Ms. Paltrow."

Zhuang Huai'an shook hands with the fiery-eyed Little Chili. It seemed the rumors were true; the two of them were indeed together.

"Harvey, it seems you've already found a target since you're here."

"An, that's not prey, that's Knife Music," Harvey chuckled. "Want to grab a coffee together?"

"Of course." Zhuang Huai'an turned around and gestured for Zhang Lu to take Liu Yifei and the others upstairs, while he followed Harvey to the hotel coffee shop.

The two had gotten to know each other at several parties organized by MGM, and Zhuang Huai'an happened to have something to ask this middleman.

"An, did you come here this time hoping to win a Grand Slam?"

"Grand Slams are not easy to achieve. Take whatever you get; I won't force it."

"Do you need my help? I have some connections in Berlin."

Facing this rising Hollywood star, the hottest figure, Harvey was not as arrogant as rumored; on the contrary, he seemed very sincere.

"No need. I'm more interested in next year's Oscars than whether I win this time."

Harvey asked curiously, "Is it this surprise video?"

"That's right."

Zhuang Huai'an snapped his fingers. "I heard you just left Miramax from Disney? How about it? Interested in collaborating and using my film to solidify your reputation as the Oscar PR king?"

"Well…"

Harvey was a little embarrassed. Although the whole world knew that the Oscars needed a public relations strategy, how could he just make this kind of thing public? Didn't the guys at the Academy have any pride?

"An, you have MGM backing you up, you don't need me."

Harvey suppressed his inner impulse and forced a smile, saying, "Mr. Kirk's methods aren't limited to Hollywood."

Ok?

Seeing Harvey's embarrassed expression, Zhuang Huai'an had a sudden thought: Could it be that this old guy had been truly exposed by Kirk?

"Okay, we'll talk about it later." Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand dismissively. Hollywood has plenty of talent; it's just a competition for Best Foreign Language Film. Whether or not Harvey is involved doesn't matter. It's just that the conversation has come to this point.

After sitting for a while, the two parted ways.

Zhuang Huai'an returned to his room and immediately dialed the number of his old friend Leo. As a local company, MK2's reputation was much more effective than MGM's.

"Oh my friend, it's been so long! I've missed your face, which is as handsome as David's." Leo immediately gave him a hug.

Zhuang Huai'an gently pushed him away and laughed, "Leo, what you just said made me feel like I'd eaten a whole fat pig."

"Is telling the truth wrong?"

Leo shrugged, and the two of them walked over and sat down on the sofa.

"An, let me guess, you didn't come to see me this time because of that damn Grand Slam, did you?"

"Damn it, Leo, you're an absolute genius! Your IQ must be over 250!"

Leo smiled as he accepted the coffee Zhang Lu offered, taking an elegant sip. "Because you're a smart person. You understood the underlying rules of the Big Three back in the first Cannes tournament, otherwise we wouldn't have met."

Looking at Zhuang Huai'an, who was becoming more and more spirited, Leo was very impressed. Who would have thought that this young man could develop such a huge entertainment empire in just four or five years?

"In comparison, Zhang, who was nominated this year, isn't as smart as you."

Leo's tone was somewhat sarcastic, "Just because you won the Silver Lion at Venice doesn't make you that great. If you let him win the Silver Lion at Berlin, wouldn't you be on top of the world?"

Zhuang Huai'an smiled but didn't reply; he knew who Leo was talking about.

Zhang Yuan, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy's photography department, may not be a good person, but he would never deliberately belittle his compatriots in front of foreigners. Behind closed doors, he is a saint, cleaning up his own house.

"Let's get down to business, Leo,"

Zhuang Huai'an changed the subject, "I want the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival for this film, 'The Hearing Girl.' Name your terms."

"Oh~ that must be quite a lot of money, sir~"

"I know, why don't you hear my terms of exchange first?"

"An, you're not suggesting we trade it for the prize money from next year's Cannes Film Festival, are you?"

Hearing Leo say this, Zhuang Huai'an was not surprised. As a French giant and one of the behind-the-scenes sponsors of Cannes, MK2 might have put him in this position as the chairman of the jury.

"Yes,"

Zhuang Huai'an said without any hesitation, "There are some things that MK2 can't do so obviously, but I can. You should know that I am a very practical person, and I prefer to call myself a businessman rather than a director."

In fact, conversations like these between the two happen every year at the film festival. It's an unspoken rule that everyone knows about it. As long as it's not too outrageous, the three major organizers won't interfere, since they also need these filmmakers to support them and maintain their status.

"As you wish, my friend."

Leo readily agreed. Compared to throwing money at the problem, he preferred this kind of deal. Being able to produce an award-winning actor, actress, or director was something that a few million euros couldn't compare to.

Zhuang Huai'an was also very happy that he didn't have to spend any money. He could use Cannes' resources to do his own thing. The jury chairman was good, and the jury chairman was doing a good job.

The following day, the 56th Berlin International Film Festival opened.

The three major film festivals are closely linked, and Berlin was naturally aware that Zhuang Huai'an would be serving as the jury president at Cannes this year, so they gave the "Hearing Girl" production team a lot of face.

Not only did he make a grand entrance on the red carpet, but he also offered the largest screening room to the audience without accepting a single penny.

That's very un-European.

Sure enough, old Walker came to the door that very night.

I don't know what's wrong with this old man; at his advanced age, he insists on going out in the middle of the night.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhuang Huai'an served him some inexpensive coffee from the hotel. Seeing that Walker was rambling on and on without getting to the point, he wasn't in a hurry and let him churn slowly.

Why would a young person like me be afraid to compete with an old man in staying up all night?

"An, actually I came here on someone's behalf."

Walker put down his coffee cup, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"You...you didn't win the PR Golden Bear award this time, did you?"

The old man's words made Zhuang Huai'an laugh. How the hell were the organizers afraid that he would force a Grand Slam?

"You've done some public relations?" Zhuang Huai'an decided to play hard to get and trick him. "You wouldn't let me take it last year, but you can't this year?"

"An, as you know, the three major clubs will not allow you to collect all the Grand Slam titles in a short period of time in order to maintain fairness."

The old man looked helpless. "Moreover, I heard that betting odds have been opened outside again this time, with even higher odds than last year. The situation is no longer just between you and the organizer."

"Hmm? What's going on?" Zhuang Huai'an became interested. There was another expert?

"I can't go into too much detail, but I'll just tell you one thing: the betting companies that opened the odds this time are the same ones that play the Champions League betting game. Their faction is so large and their connections so deep that the film festival organizers can't handle them."

Walker explained, "The organizers received word that because of last year's events, the odds are reversed this time. If you don't win the Golden Bear, the odds are 3.6, but if you win a Grand Slam, the odds are 0.9. In this situation, what do you think the bookmakers will do?"

Good guy!

Zhuang Huai'an was both surprised and delighted; this was like a pie falling from the sky!

Given the nature of sports betting companies, how could they possibly let this opportunity slip by? They'll definitely do everything they can to push themselves to the top!

How could a mere Berlin Film Festival withstand the onslaught of betting companies?

"So, you've come here again to persuade me to give up on the Golden Bear?"

"On the contrary, I just came to say hello in advance."

The old man looked dejected. "Even the toughest Germans can't withstand 7.62mm gunfire, so the organizers decided to go with the flow and help you reach the top."

Zhuang Huai'an was secretly laughing to death. What was this? Trying to plant flowers but they wouldn't bloom?

Dad! I am the chosen one!

Wait! What about Zhang Yimou?