Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

The next day at noon,

Zhuang Huai'an opened his eyes, stretched several times on the bed, and then got up.

"Brother, you're finally awake!"

Liu Yifei, who was watching TV in the living room, rushed over and said, "It's so noisy outside! Chairman Han and Zhang Yimou came over a few times, but they didn't disturb you since you were still sleeping."

"what?"

Zhuang Huai'an was startled and instantly wide awake. "Where are Brother Da Long and Brother Da Hu?"

"They're next door. They came over this morning too."

"Okay then."

Zhuang Huai'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief, took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and drank it all in one gulp. He had thought that the Dragon and Tiger Brothers' affair had been exposed.

"Sisi, what are Han Sanping and the others doing here?"

"Wang Jiawei was robbed on his way back to the hotel last night. He was stabbed eight times and bled to death."

Holy crap! Dragon and Tiger Brothers... No way?

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Zhuang Huai'an feigned a somewhat somber expression. "That's a real pity. It seems that the security situation in Cannes isn't great either."

"Sisi, go next door and call your two older brothers over."

"it is good."

Zhuang Huai'an walked to the sofa and sat down. He picked up a newspaper from the coffee table, read the whole article, and then lit a cigarette with a complicated expression.

"Sissi, Big Tiger,"

He looked at Liu Yifei and the Longhu brothers who had just walked in and said gently, "I'm a little hungry. Why don't you go downstairs and buy something to eat? Tell Lao Zhang and the others when you come back."

"Okay," Liu Yifei nodded sensibly.

After the two left, Zhuang Dalong took the initiative to recount the unexpected events of the previous night. Zhuang Huai'an breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't matter whether Sunglasses King was dead or not, as long as it wasn't the Dragon and Tiger Brothers who did it.

"Alright, Brother Long, let's consider this matter over."

Zhuang Huai'an lit another cigarette and sighed, "It was just as Sunglasses King's fate to suffer this calamity. You know, if he had just come out and been beaten up back in Hong Kong earlier, he would have been fine. Why did he have to end up in such an undignified way?"

If this hadn't been done by that woman, I'd dare marry both Liu Yifei and Fan Bingbing at the same time!

"Having two wives is fine too," Zhuang Dalong's focus was rather peculiar. "Our great-grandfather was just a horse breeder back then, and he was able to have three wives. You have two wives, which is a bit too few."

Zhuang Huai'an gave him a disgruntled look. "You still don't understand. Monogamy is actually protecting men."

As they were speaking,

Zhang Yimou and Han Sanping walked into the living room with solemn expressions.

"Huai'an, you know what happened, right?"

"I just finished reading the newspaper," Zhuang Huai'an said, handing him two cigarettes. "Wang Xun really has a bad reputation for running into such misfortune."

"Yeah, this is just too unlucky."

Han Sanping sighed, "I contacted the local authorities, and it was indeed an accident caused by a failed robbery. There were no evidence left at the scene. I reckon it's going to become a cold case."

Actually, this matter is neither a big deal nor a small one. Regardless of whether there are any inside stories, the French authorities have already concluded that the death was an accident, and that's enough.

Who told Wong Kar-wai to stay up late and wander around aimlessly?

"Whatever, I don't know him well anyway, so whatever."

Zhuang Huai'an stood up and stretched his limbs. "I'm flying to Paris later to meet Sisi's parents. What do you two think?"

"I'm going back to Beijing too. I don't want to stay here anymore." Zhang Yimou's face was not very good. Yesterday was supposed to be his big day, but this mess happened. Traditional Shaanxi people always feel a sense of bad luck.

"I have to stay and help out; I can't leave until Hong Kong arrives."

As the leader of a semi-official foreign affairs organization, Han Sanping would inevitably have to stay and assist in this matter.

"Alright, then see you in the capital."

The three parted ways, packed their things, and Zhuang Huai'an and his group of four headed straight for the airport. After a short half-hour flight, they landed in Paris.

Just as I arrived at the hotel, a tall, refined-looking man with glasses was about to enter.

Liu Yifei greeted them with a joyful expression.

"dad."

"Sissi".

The father and daughter embraced briefly before parting. Liu Yifei, arm in arm with her father, stepped forward and proudly introduced her daughter:

"Dad, this is my boyfriend, Zhuang Huai'an."

"Hello, Uncle." Zhuang Huai'an extended his hand generously, welcoming his father-in-law's appraising gaze.

"Hello." Old An shook hands with him, his eyes filled with admiration.

"It's not convenient to talk here. Would you like to go to the Cultural Center for a while? They have top-notch chefs there with exceptional skills."

"That's great!" Liu Yifei exclaimed excitedly. "I've been away for more than half a month, and I've been missing Chinese food so much."

Zhuang Huai'an nodded in agreement, left the Longhu brothers to check in, and the young couple got into Lao An's car and went to the cultural center.

Old An personally brewed two cups of tea, and the three of them sat facing each other.

"Uncle, there's something I'd like to ask you," Zhuang Huai'an said, bringing up the topic first.

"you say."

"Well, the artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival, Frémaux, told me that the French government intends to award me the French Order of Arts and Letters. I don't know much about this, did you know?"

"Of course, after all, this is what I do." Old An smiled and nodded, explaining:

"This type of medal is established by the French government to recognize individuals worldwide who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of art or literature, or who have made special contributions to the promotion of French and world culture."

The medals are divided into three ranks: Commander's Order, Officer's Order, and Knight's Order. For example, director Zhang Yimou was awarded the Knight's Order in 1993 and upgraded to Commander's Order this February. Speaking of which, I was the one who handled this document.

"Wow, Commander, a knight, that sounds pretty impressive," Liu Yifei blinked her big eyes at Zhuang Huai'an, "Did Fremo say what rank you are?"

"No," Zhuang Huai'an shook his head, "I only heard the beginning before I refused."

Why?

"I don't need it. It's just an honor medal, and it's from a foreign country. It's not like a trophy that can increase influence or anything."

When facing his girlfriend and father-in-law, Zhuang Huai'an didn't hide anything; he genuinely didn't care about medals or anything like that.

"Actually, it's still somewhat useful."

Old An smiled and chimed in, "For example, when you come to France again in the future, you can use a special channel to extend your stay to a year, and it will be easier to communicate with official organizations."

Moreover, this type of recognition is purely cultural, and domestic diplomatic departments also issue corresponding certificates; it does not involve any other political stance.

"Never mind, it just feels weird. Anyway, I've already refused. I'm just a little curious about the reasons behind it."

"It's alright," a hint of satisfaction flashed in Old An's eyes. "Anyway, with your reputation in the film industry, this medal is just a foil. Whether you want it or not is up to you to decide."

The three chatted, mostly in a question-and-answer session between Lao An and Zhuang Huai'an. Liu Yifei observed from the side and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the two were talking very harmoniously.

After having dinner at the cultural center, Lao An took the two of them back to their hotel.

"Brother, you passed!"

"Really? Is there any reward?"

"Hehe, you... um... wait... um... wash first..."

"Together!"

The room instantly felt like springtime.

The crackling duet of Wozniak then began, accompanied by bass and soprano vocals, the climax of the chorus resonating for days on end, echoing throughout the space.