novelslam Chapter 128 You can't just have a relationship like this!
Chapter 128 You can't just have a relationship like this!
After the closing ceremony, Gu Heng, along with Wang Baoqiang, the newly crowned Venice Film Festival Best Actor, dealt with a barrage of domestic and international media who pounced on them like hungry wolves.
After finally breaking through the encirclement, the group was starving.
Gu Heng led the crew directly to a famous local Italian restaurant for a meal.
Throughout the meal, Yang Mi's fox-like eyes never left Gu Heng.
The man in front of me won first place in the three major European competitions. The prestige of this achievement is enough to dazzle the eyes of those old fogies back home.
The girl's eyes were now filled with adoration, and while cutting steak for Gu Heng, she would occasionally lean over and snuggle up to him, acting like a little bird clinging to him.
The couple's overly affectionate behavior made the single people around them envious.
Wang Baoqiang stuffed a mouthful of spaghetti into his mouth, looked at the two people across from him who were inseparable, and suddenly grinned foolishly.
"Boss, seeing how lovey-dovey you and your wife are, I think... I'm starting to want to start a relationship too."
What the hell!
Gu Heng's hand holding the pizza jerked violently, almost splattering tomato sauce onto Bao Qiang's face.
Alarm bells were ringing in his head.
If he remembers correctly, in his past life, Baoqiang and that Ma guy, damn it, it seems like they met this year!
"Baoqiang, you shouldn't be dating!"
Wang Baoqiang looked completely bewildered: "Huh? Why?"
"Don't ask why yet. I'm asking you, do you have a girl you like right now?" Gu Heng stared intently at him.
Wang Baoqiang was startled by Gu Heng's posture and quickly waved his hands: "No, no! Don't worry, brother, I don't have anyone I like right now."
Gu Heng had just breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his water glass to take a sip to calm his nerves when this idiot immediately added another sentence.
"But I met a pretty intern when I was recording a show for Beijing TV. I was planning to get her contact information and chat with her, but you dragged me to the Northeast for special training."
Dry forest!
Gu Heng cursed inwardly.
What the hell?! This girl who's interning at Beijing TV?! She's definitely Ma Jinlian herself!
Seeing Baoqiang's lovestruck expression, as if he were planning to return to China to continue their relationship, Gu Heng took a deep breath.
This is the pillar of our company, the Venice Film Festival Best Actor whom we personally nurtured, and he's also our own brother. How can we just stand by and watch him jump into that abyss?
Since we can't stop the two of you from meeting, then we'll keep you busy non-stop!
Gu Heng switched to the earnest expression of an elder and patted Wang Baoqiang heavily on the shoulder.
"Baoqiang, you're so foolish!"
Wang Baoqiang looked completely bewildered: "Boss, what's wrong with me?"
Gu Heng slammed his hand on the table and began to paint a rosy picture, "You've just made a name for yourself internationally, and you're right in the prime of your career!"
"How many eyes in the country are watching you? How many top directors are waiting for your schedule? For you to be in a relationship at this time is a desecration of your artistic life!"
Gu Heng became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere, from the future of Chinese films to the industrial structure of Hollywood, and then to the sublimation of personal spiritual realm.
After this series of punches, not only Wang Baoqiang, but even Yang Mi, who was just watching the show, was stunned.
"Women will only slow you down when you draw your sword!" Gu Heng concluded with a statement that was both righteous and awe-inspiring.
Wang Baoqiang was a simple-minded person, and he was genuinely grateful to and admired Gu Heng.
After being thoroughly fooled and hyped up by Gu Heng, he suddenly found romance boring and realized that career was the true romance for men.
"Boss, you're right! I can't wait to go back to China to film. Right now, I don't even see women!"
Wang Baoqiang patted his chest, boasting that he was now terrifyingly strong!
Gu Heng nodded in satisfaction. That's more like it.
Yang Mi, standing to the side, pouted and glanced at her boyfriend suspiciously.
The little fox's intuition told her that Gu Heng was definitely up to no good.
It doesn't matter, whatever decision Gu Heng makes, she will support him wholeheartedly!
The next day at noon, when the sun was high in the sky, Gu Heng finally opened his eyes on a large bed.
Last night, in order to completely brainwash Wang Baoqiang, he made the guy drink a lot of alcohol.
After having a quick lunch with Yang Mi, Gu Heng, full of energy, met with the film distributors who had flocked to him like they were smelling fish, ready to start selling films.
European and American film companies have always been proactive.
They have an almost pathological fondness for films set in rural Eastern countries.
In their eyes, the rural areas of the East should be poor, backward, and ignorant. The more miserable they are, the better they like it, because they think that's what makes it profound and artistic.
In the past, there were many so-called underground directors in China who, in order to cater to the perverse tastes of foreigners, would specifically make dirty and disorderly films to participate in film festivals and win awards.
He came back and boasted that he was an art master.
Gu Heng felt like cursing them out.
Sooner or later he'll make some blockbuster films and show these people the true strength of China.
Although "Mr. Tree" has a depressing tone, it does not have the stench of deliberately pandering to the public; it is true magical realism.
But Gu Heng didn't care about any of that. Since these foreign devils were so eager to give him money, how could he not make a killing and live up to the Golden Lion Award in his hands?
Throughout the afternoon, Gu Heng transformed into a ruthless negotiation machine, displaying an extremely tough attitude towards this group of foreigners.
After several rounds of intense negotiation, the final price was settled:
The European rights sold for $300 million, the North American rights for $200 million, and the remaining miscellaneous territories added up to $150 million.
A total of $650 million!
Based on the current exchange rate, that's approximately 4875 million RMB!
Keep in mind that the original production cost of "Mr. Tree" was only 500 million, this is almost ten times that!
Is this the terrifying prestige of the Golden Lion Award?
They made a killing!
After signing the last contract, Gu Heng didn't even have time to drink water before taking out his phone and calling Han Sanping.
Having made so much money, I definitely need to find someone to show off to!
China Film Group holds a 15% share, which naturally became the object of Gu Heng's boasting.
While Gu Heng was still happily showing off in Italy, he had no idea that the domestic media was going crazy!
The front page of all major portal websites featured photos of him holding a golden lion.
All the media outlets were going crazy praising him, extolling Gu Heng to the skies, saying that he had directly ushered in the era of the sixth generation of Chinese-language directors.
The most extreme example is the Beijing Film Academy.
Last night, before the closing ceremony of the Venice Film Festival was even over, the Beijing Film Academy didn't care whether anyone was watching or not and just hung up the banners in the middle of the night!
In fact, the seasoned veterans in the school's administration and logistics department had already prepared all the banners that "Mr. Tree" might win awards!
Whatever award we win, that's the banner we'll hang up!
It is said that last night, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Wang Jinsong, two old men whose combined age is nearly 100, almost got into a fight at the entrance of the Beijing Film Academy over the opportunity to hang the golden lion banner!
Tian Zhuangzhuang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Gu Heng is a genius in our directing department! I also produced 'Mr. Tree'!"
Wang Jinsong retorted, "Bullshit! Gu Heng is from my acting department, class of 05!"
The two industry giants argued heatedly, but in the end, Cui Ma showed her domineering side.
Cui Xinqin rushed over in a flurry, and without saying a word, she grabbed the banner and ordered it to be hung in the center of the school gate!
Who dared to object? The two big shots instantly lost their temper.
All I can say is, Cui Ma is awesome!