Chapter 925 921 My Friend

Chapter 925 921. My friend

Compared to Zhong Changyou's guess, Xu Xin actually had an answer in his mind as to whether Georgia could understand.

He knew the ability of this community association president.

He had also seen how well-mannered he was at the Paramount dinner.

This had nothing to do with the Americans being straightforward and the Chinese being introverted, but was purely some very common hints in the business world.

A little analysis would lead to the conclusion that it was not a particularly clever rhetoric.

And when he saw George take the initiative to end his conversation and let the man named MAX start talking about the movie "Perfect", he realized that the other party should have understood what he meant.

At this time, Georgia, who had finished speaking, took out a...brown-looking leather bag from his suit pocket.

It was rectangular, and it could be called a leather box.

He opened the single buckle of the leather box, took out two cigars from it, and handed one to Xu Xin:

"Try it, Xu."

Xu Xin thought to himself that there were people in the room, and we were still smoking?

But he still took it.

Then he saw the other party took out another golden lighter.

With a "ding" sound, the lighter made a crisp sound as MAX said, "Mr. Zhong, I wonder what you have considered about the film division of "Perfect".

Soon, the cigar began to burn.

And Xu Xin only then noticed that the head of the cigar had been cut off.

And the cigar bag that Georgia put on the table was empty.

In other words, there were only two cigars in the box.

It was prepared in advance and opened.

He did not prepare it for others.

He took the lighter, although he knew that there were only men in the room, no women, but he still looked around. Finally, his eyes fell on the ventilation fan, his ears moved slightly, and after hearing the subtle "buzzing" sound, he directly lit the cigar.

The cigar tasted okay.

While lighting a cigarette, Zhong Changyou expressed his opinion:

"We think this profit-sharing model is debatable. Or, it's a bit too high. To be honest, the Oscars are not very attractive to us. Because this movie is a Sino-Italian co-production, if we have the idea of ​​​​winning an Oscar from the beginning, one of the investors of this movie, Nifeng Pictures, also has a branch in North America, we can give "it" American attributes, so that we can also look forward to the core awards of the Oscars. So, frankly speaking, Mr. MAX, this condition is not very tempting for us."

Xu Xin, who could already smell the smell of cigars spreading in this box, observed Paramount.

There are still many old smokers in Xiying Studio.

The people who came today basically smoked. There was one who didn't smoke, and he quit because of high blood pressure.

It's not his turn to speak now, so let the two sides pull each other normally.

This time, he found that the reaction of the Paramount people to the "smell of cigarettes" was also very calm.

It is completely contrary to the saying of the public intellectuals on some online forums that "Europeans and Americans resist smoking, especially in confined spaces."

However…

As a smoker, he probably knows that non-smokers are actually very sensitive to the smell of cigarettes.

But these people are very calm.

Subconsciously, he had an idea.

Is Georgia establishing his authority? Or is it that there are smokers in this group of people, and although he doesn't smoke, he lit a cigar, which is equivalent to allowing others to smoke?

He didn't know if he was imagining it or thinking too much.

But… After a while of arguing from both sides, he saw MAX took out a box of Marlboro, lit one from it, and began to provide movies that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in recent years, from the influence of directors to actors, the increase in pay, and the growth trend of movie box office. The way he held the cigarette and threw out the data one by one…

For some reason, he was sure of his thoughts.

It felt like this cigar was really used to "set rules".

Wow.

Learned it.

Turning his head to look at the "President", he found that Lao Qian had a calm face, holding a cigar and drinking the black tea he poured for him.

As if it had nothing to do with him.

There was no sign of nervousness, and no one spoke, just like a spectator.

Okay.

If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move.

Xu Xin leaned back on the sofa.

It's none of my business, so I'll just ignore it.

Let's see who can keep calm.

As time passed, gradually, the people at the Xiying Studio started smoking.

And there were also a few smokers at Paramount.

The box was filled with smoke.

The waiter who came to refill the order was almost knocked over.

However, the other party seemed to be accustomed to this kind of scene, which might be the main reason why a pot of black tea in his shop can be sold for more than 30 euros.

After finishing their drinks, everyone re-ordered.

Then they continued to argue about the profit sharing.

Paramount has a theater chain, heritage and the status of a local snake in North America. It's a bit difficult to make them bow their heads.

As for Zhong Changyou, with Xu Xin's authorization, he was also very stubborn.

The tug of war over the profit sharing of movies is a tug of war over real money. Especially when "Perfect" has already withstood the test of the Italian and Chinese film markets.

Moreover, let alone Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB... Douban, the ratings on these two websites can already represent the quality of this film.

Both parties must stand firm before the "big boss" speaks.

Because a 1% share may bring a rich return.

Georgia, who stopped moving after smoking a cigar, took advantage of this critical moment to say to Xu Xin:

"Xu, are you free at noon? Let's have a meal together?"

Hearing this, Xu Xin showed a hint of hesitation.

Today, the crew of "The Burning Sun" and Lao Lang arrived at noon.

Seeing his hesitation, Georgia suddenly said:

"There is a very good restaurant in Berlin, and I happened to book three seats. You, me, Yang, the three of us? The taste of that restaurant is very good. I go there every time I come to the Berlin Film Festival. Believe me, my friend, you will not be disappointed."

Hearing this, Xu Xin knew that this was not a spur-of-the-moment idea.

So he said:

"Okay, but I want to ask Yang if she has finished her work."

"Haha, of course, she is a strong contender for the Best Actress award. You can ask her, I just brought some news about her movie."

Xu Xin's ears moved again.

He smiled and nodded:

"Yeah."

...

Finally, the negotiation ended with "We will consider it, and please consider it, Mr. Zhong."

It's noon.

No matter how many negotiations there are, you still have to eat, right?

The American's working hours are indeed punctual.

Actually, do you want to talk about any substantive content?

Then Xu Xin can only give a two-word evaluation: just chatting.

To put it bluntly, the two sides have been increasing the stakes in this negotiation.

Just like the Oscars they talked about before, one told you how many benefits there are to being nominated for the Oscars, and even MAX said, "For any director, the Oscars is a supreme hall that must be entered in this life, there is no doubt about it."

Xu Xin almost choked to death.

And Lao Zhong was also quite tough:

"We have a saying in China, there is always one special person among ten thousand people."

It means you should not be too confident.

Such as this, the argument lasted for a whole morning.

However, Xu Xin and Georgia smoked cigars and drank tea as they should, but they did not express their opinions.

So no matter how much the matter was escalated, even if both sides talked about the benefits, there was no result in the end.

To put it bluntly, if the boss does not authorize, the subordinates cannot make decisions, that's all.

When it was time for lunch, after the negotiation was over, Georgia stood up and said:

"Xu, shall we go?"

"Okay, no problem."

Xu Xin nodded, and when he saw that he took a step directly without greeting the people from Paramount, he just nodded slightly to Zhong Changyou and followed him out.

"Xu, that restaurant is called Esplanade, and the chef's name is Leo Del Fabro. His dishes combine classicism with modernity and the Mediterranean. The dishes are clearly structured, rich and delicate, and have an excellent sense of balance. Believe me, you will love it after trying it once... Oh, yes, I'll treat you."

"Ha~ It sounds good."

Xu Xin responded, and after going downstairs, he also saw Yang Mi coming over on the first floor.

She also changed into a tweed coat, stepped on high heels, and put on light makeup.

It was just right for today's occasion.

"George."

"Haha, Yang~ Happy New Year in China~ Gong~ Hi Fa Chai~"

"Oh, if you had said you wanted to wish me a happy new year, I would definitely prepare a red envelope for you."

"Haha~"

The two of them finished the kiss in laughter, and after a hug, Yang Mi didn't ask how the chat went, but just asked curiously:

"George, what are we having for lunch?"

As he spoke, he walked out.

At the door was Evan's Volvo, waiting there with double flashes.

Xu Xin said:

"Georgie, take my car?"

Hearing this, Georgia took out the car keys of the Mercedes-Benz.

"I'll drive mine. Xu, I'll send you the address, and let your driver follow the navigation."

Xu Xin didn't try to stop him, and nodded:

"Okay. Then let's meet at the restaurant?"

"Of course, my friend, let's meet at the restaurant."

Xu Xin watched him leave and walked towards the parking lot. Then he got in the car with his wife.

After showing the address to Evan, the other party nodded:

"That's one of the best restaurants in Berlin, Mr. Xu."

"Thank you for your hard work, Evan."

The car started, and Xu Xin fell into deep thought.

At this time, Yang Mi said:

"Ah, didn't you ask George whose name he booked the restaurant under? Is it his own or?"

"It should be his own."

"Ask?"

"Don't do it yet."

Xu Xin shook his head and looked at the time on his watch.

11 o'clock.

"What's the time difference between Germany and the United States?"

"Five or six hours."

"Is Germany faster?"

"Well, American time... it should be around 6 a.m. in winter time."

"Have Lao Lang and the others arrived?"

"Laolang will land in an hour, and Shishi and Zhang Yi have already arrived. We were originally planning to go eat sushi around 1 o'clock. There's a famous sushi restaurant in Berlin. I've already booked a table and arranged the itinerary, so don't worry."

"Okay..."

Xu Xin didn't say anything, but fell into thought.

About three minutes later, Zhong Changyou called:

"Director Xu, we've already gone to the hotel. It's said that Mimi has booked a restaurant..."

"Yes, you can go. It's a sushi restaurant."

"Okay, Brother Zhong, "Perfect" should contact other film companies. Paramount also knows our conditions. But you know the relationship between the leading producer today. I guess he invited me to dinner because he wanted to talk to me alone. I'll see how he talks and tell you then."

"Yeah, I can see that. If he doesn't nod, the man named Max can't make a decision."

"Yes. Our lunch should produce results. Let's talk, you don't have to worry about this matter, I'll decide."

"Yeah, okay!"

After hanging up the phone, Yang Mi asked:

"How did you talk this morning?"

After Xu Xin explained the general situation, Yang Mi understood what he meant.

"That's better, everyone has a bottom line in mind... He didn't ride in the same car with you just now, so he must have thought about it, or communicated with the people in the team."

"Yeah."

Xu Xin responded and fell silent again.

Yang Mi asked in confusion:

"Speaking of which... Didn't they mention buying your "The Burning Sun"? "

"No."

Although his thoughts were interrupted again, Xu Xin still said:

"Including Brother Zhong, "The Burning Sun" is more about the image copyright, not the distribution. How about "The Grandmaster"? "

"In fact, it is mostly about distribution, or the kind that is particularly popular... I have to admit that in Europe, both me and Liang Chaowei are small-timers. Director Wang's name is really useful, and Europeans really recognize him... But the distribution is also average. Lao Wang said that he has currently negotiated with one Italian and one British. The others are still being discussed."

The Lao Wang she mentioned is not Wang Sicong, but Wang Jun, who is in charge of the "The Grandmaster" business at the Xi'an Film Studio this time.

Hearing this, Xu Xin spread his hands:

"So you see."

Although he didn't finish his words, Yang Mi nodded.

"Yeah..."

In the final analysis, it's really a matter of "face".

"Perfect" has 6 main actors, 5 of whom are Europeans and Americans. Very popular.

"The Sun Also Rises" and "The Grandmaster" are all Chinese movies that are not well received.

Of course, it's a bit exaggerated to say that they are not well received, but compared to the popularity of "Perfect", they are obviously from the same father, but the gap is really quite large.

Thinking of this, she also fell silent.

She was silent all the way.

Until she arrived at the address sent by Georgia.

A single-family restaurant building.

After the two got off the car, Yang Mi handed Evan 100 euros:

"Evan, you've worked hard, see you after lunch."

Evan smiled and nodded, watching the two enter the restaurant.

……

Give your name and take a seat.

There are not many people in the restaurant, so I won't mention the environment.

Xu Xin can understand the menu, but he doesn't have the heart to read it at this moment.

Yang Mi was watching with great interest.

Occasionally, he would look around.

Until Georgia arrived.

Greeted and sat down.

He looked like an old customer, asked the two people, and when he saw that they both chose to follow his recommendation, he instantly said the name of the dish.

At the same time, he did not forget to say:

"I also left a bottle of wine here last time, the name is Kaikendis."

"Okay, sir."

The waiter left quickly, and Georgia smiled and picked up the lemonade:

"Cheers, friends. Long time no see~"

"Yes, long time no see. George~"

Yang Mi smiled and picked up the glass.

The three glasses touched together, making a crisp sound.

"How have you been recently? George."

Yang Mi obviously knew what her position was today.

The two of them must have a serious talk, but the "warm-up" before that had to be done by themselves.

"Very good, um, Yang, your movie has been produced. Before I left, I heard that they just held a preview. The media's reputation is generally very good. I guess you will start the promotion in a few days."

"Yes, it was supposed to start after Valentine's Day, but I have to attend the Berlin Film Festival. They started first, and I will postpone it for some time. I haven't seen the movie yet... George, can I take him to this kind of preview?"

"Of course not. Unless invited, even if it's your husband, it's not allowed. Only actors, crew members who are qualified to watch, and invited media can watch it. After watching, the negatives must be sealed. Even if Legendary Pictures allows it, the insurance company will not allow it. Because this kind of viewing by irrelevant personnel is the most likely to expose the source information of the film. They don't want to lose a large amount of insurance premiums for leaking the source of the film."

"Well... I really don't know how the movie is made."

"Haha, the reputation is still pretty good."

"Just comfort me."

"Ha~"...

The two chatted for a while, and soon, the appetizers came.

It was a bite-sized thing.

It is said to be made with crab meat and some kind of sauce whose word Xu Xin didn't know what it meant.

The wine was opened by the sommelier, a bottle of 1977 Mouton.

There is wine and food.

The atmosphere is here.

Seeing that it is almost done, Yang Mi wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and said:

"Georgie, how was your conversation this morning?"

"Hmm..."

Georgia glanced at Xu Xin and smiled:

"Xu, Max and the others are waiting for me to make a decision, what about you? Who are you waiting for to make a decision?"

One sentence.

It started right there.

But he didn't wait for Xu Xin to answer, but asked a question that was actually somewhat unrelated to the topic:

"Xu, are you interested in Hollywood?"

Judging from the tone, the former seemed like a joke.

The latter was the real question.

But Xu Xin didn't show any surprise.

He just felt that the other party was beating around the bush.

So he smiled and asked back:

"Why? Paramount has taken a fancy to me?"

"Of course."

"..."

"..."?"

Both of them were stunned.

And looking at the expressions of the two, "Old Qian" continued to ask:

"Xu, how long have you not contacted Keanu Reeves?"

"A long time. We did have email exchanges."

As he spoke, he looked at Yang Mi.

Yang Mi also shook her head:

"Why are you looking at me? After they came to Hong Kong last year...the time before last, I have only met him once in these few visits to the United States. He invited me to a dinner he hosted. That was in April."

After answering, Yang Mi looked at Lao Qian.

"George, what happened to him?"

Lao Qian did not hide it and said:

"His movie was completed in October last year. We, Universal, and Columbia are very interested. After seeing the quality of the finished film...Honestly speaking, Yang, we were surprised. His story...is very interesting. It is a kung fu movie, but it is definitely not a traditional kung fu movie. It is mixed with some...very attractive...about inner struggles, and thoughts about a kind of existence, glory, and prosperity in the past, but now lonely. He is thinking about whether this loneliness is inevitable in the times? People really don't need it? Or is it forgotten...very interesting. To be honest, even as an American, I have to say that the movie doesn't look like it can be made by an American director at all. What's more, it is a rookie director."

"Uh..."

Yang Mi opened her mouth and subconsciously glanced at her husband.

Meaning: I can't talk anymore today. You planted the seeds, idol. You come~

Xu Xin ignored his wife's eyes that were trying to pass the buck, but nodded and asked:

"Well, then what?"

"Then... he originally wanted Universal Pictures. But in the end, we got the distribution rights. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be scheduled in mid-July this year and released worldwide. And, we have submitted it to the Cannes Film Festival. With many years of experience, I think this film has a great chance of being shortlisted. When we talked about the idea of ​​this story, he mentioned you and told me that you helped him sort out the whole story, and he continued to shoot according to your ideas. It was also that time, when I said that we were also friends, he finally chose us after competing with Universal."

After explaining why Keanu's name was mentioned out of the blue, Lao Qian's style suddenly changed again:

"Xu, are you willing to develop in Hollywood?"

He asked again.

"Hmm..."

Now, Xu Xin couldn't give a direct answer.

If it was about "Perfect", he already had a bottom line in his mind and could make a decision naturally.

But the other party's question...

He could actually give a firm answer directly.

"No time", "No", "Impossible", "Hollywood? Even dogs won't go..."

Of course, the last answer was a joke.

But this can't be said.

Because Sister Mo is in Hollywood.

Although he didn't promise Sister Mo anything, he would definitely not frown as long as the other party asked.

Whether from a personal friendship or long-term interests.

So, he thought for a moment and gave the answer:

"George, I thought you and I were here to talk about the movie "Perfect."

"Haha~ my friend."

Old Qian picked up the wine glass.

"We are enjoying food now, why should we talk about work? What's more... Xu, one thing I must say is: although you didn't underestimate your work. But you underestimated Paramount. Or... you think too narrowly about us. My friend, a movie is not worth it for me to rush to Berlin right after I just finished working on "The Wolf of Wall Street."

"..."

Xu Xin was stunned.

Then, he said in a relaxed tone:

"I can give you an accurate answer to the conditions of "Perfect" now. Xu, I promise Paramount a maximum of 26% of the share, and will start working on next year's Oscars as soon as the contract is signed. I can even promise you now, although I'm not sure which one...but my friend, the movie "Perfect Stranger" will definitely be nominated for an award next year."

"..."

Now, it was Yang Mi's turn to be speechless.

Just when this emotion was just rising, she heard her husband's words:

"So, what's the price, my friend?"

Xu Xin asked.