Global Film Emperor

Chapter 407 Press Conference End

As the screen lights faded and the crystal chandeliers in the venue lit up again, no one spoke; a deathly silence fell, unlike the thunderous applause that usually follows film premieres.

Reporters noticed this scene and took out their cameras to record it. Some people looked numb and dazed, while others had tears in their eyes, took off their glasses, and silently wiped them away.

This is destined not to be a pleasant movie, but it might not be considered tragic either, because a large part of the audience has even forgotten how to evoke the emotion of sadness.

Even the main creators are the same...

"Lu Ze, are you alright?"

Camilla turned to look at Lu Ze, who was looking down and gently rubbing the corner of his eye. Camilla handed Lu Ze a handkerchief with concern, showing her worry for her friend who was clearly in a bad mood.

As for her, after watching the whole film, she wasn't really emotionally moved, because she was a young lady from a wealthy family since childhood, and her background was vastly different from Lu Ze's, who was born into poverty. Therefore, she couldn't fully understand his feelings.

The reason she took the role was not to speak for the lower classes, but simply because Mickey approached her at the opportune moment when she was considering a comeback. The script for "Afterlife" stood out from other commercial films and mostly romantic roles. Coincidentally, she wanted to act in a serious film as a stepping stone for her comeback, so she accepted, and that was all.

"No, I'm fine."

The handkerchief, scented with perfume, did indeed alleviate Lu Ze's bad mood to some extent. He wiped his eyes and handed it back to Camilla.

There was no emotion between them beyond friendship. Even if there was, it was only a mentor-student relationship, because Lu Ze had indeed taught her some things on set. So, the matter of borrowing and returning the handkerchief was simply a matter of helping and receiving help. As for washing the handkerchief and then returning it? That's a plot only found in romance novels.

For someone like Camilla, handkerchiefs are just decorative items and disposable. As long as Lu Ze doesn't get his snot and saliva on them, she doesn't mind touching the handkerchiefs he's used, since she'll just throw them away after the premiere anyway.

After calming down considerably, Lu Ze glanced at Mickey. At this moment, he seemed completely unaffected, crossing his legs and occasionally glancing at the audience in the back row. Then, the shaking of his leg became more and more pronounced, clearly indicating that he was quite pleased with himself.

Lu Ze didn't want to say much to this kind of person. He simply stretched out his elbow and jabbed him hard in the chest, making him gasp for breath and almost roll his eyes back.

But Mickey didn't mind and continued to happily swing his legs, because he knew that since he was the final editor, Lu Ze, who hadn't seen the final version, was now part of the audience, no different from the later viewers, except that Lu Ze could hit him...

"I have a feeling this turmoil will be big."

Suddenly, Lu Ze noticed that a number of audience members were leaving their seats. They left resolutely, as if they no longer wanted to watch Mickey's speech. Lu Ze rubbed his eyebrows and whispered to Mickey.

"What does that have to do with you? What does it have to do with me? We're just moviemakers. They won't cause us any trouble. Just relax and wait for the movie to be released, then stay home and collect the money."

Mickey casually picked at his ear, completely unconcerned that he might become the source of social unrest. For him, the most important thing was that the movie he wanted to make could be made and released. As for the criticism after its release... hadn't he been criticized enough already?

Instead, he exchanged a smile with the investor, shook hands with him, and said "It's a pleasure to cooperate." Then, at the host's invitation, he slowly walked onto the stage. However, Lu Ze saw the mutual hatred in the eyes of the two men as they turned their backs to each other.

For investors, the film's main theme is actually attacking them, but they don't care. Nothing makes more money than inciting the public. Even if the public curses them so badly they can't leave their homes, as long as they can make money, they are willing to suffer such insignificant and harmless curses.

What he loathed was Mickey's extreme arrogance and inflated ego, yet he silently endured it because of his talent and earning power, eventually forming a relationship of flattery in public and hatred in private.

Therefore, it's no wonder that Mickey Mouse suffered such a huge setback in the past. It was due to the hidden dangers caused by his extreme personality. And if his movies suffer another Waterloo in the future, Mickey's tragedy may very well repeat itself.

As for why Mickey is hostile to investors... you'll know once you watch the movie. But he's not speaking up for the people; he simply dislikes their arrogance.

He will not change his personality, even if he knows that his personality is extreme and that he has made too many enemies. He will only use his works to find resonance among a wider audience.

After straightening his suit, he went on stage and faced the silent hall. When he saw people leaving their seats, he simply smiled, bent down slightly, leaned close to the microphone, and said, "Take care."

I stood up again, raised my hands to shoulder level, and slowly clapped in the quiet room, for myself and for my friends.

The first person responded, clapping in unison with Mickey, then the second, the third, until everyone stood up, clapping excitedly and offering their worship, and the atmosphere exploded at that moment.

He stopped clapping, put his hand to his ear, and stood sideways in front of the stage. Cheers erupted, and he smiled happily, giving the middle finger to yet another person leaving, completely unconcerned about the occasion. "Thank you, thank you all, for making me feel like the coolest person in the world! But please also give a round of applause to my equally cool friends, Lu Ze!"

Cheers erupted for the male lead, Lu Ze stood up, turned around and waved to the audience, the volume rising again.

"The Mendeleev Brothers!"

He then read out the names of all the main creators in turn, and the audience paid their sincerest respects for their outstanding performances and hard work behind the scenes, until Mickey made a silencing gesture, took off his tie and casually tossed it on the table, unbuttoned two buttons, and moved closer to Mike again.

"I'll just say a few words, and then this premiere will be over. All that tedious stuff and questions can go to hell, because I'm in a hurry to get back and get some alcohol and a pretty girl."

"Look at the city center at night, look at the refugee camps on the street, look at all those tax and insurance policies you don't understand, look at how you only receive half of your due salary, friends! Life is beautiful, but it doesn't belong to just a few! That's it, meeting adjourned!"

He didn't even bother to walk up the steps, and jumped off the stage. He called to Lu Ze and the others, and instead of going backstage, they left through the audience area entrance and drove away in a swaggering manner.

……

"Why don't you go back to the hotel first? Or do you want to go shopping at the mall some more? I'm sorry, honey, I can't stay with you any longer."

Lu Bo and his wife had just come out of the movie theater. This was originally a long-planned trip for the two of them. They had finally put aside their work and children and flew from China to Europe for a sweet trip to rekindle their love. But at this moment, the movie starring Lu Ze disrupted their well-determined sightseeing plans.

Is it really that good-looking?

His wife was puzzled. She couldn't see what was so good about the movie. Its content denied all the beauty in the world, while she believed that beauty still existed. The conflict between these two ideas made it difficult for her to have a good impression of the movie, even though she did like the actor Lu Ze.

"It's really good! It's good in every way! From the use of camera angles, the visual language, the film's content, the actors' performances, the color styling, the deeper meanings, to the post-production editing, everything is just amazing!! The two Russian brothers completely made up for Mickey's weaknesses, and Lu Ze's performance, oh my god..."

"Stop, stop, stop. I don't want to hear this. I really don't understand what's going on in your head. Fine, I'll go sit in the coffee shop for a while. Lu Bo, remember, you're here for tourism, not to watch a movie. You're only allowed to watch it once."

She was a little angry that her husband had broken the plans, but she didn't complain. After all, they had been married for several years, and she knew what kind of person he was. If you don't let him enjoy a good movie, he'll keep thinking about it the whole way, which will only make things worse. Let him have his fill first, and then we'll talk about the rest later.

"No problem, honey! I'll take you."

He took his wife to the coffee shop across the street, took out his phone, pointed the camera at himself, and filmed a short video.

"Hello everyone, I'm Lu Bo. I'm currently in the UK and just came out of the cinema. I just watched Lu Ze's latest movie, 'Rebirth,' and I was truly blown away. I can only say it's amazing! In every sense, this story is fantastic. Although the background is fictional, the main plot and subplots are very realistic."

"Because of this movie, there may be some social unrest here. Look, these are people who just came out of the movie theater. Just a dozen minutes ago, there was a violent incident. The police just arrived. Other audience members are gathered together. I can't squeeze in now and I don't know what exactly happened."

"As far as I know, people who have just finished watching 'Afterlife' are gathering outside cinemas of all sizes in the UK. The police have also deployed a lot of officers outside cinemas. They may hold a march in the next few days. As for whether this will affect my trip to Europe, it is still unknown."

"I'm going back to the theater for a second viewing now, but I won't be able to write a review right away. I need to watch the pirated version from South Korea first before I dare to write anything. There's just so much to it. If I only watch it in the theater, I'll definitely miss a lot of details. That's all for now. I'm about to go in. This is Lu Bo. See you tomorrow."

After filming, he did some rough editing and uploaded it to his Douyin account, which had a small following. This was a big reason why his wife didn't stop him from watching it a second time, since the income from the Douyin account could indeed supplement their household expenses.

With the upload progress at 100%, he put away his phone, went through the ticket check, and went back into the screening room, immersing himself in the despairing world of the movie.

"..."

I'm going to organize the outline properly and also summarize "Rebirth". I used to just keep it in my head, which felt a bit unreliable, so I feel more at ease writing it down in a document. I'll update as usual tomorrow, and if I don't get stuck, it should be two chapters. Starting anew, it will take some time to adjust. I'm very grateful for everyone's understanding and sincerely thank you. I, Huochai, thank every reader who likes Qiudi's books for their companionship.

Finally, I'm asking for your votes. I hope we can surpass one million votes next month. Here's a small wish: love you all, see you tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)