Global Film Emperor

Chapter 535, "Atonement," begins!
"I'm leaving?"

"Are you waiting for me to take you?"

His words still made people feel uncomfortable. Sitting behind his desk, he picked up his coffee cup and waved it lightly at Lu Ze, as if trying to swat away an annoying fly. If it were anyone else, they might have been very dissatisfied, or even turned cold. But for Lu Ze, who was already used to his way of speaking, it would be chilling if Mickey could actually say something heartwarming.

"Okay, I'm off. Remember to let me know once you've settled things on your end."

"Hmm~"

Lu Ze checked the documents he would need one last time, while Mickey put on a melancholy handsome act, gazing out the window at the continuous rain and rising blue-gray fog, his hand holding a cigarette pressed against his temple, giving off a bit of an idol drama vibe.

Animals have an instinct to ambush. Carnivores like lions and tigers always attack their prey from behind. Lu Ze was no different. Looking at Mickey's round back of the head, he wanted to pick up something and throw it at him. But just as he was about to throw the paper ball in his hand, he suddenly stopped. Looking at the strands of white hair mixed in with Mickey's long hair, he finally gave up the idea of ​​provoking him to get angry so that he could beat him up and leave.

He had never had gray hair before.

Strangely enough, in England, a country known for its baldness, Lu Ze had experienced excessive hair loss. Yet this Liverpool drifter, addicted to smoking, drinking, and staying up all night, had a head of jet-black hair that would make half the men on the streets of Liverpool envious to tears.

But when Lu Ze returned, he found that he had grown a lot of gray hair, especially after Fanny left. He wondered about the reason behind it. After all, in the nearly forty years that had passed, he still felt that he was an ageless god. Unfortunately, he asked someone who was more mature than him, but usually he strictly controlled his loose tongue.

"You might have a tumor in your brain."

After checking his belongings one last time, Lu Ze didn't speak to that gloomy-looking fool and walked straight out of the room. A driver was waiting outside, so he took a ride away.

The drizzle left patches of pinprick-sized marks on the windshield, which were wiped clean by the wipers that only swept occasionally. On foggy days, driving through the wooded paths, visibility was naturally low, and the pattering sound of raindrops hitting the roof was particularly soothing. Half asleep, I listened to the radio, my gaze involuntarily drifting to the dimly lit window.

It was lucky that in this drizzly late autumn, we could see squirrels braving the rain to gather food for the winter. When a car came from the opposite direction, their eyes met Lu Ze's, and then they ran away.

A short nap was enough for Lu Ze to regain his energy and prepare for the rest of the journey. Soon, they arrived at the destination airport. With the help of the driver, he quickly passed through security and entered the VIP lounge to rest.

Through the large windows, the view was excellent, revealing the giant LED screen erected in the lobby on the first floor. The new advertisement, shot a few days ago, was being published today. The screen showed the wearer dressed in a suit and polo shirt, with the newly launched basic luxury watch on his wrist. Coincidentally, Lu Ze was also wearing the same model today, the only difference being that Lu Ze's watch was a custom-made model gifted by the watchmaker, with gold and diamond inlays on the bezel and colored gemstones on the watch hands.

These photos have clearly been edited, making Lu Ze's somewhat thin body appear wider to better match the product's positioning and mainstream Western aesthetics. However, there is no difference in appearance. The fact that the passenger next to him, who also noticed the promotional poster, easily recognized Lu Ze proves that Westerners do indeed have face blindness when it comes to Asians, except for good-looking ones.

The passengers in the VIP lounge are not like those depicted in TV dramas, who are all celebrities and tycoons. Most of them are just junior executives of companies who are busy on business trips and relatively well-off people who are willing to spend a few hundred yuan more to have a drink and use the fast track for comfort. Those who are really rich either own their own planes or charter planes all year round, and no one goes to the VIP lounge.

Lu Ze's current experience also indirectly confirms that the passengers in the VIP lounge don't seem to be of very high quality.

Want a photo? Okay, let's take one. Want an autograph? Sure, there aren't many people, so I'll sign. And then there are all sorts of video blessings... Although it's a bit of a headache, it's not a big deal for Lu Ze, who really doesn't have a bad temper. What really annoys Lu Ze is that someone is pulling him and making him turn his back to the screen to wait for the watch poster to reappear so they can take another photo with him. This kind of behavior is not very respectful. Even though the person kept saying nice things, Lu Ze still frowned and refused. The other person didn't say anything, and the two parted ways. Ignoring the whispers behind their backs, Lu Ze grabbed his bag and went downstairs first when boarding was announced.

The destination this time is Turin, and the stay will not be long, only a day or two. The main work is to attend the premiere of "Atonement" in Turin tonight. Due to work issues, I have not been able to travel with the crew to various places for promotion, so I naturally cannot miss this premiere.

The journey from England to Italy wasn't far, taking less time than flying from Beijing to Shanghai. In just over two hours, he watched a movie, and just as the movie credits rolled, the plane landed. There's no need to dwell on the trivialities of the airport. When Lu Ze emerged from the airport, his director and partner, Fatini, had been waiting for him for quite some time.

"Lu Ze! Welcome back to Turin."

"Thanks."

Fatini raised her hands to greet Lu Ze warmly, but the response she received was rather cold. After handing her luggage to the driver, she opened the car door and got in. This action made Fatini pause for about a second, then she scoffed, revealing a slightly miserable smile. She lifted her white suit jacket, put her hands on her hips, tucked her thumbs into her belt, walked to the other side of the car, opened the door, and sat down.

"You wouldn't act like a woman and get all cold over something like this, would you? It's just business. Of course I'll do business, but I don't think this will affect our friendship, right?"

He crossed his legs, turned sideways, and got very close to Lu Ze, only a ruler's width away. He had a scrunched-up face, his hands clasped together, his palms outstretched in a classic Italian gesture when he got excited during a conversation, as if he was about to vomit but was catching it in his hands in preparation to eat it back up.

"I'm just too lazy to talk to my grandson."

"Huh...? That damn Mickey! I'll never forgive him! That bastard dares to mess with anyone, I'll throw him in the trash sooner or later!"

He was stunned again before realizing that the Chinese Mickey had taught him wasn't anything nice, which had unwittingly made him Lu Ze's grandson. After figuring it out, he slammed his fist on the armrest in a fit of rage, pointed at the ceiling, and swore he'd teach that bastard Mickey a lesson, behaving like a mafia boss. Oh, right, that's how his family made their fortune...

Fortunately, after realizing that Lu Ze wasn't upset about taking the blame for him, a smile returned to his face. He opened the wine cabinet with a grin, gently swayed his body, and hummed a dripping Italian folk song as he poured Lu Ze a glass of champagne.

"Then what did he say?"

"I'll think about it some more." "Okay, I'm just a middleman. How you guys negotiate is none of my business, and I'm too lazy to bother with it. Cheers."

Fatini also knew that Lu Ze was not in charge of the company's operations; Mickey made all the decisions. So she decisively skipped the topic and started talking about the movie premiere.

This premiere ceremony was not much different from a regular movie premiere, and was even simpler. Since tickets were not sold to the public, there was naturally no fan interaction. In fact, the ceremony could have been skipped altogether, since many new directors don't hold ceremonies for their debut films. It's just that Fatini is concerned about his image and felt that the lack of ceremony would damage his reputation as a young master, so he insisted on putting on this show.

They stopped midway for a three-hour upscale Italian lunch, mostly eating at Fatini's. After all, they had things to do that evening, so having a little something to eat was a good thing. However, Lu Ze was suffering sitting across from them, his mouth watering. He decided to ignore it and played on his phone until they set off again. By then it was already evening, and Lu Ze finally met his colleagues from the filming of Atonement. But just like when they were filming, after greeting Lu Ze, they shrank back into a small circle, excluding him.

Lu Ze had become accustomed to being treated this way. After all, the strong are always lonely. Although the words were a bit childish, they were the treatment Lu Ze had received for a long time. Too many of his peers thought Lu Ze was a robot—high-quality, efficient, and energy-saving. After being compared to him and suffering a severe blow to their hearts, they would never want to associate with such people again, to avoid realizing that they were indeed useless. Only a few top actors with confidence could overcome the sadness of being inferior to others and become true friends with Lu Ze.

Fatini was at the venue greeting the guests and wasn't with him, so Lu Ze was happy to have some free time. He ate some fruit he had packed from the upscale restaurant. It wasn't until Fatini's butler, a white-haired old man with a unique air just like the butlers in movies, announced that everyone should enter that Lu Ze led the way, walking through the red carpet corridor into the venue to meet Fatini and greet the guests.

"Why didn't you bring your grandma along? What are all these people doing...?"

As Lu Ze walked through the guests, he nodded and thanked them with a standard smile. But when he turned his head, he asked Fatini through gritted teeth.

"Oh right, I really should have brought my grandmother over. How could I have forgotten about that! But it's too late now. Sigh, what a pity."

"Don't play dumb with me. Why don't you dig up your family's ancestral graves, bring over the urn of ashes, and let them see the movies you made? I'm asking them! They're just oil sellers and PVC pipe sellers. What are you going to do with them? Do you think this is a noble ball? Why do you have to bring in all sorts of celebrities?"

The guests weren't small business owners, but rather a diverse group of company owners with no connection to the film industry. It was a real mixed bag, with people from all walks of life. These kinds of people are usually not invited to premieres, since their presence would easily turn the premiere into a networking event rather than a film premiere. This is something no film production team wants to see.

After Lu Ze said that, Fatini was also embarrassed. She forced a smile and chatted amicably with her business partners from other industries. Only when she left did she awkwardly reply.

"Can you please stop being so sarcastic? I contacted over a hundred media outlets. Who else had more media representatives at their premiere? But there were no moviegoers, so the attendance wasn't enough. I can't possibly bring thirty or forty people from each media outlet, can I? Besides my partners, who else can I turn to?"

"Why don't you give away tickets to the audience?"

"Who am I supposed to give this to? Who even knows what I do for a living! I only have a little over two hundred followers on Facebook!"

"Why can't you just let us deliver it? Why do you have to deliver it yourself?"

Well, Lu Ze finally understood. Fatini insisted that everyone was there for him to save face, and that he was unhappy if they came for Lu Ze and the other actors. Rich young masters really think differently from normal people. Not only do they want everyone to come for them, but they also want these people to affirm that their artistic talents are in the right place. Even if the people present think the film is bad and not good, who would dare to say it? Unless he wants to generate revenue for the ICU.

The longer a person keeps their dreams hidden in their heart, the more carefully they protect them, afraid that they will shatter. But when the day finally comes to realize their dreams, they become even more apprehensive. Not only do they have to hide their dreams, but they also have to dig a hole and bury their head in it, leaving only their bottom sticking out, for fear that someone will hurt them and knock their dreams to the ground. That's why Fatini doesn't dare to hear negative comments now, preferring to hear insincere compliments. Thinking of this, Lu Ze suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for this rich kid who was countless times richer than himself.

"Fine, I can't control who you found. Anyway, you'll be the one losing money at the premiere. But don't throw a tantrum if they're drinking and exchanging business cards while the movie is playing."

"Who dares?! If anyone chats or strikes up a conversation down there, I'll have a truck run them over tonight."

"Yes, yes, who's reckless? You're the old Godfather."

It was just a few sarcastic remarks. These days, their family has long since cleaned up the mess. They relied purely on financial intimidation and would never do such a thing. Everyone knows that. Hmm... it's not worth getting involved in such a trivial matter.

After the main creative team signed autographs and took photos, they sat down. The host then went on stage to greet the guests, and the premiere of "Atonement" officially began.

It started with some lighthearted banter, making jokes about the film and the creative team, until, as the atmosphere heated up, reporters and film critics began interviewing and asking questions about the film.

Everyone spoke gently, after all, these people were brought by Fatini, and with money paving the way, there were naturally no troublemakers. However, many of the questions were quite novel and not irrelevant, forcing Fatini to reveal quite a few details. It was clear that this made Fatini very happy, and he became more and more involved, his smile gradually spreading. There were also many questions about Lu Ze. Compared to Fatini, Lu Ze, this veteran, was much more experienced and carried out the film's secrecy to the end, even though the film didn't have any twists and turns and was a very simple, linear story.

Half an hour later, the interview ended, the screen went down, the main lights in the venue went out, and Fatini stood in front of the screen to give her final speech.

"Thanks to the team behind me for their hard work during this time, which made this film possible. It is also my life's work, a treasure I have kept in my heart for many years. I hope you will like it. Thank you."

After saying that, he turned and stepped off the stage. The wall lamps went out, the screen lit up, and an ancient castle appeared on the screen, surrounded by a flowing stream. The final view was from above, forming a logo with a label below.

Gambiano Pictures.

"..."

(End of this chapter)