Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 916 The Charm of Money

After thirteen hours of flight, the Yunshang arrived at the Côte d'Azur Airport in Nice, France.

When the plane landed, it was already early morning of May 11th, French time.

From Nice's Côte d'Azur Airport, it is less than 30 kilometers to Cannes by car. Most of the staff who came to Cannes with Hideki Hanyu this time will choose to go to Cannes by car.

However, Hideki Hanyu, who had already booked a yacht, headed in the opposite direction to the yacht terminal in Nice.

His route to Cannes was over the Mediterranean, south along the blue coast, around Cap d'Antibes, and finally in Cannes.

But today he doesn't live in Cannes.

In order not to be disturbed by the swarming media and to avoid the heat of the film festival, he chose to live in Cap d'Antibes, which he would bypass before arriving in Cannes.

(Map and Figure)

Cap d'Antibes has beautiful scenery and many high-end hotels. Not only can you enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Mediterranean, but you can also see Cannes from afar. Many celebrities choose to stay here during the film festival.

It is also one of the shooting locations selected by Hideki Hanyu for "non-no" magazine and "Cloud·Fashion" magazine.

Why choose here?
Isn’t that nonsense? How can a scumbag hunt for beauties without a team around him?

Therefore, the team that Hanyu Hideki headed to the yacht marina naturally included twelve models and the shooting teams of two magazines.

As Hideki Hanyu and his party arrived at the pier and got out of the car, even though it was already past one in the morning, the staff of the service company were still diligently waiting to serve Hideki Hanyu.

It’s nothing, it’s just the charm of money.

After all, during the two-week Cannes Film Festival, Hideki Hanyu paid more than one and a half million US dollars to this service company alone.

Such a price means that he should enjoy the highest-end service.

Hideki Hanyu took the lead and walked onto the yacht deck under the guidance of the service staff.

At a glance, although the yacht is large and well-maintained, it has a strong sense of age and is obviously an old ship.

But he is just renting it, not buying it, so it's fine as long as it can be used.

Moreover, for the accompanying filming team, such an old-fashioned yacht has the temperament of European "old money", and it is easier to produce photos when using it to shoot those top European luxury brands.

After scanning the yacht, Hanyu Hideki turned around and looked at the people boarding the boat behind him.

Then he noticed at a glance that among the models, Yui Natsukawa was walking at the end, obviously keeping a distance from the other models.

Or perhaps, to put it the other way around, it is the other models who are keeping their distance from Yui Natsukawa.

It doesn't take much to guess that Hideki Hanyu knows that because of the importance he attached to Yui Natsukawa before boarding the plane, Yui Natsukawa was isolated and excluded by other models.

This situation was exactly what he wanted.

There are many ways to hunt for beauty in this world that seem old-fashioned, but they are useful because they have been refined over and over again.

For example, helping someone in need or being a hero to save a beautiful girl, it always works!

As everyone successfully boarded the ship, the opportunity that Hideki Hanyu had been waiting for soon appeared.

In the cabin, everyone took their seats one by one, waiting for the yacht to set sail.

But in the area allocated for models, other people joined hands and occupied all the seats, leaving no place for Natsukawa Yui to sit.

Faced with such a situation, Yui Natsukawa understood that if she made a fuss about it, regardless of whether it would be useful or not, it would definitely make others dislike her.

Who makes Japan a hypocritical country that actually has no scruples and doesn't even care about the indiscriminate discharge of nuclear wastewater, but on the surface pretends to be unwilling to cause trouble to others?

Therefore, Yui Natsukawa did not argue or make a fuss, but quietly left the cabin and stood at the bulwark to admire the Mediterranean Sea alone in the early morning.

And all of this happened to fall into the eyes of Hideki Hanyu.

Then, Hideki Hanyu appeared.

He held two cups in his hands and slowly walked towards Yui Natsukawa.

At the same time, the bodyguards quickly cordoned off the area to prevent any ignorant people from disturbing the boss's interest.

"Why is Miss Xiachuan here alone?"

Hanyu Hideki's words brought Natsukawa Yui back to her senses.

After discovering Hideki Hanyu, she quickly bowed and apologized.

"Mr. Hanyu, I'm very sorry. I was a little distracted just now and didn't notice you."

But when Yui Natsukawa stood up, she found that Hideki Hanyu handed a steaming cup to her.

Under Yui Natsukawa's puzzled gaze, Hanyu Hideki began to explain.

"It's not coffee, it's not alcohol, it's the almond milk that my nutritionist prepared for me. It can help regulate the body's neurotransmitters, relieve anxiety, and promote the secretion of melatonin..."

The more he spoke, the more confused Natsukawa Yui's expression became.

Hanyu Hideki suddenly laughed out loud, "Haha, when the nutritionist told me this, I had the same expression as you. To put it bluntly, it can whiten your skin and promote sleep."

"Thank you, Mr. Hanyu."

Natsukawa Yui finally understood and took the cup respectfully.

Even though she hadn't drunk it yet, the warm touch of the cup still made her feel very comfortable.

This made her unable to help but secretly glance at Hanyu Hideki beside her.

Because of Hideki Hanyu's warmth and meticulousness, I developed some good feelings towards him, and at the same time, I also felt a strong curiosity about him.

This super-rich man, famous writer, playboy, who used to only be seen in the media...

What kind of person is hidden behind these identities?
Especially the outstanding appearance, which is so perfect that it gives people a dreamy and unreal feeling.

Before she knew it, Yui Natsukawa's cheeks turned red.

Just at this moment, Hanyu Hideki turned his head and looked at Natsukawa Yui.

Natsukawa Yui immediately turned her head away in panic, trying to hide her emotions by drinking the almond milk in the cup.

Hanyu Hideki didn't seem to notice Natsukawa Yui's embarrassment, and spoke as if he was talking to himself.

"Nietzsche once said that those who live alone are either beasts or gods.

The jealousy of others is precisely the best medal for excellence.

However, some narrow circles are not the shells where pearls should stay.

So when we suffer injustice, please don’t deny yourself first, because it is not necessarily your problem, but they are jealous of your excellence. "

As Hanyu Hideki's voice fell, Natsukawa Yui immediately felt warm in her heart.

Natsukawa Yui, who was ostracized and helpless in a foreign country, suddenly received such gentle comfort, and the girl's heart opened up unconsciously.

As her heart felt warm, the girl's face became even redder.

This made her ask, "Mr. Hanyu, are you trying to comfort me?"

Hanyu Hideki opened his thin lips and smiled slightly, "If Miss Xiachuan thinks so, then it is so."

Yui Natsukawa was a little overwhelmed by Hanyu Hideki's ambiguous attitude. She turned her head, stared at the Mediterranean Sea, and said as if to cover up something.

"Everyone says the Mediterranean is beautiful, but now it's pitch black and I can't see anything."

Hanyu Hideki held the railing with both hands, leaned out, looked at the dark sea with Natsukawa Yui, and spoke slowly.

"No, it will be beautiful when the sun rises."

……

The hope and encouragement contained in Hanyu Hideki's words were like a sudden bullet that instantly pierced Natsukawa Yui's heart.

The girl murmured to herself as she looked at the dark sea.

"Is it dawn yet..."
-
As the yacht arrived at Cape Antibes, Hideki Hanyu and his group got off the boat and checked into the hotel they had booked.

During the entire process, Hideki Hanyu did not communicate with Yui Natsukawa at all, not even making eye contact.

It was as if the brief spiritual connection they had on the boat had never occurred. Hanyu Hideki was still standing tall and unfamiliar.

Yui Natsukawa is still isolated and excluded by other models.

Such a Hideki Hanyu made Yui Natsukawa feel that the almond milk in her hand, the gentle comfort and care, the encouragement and hope in her heart, and the vague affection were all like her illusions.

She really wanted to find an opportunity to ask Hanyu Hideki, is she really still a stranger?
But Hideki Hanyu did not give Yui Natsukawa any chance.

Although both parties were staying in the same hotel, Hanyu Hideki was staying in a luxurious seaside holiday villa with its own door and yard and various private facilities.

However, Yui Natsukawa and other staff members lived in ordinary double rooms.

The two sides seemed to be not far away, but there was no possibility of close contact.

As everyone checked in, the rest that started in the early morning came to an end.

After getting up in the morning, Yui Natsukawa began to prepare for the film festival theme shooting under the arrangement of the filming team.

Hideki Hanyu has already taken a yacht to Cannes.

Upon hearing the news, Yui Natsukawa suddenly felt that she and Hideki Hanyu were like two straight lines that accidentally intersected, suddenly separated after a brief contact, and then gradually drifted away.

The brief memory in the early morning might just be a beautiful dream in her life.

She is just an ordinary model from Kumamoto. How can she have such unrealistic expectations just because a high-ranking figure occasionally treats her kindly?
Hideki Hanyu was unaware of Yui Natsukawa's sadness.

Of course, even if he knew, the scumbag would only say one sentence, and this is exactly the effect he wants.

When hunting for beauty, you must not pursue her relentlessly, nor should you beg her humbly.

The most brilliant strategy is to be ambiguous, to be hot and cold, and to play hard to get.

Of course, it is not recommended for ordinary people to do this as it is easy to get into trouble.

Only a top-ranked player like Hideki Hanyu can grasp it so accurately.

However, when Hideki Hanyu arrived in Cannes, he immediately put aside the matter of women and started to get into work mode.

At this point in time, the JW Marriott Hotel advertising space, which was the most expensive movie advertising space during the Cannes International Film Festival in the future, no longer exists.

Because the construction of the JW Marriott Hotel Cannes did not begin until 1992.

Of course, even without JW Marriott, the famous “Big Three” of Cannes Croisette hotels were still as lively as they are today, with the film festival already underway.

Hideki Hanyu's destination today is the Carlton InterContinental Hotel, one of the "Big Three" hotels on Cannes Croisette.

As the official partner hotel of this year's Cannes International Film Festival, this is considered to be the most lively star base in Cannes during the film festival.

Although the rooms are as tight as ever, Universal Pictures has already booked enough rooms early on, and Hideki Hanyu's is naturally one of them.

However, this old hotel, which was built in 1911, not only has outdated room facilities, but is also surrounded by the media every day because it is full of celebrities. This makes Hideki Hanyu, who does not want to be disturbed, very unhappy.

In addition, this hotel likes to have celebrity-themed suites, which may attract movie fans to stay, but for Hideki Hanyu today, it is a very cheap practice.

So even though Universal Pictures booked a room for Hideki Hanyu, he had no plans to stay in this hotel at all.

As for why I came here today, of course it was to resolve the schedule issues between Cloud Pictures and Universal Pictures.

Alan Horn organized a high-level meeting in Cannes, and Hanyu Hideki promised to preside over it in person.

However, when Hanyu Hideki arrived at the Carlton InterContinental Hotel after looking at various movie posters along the way, the first person he saw was not a subordinate of Universal Pictures.

"After our farewell in Tokyo, Mr. Hanyu is still as charming as ever."

The man in front of me who shook hands and greeted Hanyu Hideki warmly, wearing a black haute couture suit but still looking like an old farmer, who else could it be but the national teacher Zhang Yimou.

Director Zhang was accompanied by his favorite female lead, Gong Li.

"Director Zhang's Ju Dou did quite well at the overseas box office. I hope it can return with a big win at Cannes this time."

What Hideki Hanyu said about returning with a full load was naturally just a polite remark.

If I remember correctly, "Ju Dou", a film from another time and space, received good ratings outside the Cannes Film Festival this year, but in the end it only won a special award, the 'Luis Buñuel Special Award'.

Luis Buñuel is a national treasure-level director of Spain. He is known as the father of surrealist films. He has won many Golden Lion Awards and Cannes Palme d'Or in his lifetime, and also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Although this award was specially created to honor the film "Ju Dou", the fact that it was named after this film master also indirectly proves the jury's recognition of the film.

Of course, for Master Zhang, not winning the Palme d'Or would be considered a failure.

Especially in today's time and space, "Ju Dou" has achieved remarkable results all over the world thanks to the operation of the cloud system, and has reaped both box office honors.

Master Zhang is attending the Cannes International Film Festival this time just for the Palme d'Or.

Therefore, if Master Zhang only won a consolation prize in the end like in another time and space, Hanyu Hideki could only hope that he would not be discouraged and would keep working hard.

As for the award public relations of the Yunshang system.

It's not that there isn't one, it's just that there are trade-offs.

The first goal that Hideki Hanyu set for "Ju Dou" is still the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and the main resources will definitely be invested in this aspect.

In addition, there are several films from Japan participating in the exhibition this year. Those production companies have reached some kind of tacit understanding with Hirohashi Asako, hoping to get the support of the Yunshang system.

In this case, the Yunshang system will certainly not be able to fully help "Ju Dou" win the awards.

Of course, there is another reason that only Hideki Hanyu knows, which is that in the original history, the film that won this year's Palme d'Or was the work of the famous director David Lynch, who had been away from the film industry for many years.

It is indeed difficult for Master Zhang today to defeat David Lynch head-on in Cannes.

After greeting Director Zhang, Hanyu Hideki turned and shook hands with Gong Li.

"Ms. Gong, long time no see. Today's look really suits you."

In another time and space, Gong Li appeared at the 1990 Cannes International Film Festival. She had a big red flower tied to her long braids, a navy blue sleeveless sweater, and blue patterned trousers. She looked childish and a little rustic, and did not look like a star attending a film festival.

But at this time and space, Yunshang was fully responsible for the overseas distribution and promotion of "Ju Dou", which naturally included the styling of the female lead.

Jewelry sponsored by Bulgari, women's shoes provided by Roger Vivier, plus a custom red dress by Givenchy...

Thanks to the full sponsorship of Ayi International, Gong Li's look at this Cannes film, although not as good as the classic white shirt and black pants at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, completely transformed into the Queen Gong with her full aura.

(1996 modeling, picture)
But she managed to play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses, making the most of her own magnanimous and confident temperament while also covering up her shortcomings well.

Looking at the mature and elegant Gong Li in front of him, with her fiery red dress and flaming lips, Hanyu Hideki felt that Master Zhang was about to lose control of her.

Hideki Hanyu only hopes that these two people will not break up earlier than in another time and space because of the influence of his butterfly wings.

After all, after Hanyu Hideki broke up with the two, none of the successors that Zhang Guoshi found for Gong Li was satisfactory to him.

After chatting with the two for a few words, Hanyu Hideki immediately extended an invitation, "I plan to hold a yacht party tonight. Director Zhang and Ms. Gong must come to participate."

The two of them quickly responded, "Since the gentleman has invited us, we will of course be there."

"That's great. I'll also invite some colleagues from the European and American film circles tonight and I can introduce them to you two then."

Having said that, Hanyu Hideki said goodbye to the two of them.

But after saying goodbye to Zhang Guoshi and Gong Li, Hanyu Hideki also did not see Alan Horn at the Carlton InterContinental Hotel, but met his colleagues from Japan.

Unlike Zhang Guoshi and Gong Li, these exhibitors from Japan bowed and greeted Hanyu Hideki with extreme respect upon seeing him.

Hanyu Hideki nodded slightly in response and glanced around, finding that there were quite a few familiar faces here.

For example, the leader in front of us is the "iron-blooded" producer Okuyama Rong of Shochiku Corporation.

Although he was officially promoted to the president of Shochiku next year, he was praised by the industry as a poor manager who treated the company as his private property.

But as a producer alone, his abilities are still quite outstanding.

For example, "The Thorn of Death", produced by the other party, won the Jury Grand Prix and the FIPRESCI Award in the main competition unit at this year's Cannes International Film Festival.

When talking about this movie, Hideki Hanyu's gaze unconsciously turned to the crowd, to a familiar stranger who was about to disappear from his memory.

Keiko Matsuzaka.

(End of this chapter)