After all of them were reborn, who would still be an actor?

Chapter 709 Like oil being poured into a raging fire, a battle between heaven and man.

Li Mingyang had no idea how he got to the banquet.

I don't know when the banquet ended.

He was like a puppet, mechanically laughing and mechanically making "uh-huh" sounds.

When I came to my senses, the banquet was already over.

Instead of returning to the hotel, he went for a night run alone.

Escape the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy a moment of peace on a quiet country road.

After calming down, Li Mingyang returned to the hotel and continued to laugh and joke.

He did not let anyone else notice anything unusual about him.

The next day, Wang Changtian brought very bad news.

Zhang Yimou offered the same conditions as Li Mingyang in order to win the Palme d'Or.

The Cannes Film Festival has officially denied the rumor that "Li Mingyang bought the Palme d'Or," stating that the Palme d'Or is the festival's signature award, symbolizing the highest honor in cinematic art.

Anyone who spreads rumors will not only be expelled, but will also be punished by law!
This seems to be a denial of Li Mingyang.

In reality, only Li Mingyang knew that Cannes really wanted to give him the Palme d'Or, but he had to kneel down!

No kneeling, no give!

With only four days left until the closing ceremony, this was a sudden move.

Extreme pressure.

Cannes made it clear that it would not directly pressure Lee Myung-yang, but instead put pressure on China and South Korea.

Lee Mei-jin went along with the flow, since he couldn't do it himself, he let China exert pressure.

Weak externally, but experienced internally...

Li Mingyang felt as if he had returned to China, except this time he was facing not only Zuo Shandiao.

This Palme d'Or is of great significance, not only for Li Mingyang's personal honor, but also for the nation's honor.

Whenever Li Mingyang is conscious, he is surrounded by a large group of people urging him to surrender.

Mimi was the most enthusiastic, as if she were the one who had won the award.

She said she would listen to him from now on, and no matter how unfair the treatment might be, she would never make a fuss.

That's all nonsense.

Sweetie is the most anxious, because she deserves a share of the Palme d'Or.

Unable to persuade her on his own, he called Liu Shishi and asked her to help talk to her.

But Liu Shishi said she was busy and didn't want to come to Cannes.

It was only then that Jing Tian understood why Liu Shishi wasn't in Cannes at the crucial moment when Li Mingyang was about to win the Palme d'Or.

Liu Shishi had a premonition of the current situation.

Li Mingyang tried closing the door to visitors, but it didn't work.

Li Mei ordered the hotel staff to break down the door...

Later, he simply started drinking and pretending to be confused.

It was no use; everyone knew his alcohol tolerance, so even if he was drunk, everyone would assume he wasn't.

Li Mingyang was extremely bothered by this, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Kneeling down is easy, but standing up is hard!

What's more, these bastards, just like Ah Chuan, raise prices arbitrarily, and their prices change every day...

I can't kneel down!
This is similar to how Jing Tian and Yang Mi kept raising their prices. At first, they were fighting their own battles, but then they went into battle together without a bra.

Then, he pulled Shirahama along, and the four of them squeezed into one bed.

The temptation is getting stronger, but it all comes down to the Golden Palm; premature juicing is not an option.

Once they actually win the Palme d'Or and everything is settled, they'll show a completely different face.

As the closing ceremony drew closer, Thierry and Spielberg suddenly disappeared, neither calling to threaten him nor to persuade him.

Neither Li Mingyang nor Li Meijin could be contacted.

They seemed to be isolated.

Just as Li Mingyang sensed something was wrong, an unexpected visitor arrived, leaving him both shocked and surprised!
"You seem quite surprised?" Hughes said with a smile, taking off his bowler hat.

“It was really unexpected,” Li Mingyang said, standing at the door.

"Aren't you going to let me in? That's okay, we can find a quieter place."

Li Mingyang thought for a moment and then opened the door.

Hughes walked into the room, saw a group of maids, and smiled knowingly. "Is there a quieter place?"

Li Mingyang pointed towards the balcony and walked towards it, pondering what Hughes was doing there.

Before long, the two went to the balcony and faced the sea.

The sea under the dark night sky, with moonlight floating on it, is deep and tranquil.

"Li, have you guessed why I'm here?" Hughes asked with a light laugh, leaning on the railing.

Wall Street?

"Yeah! How have you been these past few days? Those bastards are all cannibals, completely dishonest!"

"Aren't you the same?"

"Haha, that's different. We can pay in advance, but they can't give out the prize in advance."

"Tell me why you're here."

Li Mingyang pulled out a chair, sat down, rested his arm on the armrest, and propped his chin up with his hand, looking completely indifferent.

"Our deal remains valid."

"I don't need you."

"No, you need us because only we can pay in advance and satisfy the appetites of both Hollywood and Cannes."

Li Mingyang felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly understood why Wall Street had been keeping a low profile for a while, but had suddenly reappeared.

Wall Street has never given up on FBTV.

However, they are not confident that they can help him win the Palme d'Or; he has to create the opportunity himself. As long as it's a matter of money, they can solve it.

"So you all knew all along that those bastards would raise the stakes like crazy?"

"of course."

"Why are you only saying this now?"

"Because this is just the beginning."

"..."

"Your way of thinking is too Eastern. They understand you, but you don't understand them... Business deals can change at any time until the very last moment."

"No one is more suitable than me."

“Indeed, no one is more suitable than you. You are too young. I have never seen such a young director. The significance of you winning the Palme d'Or far exceeds the Palme d'Or itself, and the value you create is immeasurable. Therefore, the Palme d'Or must be yours. You are irreplaceable!”

Hughes' words reassured Li Mingyang considerably.

However, his next sentence immediately broke Li Mingyang's defenses.

"But why does it have to be this year? Next year is fine too! You'll only be twenty-five next year, still very young, still the youngest Palme d'Or winner in history."

Li Mingyang rolled his eyes. "It could be the year after next."

"No, the latest you can do it is next year! The youngest Palme d'Or winner in the history of the Cannes Film Festival is Steven Soderbergh at 26. You have to be younger than him."

"You've done a lot of research..."

"I've been studying every day for this mission, watching a ton of disgusting movies. These bastards make all sorts of garbage, what kind of art is this? It's disgusting." Hughes said, then suddenly covered his mouth and frantically pulled a stainless steel flask from his pocket and poured alcohol into his mouth.

"Why didn't you read the movie reviews first?!"

"Fuck, I never used to read movie reviews, who would have thought they could make something so disgusting!"

"Ha ha!"

What is the most prominent feature of the European Film Festival?
Explicit content and graphic violence!
Cannes stands out in particular.

Most of the films tell women's stories, and are very female-centric.

More than 70% of the films in the main competition section are depicting outdoor sex scenes, group sex, and nudity...

Of the 20 films in the main competition at Cannes this year, 14 contain sex scenes to varying degrees.

It's no exaggeration to say that this was at least the most erotic Cannes event in the last five years.

Films like "The Beauty and the Bride," "The Handmaiden," and "The Great Beauty" contain numerous explicit scenes. On average, film critics have to watch at least 1.5 "intense" scenes every day. Such heavy content has left many people feeling overwhelmed.

Actresses showing their nipples, male actors showing their nipples, lesbian sex, male-male sex, lesbian sex, group sex, exhibitionist parties, outdoor sex, car sex, infidelity, promiscuity, soliciting male prostitutes... all these things happen on the big screen every day.

It's an old tradition in European cinema: to make a film a box office success, you have to add some erotic content.

Hughes watched something else that made him physically uncomfortable: grotesque and disturbing films, several of which were in the Cannes main competition... such as Hailey.

Compared to European films, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean films are still relatively conservative.

Even the South Koreans, known for their daring films, and the Japanese, known for their perverse works, are no match for European directors!

After drinking to suppress his physical discomfort, Hughes pulled up a chair and sat down next to Li Mingyang. "Li, you opened the door to selling awards at Cannes this year, but now you're not the only buyer. They've found a better one."

"Zhang Yimou?"

"Yes, that's him."

"Really sell it to him? What's the point?" Li Mingyang had a lot of questions in his mind, but the most pressing one came out of his mouth.
"Haha!" Hughes took a swig of his drink and said with relish, "Have you ever gone sea fishing? If you want to catch big fish, you have to use small fish. When the big fish comes, your small fish isn't that important anymore."

"A big fish? Aren't I big enough?"

“You’re a big fish in the future, but not now… Tokyo University has three very big fish, and they’re already here.”

Li Mingyang already knew who those three big fish were: iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video.

He just couldn't understand why iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video were promoting Zhang Yimou. It didn't make sense! He was clearly the better choice!

"You still have a chance; they are still negotiating."

Li Mingyang looked Hughes up and down, pondering Hughes's purpose.

At this point, he had to admit one thing: compared to these top European groups, he was far inferior.

They were powerless to resist and were led by the nose.

"It's amazing that you've held on this long. Those people have already compromised. They simply can't resist the temptation of the Palme d'Or."

"First of all, you need to understand one thing: this is a business, and everyone is pursuing their own profit maximization. Your purpose is too simplistic and obvious, which is very wrong!"

"Revealing your thoughts too early is just giving others a chance to set a trap, isn't it? Haven't you learned your lesson from FBTV yet?"

"I'm asking you a question, so think about it carefully before you answer me."

Do you still want tomorrow's Palme d'Or?

a long time……

Li Mingyang took off his sunglasses, rubbed his face, overturned all his previous thoughts, and decided to trust Hughes.

His biggest failure was not having a point of trust!

It's too late.

He needs to re-establish a point of trust and then use that as a starting point!
Hughes clearly knows a lot of things, a lot of things!

"Uncle Hughes, can I trust you?"

"No one is trustworthy, and no one is untrustworthy!"

"Go ahead and tell me your plan."

“I’m a businessman. You need tomorrow’s Palme d’Or before we can continue our talks…” “I don’t want to repeat myself.” Li Mingyang licked his chapped lips, his eyes turning gloomy and cold.

Like a venomous snake, it sends chills down one's spine.

Hughes gulped down the whiskey in the pot, then chuckled and explained the whole story to Li Mingyang.

……

Li Mingyang, with his unparalleled influence and development potential, opened the door for selling awards at Cannes.

Asian directors are flocking to buy it.

As Zuo Shandiao said, as long as Cannes is willing to sell.

A billion US dollars is a difficult sum for an individual, but it is not a huge amount for China and Japan.

Five Asian films were nominated for the main competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

One Korean, Miss.

The two campuses of Tokyo University, Destiny and Return.

The book consists of two parts: Like Father, Like Son and Straw Shield.

There were a total of five directors, and it wasn't just Li Mingyang who could afford to pay.

Both Chinese directors and the two directors of the script can afford it.

In the face of internal competition, Zhang Yimou from the Chinese side secured the qualification.

On the Japanese side, Hirokazu Kore-eda qualified.

Before BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) got involved, Cannes never considered giving the Palme d'Or to someone else.

Things changed after BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) got involved.

iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video want to enter the European market, and European films also want to enter Tokyo to make a fortune and get a share of the pie.

The two sides hit it off immediately, but lacked a medium for cooperation.

The Palme d'Or is a good medium.

Logically speaking, the most suitable candidate is Li Mingyang.

But Wall Street has its eye on Li Mingyang, so BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) has no choice but to settle for second best.

"That's all I know. They started discussing the partnership model yesterday and have been finalizing the details today," Hughes said.

“They’re waiting for me…” Li Mingyang said.

"Although you are no longer the only option, you are still the most important option."

"If I choose Wall Street, will I still have to kneel down?"

"If you don't kneel, no one will feel at ease..."

Damn! What's the point of all that talking?!

I thought you guys could make me not kneel!
Internal and external pressure combined, extreme pressure applied!
One word: Kneel!
Money is secondary!

In fact, considering the overall environment, Asian directors would have to kneel if they wanted to win the Palme d'Or!
Japan and South Korea opened their film markets long ago, and they've already bowed down to them.

The director from Tokyo University has no way to kneel, and even if he did, it would be in vain!
If it were just him alone, kneeling wouldn't be a problem.

But... he is the leader of FBTV, the backbone!

If he kneels, then who can't kneel?
If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too...

What right does he have to stop others from kneeling...?

Individual honors and collective honors...

Li Mingyang put his sunglasses back on and crossed his hands over his forehead.

A battle between heaven and man!

……

It's about nine o'clock in the evening.

“I can’t get through on the phone! Mr. Spielberg, I have a feeling something’s wrong… Is Lee not coming?” Thierry said, pulling back the curtains and looking down at the courtyard.

“He will come,” Spielberg said casually.

"What if he doesn't come? Are we really going to give it to Zhang? The council would never agree to that!"

Spielberg put his index finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet.

Thierry was extremely anxious.

If Li Mingyang doesn't kneel, he won't get the Palme d'Or!

The new god that Cannes wants to create is Li Mingyang.

Hollywood recognized Li Mingyang's talent.

Wall Street wants to take control of FBTV.

Others were not in their consideration.

Only if Li Mingyang wins the Palme d'Or can their interests be maximized!

But... we've gone a bit too far now... If Li Mingyang doesn't come, that would be the worst possible outcome.

They've wasted their time...

Spielberg can't be the scapegoat... the only one who can be the scapegoat is him.

Li Mingyang was being roasted over a fire, and so was Thierry.
"I'm going to talk to Li Mingyang."

What are you going to say?

“Give him another award and let him name the recipient.”

Spielberg sighed, "It's too late, we didn't give him time to sell the awards..."

"Next year's is fine too!"

"Okay! Then go quickly!"

Spielberg is in a hurry too!

Wall Street is asking for $10 billion for a 10% stake in FBTV!
Of course, there are a series of prerequisites for getting $10 billion.

With Li Mingyang winning the Palme d'Or, becoming Asia's top director, and with the help of Wall Street capital, it's only a matter of time before he dominates the Asian streaming market.

This seemingly most difficult prerequisite is actually the simplest.

A series of prerequisites were set, the most difficult of which was getting Li Mingyang to endorse Hollywood.

What seems to be the simplest is actually the most difficult.

Li Mingyang is too stubborn!

Lee Mi-jin realized this and gave him a lot of room to maneuver between China and South Korea, allowing him to switch sides repeatedly, no matter how he jumped...

However, when it was time for Li Mingyang to kneel, he did so without hesitation.

After kneeling down, he got up and continued jumping sideways...

Spielberg and Thierry left the room together; Thierry stayed for a while before leaving as well.

Spielberg continued to deal with Zhang Yimou, the representative of Chinese capital, and his words were full of affirmation for Zhang Yimou, implying that the Palme d'Or was rightfully his.

Jiang Zhiqiang, Lao Jia, Zhang Zhao, Gong Yu, and others never suspected that Spielberg was deceiving them.

Because what they gave was far more than what Li Mingyang gave!
It's not just about money, but also about future Sino-US co-productions, the import of American and European dramas, special effects production, ticket subsidies and benefits, financial policies, overseas filming, and Hollywood movie screenings...

We've opened up everything that can be opened up, and we're all working together to make money, all for that Palme d'Or that will make Zhang Yimou a star tomorrow!
Zhang Yimou, with his impeccable political background, winning the Palme d'Or is perfectly in line with the image and needs of a major power.

A truly deserving title of Asia's No. 1 director, the pinnacle of Tokyo University's cultural output!

This perfectly matches what the authorities wanted!
Therefore, negotiations were finalized and a verbal commitment was made.

Zhang Yimou returned to the hotel with a beaming smile, went to the decorated living room, and accepted the exclusive recording specially prepared by CCTV for the Palme d'Or winner.

When asked if he knew about the news of foreigners "breaking down in tears" at the Cannes screening, Zhang Yimou replied...

Zhang Yimou said he had seen the pictures online: "I was quite surprised. Such a restrained way of expression. I only thought that Chinese audiences could understand it. I didn't think about foreigners. Maybe it touched some personal memories for them."

The applause during the official screening on the evening of the 20th was unusually long. Gong Li, who has been here more often than I have, said that usually people applaud out of politeness, but that evening, the applause didn't stop for five minutes during the credits.

Zhang Yimou does not agree with the claim that "Coming Home" was deliberately sentimental. He said that he did not think it was that sentimental and just wanted to handle it in a low-key way.

Some media outlets have commented that Gong Li's best acting skills are only showcased in Zhang Yimou's films.

In response, Zhang Yimou humbly stated that he was not the one who best knew how to capture Gong Li's best side: "Directing has two parts. The first part is the director being on set, filming the actor's best few seconds."

Even if you shoot dozens of times, you can't let those few seconds slip by.

The second part is on the editing table; you can't cut those few seconds out.

He revealed that Gong Li provided many creative ideas during the creative process, including some musical segments, such as the most touching scene in the film, the "holding up a sign at the train station."

Speaking of his "Oscar obsession," Zhang Yimou frankly admitted that these are actually misinterpretations by the media: "If you look at the interviews from the past ten years, I haven't changed what I said on this topic. The Oscar nomination power is not in my hands. You get a script, say it can win an award, but by the time you finish filming it, it's the following year. How can you be sure that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television will recommend you? There's only one possibility: you finish filming it, you think it's good, and then you're very lucky, you get nominated, and then you're even luckier, you make it to the top five, and then you're even luckier, and then you win. You're trying to win three awards in a row!"

After some introductory questions, the host began to talk about his journey to winning the Palme d'Or, which was pre-recorded with the premise of winning the Palme d'Or in mind.

The film market at Southeast University is booming, but the overseas influence of Chinese-language films remains mediocre.

The above shows an unparalleled eagerness for Zhang Yimou to win an award!
To make this matter a done deal.

When Chinese capital is negotiating.

Zuo Shandiao and a group of people paid a visit to Li Mingyang, bringing with them a signal jamming device.

This forced him to miss the final negotiations.

Around 1 a.m., Li Mingyang saw the Chinese personnel off at the door. As soon as he closed the door, he turned around and the doors to all three bedrooms opened at the same time.

Jing Tian, ​​Yang Mi, Zhang Wei, and Bai Bin all looked at Li Mingyang with distressed expressions.

"Don't look so sad. I'm not even sad, so why are you all sad? Okay, stop talking and go back to your room to rest. You'll attend the closing ceremony tomorrow."

Li Mingyang waved his hand, took off his sunglasses, pushed open the balcony door, and sat down next to Hughes.

"As you can see, they don't want me to leave; they've even blocked the signal."

"Li, do you regret it?"

"What do you regret?"

"You've endured so much just so you can stand up, but your own people keep complaining that you're in the way, haha..."

"It's not over yet."

"It's over. They've all gotten what they wanted. The outcome is already decided. If you join in now, you're betraying your beliefs."

Li Mingyang grinned, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and handed it to Hughes.

Hughes didn't smoke; instead, he took out his Cohiba cigar from his pocket.

"Uncle Hughes, did you get what you wanted?" Li Mingyang asked.

"You need an assistant, someone who can help you deal with the problems of Western capital."

"The CEO of FBTV?"

"Of course, the Palme d'Or and FBTV face the same problem: with Western capital holding absolute control, you can't break the deadlock without integrating," Hughes said calmly. "Cannes is just a small microcosm. If FBTV wants to dominate Asia, you'll encounter all sorts of problems. You need a Western representative!"

"sure, no problem."

Hughes froze, opened his mouth, then swallowed his words back.

He did a lot of research before he came, all to get the CEO position at FBTV.

Unexpectedly, Li Mingyang gave it to him so readily.

Are you kidding me?
Hughes began to have doubts again, realizing it had come too easily. He tentatively asked, "What should be the first thing I do upon taking office?"

"Wall Street Capital is one of FBTV's shareholders. Although the equity is small, it still needs to be given decision-making power. How about this, one veto right in exchange for one billion US dollars."

Hughes' eyes widened. This offer is acceptable!
……

(End of this chapter)