I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 710 707. Many, many good movies

“La Taverne Lucullus…”

Looking at the letters on the sign, Xu Xin compared it with the name Jiang Kui sent on his mobile phone, thinking that this should be it.

After waving to the driver and indicating that he could go back, Xu Xin walked directly in.

Only then did I realize that Jiang Kui really wasn't lying.

"Come on, let's find a small place to drink."

The place is really small.

Although I don't know how big the kitchen in the back is, the entire front of the tavern is estimated to be about fifty square meters.

The old bar counter, tables, chairs and benches that look mottled with time...

If we really want to say that this tavern has any magic, I am afraid it is only the dazzling array of wine bottles behind the wine cabinet and the artistic door curtain leading to the seaside.

Quite beautiful.

"BONJOUR~"

Behind the bar, a woman who was at least 50 years old smiled and said hello to him.

"BONJOUR."

Xu Xin nodded.

Then he said in English:

"I'm looking for Jiang Kui."

The message Jiang Kui sent him was to come to this tavern and just mention his name to the boss.

as expected.

After hearing what Xu Xin said, the female boss suddenly understood. She pointed in the direction of the door curtain leading to the seaside and told Xu Xin in English with the same strong accent:

"He's outside."

After nodding politely, Xu Xin walked directly towards this... wooden door curtain that looked like some kind of tribal style in Africa.

After opening the clattering door curtain, I discovered that this pub has an outdoor terrace.

Jiang Kui was sitting near the edge of the terrace and waving to him.

"Hey, here we come."

"Second brother."

Xu Xin shouted with a smile, his eyes falling on the table in front of him.

A small plate of sausages, a bowl of mayonnaise-like sauce, and two slices of bread in a basket.

Other than that, it’s just a bottle of wine.

It looks like... brandy, right?

He walked over and sat opposite Jiang Kui.

He glanced at the other person's cup and said with a smile:

"I'm not here yet, and you're already drunk?"

"Then look."

Jiang Kui chuckled and handed over a cigarette.

Xu Xin was a little surprised:

"Can I smoke?"

"Yes. I'm familiar with the boss, and he's been here for many years. Besides... you said the French are quite interesting."

He lit a cigarette and pointed in the direction Xu Xin came from.

Xu Xin turned around and found that there was...a piece of furniture similar to a sofa bed.

"This place belongs to the owner. Smoking in public places is not allowed in France, but the family has no control over it. But let's talk about it... in our concept, pubs are also considered business places, right? Smoking is also banned. Within the terms and conditions. Then, the boss put up a sofa bed here. If you have a bed and can sleep on it, it proves that you are in your own home. If I smoke in my own home, then you have nothing to do with it. "

"...?"

Xu Xin looked surprised "What are you talking about?"

Can you still play like this?

Seeing his expression, Jiang Kui was happy again:

"Haha, are you surprised? But it is true. In our area, you can smoke freely, but you cannot go inside to use the bathroom with a cigarette in your mouth. Because it is a pub and a business place. But as long as you come to this area... If you have a bed, it's home... I'm much more comfortable at home."

"..."

Xu Xin was speechless.

I can only nod my head and say in my heart: Awesome.

But I'm really happy.

After all, since coming to Cannes, the number of times he smokes has really plummeted.

While he was lighting up his cigarette, Jiang Kui had already brought a new cup and helped him pour wine.

"Compared to Cognac, Armagnac's brandy is not famous. It basically cannot go out of France. Because the output is small, it is all consumed by the French. This wine is good, give it a try."

"Uh-huh."

"Conté's sausages are like eating Harbin red sausages with wine. The old drunkards here can drink half a bottle of wine with just one piece of sausage."

"It seems there are Jiu Mengzi everywhere."

"That's not it...this is garlic mayonnaise, used to spread this bread. Let me tell you, despite the small size of this place, if you want to find the most authentic French bistro in Cannes, this one is definitely the right one. More What's more..."

Jiang Kui said, suddenly reaching into the handbag next to him.

Then……

Xu Xin looked at the sandy peanut in front of him and was completely confused.

"Hahahahaha~"

Looking at his expression, Jiang Kui smiled even happier:

"Director Zhang didn't tell you that I like drinking?"

"I told you that I would call you after get off work and you would be there."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

He smiled and raised his glass.

Xu Xin also touched a cup with him.

I took a small taste first...

I feel that this Armagnac is more suitable for the mouth than Cognac, and the aroma is stronger.

He nodded with satisfaction.

"This wine is good."

"That is, there is a difference between the distillation of Cognac and Cognac. Cognac is a double pot distillation, and it is a column distillation. Let me tell you, the main difference is this..."

"..."

To be honest, Xu Xin was a little confused.

My heart said what did I say?

Why are you starting to teach me the difference between the two kinds of wine?

But Jiang Kui kept talking, and he could only listen.

After all, he hasn't had much contact with this thing.

But... I have to admit, Jiang Kui is a pretty good teacher.

"Try it, just a small sip, and then let me tell you...can your tongue swirl? It's like a propeller. Put this sip of wine in your mouth and start scraping it. Don't swallow it, scrape it back and forth, let it It fills your mouth..."

"This...I can't do this."

Xu Xinxin said that if he knew this skill, the ladies at home might figure out how to play with him.

"You learn, come on, take a sip first..."

have to.

Inexplicably, he started learning how to taste wine.

As for what to taste...

Hi.

Forget it.

Anyway, Xu Xin felt that he gained a lot of knowledge.

…

It's time to eat.

But there weren't many people in the tavern.

When he came, Jiang Kui was there. After a round of wine tasting, two more tables of guests arrived.

There are men and women, both older.

There are also a few people smoking.

It doesn't seem noisy either.

The most important thing is that the scenery is very good. Although there are no beaches in this area near the sea, there are mostly rocks. But the sea breeze was blowing on my face, the light and shadow were warm...not to mention, it was quite comfortable to stay there.

Jiang Kui chatted about wine tasting, then handed Xu Xin a piece of bread and began to teach him how to eat it.

A piece of bread, dipped in mayonnaise, and a small piece of Comté sausage...

It seemed that he really came to Xu Xin for dinner.

wrong.

It should be said that I came here to drink.

Xu Xin has been sitting here for twenty minutes, and not even a hot dish was served.

Then the topic all turned to wine.

From foreign wine to domestic wine.

After a while, Xu Xinkan was confused.

There is only one impression left in my mind.

This man knows a lot about wine.

However, the way he chatted seemed very contradictory to Xu Xin.

If you put aside his physique and just listen to his conversation, you will find... Oh, this man knows so much. It was really comfortable to chat with this person, and I couldn't hear any bad words. Although I couldn't talk about quoting scriptures, his gentle temperament paired with his conversation exuded a kind of elegance.

I can explain everything to you.

But he just happened to look like a tall and thick man.

In a daze, Xu Xin finally understood that sentence.

What does it mean that Jiang Wen is no longer civilized, and Jiang Kui is no longer martial.

The two chatted for a while, and drank the two pieces of bread on the plate with the wine.

French people like to drink bread.

It’s not much more than this.

When Jiang Kui saw that he had finished eating, he took advantage of the arrival of another table of guests and spoke to the female boss in French when she came out.

have to.

They also speak French...

Soon, the female boss brought another basket.

There are four or five slices of bread in the basket.

"Here, this is hot bread. It tastes better when it's hot than when it's cold."

Hearing this, Xu Xin picked up the bread.

Sure enough, it was warm.

And this episode officially pushed the topic to the next stage.

Jiang Kui skillfully tore the bread, dipped it in mayonnaise, put sausage slices on it, and finally rolled it into a ball and threw it into his mouth.

Then he picked up the cup.

After the two had a drink, he suddenly said:

"Speaking of which, did someone offend you at that time? Or did they bully you?"

"ah?"

Xu Xin was stunned.

"What?"

"Just... why did you go to Xiying Studio all of a sudden? Is it really just like the rumors outside? Director Zhang recommended you to go there?"

"yes."

After understanding the question, Xu Xin nodded:

"I was still working on the Olympics at the time. Didn't I make a movie, but I had no distribution experience. I originally asked Director Zhang to introduce a distribution company. But when I went to him to tell him about this, he asked me what I would do in the future. Career plans. Second brother, do you know the situation of my family?"

"Well, I know, over there in northern Shaanxi..."

"Yes, my family has several mines."

"..."

The sip of wine in Jiang Kui's mouth was so hard that he couldn't swallow it.

As someone who had experienced the first coal boss entering the market, he was naturally deeply impressed by those people.

Putting aside the so-called valuing or despising, among the coal bosses he came into contact with... he had a coal mine at home, and the cash flow at that time was a figure that many people did not dare to imagine.

This kid is good.

"several"……

"The old man...that's Director Zhang. Director Zhang asked me what I would do in the future. He probably meant, in the future, whether I can make movies to attract investment and treat people as their grandchildren. I thought to myself, should I treat people as their grandchildren? I shouldn't. The uncle is pretty good. As soon as he heard what I wanted, he introduced me to the factory."

Although his words were concise, Jiang Kui could understand them.

Asked:

"In other words, there was no hatred between the two parties from the beginning?"

"What's the grudge? We were all working together on "The Wind"."

"As a result, "The Wind" came up, and it involved the interests of both parties, right?"

"Yes. In fact, I think it is essentially a battle of interests."

After hearing Xu Xin's summary, Jiang Kui shook his head slightly:

"Actually, it can also be said to be destiny."

Looking at Xu Xin's questioning eyes that revealed confusion, he picked up a few peanuts and threw them into his mouth, chewing them squeakingly, and said:

"The reason why I say that is...that's you. Now that I think about it, this situation might not happen with anyone else."

As he spoke, he lit another cigarette.

Xu Xinxin said that looking at this attitude, he and Brother Qian'er would definitely become good friends.

Although he also smokes, he is the kind of person who "keeps his mouth clean." Eat and drink, yes. But if you want to smoke, if there is something in your mouth, you can't smoke.

I always feel like the smell of smoke mixed with food is weird.

Even when he was filming "The Secret", someone on the crew recommended him to eat betel nut. Betel nut mixed with smoke has boundless magical power. After doing this once, he never touched it again.

The taste is too strange.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Jiang Kui say:

"Actually, I don't have a close connection with the factory, far worse than Jiang Wen. But in these years in the industry, I know a lot about the situation in the factory. Including the situation in the factory in the years before you joined. . In the factory, not everyone can be fished out. It doesn’t mean that a director can carry the flag.

Once you come, those who go must be really capable. Secondly, I am not short of money. Otherwise... there are really not many people in our circle who can refuse the Beijing circle. After all, directors also have to make a living, and you also have to attract investment to schedule films. "

Speaking of this, he paused and expressed emotion:

"Speaking of which, Director Zhang's vision is still so vicious... his vision is really accurate."

At this time, Xu Xin asked:

"Then do you think I did this wrong?"

"Well... From a fair point of view, you are both right. You said it yourself, you are fighting for interests. The people here want to continue to rule. And you, it is like a restoration of the dynasty. ...Although this metaphor is a bit inappropriate, the plate is only so big and there is only so much meat. If you eat too much, they will have nothing to eat. Naturally, they will not let you move the plate they have already taken. Stand on both sides. The respective angles are actually correct. Pfft...hiss."

He took a deep breath from the cigarette and pointed at Xu Xin with his fingers holding the cigarette:

"Including the release of "Hawthorn Tree" this time. We live in a community, you know? I often call and ask for a drink. I will go over, or he will come to my place. I went to see him that time By that time, he had already bought the CD of "The Hawthorn Tree". We watched it there together. I won't comment on your movie. The advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. Let me tell you what this means... …”

Jiang Kui seemed a little drunk.

His mouth became obviously chatty.

"We were sitting on the sofa, drinking and watching a movie. We were talking about the competition between you and Director Feng. I'm not afraid that you won't believe it. What I told Jiang Wen was: This kid's movie is really good. Ling Qi'er. Do you know what Jiang Wen said about you?"

"What did you say?"

Xu Xin's eyes flashed with curiosity.

Then I saw Jiang Kuile:

"He said that in ten years, you will be the next Director Zhang. You may even be better than him."

"..."

Xu Xin's mouth twitched...

Not speechless.

But... I don’t know how to describe it.

This is the first time... someone praises him in front of him and tells him: You are the next old man...

To be honest, he was quite proud at the moment.

"Then he added another sentence and said: The prerequisite is that you don't go astray. ...This actually sounds like nonsense to me. I said to myself that you have obviously found your own direction now. Movies are not TV series. , it doesn’t mean that if a certain drama becomes popular, others will follow suit and make remakes.

Why does the director have such a high status? It's because they have the ability to manipulate the film market. road? What way? What is a crooked road? As long as you make your own movie and don't blindly pursue something unrealistic, you won't go astray. "

Xu Xin's wine glass has been picked up.

Jiang Kui touched him and took a sip:

"Then the two of us continued to chat there... There is actually nothing we can't talk about, do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand. Me and my brother too."

"Yes, we are brothers. There are no outsiders. Even if we curse, no one else can hear us. Then, we will watch your movies and chat about recent events. "Hawthorn Tree", "If You Are the One"... Anyway, there are many things. Do you know why I asked you to come out for a drink today? "

"to be honest?"

"Absolutely, otherwise what would I talk to you about?"

Hearing this, Xu Xin was delighted:

"The truth is, I haven't thought about it at all. My second brother called me, and I came."

"..."

This time it was Jiang Kui's turn to be speechless.

I think your kid is quite smart...

Why do I suddenly start to sound "silly" when I speak now?

but……

Thinking about it, the smile on his face became even brighter.

So I picked up the cup again...

"Come on, come on, this glass is dry."

"Um."

After the two of them drank it all.

Jiang Kui mixed the last third of the bottle with Xu Xin, continued to smoke and said:

"Jiang Wen told me a lot of things he knew at that time... However, I have to make it clear to you. He told me because I was his younger brother. But I can't tell you clearly, after all... I only talked about these things because I trust him.”

"Yes, I understand."

Xu Xin also lit a cigarette himself.

"What I can tell you is... after I learned about this, I said: What kind of hatred or resentment is there? So many people bully a child? It would be glorious to say it? Do you know what Jiang Wen said to me?"

"?"

"He told me: First, there is no grudge, and second, there is no resentment. If he blocks other people's way of making money, they will definitely kill him."

"Well……"

"Then, he and I started chatting about you and a lot of people. For example, what was going on with Liang Binning, what was going on in the factory last year, and why did you go so far with the people from the Magic City? Close and so on...Then tell me: Don't think that this kid is just being bullied, he is also tough. Later...at the beginning of this year, that...what investment company you established..."

"Cloud Atlas?"

"Yes, that's it. The two of us got together to talk about this matter, and he told me that some people in the circle started to curse immediately after knowing about it..."

"……Ha ha ha ha."

Unconsciously, Xu Xin laughed out loud.

Although I don’t know how unpleasant the curse was.

But Xu Xin understood... if these words came out of his mouth, it must be a serious scolding.

Isn't this right...

Seeing him smiling there, Jiang Kui shook his head helplessly:

"Don't laugh either. I called you out for dinner today. Actually, I just wanted to talk to you... The two of you are now winning or losing each other. But if you think about it, they are not people who can't fight back or retaliate. You There are many things you will face in the future... there are many things you can't think of..."

Xu Xin could hear the reminder in his words and nodded vigorously:

"I know this. In fact, it's just a soldier coming to cover up the water and the earth. They can't predict us, and we can't predict them. On the front, everyone relies on movies and works. But on the bottom...that's you poaching me. A piece of meat, I will break your bones. To put it bluntly... We are between a kind of healthy and unhealthy competition. I feel like... not only us, but they are also prepared for this situation. "

"..."

Jiang Kui was speechless.

Now, he finally saw it more or less...

After all...he is still a child.

Although he is very mature and excellent.

But... we still see too little and know too little about the dark side of this world.

Thinking of this, he couldn't bear it.

I didn't plan to mention it as a reminder, so I couldn't help but reveal it:

"Then I have to remind you... starting from this year, every one of their movies will be promoted more. I suggest you not to follow..."

"...?"

Xu Xin was stunned.

immediately……

He suddenly became happy.

He took the initiative to pick up the wine glass:

"Second brother, come."

Jiang Kui bumped into him.

After taking a sip of the wine, I actually regretted it.

After all, some things are really not suitable to be said...

But after half a bottle of brandy was eaten, I couldn't hold it back.

But...

That’s all.

Now that I have said it, let me remind you a few more words.

But just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Xu Xin say:

"They want to engage in a propaganda war and an arms race with us. I can see it from the time of "If You Are the One"."

"Pfft...cough cough cough cough..."

Before he could swallow the sip of wine in time, Jiang Kui began to cough violently.

Xu Xin quickly handed over the tissue.

I saw him covering his mouth, eyes wide open, looking at me...

If there was a Japanese narration at this moment, I would probably have to say "Nani?" right?

Xu Xin's thoughts were slightly off track.

But after Jiang Kui's coughing became quieter, he still said:

"Actually, when I knew that the promotion of "If You Are the One" cost 150 million, I wasn't sure. But then I changed the schedule from "Wulin Gaiden" to February 10th, and I took the initiative to compete with "Love". It was only after we discovered that the promotional campaign for "Love" was so exaggerated that it even exceeded the production cost and budget, that we finally decided on this matter. They really wanted to fight a battle with us using real money and money to promote the movie. We, am I right?”

"..."

Jiang Kui was completely speechless.

After looking at the young man sitting in front of him for a while, he asked curiously:

"You can tell?"

"Um."

Xu Xin responded:

"It can't be said that I saw it, I should say I saw some signs. In order to prevent the worst consequences from arising from these signs, I informed the factory in advance. From now on, I will no longer have direct contact with important works in the Beijing circle. Conflicts should be avoided as much as possible. Even if they come over on their own initiative, we will not publicize it too much. This is something that has been decided."

"..."

Jiang Kui was speechless for a while.

He pursed his lips, murmured for a long time, and muttered:

"If you had noticed earlier, wouldn't I have stopped being such a villain?"

"Haha. Not that it's not that bad."

Xu Xin quickly waved his hand:

"Actually, the promotional fee for "Wulin Gaiden" had to be increased to verify the authenticity of this sign again. However... this may be where our little family is angry. In the end, we still can't bear it. So. In the end, it was settled. But now that you have confirmed that this is indeed their plan, our path is actually more steadfast."

Hearing this, Jiang Kui didn't continue talking.

Because there is no need to say any more.

People have already seen things and are even prepared for them.

What else can you say?

He picked up the cup again.

It was a pity that I coughed out the drink I just had.

Have to make up for it.

After clinking glasses with Xu Xin, he was about to take a sip... Suddenly he asked with some uncertainty:

"Did you really see it earlier?"

There seems to be some disbelief.

When Xu Xin faced this question, he still calmly gave an affirmative answer:

"Yes. Moreover, when I told the factory about this matter, I also used a description."

"……What?"

"How the Soviet Union died."

"..."

Jiang Kui was completely speechless and speechless.

He silently raised his cup.

After taking a sip of the fruity brandy, a thought came to my mind.

He finally understood why Xiying Studio could rise so quickly.

There is such a person...

Can it be faster?

As for Xu Xin, naturally he couldn't guess what Jiang Kui was thinking.

But he quite liked chatting with Jiang Kui.

This is the truth.

Although the two of them had drank a bottle at this time, Xu Xin's state was not even tipsy.

Obviously, he has a very good compatibility with this kind of brandy, which is very rare in the world.

And what about Jiang Kui.

Seeing him blushing and out of breath, he asked:

"Do you still want to drink?"

"Second brother, what's your level? Please explain it to me first."

"Me~"

Jiang Kui thought for a while and said:

"Jiang Wen and I only have this wine, basically a bottle and a half each. It's a good drink. If you have more, you can drink it, but it's not necessary. We're not competing with anyone for wine, right?"

"..."

When Xu Xin heard this, his eyelids began to bulge.

He estimated that he would definitely not be able to do it.

But don’t be shy either:

"I guess it won't matter if I share another bottle with you, but it won't matter if I share more. I have a dinner with the publishing company tonight."

"Is there another round tonight?"

Jiang Kui was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand:

"Then let's not drink this. Let's have two glasses of wine. Their seafood risotto is pretty good. We'll spread out after a while."

"That's fine. If you have nothing to do these days, just call me. I'm quite proud of the taste of his house."

"Hahaha~"

Jiang Kui nodded with a smile and ordered the dishes skillfully, but what came first were two glasses of red wine.

This time, he said nothing about red wine.

Instead, he asked with some curiosity:

"Speaking of which... I see that in the past two years, especially last year, there has been more and more noise in the factory. What on earth do you want to do?"

Hearing this, Xu Xin didn't want to hide it from him.

It's not that I don't worry about the other party being lax, but the more people in the factory...or what I want to do, know about it, the better.

Even if he tells people in the Beijing circle, he is not afraid.

It would be better if there is someone understanding on the other side.

So, he asked back:

"Second brother, do you think I have any grudge against them?"

Jiang Kui shook his head directly:

"If you hadn't said it just now, I would have wondered if someone had offended you when you first debuted. But after you said it, I understood. You two are fighting for interests. This kind of dispute is definitely not hatred, but More incomprehensible than hatred.”

"That's right. That's the actual reason. Do you know? I actually signed a contract with the factory at the beginning. After 3 movies and 2 TV series, the cooperation is over. Although the old man asked me to go at the beginning, you have to say It was definitely unrealistic for me to have a heart-to-heart relationship with anyone. Later, everyone discovered that... we all wanted the same thing."

Xu Xin's condition was similar to Jiang Kui's. As alcohol poured into his blood, he inevitably began to chatter.

At this moment, in Jiang Kui's eyes, the child opposite had a reddish complexion but moist eyes.

Hydrating and shiny.

That is a kind of innocence that is rare in the world and should not appear in the eyes of adults.

Looking at these eyes, he couldn't help but ask:

"What do you want?"

"Want a...or many movies."

Jiang Kui was stunned.

But after Xu Xin finished speaking, he suddenly added another word:

"good."

"good movie."

he said.

"Lots and lots of good movies."