National Tide 1980

After hanging up the sudden call from Kathleen, Alain Delon continued his dinner.

He dined in his yacht's restaurant and had a sumptuous dinner.

There is cold ham, cheese, fried fish, a big bowl of Caesar salad, crispy French baguettes, and of course French red wine.

But at this time, Alain Delon's little girlfriend, Rosalie, was already full and ran to the top of the yacht to soak in the hot tub alone.

So the person sitting at the table now, having dinner with him, was actually his lawyer Henri Rene.

So inevitably, what Alain Delon revealed during the phone call with Kathleen Devner just now became a topic for them to continue chatting.

"Oh, my God. Did I hear you right? Our 'First Lady' is also short of money? And she still has such a big appetite?"

"Actually, it is conceivable. Our noble Catherine has been carrying the golden key in her mouth since the first day she was born. She could not live the hard life of ordinary people. Everyone knows that she likes to travel around Europe and live a leisurely and comfortable life. Aristocratic life. The vanity of being a beautiful woman has made her a frequent visitor to many cultural events. Whether it is clothes or jewelry, she has many hobbies besides movies. Painting, photography, reading, music, fashion, antiques, and decorative arts all lead to huge expenses for her. The cost of maintaining this kind of life is comparable to that of raising several houses, two boats, and several horses for me. A farm is much more expensive. You know how much I spend every year. According to my estimate, Kathleen's is at least two or three times more than mine."

While explaining Catherine's situation to the lawyer, Alain Delon poured wine into both of their glasses.

"Oh my God, if you say so, then it is true that everyone calls her 'Her Majesty' behind her back. I think her life is almost catching up with our Marie Antoinette. I'm afraid she is wearing only one There is no shortage of butlers in uniforms and wigs and a group of soldiers as guard of honor. If this continues, someone will probably shout "Long Live the Queen" for her soon..."

After saying that, the lawyer took a sip of wine and then took a big bite of cheese.

And his merciless teasing made Aradron almost spit out his food. He wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and complained.

"Don't be so mean. As a beautiful woman, as a female star who seems to be born for movies and can fascinate men all over the world, there is nothing wrong with her being a little extravagant. What you say is a bit jealous. I don't believe that if she is willing to set her sights on you and fall in love with you, you can be hard-hearted and not think of ways to fulfill all her wishes. Besides, Kathleen is still kind in her heart, and she is really proud. , it is true that she is picky, but her treatment of others is not as cold as she looks.”

"Praise God, I'm married. And happily married. I don't want anyone but my wife and kids. So... I don't have to worry about bankruptcy. Haha."

Henry showed his sense of humor in front of Alain Delon. He neither apologized nor denied, he just laughed and continued to enjoy his meal.

"But in my opinion, what she lacks most is a rich husband. Even though she is forty years old, she is still very elegant and beautiful. It is not difficult to do this, right? There are so many people who covet her. If you marry again, won’t all problems be solved?”

Alain Delon said in an experienced tone, "That only shows that you really don't understand her. Do you know what her second husband, photographer David Bailey, said about their marriage? Like It's like, 'I'm used to driving ordinary cars like Ford, but I want to try driving an Italian supercar, Maserati.' How can an average person drive a woman like her? She might get a heart attack. She is definitely not the kind of person who would compromise her emotions for money. Maybe you don't know that her husband and lover are either directors, actors, photographers, playwrights, painters or dancers... they are all artists with special talents. Yet there has never been a billionaire..."

"Well, if that's the case, then the financial pressure on her is quite heavy. She only stays with the men she likes. I'm afraid in addition to her own expenses, she also subsidizes a lot of money for these men."

I didn't expect Catherine Deneuve to have this kind of attitude towards emotions.

She is a love-minded woman, which is both cute and a little pitiful.

Henry Rene's tone couldn't help but soften, and he stopped making fun of her.

"Yes, indeed."

Alain Delon agreed, "And as far as I know, she has only made one movie a year since she was forty years old. Most of her income relies on commercial advertising and dividends from Yves Saint Laurent. . Everyone knows that she has a close relationship with Yves Saint Laurent, just like Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy. In fact, most of her money is invested in Saint Laurent, and her advertising endorsements are also. Mainly Yves Saint Laurent, so when Yves Saint Laurent has run into problems in recent years, she is more anxious than anyone else. Otherwise, she would not have gone to China with me for hundreds of thousands of dollars last year and agreed to work for Pierre Cardin China. Become a spokesperson within the scope of the Republic..."

"Well, that's true. The economy of the entire Europe is in slump right now, and the United States is even worse. Only Asia's economic situation in the world is good. All the money in the world seems to have been made by the Japanese. Now I calculate Understanding Catherine's situation, it's no wonder that she was so excited when she learned that Mr. Ning spent hundreds of millions of francs to buy film libraries. After all, such huge funds are so difficult to find now, if nothing else, just for the films to be exhibited at the Cannes Film Festival. It can be seen that the scale of investment is getting smaller and smaller.”

"But when it comes to this, I also feel that I am very lucky. After all, we have a friend who made a fortune in Japan, right? I really didn't expect that last year's trip to China brought me such a big surprise. Originally, I just I went there for the relatively generous reward, and also wanted to see what the mysterious East was like. I never expected that I would meet a young man, and an Oriental at that, in many places. You can talk about it this way. Especially in terms of economy, you didn't expect to benefit so much from him. If you haven't been to the Republic of China, you don't know how poor a country is, so he can appear in such a country. The people are simply incredible. I have to say that because of this young friend, I am now interested in Chinese culture. If I have the chance, I will definitely go to the Republic again and stay longer... "

The topic suddenly shifted to Ning Weimin, and Henry became very interested.

"I really don't know what China is like. But I am very interested in Mr. Ning. He is not like a poor third-world person at all. He is polite in conversation, elegant in behavior, generous in giving, and unique. With his sense of humor, I would believe him if you said he came from a wealthy family that has been passed down for generations in the mysterious East. If you had not told about your experience of meeting him in China, I would have even thought that he was going to make a movie. The male protagonist in the film was created based on himself.”

"You're talking about "Crazy Rich Asians," right? The story is quite interesting, isn't it? Considering the secular aesthetics, the gimmick of a musical, and sufficient investment, maybe this love-themed movie will be really successful. It’s likely to be a hit!”

"Haha, my friend, I'm just a lawyer, but I don't have your filmmaking skills. So I'm more concerned about Mr. Ning's ability to make money and how he made his fortune. He has caused quite a stir in Cannes. Ah, with his strong financial resources, he spent more than 500 million francs to buy a film library in just ten days, and he suddenly became a figure that all studios are eager to get to know, and now he is very interested in European filmmakers. In fact, he is probably more worthy of admiration than the French Prime Minister and the Queen of England. Everyone bows down when they see him, and will spit out any flattery that can make him happy. To tell you the truth, I really want to know him. How he made a fortune in Japan and how he married such a beautiful celebrity wife may be more attractive than the story of the movie he wants to make.”

"Perhaps, I will convey your wish to our Eastern friend. But whether he is willing to reveal it, I can't guarantee it."

"Haha, don't pretend to me, as if you are not interested. I bet, if you have the opportunity to learn all this, you will never let it go." Henry teased Alain Delon, but then his tone changed. Gotta get serious.

"But having said that, don't you think our Eastern friend is like a crazy gambler when it comes to investing, with almost no sense of risk? The matter of buying a film library is obvious. Everyone has obviously advised him, but he Still stubborn. There is also a performance contract in "Crazy Rich Asians". You just agreed to play a cameo role or provide some shooting advice. This is almost a starring role. The price is too high. Moreover, the overall budget of his movie is as high as 20 million US dollars. Such a huge investment is unimaginable in Europe. I really don’t know how he can make back the capital by relying only on the Asian film market? Such an investment is too risky! Oh, and the fact that he bought a property in Saint-Tropez is the scariest thing. I said, did he really just leave you with 200 million francs? Are you willing to help him purchase real estate?”

"What? You don't believe what I say? Then do you want me to show you the check." Alain Delon said in a teasing tone, which was a counterattack to Henry's joke on him just now.

And that's not all, he actually said, "I know you are jealous, but others trust me so much. Who makes me Alain Delon." He laughed as he said that.

However, Henry was not impressed by the arrogance and confidence he showed.

Henry even became impatient and shook his open hands desperately.

"Okay, stop joking, this matter is very important. Think about it, that's 200 million francs. It's equivalent to 25 million US dollars, and you have to make fifty movies to earn it. And now it's your turn It’s up to you how to use it. There’s no credentials, no contract, nothing. This is even enough to make Kathleen go crazy..."

"What...what do you mean?" Alain Delon was stunned, and his expression quickly turned serious.

"Do you want me to betray my friends? You are my lawyer. Are you inciting me to commit a crime?"

"Don't be like this, I'm just fulfilling my duty as a friend to remind you that this is a rare opportunity, enough for anyone to be jealous of you." Henry said, "Also, don't get me wrong, I don't want you to swallow it. With this money, I just want to tell you that with such a large sum of money, we should consider whether we can use it more usefully. Anyway, our Eastern friends have not set a time limit for you to complete this matter. , a few months will be enough for us to make a profit, just like we did before..."

However, before he could continue, Alain Delon firmly gave an answer that was contrary to his expectations.

"No!"

"No?"

"No! That's my answer."

"Why? Because you really regard him as a friend?"

Henry couldn't believe that Alain Delon was unmoved, but it was indeed the case.

"More than that. It's also because I don't want to go back to the old ways. Henry, my old friend, it's not easy for us to be together today. You have a wife and children now, and you don't have to worry about those people in Corsica anymore. I had no trouble going to court to defend myself. I also got rid of the charges of concealing guns and ammunition, providing shelter to Corsican gangsters, and being a murder suspect. I didn't want to scare the people around me anymore. Let's go and live a lonely life, being watched by the police every day. Think about our friend Francois Marcant. We are still enjoying a free life here today, but he is already in jail. "Excessive greed will always lead to disaster. It took me a long time to get rid of my old life. You should know that I don't want to go to jail one day."

"But...but there is no risk in this. Don't forget, the person who gave you this money is just an Oriental, he is not even French. And I am proficient in French law, I can make anyone Can't hold our painful feet..."

"Maybe you are right, but I still don't want to do it! Henry, why don't you think about it. What does it mean that a person can hand over 200 million francs to me and ask me to help him buy real estate? It means that he not only trusts I also have the financial resources to do what he wants. Today I can take a check of 200 million francs from him, and tomorrow I may take 500 million from him. So why should I treat such a partner? Don't you cherish it? Besides, I really think he has good business vision and plans well. What's more, according to the law, as a foreigner, he will only hold a maximum of 33% of the shares in our future joint venture. No matter how you look at it, this kind of cooperation is beneficial to me. Maybe I have been waiting for this opportunity for half my life. I'm sorry, this is not a good idea, and it even damages my personal dignity."

After hearing this, Henry finally realized that Alain Delon was serious, and he could only put away his greed.

"Okay, I understand, even if I didn't say anything."

"As long as you understand." Alain Delon finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I really think this is an opportunity to make a lot of money. It's good for everyone, and it's good for myself. This may be my real departure from the movie industry." Circle, the opportunity to invest in a new industry, if it really works out, maybe I won’t have to worry about money in the future. So don’t make this suggestion again, otherwise I will refuse to pay your legal fees. "

"Okay, okay, I understand everything." Lawyer Henry swallowed a mouthful of ham and struggled to say, "I admit that what you said is indeed reasonable, but I am short-sighted. So I will do as you say. . And there’s only one thing I want to figure out.”

"What's up?"

"How much money does our Eastern friend have?"