Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 85 The Lion Opens Its Mouth

The clanging of the chains stopped.

The circulation pump in the printing tank emitted a regular hum.

Chen Yan looked down at the developing solution.

Tiny bubbles churned in the black medicine.

"thermometer."

Chen Yan extended his hand.

Su Wan handed him a glass thermometer.

Chen Yan inserted it into the water tank.

24:20.

He pulled out the thermometer and shook off the droplet from the tip.

"Start running the belt."

Chen Yan looked at Wu Gang.

Wu Gang flipped the switch.

This causes the pulley system to begin rotating slowly.

A roll of unmarked film passes through the fixing tank.

"Lu Haiming is waiting for news from Luca at the hotel."

Su Wan stared at the spinning axle.

"He didn't know that Luca had taken the white ribbon."

He'll find out soon.

Chen Yan picked up the scissors.

He cut off a section of the overly long guide strap.

"Have you heard back from Marco yet?"

"The organizing committee sent a fax ten minutes ago."

Su Wan took a piece of paper out of her handbag.

"The seizure order for 'Thunder' has been revoked."

"Due to fabricated evidence, Henri was taken away by the Venice police to assist in the investigation."

"Marco personally signed off on restoring the screening schedule for 8 a.m. tomorrow."

Chen Yan did not take the paper.

He continued to stare at the tonal variations of the film.

"Where's Vincent?"

"He stood outside the warehouse door for an hour."

Su Wan pointed to the tightly closed iron gate.

"I brought two cases of champagne and a new contract."

"Let him wait."

Chen Yan turned off the exhaust fan.

The only sound in the warehouse was the friction of film rolling over rollers.

Two hours later.

Chen Yan pushed open the heavy iron door.

A damp sea breeze blew into the corridor.

Vincent threw away the half-smoked cigarette in his hand.

He straightened the wrinkled collar of his suit.

"Director Chen, this is a misunderstanding."

Vincent stepped across the threshold, speaking very quickly.

"That bastard Henry lied to everyone."

"I was the first to stand up for you, you should remember that."

Chen Yan stood in the shadows.

He reached out and brushed the dust off his trench coat.

"The previous contract was burned."

Chen Yan didn't look at the champagne Vincent handed him.

"That's an invalid agreement, Chen."

Vincent opened his arms, trying to get closer to Chen Yan.

"We can sign a more sincere one."

"Two million US dollars to buy out the European copyright is a high price."

Chen Yan walked past Vincent toward the dock.

"The price has gone up."

Vincent stood there, stunned.

He quickly caught up with Chen Yan.

"Two million two hundred thousand?"

"This is the limit of my authority."

Chen Yan stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head and looked into Vincent's eyes.

Five million.

Vincent's breathing quickened.

"That's impossible. No Chinese-language art film is worth that much money."

"That was before."

Chen Yan looked at the Grand Palace in the distance, where lights were on.

"The current 'Thunder' carries the labels of copyright infringement and transnational commercial crime."

"Journalists all over Europe want to see this 'banned film'."

"The popularity was given to me by Lu Haiming."

Chen Yan held up three fingers.

"First, a minimum of five million US dollars."

"Secondly, I want 20% of the global box office revenue."

Vincent gasped.

He gripped the briefcase tightly in his hand.

"You're robbing me, Chen."

"A 20% share of net profit is a privilege even Hollywood directors don't receive."

"That's the total box office."

Chen Yan corrected him.

"Not net profit."

"That's against the rules."

Vincent raised his voice a little.

"Then go back to the hotel and rest."

Chen Yan waved to Su Wan.

"Contact Klaus of Berlin Film Studios."

"Tell him that the master tape of 'Thunder' is at the dock, and the bidding has begun."

Vincent grabbed Su Wan's arm.

He turned and stared at Chen Yan.

"Chen, we've worked together before."

"So I'll give you five minutes to think about it."

Chen Yan flung the lighter away from his hand.

The flames flickered in the wind.

"one."

"two."

Vincent's Adam's apple slid up and down.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I need to make a call to headquarters."

"You have four minutes left."

Chen Yan looked down at his watch.

Vincent rammed into the taxi parked on the side of the road.

Five minutes later.

He dragged his feet back.

His shirt was soaked through and clung to his back.

"The minimum payment is not a problem."

Vincent gritted his teeth.

"The revenue sharing ratio...headquarters requires that the North American copyright be removed."

"No."

Chen Yan interrupted him directly.

"Take it all, or get out."

Vincent leaned against the utility pole.

He seemed to have all his strength drained away.

"sign."

He took the seal out of his briefcase.

"But I have one condition."

"At tomorrow's premiere, you must personally confirm the authenticity of this contract."

I'm just stating the facts.

Chen Yan took the pen that Su Wan handed him.

He signed his name at the end of the contract.

The pen tip tore the edge of the paper.

At the bottom of the steps in Hall 3.

Klaus and Sofia from Gaumont Pictures stand side by side.

The two watched as Vincent came out.

Vincent's face looked very grim.

"He signed it?"

Sofia asked.

Vincent nodded but didn't say anything.

"It looks like we'll have to pay double."

Klaus pushed up his glasses.

He picked up his suitcase and walked into Hall No. 3.

Chen Yan sat in the first row, holding a short film that had been edited.

Name your price.

Klaus placed a check on the armrest.

"This is Berlin Film Studio's sincerity."

"not enough."

Chen Yan didn't look at the zero on the check.

He pointed to the screen.

"There are clips in there that I re-edited."

"It contains a complete logical chain regarding digital forgery."

"With these, you can sue Lu Haiming's construction company for infringement."

Sofia took a step forward.

She looked at Chen Yan.

"Lu Haiming's investments in Tianjin have just been frozen."

"His credit rating in Europe has dropped to its lowest point."

"Chen, do you want him dead?"

I want him to watch a movie.

Chen Yan stood up.

He shoved the film canister into Klaus's hand.

"Take it back."

"Tomorrow morning, I want to see the price of 'Thunder' on the front page of every newspaper."

Four o'clock in the morning.

St. Mark's Square.

The rain stopped.

The ground was covered with puddles reflecting the streetlights.

Wu Gang walked up to Chen Yan.

"Lu Haiming has run away."

Wu Gang offered him a cigarette.

"He rented a private yacht at the dock and headed straight for the airport."

"His money can't leave Italy."

Chen Yan took the cigarette but didn't light it.

"Where did he go back to?"

"Yanjing".

Wu Gang exhaled a puff of smoke.

"He still has connections with cinema chains in the country, and he wants to ambush you in his stronghold."

Chen Yan crushed the tobacco in his hand.

My Nokia phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took out his phone.

A new text message popped up on the screen.

The sender is an unknown string of numbers.

The message contained only one sentence:

"This is just a trailer, see you in Beijing."

Chen Yan pressed the delete key.

He raised his head.

A flock of pigeons took flight from the clock tower.

The sound of wings flapping drowned out the sound of the waves.

"Su Wan".

Chen Yan called out.

Su Wan walked out from behind the stone pillar.

She was holding several newly printed morning newspapers in her hand.

"Cahiers du Cinéma gave us a nine out of ten."

Su Wan's voice trembled slightly.

"They say you're someone who came back from twenty years in the future."

"Give me the newspaper."

Chen Yan took the newspaper.

He rolled it into a tube shape.

Tell Zhang Yuan to pack his things.

"Aren't you going to wait for the awards ceremony?"

Su Wan asked.

"I'm not waiting anymore."

Chen Yan strode across the puddle on the ground.

He stepped on a newspaper that was wet from the rain.

The newspaper is right in the center.

It was that blurry black and white photo of Lu Haiming.

"Go back to BJ."

Chen Yan walked towards the dock without looking back.

A small boat is approaching the shore.

The motor emitted a dull groan.

Chen Yan stepped onto the ship's side.

His shadow stretched long on the swaying sea.

The bells of St. Mark's Campanile rang.

a bit.

Two times.

Chen Yan stood with his back to the vast sea.

He stretched out his right hand and made a grabbing motion.

It's as if they want to completely grasp this world of fame and fortune in their palms.

The ship shook.

White waves burst open at the stern of the ship.

Chen Yan's figure disappeared into the morning mist.