America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 500 The Dragon-Slaying Youth Turns into a Dragon

As Martin walked up the long steps to the front of the Lumière Hall, he met many members of the jury.

Lee Dong-chang from South Korea was the first to come over and shake hands with Martin, appearing very enthusiastic.

Martin responded enthusiastically.

Bruce offered a quiet reminder.

Martin turned around, and John Travolta walked over. He took two steps forward and shook hands with the veteran actor: "Hello, John."

Travolta greeted her as if it were just a routine greeting, smiling and saying, "Master Hubbard asked me to give you his regards."

"Thank you." Martin understood that Hubbard must be the leader of Scientology.

Travolta added, "Master Hubbard hopes to meet with you in Los Angeles to discuss the joint development of Scientology and the Cult of Colombo."

Martin appeared quite interested: "Please give my regards to Master Hubbard. I have many matters concerning the development of the sect and would like to consult with this experienced senior."

He was also a cult leader.

Travolta nodded, shook hands with Martin again, and quickly left.

Martin shook hands with the other judges and chatted with each of them for a bit.

When it came to Shu Qi, he switched to Mandarin: "Ms. Shu is my favorite female artist from the East. I have seen many of Ms. Shu's works."

"Your Chinese is so good, it's really unexpected." Shu Qi shook hands with Martin and then asked, "Have you really seen many of my works?"

Martin nodded. Of course it was true. He had read about things like the red-light district and the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra many times in his previous life.

The latter, in particular, is a masterpiece in the field of art films.

He certainly wouldn't say that: "I watched 'If You Are the One' last year."

Upon hearing the Chinese title of the movie, Shu Qi became certain that Martin was likely telling the truth. Women are more emotional, and her liking for Martin increased significantly.

In addition, she also thought of something else. An old friend from the International Bartenders Association, headquartered in the port city, had called and asked her to pay more attention to "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and its male lead, Martin.

Shu Qi tentatively asked, "Can we take a photo together?"

"No problem." Martin stood beside her and beckoned over the photographer who had been brought by the crew to take pictures of the two of them.

It's quite an achievement for Shu Qi to have reached the position of a Cannes Film Festival judge.

After taking a group photo, Martin went to find the other judges.

All the films participating in the competition had already been completed, so there wasn't much left to do with the films themselves. Naturally, the competition for awards shifted from the films themselves to other aspects.

Anyone familiar with how film awards work knows that the real battleground is off-screen.

As for Shu Qi, Louise Meyer had already contacted her through the International Bartenders Association.

Martin wasn't sure if he would win, but regardless, he needed to cripple his biggest competitor first.

He believes his biggest competitor is Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Martin then chatted briefly with another judge, Italian actress Elsa Argento.

Upon meeting her in person, Martin discovered that she was the female lead in "xXx".

This also reminded him of some things he had read about Harvey in his previous life.

Martin, not seeing jury president Isabelle Huppert, turned to Bruce and said, "Have someone influence Aisha Argento privately. I think I've heard somewhere that she was a victim of Harvey."

Bruce nodded, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and said in a low voice, "It feels like we're turning into Harvey."

"That's normal. The dragon-slaying boy will one day become the dragon himself." Martin considered himself a bastard, but compared to Harvey, he dared to say he was a good person.

He said, "We never force women."

Bruce thought of the Kardashian sisters and said, "We were all forced by women!"

Martin glanced around and suddenly saw Menez taking a photo with Isabelle Huppert in the corner of the main entrance platform.

Bruce saw it too and said, "As expected of Menez, he got a photo with the goddess of art so quickly."

While taking a photo with Isabelle Huppert, Mr. Menez went on a rant about another woman, Isabelle Huppert, saying that he met her on the Boulevard de la Concorde yesterday and that her face looked like the sky had fallen and could scare a person to death.

Despite her seemingly refined and aloof demeanor, Isabelle Huppert actually enjoys listening to these kinds of things.

Moreover, Menez exudes a charm and allure that is particularly appealing to older women, a quality that Isabelle Huppert greatly admired after 2000.

Although their conversation was brief, they both left a deep impression on each other.

Menez also obtained Huppert's contact information.

Martin chatted with Huppert for a few minutes before entering the Lumière Hall.

Bruce quietly gave Mei a thumbs up.

Menez smiled confidently, as if these were nothing serious.

The 62nd Cannes Film Festival has officially begun.

The opening film of this year's edition is Pixar's "Up".

Although it was just an animated film, it caused a sensation upon its release, especially the opening scene, which received high praise.

Disney has just acquired Pixar Studios, but the impact on Pixar is not too significant for the time being. Pixar animated films remain synonymous with high-quality productions.

In less than ten years, Pixar will be homogenized by Disney.

After watching the opening film, Martin returned to the hotel and took the elevator. There, he ran into Charlize Theron and overheard her complaining to her companions that she had been starving for days in preparation for walking the red carpet.

As a good neighbor and a true gentleman, Martin invited Charlize to have a late-night snack together.

Of course, there were also other members of the two film crews.

Charlize had a good impression of Martin and, since she was also going out for food later, agreed: "Let's go back and change first, then we'll meet in the lobby?"

Martin said, "Okay."

The two went back to change into casual clothes, went downstairs to the lobby, and a dozen or so people went out together to a nearby restaurant.

Martin has already booked a table.

The Cannes Film Festival has just begun, and it's the peak time for media frenzy.

From the moment Martin and Charlize left the restaurant until they reached the entrance, a large group of reporters followed them, taking photos.

Many of them deliberately adjusted their cameras, ignoring David Fincher and Jennifer Lawrence, and only filming Martin and Charlize walking together.

Judging from the footage alone, the two looked like they were on a late-night date, going out for a late-night snack by themselves.

Excellent entertainment reporters naturally understand market demands and know what the general public likes, and use this knowledge to create news.

Under the influence of his partner Jody, Ivan also became an expert in this field.

He and his assistant followed Elsa Argento into an Italian restaurant, specifically choosing a table next to Elsa's.

Elsa ate her late-night snack absentmindedly, pondering the message relayed by a middleman.

Harvey wanted her help to help Inglourious Basterds win a major award.

Elsa was a little confused.

"I wonder who'll be the unlucky one at this year's Cannes Film Festival." A voice speaking American English came from nearby. Elsa, who had worked in Hollywood, understood: "Harvey Weinstein is coming. Cannes is definitely not going to be peaceful. Last year or the year before, he locked someone in a hotel room for an entire day just to buy a film from an overseas distributor!"

Another person said, "This is nothing. A few years ago, I personally witnessed him locking a famous actress in a hotel room."

"Harvey is using the same tactics he used in Hollywood at Cannes. There are so many beautiful women here this year, there are bound to be some unlucky ones."

"Others talk about mutual benefit and willingness, but it's rare to see someone like Harvey use force."

"He's a big shot, a rich man, who can do anything to him?"

Listening to the faint whispers, Elsa recalled something she had deliberately forgotten: in 1997, during her trip to the Cannes Film Festival, she met Harvey Weinstein, who lured her into a hotel room under the pretense of helping her get a job in Hollywood…

Elsa always believed that it was a trap!

Harvey didn't keep any of the promises he made to her, and she didn't keep any evidence. Plus, she really wanted to develop her career in Hollywood and didn't dare to offend Harvey, so she could only choose to selectively forget.

Elsa knew she couldn't afford to offend Harvey, so she didn't dare say much about it, since it wasn't exactly a glorious thing to do back then.

She put down her knife and fork, and slowly wiped her mouth clean, just like she had done in the hotel room years ago.

Doing things openly is definitely not an option, but you can do them secretly and quietly.

Elsa is now a member of the jury, while Harvey's film is poised to compete for major awards.

As she left the restaurant, Elsa made up her mind and specially bought Isabelle's favorite desserts to take back to the hotel and deliver to Isabelle's room.

Isabelle Huppert is known for her strong-willed approach and her desire to push "The White Ribbon" to win an award, but she knows she needs to be strategic and win over the other judges.

Elsa approached him, and Isabelle accepted her kindness.

…………

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.

With nothing to do, Stuart Townsend got up in the morning, went to the door to get the newspaper, and came back to eat breakfast while reading it.

He flipped to the entertainment section and couldn't eat his breakfast.

Stewart saw several pictures, all of them of Martin Davis and his girlfriend Charlize.

They left the hotel together, they strolled down the street together, they went into restaurants together, they left restaurants together...

They were as intimate as a couple.

The newspaper headlines were also quite sensational.

Martin Davis and Charlize Theron are suspected of having a romantic relationship, as they were spotted together in Cannes!

Stewart completely lost his appetite; those two bastards were cheating on him!

He then retrieved another newspaper from under the table. In the photo on the newspaper, Martin and Charlize were standing by the sea, gazing into each other's eyes, their eyes seemingly electrifying each other!

"Damn neighbor!" Stewart roared. "Why does my neighbor have to be trash like Martin Davis?!"

No one could answer him.

Stewart pulled out his phone, ignoring the time difference, and dialed Charlize's number. Once she answered, he demanded, "What have you done? You shameless, crazy woman, how dare you cheat on me!"

Charlize, bewildered, exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?!"

Stewart yelled, "I told you to stay away from Martin Davis! Stay away! Don't you understand? How dare you treat me like this!"

Charlize tried to remain calm: "Martin and I are just neighbors and colleagues."

Stewart wouldn't listen and warned, "If you don't get away from that bastard Martin Davis, I'll burn your house down, and Martin Davis's house next door!"

Charlize sighed and reassured him, "When I get back, we'll have a proper talk."

(End of this chapter)