Of course, Ning Weimin himself knew that it was impossible to expect complete confidentiality of information.
Even though there is a confidentiality clause, there are no fewer than dozens of staff members from the two production companies involved, including board members.
With so many people, how can it be possible to ensure that everyone keeps their mouths shut?
Otherwise, the rumored news about this matter would not have been leaked out so early.
Who knows, is it a big shot who speaks laxly, or a little guy who wants to attract attention?
Therefore, the so-called confidentiality clause is based on the bottom line of trust, just to guard against gentlemen and not against villains.
What's more, there are some smart people who discovered the truth of the matter just by intuition. This was something Ning Wei Minsui couldn't stop, so it was impossible for him to block all the interference that came from it.
Catherine Devner was one of those extremely smart people, and her sources were earlier than most.
On May 28, she was at the officially designated hotel, drinking and having fun with some old friends from the jury.
By the way, I would like to say good things to Marcello Mastroianni, the leading actor of the film "Dark Eyes" in the competition section of this film festival, and help him win the Best Actor Award this year.
Unexpectedly, she learned this shocking news from a friend of the judges during the half-time chat after drinking for three rounds.
In fact, there is no need to verify whether the news is true or false, because the person who revealed the news works at the French Film Archive and is an authoritative figure in the film industry.
He never spreads unfounded gossip, as long as the news he tells must be true.
When he told Catherine Deneuve about this, his original intention was to tell her that the Asian rights to dozens of movies starring her had been bought.
After all, the two French film companies that made deals with Ning Weimin have acquired many other film companies over the years, either due to expansion needs or government requirements, and the size of their film libraries is already considerable.
No one would believe that someone bought so many copyrights just for personal collection or personal appreciation.
So this judge was kindly reminding Catherine, hoping that she would pay attention to the Eastern film market.
He thought that maybe soon someone would create a good gold-making opportunity for Catherine in Asia.
Given France's current dire economic situation and the decline of the European film industry, she might be interested.
However, the judges never expected that Catherine Deneuve would have such a big reaction after hearing the news, and she almost became excited immediately.
"What? Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course. Is this important to you?"
"Yes, I really can't believe it, I can't believe it..."
Catherine murmured to herself and her expression changed from surprise to anxiety.
The judges noticed her abnormal state and couldn't help but worry, "What's wrong? Catherine? Are you okay..."
"Oh, I'm fine, but I have to go, thank you..."
Catherine kissed the other person's face gently, then turned and left without any regret.
The judges were left standing there in astonishment, silently savoring the lingering fragrance left by the "First Lady of French Film"'s red lips brushing against their own cheeks, watching helplessly Catherine in a red dress like a beautiful elf,
Disappeared from him into the crowd.
However, it is not so easy for Catherine to leave here smoothly.
Because this party was not only filled with big shots from the Cannes Film Festival organizing committee, heads of major European studios and stars, but many of these people were also her friends.
What's more, with her status in the European film industry, she is destined to be the focus of everyone's attention. It is almost impossible for her to pass through the crowd unnoticed and leave the scene as quickly as possible.
So in fact, every person who found her in a group conversation would leave her behind.
And it was with her smile and politeness almost all the way, and clinking glasses with each other more than ten times, that she finally broke through the blockades and found the gate.
Unexpectedly, just when victory was in sight and she was finally able to leave the reception, her arm was actually grabbed.
Then a man's cheerful voice sounded in her ears.
"Ah, my goddess, I finally see you! My dear, where are you going?"
Because her success was on the verge of failure, Catherine turned angrily to look at the person who blocked her.
But he discovered that it was his former lover, Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni.
Catherine did have a different feeling towards this man.
Not only because when she was twenty-eight, she fell in love with this man irrespective of the fact that he was already married.
It was also because even after they broke up, there was still an emotional bond between them, which was the illegitimate daughter they shared.
That's why she willingly helped this man canvass votes for this year's Cannes Film Festival without asking for anything in return.
To be honest, compared to her ex-husbands who had formal marriages, this man who had only been fooling around with her for four years,
On the contrary, it allowed her to have the most unforgettable happy time ever, with the heaviest emotional weight.
So Catherine's brows that were already furrowed with anger turned to soften, and she tried her best to patiently express her demands.
"Marcelo, now is not the time, please let me go, I have things to deal with..."
If it were another person who didn't receive such treatment, I'm afraid she would have been angry by now.
After all, the name "Ice Beauty" is not something to be hidden, and Catherine's family background and connections are enough to support her to release herself at will.
However, I don’t know if it’s because the self-proclaimed romantic Italian man always thinks highly of himself, or because his movie has received such good reviews and reputation, he is really happy.
Of course, it's also possible that this guy had a little too much to drink, or that his relationship with Catherine was unusual.
Anyway, Marcello Mastroianni clearly heard Catherine's request, but instead of obeying, he hugged Catherine even tighter.
"You are so bad. I have been here silently watching you for a long time, and I only see you chatting and laughing with other men. What? Now you still want to abandon me. Stay, at least accompany me.
Have a glass of champagne at the bar…”
This olive oil-like love talk is his specialty.
If paired with a pair of eyes that are pretending to be affectionate, as bright as glaze.
From an 18-year-old girl to a 50-year-old middle-aged lady, nine out of ten people will become obsessed with it and fall in love.
Even Catherine, who was already married to David Bailey at the age of twenty-six, was the same.
And this was deliberately shown by Marcelo, just like the love scene in the movie, and even attracted cheers and applause from the two bystanders who had just chatted with Marcelo.
"Look! What a beautiful couple! A match made in heaven after a movie star and a movie star."
"Yeah, that's interesting, Marcelo, if you were a man, you wouldn't let her escape."
So in such a booing atmosphere, Marcelo became even more energetic, as if he wanted to prove his charm in front of his friends.
He really had a firm hold on Catherine, no matter what she said, he would drag her life and death, not letting her go, and even wanted to kiss her.
As a result, his seemingly rogue behavior exhausted Catherine's patience and tolerance.
Unable to bear it anymore, finally... the "First Lady" broke out.
Catherine showed her toughness and gave Marcelo a slap in the face. Then she snatched a glass of champagne from the onlooker and poured it over Marcelo's head!
The cold wine flowed down Marcelo's hair and onto his face and neck. The coolness combined with the burning taste on his face was like a panacea, making Marcelo burp and froze.
??????55.??????
The complacency and glibness all left him, and instead, a look of panic and bewilderment appeared on his face.
This is probably the first time that this Italian love saint and famous actor has been treated like this in public.
The original intention of happiness was opposite to the final result, his face was full of incredible embarrassment.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to call Catherine's name, but after trembling for a long time he didn't have the courage, so he just muttered.
"This is just a joke...I'm sorry, I didn't expect...This is just a joke..."
As for the two people who were joking and arguing with each other just now, their faces were even more pale, as if they themselves had been splashed with wine.
Even the surrounding environment became silent.
Many guests noticed the anomaly here, turned their heads, widened their eyes, and watched what happened next in surprise.
Only Catherine raised her chin and stared indifferently at the frightened hapless guy in front of her.
"You asked for it!"
After a while, he said again in a carefree and proud tone, "Are you awake now? Then let go of your hand and let me go!"
Then, having got rid of the entanglement, she turned around and walked out of the door without even looking at Marcelo.
Regardless of her frosty expression or her righteous statement, she seemed to be reminding everyone present.
Catherine Deneuve will always be Catherine Deneuve!
She is as unpredictable as the characters she plays.
Although she is indeed beautiful, she has never had the burden of beauty and has crazy genes.
Whoever wants to make her anxious may let you know at any time that beauties are not just for the taking.
It’s a good thing that no media reporters were present at the scene. Otherwise, such an exciting scene, coupled with some reporters’ fanciful speculations, I am afraid that today’s banquet incident will be enough to make the entire Cannes people, and even the entire French movie fans, talk about it with gusto.
year time.
But then again, even though Catherine walked in such a chic and high-profile way, she is now very happy.
She had even guessed who was the initiator of the shock in the French film industry, and directly asked her driver to drive her to the hotel where Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko were staying.
But unfortunately, she failed.
She came excitedly and learned a piece of depressing news from the hotel front desk with full expectation.
Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko actually left early this morning.
This left her with nowhere to talk about what she had been holding back on the road, and her mood became even more irritable.
So next, Alain Delon became the unlucky guy in the end.
Because when Catherine called him instead to inquire about Ning Weimin's whereabouts.
This noble, frustrated "Her Royal Highness" felt that she had been let down by her friends. All the negative emotions that came from this today also fell on him.
"I said Alain, what is going on? Has our friend left Cannes? Where is he now? How can I find him?"
"What's going on? Who are you talking about?" Alain Delon's confused voice came from the phone. "Catherine, have you been drinking?"
"Hey, don't play dumb with me! I'm talking about Ning, our mutual friend. Now Cannes is full of rumors about the feat he has done. He bought all the copies of World Television Films and Image Organizer.
Asia copyright. Haha? Oh my God, I really can’t believe that I actually know all this from other people’s mouths! Don’t tell me that you don’t know about this, don’t tell me that this has nothing to do with you..."
When Catherine said this, she was shaking all over, so much so that she had to light a Yves Saint Laurent cigarette to help calm down.
Alain Delon on the other end of the phone was greatly surprised by this.
He didn't expect Catherine to react like this.
"Catherine, don't get excited. In fact, I am just as surprised by this as you are. I have been kept in the dark and completely unaware, and when I knew all this, I was also in disbelief. I promise you
, in fact, this deal was just a temporary idea of Ning, and even his wife was equally surprised." Alain Delon could only try his best to explain.
"I don't believe it. How could such a large transaction be without premeditation? Don't think of me as a fool!"
Catherine made a judgment based on common sense, "To be honest, tell me, how much did Ning spend on these two transactions?"
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about it, but what I'm telling you is the truth."
Alain Delon's voice always remained gentle, "As for the transaction amount, I was not at the scene, and what I know is not too clear. Anyway, it adds up to about 500 million francs!"
"Five hundred million! Ha!" Catherine exclaimed uncontrollably. This number was far beyond her imagination.
She really didn't understand where Ning Weimin got so much money and why he spent money on these useless copies.
Of course, what she couldn't figure out even more was why the two of them kept it secret from her.
"I really can't believe that as your mutual friends, both of you chose to hide this from me. I didn't even know he was gone! Why didn't he want to say goodbye to me? He didn't even say goodbye on the phone.
None? Has he never considered me a friend? What did I do to make him treat me like this? "
"Don't think nonsense, Catherine. Listen to me carefully..."
Alain Delon sighed helplessly. An excited woman is already troublesome, let alone trying to appease the arrogant Queen.
"My dear, what is so difficult to understand? I have to say that confidentiality is indeed necessary. If you think about it from another angle, what will happen to Ning and his wife once these things are leaked? All studios
They will regard them as big fat meat, and they will be eager to get involved with them in order to sell copies of their own inventory. Of course they don't want this. As for not telling you and not having time to say goodbye, it was entirely because of an unexpected situation. Originally,
Ning and I also discussed inviting you over on the day of the closing ceremony to get together again. Unfortunately, later..."
"what happened?"
"His chairman also knew about this. So Mr. Picardon hopes to meet him as soon as possible and have a good talk in person. You know, it's like the Middle Ages, when a lord was summoned by the king. There is no delay and it must be respected. Just
In this way, I helped him get two tickets temporarily. He left by plane at noon today. He did entrust me to take him to say goodbye to you. However, I am also busy with other things. Sorry, I forgot...
…”
"Then he is in Paris now? Can I find him in Paris?"
"Hey, relax. If I tell you how to find him, then I have to know why you are so anxious to find him. After all, he also asked me to help block the news. Although I can do something special for a true friend
Deal with it. But you can’t make it too difficult for me in front of him..."
"Okay." Catherine finished smoking a cigarette and finally regained her composure, "I'm looking for him because of Yves. As you know, Yves Saint Laurent has always wanted to be listed on the market, but it is still a little short of meeting the standards for listing.
Now my friend Yves is suffering from illness and lacks inspiration. He no longer has much capital to be as firm in his opinion as before. For the sake of Yves and for my own investment, I urgently need help. You really should have told me earlier.
. If you would rather invest the 500 million... no, even only half of it, in Yves, then the listing of Yves Saint Laurent may not be a problem. This is a good thing for everyone. Now, God knows what he still has in his hands.
