Chapter 429: Like a Dream, Like an Illusion

One hundred million USD, in the eyes of Chen Nuo who had just refused 1.2 billion USD, was really just like that.

Can't get rich, can't starve to death.

It's not as good as Wendi Deng exerting her energy to arrange a wine pool and meat forest for him, which is more difficult to refuse.

Also, would she really give him 100 million? Chen Nuo really didn't believe it.

He was not a newcomer in Hollywood, he knew how those film companies cheated actors.

The 100 million USD here, if it really fell on the contract, eight out of ten would be like the 50,000 monthly salary honest recruitment technician posted outside many massage and foot washing shops in the country, once asked, base salary 1000, 49,000 are commissions. And wanting to get the full 49,000 commission, hehe.

Chen Nuo didn't want to sell himself, so he listened as if he didn't hear it.

However, in the eyes of others, his reaction was a bit intriguing.

At least Li Bingbing felt it was quite incredible.

100 million USD, after listening, laugh it off, and then pick up the teapot to pour water for everyone, what does this mean?

Thought it was a joke?

Or is it that Wendi Deng was really just joking?

Li Bingbing was half-believing and half-doubting for a while, but immediately, her half-believing and half-doubting turned into at least 80% belief.

Because according to her understanding of Wendi Deng, this woman generally wouldn't repeat a joke a second time.

After Chen Nuo finished adding tea for everyone, Wendi Deng changed her face and said seriously again: "Chen, Rupert is serious. His opinion is also the opinion of 21st Century Fox. 21st Century Fox really wants to cooperate with you once, very sincere. If possible, I can let Fox's people come over to talk to you face to face."

Chen Nuo smiled and said: "Sister Wendi, pass on my thanks to Mr. Murdoch... next time I want to film a movie, I will definitely prioritize Fox."

Wendi Deng said: "No need for the next one, Rupert is actually very interested in the new film you are currently preparing, if possible, we are willing to invest and participate."

Hearing this, Li Bingbing couldn't help but turn her head to look at Zhou Xun beside her, seeing her holding a cup and drinking tea silently, with no different color on her face, she felt a bit suspicious in her heart.

Could it be that she knew before this? Wendi Deng told her, and only hid it from herself? No way, clearly Wendi had a closer relationship with herself, they cooperated on *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan* not long ago, how could it be?

However, the answer to the mystery that had been thinking for a long time was finally solved.

She also suddenly realized at this time.

It turned out that the reason for the great fanfare was this. Chen Nuo had a new movie, Murdoch wanted to mix in a foot, so he let Wendi Deng come over to be a lobbyist?

Thinking about it this way, that 100 million USD salary might not be a joke, it was true.

I fuck.

Li Bingbing felt her heartbeat accelerate a bit.

What kind of movie is it? Why is Murdoch willing to offer such generous conditions? Is there a chance for her inside?

She immediately learned from Zhou Xun and picked up the teacup, started drinking tea, but all her attention was focused on Chen Nuo's next reply.

Listening and listening, suddenly felt her arm being poked.

She looked sideways and saw Zhou Xun looking at her in surprise.

Li Bingbing was a bit puzzled.

Zhou Xun whispered: "Are you okay?"

Li Bingbing was a bit confused, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Xun looked at her suspiciously and asked: "Drinking so urgently, isn't it hot?"

"Ah?"

Li Bingbing only then came back to her senses, only feeling a fiery hot feeling on her upper jaw and tongue, and there were many fragments in her mouth.

The cup of boiling water tea that Chen Nuo had just poured was actually drunk to the bottom by her unknowingly, and there were not even a few tea leaves left.

"It's okay... not hot." Li Bingbing forced a smile, "This tea is good." After speaking, she put the cup on the table, "I'm going to the restroom."

On the way to the restroom, Li Bingbing still couldn't let go of what she had just heard.

Chen Nuo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino, it turned out to be such a combination, no wonder Wendi Deng had to make such a great fanfare.

A genius director recognized as talented, plus two young superstars from the East and West, what kind of sparks will they rub out between them? What kind of movie will they film?

Not to mention the reaction of fans all over the world at that time.

Even if she thinks about it now, she has a feeling of wanting to see the true appearance impatiently. In this way, if she could play a suitable role inside, how much help would it be to her acting career?

Why did she not feel hot when drinking boiling water? That was because her inner feelings were even hotter than boiling water just by imagining it.

The ancients said, if you hear the Tao in the morning, you can die in the evening.

And Li Bingbing felt that she could also spare no effort for this opportunity.

"It's not that there is no chance, it must not be that there is no chance. Think of a way, think of a way, there must be a way." Li Bingbing recited in her heart, suddenly, her heart moved, and she cast her gaze on the slender figure leading the way in front of her.

After Li Bingbing finished rinsing her mouth and touching up her makeup from the restroom and came back, she heard Wendi Deng and Chen Nuo already talking about other things, talking about a person named "James Pritzker".

Li Bingbing had seen this name on Weibo before, knowing he was a new director in the United States, and had cooperated with Chen Nuo on an art film not long ago, but listening to Wendi Deng talk about this person's affairs, it seemed that it was not that simple.

In the past, she would be very interested in these secret gossip of the Western upper class, but now, she was full of another thing she had just inquired about from that Xinjiang little girl.

Listening absent-mindedly, suddenly she cast her gaze to the backyard.

There, that Xinjiang beauty named Nazha really led a few staff members in from the back door and started to set up lines and stages by the pool.

She immediately found a gap and asked unintentionally: "Xiao Nuo, are you planning to hold a party tonight?"

Chen Nuo was stunned, then looked at the pool, reacted, and smiled: "Yes. Sister Bing, are you interested, stay and play together?"

"Is it okay? Won't it disturb you?" Li Bingbing pretended to be embarrassed.

Chen Nuo smiled: "No. They are all friends. Sister Wendi, Sister Xun, don't leave, play together later. By the way, you definitely can't guess who came to the United States."

"Who?" Zhou Xun asked curiously.

Chen Nuo laughed: "Jiang Wen."

Okay, speaking of this, Chen Nuo found helplessly that the number of guests tonight had to be +3 again.

Speaking of which, how many times has this been "plus"?

All of this, actually, was just because Quentin made a phone call to him.

On the phone, this eccentric director was emotionally excited, vividly accusing the humiliation he suffered at 21st Century Fox. Emphasizing that the reason Fox refused to invest was because they felt the film's subject matter and starring roles were too "non-mainstream", worrying that it couldn't support such high production costs. It was obvious that they looked down on people.

But after waiting for *Inception*'s box office to explode, Fox turned back and wanted to "re-evaluate" the project, trying to eat the grass back.

If they really let them eat it, then where would their dignity go?

Therefore, no matter what conditions Wendi Deng found him to offer, this matter absolutely could not be agreed to. Remember, remember.

After Quentin finished speaking, he still felt uneasy, and suggested that after he finished meeting Wendi Deng, he would have a face-to-face chat with him.

This was the starting point of the matter.

Just after finishing talking with Quentin, he immediately received a call from Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen said he was invited by Martin Scorsese to play in the United States, he was in Los Angeles, and asked him if he had time to meet.

Two phone calls one after another made Chen Nuo suddenly think that Brother Jiang not only knew Old Martin since 1991, they were old friends, but also seemed to be old acquaintances with Quentin.

Previously, Quentin specifically mentioned that after he finished filming *Pulp Fiction*, he went to China and Japan to collect materials for *Kill Bill*, was entertained by China Film, visited the set of *The Emperor's Shadow*, met Jiang Wen for the first time, hit it off immediately, Brother Jiang also personally taught him to say "Niubi", and agreed to meet again in the United States, but they hadn't been able to do so for many years, which was very regrettable.

In this way, is it...

After he asked Jiang Wen, Jiang Wen also said that this was indeed the case.

Then Chen Nuo immediately thought, it was rare to have one or two appointments, he originally returned to LA to steal leisure in his busy schedule, and had to pay attention to the progress in Silicon Valley at any time, since they were all old acquaintances, simply make an appointment together.

After telling Quentin and Jiang Wen, both sides agreed. Since Martin Scorsese was with Jiang Wen, of course, simply call him along.

After Martin and Quentin were both invited, there was someone Chen Nuo felt had to be invited. Not only was he Old Martin's "designated male lead", but like him, he was one of the leads in Quentin's new film. At the same time, he had a good relationship with him.

Thus, Chen Nuo made another phone call.

Little Li Zi was quite happy on the phone, agreed immediately, but added a sentence, saying his good brother was playing at home... okay, then add another Spider-Man.

Once Spider-Man was added, Deadpool seemed to should come too.

Ryan Lei Nuozi had been clamoring to find him to talk about his mental journey after divorce, eager to get emotional support and spiritual guidance—since that was the case, then call him along.

Then, the snowball started rolling.

When Chen Nuo called Ryan, Lei Nuozi happened to be with Nolan, Keira Knightley, and Ellen Page, conducting the second wave of promotion for *Inception*.

As soon as he mentioned it on the phone, Ryan, that big mouth, shouted directly, as a result, he clearly heard Nolan ask a sentence on the side: "Really?"

Up to this point, Chen Nuo had no choice but to follow the trend—continue adding people.

Then soon, I don't know who leaked the news, the whole thing inexplicably became a rumor of "the *Inception* crew holding a celebration party at his house".

In this way, his phone became lively.

The reason, it can only be said that Christopher Nolan is too popular now.

If you ask who is the hottest director in Hollywood right now, except for Christopher Nolan, you can't find a second person. Is he hotter than James Cameron and Steven Spielberg!

The two-time explosion of *The Dark Knight* plus *Inception* pushed a certain unknown Chinese actor to the position of a Hollywood superstar, which made the British director completely deified in the hearts of many actors in Hollywood.

It can be said that in Hollywood at this time, there is no actor who doesn't want to build a relationship with him and seek cooperation opportunities for the next movie.

But this person is particularly difficult to see, it can be said that except for promotion, he never participates in social activities.

The news that he would appear at the party spread, really like a lighthouse in the dark, attracting many eyes. Many people who had met Chen Nuo once called one after another, asking if they could add one, making him unable to refuse at all.

Just like that, the relaxed and happy small gathering he envisioned finally turned into a big party in the process of "plus 1, plus 2, plus 3".

This matter, he dared to bet, Wendi Deng knew 100% before coming.

Was Li Bingbing asking knowingly? He didn't know. But Zhou Xun, he was originally prepared to let the other party participate. Since that was the case, adding two uninvited guests was not a big problem.

After agreeing, he accompanied the three ladies to chat, swim, and eat, chatted and played for an afternoon, finally seeing that several people were a bit tired, and arranged three guest rooms to let the ladies rest.

And he took a nap on the sofa in the living room.

When Guli Nazha called him, he woke up and looked, seeing the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window was already dusk, the sunset was like blood, and the poolside and living room were already arranged. Champagne towers, cold food areas, flower background walls, DJ booths were all ready, even the red carpet had been laid from the door to the poolside.

He yawned, Guli Nazha said: "President Chen, some guests have already arrived."

"Who?"

"Don't know. The security at the door said, it's a red Lamborghini."

Red Lamborghini.

Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh.

Although the sun was about to set, it was still very hot outside, Chen Nuo didn't walk out, just stood under the eaves, looking at Quentin and his blonde female companion with a smile.

"Hello~" Quentin laughed strangely and hugged him, patted each other's backs, then reached out and introduced quite gentlemanly: "This is Margot Robbie."

"Hello, Margot, very happy to meet you."

"Me too, hello. Very happy to meet you."

Margot Robbie suppressed her surging mood,

At the moment of the cheek-kissing ceremony, feeling Chen Nuo's face stick to her face, the 21-year-old blonde girl who had just come to Hollywood from Australia to break through and lost her job after filming a failed TV series, felt that everything was worth it.

She was not bullied by the pervert in vain, she finally stood here.

After Quentin and Margot Robbie, were Emma Stone and her new good friend, Jennifer Lawrence.

The two met when filming the movie *The Help* in the first half of this year, and then became as close as wearing the same pair of pants. Chen Nuo saw them attending various activities together in many gossip magazines, and going to the Caribbean for vacation together. Thinking about it, it should be that this big-eyed girl who didn't look amazing had a unique charm, allowing her to make friends wherever she went.

Jennifer Lawrence had met him at the Oscars this year, but was a bit shy when meeting again this time, unlike Emma Stone, who waved at him from far away, almost rushing over to stick to him twice.

After sticking, she smiled and said: "OMG, the paparazzi at your door are simply too crazy."

"What's wrong, are there many?"

"You don't know?"

"Don't know, I didn't go out. How many?"

"Many, many enough to let the Hollywood stars tonight feel at ease about hooking up." After speaking, she blinked at him ambiguously.

"Hahahaha."

Chen Nuo laughed loudly.

Look, this is Emma Stone's charm. Straightforward and humorous, who wouldn't like such a person?

Next.

"Welcome, Jennifer."

"Thank you Chen, thank you for inviting me."

"Very honored."

Chen Nuo hugged the Big Cousin, smiled and said: "Heard you accepted a new film."

"Yes, entering the group soon." Jennifer Lawrence chuckled, "How did you know?"

"Maybe because I have been caring about you?" Chen Nuo blinked at her.

"Really?" Jennifer laughed, "I thought you were fascinated by those Japanese girls."

"Oh, sounds like you also care about me?"

"Hehe..."

"Hey!" Emma Stone pretended to be dissatisfied and shouted on the side, "Are you two flirting in front of me?"

"Hahahaha."

Two future Oscar best actresses went in.

Chen Nuo looked at the girls' backs,

Not long after, Jennifer Lawrence would become the youngest Oscar best actress in history with this *Silver Linings Playbook*. And Emma Stone, her era was not far away.

The next guest was not an Oscar best actor or actress, but a best director.

A Chevrolet vintage car drove in, and four people walked down from it.

An old man wearing sunglasses, a Chinese man with a crew cut, and the wives of the two people.

"Chen, long time no see!" Martin Scorsese walked over with his wife, face full of smiles.

Jiang Wen and Zhou Yun didn't move, standing in place and looking at his house up and down.

Chen Nuo didn't care about him either, first exchanged pleasantries with Martin Scorsese and his wife.

The old man was almost 70 this year. However, his spirit was quite good. Just finished filming a fantasy 3D blockbuster called *Hugo* with Paramount, and it would be released globally next month.

This movie, like *Inception*, also rented James Cameron's camera, in Paramount's promotion, it was like *Inception* 2, *Avatar* 3, ambitiously preparing to create history.

After finishing pleasantries with Martin, Jiang Wen also walked over.

The two didn't hug like Americans, and didn't even shake hands.

Chen Nuo smiled and shook hands with Zhou Yun, and said hello sister-in-law.

Then he heard Jiang Wen say: "I was wondering, why do you run to the United States every day, it turns out you live in this kind of place here. You absolutely belong to a capitalist, a degenerate element, your eyes have already been blinded by the capitalist colorful world from the roots."

"That's you, Chen Nuo wouldn't."

Before Chen Nuo could speak, Zhou Yun preemptively said.

Chen Nuo immediately smiled: "Sister-in-law is right. I am in Cao's camp but my heart is in Han, I live in a capitalist big house, but a red heart is absolutely still hanging on the good brothers of the proletariat."

"Who? Who is your good brother? Do I count? Then if you say so, I will wait for you to transfer money to me. 2 billion USD, you have to give me some anyway."

"Count, of course count. You just wait slowly."

After joking with Jiang Wen for a few sentences, Chen Nuo said: "Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun are also here today."

"Ah?" Jiang Wen was a bit surprised, "They are also here? Where?"

Chen Nuo looked up and said: "Probably sleeping."

Zhou Xun slept very deeply, and when she woke up, she forgot where she was for a while. Only felt she had many, many dreams, but couldn't remember any of them.

After breaking up with Da Qi, she had always been like this. The man in the previous relationship was just a passerby of no importance.

Only Da Qi, only Da Qi, was what she could never forget.

Lying on the soft bed for a while, she seemed to have picked up her consciousness from everywhere around her, and restored her ability to hear and see.

And then her first reaction was: so lively.

Music, conversation, all kinds of laughter, and footsteps, came continuously. And all kinds of lights and colorful lights shot in from the window, making the room full of a bizarre feeling.

Broken.

She suddenly remembered where she was.

Actually slept for so long?

She immediately turned over and got out of bed, grabbed the bag on the bedside table, and rushed into the restroom. Ten minutes later, she drew a makeup that could barely be seen, simply organized her clothes, stood at the door and took a deep breath, then pulled the door open.

As soon as the door opened, the noisy human voices and faint footsteps rushed towards her, and before she could adapt, she was stunned.

Only saw a blonde woman standing in the corridor, seeing her open the door, as if granted amnesty, she immediately opened her mouth: "Can I borrow a restroom?"

"Ah, okay."

"Thank you!" The woman left a sentence and rushed in like a whirlwind.

Zhou Xun blinked, a bit didn't react, for a while couldn't tell whether she was awake, or still in a dream.

This was also her normal state recently, sometimes always a bit trance-like.

For example, now—

If it's a dream, her brain is quite clear.

If it's reality, the first thing when opening the door is meeting Charlize Theron asking to borrow a restroom?

It's too absurd.

Zhou Xun thought for a while, decided not to wait here for that blonde woman to come out. If it's really a dream, she might never come out.

Better to take the initiative and go find out.

She walked to the stairs and walked down slowly. When she reached the corner, she stopped.

Heh, more like a dream.

Looking down from top to bottom at the people in the living room on the first floor, there were not many. A golden chandelier hung down from the middle, the hall light was dim yellow, making every person's face seem to be bathed in a unique halo exclusive to 20th-century old movies.

These people sitting or standing in the living room, were all faces she had seen on posters and in movies, but now they had turned from pictures into living people, standing there, chatting, drinking, talking and laughing.

She saw *Thor*'s Tom Hiddleston wearing a crisp dark blue suit standing at the stairs on the first floor, talking to *Black Swan*'s Natalie Portman, the two shaking their heads while laughing.

She saw on the long sofa not far away, *Brokeback Mountain*'s Jake Gyllenhaal was talking in a low voice with *Elizabeth*'s Cate Blanchett, looking very serious.

She saw *The Princess Diaries*' Anne Hathaway, *Spider-Man*'s Tobey Maguire with a gentle smile, and *Inception*'s Ryan Lei Nuozi, the three of them didn't know what they were talking about, and burst into laughter at the same time.

She also saw *Iron Man*'s Robert Downey Jr. wearing a bright red suit jacket, gesturing with *The Notebook*'s Rachel McAdams, gesturing and dancing, and on their side, *Far from the Madding Crowd*'s Julianne Moore walked by holding *The King's Speech*'s Colin Firth's arm.

And... and.

Looking at these people, Zhou Xun walked to the first floor slowly, took a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray passing by, and didn't know where to go for a while, so she stood in the corner, drinking while watching them.

Trance-like, like a dream, like an illusion.

"Sister Xun, why are you here? I've been looking for you for a long time." A voice came, interrupting her feeling of dissociation.

Turning her head, a spirited woman who looked a bit familiar was looking at her, and after finishing speaking, she pulled her arm and said: "Come quickly, come quickly."

She followed the other party out of the hall involuntarily.

A cool breeze blew, Zhou Xun felt she suddenly woke up a bit.

The swimming pool reflected faint blue waves under the illumination of the lights all around. Not far away, a large circle of people surrounded the lounge chairs and parasols by the pool, and at this time, they seemed to be talking about something interesting, and a burst of laughter erupted in the crowd.

"Chen Nuo is telling them a joke."

Hearing a familiar name, Zhou Xun became more awake, and asked curiously: "What joke."

Li Bingbing giggled and said: "Before I went to the restroom, it was still talking about the Golden Horse Awards last time. Now I don't know."

Now it is still talking about the Golden Horse Awards.

After all, the encounter at the Golden Horse Awards, Chen Nuo only had that one time in his life, no matter how much he talked, it wasn't enough.

At the time on the scene, he wanted to say it, but looking at Ang Lee's face for helping him in the past, he didn't say anything, but this didn't mean he couldn't say it if he changed places.

Originally just now he was talking to Nolan about the prospects of *Inception* at the Oscars this year. Nolan was obviously a bit unconfident and a bit worried, he took it as a joke to liven up the atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, the effect was quite good, Little Li Zi, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin, etc., who were originally blowing the wind and chatting outside, all gathered around. More and more people, feeling they all liked to listen to him tell stories about Wanwan.

"... Know what it felt like to me at the time?"

"What?" Keira Knightley asked.

Chen Nuo said mysteriously: "It's like opening the door, returning home, seeing your wife lying with another man. You thought you were her only one, but you were just her one-half, how miserable. Leo, you have experience in this regard, you should understand what I am talking about, right."

"Hahahahaha!"

A group of people immediately burst into laughter.

Little Li Zi was not angry either, while laughing while saying: "No no no, I don't understand. Chen, I think you remembered the wrong person, I don't have experience in this regard."

"Oh, yes, I remembered the wrong person. Sorry, Leon, I promised you I wouldn't talk about it everywhere."

"Hahaha..."

Watching Chen Nuo's annoyed appearance, knowing that this person was acting, but it was indeed acted very well, making Zhou Xun also laugh like everyone else.

In the laughter of hahaha, she suddenly forgot about Da Qi.

(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 430 =====