National Tide 1980.

After hanging up the phone call from Catherine, Alain Delon continued with his dinner.

He had a sumptuous dinner in the restaurant of his yacht.

There are 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 girlfriend, Rosalie, had already eaten her fill and ran to the top of the yacht alone to soak in the hot water bathtub.

So the person sitting at the table and having dinner with him now is actually his lawyer Henri René.

So inevitably, what Alain Delon revealed during his conversation with Catherine Dephner just now became the topic of their continued conversation.

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

"In fact, it is conceivable. Our noble Catherine was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She could not have lived the hard life of ordinary people. Everyone knows that she likes to travel around Europe and live a leisurely and comfortable aristocratic life. As a beautiful woman, her vanity makes her a frequent guest at many cultural events. Whether it is dresses or jewelry, they all cost money. What's more, she has too many hobbies besides movies. She likes gardening, painting, photography, reading, music, fashion, antiques, and decorative art. All of these lead to huge expenses for her. The cost of maintaining this kind of life is much more expensive than that of me to keep a few houses, two boats, a few horses, and a farm. You know how much I spend every year. According to my estimation, Catherine spends at least two or three times as much as I do."

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

"My God, if that's the case, then it's not wrong for everyone to call her 'Her Majesty' behind her back. I think her life is almost catching up with our Marie Antoinette. I'm afraid she has nothing to lack except a butler in uniform and a wig and a team of soldiers as a guard of honor. If she continues like this, people will probably be shouting 'Long live the Queen' for her soon..."

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

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

"Don't be so sarcastic. As such a beautiful woman, as a female star who seems to be born for movies and can fascinate men all over the world, it is understandable that she is a little extravagant. You say that with a hint of jealousy. I don't believe that if she is willing to cast her eyes on you and is willing to fall in love with you, you can harden your heart and not try every means to satisfy all her wishes? Besides, Catherine is quite kind at heart. It is true that she is proud and picky, but she is not as cold to others as she looks."

"Praise God, I'm married. And happily married. I don't want anyone else 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 it. He just laughed it off and continued to eat heartily.

"But in my opinion, what she lacks most is a wealthy husband. Even though she is already forty years old, she is still very elegant and beautiful. It shouldn't be difficult to do this, right? There are so many people coveting her. If she marries again, won't all the problems be solved?"

Alain Delon said in the tone of an experienced person, "That only shows that you really don't understand her. Do you know what her second husband, photographer David Bailey, said about their marriage? Something like 'I'm used to driving ordinary cars like Ford, and I want to try driving the Italian super sports car Maserati.' How can ordinary people control a woman like her? If not careful, she will have a heart attack. And Catherine is definitely not the kind of person who would sacrifice her emotions for money. Perhaps you don't know that her husbands and lovers are either directors, actors, photographers, playwrights, painters or dancers... They are all artists with special talents, but none of them has ever been a billionaire..."

"Well, if that's the case, then she's under a lot of financial pressure. She only stays with the men she likes, so in addition to her own expenses, she probably also gives these men a lot of money."

I didn't expect Catherine Deneuve to have such an attitude towards love.

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

Henri René's tone softened and he stopped teasing her.

"Yes, indeed."

Alain Delon agreed, "And as far as I know, she has only made one movie a year since she was 40. Most of her income comes from commercials 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 has been invested in Saint Laurent, and her advertising endorsements are mainly with Saint Laurent. So in recent years, when Saint Laurent's business has run into problems, she is more anxious than anyone else. Otherwise, she would not have gone to China with me last year for a few hundred thousand dollars and agreed to be the spokesperson for Pierre Cardin China Company within the Republic..."

"Well, that's true. The economy of the whole of Europe is in a recession, and the situation in the United States is even worse. Only Asia has a good economic situation in the world. It seems that all the money in the world has been made by the Japanese. Now I understand Catherine's situation. No wonder she was so excited when she knew that Mr. Ning used hundreds of millions of francs to buy a film library. After all, it is too difficult to find such a huge amount of funds now. If nothing else, we can see from the films participating in the Cannes Film Festival that the scale of investment is getting smaller and smaller."

"But speaking of this, I also feel that I am quite 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 would bring me such a big surprise. Originally, I just went there for the relatively generous reward, and by the way, I also wanted to see what the mysterious East was like. I didn't expect to meet Ning. I never thought that I would get along so well with a young man, and an Oriental at that. Especially I didn't expect that I would benefit so much from him in terms of economy. If you have not been to the Republic of China, you don't know how poor that country is, so it is incredible that someone like him can appear in such a country. I have to say that because of this young friend, I am now interested in Chinese culture. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely go to the Republic again, and stay for a longer time..."

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

"I really don't know what China is like. But I am very interested in Mr. Ning. He doesn't look like a poor third world person at all. He is polite, elegant, generous, and has a unique sense of humor. I would believe you if you said he came from a wealthy family in the mysterious East that has been passed down for generations. If you hadn't told me about your experience of meeting him in China, I would even think that the male protagonist in the movie he was going to shoot was created based on him."

"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 could really be a hit!"

"Haha, my friend, I'm just a lawyer, I don't have your film art talent. So I'm more concerned about Mr. Ning's ability to make money and how he got rich. He caused quite a stir in Cannes. With his strong financial resources, he spent more than 500 million francs to buy film libraries in just over ten days, and he didn't feel sorry at all. He suddenly became a figure that all film studios were eager to meet. Now for European filmmakers, he is probably more worthy of admiration than the Prime Minister of France and the Queen of England. Everyone bows their heads when they see him, and will spit out all the flattering words that can make him happy. To be honest, I really want to know how he made his fortune in Japan and how he married such a beautiful celebrity wife. Perhaps these objective facts are more attractive than the story of the movie he wants to shoot." "Maybe, I will convey your wish to our oriental friends. But I can't guarantee whether he is willing to reveal it."

"Haha, don't pretend with me as if you are not interested. I bet that if you have the chance to know all this, you will never let it go." Henry joked with Alain Delon, but then his tone became serious.

"But then again, don't you think our oriental friend is like a crazy gambler when it comes to investment, with almost no sense of risk? The purchase of the film library is obvious. Everyone has advised him against it, but he still insists on his own opinion. And the performance contract for Crazy Rich Asians, you only agreed to play a cameo role, or provide some filming suggestions. He is willing to pay you $500,000. This is almost the price for you to play the leading role. Moreover, the overall budget of his film is as high as 20 million US dollars. Such a huge investment is simply unimaginable in Europe. I really don't know how he can make back his capital by relying solely on the Asian film market? Such an investment is really too risky! Oh, and there is also his property purchase in Saint-Tropez. This is the most frightening. I say, did he really throw 200 million francs to you and just walk away? Let you help him buy real estate at will?"

"What? You don't believe me? Then do you want me to show you the check?" Alain Delon said in a teasing tone, as a counterattack to Henry's teasing of him just now.

And that’s not all. He even said, “I know you are jealous, but others trust me so much. After all, I am Alain Delon.” Then he started laughing.

However, Henry was not impressed by his arrogance and self-confidence.

Henry even became impatient and shook his outstretched hands vigorously.

"Okay, stop joking. This is very important. Think about it. That's 200 million francs. It's equivalent to 25 million US dollars. You have to make 50 movies to earn that much. And now it's in your hands. You have the final say on how to use it. There is no proof, no contract, nothing. This is enough to drive Catherine crazy..."

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

"You want me to betray my friends? You are my lawyer, are you instigating me to commit a crime?"

"Don't be like that. I'm just fulfilling my duty as a friend to remind you that this is a rare opportunity, an opportunity that anyone would envy you for." Henry said, "Also, don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to swallow the money. What I mean is that with such a large sum of money, we should always consider whether we can make more use of it. Anyway, our Eastern friends have not stipulated a time limit for you to complete this matter. A few months is enough for us to make a fortune, just like we did before..."

However, before he could continue, Alain Delon gave a firm answer that was the opposite of what he expected.

"No!"

"Do not?"

"No! That's my answer."

"Why? Because you really consider him a friend?"

Henry couldn't believe that Alain Delon was not moved at all, but it was true.

"Not only 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 get to where we are today. You now have a wife and children, and you no longer have to defend people in Corsica. I've also gotten rid of the charges of hiding guns and ammunition, providing shelter for Corsican gangs, and being a murder suspect. Isn't that great? I don't want to scare away the people around me anymore, and live a lonely life with the police following me every day. Think about our friend François Marcante. We are still here today, happily enjoying a free life, but he is already in prison. Excessive greed will always bring disaster. You should know how long it took me to get rid of my old life. I don't want to go to jail one day."

"But... but there is no risk. Don't forget that the person who gave you this money is just an Oriental, he is not even French. And I am well versed in French law, I can make sure that no one can find any weakness in us..."

"Maybe you're right, but I still don't want to do it! Henry, why don't you think about it, a person can give me 200 million francs and ask me to help him buy property, what does this mean? It means that he not only trusts me, but also has the financial resources to do what he wants. Today I can take a check for 200 million francs from him, and tomorrow I may take 500 million from him. So why shouldn't I cherish such a partner? Besides, I really think he has a good business vision and a good plan. Moreover, according to the law, as a foreigner, he can only hold 33% of the shares of our future joint venture company at most. No matter how you look at it, such cooperation is beneficial to me. Maybe I have been waiting for such an opportunity for half my life. 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 had no choice but to give up his greed.

"Okay, I understand. Forget it."

"I'm glad 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, including myself. This may be my chance to truly leave the film industry and live in a new industry. If I really succeed, maybe I won't have to worry about money in the future. So don't make this kind of suggestion again in the future. Otherwise, I will refuse to pay your legal fees."

"Okay, okay, I understand." Lawyer Henry swallowed a mouthful of ham and struggled to say, "I admit that what you said does make sense, and I am short-sighted. So I will do as you say. And now there is only one thing I want to understand."

"what's up?"

"How much money does our Oriental friend have?" (End of this chapter)