America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Beverly Hills, Stuart Townsend sent the woman who called on him away. Considering it was the last day of the Cannes Film Festival, he hurriedly tidied up the house, bundling all the garbage into one bag and carrying it out the side door.

Entering the alley, two garbage bins were placed opposite each other.

Stuart tossed the bag of garbage into his own relatively new bin. Just as he was about to return, he suddenly heard the sound of fireworks exploding in the sky.

He followed the sound and saw that it was coming from his rotten neighbor's place.

The whooshing sounds of fireworks followed one after another, filling the sky with their noise.

Because of Charlize Theron, Stuart had been closely following this year's Cannes Film Festival and guessed what had happened.

It must have been that bastard Martin Davis who snagged the Best Actor award at Cannes!

Stuart looked up at the sky above the neighbor's house. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

Then, he remembered the reports from the media.

"Why do scumbags always get to succeed?" Stuart muttered to himself, "Good guys like me just can't seem to get ahead!"

Anyone with a girlfriend would feel uneasy having someone like Martin as a neighbor.

Especially when his girlfriend was at the film festival, associating with others in ways that weren't entirely clear.

The more Stuart thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became. Amidst the fireworks exploding overhead, he decided to take action.

So, he lifted his leg and with a thump, kicked Martin's garbage bin.

That wasn't enough for Stuart; he kicked the bin several more times until it was dented out of shape.

After several heavy breaths, he raised his middle finger toward Martin's house and said coldly, "Don't f**king provoke me!"

No one responded, only the fireworks continued to explode.

After venting his frustration, Stuart turned and went back inside his house. He had to check the living room and bedroom again, very carefully—in case Charlize found any hints of impropriety and his good life would be gone.

Next door, Lily and Elizabeth were each lighting another box of fireworks before running back to the front of the villa.

They were both very happy about Martin winning the Best Actor award at Cannes.

Lily suddenly had a burst of inspiration and said, "I'm going to carve a new piece, using Martin's Cannes Best Actor win as the blueprint."

Elizabeth was interested as well, "I'll go with you."

In the mansion's basement, Elizabeth had specially cleared out a large room for Lily's exclusive use as a sculpting studio.

On the way downstairs, they both called Martin to congratulate him on his Cannes Best Actor win.

......

After the award ceremony ended, the film festival's organizing committee also invited many award winners and guests to a closing cocktail party.

Martin, as the new Best Actor, naturally became one of the focuses of the party.

Several members of the jury, including Isabel Huppert, came over to talk to him and shared a drink.

Amid them, the scriptwriter from Pakistan, Hanif, even revealed to him that the jury's voting for Best Actor was eight-to-one in his favor, with the only dissenting vote coming from India.

Martin didn't say much.

As the people left, Bruce stared at the Indian actor and said in a low voice, "Should I arrange a motorcycle for him?"

Thomas didn't grasp his meaning, "He didn't support Martin, why would we give him a motorcycle?"

Bruce said, "I think the exhaust pipe of a motorcycle would suit him very well!"

Thomas understood now but didn't know how to respond.

The good guy Martin immediately retorted, "Old Cloth, we're civilized people, how can we do such a thing?"

He hinted, "There's a pet store on Seaside Boulevard, I remember they sell lizards."

Bruce took note, "Next to it there's an adult store that seems to sell Spanish Fly powder."

Martin wasn't keen on networking. Most of the people present were from the pure European film circle, making future collaborations negligible.

But a newly minted Cannes Best Actor, a Hollywood star with global box office appeal, in the eyes of some European directors, was extremely attractive.

Lure them under the guise of art, at a low cost but with high appeal...

Lars von Trier approached, and before he even reached Martin, he said, "Martin, congratulations on snagging Best Actor."

Martin recognized the Danish director and replied, "I also want to congratulate you, your new film has won Best Actress."

Lars von Trier clapped his hands, "Look at that, one of us got Best Actor, and the other got Best Actress, we share a special connection."

He took a glass of wine from the waiter and toasted with Martin, "To our artistic connection."

Martin drank with him.

Lars von Trier put down his glass, "Speaking of cinematic arts, are you interested in embarking on a novel artistic journey?"

Martin recalled that "Female Hermit" was a work he did after 2010, thinking that Lars von Trier was preparing to shoot this film and was somewhat curious.

Lars von Trier continued, "I'm preparing a new piece, an art film called 'Melancholia.'"

To bolster his argument, he mentioned another Hollywood star, "Kirsten Dunst will play the female lead."

Hearing it was a different film, Martin's interest waned immediately. He pointed to Thomas, "Lars, according to Hollywood regulations, you should talk to my agent about work matters first."

Damn Entertainment Laws! Lars von Trier cursed internally but then said, "Martin, listen, this will be a critical step in your artistic career. It will bring about a transformation in both your acting abilities and spiritual growth."

If he could lure Martin into the film, like he did with Dunst, securing financing for the film wouldn't be an issue, nor would profits.

He suddenly raised his voice, "Forget that damn entertainment act, let's collaborate in Europe just this once and leave behind a true cinematic art masterpiece for the world."

Martin couldn't be bothered to respond, his gaze shifting to Thomas.

After years of working with Martin, Thomas immediately grasped his intent and took over the conversation proactively, "Collaboration can be discussed over time, Director Trier, shall we first talk about the prerequisites?"

Without waiting for Lars von Trier to speak, he said, "Martin's acting fee is 20 million US dollars, we won't consider any figure below this number."

Lars von Trier was dissatisfied, "This is about the art of film, it shouldn't be measured in money."

Thomas replied, "Even the finest film art needs money to be realized."

As the two of them debated back and forth, Martin and Bruce automatically distanced themselves.

Bruce saw it clearly, "They want to use your commercial appeal but don't want to pay."

Martin shrugged, "I'm not crazy, the guise of art doesn't work with me."

This was Cannes, not Los Angeles; he didn't have to worry about the impact on movie critics.

If media in Europe dared to criticize him, the media in North America would dare to hit back.

Bruce reached out and tapped Martin, "Look over there."

Near the banquet hall entrance, Isabel Huppert was with Mene, chatting as they walked towards the exit.

Bruce couldn't help but say, "If Mene ever writes a memoir, it's bound to be fascinating."

Martin said, "Suited for adaptation by Sacred Valley."

On the other side, as Huppert ran into Monica Bellucci and stopped to talk, Mene waited beside her.

The night was still long, there was plenty of time for supper.

Suddenly, he noticed some commotion around him, with many people's gazes turning toward the entrance of the banquet hall.

Huppert, engaged in conversation with Monica Bellucci, didn't notice.

Mene turned his head and saw a woman striding towards them.

Isabel Adjani had gone through some effort to get into the wine party tonight, leveraging years of fame and experience to finally mix in.

Once inside the banquet hall, she spotted Huppert.

Thinking of the difficulties at the entrance, thinking that she could have been the honored guest presenting the Palme d'Or this session but ended up a laughing stock, and considering the grudge of thirty years, Adjani's devilish temperament, completely opposite to her angelic face in her youth, erupted instantaneously.

The more beautiful Isabel Adjani was in her youth, the worse her temper.

Passing by a table, she casually picked up two glasses of Bordeaux wine, blood-red in appearance, pouring two half glasses into one full glass, and quickly walked towards Huppert.

Mene saw Huppert's intention and could have pulled her aside.

But having watched plenty of Hollywood movies and being an actor himself, Mene reacted quickly, stepping in front of Huppert.

A full glass of red wine was thrown, splashing over Mene's face and clothes.

A cry of surprise rose from the banquet hall.

Seeing she splashed the wrong person, Adjani showed no remorse nor embarrassment and reached for another drink from someone else's hand.

Huppert had heard the commotion and turned around, only to see Mene covered in red wine, immediately understanding what had happened.

She had harbored deep hatred for thirty years!

Huppert picked up the decanter from Monica Bellucci's table, kicked off her high heels, and charged forward.

The half-bottle of red wine in the decanter was poured directly onto Adjani's head by her.

"Bitch!" Adjani wasn't one to take a loss; she immediately thought about retaliating.

Huppert had tolerated her for too long. Eyeing a spot on Adjani's head, she swung the decanter and slammed it down with a thud.

That was the exact spot Adjani had deliberately targeted during the filming of "The Bronte Sisters" in her malicious act.

Adjani was stunned by the hit, her eyes rolling back as she slowly collapsed.

The whole wine party was shocked; after all, these were two Isabels at the very top of the French film industry!

"Drag this bitch out!" Huppert, as head of the jury, shouted, "Throw her out in the street for the dogs!"

Of course, no one heeded her call.

Chairman Jacob nearly ran over.

The nearly eighty-year-old man almost gave himself a heart attack.

Huppert ignored those around and turned back to check on Mene with concern, "Are you okay?"

Mene replied, "I'm fine."

Huppert took a paper towel and personally wiped the wine from Mene's face, "You don't need to get involved in my feud with Adjani."

Mene scratched his head, saying, "She was coming over so furiously, I didn't think too much and just stepped in front of her."

Huppert gently stroked Mene's cheek, paused for a moment, and said, "If you're not doing well in Hollywood, you can come to Europe. I can help you to some extent."

Mene smiled and said, "I will come to Europe to see you often."

Huppert smiled and nodded, "You go change your clothes first. I'll handle these messes, and then we can go out for supper later."