Chapter 338: Canary Islands

Charles didn't like London winters. After attending Roman Abramovich's party one evening, he took a private jet to the Canary Islands for a vacation.

The Canary Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Morocco, and are governed by Spain. They are one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities and one of the EU's special outermost regions.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the largest island of the Canary Islands, enjoys a Mediterranean subtropical climate with warm winters and cool summers. There's no winter here, only endless sunny skies and a vast ocean!

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is located on the northeast coast of the island, facing Gran Canaria Island.

"No wonder Europe's rich love to vacation here. The climate and scenery are really something," Charles sighed as he lounged by the private pool in his villa, admiring the Atlantic Ocean.

The old capitalist countries of Europe really divided up all the islands in the world.

Scarlett Johansson, wearing a sexy bikini and holding two glasses of champagne, walked over, sat on the edge, and handed Charles a glass with a smile, "Universal Studios announced that Angels & Demons will delay shooting. Looks like it's the first movie affected by the Writers Guild strike!"

"By the way, Amelia just brought over a file from China," Scarlett added.

"From China?" Charles wondered what was happening there and climbed out of the pool.

Lily Ying returned to Hong Kong; could it be related to her?

"It's about a movie, sent from Capet International Pictures' office in China," Scarlett said, not knowing the details. Amelia had simply mentioned it when she delivered the file.

"Ah, a movie," Charles relaxed. "No rush then." He hugged Scarlett and sat on the lounger. "You don't have anything important coming up, do you?"

Scarlett's body was too enticing, and Charles couldn't help but ask while feeling the curves under his hand.

"Of course I do. Iron Man 2 is about to start filming. I need to train for all those fight scenes and stunts," Scarlett rolled her eyes at Charles.

"Black Widow has a lot of action scenes. I don't want to use a stunt double for everything! And besides, Eva Green and I have been with you for a few days. You should go back to Hollywood; the strike's been going on for over half a month. You're not worried?"

Charles shook his head, "What's there to worry about? This is a labor dispute. Whoever backs down first gives up their benefits. The Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, the Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild have been at odds for years; it's standard procedure.

It's just that this year's subprime mortgage crisis made the economy sluggish, giving more leverage to the strikers!"

"Anyway, I need to go back for training. Enjoy your vacation," Scarlett kissed Charles and jumped into the pool.

Charles smiled, headed to the living room, and picked up the file Amelia had brought.

It was information about John Rabe's Diary. Charles knew it was sent by Xu Xiaoling; the draft script had already passed censorship.

Charles thought for a moment and decided to call Xu Xiaoling to ask about the situation.

"Charles, I heard about the big screenwriters' strike in Hollywood. Is it a big issue?" Xu Xiaoling's first question was about the strike.

"It's manageable. Our company's pretty well-prepared, so the impact's minimal. Is John Rabe's Diary a joint venture?" Charles asked.

"Yes, with German ZDF, China's Huayi Brothers, and us. We're planning to invest 20 million dollars and invite some German actors," Xu Xiaoling explained.

"ZDF has wanted to develop this movie for a while, and so have we. With the local Huayi Brothers joining, it's a three-way collaboration!"

"With German directors and actors, there's no need to worry too much. Capet Entertainment's name is well-regarded in Europe," Charles reminded Xu, showing little concern for the budget. He preferred not to pay a fortune for a few no-name actors.

"Got it. Now, Painted Skin has grossed over 200 million yuan domestically, making it the third Chinese film to do so after Curse of the Golden Flower and Hero!" Xu Xiaoling added with a smile.

"And I'm planning to develop a sequel, Painted Skin 2!"

"That's up to you," Charles replied, then hung up. 

*****

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