Cooperation

"C'est bon!"

In a hotel conference room, Lyman exchanged contracts with the man with short hair and handed over the briefcase containing all the copies of the film reels for the movie "Buried". From then on, besides marking the production list and the names of the filming crew and others, he had little to do with the movie. Lawyers hired by both sides witnessed the transaction.

Just yesterday, the people from EuropaCorp engaged in a final round of tough negotiations with him and presented Lyman with conditions that were hard to refuse. Apart from paying a copyright fee of $2M, they were also willing to offer a 30% share of the box office profits. Additionally, EuropaCorp promised to invest in Lyman's next work and provide distribution channels.

According to the man with short hair, since they are compatriots from the same country, they should provide help. Of course, Lyman didn't believe that nonsense, but the conditions they truly offered were the best among all the distributors in these past few days. So, he agreed. And the reason he previously hinted at cooperating with Miramax's people after agreeing was simply to disgust them. From beginning to end, Lyman never trusted them. If he had the opportunity to make things difficult for them, why not take it?

As the contract was signed, the man with short hair didn't show any further courtesy and reminded, "We will fly back to France in a few days, and we will notify you when the film is scheduled for release."

"Okay."

The man with short hair smiled, gestured to his two colleagues behind to pack up, and reached out to shake hands with Lyman, saying, "Hope we'll have the opportunity to collaborate on your next film."

Lyman also replied with a polite smile, "Thank you for your kind words."

He was already happy with this successful transaction. The copyright fees were a considerable sum of money, and with the subsequent release, if "Buried" performed well in the market, he would be even happier. For so many days, he had been working tirelessly just to maximize profits, right?

After the three returned to the hotel, Lyman sat on the bed and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although many people presented conditions, it was only after signing the contract and selling the copyright of "Buried" that the feeling of reality truly settled in.

Just as he was about to say something, René pounced on him and pinned him down. "We made money, Lyman, we succeeded!" Well, he seemed more excited, probably didn't get a chance to vent his emotions along the way, leaving him frustrated.

Lyman patted his back, seeing no response, and used his right hand to push his shoulder, slowly sitting up, and ordered, "Thomas, open the window. It's too hot in here." This lousy hotel didn't even have a functioning fan; the switch wouldn't turn on. Thomas, seeing the situation, walked over to the wall and opened the window.

Cool breeze flowed in, taking away the indoor heat. So comfortable!

Thomas returned to his own bed, unbuttoned his shirt twice in a row, grabbed the collar and repeatedly opened and closed it, feeling the air flow. He took a deep breath and continued, "When are we going back?"

"Let's book the flight tickets; we'll leave tomorrow." After selling the film rights and with the Venice Film Festival not yet over, it was not the place where Lyman wanted to stay any longer.

After almost a week of time, they achieved so much. What else could they be unsatisfied with? This trip, they got it right.

The next day, the three packed their luggage and boarded a flight back to France. After leaving the airport, they took a taxi back to Lyman's residence.

The next step was to handle some matters.

The €2M of copyright fees had already been deposited into Lyman and René's studio account. This was a substantial amount of money and would definitely require tax payment before it could be used. Although Lyman didn't want to come up with this money out of thin air, the French tax authorities were not to be trifled with. It was better to be honest and straightforward.

But even though taxes had to be paid, there were legitimate tax avoidance methods or ways to save some money. The transaction for "Buried" was conducted in the name of Mann Studio, which was registered locally in Cannes. So they sought out a relevant lawyer and, following his advice, paid a sum of over €200,000 to handle the matter properly.

Their coffers went from €2M to around €1.8M.

Busy until evening, the three of them went to a high-end restaurant for a big meal before returning to their respective homes. Lyman closed the door, lay directly on the bed, and after this period of busyness, especially the mental strain, he felt like his whole body was falling apart. However, thinking about successfully taking the first step and accumulating a sum of money, a smile unconsciously crept up on the corners of his mouth.

From that crazy moment onwards, he had never confided his pressure to anyone, deceiving investors, preparing projects, shooting, post-production, seeking distribution. Every step he took was a gamble. Even in failure, he would roll to another unknown place and start over. Fortunately, luck was on his side. Lyman thought about his gains and felt infinitely satisfied.

As a director, without the limelight, he still had the same sense of accomplishment. What could be more satisfying than seeing his work loved by the audience?

...

The next day, René and Thomas arrived at Lyman's house again.

Lyman never forgot their help, and now it was time to share.

He directly gave Thomas €100,000, the best response to his hard work and support during this period. He was quite satisfied with this honest person who joined their team as an intern. If he wanted to maintain a friendly relationship between them, it was natural that he couldn't let others contribute without receiving any return. €100,000 was the amount Lyman thought was most appropriate after careful consideration.

And then there was René, who had a significant connection with his previous self and had constantly provided help during the film production. Lyman truly treated him as a friend. Moreover, the studio was established in their names, and the profits were split equally. Perhaps he didn't have to follow that division. After all, it was just a formality, and the studio was just an empty shell that could be dissolved at any time without legal issues. But he still chose to continue maintaining the studio's earnings and had no intention of ending their relationship.

Money could be earned again, but friendship couldn't.

So, he only gave René €20,000 as pocket money and no longer paid him any attention. He mentioned that the remaining money would be invested in a new project and asked him to remember to help with the script. With the previous experience of collaboration, Lyman believed that René was better suited for the task of writing the script.

"Do you have new ideas?" René, holding the pocket money given by Lyman, was delighted when he heard that they would be working on a new film.

"Of course."

His mind was filled with countless good ideas, so there was no need to worry about inspiration.

"I want to join too!" Thomas, on the side, shouted eagerly.

"Don't worry, we won't abandon you."

For Thomas, who had gone through numerous hardships, this revolutionary friendship was essential. "Can I be the cinematographer for this film?"

"Can you be the assistant?" After thinking for a moment, Lyman spoke up.

"Sure, I promise I won't hold you back." As long as he could do cinematography work, Thomas didn't mind anything else. He knew his experience wasn't particularly reliable, but cinematography depended on talent, skills, and experience. He was satisfied with Lyman's promise.

With these matters settled, there was another thing to be done first—allocating a portion of the €500,000 sponsored by the investor.

Although Lyman wanted to delay giving the money until the box office share came in, he didn't know EuropaCorp's intentions yet. So it was better to set aside a portion first, assure the investor, and then decide whether to give the entire €900,000 or just the €500,000 in costs. After all, the actual income hadn't arrived yet, so it could buy some time.

While he was contemplating this, the scheduled meeting time arrived, and Lyman hurriedly went to the appointment. It was the same café as before; the two met.

"M. Lambert, I have already sold the distribution rights for my film. Here's the signed contract; take a look." Lyman took out a distribution contract signed with EuropaCorp and handed it to Christopher Lambert.

However, the gentleman in front of him showed no interest in reading it. He spoke, "Lyman, this money is not from me, but from your father."

"What?" Lyman was a bit dumbfounded. What did that mean?

"That day, when you found me in the parking lot..." Then, M. Lambert explained the series of events, how he recognized Lyman, how he called his father, and why his father was willing to provide the money.

Of course, many details were omitted, such as M. Lambert's initial belief that Lyman was a fraudster and his unwillingness to invest. "Your father entrusted me to give you this money, and he doesn't expect anything in return. Do you understand?"

M. Lambert took the contract and handed it back to Lyman. "I came here today to clarify this matter. Now that you know, I have something to attend to, so I'll leave."

After speaking, M. Lambert seemed ready to leave the café.

"Wait, Uncle Lambert, I still want to ask you to return this money to my father."

Christopher Lambert stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Lyman with a complicated expression. He genuinely couldn't understand this father and son.

"There's a total of €900,000 in this bank account. Could you please give it to him on my behalf? Even if it was he who invested, this is still the promised return."

After saying that, Lyman stood up, bowed politely, and said, "Thank you." Then he turned and left the café. He didn't want to owe anyone anything. He wasn't really "Lyman" and shouldn't, or couldn't, take back that money. Settling everything and returning it was the best choice. He didn't want to disturb someone else's family.

As he looked at the beautiful scenery along the way, it was truly stunning.