Chapter 127: Fantastic Film Festival

Located in the southwestern corner of Europe, Spain is one of the most mountainous countries on the continent. In the decade since Juan Carlos I ascended to the throne, Spain has transitioned peacefully and steadily from a dictatorship to a constitutional monarchy and democracy. All opposition parties are permitted to step forward openly to express their views and compete for public votes—a development widely hailed as a miracle of the 20th century.

Yan Xu was awakened by the gnawing sensation of hunger in his stomach. As he opened his eyes, the unfamiliar scenery around him caused a momentary pause in his groggy brain, but he quickly realized he was no longer in Hong Kong, but in Sitges, a seaside town in Spain.

Known as a city of art, this town is located not far from the famous Spanish city of Barcelona, serving as one of its satellite towns. The city is currently actively bidding to host the 25th Olympic Games.

Sitges is a sanctuary for vacationers and a gathering place for art-loving middle-class individuals and the wealthy. The most beautiful sight here is undoubtedly the rose-colored church extending out over the cape; set against the backdrop of surrounding white houses, it resembles a blooming flower.

For Sitges, early October is always as lively as a festival. From the 6th to the 15th of October each year, the town hosts the Sitges Film Festival. As the world’s oldest fantasy film festival, the Sitges Film Festival is ranked alongside the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in Belgium and the Fantasporto in Portugal as one of the three major fantasy film festivals in the world.

Yan Xu had not expected to receive an invitation to the Sitges Film Festival. His film, *Luxury Mansion No. 1*, was nominated for four awards: Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Special Effects, and Best Cinematography. These four nominations made it the biggest dark horse and a top contender at this year's festival.

Initially, due to his encounter with the "Bald Qiang" incident, all peripheral matters regarding the film had been handed over to employees at Baizhan. He never imagined they would submit the film to the Sitges Film Festival, let alone that it would receive so many nominations, becoming the most-nominated film of the event.

However, when the organizing committee sent the invitation, Baizhan was undergoing significant restructuring and was in a state of chaos. With Xie Shuibo taking over, people were joining and leaving, and Xie Shuibo’s attention was entirely focused on the distribution of the *Luxury Mansion No. 1* videotapes. He was incredibly jealous of the film's box office success, but since he stood to make no profit from that, he set his sights on the videotape sales, as the agreement stipulated that all profits from videotape sales belonged to him.

Consequently, the invitation wasn't discovered by Baizhan’s staff until the festival was about to begin, and it was only then forwarded to Yan Xu’s new company.

As a huge fan of horror and violent cinema, Yan Xu had a soft spot for these major fantasy film festivals. Although their influence didn't match that of Cannes or Berlin, they were sacred events in the eyes of horror and fantasy enthusiasts. In Yan Xu’s memory, the original *Dream Home* had once swept the Best Actress and Best Special Effects Makeup awards at Sitges. He hadn't expected history to be so coincidental, with them reuniting in a different era.

Of course, Yan Xu wasn't certain if he could win as they had in history. The nominated films this time were incredibly strong: *Re-Animator*, *Day of the Dead*, and *Lifeforce* were all classics in the eyes of fans. There was also the Japanese director Shuji Terayama’s adaptation of *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, the epic *Farewell to the Ark*. Yan Xu remembered that this film had garnered significant recognition at the festival.

Due to the time constraints, very few people could come to Spain. Fat Wang’s new film was already in preparation, so he had no time. Pan Jiade was busy leading Ou Guanying in setting up various departments and establishing the company's framework—hiring people and building teams kept them busy every day. Once John Woo received Yan Xu’s script, he dove headlong into it; he was determined to turn this film into his comeback, so he shielded himself from all outside interference. As for Jeffrey Lau and Wong Kar-wai, they were thrown into the company’s screenwriting department with a deadline to produce a script—after all, there is no motivation without pressure. As for the company’s other owner, Fat Nan, he had only shown his face on the opening day before disappearing again; according to Wong Jing, he was busy brewing up some script.

Therefore, Yan Xu could only bring Brother Jiu and Pan Hengsheng, along with an English translator they recruited temporarily from the University of Hong Kong. The four of them set off for the unfamiliar land of Spain.

Due to jet lag and the prevalence of Spanish everywhere, the four were quite disoriented after getting off the plane. It made Yan Xu regret not finding a Spanish translator as well; he had assumed that since the festival attracted people from all over the world, English would suffice, forgetting that the locals spoke Spanish. Fortunately, the organizing committee had staff specifically assigned to receive them, preventing them from getting lost.

As for Rosamund Kwan, she had already joined the crew of *Armour of God*. Although the crew was also in Europe, they were in Eastern Europe. When she learned that the film she starred in was recognized by the Sitges Film Festival and that she had received a nomination for Best Actress, she was almost faint with happiness. Although Hong Kong was one of the world's major film production bases, few films received international recognition. A nomination like this, even if she didn't win, was a tremendous affirmation and would broaden her future prospects significantly. She desperately wanted to fly to Spain immediately, but the daily costs of filming in Eastern Europe were astronomical, and the production could not be halted for her. She would have to wait until just before the awards ceremony to arrive.

Yan Xu was staying at the Sunway Playa Golf & Spa Hotel. This hotel was only twenty meters from the beach and was situated next to Sitges’ largest golf course. Yan Xu’s room had been booked by the organizing committee. Because the news had come late, many arrangements were rushed, but Yan Xu was quite satisfied with the hotel the committee had chosen. His room was a sea-view suite, forty square meters in size, which was sufficient for his daily needs. Standing on the balcony, he could look directly out at the endless sea and admire the hot beauties in bikinis by the pool below. Of course, the price of two hundred dollars per night was definitely expensive for the average person.

This was Yan Xu’s first time in Spain, and indeed his first time in Europe. Even in his previous life, he had at most gone on a few-day tour of Southeast Asia, herded by travel agencies like ducks from one shopping spot to another.

It was already 4:00 PM Spanish time when they arrived, and it took nearly an hour to get settled. Although it was prime time in Spain, it was already midnight in Hong Kong. The group went straight to their rooms to sleep; after a thirteen-hour flight, they were exhausted and had no energy for anything else.

Looking outside, although it was late, the area was brightly lit. The clock in the room had passed 10:00 PM, signaling that the nightlife was just beginning. Yan Xu had slept for five hours.

Under normal circumstances, a night like this in a small Spanish town would have gradually quieted down, but due to the film festival, fantasy fans from all over the world had gathered here, making the nights even more lively than the days. Most of these fantasy fans were night owls.

After knocking on the neighbors' doors for a while with no response, Yan Xu knew that Brother Jiu and the others must have already gone out. Fortunately, thanks to his cram-school education, his English—though not standard—was passable; otherwise, without a translator, he wouldn't have known how to leave the hotel.

Once on the street, Yan Xu realized what a "dance of demons" truly meant. The whole town felt like a massive masquerade party. The streets were filled with throngs of people—zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and bunny girls were everywhere. One might think Halloween had arrived early. It was also a time for street performers to shine, with all sorts of bizarre performance art and live magic shows making the town increasingly vibrant.

Tossing the last piece of Spanish roast meat into his mouth and wiping his hands with a napkin, Yan Xu let out a heavy burp. He had been eating his way through the journey, and the Spanish delicacies on both sides of the street had greatly whetted his appetite. Tasting the food, admiring the strange costumes of the people around him, and occasionally using the camera around his neck to record everything—this was the real enjoyment of travel.

Everything here made Yan Xu’s eyes widen. The gathering of beauties from all over the world was certainly a beautiful sight. More importantly, many of the outfits were exceptionally bold: short shirts, hot pants, long legs on display, deep cleavage, and even more who were completely braless, with some even wearing bikinis while walking down the street, their assets swaying with every step.

These beauties were frequently approached by men. Along the way, Yan Xu had already seen several successful pick-ups, with couples walking hand-in-hand into nearby bars or restaurants. Others even ducked directly into the dark alleys nearby, becoming immediately entangled. So, if you ever see a vampire or a werewolf pulling a beautiful woman or a handsome man into an alley to "nibble" on them, don't be surprised.