"Will it rain today?"
At Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, Link looked up at the blue sky and the bright sun. It seemed similar to New York, with no signs of rain, making him doubt the French weather forecast. If it didn't rain in the next couple of days, his trip would be in vain.
"The French weather forecast says it will rain in the Paris area tonight," Anna said, catching up to him.
Link nodded. After walking for a few minutes after getting off the plane, he felt a bit of the heat. Paris has a temperate oceanic climate, with average outdoor temperatures of 18°C in June and July. The heat indicated unusual weather, a sign of impending rain.
"Have you arrived? Which exit?"
Just as he reached Terminal 2E, Link received a message from Marion Cotillard.
Link replied and noticed over twenty messages and seven or eight missed calls on his phone.
Ivanka had sent a message asking him to report his safe arrival. Catherine had sent a message saying she had met with Jennifer Lawrence and everything went smoothly. Selena had sent a message asking if the news about him seeing a ghost at the Broadway Theatre was true and what the ghost looked like, calling him a scoundrel for even flirting with a ghost.
There were also messages from Paul Walker, Dino Duva, James, Eminem, Emma Stone, Emma Roberts, Emma Watson, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, and others, mostly inquiring about the ghost story.
Due to his and "The Phantom of the Opera's" popularity, the story had been widely reported by Tiffany and other media, sparking heated discussions online and becoming a hot topic in the entertainment industry. Many people visited the Broadway Theatre to see if they could hear the ghost singing.
The influx of visitors affected the theatre's normal operations, forcing the theatre to issue a statement denying the presence of ghosts and calling Link's experience a coincidence. Despite this, curious netizens continued to flock to the theatre, filling it to capacity. Some even slept in the audience during performances of "The Lion King," hoping to hear the ghost.
Several influencers claimed to have heard a woman singing after falling asleep, while others said they heard nothing, possibly because "The Lion King" was being performed instead of "The Phantom of the Opera."
The incident caused a stir, prompting friends like Paul Walker to send messages asking about the story.
Link replied to a few messages, confirming the story and suggesting they experience it themselves.
Once Bob and Wallace retrieved the luggage, the four of them discreetly left the airport. Link wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, covering half his face, while Anna and the others also wore sunglasses, looking like a team of agents.
However, as they exited the terminal, a paparazzo recognized him.
"Mr. Link Baker!"
A paparazzo shouted, and a dozen others rushed over, snapping photos.
"Mr. Baker, are you in Paris for work or to meet Marion Cotillard?"
"Mr. Baker, there are reports that you interfered in Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet's relationship, causing a crisis. What do you have to say about this?"
"Mr. Baker, is the story about you dreaming of a ghost singing at 'The Phantom of the Opera' true or just a publicity stunt?"
Link answered a few questions, insisting that he and Marion were just friends and had no inappropriate relationship, asking everyone not to speculate.
The paparazzi didn't believe him, mentioning photos of him spending the night at Marion's house last month.
Link explained that it was normal to stay at a friend's house.
He signed autographs for a dozen fans and, with the help of Wallace and airport staff, left the airport.
"Link, over here!"
On Charles de Gaulle Avenue, a woman in a spaghetti strap dress with French curls waved at him. Next to her was a lime green Beetle car.
This elegant French woman was Marion Cotillard, 35 years old, who debuted in 1992 and starred in successful French films like "Taxi," "Love Me If You Dare," and "A Very Long Engagement." In 2008, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for "La Vie en Rose."
Although her looks weren't as stunning as former French rose Sophie Marceau, she exuded a classical and elegant charm, with blue-gray eyes, red lips, a sexy nose, and an artistic vibe, making her a very attractive and cool woman.
Surrounded by dozens of media reporters and paparazzi, they kept taking photos of the two.
Seeing them, Link guessed that the paparazzi in the hall were also drawn by her.
"Hi, Marion!"
In front of the reporters, he hugged Marion Cotillard openly.
"Did you miss me?"
Marion kissed him on the cheek and smiled charmingly, her doe-like eyes twinkling.
"Of course, I've been thinking about you since I left Paris, thinking about your lips, your voice. Now that I smell your scent, I can only think of one thing: possessing you," Link whispered in French as he hugged her.
"I missed you too. Can you feel my whole body trembling?"
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere around them became intimate.
"Mr. Baker..."
Before the reporters and paparazzi could swarm them, Link pulled Marion into the car.
The car roared down the straight road at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
"Follow them!"
The reporters and paparazzi started their cars, engaging in a fierce chase on the highway leading to downtown Paris.
With his superb driving skills and quick reflexes, Link weaved through the dense traffic, pushing the car to over 80 mph.
Marion clutched the seat, occasionally screaming, sometimes urging him to go faster, sometimes to slow down.
After driving for over ten kilometers, Link skillfully changed lanes several times, quickly leaving the paparazzi behind.
"How's my driving?" Link asked, smiling as he held the steering wheel.
"Amazing, so thrilling," Marion shouted excitedly, holding onto the handle.
Link glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled.
"Link, where are we going? I want to kiss you," Marion said, leaning closer, her breath hot.
Link looked around and turned the car into a public parking lot at La Villette Park in the 19th arrondissement. As soon as the car stopped, they looked at each other and embraced passionately.
After kissing for over ten minutes, they were about to move to the back seat to continue their romance when Link's phone rang. He hugged Marion and hung up, but the phone rang again persistently.
He checked and saw it was a call from director Woody Allen.
"Link, where are you?" Allen shouted angrily on the phone.
"In the car, on the way to the set. It should take about, no, two hours to get there."
"Don't lie to me. I just saw the news. You arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport twenty minutes ago. It only takes forty minutes to get to the set. What are you doing for two hours? Link, remember, you're an actor. You're in Paris to film, not to fool around."
Allen was a very talkative guy, not only in daily life but also in his films, where the characters often had long, rambling dialogues. Some lines were eight pages long, filled with meaningless chatter. Only Quentin Tarantino could match his level of verbosity.
Listening to Allen's rant, Link put the phone on the seat and continued kissing and caressing Marion.
After a few minutes, Allen seemed to hear something and suddenly shouted, "Link! What are you doing? Why aren't you responding?"
Marion couldn't help but laugh, and finally, she burst into laughter, her swan-like neck tilted back.
The voice on the other end of the phone fell silent.
Link quickly picked up the phone. "I heard you. I'll be there soon."
"Hmph, half an hour, no more. It's going to rain in Paris tonight. You'd better come and prepare, so you don't miss the rain."
"Got it, see you soon!"
Link sighed and said, "Looks like our date will have to wait."
"Haha, haven't you two made up yet?" Marion asked, tying her dress strap with a smile.
"No, it's hard to reconcile."
"Don't worry, after the shoot, you can talk it out. Allen isn't that stubborn," Marion said, kissing his cheek.
Link nodded and started the car.
He didn't have high hopes for reconciling with Allen.
Their conflict had existed since the beginning of filming, mainly due to their differing approaches to acting.
Allen, an actor himself, had been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. When creating "Midnight in Paris," he initially planned to write, direct, and star in it. However, due to his age, he couldn't convincingly play a romantic lead, so he found Link.
Because of this, the male lead was based on Allen's personality—introverted, funny, a bit silly, and very talkative. Allen wanted Link to play the character this way.
Link tried but couldn't do it. He wasn't an introverted, talkative, silly man and couldn't convincingly play such a role. Forcing it felt awkward.
He discussed with Allen, suggesting they simplify some lines and make the character less talkative and more masculine.
Allen refused and insisted he continue acting.
Link struggled for a few days, feeling increasingly disconnected from the role, and suggested Allen find someone else.
Allen, seeing the problem, reluctantly agreed to make some adjustments based on Link's appearance and personality.
During filming, they frequently clashed over how much to change the character.
Director Allen was reluctant to make major changes and still wanted the male lead to resemble himself.
Link didn't want to become another Woody Allen; he wanted to fully own the character. So, he dove deep into the role, put in great effort in his performance, and even wrote a more than 20,000-word autobiography for the character.
With the help of Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Lawrence, and others, he continuously refined and improved his performance, making the character more vivid and dynamic.
As his performance improved, it became increasingly convincing.
Director Woody Allen, though, was reluctantly forced to accept this but still harbored some resentment. During filming, he picked on Link, creating difficulties for him.
This was one of the reasons for their conflict.
Another reason was something the director's assistant, Frank Allela, had told him: Director Allen tended to choose female leads he liked, those who matched his aesthetic, and during filming, he would often fall in love with them, which allowed him to capture their beauty on screen.
However, after falling for Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Lawrence, Allen was shocked to discover that both women had slept with Link.
Frank said that when Allen found out, he nearly lost it and gave Link a severe dressing-down.
From then on, during filming, Allen's attitude toward Link became even stricter, filled with sarcasm and various attempts to undermine him.
But Link endured it all and persevered to the end.
Because of Link's persistence, Allen's frustration only grew, making him more irritable and relentless.
Link, however, didn't mind.
Woody Allen is a highly skilled and respected director.
During the filming of *Midnight in Paris*, despite all the nitpicking, Allen also taught him many valuable things.
Link's acting skills improved significantly, and he also gained knowledge of many French literary and artistic works.
The rewards outweighed the effort, so he didn't bother holding a grudge against the old man.
(End of the chapter)