Global Film Emperor

Chapter 267 Meeting an Old Acquaintance at the Golden Horse Awards

It's quite a coincidence that both the Golden Horse Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards are in their 50th year, and the venue has returned to the Taipei Arena after a six-year hiatus.

To Lu Ze's disappointment, it was Thursday, and many fans had been busy with schoolwork or work all day. Even though it was already past their workday, they didn't have the extra energy to squeeze into the crowd to cheer and scream for their favorite artists. So the number of fans at the scene was not as many as Lu Ze had imagined.

Even so, the atmosphere was still very lively. The entertainment scene in Taiwan is quite good, and the average age of fans is slightly higher than that on the mainland. It's not surprising to see some fans with beards.

The road leading directly to the Taipei Arena is currently closed, and a long line of luxury cars is lining the street. Lu Ze's car is now in the very center and is slowly moving forward.

To pass the time, Lu Ze looked at his phone. He flipped through the trailer released by Jiaxing Media yesterday. There were quite a few comments, but not many positive ones.

The second trailer failed to capture the audience's excitement and left them completely confused, unable to understand what it was trying to convey.

So, this trailer might not be considered a failure, but it certainly wasn't a success either. Aside from praising Dai Xilu's stunning looks and Ding Zhiyi's fans cheering her on, the comments below mostly expressed trust in Lu Ze.

As for Xiao Fengying, her poor works in recent years have indeed diminished her popularity. Although she still has a name, the audience's trust in her has obviously weakened. Most netizens did not talk much about this director in their comments, just mentioning her briefly. It is regrettable that the woman who was once the queen of romance films and known as the "tearjerker" has ended up like this.

There's a positive trend in domestic cinemas now: people are gradually stopping choosing to watch a director's film based solely on their reputation. No one can guarantee that a famous director will necessarily make a good movie; it's all about the quality of the film itself. People are using their money to support high-quality domestic productions.

The advantage of this is that it is easier for talented new directors to stand out. The most famous example is Zhuang Yu, who can easily make a name for himself with just one successful film, thus embarking on a fast track to success and taking off directly. As for how to maintain his position after he has made it, that is another question.

But for veteran directors, the pressure also increases. When people don't recognize your name or care which big stars you cast, and only care about the film itself, then making money becomes much more difficult.

How to make money in this current trend has become a headache for many brokerage companies that rely on traffic and quick profits.

"Car number 174, move forward carefully. The car in front is about to stop. Everyone, please pay attention to the distance between vehicles and increase the distance. Otherwise, if you keep braking intermittently, there will be too many cars and it could cause a problem. Please be extra careful."

As Lu Ze's car passed a staff member, he rolled down the window, handed the license plate from the windshield to the staff member, and then drove away. After making a 90-degree turn, he arrived at the main entrance of the Taipei Arena.

There were about two thousand fans gathered outside the gate. These were all die-hard fans of their respective artists. Because it had rained yesterday, the temperature felt quite low, so many fans wore hats and gloves, waving light sticks and shouting, which was quite adorable.

Lu Ze's car today is rather ordinary because Rongchuang's performance in Taiwan was poor in the past few years, resulting in serious losses. As a result, they had no choice but to withdraw their investment. In other words, Rongchuang no longer has a branch in Taiwan. This Maybach S600 was borrowed from a local tycoon through Qian Shijia's connections.

This might sound like a low-class thing, but there's nothing he can do about it. I've never heard of any celebrity having such a grand entourage, with a car all over the country just for them. And compared to many celebrities who are so poor that they have to rent clothes for attending parties, Lu Ze is much happier than them.

When Lu Ze got out of the car on the red carpet, the flashes from the cameras were much louder than those for the previous celebrity. After all, he was a hot contender for the Golden Horse Awards this year, and it was practically a done deal.

Lu Ze was a little uncomfortable with the lighting, so he squinted slightly, buttoned up his suit jacket, waved to the reporters, and still didn't strike a pose on the red carpet.

In the past, Qian Shijia had reminded Lu Ze to pose properly on the red carpet so he could have a good photo for the news. But now, as long as he doesn't do handstands, somersaults, or urinate in public, no one will change his red carpet habits. He can do whatever he wants.

Fans around him kept trying to hold his hand, but Lu Ze simply opened his palm and waved to them without stopping them. Then he quietly signed autographs for the fans who came to support him.

It wasn't until Wang Zhen and Zhuang Yu got out of the car and walked hand in hand down the red carpet that the three of them met. Lu Ze stood on the other side of Zhuang Yu and took a photo. After the three of them signed their names, they entered the famous stadium where many big-name singers had performed.

The audience entered early, but the seats on both sides of the stage were not open to the public. Only the seats facing the stage were sold for tickets, making the huge venue seem somewhat empty.

The other main creators of "To Live" entered through the side door. After all, they were behind-the-scenes staff, and walking the red carpet wouldn't attract attention. Lu Ze greeted his familiar friends and was about to sit down when he noticed someone standing not far from him, which stirred up long-forgotten memories for Lu Ze.

"Hello, Lu Ze."

To be honest, seeing him greet him first, Lu Ze suddenly felt that fate was truly a strange thing. The man who had almost kicked him so hard he vomited, without a single apology or even a proper look, was now the one who had to greet him first. This feeling reminded him of a saying... what was it again? Something like, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate anything?"

"Hey Long, we've known each other for ages."

Hearing this, Brother Long was a little stunned. He thought about it carefully, but couldn't come up with anything. In his memory, this was the first time he had met Lu Ze. Where did this old acquaintance come from? But this kind of thing is like an old classmate greeting you and you don't recognize him. Even if you're completely confused, you still have to recognize him.

"It's fate, we are very much destined to be together."

"Yes, I never thought I would see you in this kind of situation. Back then in Hengdian, the kick you gave me left my ribs bruised for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Brother Long's expression changed. He had relied on his looks when he was young, and his acting skills were not exactly top-notch. Moreover, in this situation, most people would find it difficult to hide their unpleasant expression.

He had just been trying to climb the ladder, but he didn't expect the ladder to be thorny. He had long forgotten when he had met Lu Ze, and couldn't even remember if he had kicked a group of actors back then. But he knew that Lu Ze started his career in Hengdian, and he had filmed quite a few movies in Hengdian. Now that he thought about it, he probably offended Lu Ze back then, and he offended him quite badly.

"It was my fault. I will host a banquet for you tonight to apologize, Mr. Lu. I hope you will do me the honor. I also hope that you will not hold it against me and will forgive me."

"No need for a banquet to apologize. Bang, let's call it even this time, okay, Brother Long?"

When Lu Ze heard Brother Long say he wanted to treat him to a meal as an apology, he waved his hand dismissively, kicked Brother Long lightly in the butt, and then patted Brother Long on the shoulder with a smile.

You can say Lu Ze holds a grudge, but this isn't like children fighting where they can be friends again tomorrow. Adults hold grudges for a lifetime.

Back then, he swore to destroy the other person. Looking back now, it seems a bit childish. But he kicked Lu Ze and embarrassed Lu Ze, so Lu Ze had to get his revenge because he owed Lu Ze. Lu Ze didn't want much, so he returned the favor in front of so many celebrities. He embarrassed Lu Ze, and then they were even. Is that reasonable?
Don't say that Lu Ze's status was not high back then, and that he can bully people now that he's famous. If Lu Ze had accomplished nothing now, this debt would have been buried in Lu Ze's heart for the rest of his life. We're all human, why should he be treated this way?
He wasn't afraid of being seen or photographed by others. From the outside, the two seemed to have a good relationship and were just joking around. Otherwise, since neither of them had an angry expression, digging further would have a conspiracy theory feel to it.

To those in this circle, Lu Ze had slapped Brother Long in the face right in front of them, and Brother Long didn't dare to retaliate. But could they tell anyone? Like I said before, in this circle, you can be aloof, you can refuse to compromise your principles, but you must keep their secrets.

Besides, if this matter is really dug up, it doesn't matter. At most, it will be considered that Lu Ze is a little petty. But if Brother Long acts like a big shot and then six years later, he becomes successful and pays back for this debt, Brother Long will probably have to carry this stain for the rest of his life.

So, no matter how embarrassed Brother Long was by this kick, he had to smile and endure it, just like Lu Ze back then. When others asked, even if he was in pain, he had to say it was just a joke. Saying more would only hurt himself.

"Alright, it's settled then. We're even now, Mr. Lu, please don't hold a grudge."

"Of course, Brother Long, you are too, we're good friends, right?"

"Yes, that's right, good friend."

The two patted each other on the shoulder with bright smiles, then returned to their seats to watch the opening ceremony.

As he said, Lu Ze returned the foot, and that was the end of it. He wouldn't cause any more trouble for Brother Long. As for the director from back then, he didn't really intend to help Lu Ze; he was just a bit crude in his methods. Besides, that director has disappeared now, probably changed careers. There's no point in arguing with someone like that anymore.

Lu Ze exchanged a few jokes with Wang Zhen and Zhuang Yu, then took a sip of mineral water. The stage lights came on, and Lu Ze crossed his legs, resting his chin on his left hand on the armrest of his chair, waiting quietly.

The 50th China Taiwan Golden Rooster Awards ceremony has officially begun.

"."

I'll only write one chapter today, sorry everyone. The weather is changing, so please dress warmly. I might have caught a cold tonight; my forehead hurts. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm not feeling well. Please take care of yourselves too. I've taken my medicine, and I felt better after a nap. I'll continue tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow will be another long chapter of "Mistaken Love." Love you all!
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(End of this chapter)