Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 521 Unprecedented Joy

During her time in Venice, Chen Duling experienced an unprecedented joy.

This kind of joy is different from the sense of accomplishment of solving a math problem, and it's also different from the sense of security of getting a good grade. This kind of joy is more frivolous and vain. In her father's words over the phone, it's a superficial kind of joy.

So what if it's superficial? It's still happiness.

It was like an invisible tide, surging in from all directions, gently lifting her up and causing every nerve in her body to vibrate subtly, making her feel tingly and light, as if she were walking on clouds, floating on air.

Chen Nuo is a good older brother.

Although he always seemed reluctant, as long as Pan Shouyi clung to him for a while, he would always agree to take the two little burdens with him before going out—to watch movie premieres, attend red carpet ceremonies, or go to celebrities' private parties.

During this period, they followed like shadows, from the cinema to the hotel, from the open-air café to the banquet on the water.

Wherever they go, as soon as people hear that they are Chen Nuo's sisters, they will show surprised and warm smiles—offering them better seats, more exquisite meals, and even inviting them to take photos together.

Although this kind of treatment is still a world apart from the starlight that Chen Nuo herself enjoys, it is enough to add thousands more photos to her phone.

She took more and more photos, but she and her boyfriend talked less and less.

That day's events never happened again.

If the conversation veers even slightly in that direction, she will decisively interrupt and cleanly end the call.

Yesterday, from morning till night, she only replied with two words – “Good morning” and “So tired, going to sleep”.

There's a saying: "Having seen the ocean, other waters seem insignificant."

She once thought she had seen the world.

But now, following others to the real seashore and catching a glimpse of the reflected light, she realizes that what she had seen before was nothing more than one small lake after another.

The things that once thrilled her and filled her with pride were merely grains of sand in a lake, not precious pearls in the sea.

During this process, an idea gradually took root in Chen Duling's mind.

"Huh? You want to drop out of school?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. I was just saying, don't make a fuss, okay?"

Pan Shouyi was still surprised and said, "No, how could you do this so suddenly... Really? Why did you drop out of school?"

"I'll take the college entrance exam again," Chen Duling said. "I want to apply to the Beijing Film Academy."

"...Oh, you want to be an actor like my brother?"

"Hmm, Xiao Yi, do you think I'm up to the task?"

"I...I don't know. Do you want me to ask my brother for you?"

Chen Duling was a little disappointed; she had originally thought that Pan Shouyi would give her a positive answer.

Call her shallow or succumbing to temptation, but the thought of spending her life buried in a research institute, living a quiet life, suddenly made her feel resentful.

Just as gazing into an abyss for too long can create a black hole within oneself, Chen Duling, after being under the spotlight for too long, also began to be affected by the light. But then again, what self-aware girl wouldn't yearn for that kind of life?

Pan Shouyi seemed to sense her discomfort and immediately added, "Lingling, that's not what I meant. Don't you always tell me that your parents want you to study this major and go to a research institute in Xiamen in the future? If you come to Venice with me and then you want to drop out and enter the entertainment industry, what will your parents think? I'm a little worried about that... You won't be angry with me, will you?"

If it were before, and her scapegoat hadn't stood by her side or supported her, Chen Duling would definitely have been angry. But now, she gave a beautiful smile and said softly, "How could that be? Thank you for thinking of me, Xiao Yi. Actually, I know they won't agree, so I was just thinking about it and haven't made up my mind yet."

"Lingling, you really need to think this through. This is no small matter..."

"...Shh, your brother's here. Don't say anything now. We'll talk when he gets back."

"Oh."

This is the eighth day since the opening of the Venice Film Festival, with only three days left until the awards ceremony on September 8th.

As Chen Nuo led Gulinazha, Allison, and Linghu downstairs, they saw two girls waiting for him on the first floor.

These past few days he'd gotten used to having two little shadows following him everywhere he went. He walked over and said that today might be a bit boring, but seeing that the two of them were grinning foolishly, he didn't say anything more.

Anyway, I've already warned you, but you won't listen. Well then, let's suffer together.

"Tell Them I've Gone on a White Crane" is a movie spanning two lifetimes. Chen Nuo had never even heard of it, let alone seen it, but since they were acquainted, he still had to show his support.

To avoid traffic congestion like last time, the organizing committee has arranged a large speedboat with cabins for Chen Nuo these days to make his travel easier. However, there was a parade on the island today, which delayed him by a few minutes. After a journey of more than 20 minutes, he finally arrived at Lido Island smoothly.

Like Chen Nuo's film, Li Ruijun's screening was held in the largest main screening room of the Venice Film Festival Palace by the organizing committee.

To Chen Nuo's surprise, quite a few people came to see the movie. By the time the movie started, about 70-80% of the seats were occupied, which was much better than he had imagined, when the theater would be deserted.

Li Ruijun specially arranged for him to sit in the fourth row, in the prime seat. Not long after he sat down, the movie started.

The movie "White Crane" is adapted from Su Tong's novel of the same name.

The film is 99 minutes long.

The story is about an old carpenter named Ma in a mountain village in Gansu. He made coffins for people all his life. Every time he made a coffin, he would paint white cranes on it because the white crane was the most auspicious bird in his heart, and it would lead people to the Western Paradise.

But as Lao Ma grew older, cremation was promoted in the area. Lao Ma not only lost his job, but also began to worry about what would happen to him after his death. Worried day and night, he saw Lao Hu, a fellow villager who had been secretly buried, being dug up from the ground and taken to the crematorium, which made him increasingly afraid.

In the end, to avoid cremation, Old Ma asked his granddaughter and grandson to dig a pit for him and bury him in it beforehand.

Before burying him, Old Ma told his grandchildren that if anyone asked about him, they should tell them that he had gone away on a white crane.

That's where the movie's title comes from.

After the movie ended, although Chen Nuo had been mentally prepared before coming, he was still at a loss for words after watching the film.

To be honest, watching this movie requires not only patience, but also a bit of perseverance.

In terms of cinematic quality, this film feels inferior to some of the graduation works of the directing students at the Beijing Film Academy. It was shot entirely digitally, and the people and scenery appear extremely ephemeral.

Zhang Yiyi's film about the mute's house was better than this, and it was far inferior to Li Yang's "Blind Mountain".

However, there are some things worth mentioning.

For example, the lead actor, Lao Ma.

Li Ruijun's maternal uncle's natural performance was quite good.

Furthermore, Li Ruijun's shooting techniques and camera language also demonstrate that he is competent in terms of professionalism.

After the film ended, Chen Nuo was the first to stand up and applaud.

Then, the entire audience stood up and burst into enthusiastic applause.

The applause startled Chen Duling and Pan Shouyi awake from their sleep.

The two girls rubbed their eyes, looked at each other, and both saw the same thing in each other's eyes—this can be called a movie? OMG!

Li Ruijun and his wife went on stage together. He looked a little excited and, holding the microphone, stammered his welcome speech in English: "Thank you all very much for coming to watch my film. I am director Li Ruijun. Thank you for your applause."

The next part was the Q&A session.

The host for Li Ruijun wasn't Daofeng, but a very young host. Unlike Daofeng, who gave a long and detailed introduction to the film, the host only chatted briefly before starting to ask questions from the reporters in the audience.

A foreign journalist, who was called upon by the host, asked, "Director Li, hello, I'm a reporter from 'Screen.' As we all know, there's a huge debate sweeping the entire city of Venice right now. It seems like everyone is divided into two parties. I'd like to know, who do you support?"

Li Ruijun paused for a moment, then said, "Of course I support Chen Nuo."

"Can you tell me the reason?"

Li Ruijun smiled and nodded: "Of course."

……

The reporters finally left under the host's urging, though each of them looked reluctant.

After several more group photos, the host left. Finally, during the last minutes of the screening in the huge theater, only a few Chinese people remained, and they could have a proper chat.

Chen Nuo wanted to say something, but Li Ruijun spoke up before he could, saying, "While it was airing, I kept thinking, do the things I filmed seem to outsiders like Jia Zhangke's films, commissioned by film festivals... or if all the hard work ends up being ignored, then how much meaning does the work itself have?"

“People often say that my films are too artistic and obscure, and that they are somewhat distant from ordinary viewers, as if I am rejecting them. I always reply that the audience may feel that I am rejecting them, but it is like if a place is full of Sichuan food, and I suddenly open a Cantonese restaurant, the locals may feel that I am rejecting them. No, I am just enriching their tastes and hoping that the audience will have more choices.”

"I've held onto this idea and kept making movies until today. Until just now, my idea has wavered."

"Because this may be the first time in my life that I have seen so many people watching my film at the same time in one screening. When I walked onto the stage and looked at the sea of ​​black people below, I suddenly felt that being seen is actually the meaning of the existence of film."

"So, I feel I must say thank you to you."

Chen Nuo was at a loss for words and didn't want to go. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "So you plan to make commercial films in the future?"

Li Ruijun shook his head and said, "No. I still prefer cooking Cantonese food, and that will never change. But when I went to Sichuan, I discovered that Japanese sushi there can be served with chili peppers, and wrapped with pork intestines and tripe. So why can't I do the same?"

……

During her first summer break in college—instead of the usual opportunity of casting for her idol Alec Su's movie "The Left Ear"—Chen Duling began to think ahead about whether she could become an actress.

Li Ruijun, who originally intended to spend his life making award-winning films and achieve a grand slam of nominations at the three major European film festivals, also began an introspection at this time that shouldn't have happened—preparing to add some elements to his consistently obscure and difficult-to-understand rural-themed works and try to make films that are more suitable for the general public.

Chen Nuo was not entirely aware of these changes.

Because he truly knew nothing about the experiences of these two people in their past lives. Yet, without a doubt, they both stemmed from his presence and influence in Venice.

Whether these changes are good or bad remains to be seen.

But perhaps, what life often needs are precisely these small yet crucial changes.

At this point, the 69th Venice Film Festival seems to have only one final and biggest suspense left.

Just like the question the first reporter posed to Li Ruijun—

Whom do you actually support?

It was a problem, but now it's more than just a problem.

The argument that took place late at night in that little bar on Lido Island was just a microcosm of the situation.

In fact, throughout the entire film festival, almost every film professional in the city was caught up in a debate about whose side to support.

Longtime friends, strangers who met by chance, film critics and journalists, journalists and journalists, film critics and film critics, and even ordinary viewers and industry insiders are all vying to express their opinions.

The British newspaper Screen Daily published three film reviews by prominent figures, each with a different perspective.

The French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma took a more sophisticated approach, directly inviting renowned figures in the French film industry such as Jean-Luc Godard, Luc Besson, and Roman Polanski to write articles expressing their insights. Their opposing viewpoints kept readers on the edge of their seats.

Germany's Bild newspaper went so far as to publish daily reviews—starting from September 1st after the release of Drop, almost one review a day, with different writers taking turns to contribute. So far, five reviews have been published, specifically comparing and analyzing Drop and The Master, turning this Venice Best Actor competition into a serialized novel. They even sourly remarked that it all started in Berlin.

The entertainment powerhouse of the United States, located across the ocean, had no reason to miss out, since these were originally two American films, and one of the actors happened to be somewhat well-known in the United States.

Entertainment media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, and IndieWire took turns promoting the film on their covers and inside pages, proclaiming that "Noel Chan's performance in the film is far superior" and shouting that "Joaquin and Philippe are the true MAGA men," turning what was originally a competition for awards in Venice into a soap opera spanning both sides of the Atlantic.

Time magazine, which has always been dismissive of European film festivals, made an unprecedented move on September 2, the day after the premiere of Drop, by using the portraits of Joaquin Phoenix, Philippe Clyde, and Chen Nuo on its cover, publishing a cover article titled "CHINA vs USA at the Venice Film Festival".

As a result, Time magazine's website was flooded with comments from fans that day, and the editor of the article was so overwhelmed with criticism that he had to disable comments.

Later, hackers also breached Time magazine's website, placing a large Chinese national flag on the homepage with the caption: "So what?"

The method wasn't particularly sophisticated, and the FBI solved the case the next day—the perpetrator was a 16-year-old high school student from New Jersey.

That evening, an NBC reporter interviewed his parents in his bedroom, which was covered in clown posters.

The New Jersey-born, middle-class white parents claimed that their child had been a devoted fan of a villain in a superhero movie since he was 12 years old, and that his impulsive behavior was incited by online comments and influenced by the movie. Therefore, they hoped that law enforcement would treat him leniently.

Two days after the news was reported by major media outlets on Twitter, on September 5th in Venice, local residents and people from all over Europe gathered together for a carnival-like parade.

The marchers, holding signs that read "Film knows no borders," dressed up as clowns, vampires, or with spinning tops hanging from their fingers, walked from St. Mark's Square to the Lealto Bridge.

This caused even more jubilation throughout Venice and indeed all of Italy.

From Milan to Naples, from a rural tavern in Sicily to a meeting room in the Vatican, the talk of the town is all about this film festival and who will ultimately be called on the awards stage.

Amidst this overwhelming popularity, the Excelsior Hotel on the Lido Island in Venice was certainly not immune.

Although the nine judges of the main competition here are isolated from the outside world, the newspapers and magazines delivered to them every day still remind them of what is happening in the outside world.

After rounds of debate and deliberation, the day has finally come to reveal the answer.

……

……

Chen Kexin heard jury chairman Michael Mann say in a tired and helpless voice:

"Alright, everyone, quiet down and listen to what I have to say."

As he spoke, the arguments that had filled the small meeting room gradually subsided.

Moments ago, those unusually intense and high-pitched words still echoed in Chen Kexin's ears—

"...You shouldn't suppress a genius just because of his age!"

"...I can hardly believe that even Joaquin and Philip's performances couldn't convince you!"

"...God, how can I explain it so that you will understand?"

"...You can't impose your views on me!"

"...That's absolutely racist!"

This debate has actually been going on for two whole days.

In other words, two days ago, these judges had already watched all the films in the main competition and started the voting process.

There are a total of 8 official awards:
It won the Golden Lion for Best Film, the Silver Lion for Grand Jury Prize, the Silver Lion for Best Director, the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, Best Screenplay, the Jury Special Award, and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Newcomer.

Apart from the award currently under discussion, the other seven negotiations are progressing relatively smoothly.

Even when there were disagreements, under Michael Mann's guidance, a consensus was quickly reached after at most one or two rounds of discussion.

Even the most important Golden Lion Award was decided in just a few words.

Chen Kexin felt that everyone's attention wasn't really on these awards. Michael Mann, that old fox, had clearly seen through this long ago, so he deliberately left the discussion of the Best Actor award until last.

As expected, this became the most difficult battlefield—

Over two days, there were five meetings, each lasting two to three hours.

Initially, they spoke in turn according to the established procedure, but it later turned into group discussions with cliques, and finally it devolved into an open confrontation. Neither side would give an inch, and even though they had to finish all the coffee in the meeting room each time, neither side was willing to leave first.

Michael Mann remained seated quietly in the head seat until the noise in the meeting room finally subsided before he slowly began to speak: "Originally, I wanted to treat this award the same way as other awards, to try and reach a consensus. This is the usual practice for film festival juries, and it's also my responsibility as chairman. But now it seems..."

He scanned everyone present. "I'm afraid we've reached the point where we each have to vote. Do you all agree?"

No one speaks.

Chen Kexin didn't have it either.

This isn't his first time serving as a jury member. Back in 2007, he served as a jury member for the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival.

In 2009, he also served as a jury member for the Asian Cinema Window section of the Busan International Film Festival.

Two years ago, I also participated in the final judging of the Golden Horse Awards.

These experiences made it very clear to him that whether at international film festivals or in the Chinese-speaking world's award selection process, the jury president would try to reach a consensus through discussion rather than resorting directly to voting.

The reason is simple: if there is a consensus, the result will appear more authoritative and stable, and it will not be easily questioned by outsiders.

Conversely, if it is a vote, the result is certainly valid, but if the differences are too great and the votes are close, it will inevitably lead outsiders to speculate that there is serious conflict within the judging panel, and even leave room for media hype.

Especially at an A-list international film festival like Venice, a narrow victory for a core award like Best Actor can spark prolonged debate, which is not a good thing.

Chen Kexin understood perfectly well that this was precisely why Michael Mann dragged his feet on discussing the award until the very last minute and repeatedly tried to reconcile the two.

But right now, reconciliation is clearly impossible.

The elderly Michael Mann was not surprised by the silence in the conference room. After waiting a few seconds, he spoke again:

"In my capacity as chairman of the judging panel, I declare that this vote represents the final result. Once cast, for the sake of fairness, no votes may be changed, including mine."

"This applies regardless of the voting results."

"Therefore, I hope everyone can respect their own identity and, based on professional ethics, carefully cast their vote."

"After the final results are announced, we will maintain a consistent narrative and remain silent about everything that happened during the voting and discussion process. Ultimately, whoever lifts this coveted trophy will be the collective will of the nine of us."

Do you all agree with what I'm saying?

This time, after a few seconds, people responded one after another:

"agree."

"agree."

"I agree."

Judges from all over the world expressed their opinions.

Although Chen Kexin understood that such a promise was only a moral obligation, he still said, "I agree."

Seeing that everyone had expressed their opinion, Michael Mann smiled and said, "I'll repeat myself, this is not a game. After two days and two nights of discussion, it's time to make a decision. I hope everyone will consider this carefully. I can wait for you, no matter how long it takes, but once you cast your vote, it cannot be changed. Do you understand?"

"OK."

"clear."

"let's start."

The other eight people all agreed.

“Okay, then let’s start with…” Michael Mann pointed with his right hand.
"Marina, you go first."

The first speaker was Marina Abramović, a 66-year-old Serbian performing artist who won the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the Venice Biennale in 1997.

Chen Kexin sat diagonally opposite the dark-haired woman, and thus, he had witnessed firsthand the domineering presence of this "Mother of European Performance Art" during the heated discussions of the past two days. Many times, before he could even speak, Marina had already said it for him.

As soon as Michael Mann finished speaking, Marina raised her hand almost without hesitation:

"My vote goes to Chen, absolutely. If I had a hundred votes, all of them would go to him. Have you ever seen death? I have. I spent a whole month in the funeral home of Serbia's largest cemetery, seeing countless dead people. Do you know what the expression on a person's face looks like when they die, what their eyes look like? I saw the same thing in the last shot of 'Water Drop.' Chen didn't need a fly crawling across his eyeballs, nor did he need a makeup artist to apply layers of makeup to him; he made me believe that he was really dead. This is not just a performance, but something beyond performance—it's a great performance art. So without a doubt, my vote goes to him, and he deserves it."

Michael Mann nodded and said to the notary standing beside him, "Write this down, Chen Yipiao. This vote is final. Marina, do you agree?"

"agree."

"Okay, next, Leticia."

Leticia Casta, a 34-year-old French actress and model, is less experienced and less famous than Marina Abramović. Although she is beautiful, her representative works since her debut can only be described as unremarkable.

So, after hearing Michael Mann call out his name, he didn't say much, but whispered, "I vote for the masters, Joaquin and Philip."

This drew an angry glare from Marina Abramović, and Leticia, whether she noticed or not, still showed no intention of changing her ticket.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

“Okay, one to one. Next, Mr. Forman.”

Ari Forman, an Israeli director, screenwriter, and producer, has won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received an Academy Award nomination for the same award. Throughout the debate, he consistently expressed his admiration for the master director.

Sure enough, it was the same this time.

"Joaquin and Philippe, 'The Masters.' Gentlemen and ladies, I think it's necessary for me to reiterate my reasons for voting..."

Ali Forman kept rambling on and on, but Chen Kexin barely listened.

Because he knew that no matter how many reasons Ari Forman could come up with to convince everyone that his vote was justified, the most fundamental reason, in his view, was only one: Harvey Weinstein was Jewish, and so was he.

Besides these, what other reasons are there?

Leticia Casta is the same; this woman is actually trying to curry favor with Harvey to get into Hollywood.

Haha, each one more shameless than the last!
Following Ari Forman was Pablo Trapero, an Argentine director and producer.

Just like his stance during the argument, he raised his hand and, in that characteristic Argentinian exaggerated tone, said in a way that Chen Kexin couldn't quite decipher as either praise or criticism: "Chen. Nobody can convince me to vote for anyone else. As a director, seeing him sitting on the bed masturbating, my whole heart trembled for him. Is there any actor in the world who masturbates better than him? No, there isn't. He is the undisputed king of masturbation. If anyone can get me to work with him even once, I'd even kneel down and lick his shoes."

Michael Mann coughed and said, “Pablo, I’ve reminded you several times that there are ladies in the room. Please keep your voice down.”

Pablo Trapero made a face and said, "Michael, I've already been very restrained by not saying I'd be willing to masturbate for the guy who helped me."

"Hahahahaha."

Laughter broke out in the originally somber meeting room.

Chen Kexin smiled too.

Although Pablo Trapero was constantly cracking jokes, Chen Kexin, being a fellow director, actually understood him very well.

While watching the movie, wasn't he thinking the same thing?

If he was satisfied with the scene on the bus in "Perhaps Love" back then, now, doesn't he also feel a deep sense of regret?

They're all sexy.

His previous attempts were so superficial and ineffective.

But who would have thought that a young, handsome, and inexperienced boy was actually a treasure trove waiting to be explored?
Chen Kexin sighed silently with regret.

Unfortunately, let alone Pablo Trapero, he probably doesn't have much chance of collaborating with him anymore. Back then, Jet Li's 100 million yuan salary for "The Warlords" almost overwhelmed the Chinese film market; imagine 200 million, 300 million... No matter how high an actor's box office appeal is, the market is only so big, and recouping costs would be extremely difficult.

After Pablo Trapero cast his vote, Swiss director Ursula Maier and British actress and director Samantha Morton, who has been nominated for an Oscar twice, also cast their votes.

At this point, six people had already cast their votes before Chen Kexin voted.

Those who voted for Chen Nuo included Marina Abramović, Pablo Trapero, and Ursula Mer.

The voters who backed Joaquin and Philippe were Leticia Casta, Ari Forman, and Samantha Morton.

The current vote count is 3 to 3.

Three people remain to vote: jury president Michael Mann, Chen Kexin, and Italian director, screenwriter, and producer Matteo Garrone. Garrone has won the Jury Prize twice at the Cannes Film Festival for his films *Gomorrah* and *Reality*.

Of the three, Michael Mann, as chairman, never explicitly stated his position. Matteo Galloni, on the other hand, consistently sided with The Master, and while not as forceful as Ari Forman, his stance remained unwavering.

In this way, Chen Kexin had already calculated clearly in his mind that with his vote, the final score would be 4 to 4, and as expected, the final decision would fall in the hands of Michael Mann.

Fortunately, although Michael Mann has never publicly stated his support for anyone, Chen Kexin could sense from the casual conversations over the past two days that his inclination was more towards Chen Nuo.

He sighed silently to himself:

"Nuozai, this is all I can do for you. These foreigners, whether they're concerned about kinship, want to get into Hollywood, or want to turn an Oscar nomination into a trophy, all flock to Harvey Weinstein. It's completely unfair and unreasonable, leaving me with no choice. I hope Michael Mann will vote for you in the end."

Thinking of this, he said without hesitation:
"I voted for Chen."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ari Forman suddenly spoke up: "Chairman, I have an objection to Director Chen's vote. I have some information here that suggests Director Chen should recuse himself from voting on this award."

Upon hearing Ari Forman's words, Michael Mann asked in surprise, "Mr. Forman, explain your reasoning."

"According to my sources, Director Chen and Nuo Chen collaborated on a Chinese-language film 6 or 7 years ago. At that time, Chen was not yet famous, but Nuo Chen played a very important supporting role in his film. Since then, they have maintained a very close relationship. As evidence, two years ago, when Director Chen was preparing to shoot a film, Nuo Chen introduced investors to him and secured funding. These things fully demonstrate that there is an obvious link of interests between them."

As he spoke, Ari Forman shrugged and said with a frank expression, "Moreover, they both have the surname Chen. Although I have no evidence, I suspect that Director Chen and Nuo Chen might be related."

"WHAT?!"

“Comment?!”

"Was?!"

“Nonè possibile!”

Suddenly, gasps of surprise erupted in various languages ​​in the conference room.

All eyes turned to them.

Chen Kexin tried her best to remain calm.

Michael Mann turned to him and asked, "Director Chen, is what Director Ali said true?"

Chen Kexin knew that denying it at this point would be pointless.

Whether it's "If Love" or "Queen Road Ripper," which he co-starred in with Netflix, both are publicly available and can be easily found with a little research.

He said, "I did work with Chen, and he did introduce investment to my film. However, we are not related. Chen is a very common surname in China, with tens of millions of people bearing this surname. Director Ali's suspicions about me are completely unfounded. I can guarantee with my professional ethics that my vote was based on my professional perspective, not anything else."

Ari Forman smiled and said, "Director Chen, even if my guess about your family relationship is wrong, those two films have already proven that there is a connection of interests between you and Chen. So, there's no need to say more."

Then the Israeli director turned to him and asked, "Chairman Michael, what do you say?"

Michael Mann nodded and said, "This does indeed violate the principle of fairness in the jury. Director Chen, I'm sorry, Mr. Forman is right. You should recuse yourself from voting on this award."

Chen Kexin's heart sank to the bottom, but she remained calm and nodded, saying, "I understand, Michael."

"Then, as the chairman of the jury, I hereby declare Director Chen's vote invalid. Next, Matteo, it's your turn."

Matteo Galloni began to speak.

This Italian was a bit of a chatterbox; instead of stating his position directly, he started by rambling on about random, unrelated things:

"Actually, I think both films are excellent, and the male leads on both sides delivered the best performances I've seen in the last ten years. The thought that we could only choose one film and one male lead is driving me crazy—it's definitely the toughest decision ever..."

Chen Kexin couldn't listen to any of it; her mind was in complete turmoil.

Because his vote was invalidated, the previously advantageous situation underwent a dramatic change.

He looked at Ari Forman across from him and saw the smug gleam in the other man's eyes, and felt so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood.

He knew that, in the current situation, it was truly a lost cause for Chen Nuo.

Without his vote, if Matteo Garrone—who hadn't changed his mind even once in two days—casts his vote for *The Master*, the score would become 4-3, with *The Master* leading by one vote.

In Venice's voting rules, the jury president does not have the power to award an extra 0.5 votes. Therefore, even if Michael Mann does vote for Chen Nuo as he expects, it will only tie the score, resulting in a 4-4 deadlock.

After two days of heated debate, with neither side able to convince the other,

A stalemate is a dead end.

If the score is truly tied 4-4 and the game remains deadlocked until the very end, then there can only be one outcome:
The Best Actor award is given out as a tie, or rather, a triple tie.

Because in the eyes of the media and film critics, and in their own eyes, the two male leads of "The Master"—Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman—have been firmly linked together since the film's release.

And if we add Chen Nuo—an actor who has won the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award twice, the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award once, and is the youngest actor in history to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor—

Three of the world's top actors shared the Best Actor award at this year's Venice Film Festival?

This is so absurd it's laughable.

If this result is released, it will be devastating for the Venice Film Festival.

A film festival that should only be ranked last among the three major film festivals has not only allowed a three-time Berlin and Cannes Best Actor winner to win a third of his Best Actor awards, but also allowed the Oscar Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor to share his trophy?
And all this was done under the watchful eyes of the world!
Such an event could be fatal, even for a film festival that has been held for 69 years.

Chen Kexin believes that no responsible jury president would do such a thing. Unless he wants to ruin the Venice Film Festival, turning this already declining festival into a laughing stock worldwide, or even getting it kicked out of the ranks of the three major European film festivals.

So, after Matteo Garrone cast his vote,
To avoid such an embarrassing outcome, Michael Mann, as chairman of the jury, had only one responsible, dignified, and proper course of action: to change the existing bias and cast his decisive vote for Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, making the final vote for Best Actor at the Volpi Trophy 5-3, thus sealing the deal and ending the whole affair.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one who thought of this at that moment.

Chen Kexin noticed that two of the three people in the conference room who voted for the master had smiles on their faces.

Marina Abramović's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

As Matteo Galloni's speech drew to a close—

It seems this outcome was already predetermined.

(End of this chapter)