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

Chapter 523 I won
He's just a Venice Film Festival Best Actor winner, nothing special.

When Michael Mann stood on the stage and spoke, Chen Nuo kept telling himself this.

But the moment the white-haired old man uttered his name, he still felt a tingling sensation in his brain, as if a slight electric current was passing through it, as if his brain was being massaged, and it felt quite comfortable.

Although this trophy is really not a big deal, his life would probably be the same whether he had it or not.

Before him, the three European Best Actor winners, Jack Lemmon or Sean Penn, were far less famous than Marlon Brando or Al Pacino.

Among actresses, Juliette Binoche and Julianne Moore, who have won three European Best Actress awards, are less well-known than Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet.

But knowing it is one thing, but when everyone's attention is focused on it, it seems to become so important again.

After all, this is a unique feat in Asia—

Japanese cinema, which has produced directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Yasujiro Ozu, began its development in 1912.

Or perhaps it's the rapidly developing South Korean film industry that started in the 90s...

They have never had an actor who simultaneously won the Best Actor awards at Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, have they?

Besides, if we just ignore America, which is so far away on the frontier...

Listen to this voice, also from the ancient continent of Europe—

applause.

To Chen Nuo, it sounded like endless applause.

It came from all directions.

Like the rising tide, it surged towards him and engulfed him.

Without even looking, he knew that at that moment, everyone in the room was staring in his direction.

Whether these people love him or hate him.

Do you admire him or hate him?

Is the intention to crown him, or to send him to the guillotine?

All eyes were drawn to him; at that moment, he was the king of Asia and Europe.

Thinking this, Chen Nuo truly became arrogant and carried away at that moment.

He's not a saint; he's just an ordinary person. Although he sometimes seems indifferent to many things, likes to play dumb, and is unwilling to argue with many people, it's only because he was over forty in his past life and had seen, thought about, and experienced too many things, so his threshold for vanity is higher than that of ordinary people.

Just as he doesn't become arrogant because of his fans' adoration, he feels immense pleasure from completely conquering Ivanka.

So at this moment, when the whole audience is applauding him for his extraordinary achievement,
Even though James Pritzker, Charlize Theron, and others had already stood up,

But Chen Nuo remained seated in his comfortable chair, vainly enjoying a few seconds of treatment that made him feel like a king.

Then, he pushed himself up and stood up.

"congratulations!"

James Pritzker eagerly embraced him, babbling incoherently in his ear like a machine gun firing off a jumble of random words:
"Fuck! We actually did it!"

"I saw my deadbeat dad's treasure trove of Alibaba opening its doors to me!"

"SHIT, I really want him to come back to life and open his eyes to see that my movie isn't fucking crap, it's me, James Pritzker's movie, that's made a fucking legend!"

Hearing this nonsense, Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh. He patted James's junior colleague on the shoulder and said, "Yes, thank you, James. Now let me go, I'm fucking off to collect my award, I'm afraid they'll regret it if I'm late!"

“OKOK!”

Those two lunatics are really crazy. As soon as Chen Nuo said that, James really felt like the judges had changed their minds, and hurriedly let go of his hand, saying, "Go, go quickly."

"Don't rush me, I'm fucking enjoying myself right now."

Chen Nuo took two steps forward and gave Theron a close hug.

Women wearing evening gowns certainly wouldn't wear a bra, and they'd wear plenty of perfume; the smell and touch of it would certainly evoke all sorts of fantasies.
Charlize Theron whispered in his ear, "Congratulations! Want to celebrate in the bathroom later?"

This woman, her mother really got hooked.

In the past, Chen Nuo might have been tempted, but now, he is completely focused on the trophy and has no interest in it.

"talk later."

After a perfunctory remark.

He took two steps up the steps in front of him and arrived at the spacious main stage of the theater.

"Congratulations," the white-haired, bald old man said with a smile once again.

Chen Nuo nodded and said, "Thank you."

After saying that, he took the huge trophy with the green base from Michael Mann and immediately felt its heavy weight.

This is definitely the heaviest trophy he has ever won in his life.

He carried the enormous trophy to the podium a few steps away.

First, he placed the trophy on the table, then scanned the sea of ​​people standing below the stage.

After calming the volcanic emotions surging within him, he brought his mouth to the microphone and said in a heavy tone:
"I WON!"

The next second, there was a deafening roar.

……

……

The last time the applause at the Palazzo Cinema in Venice lasted this long was before.

Harvey Weinstein stood there, seemingly smiling, but it looked worse than crying.

“What exactly happened? Where did things go wrong?” Bob Weinstein asked beside him.

Harvey did not answer.

Because he didn't know either.

He looked at the Chinese boy on the stage, holding the trophy and smiling, and heard him standing on his corpse, delivering a victory declaration.

He really didn't understand, and he wanted to grab Ari Forman by the collar and ask, "What the hell is going on?!"

Harvey wasn't the only one with doubts.

Joaquin Phoenix stared at the ridiculously young winner on stage, those two words echoing in his ears, and he felt a sense of disorientation.

Although he had already read the other party's information, he still couldn't believe that such a young man, not even 30 years old, had defeated him and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Although this has happened before, when it actually happened to him, he still felt indignant and resentful.

"Keep your expression straight; cameras could be rolling at any moment," a somewhat relaxed voice said beside me.

Joaquin Phoenix said in a low voice, "Philip, you sound like you're in a good mood?"

The chubby man with light blond hair and black-rimmed glasses said, "Including this time, I've lost to him twice already. I'm used to it."

“HOW??” Joaquin Phoenix couldn’t help but blurt out.

Philip Seymour Hoffman shrugged and said to himself, "Maybe this is what happens when an ordinary person encounters a genius. Have you ever seen an actor like this? I think he has Leonardo DiCaprio's looks, Marlon Brando's talent, and Daniel Day-Lewis's incredible luck."

Joaquin Phoenix paused for a moment, then said, "How?" This time, his voice was much softer, almost drowned out by the applause.

He initially thought Philip hadn't heard him clearly, but almost a minute later, a voice reached his ears—"How the hell should I know?"

The applause was no longer like a tide, but like a drug that had been given to him, strong and lasting.

Even after Joaquin and Philip finished speaking, the gentlemen and ladies in the audience showed no sign of stopping.

Dressed in suits, they clapped, and whether the applause was genuine or not, it lasted a long time.

The applause lasted for one minute, two minutes, or five minutes.

Chen Nuo didn't know.

But as time went on, there was no doubt that the trophy he held in his hands became heavier.

It was that kind of heavy, and that kind of heavy.

His gaze swept across the audience, landing on his parents. Pan Chengrong was clapping and saying something to them, and hey, Old Chen was actually wiping his eyes. That was truly a strange sight.

His eyes lingered there for a moment, then he looked to the side. Seeing Pan Shouyi and Chen Duling, the two little girls were incredibly excited, clapping their hands incessantly.

He continued looking. He saw Monica Bellucci. The woman smiled and clapped gracefully.

Then came the Weinstein brothers, and his rivals.

At this moment, he once again felt the meaning of rebirth from the bottom of his heart.

He felt an urge welling up inside him; he wanted to do something, to leave an even deeper mark on this moment.

Without thinking twice, he suddenly raised the heavy Volpi cup high above his head.

This action was just like when he was on the ship, holding up that drop poster.

If that was the beginning of a beautiful story, then now, perhaps, is its best ending.

"I won!"

He repeated it loudly again to the 1408 people who applauded for him.

The applause rose again.

Cheers, whistles, and shouts from all directions rose and fell from the spacious hall, as if trying to lift the roof off the cinema palace.

The official photographers in the audience were all smiles and frantically pressing the shutter. They knew that this scene would surely make the covers of countless media outlets and weekly magazines the next day, just like Benedict's coronation seven years ago.

Chen Nuo held the trophy up for more than ten seconds until his arm ached slightly before he put it back on the podium.

At this moment, the lively hall gradually quieted down, and the standing audience members slowly took their seats.

When the sound stopped, Chen Nuo spoke into the microphone, "Thank you, Grazie! Thank you for your applause." He didn't recite his acceptance speech, but slowly began to express his feelings: "Actually, I know that with my age, my experience, and everything about me, it would be very difficult to win this award anywhere else."

I think it's probably impossible anywhere in the world.

I want to get the last piece of the puzzle. At this age, only here, in this country that has produced heroes, do I have the chance to stand on the podium and hold up my victory.

So before thanking others, I want to thank Italy first, and thank Rome!

The words fell,

It was a foregone conclusion.
The applause, which had just subsided, erupted once again.

One group of people after another stood up from their chairs, and within a dozen seconds, all 1408 people in the seats stood up again.

Alison had no choice but to stand up along with the excited Italians around her.

At this moment, her prepared award-winning speech was completely useless, but the effect on the spot seemed to be many times better than her comprehensive and gorgeous words.

All she could say was that for a playboy as eloquent as Mercury, no one ever needed to worry about how to win someone's favor.

Ten seconds later, the applause subsided again.

Chen Nuo realized that Italians were too easily swayed by emotions; no wonder they had accompanied the Führer on his campaigns. Not wanting to appear like Mussolini, he softened his tone: "Thank you, judges. Thank you for awarding this heavy trophy to a young actor like me."

"After that, I want to especially thank one person, and that is the director of this film, James Pritzker."

As he spoke, he looked at the skinny man in the first row.

"James, remember that night on the beach? You said that only true warriors fight to the bitter end alone. I think you've done it now. You single-handedly brought me here. You've proven yourself; you are a true warrior."

James grinned, his eyes red, and nodded vigorously.

Chen Nuo then looked at the woman beside him and said earnestly, "I also want to thank Ms. Charlize Theron and Ms. Janice Wen, who was unable to attend. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. This is not an easy movie. Thank you."

"I thank my teacher, Ms. Li Er, and my alma mater, the Beijing Film Academy. You may have heard of it before; in fact, it recently appointed me as an honorary professor. Now that I have this award, I finally have the confidence to teach an acting class..."

After saying this,
A burst of laughter immediately erupted in the thousand-seat theater.

Meanwhile, in a residential building in the far-off capital, Principal Zheng Zhongjian, who had set his alarm and was watching the live stream on his laptop, let out a louder voice than when he heard Chen Nuo had won the award, which drew an impatient complaint from his wife beside him.

It was four in the morning, but Principal Zheng was so excited that he didn't care and picked up his phone from the bedside table to make a call.

Sure enough, the person on the other end was awake and answered quickly.

"Dean Zhang, are you watching?"

"Yes, yes! Amazing, truly amazing! Unprecedented, unparalleled... Principal, we students must make a big splash this time and have a proper celebration!"

"We'll discuss this at work tomorrow. Actually, the more important thing is that you call Professor Li tomorrow morning to share the good news! We shouldn't take Chen Nuo's platitudes on the podium too seriously, but we can't completely disregard them either. Understand?"

"I understand, I understand!"

……

Although the time allotted for acceptance speeches at the Venice Film Festival is not strictly regulated, Chen Nuo had already wasted too much time on and off the stage. In front of him, the director on set was already gesturing for him to hurry up.

Ok,

His Majesty the King has awakened from his dream and it is time for him to bow and step down.

Chen Nuo then quickened his pace, saying, "Thank you to my agent, who is also my good brother Chris. Thank you Allison, I've decided to double your bonus this time. And thank you to my colleagues at the company, it's because of you that I could join the film crew without any worries, and disappear for three months without having to worry that I'd gone bankrupt."

"Finally, I want to thank my family, especially my parents."

Chen Nuo translated it into Chinese, or more accurately, into Sichuan dialect.

He looked at his mother, who was finally overcome with tears, and his father, who was pretending to be calm, sitting in the third-to-last row, and said in Xichuan dialect, "Thank you, Mom and Dad. I am so lucky to have gotten to know you both again in this life. This is actually my greatest reward."

Finally, overcome with emotion, he raised the trophy once more, waving the golden chalice, which shone with light, high in the air. Amidst the enthusiastic applause of the entire audience, he shouted, "If there is an afterlife, I will definitely be an Italian."

Thank you, I love Venice! I love Italy.

Grazie mille!

……

……

"Are you serious? You really want to be Italian?"

"Shut up, stop talking nonsense. Oh, shit, wait a minute, why do I feel something moving?"

Have you ever heard of Kegel exercises?

"I think I've heard that you've been practicing this?"

"Yes, I've been practicing for three days. How are you feeling?"

Upon hearing Charlize Theron mention Kegel exercises, Chen Nuo immediately thought of Gao Yuanyuan.

Just over three hours earlier, right after the awards ceremony ended, Gao Yuanyuan sent him a WeChat voice message.

In his memory, Gao Yuanyuan, this artistic young woman, had never seemed so happy before.

That kind of suppressed excitement is something even the most skilled actor couldn't fake, and it traveled through the radio waves even though the two were thousands of miles apart.

The artsy young woman seemed to hold a deep grudge about her previous failure to win anything in Venice, and when he lifted the trophy in Venice this time, it was as if he had avenged her.

"Don't get distracted, baby..." Theron said with some dissatisfaction.

Then, the woman Kegeled.

He is indeed a talented player.

If Gao Yuanyuan's Kegel is like a delicate hand, then Theron's Kegel is like a fish's lips. Soft, delicate hands are certainly a delicacy, and fish lips are equally delicious.

If he weren't so different now, he'd probably be racking his brains trying to figure out what time to get up and catch the plane to avoid a complete defeat.

But now...

Humph.

Thirty minutes later, a thick layer of fog covered the mirror in the suite's bathroom.

Charlize Theron slumped on the sink, leaning against the mirror, her blonde hair soaked with sweat, strands clinging to her face, making her look like a Barbie doll after being washed by rain.

This was yet another time Chen Nuo saw that feeling of complete submission in the eyes of a blonde, fair-skinned beauty.

To be honest, this feeling is really no less than raising a trophy on the podium.

Theron was panting heavily, and said in fits and starts:
"I really want to know, what exactly did you do while you were back in China? OMG, I feel like you're a strong bull, constantly ramming me with your horns. And last time, after you left, I stayed in the bathroom for a full half hour before I could get my clothes back on."

Chen Nuo smiled gently and said, "What can I do? I haven't done anything. Every day I just film and exercise, that's all."

Theron sighed and said, "Well... but I've discovered that the bathroom is actually a really nice place; I love the feeling. Can I fly with you on your plane tomorrow and go back to America with you? I think we could even fly on your plane together..."

Chen Nuo shook his head and interrupted, "No, I'm flying American Airlines tomorrow. My plane is taking my parents back to China."

Theron was slightly disappointed and said, "Oh, okay. By the way, are your parents especially proud of you now?"

“They have always been very proud of me.”

Charlize Theron laughed, “I misspoke. But I think they must be feeling incredibly moved right now. You’re so young, yet you’ve already won the three most important awards in all of Europe for an actor. Americans don’t understand how rare that is, but I do. When I saw you holding up the trophy in the audience, I have to say, Chan, you’re as handsome as Apollo. I believe every woman who saw that wanted to get into your bed tonight. I’m so lucky…”

Chen Nuo felt something was off and interrupted, "Wait... Charlize, did you lose all the money I lent you again?"

Theron paused, a look of panic flashing across his face, and shook his head, saying, "What? No!"

Chen Nuo sneered, "Heh, don't lie to me. Charlize, do you think I'll forgive your debt just because you say a few words to me? No way. When I return the dollars I lent you, not a single dollar less."

Theron flashed a sweet smile and said, "I really didn't lose much, I just... lost a little, really, just a little. Last time you recommended Apple and Tesla to me, they were rising too slowly back then, I couldn't wait. So I sold them... Who would have thought they'd rise so much now... Fuck, I really regret it... Chen, do you have any stock recommendations for me now? I swear, this time I'll definitely..."

"Alright, that's enough. Just wait until you go bankrupt!"

"Don't do this, Chen, I can help you..."

"What are you going to do... Charlize, shut up!"

……

After Chen Nuo celebrated his hard-won victory with his parents, uncles, aunts, and other relatives, and then played and frolicked in his room late at night in Venice with South African Baozuan,
Everything that happened just a few hours ago has been transmitted to every corner of the world through the photos and pens of reporters.

……

Seoul, South Korea.

Jun Ji-hyun didn't sleep well at all last night.

Although I prayed for a long time before going to bed and vaguely heard some kind of response, I still had many nightmares.

As a result, I woke up at around 4 a.m.

At that moment, she really wanted to take out her phone to check the messages.

But fearing to wake her partner, she tossed and turned in bed for more than two hours until 6 o'clock, when she finally got up and picked up the Samsung Galaxy from the bedside table.

Swipe open the screen and tap NAVER News.

She didn't have any time to react at all.

Because the information she wanted to know was on the news cover.

A picture and a sentence filled the entire screen.

The image shows a red-haired man standing behind a podium, holding a large, heavy-looking trophy high, much like Thor in the Avengers wielding his hammer.

The words were large and bold.

The text was brief, but paired with the image, it left her no room for wishful thinking.

"He won!"

Jun Ji-hyun's heart sank.

(End of this chapter)