Abstract Art Award Winner

He worked on "Like a Flowing River" for a few more days and originally planned to take leave, but he had almost finished filming his scenes in the drama, so he told Kong Sheng and left the set early. Kong Sheng just told him that a few more scenes might need to be filmed later and that he should contact Zhou Le when needed. Zhou Le readily agreed, since it wasn't a big deal.

After leaving the group, Zhou Le went back to Beijing. It had been a while since he had been back, so he decided to go back and rest for a bit before visiting Yu Qian and chatting with Guo Qiling about company matters.

He was at home doing nothing when Su Yingxia came over. Although they were a celebrity and his assistant, they weren't like other celebrities who were inseparable all the time. Most of the time, Su Yingxia would explain Zhou Le's work arrangements, and then Zhou Le would do them on his own. Su Yingxia didn't need to serve him personally. Su Yingxia was like a timetable, serving as a reminder and organizing guide.

Of course, when people reunite after a long separation, they should get to know each other a little better first.

……

Two hours later, Su Yingxia, wearing a black silk nightgown, walked to the sofa with a wine glass, sat down, handed a glass of wine to Zhou Le, and then leaned lazily against him.

"Boss Zhou, you're as valiant as ever!" he said, raising his glass to clink with Zhou Le's.

“Ms. Su, you still have your charm.” Zhou said with a wicked smile.

"Do you have any culture? Am I that old? Do you think I still have my charm?" Su Yingxia angrily raised her hand and lightly punched Zhou Le's shoulder.

"Pah, pah, pah, I misspoke. Our Miss Su is graceful and charming."

After flirting and teasing each other for a while, the two started talking about serious matters.

Su Yingxia took out her laptop from her bag and explained Zhou Le's upcoming work arrangements. After listening to everyone, she concluded that the most important thing recently was the Golden Rooster Awards.

The Golden Rooster Awards, along with the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, are known as the three major Chinese-language film awards. They are considered the most authoritative and professional awards in the film industry. This year's Golden Rooster Awards are somewhat special because they are held on the same day as the Golden Horse Awards, but one is held in Xiamen and the other in Taiwan.

Moreover, due to some well-known reasons, this special arrangement has brought unprecedented popularity to the Golden Rooster Awards online.

Some cheered online, hoping to dampen the spirits of the horse racing team on the other side; some contributed money and effort to organize a poster contest for the Golden Rooster Awards; and others stood by the door, saying, "Let's see who dares to go to the horse racing club." In short, there was a lot of discussion.

Of course, in these discussions, some people also posted Zhou Le's speech at last year's Golden Horse Awards, which made him trend on social media again.

Looking at the trending topics on Su Yingxia's phone, Zhou Le sighed inwardly, "Indeed, those with a strong revolutionary background are the most vibrant red scarves."

When the Golden Rooster Awards official saw Zhou Le's speech last year trending on social media, they took the opportunity to release this year's main visual poster and nomination list, in which Zhou Le was prominently featured.

It has to be said that the Golden Rooster Awards are very good at choosing the right time to create momentum.

After browsing the trending topics on Su Yingxia's phone for a while, Zhou Le mentioned Saito Asuka to Su Yingxia, and then told her to keep an eye on Guo Qiling if he needed any help while he was away from Beijing, since he was his younger brother and he had invested a lot of money in him.

Su Yingxia nodded in agreement. Sometimes, Su Yingxia herself couldn't help but marvel at her career luck, which could be described as soaring to new heights.

After graduating, she followed Zhou Le. Aside from a few days of serving tea and water in the beginning, Zhou Le directly delegated authority to her and let her take charge on her own. Although there were definitely many things she didn't know when she first took over, her boss, Zhou Le, wouldn't subject her to outrageous workplace manipulation even if she didn't do well. Instead, she would only receive the strong boss love of being allowed to do things freely and having powerful connections.

Even if she occasionally has to work overtime, it's all willingly done. After all, what office worker could resist the advances of a handsome and wealthy male model boss with eight-pack abs? And in the end, she, an ordinary working woman, can't be the one who suffers.

Not to mention that, in addition to being able to touch the boss's abs up close, her salary and position are also unmatched by her peers.

After chatting about work with Zhou Le and spending some more time together, Su Yingxia left. She had originally planned to have dinner with Zhou Le before leaving, but she received a phone call that required her to go there in person, so she had to leave reluctantly.

Zhou Le checked the time and realized that it was the perfect time to go to Yu Qian's house for a free meal, so he made a phone call to let them know beforehand, changed his clothes, and set off.

On the way there, Zhou Le called Guo Qiling again to ask if he had time to go to his godfather's house for a meal.

However, Guo Qiling was not in Beijing at the time, so the two agreed to meet again after he returned to Beijing and then hung up the phone.

Zhou Le strolled over to Yu Qian's house, carrying some local specialties he had bought from Ningbo.

As soon as he entered, Yu Siyang rushed over and said, "Brother, why haven't you come for so long? I missed you so much!"

Zhou Le pulled him off with one hand and said, "Are you missing me? I don't even want to call you out on it."

Yu Siyang smiled and scratched his head, then took the things from Zhou Le's hands and ran back into the house. Zhou Le followed him in.

"Mom, where's Dad?" Zhou Le asked as soon as he entered the room.

Bai Huimin, carrying a plate of grapes, turned around and replied with a smile, "I heard you were coming, so I went out to buy groceries. I said I wanted to add some dishes for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Le was deeply moved. The Yu couple were truly exceptional to him. Even in an ordinary family, they wouldn't be so open and honest with him, but they genuinely treated him like their own son.

After chatting with Bai Huimin for a couple more minutes, Yu Siyang couldn't wait to pull him into the bedroom.

"Bro, have you bought any new heroes lately? Let me try them out."

"No way. You just said you missed me, but you probably miss my phone." Zhou Lecun said with a smile, intending to tease him a little.

"Brother, my love for you is as clear as day."

"Hahaha." Zhou Le laughed out loud at Yu Siyang's serious expression. "Here you go, quickly put away your determination to prove your innocence with your life."

"Thank you bro!"

The two played games inside for a while, and then Yu Qian, who had gone out to buy groceries, returned. After tidying up, the two left the living room.

"Dad, you're back." Zhou Le went up to greet him first, then sat down on the sofa with Yu Qian.

"When did you return to Beijing? Haven't you been working lately?" Yu Qian asked.

While fiddling with brewing tea, Zhou Le replied, "I have a few days of free time in between, so I'll come back to Beijing to rest and catch up with Qi Ling."

"Hmm, Qi Ling has been quite busy lately. I wonder what he's been up to. He hasn't come over for a while now," Yu Qian said, taking the tea Zhou Le handed him.

“Dad, I know what he’s been up to. We started an MCN company together a while ago, and he’s been busy with company matters lately. After all, I’m not in Beijing often, so he has to take care of things at the company.”

“That’s good too. Having his own career will save him from worrying too much. Besides, I feel at ease with you here. But if there’s anything you can’t solve, you can tell me, and I’ll try to find a solution.” “Okay, thank you, Dad.”

Zhou Le chatted with Yu Qian about their recent situation for a while before Bai Huimin called for dinner. After dinner, at Yu Siyang's insistence, Zhou Le stayed another night and didn't return to his residence until the afternoon of the next day.

When Zhou Le called Guo Qiling that day, he said he wouldn't arrive in Beijing until tomorrow, so Zhou Le thought about it and decided that he should find someone else to have dinner with tonight.

After thinking it over, Zhou Le suddenly remembered Ning Hao, whom he had contacted some time ago. He could talk to Ning Hao again about the movie about telecom fraud and see if he could give him some advice.

Thinking this, Zhou Le called Ning Hao, who answered after two rings.

"Hey, Le'er, what's up?" Ning Hao's voice, thick with a Shanxi accent, came through.

"Hey, Hao-ge, are you in Beijing? I'd like to have dinner with you." Zhou Le's accent unconsciously came through.

"Hey, hey, where are you now? I'm near Guomao. Come over here, there are lots of places to eat around here."

"Okay, send me your location in about twenty minutes."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Le checked the location Ning Hao had sent him, changed his clothes, and set off.

After going over there, Zhou Le saw that Jia Zhangke was also there.

"Le'er, you're here." Ning Hao gestured for Zhou Le to sit down.

"Long time no see, Le'er," Jia Zhangke said.

"Director Jia, it's been a long time. I thought it was just Brother Hao."

“We’re all on the same side, so I didn’t let him sue you. I heard from Haozi that you wanted to make a movie about telecom fraud. How are the preparations going?” Jia Zhangke asked.

"Hey, it's still far from being finalized. I just suddenly had this idea the other day and mentioned it to Brother Hao."

“I talked to Director Jia about it, and he also thought this subject matter was worth a try. The domestic market for crime films has been quite good in the last two years, and with you, a box office powerhouse, it definitely won’t lose money,” Ning Hao said while looking at the menu.

"The main problem is that I don't have much directing experience. I'm afraid that if I hand it over to someone else, they won't be able to produce the effect I want. And like you said on the phone the other day, Brother Hao, isn't this kind of subject matter difficult to pass censorship?" Zhou Le voiced his concerns, though he did so with a purpose.

If you have no experience as a director, you'll naturally need an experienced producer or assistant director. If that doesn't work, a screenwriter will do. If you have Ning Hao or even Jia Zhangke to help, then you're almost guaranteed success.

"Don't worry about experience or not. If you have any questions, come to me or Ning Hao. But he has more experience with this kind of subject matter. If all else fails, you can have him work with you as a producer or something. What do you say, Haozi?" As a fellow Shanxi native, Jia Zhangke was very honest.

"That's a small matter. The main thing is that your script has to be engaging, Le'er." Ning Hao didn't rush to deny it, but he didn't agree on the spot either.

But Zhou Le felt reassured by those words, so he said, "With Director Jia and Brother Hao's support, I dare to cause trouble. When the script comes out in a while, I'll ask my two brothers for advice."

“No problem, we’re all family,” Ning Hao replied.

That was enough. While they were chatting, the dishes were almost served. Zhou Le had originally planned to freeload, but since the big shot had helped him so much, he couldn't be ungrateful. So, he took the opportunity to go out and answer a phone call to pay the bill.

They then chatted about the upcoming Golden Rooster Awards, naturally bringing up the fact that the Golden Rooster Awards and the Golden Horse Awards would open on the same day this year. Inevitably, they then talked about Zhou Le's bold remarks at last year's Golden Horse Awards, and the two teased Zhou Le a few times, which Zhou Le accepted in a very generous manner.

The three of them enjoyed their meal very much. After they finished eating, Ning Hao went to pay the bill and found out that Zhou Le had already paid. He joked, "Wow, Zhou Le must have made a lot of money. He secretly paid the bill."

Jia Zhangke, who was standing next to Ning Hao, laughed out loud when he heard Ning Hao's dialect. Zhou Le also found it a bit funny and quickly said, "Hurry up, Hao-ge, even getting out of the kitchen can't stop your mouth from running."

The three of them didn't go to a second event after leaving. They parted ways at the hotel entrance. Since it wasn't a business event, they didn't drink. Zhou Le drove straight home.

After getting home, Zhou Le changed his clothes and then lay down on the sofa like a corpse.

After picking up his phone, Zhou Le suddenly remembered that his company's artists should have also received invitations to the Golden Rooster Awards, so he asked in the group who wanted to go and if it was convenient, they could go together.

"@All members, everyone, who wants to attend the Golden Rooster Awards? Let's go together!"

After sending the message, Zhou Le went to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later, when he opened the group chat again, it was in an uproar with over 100 unread messages, giving Zhou Le a headache.

So Zhou Le had to ask again, and his message was buried again after three seconds.

In the end, Su Yingxia saw it and called him back, telling him that Zhou Ye and Yu Shuxin from the company would be there, while others either hadn't received an invitation or couldn't make it.

After Zhou Le found out, he called both of them. Zhou Ye didn't answer, but Yu Shuxin answered quickly.

"Hey, Brother Le."

Hearing the familiar voice on the phone, Zhou Le's heart softened instantly; it seemed like it had been a while since he had seen Yu Shuxin.

"Shuxin, where do you plan to start your journey to the Golden Rooster Awards?" Zhou Le asked.

"BJ, I'm going back with Xiao Ye in a couple of days. What's up, Brother Le? Are you coming to see us?"

"I'll be in Beijing for the next couple of days. When you guys come back, we'll head to the Golden Rooster Awards together."

"Ah, when did you go back to Beijing? Why didn't you tell me? If I had known, I wouldn't have waited for Xiao Ye. I would have gone back to visit you first," Yu Shuxin said anxiously.

"Alright, it'll only be a couple of days before we meet again. I'll pick you up from the airport when you get back."

"Okay, then remember to pick us up." Yu Shuxin reminded him worriedly.

"Okay, that's settled then. We'll talk more when we meet."

"Brother Le, bye-bye."

"Okay, bye-bye." Zhou Le said, then hung up the phone. (End of Chapter)