Abstract Art Award Winner

Upon arriving at his hotel in Los Angeles, Zhou Le was temporarily freed from the constant public scrutiny at the airport and on the plane.

The hotel was arranged by the organizer and was of a high standard. The main members of the film crew stayed on adjacent floors.

During check-in, a subtle understanding naturally formed.

Dilraba and her team stayed with the crew of "You Are My Glory," while Gulnazar worked with the "The Long Ballad" team.

Although Zhou Le also participated in those two dramas, and even starred in them, he still followed closely behind the main cast of "Cliff Walkers" and "Awakening Age".

In particular, he closely followed Zhang Yimou and Yu Hewei, directly regarding these seniors as his protective talismans.

After receiving the room key, Zhou Le's room was diagonally opposite Zhang Yimou's, and Yu Hewei's room was next to his.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this position was relatively safe.

He noticed that Reba and Naza's rooms seemed to be in different directions and some distance from his area.

In this way, he was completely at ease.

After all, the closer you get, the more dangerous it is.

Even now, he feels that Crow's comment, "That girl was standing too close," is absolutely true.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder; too much closeness can bring misfortune, especially between two people.

The entire afternoon was spent resting and adjusting to the time difference.

Zhou Le stayed in her room processing some information about her work in China and also looked at the film festival's schedule.

Su Yingxia came over and discussed the arrangements for the next few days with him, emphasizing the occasions where he needed to be particularly careful about his words and actions.

"In short, the principle is to try to follow Director Zhang and his team as a group, and reduce the chances of being alone with any one person. If you really can't avoid it, then maintain absolute professionalism and distance, and interact more with other people."

Su Yingxia gave her instructions.

Zhou Le fully cooperated: "Understood, I'm now Director Zhang's accessory and Teacher Yu's tail."

In the evening, since there were no official events on the first day, each film crew arranged their own dinner.

Since both lead actors from "Cliff Walkers" and "Awakening Age" were involved, the crews decided to team up and have a private dinner at a well-reviewed steakhouse near the hotel.

The atmosphere became much more relaxed, especially for Zhou Le, who felt incredibly at ease.

During the gathering, the conversation naturally turned to movies, the industry, and the film festival.

As Zhang Yimou cut his steak, he remarked, "Every time I come to the United States, I can feel the maturity and strength of their film industry system. It's not just about the technology, but also the way they tell stories and their dedication to genre films. There are indeed many things we can learn from them."

Yu Hewei nodded in agreement: "Yes, their screenwriter-centric system and their research on market segmentation are very thorough, unlike us who sometimes have to take care of many things outside of art. Of course, someone like Director Zhang is definitely not affected."

Zhou Le listened attentively and interjected at the right moment: "I recently watched some movies produced by the company, such as 'Tenet,' 'Parasite,' and 'The Voice of Metal.' I feel that they have done a good job in balancing artistry and commercial appeal. In addition, there are some works by A24."

Zhang Yimou gave Zhou Le an approving look: "You're also paying attention to A24? Good eye. They've really taken a different path, proving that a good story doesn't necessarily require huge investments, but it does require a unique perspective and courage."

Yu Hewei also laughed and said, "Le'er is quite good. She has a wide range of interests. It seems she has put in a lot of effort."

Zhou Le humbly said, "I have learned a lot from you and Director Zhang by observing and learning from them."

Zhou Ye sat next to Zhou Le, watching them chat enthusiastically. He couldn't help but gently nudge Zhou Le with his elbow, lowering his voice with a sly smile: "Brother Le, not bad, how does it feel to have an international trip with women on both sides? I saw your smile at the airport today, it was so stiff, it was almost like a terracotta warrior."

Zhou Le glared at her irritably and said in an even softer voice, "Don't bring up things you shouldn't... I was just maintaining a professional smile."

Zhou Ye chuckled: "Yes, yes, professional, level 10 in being fair. I saw that Sister Dilraba and Sister Gulnazar were also very professional today. Their sisterly bond was so strong, I almost believed it."

Zhou Le said helplessly, "Please let me go and let me have a meal in peace."

Seeing his expression, Zhou Ye laughed even harder, but didn't continue on that topic. Instead, he joined Zhang Yimou and the others in their discussion about European art films.

After a few rounds of drinks, the group returned to their hotel room.

Zhou Le took a shower and felt much more comfortable.

He was just about to look at the script and try to fall asleep when his phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Nazha.

Naza: [Pouting] Hmph, you seemed to have a good time tonight? You were chatting so enthusiastically with Zhou Ye.

Zhou Le's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes. He wondered who had tipped him off.

However, with so many people around, it's inevitable that there will be traitors among them.

Zhou Le: [Sweating emoji] My dear teacher Gu, that was a crew dinner, just normal colleagues chatting. Director Zhang and Teacher Yu were there too.

Naza: I don't care, I just feel uncomfortable. I won't talk about Zhou Ye, but when I think about how Dilraba handed you a pillow on the plane during the day, I feel more and more upset!
Zhou Le: I didn't want it either... [looking wronged]
Naza: No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. I feel so choked up. Open the door!
Zhou Le was taken aback and subconsciously looked towards the door.

Zhou Le: ? ? ? Open the door? Where are you?
Naza: Right outside your door.

Zhou Le: "."

He slowly walked to the door and looked out through the peephole.

Naza was indeed standing outside!

Although she was wearing a hotel bathrobe with a long overcoat over it, and her hood covered most of her face, Zhou Le still recognized the owner of that delicate collarbone at a glance.

He took a deep breath and carefully opened the door.

Naza nimbly slipped in, then gently closed the door behind her and even locked it.

Only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room, instantly creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

"Why did you come here? Aren't you afraid of being seen?" Zhou Le asked in a low voice.

I've only been back for a short time, but anyone passing by outside can see me.

Nora pulled down her hat, revealing a carefully made-up face that clearly showed signs of jealousy.

She snorted, "I don't care, I'm upset. The last two times I sent you to gather intelligence, you enjoyed it, but I was the one who suffered. Now I have to get my revenge."

Seeing her cat-like demeanor, Zhou Le took the initiative and sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze seemingly asserting dominance over him.

It was quite amusing to think that she was completely different from the gentle and proper person she was during the day.

"You're reacting quite strongly to this jealousy. Come visit my hometown sometime; we're professionals."

“Of course! I’ll definitely go in the future.” Naza took a step closer, looked up at him, her eyes shining brightly in the dim light. “But we’ll talk about the future later. Right now, I just need to let you know that I’m human too, and I’m not without feelings.”

Looking at Naza's face so close to his, Zhou Le sighed.

"Since you've put it that way, what can I do? You decide today."

He reached out and pulled Naza into his arms: "If you say it's okay, then it's okay. Whatever you say, we'll do it."

afterwards.

The two lay in bed, embracing each other.

Naza nestled lazily in Zhou Le's arms, her previous jealousy and anxiety seemingly vanished, replaced by a satisfied yet weary smile. "Feeling better now?" Zhou Le stroked her hair and asked softly.

"Hmm..." Naza responded lazily, "That balances things out now."

Zhou Le chuckled: "Your way of balancing things is... kind of exciting. We're all staying in the same hotel, and you're taking out all your grudges on me."

Naza looked up and gave him a reproachful look: "Otherwise what? Do you expect me to have a full-blown fight with her in public? I'm not that stupid. This way is fine, no one will know."

As he spoke, a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

After lingering for a while longer, Naza got up, dressed herself again, and left the room quietly, just as she had come.

Zhou Le felt conflicted; he hadn't expected Nazha to be so bold.

But thinking about it carefully, Naza has always had this kind of personality, so there's nothing surprising about it.

That's good. At least we can appease one of them and not lose out. After all, we're in a foreign country, so we can't exactly date a blonde, can we?

When Zhou Le woke up the next day, he found that Nazha's attitude had indeed changed significantly.

When they met again at the hotel restaurant for breakfast, Naza appeared very calm and composed. When she greeted him, her smile was gentle and natural, and her eyes were clear, as if the person who had been jealous and barged into his room late at night was not her at all.

She could even chat and laugh with Zhou Ye, Yu Hewei, and others, appearing extremely relaxed.

Zhou Le was secretly amazed; the woman was indeed extraordinary.

At the same time, I breathed a sigh of relief; for now, the sky was clear and blue.

Today is the first day of the film festival's screening section. There is no red carpet, but there are some media interviews and public appearances.

Dilraba and Gulnazar both dressed up for the occasion and became the focus of the media.

Dilraba wore a cherry blossom pink strapless dress with the hem covered in tiny sequins. She looked radiant as she walked, tall, sexy, and aloof, attracting a lot of attention.

Naza chose a royal blue velvet halter dress, the material and color of which perfectly complemented her fair skin, outlining her perfect figure and exuding an elegant and noble aura, as if she had stepped out of a classical oil painting.

The two appeared at different times and on different occasions, each beautiful and vying for attention. Although neither said it aloud, it was clear that they were secretly competing with each other.

During the group photo session arranged by the organizers, the two inevitably ended up in the same frame.

But they still performed flawlessly.

Standing side by side, smiling, occasionally whispering to each other, they seemed like best friends who could talk about anything.

Only Zhou Le was arranged by the staff to stand slightly back when the two groups of actors took photos together, maintaining a safe distance from both ladies.

With a standard business smile on her face, she was silently praying that the meeting would end soon.

The daytime activities were busy and packed with activities. Zhou Le followed the film crew to several interviews and screenings, and gradually forgot about the matter.

After all, he was managing four film crews all by himself, and just the interviews alone were exhausting.

However, Zhou Le knew that things were not over yet.

Sure enough, his phone rang shortly after he returned to his room that evening.

It's Reba.

Dilraba: [Cute emoji] Brother Le, are you in the room?
Zhou Le sighed inwardly; what's meant to happen will happen.

Zhou Le: Just got back, what's wrong?
Dilraba: It's nothing, it's just... seeing someone smiling so happily in a photo with Gulnazar during the day made me feel a little... unbalanced [smug emoji]
Zhou Le couldn't help but grin. The lines are almost the same, aren't they?
Dilraba: I need comforting! Open the door!
Having learned from the previous night's experience, Zhou Le was calmer this time.

He walked to the door and, sure enough, saw Dilraba, dressed similarly in a low-key manner and wearing a hat, through the peephole.

As soon as the door opened, Dilraba moved even faster than Gulnazar.

Like a dog chasing a rabbit, it came right in.

"Le'er, Le'er," Reba glared at him as soon as she entered, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her thoughts. "I'd like to hear your explanation."

"It was for work..." Zhou Le tried to explain.

"I don't care!" Reba interrupted him, leaning closer, tilting her head back, her eyes gleaming with a cunning and unyielding light. "I don't care about your work or not, I want more today, you figure it out!"

This time, Dilraba Gulnazar was even more proactive, with a lively and aggressive edge.

Zhou Le knew that he would inevitably have to play the role of the ox again tonight.

But no way.

Sometimes, "cow" isn't a derogatory term.

It all depends on how you interpret it.

After the storm had passed, Dilraba leaned contentedly against Zhou Le, her tone tinged with smugness: "I've surpassed her this time. You really put in the effort tonight!"

Looking at her sly, foxy expression, Zhou Le felt helpless yet somewhat adorable: "You're having a good time, but I'm the one who's suffered terribly. You have no idea how busy I was all day."

"So what!" Dilraba immediately retorted, looking up at Zhou Le. "This is our war, you wouldn't understand~"

Zhou Le didn't really understand, but he could sense that whether it was Nazha's "I must get my revenge" or Dilraba's "I want more," they were, to some extent, alternative and secretive ways for them to assert their dominance and seek psychological balance in this delicate and awkward public relationship.

And he, unfortunately yet fortunately, became that point of balance.

After seeing Dilraba off, Zhou Le lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling like a cake that had been repeatedly fought over and coated with different flavors of cream.

Although the process was indeed thrilling and enjoyable, the feeling of walking on the edge of a knife, and the psychological pressure that followed, was quite considerable.

He vowed that he would never work with either of them again.

Even an elephant can't take more than ten times in two consecutive days.

If this continues.

Does that mean I'll have to take medicine?
"no"

How can a man take medicine? Especially since he's so young.

Fortunately, I got a role in Wang Baoqiang's film next, so I can focus on working for a while.

Thinking of this, Zhou Le finally felt some comfort.

But Zhou Le is still content that the goddess he could only look up to on TV is now a close friend he knows well.

At least, everyone here is an open and honest person.

They won't do anything behind the scenes.

Thinking of this, and recalling the thrill of the two of them going all the way these past two days, he suddenly began to worry again.

Although I used to work part-time at a shooting center.

But in situations like this, marksmanship probably wouldn't be that accurate. (End of Chapter)