Abstract Art Award Winner

The Golden Rooster Awards have been decided, and he has already received a Best Actor nomination this year. Given Zhang Yimou's status in the industry, although he may seem somewhat detached from the mainstream, the Northwest circle, which has its own distinct identity, is not to be underestimated.

Most importantly, Zhang Yimou has a wide network of connections. Apart from a few well-known directors who are not on good terms with each other and have some undercurrents in private, he generally does not think about offending others.

Moreover, the script for "Cliff Walkers" is quite good, and with the advantage of its subject matter, he feels that he still has a certain core competitiveness.

His known competitors are Liu Ye, Yu Hewei, Jackson Yee, and Guo Xiaodong.

Guo Xiaodong can basically be ruled out. Although his starring role in "My Father Jiao Yulu" also focuses on a period drama, its impact is somewhat less significant.

Regardless of the subject matter, there are already quite a few film and television adaptations of the story of Jiao Yulu.

Getting a nomination this time is already quite an achievement.

In addition, "Fame and Fortune" was also submitted for the Golden Rooster Awards this year. Although the box office was also very good, the problem is that the male lead was not particularly outstanding. After all, it is an ensemble drama. If you take it out individually, only the female lead is relatively more eye-catching.

Therefore, they only have one Best Actress nomination at this year's Golden Rooster Awards that they intend to compete for; the rest are just nominations for Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.

The current information is that Deng Jiajia has been nominated for Best Actress, but lost out on Best Feature Film. She has also been nominated for Best Editing in both Best Screenplay and Best Editing categories.

Therefore, what troubles Zhou Le the most at this stage is how to handle the relationship between Gulnazar and Dilraba.

This time, a real "battleground" was created abroad, and even though Zhou Le was strong and healthy, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

After much deliberation, he finally called both of them separately.

Why didn't you answer my calls before?

Naza still has a bit of a temper; she gets upset if she doesn't answer the phone, but she can be easily coaxed into doing so.

"Sigh, isn't it just that being abroad is too tiring? Running around to film festivals, socializing, and having to spend time with you—even Superman couldn't handle it."

"Hmph, you just know how to lie to me. I've seen you do your 'Superman' job over there."

"Heaven and earth bear witness, don't you know my character?"

"Know? Of course I know! Don't think I don't know she sneaks over to your place at night."

Zhou Le's heart tightened upon hearing this: Naza actually knew? Why didn't she say anything before?

"Hmph, I knew it! I knew it! But I don't care about any of that, as long as you have me in your heart, that's enough."

For a moment, Zhou Le couldn't tell if Nazha was testing him or something else. Although she usually seemed quite innocent, that didn't mean she was really stupid. On the contrary, after being in the industry for so long, who was truly stupid?
If Nazha wasn't that smart, she would have been completely exploited by Tangren Media long ago. It's just that everyone chose the more comfortable path they have now, and being with her means she has access to resources and isn't entirely dependent on Tangren Media.

"Don't worry, I will always have you in my heart. That's how it is now, and it will be the same in the next ten or twenty years."

"All you do is try to sweet-talk me," Naza muttered. Although you couldn't see her, you could imagine her expression.

"Look at what you're saying, I don't just use my mouth."

"Okay, okay, I know you've worked the hardest, alright? But I'm not calling to scold you this time. I actually wanted to thank you. We filmed a drama together and I even won an award in the US. It wouldn't be right not to show my appreciation, so I was thinking that when you're less busy in a while, we can meet up and I'll give you a small gift."

"That's no problem, but we'll have to wait a bit, because there might be a lot going on during this period."

“It’s okay, I can wait. Anyway, I don’t have much to do every day, just some business-related stuff. Besides, I didn’t have that much work to begin with, but I’ve had a lot more this year because of you, so I plan to take a good rest for a while.”

"Okay, you can arrange it as you see fit. Anyway, if you don't have enough money, I have some projects you can invest in. You don't need to go through all that trouble. I can't guarantee how much you'll make, but I can say for sure that you'll make money."

"Okay, I know you still have feelings for me. That's all for now, I won't bother you anymore. But I can't control what others do, but if you're going to give it to me, you can't give it to Dilraba, understand?"

Hearing this, Zhou Le couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You're quite jealous. Don't worry, I won't give it to anyone else, I'll just wait to give it to you, okay?"

"That's more like it. Bye, I'm hanging up."

Naza hung up the phone immediately after speaking. Zhou Le put down his phone, feeling a weight lifted from his heart.

Then I called Dilraba. It was much simpler with Dilraba, and she was relatively easier to coax.

"It's okay. I know you and Gulnazar have known each other longer, so it's normal that you're closer. Anyway, I don't want anything from you. I have my own money, and I'm good-looking too. I just want you as a person, but I won't cling to you. As long as you have me in your heart, that's enough. Don't get tired of me after we've been together for a while and kick me aside."

To be honest, Dilraba still felt a little resentful. After all, who would want to share something they could have all to themselves?

"Don't worry, how could I not have you in my heart? It's like this now, and it will be the same in ten or twenty years to come."

"Hmph, what a scumbag, all he knows is how to deceive a good girl like me."

"Look at what you're saying, how could it be a lie? I'm truly sincere with you, okay?" "I knew you'd say that, you probably say it to everyone. But I don't care anymore, as long as you have me in your heart, you can go find whoever you want, but you absolutely can't touch anything ambiguous, understand? Even though you're trending on social media every few days, I don't want you to end up like that guy before, exposed as a 'time management master'—you may not care about your reputation, but I do."

"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person. I've always believed in 'better to have nothing than something bad'."

"That's good. I didn't call for any other reason than to check up on you. If I have a good project later and you're free, we can continue to work together."

"Okay, then let's keep in touch. Call me if you miss me, okay?"

"Okay, I called you because I missed you so much, but you wouldn't even answer the phone."

"Sigh, I was just too tired before."

Soon, Dilraba was appeased as well, and Zhou Le put down his phone with a sigh of relief.

Although Wang Baoqiang's movie is still in preparation, Zhou Le is quick to learn and is only the lead actor, unlike Wang Baoqiang who also has to direct, write scripts, and coordinate. So sometimes he doesn't need to spend too much time on it. He can go over and work on things when he's not busy with his current projects.

Zhou Le had originally planned to meet up with some friends over the next few days for a meal, but after making several phone calls, he was turned down each time, with the excuses being strikingly similar:
"I really can't go, Brother Le! I know you love to eat, but the Golden Rooster Awards are coming up soon, so I can't eat too much. I'm just focusing on health and wellness every day. After all, the Golden Rooster Awards are competing with the Golden Horse Awards, so we can't let them lose face."

Zhou Le had no choice but to accept this. Walking the red carpet at the Golden Rooster Awards is the most important event for most artists. If they are not in good condition, they will be criticized for at least half a year. Even if it is postponed, the photos may be used by someone to repeatedly criticize them. After all, who in the entertainment industry doesn't have rivals?
In the end, he still contacted Guo Qiling.

That's the good thing about Guo Qiling: you might say his professional skills aren't outstanding—there are plenty of people better than him in the crosstalk circle, and countless in the acting circle—but every time you call, Guo Qiling will definitely come, even if he's busy.

“I knew you must have called me because you couldn’t call anyone else. But let me put it this way, other people might have to consider body management and skincare, but I don’t care. I’m just a little chubby, and everyone can laugh at me.”

"Haha, speaking of so many people in the industry, we two are still the closest. We're closer than brothers."

"Absolutely! Now, the time I spend at the company plus the time I spend with you is longer than the time I spend at home."

"Good bro, I'm not saying anything more. I'll take you to the Golden Rooster Awards in a few days. You know what to do then, right?"

"I know, I need to go there and expand my business. A lot of celebrities are doing live streaming now, I'll go see if I can recruit a few of them."

"That's right. Not all artists who can go to the Golden Rooster Awards are big stars. Some just want another way to make money."

The two ate and chatted like that, and then they met up every day to talk about investments until the end of the month.

The nomination list had already been announced, and on the 26th, the host lineup for the awards ceremony was also announced: Lan Yu, Deng Chao, Huang Xiaoming, and Li Bingbing will be the hosts, while the nominees' commendation ceremony will be hosted by Han Xue, Shen Lin, Chen Lin, and Yu Haoming.

On the 27th, the list of performers for the nominees' awards ceremony was announced, and Zhou Le was prominently featured, ranking second. Sun Nan was ranked first and was also the first performer at the opening ceremony. Other performers included Zhang Zifeng, Liu Ye, Wang Junkai, Zheng Jun, and Yan Weiwen.

28号到30号就是传统意义上的金鸡百花电影节了，只是这几天也要分阶段：28号是新闻发布会和提名者表彰仪式，29号、30号是影片展映以及评选组进行最终评选。

For the past few days, Zhou Le has been staying at the hotel arranged by the organizers. He spends his days either at the screenings or chatting with people about the movie. When he has a little free time, he also reviews the pre-release promotional plans for "All In" sent back by his company.

In the initial promotional phase, they made no mention of the film, only describing the situation in northern Myanmar from various angles. This kind of thing usually only needs a starting point to attract followers, because so many people in China have been tricked into going there.

On the 30th, Zhou Le got up early, finished exercising, ate something simple, and then went to sit with Zhang Yi for a while. Only then did he gather the people from the "Making a Name for Oneself" crew who came to attend the Golden Rooster Awards together.

"Brothers, this is the first time most of us have worked together, and this is also my first time directing. We submitted a lot of awards, and we don't know which ones will be selected and which ones won't, but no matter what, we've all done our best. And I hope this isn't the first time we've worked together, and that we can get together more often in the future."

After Zhou Le finished speaking, Guo Qiling nodded and said, "Yes, everyone here is my senior, and I'm very happy to work with you all. Although I was promoted to assistant director by Brother Le, he's a really great person. As everyone in the industry knows, although I seem like a nice guy, I don't get along with just anyone. Brother Le and I have a brotherly bond, but while there are many people with brotherly bonds, it's rare to find someone with such a deep friendship."

Deng Jiajia nodded and said, "Yes, actually before this, I never thought I could turn things around. During that time, I was extremely anxious every day, thinking that I might as well just play supporting roles and those tragic and resentful characters, and spend the rest of my time doing stage plays. Even with this role now, I never thought I could become the leading actress. So, I have to be especially grateful to Brother Le, who even gave me a Best Actress nomination this time."

Zhou Le smiled and said, "It's alright. I chose you because you're a good fit. I know quite a few actresses, but I always felt they weren't quite right for the roles. The past is the past. Now that this movie is out, you'll probably get more scripts. You can be selective then, taking on some good roles instead of just accepting anything. I feel you're different from some people. You became famous with 'iPartment,' and there are still many memes about you. If you were willing to pursue an online career, you would definitely earn more money than you do now, but you didn't, which shows you still love acting. I'll still look for you if I have a suitable script in the future. I just hope our Best Actress Deng won't turn me down."

"Don't worry, that's absolutely impossible! Even if I become famous in the future, and I have some important work to do, as long as you call me, Teacher Zhou, I'll drop everything and come to you right away."

"Haha, that's not necessary. After all, my family and business are just small. I'll wait for you."

Everyone laughed when Zhou Le said this, but no one thought he was being sarcastic; on the contrary, they thought he was very sincere.

After lunch, the group began to change clothes and put on makeup in preparation for attending the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony.

This year's Golden Rooster Awards is the most important opportunity for many of them: some want to rebuild their reputation, some want to make up for their regrets, and some want to use this film to enter a higher level of fame and fortune.

In the afternoon, the car arranged by the organizers arrived, and they took the car to the Strait Grand Theatre in Xiamen.

"Teacher Deng, let's walk the red carpet together later. After all, you're our leading lady," Zhou Le said as they got out of the car.

"Okay."

Deng Jiajia naturally wouldn't refuse—walking the red carpet with a top star like Zhou Le was an immense honor. At that moment, she felt as if a dazzling future was truly beckoning her. (End of Chapter)