Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 271 Mr. Diochi, Miss Shang

The Cannes Midnight Screenings section, as its name suggests, is basically scheduled for late at night, suitable for the screening of all kinds of thrillers, disasters, and adrenaline-pumping commercial blockbusters.

That's why "Flu" chose this section, because each section at Cannes attracts a specific audience (film fans).

If "Flu" were placed among the major art films in the main competition section, it would definitely be met with a barrage of criticism upon its release.

But if it's screened at midnight... well, it's just a matter of professional expertise.

In the midnight screenings section, the timing of the screenings is also carefully considered.

The most lucrative time slots are between 11 pm and 12 am, followed by 1 am, and the least lucrative is 2 or 3 am. These are the times when people are most tired, so even if the film has a great plot, it may not attract much attention or interest.

—The fact that "Flu" was able to secure a prime-time slot in the Cannes Midnight Screenings was truly unexpected for many.

Hearing the voice of Jin Sui, who had just arrived last night, Chi Ye smiled and said, "It's mainly because the subject matter is suitable."

"I'll say it again, I have great confidence in the quality of 'Influenza'."

This year, he nodded silently.

She hadn't actually planned to come this time, because her company hadn't invested as much as Ikeno, and after "Flu" encountered setbacks, the company urgently adjusted its development strategy, wanting to quickly move into new projects and minimize the losses of "Flu".

But in the end… after much thought, she still felt that she should stay by the side of her “partner” Ikeno at this time.

Regardless of anything else, Xiaxia knew that she must be very sad that she didn't come.

When does the red carpet start?

5:30 p.m.

"Are you ready?"

"Nothing needs to be prepared."

"Uh...that's true."

This year, I finally realized what was happening and looked at the scene, which wasn't very lively... It wasn't very lively on their side.

The most exciting part of the event today was the presence of numerous big names from Europe and America, as well as many well-known artists from Japan and South Korea.

The Chinese entertainment industry lags far behind in this regard. Apart from Teacher Zhang, who can "hold up the scene," there is only Li Yuchun, who has few works but always "closes the show" in China, and Tang Ying-hou, who has given up the Chinese entertainment market and is now developing in South Korea.

The remaining domestic entertainment celebrities, including Chi Ye, were mostly surrounded by media who had flown in specifically from China.

Of course, because Ikeno is very famous throughout Asia, many Japanese and Korean media outlets are quite enthusiastic about him.

After greeting a few media personnel, Chi Ye and his group found seats to rest. Throughout the entire process, they did not interact with the group from the Beijing and Northwest circles who had also not greeted them.

Quietly awaiting the start of the Cannes red carpet.

……

The Cannes Film Festival red carpet is one of the world's most prestigious red carpets and a crucial component of the festival, making it a pioneering event in the field.

Unlike major film festivals and red carpet events in China, where the concept of red carpets in the domestic entertainment industry is copied from Cannes, the red carpet event in Cannes is more "formal" and complicated.

And the hierarchy was very strict.

Its red carpet priority, from highest to lowest, is: jury members/creative team of the opening film, with a stay of three to five minutes.

The lead actor in the competing film will appear for two to three minutes.

Brand ambassador: The unit of minutes will be changed to seconds, and the specific calculation will be based on the cooperation agreement.

Non-competitive guests: No time to linger, pass through quickly, just an extra.

There are four levels, and the vehicles they use are also different, ranging from the highest level, the official Mercedes-Benz, to the final one, which has become a bus.

A true "just a passerby".

Meanwhile, the time during the red carpet event is calculated down to the second, and the entire process is extremely rigorous. Some media outlets have estimated the cost of a single Cannes red carpet event, which can reach as high as $150 million in just a few minutes.

The security personnel inside have only a few seconds between the arrival of the previous group of guests and the arrival of the next group to quickly remove any wrinkles or unexpected incidents on the red carpet, without any delay.

To prevent various shady characters from trying to ride the wave of popularity, and to prevent the recurrence of "disgraceful incidents" such as celebrities wearing dragon robes and carpets, Cannes has equipped itself with high-tech devices such as hidden magnetic barriers and biometric identification systems (palm vein scanning) to prevent any accidents from happening.

From this perspective alone, the Cannes Film Festival is "experienced," unlike Scream Night and various New Year's Eve parties, which were driven to despair by Rise...

If Rise came to Cannes, she probably wouldn't even be able to get through the door and would be quickly carried away by security.

It is true.

Ikeno and the creators of "Flu" were positioned at the lowest level at this year's Cannes Film Festival because they did not apply for the main competition section. The midnight screenings were in the non-competitive section, so they didn't even have time to stay on the red carpet.

The treatment they receive is on the same level as ordinary guests who come to ride the wave of popularity or are invited to sing midway through the show.

Hmm... It's quite "shabby." Ikeno hasn't received this kind of "treatment" in China and Asia for a long time, but it's quite normal among the top three.

In contrast, Professor Zhang and his group, either because of connections or because their works were in the main competition, did not need to "piggyback" on the success of Cannes and were able to make a brief appearance there.

"Let's see what they do later. Will they learn from Carpet Star and refuse to leave, only to be carried out by security?"

"Haha, stop joking. Security in Cannes is so tight right now, how could you possibly see something like this?"

"Speaking of which, Ikeno is Dior's global ambassador, so he should be able to stay, right?"

"I'm not sure about that. Has the collaboration between Cannes and Dior expired?"

"..."

A corner of the red carpet waiting area.

A group of Chinese entertainment fans were watching the lively red carpet and the unfamiliar media around them, chatting idly while unable to resist peeking out to search for the creators of "Flu".

Finally, they found them in another corner, and then began their daily cricket-keeping routine.

Peng Chen craned his neck with great interest, eager to see how Chi Ye would walk the Cannes red carpet this time. The thought of it... without even an interview or a stop, made him happy.

Of course, unlike Ikeno, he won't be walking the red carpet this time...

"Stop looking. Ikeno should be able to stay. He has several top luxury brand endorsements. Cannes can't possibly not give him any screen time."

Ling Han glanced at Peng Chen: "You're too petty. No matter what, he was your former captain, and here he's one of our compatriots."

"...Chinese people love to take advantage of other Chinese people when they're abroad."

Ling Bingbing, who rushed over yesterday, shook her head.

Peng Chen looked embarrassed, but he didn't dare to argue with the sisters. He could only pretend he hadn't heard them, but his eyes couldn't help but dart over there.

Finally, the creators of "Flu" in the corner made a move, standing up. They didn't attract much attention, but they did attract the "concern" of their fellow countrymen.

"Got to go."

Before the red carpet event, the creators of "Flu" were pulled up to "pass by," which was one of the most inconspicuous moments.

Ikeno was dressed in a sharp Dior suit, and all his endorsements were still valid. As he was about to walk onto the red carpet, he suddenly reached out his hand.

Sheng Ning, who had been looking rather downcast, was taken aback.

"hand."

Sheng Ning remained silent for a while, then gently placed her hand in her palm.

Thus, the male and female leads of "Flu" and other key members of the production team stepped onto the red carpet.

The surrounding media flashes were not intense; many foreign media outlets only took a token pat. Only when passing by domestic media did the flashes suddenly pick up speed, and then get faster and faster.

—Ikeno and Sheng Ning are holding hands! If we send this picture back, will we still have to worry about sales this month?

Traffic explodes!

Chino and Sheng Ning were not surprised by this situation. They continued to walk out of this area and came to areas including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

The clicking of the camera shutter continued.

"Professor Chi! Professor Chi!"

"Professor Chi, I love you!"

"..."

As Sheng Ning listened to the various Taiwanese and Hong Kong accents around her, the corners of her mouth inexplicably curled up, and she lowered her voice: "Asian top stars are indeed different."

Chiye: "..."

He glanced at Sheng Ning and smiled, "There are even more different ones."

"Ok?"

Sheng Ning was taken aback.

Then she realized that Ikeno, who had come to the center of the red carpet, had stopped walking, but the rest of the "Flu" cast and crew were still walking.

—Ikeno can stay because he is not only a Dior ambassador, but also a Cartier ambassador.

Furthermore, a Middle Eastern company that will be making a low-key entrance tonight and will not allow any media to take photos is said to be a fan of the drama "My Love from the Star".

and so…

Ikeno stood in the center of the red carpet, leaning towards the domestic and Southeast Asian media who were most enthusiastic about him. He stood there for a good three or four minutes, signed his name, and then leisurely walked into the inner area.

At first, domestic and Asian media were a bit confused, but once they realized what was happening, they immediately went into a frenzy.

"As expected of Ikeno, the whole group can't stop, but he's stopped for so long."

"The security guards didn't come over. At first, I thought he was going to rub against me."

"Stop criticizing him. Do you know how prestigious a Dior global brand ambassador is? Ikeno himself isn't big enough in Cannes, but Dior can elevate him. Last time, a relatively unknown ambassador was only there for three minutes, and the Cannes officials didn't even care."

"Wow, that's really awesome."

Really awesome.

The reason Ikeno stayed for so long was because he was stopped and interviewed by the editor-in-chief of French Vogue on the steps.

Such unexpected situations are actually considered a reasonable extension of time—as long as the flow of traffic is not blocked, the needs of top fashion media can often override the rules.

At this moment, the importance of an artist's fashion status and resources is fully demonstrated.

In China, after Ikeno became a top-tier celebrity, he actually generated a lot of revenue for Dior. Dior relied on Ikeno to make its brand performance stand out in the entire Southeast Asia region.

However, in Europe and internationally, Ikeno became a target of Dior's "support".

Top fashion icons would greet him with smiles, and some would even wait for him to interview them in order to extend his time on the Cannes red carpet, all so that this global Dior ambassador could "be worthy" of Dior's prestige.

It's mutually beneficial; it's that simple.

Many other artists, who may not be big names in the film industry, also enjoy this kind of treatment, but have high-profile endorsements and fashion resources.

Li Yuchun is an example of this type.

"...He's been here so long. Last time, I remember Yingying also got extra time through a brand endorsement, but she only stayed for ten seconds longer, and I think the security guards rushed her three times. They almost had to carry her off the stage... This Chi Ye..."

"There are differences even among luxury brands."

"That's not right. If he takes up this time, then other people's time will be reduced... From whom will it be reduced?"

In the domestic entertainment industry, some people realized this, and then they exchanged glances—it seemed self-evident.

Not long after, Mr. Zhang and his entourage, who also had little "star power," walked onto the red carpet, but they only stayed for a minute and didn't even have time to be interviewed before being hurriedly asked to leave the stage.

Director Lu, Peng Chen, and the others looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.

"...Tell me about Chi Ye, isn't he hated by many people?"

"Damn, Teacher Zhang's face turned green just now, haha."

"Bingbing, did you see that?"

Director Lu, always eager for drama, turned to Ling Bingbing, who had remained silent.

Ling Bingbing was taken aback, then laughed: "She's always been competitive, and she'll probably hold a grudge against Shang Chiye this time. But... if you're not good enough, don't blame others for stealing your thunder."

"Hmm...don't you want to go up and walk around too?"

"...There might be a chance, but I haven't had any works in the past few years."

Ling Bingbing felt a little regretful, and also a little nostalgic.

Back then, the competition among the four leading actresses at Cannes was truly fierce. That celebrity with the same name as her rose to fame right there... To be honest, she looked down on the other woman's behavior.

Because at that time, it did seem like they were shamelessly trying to become famous.

嗏

Well, it's all in the past now.

In recent years, due to health reasons, she has filmed very few movies and has not had the opportunity to step onto such an international stage. Seeing Teacher Zhang appear in Cannes again this time, she is still a little envious from the bottom of her heart.

By the way...

Not long ago, someone handed her a spy novel, which seemed quite good.

Unfortunately, it's a TV series.

“Haha, there will be a chance.”

"The young actresses are getting fiercer and fiercer these days, it's not that easy."

"..."

……

"Xiao Chi, you're amazing! My highest time back then was only two minutes and fifty seconds, and yours is a full minute longer than mine. You've really made it big now, kid."

Inside, Sister Shang, who had "secretly" slipped in, nodded and gestured, indicating her approval of Xiao Chi.

The new generation of actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry are indeed very impressive. Among the young actresses, Shang Jie holds the record for the longest time on the Cannes red carpet, lasting a full two minutes and fifty seconds. In contrast, Sheng Ning is virtually unknown internationally.

That's why there's so much controversy both inside and outside the industry about whether Sheng Ning is the top of the four little actresses—Sheng Ning may be lazy, but her past achievements are undeniable.

"It's alright. The length of time doesn't mean anything. You need solid strength."

"Oh?!"

Shang Youshu's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "Mr. Que, the duration is important, but 'hardness' is even more important!"

Chi Ye nodded first, then paused, looking at Miss 91 with suspicion.

I suspect you're driving, and I have evidence.

(End of this chapter)