Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 258 Venice International Film Festival
Although Li Boda didn't use the Venice International Film Festival as a gimmick for promoting the film "Dying to Survive," the promotion of the film never stopped.

Or rather, from the moment this film was first conceived until now, the promotional work surrounding it has never stopped.

However, during the promotion, Li Boda did not deliberately promote it as an award-winning film.

Therefore, most people only know that the movie "Dying to Survive" is a realistic film directed by Lee Bo-da, who was invited by South Korea.

Although it's not a special effects blockbuster, or even a commercial film, many people in China still have high expectations for this movie.

Of course, the audience for "Dying to Survive" is definitely not as popular as the "Infinite Terror" film series.

However, any film directed by Li Boda will always attract a lot of attention and anticipation, regardless of its quality. As long as the film is of good quality, there shouldn't be any problem with its box office performance.

Time flies, and it's already September.

Meanwhile, Li Boda, along with Wang Chuanjun, Wang Baoqiang, Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jung-jae, Son Ye-jin, and others, flew directly to Venice.

The film "Dying to Survive" has been selected for the Venice International Film Festival.

Several months have passed since filming wrapped, and the cast and crew reunited at the Venice International Film Festival. Everyone was very happy and excited.

Son Ye-jin even moved into Lee Baek-dae's hotel room that very night.

The South Korean actors, including Hwang Jung-min, remained completely silent about this, seemingly considering it perfectly normal.

On the contrary, Wang Chuanjun and Wang Baoqiang both had a slightly strange expression.

It's not that they think this kind of thing is too rare, but they just feel that Son Ye-jin's behavior is too blatant. You should at least try to cover it up a little bit, or at least book an extra room, even if it's just a token gesture.

They could only sigh and wonder if the stars in the Korean entertainment industry had experienced too much or were just too daring.

……

"Director Li?"

When Li Boda and his group arrived in Venice and were waiting for the opening ceremony of the film festival, someone suddenly called out to Li Boda. Li Boda turned around and saw a charming face—Xu Qing!
Upon seeing her, Li Boda couldn't help but be taken aback. This woman was someone Li Boda remembered quite well. Although Li Boda and Xu Qing had never had a formal conversation or even met before, Xu Qing had still left a very deep impression on Li Boda.

Because Li Boda stumbled upon the story by chance, out of boredom or perhaps a sudden lapse of judgment, and ended up playing a minor role in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," and the female lead in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" was none other than Xu Qing.

Back in the film crew, Li Boda saw the woman who was practically the center of the entire crew. It would have been impossible for Li Boda not to have some fantasies at that time.

However, after Li Boda started to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, Xu Qing seemed to disappear from the industry, rarely filming any new works, and there were no opportunities to collaborate with him afterward.

Seeing Xu Qing again now, with his beaming face, Li Boda couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

"It really is Director Li! I almost didn't recognize you when I saw your back earlier." Xu Qing walked over with a smile: "Hello, Director Li, I'm Xu Qing!"

"No need for introductions, Xu Qing, we know each other." Although he was filled with emotion, Li Boda remained calm on the surface and shook hands with Xu Qing with a smile.

"I never expected Director Li to know me. Shouldn't I feel honored?" Xu Qing laughed heartily, her generous and easygoing manner making her very likable.

"Haha, you probably don't know, but the first time I entered the entertainment industry as an extra was in the 'Swordsman' drama series. Back then, you were the female lead, and you were someone I looked up to." Li Boda said with a hearty laugh.

Xu Qing probably hadn't expected that she and Li Boda would have such a connection, and a look of surprise appeared in her eyes. Then she laughed, her smile carrying a hint of ambiguity: "Is it really just about looking up to someone?"

The next moment, Li Boda felt his palm being gently hooked.

Li Boda couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart. Xu Qing, this woman in her forties, was still quite charming and elegant!

Just as Xu Qing was chatting and laughing with Li Boda, someone suddenly called out to Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, what are you doing? You've appeared here in the blink of an eye. Oh, it's Director Li." Feng Gangpao's voice came over.

"Director Feng." Li Boda greeted Feng Gangpao with a calm smile and a gentle tone.

"Director Li, I heard you made an art film. You're not aiming for the Golden Lion Award this time, are you?" Feng Gangpao chuckled, but his words always sounded somewhat sarcastic.

In fact, it's quite normal for Feng Gangpao to act this way.

Feng Gangpao started out as an art designer, working incredibly hard, humbling himself, and relying on his flattery to get to where he is today. During this time, he has directed and starred in numerous films, including many during the Chinese New Year film season. He earned his place through these films one by one.

And look at Li Boda, what is Li Boda?
He was an actor who came to acting halfway through his career, and then a director who came to acting halfway through his career, yet somehow managed to become one of the top directors in China with just one "Infinite Terror" series.

Director Li Boda, with his outstanding global box office, almost crushes all domestic directors. Only Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Jiang Wen can barely keep up with the international awards and still argue that Li Boda's movies are all commercial popcorn movies with no substance.

However, Feng Gangpao didn't have any films that won international awards, and he was completely overshadowed by Li Boda early on.

Therefore, Feng Gangpao felt uncomfortable and resentful. He even thought that Li Boda had just gotten lucky and made the "Infinite Terror" film series. If it were him, he could have done the same thing as Li Boda, or even done it better.

Well, people always make excuses for themselves and love to deceive themselves; it's normal.

Faced with Feng Gangpao's sarcastic remarks, Li Boda's smile faded slightly: "Let's leave it to fate. Whether the film wins an award or not is not up to me or you."

Li Boda's tone was not very good.

Upon hearing Li Boda's tone, Feng Gangpao's expression changed slightly. He realized that he had initially wanted to build a good relationship with Li Boda. After all, Li Boda didn't seem to want to continue directing the "Infinite Terror" series. Naturally, Feng Gangpao was also aiming for "Infinite Terror 6," hoping to direct it. This way, he could become an internationally renowned director like Xu Ke, and his market value would increase significantly.

He had initially intended to curry favor with Li Boda, but over the years, his high position had made him too arrogant, and he had lost his humility. As a result, he couldn't say anything flattering and instead launched a sarcastic attack on Li Boda.

However, while Feng Gangpao felt regret, he was also somewhat annoyed by Li Boda's attitude. Feng Gangpao felt that he was, after all, a senior, and Li Boda's attitude showed a complete lack of respect for his seniors.

Seeing that things seemed to be going wrong between Li Boda and Feng Gangpao, Xu Qing's expression changed, and he grabbed Feng Gangpao's arm: "Director Feng, where are Director Guan and the others? We haven't gotten separated, have we? Let's hurry up and meet up with them, so they don't keep worrying. Director Li, I'm sorry, we have some things to take care of over there, so we'll have to go first."

"Okay, goodbye!" Li Boda nodded, not intending to fall out with Feng Gangpao in this place.

Not long after Feng Gangpao and Xu Qing left, another person came up to Li Boda, and was very enthusiastic. This person was also from the same film crew as Feng Gangpao, from the film crew of "Mr. Six".

"Hello Director Li, I'm Liang Jing..."

"Director Li, hello. I'm Shang Yuxian. I especially love your movies. I've watched your directorial debut, 'Night Shop,' at least ten times..."

Besides the two women, male stars from the "Mr. Six" crew, including Zhang Hanyu, also greeted Li Boda very warmly.

Even Guan Hu, the director of the film "Mr. Six," took the initiative to greet Li Boda with a mixture of enthusiasm and awkwardness. Clearly, Li Boda's status in the entertainment industry compelled them to curry favor with him.

Just like Guan Hu, everyone else in the "Mr. Six" crew came to greet Li Boda, but he, the director, never came over. If Li Boda were petty and felt that Guan Hu didn't respect him enough, and then deliberately targeted Guan Hu in China, Guan Hu wouldn't be able to stand it either.

In reality, Li Boda had no interest in arguing with Guan Hu and the others.

After Li Boda arrived at the Venice International Film Festival, someone leaked his whereabouts, and then people started coming to see him frequently, whether to greet him or to recommend themselves.

Those foreigners, in front of Li Boda, had absolutely no idea what the word "restraint" meant.

Some people even wanted to leave a deep impression on Li Boda, so they ran up to him and, without saying a word, hugged him and tried to kiss him. The key point is that it wasn't just female stars who did this, but also men.

It can only be said that internationally renowned directors like Li Boda are really, really popular, and so many people hope to leave a deep impression on him.

Finally, the opening ceremony of the Venice International Film Festival began.

When walking the red carpet at the opening ceremony, Son Ye-jin linked arms with Lee Bo-dae, practically trapping his arm between her legs, and even seemed to be pressed against him. She then smiled broadly at the cameras and videographers, displaying a particularly intimate relationship.

The rest of the crew, including Hwang Jung-min, walked down the red carpet in suits with smiles on their faces, stopping every now and then.

Meanwhile, a large number of flashes were going off incessantly.

Countless reporters and media outlets were snapping photos of the cast and crew of "Dying to Survive," but actually, they were mainly taking pictures of the film's director, Li Boda. After all, Li Boda was the one who received the most attention. The reason Son Ye-jin wanted to stick to Li Boda was because she understood that the closer she was to him, the more attention she would receive.

Right after Li Boda led Son Ye-jin and the others down the red carpet, photos of them appeared on Chinese websites and in newspapers.

Instantly, the country was in an uproar.

In fact, Li Boda never revealed that he had brought his film crew to Venice in China. However, every year, the three major international film festivals attract Chinese media to observe the events.

The movie "Mr. Six" was promoted very early on, and it was going to participate in the Venice International Film Festival, so reporters from some domestic media outlets were waiting here early on.

They originally thought they could only film one movie, "Mr. Six," but unexpectedly they filmed Li Boda. The photos were immediately sent back to China, and on the same day, press releases about Li Boda and "Dying to Survive" were published.

Once this press release was issued, it naturally attracted the attention of countless people in China.

"Li Boda actually went to Venice!!!"

"Director Li is probably going to win a big prize this time!"

"Are you kidding me? Li Boda's movie can win awards? If Li Boda's movie could win awards, he would have already announced that he took the movie to the Venice International Film Festival. The fact that this has only been exposed now means that he probably just went to Venice to make a show of it, as if he was going on a trip."

"I think Li Boda's film should be able to win awards, but it may not win the big prize."

"Li Boda's movies are quite good. Isn't it normal for his movies to win awards?"

"Li Boda went abroad and made a fool of himself."

As expected, after Li Boda appeared at the Venice International Film Festival, various opinions about him emerged in China. Many supported Li Boda, while many others mocked or even cursed him.

This situation is all too common.

Li Boda had anticipated this situation, which is why he hadn't promoted the film "Dying to Survive" at the Venice International Film Festival in the slightest.

Even Li Boda was aware that many people in China would be mocking and ridiculing him, so he didn't pay attention to any news on the Chinese internet. In fact, Li Boda didn't even plan to leave Venice midway this time.

Of course, how long to stay in Venice and whether to attend the film festival's awards ceremony will depend on whether "Dying to Survive" wins an award.

A few days later, Li Boda received a phone call from the Venice International Film Festival officials, who requested that he stay in Venice and participate in the festival.

Nothing else was said, but anyone who knows a little about international film festivals knows that although the phone call didn't say anything, it was actually a way of telling Li Boda and his team that the film "Dying to Survive" had won an award.

The reason for this phone call was to prevent the winners and their crew from being unable to attend the awards ceremony and leaving no one to accept the award.

It's mainly one of the three major international film festivals, and it takes too long to run.

There is a gap of about half a month between the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony.

Celebrities, generally speaking, have very busy schedules. It's quite common for them to fly to attend the opening ceremony of a film festival and then go straight back home.

Therefore, in order to prevent winners from leaving and being unable to come to receive their awards, the organizers will call the winners. Although they will not tell the winners over the phone that their film has won an award, the meaning is already very clear: to inform them in another way that they have won an award and therefore need to stay to attend the awards ceremony.

After receiving the call, Son Ye-jin and the others shouted excitedly. Son Ye-jin, who appeared to be quiet, pounced on Lee Bok-da and gave him a passionate kiss in front of everyone.

Seeing this, Hwang Jung-min and the others smiled knowingly and left the room together, leaving Lee Bo-da and Son Ye-jin alone.

In contrast to the cheering and celebrating Li Boda and others.

On the set of "Mr. Six," Guan Hu and his crew looked visibly anxious, frequently glancing at the phone in the room, but unfortunately, it didn't ring at all.

Guan Hu, and even Feng Gangpao, couldn't help but look somewhat gloomy.

However, even though they didn't receive a call from the Venice International Film Festival officials, they didn't intend to leave just yet, because they had secured the right to have their film screened at the closing ceremony.

In other words, the movie "Mr. Six" will be screened at the closing ceremony of the Venice International Film Festival.

Although it didn't win an award, being shown at the closing ceremony is a promotional gimmick. It also lets more film distributors see it, and who knows, they might offer a higher price to sell the film overseas.

When Feng Gangpao saw that Li Boda and the others had also stayed, and even received a call from the Venice International Film Festival officials, his expression became even more unpleasant.

Meanwhile, he secretly thought to himself, "Li Boda's film won an award, but it must have been a small one, a really small one. The judges must have just given it to him out of politeness."

Unlike Feng Gangpao's dark side, Xu Qing and his group congratulated Li Boda with smiles and wished him a big award for his film.

Even Guan Hu, the director of "Mr. Six", forced a smile and offered his congratulations and blessings to Li Boda.

Feng Gangpao seemed out of place among this group of people.

Then Feng Gangpao felt as if he had been betrayed. He turned around and left angrily, not wanting to stay with anyone else for even a second longer.

(End of this chapter)