Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 257 This photo will forever record this moment.

Cannes beach, night of the 26th.

The sea breeze is gentle, the sand is fine and smooth, and the sound of the tide is softly lapping against your ears.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei walked side by side on the beach, the waves rolling in and out, pushing the ripples to their feet.

"Haven't you received any news from Cannes yet?"

Liu Yifei kicked a small seashell barefoot, her toes lightly hooking up, her slender white instep slightly flexed, her toes round and agile, pink and tender, quite adorable.

"not yet."

"Junior brother," Liu Yifei turned her head, her eyes sparkling, "Will you be very disappointed if you don't win the award?"

Wu Chen looked down at her, and in the darkness of the night, his eyes revealed a sincere seriousness.

"It's alright. It's not like I've never won one before. It's just missing one award, it won't have much of an impact." Wu Chen shook his head. So what if he doesn't win? It's not like losing an award will cause any serious consequences.

"And what about you?" he countered.

"Me?" Liu Yifei blinked, then sat down on a rock, hugging her knees. "I think it's already great that I was able to come here."

She looked up at the sky, where the Milky Way stretched like a ribbon and countless stars twinkled. The sunlight reflected in her eyes, making it seem as if her eyes themselves were part of the night sky.

"Didn't you see the Cannes media reports?"

"Ah, what report?" Liu Yifei's mouth opened slightly, a strand of hair blowing by her ear in the wind. She reached out and tucked it behind her ear, a casual yet extremely beautiful movement.

Wu Chen burst into laughter.

He suddenly realized that Liu Yifei had been spending most of her time with him these past few days, and when she had free time, she was also dealing with Chanel matters, so she probably hadn't seen the predictions from various film critics and media outlets at all.

The two strolled slowly, and there were actually quite a few people there, in groups of two or three, enjoying the evening breeze.

However, the number of people here will be drastically reduced after tomorrow, and a week later, all the film distributors will have left, and it will return to its former tranquil seaside town, leisurely welcoming tourists from all over the world.

On the morning of the 27th, the sea breeze still carried the warmth of the previous night.

Wu Chen had just finished washing up when his phone rang.

He answered the phone, and on the other end was the familiar voice of the French organizing committee representative, carrying a touch of formality and restrained enthusiasm:

"Mr. Wu Chen, please make sure you attend the closing ceremony on time. The organizing committee has reserved front-row seats for you and the film crew."

"Thank you."

Due to confidentiality measures, Cannes will not disclose specific awards, but the arrival of this news means that "Black Peony" is guaranteed at least one award at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

"Mom, you have to come along now, right? What if you win Best Actress?" Liu Yifei said with a grin, pulling on Liu Xiaoli's arm. Her eyes were full of laughter.

"Go away, alright?" Liu Xiaoli said lightly, but she couldn't hide the joy on her face.

These past few days, she has been reading various reports every day, and an indescribable sense of anticipation and excitement has already risen in her heart.

Liu Yifei had just chuckled twice when Chanel's brand team called to confirm the award news and immediately began arranging her day's schedule.

"I'm so miserable!" Liu Yifei wailed as she changed her shoes. "Why don't you have to work? I've been queuing since nine in the morning!"

"You'd be begging for this kind of treatment, go now!"

Wu Chen waved his hand.

In the evening, the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival arrived as scheduled.

Liu Xiaoli and Li Qin both looked exceptionally dazzling under the makeup artist's styling, but Liu Yifei's look was the one that truly captivated everyone's attention.

Chanel seems to have a penchant for black.

Liu Yifei's look this time was still a black dress, but unlike the premiere, this was a minimalist off-the-shoulder long dress with smooth lines, a fitted waist, and a skirt that gently flared out below the knee.

Her collarbone was as delicate and naturally sculpted as jade. Around her neck was a custom-made Chanel star diamond necklace. Her lips were a deep red, and her long hair, as black as ink, was parted to the side and draped lightly over her shoulders.

"Impeccable!"

Even with Wu Chen's discerning eye, one has to admire that Chanel's stylist seems to have found the key; Liu Yifei is actually best suited for this kind of minimalist style dress.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei blushed slightly and secretly glanced at Liu Xiaoli and Li Qin's expressions. Seeing that they were not acting strangely, she felt much more at ease and smiled happily at Wu Chen.

"lets go"

This time, two cars came to pick them up.

As the climax of the Cannes Film Festival, the red carpet was far larger than the opening ceremony.

The red carpet was already teeming with people. Spotlights crisscrossed the area, and cameras switched, rotated, and focused rapidly, creating a dazzling sea of ​​light that seemed to illuminate the night sky.

Compared to the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony saw double the number of media and fans.

"I'm coming!"

A commotion broke out in the Chinese journalists' area at the front of the crowd. Multiple media outlets, including Sina, Sohu, and others, had already set up their telephoto lenses and were intently watching the slowly approaching vehicle.

"Many Chinese people went back, which is a pity. However, I heard that Director Wu's film 'Black Peony' received an invitation."

"That's fine. It seems like all the domestic focus groups have been wiped out; we didn't get any invitations."

"Stop talking, quickly take a picture, it's Wu Chen and Liu Yifei."

At this moment, the car door was opened by the staff, and Wu Chen got out of the car first, followed by Liu Yifei, who was wearing a minimalist black dress, holding Wu Chen's hand.

"Wow, so many people!" Her eyes widened, her voice filled with girlish amazement.

"Ah? That's it?"

Wu Chen glanced at her sideways and couldn't help but chuckle.

Compared to the crowds of Chinese people at the opening ceremony, there were far fewer people at the closing ceremony, but Gong Li, Jia Zhangke, Zhao Tao, and others were still there.

Gong Li stood in the crowd, her gown still elegant and sophisticated. She immediately nodded in their direction, her smile genuine: "Congratulations, Director Wu. Yi Fei, good luck tonight!"

"Thank you, Sister Gong Li!" Liu Yifei gently hugged Gong Li.

"Congratulations, Director Wu." Jia Zhangke also reached out to shake hands with Wu Chen.

The camera shutters of the media were clicking away on both sides of the red carpet, and the crew of "Black Peony" was now the center of attention.

"Take a few more pictures with Auntie, this is a rare opportunity," Wu Chen reminded her in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei immediately pulled Liu Xiaoli over, and the mother and daughter stood on either side of the camera, smiling and side by side. The scene in front of the camera was warm and solemn.

Liu Xiaoli was a little reserved at first, but seeing Liu Yifei's joyful smile, a mixture of relief and pride, she was momentarily transported back to her youth.

The closing ceremony's red carpet process was more elaborate, with each main competition film crew being specifically arranged for group photos and interviews before being led into the theater by staff. After being seated, Wu Chen and his group were arranged in the third row, directly facing the center of the stage, even closer to the front than the premiere seats.

The theater was packed with stars, and the jury, directors from various countries, film distributors, and industry guests were all talking in hushed tones.

The air was filled with the scent of perfume, anxiety, anticipation, and restraint.

Wu Chen looked around and didn't see any particularly familiar faces tonight, so he stopped thinking about it, slightly suppressed his smile, and sat down quietly.

Meanwhile, in the Lumière Hall of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, the lights slowly dimmed.

The entire audience waited in silence for the beam of light to fall on the center of the stage.

The closing ceremony has officially begun.

On stage, the sculpture symbolizing the Palme d'Or shimmered in the soft lighting. The golden lettering "CANNES 60" slowly emerged on the backdrop, symbolizing the commemoration and glory of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Amid applause, the host and the judges filed onto the stage.

The jury president, British director Stephen Frears, slowly walked to the microphone.

He cleared his throat, his slightly hoarse British accent carrying a penetrating quality: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for sharing this artistic journey with Cannes over the past ten days."

We witnessed the soul of the nation, the struggles of individuals, and heard the echoes of time and the silent cries.

Movies are dreams, mirrors, and extensions of our unspeakable selves...

Our jury made this decision with the utmost respect and the most candid discussions. We hope you can feel that what we are giving you is a genuine response to your work.

The audience erupted in applause.

Then came the awards presentation for the non-main competition categories.

The host read out the winners of the short film, Golden Camera, and Un Certain Regard categories one by one, with the camera switching between the award presenters and the award-winning directors from time to time.

For the main competition production teams, this moment feels more like a lengthy prelude.

As the awards for the other categories concluded, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and even breathing seemed to slow down.

Wu Chen lowered his head slightly, but suddenly felt a dampness in his left hand. He turned his head and saw Liu Yifei gripping his hand tightly.

Her small hands were soft but tense, with a slight sheen of sweat on her palms.

He gently tickled her palm with his index finger.

"What are you doing?" Liu Yifei lowered her voice and muttered softly, giving him a reproachful glare. Her eyes were bright and watery, tense yet charming.

The lighting was slightly adjusted, and the host's tone became more solemn.

"Next, we will announce the main competition awards of this year's Cannes Film Festival."

The first award presented was the "Best Screenplay Award".

When the host read out F. Arkin's "On the Other Side of Life," a round of applause erupted in the room, and then the heartbeats of everyone in the Lumiere Hall seemed to slow down a bit.

Because the "Best Actress Award" is coming up soon.

Several strong contenders, such as South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, stared intently at the award presenter as he walked onto the stage.

However, Liu Yifei suddenly felt a slight pain in her right hand. Looking down, she saw that Wu Chen was holding her hand even more nervously than she was. She then chuckled softly:

"Why are you more nervous than me? If it were anyone else, your hand would be sore from holding it so tightly."

"Should we change to someone else?" Wu Chen joked.

"You dare?" Liu Yifei bared her teeth and squinted, threateningly.

However, Wu Chen's words instantly dispelled much of the tension.

On the contrary, Liu Xiaoli sat to one side, taking deep breaths to regulate her breathing, her hands crossed, her level of tension far exceeding that of Liu Yifei herself.

At this moment, all the lights in the venue dimmed, leaving only one beam shining on the center of the stage.

The award presenter opened the envelope and cleared his throat:

"Crystal Liu, 'Black Peony'!"

A moment of silence followed, then thunderous applause.

Liu Yifei was taken aback at first, as if she hadn't heard clearly, and looked at Wu Chen with a blank expression.

"Silly girl, what are you doing? Go get the award!" Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but pat Liu Yifei, who then reacted and hugged Liu Xiaoli tightly, unable to recover for a long time.

"Congratulations, Sister Yifei."

"Thank you, Qinqin." Liu Yifei hugged Li Qin again, and then threw herself into Wu Chen's arms, pressing her face against his shoulder, hiding all her panic and emotion.

Domestic media on both sides are already discussing it extensively.

"Tsk tsk, I don't believe you that they're not a couple."

"Hahaha, this is so obvious, they're not even trying to hide it!"

"Big news! Big news!"

While everyone was discussing animatedly, their hands were moving just as quickly, snapping away furiously.

Gong Li, sitting in the back row, watched this scene with a smile and applause, her eyes somewhat vacant, as she recalled the time when Zhang Yimou helped her win the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival.

“It seems like many years have passed,” Gong Li murmured to herself.

"Come on stage." Wu Chen patted Liu Yifei on the back, and she nodded gently.

Liu Yifei nodded gently, her skirt swaying slightly, and she walked lightly towards the stage.

Just as she stepped onto the stage, Wu Chen suddenly turned her head and saw Julian Schaubel, the director of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," sitting in the back row, holding a film camera and recording the scene.

"Excuse me, may I borrow this to take a picture?"

Julian paused for a moment, then smiled and handed over the camera. "Of course! This is a moment to remember for a lifetime. Is she your girlfriend? She's beautiful."

"Thank you." Wu Chen smiled, took the camera, and slowly aimed it at Liu Yifei, who was standing on the stage holding the trophy.

The shutter clicked softly.

He looked down at the camera feed, his smile undiminished.

Julian leaned closer and whispered, "When you're developing it, remember to write your name and the date on it. When you see this photo again in ten or twenty years, or when you're old, I'm sure you'll cherish the memory of tonight."

"Hmm." Wu Chen nodded and smiled, unable to help but think about what he would think if he saw this photo again more than ten years later.

The photo may yellow and become blurry, but the record it holds will be preserved forever.
(End of this chapter)