Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 148 Quiz with Prizes (Third Update)

The logo of the Luwen International Film Festival shone brightly in the night sky, and a red carpet stretching for hundreds of meters was laid out on the Film City Avenue. Yu Wei stood at the entrance and took a deep breath.

Behind him stood his team members: director Lü Zhou, lead actress Qi Luoan, photographer Xu Yi from the organizing committee, and French translator Zhang Yang.

The sides were packed with media reporters armed with cameras and microphones, and cheering movie fans, but it didn't really concern them...

Chinese people are absolutely new faces at the Louvre International Film Festival. To put it simply, there are hardly any related entries for the Louvre Awards on Baidu in China.

It's not that the awards lack prestige; the Loo Wen Awards are hailed as the Oscars of short films. The reason they aren't well-known in China is mainly because no Chinese person has ever been nominated.

Short films are generally not valued in China, and many people make micro-films out of interest, let alone win awards.

This is precisely why the Film Association attaches great importance to this film festival, and Yu Wei has paved a new path for the domestic film industry.

"Let's go."

Yu Wei originally didn't want to take the lead, but he held multiple positions, serving as the male lead, screenwriter, and producer, so it wouldn't make sense for him not to step forward.

The red carpet emcee announced in clear French and English: "Now entering is the team from the short film 'The Tuner,' starring Yu Wei, who is from China."

The moment Yu Wei's team stepped onto the red carpet, the flashbulbs suddenly intensified. Although they were new faces, rarity makes them valuable, and since it was the first time the organizers had seen Chinese people selected, they naturally wouldn't neglect them.

Yu Wei, dressed in a custom-made black suit, calmly smiled and greeted the media and fans on both sides. He didn't care whether they took pictures or not; he had to keep up appearances.

The team members followed closely behind. Qi Luoan, dressed in a carefully chosen gown, tried to remain calm, but could not hide the shock in her eyes.

This is a place that no other Chinese actors or directors have ever been to, not even her grandfather. She, an outsider, was actually brought here by Yu Wei.

It was already 2 a.m. in China, but people were still watching the live stream. They were fans of Yu Wei and fans of Chinese-language films.

They'd never seen the Lu Wen Award ceremony before, so this was a good opportunity to broaden their horizons...

However, there was no official broadcast of the live stream, so there were no subtitles, leaving everyone confused and only able to watch the spectacle.

Do you think "The Pianist" can win an award?

"It's practically impossible. They're xenophobic to begin with, and none of the judges have any influence. It would be a miracle if they won an award."

"I'm waiting for Yu Wei to win the award and slap the haters in the face."

"You've been reading too many entertainment novels, bro. International film awards require connections. Even Jesus wouldn't win an award without the help of the judges."

Yu Wei knew this principle well. The so-called lack of hope for this trip was really just a matter of international recognition. It would be good to have it, but it wouldn't matter if it didn't; it was just an added bonus.

They hadn't gone far when they were stopped, and a French journalist shouted:
"Monsieur Yu Wei, c'est la première fois que vous participezà un festival international de cinéma. Quelles sont vos impressions?"

What is the gibberish saying?

Qi Luoan subconsciously looked at the translator behind him. Before Zhang Yang could even translate, Yu Wei actually took the initiative to greet him.

"It's a great experience, it's content."

Yu Wei didn't actually understand everything; he only understood the sentences that appeared in the French version of "Malice".

He would definitely understand her name, and what followed was roughly a question: "How was your first time...?"

These are all very common phrases. Since it was a reporter who asked the question, he guessed that the part he didn't understand was related to the Luwen Film Festival.

The other party was probably asking about her experience attending the Louvre Film Festival for the first time, so Yu Wei gave a generic answer: she had a very happy experience.

Osamu Nonoguchi used this phrase when recalling his experience of being bullied at school, and the second half of the phrase was a childhood memory of Hidaka that Nonoguchi fabricated.

After Yu Wei said this, not only Qi Luoan and the others found it hard to believe, but even the reporter who was interviewing them was somewhat incredulous. These days, English is fine, but it's rare to find Chinese people who understand French.

"What's going on? I don't understand."

"I don't understand either. The English broadcast was okay, but I don't understand French at all."

"I thought Yu Wei went up to hit someone just now. I thought there was no need to fight if I didn't understand... I didn't expect him to actually do it."

Regarding the daily breastfeeding method.

Once inside the main venue of the opening ceremony, everyone turned to look at Yu Wei, wondering where he had learned this skill.

Isn't he a struggling novelist? What struggling author would know this?

"I learned it from watching French films."

Yu Wei has already mastered the essence. When asked, he always says it was during his four-year slump. Nobody knows what he was doing during that time. He can blame anything on it, just like a job interview where he introduces his college experience.

Upon hearing this, everyone really didn't have much to say. Anyway, he knew it, so who cared when he learned it? Showing himself on the international stage was a good thing for both the individual and the team.

Qi Luo'an may not have said it, but he was overjoyed. See? He had another reason to be better than Chen Laodeng...

The group was led to the front row, where they appeared to be in the first group.

Logically, teams with little chance of winning should be scheduled for later, and it's unclear what the organizers' intentions were.

"Could it be that?"

Don't have high expectations, because the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

Yu Wei immediately cut off Qi Luo'an's second half of the sentence, saying that seating arrangements didn't prove anything.

It could be a privilege given to first-time nominees, or even an increase in national influence, and has no direct correlation with whether or not they win an award.

"Want to make a bet? I bet you'll win the prize."

As a die-hard fan of Yu Wei, Qi Luoan firmly believes that Yu Wei will win the award, and she doesn't mind making a bet with Yu Wei about anything.

"sure."

Even if Yu Wei wins the prize but loses the bet, it's not a big deal. Even if he doesn't win the prize, he still wins the bet, so he's not at a loss either way.

However, both hesitated when it came to the stakes. Qi Luo'an couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted, while Yu Wei simply hadn't thought it through. "Let's owe it to each other for now, and then we'll talk about it after the bet."

As the two were chatting and making bets, the lights dimmed and the opening film began to play—a wonderful short psychological film, slightly scary, and with interesting topics.

But the visual quality and camera work are so strong, and the switching between several psychological shots is quite captivating.

Seeing this film gave Yu Wei even more confidence that he had won his gamble. The international short film was of a very high standard; how could their makeshift crew possibly win any awards?

After the screening, thunderous applause erupted, and the creative team went on stage for a Q&A session.

Yu Wei originally wanted to listen, but he couldn't understand a lot of technical terms. He only knew a little bit of everyday conversation or detective talk...

The film festival's official welcome reception that evening was held in the historic grand hotel's ballroom.

Yu Wei and his group planned to make themselves known to others and then leave, since they didn't have many connections and didn't drink much.

Under the crystal chandelier, filmmakers from various countries raised their glasses and chatted, the air filled with the aroma of champagne and the sounds of conversations in multiple languages.

"Why don't you help your readers find some beautiful foreign women?"

Yu Wei glanced at Qi Luoan, who was grinning. She had obviously watched the live stream that morning, otherwise how would she know about this?
"I prefer the rebellious wild horse."

"what?"

At that moment, Qi Luoan felt as if all the sounds in the party had disappeared, leaving only the erratic beating of his own heart.

Before she could even panic as she lowered her eyes, Yu Wei pushed his phone in front of her; it contained a picture of a car.

"Hey, it's the Ford Mustang 2.3T version, also known as the rebellious little Mustang."

"..."

Qi Luo'an was amused and annoyed. She thought they were talking about her. Who would compare themselves to a horse? She was a little obsessed.

Yu Weizhen hadn't thought of that. A person can't, and shouldn't, become a horse, not a racehorse girl...

Just as he was about to go back to writing with Qi Luoan, a film festival artistic director suddenly approached him and asked if Yu Wei would do him the honor of performing at the final cultural performance.

The performance will take place four days after the closing ceremony.

"Your performance in 'The Tuner' was brilliant; the judges really enjoyed your piano playing."

Yu Wei was shocked when he heard the art director's words from the translator.

Both he and other film critics in China have been analyzing the plot, metaphors, and depth of "Andhadhun," but few have considered the film's musicality.

The music in this film is an adaptation of a song by Schumann. Although it is not an original work, it is still very outstanding and will appeal to classical music lovers.

The art director's words were not only an affirmation of the short film's musicality, but more importantly, the statement that "the judges really liked it."

Generally speaking, the final cultural performance is the so-called "showcase" for the winners, so they can actually win awards.

"They are indeed xenophobic here, but they also highly value art, so there might actually be a chance!"

Lu Zhou's eyes lit up after hearing Yu Wei's impromptu performance. Could it be that he had a chance to become the best short film director?
Yu Wei isn't as far ahead of him in terms of imagination, so he probably won't win Best Short Film, but judging from the organizers' comments, he seems to have a chance at Best Music.

Although this award isn't a huge prize, it's at least not a wasted trip; it's already a result that far exceeded expectations.

After all, Yu Wei came here simply as a tourist. His current focus is still on music, so winning a music award is quite appropriate.

Even if we take a step back and say that an honor is enough to shut up the haters.

However, this performance is also a challenge for him. He can only play a fragment of the piano piece from "The Tuner" at present, which is not only too long to support a performance, but also lacks sufficient understanding.

Music learned from movies is definitely not as good as mastering the music itself directly.

It seems he'll need to exchange for a proper piano piece if he wants to participate in a cultural performance...

Many famous piano pieces are classics, and he definitely can't touch those old ones. As for excellent works from the 1980s onwards, Yu Wei hasn't thought of any yet.

As Lü Zhou said, art is highly valued here, so the selected pieces definitely can't be too bad; piano pieces based on domestic pop songs are out of the question.

"Hey hey hey."

A mischievous laugh from Qi Luoan interrupted Yu Wei's thoughts. She looked at Yu Wei with a hint of smugness, clearly displaying the posture of a victor.

The bet was right!
I'm sure there will be a prize. It doesn't matter if it's a big prize or not. As long as there's a prize, Qiluoan is a winner. Let's take a gamble and maybe we'll turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.

"You're not going to gamble, are you? I don't gamble, I'm a good citizen."

Although the results haven't been announced yet, Yu Wei feels that she's going to lose. Being able to perform in a cultural event should mean there's an award, but she doesn't know what kind of award it is.

Prize-winning quiz.

"That won't happen."

What would he need that thing for? Qi Luoan isn't after money...

"You're not going to make me work like a slave, are you?"

Looking at her slightly wicked eyes, Yu Wei couldn't help but feel a little creeped out. He should have known better than to gamble; this person was rotten to the core.

"you are right."

Qi Luo'an's eyes lit up; he had to make this kid his horse.

Screw the Ford Mustang 2.3T!

　Happy Teachers' Day, everyone.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)