Chapter 755: In Progress

Wu Yang was obviously moved.

However, this matter is very big, it is impossible to make a decision in a while, and it is not something he can decide alone.

Lu Yan He didn't say much.

After Evan Galdi returned, they chatted about the situation of this session, chatted about movies, and left separately.

After Lu Yan He got in the car, as soon as the car drove away, he immediately called Chen Ziyan and told her about this matter. Not only that, he also immediately called the older generation who were very familiar with the high-level of the Radio and Television Administration, such as Luo Yuzhong and Wen Shengming.

Chinese film has always been talking about "going out" and "international influence."

The situation encountered by the Hexi Film Festival now is definitely an opportunity.

If the Hexi Film Festival can be fought for to be held in China, even if it cannot be kept in China forever, even if it is only for one year, it is of extraordinary significance.

Look at the program *Singer*, which, because of the theme of inviting international singers, obtained the rare permission to broadcast live in the golden file every period, which shows how much the upper level hopes to promote the improvement of China's international cultural influence in the situation where the economic strength has been prosperous today.

Those so-called "international film festivals" held in China every year can invite two or three international filmmakers, which is already considered "internationalized," and even to the extent of being broadcast on the News Broadcast.

If the Hexi Film Festival is held in China, then—

Lu Yan He suddenly thought that one year Victoria's Secret was held in Shanghai, China, and for a whole week, the Chinese media circle was "carnival."

This is an opportunity not to be missed.

Lu Yan He's car just arrived at the hotel, and Chen Ziyan replied that Wen Shengming would come to Hexi as a director of the China Film Association to participate in the Hexi Film Festival.

He brought some "authorization."

Everything is just beginning to brew, and it should not be docked by the official level too early.

Now Lu Yan He needs to do some docking for Wen Shengming to give him a logical name for attendance, and then bridge the gap between Wen Shengming and Wu Yang.

The subsequent things will naturally be planned by the Film Association and the forces of all parties behind the association.

Lu Yan He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their reaction speed was so fast, and he was relieved.

He was most afraid that the domestic reaction speed was not so fast, doing various research, doing various demonstrations, then cautiously contacting, and finally the yellow flowers were cold.

Fortunately, fortunately.

Lu Yan He immediately asked *Dragon Inn* and *Oh My Sea* to make invitation letters for Wen Shengming.

At the same time, Lu Yan He also asked Wang Biao to book a place temporarily. He wanted to hold a party in Hexi to introduce Wen Shengming to his friends here, which naturally included Wu Yang and Evan Galdi.

In Hexi, during the Hexi Film Festival, booking a place temporarily is not a simple task.

Wang Biao didn't say a word more and agreed.

Since filming *Storm Calmer No. 1*, Lu Yan He hadn't seen Wen Shengming again.

When Wen Shengming arrived in Hexi with his wife, Lu Yan He went to the airport to pick them up personally.

This scene was photographed by the media on the spot. Chinese media knew Wen Shengming, but foreign media didn't.

So, they could only ask the familiar Chinese media who this person picked up by Lu Yan He personally was.

Someone told them that he was one of the highest-status actors in China and had just cooperated with Lu Yan He on *Storm Calmer No. 1*.

For foreign media, no matter whether Wen Shengming is one of the highest-status actors in China, anyway, they don't know him. His only value now is "the person Lu Yan He rarely picked up at the airport personally."

News, as long as there is a protagonist that everyone is willing to pay attention to, and an event that can be used as a topic, it is enough.

Of course, even if they didn't report it, Lu Yan He also arranged for people to report on this matter.

Nothing else, just to let the Hexi Film Festival know that a great actor Wen Shengming from China has come.

This greatness—now needs to be "foiled" and "shaped" by his Lu Yan He.

When Wen Shengming saw Lu Yan He, he showed a smile that was not very intimate and encouraging, and even a bit serious.

It can only be considered a smile.

However, Lu Yan He knew Wen Shengming's character and wouldn't misunderstand.

"Teacher Wen." He stepped forward generously and hugged Wen Shengming.

Wen Shengming patted his shoulder and said: "Tell me about the specific situation later. I heard it from news that I don't know how many times it turned."

Lu Yan He nodded with a smile.

He looked at Yuan Zixing standing beside Wen Shengming and greeted: "Teacher Yuan, thank you for accompanying Teacher Wen on this trip."

Yuan Zixing said with a smile: "What's hard about this? Just come to Hexi for a stroll."

Lu Yan He picked them up in the car and said: "The luggage will be sent back to the hotel by another car first. Shall we go to eat something simple? I guess you didn't eat well on the plane, and I happen to tell you some situations I learned here."

Wen Shengming and Yuan Zixing both nodded.

After chatting with Wu Yang, Lu Yan He didn't just pass this news back to the country.

He also further understood the situation of the Hexi Film Festival now through his own connections.

Including why the local government of Hexi interrupted the funding support for the Hexi Film Festival, and what the real thoughts and attitudes of the outside world towards sponsoring the Hexi Film Festival are now.

Lu Yan He found it relatively convenient to investigate this information.

The more information, the more convenient it is for people in the country to prepare.

When Wen Shengming learned that Shijin had already contacted the Hexi Film Festival and put forward conditions, he was stunned for a moment, and then said: "They can hide this news so tightly."

Lu Yan He: "Did no one from Shijin contact you?"

Wen Shengming: "No, however, before you contacted us, the Hexi Film Festival was just looking for new sponsors. For Shijin, once this news is leaked on a large scale, it may make

"Hmm." Lu Yan He also nodded. "There are certainly quite a few in China willing to sponsor the Hexi Film Festival."

"Yes, among the four major international film festivals, the one with the most ties to Chinese-language cinema is Hexi," Wen Shengming said. "The opportunity you seized this time, proposing that the Hexi Film Festival change its host location, was truly well-timed. Now is exactly the moment when our country wants to expand its influence internationally. If we can really pull the Hexi Film Festival to be held in China, it will become a powerful signal."

Lu Yan He nodded.

"However, I don't think this matter will be that easy. But it is a fact that Hexi cannot provide financial support," Lu Yan He said bluntly. "With government deficits and tight budgets, they already wanted to stop supporting the Hexi Film Festival a few years ago. It only lasted until now because this film festival is truly Hexi's signature, but now their new department head has decided to cut this expenditure."

"Hmm." Wen Shengming nodded. "I'll also be transparent with you—just keep this in mind: even if we can't manage to get the Hexi Film Festival held in China later on, we still hope to become the sponsor behind the Hexi Film Festival."

Lu Yan He did not feel surprised by this statement from Wen Shengming.

If you cannot take it in one fell swoop, then plan for it gradually.

It should be like this anyway.

Wen Shengming asked curiously, "Will you continue to hold the third International Film Critics Film Festival this year?"

"Yes," Lu Yan He nodded. "We are prepared to hold it long-term. The response has actually been very good, and for us, the burden is not heavy. Now, just by relying on the film festival's advertising sponsorships, ticket sales for dialogue events, and live-streaming revenue, we can cover our costs."

"That's great." The look in Wen Shengming's eyes as he looked at Lu Yan He was full of encouragement. "You should know that our Film Association has actually always been paying close attention to and valuing this film festival you are running. However, we don't want any other factors to affect the organization of your film festival, so we have always refrained from intervening in an official capacity, nor have we allowed other organizations or people to intervene. It's not that we don't care."

Lu Yan He nodded.

"I understand, Teacher Wen."

For them to do something like this—from the approval of relevant departments and the invitation and entry of relevant personnel, to the location, coordination, and the operation of every aspect of the entire process—if the higher-ups didn't support or encourage it, they could never have pulled it off so smoothly.

And they have held it for two editions, and now it is the third; no department has come to "pick the peaches," nor has anyone else come looking to get a piece of the action. This is definitely because someone has been blocking the pressure for them on the periphery.

Wen Shengming said, "It is not easy for someone like you to emerge from the Chinese film and television circle. There are many things you can do that we cannot, and many people buy your account but not ours. You just need to know that whatever you want to do, do it boldly. There are many, many people behind you watching and supporting you, so don't be afraid."

Lu Yan He did not expect Wen Shengming to suddenly say such things.

He was stunned.

He suddenly remembered the day *Storm Calmer No. 1* wrapped filming, when Wen Shengming said to him, "Yan He, act well, conduct yourself well, I will always be watching you."

So, was there actually this layer of meaning as well?

Lu Yan He had always thought that what Wen Shengming said was merely the care and guidance of an elder toward a junior.

"I will work hard," Lu Yan He said, masking his emotion.

Only then did Yuan Zixing smile and speak up, saying, "He, you know, likes you more than just a little. Do you know why he agreed to take on *Storm Calmer No. 1* back then?"

Lu Yan He was taken aback.

Yuan Zixing just smiled without saying a word.

The answer was naturally self-evident.

Wen Shengming: "I have eaten with the school leaders of the Beijing Film Academy many times, and they all express regret that you were admitted to Zhenhua University back then; otherwise, you would definitely be an honorary alumnus of the Beijing Film Academy."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan He was left between laughter and tears.

"It's all the same."

"Indeed, it is all the same," Wen Shengming nodded. "We know and understand everything you do. You think of the entire Chinese film and television circle, and whenever an opportunity arises, you push your own people forward. Do you know what a certain leader said before I came here?"

Lu Yan He shook his head.

He didn't even know which leader it was, let alone what that leader had said.

"He said, 'We truly did not misjudge the person.'"

Lu Yan He was momentarily surprised and didn't know what to say, so he could only lower his head and scratch the back of his neck.

A day later, *Oh My Sea* held its first screening event.

For the newcomer leads of *Oh My Sea*, including actors with more than ten minutes of screen time, Linghe provided round-trip transportation and accommodation for everyone who had the time to come.

For the actors who participated in *Oh My Sea*, this was almost the first time any of them had attended a top-tier international film festival as actors. This was a very precious opportunity—especially since they had only just debuted.

Therefore, even if Linghe had to spend several hundred thousand more because of this, Lu Yan He still felt that the money was worth spending.

This was Linghe's film work, and these actors were Linghe's collaborators.

Since that was the case, it was worth it.

Lu Yan He also invited some of his friends to watch the film as usual, including the directors and producers he had met at the dinner hosted by Evan Galdi that day.

He did not attend with the *Oh My Sea* cast, but instead walked the red carpet with Wen Shengming and Yuan Zixing.

If the airport pickup that time was still a private gesture, this time, Lu Yan He personally accompanied Wen Shengming, with Yuan Zixing on one side and himself on the other, pushing Wen Shengming to the center position, directly expressing his respect for Wen Shengming in a public setting.

After the screening of *Oh My Sea* concluded, Lu Yan He specifically posted a status on various platforms, saying how happy he was to watch this film, for which he served as producer, together with the actor he respects, Wen Shengming.

The media and audience reviews for *Oh My Sea* came out very quickly. As the first work of a newcomer director, the film still received a lot of praise.

People are always tolerant of a newcomer's first work; even in criticism, they will certainly point out some good points or things they liked.

Lu Yan He, as the producer, attended the media Q&A session.

After all, he was the only big star in this film that everyone recognized.

When asked why Lu Yan He was willing to produce such a new work by a newcomer, Lu Yan He said, "Because the script was interesting and had many things that I found fresh. Even if it wasn't perfect, it definitely had the value of being filmed. So, after chatting with the people at the company, we felt that we could produce this film."

Someone else asked, "Your production company seems to have been supporting newcomer directors all along; it seems there are several more works by newcomer directors coming up?"

"Not exactly. It's mainly because Linghe has limited funds and a small scale, so we can only afford to support some low-budget films," Lu Yan He laughed. "Under these circumstances, the range we can choose from is basically limited to the group of newcomer directors. But this is also quite good. If we can incidentally help a newcomer director shoot his first work and get him recognized by the film circle, that is also a good thing."

"Don't you view yourself as a benefactor to these newcomer directors?"

"I think people should still have self-awareness," Lu Yan He immediately replied jokingly. "I like talented directors and interesting scripts, but I'm not doing charity. I don't just take out a sum of money and give it to a director, saying, 'Go ahead and shoot, shoot whatever you want, it doesn't matter if you lose money.' I still hope they don't lose money; making even a little bit is fine. So, benefactor or not, that's a bit of a stretch."

Who knew that just at this moment, Madam Huang of Long Yan also accepted an interview with another domestic media outlet, discussing the fact that the film *Dragon Gate Inn* had been shortlisted for the Hexi Film Festival, and that all three films produced in collaboration between Long Yan and director Liu Bige had been shortlisted for top international film festivals—

As the most outstanding director cultivated by Long Yan in recent years, what plans did Madam Huang have for the next collaboration with Liu Bige?

After Madam Huang said some superficial things, she finally added, "Actually, there are still many young directors as talented as Liu Bige. We at Long Yan have also been consciously giving these directors opportunities and pushing them out. I believe that since Long Yan can cultivate one Liu Bige, we can cultivate ten or even a hundred Liu Biges."

As a result, the two people's statements were reported almost one after the other.

These remarks immediately caused an uproar in the domestic media circle.

If these two statements hadn't been exposed at almost the same time, it would have been fine, but the key was this comparison—

Madam Huang's statement was mocked by many film and television bloggers.

However, this actually also has to do with everyone's preference for creative directors and auteur directors.

If Liu Bige were a big commercial film director, perhaps Madam Huang saying she could cultivate dozens more wouldn't have caused such a big controversy.

But for film enthusiasts, Liu Bige is unique.

This talk of "replication" would undoubtedly make this group of people very unhappy.

Then, in the comment section of Madam Huang's social media platform, a sentence suddenly began to be spammed, as if locusts were passing through.

"That's a bit of a stretch."

The last sentence from Lu Yan He's answer to the reporter's question.

Lu Yan He never expected that the words he said would trigger such a huge controversy alongside the other remarks made by Madam Huang.

The person involved, Liu Bige, was completely bewildered.

Madam Huang, on the other hand, found Liu Bige immediately to explain that she didn't mean it that way.

"What I meant to say was that since we can support a young director like you, we can certainly support more young directors," Madam Huang said with a helpless expression, as if her thoughts had been completely misinterpreted, earnestly explaining to Liu Bige, "How could I not know that a director like you is a once-in-a-century occurrence?"

Liu Bige immediately said, "Please don't say that."

A subconscious reaction.

But in reality, what else could he say?

Liu Bige was also very helpless.

Before the premiere of *Dragon Gate Inn*, such a frustrating thing suddenly happened.

To say that he didn't care or mind what Madam Huang said would definitely be a lie.

It's just that, could he say it?

Even if he said it, what would be the use?

Liu Bige still had to pull himself together, soothe Madam Huang with a few words, indicating that he understood her meaning and wouldn't take it to heart, and added that the most important thing right now was the premiere of *Dragon Gate Inn*, and they shouldn't let this matter affect their mood.

Only after finally soothing Madam Huang did Liu Bige let out a sigh of relief.

When Lu Yan He learned about this, he immediately sent a message to Liu Bige, asking if he was alright.

Liu Bige: Just so-so.

Lu Yan He: Looks like I said too much and caused you some trouble.

Liu Bige: Good that you know; it is indeed the case.

Lu Yan He: Did Madam Huang come to apologize to you?

Liu Bige: She came to explain, sigh, it would have been better if she hadn't come; I still had to turn around and soothe her emotions.

Lu Yan He: *Dragon Gate Inn* has its premiere soon, stop thinking about this for now.

Liu Bige: Let's talk when we get back. You're right, let's get the premiere of *Dragon Gate Inn* done first.

Lu Yan He: Alright, see you later.

Lu Yan He: By the way, you have to come to the banquet tomorrow night; we need you to hold down the fort.

Liu Bige: I'll remember. (End of chapter)