Chapter 232: Before Leaving the United States

The knock on the door of the hotel suite broke the morning's tranquility. Xiang Fei opened the door and found Spielberg standing outside, with several famous Hollywood directors following behind him.

"Aiven," Spielberg extended his hand, a sincere expression on his face, "first, I want to say I'm sorry. The result last night... honestly, I was surprised too."

Xiang Fei was slightly stunned, then immediately stepped aside to let everyone in: "Please come in."

Nolan, Cameron, and other directors entered the suite one after another. Seeing this, Zhou Huimin immediately stood up to prepare tea and snacks.

"To be honest," Nolan began, "Drive My Car is fully deserving of the Best Director award. The jury sometimes..." He shrugged, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Cameron patted Xiang Fei's shoulder: "Don't mind that Best Director award too much. Look at us," he pointed to the directors present, "who hasn't been treated unfairly by the Oscars? What matters is the evaluation of the audience and history."

Everyone sat around in the living room, and the topic quickly shifted from the Oscars to the art of cinema.

"Your design of that long interior shot is too exquisite," Spielberg praised, "completely subverting traditional narrative methods."

Nolan nodded in agreement: "What is most rare is that while maintaining artistic quality, you can still resonate with ordinary audiences. This is something many directors cannot achieve in their entire lives."

Xiang Fei's expression gradually softened: "Thank you. Actually, I just wanted to try telling the most complex human nature in the simplest way."

Cameron suddenly proposed: "Hey, since everyone is here, why not talk about the possibility of cooperation? I have a China-US co-production project on hand..."

The conversation lasted more than two hours, from film technology to market trends, from East-West cultural differences to future cooperation possibilities. Zhou Huimin noticed that Xiang Fei's eyes regained their luster.

After seeing the guests off, Xiang Fei stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the night view of Los Angeles in a daze. Zhou Huimin walked over and leaned gently on his shoulder: "Do you feel better?"

Xiang Fei let out a long sigh: "You know? I suddenly figured it out just now. Is an award really that important?"

Zhou Huimin smiled and nodded: "This is the Xiang Fei I know."

That night, Xiang Fei slept very soundly.

At breakfast the next day, Li Bingbing ran over excitedly: "President Xiang, Sister Amin, we're going to go sightseeing, want to come with us?"

Zhou Xingxing added from the side: "I heard a great new coffee shop opened over there."

Xiang Fei shook his head: "You guys go; Huimin and I have other arrangements."

From Li Bingbing, Xiang Fei learned that Han Shanping was negotiating with film distributors around the world. The overseas distribution rights for Drive My Car had been sold for a sky-high price, making the old producer so happy he couldn't close his mouth.

"Where is Brother Hong?" Zhou Huimin asked.

"Him?" Li Bingbing laughed, "He's in the hotel lobby, talking loudly with a group of Hollywood stars. I think he's more excited than when he won the award."

On a sunny afternoon, Xiang Fei and Zhou Huimin arrived at Tang Renjie. Walking on the familiar streets, Xiang Fei couldn't help but recall every little detail from filming Detective Chinatown 2.

The two strolled along the streets full of Oriental flavor, and Chinese people occasionally recognized them, greeting them warmly. An elderly woman with white hair even excitedly grabbed Xiang Fei's hand: "Child, you've brought honor to us Chinese!"

Tired from walking, they casually entered a Northeastern restaurant. As soon as they entered, the owner joyfully recognized them.

"Oh my goodness! Isn't this Xiang Dao?" The burly owner spoke with a heavy Northeastern accent, "Please come in quickly! Today I must treat!"

The restaurant was not big, but clean and tidy. Chinese knots and red lanterns hung on the walls, and news reports about the Oscars were playing on the TV. The owner cooked personally, making a table full of authentic Northeastern dishes: Guobaorou, Di San Xian, Pickled Cabbage with Pork...

"These years abroad," the owner said while pouring wine, "to see our Chinese filmmakers standing on the world stage, it makes the heart so happy!"

After eating and drinking their fill, Xiang Fei took out his wallet, but the owner absolutely refused to take the money: "This meal is on me! Just consider it cheering for our Chinese cinema!"

At parting, the owner held Xiang Fei's hand and said: "Next time you come to the US, remember to come sit more often. Although this place can't compare to big hotels, the taste of home is guaranteed!"

Xiang Fei nodded solemnly: "Definitely."

As the sun set, Xiang Fei and Zhou Huimin walked hand in hand on the way back to the hotel.