Chapter 130: Jing Tian's Moment of Glory

This year's Spring Festival, Wei Jin was in a very good mood; on the first day of the Lunar New Year, good news arrived from Berlin.

At this year's Berlin International Film Festival, Huaxia filmmakers shone brightly, with a total of three films—*Apple*, *Tuya's Marriage*, and *Search*—being shortlisted.

Wang Quanan won the Berlin Golden Bear Award for *Tuya's Marriage*, sparking a wave of cheers from domestic media.

Since Zhang Yimou took home the first Golden Bear for the country in 1988 with *Red Sorghum*, Li An's *The Wedding Banquet* in '93 and Xie Fei's *Soul of a Woman* had also won this award, but in the dozen or so Berlin International Film Festivals since, Huaxia had not won another Golden Bear.

After a 14-year hiatus, Wang Quanan won the Golden Bear again, becoming the fourth director from Huaxia to receive this honor, and for a time, his prominence was unrivaled.

*Apple*, however, was less fortunate and came away empty-handed from this year's Berlin International Film Festival; Fan Bingbing felt somewhat relieved that she hadn't participated in it after all.

*Search* took home the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution; although it couldn't be considered a major award, both Tian Zhuangzhuang and his student Wei Jin had won this prize, which also made for a fine story.

It was just a pity for Gao Yuanyuan that she couldn't take home the Berlin Golden Horse Best Actress; Wei Jin didn't yet know what he had missed.

But since his mentor had already achieved a flying start, Wei Jin was naturally very much looking forward to his own journey to the Oscars.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, just after the Spring Festival, Wei Jin brought Ceng Li and Jing Tian to North America, accompanied by a makeup artist and a stylist; the Oscar awards ceremony was about to begin.

Inside the hotel room, Wei Jin, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn't help but speak up:

"Tian Tian, your makeup is taking too long, and besides, did you get your invitation?"

Wei Jin looked at the time on his watch, gaining a brand-new understanding of a woman's makeup speed.

This year's Oscars were held on February 25th at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and would be broadcast live by ABC; this time, the Movie Channel had gotten smart and spent a huge sum to buy the broadcast rights, with only a one-minute delay from North America.

"Brother Wei Jin, this is the Oscars, after all; of course I have to dress up beautifully."

Jing Tian spoke somewhat slowly so as not to disturb the makeup artist.

"Also, someone will come to pick me up when we get there, so don't you worry about it."

Although he didn't understand in what capacity Jing Tian was attending, thinking of her background, he felt a bit more at ease; he figured attending an awards ceremony shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright then, I'll go check on Li Jie; I really don't understand you women."

After saying this, Wei Jin walked quickly to another room, only to see that Ceng Li was already dressed beautifully and was admiring herself in front of the mirror.

"What, can't bear to leave your little lover to come see your big sister?"

Ceng Li's words carried a hint of resentment, though her tone was teasing; although she hadn't asked, seeing how Wei Jin acted toward Jing Tian, wasn't his intent as clear as day?

However, Ceng Li didn't care anymore; as long as Wei Jin had her in his heart, that was enough. Besides, Wei Jin was a philanderer—hadn't he told her that from the very beginning? But it looked like Wei Jin hadn't conquered that little girl yet; just after arriving at the hotel last night, she had guarded herself against him very strictly.

Thinking of Wei Jin's awkwardness last night, Ceng Li felt it was somewhat funny.

"Li Jie, don't you lower yourself to the level of a little girl; but Li Jie, you are truly beautiful today, and you will surely add much color to this year's Oscars."

Facing Ceng Li's teasing, Wei Jin actually felt relieved; he was afraid that the two would be at each other's throats, which would be hard to manage.

Wei Jin walked toward Ceng Li and took her hand:

"Li Jie, tonight you will definitely become the first Chinese Oscar Best Actress."

The main PR focus this time was the Best Actress award; for this, Wei Jin had even given up the competition for Best Director and Best Film. He wanted to make Ceng Li the pride of the Central Academy of Drama and fulfill her dream.

"Xiao Jin, actually I don't care anymore; you've already done enough for me."

"No, Li Jie, it is you who has done too much for me."

With Ceng Li being so accommodating, how could Wei Jin not be moved? Besides, missing this chance, it would be very difficult to have another opportunity; a script with a female lead is truly hard to find.

In the evening, Wei Jin's group arrived at the Kodak Theatre, and sure enough, a staff member came to pick up Jing Tian shortly after.

"Brother Wei Jin, remember to save a seat for me later."

Jing Tian gave Wei Jin a playful smile and followed the staff member into the theater through a different entrance.

"Li Jie, let's go too."

Hearing this, Ceng Li took Wei Jin's arm, and together they stepped onto the red carpet. The Oscar Golden Horse Best Actress, also known as the Academy Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is a film award hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Founded in 1929, it is the oldest, most authoritative, and professional film award in North America, and also the most influential film award in the world. The Oscar Golden Horse Best Actress is the highest award in the North American film industry and, along with the Emmy Award (television), the Grammy Award (music), and the Tony Award (theater), is known as the four major awards of the North American entertainment industry.

For this year's Oscars, because Wei Jin had four nominations, the country was also paying close attention; as soon as the red carpet live stream began, the ratings for the domestic Movie Channel started to climb steadily.

After more than half a month of frantic promotion by the media, this matter was known to everyone in the country; many people who had no interest in film wanted to see if the Oscars could award a prize to a Huaxia person.

Although Li An had already won once before, which directly made him a god in the hearts of film fans and the number one Chinese director, most people felt that Wei Jin and Li An were two different matters.

It was morning in the country at this time, and Liu Yifei was also waiting for the Movie Channel's broadcast of the Oscar awards ceremony.

Soon, Wei Jin appeared on the TV screen leading Ceng Li onto the red carpet. Today, Ceng Li was in a long black dress that showed off her proud figure, and paired with the high-end luxury jewelry she wore, she truly had the temperament of a dark queen, as if her whole person was glowing.

This made Liu Yifei very envious; she didn't know if she envied Ceng Li's figure or the Oscar red carpet.

Famous stars kept walking across the red carpet, but Liu Yifei's attention wasn't on them; she was looking for shots of Wei Jin.

After a long time, Liu Yifei was getting impatient; the red carpet finally ended, and the footage switched to the interior. Wei Jin had already led Ceng Li to find their seats.

Soon the lights dimmed, and Liu Yifei knew the awards ceremony was about to begin, but the scene that followed was something she had never expected.

And just as shocked as she was, were the numerous domestic viewers sitting in front of their televisions in North America, inside the Hollywood Kodak Theatre.

When Wei Jin saw Jing Tian standing on the stage, he couldn't help but exclaim "Holy crap" in his heart, and a flash of surprise also crossed Ceng Li's eyes.

At this moment, Jing Tian, in a well-fitting, slim-cut evening gown, complemented by simple and graceful jewelry, stood under the spotlight, looking exceptionally pure and refined.

It turned out that Jing Tian had come to the Oscar awards ceremony as a guest performer; this was the huge surprise she had prepared for Wei Jin.

*Dream It Possible* had successfully broken into the Billboard Top 10 in February, and Jing Tian was already somewhat famous in North America; coupled with Warner's all-out support, she had secured this opportunity—though, of course, there was no lack of deals behind the scenes.

The Oscar organizers also felt that since there were Huaxia films shortlisted this year, adding a Chinese Singer would be quite fitting, and it could incidentally increase Huaxia's attention toward the Oscars and enhance the award's influence; plus, there was already a precedent to follow, so they agreed to it.

Standing on the stage, Jing Tian kept a smile while her eyes swept across the surroundings, finally spotting Wei Jin in the crowd; the smile on her face was as brilliant as a flower.

Because it was the first time the Movie Channel was broadcasting live, there were no subtitles, so they invited hosts to help introduce the event; this time, it was the duo of Sa Beining and Jing Wei.

Sa Beining: "Dear viewers, this is a tradition of the Oscar awards ceremony; they usually invite famous singers to perform throughout the awards process."

Jing Wei: "Yes, in 2001, the first Chinese Singer, Li Wen, sang the theme song for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* at the 73rd Oscars. It seems Jing Tian is also very popular in North America."

Sa Beining: "Alright, let us quiet down and enjoy the live Oscar performance brought to us by our country's singer, Jing Tian."

Inside the villa, watching Jing Tian on the television as if she were radiating light, Liu Yifei felt a bit uncomfortable and muttered to herself:

"Does Brother Wei Jin like her? I can sing English songs too, you know. So annoying; she must be pestering Brother Wei Jin, ah~~"

The more Liu Yifei thought about it, the more she felt that Jing Tian had used some kind of trick. "I treated you as a good friend, yet you want to steal my lover?" she shouted out without realizing it.

"Xixi, what are you shrieking about? You're a young lady, mind your image."

Liu Xiaoli, who was thinking about something on the side, had her train of thought interrupted and lectured her daughter with annoyance.

Liu Yifei stuck out her tongue and continued watching the television, but the words "mind your image" seemed to make her realize something—as the piano music began to play, Jing Tian started to sing. For this moment, she had practiced this song more times than she could count, and the effect was excellent; many guests at the venue were immersed in the warm and powerful song.

Wei Jin, sitting in the audience, was proud of this hardworking young girl at this moment. It seemed that the two years of musical training had helped her grow quite a bit; this was a highlight moment that belonged solely to Jing Tian! The duration of a song is very short, but for Jing Tian on stage, it felt very long. She had completely immersed herself in the story of the music video: chasing dreams, embracing dreams, and never stopping.

Her deeply emotional singing voice also won her the respect of the guests present, and everyone was moved by this vibrant and energetic Oriental girl.

Once the song finished, enthusiastic applause erupted at the venue. After taking her bow, Jing Tian waved at Wei Jin, which also drew a round of good-natured laughter from the audience.

After stepping off the stage, Jing Tian lifted the hem of her gown and headed straight in the direction of Wei Jin.

"Brother Wei Jin, how did I perform?"

At this moment, a smile hung on Jing Tian's face, but the anticipation in her eyes could not be hidden.

"Very good, Tian Tian, I am proud of you. Tonight, you are the brightest star."

Wei Jin pulled Jing Tian tightly into his embrace, whispered in her ear, and then took her hand and sat down.

The highlight moment of this year's Oscar that belonged to Jing Tian had passed; next, it would be up to Wei Jin and Ceng Li. The third update of the day, I earnestly request all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, and collections. You must flip to the last page for the follow-up reading, thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)