Chapter 530: Sensation, Parting, and Impact

North America, Dolby Theatre.

"The winner of the Best Director award is—"

The presenter on stage kept everyone in suspense, making even Wei Jin feel slightly nervous.

To be honest, *Dixing Yinxing* had already taken home 4 technical awards, and the goal for this year's Oscar had already been met, but the Best Director award was undoubtedly the highest honor for a director.

Although Wei Jin had already won it once before, no one would ever complain about having too many of these things.

In his memory, both *Life of Pi* and *Dixing Yinxing* had won this award, but with the two films competing against each other, it was truly hard to say who would take it.

It was even possible that, due to public relations issues, someone else might swoop in and snatch it.

Beside him, Ceng Li was also so nervous she didn't dare to make a sound.

She had heard some rumors about the "husband-prospering" label that netizens had jokingly given her; although *Dixing Yinxing* had already won 4 awards this time, Wei Jin himself was still empty-handed.

It would be a bit of a pity if Wei Jin returned empty-handed.

Furthermore, if the film crew didn't have a major award to anchor their success, it would lack some persuasiveness.

For example, *Avatar* back then, despite 9 nominations and 3 wins, was mocked by the media quite a bit.

On the other side, the *Life of Pi* crew was also holding its breath; they had suffered a crushing defeat overall tonight, and if they could pull one back in this category, it would count as good news.

Even Li An, who was always smiling, had a look of gravity on his face at this moment.

The others, including Michael Haneke nominated for *Amour*, David O. Russell, director of *Silver Linings Playbook*, and Steven Spielberg of *Lincoln*, had all become serious as well.

They didn't keep everyone waiting too long; the presenters on stage, Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda, revealed the suspense together.

"Wei, *Dixing Yinxing*, congratulations!"

YES!

8 nominations and 5 wins; Wei Jin just felt that this year's Oscar was already complete.

"Xiao Jin, Best Director, you did it again."

The pride on Ceng Li's face was hard to hide; she stood up and gave Wei Jin a tight hug. If not for the crowd, she would have wanted to reward this man thoroughly.

"Thank you, Li Jie, this award has your contribution in it."

Pulling away from Ceng Li's proud embrace, Wei Jin hugged the rest of the crew one by one, then strode onto the stage to begin his first and only speech of this year's Oscar.

"First, I want to thank the Academy and the judges for their recognition. It is not easy for a sci-fi film to win the Best Director award; it seems my attempts in the film were very meaningful.

I will continue to maintain the spirit of constant exploration and innovation, always keep my original intention toward film, and show it respect. In the future, I will definitely bring even more wonderful works to the audience and fans.

I want to thank my leading lady, Ceng Li. This film is even more wonderful because of your presence. Although you weren't nominated this time, in my heart, you are the undisputed Best Actress!"

Oh~~~ Wei Jin's speech, which sounded like a declaration of love, drew whistles from the venue. Many people still remembered that it was *Room* that had earned this Huaxia woman a nomination for Golden Horse Best Actress.

Fan Bingbing, who was at the scene, was filled with envy. Although she had always been walking the path of capital, if she could be mentioned by a man on such an occasion, she feared she would have reached a climax on the spot.

Just as Fan Bingbing thought, at this moment, Ceng Li's beautiful legs beneath her cheongsam were pressed together; she truly felt as if she were about to fly into the clouds.

She was already pondering how to reward Wei Jin when they returned tonight.

On stage, Wei Jin's speech continued.

"Thank you to my motherland for supporting a peaceful and prosperous age, allowing filmmakers to focus on their work without distraction; thank you to my alma mater, Beijing Film Academy, for cultivating and tolerating me; thank you to all my colleagues in the crew, this award belongs to all of us.

Finally, I want to thank myself. I set a goal to collect all categories of the Oscar, and I will move toward that goal step by step. I am still young and possess infinite possibilities. I will come again to next year's Oscar, thank you!"

Many guests at the scene were stunned by Wei Jin's speech.

Not yet thirty, he had already won the Oscar for Best Director twice. What kind of miracle would Wei Jin create next time? As for the final major award, it basically had nothing to do with *Dixing Yinxing*, so Wei Jin's mindset was very calm.

However, perhaps because Wei Jin had created too many miracles over the years, the rest of the crew still held some fantasies about the Best Picture award, and Chen Xi was no exception.

Come to think of it, Chen Xi was the Producer; if they really won, she would have to go on stage to speak. That would be an achievement that created history for Huaxia cinema.

But unfortunately, the Oscar acting categories and the Best Picture award remained the private territory of North America; without a green card or joining certain organizations, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven!

*Argo* took the Best Picture award, but it had no Best Cinematography, no Best Editing, and no Best Director; it would likely be mocked tomorrow.

With this, the 85th Academy Awards came to a complete end, leaving only the final celebratory banquet.

Without a doubt, *Dixing Yinxing* with 8 nominations and 5 wins, including the two major awards of Best Director and Best Editing, could be called the big winner of the night.

After the awards ceremony, Hollywood began its revelry for the night.

And in Huaxia, ten thousand miles away, it was also a scene of boiling excitement.

Major media outlets, news websites, and Movie Channel were all broadcasting breaking news.

Entertainment headlines and Weibo trending searches were, without exception, all flooded with Oscar information.

"*Dixing Yinxing* 8 nominations and 5 wins, capturing 5 Little Golden Men including Oscar Best Director, Best Editing, Best Original Music, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects, creating a record in Huaxia film history!"

"*Life of Pi* had bad luck, 7 nominations, only winning Best Cinematography and Best Original Music; Director Li An himself came away empty-handed!"

"The number of Oscar category awards for Chinese people hits a new high; Director Wei's ultimate dream is expected to be achieved!"

"At the Oscar ceremony, Wei Jin publicly declares love for Ceng Li on the spot—'You are my Best Actress,' romantic and bold!"

His alma mater, Beijing Film Academy, continued to display its fine traditions, having prepared eight banners since the start of the ceremony.

For every nomination passed, a banner was hung; now there were five full banners, and the school gate was almost running out of space.

It happened to be the time for Beijing Film Academy's art exams, and the row of bright red banners simply dazzled the eyes of the candidates, as if saying: See that? This is the strength of Beijing Film Academy!

The students at the neighboring Central Academy of Drama all had eyes filled with immense envy. Why didn't Central Academy of Drama have a great director? Jiang Wen felt he had received ten thousand points of critical damage.

Major web portals, Weibo, and Tieba were also lively, with gongs and drums sounding and firecrackers going off.

"8 nominations and 5 wins, Wei Jin is awesome! It's said that *Nomadland*, which is currently filming, is also aiming for next year's Oscar; too brutal!"

"I just want to say, Da Lizi is the most husband-prospering existence; I unilaterally announce my approval of their marriage."

"In terms of awards and honors, Wei Jin should be the most awesome in the country now. What's left is Best Picture and the European Three Major Film Festivals Grand Slam. If he really achieves that, Boss Wei will be truly inspiring!" "Hehe, if he really achieves that, in ancient times, he would be someone worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

"Normally speaking, it's really not very likely, but if it's Wei Jin, perhaps there really is a chance..."

"Boss Wei is too strong; not only does he win awards himself, but he can also lead others to win. Those who 'lay down and win' with him this time must have burned high incense at their ancestral graves..."

"Boss Wei, please keep me, I have long legs, a big chest, and great skills, I'm flexible and not clingy, my phone number is..."

"Get lost, you damn freak!"

North America, Beverly Hills.

After the banquet ended, Wei Jin declined invitations from people including Kristen, Taylor Swift, and others, and accompanied Ceng Li back to the villa.

It was mainly because of a fierce battle with Fan Bingbing last night; although he didn't spend the night out, after returning home, he was still subjected to a joint trial by his two wives, so no matter what, he couldn't go out and mess around tonight.

Along the way, Wei Jin received many congratulatory calls, from school teachers, senior group executives, familiar domestic directors and celebrity artists, as well as from several women.

Even Zhou Xingxing, with whom he rarely had contact, called to congratulate him.

Of course, congratulations were not the main reason; the main point was discussing the extension for *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons*.

This Spring Festival, *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons* could be called peerless, breaking the 1 billion box office mark in just 15 days of effort.

During this period, the stock price of Bi Gao Group had been rising steadily.

Zhou Xingxing held a full 30% share in the project, so naturally, he wanted the box office to be higher; if he could even get an Extended Key, it could boost the stock price another wave.

However, he was a bit anxious now, because although there was a gap in the daily box office between *Journey to the West* and *Seattle* at the moment, by the time the public screening ended, the daily revenue of the two might be about the same.

In other words, the box office gained during the extension phase might not differ by much.

But *Seattle* was, after all, fully produced by Shanhe Media, so from the perspective of interests, the possibility of obtaining extension support would be greater.

Just as Zhou Xingxing was preparing to fight for it a bit more, Wei Jin gave his answer.

"Director Zhou, I will notify the company to cooperate; prepare the materials and submit them."

"Thank you, thank you for your support, President Wei, thank you."

Zhou Xingxing's tone revealed a sense of excitement, not just because of the interests, but because with an extension, *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons* might be able to challenge the top three of the *Thieves* box office list.

For a Chinese-language director, this was also an extremely high achievement.

"Xiao Jin, will Teacher Xue have any objections?"

Just as Wei Jin hung up the phone, he saw Ceng Li had changed into her pajamas and walked over, her face carrying a hint of curiosity.

Reaching out to pull the beautiful woman's soft body into his arms, Wei Jin explained: "Li Jie, the staying power of romance films is still inferior to this kind of special effects comedy, and according to the tone of the General Administration, the strong remain strong; even if *Seattle* is reported, it might not pass. Teacher Xue will understand."

Wei Jin's words were not false; from the perspective of the superiors, movies with over 1 billion in box office were definitely more important, and even if they couldn't break records, more box office was always good political achievement.

Additionally, considering it from the company's perspective, if *Seattle* received an extension, it would overlap too much in scheduling with the similar *Left Ear*, which was not a good thing.

Ceng Li also had no intention of dwelling on this matter and turned to chat about other topics.

"Xiao Jin, Dudu's kindergarten is about to start; we won't follow for the subsequent filming. How about you spend these few days at home accompanying Yuanyuan?"

"Hmm, that works too. The subsequent filming locations are quite scattered and the distances are far; it's better if you don't come along and tire yourselves out traveling back and forth."

Wei Jin followed the suggestion, then his hands climbed onto her proud curves, "But Li Jie, this way we have to separate; shouldn't we have a proper farewell tonight?"

After speaking, Wei Jin didn't wait for Ceng Li to answer, but squatted down, swept the beauty up into his arms, and strode toward the bathroom.

This night was both a farewell and a celebration; Ceng Li was completely compliant with Wei Jin's requests, and both the main path and the side paths were traversed. The sensation caused by this year's Oscar was far from over.

On the evening news broadcast on the 25th, domestic time, over a minute was spent introducing this year's Oscars and the achievements of *Dixing Yinxing*.

All five award winners appeared on the news, which made countless film and television industry workers green with envy.

It was foreseeable that relevant job positions at Shanhe Media would absolutely be the most sought-after in the industry.

Of course, Li An's *Life of Pi* also appeared on the news broadcast, though the time was much shorter.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the official attitude had almost designated Wei Jin's status as the number one person in the Huaxia film circle.

Media reporters were also eager to stir up trouble and specifically went to interview the opinions of major directors.

Facing the reporters' lenses, Zhang Yimou appeared somewhat excited.

"Congratulations to *Dixing Yinxing*, congratulations to Director Wei. He has made a good start for us Huaxia filmmakers. Number one in Chinese-language film, well-deserved!

In the future, I believe more filmmakers and behind-the-scenes workers will step out of the country and conquer the overseas film market and film festivals!"

It was no wonder Zhang Yimou was excited; his obsession with the Oscars was extraordinary. At this moment, he was even thinking, if he could help Wei Jin carry the camera, wouldn't winning an Oscar be wonderful?

Feng Dapao was very cunning; after congratulating Wei Jin, he once again brought up his new film, which was about to start shooting in Hainan.

Others such as Tian Zhuangzhuang, Cao Baoping, Lu Yang, Wu Ershan, and others all accepted media interviews and expressed their congratulations.

In addition, the Writers Guild, Cinematographers Guild, and various other associations and organizations involved in behind-the-scenes film work also voiced their congratulations through different channels.

Even the Film Association, which Wei Jin had repeatedly refused to join, specifically sent Vice Chairman Li Shaohong to accept a media interview.

Besides congratulations, Li Shaohong also once again extended an invitation to Wei Jin, hoping the latter would join the association and contribute to Chinese-language film together.

Only Chen Shiren, who was already mired in questioning, didn't even meet the reporters this time, only letting his company post a congratulatory message on Weibo.

North America was the same; the media gave extensive coverage to the achievements of *Dixing Yinxing*.

They even used "The Biggest Winner of the Oscars" to refer to *Dixing Yinxing*.

A large number of filmmakers, directors, and film and television workers sent their blessings on media and social software.

The next day's layout of *The Hollywood Reporter* even placed a photo of Wei Jin holding the five Little Golden Men at the banquet in the very center of the front page.

An Oriental leading a team to sweep five Little Golden Men on the Oscar stage—this was a moment that refreshed history.

However, Wei Jin ignored all the outside disturbances. After the awards ceremony ended, the next day, he took the crew and set off for the next filming location. (End of chapter)