Chapter 92: Li Jie Reaches the Top, Wei Jin Becomes a Legend

The next day, the reviews for the film "Room" were released:

"This is the most pleasantly surprising film at this year's festival. The director not only provides a sufficient portrayal of the kidnapping predicament but also reflects extensively on life after returning to the real world in the latter half, elevating the film's scope. One must admire the director's perspective here—the eyes of a child. — *Cahiers du Cinéma*"

"Through a pure psyche and an untainted perspective, the director captures the complexity and intricacy of society and reality; the technique is truly admirable. Borrowing the voice of a child, the director allows us adults to re-examine this world. This is a fantastic story! — *The New York Times*"

"This is a film about love. Although the film's scope is not large, its level of completion is very high. After watching this film, I am convinced it will change us all. — *Sight & Sound*"

"."

The rave reviews for "Room" made everyone exceptionally excited. According to Chen Zhiming, over a dozen distributors had come to negotiate last night, offering very high prices.

Meanwhile, following the grand premiere of "Room" in Cannes last night, domestic media reports on the film began to emerge, and numerous netizens, reading the articles pushed online, also fell into a frenzy.

"Wow, is it for real? The applause lasted for over ten minutes?"

"I don't know, but I believe this must be a very good film."

"I wonder if Director Wei will bring back another Palme d'Or this time?"

"Hard to say. Since the masterpiece 'Farewell My Concubine', no one has touched the Palme d'Or for over a decade."

"I hope Li Jie can take home the Cannes Best Actress. We still don't have one domestically; Maggie Cheung is from Hong Kong."

"Isn't Gong Huang a Cannes Best Actress?"

"That doesn't count; it was a special award, not Best Actress."

"Trust me, she will definitely win Best Actress. It's said this film was shot specifically for Ceng Li."

"Support."

Although the internet was buzzing, it hadn't quite broken into the mainstream yet. Once the Movie Channel broadcast the news of the "Room" premiere in Cannes that evening, it immediately sparked heated discussion in the media:

"At film festivals over the years, when encountering excellent films, fans will spontaneously stand up and applaud for a long time for the films they love. When the screening of the film 'Room' ended, over a thousand audience members in the Lumière Grand Theatre stood up to applaud the film and the creative team. The applause was like a violent storm, lasting for over ten minutes, and one could still see many fans with tears not yet dry on their faces."

On television, the footage of the audience standing and applauding enthusiastically was still playing. The entire atmosphere was very fervent. Wei Jin led the creative team to bow and express thanks multiple times, but he still couldn't hold back the audience's enthusiasm, which instead brought forth even more applause.

In front of their television sets, many viewers were also infected by the scene on screen, a sense of pride rising in their hearts, and their perception of Wei Jin grew increasingly positive.

Inside the Yanjiao Villa, Gao Yuanyuan watched Wei Jin on TV, feeling proud in her heart that her man was so outstanding.

However, seeing Ceng Li bowing and taking her curtain call with a smile, she felt a bit of loss in her heart.

Immediately, she thought of "Search". Although it wasn't directed by Wei Jin this time, Tian Zhuangzhuang was a famous domestic director after all, and he was quite skilled at art-house films; she absolutely could not lose to that woman.

"Hmph, clearly promised to give the script to me, but refused to direct it himself. I'll deal with you when you get back."

Inside the hotel room of the "Beauty's Rival in Palace" crew, Jing Tian curled up on the sofa, watching Wei Jin on TV receiving applause from everyone, her face full of smiles. Hugging a pillow, she muttered to herself:

"Brother Wei Jin is indeed the best, but when will you finally confess to me? It's really annoying."

In another room in the same hotel, Fan Bingbing watched Wei Jin on TV, her face slightly flushed, and she secretly made up her mind once again that she must capture this man.

In a villa, Liu Yifei also saw this scene. Thinking of what Wei Jin had said to her, she felt a sense of anticipation:

"Mom, when do you think I can become the female lead in Brother Wei Jin's film?"

"Haven't you already been one? I see many people online calling you the first generation 'Jin Girl'."

"But that was two years ago, and I also want to go to Cannes..."

"Then wait for Wei Jin to return this time and contact him more. Don't think your mother is being calculating; if you don't contact him often, how would he think of you when an opportunity arises?"

"Mm, I'll listen to you, Mom."

Inside the hotel room of the "Temptation of Going Home" crew, Yan Danchen pressed the remote control with a complex expression and turned off the TV. It had to be said that Wei Jin was a very high-quality man, but unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a place for her in his heart.

As a somewhat traditional woman, Yan Danchen still longed to build a family with the man she liked. However, judging from the absurd incident of the threesome that night, the possibility with Wei Jin was almost zero. Wei Jin did not know that the domestic media and netizens were discussing her heatedly at this moment, nor did he know the various thoughts of the women around him.

After the premiere of "Room", with the explosion of word-of-mouth, the officials arranged a few more small-scale screenings, all of which were packed and exceptionally hot.

There are three trade papers in Cannes: the British "Screen", the American "The Hollywood Reporter", and the French "Le Film Français". These trade papers release a special issue every day during the festival, summarizing and evaluating the films screened the previous day.

The rating scale for Cannes trade papers is 4 points, and generally, anything over 3 points is considered a high score.

The average score for "Room" had already reached 3.4, the highest score among the more than a dozen films in the Main Competition Section screened so far. For a time, the calls for Wei Jin to win an award were very high.

Amidst such domestic and international acclaim, the film festival's closing ceremony was approaching. On the morning of May 28th, as the phone in Wei Jin's room rang, everyone held their breath.

When they saw the smile appear on Wei Jin's face, everyone jumped up happily.

Yes, the crew had received an invitation to the closing ceremony from the organizing committee.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the members of the "Room" crew, dressed in their finest, once again walked the red carpet amidst the long guns and short cannons of the media and the cheers of the fans.

At seven-thirty, the awards ceremony officially began. After the film festival president gave a brief speech, led by Wong Kar-wai, the nine members of the Pingshutuan appeared on stage once again.

What Wei Jin did not know was that the eyes beneath Wong Kar-wai's sunglasses had already involuntarily looked toward the direction of the "Room" crew. The previous jury meeting had been exceptionally intense; thinking back on it now, Wong Kar-wai still felt lingering fear and secretly whispered that it had been a close call.

As the smaller awards were presented one by one, Wei Jin knew the main event was coming.

To the surprise of everyone present, once the Best Actor Award was announced, the entire venue was in an uproar. Five people? Was this a wholesale deal? But since all nine jurors had approved it, according to the rules, this was permitted.

Wei Jin already had a bad premonition in his heart. If Li Jie won an award, would she be mocked as a "water-prize" winner?

Sure enough, when Monica Bellucci read out a long list of names, everyone knew this was another wholesale award.

However, the "Room" crew was already cheering, and Ceng Li's name was prominently among them.

Ceng Li was still in disbelief at this moment. Although she didn't understand why so many people were winning the award together, it was ultimately an affirmation of herself. This was, after all, a Cannes Best Actress award; no one from the three major domestic art academies had ever won one before.

After the several winners gave their speeches, it was Ceng Li's turn. "Congratulations, Li Jie, hurry up and go on stage."

Although Wei Jin was a bit annoyed by the Pingshutuan's bizarre maneuvers, he still expressed his congratulations to Ceng Li.

Ceng Li hugged Wei Jin excitedly. At this moment, she couldn't say a word. With an excited mood, she walked slowly onto the stage.

When she received the mini Palme d'Or trophy and certificate from the presenter, Ceng Li gradually regained her calm: "Thank you, thank you to the jurors for their affirmation of me. I am very happy to win this award. Here, I want to thank my family who supported my acting career, thank my alma mater for cultivating me, and even more, I want to thank the director and screenwriter of this film. Thank you, Xiao Jin! Finally, thank you, Cannes."

Ceng Li looked toward Wei Jin's direction, love flashing in her eyes. This man had given her incomparable glory.

Returning to her seat amidst the applause of the crowd, Ceng Li gave Wei Jin a big hug and whispered in Wei Jin's ear: "Xiao Jin, I love you."

Wei Jin patted Li Jie's back, feeling a bit emotional in his heart. Scenes of meeting, knowing, and staying with Li Jie flashed through his mind. Perhaps the feelings for Ceng Li at the beginning were more about being attracted to her beauty, but after three years of being together, Wei Jin had truly fallen in love with this woman who was infinitely tolerant of him, and the relationship between the two had even begun to evolve toward the direction of family.

The awards ceremony continued. The Best Director was awarded to the director of "Babel".

The Jury Prize was awarded to the British film "Breeze Blowing Through Wheat Waves". Seeing that only the Grand Prix and the most important Palme d'Or were left, Wei Jin couldn't help but feel nervous, and the members of the crew felt as if their throats had been pinched, not daring to breathe loudly.

The Grand Prix was awarded to the French film *Flanders*.

At this moment, Wei Jin's palms were already sweating; only the final award remained, and if they didn't win it, the *Room* crew would have to return home in disappointment.

Just as everyone in the hall was craning their necks in anticipation, the presenter announced the suspense: "The winner of the 59th Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or is... *Room*. Wei Jin, congratulations!"

Boom—Wei Jin felt as if something had exploded in his brain; although he had mentally prepared himself, the moment the suspense was revealed, a massive wave of joy still flooded his chest.

"Xiao Jin, congratulations, I knew you were the best."

Ceng Li jumped up in excitement, hugged Wei Jin fervently, and a smile of immense pride bloomed on her face.

"Thank you, Li Jie, this award has a part of you in it."

Wei Jin calmed his emotions, hugged the members of the crew one by one, straightened his back, and walked slowly toward the stage.

Taking the Palme d'Or trophy from the presenter, Wei Jin took a deep breath and arrived at the podium:

"Thank you, thank you to the jury for their affirmation of me. To be able to win this award, to be honest, I am very surprised and also very pleasantly surprised..."

At this time, Wong Kar-wai, sitting in the audience, was also feeling emotional; it was indeed very surprising, truly a stroke of luck. He hadn't expected that, besides Zhang Ziyi, the other two female jurors would actually strongly support *Room*.

In the original timeline, the Palme d'Or went to *Breeze Blowing Through Wheat Waves*, but its expressed war theme was not very favored by the three female jurors, and in the end, after some compromise, it only received the Pingshutuan award.

The three female jurors greatly appreciated the core expressed by *Room*, and coupled with a series of slick maneuvers by Wong Kar-wai, Wei Jin was finally hoisted onto the pedestal.

Wei Jin did not know about these stories that happened during the judging process, and his speech continued:

"... Thank you to all my colleagues in the crew for their hard work, thank you to the actors for their dedicated contributions, thank you to my family for their support, and thank you to my alma mater for nurturing me. In fact, this film is my graduation project. Finally, thank you again to all the jurors, thank you Cannes."

When they heard that Wei Jin hadn't even graduated yet, the whole hall was shocked. This must be the youngest Palme d'Or winner ever, right? The media had already thought of their news headlines... After the awards ceremony ended and the winners gathered on stage for a group photo, everyone rushed to the official closing party.

Wei Jin accompanied Ceng Li back to the hotel to change clothes, and after arriving at the party venue, there were already many people there, everyone greeting each other.

As the biggest winner of this film festival, Wei Jin and Ceng Li were congratulated by everyone as soon as they appeared.

Wei Jin and Ceng Li also took wine glasses from the waiters and started chatting with everyone.

"Director Wei, Li Zi, congratulations to you both. You must treat us to a meal when you return to Beijing."

Zhang Ziyi, who was a juror, was naturally present and came to congratulate the two.

"Thank you, and I must also thank Miss Zhang for your support. As for the meal, you can pick any place you like."

Wei Jin knew in his heart that for him to win the award, Zhang Ziyi must have put in a great deal of effort, and his perception of this woman had changed somewhat.

"Ziyi, thank you so much for your support. When we get back to Beijing, us old classmates must find time to get together."

"Don't bother finding time, let's just eat at Director Wei's expense, the big spender. Director Wei, I'll invite a few more people, you don't mind, do you?"

Zhang Ziyi also noticed that Wei Jin's attitude had changed and thought about striking while the iron was hot to deepen their relationship. With Ceng Li there, wasn't she a ready-made bridge? "Of course I don't mind. I have long heard of the 'Golden Flowers' of the Central Academy of Drama's Class of '96."

The happy Wei Jin naturally didn't care about Zhang Ziyi's little tricks, wondering only that he shouldn't let Ceng Li notice anything.

"Haha, then it's a deal."

"We have a party later, you are welcome to attend."

Wei Jin extended an invitation to Zhang Ziyi.

Usually, after the official party ends, the winning films hold celebration parties. *Room*'s party was being handled by a PR firm, and it was estimated that it had already started by now.

Subsequently, Wei Jin chatted with other familiar people at the venue and sent out invitations along the way, naturally including Wong Kar-wai.

After two consecutive parties, Wei Jin was also somewhat exhausted. He helped the slightly tipsy Ceng Li back to the room, never expecting that Li Jie had actually prepared a big surprise for him tonight. Waking up early the next morning, Wei Jin looked at the beauties sleeping on his left and right, feeling immensely satisfied, and touched their half-exposed skin with some infatuation.

Seeming to sense the man's caress, both of them woke up with sleepy eyes. Liu Yan looked like she was enjoying it, but Ceng Li's face was slightly flushed.

Last night had, after all, crossed her bottom line. Although it was a reward she had given herself, facing Liu Yan, she was still a bit embarrassed. It seemed Wei Jin would have to continue working hard if he wanted to enjoy the blessings of having both women for a long time.

"Li Jie, thank you."

Wei Jin hugged Ceng Li into his arms with some tenderness, knowing in his heart how much courage Li Jie had summoned.

Liu Yan, who was to the side, felt a bit envious seeing this; she knew that in Wei Jin's heart, she could never compare to Ceng Li.

Seeming to sense Liu Yan's little thoughts, Wei Jin also pulled her into his arms.

In the morning sunlight, the three of them just hugged each other quietly like this; there was actually an indescribable harmony... The new book is on the shelves, I implore all readers to reward me with a subscription and a collection, thank you everyone!

Today's first update, a big chapter of four thousand words is presented.

(End of this chapter)