Chapter 333

Nonsense, he was definitely drunk.

But not that drunk, not unconscious.

It was just that his brain felt like it was stuffed with a ball of cotton, numb, and his tongue wasn't very obedient, knotted severely.

He still knew clearly where he was, and he also knew that he was going to attend the awards ceremony next, but his thoughts were messy, a blank space, and he couldn't remember anything.

"You help me keep an eye on things, I'll nap for a while." Chen Nuo lowered his voice and said vaguely to Liu Qi Yifei.

When Liu Qi Yifei heard this, she opened her mouth slightly in surprise, "Ah? What should we do if the camera pans over later?"

"You block it for me first, and if you really can't block it, then shake me awake." As Chen Nuo spoke, his tongue wasn't even nimble.

It seems it's true that women have a higher alcohol tolerance than men; even though Chen Nuo remembered that Liu Qi Yifei's alcohol tolerance was actually about the same as his back then, but now, years later, even though everyone drank the same amount, Liu Qi Yifei's eyes weren't even red, and him?

Fortunately, he is 183cm now, his knees can support the chair back in front, otherwise he might very well slide under someone's chair.

In a daze, Chen Nuo felt like he had only napped for two seconds when his arm was shaken.

He opened his eyes blankly and heard a burst of laughter around him.

He looked closely and saw that the big screen at the scene was clearly showing his sleepy-eyed, dazed appearance.

Other countries might be one thing, but couldn't the Germans tell what was going on with him?

The host, Anke Engelke, who had just mentioned him on stage, said something in German again, which caused the whole audience to laugh again.

Chen Nuo didn't understand what this German comedy actress was saying, so he could only force himself to remain calm and show a smile.

Fortunately, the camera quickly turned away, and then, the organizing committee chairman, Kosslick, went on stage to give a speech. As expected, it was another burst of German gibberish; Chen Nuo felt like he was listening to a heavenly book, and within a few sentences, sleepiness hit him again.

"Hey, I'm going to keep sleeping for a while." Chen Nuo said to Liu Qi Yifei.

Liu Qi Yifei turned her head, her eyes looking like she was looking at a monster from another planet, "You're still going to sleep?"

Chen Nuo was calm and responded: "My head is still dizzy, let me nap for a while longer."

"But..."

"But what, just remember to wake me up early if there's a situation."

"It's not that..."

Liu Qi Yifei still wanted to explain, but Chen Nuo didn't listen at all; he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep again. He supported his forehead with his hand, making a thoughtful appearance; if you didn't walk up close and look carefully, you really wouldn't notice he was sleeping.

If Sleepy Joe had this skill, he wouldn't be mocked by others.

Similarly, if you weren't an old academic slacker who had been trained for six years under the sharp eyes of Chinese teachers in junior high and high school classrooms, you would absolutely not be able to practice this kind of skill.

While he was sleeping, Kosslick finished his speech and began to introduce the jury for this year.

Seven filmmakers of different races and from different countries lined up on the stage. After Kosslick finished the introduction and jury president Werner Herzog said two sentences, the jurors bowed in unison.

Chen Nuo was woken up by the applause; he opened his eyes and looked, seeing Qi Yifei looking at the stage seriously and clapping, knowing it was fine, he shrank his body down again and continued to close his eyes.

But what was annoying was that Chen Nuo didn't sleep very well; besides the applause one after another, Liu Qi Yifei would shake him from time to time.

When "Echoes of the Rainbow" picked up the Crystal Bear trophy that originally belonged to "Under the Hawthorn Tree," she also came to wake him up to listen to a few sentences of the Cantonese acceptance speech by Hong Kong director Alex Law.

Crystal Bear, Chen Nuo couldn't help but want to laugh when he saw this youth film award.

But Alex Law was very excited; he wasn't young anymore, and he talked eloquently on stage in English, reviewing the various hardships of filming, thanking many people, and even had tears in his eyes at the end, bowing deeply to the audience.

This feeling made Chen Nuo couldn't help but feel if he was a bit disrespectful to this occasion, so he decided to pull himself together and watch the awards ceremony properly.

But the language barrier was real; German sounded like a lullaby to him, and after persisting for a few minutes, he continued to sleep.

Midway, he heard someone speaking Mandarin and woke up for a moment.

That was Director Wang Wang Quanan going on stage to receive the Best Screenplay award. Director Wang's face was calm, as if this result was also within his expectations.

Chen Nuo felt that if it were him, he definitely should be happier. Once... the girlfriend who had been like that, serving as a juror, and still being able to win Best Screenplay, one can only say Director Wang is indeed strong!

Next was another time of being half-dreaming and half-awake.

Even when Luo Man Polanski won the Best Director award at the 60th Berlin Film Festival, he didn't wake up,

otherwise, he should have been like those viewers in the Sina live broadcast room who voted for Best Director and cursed angrily: "He's not even present, and he can still win an award. This Berlin Film Festival is really fucking sick!"

After Best Director, there were a few big awards.

Best Actress, Best Actor, the two Silver Bears, and the final big award, the Berlin Golden Bear.

Just like Zhang Zhang Yimou was calm when he heard Luo Man Polanski won, Liu Qi Yifei didn't even blink when she heard Shinobu Terajima won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

However, when she saw a short Japanese man go on stage to receive the award and knew that Shinobu Terajima was actually the same as Polanski, not present at the scene, but had returned to Osaka,

she couldn't help but turn her head to look at the man who was sleeping on the side while supporting his forehead,

thinking if she had listened to him back then, not stayed to attend the awards ceremony, and left directly...

would there still be a chance?

"The most important awards were given to two people who were not present as soon as they came. What does this mean? Does Berlin prefer empty chairs? Teacher Bi, what do you think?" Zhu Jun looked at the angry curses from the viewers who voted for Best Actress in the live broadcast room chat box, and the current online audience of nearly 2 million, and smiled.

Bi Bi Chenggong followed with a smile and said: "Berlin does indeed have such a tradition. Have you forgotten how Chen Nuo's Berlin Best Actor award came about? He didn't even attend the premiere of 'The Dumb One' back then. So, everyone really doesn't need to be surprised..."

"To be honest, those who voted for Liu Qi Yifei to win Best Actress should all be Liu Qi Yifei's fans, right? Even if I haven't seen the movie yet, I have reason. Isn't it a bit unreasonable to expect Liu Qi Yifei to reach the sky in one step through one movie? Of course, I'm not denying Liu Qi Yifei's future. I'm just saying... she might still need to learn from her boyfriend. Haha."

Ignoring the countless angry curses in the live broadcast room chat box at this time, Zhu Jun said: "Next is Best Actor. It can be said that this is also the last chance for 'Under the Hawthorn Tree'. The 87% of viewers who voted for 'Other' should also be very nervous at this time, right?"

The scrolling speed in the chat box was unprecedented at this time.

"I'm not nervous at all, the foreign internet has already cursed 'Hawthorn Tree' like a dog, why!"

"If Brother Nuonuo wins Best Actor, I'd rather be single for three years!"

"I like Chen Nuo, but I voted for 'Other', I'm so conflicted!"

"Win or lose, it doesn't matter, what's there to be nervous about."

"Brother Nuonuo, come on! Although I voted for 'Other', I still support you!"

And at the scene, Renée Zellweger, who had appeared in "Cold Mountain" and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for "Chicago," stepped onto the stage wearing a pink-and-white long dress.

At this moment, Sergei Puskepalis' heart was about to jump out of his throat.

He held Grigory Dobrygin's hand tightly, praying to God and the gods countless times in his heart.

The two of them played a pair of tower guards at an Arctic observation station in the Russian film "How I Ended This Summer."

After the film came out, it received a lot of praise, and many people believed that they had a chance to win the Berlin Best Actor crown this year.

Although Sergei didn't know that in the original history, they did indeed win the Berlin Best Actor award this time.

However, if he really lost to the drunkard next to him who had been sleeping at the awards ceremony, as a 29-year-old young man, he really had anger in his heart and was particularly unconvinced.

So what if the fame is greater?

To attend this awards ceremony, he had just drunk 5 beers and more than ten cups of those colorful drinks, but what about this Chinese person?

It is estimated that he has been drinking without restraint.

Sleeping from beginning to end, only opening his eyes until now, and even so, is he worthy of winning an award?

He clearly didn't even take this awards ceremony seriously!

But these Germans, who claim to be rigorous and pay attention to etiquette, actually took care of him, knowing he was sleeping, and didn't even give him a camera shot from beginning to end!

If this isn't special treatment, what is?

So at this moment, Sergei Puskepalis, who felt deeply unfair, was truly incomparably eager to replicate the achievements of his compatriot Grigory Dobrygin.

Back then, Grigory Dobrygin snatched the Cannes Best Actor trophy from the hands of the person next to him at Cannes, in "My Blueberry Nights," and became a legend in Russia for a time.

And him, Sergei Puskepalis, why couldn't he be the next Grigory Dobrygin?

What's more, this time "Hawthorn Tree" is not comparable to "Blueberry."

His chances should be much greater than Grigory Dobrygin's!

Give it to me! Give it to me!

Sergei Puskepalis stared at the stage, praying over and over again in his heart.

Renée Zellweger said on stage: "This is the first time in my life that I have served as a juror for such an important award. But God is my witness, we have all done our jobs."

"The Best Actor this year was so difficult to choose; we spent a very, very long time on this, and went through I don't know how many rounds of discussion. In short, we like the male lead in every main competition film."

"I think they have all put in a lot and are all worthy of owning this trophy."

"But unfortunately, only one of them can enjoy this honor and become the Best Actor of the 60th Berlin Film Festival."

"We made a choice that we are worthy of our hearts by starting from artistry and acting itself, discarding all interference from external factors."

"I announce, the Best Actor of the 60th Berlin Film Festival is..."

"Chen Nuo, 'Under the Hawthorn Tree'."

Sergei Puskepalis' heart sank to the bottom of the sea, which is the coldest place in the Arctic.

Chen Nuo felt as if he were in a dream at this moment.

Just one minute before Renée Zellweger walked onto the stage, Liu Qi Yifei woke him from his sleep.

And before that, he was immersed in a strange dream—he dreamed that he was filming "Inception."

He was on a mission in a dream within a dream, and Liu Qi Yifei's call pulled him hard out of that illusory world.

The feeling of crossing two layers of dreams in a row made him a bit dazed, and everything in front of him seemed so unreal.

He did hear Renée Zellweger's words; she read his name and gave the entire Berlinale Palast hall an absolutely heavy bomb.

He also saw Liu Qi Yifei on the side, her hands tightly covering her mouth, surprise shining in her eyes, tears swirling in her eye sockets, clearly excited to the extreme.

However, he sat blankly in his seat as if he had been cast with a freezing spell, his body motionless, his hand subconsciously rubbing in his pants pocket, as if looking for something crucial.

He was looking for that spinning top that could prove reality and dreams.

His dizzy head was a bit slow due to lack of oxygen, which made him feel confused; he couldn't tell whether he had already returned to Los Angeles to film, or was still at the Berlin awards ceremony scene.

He even began to doubt his identity; he didn't know whether he was Cobb from "Inception" or Chen Nuo who came to attend the awards ceremony.

Just then, Liu Qi Yifei was probably so excited that she forgot herself; she suddenly stretched out her arms, hugged Chen Nuo's head tightly, and then kissed his lips hard without hesitation.

This sudden action made Chen Nuo come back to his senses instantly.

The huge sound waves in the Berlinale Palast echoed in his ears.

Who said Germans don't understand romance?

Among everyone at the scene, Zhang Zhang Yimou might be the most surprised one.

Originally, he had prepared himself psychologically to return empty-handed.

After all, the previous situation was too unfavorable for him; when Wang Wang Quanan's film won an award, and his own work came up empty, even if he was broad-minded, facing such a result, he couldn't help but feel a bit humiliated at the scene.

Therefore, at first, he really didn't want to come to attend this awards ceremony.

But both the male and female leads had to come, and as the director, he really couldn't shirk it, so he could only bite the bullet and come.

Sitting in the hall of the Berlinale Palast, his mood was terrible.

Especially when seeing "Apart Together" win the Best Screenplay award, while the Best Director award he was thinking about was taken away by Luo Man Polanski who was not present, Director Zhang couldn't help but ask himself: Is there any justice in this?

However, the news of Chen Nuo winning the Best Actor award instantly turned his mood 180 degrees.

There really is justice!

After Liu Qi Yifei excitedly kissed Chen Nuo,

Zhang Zhang Yimou definitely belonged to losing his composure, making behavior that did not fit his status and position at all.

He almost impatiently crossed a seat, grabbed Chen Nuo, who was still dazed and hadn't had time to stand up, pulled him up, hugged him tightly, and while patting Chen Nuo's back hard, shouted excitedly: "Brother Nuonuo, Brother Nuonuo! You are really too promising, Brother Nuonuo!"

Chen Nuo's brain was still dizzy; after Zhang Zhang Yimou let go of him, he swayed, and it took a lot of effort to stabilize his figure.

At this time, most of the audience in the hall had smiles on their faces, clapping while watching him with great interest.

If this were at the Kodak Theatre, there would probably have been whistles one after another.

Although no one pointed it out specifically, everyone knew it tacitly: this big star who won two Berlin Best Actor awards, the 55th and 60th, was clearly drunk at this moment.

However, in this warm atmosphere, Chen Nuo gradually became a little clearer.

He felt the gazes cast from all around and finally felt a bit embarrassed.

With a slightly shy smile, he took a step and walked toward the stage.

However, when he walked onto the podium and took the heavy trophy from Renée Zellweger's hand, Chen Nuo even forgot to give a basic cheek kiss to this big Hollywood star from the United States.

Standing on the stage, Chen Nuo opened his mouth, but found himself speechless for a moment.

He really couldn't find anything to say, because he hadn't prepared any acceptance speech. What's more, he was dreaming two minutes ago, and now on stage, drunk, facing one or two thousand people, he couldn't remember anything.

He also didn't know why those icy, sweet wines had such a strong aftereffect.

In short, standing here, he felt very uncomfortable, and in his mind, he only remembered the two people who had contact with him just now, Liu Qi Yifei and Zhang Zhang Yimou.

He opened his mouth and said: "Thank you, Zhang Zhang Yimou."

He originally wanted to say thank you to Liu Qi Yifei, thank you to the Berlin jury and organizing committee, but his stomach suddenly turned upside down.

He quickly closed his mouth, raised the Silver Bear trophy, waved it in the air, turned his head to nod at Renée Zellweger, didn't even wait for her, and walked quickly toward the backstage.

(End of chapter)