Chapter 175: I Don

Betty is a seasoned film enthusiast and a red carpet fan who attends the Berlin Film Festival's red carpet every year to collect autographs from her favorite directors and actors, giving her extensive red carpet experience.

First, you must secure the right spot—these stars may wave or smile in response to your shouts, but they rarely stop midway to sign autographs; however, the spot where they're most likely to pause is near the media zone. So if you want an autograph or a photo, stand right around the media cameras.

Second, arrive early and claim the front row near the cameras, or you won't stand a chance.

Finally, get a good night's sleep the night before, conserve your energy, and protect your voice—then on the next day, shout as loudly as you can to grab their attention.

At this moment, Betty screamed hoarsely: "Wu! Wu Dao! I love you!"

When Betty saw Wu Wu Yuchen looking her way, she screamed even louder: "Wu Dao, I love your 'Dr. Donkey'—it's my favorite movie!"

As she shouted, she stretched out her arm, waving the prepared poster and pen.

Her efforts paid off—when Wu Wu Yuchen walked over smiling and signed her poster, she immediately tilted her head to face the nearby camera, flashing a V-sign. Now she appeared in some media footage, completing her photo with Wu Wu Yuchen; if any newspaper or magazine published it, she could cut it out and keep it as a memento.

Wu Wu Yuchen sensed this girl was a seasoned red carpet fan—her knack for finding cameras was even better than his own—but he didn't mind; after signing autographs for several fans, he waved and walked away.

This time, the cast of 'Dr. Donkey' was quite large, led by him and Gong Li, followed by six actors, drawing attention and cheers no weaker than those for the festival's opening film, 'Shakespeare in Love'.

Among the 'Dr. Donkey' crew, Gong Li was truly the red carpet queen—she commanded the entire scene the moment she stepped onto the carpet, drawing relentless flashes; even Wu Wu Yuchen had to admit it.

'Shakespeare in Love' was the film Harvey Weinstein heavily promoted this year; although his PR focus was primarily on the Oscars, securing the Berlin opening slot wasn't hard.

But the reviews…

A seven-member jury assembled by 'Daily Screen' magazine walked out of the theater after watching 'Shakespeare in Love', grumbling.

"A trashy, vulgar romance film? No, it's not even romance—just a boring rich girl's affair with a writer who writes with his body! I give it one point!"

"Oh, don't be so harsh—at least the costumes are decent, and with Shakespeare's great lines as the foundation, I'd give it one and a half."

"Gwyneth Paltrow playing dual roles—her acting deserves recognition; I give it two and a half."

"Bullshit, you've been bought by Harvey Weinstein!"

Eventually, all seven jury members submitted their scores along with their personal impressions and evaluations.

'Daily Screen' magazine had another prestigious nickname at the Berlin Film Festival—'The Festival Journal'.

Since many members of the Festival Journal jury were professional critics, and scores clearly and directly showed audiences a film's quality, it was regarded as a viewing guide during the festival, acting as a barometer for audience taste.

The next day, Zhou Xun rushed over holding a fresh copy of 'Daily Screen' and shouted to everyone: "'Shakespeare in Love' got only 1.5 from the Festival Journal!"

Sun Sun Honglei quickly asked: "What's the total possible score? Is 1.5 high or low?"

Gong Li, with her extensive film festival experience, replied:

"The maximum is four points. A 1.5 isn't a good score."

She was being polite—1.5 was likely the lowest score…

Wu Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing their conversation—'Shakespeare in Love' lived up to its reputation as the most hollow Oscar contender, utterly ignored in Berlin.

"If the opening film only got 1.5, I wonder what score we'll get?" Zhou Xun looked at the magazine, feeling uneasy.

Wu Wu Yuchen smiled and said:

"Just treat the Festival Journal scores as a curiosity—they reflect media taste, not award outcomes. Films finishing in the bottom three have won awards before, and the highest-scoring film has often won nothing. You'd better pray we don't get the highest score—films topping the Festival Journal rarely win Best Picture."

"Huh? So that's how it is!" Zhou Xun exclaimed.

Nearby, Zhang Zhang Guoli asked: "Is this what they call 'popular films always lose'? Do foreigners believe in this too?"

Wu Wu Yuchen shook his head smiling: "I'm not sure, but media taste and actual jury taste differ—it's hard to align perfectly. The Festival Journal only influences audience viewing habits. But didn't you all feel the audience's reaction firsthand yesterday?"

He Bing immediately laughed: "Wu Dao, I think the festival audience is just like our theater crowd—they give instant feedback. Yesterday, a woman grabbed my hand and chattered nonstop~"

Zhou Xun turned to He Bing: "Teacher He, the translator said that woman was cursing you—she said you were utterly despicable, a complete scoundrel!"

He Bing's expression turned awkward, but he quickly recovered, lifting his chin: "If she's cursing me, it means I acted well!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Several films were considered highlights of this Berlin Film Festival: the opening film 'Shakespeare in Love', Terrence Malick's 'The Thin Red Line'—his comeback after twenty years, starring Sean Penn and others—and Wu Wu Yuchen's 'Dr. Donkey', starring Gong Li.

The Festival Journal jury wouldn't watch these major films all in one day—they'd watch one per day.

On the third day, the jury members chatted as they walked toward the 'Dr. Donkey' screening room.

"'The Thin Red Line' was excellent yesterday—it overturned Hollywood war film conventions."

"Yes, but it's too stream-of-consciousness. It's less a war film than a war impression piece."

"Maybe some jurors love this style—it fits Berlin's taste perfectly."

Once seated, one member said: "I wonder if Wu Wu Yuchen, the big director who's thriving in Hollywood, will surprise us."

"I hope he didn't bring a commercial film—that'd be a huge disappointment!"

"Relax—this film has Gong Li; the quality's guaranteed."

"Oh, you're right!"

When the theater lights dimmed, their chatter stopped.

Four very different teachers, rooted in a remote mountain village for a noble ideal, falsely listed a donkey as a teacher named "Lv De Shui" to secure extra subsidies—a decision that triggered an inspection by a special envoy. They had to recruit a completely illiterate coppersmith to impersonate Lv De Shui, and one lie led to another, new lies covering old ones, until the real donkey and the fake donkey swapped roles, and the situation spiraled out of control…

The film opens with clean, pure, beautiful imagery and a light, cheerful mood—each character radiates human warmth, united in devotion to education.

As the jury watched the continuous gags, they realized it was a comedy—and were startled. They never expected Wu Wu Yuchen and Gong Li to bring a comedy to the festival; comedies are rarely favored by major awards.

But the thought passed quickly—they soon became absorbed in the story.

Then, after the special envoy arrived, everything subtly changed. When massive interests and crises emerged, each person gradually descended into darkness. The film's tone shifted to gloom and absurdity; the virtuous characters shed their masks, revealing their inner corruption.

The strong bowed their heads before the gun. The once selfless, morally righteous people, faced with power and profit, tore off their disguises and became selfish. At this point, their humanity had thinned—animalistic instincts glowed on them.

The jury also saw more: the four teachers represented intellectuals, and their flaws were laid bare. Sun, the principal, embodied the idealistic yet hypocritical intellectual; Pei, the clever yet cruel intellectual; Zhou, the passionate yet cowardly intellectual; Zhang, the romantic yet inept intellectual.

Dignity, dreams, profit, and power—the four tools that destroy intellectuals—were all fully realized here.

When the originally honest and kind He Bing tore off his mask and betrayed everyone, screaming at Gong Li; when the once passionate Sun Sun Honglei knelt in submission after a single gunshot; when Gong Li became the target of everyone's abuse, her hair—symbolizing her romance and ideals—cut strand by strand with scissors, her spirit and soul shattered piece by piece…

The audience's shock mounted—this sequence pushed their emotions to a climax. When they saw Gong Li transform from a radiant beauty into a soulless zombie, the theater fell utterly silent—a boundless sorrow spread through them…

When the film ended and the lights came on, the audience remained motionless, still stunned, the sorrow lingering. Only when Wu Wu Yuchen and Gong Li led the cast onstage to thank them did applause slowly rise, then swell into prolonged, thunderous clapping.

At this moment, the Festival Journal jury reacted strongly:

"My god! A shocking, classic black absurd comedy!"

Another jury member murmured:

"When the donkey was just a donkey, its life or death meant nothing. But when it became a 'person,' it gained respect—and even supreme status. Such absurdity, yet it happened in reality. The line between human and beast lies only in the hands of those who hold power. This is the fucked-up society, the fucked-up world!"

"Though flawed, it doesn't diminish this as a great film! This is the most deafening film of this festival!" a man shouted, clenching his fist.

"I give it 3.5—it deserves it!"

"High score! Must be high—I give 3.4!"

"Fuck, you only gave 3.4? I give 3.7!"

…

After sending off the first audience, Wu Wu Yuchen turned to those around him:

"Alright, first screening's done. Go enjoy yourselves—those who've never been to Berlin, go explore. I've got things covered here."

Wu Wu Yuchen had been to Berlin twice already—he'd seen everything worth seeing. Now he wanted the others to have fun.

"Hehe, thanks, Wu Dao!" Zhou Xun beamed, grabbing the others to go shopping.

Seeing Gong Li still there, Wu Wu Yuchen asked: "Sister Li, aren't you going with them?"

Gong Li smiled: "I've been to Berlin as often as you have. European cities are all the same—after seeing enough, nothing feels new. Besides, the audience reaction was strong—I need to handle press interviews. You can't manage it all alone."

"Sister Li, you're so thoughtful~" Wu Wu Yuchen praised.

"It's only right. Of all the films I've done these past two years, Zhang Zhang Yiman is the most electrifying role. If you have any suitable roles in the future, Wu Dao, don't hesitate to call me."

For Wu Wu Yuchen—a director who balanced art films and big commercial productions, and had made a name for himself in Hollywood—Gong Li naturally wanted to stay on good terms. Many opportunities came down to a director's fleeting decision.

Wu Wu Yuchen smiled: "Sister Li, you flatter me. With your acting, if a role fits, I'll always come to you first—as long as you're free."

Then he asked: "By the way, Sister Li, how's 'Assassinating Qin' going? I heard Director Chen is doing major edits."

Gong Li nodded: "Director Chen is torn. The film got great reviews and solid box office in Japan, but massive backlash at home. Whether to revise it—he's still undecided."

'Assassinating Qin' had its domestic premiere at the Great Hall of the People during last year's National Day holiday. Wu Wu Yuchen, being in America, missed it—and it sparked huge controversy.

The main issue? Chen Chen Kaizi's portrayal of Qin Shi Huang was wildly unlike public perception.

The public's image of Qin Shi Huang—whether praising him as the First Emperor or condemning him as a tyrant—always included one trait: majestic, commanding, radiating imperial authority. The classic example is Jiang Wen's Qin Shi Huang in 'Qin Song'—perfectly capturing the awe-inspiring, dominant aura of the first emperor of a unified empire.

But Chen Chen Kaizi's version, played by Li Li Xuejian, was strange—just one word: weird. A man who seemed mentally unstable, acted erratically, spoke in an exaggerated, shrill tone, utterly lacking imperial dignity.

But Chen Chen Kaizi defended himself: 'Records of the Grand Historian' describes Qin Shi Huang as having a pigeon chest, a duck-like voice, and neurotic tendencies—unpredictable, cruel, violent. He believed this was the most accurate and faithful adaptation. He understood the criticism, noting that few people have actually read 'Records of the Grand Historian.'

This enraged everyone—even his former supporters. What the hell are you implying? That we're uneducated? That we haven't read 'Records of the Grand Historian'?!

Suddenly, a wave of criticism erupted accusing him of vilifying Qin Shi Huang. Chen Chen Kaizi himself grew exhausted and, under pressure, announced he'd re-edit the film.

Wu Wu Yuchen found the whole thing hilarious. Chen Chen Kaizi films Qin Shi Huang, and people scream he's defaming him. A few years later, Zhang Zhang Yimou films Qin Shi Huang—and the same people scream he's glorifying the tyrant and kowtowing to the ruling class.

There's no reasoning with this. Wu Wu Yuchen didn't know if Chen Chen Kaizi had revised the version he'd take to Cannes in three months, but he guessed Chen was already stressed out.

The next morning, Zhou Xun dashed in again, her little legs pumping. Sun Sun Honglei chuckled: "What now? You're always in a frenzy."

Zhou Xun ignored him, rushed to Wu Wu Yuchen, and pulled out 'Daily Screen': "Wu Dao, big news! Look!"

Wu Wu Yuchen had just woken up, still groggy. He looked at the magazine she handed him—it read:

"'Dr. Donkey,' Festival Journal score: 3.6."

Instantly, Wu Wu Yuchen jolted awake.

He cursed inwardly: Fuck, I don't want a high score! I want Best Picture! I want the Golden Bear!

When Zhou Xun saw the score that morning, her first reaction was joy—but then she remembered Wu Wu Yuchen's words about "popular films always lose." She wasn't sure if it was good or bad. Now, seeing his expression, she guessed it wasn't good.

At that moment, Gong Li took the magazine from Zhou Xun and read the review:

"A feminist and women's liberation awakening ahead of its time, hidden beneath society's invisible rules—the desperation of middle-aged men after failure and heartbreak—the once honest, kind farmer abandoning humanity for money…"

Wu Wu Yuchen's ambition in 'Dr. Donkey' is immense, and the outstanding performances by Gong Li and the cast have fully realized the film's dark humor and absurd satire…

The biggest sensation of this Berlin Film Festival: 'Dr. Donkey,' 3.6 points!