Chapter 277: Awesome

Great Hall of the People, the red carpet is really full of stars.

Wu Yuchen originally just wanted to have a screening to meet the Oscar foreign language film registration rules. But when he reached today's position, some things wanted to be low-key but couldn't be low-key.

A large number of people who want to join in the fun, and many artists and practitioners in the circle are proud to be able to participate in the premiere

This time, it wasn't just people from the entertainment industry who came; high-ranking officials from cultural, propaganda, and diplomatic departments also arrived at the scene to watch the film. When Wu Yuchen first initiated this project to shoot a film about the War of Resistance to take to the Oscars, it had already attracted the attention of many bigwigs. Now that the film was finished, naturally, some had specifically arranged their schedules to come and watch it.

After the film ended, a buzzing sound of discussion emerged within the Great Hall:

"I never expected this! A film about the War of Resistance could be shot like this!"

"The whole film didn't have all that fighting and killing like those previous anti-Japanese dramas, but I wanted to cry by the end! Damn those Japanese devils and traitorous dogs!"

"Both sorrowful and ironic..."

"As expected of Wu Dao; this angle is novel, and the theme is excellent. It truly doesn't lose to those anti-Nazi films shot by foreigners, those Jewish people!"

"You don't look at who shot it? Don't just talk about the novel angle; the quality of the entire film is also extremely high. If it had fallen into the hands of other directors, it might have been ruined!"

Don't look at how many War of Resistance films and dramas there were in the past; very few truly stepped out of the country. But this time it was different; *The Boy in the Striped Pajamas* was going to charge for the Oscars, and its shooting techniques and artistry clearly carried an international perspective. Therefore, they couldn't help but consider it.

Another person also spoke up: "The more they protest, the more it proves that Wu Dao shot it well!"

"Well said!"

At the airport, the agent Karl had already arranged a luxury business vehicle to wait for Wu Yuchen and his party. Jiang Qinqin appeared very excited; after all, America was the lighthouse that many people in China had been promoting for a long time, and Hollywood was the world's film center. As the film's lead actress coming here this time, she had more or less a sense of superiority in her heart.

In 1992, the 29-year-old Jiang Wen, as an "Outstanding Young Person of the World," was invited by the U. S. State Department to visit America. Because at that time, the U. S. State Department had an invitation program for outstanding young people from all over the world. He then toured over a dozen U. S. states, visited George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic, and also visited many great Hollywood directors, such as Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Oliver Stone, and so on.

Afterward, Wu Yuchen added: "However, the film might bring some trouble when the time comes. I estimate that quite a few right-wing forces in Japan will jump out to protest."

Wu Yuchen smiled and said to the group: "Brother Rong, you and I don't need to say much. Wu Jing and Zhao Wenzhuo, if you two need anything, just contact Karl, or find the people from the Sony publicity team~"

The leader from the diplomatic department waved his hand directly:

However, after standing up, everyone still unanimously congratulated Wu Yuchen, and one of the big leaders praised Wu Yuchen:

"Well shot! The War of Resistance is a period of history that we Chinese can never forget; it is a pain our nation must always keep in mind. For such a thought-provoking anti-war film, Wu Dao has truly put in the effort!"

Even after Jiang Wen returned to China, he always kept in touch with Martin Scorsese, obtaining a lot of film-related materials and advice on being a director from him.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Leader, you are too kind. I am also a child of China; some things are what I should do."

Don't look at how Jiang Wen's films are all very local; this guy has a wide circle of friends, and he hasn't just been to America once or twice.

Not to mention that he has now married a French wife, so this guy doesn't need Wu Yuchen to worry about him at all when he goes abroad.

So don't be surprised why Jiang Wen was later able to drink and have fun with Tarantino, bragging about everything, and spreading his "bragging" all the way abroad.

Zhang Guorong smiled upon hearing this. He had studied abroad in the UK for 5 years in his youth and even owned a house in Canada. When it came to America, he had no problems with language or customs.

Wu Yuchen smiled and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, you go visit your friends and relatives yourself when the time comes; I can't manage you!"

"Hey, Wu Dao, why aren't you concerned about me?" Jiang Wen said.

Compared to those behind him, the bigwigs in the front row were much calmer, but at the same time, they were considering much more than just the film itself. For instance, those in diplomacy had to consider the impact of this film immediately and what kind of reaction there would be from Japan; those in propaganda had to consider what kind of attitude to take to promote this film...

"What kind of trouble is this? The crimes committed by Japan during the invasion of China are iron-clad facts. Speaking up for this film, speaking up for our Chinese War of Resistance—even if there's more, it's not trouble!"

A few days later, the plane landed in Los Angeles, and Wu Yuchen arrived in Hollywood once again. Unlike in the past, accompanying Wu Yuchen this time were Jiang Qinqin, as well as the three brothers Zhang Guorong, Jiang Wen, and Wu Jing, along with Zhao Wenzhuo. The group was naturally here for the promotion of *Brotherhood of Blades*.

Han Sanping watched as a group of bigwigs and old comrades chatted and laughed with Wu Yuchen, and he couldn't help but reveal a look of envy. He knew that if *The Boy in the Striped Pajamas* could win a major award at the Oscars and achieve widespread international reach this time, then Wu Yuchen's status at the top would reach another level. Because the significance of this film was truly different from the films Wu Yuchen had shot in the past!

On the contrary, Wu Jing and Zhao Wenzhuo couldn't even speak English clearly, so Wu Yuchen naturally had to let his agent Karl take extra care of them. To be honest, bringing them both out this time was just to show off and do some promotion; after all, among the actors in the main cast, these two were the only ones with real kung fu!

Isn't what foreigners want to see now just Chinese kung fu?

At this time, Jiang Wen also put his arm around Wu Jing and said: "Let me tell you, America is developed, but don't you be timid. The Americans now are full of all kinds of prejudices against us Chinese. When I first came to America ten years ago, guess what question they asked me the most?"

"What?" Zhao Wenzhuo, who was nearby, was also curious.

"Are you a pure Chinese? Are Chinese people as tall as you? Can Chinese people joke like you do?"

Most of the Chinese people in America are short people from Guangdong, Fujian, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The Chinese films that the Americans see mostly depict our poor and backward lives. So in their impression, our country has no happy life, Chinese people are all thin and small, and China lacks the sense of humor and tall stature that I have.

And then there are those "bananas" in America; most of them have already lost their backbone. They are servile in front of the Americans, cautious and timid in everything they do, treating themselves like grandsons, always thinking about sucking up to them to get some benefits; yet in front of our own people, they have a sense of superiority, starting to boss people around and throw their weight around. Such people have no self-respect in their mentality and character, ruining the image of us Chinese people. How can foreigners respect us?"

"Brother Wen said it well. Actually, it's not just abroad; there are quite a few similar people in Hong Kong. If everyone were like you, the image of us Chinese abroad wouldn't be like this!" Zhang Guorong also sighed with emotion upon hearing this.

Wu Yuchen also quite agreed after hearing Jiang Wen's words. From this perspective, people like Yao Ming, who just landed in the NBA this year, Liu Xiang, who would become popular in two years, and Cheng Long, who had already become a world-class superstar, and even Li Lianjie, who had changed his nationality, were all beneficial to the promotion of the Chinese image in the world.

Their existence gave the world a signal that there are also tall, strong, and capable people among the Chinese, which would change the inherent perceptions of many who didn't understand China at all.

Of course, Wu Yuchen himself was now one of the representatives. When a host of Hollywood stars were interviewed—take Nicole Kidman, Sylvester Stallone, or Russell Crowe, for example—when these people all expressed their desire to cooperate with Wu Yuchen, and as he achieved more and more success in Hollywood, he had already subtly improved the influence and image of the Chinese.

Although Wu Jing wasn't tall, he still held his back very straight, patting his chest and saying to Jiang Wen: "Brother Wen, don't worry, I definitely won't be timid! What is there to fear for those of us who practice martial arts? If the language barrier is an issue, we can just use this to talk!"

Wu Yuchen looked at Wu Jing gesturing with his fists and smiled, saying: "No need, no need. You came with me; how could I let you suffer? But don't go wandering around in the slums. If you run into someone with a gun, even an Eight-Armed Vajra would be useless!"

Once in America, Wu Yuchen wasn't afraid of anything else, only that these guys would really wander around and run into some "American-style quick-draw." That would be a huge problem. After all, times have changed; outside of seven steps, the gun is fast, and within seven steps, the "American-style quick-draw" is both accurate and fast.

The few people in the car were chatting and laughing all the way. Not long after they settled into the hotel, Sony's publicity team came to visit.

"Wu, we've finally waited for you to arrive!" the publicity manager said with a joyful expression.

Wu Yuchen shook hands with him and smiled: "Haha, I'm not the lead of the film~"

"Oh no, no, Wu Dao, you are the biggest selling point of this film! If you don't participate in the promotional activities, I dare guarantee that the box office will be at least half less!"

The publicity manager was blunt, and Sony firmly believed this as well. Originally, *Brotherhood of Blades* was planned to be released in September, but because Wu Yuchen was delayed by shooting his new film, Sony postponed the North American release of *Brotherhood of Blades* by a month to October, just to wait for Wu Yuchen to come and participate in the promotion.

This *Brotherhood of Blades* itself was not participating in the Oscars, so it wouldn't enjoy the promotional effect brought by the Oscar halo like *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*. And the lead actors of *Brotherhood of Blades* were basically strangers to North America, so the film's most appealing point lay in Wu Yuchen.

Of course, the craze for Chinese kung fu had just risen in the past two years, and the North American audience was also looking forward to this theme, so it would be even better if a few of the lead actors could come and perform some Chinese kung fu. Thus, there was this Hollywood trip for Wu Yuchen and the *Brotherhood of Blades* main cast.

Despite the fatigue of the journey and the dozen-plus hours on the plane making her physically exhausted, after Jiang Qinqin took a shower and lay on the bed, she didn't know if it was because she wasn't used to the bed or what, but she tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, becoming more and more energetic.

And outside, Wu Yuchen was still on the phone with someone. There was no help for it; he really had too much to do. Besides this *Brotherhood of Blades*, his new film *The Boy in the Striped Pajamas* was charging for the Oscars, and he also had another Oscar-charging film, *The Hours*!

"Hey, my great Wu Dao, I thought you had forgotten about me~" a sweet girl on the other end of the phone pouted.

"Oh, Nicole, how could that be? You know, my work is very busy; I just rushed back to America today."

"Unh-huh, do you need me to help you relax~"

"Hehe, Nicole, I might be busy with the new film's promotion for the next two weeks~" Wu Yuchen laughed it off. With Jiang Qinqin by his side this time, he naturally couldn't afford to slip up; if he wanted to play around, he would have to wait until he sent her back to China.

"Your new film's promotion? Isn't *The Hours* your new film anymore?" Nicole Kidman said with dissatisfaction.

"Of course it is~ But Nicole, haven't I already set the plan with Fox? I'll join the Oscar-charging schedule for *The Hours* next month."

"I'm just afraid that you, great Wu Dao, have found a new love and forgotten the old one~"

Wu Yuchen smiled and promised: "Rest assured, I won't favor one over the other for any of my films. I won't forget what I promised you."

Hearing Wu Yuchen's words, Nicole Kidman chatted with him for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone.

Nicole didn't care at all whether there were new women around Wu Yuchen; her relationship with Wu Yuchen was originally just a transaction. Although Wu Yuchen was taller and stronger than her ex-husband Tom, and also younger, and very good in bed, which made her feel great, she was very clear about the relationship between them. As long as he could help her win the Oscar for Best Actress, she didn't care about anything else.

After Wu Yuchen took a shower and walked to the bedside, he found that Jiang Qinqin hadn't fallen asleep yet: "What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Qinqin turned over and said to Wu Yuchen: "Maybe I'm not used to it; I just can't sleep."

Wu Yuchen looked at her and asked with a smile: "Could it be that Jiang Wen was right, and you're nervous?"

"No!"

Wu Yuchen looked at Jiang Qinqin's stubborn appearance, stretched out his arm, and pulled her into his embrace: "Alright, alright, what is there to hide from me? Having just traveled thousands of miles to a foreign land, it's normal to be a little shy."

After Jiang Qinqin threw herself into Wu Yuchen's arms, she immediately felt a sense of security surrounding her, her whole body and mind relaxed, and then she said: "I'm just always worried about what to do if I make a mistake. Wouldn't that be losing face abroad?"

"What kind of mistake could you make?"

"I don't know, saying the wrong thing in English? Making a mistake during a show performance?"

Wu Yuchen also understood Jiang Qinqin's mood. It was still influenced by the current domestic environment, where she had subconsciously placed America's position too high, leading to a lack of self-confidence.

If she were confident enough, she wouldn't have so many thoughts at all; language barriers and the like wouldn't be problems. For example, ten years ago, when businessmen from abroad, or even from Hong Kong and Taiwan, came to the mainland, would they ever think about whether it would be embarrassing if their Mandarin wasn't good? Most people from economically developed regions have a sense of superiority when they go to economically backward regions.

Wu Yuchen patted Jiang Qinqin's shoulder: "Don't think about these messy things; with me here, nothing will happen. If you say something wrong, I'll just have the production team cut it out. It's the same here as it is back home; your husband can handle all of this, so set your heart at ease!"

Jiang Qinqin smiled upon hearing this, then kissed Wu Yuchen on the face, and before long, she drifted off into dreamland.