[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu":3,"chapter-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-90":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Stealing the Role in 1995 Huayu",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321079,4540,"Chapter 90: Your Boyfriend Just Won a Big Award!","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>At Beijing Airport, Wu Yuchen spotted someone holding a large sign reading “The Two of Us” at the exit; he walked over and saw it was a young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Wu, you’ve finally arrived! Let me carry your luggage—we need to hurry, the bosses are waiting for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t need help with mine—go assist our film queen instead.” Wu Yuchen patted the driver, Xiao Li, who had come to pick them up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xun grinned and handed her suitcase to the driver, following behind the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour later, Wu Yuchen and Zhou Xun re-entered the Film Channel’s office building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside a large conference room, dozens of Film Channel staff, all previously notified, were chatting enthusiastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, who’d have thought? A tiny film with only 300,000 yuan invested actually brought back an Best Actress award and a Jury Grand Prize from the Tokyo Film Festival!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not just one—there are two Best Actress awards! Double yolk!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, right, same thing. This time our bosses are gonna be over the moon, like they won the lottery!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard the director’s still a college student—amazing! This one’s already outshone both Beijing Film Studio and August 1st Film Studio.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be honest, I haven’t even watched the film myself—I need to find time to catch up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, we’ll probably screen it every two weeks for the next while—you’ll get your chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they chatted, a tall, handsome young man walked in, one trophy in each hand, head held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Gu immediately burst out laughing: “Come on, let’s welcome our hero—Director Wu Yuchen and Zhou Xun, returning with their awards!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dozens in the room immediately burst into applause, all eyes fixed on the trophies in Wu Yuchen’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Gu and several other leaders smiled and stepped forward: “Director Wu, you’ve worked so hard! Congratulations!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None of this would’ve been possible without the Film Channel’s support—without the Film Channel, there’d be no ‘The Two of Us,’ and no awards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen delivered this cliché effortlessly, then handed the trophies to Director Gu—he knew these were what the men truly valued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, upon seeing the trophies in their hands, Director Gu and the other leaders beamed with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t care how much the copyright sold for—it wouldn’t land in their pockets anyway. But this award? That was different. The Film Channel had just launched and already won major prizes—wasn’t that proof of their leadership’s brilliance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Film Channel earned massive advertising revenue each year, they had no control over it—all had to be handed up. Even this 2-million-yuan investment in an in-house TV film required formal applications and approvals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with “The Two of Us” bringing back two major awards from Tokyo, its feasibility and success were proven—future TV film projects would surely be approved without issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From now on, not just 2 million, but ten times that would be the bare minimum—they’d likely secure tens of millions annually, plus a dedicated TV film department to manage domestic TV film production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Wu Yuchen spotted Jin Yaqin in the front row and hurried over with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie Jin, when we got to Japan, so many people praised you—everyone who saw the film was moved to tears by your performance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Gu walked over too, handing the Best Actress trophy to Jin Yaqin:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie Jin, your acting was phenomenal—this Best Actress award is fully deserved, and you’ve brought honor to our country abroad!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Yaqin beamed, her hands stroking the trophy repeatedly—she’d spent her whole career as a supporting actress, and now, in old age, her first lead role had earned her such glory!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came a series of motivational speeches from the Film Channel leaders, accompanied by journalists from several newspapers, who gathered Wu Yuchen, Jin Yaqin, and Zhou Xun for photos—of course, all holding the trophies together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reporters were deeply interested in “The Two of Us,” firing off questions until sunset, when everyone finally dispersed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three trophies: Zhou Xun’s and Jin Yaqin’s Best Actress awards were taken home by them, but the Jury Grand Prize remained with the Film Channel, displayed as a trophy—after all, the film technically belonged to them, and the award was given to the entire crew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen mentioned wanting to arrange a theatrical screening to qualify for next year’s Golden Rooster Awards; Director Gu immediately took full responsibility, promising to arrange a cinema release even if they had to pay for it themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Zhang Ziyi burst into the dormitory holding a newspaper:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ceng Li, Li Zi! Your boyfriend just won a big award!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her shouting startled every girl in the dorm. Since arriving a month ago, thanks to Zhang Ziyi and Qin Hailu’s gossip, everyone already knew Ceng Li had a handsome boyfriend—she’d long since stopped denying it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girls crowded around Zhang Ziyi, who held up the front page of the “China Film Daily”:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“China’s Film Glory in Tokyo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath it was a striking photo: Wu Yuchen, Zhou Xun, and several leaders raising glasses together in the Film Channel conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The back pages carried detailed articles:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An Elder and a Youngster Both Crowned Tokyo Best Actresses!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Student Genius Director Thanks Film Channel for Support!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several articles detailed how “The Two of Us” and “Face Change” had won four major awards at Tokyo, with special focus on the behind-the-scenes story of “The Two of Us” and its sensation at the festival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, most of the focus was squarely on “The Two of Us”—“Face Change” was barely mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why? Because “The Two of Us” was backed by the Film Channel—of course they’d blow it up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hype, how would anyone know the Film Channel’s leadership was brilliant? How would they progress?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! The guy smiling in the middle—that’s him, no mistake!” Zhang Ziyi pointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Ting turned to Ceng Li in awe: “Li Zi, your boyfriend is incredible! He’s only 18, and his first film won a Tokyo award! And he already won the Berlin Golden Bear for a short—how talented is he?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jing chimed in: “Li Zi, you’re so unfair! Hiding such a badass boyfriend? You’ve got to bring him out and introduce him to us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! Ceng Li, get your boyfriend to teach us how to act!” the girls chorused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These girls had been at the Central Drama Academy for over a month—they now understood what winning major awards meant. It was something many directors never achieved in their lifetimes, yet Ceng Li’s boyfriend had already racked up multiple prizes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Li had actually known for days—Wu Yuchen had called her. But seeing her roommates’ stunned, envious expressions now, she felt not only joy for him, but also a quiet pride, a touch of vanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Ceng Li thought for a moment and added again: “We’re just ordinary friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girls exchanged glances, ready to tease further—but Mei Ting, the eldest, smiled, walked over, and took Ceng Li’s hand:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, fine, ordinary friends. But can you at least invite this ordinary friend to dinner? We’ll treat him—consider it a chance to meet an international director!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girls immediately caught on: “Yes, yes! Li Zi, tell him we’re inviting him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her roommates so insistent, Ceng Li hesitated, then said: “Alright, I’ll mention it to him—I don’t know if he’ll say yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girls exchanged knowing smiles—they’d finally gotten Ceng Li to bring out her mysterious boyfriend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the professional “China Film Daily,” major papers like the “China Youth Daily” and the Film Channel’s own program “China Film Dynamics” also gave extensive coverage to “The Two of Us” and its Tokyo triumphs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike last time with “Car 44,” which couldn’t be promoted due to its subject matter, “The Two of Us” was pure positive energy—no restrictions on promotion at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With print and television media amplifying it, “The Two of Us” instantly became famous among film lovers, and Wu Yuchen’s name as a genius director truly entered the public eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Wu Yuchen, the genius director, was now in Dean Hou Keming’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Keming shook the script in his hand, then scolded Wu Yuchen with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You brat, I just praised you, and now you’re causing trouble again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feels like a New Wave avant-garde film—do you really have to shoot it this way? ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ already bombed at the box office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen nodded: “Professor Hou, if we change it, it loses its essence. Isn’t school supposed to teach us to dare to explore? I want to try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Keming looked at Wu Yuchen and thought: This kid’s already taking this step? Compared to us old filmmakers, we’ve lost our ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Keming studied the script again, reading the title on the cover: “Run Lola Run.” He decided—he’d help this student run a little way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This film won’t work well on the mainland—it needs to be shot in Hong Kong or Aocheng. I have no connections with Silver City Ltd. I’ll call Han Sanping at Beijing Film Studio—they’ve worked with Silver City before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen heard the name of the future titan of Chinese cinema—he hadn’t expected to deal with him so soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Professor Hou!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen’s next film was planned to be “Run Lola Run,” hailed as a classic time-loop film.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run Lola Run” was a hugely famous film, radiating unconventionality and individuality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plot was simple: Lola must earn 100,000 marks in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend. Through three time loops, she finally succeeds. The entire film revolves around these critical 20 minutes, showing Lola’s runs, her attempts to get money, and three different outcomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The logic of this film resembles “A Chinese Odyssey.” Love is the theme, saving the boyfriend is the plotline, time is the symbol, the phone and the money bag are transitions—each call to the Magic Mirror yields vastly different processes and endings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film’s classic status lies not in its story, but in its shooting style, editing, narrative structure, and the themes it expresses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narratively, it breaks Hollywood’s insistence on complete stories, closed endings, and three- or five-act structures, instead cleverly using time loops to create a fresh three-part narrative—an outright rebellion against Hollywood tradition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire film is 81 minutes long, with 71 minutes of motion shots. Though short, it contains 1,581 cuts—an average of 2.7 seconds per shot—earning it a place among the “fastest-paced films in cinema history.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s also called a must-watch for directors and screenwriters; nearly every film student is made to analyze “Run Lola Run” in class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen chose it for another reason: low cost, high return. The entire film cost under $2 million, earned nearly $10 million in North America—fine, but it made $110 million in Europe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Europe went wild for this film, sparking a “Lola phenomenon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A German fanatic told an interviewer he’d watched it over 80 times—he even bought a treadmill so he could run alongside Lola while watching. He was that obsessed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t Hollywood still looking down on him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen planned to use this anti-Hollywood film to achieve success—and make Hollywood beg him to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Beijing Film Studio, Han Sanping hung up the phone, his expression turning intrigued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Wu Yuchen—not because of “The Two of Us,” nor the earlier Berlin Golden Bear for a short—but because of the film currently in theaters: “The Night the Comet Came.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Yu, you mentioned that film that made over ten million—what’s the real situation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dong, standing before Han Sanping, smiled: “Boss, the film’s been out for a month and a half, with 110 prints—box office now at 12.3 million. I estimate the production cost was around 500,000.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sanping exhaled smoke: “This Wu Yuchen—made a 500,000-yuan film that earned over ten million, then used 300,000 to win two major awards for the Film Channel—what a talent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dong chuckled: “Boss, if you like him, just bring him to our studio. Our studio’s the best path for Central Drama Academy grads.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sanping smiled: “There might be a collaboration soon—he’s coming this afternoon. He’s your junior, so go meet him at the gate, show him around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dong immediately puffed out his chest: “Boss, I guarantee I’ll get him into our studio!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, kid, your mouth is the sharpest thing about you!\" Han Sanping laughed heartily.\u003C\u002Fp>",2054,"2026-06-20T16:09:29.273Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d40e1826c04311693b878e3e643bd12d88cba32aeecf173ab43197bbd2e83342","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-91","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-89",335,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-cover.jpg"]