Chapter 99: Golden Lion, I Like a Girl

"The Volpi Cup for Best Actor goes to: Matt Damon, for *The Hunt*."

The voice of the jury member echoed through the venue.

Never mind how Matt felt; Lin Nan’s heart was about to jump out of his chest.

"Lin."

With a sudden movement, Matt Damon stood up.

Lin Nan could tell that Matt was excited to the extreme at this moment.

"Congratulations, Matt."

Lin Nan took the initiative to give him a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, Lin. You made my wish come true. You helped me win Best Actor, a Venice Best Actor..."

Matt Damon was trembling slightly with excitement as he spoke his thanks.

The venue erupted in thunderous applause.

"Director Lin, he actually produced a Best Actor winner?!" Yan Ni muttered to herself.

"So envious, a Venice Best Actor." Huang Bo felt very sour inside at this moment.

"Matt, go up and accept the award," Lin Nan reminded him.

The jury member presenting the award had a smile on their face and had already been waiting for two minutes.

Only then did Matt Damon react, striding toward the podium.

Liu Yifei tightened her grip on Lin Nan’s hand, and the latter comforted her: "Don't worry..."

"Thank you, thank you to my friend, Lin.

He is an amazing director. I will not forget *The Hunt*. It was this film that gave me this trophy. Thank you..."

Matt Damon started off very well and very sincerely, but right at the end, he thanked Leonardo, thanking him for introducing him to Lin Nan; it was a bit intentional.

Clutching the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and the certificate, Matt Damon returned to his seat, a smile still plastered on his face.

At this time, the awards continued, for the three most important categories.

"The Silver Lion for Best Director goes to: Shirin Neshat, for *Women Without Men*."

It wasn't him!

Lin Nan was also getting a bit nervous.

By the last three awards, he could accept whichever one he got, but if he got none...

Liu Yifei seemed even more nervous than Lin Nan, clutching his left hand with both of hers.

"The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize goes to: Fatih Akin, for *Soul Kitchen*."

Huang Bo and the others all glanced toward Lin Nan’s side, "The situation doesn't look optimistic..."

"Do you think Lin Nan has a chance?" Yan Ni whispered.

"Hard to say, we'll know in a moment."

At this time, Li An walked onto the podium.

The highest award is always presented by the jury president.

"I am very happy to be the jury president for this year's film festival. Next, I will present the Golden Lion Award..."

"The Golden Lion for Best Film goes to: *The Hunt*, Lin Nan."

Li An read it out in Chinese and looked at Lin Nan with a smile.

"Damn, he actually won it!" Huang Bo blurted out instinctively.

The people from back home all looked over.

Lin Nan’s head was buzzing.

Liu Yifei looked pleasantly surprised, "It's you, I knew it was you, woo..."

"Lin, congratulations, Golden Lion!" Matt was also very excited.

Shaking his head, Lin Nan stood up and walked toward the podium.

"Thank you, Director Li."

Lin Nan took the palm-sized Golden Lion trophy with both hands; it looked like a large seal.

"You may begin your acceptance speech," Li An said, then stepped to the side.

Standing before the microphone, Lin Nan forgot the draft he had prepared. He looked at Liu Yifei, whose eyes were slightly red as she smiled.

"I like a girl. From the very beginning, it was like that. A long time ago, she was slandered by rumors.

Like the prey in *The Hunt*...

She always bore it silently alone, endured it alone, but this did not defeat her. She remained very strong, very sunny..."

Huang Bo looked at Liu Yifei thoughtfully and sighed.

As Lin Nan spoke above, Liu Yifei sobbed below with red eyes.

"In July, she joked that she wanted a birthday gift, like a Golden Lion trophy.

Now I can say it: the gift you wanted, I have obtained..."

"Thank you."

Thunderous applause erupted; this was a very different kind of acceptance speech.

Lin Nan returned to his seat and looked at Liu Yifei.

"Your makeup is ruined."

"None of your business." As she said this, the girl reached out her hand.

"What's wrong?"

"My gift, what you just said." Liu Yifei, her eyes still slightly red, puffed out her cheeks and said.

"Alright, here you go."

A golden lion trophy was placed into Liu Yifei’s hands, and many people saw it...

In the hotel, Liu Xiaoli was watching the live broadcast of the awards ceremony alone.

After a long while, there was only a sigh.

"Xixi..."

When the awards ceremony ended, it was already late at night in Venice.

In China, it was just morning.

A massive amount of news sent back from the film festival occupied the top sections of every media outlet!

"Director Lin Nan wins the Golden Lion for *The Hunt*, becoming the youngest Golden Lion director in the country."

"The country's sixth Golden Lion director is born!"

Besides *The Hunt* winning the Golden Lion, the biggest news was the matter between Lin Nan and Liu Yifei.

This could be called a major event that shocked the entire film and television industry.

The youngest great director announced his relationship, and the object of his affection was the most popular actress, Liu Yifei; they had come out of the same school.

The internet and the industry basically exploded.

"Confessing at the awards ceremony, this acceptance speech is so moving..."

"I want to object, but I can't find a reason to; they really are a perfect match..."

"Does this count as a romance that walked out of campus?"

"Dating now is unwise; who knows how far they can go."

"For others, dating might affect their acting career, but Liu Yifei..."

"She'll be dumped sooner or later..."

"Great directors are all very promiscuous; just look at those existing examples..."

Unlike the messy comments on the internet.

People in the industry, at least on the surface, were all offering blessings.

Ning Hao, Shu Chang, Zhu Yawen, Hu Ge, and others were very happy that it was finally public.

For so long, they had been afraid of accidentally letting it slip.

The Class of '02 penguin group was full of joy.

"They really got together? I could tell back in school that Lin Nan had the heart for it..."

"To the one above, you're dead; Director Lin hasn't left the group, haha."

"Is there another banner hanging on the school gate?"

"You guessed right, it was hung up first thing this morning: 'Warmly celebrate our school's Director Lin Nan of the Directing Department for winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival'!"

"Zhu Yawen, come out, did you know about this a long time ago?"

There were quite a few people lurking in the group.

Jiang Yiyan felt that the most correct thing she had ever done was to build a good relationship with Liu Yifei.

"This kid, talking about going to Venice early to prepare; eight times out of ten, he ran off to the *Lucy* set back then."

Han Sanping said firmly, it’s great to be young.

Every film and television company paid close attention to this news.

From now on, I’m afraid the best resources on Lin Nan’s side will all have to pass through Liu Yifei’s hands...

Wang Zhonglei even felt a bit of admiration for Lin Nan; he really had made it to this step, he was an outlier! It’s just hard to say if he can go far in the future.

"Mi Mi, you’ve been watching this all morning."

"This is a Golden Lion-winning director; your batch of actresses will likely never catch up to Liu Yifei."

The agent didn't want to discourage Yang Mi, but this was the truth.

"The road is still long; it's too early to say such things now," the latter muttered.

Lu Zheng looked at Jing Tian, feeling a bit helpless.

He could see what was on the girl's mind.

Seeing her look so dejected right now, it was painful for anyone to watch.

"Do you like him?"

Jing Tian looked dazed and remained silent.

Lu Zheng shook his head.

"You are both still young, and your temperaments are not yet settled. The first person you meet isn't necessarily the one you'll end up with..."

These ambiguous words made Jing Tian lift her head slightly; she looked at Lu Zheng, not quite understanding.

Many people were slow to realize, as if they had figured something out.

Liu Yifei’s *Journey to the Center of the Earth*, *Inception*, and even... even the just-wrapped *Lucy*. Thinking about it is terrifying!

Not to mention the romance between Lin Nan and Liu Yifei, just speaking of the Golden Lion the former obtained this time.

This is a major event for the entire film industry, but many people have a bit of a headache.

Lin Nan, who was already hard to "discipline," has now won a Golden Lion; from now on, he will only become less "obedient."

Lu Chuan could be said to be gnashing his teeth in hatred. Regarding the *Nanjing* affair, Lin Nan and Jiang Wen almost ruined his reputation, but fortunately, he had enough connections.

"This little bastard won a Golden Lion; heaven really has no eyes..."

Guo Fan, Lu Yang, and others were quite happy; from now on, they could also be considered people who hang out with a Golden Lion-winning director.

The Venice Film Festival has closed.

Matt Damon flew back to Hollywood the next morning after saying his goodbyes.

But Lin Nan’s work wasn't finished yet; the copyright for *The Hunt* had to be discussed properly.

This film is best suited for Europe and America.

The price for the Golden Lion Award for Best Film is, as expected, higher than *Buried*, which only won the Silver Bear for Best Director back then.

This time, there were only six film distributors, all of them major copyright holders.

"How much?"

After Lin Nan and Tang Mu and the others returned to the hotel, Liu Yifei asked.

"Crystal, a full 32.4 million USD," Tang Mu answered first.

Liu Yifei looked at Lin Nan, and the latter nodded, "That's the number."

Lin Nan started joking, "What? Want to know my financial status already?"

"No way, stop talking nonsense."

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes and glared at Lin Nan.

"When are we going back?" The girl was a bit expectant.

"Then let's book the tickets."

The Golden Rooster is in a bit of an awkward spot.

For this year's film festival, *The Martian* fully met the registration requirements, but Lin Nan still ignored it before.

Now that he has won the Golden Lion Award, it is simply a headache.

China Film Group has already issued an announcement.

"*The Hunt* will be imported into the country in the form of a quota film."

Attentive media saw the latest list of approved scripts released by the Film Bureau.

Among them were clearly *Love is Not Blind* and *Lost on Journey*.

The applicant and production company were both Lin Nan Film Industry.

It’s just that the director column listed Xue Xiaolu and Xu Zheng respectively!

Although not directed by Lin Nan himself, these are still films produced by a Golden Lion-winning director's company, aren't they?

A large number of talent agencies and actors were waiting eagerly for Lin Nan to return to the country.

They didn't dare to dream of the big cake of foreign films, but everyone still wanted to try their luck with these films produced by Lin Nan Film Industry.