Chapter 530

Because the road was completely jammed with cars.

The Japanese placed great hope on the Tokyo Film Festival, aiming to make it Asia's largest film festival, but since this was the first edition, its international reputation was modest, and naturally, few overseas stars or films were drawn to it.

In the 1980s, the Japanese people had strong national cohesion, so many locals brought their entire families to the front lines to support the festival, causing massive traffic jams.

Li Ye had long been accustomed to traffic jams in big cities—he'd even filled a Pocari Sweat bottle with orange juice—but many on the bus had never seen such a sight.

After all, even in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, private cars were still rare in mainland China at the time.

I heard that in Japan, two out of every ten people own a car, and nearly every household has one. I thought that was unbelievable, but now it turns out to be true—just look around, most of the vehicles on the street are sedans, and they all have women and children inside, so they must be private cars."

"These cars are so beautiful, these skyscrapers are beautiful too… I wonder how many years it'll take before we can drive cars like these and live in buildings like these… But with so many cars, it's not worth reading the clock: I feel like sitting in this car is slower than riding a bicycle!"

"Even if it's slow, driving is comfortable—you don't get blown by the wind or soaked by rain, and you won't freeze in winter…" Many in the delegation pressed their faces against the windows, gazing in envy at the snail-paced traffic and the towering buildings lining the streets.

"Cough, cough—everyone, mind your manners and your image."

Team Leader Zhou issued a stern reminder, quieting the noisy crowd considerably, but how many people could truly remain calm after suddenly arriving from the mainland into one of the world's most prosperous cities? Li Ye now understood Team Leader Zhou's concerns—there was a reason so many overseas personnel stayed abroad.

Even under strict discipline, many on the bus still whispered quietly, ignoring Zhou's sharp glares.

The most active among them was Chu Chu Yunling; during the traffic jam, she switched seats multiple times and always managed to engage those around her in lively conversation.

"Hmph~" Wen Wen Leyu let out a soft scoff, her small eyes brimming with disdain.

Li Ye understood Wen Wen Leyu's disdain—Chu Chu Yunling mostly chatted with men, and the topics she raised were precisely what everyone found interesting: "What will our future be like?" A twenty-seven- or twenty-eight-year-old girl with decent looks talking about the future with men? Of course it got lively. Team Leader Zhou glanced several times but said nothing.

Li Ye, quietly observing from the side, couldn't help but admire this woman's social skills. In forty years, such women wouldn't be rare—many real estate salesgirls were even better—but in the 1980s, women this "uninhibited" were rare. And she'd likely end up one of two ways: either drowned by gossip, or, like some others, become a powerful woman.

Li Ye gently patted Wen Wen Leyu's hand and exchanged a glance with her—"None of our business."

Li Ye squinted, leaned closer to Wen Wen Leyu, closed his eyes, and pretended to nap. Soon after, he fell asleep like a little cat.

【Hmm? Didn't the little girl sleep well last night? Didn't I lock the door?】 Li Ye smiled, shifted his shoulder slightly, making it more comfortable for Wen Wen Leyu to sleep.

00000 Half an hour later, the bus arrived at the festival screening site at noon.

"After you get off, follow instructions and split into three groups led by your respective team leaders. Lunch will be served together. Meet again at the film festival square at 5:30 p. m." Team Leader Zhou's instructions woke Wen Wen Leyu up.

She blinked in surprise, then quickly licked her lips to wipe away the tiny droplet of drool.

Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, summer naps—wasn't it normal for a fresh, dewy girl to fall asleep in the summer heat and drool a little? Then Wen Wen Leyu turned to Li Ye, narrowed her eyes, and gave her boyfriend a warning glare—full of threat.

【Don't you dare laugh at me—or I'll strangle you.】

Wen Wen Leyu whispered: "What's wrong?"

Li Ye slightly curled his lips: "Nothing. Someone spread a few rumors."

…… After everyone got off the bus, Wen Wen Leyu learned what the rumors were.

Because during that half-hour traffic jam, everyone on the bus had heard one thing—Li Ye was terrified of his girlfriend, and even before marriage, his money-hungry girlfriend had seized control of the household finances.

Why was Chu Chu Yunling so annoying? Why did people love gossip so much? Li Ye didn't care—he was past the point where idle talk mattered—but he feared Wen Wen Leyu would get angry.

Earlier, when Li Ye said "I have a girlfriend," he'd meant it as a joke, but now it seemed he'd gone too far.

"Xiao Yu, this is my fault. I didn't want to give him money, so I used you as a shield…" Li Ye apologized guiltily, but Wen Wen Leyu immediately interrupted: "You did the right thing. Next time someone tries to take advantage of you or asks to borrow money, just point to me. Sometimes my dad's friends ask him for favors, and he can't refuse outright—so my mom steps in to turn them down." Okay—Wen Wen Leyu understood far better than Li Ye.

Though they weren't married yet, Wen Wen Leyu had already grasped the unshakable truth: a wife is the final safeguard of family wealth.

Because the mainland delegation was too large, but official invitation slots were limited, and many attendees had nothing to do with film—they couldn't all be allowed into the festival's main venue.

So after disembarking, the group quickly split into three teams, each led by Team Leader Zhou and several other foreign affairs staff. One team consisted of official participants who could interact with directors and actors from around the world.

The rest were just tag-alongs—they could watch films, tour with the interpreters, shop, and enjoy a relaxed, pleasant trip.

Li Ye didn't care which group he was assigned to, but when he and Wen Wen Leyu were separated, he immediately refused.

Li Ye was the original author and screenwriter of "Wandering Soldiers of Wangxiang," barely qualifying as crew, so he was placed in Group One, while Wen Wen Leyu was assigned to the "tag-along" Group Two.

Though the arrangement made sense, Li Ye refused—he came to travel with the Wen family girl, not to split up and tour separately.

Who cared about chatting with directors and screenwriters about film? I'm only interested in girls.

So Li Ye decided to join Group Two as a tag-along and watch the festival films with Wen Wen Leyu.

Zhou Song Ziyuan immediately switched Li Ye's group—since Li Ye didn't care about networking or building credentials, why not? But no sooner had Li Ye been reassigned than A Min arrived with Pei Pei Wenhui and Fu Fu Yiruo.

A Min handed Team Leader Zhou a communication plan, listing the networking opportunities arranged by the host side for the "Wandering Soldiers of Wangxiang" crew—many of which were exclusive interviews and invitations from Japanese media and film companies directed at Li Ye.

Zhou Song Ziyuan immediately refused: "Deputy Manager Old Liao, these individual interviews and invitations are inappropriate and violate regulations…" Old Liao Min waited patiently until Zhou finished, then calmly said: "I was sent to Japan specifically to sell films. These are all contacts we've established with media outlets and prominent figures in the film industry. They greatly admire the original author, Mr. Li, and we've already agreed on several collaboration projects. If you want to increase your chances of winning awards, sell more copies, and earn more foreign exchange, you must cooperate with us." At this, not only Zhou Song Ziyuan, but many from the film studio felt a mix of emotions.

【So all of us working hard to promote the film is less valuable than Li Ye alone?】