Chapter 257: Pool flirting and Best Foreign Language Film

The temperature in Los Angeles at the end of February was pleasant, and in the afternoon, under direct sunlight, the temperature of the swimming pool reached nearly 20 degrees.

Liu Yifei stayed at the Roosevelt for the first time, wearing a swimsuit and a bathrobe, and walked into the unique swimming pool of this top luxury hotel.

The hotel swimming pool is surrounded by canopy beds and white huts, exuding a retro atmosphere of old times, making people feel as if they have returned to the golden age of Hollywood, and can experience the style and charm of that time.

Walking near the pool, Little Liu was attracted by the unique pool bottom.

Judging from the art knowledge she had just made up recently, it is beautiful, but to say where it is beautiful...

Holy crap, it's really beautiful.

"Why are you stunned and not going into the water?"

Boss Lu, who had just extinguished his cigarette butt outdoors, walked over lazily; the afternoon warm sunlight made people sleepy.

Beauty is on the side, but unfortunately, he can only accompany her to swim.

Little Liu looked back at his upper body, which could still be considered lean and strong; she didn't expect that he drank and smoked all day, but his figure was still okay.

Boss Lu sucked in his belly hard: "How about it? No little belly, right?"

"You might as well shrink your belly button into your stomach, you can't even speak smoothly."

Liu Yifei laughed and teased him, feeling that her ability to damage people had improved a bit.

"But you're right, I have to exercise more; back then..."

Boss Lu changed the subject: "Back then on Maoshan, carrying water, sweeping, and cooking, all were done by myself; it was bitter!"

Little Liu pulled him to stand by the pool: "Lu Kuan, look quickly, is there a painting on the bottom of this pool?"

Boss Lu poked his head out.

"That's right, this is the famous painting *A Bigger Splash* by British painter David Hockney, painted for the Roosevelt Hotel in 1988."

"If you jump down from the edge of the pool, you will feel like you have jumped into a painting."

"Wow! It's really true!"

Little Liu held Lu Kuan's arm tightly with one hand and paddled a few times in the pool water with her tender bamboo-like toes.

Ripples appeared on the pool surface, just like a later GIF, and then returned to a static state.

Little Liu played with water beside him without any precautions; Boss Lu looked at her long white leg swinging coquettishly at close range, his eyes a bit straight.

"Ah!"

Liu Yifei was pushed into the swimming pool by surprise, and before she could scold him, she swallowed a mouthful of pool water.

She poked her head out fiercely: "Lu Kuan! You get down here!"

"Hahahaha!"

"I should have taken a picture of your appearance just now, and let your tens of millions of fans see how embarrassed the Fairy Sister is."

Little Liu was powerless and furious in the pool: "Ah ah ah!"

"Are you coming down or not?"

"No, I can't swim."

"If you don't come down, I won't care about the things you talked about just now, like Mytube, YouTube, etc."

Boss Lu's face turned black, and his laughter stopped abruptly.

"Alright, then you watch me, I can't swim."

"You come down first."

Liu Yifei clenched her fists in the water, preparing to press this dog thing's head down to drink two mouthfuls of her foot-washing water.

Durant: Why do you want to reward him?

She hadn't reacted yet, when she saw Lu Kuan dive into the pool like a big white strip, and when he poked his head out again, he was already 5 meters away.

The little girl was crying without tears, knowing she had been played again, and dived into the water with all her might to chase.

Nonsense, I, a PR company boss, can't swim; how did I participate in the Sanya Rendezvous in my previous life?

You chase, I flee, he has wings and can't escape.

Lu Kuan hurt his lungs from smoking, and he was a bit out of breath after swimming 50 meters; he watched Liu Yifei, who was like a little shark, bump into him at the other end of the pool.

Little Liu knew he would stabilize himself, and didn't slow down; fortunately, there was the buffer of the pool water, and the two poked their heads out in the 2-meter deep water area.

"Run again? Why don't you run now?"

The pool water was too deep; Liu Yifei hooked Lu Kuan's neck fiercely, stepped on his knees to stabilize her figure, and her whole upper body poked out of the pool water.

This posture...

Lu Kuan's face was facing her chest.

Little girl saw him staring blankly for two seconds, feeling both shy and happy in her heart, stepped on his thigh, and used the reaction force to move to the pool wall.

"Don't look anymore!"

"Hehe, small is also cute."

Liu Yifei was puzzled: "What?"

"Nothing, Little Liu, your legs are really long; it's a pity not to ride a tricycle."

"Get lost!"

The young man and woman only cared about playing in the water, not noticing that they were snapped by American paparazzi who had no intention.

The Roosevelt Hotel is a regular hotel for Hollywood stars, and these American paparazzi usually lie in wait here.

The two swam seriously for a while, then lay under the parasol wearing bathrobes, sipping lemon-flavored ice drinks.

Little Liu lay on her side looking at him, enjoying this warm moment.

"What are you looking at me for? It's not the first day you know how handsome I am."

"Pfft!"

"Lu Kuan, you are really hateful sometimes."

Little Liu laughed and wrinkled her nose: "But sometimes... it's also okay."

Boss Lu looked at her, both cute and funny.

Girls of this age are easy to coax, because they don't want a penny from you, as long as you provide enough emotional value.

But little stubborn donkeys like Liu Yifei are very difficult to coax, and the bigger they get, the harder they are to CPU.

Sigh!

But while she is happy, it is a good time to talk about the promotion and drainage of Mytube.

"Fairy Sister, I heard from Xue Xiaolu that *Bad Genius* will be wrapped up in April, right?"

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes at him coquettishly: "Remove the fairy, just call me sister."

Boss Lu went straight to the theme: "How about helping me do a show?"

"Are you talking about the drainage video just now?"

"Right!"

Liu Yifei said excitedly: "Is it the eating show?"

"What eating show, that's called *A Bite of China*."

Boss Lu laughed: "Not that one, it's another show, which is also the core of cultural promotion, and it just happens to fit your current identity as a China-France Cultural Ambassador."

"Oh~~~"

Liu Yifei said cunningly: "Wait until after August 25 to talk to me! It's not convenient now!"

Not convenient to manipulate you.

"Sigh! What's inconvenient? You have a gap of one or two months after filming *Bad Genius* and before filming the second season of *Zhu Xian*."

The little girl lay flat comfortably, wearing sunglasses: "See my posture?"

"Lying flat, I decided to lie flat and rest for two months, read some books, learn to paint, it's quite good!"

Lu Kuan said sternly: "Little Liu, I have to talk to you about this!"

"How can you lie down at your age?"

She looks even smaller when lying down.

"Young people! Must seize every opportunity to work to improve yourself!"

"Listen to me first, maybe you will be interested?"

Without waiting for her to refuse, Boss Lu began to describe the scene of this "Li Ziqi persona creation" show.

"The theme is traditional Chinese rural life and cultural inheritance."

"You play a heroine who does everything herself in the video, carrying out bit by bit records of traditional food production, handicraft display, and pastoral life."

Boss Lu moved the lounge chair in her direction: "I'll give you an example."

"For example, the first video asks you to make brown sugar ginger tea."

"We choose a kitchen in a rural scene and use pastoral style to decorate and render it."

"Then you wear traditional costumes and show off in front of the camera, cutting ginger, boiling brown sugar, etc."

"Then the show's narration renders it again, promoting the efficacy of brown sugar ginger tea in warming the body and dispelling cold, and relieving menstrual discomfort."

"Those foreigners have never seen these things, they will definitely shout 'hollyshit'!"

He was talking enthusiastically here, but Liu Yifei's focus had already gone off-topic.

"You know quite a lot, right? You even know that this thing can relieve menstrual discomfort?"

"You big directors, are all gynecological saints?"

Boss Lu diligently changed a straw for her that was scarred by biting: "Heard, heard, all heard!"

"Heard? You speak quite well, then you help me next time... help my mother boil one!"

Liu Yifei wanted to say herself, but felt a bit shy, so she simply lifted her mother to spray him.

Does she still need it?

"But these things you said, can foreigners watch them?"

Can they watch them?

You Liu Yifei just don't know how popular Li Ziqi is on YouTube in later life.

She gained 5 million fans after stopping for three years, and her YouTube subscription exceeded 20 million in 2024.

The latest videos *Lacquerware* and *Forest Wardrobe* broke 500 million views on the whole network within 24 hours, and nearly 13 million on YouTube.

Of course, Liu Yifei cannot replicate her persona and mode; after all, this is just a sideline and a drainage tool.

But she also has her own advantages.

She is originally a big star and a heaven-favored girl, looking fairy-like and unattainable on the big screen.

Then doing farming and handicrafts herself, this contrast is also what the audience loves to see.

Isn't that the path taken by many celebrity reality shows?

From the image and temperament, Liu Yifei's appearance is classical and has affinity, and the fresh and natural oriental beauty she shows is very unique.

This fit in image and temperament makes it easier for the audience to have a sense of substitution when watching cultural shows, just like the previously hit *Hanfu Gathering*.

Maybe the more grounded Fairy Sister will have stronger fan-attracting ability.

"What you said is quite interesting, it's worth a try."

Liu Yifei pondered with her chin in her hands: "Then let's shoot one episode."

"The rest, wait until after August to talk, you know."

Little Liu stood up leisurely, gave a look for him to figure out himself, and walked away with her long white legs.

Boss Lu shook his head helplessly.

The child is grown up, it's not easy to CPU.

Liu Yifei looked at Lu Kuan, who was like a silly goose watching her go, through the reflection of the glass door at the entrance, and felt proud in her heart.

Little thing, I'll fascinate you to death!

Boss Lu: This girl's chest is a bit flat, but it still has some charm when viewed from behind!

It seems that squats were not practiced in vain, and the peach buttocks are almost squatted out!

Tomorrow is the Oscar Awards ceremony; after a simple dinner with Harvey, Leonardo, and others, Lu Kuan returned to his room to handle official business.

Feeling the inconvenience of all-paper office work these days, he asked Zhuang Xu to find the top IT team on the blog network to write an OA office software, which started trial operation during the Spring Festival this year.

At present, everything is good, updating some small bugs every day, but overall it meets his office needs.

Suddenly, several announcements in the company caught his attention.

Since the beginning of 2005, within less than 3 months, the tax department has conducted three audits on the original Inquiry Realm Culture Media and the newly established group company.

Including tax registration inspection, account book voucher management inspection, tax declaration inspection, and...

"Inspection of business dealings between related enterprises?"

Boss Lu felt his temples jump, and directly made a call to Financial Director Li Shanshan.

"Boss?"

10 pm in Los Angeles, which is 3 pm in Beiping time, Li Shanshan answered the phone in the office.

"Why is the frequency of tax audits so high recently?"

"Boss Lu, it's okay, mainly because a new deputy director took office after the year, and he is not as easy to talk to as the previous leader."

Inquiry Realm's tax is absolutely clean, but it is not guaranteed that someone will deliberately make trouble and want to make an issue of this.

Therefore, the relationship between Inquiry Realm or the blog network and the tax department is maintained very "properly."

"You focus on this business dealing between related enterprises; are the accounts of the several loans we lent to the blog network in 02 and 03 all leveled?"

"No problem, legal and compliant."

"Good."

Lu Kuan put down the phone and walked to the balcony to light a cigarette.

Tax audits are generally retrospective for three years, and unpaid or underpaid taxes can be recovered within three years, plus late fees.

Conventional audits are of course no problem, but if it is deliberately targeted, these chicken-and-dog numbers can be turned over to the 02 accounts openly if any mistake is picked out.

From 2002 to 2003, Inquiry Realm Culture Media and Lu Kuan personally frequently transfused blood to the blog network through capital lending; although the accounts were leveled through borrowing and lending relationships, there were still some traces.

This thing has no great effect in the hands of ordinary people.

But in the hands of people with energy, it might be exaggerated and turned into a thunder point after being demonized.

But these are his guesses, and nothing is settled yet.

Before a cigarette was finished, a strange phone call came in again.

After looking for a few seconds, Lu Kuan pressed the answer button, vaguely feeling that it would be related to the tax audit storm.

"Little Lu, it's me, no one is beside you, right?"

Dong Shuangqiang's tone was a bit urgent; he was an old Jianghu, and rarely was he so urgent.

"You say, Brother Dong."

"Zhou Jun... Zhou Jun is arranging for people to check Inquiry Realm's accounts."

Boss Lu pretended to be ignorant: "Oh? Is there such a thing? Let him check; we are clean, why should we be afraid of checking."

"Little Lu, you should still attach importance to it."

"He is not so easy to deal with; checking accounts is on the surface, no one knows the real purpose."

"Alright Brother Dong, thank you very much."

Lu Kuan hung up the phone, looking at the strange number that Dong Shuangqiang specially changed on the phone screen, thinking that he was really cautious.

He was also considered very cautious, but it was not guaranteed that there would be a person hiding on the side picking bones in an egg.

Once the real control of the blog network is exposed, the consequences are not that serious.

At most, there will be a few more Internet companies in his competitor camp, and Inquiry Realm's publicity on their websites may be blocked in the future, and public opinion will also be biased.

But if the conflict with Liu Zeyu last year and the final erotic video were brought up again, there would be a lot of articles that could be written here.

For the above, a person who once suspected of confronting high-level national cadres and simultaneously controlled the blog network and Travel TV is a matter very worthy of scrutiny and deliberation.

US Western Time, February 27, 2005, 7 pm, the 77th Oscar Awards ceremony was held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Numerous stars, directors, film practitioners, etc., attended in grand attire, showing their demeanor on the red carpet in front of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, accepting media photography and interviews.

This is the prelude to the awards ceremony and one of the focuses of global attention.

Unlike the three major European film festivals and most other film festivals around the world, the Oscars have two red carpet channels.

One is the star channel, which is crowded with big and small stars, and they have to accept extremely intensive shutter attacks along the way.

This red carpet channel will pass through the media area, which is convenient for media interviews and shooting.

The other is the guest channel, for photographers, lighting engineers, screenwriters, producers, etc., who don't like to show their faces, to enter and exit; the team is loose and there are few people.

*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* crew was ready to go, but there were some small problems before departure.

Little Liu couldn't wear the thin high heels sent yesterday, and her feet were a bit sprained...

This pair of high heels is a high-level customization of Jimmy Choo, which is the hottest high-level customized high-heeled shoe brand in the UK in the past two years, and Princess Diana's favorite.

Jimmy Choo is the standard for top-tier female stars in Hollywood and the Oscars now; how popular is it?

Madonna walked on the red carpet wearing the brand's shoes when she stepped into the marriage hall;

Sarah Jessica once screamed "Don't take my shoes" in *Sex and the City*;

Oscar Best Actress Reese wore 60 pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes in the pink-filled movie *Legally Blonde 2*.

The customization fee for the pair Liu Yifei wore was 50,000 US dollars, and it was also greeted by Anna Wintour.

The founder of Jimmy Choo once worked at the British version of *Vogue*.

"Is it still okay?"

Liu Xiaoli had already entered through the guest channel, Leonardo and his girlfriend Gisele Bündchen took the lead, and only the two of them were left behind.

Liu Yifei felt it a little: "Hmm, much better, I'm wearing such thin heels for the first time, I'm not used to it."

It's not an occasion like the red carpet; she is always in natural and comfortable flat shoes.

Boss Lu squatted down and gently rubbed her ankle; the heat in his palm made Liu Yifei feel a bit itchy.

Hmm, fortunately it's not Yang Mi, otherwise the Berlin Best Actor would be smoked dizzy here.

The little girl shyly patted him: "Let's go, let's go, it should be okay, I'll just walk slowly while holding you."

"It seems that I should have tried them on yesterday."

Boss Lu laughed: "Once, twice; don't use force, put the strength on me."

"Hmm."

The Chinese audience waiting in front of Inquiry Realm Video saw Zhang Ziyi walk by, but *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* crew only waited for a Leonardo and his girlfriend.

"Where are the washing machine and my Xixi?"

"I have a bad feeling!"

"Here, here!"

Liu Yifei walked near the Inquiry Realm Video editorial team with Lu Kuan, stopped, and posed for photos.

"Director Lu, why did you come out so late?"

"Yifei sprained her ankle, she couldn't stand steadily, you can only take group photos."

The sound entered the picture, and the bullet screen volume in front of the screen soared.

"You, you, you, washing machine, what did you do to Xixi?"

"These heels are too thin, no wonder she sprained her ankle."

"I have a bad feeling!"

The two walked through the red carpet with difficulty; Liu Yifei hung half of her body on the young director, and fine sweat overflowed from her forehead.

"Does it hurt?"

"Hmm, it feels like it's going to swell in a bit."

Boss Lu was extra gentle today, maybe he wanted to seize the opportunity to offer favors first, so that he could continue to CPU later.

"Just sit still in a bit, I'll carry you out through the work channel when it ends."

Little

Little Liu's eyes lit up: "Really?"

This worthless look of hers, not at all like a domestic entertainment star with tens of millions of fans, made Su Chang want to roast her again upon seeing it.

At the end of the red carpet, Leonardo and his girlfriend were accepting an interview from reporters.

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen had a top-tier figure, and seeing Liu Yifei and the other approaching, she smiled and blew a flying kiss.

She had become familiar with Little Liu after meeting a few times, and the two actually had quite a lot in common.

The daily outfits of Western actresses were also quite "trashy," and could give Liu Yifei a run for her money.

It was just that both of them either had great faces or great figures, so they didn't fear wearing ugly clothes.

"Gisele, your 25th birthday is coming up, what gift do you want? An Oscar?"

"Hmm... actually, I want a baby."

The Victoria's Secret supermodel blinked her big eyes at Leonardo, and the latter mumbled for a long time before replying that he hoped everyone would have a pleasant evening.

"Hiss!"

A sharp pain shot through Boss Lu's arm.

"Give me a reason?"

Little Liu was expressionless: "No reason, I can't stand scumbags."

"You and your fox friends are all the same trash!"

When it was their turn to be interviewed, the field host, who was also today's opening host, Chris Rock, had an exaggerated expression: "Whoa, Blue Moon and Lu, how are you feeling today?"

"You look like you're not doing so well?"

He gestured toward Liu Yifei's left ankle.

"Yes, I just sprained my ankle."

Little Liu generously displayed her red and swollen ankle: "Jimmy Choo, your shoes are great and I like them very much, but my feet don't think so."

"Looks like I need some time to tame it."

Rock laughed out loud; he was a famous American comedian and highly approved of this little Eastern beauty's humor.

He turned to Lu Kuan again: "Genius, tell me, how does it feel to have just won the Berlin Best Actor award?"

Boss Lu smiled and took off the host's corsage from his chest: "It feels like maybe today I can guest-star in your job; I'll play a host."

"Oh! Don't do that, Lu, you've already stolen Leo's job, don't do this to me."

"Hahaha! Good luck, Lu."

The young man and woman walked "stumbling" into the Kodak Theatre lobby, and the barrage comments were full of praise.

Seeing our director and actors chatting and laughing at a world-class entertainment venue was a very fulfilling thing for current domestic entertainment audiences.

Natural and poised, humorous and grand, without a hint of cultural awkwardness, and without any deliberate fawning or flattery.

The "Washing Machine" (a nickname for the domestic entertainment industry), which had a notorious reputation, had temporarily established a glorious image on the foreign web.

Watching the handsome man and beautiful woman walk away chatting and laughing, Liu Yifei's fans also felt that these two were a pretty good match...

Right?

Pfft, pfft, pfft! A match? Washing Machine, get out!

Praise is temporary, but roasting is eternal.

The awards ceremony officially began, and host Rock roasted George W. Bush on stage, and when talking about anti-war justice, he cued Boss Lu.

"Can we get a shot of our Berlin Best Actor, please?"

"I find it hard to believe that *Fahrenheit 9/11*, which that idiot Eisner didn't dare to release, was bought by Lu."

"What? Has the justice of us Americans fallen to the point where an Asian has to preside over it?"

There was a burst of laughter in the audience, and Sean Penn stood up to applaud; he was a fanatical political activist, and he never missed such excitement.

Boss Lu cooperated on the surface by accepting this kind of American humor that was politically correct in Hollywood, but in his heart, he was cursing.

He didn't want to have anything to do with these things.

Holding heavy power, one must know how to avoid suspicion.

Do not give the outside world the wrong impression that he is keen on politics.

Not only domestically, but also on the foreign Mytube, which in later generations would rely on its power during the peak period of Obama's campaign.

As the boss behind the scenes, it was better for him not to have clear-cut positions.

Otherwise, he would be like Musk in 2025; if it weren't for the final outcome, he would have had to be red-hearted and join the party on the front line.

Rock called on the whole audience to give this Eastern director applause, and Boss Lu wished he could crawl under his chair.

Fortunately, he had instructed the director at Wenjie beforehand to cut all such shots.

But in any case, Boss Lu, who had broken into Hollywood through *The Exotic*, had gained a certain degree of popularity in the North American market.

With Harvey's introduction, his friendship with Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, and his cooperation with Leonardo and Tang Mu Cruise and others.

Even if he couldn't make it in China anymore, he could just pack his bags and start working in Hollywood.

Rock left the stage, and Beyoncé came on stage to perform the French song "Vois sur ton chemin," which was also an interlude from the nominated *The Chorus*.

In the audience, Liu Yifei looked at the young director beside her who was calm and composed.

"Why aren't you excited at all?"

"If *The Exotic* hadn't been released, I would still be nervous, but it's already finished showing, and the box office can't get any higher."

The commercial value of the Oscars was beneficial from the moment of nomination; a nomination had a box office bonus of about 30 million US dollars, and winning doubled it.

If he had a choice, he would rather have submitted *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* to the Oscars, let Harvey get a nomination, and he could easily harvest a wave of box office.

It was just that considering Old Han's political achievements, it was safer to submit *The Exotic*.

Lu Kuan glanced at the young girl's ankle: "It's good to be able to win Best Foreign Language Film, so it's not like you've gone through all this trouble for nothing today."

Liu Yifei looked at Leonardo and Gisele Bündchen in the front row, who still had an off vibe, and whispered in Boss Lu's ear: "I kind of believe you're a little immortal now."

"Huh?"

"You were right, Leonardo really doesn't have a girlfriend over 25."

Lu Kuan knew she was joking, and shrank his left arm inward again, fearing that this girl would get agitated and start empathizing again.

His arm would suffer again.

Liu Yifei gave him a hidden eye-roll: "You're something."

Beyoncé finished one song and continued with "Learn to Be Lonely," an interlude from *The Phantom of the Opera*.

"By the way, when are you filming your next movie? Is there a role for me?"

"Do you want money?"

"Yes."

"Then no."

Liu Yifei was furious: "Is my current popularity not worth that little bit of salary?"

Boss Lu was righteous: "Is our deep relationship not worth that little bit of salary?"

"Tch, where is it deep? You're just using me."

Little Liu had also figured it out now; there was nothing to be sensitive about, he was just that kind of person.

"I won't allow you to say that about yourself! What do you have that's worth me using?"

"Hiss~~~"

Answering him was his own low cry of pain.

This old... this young lady really has a heavy hand!

The cultivation had already been declared a failure; after eighteen, she needed to be disciplined.

Beyoncé finally finished singing three songs, and the Oscar awards began.

Lu Kuan looked around, starting to search for his targets.

He wanted to take advantage of this trip to the United States to get a few commercial and genre film teachers back for the Pan-Asia Film Academy.

This year's big hit *Million Dollar Baby* got off to a flying start, and veteran black actor Morgan Freeman won Best Supporting Actor, with applause like a tide.

Immediately after, Martin Scorsese's *The Aviator* won Best Costume Design, which was not a good sign.

Lu Kuan knew that he had high hopes for this *The Aviator* and was aiming for Best Director.

Then came Salles's *The Motorcycle Diaries* winning Best Original Song; this director was one of his targets, but he was just a bit too busy and might not be able to spare the time to go to Beiping to teach a class for a few months.

The list of nominees for the first award for *The Exotic*, Best Visual Effects, began to be read, and looking at Zhang Ziyi in a black see-through outfit on stage, Boss Lu had a realization.

For this kind of minor award, letting Zhang Ziyi come, the direction was a bit obvious.

"Best Visual Effects nominees, *Spider-Man 2* John, *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* Tim, *The Exotic* Williams."

Zhang Ziyi glanced toward Boss Lu's side, smiling like a flower: "The winner is, *The Exotic* Williams, congratulations!"

"Yeah!"

The volume of barrage comments in front of the Wenjie video was also surging; who could have thought that Chinese films could win this award one day?

In Hollywood, winning a major special effects award?

This was simply a fantasy, and it seemed to sound even harder than winning Best Director.

Williams of the world-class special effects team hugged Lu Kuan on the side of the aisle, excitedly went on stage, and leaned toward the microphone.

"Honestly, the first time I received Lu's invitation, I thought he was a community Asian salesman, and in my heart, I wanted to refuse!"

"When I figured out the situation, I still wanted to refuse."

"I felt that if I let a Chinese director tell me how to do special effects, it would be more reliable to let me teach him how to make Kung Pao Chicken!"

There was a burst of laughter in the audience.

"But I was soon stunned by his wild imagination; this guy is definitely a genius, his eyes can see many things we can't see."

Harvey: Totally agree!

Quentin: He can draw talismans!

"Okay, thanks to the Academy, thanks to my team, thanks to the Chinese Butian Yinghua team, your growth speed is simply surprising to me."

"Of course, there's also Director Lu Kuan, you have unparalleled imagination and aesthetic design ability, and working with you is a wonderful journey, thank you!"

The Oscars are the Oscars, the world's premier top-tier entertainment venue today; whether it was the domestic Wenjie video or Mytube, the number of people reached a recent peak.

Wenjie video 6.6 million, Mytube 8.2 million.

At this rate, I'm afraid it won't take 20 months like in Chen Shijun's previous life to cash out.

Domestic audiences were looking forward to the subsequent awards, but they lost everything from Best Cinematography to Best Art Direction and Editing.

Could it be that visual effects are our swan song?

Arriving at the main event, Best Director, Julia Roberts, the big-mouthed beauty who had just given birth to twins this year, came on stage.

"Let's take a look at the list of nominees."

"*Million Dollar Baby* Eastwood, *The Aviator* Martin Scorsese, *Ray* Taylor Hackford, *The Exotic* Lu."

The television broadcast camera quickly swept across the nominated directors, and everyone had a calm and composed expression.

The calmest was Boss Lu; he knew in his heart that there was no hope for this award.

It was the limit for *The Exotic* to be able to gallop in the Best Foreign Language Film track through domestic submission; it was too difficult for non-pure Hollywood films to win these heavyweight awards.

Julia Roberts's voice dragged out: "*Million Dollar Baby*, Clint Eastwood!"

The whole audience stood up and applauded, sending blessings to this 75-year-old veteran director.

This veteran director also transitioned from acting to directing; in 1964, he starred in *A Fistful of Dollars*, the first of the Dollars trilogy, followed by *For a Few Dollars More* and *The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*...

And the famous *Unforgiven* and *The Bridges of Madison County* were all his directorial works.

Boss Lu looked at Martin's calm face and saw the disappointment in his heart.

When will this film sociologist be able to win that Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture?

Perhaps even he wouldn't believe that the final dream fulfillment would be because of the remake rights of *Infernal Affairs* bought last year.

Finally, in 2007, he won the Oscar for *The Departed*, ending his title as the uncrowned king of the Oscars.

"Next to be presented is the winner of this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, please welcome presenters Quentin and Sean Penn!"

Hearing Quentin's name, Liu Yifei looked sharply at the man beside her.

Is this a hint from the Academy and the organizing committee?

Boss Lu, who said he didn't care but was very honest with his body, also became a little nervous.

The Golden Globe was in hand, the wind vane was there, and all the public relations and lobbying work were in place; it all depended on this final push.

Quentin was the best presenter for Best Foreign Language Film because he was the director in all of Hollywood who liked foreign language films the most.

Whether it was Italian Westerns, Shaw Brothers Kung Fu films from Hong Kong, or the French New Wave, there was no foreign language film he didn't like to watch.

"*The Sea Inside* Amenábar, *The Exotic* Lu!"

As expected of a good buddy, reading to this point with both emphasis and pauses, Boss Lu in the audience exchanged glances with him, and he already had a decision in his heart.

"*The Chorus* Barratier, *Paradise Now* Hany, *Joyeux Noël* Christian."

Sean Penn took the envelope and opened it: "The winner of the 77th Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film is!"

"*The Exotic*, Lu!"

The applause was like a tide, only one little Zhang in a black see-through outfit was no longer arrogant; the thing she was most desperate about had happened.

Another mainland actress who followed her route and broke into Hollywood through Best Foreign Language Film had appeared, and she had a younger, more powerful backer.

She was so tired; at this moment, she thought it would be better to quickly force Young Master Huo to marry her and be a wealthy wife in peace.

*The Sea Inside* director Amenábar had a lonely expression; he had also lost regretfully at the Golden Globes.

Although he had psychological expectations, at the moment the answer was truly revealed, he still felt a sense of loss.

In sharp contrast, Wenjie video, Blog Network, Douban, and major film forums had already gone crazy!

"Lu Kuan is awesome! Today you deserve to have your own name!"

"Holy crap! The honor that Old Mouzi dreamed of, you got it at your fingertips, you really are the chosen one!"

"Washing Machine, I just have one request, can you not hug Liu Yifei later?"

Unfortunately, the public's appeal did not work.

This time, Little Liu took the initiative to throw herself into his arms!

If the mountain won't come to me, I will go to it!

"Lu Kuan, you're amazing!"

Boss Lu smelled the faint fragrance of a young girl on her and felt a bit dizzy; it sounded about the same effect as "Honey, you were amazing just now."

Helping the sprained-ankle Liu Yifei sit back down, Lu Kuan walked toward the stage, stopping repeatedly on the way.

Williams, Leonardo, Tang Mu Cruise, Harvey, and others took turns.

All the way to the stage, there were also wolf-friend Quentin and Sean Penn, who looked at him differently because of *Fahrenheit 9/11*.

"Lu, congratulations!"

"Thank you!"

In front of the microphone, Lu Kuan playfully weighed the Oscar in his hand.

"Over 30 centimeters tall, weighing only less than 4 kilograms, if you had told me earlier that this wasn't pure gold, I wouldn't have come."

There was a burst of laughter and applause in the audience.

Hollywood is a show venue; for actors and directors of different skin colors and cultures to integrate, the most clever way is to show their sense of humor.

In the future, part of Lu Kuan's career focus will inevitably be in North America.

From a public relations perspective, he also needs to establish his humorous and casual persona, which makes it easier for fans around the world to accept him.

"Okay, a little joke, I hope the Academy judges don't mind, if they do..."

"I might follow the example of *Fahrenheit 9/11* director Michael and make a documentary about you!"

The laughter in the audience was even louder, black host Rock showed a mouthful of big white teeth, and even Martin Scorsese in the front row, who was still lamenting his loss, raised the corners of his mouth.

Harvey nodded secretly in his heart; from the previous lobbying and public relations activities for Best Foreign Language Film, one could see Lu's familiarity and superb rhetoric.

If Martin Scorsese is a film sociologist, Lu is a film social activist; he has too many punchlines!

"Xixi, I'm sorry..."

"Also, thank you very much to Gusta and Mr. Harvey for their efforts in distribution."

"By the way, remember to send me the profit share of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* monster merchandise early."

Rock beside the stage smiled and shook his head; he now believed that the interview at the entrance, where this Eastern director said he wanted to host instead of him, was not a joke.

He is really capable!

Harvey stood up and whistled at him; he didn't expect the Best Foreign Language Film award to have more screen presence than Best Picture, making the barrage volume in front of Wenjie video and Mytube surge.

"This Chinese director is like he grew up in the United States, I hope he hosts next year's Emmys and Oscars."

"This Asian director is nothing like my group leader at school, that guy is a nerd!"

"Oprah has a rival, looking forward to seeing Lu bickering with Oprah!"

Domestic audiences also felt honored; the previous Oscars seemed like an unattainable hall of honor to fans.

Now they suddenly found out, it's nothing more than this!

A young director of ours who has only debuted for four years can walk through it, speaking fluent English, teasing the judges with pearls of wisdom, and chatting and laughing.

It's simply incredibly dashing!

Liu Yifei in the audience had little stars in her eyes; at this moment, she had already thrown the "Washing Machine's" debauched evil deeds to the back of her mind.

Similar to a man's possessive mentality toward a beautiful woman, watching her beloved show off in front of people on the stage of a top-tier show, the young girl was full of admiration.

The better he is, the more she wants to monopolize him; this is a normal person's mentality.

Boss Lu on stage was still talking eloquently.

"Back to the topic, thanks to Beidian, thanks to investors China Film and Emperor, and all our cast and crew, it is my honor to work with you."

"Of course, there's also my heroine Crystal, Miss Liu Yifei, who sprained her left ankle to attend today's awards ceremony."

"After it's over, I'll see if anyone buys my Oscar, and I'll use the money to buy you a pair of Jimmy Choo high-end custom shoes with thicker heels."

"Thank you everyone, thank you!"

With a round of applause and whistles, he was sent back to his seat, and Liu Yifei took the Oscar from Boss Lu's hand.

"Looks good, but it's mine now!"

"Huh?"

"You just said it yourself, you're buying me high heels?"

Boss Lu regretted it endlessly; he should have said he was giving it to her as an 18th birthday gift, so he could have brushed off a birthday.

It's not bragging, but just taking this Oscar to find other actresses, it would be easy to trick them into bed.

The two were "flirting" here, and in front of the Wenjie video live stream, a wave of condemnation and war of words had already been set off.

"Washing Machine, you're not even acting anymore, are you? Is your ambition revealed?"

"I hate you, Washing Machine."

"To the one above, you don't hate the Washing Machine, you hate that you aren't the Washing Machine."

As the main event, Best Picture, was still won by Eastwood's *Million Dollar Baby*, the 77th Oscar Awards ceremony officially came to an end.

The spread of the news of the Best Foreign Language Film award on Wenjie video was viral, and various Chinese and foreign media also issued the manuscripts they had prepared early.

*Variety* highly praised Boss Lu's aesthetic taste:

Even though the hurricane of *The Exotic* had passed for more than half a year, when it appeared in people's field of vision again, it was still able to attract enough attention.

Director Lu Kuan possesses a unique Eastern perspective and profound cultural heritage, yet miraculously is able to fit the aesthetic tastes of Western audiences; this is simply an incredible thing.

*The Hollywood Reporter* focused on the personality he relied on for success:

Seeing Lu's humorous speech at the Oscars, we know that this is a "world citizen" who is well-versed in both Chinese and Western cultures; he seems to have a super ability to adapt to the cultural customs of different regions and assimilate the locals.

We can see that whether it's Leo, the genius Quentin, or the villain Harvey, they are all on good terms with this Eastern director.

Well, everyone loves Director Lu!

Domestic media were even more full of praise.

*Yangcheng Evening News*: Golden Bear Award, Berlin Best Actor, Oscar Best Foreign Language Film; if someone had told me before tonight that these three honors would belong to the same person, I would have thought they were "fooling" me, but today it has come true, congratulations Lu Kuan!

*China Film Report*: The second Chinese director to win this honor after Ang Lee, he is our pride!

*Movie Channel*: He broke the cultural barriers between East and West; he is the most artistic among commercial film directors, and the most commercial among art film directors!

*Sina Entertainment*: The front-line interview team asked Quentin, what do you think is Director Lu Kuan's most valuable ability?

The genius's answer: Romance, casualness, debauchery, and constant self-evolution.

Totally agree.

(End of chapter)