Once seated in the car, Zhang Yimou breathed a sigh of relief. The scene today was far too grand, making him feel somewhat uneasy. With official media outlets like CCTV and People's Daily present, he had to consider his answers carefully before daring to respond.

Shen Fang handed Lao Mouzi and Han Sanping a gold-plated Zhongzhi cigarette. There are many kinds of Zhongzhi cigarettes: regular hard pack, soft pack, then white cigarettes, and finally the rarest gold-plated Zhongzhi. Even with special supplies, it's very difficult for anyone to see this stuff. Only high-ranking military officials can afford to smoke it. Ye Daying got two packs for him, and this was Shen Fang's first time smoking it.

"Wow, this is good stuff! Where did you get it?" Han Sanping sniffed the tobacco, savoring the rich plum blossom flavor, and said with great relish.

Zhang Yimou looked at Shen Fang with surprise.

Shen Fang chuckled, "Pretty high-class, huh? Here, your senior brother will get you two boxes, and this is yours, Uncle." Shen Fang handed out two boxes to the two of them.

"Ye Daying got this for you? Wow, he's really generous to you. You can't even see cigarettes like this unless you're at that level. I haven't seen them in years. Even if you buy them with foreign exchange certificates, they cost 16 yuan a pack, and they only supply less than 10 packs a month."

Han Sanping was referring to a time when the average wage was just over ten yuan.

Zhang Yimou nodded: "I saw it at the Friendship Store when I was in school, good heavens, 16 yuan! That's outrageous!!!"

Chen Fang put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and found it very smooth. Not only was there no off-taste, but the flavor was also just right. It truly deserved to be called the king of special-supply cigarettes. Tsk tsk, this cigarette is really good.

“I made a lot of money for Brother Ying. I have a professional investment team. Brother Ying gave me 500,000 last year, and it turned into more than 1.5 million when the market was good. He gave it to me a while ago, and I haven’t been willing to open it until you came back this time, senior brother. I’m planning to give the rest to my dad.”

Han Sanping grinned mischievously and said, "How about I trade you 10 plain white cigarettes?"

Shen Fang shook his head: "Uncle, do you think I'm stupid? Although white people are high-class, those with some connections can still get things done. But not just anyone can get things done with the Central Branch of the Communist Party of China. If you're not high-ranking enough, you won't even get to see them."

Han Sanping chuckled: "I didn't fool you. Okay, I'll keep these two boxes. I'm glad I got this today because of Director Zhang."

Zhang Yimou waved his hand.

The group arrived at the Sheraton International Hotel. Han Sanping had specially booked the entire venue; everyone present—celebrities, media company owners, cinema general managers, and other high-ranking industry professionals—was there. No one dared not come; to not come would be to disrespect Han Sanping.

Everyone congratulated Zhang Yimou, and Shen Fang even specially invited Zhang Yimou's old classmates, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Director Chen Kaige. Having received such an honor, one naturally wants to find someone close to boast to, and Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang, his two classmates, were the perfect choices.

Wang Hui came here today as well. The Beijing Film Academy produced a director like Zhang Yimou, who won an Oscar. From now on, the Beijing Film Academy will be on a completely different level from other cinemas in China. An internationally renowned director is no joke. Wang Hui is thinking of getting Zhang Yimou to give a lecture, to show the students how amazing a senior from the Beijing Film Academy is.

Today, I even specially invited Zhang Yimou's young wife, Chen Ting, to come as well.

As soon as Zhang Yimou entered the hall, Chen Ting presented him with flowers and a passionate kiss. Zhang Yimou, without hesitation, hugged his wife and gave her a big kiss in front of everyone.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Zhang Yimou looked at the people from the industry who were present.

"Thank you everyone for coming today. Thank you, Chairman Han, and my junior brother for the arrangements. Please enjoy your meal and drinks. I'll come and offer you a toast in a bit."

Han Sanping laughed: "It's more like everyone's toasting you. Come on, come on, take a seat."

Everyone took their seats.

Today's event is anything but ordinary. Han Sanping used his connections with Director Liu to arrange a special celebratory banquet for Zhang Yimou, prepared by the head chef of state banquets. They've prepared all sorts of delicacies, from birds in the sky to fish in the water, for 66 tables, and the drinks are top-notch, including Wuliangye and Moutai. It's an extravagant affair.

This crucial investment by China Film Group not only made them money but also opened up the market for commercial blockbusters. Han Sanping was in high spirits and started toasting everyone, mainly the leaders. Given his rank, no one dared to drink with him.

"Director Zhang, come on, let me toast you. Thank you for fulfilling my dream, and thank you for making sure I didn't bet on the wrong person this time. The situation has finally turned around. Let's have a drink." Han Sanping looked at Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou raised his glass and clinked it with Han Sanping's, then drank. Cheng Long, standing nearby, also raised his glass and looked at Zhang Yimou: "Director Zhang, when are we going to collaborate?"

Zhang Yimou smiled and said, "Brother, our acting styles don't align. You're putting me in a difficult position."

Cheng Long chuckled and said, "Director Zhang, you don't know that although I became famous for kung fu comedies, I'm also a veteran actor with good acting skills. If there's a suitable opportunity, I'd like to work with you, especially on period martial arts films. If there's a suitable opportunity, please give me a chance."

Zhang Yimou smiled and said, "There's a chance, there's a chance."

Shen Fang picked his nose. This was probably a bit difficult. To be honest, Jackie Chan's films were already set in stone. You didn't even need to watch them to know they were kung fu comedies. It would be difficult to ask someone who had acted in this kind of movie all his life to suddenly switch to acting in dramatic roles. However, Jackie Chan said that he was a veteran actor, and that was no exaggeration. Jackie Chan's acting skills were definitely beyond question, and he could handle dramatic roles with ease.

Following this, a succession of well-known Hong Kong celebrities, including Tony Leung Ka-fai, Eric Tsang, Jet Li, Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, Simon Yam, Andy Lau, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, and Sean Lau, came to toast Zhang Yimou. Now that such a great director has emerged in China, of course they want to get to know him. Even if nothing else, they want to make a name for themselves so that they can collaborate with him in the future if there are suitable roles.

Following closely behind were Chen Daoming, Zhang Guoli, Wang Gang, Ge You, Jiang Wen, Jiang Wu, Chen Baoguo, Zhang Fengyi, Zhang Tielin, Li Xuejian, Li Baotian, Tang Guoqiang, Wang Zhiwen, and He Bing. These top male actors, industry veterans, and respected figures in the field toasted Zhang Yimou, a genuine expression of their blessings. They were all people Zhang Yimou knew, and while he hadn't worked with them all, they were all from the same generation.

With such a brilliant figure as Zhang Yimou emerging, winning major awards abroad and achieving such high box office success—we're all friends in the same circle, so congratulations are only fair.

Oh, right, Gong Li is here too.

After Zhang Weiping was dealt with by Shen Fang, the matter between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li was also resolved. However, Zhang Yimou now has a wife and children, so it's impossible for anything to happen between him and Gong Li.

Gong Li hugged Zhang Yimou, looking at the man who had made her who she was, who had fallen in love with her, and who had been entangled with her for ten years with a smile.

"Congratulations, Lao Zhang. Keep up the good work. Remember to call me if there's anything good to see in the future."

Zhang Yimou looked at the former beauty, nodded, and smiled in response, "Thank you, Gong Li, thank you for coming today."

Gong Huang nodded: "Okay, I have something to do, so I'll be going now. Let's have a drink sometime when we have time."

Zhang Yimou stood up: "I'll see you out."

Without turning his head, Gong waved his hand and said, "No need, your victory celebration is coming up. See you next time."

........