Chapter 211 Alternative Dinner

When Su Yun was busy with the assistant directors at the TV station to catch up on the progress of the filming of "Armored Sisters", Chen Baiyang suddenly came to visit the set with his good friend Zhong Buluo, bringing afternoon tea snacks and sweet soup.

He said he was here to visit his good brother, but what was his real intention? It was not difficult for Zhang Querong to guess as he was drinking sugar water and eating egg pie.

Oh, forget it. We are brothers, and it's rare that he can muster up the courage to ask Su Yun out for dinner, so let's not expose him.

However, what Zhang Querong didn't expect was that Chen Boyang's rare courage seemed to be insufficient. After inviting Su Yun to a newly opened restaurant for dinner, he added a blood pressure-inducing answer to Su Yun's simple question "Are you and I going alone?": "No, we are going to have dinner together as good friends."

So, after completing the day's filming mission, Su Yun came to the restaurant with Chen Boyang, Zhang Querong and Zhong Buluo.

If everyone else hadn't been busy, or if they hadn't vaguely understood Chen Boyang's original intention, there might have been even more people at the dinner.

If you don't seize the opportunity, the candlelight dinner will just become a party for many people...

Chen Boyang, who was deeply regretting his slip of the tongue, first looked at the two light bulbs with great depression, and then couldn't help but secretly glance at Su Yun who seemed to be unaware of it.

At the table for four, he and Zhang Querong sat on one side, Su Yun and Zhong Buluo sat on the other side, so he was sitting face to face with Su Yun.

But Su Yun was so absorbed in looking at the menu that she didn't even bother to look at him, which wasted this good seat.

Noticing his good brother's depressed mood, Zhang Querong looked up at his brother, who looked obviously aggrieved and helpless yet forced to smile, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

But he didn't know whether it was a blessing in disguise or because he could finally take a break after being busy for so many days, but apart from sighing, he actually felt a little happy in his heart.

"You guys also know, right? "Song of Youth" has been sent to Venice. September 2nd is the award ceremony this year, so we have to set off for Venice at the end of this month." While waiting for the food to be served, Su Yun told him the news calmly.

The issue of sending her work out for awards was undoubtedly one of the reasons why she chose to join Zhao.

Compared to the submission for the Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals, which can be handled by the relevant persons in charge of the film companies, only Zhao has the authority to submit the annual Oscar foreign language film application.

She was able to bypass Zhao and submit "Artificial Intelligence" and "The Sixth Sense" because they were co-produced through the cooperation between Jiahe and Warner. But according to the Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film rule that "each country and region can only nominate one film", if she wanted to win the award, Zhao had to submit the application.

In Hong Kong, the organization that has the qualification to apply for the Best Foreign Language Film is called the Hong Kong Film Producers Association. It was founded by Zhao Rifu of the Zhao family in 1964 - which is exactly the year when Su Yun was born. You can imagine how far-sighted this man is.

When all the film companies had not yet realized that they could send their own films to compete for awards, he had already set his sights on the most famous awards in the film industry.

Of course, it is also because of Zhao Rifu's forward-looking vision and willingness to invest that most of the shooting equipment in Zhao Film Company and TBB can keep up with the advanced level of Hollywood. In later generations, even the old Zhao movies shot in the 1950s and 1960s, after high-definition restoration, the picture quality is absolutely not inferior to the high-definition restored versions of Hollywood movies of the same period.

It is said that Zhao is stingy with his employees, but it is true that they are willing to spend money on equipment and tools. Otherwise, there would not be the rumor that Zhao is "stupid and rich" in foreign countries - although the "tool man" as an actor is less valuable than the "tool" as a shooting equipment, which always makes people feel a little complicated...

However, perhaps because of this trend, there was no news of sky-high film pay in Hong Kong in the early years, and most artistes did not develop the kind of arrogant attitude that they have in later generations. Instead, they all had a down-to-earth approachability.

Also because this association was founded by Zhao Rifu, over the years, all the films sent by Hong Kong to represent Hong Kong in the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film have been films produced by Zhao. This is equivalent to sending the best-received film of Zhao that year as the best film of the year.

However, the Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film selection includes excellent films from various countries and regions, and it is a gathering of strong contenders. Considering the declining quality of Zhao's films in recent years, which are not even the best in their local area, it is basically impossible for him to win an award.

Therefore, this reflects the old-fashioned rule of the old-fashioned big family like the Zhao family that even if the meat is rotten in the pot, it must be rotten in the pot: if there are no good movies that year, then the Zhao family would rather not give the movie away and directly give up the opportunity to apply for it, and will definitely not let outsiders get it for free.

There is such an unspoken rule that it is better to let the work go bad in one's hands than to let others get it for free. Moreover, Su Yun is now gradually transitioning from an actor to a director and producer. So if she wants to win non-acting awards in the future, it is best for her to choose Zhao's channel.

Moreover, she, who grew up watching old Hong Kong movies and TBB TV series, also has a certain inexplicable mentality of being a "spiritual shareholder of the Zhao family"...

After analyzing this question, Zhong Bu Luo, who did not show any excitement because he did not participate in "Song of Youth", just nodded politely. On the contrary, the two male protagonists, Chen Baiyang and Zhang Querong, were naturally very excited.

"Maybe it's just to take you out for some outdoor experience. Although the Venice Awards always encourages newcomers, the selection requirements are also quite strict." Su Yun knew that her film, which was clearly positioned as a commercial film, didn't have much hope of winning an actor award, so when it came to the award-winning film, she also placed it in the unofficial award category of other units.

"That's okay. At least we can get out and see some things, which is much better than many people!" Chen Boyang likes to travel all over the world. Besides, this time he is going out with his good friends and his crush. Not to mention running as a runner-up in a competition, he would be happy to do hard labor...

"Okay, I know you've been locked up in the small dark room lately and it's a rare opportunity for you to go out and play openly. I'm going to make you happy to death!" Zhang Querong teased him with a smile.

"Oh? What happened? What's wrong with you? Why did your agent lock you up in a dark room again?" Su Yunrao looked at Chen Boyang with interest.

"No, it's just that I have a lot of work coming up, and I need to find inspiration for composing music, so it's not very convenient for me to go out, so I can only stay at home." Chen Baiyang explained quickly.

While explaining, he couldn't help but secretly glare at Zhang Querong next to him: Although these words successfully attracted Su Yun's attention to him, these words would make people misunderstand that he had made a mistake again and was punished!

After being glared at by him, Zhang Querong immediately realized that he had unknowingly betrayed his brother, and hurriedly spoke up to help him out: "Yes, he has a concert at the end of the year and a new album to be released, so he can only stay indoors and work as much as possible."

"I see." Su Yun nodded thoughtfully.

"Oops, sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. Paul, come with me!" Chen Boyang suddenly winked at Zhong Bu Luo who was sitting opposite him.

"Oh, okay, let's go together!" Zhong Buluo immediately understood what he meant, "Sorry, I have to excuse myself for a moment."

"What? You are not..." Zhang Querong was surprised when he remembered that Chen Boyang didn't like going to the bathroom outside because of his cleanliness problem. Suddenly, he noticed something in the actions of the two people, so he quickly shut up.

As soon as he changed the subject, his acting skills, which had been improving over the past period of time, were immediately put to use: "Go quickly - by the way, Mary, have you heard some very interesting gossip recently?"

"What gossip?" Listening to gossip and telling gossip are both common problems that are inevitable for human beings. Seeing that Zhang Querong looked like he was about to reveal something big, Su Yun had no doubts and his attention was immediately drawn to this sentence.

While talking to Su Yun about the gossip he had heard on TV recently to divert Su Yun's attention, he kept an eye on the movements of Chen Boyang and Zhong Bu Luo. Soon, Zhang Querong understood what this guy was thinking: Fortunately, although he failed to seize the opportunity to ask Su Yun out for a candlelight dinner for two, he was still prepared to go on stage and play the piano to express his feelings.

Thinking of this, he reached for the seasoning bottle in the middle of the table, intending to eat while watching his brother's performance.

Unexpectedly, Su Yun, who was sitting opposite him, also reached out her hand at this time, and her target was also the seasoning bottle in the middle of the table.

The fingertips on both sides touched each other on the transparent glass seasoning bottle, and the two looked at each other subconsciously, as if the slight fever from the human body, which was slightly higher than the room temperature lowered by the air-conditioning, was about to be transmitted through this unintentional touch.

"You first." After realizing the reason for the other's action, the two said in unison, and then couldn't help laughing because of such synchronization.

"You go first, ladies come first." Zhang Querong spread his hands.

"Okay then." Su Yun took the seasoning bottle, sprinkled some on her steak, and was about to hand it to him.

Unexpectedly, because Zhang Querong also wanted to reach out to take it, their hands touched again inadvertently.

The warmth that has not yet subsided returns, and because the area touched is larger than before, in addition to the slightly warm body temperature, the soft and delicate touch from the back of the hand to the fingertips also makes people feel excited.

"I'm sorry." Zhang Querong apologized subconsciously.

Unlike his complicated psychology at this moment, Su Yun looked at him strangely: "What's wrong? Why do you say that?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Zhang Querong's tightly clenched fist. The tiny scratches on it made her suddenly realize something: "Oh, you've been practicing shooting a lot recently because of filming, so your hands feel a little rough. But don't worry, they will be fine after you finish filming. You didn't scratch me."

That's not the reason...

Just when Zhang Querong was wondering how to explain, Zhong Buluo had already stood next to the microphone on the small stage in the corner of the restaurant, and then spoke in his always popular hosting style: "... Tonight, a friend of mine wants to bring an old song with new lyrics for his good friend Miss Su Yun. I hope she and everyone will like it."

As he finished speaking, a melodious piano sound slowly flowed out from the fingertips of the person in front of the piano.

While playing the music, Chen Boyang did not forget to cast his gaze on Su Yun who was not far away from the stage. His eyebrows and eyes were filled with gentle and graceful emotions.

She had heard that song before. It was an English song that he had composed and written the lyrics for himself. Unexpectedly, after adding the Cantonese version of the lyrics, accompanied by the flickering yet gentle lights and shadows in the venue, it seemed to bring people into this dreamlike and beautiful artistic conception.

Attracted by the sound of the piano played by Chen Boyang, Su Yun slightly tilted her body and also looked at him on the stage with a smile.

There seemed to be no room for anyone else between the two people looking at each other.

Looking at Su Yun's half-profile back, Zhang Querong lowered his eyes slightly.