With the awards ceremony over, everyone returned to their respective places.
The group sat in the car. Ji Juntao had been crying, and his eyes were a little red. Shang Yechu had huge dark circles under her eyes and a splitting headache. Qi Ming also looked sallow and fell asleep as soon as his buttocks touched the seat.
To Shang Yechu's surprise, Gu Wenhua, who arrived late, also looked like she hadn't slept enough. Her eyes were dark and she looked rather haggard.
Of the group that participated in the competition, two out of three people won prizes. What should have been a joyous occasion turned into something resembling four people staying up all night ice skating.
Aunt Cai was the only one present who seemed energetic, driving the car steadily and smoothly. While driving, she laughed and said, "Are you too happy about winning the award? Why aren't you fully awake?"
Ji Juntao didn't want to talk, so he pretended to close his eyes and rest.
Shang Yechu smiled and said, "Yes. This is our first time winning an award."
To keep the conversation from getting too dull, Shang Yechu leaned back in the car and turned around: "Isn't that right, Xiao Gu?"
Gu Wenhua glanced at Shang Yechu hesitantly, then slowly said, "Yes."
For some reason, Shang Yechu felt that Gu Wenhua's gaze was a little strange. It was as if he was looking at something new and interesting. Shang Yechu almost wondered if she hadn't washed her face properly.
Shang Yechu felt bored and was about to turn around and close her eyes to rest when she suddenly smelled a cigarette. She sniffed; it seemed to be coming from Gu Wenhua.
It was none of Shang Yechu's business if others smoked, but the smell of smoke was so strong that even after Shang Yechu sat up straight, it still stubbornly entered her nasal cavity.
Shang Yechu, unable to bear it any longer, turned around again: "How many cigarettes did you smoke this morning?"
Gu Wenhua seemed lost in thought, and it took him a while to answer Shang Yechu's question: "No, I didn't smoke this morning."
Smoking is prohibited at award ceremonies, so if you didn't smoke in the morning, you can only smoke in the middle of the night.
I've seen people smoke to drown their sorrows, but I've never seen anyone smoke this much on such a joyous occasion. What a strange quirk.
Shang Yechu reluctantly rolled down the car window a crack, hoping to let the smell of smoke out. But then she remembered that Ji Juntao and Qi Ming were still sleeping, and that they might catch a cold if she rolled it down, so she rolled it back up.
Seeing Shang Yechu's actions, Gu Wenhua belatedly realized, "Do I smell strongly of smoke?"
Shang Yechu said tactfully, "It's not that much, maybe it's just that my nose is a bit sharp. I remember you didn't smoke before, right? How come you suddenly have such a strong addiction?"
Gu Wenhua subconsciously leaned back to distance himself from Shang Yechu. Unfortunately, this effort was destined to be in vain.
Gu Wenhua stammered, "The directors all smoke. If you want to be with them... you have to... I'm sorry, I'll be more careful in the future."
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Shang Yechu said, both amused and exasperated. "I didn't mean anything by it."
Gu Wenhua stammered, then continued to explain, "After the awards ceremony last night, Director Gao Sanfu contacted me."
Shang Yechu's eyelids twitched, suppressing the strange emotions rising in her heart: "Isn't that a good thing? But how did you get his contact information?"
“He gave a lecture at our school,” Gu Wenhua stammered. “I shamelessly gave it to his assistant. I didn’t expect him to still have it.”
Although she despised Gao Sanfu, Shang Yechu wouldn't interfere with other people's choices based on her own opinion: "Gao Sanfu is quite... impressive."
Suppressing her nausea, Shang Yechu finished speaking, "He wants to collaborate with you on a movie? He wouldn't be thinking of taking you on as his apprentice, would he?!"
“No, not at all.” Gu Wenhua shook his head. “He wants me to participate in the editing of his new movie.”
"I see." Shang Yechu breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you want to go?"
Gu Wenhua hesitated and said, "Although I don't dislike editing, I prefer editing the films I direct myself. I don't really want to mess with other people's secondhand work."
Unexpectedly, Gu Wenhua was a bit of a germaphobe. Shang Yechu laughed and said, "Then you should refuse."
“He offered me the price of a top-tier editor,” Gu Wenhua said in a low voice. “His attitude was quite enthusiastic.”
It turns out that money and interests were in conflict.
Shang Yechu had no intention of becoming Gu Wenhua's life mentor, but considering Gao Sanfu's character, she felt that Gu Wenhua might end up with a second-generation depression. After hesitating for a few seconds, she couldn't help but say, "Actually, 'The Mute Woman' did well at the box office. Although you can't get big productions right now, you can still get investment by practicing on small budgets. You won't earn less than working for Gao Sanfu."
Gu Wenhua subconsciously rubbed his shoulder: "The film that Director Gao Sanfu invited me to do is a big production, with an investment of over 300 million. I might..."
I may never have the chance to work on a 300 million dollar production again in my lifetime.
Gu Wenhua didn't say those words aloud, but Shang Yechu understood their meaning from the sound of the music.
It's a big no-no to speak too frankly with someone you don't know well, so Shang Yechu didn't say anything more: "Then go ahead."
Gu Wenhua mumbled incoherently to himself, "But I'm also making my own movie... I thought about it all night and couldn't sleep. I didn't know what to choose... I was upset so I went out for a smoke, and then I saw... I saw..."
Gu Wenhua muttered something under his breath, but Shang Yechu only heard words like "smoke," "annoyed," and "how to choose," and casually said, "Choose whatever you want."
Gu Wenhua was taken aback, and couldn't help but lean forward: "Do you think I can do it?"
The smell of smoke made Shang Yechu wrinkle her nose. She was initially a little impatient, but seeing Gu Wenhua's timid expression, she softened.
Although Shang Yechu knew that Gu Wenhua would become a great director in the future, and that he might even have the opportunity to participate in productions worth 1 billion yuan, let alone 300 million, Gu Wenhua himself didn't have a God's-eye view. In his eyes, this might be the only time in his life that he would have the chance to be associated with big productions and big directors.
What a precious opportunity! If it were Shang Yechu, she would be tempted too.
Shang Yechu cleared her throat, suppressing her subconscious impatience, and whispered, "Me? In my opinion, you're good at everything, whether it's making movies or editing. Gao Sanfu might even have to curry favor with you in the future."
Gu Wenhua was stunned.
Shang Yechu was so sleepy her head was foggy. She yawned and said, "Anyway, well... you'd better be careful yourself. It's the height of summer..."
Shang Yechu almost blurted out, "Gao Sanfu is a beast," but barely managed to swallow it back: "Gao Sanfu is a great director. It's fine if you want to learn from him. It'll help you build momentum for your future 300 million big-budget production..."
Putting aside personal feelings, for Gu Wenhua, working with Gao Sanfu was indeed a better choice.
Unexpectedly, Gu Wenhua was the one who benefited the most from this awards ceremony. Shang Yechu felt a little envious.
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