Chapter 216 - Celebration Suspended
Chapter 216: Celebration Suspended
Wen Yongwei revealed a flattered smile.
Wen Yaoming himself hadn’t expected the producer to receive him personally.
Although the Wen Family was famous, they hadn’t infiltrated the film industry much. Otherwise, Wen Yaoming wouldn’t have been involved in ordinary movies.
It was obvious what it meant for Liu Ning to receive him personally.
Furthermore, he was personally receiving him on the red carpet! This honor was too much!
Wen Yongwei could not help but look at her brother and say, “It must be because your acting skills have been recognized! Next, you will definitely have no problem participating in ‘Burning Sun, Long Sky’!”
Wen Yaoming looked back at Wen Yongwei. “Your wish to sing the theme song for it should be fulfilled now.”
The siblings looked at each other and smiled. Even with their calm footsteps, they could not hide their eagerness and joy as they walked towards Liu Ning.
“Producer Liu!” Wen Yaoming greeted enthusiastically.
Liu Ning nodded at them as a form of greeting.
Wen Yaoming stepped forward and held Liu Ning’s hand.
The reporters quickly captured this scene.
Wen Yongwei also displayed her gracious smile.
In just a few seconds, she sensed that Liu Ning’s mood was not right. The smile on his face was polite, but he did not seem to be willing to pay attention to her. For a moment, she felt as if she had made a mistake, but what could be wrong?
However, the next second, Liu Ning retracted his hand, as if he had something else to do.
Although these movements were very slight and Liu Ning had given them enough face, his desire to leave the place was especially obvious in the brightly lit film festival.
When he appeared in front of the reporters, the subtle impatience was hard to ignore.
Wen Yaoming and Wen Yongwei were both a little embarrassed, knowing that they had made a mistake.
When Liu Ning appeared somewhere, it was very likely that he would be there to receive a certain colleague, perhaps a member of the film crew, perhaps a movie big shot, or even an old artist.
With this thought, the siblings felt even more embarrassed, but as long as they didn’t show that they were embarrassed, the shame could be ignored. They didn’t reveal anything and calmly walked forward until they reached the stage.
Then, they looked back and saw Shi Jin stepping onto the red carpet.
Shi Jin walked over alone and was not dressed up. With her appearance, she would be easily chased off the red carpet as a fan.
Who would dare to walk the red carpet dressed like this?
The lighting of the scene could very well make a person dressed like this look like a cleaning lady.
However, when Shi Jin stepped onto the red carpet, the lighting seemed to have been specially adjusted for her. Not only did it not steal her radiance, it even made her glow.
She had come in her plainest clothes, but the reporters automatically took photos of her, afraid that they would miss her.
“Is that Shi Jin?”
“Uh huh. It’s Little Stone!”
“She looks so much better in person!”
“She’s so cool!”
People beneath the stage kept talking about her.
Wen Yongwei certainly did not get as much attention when she walked the red carpet.
She automatically glanced at Shi Jin and saw Liu Ning walking towards her.
Also, Shi Jin was walking straight towards Liu Ning.
Wen Yongwei thought to herself, “Finally, we won’t be the only ones getting embarrassed.”
She had a feeling that Shi Jin would also misunderstand Liu Ning’s actions just like she had done.
Sure enough, she saw Shi Jin walking right towards Liu Ning.
Wen Yongwei smiled. Liu Ning’s action of walking the red carpet in her direction was really too easy to misunderstand. However, this was also a good start. In a while, she could use the pretext of apologizing to have a good chat with Liu Ning.
Wen Yongwei’s smile froze on her face.
Liu Ning did not leave after exchanging pleasantries with Shi Jin. Instead, he exchanged a few words with Shi Jin before walking side by side with her towards the stage.
Shi Jin walked with him with a calm expression. She did not feel flattered at all. Instead, it was as if this was a normal thing and they quickly finished walking the red carpet.
In other words, Liu Ning had walked the red carpet in that direction to pick up Shi Jin!
After he received Shi Jin, he walked back with a smile on his face. He was not as polite as before.
Wen Yongwei’s expression stiffened. Wen Yaoming’s face also hardened.
Why was it Shi Jin? What was the relationship between Shi Jin and Liu Ning?
Just as the two of them were deep in thought, the emcee spoke. “Producer Liu and Shi Jin knew each other from the start?”
“Yes,” Liu Ning said directly, not intending to continue.
When he picked up Shi Jin, he had a lot to talk about and a lot to say to her about the movie. To be honest, if it weren’t for politeness, he wouldn’t even want to talk to the host.
The host could see his attitude and did not detain him any longer. “Producer Liu, please take a seat.”
Liu Ning said to Shi Jin, “Shi Jin, I’ve arranged a special spot for you. There will be a big director later. He is also an old artist who has acted in many movies. He has seen your movies and is very interested in you. He wants to have a chat with you.”
Shi Jin nodded. “But I don’t want the outside world to know my identity yet.”
Jinxin was the name that she had signed when she submitted the script for “Sing My Life”.
The college entrance examination was around the corner, and she did not want to be distracted by another matter.
“Of course.” Liu Ning looked at the young woman in front of him with satisfaction. “Actually, there’s no need to announce it to the public. It’s good for you to stay behind the scenes. It will reduce the disturbance.”
When he first found out about Shi Jin’s true identity, he had also been rather surprised. It was only after he spoke to Shi Jin personally that he confirmed that the script was really written by her. He cherished this talent and naturally did not want her to be judged by the public.
“Let’s sit over there.” Liu Ning accompanied Shi Jin to the first row.
The people sitting in the first row were all big shots. They were either investors or respectable old artists.
Tonight, there were even quite a few first-tier movie stars that had been seated in the second or third rows.
When Shi Jin sat down at that seat, many people turned to look at her, guessing at her relationship with Liu Ning.
However, Shi Jin was too calm. There was an extremely relaxed expression on her face. On the other hand, Liu Ning’s attitude was amiable and respectful. It was hard to understand their relationship.
However, even the most despicable person would find it difficult to think of them as having an improper relationship after seeing their expressions.
Everyone had their own thoughts, and it wasn’t good for them to let on too much, so they could only think in their heads.
Wen Yongwei held Wen Yaoming’s arm and walked over. When she saw that Shi Jin was actually sitting in the first row, she was a little surprised. Could Shi Jin sit there?
Wen Yongwei looked around. Kang Cheng was not around at the moment. On such a day, he should have many social engagements and business partners to deal with.
She pondered for a moment. “Does that mean that my seat is beside Shi Jin’s?”
After all, no matter what, it would be impossible for Shi Jin to sit in that position, but what if the Shen Group stepped in?
‘National Singer’ was a show that the Shen Group had spent a lot of money on. The champion and runner-ups were also artists that they had high hopes for and had given all sorts of excellent resources.
The reason why Shi Jin could sit in that position was mostly because of the Shen Group.
Since that was the case, if it was a position that the runner-up could sit there, the champion could naturally do it too.
After Wen Yongwei thought about it, she took it for granted.
Wen Yaoming quickly introduced her to the actors and crew members of “Sing My Life.”
Initially, Wen Yongwei had come over full of anticipation. It was a great honor to get to know so many members of the production team. However, when Wen Yongwei saw that Liu Ning was talking to Shi Jin and Shi Jin was listening calmly without even giving him a glance, Wen Yongwei felt that what she was doing was extremely boring.
Facing all kinds of smiling faces in front of her, she forced herself to focus and deal with them.
After Wen Yaoming finished his introduction, he said, “Xiaowei, go ahead and have a seat.”
Because his seat was with the other members of the production team, he did not leave a seat for Wen Yongwei.
Wen Yongwei felt that her seat should be in the same row as Shi Jin’s.
She lifted the hem of her skirt and walked towards Shi Jin.
Liu Ning had already left. There was no one else around Shi Jin. She was thinking about her own matters with a calm expression.
As she was thinking, someone suddenly sat beside her.
Shi Jin looked up calmly and saw Wen Yongwei sitting beside her.
Thinking that she was just sitting down to rest, Shi Jin did not say anything and retracted her gaze.
When Wen Yongwei saw Shi Jin’s attitude, she was sure that this was her place.
Wen Yongwei sat in the first row, basking in the attention of everyone around her. She straightened her neck even more.
More and more people were seated around them. Soon, there were not many empty seats left.
The film festival was about to begin.
The host went on stage to prepare for the award ceremony that night.
Seeing that Wen Yongwei had no intention of leaving, Shi Jin could not help but glance at her. “Is your seat here?”
Wen Yongwei did not like Shi Jin’s tone. After all, they had known each other for a long time. Shi Jin’s tone was always so cold, as if Wen Yongwei owed her money.
Wen Yongwei chuckled. “Aren’t you here too?”
Shi Jin frowned slightly and looked around.
She immediately saw the old artist that Liu Ning had been talking about. He was a famous director in the country, Han Houhai.
Because Han Houhai was old, he no longer directed movies, but he was still respected in the industry. He was humble and kind, and was walking towards the back row.
Shi Jin guessed it. He had wanted to come over, but when he saw that his seat had been taken by the young lady, he had not come forward to embarrass her.
This spoke to the upbringing of the older generation of artists, and also his love and care for the younger generation.
Shi Jin remembered that he had such a temperament. It was no wonder that in her previous life, a certain A-list celebrity had taken Han Houhai’s position and he had dismissed it with a smile.
At this thought, Shi Jin stood up and walked towards Han Houhai.
Wen Yongwei was surprised to see Shi Jin leave. Where was she going?
However, there was no time for her to ask. Shi Jin disappeared and the lights in the venue dimmed. The emcee on stage had already entered opening-speech mode.
It was too late for Wen Yongwei to leave now. She could only sit down quietly.
Shi Jin did not know how to turn around and she could not embarrass the Shen Group.
Shi Jin quickly walked to Han Houhai’s side. “Elder Han.”
Han Houhai was being supported by his secretary and sat down at the back row. The secretary knew that Han Houhai had a good personality and was not bothered by the rankings and seats. However, he was still unhappy that he had been squeezed into the back row.
Seeing Shi Jin walk over, the secretary could only stop complaining.
“Shi Jin?” Han Houhai smiled kindly, indicating that the secretary could leave now.
There were many seats at the back. Shi Jin held Han Houhai’s arm and sat down with him.
“I’ve often heard Liu Ning talk about you, saying that you’re young and promising. After seeing you today, I realized that you’re even younger than you appear in the photos. Oh right, I heard that you’ve already written your new script?”
As they spoke about the script, Han Houhai’s aged face looked younger.
Shi Jin briefly explained the concept and content of his script, causing him to nod his head continuously. “The younger generation will surpass us in time. Having a screenwriter like you is truly a blessing for the movie industry in Country S.”
He gave Shi Jin a few pointers. The wealth of knowledge he had accumulated from years of experience in the industry allowed Shi Jin to benefit immensely in a short period of time.
“Old Han, do you need to return to the front row?” Shi Jin asked softly after the script discussion ended.
“There’s no need for that. I’ll sit wherever. Besides, I don’t have anything to do tonight. I’m just here to join in the fun. It’s the same as standing in the back row with the old lady at a plaza dance studio.”
Shi Jin did not insist when he saw how open-minded he was.
On stage, various awards were being presented one after another.
The atmosphere was very lively.
Shi Jin was listening attentively. The emcee said in the middle of the awards ceremony, “The success of Country S’s movies today is all thanks to the hard work of the industry professionals. It is all due to the brilliant performances of the actors, as well as the persistence of the older generation of artists who create a good foundation for the younger generation. Therefore, we would like to thank all the seniors who are present today. We would also like to thank the famous director Guo Ping, Old Guo.”
The director shone a spotlight on Guo Ping, and his smiling face appeared on the big screen.
Everyone applauded in unison.
“Thank you to the screenwriter, Wang Xisi, who has written countless good scripts.”
Directed by the names, the cameras moved about. Applause sounded out.
After the host introduced a series of names, he said, “We would also like to thank our old artist, old actor, and a famous director, Han Houhai – Old Han!”
The light landed on Han Houhai’s seat. However, Wen Yongwei’s face appeared on the screen.
At this moment, everyone’s cheers and applause suddenly stopped, as if someone had hit mute.