Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony.

Huang Sibo, Zhu Xiaoce, Lu Zhiyao, Zhang Zuting, Lin Ruyi... the main cast and crew of *Tomorrow is Beautiful* were sitting in a row.

Huang Sibo was wearing a suit and bow tie, looking quite presentable. Although he wore a confident smile, unfortunately, he understood almost nothing of what was being said, whether it was in English or French.

It was only in this kind of situation that he realized his CET-4 English certificate was practically useless. (CET = College English Test)

"Xiao Lin, when it comes to the awards, will they be speaking in English or French? I hope I don't miss it?" Huang Sibo asked quietly.

Lin Ruyi glanced at him. "Brother Huang, what are you thinking? We're lucky enough to walk the red carpet and make a cameo appearance. Are you really expecting to win an award?"

Huang Sibo was unconvinced. "What? Do you think President Pei's script is bad, or that Lu Yingdi's acting isn't superb?" (Yingdi = Film Emperor)

"Besides, the audience's reaction was quite enthusiastic during the screening. Everyone applauded warmly. As far as I could tell, only twenty or thirty people left midway. The rest watched the whole thing. Doesn't that mean we're likely to win an award?"

Lin Ruyi shook her head. She had been deliberately keeping her voice down, but then she realized that no one here understood Chinese, so she raised her voice slightly.

"Brother Huang, you're not familiar with this kind of thing. It's normal to think that way, especially since President Lin's company handled the film's entry into the festival."

"There are conditions for entering a film into Cannes. It must have been filmed within 12 months prior to the festival and cannot have been screened at other international film festivals. Commercial operation in one's own country is allowed, but commercial operation in other regions outside of one's own country is generally not allowed."

Huang Sibo was stunned. "There are such requirements? Then it seems our movie doesn't meet the criteria anymore?"

Lin Ruyi nodded. "That's right. But film festivals, to put it bluntly, are all about connections. The rules are set by people. Although *Tomorrow is Beautiful* has been released, its popularity is extremely low, it hasn't generated much discussion, and it hasn't participated in any other film festivals."

"The reason these film festivals set these mandatory requirements is simply to lock in more high-quality film resources and ensure the quality and popularity of the festival."

"In fact, some films that have won awards in Berlin and Venice can also participate in Cannes, but apart from a few exceptional films that can win awards, the others are basically very difficult to get selected."

"In addition, Cannes has a delicate relationship with film distribution companies. Some terrible films can even get into the main competition, and it is said that there is also resource exchange involved. Of course, this is rare. And at most, they are brought in as candidates. Whether they can win an award still depends on the quality of the film itself. That's Cannes' bottom line."

"So you understand now, right? *Tomorrow is Beautiful* was allowed to come here and make a cameo because its popularity abroad is very low, its quality is passable, and there are some factors we don't know about. But don't even think about winning an award. We've already made a killing just by walking the red carpet and seeing the world."

Huang Sibo was a little disappointed. Although he was the head of Flying Huang Workshop, he was the most amateur person there. He had been in a state of "suspended animation" recently, and although he was taking courses, he hadn't learned about this yet.

He wasn't in charge of submitting the film for evaluation, so naturally he didn't know these intricacies.

"That's a bit of a pity. If only we had submitted the film for awards before releasing it," Huang Sibo said indignantly.

Lin Ruyi shook her head. "You're overthinking it. Many good domestic films come to Cannes and get nothing. *Tomorrow is Beautiful* would probably have the same fate. Besides, who could have thought so far ahead back then?"

"Moreover, you have to be familiar with these kinds of film festivals. Many award-winning directors have participated many times and have a close relationship with the festival. We, on the other hand, have no visibility in Cannes, let alone in China..."

"So, don't think too much about it. Just make a cameo and go back. We're only here because we're benefiting from President Pei, which is already better than a large number of domestic films, okay?"

Huang Sibo thought about it and realized that she was right.

However, at this moment, Zhu Xiaoce, who had been listening to their discussion, interjected, "Xiao Lin, Cannes is a little different from the Oscars. At the final awards ceremony, if there are no nominations or awards, the organizing committee usually doesn't notify the crew to attend. They can just pack their bags and leave. That is, we should be able to get at least one award."

Lin Ruyi's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"

Zhu Xiaoce hesitated. "Uh... that's how it is in most cases, but in a few rare cases, some nominations are called out. In short, I think we have a chance to win a Best New Director award or something like that."

"After all, the quality of our film is there. We have to have confidence."

While they were talking, the awards were announced one by one.

Short Film Palme d'Or, Camera d'Or, Special Mentions...

After each award was presented, the lucky winners walked the red carpet to accept their awards, and the audience applauded enthusiastically.

In this place, excellent filmmakers are given god-like respect.

Zhu Xiaoce and the others applauded along, but the more they waited, the more they felt that something was wrong.

The entire awards ceremony lasted for just over an hour from start to finish, but looking at the time, more than forty minutes had already passed.

Even the Best Actor award had already been presented, but they still hadn't heard the name of *Tomorrow is Beautiful*.

Zhu Xiaoce originally thought that if the film could win an award, it would be at most a Best First Film or Best Screenplay award, but neither had happened.

The Best Actor award was hopeless from the start. Although Lu Zhiyao had given his best performance in the film, there were too many big-name actors waiting in line at the film festival.

But the problem was, it was becoming less and less likely as time went on.

Best Director Award, still not it.

Huang Sibo felt fine beads of sweat break out on his palms, and his heart was pounding.

What's going on? Could it be that we're actually going to win the Palme d'Or? That's impossible, right?

Or did the staff make a mistake and we didn't win any awards at all?

The presenter on stage had changed. A respected veteran actor came to the stage and smiled slightly at the microphone.

"Thank you."

"I am very honored to be able to present this special Jury Grand Prix award. I believe that today will be an unforgettable experience for everyone in attendance, but we always firmly believe that tomorrow will be even more beautiful. So, Mr. Chairman, can you tell us which film has won this precious award?"

The chairman of the jury, standing first from the left on the right side of the stage, stood up and said, "The Jury Grand Prix goes to..."

"It’s for *Tomorrow is Beautiful*, for Zhu Xiaoce!"

As the name of the film was announced, cheers and applause erupted throughout the venue. Zhu Xiaoce froze in his seat, completely stunned and unable to move.

Huang Sibo cheered and pulled Zhu Xiaoce up, hugging him. "Damn it! We really won!!"

Even those with poor English could understand the English title of *Tomorrow is Beautiful* and the completely non-standard pronunciation of "Zhu Xiaoce."

Amidst the applause and cheers, Zhu Xiaoce walked dazedly onto the stage, shook hands with the presenters, and then came to the podium.

"I'm sorry, I didn't prepare a speech in French or English because I never thought I would win this award."

"I... I can hardly describe my incredibly excited mood at this moment."

"As a new director, making this film wasn't just my own accomplishment. Here, I hope that the cast and crew members present can come on stage and share this honor that belongs to all of us..."

Zhu Xiaoce paused after each sentence to allow enough time for translation.

Huang Sibo, Lu Zhiyao, and others also went on stage one after another, standing behind Zhu Xiaoce to thank the audience and the jury.

Tears welled up in Zhu Xiaoce's eyes, and his voice was slightly distorted. "Here, I pay tribute to all the seniors in the film industry, thank all the staff of our crew, thank..."

After a series of thank-yous, Zhu Xiaoce changed the subject.

"In addition to that, all of us in the crew would like to especially thank someone who couldn't be here today. He injected soul into this film, crafted superb acting skills for our actors, and provided ample funding for our film, allowing us to express ourselves without any worries."

"President Pei, thank you for providing the inspiration and soul for this film. Under your inspiration, I and all the cast and crew members worked together to give this film life."

"Thank you, everyone!!"

The applause at the scene thundered again!

...

...

Monday, May 24th.

Pei Qian woke up naturally, looked at his phone, and the alarm hadn't gone off yet.

The early-to-bed, early-to-rise plan was a great success. What a wonderful day.

He touched the control panel at the head of the bed to allow sunlight to shine through the smart glass.

Looking at the bright sunshine, Pei Qian suddenly felt that he seemed to have forgotten something.

Suddenly, he woke up with a start.

The Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony!

After talking with Ruan Guangjian yesterday, Pei Qian was afraid that he would be bombarded with various messages again at night, so he put his phone on airplane mode and only left the alarm on.

Yesterday morning, the Cannes awards should have ended.

With a complicated mood, Pei Qian carefully turned off airplane mode.

Then various new message windows began to pop up like crazy, and the little red dots on the chat apps quickly turned into 99+!

Pei Qian: "..."

Crap, did they really win an award?

Calm down, calm down. Maybe they just got nothing, and everyone is coming to comfort me?

Pei Qian calmed himself down. Just as he was about to use his trembling fingers to open the chat apps, a news push headline had already spoiled the ending.

*After Eleven Years, a Domestic Film Wins the Jury Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival Again!*

Pei Qian: "..."

He didn't know what the so-called Jury Grand Prix was exactly.

But judging from this headline, the situation was definitely very pessimistic!

Pei Qian couldn't help but hold his forehead.

Damn it, something big has really happened!