Li Tang stood on the balcony of the Westin Hotel, looking at the Mediterranean Sea and the sky, feeling really relaxed and happy.
He picked up the wine glass in his hand and took a sip of red wine. Not to mention that the Italian red wine tasted quite good.
"You're not jet-lagged, so you brought me here so early in the morning just to drink with you?" He turned around and forgot to glance at Zhou Xun, who was sitting on the beach chair.
Due to flight delays, she was unable to catch the opening ceremony last night and arrived in Venice early this morning. At this time, she was naked, with a few naughty little freckles clearly visible on her face. She was wearing a white shirt on her upper body, and exposed two bare short legs on her lower body. It was quite trendy, and she actually disappeared under her clothes.
But for Li Tang, who loves long legs, these thin short legs really don't arouse much interest.
Zhou Xun snorted twice and said: "You are the only acquaintance here. Who else can I look for if I don't look for you? Besides, I will lose sleep if I change places, and you don't know how to care about me."
Li Tang shuddered and said hurriedly: "No, it's not my turn to care about you. Didn't you have a little boyfriend? Why didn't you bring him with you this time?"
Zhou Xun met a young male model who was seven years younger than her last year when she was filming "Small Beauty". Considering that the young male model last year was not even twenty years old, she was really cruel. What's even more outrageous is that this little male model is the cousin of Dou Wei, the former lead singer of the Black Panther band and the ex-husband of the Queen of Heaven, and his current girlfriend, and Zhou Xun's ex-boyfriend who he dated for five years is Dou Wei's cousin.
After going around and around, it turns out that we are all one family. You said that the relationship is messy.
As a result, Zhou Xun sighed quietly: "Don't mention it, we broke up long ago."
Li Tang was not surprised at all by this. After all, the little boy had just debuted and was very immature. He was seduced by the old aunt without paying attention. If the man did not pursue the most adorable height difference hobby, this relationship would definitely not last long. And there might be someone with some guidance behind her, using her as a springboard.
Just like the scandal between the Queen of Heaven and Xie Tingfeng last year, the age difference between the two was even greater, a full eleven years apart. For Tse Ting-fung, who has just debuted, falling in love with a diva has greatly increased his exposure and popularity, and he is now the number one figure in the new generation of Hong Kong.
Seeing that he remained silent, Zhou Xun asked, "Don't you ask me why we broke up?"
Li Tang shrugged and couldn't help but smile: "I think you are in good condition now. Besides, I never ask about such personal privacy matters."
Zhou Xun curled his lips, and then asked: "You and your little friend are getting along well, right?"
In fact, not to mention their second brother, Li Tang and Fan Xiaopang are also seven years apart.
"Well, not bad!"
"Then I'll treat you to dinner today." Zhou Xun suddenly said with interest.
She had been in contact with Fan Xiaopang several times, but she actually didn't understand. Apart from being pretty, Fan Xiaopang really couldn't see anything else special about him. Do men like young and beautiful people, but not... What is the meaning of a woman?
Li Tang shook his head and said: "Not today. The short film "Che 44" directed by Wu Shixian will premiere tonight. I have agreed to go see it. How about another day."
Zhou Xun's eyes suddenly lit up and he hurriedly said, "I'll go too."
Li Tang smiled and said: "Of course you are welcome to go, but they are worried about not being able to find big names to support the scene."
"I'm considered a big shot. I'm just a stranger in Europe."
"How can you be a passerby? You will be arranged here. We can only stay in the guest house."
Speaking of this, Li Tang felt a little sour in his heart. There was nothing he could do about it. Who said she was the Paris Best Actress? Although the Paris International Film Festival is not well-known in China, in Europe it is equivalent to the Busan Film Festival in Asia. If you say that a filmmaker from the Busan Film Festival participates in our country's Golden Rooster Awards or Shanghai International Film Festival, it must be treated as a distinguished guest.
Zhou Xun shook his head and said, "I borrowed Director Cheng's help."
Cheng Guo was shortlisted for the main competition last time. Although she did not win the award, she was shortlisted again this time. For the organizers of the film festival, she can be regarded as a direct descendant worth cultivating in Asia. The two factors add up, and they are definitely qualified to stay at the Westin.
…
There are as many as 40 films shortlisted for the two competition units of this film festival, which is more than in previous years. Together with the films from various screening units, the total number will exceed 100.
The Movie Palace is such a big place. In addition to the main venue that can accommodate more than a thousand people, there are also several small halls that can accommodate more than 100, 200, 300, and 500 people. The screenings of feature films are concentrated in various screening halls, so compared with previous years, the number of screenings of shortlisted films has to be compressed.
For example, "The Third Man" was arranged in a small hall that can accommodate about 300 people. In addition to the special media screening before the premiere, two additional screenings were arranged, one premiere and one regular screening.
In addition, the Cinema Palace also has several screening rooms with only a few dozen seats, which are too small to be called "halls". Due to their length, short films are mostly screened in this kind of screening room, so there are no red carpet premieres.
Despite this, Xiaopang still dressed up carefully. In her words, this was the first event she attended after the opening ceremony, so of course she had to pay attention to it.
In comparison, Zhou Xun is much more casual. He wears a T-shirt, cropped pants, and flip-flops, looking exactly like a tourist.
When Li Tang, Xiaopang, Cheng Er and others came to meet Zhou Xun at the gate of Lidu Island Movie Palace, she was accompanied by a fat little black man about forty years old.
"This is Director Cheng Guo."
"This is Li Tang, this is Fan Binbin, this is..."
Zhou Xun introduced both parties, but she didn't know Cheng Er.
Li Tang quickly introduced: "This is our director Cheng Er. Hello, Director Cheng!"
"Hello Mr. Li!"
"Miss Fan!"
"Director Cheng!"
Cheng Guo shook hands with them one by one while speaking very inaccurate Mandarin.
After a brief exchange of greetings, the group walked into the movie palace.
Dressed in finery, Wu Shixian and Gong Beibi were already waiting at the door of the screening room. As an audience at the last film festival, Wu Shixian knew Director Cheng Guo, and Zhou Xun was also here. The couple was inevitably flattered and busy. Come up.
Of course, some of the media reporters wandering around the Cinema Palace knew Cheng Guo and Paris Film Queen Zhou Xun, and they all came forward to take photos and interview them.
Because of the reporter's attention, the short film "Che 44" attracted a lot of attention. Many fans stopped and walked into the screening room with the mentality of giving it a try.
When Li Tang and the others walked in, the small screening room was already full. In addition to movie fans, there were also several reporters and people who looked like film producers.
"Brother Li, thank you!"
When he sat down, Wu Shixian expressed his gratitude to Li Tang with a grateful face.
You must know that when Li Tang and his party came, there were only single-digit audiences in the screening room. It was solely the arrival of Cheng Guo and Zhou Xun that attracted reporters, and the reporters' interviews attracted movie fans and film producers. This is very important for a new director Wu Shixian, and it is a very good start for his debut at the Venice Film Festival.
This is the same as uploading new books. As a new author, it is difficult to get a good first shot, but it is different when a master author helps you attract traffic. It can not only attract readers, but also attract the attention of website editors. As long as your writing is not stretching your hips, generally speaking, you will definitely get a good result.
There was no premiere and no opening remarks. After everyone took their seats, it was screened directly.
"Che 44" is only a short film of only eleven minutes. To put it bluntly, it is not even as long as a commercial film.
Eleven minutes is short, but the story is anything but simple.
It is about a long-distance bus No. 44, which pulled a carload of passengers. Gong Beibi played the role of a female driver, and a handsome young man chatted with her for a few words when she got on the bus. But they met bandits on the road, who not only robbed but also raped. But the passengers in the car were indifferent. The young man's mobilization failed and he rushed out of the car alone.
When he saw this, Li Tang couldn't help but smile knowingly. As the screenwriter and director, Wu Shixian must have watched "A Very Summer", but the plot was reversed. Lei Haiyang, who he played, hid and did not dare to save Ma Xiaoqin who was being fucked by a strong woman. The young man in the short film not only failed to save the female driver, but was stabbed by the gangster.
I originally thought that what was going to follow might be a love story, but here the plot took a 180-degree turn.
The insulted female driver drove the injured young man out of the car. The depressed young man finally got a ride, but was overtaken by a police car during the journey. The young man was inevitably a little worried. The answer soon came to light. Long-distance bus No. 44 was driven into a ravine by a female driver. The female driver and the passengers on the bus all died.
At the end of the story, the car the young man was riding in passed by the scene. Looking at the No. 44 long-distance bus that collapsed in the ravine, the young man suddenly smiled.
When the subtitles began to scroll on the screen, the entire screening room remained silent. Wu Shixian even turned his head and looked uneasily. What he may not know is that the audience at this moment is probably the same as Li Tang, feeling creepy and shocked at the same time. It can only be said that the ending is too incredible, and it is a result that no one can predict.
When the lights came on, all the audience, including Li Tang, Cheng Guo and others, stood up and gave warm applause.
Second update!
(End of chapter)
