On the evening of the closing ceremony of the French Film Festival, media from home and abroad who had received invitations gathered at the Grand Theater.
Movie fans at home and abroad who were following this grand event watched the star-studded red carpet through the live broadcast, as celebrities and fashion figures entered one after another.
In China, Pei Yi also made time in advance to watch the closing ceremony.
He and Jiang Se had just gotten married, and they went their separate ways due to work. They usually communicated through video calls. When he really missed her, he would search for news about her on the Internet to ease the pain of missing her.
Jiang Se has been to the French Film Festival awards ceremony three times and is no stranger to it.
She has a special relationship with Tao Cen. When she was guided by the staff all the way to the location of the "Criminal Suspect" crew, Tao Cen kept his head up and smiled.
Occasionally, when they met the media on the road and asked them to take a photo together, they were very cooperative but did not say a word during the whole process.
Huo Zhiming seemed unaware of the awkward relationship between the two, and the other male and female supporting actors who came with him felt a little awkward. They wanted to talk to Jiang Se, but were afraid of ignoring Tao Cen. So throughout the scene, everyone was talking in low voices. Only the location of the "Criminal Suspect" crew seemed very deserted, with everyone hanging their heads.
Jiang Semo was reciting her lines, and when she noticed Tao Cen looking at her, she sighed and raised her head.
In fact, Tao Cen had been looking at her for two or three minutes. Jiang Se thought she would turn her head away after a while, so she pretended not to notice. Unexpectedly, Tao Cen never turned her head away after this glance.
Even when she became aware of Tao Cen's gaze and looked up at her, she still maintained her previous posture.
Tao Cen didn't speak to Jiang Se during the whole journey. Huo Zhiming wrote Jiang Se's name in the 'leading actress' column, which should have been in the 'supporting actress' column. This in itself put Tao Cen in a very embarrassing position.
Adding to the past relationship between the two of them, it was no wonder that she was unwilling to even say hello to me this time.
Jiang Se originally thought that she would maintain this coldness until the end of the closing ceremony of the French Film Festival, but he didn't expect that she couldn't help it at this moment.
She was still staring at Jiang Se, as if she didn't realize that Jiang Se had noticed her gaze.
Tonight Jiang Se wore a black dress with a gold bracelet on her upper arm. Apart from that, she had no other decorations on her body.
But in such a glittering occasion, even if she was not covered in emerald jewels, her youthful beauty and skin as white as snow still surpassed all diamonds and pearls. She had been keeping her head down before, probably memorizing the lines that she would be called on to say on stage later.
She has received a lot of praise from the media and critics recently, and everyone knows that she is a well-known figure at the closing ceremony of the French Film Festival tonight, and heads turned frequently to look at her.
Earlier on the red carpet, a bunch of reporters were chasing her figure through the isolation tape. Because of Cesare, because of "God's Redemption", and because of a grand wedding, Jiang Se became completely famous.
"What are you looking at?"
Jiang Se stared at her for a long while. Although Tao Cen was looking at her, her mind was obviously far away. It was not until Jiang Se said this that she came back to her senses and pursed her lips:
"I'm watching you recite the script silently."
She spoke softly, speaking to Jiang Se for the first time tonight, her eyes gradually focused, revealing a hint of mockery:
"You are reciting the speech you will give when you go on stage to receive the award later, right?" Tao Cen paused for a moment and turned his gaze to Jiang Se:
"Are you so confident that you have already defeated me and can win the 'Best Actress' award for 'Criminal Suspect'?"
The two talked in low voices and with smiles on their faces, and to outsiders, it seemed that they had a very close relationship.
But everyone in the crew still remembers how the two ignored each other before. Although there were rumors of discord between Tao Cen and Jiang Se during the filming of "Criminal Suspect", the two of them still maintained superficial friendliness at that time, which was completely different from today, when they didn't even speak to each other.
I thought this awkward atmosphere would last until the closing ceremony of the film festival. Even before the ceremony started, these two women who had always behaved very coldly started talking to each other again, which was rare.
This scene made everyone in the crew extremely curious, and they turned their heads to look from time to time.
"You think too much."
Jiang Se smiled slightly and shook his head:
"Whether you win the award or not, or whether you get a speech or not, memorizing this paragraph is just a matter of being prepared in advance."
Tao Cen might not be unaware of this truth. She said these words at this moment only because of her unwillingness in her heart.
When the two met for the first time at the French Film Festival a few years ago, Tao Cen knew that she had no hope of winning the "Best Actress" award, and she was also memorizing her lines like Jiang Se.
But after a few years, she was so lost and disappointed that she didn't even plan to do such a job. You can imagine how discouraged and lost she was at that time.
"Are you feeling particularly happy?"
Tao Cen tilted her head towards Jiang Se, her eyes fixed on the stage in the middle of the field. The screen on the stage was playing movies that had won awards at the French Film Festival in recent years, including "Devil". She saw a flash of Jiang Se's shot:
"Super Group abandoned me and chose you."
Both of them played Cesare in the movie, but one played an insignificant role in a popcorn commercial film, while the other played the heroine in the movie that Cesare had carefully prepared. In the end, she became famous all over the world, broke many box office records, and is destined to be recorded in the classic data of "Filmmakers of the Century".
Not to mention that Jiang Se's achievements and status in China are approaching Tao Cen's. When Tao Cen left Century Galaxy, he was still high-spirited and had the ambition to set sail again, as well as the determination to compete with Jiang Se. However, his development has not been satisfactory so far.
When she got the script of "Criminal Suspect" and learned that the company wanted Jiang Se to play the supporting female role for her, she was so confident. Tao Cen never dreamed that she would become Jiang Se's foil because of this movie.
"I haven't thought of it that way."
Jiang Se shook his head. Tao Cen couldn't help laughing after hearing this. She obviously didn't believe what Jiang Se said:
"Others may not know the relationship between you and me, but don't we know it?" She glanced around and leaned closer to Jiang Se:
"No one else can hear what we say, and I don't have any recording equipment with me."
She raised her eyebrows, with a mocking look in her eyes:
"What are you afraid of?"
"Ms. Tao, I really haven't thought about it this way."
Jiang Se reiterated her words once again. She didn't want to say more, but seeing Tao Cen's eyes full of sarcasm, she spoke seriously:
"Whether you believe it or not, I think we are not enemies. To me, you are a senior, a mirror, and of course, my opponent." Whether Tao Cen believes it or not, the competition for resources between the two sides in the past was a fight between them, and each had their own wins and losses.
"I have learned a lot from you. It is because of your presence that I can always be vigilant and not relax too much."
She had suffered at the hands of Tao Cen, and Tao Cen had also suffered at her hands, but there was no personal hatred between the two. "You are ahead, so I will take you as my goal and work hard. If you walk slowly, to be frank, what does it have to do with you at that time? Why should I be particularly happy about it?"
Jiang Se's words took Tao Cen by surprise. The smile on her face gradually froze, and the mockery in her eyes turned into a little embarrassment, which remained in her eyes.
"As for why Sister Chaoqun chose me over you, as you said, that was Sister Chaoqun's own choice. If Miss Tao is curious about this, you can ask her directly."
Having said that, Jiang Se smiled and nodded at her, then lowered his head and prepared to continue reciting his speech.
Tao Cen was too proud. Xia Chaoqun gave up on cooperating with her back then, and she has been brooding over it till now. She has never even asked about it and pretended to be nonchalant on the surface, but she didn't expect that she is still thinking about it now.
Jiang Se has stopped talking, but Tao Cen is still unable to calm down.
After a while, she felt that what Jiang Se said to her was just a show-off. If she and she were in the same position, if it was she who was tricked by Huo Zhiming in "Criminal Suspect" and not herself, if it was she who was praised by the media and film critics, and if the public thought that the trophy "owed" by the French Film Festival belonged to her and not her, would she still be able to say those high-sounding words before
But after a while, she vaguely felt that Jiang Se's words were true. Tao Cen could tell whether the look in Jiang Se's eyes when he looked at her was real or fake. She had been in the industry for many years, and she could tell what was acting and what was true feelings. Jiang Se might not be gloating at all about her current situation.
But understanding this did not make Tao Cen happy, but only made her more sad.
If what Jiang Se said was true, then were all my previous concerns and "struggles" with her just my own unilateral imagination
She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and raised her chin.
In the center of the stage, the host has begun speaking, and the jury members have been invited to the stage one by one. Tonight's award ceremony has officially begun!
When the host began to read out the shortlist for the first award, Jiang Se noticed that Tao Cen was already memorizing the script that he would most likely use for the speech on stage, just like him.
The first photography award, "Criminal Suspect," was not shortlisted and was eventually won by a French film.
In the media seats, Tao Tao was also one of the lucky ones who got a ticket to the French Film Festival this year.
After the previous two awards, the most popular film "Criminal Suspect" was not shortlisted this time, which undoubtedly made her happy and worried.
The good news is that "The Devil" was nominated for too many awards in the early stages, and finally won the Best Director and Best Actor awards. However, Jiang Se, who performed well in the film, was only nominated like Tao Cen.
Tao Tao has also seen this year's "Criminal Suspect" in advance. Jiang Se has once again created classic images and roles in his acting career. The quality of the film is unquestionable, and it will definitely have a place at this year's French Film Festival.
The fewer nominations and finalists there are in the early stages, the more likely it is that "Criminal Suspect" will have a greater chance of winning important awards in the later stages.
Tao Tao is no longer a newcomer in the media industry, and this is not her first time attending the French Film Festival.
This film festival is not only a regret for Jiang Se, but also a great regret for fans of Jiang Se like her.
She longed to see Jiang Se's name at such an important film festival, and to see Jiang Se going on stage holding the trophy. She hoped that in addition to being recognized by fans and the market, Jiang Se could also receive a well-deserved honor.
Tao Tao has been on tenterhooks since the award ceremony began. When the host reads:
"The nominees for the Best Screenplay Award are Lovers, Suspect..."
When the host read "Criminal Suspect", a clip from the movie appeared on the screen at the back, and quickly disappeared as the host read the next movie.
At this year's film festival, "Criminal Suspect" has obviously created enough momentum. This is the first nomination for this film tonight, and it quickly attracted people around to turn their heads and look in the direction of the crew.
The camera seemed to know the audience's psychology and turned around as well. At this time, Huo Zhiming, Jiang Se, Tao Cen and others appeared on the live video of the French Film Festival to the world.
Huo Zhiming also showed a rare smile on his face. "Criminal Suspect" was adapted from his work. He has been silent for many years and has been depressed. A few years ago, due to various reasons, he was still carrying the reputation of "bad movie director" and was ridiculed for "not being able to tell a story properly".
Now "Criminal Suspect" is written and directed by him, and has been nominated for the Best Screenplay Award at the French Film Festival. This is a great affirmation for Huo Zhiming, and it also swept away the gloom in recent years. When the camera turned, he was in a very good mood and raised his hand to wave and greet the audience.
"The winner of the Best Screenplay Award is," after reading out the five nominated films, one of the jury members stood up, opened the envelope in his hand, and read out the name of the winning film:
"Criminal Suspect, Huo Zhiming!"
The whole audience burst into applause. This result was expected by many people. The plot of "Criminal Suspect" is full of ups and downs, and the right actors make the story more interesting. The French Film Festival jury finally chose "Criminal Suspect", which is well deserved.
While Tao Tao was applauding Huo Zhiming, she was also a little worried.
With the previous experience of "Devil" as a lesson, she was afraid that "Suspect" would win too many awards and the same thing would happen again.
Fortunately, the name of "Criminal Suspect" was not mentioned again in the next few awards.
When the supporting actor and actress awards were nominated, although the actors who came together had already prepared themselves mentally, they still couldn't hide their disappointment when they found out that they were not nominated.
"The works nominated for the Best Director Award are: Winter Is Coming, The French Girl, and Barty's Neighbors..." The host's voice echoed in the venue. Those whose names were called appeared on the big screen with ecstatic expressions as the camera turned, while those who were not called looked expectant. (To be continued)