209: The netizens were shocked!

Anyway, she had nothing to do during the National Day holiday, and if Brother Le went to an international film festival, she wouldn't have anything to do alone either.

Without Brother Le's company, she felt that everything was dull and tasteless.

It would be better to follow Brother Le to Sakura Country and take a look.

"Alright, then I'll help you get your visa sorted, and we'll buy the tickets and fly over together when the time comes."

"Okay."

...Online, many netizens also learned about Wang Baoqiang's Tokyo International Film Festival award and his nomination for the Cannes palme dor.

A wave of excitement immediately swept across the internet; compared to domestic awards, netizens cared much more about Wang Baoqiang winning international film awards.

After all, domestic recognition alone wasn't enough; they would only be more convinced once international recognition was achieved.

"Holy crap, Wang Baoqiang got a nomination at the Cannes Film Festival? Is this for real?"

"It looks real, but maybe he's just there to go through the motions. After all, in the Chinese film industry for so many years, the last time someone won this award was fourteen or fifteen years ago. It's not like there haven't been domestic nominations before, but they all just went through the motions and came back."

"Even just going through the motions is impressive; some can't even get a nomination."

"And that Tokyo International Film Award, an award from our neighbor Sakura Country—to be honest, it's almost better not to go."

"Don't look down on Sakura Country; this award still has some weight. Besides, 'Hello, Mr. Tree' isn't the only one nominated; several other domestic films also received nominations."

"Do you guys think this Wang Baoqiang has a chance of winning?"

"There should be a chance, but it wouldn't work for Cannes."

Of course, the most shocked were not these netizens, but the people within the industry.

Because they knew the prestige of these awards.

They were even more surprised that Wang Baoqiang received these awards, as he had only been in the industry for a little over two years at most.

Achieving so much in just over two years was essentially crushing a vast majority of actors in the industry.

Even many established actors and stars felt inferior in comparison.

It was simply because Wang Baoqiang was too dazzling.

Even though the final winners of the two film festivals' nominations were yet to be decided, just having the nominations already put him ahead of most domestic actors.

Similarly, they weren't surprised that Chen Le could get a nomination; his two films that surpassed the one billion box office mark were enough to prove his strength.

The strength Chen Le displayed had completely won over the people in these circles.

But even so, they were still envious.

After all, many of them would be lucky to win a single domestic award in their entire lives, let alone an international one.

Upon learning the news, Dean Wang immediately called Chen Le to congratulate him on his film receiving nominations for these two awards.

"Chen Le, congratulations! I didn't expect the film you directed to suddenly get two international award nominations. Although it's just nominations, it's still better than most people." Dean Wang made no attempt to hide his joy.

"Haha, Old Wang, it's just good luck. I really didn't expect to get these nominations. Basically, the strategy was to cast a wide net—submitting to every international film award, big or small, that has some reputation. You're bound to get a few nominations that way," Chen Le said with a smile.

In fact, that was the case; with so many international film festivals, as long as you submit to all of them, you're bound to get one or two nominations.

For him, he wouldn't turn down any award, big or small, as long as it was an award.

"That being said, you certainly can't get a nomination without some strength. It's truly not easy for our Beijing Film Academy to produce a genius director like you!" Dean Wang remarked with emotion.

Back when Chen Le was still at the Beijing Film Academy, he had already noticed Chen Le's extraordinary qualities.

He just didn't expect that after graduation, Chen Le would soar straight to the top. From being unknown to frequently winning awards and becoming a famous director, his films have even pushed the Chinese film industry's box office to new heights.

"Old Wang, saying that is like praising me to death," Chen Le joked.

"Sigh, I know you're a low-key kid, let's not talk about that," Dean Wang said with a laugh, having quite a good understanding of Chen Le.

The two chatted for another ten minutes before hanging up.

Just after finishing the call with Dean Wang, Yang Mi's call came in.

Chen Le checked the time; it was a little after six in the evening.

He guessed that Yang Mi had probably just finished work, saw the message he sent her, and then called.

Thinking this, Chen Le answered the phone.

On the other end, Yang Mi's slightly tired voice sounded: "Old Chen, I saw the message you sent me. Congratulations on your film getting two more international award nominations."

Hearing Yang Mi's voice, Chen Le didn't answer her but instead asked with concern, "Mi Mi, why does your voice sound so exhausted? Has your work been very tiring lately?"

Hearing Chen Le's words, Yang Mi felt a warmth in her heart.

She didn't expect Chen Le to care about her first, which moved her deeply.

"Yeah, the scenes I've been filming lately are a bit tiring. I have to ride a horse, and by the end of the day, I feel like my waist is broken. We had to reshoot so many times," Yang Mi couldn't help but complain to Chen Le.

"Horseback riding? Are you filming a period drama?" Chen Le asked curiously upon hearing this.

"Yes, and I'm even playing a female general," Yang Mi said with a smile and a hint of pride after hearing Chen Le's words.

"Then Mi Mi, you're really amazing!" Chen Le followed her lead and praised her.

"You sound like you're coaxing me like a child." Yang Mi felt Chen Le's tone was a bit strange, but despite saying that, she was very happy in her heart.

"I am not," Chen Le shook his head.

"By the way, Old Chen, now that your film is nominated, do you have to go abroad to attend the award ceremonies?" Yang Mi suddenly asked.

"Yes," Chen Le nodded.

"Sigh, I haven't even been abroad yet. If it weren't for the filming I have to do now, I'd really want to go to Sakura Country with you," Yang Mi said, her face showing a hint of longing.

She really wanted to visit Sakura Country, but more importantly, she wanted to go with Chen Le.

"Maybe there'll be a chance. There's also the Cannes Film Festival held next spring. If you have time then, we can go together and treat it like a vacation," Chen Le said with a smile.

"Alright, it's a deal then. I'll try to take on fewer commercials and variety shows next year," Yang Mi nodded.

"Mm, take care of your health while filming too," Chen Le nagged.

The two chatted for over half an hour before Yang Mi reluctantly hung up the phone.

She had to head back to the hotel, as it was getting late.

On the other side, after hanging up, Chen Le returned to Naza's room.

Naza had naturally overheard their conversation, and her face looked a bit unhappy.