87: An invitation from the Yanjing Film Festival!

Time flew by, and the Yanjing Film Festival, a grand event gathering elite filmmakers from home and abroad, once again kicked off in Beijing.

As an annual cinematic gathering, many renowned directors and film companies are invited to attend.

Chen Le naturally received an invitation from the festival organizers as well.

He certainly intended to attend this festival, as it was an opportunity to network with other directors and film companies.

As the saying goes, make more friends and fewer enemies.

Someone also once said that one should amass as many friends as possible, for the strength of a group is undoubtedly greater than going it alone.

Under the dazzling lights, the red carpet was rolled out, shimmering with starlight.

The Yanjing Film Festival had arrived.

Chen Le arrived at the venue.

In his past life, he had attended several times, but this was his first time participating in this life.

When Chen Le arrived at the venue dressed in a custom-tailored suit.

He quickly caught the attention of many media reporters.

As the director of the recent blockbuster "lost in thailand," Chen Le was currently riding a wave of popularity. These reporters had been instructed beforehand to seek more interviews with him.

Now, Chen Le was a walking traffic magnet; interviewing him guaranteed a share of the heat.

However, this was, after all, the venue of the Yanjing Film Festival. Even if they wanted to interview him, now wasn't the time, as a host of big shots were still to arrive later.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the venue, Zhang Songwen, Wang Baoqiang, and Huang Bo had also received invitations to the festival.

They were gathered together, chatting animatedly.

Zhang Songwen and Wang Baoqiang received invitations for the same reason: the recent explosive success of "lost in thailand" had directly elevated their status in the industry.

Otherwise, it would have been difficult for them to receive invitations.

"Haha, Baoqiang, long time no see. How have you been lately?" Zhang Songwen asked with a smile, looking at Wang Baoqiang.

Upon hearing this, Wang Baoqiang replied with a smile, "Pretty good. I was recently interviewed by CCTV-6."

Hearing this, both Zhang Songwen and Huang Bo looked surprised.

"Congratulations! Baoqiang, I didn't expect you to be interviewed by CCTV-6. You're really famous now," Huang Bo congratulated him.

His tone was full of envy.

This was CCTV! Being interviewed by CCTV-6 meant it would definitely be broadcast on television.

Moreover, an interview with CCTV was different from other media outlets; its reach was nationwide, known to everyone.

"Baoqiang, you're really getting more and more popular," Zhang Songwen said with a smile.

"By the way, I heard many big directors will be attending this festival. We should seize this opportunity to build more connections."

Huang Bo nodded in agreement, "Exactly. The film circle is only so big. One more friend means one more path."

Just as the three were chatting enthusiastically, Chen Le's appearance caught their attention.

They hurried over to greet him.

"Director Chen, you're here too!" Huang Bo greeted with a smile.

"Boss!" Wang Baoqiang also said with a smile.

Seeing the three of them, Chen Le was quite surprised.

"You're all here?"

"Yes, we all received invitations from the organizers," Zhang Songwen nodded.

After chatting for a while, the film festival was about to begin.

Among the events, the red carpet ceremony was one of the highlights of the festival.

A host of entertainment industry big shots walked the red carpet, flanked by reporters and festival attendees.

Chen Le stepped onto the red carpet, smiling and waving to the media on both sides.

Reporters raised their cameras one after another, flashbulbs popping incessantly. As a recent hot topic in the industry, they were thrilled to see Chen Le.

They had finally waited for Chen Le's appearance.

Chen Le maintained a humble yet confident smile, calmly facing the cameras and the crowd.

Later, Zhang Songwen, Wang Baoqiang, and Huang Bo also walked the red carpet.

At this moment, Wang Baoqiang was a bit nervous; it was his first time participating in such a formal, large-scale event.

Beside him, Zhang Songwen and Huang Bo appeared much calmer.

Zhang Songwen was, after all, a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy and wasn't intimidated by such scenes.

As for Huang Bo, he had attended the Yanjing Film Festival a few years prior, so he was naturally familiar with the routine.

Only Wang Baoqiang was a first-timer, inexperienced in such grand occasions.

However, he adapted quickly and relaxed after walking for a while.

After entering the venue, Chen Le saw many familiar faces—all well-known big shots in the entertainment industry, such as Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige, and so on.

He also saw representatives from many famous film companies, such as Huayi Brothers, among others.

Naturally, as Chen Le saw them, they also noticed him.

After all, Chen Le's name had recently spread throughout the entire entertainment industry, and his photo had been circulating online since "lost on journey" became a hit.

All the entertainment industry big shots naturally knew him.

At first glance, they unanimously made their way toward Chen Le.

Seeing them approach, Chen Le was somewhat surprised.

He had been thinking of taking the initiative to go over and network with them himself.

"Haha, Director Chen, I didn't expect you to be here too! Your 'lost in thailand' has been very popular lately!" Feng Xiaogang greeted Chen Le with a familiar air.

"Director Feng, you flatter me. My little achievements are nothing compared to yours!" Chen Le immediately replied with a smile.

At that moment, Chen Kaige also walked over to the two. Hearing their conversation, he immediately said with a smile:

"Haha, if that's 'nothing,' then what are we old-timers? We'd be nobodies."

Hearing this, Feng Xiaogang also laughed, "Exactly. Director Chen has achieved so much at such a young age, truly a promising talent. When we were your age, we were still doing odd jobs on Film Crews."

"I've just been lucky. Compared to Directors like you, I still have a long way to go," Chen Le said modestly.

"Don't be so modest, Chen Le. You and I share the same surname; it's truly an honor for our old Chen family to have produced a genius director like you!" Chen Kaige continued with a smile.

"Indeed, having a genius director like you in our directors' circle makes the future of Chinese cinema look promising!" Feng Xiaogang remarked with emotion.

Chen Le's current achievements were undoubtedly brilliant compared to theirs. After all, Chen Le was only in his early twenties, while they were already in their thirties or forties.

Such a young, talented director was bound to have a remarkable future.

If they didn't befriend him now, it would be too late once he truly soared.

Just then, another figure approached them.

Chen Le turned to look—it was actually Zhang Yimou.

"Director Zhang!" Chen Le proactively stepped forward to greet him.

Beside him, Feng Xiaogang and Chen Kaige also greeted him.

After all, Zhang Yimou's fame far exceeded theirs.

Seeing Chen Le, Zhang Yimou's eyes lit up.

He said with a smile, "Chen Le? You're here too? Why call me Director Zhang? Just call me Senior Brother!"

Hearing this, Chen Le also smiled and said, "Alright, Senior Brother!"

Zhang Yimou was also a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, so calling him Senior Brother was perfectly appropriate.

Moreover, compared to repeatedly calling him Director Zhang, calling him Senior Brother directly felt more intimate.

"Haha, good. I've heard Dean Wangs given name mention your name for a long time. Unfortunately, I've been quite busy lately and haven't had the chance to meet you," Zhang Yimou said with a smile.

He knew Dean Wang, and the two had a very good relationship.

Afterward, the two continued chatting.

After conversing with Chen Le for a long time, Zhang Yimou grew increasingly appreciative of him.