Huayu started as a substitute director

Chapter 751 Humanity and Sophistication
The promotional work for "The Martian" is proceeding in an orderly manner, and Liu Tianxian's personal promotion is also gaining momentum.

There are also reports in China that Liu Yifei is abroad and will be attending the Oscars.

"Liu Tianxian Oscar!" even made it to the trending searches. As long as Liu Tianxian's name is mentioned, anything can become a trending topic.

After all, this publicity campaign wasn't really aimed at the domestic market, but rather at overseas markets, yet the domestic media is well-informed.

The media was abuzz with speculation, saying that Liu Tianxian was going to win an award and bring glory to the country.

That's how domestic media are; they report anything and everything just to get some buzz. The Oscars haven't even started yet, and they're already saying she's going to win.

This put a lot of pressure on Liu Tianxian, as if she were being roasted on a fire.

Fang Hong could only comfort her and tell her not to worry about it.

With the Oscars fast approaching, the nominees' luncheon is being held a week in advance, which is essentially a pre-Olympic roll call.

The nominees' luncheon was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

It's said that this hotel is the permanent venue for the Golden Globe Awards, and the Academy deliberately chose this location as a demonstration against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Fang Hong doesn't know the specifics.

Anyway, things aren't very peaceful among Americans.

The Hilton Hotel is located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard, adjacent to the Jewish Capital Corridor.

Around 11:30 a.m., the red carpet media interview session began. A long corridor stretched out, and the creative team of "La La Land" walked onto the red carpet from the side, with the lead actress Emma Stone wearing a deep V silver dress.

This woman has a very flat chest, but her deep V-neck goes all the way up to her navel, making her completely unattractive.

She was a frontrunner for Best Actress, and after stepping onto the red carpet, she was interviewed by a Black host.

“Every aspect of the Oscars costs money. La La Land bribed the host, so they only asked them inspirational questions,” Donna told them, revealing some of the inside stories of the Oscars.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian listened attentively.

Donna continued, "Look at Fence, the entire cast is Black. Director Denzel Washington was pressed about whether Black films should be treated specially. This is deliberately setting a trap. Racial tensions in the United States are very serious, and even a slight wrong answer can cause negative public opinion."

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian saw it from afar, but the creators of "La La Land" easily overlooked it.

The fact that the director of "Fences" was hesitant and difficult to answer questions reduced the impact of the film's rating.

"And what about us? Have we paid our protection money?" Fang Hong asked.

"Of course we've submitted them. Just answer the host's questions normally later," Donna said.

Everything here costs money, just like a presidential election. You don't know if you'll win or not, but you'll still have to spend money.

As one after another, the glamorous and tacky Hollywood stars, both white and black, walked the red carpet and gave interviews, it was soon Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian's turn.

Since this wasn't the official Oscars ceremony, but rather a pre-event event where the nominees could meet and get acquainted, it wasn't as grand as some other events.

But it can be considered an exposure as well.

The two walked the red carpet against a backdrop of artistic lettering that read "OSCARS," meaning Oscars.

Liu Tianxian had her long hair down, and she looked very stylish in a black suit and high heels, making her appear quite tall; Fang Hong was also dressed in a suit and tie.

The two stood in front of the "OSCARS" sign, each with one arm around the other's waist, facing the reporters who had set up their cameras.

After the photos were taken, the Black female host was waiting for them. The Black host exclaimed dramatically, "Wow, they're a match made in heaven!"

"Thank you." Liu Tianxian smiled.

"Your work is 'The Martian,' right? What were your reasons for making such a film?" the host asked.

"I think this subject matter is very meaningful. The protagonist is an optimist who can maintain a good attitude even when facing desperate situations, which is something we can all learn from. Also, it aims to embody the spirit of teamwork among different countries and the recognition and respect for life." Liu Tianxian appeared very composed, as if she had already prepared her speech.

"As people of Chinese descent, it's very difficult to win an award on the Oscar stage. If you don't win, will you feel disappointed and think the Oscars are unprofessional?" the host asked.

This stumped Liu Tianxian. Why wasn't she playing by the rules? Didn't she say she'd already been paid?

The host first confirmed his Chinese identity, and then asked if he would complain about the Oscars and think they were trash if he didn't win an award.

If this question is not answered well, it will create conflict and negative consequences for him personally.

Fang Hong couldn't understand what they were saying, so he didn't feel comfortable interrupting.

"I'm definitely disappointed, but I think if I didn't win the award, there are definitely actors who acted better than me. I think I need to work harder to learn and improve," Liu Tianxian answered flawlessly.

This indirectly shows that the Oscars are professional, selecting actors who performed better.

"So, when you came to the US, did you think the US was better, or did you think China was better?" the host asked deliberately.

This made Liu Tianxian frown. It was clearly a difficult situation for her; if she answered which country was better, she would be criticized by the people of that country.

This is clearly unconventional, and Donna's money has gone down the drain.

"What's wrong?" Fang Hong noticed her expression.

Liu Tianxian leaned closer and whispered a few words in his ear; Fang Hong heard this, and the two adjusted their positions, whispering a few words in her ear as well.

Upon hearing his words, Liu Tianxian's brows relaxed, she raised her eyebrows slightly, and gave him an appreciative look.

"I'm in the United States, so of course I think the United States is good; I'm in China, so I think China is good," Liu Tianxian replied.

"Wow, you're such a smart girl." The female host stopped the interview and gestured that we could go in.

People are coming from behind; we can't keep interviewing them.

The two walked down the corridor, and Liu Tianxian took a deep breath and said, "That host was obviously deliberately making things difficult for us. The money was wasted."

“That’s how it is in a foreign country; others won’t tolerate us,” Fang Hong said.

Liu Tianxian nodded in agreement. Although they held immense power in China, they were nothing in Hollywood; it was like a completely different map. What they didn't know was that the host wasn't just putting them in a difficult position; Affleck, the male lead of "Manchester by the Sea," was also asked about his sex scandal, leaving him utterly embarrassed.

It was actually just to create buzz, but Liu Tianxian didn't expect to be so clueless.

The luncheon was packed with people, including celebrities and stars from all walks of life in the Hollywood film industry, such as Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman, the lead actress in the Thor series.

And then there's Garfield, the male lead in The Amazing Spider-Man. You might not recognize the name, but you'll definitely recognize his face.

Liu Tianxian and Fang Hong seemed somewhat out of place, but they were already quite well-known in Hollywood.

Because last time I came, I was with Lao Zha, and now I'm with Donna.

Donna was chatting and laughing with some people in suits when she saw the two of them and came over to greet them, since the principal was also her honored guest.

"This is a place for filmmakers to get together. There aren't many rules, but I can introduce you to some people who are bigwigs at Squid Capital," Donna said.

"Squid?" Fang Hong squinted.

“Yes, the squid have a lot of influence in this circle. If you don’t get in touch with them, it’s hard to achieve anything.” Donna didn’t hide anything.

In the global media sphere, Squid already wields considerable influence, and Fang Hong is well aware that media and entertainment are inherently interconnected.

"I have a question: if I don't contact the squid, is there no hope for this award?" Fang Hong didn't want to wear the white hat.

He knew very well that reaching a certain social class inevitably meant dealing with shady characters, so he generally didn't travel abroad much.

If Oscar is controlled by the squid, he will turn around and go back to his country without any hesitation. If you don't integrate into their society, how can they possibly give you an award?

"No, the Oscars are decided by voting. There are nearly 10,000 Academy members who vote, and these people are not publicly identified. They are a mixed bag, including not only unqualified individuals, but also unqualified ones. You don't know who will win until the very last moment," Donna explained.

Oscar upsets are common, and Ang Lee is one of the biggest upsets, so there is still some fairness to it.

"That's fine then." Fang Hong nodded.

“But if you can reach out to them, your chances of success will be much greater.” Donna noticed that the principal was somewhat resistant to the squid.

"I won't make the contact myself. You can make the contact. I trust you," Fang Hong said.

“Okay!” Donna didn’t press the issue.

After she left, Liu Tianxian asked Fang Hong, "If the Oscars are really dominated by the Squid Man, are you going to skip it?"

“Yes, we’ll go straight back to China,” Fang Hong said decisively.

"Is this a good idea?" Liu Tianxian asked in surprise, they had already gone this far.

“Compared to Oscar, squid is far more harmful. I won’t touch it, and neither can you,” Fang Hong instructed.

He knew all too well the lessons of Jack Ma and the problems with Milk Tea Sister. Although Liu Yifei was intelligent, she was too weak to fight against those people.

Those people could easily bury them with a hole they dug; the best way is to avoid contact, ignore them, and keep your distance.

"Ok, I know."

Liu Tianxian nodded solemnly and said again, "I'm just afraid that if we give up, the domestic media will report it all wrong, and they'll say that I can't accept defeat and that I'll run away if I know I won't win the award."

Domestic media have put her in a very difficult position.

"The domestic entertainment circle is just so-so, it's rotten. It's all about traffic, wanting both. Believe it or not, no matter who wins the award, they don't report on it much, they only report on you, because you have traffic."

Just like when the Magnolia Award was originally supposed to be given to Sun Li and was heavily promoted, but in the end it was given to Song Jia, the reason was to use Sun Li to gain traffic. In fact, whoever gets the award is just a matter of personal relationships. Fang Hong explained it very clearly.

That's why he organized the Macau Film Festival; it threatened those people's interests, so they had to criticize him from time to time.

Liu Yifei actually knew some of this, but she was just unwilling to admit it. Oscars still require a lot of money. For this year's Oscars, she spent tens of millions of dollars on public relations.

You can't not spend money, otherwise you're even less likely to get a prize. That's how it is all over the world.

Soon all the celebrities arrived. Although they didn't interact with the squid man, the academy president, Isaacs, still made contact.

She was a woman, and of mixed race (black and brown). There are many people of that race in the United States, neither black nor brown.

"Hello, Principal, I've heard of you before." Isaacs shook hands with Fang Hong, and since they were speaking in English, Liu Tianxian acted as their translator.

"I've heard so much about you!" Fang Hong said, though he didn't actually know you at all.

"Haha, then in your Chinese way of saying it's like we've been friends for a long time," Isaacs laughed.

"You could say that," Fang Hong said.

"Let's take a picture to remember this moment," Isaacs said, gesturing for a photographer to come over.

There are many photographers here, all of whom provide photo services for celebrities.

Then Isaacs stood in the middle, with Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian on either side, and the two took a photo together.

Then came a group photo of all the nominees, with a small golden statuette placed in the center and everyone gathered in a semi-circle facing forward.

There were nearly a hundred people, all of whom were Hollywood stars and directors.

Liu Tianxian seemed somewhat uncomfortable in such an occasion, mainly because it was a high-class setting for her.

"Heavenly Fairy, Emma Stone, you two squat in the middle." Isaacs made the two of them squat down in the center of the first row.

This implies that one of them is an award-winning actress, and that they both paid a hefty price!
Emma Stone was fine, but Liu Yifei was placed in the center, which made some Hollywood celebrities pay more attention to her, since she is of Chinese descent and stands out.

Actually, Liu Tianxian was feeling uneasy.

After the group photo was taken, the college president, Isaacs, gave a speech. Her speech was political, criticizing their president's immigration ban.

The speech drew thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, which is understandable, given that this is California!
(End of this chapter)