Huayu02 started by making films.

On May 15th, under bright sunshine, the 55th Cannes Film Festival officially opened.

This is the largest Cannes Film Festival since its inception: more than 30,000 film professionals and fans from around the world, along with more than 4,000 journalists, flocked to the seaside town.

The coastal boulevard was packed with people. In the media area, camera shutters clicked incessantly, and flashes went off one after another; in the audience area, the screams and cheers of movie fans were almost deafening.

Han Yi was trapped between two large foreign women at the entrance of the Cannes Film Festival, unable to move. As for Teacher Dai, who knows where he'd been squeezed into.

Suddenly, a giant blindfold flew over and covered his eyes. Han Yi quickly pulled it off, looked around, and saw a French woman winking at him and calling out:

"Hey handsome little guy from the East, come play at my place!"

Faced with the unrestrained scene before him, Han Yi couldn't help but burst into curses: "I, Long Linma, you bitch, you bastard..."

On the red carpet, the few actresses nominated for the film wore low-cut, backless evening gowns, vying for attention and striking poses for the photographers.

Around 8 o'clock, Han Yi, riding in a limousine, waited for the celebrities in front to pass before stepping onto the red carpet under the guidance of staff.

Teacher Dai suddenly reappeared, and the two walked side by side.

Han Yi watched as all the celebrities walking by were paired with men and women, and couldn't help but think to himself, "I should have brought Chen Chen with me. I'm a handsome young man walking the red carpet with grown men, and I feel so uncomfortable."

The moment the couple stepped onto the red carpet, they caused a slight commotion. The waiting media reporters, armed with their cameras and microphones, surged forward, their flashes going off simultaneously.

Han Yi wondered to himself, "Why are foreigners so attracted to my looks? Could they be gay?" He subconsciously felt a tightness in his anus.

Just then, he heard the group of reporters whispering, "Finally, a non-white person! Today it's all white faces, I'm getting tired of having my camera on them."

"Yeah, I just filmed an Indian guy, and the smell he was wearing almost made me faint."

"This Asian guy is much more handsome. My camera can finally get some good shots today."

"He's much, much taller than Section Chief Jia from before."

"Quick, take a picture! He's almost gone!"

Han Yi suddenly realized: "Here, I'm the foreigner."

Upon entering the main venue, Han Yi and Teacher Dai began searching for their seats. The reporter was right; the majority of the audience at this film festival was white, and the perfume smell in the venue was so strong it was almost suffocating.

Han Yi found his seat and discovered that the crew of "Ren Xiaoyao" was right next to him. Section Chief Jia and Zhao Tao greeted him and Teacher Dai with smiles.

"How was it, junior Han Yi? How was your first experience in Cannes?" Section Chief Jia asked.

Han Yi uttered that classic line: "There are so many people."

He added, "Damn, these foreigners smell awful."

Zhao Tao chuckled from the side, "You'll get used to it after a few times. We filmmakers inevitably have to deal with these kinds of people."

After saying only a few words, the host walked onto the stage, and Han Yi looked up and confirmed that it was a woman.

The opening remarks essentially stated that the film festival was about to begin, and everyone was asked to maintain order in the venue and refrain from going on stage to physically assault anyone.

This year's jury president was American director David Lynch. He spoke at length for nearly half an hour after taking the stage:

"What do you mean by 'the world is in turmoil this year'? The Euro will be officially in circulation soon, absolutely safe and reliable, and there will be no piracy! Thank you all for coming all this way to Cannes. We're all brothers here, and we'll make sure you all have a great time and leave satisfied..."

Subsequently, the remaining eight jury members appeared in turn, officially opening the film festival.

This year's opening film was Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending." Han Yi kept dozing off while watching it.

That's right, he had trouble sleeping last night because he couldn't sleep in a different bed.

After finally getting through the opening film, Han Yi got up to go back to the hotel, but was stopped by Section Chief Jia:

"We're from the Literature Department, one a graduate and one a student, both of us going to Cannes. Why are you going back so early? Come on, let's find a place to sit down. I still have some stories to tell you about my life in different eras."

Han Yi thought for a moment, and taking the opportunity to ask him some personal matters, he nodded in agreement.

The two arrived at a nearby seafood restaurant; the name was entirely in English, and Han Yi was too lazy to type it out. Section Chief Jia paid the bill, after all, he was their senior colleague. Faced with a table laden with seafood, the two began to feast.

"bite."

They clinked glasses lightly, and Section Chief Jia asked, "Han Yi, how much did you spend on that short film?"

Han Yi thought to himself, "If you knew I got all this free from Beijing Film Academy, you probably wouldn't be able to finish this seafood feast." So he casually said, "Including the film, it'll be close to 100,000."

"Wow!" Section Chief Jia exclaimed in surprise, "You've got some serious financial backing, kid!"

"Not at all, I've emptied my pockets." Han Yi waved his hands repeatedly.

"That's not bad either." Section Chief Jia took a sip of foreign liquor and sighed, "Back in our day, we were incredibly excited just to be able to touch a roll of film."

Han Yi's eyes lit up. Over the years, Section Chief Jia had accumulated a lot of connections. He didn't know how much money his short film could fetch. He might as well take this opportunity to persuade Jia to bring more people to support the screening.

Thinking of this, he put down the crab claw in his hand, wiped his hands with the tablecloth, and took out the gold-rimmed glasses that Chen Chen had bought from his pocket and put them on.

Section Chief Jia looked up, puzzled, and said, "Han Yi, are you nearsighted? Let me tell you, you must protect your eyes. For us directors, besides our brains, our eyes are the most important."

Han Yi felt a warmth in his heart. Luckily, Chenchen wasn't there, or he would have burst out laughing.

He composed himself, looked at Section Chief Jia, and said sincerely, "Senior Jia, I don't entirely agree with what you just said. As a leading figure of the sixth generation of directors—"

Han Yi stood up, filled his glass with wine, and continued, "I watched the most of your movies at school."

Section Chief Jia put down the wine glass he had just picked up, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Although it took you two years to get into the Literature Department, it was that extra year that made you stand out in the Literature Department, no, in the entire Beijing Film Academy. Looking back at those fifth-generation directors, who made films earlier than you? They spent more money than you, but did they achieve the same success as you? 'Xiao Wu' focuses on ordinary people at the bottom of society, depicting those who are left behind by the times, lost and helpless..."

Section Chief Jia blushed slightly at the comment and said modestly, "I'm still not as good as you. You're so young and you've already made it to Cannes."

"I've just caught a lucky break," Han Yi replied. "My family has some resources, so I managed to make a short film. How can I compare to you? Anyway, senior brother, let me toast you."

"good!"

After a satisfying meal, the two slumped in their chairs. Section Chief Jia casually asked, "Junior brother, who are you planning to sell this film to? Any ideas?"

"Here it comes, that's exactly what I've been waiting for."

Han Yi thought to himself, his face immediately turning gloomy: "Senior brother, I'm suffering. Filming has emptied my family's savings, and my mother even sold the cow."

If the film doesn't sell and doesn't break even, how can I face going back...?

Section Chief Jia quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, junior brother. I'll get people to help you when your film is released. Although I don't know many people, I can still find some distributors."

He then asked, "When did you release that short film?"

Han Yi lowered his head, blinked hard, forced out two tears, and looked up at Section Chief Jia: "Senior, it's scheduled right after 'Unknown Pleasures,' on the 25th. Don't you even check the schedule?"

"Hey, all of this is being handled by your sister Tao," Section Chief Jia said with a smile. "Then it's settled. I'll bring some people to support you."

"Okay, senior brother."

Who would have thought that the section chief was henpecked?