Chapter 1737 - 843: Paying the Price for Justice

Chapter 1737: Chapter 843: Paying the Price for Justice

At noon, Zhou Yun went with Song Chi to a restaurant near his company for lunch.

The restaurant owner was an old acquaintance of Song Chi’s and had set aside a section for them behind a partition where they couldn’t be seen unless someone walked in.

The restaurant was crowded, and the two of them wore hats and sunglasses as they sat down.

Although some people were curious because these two seemed like Song Chi and Zhou Yun, the partition discouraged them from walking behind it to confirm.

With the partition there, Zhou Yun and Song Chi could enjoy their meal undisturbed.

After a while, Wu Chengbao also arrived.

The three of them discussed the release of "Jiangyun Platform" and another sci-fi disaster movie in the works.

"The newly revised script has already been sent to Hugh Redman; we’re just waiting for his feedback. Sedar doesn’t have many opinions on the script changes and is eager to work with Hugh Redman," Wu Chengbao said. "However, both their schedules are packed, so even if we shoot, it won’t start until next year. This year, their schedules don’t align at all."

"Yes," Song Chi nodded, "there’s a lot of preparation needed anyway."

Wu Chengbao asked, "Xiao Yun, didn’t you have your eyes on ’Idol Clone’ before? When do you plan to shoot it?"

"I’m not sure yet, but I have no confirmed filming plans for the rest of the year. Let’s first decide who should direct this movie," Zhou Yun said. "I haven’t tried this genre before and I’m not sure which director would be suitable."

Wu Chengbao said, "I’ll compile a list later, and we can discuss it in a meeting, how about that?"

"Sure." Zhou Yun nodded.

"This year’s Qingmu Award competition is quite fierce," Wu Chengbao added. "I wonder how many nominations ’Cigarette’ will receive."

Zhou Yun asked, "Has ’Cigarette’ been submitted for the Qingmu Award?"

"Yes, but this year is a big year. Last year, many films were of high quality, making the competition very intense," Wu Chengbao said. "Especially with Zhang Chu’s ’Dingfengbo’, Xing Dinglan’s ’Walking and Looking’, and Chen Bichi’s ’Flowers Blossom in a Summer’, all three were critically acclaimed art films last year with good box office returns, directed by famous people. They’re definitely favorites at the Qingmu Award, while ’Cigarette’ is by a newcomer; we don’t know if it can stand out."

Wu Chengbao mentioned these three films, which Zhou Yun had watched when they were released last year.

Indeed, all three films were excellent, each good in its own way.

Zhou Yun himself actually liked Xing Dinglan’s ’Walking and Looking’ the most. It’s a film focusing on several young people, very youthful yet poignant, evoking a rush of memories when watched in the cinema.

Meanwhile, ’Dingfengbo’ and ’Flowers Blossom in a Summer’, the former being steady—the kind of stability from a seasoned director—and the latter showing an intense and exuberant portrayal of daily life.

In recent years, the domestic film market has been mostly dominated by mainstream commercial blockbusters, as have film awards. It was rare to have such a few great art films last year, which gained good word-of-mouth and decent box office success, and became well-known among audiences.

Zhou Yun asked, "So does ’Cigarette’ have little hope of being shortlisted?"

"I don’t know; everything is uncertain. I’m confident about the film’s quality, but as for awards, who gets shortlisted involves many factors and isn’t simple," Wu Chengbao said. "Sometimes a lot of balancing is considered, especially for major awards. Besides, there were many films last year with high box office and good reviews; the Qingmu Award can’t exclude them."

Zhou Yun nodded.

Wu Chengbao said, "Maybe you’ll stand out with ’Four Killers’ and get nominated for Best Actress again."

Zhou Yun quickly shook her head, saying, "I don’t think I can get a Best Actress nomination for this movie; I didn’t deliver any groundbreaking performance."

Wu Chengbao said, "Whether you were groundbreaking or not is one thing. Whether there’s a more suitable, better nominee is another. Of course, it’s a big year for the Best Actress award, with many excellent actresses giving great performances. I’ve heard that Ning Yao submitted the recut version of ’Treasure’ for the Qingmu Award, and the recut version of ’Treasure’ will also be re-released in theaters in March."