Chapter 21: The Lost and the Forsaken

At 9:00 AM, Yu Feihong arrived at the lounge next to the television studio. Seeing Liu "Milk Tea" and Huang Yi already there, she greeted them with a smile.

The three were the stars of the film *New Crossroads*, set to premiere on March 1st, and they were at the station to participate in a promotional program.

Huang Yi stood up to give Yu Feihong a hug, teasing, "Sister Feihong, you look so radiant—is there some good news?" The two had worked together on the TV series *Life Has Dreams* last year, and they got along quite well.

"That's right, you're practically beaming. Is something wonderful happening?" Liu "Milk Tea" added, giving Yu Feihong a light hug as well.

"Well, yesterday was the awards ceremony for the Berlin International Film Festival. On my way here, I received a call from my company. A film I acted in won the Jury Grand Prix and Best Actress," Yu Feihong explained softly, her face glowing with joy.

"Wow! Which great director is that talented? Two Silver Bears, and one of them is for Best Actress—that's a Berlin Best Actress!" Huang Yi exclaimed in envy. "Who won it?"

Liu "Milk Tea" was also extremely envious. Known as a "literary talent," she knew that if she could secure a Best Actress award from one of the "Big Three" European film festivals, she would naturally evolve into a "literary queen." *If I had a chance to win one of those three, I'd pay any price,* she thought to herself.

"Li Xiaoran."

Mentioning the name brought up a mix of jealousy and admiration in Yu Feihong. She had originally turned down the lead role due to scheduling conflicts, but out of school loyalty, she had agreed to a cameo. She spent ten days playing a supporting role with significant screen time. She had originally planned to go to Berlin, but promotional duties for her new film kept her away.

In Yu Feihong's eyes, Li Xiaoran had "picked up a bargain" by landing the lead. However, during the days they filmed together, Yu Feihong had witnessed what "merging with the character" truly meant. She felt she would never forget the experience of being completely outclassed by someone else's acting. It had made her doubt her own abilities. *Am I really just a vase?* she had wondered. Regarding Li Xiaoran's performance, she had no complaints; if that didn't win an award, the judges must have been blind.

Huang Yi pondered for a long moment before blurting out, "Who is Li Xiaoran?" Liu "Milk Tea" also shook her head, indicating she didn't recognize the name.

Yu Feihong introduced them: "She wasn't famous before and only played small supporting roles. Director Cao had a keen eye for talent and found her. Her acting is very, very good." She emphasized the "very" twice.

"I'm so envious of her," Huang Yi said, then asked, "Sister Feihong, who is Director Cao? Which big-name director is he? Is he from Hong Kong or Taiwan?"

Yu Feihong smiled and shook her head. "No, he's a junior in the directing department at my alma mater, the Beijing Film Academy. This is his first practical film project."

"What?" "No way!" Both voiced their surprise simultaneously. Liu "Milk Tea" stared at Yu Feihong in disbelief. "A junior?" Huang Yi’s mouth hung slightly open, equally stunned.

Yu Feihong’s smile grew even brighter. "That's right. His name is Cao Yang, a third-year student. I heard this was an assignment from his department—a practical film project with no length limit. Everyone else makes a few-minute short, but he made this feature film and walked away with two Silver Bears."

Huang Yi’s mouth opened wider. It was too shocking. A student’s practice film? How did it end up with Silver Bears from Berlin?

Liu "Milk Tea" was also deeply affected. Suddenly, a thought struck her: Beijing Film Academy? A junior? She hurriedly pulled out her phone, apologized to the others, and stepped out to call Huang Lei.

Five minutes later, Yu Feihong saw Liu "Milk Tea" return looking completely crestfallen. When asked what was wrong, Liu seemed distracted. It took a few tries to get her attention, and she forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace, claiming it was just her period and her stomach hurt.

...

In Wang Shuo's courtyard, Zhang Yuan was drinking tea and discussing a script with Wang Shuo, while Xu Jinglei quietly brewed tea nearby, looking perfectly at peace.

Zhang Yuan, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy’s cinematography department, had won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. Even though the domestic market hadn't been great, art-house films had been thriving at the Big Three European festivals.

The two were discussing adapting Wang Shuo's novel *Getting Through the Addiction* into a film titled *I Love You*, with Xu Jinglei already locked in as the lead.

Wang Shuo suddenly remarked, "Yuan, have you heard? That kid Wang Xiaoshuai won Best Director in Berlin yesterday."

"Really? I haven't checked the news; I've been busy with the script. Didn't they say his film didn't pass censorship? How did he get to Berlin? Did he go privately?"

"Probably." Wang Shuo sipped his tea and scoffed, "He has some talent to win, but he spends all his time hanging out with the Taiwan crowd. Someone egged him on, he got a rush of blood to the head, and off he went. He's not even worried about being banned from directing."

"Winning an award like that makes a ban worth it," Zhang Yuan replied.

"There's something even crazier. I thought it was fake news at first. At your school, some junior in the directing department made his first film, used a total unknown, and yesterday, they snatched the Jury Grand Prix and Best Actress at Berlin. Can you believe that?"

"Pfft!" Zhang Yuan sprayed his tea everywhere. With wide eyes, he insisted, "Fake, right? A junior? Two Silver Bears? Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"Hey! I thought it was fake too, but the report on Sina Entertainment was so detailed, it sounded completely real."

Xu Jinglei, who was refilling Zhang Yuan’s tea, added, "Sounds like clickbait, doesn't it? Speaking of which, I remember something funny. Before the New Year, some directing student wanted to make a film and asked the school to invite me to be the lead. I thought it sounded unreliable, so I ignored it."

Wang Shuo chuckled, joking, "Don't tell me it was a junior from the directing department too?"

Xu Jinglei thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "I think it actually was."

The three of them suddenly fell silent. Zhang Yuan pulled out his phone and said, "Let me check."

A few minutes later, Zhang Yuan hung up, looking stunned. Under the curious gazes of the others, he coughed and shot a strange look at Xu Jinglei.

"Junior in the directing department, Cao Yang. First film, a practice project. Yesterday, he took the Jury Grand Prix and Berlin Best Actress."

"Ah?" Xu Jinglei covered her mouth, staring at Zhang Yuan in disbelief.

Zhang Yuan nodded. "I just called a vice director of the department. He said Cao Yang sent out several invitations for the lead role, but nobody paid him any attention. So he used an unknown actress, and she ended up becoming a Berlin Best Actress."

"That is fucking unbelievable!"

Wang Shuo was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh in frustration, pointing at Xu Jinglei. "A Berlin Best Actress, and you... oh, you..."

Xu Jinglei dropped the teapot. The serene mood was gone, and any sense of peace evaporated. She felt like she could scream with regret—at Wang Shuo!