Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 205 might just be the answer?
Thinking about these two things, Huang Xiaoming couldn't help but feel a chill. Yesterday, their team had given them a long lecture on the importance of being cautious when out in public. F4 is so popular right now, there are many people eyeing their positions. A slight misstep could lead to being set up, just like Aaron Kwok, a classic example of someone being tricked. Whether he actually has epilepsy or not is irrelevant; once that label is attached, his image will collapse, which is extremely damaging to his popularity.

Huang Xiaoming also cleared up a doubt: Hong Kong celebrities are very approachable and honest in Hong Kong, partly because many of their scandals and dirty secrets have already been exposed by the local media. Just ask any passerby and they'll know. How can they still pretend? But in mainland China, 99% of people don't know about these scandals, so they still have a halo and of course they have to continue to maintain a lofty and sacred image!

"No, Brother Xiaoming, it's Brother Cheng Long!"

Huang Xiaoming suddenly jolted awake, instantly sobering up. Aaron Kwok is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and Ekin Cheng has been able to rival them in recent years, but when it comes to status and influence within the entertainment industry, neither can compare to Jackie Chan!
Regardless of the generational gap, Jackie Chan's influence and global appeal make him undoubtedly the top Chinese star, especially after the phenomenal success of "Rush Hour" in the United States last year, which propelled him to the peak.

When Huang Xiaoming and Wu Kequn arrived at a large room, they found that Zhong Hanliang and Qiao Zhenyu were already there. Zhong Hanliang said, "It's good that you're here; it's already started!"

Huang Xiaoming quickly looked at the TV screen in the room. It was a live TV broadcast from TVB. He saw that Cheng Long had just gotten out of the car and was walking into the living room with his wife, Lin Fengjiao, holding her hand. Cheng Long was wearing sunglasses, so his expression could not be seen.

Then a large group of reporters surrounded them, shouting incessantly:

"Cheng Long, now that Elaine Ng says the child is yours, do you acknowledge it?"

"Jackie, if it really were your child, what would you do?"

"Ms. Lin, how are you feeling right now?"

Jackie Chan's wife, Joan Lin, remained calm and composed, much to the disappointment of many reporters who had hoped for a dramatic scene unfolding in the Chan family – something the gossip-loving public would love to see!
At this moment, the F4 members were all watching TV intently. They never expected to see such a big scandal as soon as they returned to Hong Kong Island: the Jackie Chan illegitimate daughter scandal broke out.

In fact, Jackie Chan's womanizing nature is well-known throughout Hong Kong, and he has basically made no attempt to hide it, constantly having romantic entanglements with various beautiful women, which everyone has long been accustomed to. But this time is different. In the past, Jackie Chan would play around with one woman and then move on to another, but this time Elaine Ng suddenly appeared with a 10-month pregnant belly, claiming it was Jackie Chan's child, which immediately ignited media and public opinion across Asia. Hong Kong media, Taiwanese media, and foreign media all reported on this matter.

After Cheng Long entered the press conference room, he went up on the stage alone, took off his sunglasses, and revealed his signature confident smile.

Wu Ke-qun exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, Jackie Chan can still laugh at a time like this!"

Then a voice came: "It's not that he can still laugh, it's that he has to make this gesture. He is Jackie Chan, a tough guy, and this is also a signal he is sending to the outside world that Jackie Chan is still fine and will not be defeated or anything because of this incident."

The group turned around and saw that it was Cai Yinong approaching. They all greeted her, "Hello, Sister K~"

Cai Yinong nodded, then gestured for the others to continue watching. This was a typical case that F4 had to learn from, so they wouldn't make the same mistake in the future.

On the screen, after sitting down, Jackie Chan looked at the hundreds of media outlets of all sizes below the stage with a stern expression, and then said, "I made a mistake. I made a mistake that all men in the world would make."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaoming was filled with questions. Had I made such a mistake? Brother Cheng Long, please clear your name and don't drag me down with you!
On screen, Cheng Long continued with a somber expression, "It was my fault for being playful; I'm sorry to my family. I thank my wife for her unwavering support all these years. If the child is mine, I will take responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaoming nodded silently. This statement did fit Cheng Long's past persona: a hero takes responsibility for his actions.

However, Cheng Long changed the subject and added:
"But if it was something someone premeditated, then that's not the case."

Leaving behind this intriguing remark, Jackie Chan said no more, put his sunglasses back on, and ignoring the shouts and cheers from the reporters below, turned and walked backstage. At this point, the live broadcast was essentially over.

Huang Xiaoming scratched his head again, and asked Cai Yinong with some confusion, "Sister K, what does it mean when Brother Cheng Long adds this last sentence?"

Cai Yinong sighed and shook her head, saying, "It's obvious that the two sides haven't reached an agreement."

She then explained, "Wu Qili used the child to coerce Cheng Long, which made him very angry. Cheng Long has a typical chauvinistic personality; he always responds better to gentle persuasion than force, unless you can be so forceful that he can't resist. Wu Qili clearly overestimated her own and the child's importance. Her approach of using the media to exert pressure and launching a surprise attack backfired."

"Sister K, do you mean that Brother Cheng Long really doesn't acknowledge this child?" Qiao Zhenyu asked.

Cai Yinong glanced at the group and asked, "What? Do you feel sorry for Wu Qili and her child?"
You guys, stop being so naive. If Elaine Ng really cared about her child, she would either have kept quiet from the beginning, become a strong woman herself, and kept the child out of the public eye to raise her alone; or she would have privately discussed with Jackie Chan, and the settlement would have been substantial. The fact that things have turned out this way is because she was too ambitious, wanted too much, and used her unborn child as a tool to try and climb the social ladder or extort a large sum of money.

It's only because Jackie Chan can withstand something like this; if it were any other star, the Four Heavenly Kings, or even you all, your careers would be completely ruined!

Chung Hon-leung quickly reassured her, "Sister K, don't worry. Our careers are just starting out, how could we possibly waste our time on romantic relationships?"

Qiao Zhenyu also said, "Sister K, as long as I'm at the company, I will absolutely not date!"

Wu Ke-qun opened his mouth, thinking that it was a bit too much to not date for so long. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Sister K, if I want to date, I will definitely let you know immediately and listen to you obediently!"

Huang Xiaoming couldn't help but recall Wu Yuchen's words of advice over the phone, and blurted out, "Sister K, I will definitely protect myself when I'm out here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes immediately turned to Huang Xiaoming. Wu Kequn secretly gave Huang Xiaoming a thumbs up, indicating that Brother Xiaoming was truly brave!
Cai Yinong glared at Huang Xiaoming: "What? Xiaoming, do you want to test your abilities again?"

Huang Xiaoming quickly waved his hand and explained, "Sister K, what I mean is, I will definitely be more vigilant when I'm out in the future..."

"I think you still have too much energy. Resume training tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaoming's face immediately fell, looking utterly dejected. The other three teammates couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle.

“And you too!” Cai Yinong said, turning her head again.

"Sister K, no!"

"Sister K, we haven't rested enough! Let Brother Xiaoming practice by himself!"

"Sister K, we don't want to, it's just Brother Ming who wants to!"

The room was immediately filled with wails.

……

Just as the scandal of Jackie Chan's illegitimate child was making headlines, Wu Yuchen, far across the ocean, was attending a party after an awards ceremony.

"Wu, I want to express my respect for you. Your two films this year have really changed my impression of you, especially this one, 'Love.' The delicate portrayal and inner expression of the feelings of the elderly is truly moving!"

Wu Yuchen smiled as he accepted the congratulations from the elderly white man with white hair before him.

"Thank you, Mr. Dawn. I was just realistically bringing some of my observations to the movie screen."

The old white man shook his head slightly and sighed:

"Films have always been considered an art form for young people, and there are so few young people like you who show concern for the elderly! I will recommend this film, 'Love,' to my old friends; it deserves to be seen by more people!"

After the old man Dawn left, Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief. His film "Love" had just won Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Las Vegas Film Critics Circle Awards, and his film "The Sixth Sense" was nominated for Best Picture. He was also nominated for Best Director, but he lost both awards to "American Beauty".

Wu Yuchen was certainly familiar with *American Beauty*, a film depicting various family problems within the American middle class. It resonated with many judges and became a big winner at the Oscars a few months later, sweeping awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. However, Wu Yuchen had prepared himself mentally beforehand. Fortunately, his film *Amour* didn't directly compete with *American Beauty*; if *Amour* could win Best Foreign Language Film, it would be a victory for him. As for *The Sixth Sense*, which directly clashed with *American Beauty*, it was also his own creation, and he wouldn't slack off, but facing the overwhelming favorite *American Beauty*, it might end up as a runner-up.

Even if it's just a runner-up, Wu Yuchen still needs to work hard to get it into the list of runners-up. Otherwise, it would be a shame if it didn't even get an Oscar nomination.

Many people don't understand the Oscar race, and since many Oscar-nominated films are only released in December, they don't quite understand why Wu Yuchen came so early.

First, it's important to understand that the Oscar race actually has two stages. For many films, achieving the first stage—getting nominated for an Oscar—is already a victory. Just being nominated guarantees exposure at the Oscars, ensures repeated mentions during awards season, and significantly boosts the film's visibility.

The competition for nominations is actually the fiercest, with hundreds of films vying for just five spots – a ratio of dozens to one, far more intense than the five-to-one selection process after nominations. However, as viewers, we usually only start paying attention to the Oscars after the nominations are announced, and hardly anyone cares about the nomination process itself.

Many films actually begin their promotional and public relations efforts well in advance of the Oscars. For example, the Las Vegas Film Critics Circle winner, *American Beauty*, was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival while Wu Yuchen attended the Venice Film Festival, making the film known to many North American filmmakers. Their public relations efforts started from that point.

Let's talk about another movie that everyone is familiar with, the public relations for the most famous Oscar-winning foreign language film in the past, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

According to Li An's own memoir, his public relations campaign lasted for 11 months because he first went to Europe to build his reputation, starting with participating in Cannes as a screening film. He then went to various European film festivals, British Academy Film Awards, Toronto Film Festival, and various association awards in the United States. He visited almost every influential film organization in the Western film system that had a voice and influence over Oscar judges.

Consider the effort Li An put into Oscar PR, and then consider that Zhang Yimou himself didn't even attend, while Chen Kaige showed up and acted aloof. Even among films of equal quality, tell me, who do you think the jury would choose?

In comparison, Wu Yuchen's five-month-long PR campaign is quite normal, or even relatively easy. Many films, even those not released until December, have already begun their Oscar campaigns long beforehand; it's just that ordinary moviegoers don't pay attention to that.
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards ceremony was held on December 5th.

"The winner of Best Foreign Language Film... All About My Mother!"

"Best Director... American Beauty, Sam Mendes!"

"Best Picture... American Beauty!"

Wu Yuchen forced a smile and clapped from the audience, then during the intermission, he launched into a tirade against his public relations manager, Richard:
"Fuck, I turned down the awards ceremony in Kansas City and came all the way here, and not only did they not nominate me for Best Director and Best Picture, but they even gave Best Foreign Language Film to someone else! And I have to go with them later to eat that garbage chicken feast that tastes like plastic! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Richard didn't understand what "fuck" meant, but he knew it was definitely not a compliment. He also knew this PR process was unpleasant; Wu Yuchen, whom they jokingly called the "plastic chicken feast," had already eaten it 10 times. He had rushed here all this way without receiving an award, so he must be incredibly unhappy. He quickly tried to appease him:
"Wu, calm down! Once we get back to the hotel, you can yell and vent as much as you want, but we're on the New York Film Critics Circle's turf, one of the four major film critics' associations. You must maintain your composure! Everything is for the Oscar. Hang in there a little longer. There will be many judges attending the reception later. Just keep up the good work with them; it's crucial for subsequent public relations!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen took a few deep breaths and gave Richard an OK sign. He now truly understood what Li An meant when he said in his previous life that public relations was a painful and torturous marathon.

Ten minutes later, Wu Yuchen raised his wine glass and clinked it against an old lady's.

"Oh, Director Wu, it's such a pity! I really like your film 'Love,' I voted for it, it's such a shame it didn't win an award!"

"Ms. Eva, thank you for your support. A movie can't necessarily be liked by everyone, and although I feel regretful, I'm already very gratified to have received your appreciation."

Wu Yuchen adopted a gentlemanly demeanor, while also appropriately expressing his disappointment at not winning the award. This dejection naturally attracted many people to comfort him, and they chatted with him about the films "Love" and "The Sixth Sense," expressing their love for the movies and discussing their filming techniques and concepts.

After the banquet ended, Wu Yuchen returned to his car, took the hamburger handed to him by his manager, Karl, and started eating it right away. The chicken at that awful banquet was terrible; he forced himself to eat a few bites with everyone else before giving up. A hamburger with a sugary drink was a million times better than that stuff!
Richard said from the side, "Wu, from what I've heard, your failure to be nominated for Best Director this time might be related to your age. But actually, many people appreciate your films, especially 'Love'."

Wu Yuchen swallowed a bite of his hamburger and then asked, "Have the publicity arrangements been finalized?"

"Of course, The Hollywood Reporter, a whole page!"

During Oscar season, advertising rates at the prestigious Hollywood Reporter rise dramatically, with a single page costing as much as $7.2. Wu Yuchen's public relations expenses for "Love" must have been in the millions of dollars. As for "The Sixth Sense," Disney covered the public relations costs, since all subsequent revenue goes to Disney.

After taking a swig of cola and letting out a burp, Wu Yuchen asked, "What's the schedule for tomorrow and the day after?"

"Tomorrow we're going to New York for a screening to interact with the audience and media. The day after tomorrow we have a visit to three important people scheduled... Five days later, we're flying to Chicago."

Thinking that this kind of trip would continue for several months, Wu Yuchen suddenly felt a little annoyed and immediately picked up the phone to make a call: "Hey, Jenny, yes, I miss you. Come to New York tomorrow."

He plans to take Jennifer Connelly with him on his next PR trip. Isn't it normal for the director of "The Sixth Sense" to take the lead actress on a PR tour?
……

On December 13th, at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Wu Yu-chen was nominated for Best Director for both "The Sixth Sense" and "Amour," securing two nominations. Unfortunately, he lost to "American Beauty." However, "Amour" won Best Foreign Language Film, which brought Wu Yu-chen some relief.

Participating in public relations along the way is actually a process of accumulating and spreading word-of-mouth, just like rolling a snowball. Some people win awards first and gain an advantage, so their word-of-mouth spreads more easily within the industry, the snowball gets bigger and bigger, and their advantage becomes greater and greater.

Now, Wu Yuchen feels that, at least in the Best Foreign Language Film category, "Amour" has a significant advantage.

Sam Mendes is in high spirits lately. Since embarking on his Oscar campaign, *American Beauty* has been on a winning streak. In September, it won the People's Choice Award for Best Story at the Toronto International Film Festival, and subsequently swept numerous awards at North American film festivals, receiving almost universal acclaim.

If this trend continues, his chances of winning an Oscar this year are very high. Therefore, even a bland, tasteless plastic chicken feast can be enjoyed by him.

Sam Mendes expected tonight's Los Angeles Film Critics Association meeting to be the same as before.

"Best Director at the 25th Los Angeles Film Critics Circle Awards... 'Love,' by Wu Yuchen!"

Sam Mendes, who had already gotten out of his seat, suddenly froze in mid-air, his smile freezing on his face. He turned to look at the young man not far from him, who was beaming with delight, then sat back down, maintaining his smile, and began to applaud to congratulate him.

Wu Yuchen was genuinely pleasantly surprised. Along the way, he had participated in eight award ceremonies. He had won the Best Foreign Language Film award quite a few times with "Love", but although he had been nominated for the Best Director award many times, this was the first time he had won it!
To be honest, this was completely unexpected for Wu Yuchen. He never thought he would win Best Director. He was already satisfied with "Love" winning Best Foreign Language Film, so the Best Director award was a pleasant surprise.

And this is Los Angeles, one of the four major film critics associations! Los Angeles is the headquarters of Hollywood, and many of the judges this year are Oscar voters!

After the banquet ended that evening, Wu Yuchen returned to his car with a smile on his face, and then eagerly asked Richard, "Have you found out? What was the reason this time?"

Richard was also very happy and explained, "Wu, congratulations! The fact that both of your films were nominated for Best Director at the same time has created a synergistic effect, which is a rare occurrence. It demonstrates your directing ability and has left a deep impression on many people. At the same time, these old men were also deeply moved by your film 'Love,' so you beat the big favorite Sam Mendes and won Best Director!"

Wu Yuchen hugged the two trophies in his hands and kissed them. Winning one of the Big Four in Los Angeles was the happiest thing he had done in this period of public relations.

Then Wu Yuchen suddenly asked, "Richard, do I have a chance to win Best Director?"

He had never considered this possibility before, but tonight's Los Angeles Film Critics Circle Awards made him realize that it might actually exist.

Richard didn't jump to conclusions immediately, but pondered for a moment before analyzing the situation and saying:
"Wu, American Beauty is still far ahead right now. If you want to compete for Best Director, I think one of the conditions is that your two films, The Sixth Sense and Amity, are both nominated for the Oscar for Best Director, just like tonight. That way, even if American Beauty has an early advantage, you still have a good chance against one other film!"

Richard then quickly added, "However, Wu, you have to understand that this has never happened before in Oscar history—two films by the same director have been nominated for Best Director. So don't get your hopes up too high."

Wu Yuchen nodded and smiled, "I know that you have to take things one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time, but this is a direction to strive for, and maybe we can succeed? Isn't that right?"

(End of this chapter)