Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 254 A Tale of Joy and Sorrow

After a song and dance performance, the Oscars gradually reached their climax.

At this moment, Wu Yuchen, Harvey, and Peter Jackson were all focused on the next award:
"Best Adapted Screenplay..."

All three films—*A Beautiful Mind*, *Chicago*, and *The Lord of the Rings*—are adaptations and have all been nominated for the award. Peter Jackson is particularly interested, as this is probably the most prestigious award *The Lord of the Rings* can compete for tonight; after that, their film crew is basically out of the running.

Harvey kept a close eye on the award presenters. He hadn't won any of the previous awards, but from here on out, each award was more important than the last, and he had to fight for every single one!

The presenter for this award was none other than the stunning Nicole Kidman. After drawing the slip of paper, she immediately announced:
"The best adapted screenplay is... 'A Beautiful Mind', by Wu Yu-Chen!"

"Fuck!" Harvey was furious as he watched the screen display only Wu Yuchen, who was smiling elegantly and accepting the congratulations from those around him.

Peter Jackson also sighed in disappointment, but immediately joined in the applause. That's about it for this season of "The Lord of the Rings"; the real harvest season will have to wait for the third installment.

This wasn't Wu Yuchen's first Oscar win, so he appeared quite composed. After receiving the trophy from Nicole Kidman, he humorously said into the microphone, "Receiving an award from such a beautiful woman, even if I can't go to heaven, I'm not far from it!"

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from below, and Nicole Kidman, standing nearby, raised her right hand to lightly cover her pearly teeth as she smiled.

Wu Yuchen's expression turned serious: "I want to thank John Nash for winning this award. Without his legendary experience, there would be no 'A Beautiful Mind'! I also want to thank the original author, Sylvia Nassar. Her original work is fantastic and provided me with a lot of help in adapting the screenplay."

Wu Yuchen then added with a smile, "I was fortunate enough to win Best Original Screenplay once before, and now that I've won Best Adapted Screenplay again, I think I've achieved an Oscar grand slam for screenplays! Thank you for the Academy's recognition!"

After Wu Yuchen finished speaking, he walked off the stage with the trophy amidst applause. Winning this Best Adapted Screenplay award was a pleasant surprise, as the competition for this award is indeed quite fierce.

The Best Original Screenplay award went to *Gosford Park*, followed by Best Foreign Language Film. Another widely circulated film in the Best Foreign Language Film category was *Amélie*. The film was quite good, but unfortunately, due to the actions of the US in Afghanistan over the past few months, the Oscars are now expressing anti-war sentiments, and this award went to the Bosnian anti-war film *No Man's Land*. It wasn't exactly an upset; many people predicted this result.

After a segment commemorating deceased filmmakers and presenting Robert Redford with an honorary Oscar, Wu Yuchen saw Russell Crowe take the stage to present this year's Best Actress award to last year's Best Actor winner.

Wu Yuchen wasn't concerned about the award, but several of the actresses involved were quite nervous. Although there were rumors that this year's award might favor Black actors, that wasn't necessarily true. Looking at the nominations, Halle Berry was the only Black actress nominated, while Denzel Washington and Will Smith were nominated for Best Actor. If the Best Actor award went to a Black actor, then the actresses still had a chance!
As Wu Yuchen watched the movie clips playing on the big screen, he honestly thought that among the five shortlisted films, *Monster's Ball* was the weakest. This wasn't because of a weak cast, but rather because the film's quality couldn't compare to the others, and Halle Berry's acting and performance weren't as good as Nicole Kidman's in *Moulin Rouge!*. But alas, it had other forces supporting it this year!

Just as Wu Yuchen predicted: "Best Actress... Halle Berry from 'Monster's Ball'!"

At this moment, all the black people in the audience were in a frenzy. Halle Berry was also extremely surprised and incredulous. By the time she walked onto the stage, she already had her little pearls hanging on her.

Halle Berry, with tears streaming down her face and choking back sobs, kept repeating, "My God!"

You could tell she was incredibly excited at that moment, after all, she was the first Black woman to win an Oscar. After a moment, she managed to say, "I'm sorry, I really couldn't control myself..."

The Black people below applauded and encouraged her, and she continued, "This moment doesn't just belong to me; this moment belongs to Lena Horn, Diane Carroll..."

Black Pearl rattled off the names of several Black actresses, then clenched her fist and said, "Black women have waited 74 years!"

Instantly, all the Black people in the audience stood up and applauded; it was a historic moment for them.

That wasn't all. She continued, pointing to the audience, "And to all the nameless women of color, tonight, the door of opportunity has opened!"

At this moment, even Wu Yuchen had to stand up and applaud. He couldn't help it; he was a person of color, and he had to support her in a situation like this. Meanwhile, watching Black Pearl's expressive performance on stage, he thought to himself that the lines were definitely scripted and rehearsed. This girl's acting was far superior to what she showed in movies; this was truly an Oscar-worthy performance!
The Best Actor award was also won by Denzel Washington, making him the second African American to win the Oscar.

The group of Black people were absolutely ecstatic about the double win of Best Actor and Best Actress. Standing on stage, Denzel Washington pointed to Halle Berry, then to Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win Best Actor 40 years ago, who was also present to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy.

Yes, it's such a coincidence that the Best Actor, Best Actress, and Lifetime Achievement Award winners all came together, and the cameras captured the moment when all three stood up and raised their glasses. Let alone those in the industry present, even discerning viewers could vaguely sense that there were backroom deals involved in this year's Oscars.

Wu Yuchen thought to himself that this year's Oscars really gave black people a lot of face, allowing them to stand up at the Oscars. Of course, this year's recruitment will have to be carried by the black brothers.

Wu Yuchen glanced at Nicole Kidman. This young lady should understand what's going on by now. No matter how well you act this year, you won't have a chance. How can an actor compete with someone who plays politics?

Once Denzel Washington stepped down from the stage, this wave of performances by Black performers came to an end. All eyes were now on the next award, the prestigious Best Director!

The presenter was Mel Gibson, who started by cracking a joke:
"Who are the directors? They are the most influential force in the world, driven by vision and passion, and spurred on by truck drivers every day!"

The entire audience burst into laughter, the atmosphere instantly lightening. Mel Gibson then immediately announced, "The nominees for Best Director this year are..."

Then, a series of movies and candidates appeared on the big screen: Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott;

Mulholland Drive, by David Lynch;

A Beautiful Mind, by Wu Yuchen;
Chicago, Rob Marshall;
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson;
Harvey clasped his hands together involuntarily, his heart pounding. Now, only Best Director and Best Picture remained. These two awards were what he had focused all his efforts on during this year's Oscars, and what he had invested the most resources in. Disney and he had spent so much money this time; he refused to believe that those judges had simply taken his bribes without doing anything!

Wu Yuchen was also watching the screen. To be honest, Harvey's involvement with *Chicago* magazine had made the upcoming two awards more unpredictable. Although he didn't like Harvey, the fat guy's PR skills were truly impressive. Even considering *Chicago* magazine's previous failure to win any of its 11 awards, the Academy might be intentionally putting Harvey on hold, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't actually give him a big one.

Of the five nominees, Wu Yuchen first eliminated *The Lord of the Rings* and Peter Jackson, as this year wasn't his year. He then removed David Lynch; while *Mulholland Drive* was certainly artistic, one nomination was enough for the film, and its style wouldn't win. The three real favorites were *Chicago*, *A Beautiful Mind*, and *Black Hawk Down*.

Ridley Scott, director of "Black Hawk Down," received a significant amount of compensation. A renowned Hollywood director, Scott was nominated in 92 for "Thelma & Louise" and again last year for "Gladiator," only to lose to Steven Soderbergh, who received two nominations.

Facing a veteran director like Ridley Scott, who has won three Best Director awards, and Harvey, the king of public relations, Wu Yuchen really didn't dare to say how much of a chance he had, and was nervously waiting for the results to be announced.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Mel Gibson opened the envelope: "The Best Director award goes to... Ridley Scott!"

Instantly, the entire audience applauded Ridley Scott, the renowned director of the same era as Spielberg, who finally won the Best Director award today.

Wu Yuchen let out a breath, a faint look of disappointment flashing across his face, but he quickly concealed it. Jennifer Connelly and Glazer beside him whispered words of comfort, and Wu Yuchen gently shook his head to indicate that he was alright.

Having experienced the previous two years, he was mentally prepared. However, he was also pondering the reasons behind it.

In my previous life, *A Beautiful Mind* swept both Best Picture and Best Director. Was it because I was too young, and Ridley Scott, the veteran director, was more qualified? Or was it because of Harvey Weinstein's unexpected involvement that changed the voting landscape?

Thinking of this, Wu Yuchen clapped lightly while looking at Harvey. The fat man's fat hands were also clapping, and it looked like he was clapping very hard and loudly, as if he was venting his anger.

Harvey was understandably devastated. Just hours before, he had been brimming with confidence. With 13 nominations, he was aiming to win half of them. But now, of the 12 nominations awarded, he hadn't won a single one!

What does this mean? Are we going to make him follow the same path as in "The Shawshank Redemption"?
Damn it, he's Harvey Weinstein! If The Shawshank Redemption had fallen into his hands back then, it's impossible that it wouldn't have won a single award!
but now……

Harvey shook his head, then looked at the stage with a somewhat ferocious expression. There was still one last major award to be won; if he could get the Best Picture award, he would be in trouble!
After Ridley Scott stepped down, Tom Hanks took the stage; he was the presenter for the Best Picture award at the grand prize ceremony that night.

"Wow, it's an honor to be a presenter. All five films are absolutely fantastic; each one made me want to be a part of the story!"

The audience smiled upon hearing this, because in Hollywood, no production team can refuse Tom Hanks; he is a double guarantee of box office success and critical acclaim, and his words were a compliment to the film.

"Let's take a look at this year's Best Picture nominees..."

The Best Picture nominations are different from the Best Director nominations:

"A Beautiful Mind; Chicago; The Lord of the Rings; Moulin Rouge; Infidelity."

At this moment, Wu Yuchen and Harvey exchanged a glance. They both knew clearly that this time their opponent would be none other than each other!

Then both of them looked at Big Tom on the stage. The entire audience held their breath, waiting for the result. He calmly opened the envelope, but quickly read aloud:
"The Best Picture winner at this year's Oscars is..."

Big Tom raised his head and shouted: "A Beautiful Mind, Brian Glazer, Wu Yuchen!"

Harvey couldn't hold back any longer. Without even clapping, he kicked the seat in front of him, his last shred of sanity telling him he couldn't do anything reckless in front of the camera. He lowered his head, his face dark with rage, and began spewing profanities: "Fuck! A bunch of bitches, sons of bitches!"

Not only Harvey, but the entire cast and crew of *Chicago* were devastated. Kathryn Gill, Richard Gere, and others were especially disappointed. They had poured a lot of effort into *Chicago*, hoping for an Oscar win thanks to Harvey. The result? 13 nominations and not a single win! Isn't that a record?!

Meanwhile, Wu Yuchen had already embraced Glazer. Winning Best Picture would make them the big winners of this year's Oscars!
Jennifer Connelly and Russell Crowe, standing nearby, kept hugging and congratulating the two, overjoyed. Although they didn't win Best Actor or Best Actress for "A Beautiful Mind," as the lead actors, they naturally benefited greatly from the film's Best Picture win!

Wu Yuchen and Glazer walked onto the stage with beaming smiles. At the Oscars, the producer accepts the Best Picture award, and Wu Yuchen, being both the director and producer, naturally joined them on stage to share in the glory.

Wu Yuchen accepted the trophy from Big Tom, who then hugged him, saying, "Director Wu, I hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future!"

Wu Yuchen flashed a bright smile: "I couldn't be happier!"

(End of this chapter)