Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 379 Victory Celebration Banquet
Amid applause and cheers, the lead actors Jiang Qinqin and Zhao Wenxuan followed Wu Yuchen onto the stage to receive their awards.

Will Smith handed the Oscar to Wu Yuchen, then gave him a warm hug, congratulating him and saying, "Congratulations, Director Wu! 'Departures' is truly an excellent film! I really hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future!"

Will Smith is currently at his peak, ranking among the top five highest-grossing actors in Hollywood. He has a large following not only among Black people but also among many white people, resulting in consistently high commercial value. However, Will Smith has been relatively lacking in awards and accolades.

In his eyes, Wu Yuchen's frequent Oscar wins naturally made him want to collaborate with him and help him fulfill his dream. Even if it wasn't an art film, a commercial film would be fine too; Wu Yuchen's commercial films have always been box office hits.

"Thank you, Mr. Smith! If there's a chance..."

Wu Yuchen responded with a smile. While saying this, Wu Yuchen probably didn't have much of a chance. His schedule was already almost completely full for the past few years. He already had a spot reserved for the Batman trilogy, and there was also a domestic film, *Reign of Assassins*, to be filmed. If he were elected as the chief director of the Olympics, he would have to devote a lot of energy to the Olympics. Where would he find the energy to start another big-budget production?
Holding the trophy, Wu Yuchen walked behind the microphone and said with a smile:

"I am honored to receive this award! Departures is a film with a strong Eastern flavor and a sense of ritual. I never expected it to be loved by so many people all over the world. This proves that in many cases, people's emotions are the same, regardless of race, skin color, or region."

"First of all, I want to thank the main actors for their hard work. Whether it's the male lead, Winston Chao, or the female lead, Jiang Qinqin, they both contributed a lot to this film. Winston Chao, in particular, spent a whole year experiencing the profession of a mortician. Without their painstaking efforts, there would be no 'Departures' as we know it today!"

As Wu Yuchen spoke, the camera and spotlights turned to Jiang Qinqin and Zhao Wenxuan standing on either side of him. Both of them were beaming with joy. The film had won an Oscar, and to be introduced to the world by Wu Yuchen on this stage in the spotlight was undoubtedly the most glorious moment of their careers!
Wu Yuchen did this intentionally. Jiang Qinqin was acting in "Departures" in pursuit of honor. Although he couldn't help Jiang Qinqin win an Oscar or any acting award, he could still bring her up and praise her, which would satisfy her vanity.

"Thank you to the photographer for capturing such beautiful shots, and thank you for the music..." Wu Yuchen then followed up with his usual thanks.

Jiang Qinqin felt dizzy the whole time she went on stage, as if she were in a dream. After Wu Yuchen finished speaking and she went off the stage, she heard the applause in the theater again and finally came to her senses. However, she was still in a daze.

After they sat down, Wu Yuchen, who was sitting next to her, smiled and whispered in her ear, "Are you satisfied now?"

Jiang Qinqin nodded repeatedly. If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, she would have loved to throw herself into Wu Yuchen's arms and give him a kiss.

Following this, several major Oscar awards were presented. Brokeback Mountain received 8 nominations and ultimately won 3 Oscars. Li An also deservedly won the Oscar for Best Director for Brokeback Mountain, becoming the second Asian director to receive this honor after Wu Yuchen.
Crash shattered Brokeback Mountain's almost impenetrable defenses and won Best Picture. Although Crash did not win any acting awards, its three major awards—Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing—made it the biggest winner of this year's Oscars.

While *Brokeback Mountain* deals with LGBTQ+ themes, *Crash* is no less compelling in its subject matter, addressing a hot topic in America at the time: racial discrimination. In recent years, racial discrimination has been on the rise in the US, with Black people seeking a stronger voice and advocating for their unfair treatment. Obama capitalized on this momentum. Therefore, given this context, it's not entirely surprising that *Brokeback Mountain*, initially the frontrunner, lost to *Crash*.

As for other films, "Memoirs of a Geisha," starring Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Yang Ziqiong, did not receive any acting award nominations, but it did receive some consolation in the three visual categories of Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Cinematography.

At this very moment, the Chinese internet is buzzing with discussion:

"I never expected that Li An would actually win Best Director for a gay-themed film!"

"Isn't this a first for the Oscars? There's never been a Best Director award for a similar subject before, right?"

"Although I'm happy that Li An, a Chinese director, won Best Director, I still feel a bit awkward about the same-sex theme. I felt awkward when I watched Liu Ye and Hu Jun's 'Lan Yu'..."

"Then you should try 'Happy Together'."

"Li An is quite skilled; 'Brokeback Mountain' was indeed well-made, and it generated much more buzz than 'Crash'!"

"This year's awards were quite successful. Li An won Best Director, Departures won Best Foreign Language Film, and Memoirs of a Geisha also won a few minor awards."

"Memoirs of a Geisha isn't a Chinese-language film! It's a Japanese film!"

"No, no, you're wrong. Strictly speaking, 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is an American film because it was produced by Americans."

"Since all three important characters are Chinese, I guess I can be considered half a Chinese too!"

"If we're really talking about it, the 75th edition was truly the highlight of Chinese-language cinema!"

"At the 75th Academy Awards, 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' won five awards: Best Original Score, Best Supporting Actress, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. 'Hero' also won Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography. These two films are both authentic Chinese-language films, and they won a total of seven awards!"

"If I had to say, it would be Wu Yuchen. He always wins awards. I don't even want to talk about Chen Kaizi. He hasn't even gotten a single nomination. He's not even as good as Zhang Yimou!"

"Don't even mention 'The Promise'! I'd be embarrassed for that movie to be shown abroad! Director Wu isn't someone you can just fool and try to take advantage of!"

"At his peak, Kai was still a formidable actor; 'Farewell My Concubine' wasn't just hype. But now, Kai isn't even worthy of shining Director Wu's shoes!"

Clearly, "The Promise" has completely exhausted Chen Kaige's credibility, making him the subject of everyone's jokes.

After the Oscars ceremony, Wu Yuchen was greeted with a constant stream of congratulatory messages at the Vanity Fair dinner. In fact, in terms of sheer liveliness, his party was even more lively than Li An's Best Director win and the Best Picture win for "Crash." Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was the biggest winner of the night!
However, anyone with even a little knowledge of the industry knows this is perfectly normal. After all, no matter how prestigious the Oscars are, they ultimately need to translate into profit, which is what everyone is truly after. And when it comes to the ability to generate profit, can Li An, or the director and producer of "Crash," compare to Wu Yuchen? They're not even in the same league!

So all these people who came to offer their congratulations were hoping to use this opportunity to get in touch with Wu Yuchen, in case they caught his eye and a collaboration opportunity arose?

Wu Yuchen dealt with everyone one by one, but some people came to talk to him about serious matters, such as the Warner executive in front of him: "Wu, are you sure you want to return to China immediately? The Batman trilogy was made entirely according to your requirements, and I think a good start is very important for the trilogy."

Warner Bros. and Wu Yuchen signed a contract for the Batman trilogy. The films are already completed, and the promotional plan is finalized. They are slated for release in May, and the promotional campaign has already begun. Warner Bros. naturally hopes that Wu Yuchen will remain in the United States and contribute to the promotion of Batman.

Wu Yuchen shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I have to go back to China. You know, the 2008 Olympics are hosted by China, and I have to do my part. 'Batman' is important, but the Olympics are equally important to me!" Wu Yuchen's attitude was firm, then he smiled and said, "Actually, you don't need to worry. The two don't conflict. Everything for 'Batman' is ready, and they don't need me right now. Give me two months to handle the Olympics, and I'll be back in May to fully cooperate with the promotion of 'Batman'!"

Seeing that Wu Yuchen wouldn't budge, the Warner executives had no choice but to say, "Alright, Wu, best of luck!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and clinked glasses with him: "Don't worry, 'Batman' will be a success!"

Wu Yuchen is returning to China in the next couple of days because the Olympic plan and the selection of the chief director will be finalized next week, so he naturally needs to be back home to wait. The Olympics are a major event, and he's willing to sacrifice a little bit of the promotion for "The Batman" for it.

Upon seeing Spielberg approach, Wu Yuchen clinked glasses with him and said, "Steven, you're in for a bad night~"

Spielberg's "Munich," which he directed last year, actually received five nominations tonight, including Best Picture and Best Director, but unfortunately it didn't win any awards.

Spielberg himself didn't seem to care at all, shaking his head with a smile: "This isn't a popular topic; just being shortlisted is already a victory."

He then turned to Wu and asked, “Wu, Transformers is about to start filming. Before you leave, I think we should have one more meeting.”

Clearly, Spielberg is more focused on Transformers than on his own film, Munich, as the latter is obviously a bigger and more appealing project.

Wu Yuchen readily agreed. Miracle Pictures, the studio behind "Transformers," was also an investor, so he naturally wanted to put in some effort: "How about tomorrow afternoon?"

"no problem."

This was Jiang Qinqin's first time attending a Vanity Fair dinner in Hollywood. The glitz and glamour, coupled with the excitement of winning an award, captivated her. Especially seeing Wu Yuchen, the center of attention and the focus of everyone's adulation at this top-tier global event, seemingly shining brightly with everyone surrounding him, filled Jiang Qinqin with a sense of pride and honor.

At this moment, Anne Hathaway, holding a wine glass, walked up to Wu Yuchen with a smile, just like the others, and said to him with a smile, "Dear Director Wu, congratulations!"

Wu Yuchen lightly touched her hand and said, "Congratulations to you too, Annie! Your brilliant performance in 'Brokeback Mountain' was evident to all."

As one of the most anticipated films at this year's Oscars, Anne Hathaway, as the lead actress, has certainly benefited greatly from "Brokeback Mountain." Her previous roles, whether in the "Spider-Man" trilogy or "The Princess Diaries," were typical commercial films. However, "Brokeback Mountain" has broadened her acting range, potentially leading to more opportunities in art-house films by top directors, giving her more choices. Furthermore, this nomination has served as valuable experience, paving the way for future awards.

"This is all thanks to Director Wu's help and guidance~" Annie said with a charming smile.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen glanced at Jiang Qinqin, and Annie said, "Don't worry, your girlfriend can't hear our conversation."

Jiang Qinqin was some distance away from them, and the scene was already quite noisy, so she really couldn't hear them.

Then Annie added, "Daddy, you really care about her feelings. It's making me a little jealous!"

Wu Yuchen maintained his smile and said, "Annie, this is a public place, don't act recklessly~"

Anne Hathaway sighed softly and said, "Daddy, what you're saying is making me a little sad."

Wu Yuchen glanced at her. Sad? He couldn't tell at all. He simply asked, "Okay, Annie, what do you want?"

Anne said softly, "I just miss you a little~ I haven't been able to be with you since I came back this time."

Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat. Could this girl be serious about him? But then he scoffed inwardly. They had played all sorts of games together, so she should know their relationship very well. How could she possibly be developing real feelings for him?

Even if she is thinking about herself, she's probably thinking about the resources she has.

“This is my first time attending the Oscars, and I want to celebrate with my dad in the most enthusiastic way possible!” Anne Hathaway pursed her red lips.

Wu Yuchen chuckled and said, "Annie, it's really inconvenient right now. Daddy will play with you properly when I come back in two months."

“Lonely Annie can’t wait that long, Daddy, can you please leave before you go?” Annie’s big eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing her like this, Wu Yuchen was also a little tempted, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Come to our office the day after tomorrow~"

Before returning to China next week, he still has some time, and he does need to go to the company to explain and handle some matters.

Upon hearing this, Annie immediately smiled and said, "I knew Daddy loved me the most!"

After saying that, she didn't bother Wu Yuchen anymore, picked up her wine glass, and turned to leave.

As Wu Yuchen watched her leave in her beige fitted dress, swaying her shapely hips, he thought to himself that he would use a cane the day after tomorrow to properly teach her how to be obedient.

(End of this chapter)