Caught in Affairs with Superstar-Chapter 330 - 285: On the Rise: 121

What does it feel like to have a crush on someone?

In that feeling, there should be a thread like this: When you achieve honor, the first person you want to share it with is them.

Zhou Yun actually wanted to tell Song Chi that she missed him a little.

But saying it would be too blunt and embarrassing, so she didn’t.

The words weren’t spoken, but the feeling was very real.

When she pushed the door open and walked back inside, the bustling sound that surged towards her made the feeling even more evident.

The celebration lasted until deep into the night, and people gradually started to leave.

By the end of it, Zhou Yun wanted to leave too.

She saw Wen Bing sitting alone on a sofa in the corner, sipping champagne with a somewhat forlorn look.

At that moment, Zhou Yun had a tacit understanding; she felt that he must be missing the girl who was originally meant to play this role, his ex-girlfriend.

His feelings, they must be like hers, right?

Zhou Yun suddenly felt life’s serendipity.

If Wen Bing’s ex-girlfriend hadn’t broken up with him, she wouldn’t have had the chance to play this role.

Zhou Yun poured herself another glass of wine, not much, just to cover the bottom of the glass. She walked over and said, "Thank you."

Wen Bing looked up in a daze, as if he didn’t understand why Zhou Yun had suddenly come over to thank him.

Zhou Yun gestured with her wine glass.

Wen Bing picked up the glass in front of him.

Zhou Yun gently clinked her glass against his, and the glasses chimed a clear sound.

"Thank you for inviting me in the end." Zhou Yun drank her wine, moved forward, and gave Wen Bing a warm hug, "Rest well tonight and have sweet dreams."

Wen Bing smiled.

This was a day to remember.

"Life" had good reviews and attracted the attention of many foreign media outlets.

They all sent out invitations for interviews.

At this point, Zhou Yun’s other work was also wrapping up nicely, just waiting for the award ceremony to end, then she would go to France to shoot the fashion magazine arranged by Zheng Xiaowen, and after that, she could return to China.

Hence, as time allowed, Zhou Yun generally accepted these interview requests.

The questions posed by foreign journalists were very professional, but some questions were also dangerous, such as how Zhou Yun, a Chinese actress, viewed the censorship system, among other politically tinged questions.

Zhou Yun experienced this kind of interview crisis for the first time.

She broke out in a cold sweat.

Of course, Zhou Yun also wanted to talk candidly about her thoughts, but sometimes this was indeed a difficult task.

Nevertheless, thanks to Yao Yuanfeng’s various promotional efforts, including purchasing expensive ad spaces in festival programs, "Life" managed to sell the North American, European, and several other regional distribution rights at unexpectedly high prices.

Yao Yuanfeng was elated, and even changed his original plan to return to China right after the premiere, deciding to wait until after the award ceremony.

Zhou Yun’s schedule was no longer that hectic, so she went dining and drinking with Zheng Xiaoju.

Due to Yao Yuanfeng’s promotional campaign, she was even starting to be recognized by many foreigners on the streets who asked for photos with her.

In truth, not that many people had actually seen the movie "Life."

This scene was captured by Chinese people attending the festival and posted on Weibo.

"Life has great reviews, Zhou Yun is being asked for autographs by foreign fans on the street."

And so, Zhou Yun was once again trending on the hot search.

During the Venice International Film Festival period, Zhou Yun was basically trending on the hot search every day.

She started with the red carpet looks, then there were her chats with the film festival chairman, then images from the events, and the film’s premiere performance was highly praised.

This popularity included marketing operations by Chengqian Entertainment, but even after stripping away the hype, the real heat remained high.

Zhou Yun’s red carpet looks spread widely, breaking out beyond the expected circles, trending on short video and other platforms.

Her fanbase grew rapidly, gaining several million more in just a few days.

Thanks to her consistent use of VX products and previous street photography pics, VX sales surged again.

With great fame comes great criticism.

Some people said that Zhou Yun was making a fuss as if she were going to win the Best Actress award, when in fact she was only shortlisted for the Horizons Unit.

Others complained that Zhou Yun’s marketing was too aggressive, and it became tiresome to see.

But no matter what, Zhou Yun was gradually displaying a momentum, an irresistible force.

After recording the new episode of "Geology Talk," Su Yan slammed her phone onto the bed in a fit of rage after seeing Zhou Yun trending.

"Zhou Yun, Zhou Yun, always Zhou Yun! Why is it always her every single day?" Su Yan cursed in exasperation, "Is there no one else in this huge entertainment industry who’s newsworthy?"

At that moment, she would have preferred to see her old rival Lew Qingqing trending than to see Zhou Yun’s name again.

The assistant stood by, silent.

Su Yan was furious, but there was nothing she could do.

...

At a certain film city, on a certain set.

During a break from filming, a few actors chatting together in between scenes.

Fan Zhu stood with one hand on her hip, exuding allure, and lit a cigarette, holding it between her fingers.

"Zhou Yun is really hot lately, I saw she’s trending again." Another actress in the same crew mentioned Zhou Yun with a hint of envy in her voice, "She’s so lucky, reaching this height just two years after her debut."

"It’s not just luck, she’s had patrons helping her along the way." Another person said, "Song Chi before, and now some mysterious figure."

"Who’s the mysterious person?" someone asked.

Fan Zhu’s eyes flickered as she arched an eyebrow.

"Don’t know, a friend told me. Apparently, Zhou Yun has a powerful backer that’s enabled her to sail smoothly so far. You know about ’Falling Leaves,’ right? That new project they announced during the Chinese Film Night in Venice the other day that Chen Zian’s regular producer Shi Luoqi is working on—a Chinese-language film, no hint of it leaked until the announcement that Zhou Yun is the lead actress."

Fan Zhu rolled her eyes slightly and asked, "What do you mean? Is Zhou Yun’s next movie a new film by Chen Zian?"

"Not a new film directed by Chen Zian, but a new director. But think about it, Shi Luoqi!" the person stressed Shi Luoqi’s name, "A big-time producer, produced so many classic movies. She’s not just a puppet producer who only makes hits with Director Chen Zian. Zhou Yun has landed the lead role in her new film. Then think about it, they had previously announced that Zhou Yun was going to star in ’Gentle Little Horse.’ Those kinds of film resources, actresses who’ve been in the industry for five or six years can’t even get them, and she gets them just like that."

Fan Zhu: "Well, she’s popular."

"There are always actresses who suddenly rise in popularity every year. Nevermind others, aren’t Wei Ruxue and Su Yan popular? They’ve wanted to break into the film industry for so long, have they ever gotten even slightly good roles in a movie? It’s not just about who’s popular when it comes to the film industry—no matter how popular an actor is, they can’t bolster the box office alone."