Chapter 1020: Chapter 1020: International Film Festival
Sheng Tang rarely takes a break.
She still had some money, and since it was summer vacation at school, she took her parents on a trip abroad for more than a month.
This was her first time traveling alone with her parents.
They visited quite a few places. After staying in Europe for twenty days, they went to the United States.
After the trip, Sheng Tang planned to spend more time with her grandfather, who said he was feeling well enough to attend the company’s board meeting.
Sheng Zong’s work in Beijing was going well.
His boss didn’t know his background and quite appreciated him, so he managed to truly gain some experience.
Everything at home was moving in a positive direction.
However, things didn’t seem to be going well for Gu Jiahui.
Yang Mingming had surprisingly reconciled with her husband, and the two were attending some events together.
Sheng Tang didn’t quite understand this.
"Around the New Year, things were progressing well, so why have they regressed now?" Sheng Tang asked.
Gu Jiahui didn’t say much; he had schemed against Yang Mingming’s husband, making him behave for a while.
He simply said, "I’m not sure either. However, they are bound to divorce sooner or later, so don’t worry."
Sheng Tang was still quite worried.
She hoped Gu Jiahui could succeed soon and resolve the issue early.
In early September, Ding Ruifan invited Sheng Tang and her manager to join him in Venice, Italy, along with his film "The Small Building," to attend this year’s Venice Film Festival.
In this timeline, the Venice Film Festival starts in early September.
Sheng Tang agreed.
Ke Fei was taking William to meet with several variety show producers, so Sheng Tang brought Ai’ai and joined Ding Ruifan and his wife on Ding Ruifan’s private plane to Venice.
On the way, Ding Ruifan seemed a bit nervous.
"Why are you nervous?" Sheng Tang asked with a smile.
"Because I’m looking forward to it," Ding Ruifan said. "I really want to win an award."
Ding Ruifan’s "The Small Building" was filmed back in April of last year, and after completing post-production, had been competing for awards in the international film industry ever since.
This time, he submitted it to the Venice Film Festival with high hopes because Sheng Tang mentioned it might win an award.
Domestically, Ding Ruifan didn’t promote it at all. Not to mention the general public, even Ding Ruifan’s own fans might not know that their idol filmed such a movie.
"Relax," Sheng Tang comforted him from the side, "just stay calm."
Ding Ruifan just smiled.
This time, Ding Ruifan brought not only his team but also his wife and two children.
Sheng Tang chatted with him briefly and then went over to chat with Mrs. Ding.
She wasn’t the main lead, just a supporting role. Bringing her along seemed to be a bit of a lucky charm gesture for Ding Ruifan.
Sheng Tang and Mrs. Ding talked about where to go for fun after the event was over.
The plane landed at the airport, and the group checked into a hotel.
They also encountered some domestic directors and their teams.
Ding Ruifan greeted them one by one.
"Do you have a film entered as well?" The others were quite surprised.
Ding Ruifan had to explain, "I have a film that hasn’t been released domestically yet. We’ll look into releasing it after making the rounds at a few film festivals."
The others didn’t think much of it.
Ding Ruifan also ran into Director Han Haoming.
Han Haoming was quite politically significant among the directors in China and had considerable fame internationally as well.
This time, he was actually serving as one of the nine judges at the Venice Film Festival.
Ding Ruifan’s heart skipped a beat.
It’s rare for a Chinese director to serve as a judge at the Venice Film Festival. Could Sheng Tang be right that he’s really going to bring home a big award?
Director Han wasn’t particularly close with Ding Ruifan, but after a brief chat, he started talking with Sheng Tang.
"Qi Lin is here too; you should meet him later," Director Han said, before commenting on Sheng Tang’s poem "Seeping Water," "Such young people, so impressive and impactful in critique. With filmmakers like you, Chinese cinema is bound to improve."
He was quite fond of Sheng Tang.
Sheng Tang thanked him.
Later, she had a chat alone with Qi Lin.
