Rebirth: How A Loser Became A Prince Charming

"The winner of the 53rd Artistic Contribution Silver Bear Award is ‘Blind Shaft’..."

As the audience applauded loudly, the young director got on the stage as if he was sleepwalking. Wang was too excited to keep a clear mind. It was hard for an outsider to understand how happy he was. His first film had won an international award!

"Brother Qin, we won an award!"

George was confused by the result. The two Chinese directors would return home with a good harvest. He was also eager to win an award. Otherwise, the American media would be laughing at him when he returned. They would blame him for turning from actor to director.

After strict evaluation, his film was reviewed as "a film with outstanding performances but a dull plot".

George teared up as the Chinese winners celebrated. Even Zhang Yimou felt better now.

New blood was joining the Chinese film circle, so as its leader, he had to keep working hard.

People with different opinions and feelings gathered in the hall, watching the Golden Bear get awarded to Michael Winterbottom, the director of "In this World". His film, which was lucky enough to win the award, was about the war in Afghanistan.

Sister Xue and Qin Guan returned to their hotel with the Silver Bear. The moon was as bright as the award that night. Qin Guan had a good night’s sleep, but his agent did not.

There was so much work waiting for her. First, she sent photos of the ceremony to the team in America.

Qin Guan’s official blog was updated fast, while other media in the US and Germany didn’t spread the news as quickly. They knew that the news had to be released slowly in order to attract more attention. They would be on the morning papers the next day.

Only big websites had sent reporters to Germany. The news updates on smaller websites were inferior to Qin Guan’s official blog.

There had originally been different reports about Qin Guan’s presence at the Berlin Film Festival. A few fans had sent their blessings, while haters had laughed at him.

Someone had said that he would be a mere onlooker in Berlin, while others had insisted that he would only serve as foil. Some people had even sneered at him for exploiting other stars’ popularity.

"He is just going to Berlin for the fame. I bet he will say that he narrowly lost the award when the result is announced."

Qin Guan’s fans reacted calmly to those comments. They ignored the haters and had a discussion amongst themselves.

"Actually, I don’t care about the awards. I just want to see his photos from the red carpet. I already have photos of him from the Oscars and Cannes."

"I’m a Chinese fan of his. I have red carpet photos of him at the Silver Eagle Festival. Shall we exchange pictures?"

"Sure!"

The proposal got a response from plenty of fans.

"What am I waiting for? To see his face, of course!"

"I want to see him in Armani Haute Couture!"

"I can’t sleep until I see a photo!"

The blog was suddenly updated as they talked about the festival. The Silver Bear now occupied the whole page.

There was also a new article of about 1,000 words.

"He’s won two Best Actor Awards now! One at Cannes and one at Berlin!"

Photos were uploaded for the fans.

"What do I see? He won the Best Actor Award!"

"He is so talented! Best Actor twice!"

"The photos are perfect!"

"Who can analyse the pattern of his Armani shirt? It’s so sexy!"

"Both Qin Guan and the bear look cute!"

Qin Guan’s haters left at once. Wood, who was a hardcore hater of Qin Guan, fell silent.

There was a videotape of "Elephant" on his desk. Only a few thousand copies had been released in America. One hour after Qin Guan had won the award, all the stock had been sold out.

Wood had been one of the buyers. He had bought it a few days in advance.

He had originally wanted to watch the film to find Qin Guan’s flaws. Then when Qin Guan returned with empty hands, he could make fun of the arrogant Chinese actor on the forum.

It was a pity that his plan had not worked. The Best Actor Award at the Berlin Festival was the best acknowledgement of Qin Guan’s talent. It was impossible for him to defeat an enemy with such acting skills.

Wood was sobbing. He had spent too much on Qin Guan. He had bought a film ticket for 10 dollars, a tape for 4.99 dollars, and a whole set of photos sold online by his fan club for 5 dollars.

I heard that there is a limited edition Citizen album with Qin Guan’s signature that costs 100 dollars...

Wait! Are you crazy, Wood? Why are you planning on buying an album of your enemy? Chinese people are wizards. I have to calm down...