Jude Law and Nicole Kidman were not able to attend the opening ceremony due to their tight schedules, but their films would still be screened during the festival.
One could imagine how many actors would participate in the event.
Qin Guan had finished his job, so he just took a connecting flight to Berlin. He was really looking forward to seeing the four hale old men.
The next morning, as his assistant was adjusting his bow tie, Director Luchan showed up.
"Qin Guan?"
"Yes?"
"Are you aware that directors and actors will be walking on the carpet separately? They want to make the event even grander."
"I know."
"Just relax! Take care!"
The director was a warm-hearted man. His first impulse after getting that notice was to let Qin Guan know. The actor was like a child in a strange environment. He needed a team to stay with him.
However, he had forgotten that Qin Guan was also a supermodel. As a sponsor of the festival, L'Oréal wanted to see its product ambassador appear alone in pictures, not accompanied by a group of old men.
Despite his rough schedule, Qin Guan remained calm as he walked through the flashing lights silently. He was the star that stayed the longest on the red carpet.
This was the second time he was walking on the red carpet in Berlin, a city that favored the Chinese. The reporters suddenly recognized his familiar figure.
The Best Actor Award Winner of the 53rd Ceremony was coming!
Screams fell and rose. Qin Guan's every step seemed to make the earth shake.
"Mr. Qin! Look at me! Please! My son is only three years old!"
"Can you smile for me, Mr. Qin? Your smile could save the world!"
"Don't leave! Please don't leave!"
"He is walking away! Stop! Look over here!"
The crazy reporters spent all their film on Qin Guan, not caring about the crowd or the unbearable smell. They used this opportunity to record the young actor's every movement with their cameras. He was the best topic of conversation in the entire opening ceremony.
The organizing committee did not want the sharp-tongued critics and reporters to laugh at the absence of famous actors.
They had invited Qin Guan sincerely, and the actor, who loved the Berlin Film Festival, had come at once. They would never forget his kindness.
The next participant, the entire cast and crew of "Samaria Girls", was waiting by the end of the red carpet. It was a film from the Republic of Korea. All the actors and the director had come to the ceremony. For them, an invitation there was the best acknowledgement of the film's success. Besides, it was an erotic film. They needed an award in order to promote it.
The two leading actresses had followed the director to Berlin, which was a holy place for Korean filmmakers. It was still early spring, so they were trembling in their revealing evening dresses, which had been tailored by Korean designers.
The two girls struggled to suppress their shivers, but the star ahead of them had stayed on the carpet too long. They both felt miserable.
Guo Zhimin, the younger girl, who was about 19 years old and the pearl of her family, couldn't help but complain.
"The man before us has gone too far! He's been on the carpet for so long! He's shameless!"
Han Xiuyun was calmer than her. She checked the list and then craned her neck in the direction of the red carpet, all the while squeezing her bare shoulders. The man on the carpet was trying his best to move forward, but he was stopped repeatedly by the reporters and the festival staff. Then people started grabbing him to take pictures.
Han Xiuyun had originally been a model, so she recognized Qin Guan's tall, handsome figure.
"It's Qin Guan!"
Suddenly, the calm girl turned into a crazy fangirl.
"Director Kim, Director Kim! Isn't that Qin Guan? Tell me I'm not wrong!"
Qin Guan's name acted like a magic spell. Shocked, Guo stopped complaining.
The director nodded solemnly. "Yes, it is, but you don't need to act like crazy. You are just as talented as he is. If our film succeeds, you'll enjoy the same international fame he does."
It was a pity that his strategy failed. The actresses didn't pay attention to his ambitious words. They were too concentrated on the handsome man walking to the other end of the carpet.
"It's Qin Guan! What should I do? Do I look nice today?"
The two girls bounced up and down hand in hand.
"The cast and crew of 'Samaria Girls' is up next!"
Before they could calm down, the festival staff told them to walk on the carpet. Suddenly, Director Ki-Duk Kim found himself up in the air, supported from both sides by the young girls.