691 Declining Prosperity

The Korean crew on Qin Guan's right side burst into cheers. The resounding hails went around the whole hall.

Luchan felt depressed.

"Where are those hillbillies from? They shouldn't be screaming during a formal ceremony!"

"Yes, they are embarrassingly noisy!"

The old men felt more comfortable. The announcement of the next award left them stupefied though.

"The winner of the Jury Award is 'Lost Embrace'!"

It was okay. They had just lost the Golden Bear. They all hugged each other in satisfaction.

The four old men went on the stage. Flowers bloomed and fell as the seasons changed. That was the law of nature. There were so many coincidences, opportunities and frustrations that filmmakers had to deal with.

They helped the film, and the film helped them. They just went on hand in hand, until they reached the end of their journey.

Qin Guan and the four old men went to a small tavern later that night to celebrate. They couldn't drink too much, because they had to continue their journey the next day.

The next morning, they said goodbye to each other at the airport and left. The people waiting for them at the other end of their journey were different. Old wives, conscientious assistants, and of course Cong Nianwei, for whom Qin Guan had to bring breakfast.

The Silver Bear was still in his bag, but his family status had not changed because of it. Qin Guan bought some eggs Benedict from a small restaurant on his way back. The fried eggs on the English muffins let out a nice smell that drifted up from the lunchbox in his hand.

Qin Guan was drooling as he rushed up the stairs to his apartment. Sunshine filled the room, making it warm and sweet. Cong Nianwei had already gotten up, but her aroma was still lingering around the bed.

She was in the bathroom. A portion of breakfast had been left on the table for Qin Guan. It was eggs Benedict, crisp bacon and mayonnaise. There were also pancakes with crab, lobster and spinach.

Delicious food was always a priority. "I'll get started!" Qin Guan shouted towards the bathroom before picking up his knife and fork.

When he jabbed the yolk with the fork, its juices poured out and soaked the muffin. It was wonderful!

Qin Guan stuffed a large piece of muffin into his mouth. It was a perfect combination of sweet crab meat, mellow mayonnaise, tender egg and spinach.

He swallowed the muffin up fast and choked on it.

As he tried to get some water, Cong Nianwei walked out of the steamy bathroom, drying her wet hair with a towel.

They looked at each other in a funny way. Then Cong Nianwei sighed and poured a cup of coffee for Qin Guan.

"Take this."

The aromatic coffee saved Qin Guan from choking to death.

"What do you want to do today?"

Qin Guan could finally rest before the beginning of the term. He had no more urgent work to take care of.

Cong Nianwei sat down across from him leisurely and put some delicious food in her mouth before answering his question.

"Prof. Martin applied for a PhD on your behalf, so he wanted to meet with you as soon as you returned. We'll be finishing our studies in America this June after all."

Qin Guan fell into thought. He wanted to hear Cong Nianwei's opinion.

"What are your plans?"

"I can get my Master's degree easily, but it would take me a long time to apply for a PhD. My tutor told me that it would take me at least four years. Plus, my profession requires me to be close to society. Practice is more important than textbooks, so I want to do a PhD on a job. I can accumulate experience through work."

"I don't need to focus only in America. The gallery here is enough. I could take my team to any country if there is a chance there. Isn't that wonderful?"