CHAPTER 636: CHAPTER 431

(Don’t read it yet, adding a title means it’s done)

And it wasn’t just Wu Mu and his crew; they also bumped into other film crews heading to Cannes.

Upon meeting, Head Steward Sister Yan, Yan Yongmei, was explaining the itinerary for later, "There’s no flight directly from Beijing to Cannes, so we’ll first fly to Paris, then transfer to Nice, and then drive to..."

But before she could finish, a scream interrupted her.

"Ah! Li Cheng, Li Cheng!"

"Li Cheng, I like you!"

"Li Cheng, triumph at Cannes!"

Li Cheng?

Everyone looked curiously over and saw the commotion at the airport entrance in the distance. A man in his forties, wearing sunglasses, was surrounded by a crowd and trying hard to walk inside with the help of his entourage.

The more he tried to go inside, the harder it became.

When he first entered, it was only some fans holding light-up signs surrounding him. But as his name was shouted, the bystanders, originally just watching the excitement, brightened their eyes, and started running over with their phones.

"Li Cheng is also leaving today?" Yan Yongmei said in surprise.

Lin Qingyue also looked over there, "It’s only over these two days, so meeting like this isn’t surprising."

This was for another film selected for Cannes, "Shadow Kill," where Li Cheng played the lead role.

And the name Li Cheng was something even Wu Mu was very familiar with.

A national celebrity within the industry, whenever his status and popularity are mentioned online, many people would say that while Wu Mu is famous, there’s still a big gap from those like Li Cheng.

What does it mean to be a national celebrity?

Looking at the current situation gives a sense of it.

When a mainstream celebrity is recognized, even if they’re top tier, older bystanders would mostly just watch the show, maybe even talking about how crazy young people are for celebrities these days.

But when Li Cheng is recognized, even older onlookers also take their phones out to gather around.

----

His popularity is still so high, and he’s been successful for so many years," Yan Yongmei said, looking over there with surprise.

Wu Mu was also curiously looking over there.

He naturally knew the name Li Cheng, a national celebrity within the industry.

Every time his status and popularity are mentioned, many take him as an example, saying despite being highly popular, Wu Mu still falls short compared to the likes of Li Cheng, let alone superstars at the top in terms of both popularity and status.

What does it mean to be a national celebrity? You can understand a bit by looking at this current scene.

Loyal fans onsite don’t need mentioning; national celebrities don’t have an advantage here over top-tier celebrity fans, who are even more fervent.

The focus is on the reaction of the surrounding bystanders.

If a mainstream celebrity is recognized, many of the older bystanders likely would only watch from afar, perhaps commenting on the craziness of young celebrity followers.

But when Li Cheng is recognized, even older bystanders gather with their phones.

This shows that most people know him, and there’s an underlying thought that capturing a video of him is something worth posting on social media to show off.

This illustrates national popularity, covering viewers from old to young across three generations.

Li Man and the others were also filming this unexpected event. Li Cheng is the lead actor of "Shadow Kill," also heading to Cannes.

Scenes where the lead actor goes to Cannes and fans show up at the airport to wish them well, leading to roadblocks by airport bystanders, are very interesting and fit well into later shows.

However, after filming for a while, Li Man noticed something strange. She looked at Wu Mu in confusion, "Teacher Wu Mu, why don’t you have fans seeing you off?"

Wu Mu is a genuine super popular idol right now. Not mentioning bystanders, shouldn’t his fans outnumber even Li Cheng’s?

"Oh,"

----

(Not modified below)

However, before reaching the hotel, he unexpectedly found a familiar person by the roadside.

Huh, what’s she doing here?

Wu Mu curiously looked at a figure standing at the entrance of a restaurant ahead.

It was Su Meng, who he had met a long time ago during the first episode of Star Agency.

She was standing beside a red Ferrari, looking angry, and was saying something to the person inside the Ferrari.

Wu Mu couldn’t see what the person inside the Ferrari looked like, but that person was evidently hot-tempered too, as they immediately drove off, leaving Su Meng behind after just a few words.

Only leaving Su Meng standing there, frowning at the retreating car.

Wu Mu chuckled as he drove over, rolled down his window, and jokingly said, "Little Su, long time no see."

Su Meng turned to look at him, seeming a bit surprised.

This was only the second time they were meeting in person.

However, Su Meng seemed to pay attention to Wu Mu’s updates, as he often received feedback from Su Meng on his new songs via WeChat.

They didn’t chat much, just simple messages like "the song is great."

Hmm, whether they’re anti-fans or supporters, at least they contribute to the viewership.

Wu Mu smiled and said, "Your driver left? Want me to give you a ride?"

Su Meng hesitated a bit, "I’ll let my family know first."

"Aunt Qing, you don’t need to come over, umm, a friend is giving me a ride back, alright, I know."

After finishing the call, Su Meng opened the front passenger door of Wu Mu’s car and got in.

After confirming her destination, Wu Mu was quite curious, "Aren’t you from Shen City? How come you’re here?"

Su Meng shook her head, "I am from Shen City, but my family also has a house here in Beijing."

She paused and rarely showed a hint of a smile, "We were just at the venue too, and my friends wanted to cover their ears during your first song."

Wu Mu laughed, "That has nothing to do with me. I wasn’t the one singing off-key."

Wu Mu and Su Meng chatted idly, and soon he dropped her off at her house, a large courtyard not far from the Forbidden City in the Upper City District.

Hmm, confirmed, she’s one of the Heavenly Dragon People.

Wu Mu was quite surprised, although from her usual behavior, it was evident that Su Meng’s family was quite wealthy.

But he didn’t expect them to be this wealthy.

This courtyard alone must be worth at least

The host is not available for now, Yang Rongfa asked, "There are quite a few big directors and company bosses from the industry here today. Would you like me to introduce some of them to you?"

For a regular industry person, this would be an opportunity.

Knowing more people is always a good thing.

But... recalling the previous cocktail party experience, Yang Rongfa wisely chose to ask first.

Wu Mu shook his head, "No..."

But halfway through shaking his head, his gaze swept over a figure seated in a separated, partially obscured small reception room next to the main living room, and he paused slightly.

"Is Director Lin here too?" Wu Mu asked Yang Rongfa.

He was naturally referring to Lin Qingyue’s father, Lin Xueming, not Lin Qingyue.

Although Lin Qingyue could come back tonight, she had matters within the film crew to handle and wouldn’t appear here.

Besides, he had mentioned during the morning talks with Lin Qingyue that he would be attending this cocktail party, so it would be impossible for her not to tell him if she were coming too.

"Yes, Tang Wei and Xie Chunfang are also here," Yang Rongfa nodded.

Wu Mu’s mind whirled, as these two were also big directors on par with Lin Xueming in the industry, top-tier figures in the circle.

However, he wasn’t counting on developing connections with these big directors to seek resources, so it didn’t matter to him with these two.