The golden statuette

Lyman felt a slight ache in his left leg, so he put down the right leg he had propped up and adjusted his sitting posture. He shifted from crossing his legs to leaning back on his seat with his weight to alleviate the discomfort.

The Oscars were truly unbearable, as if the judges deliberately set up these tedious award details to create a sense of rarity and excessive effort among the audience.

Detailed introductions, the host's banter, the suspenseful envelope-opening... Each presenter announcing the winners had to put on an incredulous or surprised expression.

Lyman wanted to ask, was it really that interesting?

Did nobody have a clue about who might win and who might not?

Unless the judges were all going crazy, there was rarely any mistake in the selection of major awards.

But it seemed they had gone mad this time and firmly awarded Roman Polanski with the Best Director title.

Several competing directors didn't look pleased. They had endured this long ceremony diligently, only for the major award to go to someone who didn't even show up. Moreover, it was accepted by a staff member from his crew, and their acceptance speech was perfunctory and clearly unprepared.

Lyman watched this awkward scene with great interest. The atmosphere in the entire venue sank. This manipulation was bound to leave no one in a good mood.

Tomorrow's news would undoubtedly be lively. Such a big topic was not something those journalists and media would want to miss.

After more than half an hour of the farce, the ceremony finally arrived at the award category in which Lyman was involved, the Best Foreign Language Film.

The presenter, Michael Caine, stepped forward with a smile. He courteously praised the five nominated films, "From Spain, "Talk to Her"..."

As he spoke, scenes from each film appeared on the large screen behind him.

"From Mexico, "The Crime of Father Amaro"..."

"From Germany, "Nowhere in Africa"..."

"From China, "Hero"..."

"From France and India, "3 Idiots"..."

The scene shifted to the desperate suicide attempt of the protagonist in the dean's office, accompanied by melancholic music, leaving even those who hadn't seen the film feeling a hint of shock.

As the scenes from the film played on the big screen, the overhead camera also timely focused on Lyman. His face appeared on the screen, broadcasted live to the TV audience.

Film critic Bella, who had been following Lyman closely, was sitting in front of her television at home, watching the 75th Academy Awards ceremony. When she saw Michael Caine slowly open the envelope, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

But Lyman, who was present at the venue, didn't feel particularly tense.

Watching Michael Caine deliberately clumsily tear open the envelope and take a look inside, then showing a surprised expression, Lyman thought to himself that this guy was really good at acting.

He knew that he had about a 70% chance of winning this award, and the remaining 20% was "Talk to Her", with the other three films being just accompanying participants.

Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the judges had gone mad again.

But the probability of that was probably very low.

"And the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards is... "3 Idiots", France, India. Please welcome Director Lyman to the stage to accept the award."

Sure enough, it was him.

He succeeded.

He smoothly achieved his goal and shortened the critical "preparation phase" in his directorial journey.

Although he had already expected this outcome, being targeted by the cameras all around the venue at this moment...

Lyman showcased his acting skills. At this moment, he seemed to be possessed by either Nicolas Cage or Heath Ledger. He wore a smile on his face, but his expression was somewhat calm. However, under the magnification of the camera lens, the slight trembling of his eyelids and twitching of his mouth revealed his suppressed excitement, creating a perfect image of someone trying to hide their joy and feigning calmness.

Well, everyone here was a master of acting.

After hugging René, Thomas, and George, Lyman made his way to the stage, greeting other familiar faces along the way.

"Congratulations, Lyman," Michael Caine greeted him courteously as he reached the stage.

"Thank you."

Taking the small golden statue that symbolized honor from Caine's hands, Lyman felt that it was slightly heavier than he had imagined, but it had a good touch to it—smooth and cool.

Next was the time to deliver his acceptance speech.

He was prepared for this.

Standing on the stage, he took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and read from it, "Thank you to the Academy judges, thank you to EuropaCorp, thank you to CAA, thank you to my agent... Thank you to the audience; it is your love that has brought this film such an honor. Thank you..."

While uttering the standard acceptance speech, Lyman was pondering something else in his heart: CAA's public relations team was really good. He wondered if they were more competent than Harvey Weinstein's team. However, considering the abundance of awards "Chicago" received this year, there seemed to be no need for comparison.

The speech went very smoothly. Following the lead of others, Lyman raised the trophy high, allowing the reporters to capture the moment of his victory. Amidst the flashing lights and polite applause, he suddenly felt a bit dazed.

It wasn't because of winning the so-called Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but rather, he was struck by the capricious nature of fate.

Just two years ago, he was worried about how to accumulate enough experience to gain the right to independently direct film and television projects.

A year ago, he was concerned about what he would do if "Buried" didn't perform well at the box office.

Six months ago, he was thinking about how to increase his value and obtain more favorable collaboration conditions.

People are never satisfied with the present; what was once out of reach is now all they desire. Perhaps, this was the most genuine reflection of Lyman's inner thoughts.

Who could have thought that he would come this far? He himself felt a sense of sentimentality as he stood in the highest hall of honor in the American film industry, holding the small golden statue symbolizing honor for the most fiercely contested Best Foreign Language Film.

The unpredictability and fickleness of fate lie exactly here.

Lyman had good vision, so while standing on the stage, he could clearly read the expressions on the faces of the audience below.

René, Thomas, and George were naturally laughing heartily, extremely happy. As for the other directors who were his competitors, they were smiling too, but the desolation and unwillingness in their eyes were palpable. If they hadn't won this award themselves, they must have felt very unwilling...

He also noticed Halle Berry sitting in the audience.

When "Fury" was released, the rumored relationship between her and Pierce Brosnan had attracted unwanted attention. He remembered their movie had snatched the top spot in the box office during its first week.

Although it had been a while, they had publicly announced a peaceful breakup and claimed they would remain friends...

Truth and lies, lies and truth, who could really say?

After finishing his acceptance speech and holding the little golden statue, Lyman proceeded backstage as per the usual protocol. He had to do interviews and take photos.

As he followed the staff backstage, his agent, John, and Kevin Huvane approached him.

"How are you feeling? How's your mood?" Kevin seemed to be in a good mood and asked casually.

"It's alright, I didn't let everyone down. I've received the reward for their efforts," Lyman replied.

"Haha," Kevin chuckled and led Lyman towards the media area.

"Yes, I'm very happy. Yes, it was indeed unexpected for me to win this award. It's quite a surprising result..."

It wasn't until the next award was presented, and the winner entered the backstage area, that Lyman finally found a chance to escape the enthusiastic media.

He chatted with Kevin for a bit more before hurriedly returning to his seat. The awards ceremony hadn't truly ended yet, and he needed to show his respect for the Oscars.

His competitors around him gracefully congratulated him on his victory, and Lyman exchanged pleasantries with them.

Bella, watching this scene on TV, was delighted to see her admired director holding the trophy in success. Her favorite film from the 2002 Sundance Film Festival had won the Oscar. It filled her with a sense of pride.

She didn't want to watch the rest, so Bella stood up, turned off the TV, and suddenly thought of something. She ran to her bedroom, turned on the computer, and visited the IMDb website, finding the page for "3 Idiots". It turned out she wasn't the only one paying attention to this film. In the comments section below, the latest messages were all congratulating the film on winning Best Foreign Language Film.

Even on Lyman's personal page, there were many similar congratulatory messages.

The Best Foreign Language Film award ceremony had come to an end, and "3 Idiots", which had been strong throughout the awards season, secured victory with its absolute public relations prowess. It also won France its 7th little golden statue in history.

In the Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film category, Europe was always a popular contender. Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark... These countries were regulars in this category. Lyman's honor might not have been significant, but in the eyes of the French media, it showcased the style of the French people at the Oscars. So, as soon as the news was confirmed, relevant press releases were being prepared.

It was likely that the next day, it would become a topic of discussion in the French film industry. This was exactly the effect Lyman wanted to achieve. He needed to enhance his fame to elevate his status and directorial authority.

Luckily, the plan had gone smoothly.

Finally, amidst enthusiastic applause, the 75th Academy Awards ceremony came to an end.

The biggest winner undoubtedly was "Chicago", pushed by Miramax, winning an array of awards such as Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, and Best Sound, leaving them with a plethora of accolades.