The Cannes Film Festival wasn't limited to the opening and closing ceremonies' two red carpets. During the festival, all kinds of events, big and small—including screenings of many films—featured red-carpet segments.
If one wanted to, they could bring a dozen or so formal gowns and shamelessly grind through a whole series of red-carpet "dungeons."
It just wouldn't be very cost-effective.
Most female entertainers still had their sights set on the opening ceremony's red carpet. It was the liveliest and attracted the most attention.
The next choice was the closing ceremony's award red carpet. But that one was basically reserved for people whose works had been nominated.
So generally speaking, female entertainers like Hu Manyin, who came to Cannes with the intention of freeloading off the red carpet, focused mainly on the opening ceremony's red carpet.
If nothing unexpected happened, she could get it done within two days, from arrival to departure.
As for Whiplash...
Hu Manyin didn't even remember what the film she had acted in back then was called.
She had never asked about it, either, because deep down, she had thought it was bound to flop.
She hadn't even told her agent that she had acted in a film like that.
Bai Youlou? Please. What reliable movie could he possibly make?
Besides, the shoot had been far too short. When Director He from the film academy contacted her, she happened to be resting at home. She didn't want to offend him, so she had gone over to shoot a few scenes.
It had been practically the same as taking a part-time job over the weekend back when she was in school.
And it had been an under-the-table job at that—she hadn't split the earnings with her agency.
So her company and her agent had actually had no idea