After getting home from work, Fu Yunshen took a shower, changed into his bathrobe, and poured himself a glass of red wine as he settled into the sofa. Finally, he could enjoy a moment of peace. He felt like a parent who had finally sent their two kids to relatives and was now free to relax.

At that moment, the system suddenly chimed in: 【Fifth Master, an important plot character has been detected at the awards ceremony.】

Fu Yunshen replied, 【…Couldn’t you have told me earlier?】

The system responded sheepishly: 【He only just appeared suddenly, too…】

【Which character is it?】 Fu Yunshen downed his glass of red wine and set the goblet down.

【This… Since you haven’t encountered him yet, the plot hasn’t triggered, so I can’t extract the plot information for now.】 The system explained, 【After all, logically speaking, if the plot hasn’t triggered from the beginning, it’s as if there’s no future in this book.】

【I understand.】 Fu Yunshen nodded,【The story must start from when I meet him, right?】

【Yes.】 The system added, 【There may be other conditions as well. Are you going to the scene, Fifth Master?】

【Yes.】 Fu Yunshen was not the type to sit idly by; he preferred to actively tackle the plot of these six books.

Fu Yunshen quickly had someone contact the organizers, and over half an hour later, he and his assistant were welcomed into the backstage area by the event’s high-ranking officials. The assistant politely saw off the organizers who had come to greet them, and Fu Yunshen entered the lounge that had been specially prepared for him.

“Sir, here’s the agenda and personnel list from the organizers,” the assistant soon said after receiving the relevant materials.

The LCD TV in the lounge was also broadcasting the earlier part of the awards ceremony. Fu Yunshen skimmed through the agenda; the ceremony was currently in its first half, presenting technical awards such as Best Cinematography and Best Editing. They hadn’t yet reached the Best Supporting Actor award for Lu Ning.

As he flipped through the pages of the list, he couldn’t discern anything special from the current information.

Just then, the awards ceremony progressed to the Best Screenwriter category: “The winner of the 18th Golden Bell Award for Best Screenwriter in a Television Series is—Xu Qingli for Black Dawn.”

Xu Qingli? Hearing that somewhat familiar name, Fu Yunshen looked up at the TV. Xu Qingli walked onto the stage amidst applause and received the trophy from the award presenter.

Fu Yunshen recognized the person on stage—Xu Qingli, the award-winning screenwriter, who seemed to be his grandnephew’s ex-boyfriend. After all, his grandnephew had gone through quite a tumultuous time over this relationship, with his elder sister getting involved and creating quite a scene.

What connection could this person have to the plot?

However, he remembered that Xu Qingli’s character didn’t seem very commendable. Compared to his beloved godson and his pampered cat, Xu Qingli was lacking; not everyone was fit to be a protagonist, after all.

On stage, Xu Qingli began his acceptance speech with palpable excitement: “Thank you…”

After a lengthy and very formal expression of gratitude, Xu Qingli looked toward a specific spot in the audience, and the camera followed suit: “I would like to give special thanks to my boyfriend, Fang Rui. When I was writing this script, I encountered many difficulties, and he was always there to encourage me and provided me with a lot of inspiration…”

In the frame was Fu Yunshen’s grandnephew, Fang Rui.

Fu Yunshen’s expression darkened. He recalled that these two had broken up, hadn’t they? Why were they getting entangled again?

Once the Best Screenwriter award was presented, Xu Qingli left the stage. After a while, Fang Rui got up from his seat, and Xu Qingli followed suit, glancing in the direction Fang Rui was heading before also departing.

At that moment, the system urged, 【Fifth Master, quickly go outside and take a look.]

Following the system’s prompt, Fu Yunshen wandered through the backstage area.

Fang Rui had just arrived backstage when he spotted someone and said, clearly displeased, “What are you doing here? I already made it clear to you—you’re just a plaything to me.”

As Fu Yunshen turned the corner, he heard his grandnephew utter such shameful words, leaving him feeling somewhat conflicted: “…”

【The youth of today really baffle me.】

The system replied, 【Oh, it’s just the classic domineering CEO line. In the book, you, Fifth Master, have said just as many powerful things.】

Fu Yunshen: 【……】

He could recognize Fang Rui’s voice but had no idea who he was talking to. He didn’t think his grandnephew would speak to Xu Qingli in that tone.

Fang Rui continued, “Just say how much money you want, and take it so you can get lost.”

The other person scoffed, “You’re nothing but your uncle’s puppet. Do you really think you’re someone important?”

Suddenly mentioned, Fu Yunshen felt helpless; no, he wouldn’t take the blame for this. He hadn’t raised a grandnephew like Fang Rui.

The other person was furious: “I just want back what’s mine. Do you dare say who really wrote the original script?”

Fang Rui denied it, “The script was written entirely by Ah Li. I know you’re jealous of Ah Li, but I advise you to get lost…”

“Ah Rui!” At that moment, Xu Qingli, who had followed behind, suddenly appeared, “What are you doing with him?!”

Fu Yunshen rubbed his temples; this was truly a complicated emotional drama, and having a grandnephew like this was exhausting.

Not wanting to watch Fang Rui bully someone, he stepped out from around the corner and immediately spotted the three people about to clash.

Xu Qingli was indeed strikingly handsome; it was no wonder his grandnephew was so infatuated. But the person standing opposite them bore a striking resemblance to Xu Qingli—was that a five-point similarity?

However, in Fu Yunshen’s eyes, aside from superficial looks, this other person had a more outstanding presence. He wore a light blue thin sweater, was tall, and exuded a cool demeanor with an air of scholarly distinction that set him apart from Xu Qingli. His grandnephew, though, treasured Xu Qingli as if he were gold, which showed a continued lack of taste.

No, the real issue was that his grandnephew had found two people who looked so much alike. What kind of scummy behavior was that? Having a bit of understanding about the tropes in stories like the system’s, Fu Yunshen began to piece things together—was this person the so-called substitute?

The moment Fang Rui saw Fu Yunshen, his legs went weak: “Uncle… Uncle, what are you doing here?”

Xu Qingli immediately composed himself, nodding respectfully as he addressed, “Mr. Fu.”

The other individual, however, merely lifted his chin, his attitude towards Fu Yunshen cold and disdainful.

Fu Yunshen chose to ignore the other two and focused on reprimanding his grandnephew: “You need to stay home and reflect on your actions for the next few days. Correct your mistakes.” He didn’t know the specifics of the grievances among the three and couldn’t delve deeper into their matters.

Fang Rui felt the pressure, his entire being tense, and replied, “I understand, Uncle.”

Fu Yunshen asked the system, 【Has the plot not been triggered yet?】 In his view, if there was to be a protagonist in this situation, it should be this individual.

However, his identity… was he Fang Rui’s substitute boyfriend? What kind of twisted family drama was this? Fu Yunshen was not on board with that.

【No, it hasn’t.】 The system sounded a bit perplexed. 【Why can’t the plot be triggered? Does a certain condition need to be met?】

【What condition?】 Fu Yunshen furrowed his brows.

【It’s nothing.】 The system quickly replied, 【If that condition doesn’t appear, then none of this has anything to do with you, Fifth Master, so I can’t tell you yet.】

【As a humanitarian system, I sincerely hope that condition doesn’t appear either.】

This feeling of being out of control made Fu Yunshen somewhat displeased. However, from the system’s words, he could deduce that the protagonist of the third story was indeed this individual. Rather than worry about an uncertain future, it would be better to go back and investigate this person thoroughly.

At that moment, his assistant approached him and whispered, “Sir, it’s almost time for Mr. Lu Ning. Would you like to go take a look?”

Fu Yunshen glanced at Fang Rui: “Be a decent person.” Then he turned and walked away.

“The organizers have prepared a seat for you in front. Would you like to go see the event…”

The staff guided Fu Yunshen to the specially added seat, which was in the front row, a few spots away from Yu Zhou in the middle. When Yu Zhou noticed the commotion, he leaned forward to take a look.

The surrounding big shots were quite surprised; how did someone of his stature end up in such a small gathering? It truly felt like a step down.

However, when they glanced at the nominees for Best Supporting Actor, some seemed to understand.

Fu Yunshen already knew the list of winners from the organizers, and indeed, the Best Supporting Actor was none other than his beloved godson. But when the award presenter announced Lu Ning’s name and Fu Yunshen saw Lu Ning walk onto the stage with a smile, receiving the trophy amidst applause, he felt a sense of accomplishment as if he had successfully raised a child.

Lu Ning wore his usual gentle smile, radiating just the right amount of joy—an entirely standard demeanor for accepting an award. As he stood at the microphone to deliver his acceptance speech, his gaze suddenly landed on Fu Yunshen in the audience, and his eyes lit up instantly.

He looked at Fu Yunshen and began, “I would also like to give special thanks to…”

Fu Yunshen caught Lu Ning’s gaze and gently shook his head.

Lu Ning then beamed brightly: “I want to particularly thank our lead actor in Summer Paradise, Senior Xiao Ping, for his support…”

He certainly knew that his mentor didn’t like being discussed by people in the entertainment industry, so he would never mention Fu Yunshen’s name in such a setting. What thrilled him was that his mentor had specifically come to watch him receive the award, and he appreciated the encouraging look from Fu Yunshen.

Next, Lu Ning expressed his gratitude towards the male lead Xiao Ping, who had initially led the effort to isolate him during filming, praising him in a way that seemed genuine and naive—like a simple actor who was oblivious to others’ malice, grateful for everything.

Of course, it was already known from media reports about Lu Ning’s experiences on set, and his “sincere” speech served to highlight the stark contrast of Xiao Ping’s malicious behavior.

After watching Lu Ning receive his award, Fu Yunshen left the venue. To be honest, the entertainment industry held no significance for him; only his own child was worthy of his attention.

As night fell, Yu Zhou and Lu Ning stayed until the awards ceremony concluded. When it was over, the stars, directors, and investors began to rise and engage in polite exchanges.

Yu Zhou intended to find Lu Ning in the area designated for stars but was unexpectedly stopped by Zhou Yi, who was accompanied by a personal assistant.

Zhou Yi smiled politely and said, “Senior Yu.”

Although he had a strained relationship with Zhou Yi, decorum demanded that he maintain politeness in front of so many people. Yu Zhou replied, “Mr. Zhou.”

Zhou Yi pointed to the person next to him and introduced, “This is our company’s Ji Yan, who is your junior and also your fan.”

“Hello,” Yu Zhou said.

Ji Yan was very enthusiastic: “Senior Yu, I’m your fan! It’s such a pleasure to meet you today.” As he spoke, he extended his hand, wanting to shake hands with Yu Zhou.

Yu Zhou had always maintained a good attitude toward fans, whether they were genuine or not. He smiled and said, “Thank you for your support.” However, he usually ignored handshakes, not caring about how the media would portray him as arrogant.

Though Yu Zhou’s true fans understood his germophobia, they might still find it difficult to explain this situation, which could lead to headlines about how he disrespected fans by refusing to shake hands.

As Lu Ning approached, he sighed inwardly: His mentor’s naive sweetness needed him to step in to protect it.

Ji Yan still had his hand extended when suddenly Lu Ning appeared beside him. Lu Ning reached out, taking Ji Yan’s hand instead of Yu Zhou’s, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he said enthusiastically, “It’s wonderful that you’re a fan of Senior Yu! So am I!”