Chapter 65

There are six awards in the Chinese film and television industry, three of which are given out in spring, and the remaining three are distributed in summer, autumn, and winter respectively. It’s clear that spring is indeed the season of hope. Without giving people a bit of sweetness, how can we ensure that they can endure a whole year of retrograde?

The first award is the Red Bean Award for TV dramas, which is mainly based on popularity. In the past, when communication was not as developed, three months before the award ceremony, letters would be sent to the organizing committee from all over the country like flocks of doves, with participants reaching millions. Now, the mountain of letters has diminished, but the Red Bean Award remains a weathervane of public taste.

“Trace Back to that Night” has not yet been broadcast, and it is scheduled for May this year, so naturally, it cannot be nominated. As for “Emperor’s Domain”, it was expected to be nominated for multiple awards — this palace drama quickly dominated the ratings after its broadcast. Whether it’s love and hate or political intrigue, it’s not top-notch, but it’s outstanding, naturally winning applause. As for “You in Teaching Building Seven”… getting a nomination is a pleasant surprise. Another web drama was also shortlisted with it. The common point of the two is that they were bought by local satellite TV for copyright after being broadcast on the internet.

At the award ceremony, the crew of “Emperor’s Domain” and “You in Teaching Building Seven” sat together, with Yan Zhao in the middle.

In the end, the crew of “Emperor’s Domain” won three “Most Popular” awards, namely the Most Popular TV Drama Award, the Most Popular Male Lead Award, and the Most Popular Male Supporting Actor Award – the latter was awarded to Yan Zhao. “You in Teaching Building Seven” did not win any awards, but Director Wang said that he was already very happy that a web drama could compete on the same stage with other TV dramas.

Not long after the Red Bean Awards, the more eye-catching Golden Crane Awards arrived—any award with gold or silver in its name tends to be quite prestigious, like the Oscars or the Berlin Silver Bear, for example.

The Golden Crane Awards selection encompassed films from the past year. Yan Zhao walked the red carpet and joined the “Tian Yuan” crew.

Yu Youyi sat beside him, scrolling through Weibo on her phone, but her mind wasn’t on the content. She refreshed the homepage several times, but she unable to load any new posts.

The assistant director whispered to Yan Zhao: “Director Yu has been in a frenzy since last night. She’s scrutinized every competitor’s film, and she becoming less and less confident, especially after seeing Xie Lianxue’s ‘1970,’ which nearly shattered her self-esteem.”

Yu Youyi said softly, “Xiao Liu, those who gossip behind others’ backs will go to the hell of tongue-pulling…”

Assistant Director: “Ahem.”

Yu Youyi sighed: “I really want to bribe the judges to see the results…”

Yan Zhao: “…That’s a very dangerous thought.”

The red carpet host was announcing the guests. In addition to the major nominated drama groups, there were also many stars who were pure spectators. After the name “Xie Lianxue” appeared, the next one was He Shengqi.

He Shengqi had dyed his hair back to black, and his attire was still extravagant, with a green thumb ring on his hand. His arm was held by a woman. The woman was quite tall, wearing flat shoes, and seemed to be at the same height as He Shengqi, even slightly taller. She was wearing a pearl white long dress, and her light makeup was enough to prove that her features were originally so heroic.

—Can a man not be heroic? Xie Lianxue is a famous cross-dresser in the circle, a man who outshines other actresses on the red carpet.

He Shengqi waved happily: “Male—”

Xie Lianxue stepped on his foot lightly, so the word “god” took a turn at the tip of his tongue, and He Shengqi reluctantly said, “Brother Yan.”

Xie Lianxue spoke in his natural voice, his voice cold and clear. As soon as he opened his mouth, he started talking about the script: “Yan Zhao, I thought about it last night. The ending for Tang Qi indeed lacks some dramatic elements. In the end, it’s better to let him atone for his sins through death.”

Tang Qi was the male lead role that recently taken on by Yan Zhao, with Xie Lianxue as the director.

This is their second meeting. The first time was in the audition room. Yan Zhao auditioned for the role of Tang Qi, and Xie Lianxue immediately decided on the lead actor on the spot. After that, because Yan Zhao was too busy filming, their communication was limited to online, but this did not prevent them from discussing the script.

Tang Qi’s character in the script was not a good person. Yan Zhao asked: “How should he die, suicide or homicide?”

Xie Lianxue: “It’s tentatively suicide, but it’s still under consideration.”

Yan Zhao thought for a moment and countered: “I think homicide would be better.”

He Shengqi listened with embarrassment, “Can you guys not discuss the method of death here? It’s creepy. This is an award ceremony!”

Under He Shengqi’s protest, they didn’t continue their discussion on ‘A Hundred Ways to Die’ and instead sat in their seats waiting for the ceremony to begin.

There were two hosts, a man and a woman, and as they announced the winners, applause erupted in waves.

Finally, it was time for the Best Actor award.

There were three nominees in total, Lin Junli from “1970”, Zhang You from “Beetle Driver”, and Yan Zhao from “Tian Yuan”.

Lin Junli had already won Best Actor before, so the likelihood of him winning again was slim, which meant the audience’s attention was on Yan Zhao and Zhang You. The live chat was filled with smoke from the barrage of comments, with fans from both sides afraid of being embarrassed later, not daring to claim victory, but a string of comments like “I’m going to sleep, wake me up if Zhaozhao wins” and “Go Little Octopus, you’re the best” was enough to show their attitudes.

He Shengqi said anxiously, “Why do they talk so much nonsense, can’t they just get to the point!”

Xie Lianxue said, “If you don’t stop shaking your leg, I’m going to give you a hard time.”

He Shengqi said, “I’m not shaking my leg, I’m shaking because I’m nervous.”

Xie Lianxue gave him a cold look, “You get so nervous when other people win awards, when you win an award, I think you’re going to jump up to the sky on the spot.”

He Shengqi said: “That’s not just anyone, that’s my male god!”

Xie Lianxue pinched his chin and twisted his head towards a certain direction, “Look at the state of your male god, isn’t it said that fans follow their idol, can’t you learn a bit?!”

He Shengqi looked over, his male god’s head nodding off, seemingly falling asleep…

Wait a minute, at such an important moment, how can you fall asleep!!!

For Yan Zhao, winning an award was good, but he didn’t set his expectations too high. Firstly, he had already achieved a grand slam before crossing over, so he was quite open-minded about trophies. Secondly, he acted mainly for his own enjoyment, and whether his acting was good or bad, improved or not, he had his own standards.

Without obsession, there was no nervousness. As the host rambled on and on, Yan Zhao listened until he felt sleepy.

His competitor Zhang You didn’t have the same mindset. He had watched “Tian Yuan”, entered the scene with the attitude of watching a popcorn flick, and exited with the memory of his glory and setbacks in the entertainment circle. Yan Zhao’s acting skills left a deep impression on him. He lacked confidence that he could win the favor of the judges more than Yan Zhao.

Sometimes, lack of confidence often determines the outcome.

The host held the envelope and read out the name on it: “Best Actor – Yan Zhao, from the ‘Tian Yuan’ crew!”

The applause was thunderous, and the camera cut to Yan Zhao the moment the host finished speaking.

Then the audience saw Yan Zhao nodding off like a pecking chicken.

Audience: …

How could he fall asleep?

Yan Zhao was awakened by Yu Youyi, looked around in a daze, and then realized that he had won an award.

After regaining his composure, he didn’t show the surprise others expected but calmly went on stage and delivered his acceptance speech calmly.

The crew members clapped wildly, and his fans, Salt Soda were about to explode the comment section with their excitement.

They had been nervous for two hours, just waiting for this moment!

Yan Zhao, Best Actor, from now on, their beloved idol is the Film Emperor Yan!

The fans who are more invested in his career are even happier. Since last year, Yan Zhao’s various data have been exploding exponentially. This year, he has won two major awards, Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor. Which other star can have this experience? The experience of being his fan is excellent!

There were also some haters who sarcastically mocked him, saying things like “Even someone with just popularity can become the Film Emperor, the Golden Crane Award has really fallen.” But this time, not only the Salt Soda, but also ordinary people retorted: [Do you really think that the 2 billion box office of ‘Tian Yuan’ was brushed up by fans? Aren’t ordinary viewers human? The general public likes it, who are you to judge?]

Salt Soda: [With the Best Actor award in hand, we laugh at the mad dogs.]

Subsequently, the host also announced the Best Actress and the Best Film of the Year, both of which went to “1970”.

Yu Youyi felt somewhat disappointed, but Yan Zhao comforted her: “It’s okay, we have a good reputation, we’re not lacking one award.”

The assistant director made up stories: “Exactly, and besides, we’ve made money, unlike next door who lost money!”

Xie Lianxue sneezed—just from the name “1970,” one could guess its theme. The box office wasn’t great, but it wasn’t so bad as to lose money.

After the award ceremony ended, Yan Zhao briefly answered a few questions from reporters and then left through the VIP exit.

He took out his phone, intending to call Shen Yuanting, but saw more than a dozen missed calls and a text message.

Yan Zhao was originally smiling, but after reading the first half of the text message, the smile in his eyes disappeared, turning into panic, mixed with a hint of bewildered helplessness.

The nurse said that Old Lady Shen passed away in her sleep, with a smile on her lips, probably having had a beautiful dream.

Later, Shen Yuanting told him that it was his grandfather’s birthday that day.

Regarding his grandmother’s death, Shen Yuanting was very calm, so calm that Yan Zhao was somewhat worried.

He wanted to comfort Shen Yuanting but feared his clumsy words would hurt him even more.

That night, Shen Yuanting held him as they slept, and in the middle of the night, he went to the balcony to smoke.

Yan Zhao couldn’t sleep either, so he went to accompany him. Shen Yuanting said to him: “I had a premonition a long time ago.”

From the first time he took Yan Zhao to visit her in the hospital, from the time she said she wanted to see her husband, Shen Yuanting had been prepared.

But when it all suddenly happened, there was still a dull pain spreading, like the fuzzy edges of the moon before the rain, blurring into the night.

The old lady had lived for over eighty years, and it was a happy funeral. On the day of the funeral, there was a light rain in the sky.

Apart from the Shen and Tang families, Yu Wei also came, in the name of the old lady’s student.

Tang Jingyan and Shen Zhongkai, like most people, were crying with tears streaming down their faces. Only the father and son of the Shen family and Yu Wei did not shed tears. The three of them formed a separate space. It can only be said that blood ties are indeed a shadow that people cannot shake off.

Later, Yan Zhao heard some rumors. For example, the faction that Tang Jingyan cultivated in the Shen Corporation was reported for suspected illegal activities and was uprooted. The vitality of the Shen Corporation was greatly damaged. Shen Zhongkai was kicked out of the president’s position by his father. Also, Shen Zhuo and Tang Jingyan separated, and both of them hired a team of lawyers. They were probably going to divorce… All in all, it’s unclear whether Yu Wei was fanning the flames in this.

But none of that mattered anymore because on a rainy day, Wang Zai brought home a cat.