In the quiet and peaceful living room, the ceiling light had yet to be turned on by its owner. Amid the deep darkness, only the dazzling, brilliant neon lights of the city streamed faintly through the window, casting a dim glow into the room.

Rong Xu’s view was completely blocked by the man’s body. His waist was held tightly in the other’s embrace, and a warmth began to spread gently from the point where their skin touched, gradually flowing outward.

“You are my Best Actor.”

…You are my Best Actor.

It was hard to say exactly what kind of feeling this was, but when these words whispered by his ear, it seemed like nothing else mattered anymore.

To say it didn’t matter at all would be a lie. Before the Golden Phoenix Awards ceremony, Rong Xu had already prepared himself mentally, knowing that his chances of winning were very low. One could say: if Wen Xuan had little chance of becoming Best Actress, then he had just as little chance of becoming Best Actor.

And the result was—Wen Xuan didn’t win Best Actress, and he also didn’t win Best Actor.

No actor can easily let go of something like this. Rong Xu didn’t think he was that magnanimous. His rational side told him that there was nothing wrong with the result—he still needed to keep moving forward. He’d only debuted less than two years ago, acted in just a few films, with shallow experience and not yet at his peak.

But emotionally, he couldn’t ignore that faint twinge of disappointment and regret.

Yet after Qin Cheng said those words, an indescribable feeling slowly welled up from deep within him—soft and dense—creeping up to his heart.

After a while, the boy chuckled softly, raised his head, and said, “Alright, I think that’s great. Since I’m your Best Actor, then Mr. Qin, you’ll have to present me with the award…” He paused, thought for a moment, then his eyes curved with laughter: “If you don’t have a trophy, I’ll accept a prize as compensation.”

In the darkness, among the dim lights, only the boy’s bright, smiling eyes sparkled as if they held an entire night sky—beautiful like the stars. Seeing such a sight, Qin Cheng’s throat tightened unconsciously. His thin lips curved slightly as he asked, “What kind of prize do you want?”

“You tell me, what should I want?”

Qin Cheng chuckled calmly. “There’ll be a prize. But I’ll give you a trophy too.”

This time, it was Rong Xu’s turn to be stunned. “Huh?”

The light flicked on with a soft click. Rong Xu hadn’t yet adjusted to the sudden brightness when the man grabbed his hand and pulled him all the way toward the home theater.

As they stepped into the spacious room, Qin Cheng headed straight toward two large cabinets. Rong Xu suddenly had a realization. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to…”

Qin Cheng raised his hand and opened the cabinet doors. Four full rows of trophies gleamed under the lights.

Rong Xu: “……”

Qin Cheng scanned the full shelves up and down, pondering for a moment. Then he reached out and pulled down a Golden Phoenix Award trophy from the fourth row and handed it straight into Rong Xu’s hand.

Rong Xu: “I mean…”

Qin Cheng picked up another Golden Phoenix Award and decisively stuffed it into Rong Xu’s other hand.

Rong Xu: “…Hey!”

Next came a third little golden statue. At this point, Rong Xu could barely hold them all, but the man simply placed it beside the cabinet and continued taking out trophies one by one. He eventually pulled out about eleven trophies, leaving behind another twenty or so from lesser awards.

After he was done, the strikingly handsome man turned around, leaned against the cabinet, and said slowly and deliberately, “Now you’ve got trophies.”

Rong Xu: “……”

His soft lips curled slightly as he let out a light laugh—but his words feigned annoyance: “Are you trying to provoke me? Giving me your trophies—are you trying to make fun of me?”

“Am I?”

He had expected the other to explain, but hearing this, Rong Xu was momentarily taken aback. Looking at Qin Cheng’s calm expression, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “So you’re not trying to provoke me? Then tell me—these trophies don’t have my name on them. What do I want them for?”

“They’re mine,” Qin Cheng replied, extending his arms and naturally wrapping them around the boy’s waist. “But I’m yours.”

The angry retort he had prepared got stuck in his throat.

Rong Xu looked up at the man before him. Still that cold and perfect face, expression steady and composed—just like every fan imagined. This was a man who remained calm and restrained, almost never losing composure. Yet who would’ve thought that he could speak such sweet, almost childish words with such a detached and handsome face?

Suddenly, countless words flashed through Rong Xu’s mind. In the end, they all condensed into two simple syllables—

Chuumi.

He couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing this, Qin Cheng raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised. But the next second, he watched his boy suddenly set the trophies aside, quickly rise on tiptoe, cup his face with both hands, and plant a light kiss on his lips.

Just a feather-light kiss. Qin Cheng’s eyes widened in mild surprise.

But in that close distance, the boy’s eyes were clear as water, his voice helpless yet warm: “If it’s you, Qin Cheng… then I surrender.”

“Surrender to what—mmph…”

The handsome, radiant boy suddenly kissed him again. But this time, it was no longer fleeting. The searing kiss erupted like a spark. Qin Cheng slowly tightened his hold around his lover’s slender waist, pulling him closer until their chests were flush—feeling the wild beating of each other’s hearts through their clothes.

Their lips and tongues entwined, and the room was quickly filled with a tender, intoxicating air. The kiss carried them into the bedroom. Clothes were discarded hastily along the way. Perhaps in their rush, they didn’t even close the bedroom door fully, leaving a small crack. From that tiny gap came the boy’s soft, beautiful voice.

It sounded like he was whispering “I love you” over and over.

And just as they were about to reach the peak, Qin Cheng bent down and captured Rong Xu’s lips again, devouring them. At that moment, Rong Xu couldn’t help but clutch the man’s arm tightly and cry out softly, “Qin Cheng!”

A deep, husky voice rang by his ear the next moment—

“I am your prize.”

Because it was late, and both were exhausted, they only did it once. Qin Cheng then carried his now-asleep boy to the bathroom to wash up. He patiently massaged the boy’s waist and legs for ten whole minutes before finally carrying him back to bed and lying down beside him.

Bathed in the hazy moonlight, Qin Cheng lowered his gaze and quietly studied the sleeping boy in his arms. A while later, he picked up the phone from the bedside table and posted a Weibo.

[@LoyusPasteOrangeFilling]:
I like him. More and more with each passing day. Just seeing him makes me happy ^_^

After posting that Weibo, Qin Cheng lowered his head and gently kissed Rong Xu on the lips before drifting off to sleep in exhaustion.
What he didn’t know was that, once his breathing had grown steady, the youth in his arms quietly opened his eyes.

Rong Xu lifted his gaze and slowly looked at the man before him. His eyes traced over the man’s long, narrow phoenix eyes, his high nose bridge, and finally landed on those tightly pressed, thin lips.

The corners of his own lips curled up slightly. Rong Xu leaned in and secretly gave the man a kiss too. Then, ever so carefully, he reached out to grab the phone on the cabinet. Even before he could unlock the screen, he saw a notification.

Rong Xu stared in surprise at the Weibo notification from someone on his close-follow list, then let out a quiet chuckle and posted a Weibo of his own.

[@How to Perfectly Eat an Orange]
Tip.6: If it’s you, then I surrender. I like every version of you and me. I’ll spoil you for a lifetime. I like you more with every passing day ^_^

The hazy moonlight veiled everything, hiding secrets beneath the thick blanket of night.

The day after the Golden Phoenix Awards ceremony, all major newspapers and magazines in Huaxia published news covering the event. Among them, Black Clouds was undoubtedly the biggest winner. Besides the film taking Best Picture, Director Xu and the actors who won Best Actor and Best Actress also drew considerable public attention.

That’s how it is with winners—no matter how well-reviewed Wen Xuan had been before the ceremony, no matter how much stir Rong Xu’s double nomination had caused—since neither won, they naturally weren’t the focus of conversation the next day.

Wen Xuan, a veteran in the industry, had risen through the ranks step by step, so she didn’t feel too bitter about it. Instead, she felt sympathetic toward her fellow underdog Rong Xu. Early in the morning, she called him to offer comfort and cheerfully said, “Lunch at the usual place!”

And so, Rong Xu had no choice but to abandon a certain man—who was heavy with resentment—and headed to the club for their meetup.

The Qin Fengfeng Club showed up five strong this time. Aside from Xia Muyan, Jennifer, and Hugh, everyone was there.

Given that both Rong Xu and Wen Xuan had lost at the Golden Phoenix Awards the night before, Lin Xuan, Chu Qi, and James initially avoided bringing it up—worried it would hurt their feelings. Especially with Rong Xu, whom everyone still regarded as a true newcomer. First, he was hyped with two nominations, raised to the skies, only to walk away empty-handed—surely, the kid must be upset.

But they had barely finished one dish when Rong Xu noticed their hesitant behavior. Calmly, the youth lifted his lips in a smile and said, “The Berlin and Oscar nominations haven’t been announced yet. I’m not in a rush.”

Lin Xuan: “……”

Chu Qi: “……”

James: “……”

Wen Xuan choked on a piece of meat: “Cough cough cough cough! Rongrong, I’ve never seen someone so shameless!”

After Rong Xu so deliberately brought it up, the group finally relaxed and began joking around again.
After lunch, Wen Xuan suggested they all go sing karaoke: “It’s a small group today. I’ll call a few more friends over later. But fewer people has its perks. Last night with Qin Cheng around—I wouldn’t dare sing in front of that guy.”

Rong Xu asked curiously, “Why not, Sister Xuan?”

Wen Xuan’s mouth twitched, shaking her head with lingering fear: “No… no reason.”

Chu Qi laughed loudly: “Rongrong, don’t listen to her. She got roasted by Qin Cheng once. And honestly, it’s not just Qin Cheng—I don’t want to sing with her either. Her singing is… well, powerful enough to shake the heavens and make ghosts weep. Why do you think she only released one single when she crossed over into music? That one song alone probably made the sound engineer lose all his brain cells.”

Wen Xuan: “GET OUT!!!”

Though they teased her, the group still headed to karaoke together. Wen Xuan and Lin Xuan even called a few more industry friends to join.

Among them, Chu Qi and Lin Xuan were professional singers, and two of the newcomers were also vocalists. Listening to them sing really was a treat. Rong Xu mostly just listened quietly from the side—chatting now and then with a certain man guarding the house back home.

He had a relaxed, pleasant afternoon.

But what he didn’t know was that, starting from noon, strange comments had begun surfacing online.

Yuan Xiaoyi, a seasoned Rong fan, had of course watched the entire Golden Phoenix Awards ceremony the night before. Even though her dear Rongrong hadn’t won, she still felt proud and happy for him.
Even without a trophy, Rongrong could keep striving forward. Her boy was so amazing—he would absolutely receive everything he deserved in the future!

However, after a night of calm, it was as if the dam broke—starting from noon, forums, comment sections, and Weibo were flooded with shady, snide remarks:

[I thought Rong Xu was going to skyrocket with those double nominations, but turns out he didn’t win a thing. Lame. The way he was hyped up before the awards, you’d think he already won. In the end, he was just a seat filler. Amazing—our elite-level seat warmer.]

[Hahaha, elite seat warmer—upvote that.]

[A while ago Rong fans were screaming like he already bagged the award. I caught a bit of the ceremony last night—nearly died laughing. I think Rong Xu’s about average. If even Black Clouds couldn’t make him Best Actor, what else could he possibly do? Don’t tell me he’s gonna start singing now lol.]

Seeing all this, Yuan Xiaoyi’s eyes were practically spitting fire. She was about to go off in the replies when a fellow Rong fan suddenly sent her a message.
She opened it—and saw a Weibo screenshot.

[Veteran Film Critic]
Black Clouds was without doubt one of the best Chinese-language films of 2044. The film swept eight Golden Phoenix Awards and took home Best Picture. Rong Xu has already reached the peak of his career with this performance. His portrayal of Ling Xiao is an eternal classic.
To debut and immediately reach your peak—this film was a stroke of luck for Rong Xu. Surely, even greater things await him. [image]

Yuan Xiaoyi: “!!!”

YOU peaked at debut!

YOU reached your career peak!

Rongrong has NOT peaked! He can be even better, even more dazzling!

---

Author’s Note:
Qin Chengcheng: Rongrong, your delivery has arrived~ Hurry and sign for your baby! o(////▽////)q!!!

Rongrong: As the bottom, let me spoil you, okay? ^_^