Listening to the rising tide of discussion and screams around him, Xu Lingjia, without warning, shoved the staff member blocking him to the ground and was about to rush towards the red carpet.

He had only taken two or three steps when the world suddenly spun. When his vision refocused, he was already being pinned to the ground by security guards who had appeared out of nowhere, his hands cuffed behind his back.

His face pressed against the ground, a raw, painful feeling spreading, Xu Lingjia struggled and shouted, “Let go of me! I’m Xu Lingjia! I need to walk the red carpet, I’m the winner of the Best Newcomer award, let go, I need to go accept my award!”

The awards ceremony hadn’t even started yet, but the news that Xu Lingjia, dressed in Delphi haute couture, was denied entry to the Jinyun Awards for not having an invitation, had not only pushed a staff member but also yelled that he was the winner of the Best Newcomer award, before finally being subdued by security, was already flying everywhere.

“—If he won Best Newcomer, then the Jinyun Awards would be finished.”

“—Not just the Jinyun Awards, the entire domestic film industry would be finished!”

“—Those who were hyping up Xu Lingjia wearing the current season’s new haute couture probably didn’t expect this, huh? Your precious idol can’t even get on the red carpet hahaha!”

“—Wouldn’t fans of a main character like that be the ones who are embarrassed? Anyway, if I were a fan of Shen Xici, I would never have a chance to be embarrassed. My tail would be up in the air!”

The topic #ShenXiciRedCarpetSahernySuperSeasonDebut# shot to the top of the real-time hot search list at lightning speed. On the official Weibo of the international top luxury brand Saherny, Shen Xici’s professionally edited red carpet photos were pinned to the top. It was simultaneously claimed on their international social media, and the chief designer’s statement from their international account was also brought over.

“—What do you call prestige! The muse the chief designer was talking about was actually Shen Xici! And he said he was extremely eager for his muse to wear the clothes he designed, ‘Fortunately, Shen Xici was willing to cooperate with Saherny.’ Who understands the value of that sentence!”

“—Even though I’m a fan of Shen Xici, I read this trending topic several times, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. Bro, you’re making us so proud!!”

“—There are a lot of people here, so I’ll ask, is anyone selling the ‘Son of the Mountain God’ photo card set? Buying at a high price! His first time on the red carpet and he gets a super-season debut instantly claimed by Saherny. The metaphysical buff might be real!!”

“—I was just arguing with anti-fans that Xici would never wear some unknown brand’s clothes, and then this trending topic hits me? I’m not going to argue anymore, the anti-fan on the other side poses absolutely no threat…”

“—Huh, where did all those Jia fans who were stubbornly cursing Shen Xici just now go? Why haven’t we seen your Jiajia yet? Is he stuck in traffic and missed the red carpet? Didn’t you say your Jiajia has super strong fashion resources and is wearing Delphi’s new ready-to-wear? Let me see~”

At 7:30 PM, the awards ceremony officially began.

The process was long, and the jokes the hosts threw out weren’t very funny. Because it was a live broadcast, to avoid being caught on camera, everyone had to maintain their posture and expression at all times.

Wen Yage adjusted her skirt. Taking advantage of the stage lights dimming for the next act, she whispered a complaint to Shen Xici, “It’s the same routine every year. My back and waist are so sore. Can’t they speed it up?” She sat up straight again, controlling her volume. “I had my assistant order me takeout timed to arrive. As soon as this is over, I can eat in my van.”

Shen Xici’s eyes were on the stage, but he leaned his upper body slightly and asked in a curious low voice, “What did you order?”

Wen Yage’s eyes lit up. “Barbecue! And crayfish!”

Shen Xici had only eaten crayfish once. The shell and claws were too hard, and he hadn’t controlled his strength well. It was only after he finished eating that he realized his hands were covered in blood. So he had no particular craving for crayfish, but to maintain his condition, he had skipped both lunch and dinner. “I’m a little hungry too.”

Wen Yage half-covered her red lips. “I’ll send you pictures later to satisfy your craving.”

The conversation lasted less than half a minute. After they finished, both focused on the show. They didn’t know that this scene had been captured by sharp-eyed viewers, and #WenYageShenXiciWealthySiblings# instantly blew up in popularity.

“—Sister Wen’s looks are top-tier, and Shen Xici’s looks are also top-tier. I’m begging a director to write a sibling script for them! So easy on the eyes!”

“—Does anyone know what they were talking about? The atmosphere seems so good! A new movie? A new role? They both look so serious!”

“—A fan who can lip-read figured it out. They were talking about crayfish, and Shen Xici even said he was hungry hahaha!”

“—The two of them looked so serious, I thought they were discussing some big, serious matter. Crayfish? Hahahaha! The wealthy crayfish siblings with a unique style!”

The awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor had all been presented. When it came to Best Actress, Wen Yage’s portrayal of “Du Yu” was nominated.

In the end, the Jinyun Award for Best Actress this year went to a fifty-year-old actress with exquisite acting skills and an excellent reputation in the industry. The camera cut to Wen Yage several times, but perhaps because she never expected to win from the beginning, her expression was always well-managed.

After that award was given, the next was Best Supporting Actor. Wen Yage asked, “You’re nominated for Best Newcomer?”

Shen Xici hummed in agreement. “That’s what my agent said.”

Wen Yage was afraid he would feel defeated and comforted him, “It’s okay. In the future, you’ll have so many trophies they won’t even fit in your house. You won’t be short of one or two.”

She was indeed very optimistic about Shen Xici, especially after their chat at the Plum Garden. She felt even more strongly that although Shen Xici was still a newcomer, he had his own unique views on acting, characters, and even directing and cinematography. He wasn’t influenced by his surroundings, and he had the patience and could endure loneliness. An actor like that just needed time to grow wings, and he would transform into the fish of the northern seas.

The next award had nothing to do with him. The guests on stage were reminiscing about the past. Shen Xici quietly began to space out, fantasizing about what to eat for a late-night snack after the ceremony. The thought of crayfish had whetted his appetite. He felt like eating something with strong flavors. He wondered if Sheng Shaoyan would be interested.

In his memory, the raw ingredients for Sheng Shaoyan’s food were flown in from a dedicated farm after being harvested, and then cooked by a chef according to a nutritional menu to ensure freshness and health.

But during that month in Sui County, sometimes when he bought street food and couldn’t finish it, Sheng Shaoyan would quickly finish the rest.

From that perspective, Sheng Shaoyan probably wasn’t averse to this kind of flavorful, not-so-healthy delicacy.

“…And now, please look at the big screen!”

“Nominated for the 46th Jinyun Awards for Best Supporting Actor are: Wang Zheng, ‘Towards the Sun’; Sun Daoqian, ‘Summit of the High Mountain’, … Shen Xici, ‘Mountain Range Line’.”

At the same time, in the audience, the cameras cut to the several nominated actors on the big screen. Shen Xici suddenly heard his name, and his bewildered expression as he looked up was magnified several times.

The live bullet comments and the “Jinyun Awards” topic on Weibo were full of “hahaha.”

“—Now I believe this award isn’t rigged. Shen Xici’s expression doesn’t look like acting at all hahahaha!”

“—Shen Xici, you got caught spacing out! You look just like me when I’m daydreaming in class and suddenly get called on by the teacher!!”

“—Shen Xici! Snap out of it! You’re nominated for Best Supporting Actor!”

“—Isn’t this the birth of a new meme? A big, fat, bewildered look hahaha!”

On stage, the two veteran artists opened the envelope and read, “The winner of the 46th Jinyun Award for Best Supporting Actor is—Shen Xici, ‘Mountain Range Line’!”

Applause roared like a tidal wave. Shen Xici stood up, shook hands and hugged the director and Zhong Yue sitting next to him, then strode onto the stage.

Holding the heavy, golden trophy in his hand, standing behind the microphone, Shen Xici finally had a sense of the reality that “he had won an award.”

In his past life, he had won his first Best Supporting Actor award for the role of “Yu Yan” in his third film, “The Grand Theft,” which was already in his third year in the industry.

And in this life, it was more than a year earlier.

When he was a child, after learning he had congenital insensitivity to pain, for a period of time, fear was his constant companion. He was terrified that one day he would be walking in the mountains or by a river and just die like that. His adoptive mother, Zhuo Suli, and Wu Licheng would certainly not come looking for him. He would just disappear without a sound, no one would remember, and no one would care.

So, when he initially decided to act, besides the reason of needing to earn a lot of money in a short time, he also selfishly hoped that more people would like him, that more people would remember him.

That way, even if he died suddenly one day, at least he would have left a mark on this world. He wouldn’t be truly uncared for by anyone.

Facing the microphone, Shen Xici looked out at the audience and said seriously, “A lifetime is too short. I long to experience and feel the lives of the characters in plays, as if my own life is also being extended. Thank you, Director Wan Shan, for giving me this opportunity to act. Thank you to all the staff of the crew. Thank you to the judges for your recognition. Thank you to everyone who supports me. I will do my best to give soul to my characters. Thank you.”

Back in his seat, Shen Xici took out his phone, quickly took a picture of the golden trophy, and then sent it to Sheng Shaoyan.

Beside him, Wen Yage covered her mouth and teased, “Sharing with your boyfriend? You really can’t wait a single moment. You young couple’s pink bubbles are floating all the way over to me.”

Being reminded, Shen Xici suddenly realized that he had indeed been eager to share this news with Sheng Shaoyan, even though Sheng Shaoyan must have already seen him receive the award on the live broadcast.

But the photo had already been sent.

Just then, a new reply popped up.

[A’Shao: Are you hungry? I’m waiting for you outside. After the awards ceremony, we’ll celebrate together.]

Seeing this message, Shen Xici felt as if a certain crack in his heart was being filled, little by little.

The award for Best Supporting Actress had been presented without him realizing it. The previous year’s Best Actress winner opened the envelope and read, “The winner of the Best Newcomer Actor Award is—Shen Xici!”

Shen Xici walked onto the stage for the second time.

Under the lights of the stage, the white shirt shimmered like moonlight on a lake. Shen Xici stood tall and elegant, speaking into the microphone, “To be honest with everyone, I didn’t expect to have the honor of standing here a second time to receive a second trophy, so I’ve already used the speech I prepared. I’m trying hard to think of a new one.”

The audience let out a good-natured laugh.

Shen Xici paused for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the ring on his left hand. Then, he looked directly at the camera, his voice clear and resonant, “I want to thank A’Shao, who accompanied me to the set every day, helped me with my lines, and taught me archery. I thank the character of the mute boy. I thank the old woman who patiently taught me to play the leaf flute. And I thank myself for never giving up easily and becoming a better version of myself.”