Chapter 227: Proposal and Blessings

Chapter 227: Proposal and Blessings

"Best Leading Actress for 'Guilty Heart' - He Baobao, Tang Fei!" Zhou Weichuan announced the winner to the audience, as expected, Tang Fei's deserving win in 'Guilty Heart' was illuminated by the spotlights. The camera panned to the young director Du Qi, who stood up to cheer Tang Fei on. She made her way slowly from the audience, her white dress seemingly glowing under the lights.

Tang Fei's dazzling brilliance was captured vividly by both television and online live streams.

Meanwhile, the director of 'Mercury City', Chen Ye, who was also a contender for Best Leading Actress, was also caught on camera to capture his reaction. Chen Ye gently applauded and gave Tang Fei a thumbs-up, indicating that despite the overlapping competition between their films, there was no animosity between them, especially since both had reaped significant awards.

Fans watching from their TVs, computers, and mobile devices screamed in excitement.

Tang Fei's journey had been arduous. In just three to four years, she had gone from being criticized for her acting, likened to still images, to achieving this milestone. Throughout this period, Tang Fei's popularity had been intertwined with controversies. Despite Tang Fei's declaration of not participating in a certain award ceremony anymore after some manipulations to prevent her from winning, her fans still held a grudge.

Last year, the Feiyun Award and Changjiang Award were awarded to Tang Fei, with some suggesting it was to appease public opinion, fearing that Tang Fei might expose the inside story of the awards, implying that they were not entirely clean. This somewhat undermined the professional recognition of her acting skills.

Although the television awards within the Nine Points organization were already comparable to the Feiyun Award, and even more competitive, with greater audience recognition, Tang Fei's fans remained unsatisfied. They wanted their idol to receive an uncontroversial accolade.

Initially, when 'Mercury City' was released, there were still critics of Tang Fei's acting. However, in 'Guilty Heart', with her portrayal of a challenging role and flawless performance, she captivated audiences. Many parents who took their children to watch the film even joked that Tang Fei could soothe crying babies for a while.

From top to bottom, He Baobao's character in 'Guilty Heart' deserved the award without question.

Tang Fei strolled gracefully to Zhou Weichuan's side, all eyes on them. The host clapped beside them, and countless cameras and video recorders zoomed in. On the screen, the words "Best Actress for 'Guilty Heart'," along with Tang Fei and He Baobao's names, shimmered in red.

Zhou Weichuan took the red flower from the event staff, its stem a matte gold, with Tang Fei, Guilty Heart, He Baobao, and Best Actress engraved on its petals.

Tang Fei looked at Zhou Weichuan, awaiting the moment he would present her with this flower, like a kindergarten teacher rewarding a student. Their gazes met gently, and Zhou Weichuan smiled, stepping back and kneeling before everyone, causing a roar of excitement from the crowd.

In quick succession, a large bouquet of roses resembling the crystal red flower was brought up. Zhou Weichuan inserted the red flower into the roses, mixing them together, then offered the bouquet to Tang Fei.

"Tang Fei, will you marry me?"

"We've known each other for years and walked this journey together. I've seen your efforts and growth. Now that you've finally received recognition from the audience and the judges, I hope to receive your affirmation of our love over these years."

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Zhou Weichuan was making a grand gesture!

He was proposing right now!

The pre-arranged team of nine suddenly shouted in unison, "Say yes to him!"

"Marry him!"

The deafening cheers drowned out the introduction of He Baobao's character, who had committed crimes from her influence.

Tang Fei, with her hands clasped behind her back, asked, "Boss, are you forcing me to marry you?"

Zhou Weichuan chuckled and pointed at his knee, "A standard proposal, a request."

Tang Fei hummed, "But you hid my medal in the roses. If I don't agree, do you plan on not giving it to me?"

Zhou Weichuan winked fervently, "Promise me, or if you reject me now, I'll be so embarrassed."

Tang Fei walked closer to Zhou Weichuan and slowly took the rose from him. "How long have you been preparing for this?"

"One month."

"Just this after a month? Not very romantic. I'll have to think about whether to accept or not."

As Tang Fei finished speaking, the ceiling of the awards ceremony opened gradually, and a shower of light fireworks erupted in the sky. Each red flower concealed snippets of Tang Fei's journey since her debut. A fleet of drones arrived, scattering a rain of petals. The petals, glowing under the lights, seemed like tiny fairies swirling in the sky.

"Tang Fei, say yes, marry me. I love you deeply, and I want us to walk hand in hand into the future together."

This was a public proposal witnessed by thousands.

The organizing committee tacitly approved, marking the dawn of Tang Fei's era in the film and television industry. Meanwhile, the relationship between Tang Fei and Zhou Weichuan had reached a turning point; their peaceful and blissful romance was no longer enough for Zhou Weichuan.

"Tang Fei, be my wife, become the lady boss of Nine O'Clock."

The employees of Nine O'Clock echoed in unison, calling her 'lady boss.' A light blush gradually spread across Tang Fei's face.

"You're too cunning, making it hard for me to refuse."

"As long as I can have you, being cunning is worth it."

Tang Fei walked over with the flowers, taking Zhou Weichuan's hand. "Thank goodness I like you, otherwise I would have abandoned the award and run away from this grand gesture."

"Feifei, I know you like me too," Zhou Weichuan embraced Tang Fei.

Hand in hand, they descended the stage with their bouquet, receiving blessings from the host who then proceeded to announce the next award: "After cheering for our newcomer, let's refocus. Next up, we will reveal the Best Actor!"

"Was there a proposal too?"

Someone from the audience inquired, causing the host to chuckle. "No more, the next presenter is a gentleman."

Zhou Weichuan and Tang Fei left the awards ceremony, their hands still intertwined. Zhou Weichuan held her tightly and took out a diamond ring. "You agreed to marry me, wife. Let's set a wedding date."

Tang Fei gazed at the sky. The dome of the venue had closed during the ceremony, but fireworks continued outside. Fans waiting outside had heard what happened inside and were now weeping, devastated that Feifei was getting married. All those imagined romantic pairings had been debunked – it turned out the boss was just jealous.

This boss had hidden so deeply that fans were completely unprepared. Soon, many heartfelt essays expressing sorrow flooded the internet.

Zhou Weichuan continued to tease Tang Fei, but she replied, "Their emotions are genuine. Don't joke around. Think about how you're going to explain yourself to them. Why did you hide all this time and suddenly announce our relationship?"

"Of course, I was afraid my Feifei wouldn't agree. That's why I forced your hand. We've been in a long-term relationship; what if I couldn't keep up with you anymore? It's best to seize the initiative."

...

When Tang Fei and Zhou Weichuan got married, the elusive Matchmaker Mission that had never appeared suddenly turned gray. After ignoring the system for years, Tang Fei had finally provoked this seemingly passive and gentle system into revealing itself.

The system transformed into a palm-sized metallic figurine.

This so-called palace intrigue mobile game system was merely a disguise crafted by the system upon detecting Tang Fei's favorite pastime back then, deceiving her into continuing her journey in the entertainment industry.

It was an extraterrestrial 'computer' capable of traversing dimensions. Having depleted its energy after mistakenly entering this world, it required the energy generated from soul resonance to recharge. As this realm bore a high resemblance to Earth, the system would search for freshly deceased souls from Earth to match with the newly departed in this world – typically requiring millions of attempts before a successful pairing.

In its earlier attempts, due to its unfamiliarity with humans, it had hastily sought to exploit Earth's books and comics to gain readers' soul resonance for energy, ultimately exhausting itself and driving its host insane until death.

With Tang Fei, the system learned from its mistakes and adopted a different approach.

By entering the entertainment industry and gaining fans' soul resonance, as long as the host became a superstar, the system wouldn't have to worry about running out of energy.

As a 'computer,' it could perform calculations on souls, affecting them and even manipulate time and space, allowing it to freeze time and transport Tang Fei to unique dimensions. The rewards it gave Tang Fei were all related to these abilities, eventually leading her to notice something amiss. However, it couldn't physically harm her.

Its sole purpose now was to ensure that Tang Fei didn't retire from acting after marriage but continued filming, creating excellent works that resonated with her fans, enabling it to gather enough energy to leave swiftly.

Tang Fei agreed to its request.

She wouldn't retire from the film industry; there were still many movies she hadn't made, countless stories yet to be acted out, and numerous roles waiting to be introduced to audiences and cinephiles.

As for the 'system's' rewards, she decided not to use them anymore.

Many, many years later, after Tang Fei had gracefully aged, she publicly announced her decision to retire from the film industry.

On that particular evening, accompanied by her husband and children, they climbed a high mountain under the cover of night. They watched as a winged metallic figure emerged from her body, the energy-saturated 'System' preparing to depart this world and return to its own.

After decades of companionship and shared growth, the System that had shaped Tang Fei's cinematic era ascended into the sky. Gradually, the stars above began to warp, and in the next moment, the tiny metallic figure vanished from sight.

In households across the land, news of Tang Fei's retirement was broadcast, recapping the legendary actress's journey and iconic roles.

Undoubtedly, one of the most memorable and talked-about moments in her life was when her husband proposed to her publicly on the day she first won the Red Flower Award for Best Actress.

Online fans, who had grown up alongside Tang Fei and witnessed her journey, joined her family in sending their retirement wishes. They reminisced about the years spent following her career, cherishing every moment.

"Thank you, Feifei, for bringing so much joy into my life. Days with Feifei were never lonely. Even if she no longer acts, the films and dramas she has already created will continue to accompany me in the future. I hope Feifei enjoys a wonderful life with her family."

"Wishing Feifei all the best."

The hashtag celebrating Tang Fei's retirement once again topped the charts without contest. From the start of her career until her retirement, Tang Fei's popularity had consistently remained high. Even at over forty, she continued to embody the epitome of beauty in her age group.

"Feifei will surely be happy! Beautiful from birth until the end of time! As long as you're doing well, I'll be content!"

The voices of the fans continued to echo from the phone. Tang Fei gazed at that speck in the sky, feeling a tinge of nostalgia. The system that had accompanied her for so many years was gone, and she had also left behind her fans. It stirred up a sense of wistfulness.

The starry night sky shimmered with twinkling lights.

The wind on the mountaintop blew freely.

Zhou Weichuan held Tang Fei's hand on one side, while his son did the same on the other. The three of them embraced, awaiting the sun that would rise in the not-so-distant future.

Tomorrow was a new day, marking the start of a new chapter in life.

-The End-

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