Chapter 52: 052 Award Ceremony

Chapter 52: 052 Award Ceremony

"Man, it's freezing today."

Tan Qi and her friend caught a cab to the venue of the Starlight Award. The cold wind hit them, making her voice shake as she spoke. They stood there shivering, and when her friend pointed, they saw an endless line ahead.

"Why’s it so crowded?"

Before coming, they’d looked up tips online. The Starlight Award usually doesn’t draw big crowds, and the red carpet audience is smaller than at major galas.

But when they got there, they were blown away.

They quickly realized the Starlight Award is the most prestigious in TV dramas, so a big crowd made sense. But... after just a short wait, Lu Xu’s name came up at least ten times.

Tan Qi and her friend exchanged knowing glances.

When they got to the red carpet, the crowd was so packed that the cold didn’t seem so bad.

Tan Qi figured Lu Xu wouldn’t show up early, but she didn’t mind waiting.

After visiting the *The Path of Bones* set, she found herself liking Lu Xu even more.

On set, Lu Xu kept to himself, only filming a Z-brand ad after the series wrapped. She’d watched that video at least seven or eight times on her own.

Lu Xu looked great in the ad, but in person—he was way more handsome.

Stars started pouring onto the red carpet. Tan Qi stood near the interview area, and from how often cameras flashed, she could tell who was popular.

"Wow, so many big shots."

The stars at the Starlight Award weren’t the type Tan Qi usually followed as a fan. Still, she recognized them. Open any classic drama, and they’d be in it.

Of course, there were also red carpet crashers.

Every year, stars come to the Starlight Award red carpet for endorsements, invitations, or performances. Fans argue fiercely over who’s crashing the red carpet.

In past years, it was fine—everyone got their moment. After all, the rule was: if you had a project, you weren’t crashing. No project? You were crashing.

If everyone’s crashing, why split hairs?

But this year, the Starlight Award nominated a young actor for the first time in years. While others might be crashers, he wasn’t. Naturally, it got awkward for the young stars on the red carpet under different pretenses.

"Our idol was invited by XX Cosmetics—the only post-95s star here, thank you."

↑"What's there to be proud of? You're just a sub-brand ambassador, while Lu Xu is nominated for Best Supporting Actor."

"XX Cosmetics is the exclusive brand sponsor of the Starlight Award. Isn't it normal for the ambassador to attend the brand event?"

"Lu Xu was nominated, don't you feel awkward bragging about your event?"

No matter which fan group used the Starlight Award platform to boast about themselves, as soon as Lu Xu's name was mentioned, all the fans fell silent.

In contrast, Lu Xu's fans were more low-key.

"Because the nomination itself is already high-profile."

"There's no need to show off, Lu Xu's award achievements are impressive enough."

Even though Lu Xu's breakout roles so far have all been supporting roles, when you look at the list, fans realized that his achievements were anything but weak.

The average viewership ratings of the three dramas *The Noble Son*, *The Son of Heaven*, and *The Supreme* are all over 10,000, and they have also been nominated for the Starlight Awards. Although Lu Xu may not be as prominent in business and fashion, for an actor, that is not the main focus at all.

Even though *The Path of Bones* has not yet been released, fans are always optimistic that the show's performance will not be too bad.

Even in supporting roles, Lu Xu has always performed with great dedication. *The Path of Bones* is Lu Xu's first leading role drama, and he will certainly not disappoint.

...

"He's here, he's here!"

After warming up, people tend to feel drowsy. Tan Qi was just dozing off when she was suddenly pushed hard by her friend: "Lu Xu is here!"

"Where?"

"Over there, over there, he arrived with the *The Son of Heaven* cast and crew."

At this year's Starlight Awards, *The Son of Heaven* is undoubtedly a top contender, nominated for Best Drama Series, Best Director, and Best Actor and Supporting Actor awards.

Director Liu Chunfeng and screenwriter Qin Yu walked in the front row, with the actors half a step behind them. Flanked by Cheng Yun and Guo Yining, it was none other than Lu Xu.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Tan Qi wasn't exaggerating; it felt like thunder was crashing around her at that moment, with screams and shouts as if someone had directed them, never stopping.

A nearby reporter clearly didn't expect such a reaction and almost dropped the camera.

At this moment, Tan Qi could no longer see the crowd around her. Although there was a row of fans opposite, in Tan Qi's vision, there was only the young man coming against the light.

The weather was chilly, but the sunlight was bright. By afternoon, the sunlight was quite harsh on the face. Lu Xu's figure blocked part of the sunlight, making his face less clear and his outline somewhat blurred.

But the young man's physique, ideal for a suit, would not be obscured.

The combination of a white shirt and a black suit was just right, not appearing bulky, with very white wrists and slender, long fingers exposed at the cuffs.

His long legs, with a glimpse of his ankles, didn't make him appear thin.

The shadows gradually faded, making his skin tone appear darker, but his face more profound. As the sunlight shifted evenly, the young man's handsome features—his eyebrows, straight nose, and bright face—were fully revealed.

He looked intense when not smiling, but like a cheerful puppy when he did.

The young man on the red carpet wasn't as casual as in the Z brand ad, wrapped up tightly, but the exposed parts added a hint of deep sensuality to him.

Although, ahem, his smiling appearance did not match the word "sensual."

"There really is someone in this world so good-looking it takes your breath away!"

"He looked at me, he looked at me!"

"His eyes are so dark! Ahhh, when he looked over, I swear I saw stars in them."

"The handsome boy is here!"

At this moment, Tan Qi felt as though he had seen her, even though he just casually waved in her direction.

"G brand suits are going to be a hit again," she heard a reporter not far away discussing.

"They look amazing; should I get one too?"

"He looks great in them, but they might not suit us as well; let's check our own figures first."

This exchange was pretty funny, but she couldn’t resist looking up online for the model of Lu Xu’s suit. As a result... perhaps because too many people were searching, the term "Lu Xu suit" actually trended on social media.

Several marketers and fashion bloggers she followed had already posted photos of Lu Xu on the red carpet.

G brand even picked the most stunning shots for their homepage—the way sunlight and shadows played on the young man was more captivating than any carefully posed advertisement.

"Seriously... the outfit's already gone."

"I just clicked to check it out, I wasn’t planning to buy... I might get one for my partner at some point, but—why! So fast! Sold out!"

"Luxury stuff sells out fast, right? I can’t even buy shampoo, what can I say?"

"So frustrating!"

Tan Qi quietly saved the pictures.

...

On the day of the award ceremony, Lu Xu received a message from Lei Ai—unless something unexpected happens, the first trailer for *The Path of Bones* would be released tonight.

Lu Xu asked curiously, "Can we even afford to make two trailers?"

Lei Ai: "..."

"Stop being so honest."

"It’s fine, we’ve partnered with a well-funded platform this time. The sponsor’s footing the bill, so we can make ten trailers if needed."

Lu Xu couldn’t help but ask, "Do they know you’re this free with their money?"

There was a long silence on the other end, which was very suspicious.

Lu Xu then changed the subject, "Which platform has that kind of cash?"

"Grape Video," Lei Ai said bluntly.

Now it was Lu Xu’s turn to fall silent.

He never thought his show would land on Grape Video after all this time.

He vaguely recalled *Watchmen* losing to *The Noble Son* and *Rising Sun* to *The Son of Heaven.*

"...Relax, they don’t hold grudges," Lei Ai answered as if anticipating Lu Xu’s question.

On the contrary, Grape Video’s offer and terms were the best out of all the platforms.

Lei Ai checked with a mid-level friend at Grape Video and heard that they bought *The Path of Bones* to "rise from their own ashes."

Lei Ai: "?"

In short, Grape Video had taken such a hit before, almost like they were jinxed by Lu Xu, and after *Rising Sun*, several shows they backed only did so-so.

After some soul-searching, the platform decided to fight fire with fire.

Coincidentally, Lu Xu was nominated for the Starlight Award, and Grape Video managed to snatch *The Path of Bones* from a host of competitors, becoming Lei Ai’s super sponsor.

Lu Xu: "...So I’m the poison?"

"You’re the one who can undo the knot you tied."

To some extent, the director really sold out to promote the drama.

Lu Xu didn’t mind working with Grape Pictures since there was no bad blood between him and the platform. If anyone had a reason to hold a grudge, it was Grape Pictures.

In any case, the platform for *The Path of Bones* was set, and there was enough funding to produce the trailer. All Lu Xu had to do was wait patiently for the drama to go live.

After replying to Lei Ai’s message, Lu Xu also responded to Kong Le’s text. The group chat, quiet since *The Path of Bones* wrapped, suddenly came alive.

As soon as Lu Xu appeared in the group, a bunch of people tagged him.

“We’re watching your live stream—stop playing with your phone!”

Lu Xu: “?”

“The award ceremony hasn’t started yet, but there are way too many fans filming you. Stay low-key, Teacher Lu. You’re the face of our crew now.”

“I’d gladly trade 20 pounds of my fat for Teacher Lu to win an award.”

“I’ll trade my fat—I’ve got plenty to spare!”

“Waiting for the awards to be announced—the trailer’s dropping soon.”

The first award at the Starlight Awards was for Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Lu Xu didn’t have to wait long to find out. Once he settled in, the guests took their seats, and the presenters walked onto the stage with grace.

Right then, the camera zoomed in on the five nominees.

Guo Yining, *The Son of Heaven*.

Lu Xu, *The Son of Heaven*.

Zhang Yuguang, *We Live in Ordinary Times*.

Lu Jianyang, *Look at This World*.

Rong Hua, *Eyes of the Future*.

When the five faces appeared on screen, Lu Xu stood out as the youngest.

As the camera panned to him, Lu Xu didn’t flinch or show any first-time jitters. He remained calm, his deep eyes glowing like starlight under the spotlight.

The results came in fast.

No surprise—the winner was Guo Yining.

In *The Son of Heaven*, the Prime Minister’s role had more iconic moments. He was cunning and scheming, but also had moments of warmth and sincerity.

In terms of the depth of the character, the Prime Minister was more complex than Qin Zhao.

But this didn’t mean Lu Xu’s performance was worse—it was just the role’s limitations.

Author's note: It feels like the results were revealed too quickly, but I also think it's not appropriate to drag out this plot. Little Lu didn't win this time, but keep going, it's coming soon!