Chapter 101 The Winner

Chapter 101 The Winner

Appearing on the Starlight Awards red carpet once again, Lu Xu was already a seasoned pro. Not only him, but the entire crew of "The Year I Was 18" got a warm reception.

Han Xiao and Zhou Lin were dubbed "Papa Huang" and "Mama Huang" by fans. When the trio appeared in the center of the camera frame, even Mu Qian and Jin Mu were asked by reporters to step aside.

Mu Qian obediently gave up his spot.

"Lu Xu's presence is quite intimidating," a reporter from "Fashion" remarked. "G Label has really gone all out this time."

Fashion reporters, who frequently interact with luxury brands, immediately recognized that Lu Xu was wearing G Label's yet-to-be-released haute couture collection, making him the first in the world to debut it.

But compared to the significance of the Starlight Awards Best Actor nomination, being the first to wear G Label pales in comparison.

At least Lu Xu himself wouldn't care about such things.

"Even if he wore a ten-year-old ready-to-wear piece, G Label would definitely claim it," the reporters were well aware of the ways of luxury brands. As long as a star has enough fame and the right awards, even without a formal collaboration, the brand would eagerly claim them.

Moreover, Lu Xu is the top contender for this year's Starlight Awards.

Three nominations in three years, Lu Xu is worth any brand's bet.

It could even be said that the Starlight Awards' viewership in recent years has been largely driven by Lu Xu—once the Best Actor award is announced, the viewership drops from its peak. In recent years, the biggest suspense of the Starlight Awards has been whether Lu Xu would win.

"Lu Xu's luck with roles is almost absurd, every one of his projects becomes a massive hit, it's almost unbelievable."

Amidst the clamor, reporters snapped photos of Lu Xu. Compared to his first time on the Starlight Awards red carpet, Lu Xu has matured significantly, radiating more and more of a superstar vibe.

When he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Qin Zhao, it sent shockwaves through the industry. Back then, no one could have imagined that this person would repeatedly rewrite the history of the Starlight Awards.

When "The Son of Heaven" debuted, many in the industry believed Lu Xu was destined for stardom, but his rise was so rapid and unexpected. Before competitors could react, he had already reached the top.

After a round of photos, reporters heard a commotion on the red carpet. The screams and shouts grew increasingly intense, almost piercing their ears. Looking up, they saw Lu Xu had somehow made his way to the "Voices of the Dead" crew, where he was joking around with Shao Yao.

"My ship is sailing again!!"

"It’s like a celebration today!!"

"Hurry up and take the photos, or we'll miss it!"

When the "The Year I Was 18" crew walked the red carpet together, Lu Xu's smile was warm and sunny. But when he encountered Shao Yao, he let his guard down.

The two lingered on the red carpet for quite some time, giving reporters ample photo ops.

Reporters couldn't help but feel grateful to Su Zhao. Given Lu Xu's style, he wouldn't have left so many shippable moments with Shao Yao.

Although "Voices of the Dead" wrapped up some time ago, the buzz around the Jiang Lin and Su Yang pairing hasn’t died down. As CP fans put it, when they push it, it feels forced, but when they don’t, it feels real.

I’m all in for this ship!

At this year's Starlight Awards, "Voices of the Dead" wasn’t nominated in any acting categories but was nominated for Best Long Series, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. As the most popular series of the year, "Voices of the Dead" has remained in the limelight.

It gave actors a bit less room to stand out, but the quality of the series itself was solid, even exceeding audience expectations.

Currently, "Voices of the Dead" doesn't have as high a chance of winning as "The Year I Was 18," but as a standout in the mystery and detective genre, it is equally deserving of the Starlight Awards' favor.

"If 'Voices of the Dead' had nominated Lu Xu for Best Actor, it would have risked splitting the votes. The fact that it didn't receive any acting nominations is actually the best-case scenario for Lu Xu."

"Jiang Lin is also a standout character. In a year with less intense competition at the Star Awards, Lu Xu could have easily secured a nomination."

"In summary—Lu Xu is simply phenomenal! Let alone starring in both 'Voices of the Dead' and 'The Year I Was 18,' even if he had only filmed one of them, it would be enough for others to brag about for a lifetime."

When the industry assesses the achievements of young actors, Lu Xu is often excluded because his inclusion leaves little room for debate.

Generally, if a young actor stars in a drama with a popularity of over 10,000, it’s enough for fans to brag about for a long time. But Lu Xu’s record in this area is—three lead dramas, with an average popularity of 15,000+, nearly 16,000.

No one can help but brag about it!

If you add the dramas where he played the second male lead or third male lead, the average popularity is definitely above 13,000+.

When it comes to comparing achievements, the charts Lu Xu’s fans put together are downright brutal.

Usually, fans compare popularity in increments of 10,000, but Lu Xu’s fans break it down every 1,000, so from 16,000 to 12,000, most other young actors have zeros, while Lu Xu’s name sticks out like a sore thumb.

When it comes to comparing award achievements, it’s even more brutal.

In many ways, Lu Xu is in a league of his own.

He started way behind those with formal training, and during the filming of 'The Noble Son' and 'The Son of Heaven,' he was on his own. Yet, he achieved a rise that others couldn’t touch.

After the finale of 'The Year I Was 18,' online gossip about Lu Xu died down significantly.

—With so many works under his belt, nothing can easily knock him down.

...

This year, Lu Xu’s seat is still front and center. Sitting next to him is Yuan Lai, the lead actor of 'The Grassland,' and behind him is Xia Zhengrong, the lead actor of 'Spring Romance,' who was also nominated for the Star Award for Best Actor last year. This year, he’s up against Lu Xu again.

"Why is it you again?" Xia Zhengrong joked with Lu Xu, "I thought this year would be different."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

Next to Xia Zhengrong is Li Tianhou, the lead actor of 'Both Sides of the River,' who is around 45 years old, with a serious expression and a constant frown, looking pretty tense.

Even with the cameras on, when Lu Xu greeted him, his frown didn’t budge.

However, Lu Xu noticed that Li Tianhou treated him the same way he treated Xia Zhengrong and Yuan Lai.

The last nominee, Wang Ji, is the eldest among this year’s nominees. He plays a blind old man in 'The Years We Can’t Return,' which, much like 'The Year I Was 18,' has a warm tone, but one tells the story of a middle-aged person returning to youth, while the other depicts the various struggles of aging.

This year’s Star Awards are still a fierce battle. Among the five nominees, only Lu Xu and Li Tianhou haven’t taken home a trophy yet.

Although Lu Xu is much younger than Li Tianhou, his cumulative achievements at the Star Awards are nothing to scoff at. Including this year, he has been nominated three times, while Li Tianhou has only been nominated twice.

In this year’s award season predictions, expectations for Li Tianhou winning are second only to Lu Xu.

After sitting down, Lu Xu had a gut feeling of some hostility from Li Tianhou, though this was just his intuition, as Li Tianhou’s attitude toward the other nominees wasn’t particularly friendly either.

However, Lu Xu’s intuition is usually quite accurate, and he doesn’t easily dismiss his own judgment.

The award ceremony itself was pretty uneventful. This year, 'The Year I Was 18' was nominated for several major awards, with Han Xiao and Zhou Lin nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. In the end, Zhou Lin took home the award for her role as the mother in the drama.

This is also her first Star Award in her acting career.

For awards like the Star Awards, which lean toward the formal, non-entertainment industry people often dismiss them as just a way for celebrities to boast and elevate their status, especially young actors. Once they are nominated or even slightly associated with the Star Awards, they will undoubtedly dominate the trending topics.

But for actors like Zhou Lin, who have diligently acted their entire lives, the trophy symbolizes a legacy.

As long as the Star Awards exist, the winner's name will remain alongside the award.

Even if she wins the Star Award, she doesn’t have the financial means to trend on social media, nor is there any necessity for it.

After the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards were presented, technical awards such as Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Lighting Effects were handed out one after another. "The Year I Was 18" didn’t win any of these awards, while "Voices of the Dead" won the Best Original Score. It can be said that much of the eerie atmosphere in "Voices of the Dead" was enhanced by its music.

Lu Xu waited patiently, watching guests take the stage one by one, thanking the Star Awards committee in various ways. After this, it was finally time for the Best Actor award.

The camera suddenly focused on the faces of the five nominees.

Li Tianhou still had knitted brows, while Xia Zhengrong and Yuan Lai remained composed. Deliberate or not, on the big screen, Lu Xu was the last to appear, and his screen time was extended compared to the other nominees.

"!!! So handsome!!"

"He’s so photogenic, great choice of cufflinks!"

"Can Lu Xu win? Can he? If he wins, I’ll lose it! 11111."

The next moment, the screen displayed clips of the performances of each nominee.

This time, Huang Luning from "The Year I Was 18" was the first to appear.

At a prestigious award like the Star Awards, the sequence of appearances carries significance.

Xia Zhengrong cast a quick glance and noticed that Li Tianhou’s brows were even more knitted than before.

With the camera on, he couldn’t gesture openly, but Xia Zhengrong still picked up on something.

It’s truly difficult to move on... especially for someone who has never won a Star Award before.

He at least won a Best Actor in a Television Series once, and even in the year he was most hopeful, he couldn’t stay calm.

But...

Xia Zhengrong’s gaze shifted slightly forward, settling on Lu Xu’s profile.

Compared to Li Tianhou, Lu Xu was exceptionally composed.

On the screen, a scene from "The Year I Was 18" was playing, where Huang Luning had just returned to the past. It wasn’t as iconic as the final scene where he and his mother were bathed in warm sunlight. In this scene, Huang Luning burst into tears, his sobs deeply moving.

Because from this moment on, he became a child with a home again.

Having living parents in this world is entirely different from not having them.

As a writer once said, the loss of a loved one is not a storm, but a perpetual dampness.

Huang Luning had been trapped in this dampness.

Xia Zhengrong had been nominated alongside Lu Xu at the previous Star Awards, so he understood the power in Lu Xu’s performance. The characters Yu Yi and Huang Luning were polar opposites, yet Lu Xu managed to highlight the brilliance in both.

After the clip from "The Year I Was 18," it was Li Tianhou’s turn, portraying a desperate farmer in "The Two Sides of the River."

Li Tianhou conveyed the protagonist’s pain and confusion.

He performed well, naturally, but in Xia Zhengrong’s heart, he still leaned more towards Lu Xu.

Because the overall quality of "The Year I Was 18" was higher than that of "The Two Sides of the River."

"The Two Sides of the River" was too artistic. Li Tianhou’s intense performance made the character’s artistic essence even more pronounced. Indeed, the protagonist suffered, the life of a farmer was hard, but this didn’t mean the protagonist in "The Two Sides of the River" was a real existence.

Because Li Tianhou's excessive effort made "On Both Sides of the River" seem more like a drama than a portrayal of real life.

On stage, the award presenter was slowly opening the envelope.

The air seemed to grow thin at that moment, and the entire venue fell into silence, with the only music being the drumming of the nominees' nervous hearts.

The presenter mercifully skipped the suspense for the five nominees, without any theatrics or awkward small talk to build suspense—

"The winner of this year's Best Actor in a Television Series award is—"

"Lu Xu, 'The Year I Was 18,' congratulations!"

The calm in the venue instantly turned into uproar, and everyone's gaze at that moment turned to the young man in the front row of the guest seats, seeing his striking features light up with surprise, his radiant smile, and his coronation as the Best Actor in a Television Series.

Author's Note:

Updated~

Note: A sentence found online, supposedly from "The Seventh Day," but it's not in "The Seventh Day."