Chapter 136: New Nominations

Chapter 136: New Nominations

In fact, Tan Qi and her fellow fans of Lu Xu never doubted that "Chivalrous Fragrance" would surpass "Illusory Realm" in popularity. Even the war scenes, which others found boring, maintained a decent level of popularity. Shortly after these scenes concluded, "Chivalrous Fragrance" was nearing its end—with the death of Nie Yunzhang.

The young man galloping across the battlefield would not linger in this world for long.

Although "Chivalrous Fragrance" was not as fast-paced or emotionally charged as "Illusory Realm," which materialized the heroine's love and hatred, it still had many moving moments.

"Doesn’t anyone think Lu Xu’s performance in 'Chivalrous Fragrance' is exceptional?"

"Lu Xu’s acting has always been great, hasn’t it? The youngest Xingchen Award Best Actor in a Television Series—what more could you want?"

"I know Lu Xu’s acting is good, but no other character has touched me as deeply as Nie Yunzhang. I feel Nie Yunzhang is the most layered character he’s ever played—a carefree young man in the capital city who matures overnight after experiencing war, eventually growing into a towering figure."

"Ahhh, I get it, I totally get it!"

"For example, when I watched 'The Path of Bones,' I was utterly impressed, but Yu Yi was a role most actors couldn’t handle, something only a few could manage. Huang Luning was the same, but Nie Yunzhang is a role even average actors could manage. There are actually quite a few young generals of his type."

"Got it! The young generals in recent years... all have that rosy-cheeked, fair-skinned appearance."

"Actually, Lu Xu also has that rosy-cheeked, fair-skinned appearance, just in terms of looks. But his acting... it’s truly in a league of its own. I found myself crying multiple times during the war scenes. It feels like the image of the young war god has been firmly established in Lu Xu."

"Personally, I think the war scenes written by Qin Yu could be brought to life to this extent partly because of the actors’ cooperation. For example, the specific formations here..."

Discussions about Lu Xu on TV drama forums never ceased—audiences always sought out historical, suspense, detective, or slice-of-life dramas at various stages, and any genre related to these themes inevitably involved Lu Xu’s works.

After starring in "Deception" and "Feather of Youth," fans on the forum speculated whether he would return to TV dramas.

Before "Illusory Realm," "War Flames," and "Chivalrous Fragrance" aired in the same season, forum users were concerned about—"When will we get another hit drama like 'The Year I Was 18'?"

That question is no longer relevant now.

All three dramas—"Illusory Realm," "War Flames," and "Chivalrous Fragrance"—performed well, making the forum as bustling as a New Year celebration.

"Will Lu Xu be nominated for the Xingchen Award again?"

"I’d wager he will. 'The Son of Heaven' was so popular back then, and 'Chivalrous Fragrance' isn’t far off."

"...Speaking of which, has the Golden Flame Award unveiled its nomination list? I just skimmed it and thought I spotted Lu Xu’s name."

"???? No way, the Golden Flame Award is typically very stingy. 'Deception' didn’t even get a glance, despite its remarkable box office performance."

The Golden Flame Award, one of the three most influential awards in the film industry, is relatively more accessible compared to the other two. In other words, it has a broader range of eligible works and is more populist in its awards, not limited to traditional or mainstream themes. Of course, the competition is also fiercer.

Even with its relatively lower threshold, the Golden Flame Award overlooked "Deception" during its evaluation year.

In terms of acting alone, Lu Xu and Yue Hui were undoubtedly qualified, and the performances of other actors were also commendable. But for the Golden Flame Award committee, "Deception" was a strange film.

Its theme was unconventional—not exactly positive, though not evil either, but certainly non-mainstream... It was already impressive to achieve high box office numbers, but winning an award? The Golden Flame Award committee wasn’t that progressive.

Of course, whether it’s the Golden Flame Award, the Contention Award, or the Critics’ Award—the other two major film awards—securing a nomination is no easy feat. The film’s theme, the actors’ performances, and the depth of its presentation are all criteria for evaluation.

In short, it’s not easy for young actors to get nominated.

As soon as rumors spread about Lu Xu possibly being on the Golden Flame Award nomination list, forum users eagerly went to check.

There was no related news on Weibo yet, but the Golden Flame Award’s official website had already been updated.

Netizens first looked at the Best Newcomer category.

Generally, actors making their film debut are most likely to be nominated for Best Newcomer, as this award is relatively lenient. After all, there are only a few newcomers each year, and even fewer who deliver standout performances.

But... Lu Xu's name wasn't on the Best Newcomer list?

"Lu Xu isn't there? He couldn't even get a Best Newcomer nomination for 'Feather of Youth'? Are the standards for the Golden Flame Awards that high?"

"...Wait, I just remembered, Lu Xu already starred in 'Deception.' 'Feather of Youth' was filmed later, so he doesn't qualify as a newcomer, right?"

"I recall that the Golden Flame Awards stipulate that only actors who have never made a film before and are debuting with their first movie can be nominated for Best Newcomer. That's why the Best Newcomer award has been vacant for several years."

Since Lu Xu wasn't on the Best Newcomer list, netizens scrolled further down.

The Golden Flame Awards' official website was outdated and clunky, requiring a page refresh to access other nomination categories.

If Lu Xu wasn't nominated for Best Newcomer, then the most fitting category in the entire nomination list would be...

"Is this even possible?"

While puzzled, netizens clicked into the Best Actor nomination page.

The five Best Actor nominees were all well-known figures in the industry, and—'Feather of Youth' indeed secured one of the spots.

"Holy crap! Lu Xu actually got nominated!"

"?????? This is insane!!"

"He can get nominated for TV dramas, but now he's nominated for a movie too?!!"

In the eyes of netizens, the Golden Flame Awards are particularly harsh on actors transitioning from the TV world to the film industry, whether due to the judges' arrogance or the perceived gap between TV and film acting.

But Lu Xu's nomination truly shocked the forum users.

...

Soon after, the hashtag #LuXuNominatedForGoldenFlameAwards climbed the trending charts.

Moreover, Lu Xu wasn't nominated for Best Newcomer, as many had assumed, but for the highly prestigious Best Actor award, making it an even more significant achievement.

Fans naturally believed Lu Xu's performance in 'Feather of Youth' was outstanding, but to outsiders, 'Feather of Youth' was just an ordinary teen film, hardly deserving of a Golden Flame Award.

"Are the Golden Flame Awards going the way of the Star Awards?"

"'Feather of Youth' grossing over 1 billion at the box office was already unbelievable, but Lu Xu getting nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Flame Awards? Seriously... the Golden Flame Awards' standards have dropped, haven't they?"

"With this nomination, fans of other celebrities might think getting nominated is easy. So annoying."

"Flying Entertainment really knows how to play the game. What's next? After the youngest Best Actor in a Television Series at the Star Awards, are they going to push for the youngest Best Actor at the Golden Flame Awards?"

Under the Golden Flame Awards-related topics, many film enthusiasts vented their frustrations.

Lu Xu himself was also shocked. He couldn't help but ask Xu Wen, "Did the company pull some strings for me?"

Xu Wen shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, no."

The fact that 'Feather of Youth' grossed over 1.5 billion had already exceeded Flying Entertainment's expectations. As for awards, they hadn't even dared to consider it.

In a way, Lu Xu was an actor who suddenly burst into the film industry. He didn't belong to any established faction in the film world, with no big-name directors or powerful capital backing him.

Thus, from the day Lu Xu started making films, Xu Wen knew one thing clearly—Lu Xu could achieve high box office numbers, but winning awards would be a challenge.

After all, box office success depends on the audience's wallets, and no one would deliberately mess with money. No matter how powerful or deeply rooted certain directors are, if they lose hundreds of millions, investors won't be happy.

Awards are a different ball game.

The judging panels of major awards are filled with big names in the film industry, who are wary of outsiders unless they actively cozy up.

Lu Xu touched his chin: "Did I just hit the jackpot?"

Xu Wen thought for a moment: "That's definitely a possibility, but maybe the nominations were just more open this year."

Lu Xu nodded: "That's probably it."

When he signed on for "Deception" and "Feather of Youth," awards were the last thing on his mind. For Lu Xu, winning an award would be awesome, but no big deal if not. As long as he does his job as an actor, that's all that matters.

But regardless, Lu Xu's Golden Flame Award nomination still sent shockwaves through the industry.

First, the other nominees were all industry heavyweights. Breaking into the film industry is tough, and snagging a nomination is even tougher.

Second, the younger actors who've had more backing felt the heat from him.

Box office is actually fine—Lu Xu's a box office magnet, and the younger actors have already acknowledged that.

Some actors just have that star power.

"Deception" and "Feather of Youth" raked in billions at the box office—real cash, not just hype.

But awards? That's a whole other game.

For some young actors, awards are their foothold in the film industry.

After all, awards are for the elite who can play in the big leagues and make top-tier films. Ordinary actors can't even get in.

But now, Lu Xu's Golden Flame nod came out of left field and blew everyone away.

What's more, "Feather of Youth" got the nod, while "Song of Tears," a deeper youth flick starring Qi Di and backed by Liu Rennong, got zilch.

Qi Di scoured the Golden Flame site top to bottom... and came up empty.

Nothing. Zippo. Nada.

Regarding this, Qi Di's fans brushed it off, saying the Golden Flame's just a local thing, and real cred comes from international A-list fests.

Qi Di: "..."

He wouldn't dare—neither would Liu Rennong.

Winning awards abroad is all about domestic hype, plain and simple. No one really thinks domestic audiences will remember those hard-to-pronounce festival names, right?

Domestic awards may sound a bit rustic, but they're recognized by the industry and resonate with audiences. Snagging an award can rocket you to the top.

Qi Di really wanted a Golden Flame nod, but he also knew it wasn't that easy.

But... Lu Xu got nominated.

This was hard for Qi Di to accept.

However, having suffered too many blows from Lu Xu recently, Qi Di thought it might be better to just endure it.

Even if he didn't want to put up with it, Lu Xu's development in the film industry was much smoother than he had imagined, and he simply couldn't stop it.

The problem was—why did these clueless reporters bother interviewing him just because Lu Xu got a Golden Flame Best Actor nod?

Was he supposed to be thrilled about it?

He even considered hacking the Golden Flame Award's website to erase Lu Xu's name.

Qi Di couldn't help but think the Golden Flame Award judges had all lost their marbles.

Probably caught it from Lu Xu, no less.

...

For Lu Xu, the most obvious perk of the Golden Flame nomination was the renewed buzz around "Chivalrous Fragrance."

Awards always drum up attention. When he won the Star Award back then, the "Deception" crew saved a huge amount on promotional expenses.

Nevertheless, when the popularity of "Chivalrous Fragrance" broke through 15,000 and approached 16,000, the industry was buzzing like crazy.

In the same period, two consecutive dramas breaking through 15,000 in popularity marked a legendary feat—a rare occurrence in the past decade!