Chapter 146 146 Award Ceremony

Chapter 146 The Award Ceremony

"Still nervous?" Lu Xu looked at Zheng Xiao.

Zheng Xiao shook his head lightly. "I was a bit before stepping onto the red carpet, but not anymore."

The trio didn't linger and quickly walked the entire red carpet.

"Honestly, no matter how many times I see it, I can’t help but marvel—Lu Xu, you really have so many fans."

Wherever Lu Xu went, screams and cheers would erupt.

Zheng Xiao had accumulated quite a few fans over the years, but Lu Xu’s quiet fanbase was… massive. Whenever Lu Xu attended events or had new works released, his dormant fans would suddenly come alive.

Thus, though Lu Xu didn’t have many commercial endorsements, and his fans didn’t brag with flashy displays, every product he endorsed sold remarkably well.

Simply put, Lu Xu was born with that star quality.

Zheng Xiao admired him but wasn’t jealous in the slightest. He knew very well that even though Lu Xu already possessed everything other actors desired, he still treated every character with sincerity, never cutting corners, no matter how simple the role.

He had even once sighed that he might never surpass Lu Xu in his lifetime. But it was precisely because he had met him and become his friend that he understood how to chart his own path as an actor.

…

The news of Lu Xu, Zheng Xiao, and Shao Yao being nominated simultaneously was naturally splashed across entertainment news. However, at this year’s Xingchen Awards, neither Lu Xu nor Zheng Xiao were the frontrunners. According to predictions from some industry insiders, Shao Yao had a higher chance of snagging Best Supporting Actor.

Still, this year’s Xingchen Awards, with nominations for Lu Xu, Qiao Mengyao, and Zheng Xiao, was considered a victory for star power within the industry. Essentially, Qiao Mengyao and Zheng Xiao had gotten their start in idol dramas, while Lu Xu was even an idol group alum—none of them were the type of nominees traditionally favored by the Xingchen Awards.

In a way, Lu Xu was a trailblazer.

It wasn’t until he won the Xingchen Award Best Actor in a Television Series that the award committee started taking seriously young actors who weren’t formally trained but showed rapid improvement.

This year, Lu Xu’s disadvantage was obvious—it had been too soon since his last win.

Apart from him and Zheng Xiao, the other nominees for Best Actor were all established veterans in the acting industry, and the roles they played weren’t all noble protagonists. Since Yue Hui won the Xingchen Award Best Actor in a Television Series with a villainous role, the awards had broadened their horizons in their selection of nominated characters.

Take *Illusory Realm* as an example—a few years earlier, a character like Lu Yao’s female lead, who spent the entire story on a bloody rampage, would never have been nominated for a Xingchen Award.

After sitting down, Lu Xu noticed that the War Flames team sat to his left. Zheng Xiao and the director switched seats, Lu Xu switched as well, and soon the three of them were sitting together again.

Liu Chunfeng grumbled, "Are you guys elementary school kids? Do you really have to sit together?"

"Maybe it’s too crowded sitting next to you," the screenwriter deadpanned from behind them.

Liu Chunfeng: "…"

Scratch that.

He felt like he was at odds with the entire crew.

…

The first awards presented were for Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

Lu Xu could tell that Shao Yao was actually quite nervous. Though he usually kept up his stone-faced act, as his fame grew, fans had gradually uncovered his introverted side.

For instance, when the presenter took the stage, the camera cut to the five nominees. The other four were either watching intently or waved and flashed smiles when spotted by the camera.

But Shao Yao—

"Obviously spacing out."

"Hello? Earth to Shao Yao—it's the awards ceremony, dude! You're one of the nominees—hello?"

"Is he nervous or just zoned out? I can't tell."

In short, in the eyes of many fans, Shao Yao is just a total airhead.

It’s just that when he’s with Lu Xu (allegedly) and Zheng Xiao (allegedly), two marginally sharper people, he appears a tiny bit smarter.

"Lu Xu is obviously an airhead too, okay?"

"Just because Lu Xu is quick to retort doesn’t mean he’s smart—he’s just retaliating every time!"

"...Now that you mention it, it feels like these three are hopeless?"

On the livestream of the ceremony, the fans were even more nervous than Shao Yao himself.

Compared to the Best Actor category, the competition for Best Supporting Actor was just as cutthroat. Though Shao Yao was the frontrunner among the three, that was only relatively speaking.

As fans held their breath, the award presenter dramatically tore open the envelope.

"The winner of this year's Starlight Award for Best Supporting Actor is—" [dramatic pause]

"Shao Yao, *Chivalrous Fragrance*—congratulations!"

Though his name was called, the winner himself still hadn’t reacted. On camera, fans could clearly see Lu Xu nudging Shao Yao with his elbow.

"[Character name] Nie Yunzhang, messing with His Royal Highness? Bold move!"

"Everyone knows that in the drama, the Crown Prince is domineering and scheming—the ministers fear him to death, but in private... it’s just cringe."

"LMAO, even Lu Xu is facepalming."

Shao Yao’s reaction speed was indeed quite slow, but once reminded, he moved fast—quickly leaving his seat and rushing onto the stage.

"Seriously... cringe."

"LMAO, the sneaky energy is strong."

"Slow when he should be fast, fast when he shouldn’t be—[laughing emoji]..."

"Ah, both the Mountain-Duo and the Monarch-Minister-Duo—in the blink of an eye, both Lu Xu and Shao Yao have won Starlight Awards. Same! Rewatching *Voices of the Dead* tonight."

"Rewatching +1. By the time *Voices of the Dead* aired, Lu Xu was already popular, but Shao Yao was still a nobody getting scapegoated—feels like it was just yesterday."

"They really elevate each other. The reason why the monarch-minister dynamic in *Chivalrous Fragrance* is so captivating, flooding [Platform X] with edits, is inseparable from their chemistry."

Once the trophy was in his hands, Shao Yao returned to normal.

After being coached by Lu Xu for a while, his ability to express himself had improved a lot. However, under the spotlight and the gaze of the audience, the tall and imposing Shao Yao still seemed a little shy, revealing a bashful expression.

"The gap moe is real! So cute!"

"SCREAMS! This is the Shao Yao we love! Radiating sunshine up there!"

But he still managed to deliver his full acceptance speech, white-knuckling the award.

"I never imagined I’d be standing here," Shao Yao said. "Let alone imagine that one collaboration would change my life forever."

"I've always loved acting, loved being an actor. But after starting this career, I realized that hard work alone doesn’t seem to be enough—sometimes, it doesn’t even matter."

"I almost went down the wrong path. If I hadn’t coincidentally met Lu Xu, who showed me what a real actor should be like..."

While Shao Yao was delivering his acceptance speech, Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao were throwing heart gestures at him from the audience.

The live broadcast director gave Lu Xu a close-up at that moment.

Fans noticed—if you looked closely enough—that Lu Xu, who was infamous for roasting the entertainment industry, had slightly reddened ears.

"Shy Lu Xu!"

"I’m spamming screenshots!"

"Hahaha, you can tell Shao Yao rarely shares such heartfelt thoughts. Look, even Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao are blushing—hilarious!"

"Exactly because he usually doesn’t say such things, it hits harder when he does. Shao Yao obviously doesn’t lie; his words are sincere."

"This is so wonderful! Working hard together, improving together, becoming great actors together! So proud of the Mountain Squad!"

Shao Yao, of course, also thanked the entire cast and crew of *Chivalrous Fragrance*. The director and screenwriter teased him for his 'not-so-sincere' gratitude. Liu Chunfeng turned to Lu Xu and said, "When you go up to give your speech later, make sure you do it properly."

Lu Xu: "...I didn’t even prepare an acceptance speech. Your expectations are too high."

Liu Chunfeng: "That’s exactly why I’m pushing you."

Lu Xu: "...No way. Absolutely no way."

He couldn’t. He really couldn’t.

Lu Xu hadn’t held much hope for this year’s Xingchen Awards. If he won again this time, he could imagine collecting many more Xingchen Award trophies in his lifetime.

Well, that’s the burden of being too talented.

Reality matched Lu Xu’s expectations. This year, both he and Zheng Xiao left empty-handed. Although Qiao Mengyao was nominated, she didn’t win either.

This year’s Best Actor in a Television Series went to another strong competitor, who won the judges over with his portrayal of a lone detective chasing a criminal for twenty years.

Compared to him, neither Lu Xu’s Nie Yunzhang nor Zheng Xiao’s Jiang Ziqiang had as fully developed characters.

So, the only winner, Shao Yao, treated Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao to a lavish, mouthwatering feast.

The next day, gossip accounts wrote, "Bitter Lu Xu Shakes Down Shao Yao, Leaving the New Best Supporting Actor Broke."

Lu Xu: "? Why just me?"

He wanted to protest—Zheng Xiao was there too!

Zheng Xiao was just as disappointed, okay?

Zheng Xiao ate even more than he did!

"I didn’t do anything. Don’t pin this on me," Zheng Xiao laughed his ass off. He had no idea how the reporters managed to capture Lu Xu’s most serious expression—at a glance, it really looked like Lu Xu was glaring at Shao Yao.

Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao’s failure to win this time did invite snarky articles from haters, claiming the duo had known they stood no chance and staged this moment to show off their friendship, hogging the spotlight from the new Best Actor in a Television Series, Xu Kaiping.

Lu Xu was used to being targeted, but Zheng Xiao had never been attacked from this angle before—he was completely floored.

According to Lu Xu’s judgment, Zheng Xiao’s nomination for Best Actor in a Television Series at the Xingchen Awards would lead to him drowning in scandals. With the popularity of *War Flames* and the credibility of the Xingchen nomination, Zheng Xiao was inevitably poised to rise to the A-list—and during this period, the number of scandals about him would peak.

...

For Lu Xu, the Starlight Awards were just another ordinary awards ceremony. Anyone attending the same event more than three times would inevitably find it quite dull.

However, after this year's Starlight Awards ceremony, a media outlet compiled a ranking of the most nominations since the awards' inception, dividing it into male and female actor categories. In the male actor category, the late veteran actor Gu Chong led with a staggering eight nominations, while Lu Xu surprisingly secured a high position with four nominations.

"Hold up, Lu Xu got four Starlight noms already?"

"Damn, that's wild! The top spots are all A-list acting powerhouses, and even further down, there are several familiar names known for their acting chops."

"By the way, how many dramas has Lu Xu actually starred in?"

"One supporting role and three leading roles—Lu Xu has only acted in six dramas. Except for *Voices of the Dead*, every drama he's starred in has earned him a Starlight Award nomination."

"That’s legit insane."

Fans were shook. In the TV world, Lu Xu is already among the absolute top tier, yet in the film industry, despite his solid box office performance, he still gets dragged for no reason.

"Puppy [his fan nickname] should just stick to dramas. I've already rewatched his latest *Chivalrous Fragrance* several times—there are so many other interesting dramas out there!"

Fans were equally frustrated with the treatment Lu Xu received in the film industry.

Because of this, whenever Lu Xu appeared in a movie, his fans would rally to boost ticket sales—the more haters doubted him, the harder fans went to prove them wrong.

By this point, Lu Xu's next film had already been confirmed: a biopic.

He was open to sci-fi, but the investors for that project kept changing, and funding still hadn't been fully secured. Without stable financing, production couldn't proceed smoothly. Lu Xu could free up a few months in his schedule, but he couldn't afford to block off a year or two.

The crew dragged their feet too, but at least they managed to start filming. The reason it seemed slow was due to the comparison—*Sanctuary* [a title inspired by mythological references] had already finished shooting and was awaiting release.

Lu Xu: "?"

Did they speed-run this or what?