Chapter 163 163 The Winner Is

Chapter 163: The Winner Is

The venue for the Contention Award ceremony was borrowed from the grand theater in City C. Despite its age, it radiated old-world charm, with many filming details from black-and-white movies of the 1950s and 60s. If he'd had time, Lu Xu would have stopped to examine them closely.

When Lu Xu returned to his seat, he found the *Reversal City* crew seated near the aisle, not far from the *Palm Tree* crew starring Ren Ningyi.

Lu Xu noticed that the average age of attendees at the Contention Award was indeed higher than at the Starlight Awards, though there were still actors who worked in both film and TV. After all, with only a few hundred films released each year, a two-hour ceremony couldn’t possibly accommodate all actors—especially since some films vanished without a trace, their impact even less noticeable than certain poorly received web dramas.

Lu Xu and Ren Ningyi sat close enough that when their eyes met, Ren Ningyi nodded back.

“Is that Lu Xu?” asked Tong Hua, this year’s Best Supporting Actor nominee and Ren Ningyi’s friend, as he watched the distant exchange. “His rise has been meteoric.”

According to the seating arrangement for this year’s Contention Award, the *Reversal City* crew was placed ahead of the *Palm Tree* crew. Of course, Lu Xu, as the Best Actor nominee, had more buzz than Ren Ningyi.

Ren Ningyi was an award-winning actor who had returned to the Contention Award after many years, while Lu Xu was widely recognized as a rising star.

But being part of the new generation didn’t mean Lu Xu’s acting was inferior to Ren Ningyi’s.

What amazed Ren Ningyi was how Lu Xu had transformed from an unremarkable second male lead in web dramas to surpassing even his own standing—perhaps even surpassing him further.

Back when *Watchmen* was overshadowed by *The Noble Son*, Ren Ningyi had first noticed Lu Xu’s name. While Lu Xu’s looks were his most striking feature, no one expected his acting to be just as impressive.

The new generation overtakes the old.

Apart from Lu Xu and Ren Ningyi, this year’s Best Actor nominees also included acclaimed actors Hang Xiaguang, Pei Han (a tough action star), and another veteran winner, Song Shizhen. Thus, at this year’s ceremony, Lu Xu was dubbed “the man surrounded by award-winning actors.”

Just looking at the nomination list revealed how fierce the competition was.

Lu Xu was nominated, while Zhao Yifan was not. Some argued that the Contention Award had too few spots for non-award-winning actors—usually just one or two per year—and this year, there simply wasn’t room for a second, so it went to Lu Xu.

“Lu Xu isn’t an award-winning actor, and neither am I. What’s the difference between us?”

“Look in the mirror, and you’ll see the difference.”

“Hey, that’s too harsh.”

Still, Lu Xu had a chance.

He was the only nominee among the five without an acting award.

As one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry, the Contention Award couldn’t afford to play an insiders-only game every year.

Lu Xu’s resume was thinner, but prior to this, he had already been nominated for a Golden Flame Award.

For a young actor, that was a huge leap forward.

Of course, external factors aside, the most crucial element remained the actor’s understanding of the character.

Though Lu Xu played a villainous role, the complexity of the character and his mastery of it were universally praised. Otherwise, with hundreds of films competing for five slots, there was no way he would have made the cut.

In a prestigious audience-voted ranking of “Most Memorable Villains,” Luo Ying was the only new character to make the list—the rest were classic villains from classic films.

Among the five films nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Starlight Awards, *Reversal City* had the highest box office earnings and the strongest audience recognition. Of the other four nominated films, three had each produced a Best Actor nominee, yet their highest box office earnings barely reached 500 million yuan.

In other words, Lu Xu’s portrayal of Luo Ying was the most familiar to audiences.

Though the Contention Award had long been criticized for being out of touch, this was a trend across industry awards. Still, award selections couldn’t completely disregard the audience. If the winning films were ones audiences had never even heard of year after year, the Contention Award would become irrelevant.

...

The award ceremony was as glitzy and glamorous as ever.

Lu Xu had watched all the films nominated for Best Picture this year. He rarely had time to go to the cinema, so he watched them at home on TV. Streaming services nowadays add new releases especially fast, and Lu Xu got fresh movies to watch almost every week.

However, he had never made it through an entire award ceremony—they were always too long and boring. Even when he was physically present, he couldn’t imagine how he managed to endure those endless hours.

Unless he took home an award. If he won, he’d only remember those few exhilarating minutes; the rest of the time could be completely ignored.

The Contention Award’s ceremony followed the same basic structure as other shows, starting with the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories.

Roles may be divided into leads and supporting characters, but acting isn’t. The supporting awards went to two respected character actors whose performances were truly memorable. Even Lu Xu couldn’t help but applaud.

One advantage of the Contention Award over others was that the organizers provided a spread of snacks, allowing celebrities to nibble while they waited for results instead of enduring hours of boredom.

Of course, hardly anyone actually touched them.

Director Mu Lang, seated beside Lu Xu, had no interest in the snacks and pushed his portion toward Lu Xu. Lu Xu was torn between accepting and refusing, so he silently unwrapped a candy and tossed two in his mouth.

They were better than he'd figured!

At least the organizers had spent some money.

As everyone knew, though industry events boasted prestige, they pinched pennies wherever possible—sponsorships were prioritized, and if none were secured, the organizers had to pay out of pocket, which was naturally painful.

After working through several snack packs, Lu Xu finally noticed the camera pointed at him.

He set the wrapper aside and gave a little wave to the camera.

"Take it easy on the snacks, seriously! It’s all Shao Yao’s fault! Does Lu Xu actually love snacks?"

"LOL, he looked so sneaky while eating, but the moment he got caught, he played it cool."

"Now that's a pro—Lu Xu. Still, I have to say, barely anyone else is eating as openly as you. Can’t help but @Feiyang Entertainment—did you not feed Lu Xu enough?"

"...Have you seen Lu Xu’s calf muscles in *Feather of Youth*? Who dares say he’s underfed?"

Though caught on camera, Lu Xu genuinely felt that having something to pass the time at such ceremonies was important.

He made some more small talk with Mu Lang and Luo Kun, though objectively, conversation options were slim. At the very least, they couldn’t comment on this year’s nominees or critique certain films. Mu Lang brought up *Fearless Life* and then asked about Miao Zhi, to which Lu Xu answered honestly.

"When’s the movie coming out?"

"Should be soon," Lu Xu said. "Director Miao hasn’t told me, but I think it’ll release this year."

"I’ll go see it in theaters then," Mu Lang said. "I’ll text him later to ask."

Lu Xu confirmed again that Mu Lang and Miao Zhi must be on good terms, since Mu Lang didn’t have Liu Rennong’s WeChat. Between Miao Zhi and Liu Rennong, Mu Lang likely favored the former.

...

While Lu Xu chatted with Mu Lang, Bei Hong, seated a few rows behind him, had his eyes locked on him.

Though he had attended this year’s Contention Award thanks to Liu Rennong’s influence, he wasn’t entitled to the front-row seats reserved for the award’s committee members. As neither a nominee nor a presenter, his seat was way in the back, close to the general audience section.

Still, at least he got to attend. He could draft a few more press releases afterward, putting him a step ahead of those who didn’t even receive invitations.

Yet Bei Hong watched with envy as Lu Xu sat near the center, laughing and chatting with fellow nominees. With a Contention Award Best Actor nomination, Lu Xu suddenly seemed in the same league as those revered veterans.

Liu Rennong had even told him to learn a thing or two from Lu Xu.

The mere thought of it filled Bei Hong with seething frustration.

He opened his phone and immediately saw the comment: "No Best Actor for Lu Xu means no Best Actor for me - so we're equals."

Bei Hong thought about it and had to agree.

Sure, Lu Xu’s nomination looked impressive, but if he didn’t win, it would just be a flash in the pan.

The Contention Award was such a high-profile award—just getting Lu Xu nominated was already a shocker. For him to actually win? Unless Liu Rennong was Lu Xu’s biological father.

With Liu Rennong on the judging panel, Lu Xu’s chances of winning were slim to none.

Though Bei Hong couldn’t quite read Liu Rennong’s thoughts, he knew one thing: Liu Rennong wasn’t generous enough to give Lu Xu the win in an award where he himself was a judge.

After a long wait, it was finally time to announce the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.

The dull atmosphere in the auditorium seemed to awaken instantly. Camera shots became precious, and the stars perked right up.

When the presenter took the stage, the cameras first lingered on the front-row members of the judging panel, lingering on Liu Rennong for an awkwardly long beat. Then, the camera slowly swept to the seats where the nominees and their teams sat.

Among the five nominees, Song Shizhen had the lowest chance of winning, as his film *Beyond the Stars* was the only one not nominated for Best Picture. Typically, movies like that were usually excluded from major award contention.

But Song Shizhen’s performance in *Beyond the Stars* was absolutely riveting—Lu Xu had rewatched his roaring scene in the rainstorm three times, and it stuck with him as one of the most powerful scenes in his two months of study.

The presenter was Duan Wei, last year’s Contention Award winner for Best Actress.

In the Best Actress race, the competition was slightly less intense compared to male actors, but that was also because strong female roles were harder to come by each year.

Lu Xu couldn’t help feeling it was a shame. Although *Female Grandmaster* had been submitted for the Contention Award, the actor who played the grandmaster hadn’t received much recognition. In Lu Xu’s eyes, she was fully deserving of a nomination. But perhaps the protagonist of *Female Grandmaster* didn’t align with mainstream tastes, or maybe the alleged 'backers' of the film were too influential in the industry—acknowledging *Female Grandmaster* would mean admitting their own poor judgment. From the start, the film never stood a chance.

Over the years of participating in various awards, Lu Xu had come to deeply realize how much pull mattered.

Of course, Lu Xu wasn’t dissing the other nominees’ abilities or claiming *Female Grandmaster* overshadowed everything. Those nominated for the Contention Award were undoubtedly top-tier performers, and the nominated actresses had put in work most people couldn't imagine.

As Duan Wei announced the nominees, the faces of the five actors appeared on the big screen simultaneously.

Lu Xu’s youth was glaringly obvious.

Yet, among a group of seasoned actors, Lu Xu held his own—especially when his nomination clip played.

The inhuman aura of Luo Ying was portrayed flawlessly by him. When his indifferent gaze met the camera, the chilling detachment gave you goosebumps.

It was like being eyed by a reptilian predator.

An actor playing a villainous role had to bring the menace, and Lu Xu undeniably succeeded.

When sharing the screen with the other nominees, Lu Xu’s presence didn’t falter. And in his nomination clip, the villain he portrayed naturally exuded next-level intensity. Even surrounded by previous Best Actor winners, no one could deny that Lu Xu deserved this nomination.

The contrast made it all the clearer.

"The winner of this year’s Contention Award for Best Actor is—"

To milk the suspense, Duan Wei took her sweet time opening the envelope.

Then, she read out a name that surprised many—yet one that the winner himself accepted with unshaken composure.

"Lu Xu, *Reversal City*."

"Congratulations!"

The spotlight suddenly illuminated Lu Xu’s face, exploding in a blaze of camera flashes.