Chapter 361: And The Award Belongs To…
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
“I brought you some stuff,” said Lu Yi, grabbing Yan Huan’s hand and leading her to his car. The unit didn’t permit anyone to leave camp at this hour, so he made sure to stay out of sight.
Yan Huan entered the car and gleefully indulged in the snacks brought by Lu Yi. It’s been a long time since she ate such things, and the first bite made her wonder why they tasted that good.
The sweetness of the snack seeped into her heart.
Lu Yi drove the car to a secluded place.
“Relax, there’s no one here. You can take your time,” said Lu Yi, afraid that Yan Huan would choke herself in her wolfing state.
Yan Huan ate another piece of chocolate, then turned and ensconced herself in Lu Yi’s lap.
Lu Yi stroked her hair gently, an intense flame sparking into life in his dark eyes, slowly making its way to his mind.
A secluded place was as good a place to eat snacks as a place for something naughty.
They were newlyweds, and they would be lying if they said they didn’t think about certain things…
The honeyed air in the car, sweetened by the milky aroma of the chocolate, was almost cloying.
“What’s wrong? Why’s your face so red?” asked Huang Mengmeng, putting a hand on Yan Huan’s forehand. Could it be a fever? She felt her own forehead to compare their temperatures. Didn’t seem like that was the case.
“It’s nothing.” Yan Huan tugged at Huang Mengmeng’s hand and snuck a piece of chocolate into her hand.
Huang Mengmeng broke a wide grin as she felt the chocolate. She decided she would eat it under her blankets at night. Chocolate! They haven’t seen snacks in ages. Every meal was carrots, tofu, and vegetables. If this went on, she could see herself turning into a cabbage.
Yan Huan sat down, her legs still sore. Recalling the events in the car, she blushed once more. She shouldn’t have teased Lu Yi. He was the one who did all the work, but she was the one feeling sore afterward.
Good for him, leaving all refreshed and replenished. Her, on the other hand, still felt sore and weak. She needed to catch a wink. Luckily, there weren’t any training in the afternoon so they had some free time.
Yan Huan fell asleep the moment she sunk into the pillow.
She hugged her blanket tightly and slept almost motionless.
Lu Yi visited her once every weekend so that he wouldn’t be too heartbroken to function. Doubtless, he also brought news with every visit.
“Take a look at this,” he said, displaying his phone to Yan Huan. On the screen, the latest season of Man Vs. Wild was being played.
Su Muran’s appearance was kept to a minimum, almost getting no screen-time at all. Perhaps it was the result of her not appearing in front of the camera as much, or perhaps it was the result of intentional editing.
Anyway, she was like a bystander throughout the show.
The person who performed best was none other than Yan Huan. She covered Fang Ying with a blanket, carried Fang Ying’s bag, and uttered not a word of complaint. They were both women, but she was walking on her own feet when Fang Ying had to be piggybacked. Not once did she inconvenience anyone.
Her highlight was none other than the cooking scenes, which captured nearly all her cooking techniques and knifework.
Towards the latter half of the show, all the comments were about her.
Small wonder why Li Changqing felt like he had eaten a fly when he knew about Yan Huan’s decision to become a soldier. Her popularity was on the rise, yet she chose to leave the stage at such a time. Going under the radar at a time like this, it wasn’t something an actor should do.
Yan Huan was pleased with her performance, but she wasn’t keen on attending similar shows in the future. It was a little dangerous. She knew now that nothing mattered more than life. She wouldn’t be able to do anything if she died.
“The opening ceremony for the Golden Tree Award will commence in a few days time. You going?”
Lu Yi stroked her short hair. Still smooth and silky, only shorter and less pleasant to touch. However, when his hand slid down to her waist, he could feel that her muscles were more solid than before. Evidently, the training had done her well. She was a little more muscular now.
“Nah,” said Yan Huan, hugging his waist tightly. “It happens on a weekend. I don’t want to waste a day’s time sitting on a cold bench when I can be here spending time with you.”
She wouldn’t attend any award ceremonies or whatsoever at the expense of their precious weekly rendezvous.
If the prize belonged to her, no one can take it away from her. And if it wasn’t, her going wouldn’t change a thing.
Neither did she had the urge to walk the red carpet or fight for the headlines. If she wanted, she wouldn’t have given up so many resources and chances of exposure by coming here in the first place.
She left to come back stronger.
“And if you win an award?” Lu Yi hugged her tightly. Don’t all actors long for that prize? The title of Best Actress had its prestigious charm.
“So be it then,” said Yan Huan. She already had fame and money. Other things mattered little to her now that she had gained the most important of them all.
Lu Yi suddenly smiled. “Alright then. You are the pride of my life.”
Yan Huan clutched his hand tightly. Within her eyes, a gentle breeze passed and stirred a ripple.
The 28th Sea City International Film Festival was held in no other than Sea City. The awards in-store were the highly-anticipated Best Actress, Most Popular Actress, and Actor of the Year.
Nominated for Best Actress was Yan Huan from Uncle and the Flower, and Su Muran, the female lead for Three Kingdoms, an award-winning film.
These two films had both been New Year films that did outstandingly well at the box office. Of course, that was only a nice way of putting it. Everyone knew that the low production film, Uncle and The Flower, had utterly crushed Three Kingdoms. Three Kingdoms was the film with the best special effects, the best actor lineup, and the highest production cost in years. When it hit the cinemas, it occupied nearly 52% of the screens in every cinema at all times. In the end, it suffered a crushing defeat from The Uncle and The Flower, a cheap film that couldn’t have cost more than 3 billion in production costs.
However, that same cheap film had topped 27 billion at the box office, a record that still remains undefeated. No doubt it was a slap on the face for the Three Kingdoms production team.
Box offices didn’t guarantee awards, but it’s worth mentioning that The Uncle and The Flower were incredibly well-received; both its male and female leads were nominated, and likely to win too.
This year, the Most Popular Actress award would most likely go to the lead of one of these two films. Who would win was anybody’s guess, but most would put their bets on the stars of The Uncle and The Flower. It was the will of the people.