Chapter 48: Nomination

Xie Qingyang exited the Weibo app, only to reopen it moments later, over and over again. His manager, watching from the side, didn’t even have the heart to say anything.

Finally, Xie’s fingers hovered over the trending topic “Lu Xu Stellar Award Nomination.”

Before he’d noticed it, the trending list only included “Stellar Awards Nomination List Announced.” But now, new entries were climbing the ranks: “Lu Xu Stellar Award Nomination” and “Stellar Awards Best Supporting Actor”—one after another.

[No wonder G-brand reposted about Lu Puppy, lol.]

[Z-brand’s luck is off the charts. They just announced Lu Xu as their spokesperson, and within a week, he’s nominated for the Stellar Awards.]

[LMAO, Xie Qingyang’s fans mocked Lu Xu for not wearing haute couture. Well, here it is now.]

[By the way, is Lu Xu the youngest nominee for the Stellar Awards?]

[Not quite. Mo Nanyun was nominated at 13. But in recent years, Lu Xu is definitely the youngest.]

One aggravating comment after another, each one like a needle. Xie Qingyang felt his chest tighten as if the air had been sucked out of the room.

He didn’t even need to look to know that under hashtags like #LuXuNomination, there were bound to be mentions of Verse.

The full name of the Stellar Awards was the Chinese Drama Stellar Awards. It was one of the most authoritative awards in the domestic television drama industry and had been held 79 times up to that point, with this year marking the 80th edition.

Outsiders might not pay much attention to the Stellar Awards nominations, but for actors who had been working hard in the television drama industry for years, it represented the industry’s recognition of their talent.

Even if they didn’t win, being nominated was an honor in itself.

Several actors who had recently ascended to the ranks of top-tier stars achieved their success thanks to a Stellar Awards trophy.

In the past decade, the overall quality of young actors had declined significantly, and their acting skills had been criticized by both the industry and the audience. As a result, even though dozens of dramas starring young actors aired each year, those who managed to catch the attention of the Stellar Awards were close to none.

The strictness of the Stellar Awards was well known.

From the perspective of the Stellar Awards, nominating mid-career actors and awarding the industry’s backbone was not necessarily beneficial. This had led to declining attention for the awards. Particularly, the Stellar Awards occasionally supported niche masterpieces, which annoyed fans of some “popular” works.

As several currently trending young actors failed year after year to win the Stellar Awards, dissatisfaction among their fans grew.

During every award season, the Stellar Awards organizing committee faced pressure from all sides.

Some industry professionals called for the Stellar Awards to be more open, diversify the range of nominated genres, and embrace more varied acting styles instead of sticking to traditional aesthetics.

During the award season, media outlets and marketing accounts also generated a lot of discussion, predicting which popular young stars might be the first to win the favor of the Stellar Awards.

Simultaneously, young actors with some status in the industry were no longer content with acting only in the idol dramas they were familiar with. They began trying their hand at serious dramas, hoping to achieve a breakthrough with the awards.

When the nominations for this year’s Stellar Awards were announced, the first to be revealed were the nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress.

As soon as the list came out, marketing accounts declared it “unsurprising and unexciting,” as the names favored were still those well-known and familiar faces. These veteran actors and actresses were consistently reliable performers. Even if their presence in daily discussions was minimal, award season always seemed to belong to them.

Cheng Yun earned a nomination for Best Actor at this year’s Stellar Awards for his performance in Son of Heaven.

This was the first nomination of Cheng Yun’s acting career.

Lu Xu, upon opening WeChat that morning, was greeted with a large digital red envelope.

[The last one to wake up gets the best luck,] someone teased.

[Congratulations, congratulations!!]

[I’m already thrilled just to be nominated,] Cheng Yun replied with a smiley-face emoji. [I’m not expecting anything more.]

[I wouldn’t be able to say this in person, so I’ll say it here in the group: if it weren’t for the teamwork and the scenes we worked through together, I wouldn’t have performed at this level. This nomination is everyone’s achievement, not just mine.]

[What are you talking about, Old Cheng?]

[Let’s keep it simple—you’re amazing. That’s why you got nominated. Don’t overthink it.]

The lack of surprises in the Best Actor and Best Actress nominations showed that the Stellar Awards were sticking to their usual style. By the time nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Actress were announced, the reactions from marketing accounts and media outlets were predictably indifferent.

[Looks like another meeting of the uncles.]

[+1.]

[Can’t they consider nominating someone from the younger generation? Sure, their skills aren’t top-notch, but they’re not that bad, are they?]

[Like Zhang Che?]

[I actually think Lu Xu is pretty good,] another suggested. [But Lu Xu has less acting experience. Zhang Che’s been eyeing the Stellar Awards for years now, hasn’t he? Maybe this is finally his year to get nominated.]

When the netizen mentioned Lu Xu, they secretly believed that Lu Xu was the stronger performer. However, considering the combative nature of Zhang Che’s fans and his relentless pursuit of the Stellar Awards in recent years, they decided to stay silent.

Zhang Che’s obsession with being nominated for the Stellar Awards had almost become a fixation. To voice such an opinion would undoubtedly feel like rubbing salt into the wounds of Zhang Che’s supporters.

But… Lu Xu was indeed more impressive.

In Son of Heaven, the cast was dominated by seasoned actors like Cheng Yun and Guo Yining, who were masters of their craft. Even so, Lu Xu held his own in scenes with them, his brilliance undimmed.

If another actor had played Qin Zhao, the results might not have been as remarkable.

That said, the Stellar Awards had always been harsh toward the younger generation, and this year would likely be no different from previous years.

The netizen casually clicked on the official Stellar Awards social media page, only to find a newly announced list—

The still image was striking, showing an expanse of pure white snow.

It depicted the prime minister, gazing into the distance as an old acquaintance faded from view amidst the heavy snowfall.

In the vast whiteness, it seemed as though he stood alone in the world. Usually imposing in his official robes and cloak, the prime minister appeared vulnerable in this particular moment.

At the bottom of the image, small text slowly appeared:

[Guo Yining, Son of Heaven.]

Guo Yining’s nomination was no surprise. A professional prediction report even ranked him as the most likely candidate to win among all the contenders.

And in second place…

Within the palace walls, a black-haired young man tilted his head upward, silently gazing at the brilliant blue sky above.

From the moment he could remember, his life had been defined by his role as the crown prince and his duty to protect this vast empire.

But this vast empire would never truly belong to him. All he had was this narrow courtyard and a sky that seemed unreachable beyond its confines.

The young man’s expression was filled with longing, yet when he looked up, it also carried a trace of sorrow.

The netizen instantly recognized the young man—it was Qin Zhao.

As expected, beneath the still, the updated list appeared:

[Lu Xu, Son of Heaven.]

The netizen was momentarily stunned, taking a while to process the realization—did the Stellar Awards actually nominate a young actor this time?

The Stellar Awards committee had long been criticized for its alleged bias against young actors and those who rose to fame through idol dramas.

But…

Lu Xu didn’t exactly fit the traditional mold. He wasn’t professionally trained, had spent a few years as a member of the idol group Verse, and while he had enjoyed fame at one point, his reputation had taken a nosedive after the group disbanded.

As for rising to fame through idol dramas—Lu Xu’s “breakout role” had been in the notorious, crazy drama My Baby Prince, a show even idol drama actors wouldn’t deign to acknowledge. If all dramas were made in the style of My Baby Prince, the entire industry would soon collapse.

By all accounts, Lu Xu didn’t meet the usual standards for a Stellar Awards nomination.

Among the actors perceived as victims of the Stellar Awards’ “bias,” Lu Xu should have been at the very bottom—a name unlikely to ever appear on the list.

Yet, somehow, Lu Xu had been nominated.

Among the five nominees, Lu Xu’s name was listed right after Guo Yining’s. The other three nominees were veteran supporting actors, less known but highly respected for their craft.

The Stellar Awards’ official social media account posted a photo collage of the five nominees. In the group, Lu Xu’s strikingly youthful face stood out like a sore thumb.

[Is it really Lu Xu!!]

[His portrayal of Qin Zhao was outstanding, and he nailed it on his first try! Lu Xu is incredible!!]

[Lu Xu signed with Feiyang Entertainment, right? Could his nomination have been influenced by Feiyang’s efforts?]

[…Honestly, even with backing, the Stellar Awards aren’t that easy to sway. At the very least, you need the acting skills to justify the nomination.]

[He’s amazing!]

[Unbelievable! Lu Xu’s ad had been out for two days with no reaction from G-brand, but as soon as the nomination list dropped—two minutes, literally two minutes—G-brand’s official account reposted it.]

This year’s Stellar Awards were originally expected to be as uneventful as in previous years. However, the news of Lu Xu’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor instantly doubled the award’s popularity.

First, Lu Xu was extraordinarily young, and the Stellar Awards hadn’t nominated a young actor in years.

Second, Lu Xu himself was a magnet for drama, a walking debuff if there ever was one.

Gu Sinian, his rival, had poured effort into back-to-back projects, The Watchers and Rising Sun, aiming for award-season glory. Yet, both productions flopped, and Gu Sinian failed to secure any nominations. Instead, Lu Xu managed to sneak into the spotlight first.

As for Chen Ye… no words were needed—his situation could only be summed up with a capitalized “tragic.”

Meanwhile, the fans of Xie Qingyang, who had been mocking Lu Xu just moments earlier for not landing any high-end fashion endorsements, suddenly found the coveted deal Xie Qingyang had been chasing handed over to Lu Xu on a silver platter.

Everything his rivals used to ridicule Lu Xu eventually turned against them, while all the things they desperately wanted somehow ended up in Lu Xu’s lap.

The group chat for Son of Heaven crew had initially been buzzing with congratulations for Cheng Yun. But once the news broke that Guo Yining and Lu Xu were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor, the chat exploded with gleeful banter.

[This is going to be a tough call.]

[Old Guo, why don’t you and Xiao Lu settle it with rock-paper-scissors? Winner takes all.]

[Oh, oh, it’s about to get heated!]

[I vote for Xiao Lu. He’s handsome, after all.]

[Xiao Lu is really handsome.]

The group’s leader and director, Liu Chunfeng, quickly started a poll asking who was more handsome—Xiao Lu or Old Guo.

Lu Xu received 99% of the votes. Guo Yining got a single vote, which everyone suspected he had cast for himself.

[This is outrageous! Why can’t it be Xiao Lu who voted for me?] Guo Yining protested in mock anger.

Lu Xu quietly logged in to the group chat. [I haven’t even started voting yet.]

Guo Yining: […Hey! Replace my name with anyone else’s, and the poll results would still hold true, okay?]

The group immediately burst into laughter.

This wasn’t Guo Yining’s first Stellar Awards nomination. To him, his portrayal of the Prime Minister wasn’t the most important or standout role of his career. As such, he was rather calm about the prospect of winning.

In everyone’s mind, it was Lu Xu who shouldn’t have been calm. However, across two lifetimes, this wasn’t Lu Xu’s first nomination for his acting.

Being acknowledged certainly made Lu Xu happy, but he believed there would be plenty more opportunities to celebrate in the future. As long as he continued acting, he would encounter more fascinating roles and have more space to showcase his talent.

Lu Xu wasn’t as invested in the Stellar Awards as the outside world imagined. But someone was. Someone who cared—a lot.

<< _ >>

**TN

Xiao Lu – Little Lu

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