Chapter 84: A New Nomination

When the nomination list for the Stellar Awards was announced, Lu Xu was sitting on a bench in the production set, gnawing on a sweet potato.

One of the perks of shooting a slice-of-life drama was the abundance of edible props. The only regret he had was that there weren’t many people around to snack with him. This made Lu Xu reminisce about the days of filming Voice of the Dead with Shao Yao.

The food near that set had been amazing.

Just as he was lost in thought, munching on his sweet potato, Mu Qian suddenly smacked him hard on the back. Half of the sweet potato fell to the ground, and Lu Xu couldn’t help but cast a reproachful look at the director.

Mu Qian said, “…Three-second rule. The sweet potato has skin. You can still eat it.”

Lu Xu: “…”

Heh.

That interruption nearly made Mu Qian forget why he’d come over. Finally remembering, he pointed at his phone screen and said to Lu Xu, “The Stellar Awards nominations have been announced.”

“You made the shortlist.”

Lu Xu pulled out his phone and saw that the cast and crew of The Path of Bones were all tagging him. Directors and actors from his previous projects, like Son of Heaven and Voice of the Dead, had also sent their congratulations.

Shao Yao had sent a sticker of a small rocket dog. With a “whoosh,” the dog inflated like a balloon and soared into the sky, looking all proud and triumphant.

#The Person With The Most Dog Stickers In The World#

But Lu Xu couldn’t blame Shao Yao for that. It was his own fault.

After replying to all the congratulatory messages, Lu Xu finally had time to open Weibo.

On the trending page, the tag #Stellar Awards Nomination List Released# had climbed to the number one spot. Meanwhile, the second most trending tag was #Lu Xu Second Stellar Nomination#, but unlike his previous nomination, this time, Lu Xu had been shortlisted for Best Actor.

[Impressive! The Path of Bones only got one nomination, and it was for him.]

[Is Lu Xu the youngest actor ever nominated for Best Actor at the Stellar Awards? I can’t recall anyone younger than him being nominated.]

[Upstairs, he definitely is.]

[Wow! That’s incredible! But honestly, Lu Xu’s performance in The Path of Bones was phenomenal! Totally deserved!]

[Fans of Zhang Che are mocking the Stellar Awards, but honestly, I doubt Zhang Che will ever even be nominated for one in his lifetime.]

[…I just looked at the nomination list and realized this year is a ‘super year’ for the Stellar Awards.]

A “super year” refers to a year where the nominees are exceptionally strong, and the competition for awards is particularly intense. For any actor to win during such a year is a lifetime achievement worthy of endless pride.

Opening the official Stellar Awards page, the nominees for Best Actor were listed as follows:

Zheng Yeping, Spring River Waters.

Yue Hui, Uncertain Waves.

Lu Xu, The Path of Bones.

Xia Zhenrong, Battle Flag Beautiful as a Painting.

Liu Fang, Who Am I.

Among these actors, Yue Hui was a two-time film king transitioning to TV dramas. His first drama, The Watchers, flopped, but his acting was still widely recognized. This year, his performance in Uncertain Waves earned him a spot on the nomination list.

Meanwhile, the names Zheng Yeping, Xia Zhenrong, and Liu Fang each carried immense weight in the industry, with influence and status that spoke for themselves.

Lu Xu was listed third among the nominees. For such a young actor to have his name alongside these titans of the industry was already an extraordinary honor.

[Lol, I’m a fan of Lu Xu, but even I wouldn’t dare to dream of him winning.]

[The trembling-in-fear series.]

[Hahaha, but I’m seriously so happy! It feels like my fave is super amazing. I’m so proud of him!]

[Upstairs, I dare to dream! Out of these nominees, except for Yue Hui and Lu Xu, everyone else has already won the Stellar Award for Best Actor. Yue Hui, on the other hand, is a film industry giant who’s already taken home multiple Best Actor titles.]

[Lu Xu is incredible!]

When the Stellar Awards announced the nominations, they also released clips of each actor’s performance in their respective dramas. Zheng Yeping and Yue Hui displayed their seasoned acting skills, while Lu Xu, portraying Yu Yi, might have had a youthful face but delivered a performance that was nearly on par with the others.

[With this nomination, it feels like Lu Xu is now the top actor among his generation.]

[Let’s not jump to conclusions. Lu Xu can’t even act in Zhang Zhizhen’s films. He’s no match for certain people.]

[Agreed. No comparison. Some are already representing Chinese actors on the global stage, while Lu Xu is just stuck making TV dramas.]

Meanwhile, Zhang Che, who was filming The Swordsman with his crew, had already heard about Lu Xu’s nomination for Best Actor at the Stellar Awards.

He had been joking around with the team, but as soon as he got the news, his expression turned cold.

The possibility of Lu Xu’s nomination had always lingered in Zhang Che’s mind. It was his greatest source of anxiety. If not for this, he wouldn’t have rushed to collaborate with Zhang Zhizhen as soon as the director invited him to join his film.

He couldn’t beat the popularity records of The Path of Bones or Voice of the Dead. If he wanted to surpass Lu Xu, he would have to win a Stellar Award.

But his chances of winning a Stellar Award were even slimmer than Lu Xu’s.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Che had no choice but to explore a different path—one that led to the film industry.

Lu Xu’s nomination for the Stellar Awards had been expected.

But for Best Actor…

Zhang Che had worked tirelessly for even a shot at the Stellar Awards. He had collaborated with every director he could, yet he hadn’t even come close to earning a nomination.

And Lu Xu? How many years had he been acting? He was already nominated for Best Actor.

Zhang Che was consumed by a mix of jealousy and resentment. Even though he considered himself far superior to Lu Xu in every way, the news of Lu Xu’s nomination still stirred bitterness in his heart.

What made Lu Xu deserve this?

Luckily, he had landed a role in The Swordsman. He hadn’t lost.

So what if Lu Xu had a Best Actor nomination? He couldn’t possibly stay stuck in the TV drama world forever, could he?

When Lu Xu eventually transitioned to films, he would have to start from scratch. Meanwhile, Zhang Che had stepped into the film industry and immediately collaborated with a renowned director. Such incredible fortune was almost unheard of in the entertainment world.

Besides, Zhang Che was now the face of the luxury brand M.

Recently, he had attended several film festivals and participated in various events sponsored by M-brand, allowing him to expand his network significantly.

It was only now that he realized how narrow his previous perspective had been. He’d spent so long confined to the small realm of television dramas.

Once The Swordsman was released worldwide, what would a minor accolade like the Stellar Awards even mean?

In the past, Zhang Che had rarely attended the Stellar Awards ceremony, mainly because he’d never been nominated. Now that he was breaking into the film industry, he felt the awards no longer held much importance. Yet the arrogance of the Stellar Awards committee still irritated him.

“You’re the spokesperson for M-brand,” his manager reminded him. “You’re absolutely qualified to attend. And there’s no need to feel inferior—you’re already in films now.”

Zhang Che had always been eligible to attend the Stellar Awards, just like other top young actors of his generation. But his pride had held him back; he didn’t want people to mock him for “crashing the red carpet.”

Having tried and failed to secure a nomination so many times, he couldn’t help feeling insecure when faced with the real nominees.

But now, things were different. For an actor from the film industry, attending the Stellar Awards wouldn’t diminish his standing in any way.

Zhang Che waited patiently for an invitation from the Stellar Awards committee. But no matter how long he waited, it never arrived. His distraction over this even earned him a scolding from Zhang Zhizhen during filming.

“Where’s your focus? If you don’t want to film, get out!”

Zhang Che’s expression briefly flashed with anger, but he kept quiet and politely apologized before resuming filming.

Zhang Zhizhen was an arrogant and difficult person to work with. Even though Zhang Che had praised him extensively in front of reporters after joining the crew, any minor mistake during filming would result in a barrage of scolding, with no regard for his dignity.

The core issue was that Zhang Che hadn’t fully understood his character.

He hadn’t even grasped the script.

But Zhang Che wouldn’t dare admit this to Zhang Zhizhen. Not only would he face another tirade, but Zhang Zhizhen would undoubtedly make condescending remarks like, “Well, you come from TV dramas—it’s normal for you not to understand the art of cinema.”

In the TV industry, Zhang Che was a highly sought-after top actor, a leading star. But within the Swordsman crew, he was just “the guy from TV dramas.” Though the mockery and disdain weren’t overt, Zhang Che was naturally more sensitive than most. He could sense the judgmental gazes.

He knew exactly how those people viewed him.

The invitation to the Stellar Awards never came.

Zhang Che could barely maintain his pride. Eventually, he couldn’t hold back and contacted his manager.

Over the phone, the manager hesitated, stammering for a long time before finally saying, “…I heard M-brand wasn’t chosen as the official jewelry sponsor for the Stellar Awards this year.”

Naturally, as the brand ambassador, Zhang Che wouldn’t be walking the Stellar Awards red carpet either.

“Fine, then I just won’t go,” Zhang Che replied after a brief pause. “I don’t care.”

After all, his intention had been to show off.

But one day, Zhang Che realized something was off.

During the filming of The Swordsman, Zhang Zhizhen had taken him to several events, and Zhang Che himself had taken time off to attend others. In the past, whenever he appeared at major events, M-brand’s official account would always tag him, and fashion bloggers would highlight the M-brand elements in his outfits.

Zhang Che was well aware that M-brand was betting on him.

To be precise, M-brand was also betting on The Swordsman.

But ever since the Stellar Awards nominations were announced, Zhang Che noticed that M-brand had been tagging him less frequently. Over the past month, M-brand had only tagged him once.

This was surprising, considering the end of the year was typically packed with major events—annual meetings, brand reviews, awards ceremonies—one after another. Zhang Che had been working nonstop and believed he had fulfilled his duties as a brand ambassador, doing his best at every event to showcase M-brand’s jewelry in different styles.

Yet, M-brand had only tagged him once.

What’s more, Zhang Che started to feel that the jewelry M-brand was lending him had become less extravagant. Previously, he had been loaned high-end necklaces and bracelets, but now it was mostly decorative brooches—delicate pieces that lacked grandeur and impact.

No matter the reason, if the brand was suddenly downgrading the treatment of its ambassador, shouldn’t they at least provide an explanation?

Zhang Che reported the issue to his agency, Ye Hai Entertainment, which promptly reached out to M-brand for clarification. However, both Zhang Che and Ye Hai seemed to overlook the presence of a fourth party in the relationship between celebrities, agencies, and brands—

The fans.

In truth, Zhang Che had already noticed the decline in his treatment. How could his fans—who paid close attention to his styling every day and even frequently demanded explanations from his agency regarding his looks—fail to notice it?

If the brand was downgrading Zhang Che’s treatment, then naturally, it was time to address the brand.

[@M-brand, please give us the proper treatment for our ambassador Zhang Che, thank you.]

[@M-brand, it is an honor for your brand to have Zhang Che as the ambassador. Please restore the high-level treatment he deserves, and let him stand at the center in the new season’s posters, thank you.]

[Is the ambassador just a decoration? @M-brand @M-brand @M-brand @M-brand, no wonder the Stellar Awards ended the collaboration, haha, deserved.]

Fans roared in the comments under M-brand ‘s official account for several days, but the result they got was—

In the latest public event, Zhang Che wore M-brand’s least conspicuous pair of earrings. There wasn’t even a brooch.

That wasn’t even the main issue. The key point was that one of M-brand’s secondary ambassadors had an entire set of brooch, bracelet, and necklace.

#It’s the other way around?#

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