Chapter 101: The Award Winner
Appearing on the red carpet of the Stellar Awards once again, Lu Xu was now completely at ease. Not only him, but the entire crew of When I Was 18 also received an enthusiastic welcome.
Han Xiao and Zhou Lin were affectionately referred to by fans of the show as “Papa Huang” and “Mama Huang.” When the three of them appeared in the spotlight together, even Mu Qian and Jin Mu were asked by reporters to step aside.
Mu Qian obediently yielded his position.
“Lu Xu’s aura this time is downright intimidating,” a Fashion magazine reporter remarked. “G-brand really went all out this time.”
Fashion reporters, accustomed to working with luxury brands, immediately recognized that Lu Xu was wearing a piece from G-brand’s yet-to-be-released haute couture collection. Undoubtedly, he was the first person in the world to wear it.
However, compared to the significance of his nomination for Best Actor at the Stellar Awards, being the first to wear G-brand’s couture seemed trivial.
At least, Lu Xu himself wouldn’t care about such things.
“Even if he wore ready-to-wear from ten years ago, G-brand would still claim him as their own,” a reporter commented, fully aware of how luxury brands operated. As long as a celebrity had enough star power and awards, brands would enthusiastically align themselves with them, even without prior collaboration.
What’s more, Lu Xu was the favorite for this year’s Stellar Awards.
Three nominations in three years—Lu Xu was a safe bet for any brand.
It could even be said that in recent years, the viewership ratings of the Stellar Awards were propped up by Lu Xu. After the Best Actor Award was presented, the ratings would plummet from their peak. The biggest suspense surrounding the Stellar Awards in recent years was whether or not Lu Xu would win.
“Lu Xu’s luck with roles is unbelievably good. Every project is a massive hit—it’s genuinely astonishing.”
Amid the buzz and excitement, reporters captured photos of Lu Xu. Compared to his first appearance on the Stellar Awards’ red carpet, he had matured significantly, exuding an increasingly prominent superstar aura.
Back when he was first nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Qin Zhao, the entire industry was shocked. At that time, no one could have imagined that this man would go on to repeatedly rewrite the history of the Stellar Awards.
When Son of Heaven was released, many in the industry anticipated that Lu Xu would rise to fame. But his ascent was so rapid and unexpected that his competitors had no time to react before he had already reached the top.
After wrapping up one set of photos, a sudden commotion erupted from the red carpet. The screams and cheers grew louder, almost painfully so, as heads turned to see that Lu Xu had somehow made his way over to the cast of Voice of the Dead. There, he stood with his arm slung around Shao Yao’s shoulder, both of them playfully gesturing at each other.
[My CP is alive again!!]
[Today feels like a holiday!!!]
[Quick, take the pictures before it’s too late!]
When walking the red carpet with the cast of When I Was 18, Lu Xu had radiated a warm, sunny smile. But the moment he met Shao Yao, his true nature shone through.
The two lingered on the red carpet for quite some time, allowing reporters to capture more than enough photos.
The reporters couldn’t help but reflect that this unexpected interaction owed a lot to Su Zhao. Normally, with Lu Xu’s style, he wouldn’t have left so many “questionable CP” shots with Shao Yao.
Although Voice of the Dead had already concluded some time ago, the CP dynamic between Jiang Lin and Su Yang remained as popular as ever. According to the CP fans, what made them so endearing was that they didn’t try to “sell it.”
Trying to sell it would feel like acting, but not selling it made it feel real.
Voice of the Dead had not been nominated for acting awards at this year’s Stellar Awards but had secured nominations for Best Long-Form Series, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. As the most talked-about series of its year, it continued to attract widespread attention.
Though the show provided less space for actors to showcase their range, its overall quality was undeniably solid, even exceeding audience expectations.
While its chances of winning weren’t as high as When I Was 18, Voice of the Dead, as a standout work in the suspense and mystery genre, was equally deserving of the Stellar Awards’ recognition.
Currently, the buzz for Voice of the Dead winning awards isn’t as strong as it is for When I Was 18. However, as a masterpiece in the suspense and detective genre, Voice of the Dead was equally worthy of the Stellar Awards’ recognition.
“If Voice of the Dead had gotten Lu Xu a nomination for Best Actor, it might have split the vote and worked against him. The fact that it didn’t win any acting nominations is actually the safest outcome for Lu Xu.”
“Jiang Lin was also an excellent character. If it had been a year with less fierce competition at the Stellar Awards, Lu Xu might very well have snagged a nomination for it.”
“In short—Lu Xu is just incredible! Forget starring in both Voice of the Dead and When I Was 18—even starring in just one of these dramas would be enough for others to boast about for a lifetime.”
Nowadays, when the industry discusses the achievements of young actors, Lu Xu is often excluded from the comparison because including him makes the discussion pointless.
Typically, if a young actor starred in one drama with over 10,000 popularity score, it would be enough for their fans to brag for a long time. As for Lu Xu? His record for three leading roles averages over 15,000 points—closer to 16,000, in fact.
No one could resist bragging about that!
If you included the dramas where he played supporting roles, the average popularity score would still exceed 13,000.
When it came to comparing hard data, the charts created by Lu Xu’s fans were notoriously brutal.
Most fans used 10,000 as the benchmark for popularity. However, Lu Xu’s fans created separate categories for every 1,000-point increment. As a result, from 16,000 to 12,000, most other young actors had no presence, while Lu Xu’s name dominated every category, standing out like a towering figure.
When it came to awards and accolades, the comparison was even harsher.
In a way, Lu Xu was an actor who operated outside the standard metrics.
He hadn’t started off with the advantages of classically trained actors. During the filming of My Baby Prince and Son of Heaven, Lu Xu had fought his way through the industry alone. Yet, this was the man who managed to achieve a meteoric rise that no one else could match.
After the finale of When I Was 18, online rumors and negative gossip about Lu Xu significantly decreased.
—With so many works as his foundation, nothing could easily bring him down anymore.
…
This year, Lu Xu’s seat was still prominently placed near the center. Sitting beside him was Yuan Lai, the lead actor of Grass on the Plains. One row behind them sat Xia Zhengrong, the lead actor of Spring Romance, who had also been nominated for Best Actor at last year’s Stellar Awards—and was now up against Lu Xu again.
“Why is it you again?” Xia Zhengrong teased Lu Xu. “I thought someone new might show up this year.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Lu Xu replied with a smile.
Sitting beside Xia Zhengrong was Li Tianhou, the lead actor of On the Riverbanks. He looked to be around 45 years old, with a perpetually serious expression and furrowed brows, radiating tension throughout the evening.
Even with the cameras rolling, Li Tianhou’s frown didn’t relax when Lu Xu greeted him.
However, Lu Xu noticed that Li Tianhou treated everyone the same way—his attitude toward Xia Zhengrong and Yuan Lai was just as indifferent.
The last nominee, Wang Ji, was the oldest among the contenders this year. In The Years That Can’t Be Returned, he portrayed a blind elderly man. Both The Years That Can’t Be Returned and When I Was 18 were heartwarming dramas, though one focused on a middle-aged man returning to his youth, while the other explored the struggles and inevitabilities of aging.
This year’s Stellar Awards once again promised to be a fierce competition among the nominees. Of the five Best Actor contenders, only Lu Xu and Li Tianhou had yet to win the award.
Though Lu Xu was much younger than Li Tianhou, his track record at the Stellar Awards was equally impressive. Including this year, Lu Xu had been nominated three times, while Li Tianhou had only two nominations to his name.
This awards season, predictions placed Li Tianhou as the second most likely to win Best Actor, just behind Lu Xu.
After sitting down, Lu Xu had a faint sense that Li Tianhou harbored some hostility toward him. It was just a sixth sense, but since Li Tianhou’s attitude toward the other nominees wasn’t exactly warm either, it was hard to say for sure.
Still, Lu Xu’s instincts were usually spot-on, and he wasn’t one to easily dismiss his own judgment.
The awards ceremony itself progressed uneventfully. When I Was 18 had been nominated for several major awards. Han Xiao and Zhou Lin had both been nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. In the end, Zhou Lin won the award for her role as the mother in the series.
This marked the first Stellar Award of Zhou Lin’s acting career.
For formal awards like the Stellar Awards, those outside the entertainment industry often dismissed their significance, seeing them as nothing more than a way for stars to brag and inflate their worth. Young actors, in particular, were accused of exploiting nominations or any association with the Stellar Awards to dominate trending topics on social media.
But for someone like Zhou Lin, who had spent her life diligently acting, the award represented something far more meaningful: a legacy.
As long as the Stellar Awards existed, her name would forever be tied to the accolade.
Even after winning, Zhou Lin didn’t have the resources—or the need—to flood social media with her victory.
After the Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards were presented, the technical awards followed: Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Lighting, and Special Effects. When I Was 18 failed to win any of these, but Voice of the Dead took home the award for Best Score. The series’ chilling atmosphere was, in large part, thanks to its meticulously crafted soundtrack.
Lu Xu waited patiently as one guest after another took the stage, each expressing gratitude to the Stellar Awards committee in their own way. Finally, it was time for the announcement of Best Actor.
The camera panned swiftly to the faces of the five nominees.
Li Tianhou’s brow remained furrowed, while Xia Zhengrong and Yuan Lai appeared calm, their expressions seemingly composed. Whether intentional or not, Lu Xu was the last nominee shown on the big screen, and his camera time was noticeably longer than the others.
[!!! So handsome!!]
[That face is made for the camera. Love the cufflinks!]
[Wakuwaku! Will Lu Xu win? Will he?! If you think he will, press 1—11111!]
The next moment, the big screen displayed performance clips from each nominee.
This time, When I Was 18 was the first to appear, showcasing Huang Luning’s story.
At a prestigious and formal awards ceremony like the Stellar Awards, the sequence of clips carried significant weight.
Xia Zhengrong subtly glanced around and noticed that Li Tianhou’s brow had furrowed even deeper. Though the presence of cameras limited his movements, Xia Zhengrong could sense the tension.
It wasn’t easy to stay calm—it was the Stellar Awards, after all. For someone who had never held the trophy, the stakes were even higher.
Even Xia Zhengrong, who had once won the title of Best Actor, couldn’t remain entirely composed during the year when his chances were at their peak.
But then…
Xia Zhengrong shifted his gaze slightly forward and saw Lu Xu’s profile.
Compared to Li Tianhou, Lu Xu appeared utterly unperturbed.
On the screen, a clip from When I Was 18 was playing—a scene shortly after Huang Luning traveled back in time. It wasn’t the widely circulated heartwarming moment of him and his mother in the golden sunlight near the series’ finale. Instead, it was a raw, emotional scene where Huang Luning sobbed uncontrollably, his cries stirring deep emotions in the audience.
At that moment, he had once again become a child with a home.
The feeling of having one’s parents alive is entirely different from when they are gone.
As one writer put it, the passing of loved ones is not like a torrential downpour; it is a lifelong dampness.
Huang Luning had been trapped in that dampness all along.
Xia Zhengrong, who had been nominated alongside Lu Xu in the previous Stellar Awards, deeply understood the explosive power of Lu Xu’s performances. His portrayals of Yu Yi and Huang Luning were polar opposites, yet he managed to bring out the brilliance in both characters.
After the clip from When I Was 18, the screen showed Li Tianhou as a desperate farmer facing a failed harvest in On Both Sides of the River.
Li Tianhou skillfully captured the protagonist’s anguish and confusion.
His performance was undoubtedly excellent, but in Xia Zhengrong’s view, he leaned slightly more in favor of Lu Xu.
The overall quality of When I Was 18 was superior to On Both Sides of the River.
The latter leaned too heavily into the artsy side of filmmaking. Li Tianhou’s earnest performance amplified the artistic quality of his character, but it also made the story feel more like a crafted drama than a reflection of real life.
The portrayal of the protagonist’s suffering felt authentic in spirit, but the exaggerated effort detracted from the sense of realism.
On stage, the award presenter slowly opened the envelope.
The air seemed to thin in that moment, and the entire venue fell silent. The only rhythm was the imagined drumbeat of the nominees’ pounding hearts.
The presenter mercifully refrained from any drawn-out suspense or awkward banter.
“And the winner of this year’s Stellar Award for Best Actor is—”
“Lu Xu, When I Was 18! Congratulations!”
The stillness of the room erupted into joyous noise. Every gaze turned toward the young man in the front row, his refined features now lit with surprise. His radiant smile swept through the crowd as he rose to accept his crowning moment—his ascension as Best Actor.
Yassss, baby good job! 👏👏👏