Famous! Ch.190

Chapter 190: What Award?

“Generally speaking, the three major awards don’t create an atmosphere where a single film dominates,” Xu Wen said. “For Fearless Life, having some suspense is actually a good thing.”

Lu Xu nodded. “It’s all fine.”

Although marketing accounts had already started analyzing the past grievances between him and Liu Rennong, they made it seem like Lu Xu was bound to miss out on this year’s Golden Flame Award.

[If Lu Xu wins the three majors again this year, no one will be able to stop him.]

[Personally, I think it’s not just Liu Rennong—many people in the industry don’t want Lu Xu to win another of the three major awards. Just look at how he won the Contention Award. If he gets a Golden Flame Award too, no one will be able to suppress him.]

Now, whenever netizens mentioned Lu Xu, the only actor they compared him to was Li Yan. In terms of box office performance, Lu Xu was indeed inferior to Li Yan, but when it came to awards, even with just one Contention Award in hand, Lu Xu had already surpassed him.

One Contention Award had already solidified Lu Xu’s standing. If he won another, it wouldn’t just be actors at his level— even those slightly more dominant would have to step aside for him.

This awards season was particularly lively, not just for the audience but for the industry as well.

And the biggest question was—could Lu Xu win the Golden Flame Award?

[You could even take it a step further—does Lu Xu have a chance to defend his Contention Award title?]

[…Most people wouldn’t dare to think that far. Personally, I feel there’s still some suspense around the Critics’ Choice Award as well. The jury might not necessarily give it to Lu Xu.]

[If Lu Xu walks away with nothing, wouldn’t that make him a laughingstock in the industry? If you ask me, Lu Xu and his fans shouldn’t get ahead of themselves. They should just brag about the Contention Award for a few years first and forget about this year’s three majors. Do they really think they own them?]

Seeing a familiar account speaking under the #AwardsSeason tag, netizens couldn’t help but sigh—black fans were indeed more devoted than actual fans.

This account had been bashing Lu Xu since Son of Heaven, and after all these years, their dedication remained unwavering.

Even though they were predicting Lu Xu’s downfall, netizens couldn’t help but ask, [Is there any film this year that can truly compete with Fearless Life?]

[Fearless Life is in a great position, but that doesn’t mean Lu Xu is guaranteed to win. Those are two different things. What if he doesn’t even get a nomination?]

Netizens: “…”

Back when Lu Xu won the Stellar Best Actor award, this same person had confidently declared that When I Was 18 was a great drama, but that didn’t mean Lu Xu was a good actor.

However, When I Was 18 was a series built entirely around the protagonist Huang Luning’s life, just as Fearless Life revolved around Bai Qianshan’s journey. How could the work and the lead role be separated?

And yet, this user continued to spew nonsense, insisting over and over that Lu Xu’s success was impossible, no matter what.

In a way, their persistence was almost admirable. Netizens couldn’t help but feel a little fond of them—fail, fight, fail again, fight again. With that kind of determination, they could succeed at anything.

Discussions about this year’s awards season weren’t limited to just one platform. Various forums and streaming sites were filled with heated debates.

Lu Xu, however, felt that the real conversation shouldn’t be centered on him. What people should be asking was—was Liu Rennong really the right choice to serve as the jury president?

That being said, as a director skilled in marketing and constantly trending, Liu Rennong’s name was never absent from the hot search whenever he mentored a newcomer or won a major international award. But this time, despite the Golden Flame Awards being one of the industry’s most prestigious events, Liu Rennong had seemingly vanished into thin air.

“So cunning,” Lu Xu couldn’t help but sigh. “Same old style as always.”

All the bad things belonged to others, while all the good things were his.

“You’ve basically become a senior member of the Liu Rennong Research Society now,” Xu Wen joked.

Lu Xu pulled a disgusted face. “Please, this is purely out of necessity.”

Back when he first started acting, he had seen Liu Rennong frequently mentoring newcomers and had assumed the man was a genuinely good person. But in the end…

Well, he just couldn’t stand Liu Rennong.

…

Discussions about the three major awards were heated, stirring up excitement for quite some time. Not long after, the Contention Award, the first of the three to announce its nominations, released its list.

Lu Xu’s name was prominently featured among the nominees.

The netizen who had confidently declared that Lu Xu wouldn’t even get a nomination was immediately proven wrong. However, instead of feeling embarrassed, they stubbornly doubled down: “A nomination doesn’t mean he’ll win. There’s no way Lu Xu is getting an award this time.”

This year, the official Contention Award website listed Lu Xu at the very top of the Best Actor nominees. It was clear that he had received the highest number of votes in the nomination process.

Among the nominees, there was also a familiar face—Yue Hui, who had been nominated for his performance in the film Sea of Hatred.

Lu Xu muttered under his breath, “Why is it always you?”

Yue Hui replied, “I was just about to ask the same thing—why is it always you?”

The two of them couldn’t help but laugh.

By now, Lu Xu had grown accustomed to running into familiar faces. The acting industry wasn’t that big—if they weren’t meeting during awards season, then they were crossing paths when their films were released.

Yue Hui’s Sea of Hatred had a title straight out of the 1980s, and its story revolved around family ethics. In the film, Yue Hui played a massive scumbag—a man whose selfish actions ruined three generations and destroyed three families.

If Lu Xu didn’t know Yue Hui personally, he might have suspected the guy was just playing himself.

“How did you decide to take on this role?” Lu Xu asked curiously.

Yue Hui had a fairly wide acting range. He had primarily played righteous characters in the past but had recently started exploring villain roles. However, with his traditionally handsome features, he had spent his younger years playing charming young men, earning him a significant fan base among older female audiences. And now, here he was, portraying a massive scumbag.

Lu Xu was tempted to interview Yue Hui’s longtime fans—did they feel like their idol had been ruined?

“I’d never played a role like this before,” Yue Hui admitted honestly. “Once you try it, you realize how difficult it is to pull off.”

In Sea of Hatred, Yue Hui’s character was a scumbag in relationships, but he wasn’t an outright bad person. He was unfaithful to his wife yet still maintained the illusion of a peaceful family. If not for the day his secret was exposed, even the younger members of his household would have remained unaware of his true nature.

Lu Xu had seen the film, and Yue Hui’s performance was undeniably sharp and compelling. Seeing his name on the nomination list came as no surprise.

The reason Fearless Life had such a strong standing in this year’s awards season was because several of its competitors were niche films like Sea of Hatred. The three major awards—especially the Contention Awards and the Golden Flame Awards—tended to be more traditional and rarely recognized films with messy, unconventional narratives like Sea of Hatred.

Aside from Yue Hui, the nominees also included Zhu Qiong, Sun Danqing, and Kwon Jilin. Compared to the year Reverse City was nominated, this year’s competition was noticeably weaker.

Lu Xu’s chances of winning another award this season weren’t particularly high. However, in terms of pure acting ability, his performance was on par with any of the nominees. As a result, when discussions about the winner arose, he was never entirely ruled out.

For this event, Lu Xu walked the red carpet alongside Miao Zhi.

After stepping onto the red carpet, the official host naturally showered them with flowery compliments and avoided any controversial questions. However, before the red carpet, both Lu Xu and Miao Zhi were repeatedly asked about their stance on Liu Rennong serving as the jury president for the Golden Flame Awards.

Miao Zhi positioned himself in front of Lu Xu and responded, “It’s great. Congratulations to him.”

“If Fearless Life loses at the Golden Flame Awards, would that confirm the rumors that Director Liu and you have fallen out?”

At this, Miao Zhi finally stopped. His usually lazy gaze turned sharp. “So you’ve only had friends and never enemies in your entire life? That must mean you’re a truly successful person.”

With that, he gave Lu Xu a pat on the back, signaling him to move forward and ignore the ridiculous question.

On the red carpet, the two of them received an enthusiastic welcome.

Regardless of whether Lu Xu won an award, Fearless Life was undeniably one of the biggest contenders at this year’s Contention Awards. While Miao Zhi had always been less famous than Liu Rennong, netizens had done some digging and discovered that his influence in the film industry was not much weaker than Liu’s.

[People always say Liu Rennong has good connections, but now that he’s in trouble, have you seen anyone speaking up for him? Other than those who just want to watch the drama, how many serious industry peers have actually defended him?]

[Forget defending him—several directors even said in interviews that fair scheduling is the most basic principle. If someone tries to manipulate screenings, then maybe all other films should just step aside and let him monopolize the theaters.]

[Just wait. There’s going to be a lot of drama when the Golden Flame Awards roll around.]

Directors weren’t the type to focus solely on filmmaking and ignore industry politics—especially when screening schedules affected their own interests. There was no way they would back down.

On the surface, it seemed like Liu Rennong had only offended Miao Zhi and Lu Xu, but in reality, he had made far more enemies than outsiders realized.

Inside the venue, Miao Zhi greeted familiar directors and actors, and Lu Xu quickly realized that Miao Zhi’s connections ran far deeper than he had expected. Perhaps because Miao Zhi had been consistently making films, he was well-acquainted with both veteran and mid-generation directors alike.

Miao Zhi took Lu Xu around to meet these people.

“I’ve heard great things about you,” one director joked. “But really, who doesn’t know Lu Xu? You can’t just introduce him by name—you should be introducing him for potential collaborations.”

“Exactly!”

“I’ve already met him before, and now we’re nominated together again. The pressure is real.”

Lu Xu’s gaze shifted toward Yue Hui, who was waggling his eyebrows at him. Lu Xu responded with a helpless expression.

Yue Hui’s grin widened.

Lu Xu: “…”

There was no helping it—he was still considered young, so it was only natural for a director to introduce him around at these kinds of events.

However, compared to other up-and-coming actors, Lu Xu was already a regular at award ceremonies despite his age.

“I can understand introducing other people, but why is Lu Xu still being introduced?” Zhu Qiong, who was also nominated for Best Actor this year, couldn’t help but grumble. “The guy already has a Best Actor award. I don’t even have one. When he walks up to me, I don’t even know whether I should stay seated or stand up.”

In terms of experience, Zhu Qiong had been in the industry longer, so it made sense for him to be introduced to younger actors. But in terms of winning a Contention Award, Lu Xu had already outpaced him. It was difficult for Zhu Qiong to act as a senior or display generosity in front of him.

How could he? He didn’t even have the same achievements—what kind of authority would that be?

For a moment, the atmosphere turned a little awkward.

Joking aside, the nominees were still quite friendly toward Lu Xu.

After all, simply being nominated for the annual Contention Award was already a victory in itself.

The award ceremony followed the same process as the previous year. Although this was only Lu Xu’s second time attending, he was already completely at ease. Fearless Life had received the most nominations this year, so naturally, the film’s team occupied the best seats in the guest area. Not far in front of Lu Xu sat the members of this year’s jury panel.

While the Contention Award was known for being rigid, it was also widely regarded as fair and reliable. The decision to award Best Actor to Reverse City last year had been quite unexpected.

Although Lu Xu had been nominated again this year, no one really expected him to win—including himself.

So he spent the evening with a calm and relaxed mindset, showing not the slightest sign of nervousness. Whenever someone from the Fearless Life crew went up to receive an award, Lu Xu played along enthusiastically, clapping with exaggerated excitement. Even the director gave him several puzzled glances.

[LMAO, director: disdain.jpg”

[The director’s side-eye at his lead actor is killing me. Sir, can you treat your main actor a little better?]

[Lu Puppy claps for the crew—Lu Puppy good. Director stares at Lu Puppy with a meme-worthy expression—Director bad.”

Lu Xu maintained this laid-back attitude until the announcement of the Best Actor award. He barely registered the presenters and winners that came and went, occasionally watching a performance segment, but he had already forgotten who had won what.

Then, all of a sudden, he heard his own name.

For a brief moment, Lu Xu thought he had misheard.

He noticed the cameras and the gazes of the guests seated in front of him all shifting toward him.

Beside him, Miao Zhi grabbed his arm and raised it up. “Get up! What are you dazed for? Go accept your award!”

“What award?” Lu Xu’s mind was a complete blur, and he blurted out the question almost instinctively.

The director looked at him with an expression that was simply unbearable to witness.

Right at that moment, the broadcast director’s camera cut to this exact scene.

[Hahahaha, Lu Xu, what are you doing?!]

[I’m dying of laughter. This is literally me before finals—asking my roommate what exam we have the day before.]

[…For a second, I thought this was some scripted bit. But then I saw the director’s expression, and it’s even funnier. That man looks like he’s questioning his entire existence.]

[Winning an award and then asking which award—it’s killing me.]

[Congrats to our puppy!!! Fastest double Best Actor win in history!!!!]

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