Chapter 220: Winning an Award
As an actor, Lu Xu had not traveled abroad frequently. Most of his trips were for brand events or film promotion activities.
In the past, international film awards had far greater influence than they do today. The most prominent figures in the domestic film industry would frequently attend such events in large numbers. When assessing an actor’s status, winning an international award was an essential factor that could not be overlooked.
Things were somewhat different now.
The Sunset Film Festival was one of the few international awards Lu Xu had been nominated for. According to Director Mu Lang, since he had free time anyway, why not take a trip and have some fun?
So, Lu Xu happily traveled abroad, spending his time on the plane in a groggy, half-asleep state.
One of the advantages of being overseas was that very few people recognized him, allowing him to move around without constantly being in the spotlight.
However, as a brand ambassador for G-brand, Lu Xu still took the time to shoot a promotional photoshoot for the company in advance.
G-brand had given Lu Xu a prestigious title and generous benefits. Their collaboration had remained steady over the years, and even though Lu Xu did not attend events as frequently as before, the two were still seen as closely linked.
G-brand had signed Lu Xu back when he received his first nomination for the Stellar Awards, a decision that was later regarded as one of the most brilliant moves in the fashion industry over the past decade. As Lu Xu rose to A-list status, G-brand’s recognition in the domestic market soared as well.
At this year’s Sunset Film Festival, G-brand had other celebrity collaborators attending, but Lu Xu was the only one competing for Best Actor. G-brand not only posted his red carpet look on Weibo but also featured it in international media.
At this point, foreign netizens who realized that “Code A77” and Ma Yanwen were the same person finally had an epiphany.
Lu Xu’s red carpet styling naturally bore a strong resemblance to “Code A77.”
[They’re the same person? This is the most shocking revelation of the year for me.]
[I watched Clay Man and Code A77, but only now did I vaguely recognize them as the same person through their eyes. The transformation is terrifying… But to be honest, Code A77 isn’t scary. Even though he has a gun and could easily massacre people, Ma is the truly terrifying one.]
The red carpet at the Sunset Film Festival was filled with filmmakers from around the world. Lu Xu had initially thought of himself as an unknown nobody, but in reality, both Deception and Code A77 had performed well at the box office. The attention he received was far greater than he had expected.
Lu Xu even heard people calling his name on the red carpet.
Director Mu Lang had brought Lu Xu along primarily for a vacation. As for the award itself, Lu Xu wasn’t too confident. Although local award prediction reports favored Clay Man, the Best Actor nominees this year came from five different countries, each with strong reputations.
Lu Xu had never placed much importance on winning awards, and Mu Lang had an equally laid-back attitude. Aside from traveling, the director’s main purpose for attending was to secure an overseas release for Clay Man.
After being nominated for the Sunset Film Festival, Clay Man was already confirmed for an international release, but expanding its reach further was still a challenge.
Regardless, any overseas earnings would be a bonus, and the film’s international influence would grow. While it wasn’t the type of film like Code A77 that could achieve high box office numbers, Mu Lang was a practical man—any additional profit was a win.
Unbeknownst to Lu Xu, his red carpet appearance had gone viral on international social media.
Among the five Best Actor nominees, he was the youngest. Moreover, his portrayal of Ma Yanwen in Clay Man was drastically different from his real personality—the stark contrast was striking.
Fans had long grown accustomed to Lu Xu gaining attention for his looks over the years. When the news of him trending overseas reached domestic circles, his fans merely felt a smug sense of “Oh, you’re just now realizing?”
[Turns out, the whole world is tired of ugly men.]
[These past few days, I’ve learned how to say ‘eat something good’ in multiple languages.]
[Hahaha, so everyone feels the same as me! Before Lu Xu appeared, I seriously wondered—why does it feel like the whole world is full of unattractive men? Where have all the handsome ones gone?]
[+1+1+1 like crazy!]
The Sunset Film Festival was not broadcasted live in China, but due to Clay Man’s nomination, international media and netizens provided real-time updates on the results. Some users even took the time to explain the final contenders.
[The film from Country I is also a strong contender—it tells the story of an elderly man who chooses euthanasia but ultimately regrets it. The lead actor should be familiar to everyone—it’s the old hunter from Gold Rush. He’s Lu Xu’s biggest rival.]
[If Lu Xu wins Best Actor this time, he’ll also break the record as the first Chinese actor to win at the Sunset Film Festival.]
[Praying for Puppy!]
[Honestly, from a pure acting perspective, I personally think Lu Xu is the stronger performer. This isn’t about age or seniority—just my own feelings.]
Seated in the guest section, Lu Xu was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Occasionally, the cameras would capture him, but everywhere his gaze landed, he saw nothing but cold, unfamiliar expressions. It made him feel slightly on edge.
He was more accustomed to environments where he could interact with the audience or fellow guests.
The Clay Man team had sent five or six members to the festival. Aside from director Mu Lang, most of them had little experience traveling abroad, so they kept chatting amongst themselves to ease the tension.
“When they announce the winner, we should at least be able to recognize our own names.”
Lu Xu and Mu Lang both had names that were easy to distinguish.
The Sunset Film Festival had a relatively simple award structure, and soon, it was time to present the acting awards. The nominees had not interacted before, and even after the nominations were announced, Lu Xu had not paid much attention to his competitors.
Of course, he had spoken with the festival’s organizers and met representatives from the distribution company handling the festival’s films, which led him to meet several jury members as well.
The Clay Man team had been actively working behind the scenes to boost Lu Xu’s chances, but the Sunset Film Festival was notoriously difficult to influence. While publicity efforts mattered, the most critical factor was still the quality of the work itself.
Back when Hollywood dominated the global market, the Golden Globe Awards had been second only to the Oscars in prestige. But as scandals within the Foreign Press Association piled up, it gradually lost its influence and was now on the verge of being discontinued.
Lu Xu decided to leave it to fate and see where luck took him.
…
When the camera focused on his face and the presenter awkwardly pronounced “Lu Su,” it took Lu Xu a full few seconds to realize they were calling him.
This was the announcement for Best Actor, which meant—
“I won?” Lu Xu asked in disbelief.
Director Mu Lang gave him a light pat on the shoulder. “That’s right, go accept your award.”
Lu Xu truly hadn’t been mentally prepared for this. Before attending the festival, he had looked up information online—some sources claimed that the Sunset Film Festival was particularly harsh on Chinese films, while others talked about actors who had waited years and still never won.
Yet, somehow, he actually won.
His acceptance speech was short and to the point. He thanked the director and the rest of the production team and shared a few of his thoughts on filmmaking.
The international media’s evaluation of him was—”A standard acceptance speech, but an absolutely stunning face.”
Although Lu Xu was not the youngest actor to win Best Actor, the number of approving voices after the awards ceremony was far greater than expected.
[Lu conquered the judges with his acting—and he conquered me too.]
[The plot twist in Clay Man shocked me. I find it hard to believe that the protagonists of Code A77 and Clay Man were played by the same person. I once praised them as ‘both being excellent actors,’ but then I realized—there was no ‘them.’ It was just him.]
[This is the first time I’ve heard Lu’s name, but to my surprise, I’ve actually watched three of his films already.]
Riding the momentum of the Sunset Film Festival, Clay Man quickly entered the international market. In China, the title Clay Man had a clear cultural context, but when translated into English, it resembled the word statue, which didn’t fully convey the essence of the film. Eventually, the production team settled on the English title Twisted—a simple yet fitting choice that aligned with the film’s plot.
…
As an international student, watching movies was one of Jiang Lei’s few hobbies. Though movie tickets abroad were expensive—one screening overseas cost as much as two back home—compared to other expenses, watching films was still a relatively affordable pastime.
Recently, he had started blind-watching films—choosing movies at random, like opening a mystery box—and then writing a review afterward. It was a requirement for the film club he had joined.
At first, Jiang Lei found it tedious, but over time, he got used to it. Eventually, he even began to enjoy the process.
This time, he randomly picked a movie called Twisted. It wasn’t until after buying the ticket that a friend reminded him, “Lei, that’s a movie from your country!”
Jiang Lei immediately perked up with interest.
Chinese films rarely had the opportunity to be released overseas. The last one Jiang Lei had watched was Code A77. Before the movie started, he quickly searched for Twisted on his phone but couldn’t match it with any known Chinese title. Once he entered the theater, he didn’t have time to keep looking—he simply waited for the film to begin.
To be honest, Jiang Lei wasn’t particularly fond of the Chinese films that managed to make it to international theaters. Code A77 had been an exception—after all, an action-packed film was always entertaining. But as for the others… for some reason, especially those that had been nominated for awards, they always gave him a sense of stagnation.
At times, he even wondered—who actually enjoyed these films? Who was their target audience?
The title Twisted made Jiang Lei feel like he had picked the wrong movie this time. The word itself sounded heavy and full of suffering, like the kind of film that tried to dissect the dark side of society. He had nothing against such films, but more often than not, they left him with only one lasting impression: bold.
Compared to other films that didn’t attempt to expose social issues, these kinds of movies didn’t necessarily have a significant advantage in terms of plot, execution, or even acting.
But since he was blindly picking films, he had to accept whatever he got.
At first, Twisted seemed like the typical boring movie—an impotent protagonist and a pretentious setup that made him want to fall asleep halfway through.
Then, as he kept watching, he suddenly realized—the lead actor was Lu Xu.
Jiang Lei had heard just how popular Lu Xu was in China. He had watched Deception and Code A77, both of which were his type of movie.
The character Ma Yanwen was so unremarkable that Jiang Lei hadn’t recognized Lu Xu right away. But the moment he confirmed that Lu Xu was playing the role, he also realized—Twisted was nothing like the dull film he had assumed it to be.
And then—the story took a turn.
The twist shocked him even more than watching a beautiful woman transform into a dinosaur. As a kid, he had seen plenty of tokusatsu shows—if a beautiful woman wanted to transform into something, that was her freedom.
But the Ma Yanwen he saw now was utterly despicable. He wasn’t just acting despicably—he was despicability itself.
For the rest of the movie, Jiang Lei’s mind was filled with nothing but “Holy sh*t.” The plot only had a single twist—it wasn’t one of those films that kept flipping things over and over again—but that one reversal was enough to leave him completely shaken. He kept replaying it in his head, reanalyzing everything, as his new perception of Ma Yanwen completely overrode his first impression.
Lu Xu’s acting… could only be described as explosive.
There were no characters in Twisted who crossed moral boundaries—no dr*gs, no shootings, no gangs. But in Jiang Lei’s mind, Ma Yanwen’s actions had shattered his own limits.
Perhaps it was a matter of distance—gangs, shootings, and dr*gs were far removed from his life. Even though the city he was studying in had its fair share of crime, those things never entered his world.
But Ma Yanwen was different.
Jiang Lei couldn’t help but start recommending the movie to his friends. He also began keeping an eye on its box office performance overseas.
**TN
Tokusatsu – shows like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Power Rangers, etc. With lots of special effects and giant monsters.
