Famous! Ch.240.2

Chapter 240.2: Ni Xiuzhu

[Judging by his manager’s Weibo posts, he seems to care a lot about the Contention Awards, doesn’t he?]

[Maybe he does now, but just wait until he actually wins. Then he’ll act all nonchalant—‘Oh, I didn’t even want this award. They insisted on giving it to me. Wow, I had no idea everyone else cared so much. My bad!’]

[Ugh, The Writer nightmare flashbacks. Back then, he claimed he had no knowledge of the script changes, that it was just another ordinary role for him, and that he didn’t expect the protagonist’s fans to ‘overreact’ so much.]

[I swear I have PTSD from all his ‘overreaction’ accusations. I hate it so much.]

[I’m going to chant a hundred times a day—please don’t let ‘Mr. Opportunist’ win the Contention Award for Best Actor. If he does, every actor trying to steal screen time will think they can get away with it. Why take the hard path when shortcuts are so easy?]

[Praying!! I don’t care if the award goes to Lu Puppy or Li Yan—just anyone but him.]

This year was considered a weak year for the Contention Award, with relatively low competition. The award had always followed a more traditional approach, and most winners fell within predictable expectations. After the nominations were announced, several industry insiders—who had long followed the awards—released their predictions.

Among them, Lu Xu and Li Yan were seen as the strongest contenders for Best Actor.

But everyone knew—Ni Xiuzhu was a tough competitor, too.

[I just hope the Contention Award doesn’t turn into what the Golden Flame Award once was—that would be such a shame.]

It was normal for awards to have biases, but those biases shouldn’t treat the audience like they were blind. At the very least, they should align with audience expectations.

With the film market cooling down and audience interest in movies declining, if award ceremonies continued to alienate viewers, films would truly become nothing more than a game for industry insiders, leaving the audience as mere spectators.

There were plenty of prediction lists online, but no one could say for certain who would win.

…

Lu Xu was nominated for Best Actor, while Zheng Xiao and Wang Yu were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Compared to the other nominated films, The Sovereign Descends the World held a certain advantage.

Every year, Lu Xu’s Contention Award nominations attracted more attention because his films had a greater cultural impact.

Just like this awards season— The Sovereign Descends the World was the only high-grossing film among the nominees.

Regardless of what the judges thought, in the minds of the audience, The Sovereign Descends the World was the most familiar film. The other nominated films simply didn’t have the same level of influence.

Zheng Xiao had rarely been nominated for the Contention Award, so he hadn’t expected to compete directly with Wang Yu. When the production team submitted two names for Best Supporting Actor, he had assumed Wang Yu had a better chance of getting in. But to his surprise, the judges gave The Sovereign Descends the World two nomination slots.

Period dramas rarely received many nominations in a single year, so securing three acting nominations was no small feat.

The Sovereign Descends the World was a male-driven story, with few female roles, which was why no actresses from the film had been nominated.

“I don’t think I have a shot at winning,” Zheng Xiao sighed. “Just getting nominated is already a big deal. I’m pretty amazing as it is.”

If his competitor weren’t Wang Yu, Zheng Xiao felt he might have had a fighting chance. But since it was Wang Yu, he had already given up hope.

“Just being nominated is enough.”

For Zheng Xiao, the nomination itself was a victory.

In the film industry, Lu Xu was widely recognized as an anomaly—a bug in the system. His achievements were astonishing, and he was still relatively young. If Lu Xu were removed from the equation, then Zheng Xiao’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor already placed him ahead of many of his peers.

Zheng Xiao was more than satisfied.

Besides, he knew very well that the reason he had managed to secure a Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Sovereign Descends the World was due to the influence of his co-stars, Lu Xu and Wang Yu.

The two of them were outstanding actors, and with their presence in the film, he had been pushed to perform at his very best.

Zheng Xiao’s agency was doing its best to campaign for the award, but even if their efforts didn’t succeed, the nomination alone would elevate his career.

Since the Best Supporting Actor nominations had been announced, the number of production teams and brands reaching out to Zheng Xiao had noticeably increased. Having spent so many years in the industry, he no longer expected overnight success. The steady progress he was making now suited him just fine.

Watching the heated online debates over this year’s Best Actor award, Zheng Xiao couldn’t help but sigh. The competition for Best Actor was brutal—by comparison, things in the Best Supporting Actor category were much calmer, and he was glad for it.

Lu Xu was constantly at the center of entertainment industry storms. Zheng Xiao had never experienced that level of pressure. He had been criticized before, but never to the extent that Lu Xu had endured.

Naturally, Zheng Xiao was rooting for Lu Xu. If anyone had a chance of winning Best Actor this year, he sincerely hoped it would be Lu Xu.

…

After Ni Xiuzhu’s manager stopped speaking, Xu Wen also refrained from saying anything further.

As the date of the awards ceremony approached, Lu Xu no longer tried to get close to the judges, though when he saw the online trend of the so-called “Nominee Wardrobe Battle,” he nearly blacked out.

Absolutely ridiculous.

Wasn’t acting skill the only thing that should matter?

Lu Xu never worried about styling. Having collaborated with G-brand for years, he had always been provided with the most suitable outfits for every Contention Awards ceremony.

In a way, G-brand cared more about the awards each year than Lu Xu did, since the brand needed to prepare in advance to ensure he showcased an image that aligned with their aesthetic.

The reason their collaboration was so seamless wasn’t just because Lu Xu had a high status and remained an A-lister throughout their partnership—it was also because he was incredibly cooperative.

G-brand had worked with many celebrities, but in terms of cooperation, Lu Xu ranked among the top. He entrusted almost all the preparations to G-brand, respected their choices, and never made bizarre or unreasonable requests.

Beyond that, he and G-brand were a perfect match—no other celebrity could achieve the effect he did when representing the brand.

In recent years, handsome men in the entertainment industry had become increasingly rare. It wasn’t just the audience who noticed; even industry insiders were well aware that the world had become dominated by unattractive men. This was true not only in the domestic entertainment scene but worldwide as well.

Under such circumstances, good-looking men had become an endangered species.

Lu Xu had once been dubbed “The Last Handsome Man of the Film Industry.” He was deeply moved but still rejected the title.

After all, people labeled as “the last of their kind” usually met tragic fates.

There would definitely be another handsome man in the future—Lu Xu firmly believed that.

…

Another year, another Contention Awards red carpet.

Lu Xu was all too familiar with this scene. As he stepped onto the carpet once again, he couldn’t help but understand the sentiments of the critic who had written I’m Tired of Lu Xu.

He wouldn’t eat the same brand of ice cream four times, yet he had been nominated in the same category four times.

Strictly speaking, he had walked this red carpet six times—once as a judge and once when Black & White earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

“The moment I heard that sound, I knew Lu Xu had arrived,” a reporter from Cinema magazine remarked.

Cinema covered the Contention Awards every year, and in recent years, this particular journalist had encountered Lu Xu on the red carpet quite frequently.

“When Lu Xu appears, the sound is like thunder—completely different from the others.”

Just a moment ago, he had been checking his camera settings, but as soon as he heard the roaring commotion around him, he immediately pressed down on the shutter, ready to capture the moment.

No matter what, Lu Xu’s photos would always come in handy.

One year—he couldn’t even remember if it had been Fearless Life or Clay Man—he had managed to snap an exceptionally striking photo of Lu Xu. The image had drawn high traffic to the magazine’s website, boosted that issue’s sales, and even earned him a small bonus.

This time, the entire The Sovereign Descends the World film crew made an appearance together.

Industry analysts had compared The Sovereign Descends the World to Lu Xu’s other films, and it was clear that it wasn’t the highest-quality production he had ever starred in. But at this year’s Contention Awards, The Sovereign Descends the World still stood out as one of the most impressive entries.

This time, The Sovereign Descends the World was once again nominated for Best Picture and Best Director—naturally, it was a strong contender. Then again, any film starring Lu Xu usually received such recognition.

On the red carpet, Zheng Xiao and Lu Xu walked side by side, though calling it “walking” might have been a stretch. Neither of them had any intention of behaving properly; they draped their arms around each other’s shoulders, and at some point, even started walking in sync—same hand, same foot.

“Bad influence!”

“Mountain Bike Team forever! Missing one—next time, bring Shao Yao, or he’ll be crying at home in secret!”

“Hehehe! Lu Xu and his buddies always bring the best energy!”

“Happy puppy!”

Fans on both sides of the red carpet couldn’t help but snap photos. Lu Xu’s face was flawless, and when he smiled, it was nearly impossible for them not to fall even deeper for him.

Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao waved at the crowd, instantly triggering a wave of screams.

And then—

The two of them spontaneously recreated the scene where Hu Qing got eliminated from The Sovereign Descends the World.

The people who had been silently watching this unfold behind them: “……”

The director buried his face in his hands, while Wang Yu—also nominated for Best Supporting Actor—rubbed his forehead as if he had suddenly developed a headache.

“I’m dying, I can just imagine how chaotic the The Sovereign Descends the World set was.”

“The director’s hair probably turned white because of Lu Xu, huh?”

“Stop right now! Security is about to drag them off!”

“…I can’t with these two idiots. The director looks like he doesn’t even know them.”

“Someone really needs to remind Zheng Xiao—he was the one who got eliminated! Why is he acting so excited?”

Whether they had witnessed it live on the red carpet or seen the GIFs circulating on Weibo, fans everywhere came to the same conclusion—these two were beyond saving.

“Forget it. As long as they’re happy.”

The Contention Awards red carpet had originally been a rather formal affair, but the moment Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao stepped onto it, the entire atmosphere shifted.

Just as they reached the end of the carpet, the cameras zoomed in on the red carpet host—who, for a brief moment, wore an utterly speechless expression. And then—

The host asked Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao to walk it again.

“??? “

“??? “

“Dedicated to the craft, all for the ratings.”

“So committed, truly committed.”

“Two thirty-year-old men giving it their all.”

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