Chapter 165: The Personal Bodyguard, Award Interview
Shen Xiu spoke up without hesitation: “There’s nothing to talk about. That was rightfully mine to begin with.”
Fang Chengxing had once said, “Don’t even try to guess what antis are thinking—it’s impossible.” What if he goes down and the guy tries to hurt him?
Besides… when had he ever been unethical? According to what Xuan Yu said, the award was clearly judged by the organizers themselves.
Shen Xiu had never thought of himself as a good person, but he didn’t believe he had done anything immoral either. He really didn’t like the way that guy outside—Adams—was putting it.
Fang Mo: “!”
Just as his big brother had said, even if Shen Xiu hadn’t shown up in a long time, he still knew everything!
It was Adams who broke the rules first—any losses he suffered this time were well-deserved.
Shen Xiu’s meaning was exactly the same as Fang Heng’s.
“Understood.”
Fang Mo signaled the driver to keep going and ignore the car blocking the road ahead.
Adams stood on top of a convertible off-road vehicle and saw the motorcade charging toward him.
“What the hell…” Adams cursed in a strange tone, panicking as he told his assistant to turn the vehicle around.
Just as the off-roader swerved away, Adams watched the convoy drive straight past him. He sat back down in his seat, cursing furiously.
Adams turned to his assistant: “Was I not sincere enough?”
Assistant: “……”
Good grief—at a time like this, he’s still trying to justify himself. The boss clearly knew he couldn’t go head-to-head with the other side, which is why he only brought one car.
Obviously, the other side didn’t care about any so-called sincerity.
But since the boss was clearly in a bad mood, the assistant didn’t dare tell the truth. He nodded stiffly: “…You were.”
…
The motorcade delivered the Storm crew to the venue of this year’s Teles Awards but did not leave. Instead, the bodyguards got out of the vehicles and stayed close on all sides.
The event organizers, upon seeing Fang Mo, didn’t drive them away. They simply dismissed the security personnel originally assigned to protect the Storm team.
“This way, please,” said a staff member from the organizers, smiling as they led the main cast and crew of Storm to the rooms prepared for them. Right under the noses of the personal bodyguards they had brought, the team was styled and made up in preparation for the awards ceremony scheduled to begin in two hours.
From the moment they got out of the cars until now, Fang Mo had been standing by Shen Xiu’s side, practically not leaving him even a step.
The members of The Galaxy sat together during makeup, but because Fang Mo remained stationed beside Shen Xiu, their conversations were all stilted—some even instinctively lowered their voices.
Fang Mo stood silently beside Shen Xiu, noticing that since the car had left Adams behind, Shen Xiu hadn’t said a single word.
He hadn’t even spoken to the members of The Galaxy, whom he clearly valued.
Shen Xiu’s coldness reminded Fang Mo of his own previous actions, and his heart thumped nervously.
He didn’t dare look at Shen Xiu, didn’t dare speak—just stood quietly by his side, hardly even daring to breathe.
Fang Mo had a feeling that Shen Xiu’s cold expression was intentional—he must’ve figured out what he had done.
Bzzz…
A string of vibrations buzzed from Fang Mo’s phone. After a long internal struggle, he finally couldn’t risk the noise disturbing Shen Xiu any longer. Glancing nervously at him, he mustered up the courage and said softly, “Apologies, Mr. Shen, I have a call…”
Shen Xiu had just been wondering how to get Fang Mo to step away so he could breathe for a moment. Hearing this, he secretly sighed in relief and replied, “Do as you please.”
‘It’s fine if you don’t come back!’
Of course, Shen Xiu only dared to say that in his heart. If he really said it out loud, he’d come off as ungrateful—like he didn’t appreciate Fang Mo’s shadow-like protection.
“Do as you please?”
Crap. Those two words definitely held another meaning. They had that cold, dismissive edge—like he was saying “do whatever you want” with icy sarcasm.
He must be mocking him for deliberately arranging that encounter with Adams!
“Sorry.”
Fang Mo swallowed hard, bowed his head uneasily, and apologized again before finally leaving the room prepared by the organizers.
Once outside, he lifted his eyes and quickly scanned the area with alert precision. Having assessed the surroundings, he strode purposefully toward a blind spot.
Only after avoiding the bodyguards’ line of sight and the security cameras did Fang Mo finally take out his phone and answer the call.
“Big Brother.”
The moment the call connected, Fang Heng’s firm voice came through: “You deliberately let Adams see Mr. Shen.”
Getting close to the K Corp-controlled zone would have triggered surveillance from patrolling aircraft.
Letting Adams’s car reach the route the motorcade was taking to the venue without encountering any interference—it was obvious Fang Mo had done that on purpose.
Fang Mo: “…Don’t be mad. I just wanted to…”
Before he could finish, Fang Heng interrupted him coldly: “Wanted what? Don’t you think Mr. Shen knows exactly what kind of area that was?”
Fang Mo: “…I’m sorry.”
“I just wanted to test something. I mean… he hasn’t shown up in so long, and now the moment he does, it’s in the entertainment industry. It’s honestly jaw-dropping. Big Brother, don’t you have any doubts?”
Although Fang Mo was flustered, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he had done.
Fang Heng snapped, “…Shut up, will you?!”
Fang Mo recalled how Shen Xiu hadn’t said a word after passing Adams on the road, but the increasingly cold and dismissive attitude toward him said it all. He replied sheepishly, “Oh.”
“Big brother, then tell me—what should I do now? After all, when I left just now, Mr. Shen said ‘do as you please’, and he was so mad he didn’t even speak to The Galaxy guys.”
Fang Heng took a deep breath. “Just focus on doing your job. Don’t try to do anything extra. You’re my brother—Mr. Shen won’t stay angry at someone close to him for too long.”
“…Okay.”
After ending the call, Fang Mo thought about Shen Xiu’s icy profile. He hesitated for a moment in the blind spot before finally forcing himself to return to the room where Shen Xiu was.
…
Inside the Room
The moment Fang Mo left, Shen Xiu let out a long breath of relief. He looked at his teammates beside him, pricking up his ears in search of an opening to rejoin the conversation.
Hearing Zhuang Yi ask about his search for filming material, Shen Xiu replied, “I haven’t…”
Before he could finish, a noise came from outside the door. Shen Xiu immediately thought of the just-departed Fang Mo. His whole body tensed, and he instinctively turned to the door, words freezing in his throat.
The Galaxy members noticed he hadn’t finished his sentence. Noticing where Shen Xiu was looking, they too turned their gazes toward the door.
Just as Fang Mo pushed it open, he met Shen Xiu’s frosty stare head-on. The rest of The Galaxy were also watching him.
Fang Mo instantly shivered. “!”
He regretted it now—truly, deeply regretted it. Of all the things he shouldn’t have done, letting Adams appear in front of Shen Xiu was absolutely the worst.
Just like his big brother had said: Shen Xiu was mysterious, unpredictable, and seemed to know everything.
Facing Shen Xiu’s icy, bone-chilling stare, Fang Mo forced a stiff, awkward smile and walked toward him.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Why is he back so soon? I didn’t even get a chance to properly chat with the others!
Seizing the moment before Fang Mo reached his spot—before he could once again stand beside him like a door guardian and make conversation awkward—Shen Xiu quickly turned his gaze away and picked up his earlier unfinished sentence to Zhuang Yi: “…haven’t found one yet.”
Zhuang Yi, hearing Fang Mo’s footsteps getting closer, chuckled awkwardly. “Hahaha, is that so? Yeah, you’ll need to take your time looking.”
Shen Xiu answered seriously, “Mm.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Fang Mo returned to his original position.
With Fang Mo back and staring at him again, Shen Xiu suddenly didn’t know how to carry on any conversation. He fell silent and turned to stare at the mirror, avoiding everything.
The others, noticing Shen Xiu’s change in behavior, began to guess that he was probably angry at Fang Mo. Otherwise, why would he go completely silent the moment Fang Mo returned?
Fang Mo: “……”
So it’s true—Mr. Shen is mad at him! Otherwise, why else would he stop talking to The Galaxy the second he came back?
Trembling with anxiety, Fang Mo quietly said, “Mr. Shen, I’m back…”
Trying to avoid eye contact with him, Shen Xiu was now locked in an intense staring contest with his own reflection in the mirror. At Fang Mo’s words, he replied stiffly, “Mm.”
And then—an excruciating silence fell.
Because he’d done something he felt guilty about—and been instantly seen through by Shen Xiu—standing beside him now felt like torture for Fang Mo. The air seemed so thin he could barely breathe; calling it “every second feeling like a year” wasn’t even an exaggeration.
At this moment, only one thought echoed in Fang Mo’s mind: Please… just end this suffering already! I swear I’ll never recklessly pull something like that again!
Even though Fang Mo didn’t say a word, just standing there next to Shen Xiu made it impossible to ignore his presence.
Shen Xiu could only silently pray: Please… let this be over soon!
With neither of the two—this so-called “master and servant” pair—speaking a word, the rest of the Storm team instinctively held their breaths, feeling the heavy tension in the air pressing down on them.
In their hearts, all of them were silently hoping for the award ceremony to start as soon as possible.
—
Amid the silent prayers of everyone inside the venue, this year’s Teles Awards ceremony finally began.
Due to the special circumstances in Basat, this year’s Teles Awards skipped the usual outdoor red carpet live broadcast and was changed to a full live stream of the indoor ceremony instead.
Although Storm wasn’t the only production from China attending the Teles Awards in Basat, before the ceremony started, all attending artists and teams were assigned separate rooms by the organizers and had not interacted with each other.
When the artists and teams were led into the venue one by one by the event staff, they greeted and chatted with each other under the watchful protection of the organizers’ bodyguards.
Viewers in the livestream were momentarily speechless upon seeing the footage of the artists seated and chatting at the Teles Awards main venue.
[I’ve seen so many award shows, but it’s my first time seeing seating arrangements like this—LOL. Each team or artist has two bodyguards sitting on either side, and they have to crane their necks to talk to one another. Hilarious.]
[Well, what can you do? Teles wants to ride the wave of ‘peace appeal’ by holding the event in a sensitive place like Basat. They have to be extra cautious to ensure the safety of the invited guests—otherwise, who would dare show up next year?]
[Where are the people from Storm? Where’s my Xiu-baby? Why haven’t they shown up yet? I’m dying here!]
[Storm really is something. Even though only Shen Xiu won an award, they still brought the whole team along for the appearance. Too bad our President Shang couldn’t make it, wuwuwu.]
[Who doesn’t know Boss Xiu is totally biased toward the whole The Galaxy crew? When there’s a chance to show up and gain some exposure, of course he’ll bring the whole gang.]
Not only were livestream viewers curious about why the Storm team hadn’t appeared yet—so were the guests at the venue.
Who wouldn’t want to know Shen Xiu? Who wouldn’t want to be friends with him?
“Storm’s setup is truly unbeatable—ordinary folks couldn’t dream of having that.”
“Did you hear? After Storm landed at the airport, they weren’t picked up by the event organizers like everyone else. Instead, they were escorted by a whole group of men in black carrying serious gear. They only just got here a short while ago to do hair and makeup under their protection.”
“Apparently, Storm didn’t even use the organizer’s—”
“Shh, Storm is here…”
As soon as that was said, the celebrities, directors, screenwriters, and agents who had been chatting with their industry friends all fell silent in unspoken sync, instinctively turning their eyes toward the entrance.
Eight bodyguards in black uniforms entered the venue first. Only after that did the Storm team walk in from the entrance.
As the organizers’ staff led the Storm members to their seats, another eight bodyguards followed behind them.
Among them, one man who clearly had an air of authority walked in lockstep beside Shen Xiu, who stood in the middle of the group with a calm, unreadable expression. The others around Shen Xiu instinctively gave him some space—no one walked too close to him.
The moment they appeared at the entrance, Shen Xiu, standing at the center, could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze in the venue fall on the entire Storm team.
He felt a bit relieved. Thankfully, even though he hadn’t managed to sneak all the way to his ideal spot in the back row before entering, he still blended into a spot somewhere in the middle.
But… because of Fang Mo, the others were standing a little farther away from him.
With a trace of resentment, Shen Xiu cast a sidelong glance at Fang Mo, who was slightly ahead and to the side. While feeling a bit bitter, he couldn’t help but wonder—
Where was Xiang Yueting?
At the moment when he needed him and his words the most… where had the guy gone?!
Xiang Yueting had caught sight of something at Fang Mo’s waist and immediately chickened out, staying as far away from Shen Xiu as possible, sticking close to Xia Wenhao instead—and barely saying a word.
He really liked Captain Xiu, sure… but that guy scared the hell out of him!
Whoever wants to be close to Captain Xiu can go ahead—as for him… he didn’t dare.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the entire Storm team took their seats.
The directors, screenwriters, and artists who had originally planned to strike up a conversation with Shen Xiu all gave up the idea the moment they saw the fierce expression on Fang Mo’s face.
But while they gave up the idea, their mouths didn’t stop moving.
If they couldn’t approach Shen Xiu, they could still gossip from a safe distance.
“Did you guys notice? The bodyguards around Storm are wearing different uniforms than the ones around us…”
“Even a blind person could see who they’re here for.”
“I came in behind Shen Xiu. Let me tell you, the corridor outside is lined with bodyguards in the same uniforms as those beside Storm right now.”
“That’s nothing—outside the hotel, near the elevators, everywhere that isn’t controlled by the organizers is also covered with those same bodyguards wearing the Storm uniforms.”
Hearing those two statements, the group gossiping together fell into a long, stunned silence.
After a while, someone finally blurted out in awe, “Unreal!”
The others snapped out of their shock and began to speak up.
“Just how many surprises does Shen Xiu have that we don’t know about?”
“If you round it up, the more people there are protecting him, the more protected we are too. Does that mean we’re enjoying some bonus security thanks to Shen Xiu?”
“Should we suggest to the organizers that they outsource the entire security job to Shen Xiu’s team…”
“So… with such high-profile protection, just how powerful is Shen Xiu’s background?”
Online viewers were just as sharp-eyed. It took them less than three seconds to notice that the bodyguards beside Storm were different from those arranged by the organizers.
[Just look at the bodyguards’ formation around Shen Xiu—there’s no need to guess who the VIP is here!]
[None of that even matters—the point is, my Boss Xiu finally showed up! He’s just wearing a simple black shirt with a gold-patterned tie, but why does it look so good on him? I literally can’t take my eyes off him!]
[Xiu-baby is clearly long used to this kind of grand entrance. Even with a fierce-looking bodyguard standing right beside him, he still sits there calm and composed, like he’s just chilling at home. That aura? Unmatched.]
[I finally get why Boss Xiu has such a powerful presence—his environment growing up must’ve had a huge influence…]
Even after sitting down, Shen Xiu could still feel gazes coming at him from all directions. Knowing that people were probably looking at him, he didn’t dare move a muscle. It was like sitting on pins and needles, so he kept counting silently in his head to ease the nerves.
He didn’t even dare take out his phone to review his acceptance speech before the awards ceremony began.
By the time Shen Xiu had counted to 2,648, the awards ceremony finally kicked off.
Sensing that most of the attention had shifted to the host on stage, Shen Xiu let out a huge breath of relief.
Three hours later, after the Best Drama, Best Director, and Best Screenplay awards had been given out, it was finally time for Best Supporting Actor in a Film.
Although Xuan Yushu had told Shen Xiu before coming that he had over a 90% chance of winning the award…
For Shen Xiu—who was used to always preparing backup plans, even when the odds were 100%—it wasn’t until he actually heard the host say his name that he finally felt everything settle.
But once it settled, the nerves hit.
Amid the applause and congratulatory remarks, Shen Xiu stood up and started walking toward the stage.
Just as he took his first step, he saw Fang Mo silently walking ahead of him, slightly off to the side.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Was he really this dedicated to the job? Even going up on stage with me to accept the award?
The guests who had been clapping noticed Fang Mo’s movement, and the applause stalled for a moment: “!”
So the rumors were true—he really is that legendary personal bodyguard. The kind who looks like he’s ready to take a bullet for Shen Xiu at any second!
Sensing that the applause had frozen for a beat, and to avoid drawing even more attention, Shen Xiu had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep walking forward.
Upon stepping onto the stage—and ever since entering the camera frame—Fang Mo, still wearing sunglasses that concealed the upper half of his face, remained steadfast at Shen Xiu’s side.
“……”
Shen Xiu stared blankly into the camera.
He didn’t even need to look at everyone’s expressions to know—they were definitely giving him “what the hell is this” looks.
He was so embarrassed he could die!
The event organizers had all silently agreed not to intervene, and the host didn’t dare ask Fang Mo to leave either. Holding the microphone, she kept a stiff smile frozen on her face.
The guest presenter, who was handing the trophy to Shen Xiu, felt their scalp go numb—as if Fang Mo’s stare was about to burn a hole through them.
After presenting the award, the guest didn’t dare make eye contact with Shen Xiu’s icy gaze, much less attempt a congratulatory hug. They simply reached out and shook hands with him under the camera’s gaze, both of them smiling stiffly.
While shaking hands, the presenter noticed faint marks in Shen Xiu’s palm, nervously swallowed, and the moment the host finished her thank-you speech, they fled the stage like they were escaping something.
The host looked enviously at the presenter who got to leave after presenting the award—she honestly wished she could run off too.
But running wasn’t an option. As the host, she could only envy them silently in her heart.
Shen Xiu’s gaze followed the rapidly departing presenter, and the envy bubbling up inside him was practically overflowing.
[Did you guys notice? Neither the presenter nor the host dared to get too close to Boss Xiu…]
[Do you even need to ask? Just look at that bodyguard’s tense jawline and sheer size—if it were me, I’d be terrified too.]
[Did you notice the way Xiu-baby looked at the presenter? I swear that indifferent gaze carried a faint chill.]
[Boss Xiu must’ve been thinking: Why the hell is he running?]
The host looked down at the card in her hand and was instantly hit with the urge to just drop dead on the spot.
Damn the organizers—why did they suddenly switch the acceptance speech segment into an interview?
Could they not?!
As a humble working woman, she cursed them silently in her head, but forced herself to speak with a strained smile:
“Ahem… First of all, congratulations to Mr. Shen Xiu for winning this year’s Teles Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Film!”
After finishing her line, the host began to applaud, leading the rest of the room in clapping.
Hearing the applause, Shen Xiu assumed—based on the usual award ceremony procedures he’d experienced—that it was time to deliver his acceptance speech.
In his mind, he quickly ran through the speech he’d rehearsed earlier (only in his head, since he hadn’t dared pull out his phone with Fang Mo nearby).
He was all ready and confident, mentally prepared to recite his acceptance speech when the host’s next words hit him like a brick:
“So, next, let’s have Mr. Shen clear up some things for our audience here and those watching from home.”
Shen Xiu: “?”
Wait… wasn’t this supposed to be the acceptance speech segment?
Clear things up? What things?
He had prepared several versions of his acceptance speech—and now none of them would be used?!
As Shen Xiu stood there full of question marks, the host, holding the card, continued:
“Mr. Shen, everyone’s been really curious—what have you been up to lately?”
Hearing the question, Shen Xiu felt a wave of relief wash over him—thankfully, he had the habit of always planning ahead.
Otherwise, he would’ve been completely stumped just now.
Shen Xiu pulled up his mental schedule and, sticking rigidly to the plan, answered stiffly:
“Preparing for filming.”
Host: “?”
Audience: “???”
Shen Xiu’s answer was so unexpected that the host had to quickly compose herself before continuing, smiling as she asked:
“If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Shen… you haven’t started your senior year of college yet, right?”
Filming before even finishing school? Was this a joke?
Shen Xiu nodded stiffly.
“Mm, I still have one year left.”
How could someone say something so jaw-dropping with such a calm expression and steady tone?
Host: “……”
“So… you plan to spend your senior year filming? Wait, doesn’t senior year involve going to class?”
Realizing how that might’ve sounded, the host quickly clarified:
“I mean—there’s also a thesis in senior year. Will you have enough time if you’re filming?”
