Big Shot Ch.184

Chapter 184: Until We Meet Again

As the award recipient, Shen Xiu walked at the front, followed closely by Jiang Yanxi and the other three. During the short moment the five of them made their way up the stage, both the audience on-site and those watching the live stream were buzzing with curiosity and gossip.

“I wonder who’s presenting the award to Shen Xiu? A senior in the industry? Or some big-shot CEO?”

“No matter who it is, just imagining presenting an award to Shen Xiu… there’s no way they could stay calm. The pressure must be immense, hahaha…”

[Even though not all The Galaxy members are present, seeing Captain Xiu standing on stage with four of them makes us group fans so emotional!]

[Okay, so a few days ago, when I was on a flight, I saw Brother Wang in first class heading to Mangila—could it be he came for this awards ceremony?]

[Wuwuwu I wish that were true too, sis, but it’s probably unlikely. After he arrived in Mangila, there’s been no news about him at all.]

[Am I the only one who finds it a bit odd that among all the cast of New Life, Xiu-baby didn’t even call up Ji Huaiyin, the lead actor, but only brought up The Galaxy members?]

…

Once the five of them were on stage, the two hosts stood on either side of the group.

The two hosts: “……”

He’s even sharing the award—those people online who accused The Galaxy of being fake brothers, or who spread rumors that Shen Xiu was indifferent toward his group members… they really have no heart!

And besides… the organizer’s plan hadn’t been leaked at all; the two hosts themselves had only just been informed of the director’s instructions through their earpieces.

Yet Shen Xiu somehow called Xiang Yueting and the others on stage before they even had the chance to announce anything.

No wonder people say Shen Xiu can predict things like a prophet!

To hell with it—at least this way they didn’t have to invite Ning Sinian and the other three sitting in the audience up on stage too. Once they figured that out, the two hosts stood on either side of the group, exchanged a quick glance, and seamlessly launched into their back-and-forth routine.

Meanwhile, in the audience—

“Why do I feel like the two hosts just shared a look that said something?”

“You’re imagining things. They’re just trying to liven up the mood, so of course the interaction seems extra.”

“Alright then, I probably read too much into it.”

On stage—

The male host smiled and looked at the female host across the five people between them. “Hahaha, Xinyu, have you ever seen a scene like this at an award ceremony?”

The female host replied, “Whether it’s the award itself or the people accepting it, this whole scene is completely unheard of!”

At that moment, Xiang Yueting—The Galaxy’s resident social terrorist—somehow, despite the hosts’ awkward back-and-forth, turned to the audience with a grin and seamlessly joined in their banter.

Xiang Yueting: “Hahaha, what’s the big deal? We’re seeing it right now!”

“Hahaha… you’re right.”

“Exactly, after today, we’re all people who’ve seen it all.”

Xiang Yueting raised his chin proudly. “You know it!”

Shen Xiu, Jiang Yanxi, and Ning Sinian silently turned to look at Xiang Yueting with admiring expressions: “……”

[One of the five has clearly gone rogue]

[If I didn’t already know Xiang Yueting was a member of The Galaxy, I’d have assumed he was one of the hosts.]

[It is Brother Ha after all—standard behavior, you’ll get used to it]

…

“Enough talk—for now, let’s give a warm round of applause as we welcome our award presenters to the stage, here to present the award to Director Shen and his teammates.”

As the host’s words fell, applause erupted. A group of people emerged from backstage and walked to the front.

In the instant the presenters appeared, the applause in the room briefly faltered—just for a second—before exploding into thunderous cheers.

“Song Chengwang, Shang Yu, Xia Wenhao, Mu Zhenchu! I knew it! Shen Xiu never does anything without meaning. He must have known the organizers planned to invite the other members of The Galaxy to present the award, so he brought the remaining four members onstage himself to fulfill the fans’ wish of seeing The Galaxy reunited on one stage!”

“That’s exactly it! He definitely guessed the arrangement ahead of time. Otherwise, with so many people from New Life here today, why would Shen Xiu only call up The Galaxy members? Looking at the scene now, it all makes perfect sense.”

“So I wasn’t wrong about the look the two hosts shared!”

[Aaaahhhh all nine of them together during Captain Xiu’s award moment—if this isn’t fan service, I’ll wash my hair standing on my head—I’m seriously crying, wuwuwu]

[!!! I can’t believe I actually predicted this!]

[Sister, you’re amazing—you’re a Xiuology PhD student, right?!]

[Marking this moment! Marking it!]

…

Fans of the full nine-member group in the live stream were overwhelmed with emotion, brought to tears by the sudden, unannounced reunion.

Once Song Chengwang and the other four, who had been secretly invited by the organizers as award presenters, stepped onto the stage, both hosts instinctively turned to look at Shen Xiu standing in the center.

The calm, composed look on Shen Xiu’s face when the four appeared confirmed everything—they had guessed exactly right.

Shen Xiu… he knew everything.

“Captain Xiu, long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

…

When Shang Yu and the other three got on stage, they didn’t go straight to presenting the award or even touch the ceremonial tray holding the trophies. Instead, they first greeted and hugged each other warmly.

Halfway through watching this, Xiang Yueting suddenly realized something and blurted out, “Why is no one talking to me? And how come the hugs skipped me? Where’s the courtesy, huh?”

“Oh? Feeling left out?” Mu Zhenchu laughed as he pulled Xiang Yueting into a hug and gave him two hearty slaps on the back.

“Cough cough. If that’s the kind of hug you’re giving, then maybe I’ll pass,” Xiang Yueting replied. “I can’t handle it!”

“Hahahaha…”

His comment drew laughter from both the stage and the audience.

Although Shen Xiu was typically cold and quiet, he didn’t miss a single person when it came to hugs. It was obvious to anyone watching: the nine of them were completely at ease with one another.

Shen Xiu had paused for a brief second when he saw the four arrive.

On a stage where he, as just “Shen Xiu,” was receiving the Best Director Award—the award he’d long dreamed of—he was being presented and celebrated by the very friends he had made as that same “Shen Xiu.”

Dreams, loyal companions—seven or eight true friends. At this moment, he had it all.

Joy filled Shen Xiu’s heart as he embraced each one of them.

This life, belonging solely to himself, had finally come full circle.

Once the nine had finished their greetings, the host chimed in, “Alright then, let’s begin the award presentation!”

As the host spoke, Xia Wenhao glanced at the six trophies laid out on the ceremonial trays, then looked toward Shen Xiu and the others. Confused, and never one to hold back, he asked honestly:

“These awards are technically all for Captain Xiu, right? Xiang Yueting and the rest are just here to hold the trophies—so how exactly are we supposed to present them? Should the four of us take turns handing all six awards to Captain Xiu one by one?”

The hosts glanced over at Shen Xiu’s cool, unreadable expression, then at Xiang Yueting and the others, who looked all too eager to jump in.

The organizers had never said anything about these four turning the award ceremony into a comedy sketch…

There was no sound in their earpieces from any organizer or director either—clearly, no one wanted to risk saying the wrong thing and offending someone. The two hosts immediately understood: they were on their own to improvise.

With a bright smile, one of the hosts turned to Shen Xiu and asked, “Director Shen, how would you like the awards to be presented?”

Shen Xiu: “……”

Is the process really this casual?

Since the organizers had handed it over to him, Shen Xiu looked at Shang Yu and the others. Recalling the idea he had before going on stage, he answered honestly, “The Best Director and Best Original Screenplay trophies go to me. The rest—distribute however you like.”

Two awards fit nicely in both his hands. The other four—well, he’d let Zhuang Yi and the others help him hold onto them.

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

“No problem~”

“OK!”

Mu Zhenchu and the others, acting as the award presenters, each responded cheerfully in turn.

[I’m dying—this is so casual but everyone looks genuinely happy and relaxed]

[As expected, being a director is just Shen Xiu grinding EXP. He doesn’t actually care about awards]

[Grinding EXP casually, then winning a grand slam with just one film—this would be legendary no matter where you go]

Shang Yu picked up the Best Director trophy and walked over to Shen Xiu. As he handed it over with both hands, he offered a sincere congratulations: “Captain Xiu, congrats!”

To him, Shen Xiu wasn’t just a close friend. In many ways, he had been his guiding light.

After all, someone with that kind of background, still working that hard—who were they to slow down?

“Thank you.” Shen Xiu accepted the trophy and thanked him quietly while sharing a brief, light hug.

Next, Song Chengwang stepped up with the Best Original Screenplay trophy. For once, he dropped his usual lazy attitude, his tone purely serious: “Captain Xiu, congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Shen Xiu took the trophy and hugged Song Chengwang as evenly as the last—fair and square.

While Shang Yu and Song Chengwang were presenting Shen Xiu with his awards, Mu Zhenchu and Xia Wenhao handed the remaining four trophies to Ning Sinian and the others—each person holding one.

After the award presentation was complete, the four exited the stage, and the two hosts resumed according to the ceremony’s flow.

“Next up should be Director Shen’s acceptance speech… but since Director Shen has received six trophies at once, the organizers have decided to replace the speech segment with a brief award interview instead. Director Shen, is that alright with you?”

Shen Xiu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Six acceptance speeches might sound like a small task to him, but the challenge lay in this: the organizers had allocated five minutes per winner for their speech. Six awards meant he’d be talking for half an hour.

He wouldn’t be embarrassed by it—but the audience might be bored to death listening to him.

He was more than happy with the organizer’s decision.

“No problem,” Shen Xiu replied.

His voice was cool and indifferent, but at least it was a yes.

The host quickly moved on to the first organizer-prepared question on the card.

“Director Shen, judging by your outfit, did you just come from an important banquet?”

Shen Xiu: “……”

It was important—important enough that by the time it ended, a villa had been half blown to rubble.

Holding the mic, Shen Xiu gave a short nod. “Yeah.”

[Nailed it!]

[We Xiuologists are on fire—our guesses about Boss Xiu’s schedule are always spot on!]

Host: “The nearby yacht—does it belong to you, Director Shen?”

Shen Xiu: “…Yes.”

He had meant for just one yacht to pick him up—how was he supposed to know Fang Heng would send that many?

The host, watching Shen Xiu’s expressionless and cold demeanor, was sweating through their grip on the microphone. All they wanted was to finish asking quickly and retreat somewhere to catch their breath. Their voice even sped up unconsciously.

“Director Shen, may I ask—were the original concept sketches for the Aberrants in New Life all drawn by you?”

Finally, a movie-related question. Shen Xiu let out a breath and replied, “Mm.”

His indifferent tone made the host scream internally, but they had to maintain composure and pretend not to be too shocked as they smoothly moved on to the next question.

The live audience: “!”

Is a director who can’t draw not worthy of being CEO?!

He’s absolutely determined to out-hustle everyone into the ground, huh?!

Host: “Director Shen, in New Life, why is it that the Aberrants can only be seen clearly in the split-second they appear on screen? And afterward, viewers are left with an overwhelming sense of horror and madness, yet can’t describe what they actually saw?”

Shen Xiu: “Because It is indescribable, beyond human comprehension or vision. The moment one sees or makes eye contact with It, they fall into madness and become Its servant.”

Preserving that fleeting sense of insanity and chilling horror was part of the film’s artistic goal. The rest, in Shen Xiu’s view, wasn’t all that important.

[This explanation… sounds so official. I kinda feel like Xiu-baby just scammed us]

[Even if it’s official, I do think Shen Xiu is telling the truth. That really was the effect when watching]

[I think it might be some unreleased K Corp tech used in the film’s special effects—maybe some kind of frequency that affects the brain’s cortex and alters the viewer’s memory, which is why we can’t recall what we saw?]

[I get it now. K Corp hasn’t released the tech yet, so Xiu-baby gave this kind of explanation instead!]

…

Next, the host asked several more questions about New Life.

When the final question ended, the host caught a whiff of the mature, ascetic, distant, and cold fragrance lingering around Shen Xiu—a deep, chilly scent that instantly evoked the image of icy mountains and snowy peaks. Unable to resist, the host asked a question not on the cue card:

“Director Shen, may I ask what perfume you’re wearing today?”

Shen Xiu replied, “…The scent of an Alpha’s pheromones.”

Even though he’d said it once before, saying it a second time didn’t make Shen Xiu feel any less embarrassed.

The organizer: “…”

So this cold joke wasn’t reserved just for him.

As Shen Xiu was being interviewed, the awards ceremony—originally as solemn as a press conference—fell into an odd silence for a few seconds before erupting in applause and laughter.

The previously serious atmosphere immediately lightened up a bit.

“Hahaha, Shen-style cold jokes are still so hilarious…”

“Shen Xiu must have noticed that his overly serious aura was intimidating, so he deliberately made a cold joke to ease the tension!”

“That must be it, for sure!”

…

[LMAO and I’m supposedly an Omega hahaha]

[Then I must be a Beta?]

[Yet another day of being defeated by Boss Xiu’s dry humor. Gotta say, his cold jokes are getting more and more powerful]

Shen Xiu silently listened and watched everyone laugh at his words.

Shen Xiu: …Major public embarrassment, fashionably late but right on time.

The host tried hard to hold back a laugh onstage: “Director Shen, one final question—do you have anything you’d like to say to the Xiuologists?”

Shen Xiu, hearing the question, thought of his plans. His gaze fell on the live broadcast camera, and through the screen, he looked solemnly at every fan on the other side. He spoke truthfully:

“Thank you all for your support and encouragement along the way. I never expected this moment to arrive so soon. Although I’m reluctant to part, the chapter of life that belonged solely to Shen Xiu has come to an end. Starting today, I—Shen Xiu—will be retiring from the entertainment industry.”

His wish had been fulfilled, his dream had reached the other side. From now on, the time he would spend purely as Shen Xiu would only become less and less.

“I’m truly sorry.”

Shen Xiu lowered his eyes slightly and bowed his head, expressing his apology to every fan.

On stage, as he straightened his posture, whether in the venue or watching the livestream, every single Xiuologist heard that familiar, cold voice echo in their ears at the same time:

“Everyone, until we meet again.”

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