Chapter 166.2: The Awards Ceremony Ends
It wasn’t until they were both seated and Shen Xiu’s heart—previously pounding in his chest—finally calmed down that he suddenly remembered something:
He had once again forgotten to deliver his prepared acceptance speech.
Shen Xiu mentally compared the word count of the speech he had planned versus the actual number of words he had just spoken during the interview. After running a quick five-second calculation in his head, he determined:
His prepared speech was 528 words longer than what he had actually said.
His conclusion?
This round, he came out ahead—
a total win, no loss.
Xuan Yushu, who had just won the Best Director award, took out his phone and used the camera to glance at the uncontrollable smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Then, silently, he turned his head to look—after Fang Mo took the trophy from Shen Xiu, he simply stared straight ahead at the stage, not even sparing a glance at the freshly awarded, still-warm trophy. Xuan Yushu sighed inwardly, realizing that his earlier guess had indeed been correct.
Being an actor and all that—was merely Shen Xiu gaining experience.
So, things like trophies… Shen Xiu didn’t care in the slightest.
The members of The Galaxy recalled what Shen Xiu had said on stage and felt a wave of shock. So their usually quiet captain, who rarely spoke in the group chat, had been secretly writing a thesis all this time?
Too intense—he was setting the bar way too high!
Xiang Yueting had originally planned to ask Shen Xiu for the trophy after he got off stage, hoping to soak up a little of that good luck.
But the trophy was firmly held by Fang Mo, who was wearing sunglasses and pressing his lips together in a way that made him look hard to approach. Shen Xiu had handed the trophy to Fang Mo so naturally, it was obvious he was used to this kind of dynamic. Xiang Yueting didn’t even dare speak up.
Others who also wanted to share in the good fortune were just like Xiang Yueting—under the heavy protection of bodyguards provided by Shen Xiu, no one had the nerve to ask for anything.
Still—while Xiang Yueting didn’t dare speak, his eyes kept sneaking glances at Fang Mo’s arms, where the trophy rested.
His gaze was so intense that Shen Xiu couldn’t ignore it even if he tried.
Between Fang Mo, who was staring at him and making his skin crawl, and Xiang Yueting, who posed no threat and made him feel relatively relaxed, Shen Xiu admitted that, driven by personal preference, he had no hesitation in choosing Xiang Yueting.
Shen Xiu tilted his head slightly and looked toward Fang Mo.
Within the three seconds Shen Xiu took to organize his words, Fang Mo caught Shen Xiu’s indifferent gaze—and instantly understood. Before Shen Xiu could even speak, he swiftly handed the trophy toward Xiang Yueting.
“Here.”
Xiang Yueting: “!”
Snapping back to reality, Xiang Yueting hurriedly caught the trophy and stammered out his thanks: “Th-thank you!”
Shen Xiu: “……”
This guy… could he read minds? He understood exactly what he was thinking?
No—wait, that wasn’t the point. The point was that Xiang Yueting, who was usually dubbed a “social terrorist” by passionate netizens, was actually stuttering in front of Fang Mo. If he, a fellow social phobic, had to talk more with Fang Mo, wouldn’t he just stutter even worse?
At that thought, Shen Xiu felt a chill run down his spine and silently vowed to definitely minimize any eye contact or verbal exchanges with Fang Mo from now on!
In any case, since he didn’t have to say anything out loud, Shen Xiu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, the actress who had won Best Actress on stage was being ambushed with a surprise interview just like he had been, so Shen Xiu took the chance to shift his gaze back to the stage.
Fang Mo noticed that Shen Xiu seemed satisfied and had looked away, and finally felt the weight in his heart lift a little.
Now that the trophy was in Xiang Yueting’s hands, and Shen Xiu didn’t seem like he intended to take it back, Xiang Yueting happily hugged it several times before passing it on to Ning Sinian and the others who were also hoping to “soak up the good luck.”
Even though Song Chengwang didn’t actually believe that touching a trophy could somehow transfer its good fortune, this was Shen Xiu’s trophy!
Just hearing the name “Shen Xiu” was enough—so when Jiang Yanxi asked if he wanted a turn to share in the luck, Song Chengwang didn’t hesitate in the slightest, reaching out immediately and saying, “Yes!”
Every move The Galaxy made after forming the group wasn’t just caught by the eyes of the live audience—it was also picked up by the sharp-eyed viewers in the livestream chat.
[No wonder he’s my Cool Guy Xiu—trophies mean absolutely nothing to him. That cold, indifferent gaze didn’t even linger on the award for a second longer than necessary. The moment he got off stage, he heartlessly handed it to his personal bodyguard. So basically, the point of Boss Xiu winning awards is to let The Galaxy members soak up the good luck? LOL]
[LMAO Song said he didn’t want it, but his body was very honest.]
[Brother Wang: makes a sound of wanting! My tsundere baby lives up to the name. Who gets it, sisters? I still remember when he softly called out “Mommy”—straight to my heart! 🥹]
[Trophy: QAQ Boss Xiu, I’m begging you, just look at me! Just one glance! Wuwuwu! 😭]
[Boss Xiu (with a stone-cold face): Unmoved.]
…
Three hours later, the Teles Awards Ceremony officially ended, and the livestream was closed.
Because of the special nature of the venue, after the event, everyone left in an orderly manner under the arrangements of the organizers and the escort of bodyguards provided by the event.
The venue for this year’s ceremony was only five minutes away from the hotel provided by the organizers. But even for such a short distance, the organizers—erring on the side of caution—still arranged for cars to shuttle the guests, fearing something might go wrong if they walked.
However—
The Storm crew didn’t use the official bodyguards or the cars provided. When the event staff looked toward their designated area, they hesitated, clearly unsure whether they should step forward and insist on arranging anything.
Fang Mo and the people he brought were arranged by the system. Since the system hadn’t “logged in” or interacted with Shen Xiu at all during this time, and given how dangerous this place was, Shen Xiu decided—just to be safe—to follow Fang Mo’s arrangements for now.
After all, Fang Mo had been living here for quite some time and was far more familiar with the local situation than anyone else on the Storm team.
So, with Fang Mo staying silent, Shen Xiu could only obediently remain seated.
The rest of the Storm team, benefiting from the protection they received thanks to Shen Xiu, naturally followed his lead—if he didn’t move, neither did they. Quietly, they waited for his signal.
Once the crowd had mostly cleared out, Fang Mo spoke respectfully to Shen Xiu: “Mr. Shen, we can go now.”
“Mm,” Shen Xiu responded, rising to his feet at the same time.
Fang Mo stayed in the same position as when they arrived—slightly ahead and to the side of Shen Xiu—alertly scanning the surroundings as they moved, eyes watching in all directions, ears tuned to every sound.
Seeing Shen Xiu rise, the rest of the Storm team also stood up silently and followed behind him.
Even though Shen Xiu wasn’t speaking and the atmosphere in the group was cold enough to make their teeth chatter, just knowing that in a place as dangerous as Basat, they had bodyguards by their side wherever they went—offered a deep sense of comfort and reassurance.
When they exited the elevator, Fang Mo saw a huge crowd still lingering in the first-floor reception hall and frowned slightly.
There were already a lot of artists present, and with each one—or each team—accompanied by four bodyguards, the place felt even more crowded.
Fang Mo inwardly scoffed at the organizers: What kind of trash setup is this? Letting so many people loiter in the lobby like this—don’t they care about security at all?
But with so many artists invited to the event, it wasn’t surprising that there was a bottleneck as they all tried to leave at once. The organizers couldn’t really help it.
Luckily, he had brought enough people.
Two rows—just right.
Fang Mo glanced at one of the accompanying bodyguards, who leaned in and said something quietly. Instantly, the other bodyguards—receiving the command through their earpiece—moved into action. They quickly formed two neat rows, surrounding the Storm production team as they began to move.
Seeing this level of coordination and discipline, everyone present instinctively held their breath.
Fang Mo said, “Mr. Shen, please.”
Shen Xiu, whose expression had gone numb from sheer embarrassment, walked forward stiffly: “…Mm.”
Why did he have to be so tall?! Now the bodyguards couldn’t even block him from view!
Shen Xiu didn’t even want to imagine what the people in the lobby thought of them as they passed. Their gazes must be so weird right now.
They probably thought the whole group was absolutely ridiculous!
Already, walking through such a large crowd with so much fanfare was enough to make anyone want to dig a hole and disappear. Shen Xiu kept his eyes fixed firmly ahead, not daring to glance to the side at all as he walked, trying to look calm and focused.
He absolutely couldn’t imagine how awkward it would be if he accidentally made eye contact with someone behind the wall of bodyguards.
As he walked, Shen Xiu kept silently reminding himself: This is embarrassing, yes, but it’s safe. That’s what matters! Worst case… he could just walk faster!
Sensing that Fang Mo had quickened his pace, Shen Xiu followed suit and sped up.
The rest of the Storm team immediately matched Shen Xiu’s pace.
In less than thirty seconds, the Storm crew had exited the lobby and swiftly boarded the vehicles. Under the stares of the crowd, the sleek black motorcade pulled away in perfect order.
The artists, editors, and directors still stuck in the lobby waiting for the event’s shuttles were left stunned by the Storm team’s dramatic and overwhelming display of presence.
Unsurprisingly, what left the deepest impression on everyone was still Shen Xiu—expressionless from start to finish, calmly walking away under the protection of a wall of bodyguards.
It wasn’t until the motorcade had completely disappeared from sight that the lobby finally buzzed to life with waves of chatter.
“Damn, I’ve said the word jealous so many times it’s worn thin! No wonder so many people like Shen Xiu. Hell, I like him too now. That scene just now—my heart nearly stopped! He was so cool it hurt!”
“Not gonna lie, I’ve always suspected Han Fei was basically Shen Xiu playing himself. Seriously, his presence is unreal. Even though Shen Xiu has never shown violent tendencies, that sharp aura, those reflexes on variety shows, and all those bodyguards who clearly aren’t ordinary people… His life must be incredible.”
“Well, obviously. Just look at how those guys stood—anyone could tell they’re not your average security.”
“I’ve hired that kind of personnel before for shoots in dangerous regions. Trust me, they’re definitely the real deal.”
“Which just makes it even more amazing that Shen Xiu didn’t do anything to Lin Jiashi, Ling Yuanzhen, and the others who messed with him. He easily could’ve made them disappear if he wanted to. In a way… that’s incredibly merciful.”
“Or maybe, Shen Xiu just didn’t see them as worth his time. No need to cause a scene.”
“Wait—damn it, I forgot to take pictures! Can you imagine how epic it would’ve been to capture that moment?”
“You want to take pictures? Are you nuts? Did you see the people around Shen Xiu? You dare? I say, just rewatch Storm on loop and treat that as your Shen Xiu fix!”
…
The next day.
Since returning last night, Xuan Yushu hadn’t seen Shen Xiu at all. After some effort, he finally ran into Fang Mo.
As soon as he did, Fang Mo got straight to the point: “May I ask what business Director Xuan has with our Mr. Shen?”
With a warm, polite smile on his face, Xuan Yushu said, “It’s like this, Mr. Fang—these past few days, we’ve been well taken care of by Mr. Shen and all of you. But my team and I still have some matters to attend to back home, so we’re thinking of departing today. We don’t want to trouble Mr. Shen any further. If it’s not too much to ask, would you mind arranging a ride to the airport for us?”
Xuan Yushu figured that since Shen Xiu was now back in his own territory, he likely had many things to take care of. It would be best not to linger and impose any longer.
—
Three minutes later, Shen Xiu—who was numbly stuffing food into his mouth in silence under Fang Mo’s watchful gaze—froze mid-bite as Fang Mo’s voice reached him. His hand stiffened, and the fork nearly slipped from his fingers.
What did Director Xuan mean by this?!
He was going to leave him alone—
In this place filled with surveillance cameras, armed patrols at every turn, and a security presence so intense he didn’t even dare step out of his room without thinking twice?!
Was he seriously planning to just abandon him here?!
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