Zhou Yining went to another suite to have her makeup done and change her clothes. Ji Dongyang’s stylist and an assistant entered the room, bringing in a meticulously pressed, bespoke suit.

The stylist for Zhou Yining was Ken, who had worked with her on the Z-brand commercial. He was waiting there with his assistant. Seeing Zhou Yining, he smiled. “I think you look stunning with short hair.”

Zhou Yining hadn’t expected Ken’s first words to be this. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that so? Then I might consider changing my hairstyle.”

It seems Ji Dongyang doesn’t like short hair though?

Ken nodded. “Truly. Short hair is very spirited and sexy.”

For the rest of the time, Ken kept praising her short hair look, urging her to definitely consider a change.

An hour later, Ji Dongyang walked in wearing a black, handmade custom suit paired with a sea-blue tie. He looked impeccable, steady, and handsome. Ken, who was still working on Zhou Yining’s hair, glanced at him and snapped his fingers. “Dong-ge, you look too sharp today. Just wait, I guarantee I’ll give you a girlfriend who will stun the entire house.”

Ji Dongyang looked at Zhou Yining through the mirror and smiled. “Thank you.”

Another hour passed before Zhou Yining stood up. Ken circled her to make the final adjustments. Zhou Yining looked at Ji Dongyang, raising an eyebrow. “Do I look good?”

She wore a sea-blue, floor-length evening gown. Her lip color was the most popular shade of the season. Her makeup was clear and translucent, and her long hair was pinned up. Every movement and stillness was full of spirit.

She was indeed stunning. Ji Dongyang stared at her for a few seconds, slowly nodding as a low hum of approval escaped his throat.

Ken looked at his work with pride and clapped his hands. “Ah, wait a second.”

Ken pinned a small hair accessory into Zhou Yining’s hair, matching the color of Ji Dongyang’s tie. Ken stepped back a few paces, looked at them, and clapped in praise. “Perfect.”

Zhou Yining thanked Ken. He smiled and said, “You’re welcome. I look forward to you both winning awards. Until our next collaboration.”

On the way there, Ji Dongyang held her hand. “Nervous?”

This was Zhou Yining’s first time attending a film festival. What she was nervous about was Ji Dongyang failing to get that gold trophy. In the past, because of Zhou JiaHui, she had never paid attention to him. How many awards he won was his business and had nothing to do with her.

Now, it was different. She wanted to see him receive the award with her own eyes.

Ji Dongyang seemed to see through her thoughts. He squeezed her hand and said calmly, “Don’t be nervous. There will be many opportunities in the future.”

Zhou Yining turned her head to look at him. “Mm.”

The car came to a steady stop. The attendant stepped forward to open the door. Cameras from all directions immediately swiveled toward them. The moment Ji Dongyang stepped out, the air was filled with the ka-cha ka-cha of shutters. Zhou Yining lifted her skirt and stepped out, placing her hand in his palm. She linked her arm with his and stepped onto the red carpet as the flashbulbs chased them relentlessly.

The audience area was screaming. People were calling out for Dong-ge. Zhou Yining glanced over and heard people shouting her name as well.

Suddenly, someone shouted loudly, “Ji Dongyang, get out! No one welcomes a person who supports drug-addicted parents!”

Hearing that “get out,” Zhou Yining felt a jolt go through her entire body. Her steps faltered, and she clutched Ji Dongyang’s clothes tightly. Ji Dongyang froze for a second, just one second, before raising his other hand to hold her fingers. “It’s fine. Don’t wrinkle my suit.”

Following that, others began to shout too. Ji Dongyang’s fans wouldn’t stand for it and started arguing with the detractors. The audience area, which had been somewhat orderly, became noisy and chaotic. One girl even started pulling another’s hair, and a fight broke out just like that.

The scene descended into chaos. Ji Dongyang frowned deeply, worried that fans might get hurt. He was about to walk over when Yang Xun stopped him. “Go inside first. The security will handle it.”

Several security guards had already rushed over to separate the people. After another ten minutes of disorder, the troublemakers were finally cleared out.

Zhou Yining grit her teeth, her chest heaving with anger. Her hand was still tightly clutching his sleeve. As they neared the red carpet backdrop, Wei Zhong led the cast of The Heart Knot over to join them. Ji Dongyang’s expression remained indifferent. He lowered his head and whispered a reminder in her ear, “The media are taking photos. Don’t look so tense.”

Zhou Yining looked up at him. He seemed completely unaffected. Ji Dongyang smiled at her, but sighed inwardly. He knew she would be the one affected.

When the host introduced the cast of The Heart Knot, Ji Dongyang half-embraced Zhou Yining as they walked over. Following tradition, they signed their names on the backdrop wall.

The female host smiled. “Dong-ge looks very handsome today, and Yining is exceptionally beautiful. You two are a perfect match in these outfits.”

Ji Dongyang smiled. “Thank you.”

Zhou Yining took a deep breath, trying to pull the corners of her mouth into a smile. The male host looked at her. “The Heart Knot is a brilliant film. The character Pei Yuan played by Yining makes people love, hate, and ache for her all at once.”

Zhou Yining smiled and didn’t say much. “Thank you.”

The cameras were focused on them. Ji Dongyang put his arm around her and turned. Once the photos were done, he led her inside.

Wan Wei walked over and said to Zhou Yining, “Smile a bit. Don’t let everyone think you’re too cold and arrogant.”

Zhou Yining was in a bad mood and truly couldn’t force a smile. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “I know.”

Ji Dongyang said to Wan Wei, “Let me speak with her for a moment.”

Avoiding the cameras and film crews, Ji Dongyang led her to the side and looked down at her. “I really don’t care about the result. Please don’t let this matter affect you, okay?”

“It doesn’t matter even if I don’t win. There are many opportunities: next year, the year after, the year after that. There will always be a chance.”

Zhou Yining looked up at him. Ji Dongyang continued, “We’ll go back to the UK in a few days. Put all these matters behind you.”

“Mm?” He let out a soft hum from his nose.

Zhou Yining pressed her lips together and whispered, “Mm.”

Ji Dongyang led her back to their seats. Having been in the industry for many years, he knew many people. Directors and actors constantly came over to shake his hand. He didn’t even need to introduce her; everyone knew Zhou Yining. People kept teasing them about the solicitation scandal. Zhou Yining’s mood slowly relaxed, and she began to get to know his friends with poise.

As the awards ceremony drew closer, everyone’s emotions grew inexplicably tense along with the music. The lights dimmed, and the hosts stood waiting in the wings.

The opening music played, and the hosts walked onto the center of the stage. The organizing committee took their seats at the main table, and the ceremony officially began.

Awards were handed out one by one, leaving only the final two suspenseful categories: Best Actress and Best Actor.

Zhou Yining did not win the Best Newcomer award as expected, but she unexpectedly entered the nominations for Best Actress. All her nerves tightened. The title of Best Actress felt too distant for her; she didn’t dare to think about it. After hearing the other nominees, she felt her chances were slim.

She stared at the host on stage, waiting for that final Best Actor award.

Ji Dongyang squeezed her soft hand. Zhou Yining turned to look at him, but he looked calm, gazing at the stage.

On the live streaming platforms, netizens were discussing fervently.

“I wonder if Dong-ge can still win. If he isn’t the Best Actor, that would be so unfair. He wasn’t the one using drugs; he shouldn’t be counted as a tainted artist!”

“When he entered earlier, I heard people telling Ji Dongyang to get out. I don’t know if they were real or hired anti-fans. Best Actor is judged from various aspects after all. The fact that his parents use drugs is real, and it was exposed right before the festival. This will definitely have an impact. Remember six years ago? It wasn’t even this big of a deal back then, but he still went silent for a year. This time it was a real exposure. Plus, with the recent suppression of tainted artists by the authorities, the committee will have to consider the pressure. I think he won’t win this time.”

“Bullshit! If Dong-ge doesn’t win, who will? Give it to that trash-movie Li Zheng?”

“Isn’t there also Liao Yi? His new film is great. His acting is slightly below Ji Dongyang’s, but it’s definitely good.”

The hosts finished their banter and glanced at the audience before inviting the award presenters. The presenter was the previous Best Actress, Shen Qing. She looked toward the audience, her gaze falling on… either Ji Dongyang or Zhou Yining beside him. The smile on her face was a bit stiff.

The big screen reviewed the nominated actresses, and the film clips finished playing.

Shen Qing announced the winner. “I announce… the winner of this year’s Best Female Lead is…”

“Zhou Yining, The Heart Knot!”

The spotlight hit Zhou Yining. She was dazed for several seconds. Her first reaction was to turn and look at Ji Dongyang. He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Ji Dongyang let go of her hand, leaned over, and gave her a hug. He whispered in her ear, “Go on stage and accept your award.”

The result was so unexpected that the people around them were stunned for half a minute before a sudden explosion of cheers and thunderous applause broke out.

Wei Zhong also stood up to hug her, and the other actors from the crew followed suit. Zhou Yining looked at him and slowly stood up. Wan Wei had only prepared an acceptance speech for the Best Newcomer award; she hadn’t expected Zhou Yining to win Best Female Lead—the Best Actress gold trophy.

Zhou Yining lifted her skirt and walked onto the stage. Standing on that stage of thousand-watt brilliance, she looked far down at the man in the audience. That man was smiling at her, his dark eyes deep and heavy, giving her endless strength.

The cameraman gave Ji Dongyang a close-up, lingering for three seconds before switching back to the stage.

Shen Qing embraced Zhou Yining and whispered, “Congratulations.”

Then she placed the gold trophy into her hands.

It was a heavy trophy. Zhou Yining glanced at Shen Qing. “Thank you.”

Zhou Yining turned to face the microphone and took a deep breath toward the audience. “Thank you to the judges, thank you everyone, and thank you to the director, the crew, and my company team. Winning this award was a surprise. Honestly, I don’t know what the judges’ criteria are. Before the ceremony, my team analyzed that my portrayal of Pei Yuan in The Heart Knot might be suspected as just playing myself, which would affect the judgment. We didn’t dare to hope for Best Actress; we only thought we could fight for Best Newcomer.”

She paused. “But I received this award.”

Zhou Yining looked at Ji Dongyang in the audience. Seeing him frown slightly, she didn’t care at all. Her gaze turned back to the judges’ table. “Before The Heart Knot started filming, I had thoughts of backing out. During filming, there were times when I had emotional breakdowns because, for me, it was too hard. If it weren’t for Ji Dongyang, I couldn’t have earned so much applause.”

She raised the trophy slightly, looking at the man in the audience and said, “My honor belongs to him.”

“Thank you.” She bowed to the audience.

The applause was intense, and cheers rang out.

Zhou Yining carried the trophy off the stage and walked to Ji Dongyang’s side, smiling at him. “We won an award.”

The whole place was in an uproar.

Someone on the live streaming platform immediately analyzed the situation. “Zhou Yining’s words were high-level! She said she wondered if the committee would set aside the suspicion of her playing herself. Since she won Best Actress, it means the committee is fair and just. If the next Best Actor award doesn’t go to Ji Dongyang, then the committee will be in an awkward position. Zhou Yining is truly brave; I really like this girl!”

The host’s expression was clearly a bit panicked. He glanced at the judges’ table, but there was no response. This was a live broadcast; no accidents could be allowed. The host quickly recovered his composure and invited the next presenters onto the stage.

Finally, the winner of the Best Male Lead was announced: “Liao Yi!”

Zhou Yining clutched her trophy tightly and looked at Ji Dongyang. He seemed to have expected this result long ago. His face was calm as he applauded gracefully.

But Zhou Yining felt as if a piece had been carved out of her heart, leaving it somewhat empty.

After the ceremony ended, Zhou Yining was surrounded by media for interviews, with questions being fired at her incessantly.

“Winning the Best Actress trophy in your first film, such a high starting point. What are your plans for the future, and how do you feel right now?”

“Are you very disappointed that Ji Dongyang didn’t win an award?”

“Were the words you spoke on stage carefully considered? Did the company tell you to say that? Aren’t you worried about offending the judges?”

Zhou Yining answered them one by one. The reporters’ questions grew sharper, and her answers grew more pointed.

In the end, it was Wan Wei who came to the rescue.

On the other side, Ji Dongyang was surrounded by reporters just like last year. “Dong-ge, can you tell us how you feel right now? Your girlfriend won Best Actress, but you missed the gold trophy again this year. Are you disappointed?”

Ji Dongyang stopped his steps, looking forward and said, “I have no regrets. I am very happy for her.”

“Even though she won Best Actress, there is still a big gap between her popularity and acting skills compared to yours. What do you think about that?”

Ji Dongyang said, “My achievements, from the past and for the future, belong to her.”

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