Hello Mr. King

Chapter 24: Best Newcomer

Yun Xiangxiang changed her state of mind when she noticed that the cameras were on her. She showed a sweet and polite smile.

Yun Xiangxiang of course didn’t know that this adorable moment was screenshotted and saved by a lot of people.

The big screen finished playing the last scene of “Caring Love”. It was the one she played during the audition. She played the role of a wanting yet repressed high schooler masterfully. Her internal struggle could be seen even in the absence of any dialogue.

The faces of the four nominees were frozen and shown on the screen. The MC announced with prolonged intonation, “The best female lead for the film festival this time is…”

The venue was utterly silent. Everyone was waiting for the results with bated breaths as the lights were swimming from one nominee to the other.

“Congratulations to Sun Qiluo- “Easy Life”!” The powerful announcement drew a thunderous applause from the audience.

Yun Xiangxiang’s smile was as sincere as ever. She applauded fiercely.

She wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. The nomination alone was already a pleasant surprise. The award for “Best female lead” put heavy emphasis on the actor’s skills, and it was true that her performance in “Caring Love” was not bad at all. However, there was only so much to show with Yang Qi, who was not a really complex character. Not to mention that she thought that her acting skills still had room for improvement, even though she thought that it was not too shabby.

Yun Xiangxiang watched the scenes of the other three nominees with interest. Their free control of emotional outbursts was a lot better than hers.

The award ceremony was still progressing in an orderly manner. There were still tons of awards left, as this was an international film festival. There were still a lot of foreign films which received awards. “Caring Love” only had Yun Xiangxiang’s nomination for best female lead. It was the giving of the Best Newcomer award nearing the end of the ceremony. The announcer this time was actually Ruo Feiqun.

Yun Xiangxiang didn’t really pay any attention to them after her rebirth. Her past life’s grudges belonged in her past life. She was very peaceful inside when she saw Ruo Feiqun at this moment.

Hua Xiangrong was in the past now. Currently she was Yun Xiangxiang who had nothing to do with them.

He was still clean and neat even after around a year of not seeing each other. Even so, he had become a lot thinner than before. Although his eyes didn’t show any signs of lethargy, his figure’s thinning pulled on some heartstrings.

He who stood on the stage had a warm smile as usual, although there was a lingering sense of depression around him. His exchange with the other guest complemented each other nicely.

Yun Xiangxiang did not expect herself to be nominated as Asia’s Best Newcomer once more. What more, her name was announced by Ruo Feiqun.

Yun Xiangxiang felt that her chances of winning were high after watching the clips of the other nominees. What an ill-fated reunion.

“And Asia’s Best Newcomer goes to…” Ruo Feiqun’s sonorous voice paused before continuing with a deeper smile, “Yun Xiangxiang– ‘Caring Love! Congratulations to this sixteen year-old young lady.”

Yun Xiangxiang stood up. She hugged Wei Shanshan for a while before lifting the hem of her skirt and leaving her seat. She walked down the stairs slowly. At this moment, the whole venue was shrouded in darkness. Except for the stage, the only beam of light was shone on Yun Xiangxiang. It followed her every step down from the stairs.

Her already peerless beauty that was now complemented by the light became a core-shaking exquisiteness. It was the kind of beauty similar to the crystal clearness of a lake. This kind of beauty would cast fear into the ones that attempted to come near her. It was a fear that her beauty would reflect their vulgar side.

There was no shortage when it came to beauties in this world. This was even more so in this industry. Beauties of every type blossomed in droves. Even so, the ones who could garner everyone’s attention with just a glance were rare. Yun Xiangxiang was one of them. She was also the brightest one of them all.

Yun Xiangxiang sauntered on to the stage. She was elegant and showed no trace of anxiety.

It was such an unfamiliar face; such a youthful appearance. Even though they were totally unrelated, Ruo Feiqun saw Hua Xiangrong for a split second when Yun Xiangxiang exited the halo. He was dumbstruck by it.

He had forgotten what was around him. It was as if she was the only person in his line of sight.

Yun Xiangxiang walked over to Ruo Feiqun after she hugged a foreign friend amicably. She stretched her hand out politely. However, Ruo Feiqun had not regained his wits yet. It was fortunate that the host adapted quickly and said, “It seems like our Feiqun is stunned by Xiangxiang’s unparalleled beauty.”

Ruo Feiqun regained his wits with this announcement and smiled apologetically. He stretched his hand and politely shook Yun Xiangxiang’s hand.

The host asked quickly, “Tell us about your thoughts when you saw her, Feiqun. You were dumbstruck.”

This wasn’t the host looking for any trouble. In fact, he was taking exceptional care of Ruo Feiqun by giving him a chance to explain himself. This was a live broadcast. If Ruo Feiqun did not explain clearly, who knows what kind of rumours would spread tomorrow.

Ruo Feiqun smiled resignedly and continued naturally, “I am terrified about my imminent elimination [1].”

His witty quote brought forth bursts of laughter from the audience both in the live stage and those in front of their screens. The atmosphere returned to what it was in an instant.

“Hahaha, then do please take this trophy and give it to the junior who made you realise that you are in danger, Feiqun,” the host followed up with the announcement after laughing.

The trophy was handed over to Yun Xiangxiang by Ruo Feiqun. “Congratulations,” he said sincerely.

Yun Xiangxiang politely thanked him before walking over to stand in front of the microphone. She took a deep breath and started her speech with a smile.

“I might seem relaxed, but actually I was so nervous my mind went blank. I never thought that I would be able to get this award. This was because I know I still have a lot of flaws. That is why I never thought about the way to handle this if I were to stand on this stage. That is why I never thought about my award speech.”

There was a hint of coyness in Yun Xiangxiang’s smile. This caused the audience sitting below the stage to chuckle benignly. “I have always wondered why everyone who was awarded thanked profusely. It wasn’t until today, when I am standing upon this stage with a trophy in my hand, that I understood. I understand that a million words can only be expressed with a word of sincere gratitude. Thank you.”

Yun Xiangxiang took two steps back when she was talking and bowed deeply, “I thank those who gave me a chance to be able to stand up here. To everyone whom this glory belongs to.”

It was a simple speech. However, it garnered intense applause. Yun Xiangxiang ambled away from the stage amidst the applause that was dedicated to her.

“Caring Love” only had these two nominations. Yun Xiangxiang was pleasantly surprised by getting one award among two nominations. At least she got an award with a single film. It was also an award in an international film festival, no less. Zhou Wei was elated and wanted to go for a celebratory dinner with everyone. Yun Xiangxiang declined the celebration toast. She avoided the media and went back to the hotel quickly the moment the award ceremony ended.

It wasn’t the time for her to interact in social occasions and expanding her network to benefit from many sides yet.

Yun Xiangxiang would have been willing to go had she not accepted “University Dream” and had no script on her hands. However, she had to take care of her reputation now that she had the resources. That kind of occasions were filled with reporters. It could be called as chaotic. Sometimes a polite toast by an actress could be spinned as brown-nosing those in power by unscrupulous reporters.

In order for her future to go smoother, she actively avoided situations where people could make a story out of her. Especially negative stories.