I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 421, All Flowers Bloom for Li Xuan
Although Li Xuan didn't win Best Actor this time
But that only means I haven't received that 'title' yet.

Just look at their performance on the big screen.
"Even for Ge You, this performance in 'Let the Bullets Fly' represents the 'upper limit' of his acting skills. Under these circumstances, he only slightly outperformed the young Li Xuan."

"This is actually extremely terrifying."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands, Wang Lei and Liu Lili were watching quietly, seemingly unnoticed by many.

Wang Lei wasn't surprised by this. No one greeted him when he came in—firstly, because they were behind-the-scenes people, and secondly, because this was the first time this award had been given out every three years, making it incredibly prestigious.

With such a high gold content
It's not that they are insignificant people.

That's all I can say in this situation.

A constellation of stars.

Whether in front of the camera or behind the scenes, they are all important figures.

Almost everyone you can name in the industry came.

"What a prodigy," Wang Lei said softly. "Even if Ge You were to deliver this performance, it would only be considered a narrow victory."

Ge You's acting skills, accumulated over many years.

He only managed to slightly outmaneuver Li Xuan.

This contrast in age is the most striking.

"If you were given another chance, would you go to any lengths to win over Li Xuan? If you had had that chance back then." Liu Lili looked at Wang Lei.

Back then, Huayi Brothers had some contact with Li Xuan.

Even before he became successful.

The agent had already been contacted.

The result was that they failed to win them over.

At the time.

Perhaps they think that a peasant doesn't need to pay such a high price.

However, now...

Li Xuan gradually reached a point where Huayi Brothers couldn't afford to pay him.

"Then haven't I come to my senses and used my shares to win him over?" Wang Lei smiled slightly at this moment.

"For the man who created this new golden age, I guess I didn't lose out by doing this."

"The Golden Age of Chinese-Speaking Culture."

Liu Lili paused for a moment, then said, "Isn't that what people on the internet are saying?"

The internet has one unique characteristic.

The sound was loud and exaggerated.

After all, it's a platform for young people.

This naturally aligns with the logic of young people.

But at this time.

Wang Lei gave Liu Lili a look.

This is the de facto head of Huayi.

She gave Liu Lili a look that seemed somewhat surprised.

Wang Lei genuinely believed that.

It feels the same as the public opinion on the internet.

The Golden Age.

A new golden age.

Didn't you win any awards?
I took it.

Even if we haven't received a specific "trophy" right now...
But in a substantial sense.

He already holds the title of Best Actor at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

Li Xuan could sense it.

I understand now.

Your surroundings don't lie.

Including the gazes of Jiang Wen and everyone else.

In this star-studded venue, the eyes of all the entertainment industry executives were fixed on it.

If Chen Kun still has any objections...

Then Ke Yang would absolutely have no objections.

He's a movie star.

An award-winning actor without a title.

In this year with the highest value.

"Congratulations, you're now, in fact, a Hundred Flowers Award-winning actor." Jiang Wen smiled slightly. "No one can question your achievements."

"Even if you don't win the trophy, you already are, it's your reality. From now on, everyone will see you as a movie star, an incredibly talented and absolutely formidable movie star."

Jiang Wen was looking at Li Xuan at this moment.
My thoughts were just on that big screen.

Look at that absolutely amazing acting performance.

And his works.

He was born in the same era as her.

That really is luck.

A sort of.

An indescribable and wonderful stroke of luck.

,,,

Ge You's humor eased the tense atmosphere considerably, but everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

With the Best Actor award already decided, the next two most prestigious awards tonight will be Best Director and Best Picture.

"The way he said that makes it sound like I didn't win the award because my performance wasn't 'dead' enough," Li Xuan said to Jiang Wen in a low voice with a smile from below the stage, his words full of lighthearted banter.

Jiang Wen grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and patted Li Xuan on the shoulder: "Don't worry, the best is yet to come. When the actors' awards are over, that's when we behind-the-scenes people will see what we've achieved."

"Let's see who can gain higher recognition, you or me."

"To achieve [victory] during the height of this war"

The host returned to the stage, his voice now carrying a hint of solemn tremor.

"Thank you, Professor Ge You! Now, let's witness together the birth of this year's Best Director at the Hundred Flowers Awards!"

On the big screen, the list of nominees began to scroll.

Ma Xiaogang, "If You Are the One 2".

Chen Kexing, The Warlords.

Li Xuan, "Dying to Survive".

Li Xuan, *Source Code*.

Jiang Wen, "Let the Bullets Fly".

When Li Xuan's name appeared twice in a row, a considerable commotion broke out in the room.

Wang Lei and Liu Lili also fell silent.

It is a miracle in itself that one person and two very different films were nominated at the same time.

Ultimately, the focus shifted to the names Jiang Wen and Li Xuan.

Strong figures from both the old and new eras.

"One is Jiang Wen, who has honed his skills for ten years and has the potential to become a leading figure in the field. The other is Li Xuan, a rising star who has surpassed others but is exceptionally talented and formidable. Who among them will achieve success in this grand prize?" Wang Lei squinted.
The award presenters were two titans of the film industry, who together opened the envelope that determined who would receive the honor.

One of the veteran artists glanced at the results, then gave Jiang Wen a meaningful look before slowly speaking.

"The winner of the Best Director award at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards is..."

There was silence.

In the seats of the Beijing circle, Wang Su's knuckles turned slightly white from the force he exerted.

"Jiang Wen! 'Let the Bullets Fly'!"

"Wow——!"

The applause and cheers almost lifted the roof off the entire venue.

The team behind "Let the Bullets Fly" erupted in cheers, and Jiang Wen, surrounded by a crowd, slowly stood up.

Instead of heading straight to the stage, he turned around, walked directly to Li Xuan, and extended his hand. "You're pretty good, kid," Jiang Wen said with a sense of pride and camaraderie. "But today, I, as the older brother, will win the first round."

Li Xuan smiled, grasped his hand, and shook it vigorously: "Congratulations, Director Jiang Wen, you truly deserve it."

This hug, captured on camera, was seen in every corner of the scene.

This is the highest respect that the proudest victor can give to the most powerful opponent.

Wang Su's face was so gloomy that it seemed like water could drip from it as he watched this scene.

Jiang Wen's victory means that "Let the Bullets Fly" has received the highest technical recognition from the jury.

There are no works from our Beijing circle.

Why is this? Why?
There's one last category left: Best Picture.

So, the final best film...

Their hopes seem to be fading further and further away.

Jiang Wen walked onto the stage. Unlike Ge You, he didn't joke around. He simply raised the trophy, addressed the audience, and spoke concisely.

"Thank you to the movie, and thank you to all the brothers who went crazy with me, both in front of and behind the camera."

He paused, his gaze sharp as he swept across the room before finally settling on Li Xuan.

"I also want to thank my opponent; he made the game more interesting."

After saying that, he strode off the stage.

His kingly aura was on full display.

Now, only the last and most crucial mystery remains.

"Next up is the final award of the evening—" the host's voice echoed in everyone's ears, "The nominee for Best Film at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards is!"

On the big screen, light and shadow flowed.

Assembly.

The Warlords.

Let the Bullets Fly.

"source code".

"Dying to Survive".

The loudest cheers came from the audience when the name "Let the Bullets Fly" was mentioned.

Having won Best Actor and Best Director, everyone naturally assumed that Best Picture would also be a sure thing. Even Liu Lili thought so.

"Let the Bullets Fly" is too powerful.
A script that took ten years to develop.

Congratulations to Jiang Wen!

"Not necessarily," Wang Lei said calmly from the side. "The outcome is entirely uncertain."

However, when clips from "Dying to Survive" began to play, the atmosphere in the audience suddenly changed.

The scene doesn't begin with any intense conflict, but rather cuts into a noisy, chaotic, and intensely colored Indian street scene that almost overflows the screen.

The deafening drumbeats mingled with the fervent chanting of the believers.

Cheng Yong, played by Li Xuan, appears in this sea of ​​revelry.

He was no longer the slick businessman, nor the easily frightened bird.

He was wearing an old, faded T-shirt and carrying a heavy backpack that made him slightly hunch over. Inside was the hope of everyone, which he had obtained by selling his factory.

The telephoto lens was locked onto him.

He struggled forward against the flow of the revelers.

He was surrounded by colorful powder being thrown upwards, and by fervent believers singing and dancing. He seemed to be moving forward in his own direction amidst a torrent of faith and desire.

Not firm.

There was even a hint of superficial confusion.

Every step was incredibly heavy.
But it just didn't stop.

This is not merely a physical reversal, but a choice of will—choosing a path that deviates from worldly norms and leads to sacrifice.

As he walked to the center of the procession, a huge statue of Shiva, carried by devotees, passed by him.

Shiva, the god of destruction, is also the god of creation.

In that instant, the camera, through a brilliant angle, superimposed Cheng Yong's face, etched with vicissitudes and determination, onto the statue's face, both majestic and compassionate, in the interplay of light and shadow.

Mortals and gods, destruction and rebirth, achieved a bizarre harmony at this moment.

Cheng Yong raised his head and glanced at the statue amidst the swirling incense ash and colored powder.

His face showed neither reverence nor supplication.

There is only one kind of stubbornness.

He was not praying to God.

It's more like looking in a mirror.

He accepted the "destruction" of his old life, just to create a glimmer of hope for those struggling in despair.

This was the sacrifice of a mortal, but also the beginning of his becoming a "god".

The camera slowly pulls back, showing his lonely yet resolute figure gradually disappearing into the shadows of the alley amidst the revelry.

The image freezes, and the title appears—"Dying to Survive".

When the clip finished playing, the entire awards hall fell into a breathtaking silence that lasted for half a minute.

There were no heart-wrenching wails, no tear-jerking farewells, but the tragic grandeur of mortals going against the tide, proving the Way with their own bodies, and ultimately overlapping with divinity, shocked everyone's soul with an unprecedented visual impact.

Li Xuan stared quietly at the screen, his thoughts drifting further afield.

He recalled his days as an extra, munching on steamed buns in the cold wind while waiting for his scene with his uncle.
The aging head that was mocked
I remembered standing at the gate of the Beijing Film Academy, longing for the time inside the walls—as an extra, I really envied the actors who had formal scenes to film.

It reminded me of the step I took to become an actor.
From that time on, I have been pursuing the dream of reaching the 'peak'.

At first, apart from Uncle Wei Ming, no one recognized his identity.

Later, more and more people trusted, followed, and entrusted their lives to him.

Friends from the Class of 2002, teachers, principal, confidants, and seniors.

Third-tier, second-tier, first-tier.

Supporting role, leading role, director.

Now, this work is a condensed collection of resources, technology, and self—a work of art.

Step by step, they have risen from obscurity to stand under the dazzling lights, in the hall of fame of the three major Chinese music awards.

All the bitterness, all the exhaustion, all the perseverance and resentment, ultimately converged into the silhouette of that man on the screen, walking against the tide of people.

The smile on Jiang Wen's face disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

Wang Su closed his eyes; he knew he had lost.

They lost badly, utterly and completely.

Technology, business, sentiment... all seem so pale in the face of such a grand theme that elevates mortals to gods and explores life and sacrifice.

The award presenter walked onto the stage, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice trembling slightly. He opened the envelope, glanced at it, and then took a deep breath.

He didn't keep anyone in suspense, because he knew that in the face of such a great work, any technique was superfluous.

The film that won Best Film at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards is—

He raised the card in his hand and, with all his might, shouted out the name.

"Dying to Survive!"

boom--! ! !
After a long silence, there was a volcanic eruption of applause and cheers!

Li Xuan's team went wild instantly; they hugged, jumped, and cried tears of joy.

Li Xuan himself simply sat there, slowly and deeply exhaling a breath.

Everything everything.

Everything!
What is carried on one's back, what is borne, what is desired, what is longed for.

Jiang Wen was the first to stand up. He wasn't disappointed; instead, his face beamed with a hearty smile. He clapped enthusiastically, for his opponent and for this great film.

Amid thunderous applause, Li Xuan stood up and straightened his suit.

He embraced each of his excited, tearful companions, and then, under the gaze of the entire audience, he walked steadily, step by step, to the pinnacle of glory that belonged to him.

It became.

This time, all the flowers bloomed for him.

(End of this chapter)