You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

After the Best Song award was presented, the entire awards ceremony entered a wonderful rhythm.

It neither cooled down nor continued to heat up; it was like a pot of water that had been boiled but the heat had been turned down, still bubbling but no longer overflowing.

For the next few awards, the organizers made clear adjustments to the schedule, presenting the remaining awards interspersed throughout and adding two performances in between, so that the atmosphere wasn't constantly in a state of "everyone waiting to see who will go up next".

The Best Band award was given to a veteran rock band that has been around for almost ten years.

The lead singer was a bald man in his forties, wearing a faded black T-shirt and canvas shoes when he went on stage.

After accepting the trophy, he said into the microphone, "We waited nine years to get this award," then turned around, raised the trophy, and waved it in the direction of the other band members. The four of them stood up and high-fived each other. The scene didn't look sentimental, but it was quite sincere.

The Best Vocal Group award went to a brother and sister duo.

The two were in their early twenties, dressed similarly, one in black and one in white. They glanced at each other as they stood in front of the microphone, and then the younger sister spoke first, saying, "This is the first time my brother hasn't argued with me on stage." The audience laughed, and the older brother added, "That's because she won the trophy and didn't give it to me." The younger sister hid the trophy behind her back, a childish gesture that made the whole audience laugh.

The two exchanged a few more banter before formally thanking the producer and recording team, then bowed together and left the stage.

The competition for Best Male Singer is somewhat suspenseful.

Of the five nominees, two are first-time nominees, and two others have been nominated multiple times but have never won an award.

The final winner was a middle-aged male folk singer with a hoarse voice, dressed simply, and walked with a limp when he went on stage, as if he had some difficulty with his legs.

He said he had been writing songs for fifteen years, and had sung them in bars, on the streets, and even in underpasses.

He paused when he mentioned "underground passage," then smiled and said, "The sound system was terrible back then, and my voice was hoarse after I finished singing, but no one complained that I was off-key because nobody was listening." The applause from the audience was more meaningful than before.

The Best Female Singer award was presented second to last.

Shen Yuege sat in her seat, her fingertips gripping the armrest turning slightly white.

Lu Ran noticed her little movements, but didn't say anything. He just put his hand on the armrest on the side closest to her.

The shortlisted clips were played one by one on the big screen. Each of the five singers had a distinctive voice, but every time the clip cut to Shen Yuege, the atmosphere in the room fluctuated subtly.

When Li Heng opened the envelope, the camera cut to the card in his hand, and then he turned the card to face the audience.

The winner is Shen Yuege.

The applause started from the first row and spread outwards, then converged from both sides to the middle, rising like a tide.

When Shen Yuege stood up, her skirt trailed on the ground again. After taking two steps, she suddenly stopped, bent down, picked up the skirt, and held it in her hand. Then she walked quickly toward the stage.

When she walked to the microphone, she first bowed to the audience. When she straightened up, her chest rose and fell as if she were taking a deep breath.

"I've sat in this audience for many years." She spoke her first sentence softly, but the sound was crystal clear. "In my early years, I sat in the last row, watching the people in front of me go up to receive awards. It felt so far away. Later, I gradually moved to the front, from the last row to the middle, from the middle to the front rows, but I never got to stand on it. Today, I'm finally standing here."

She glanced down at the trophy in her hand and lightly brushed her fingertip against the gold plaque on the edge of the base.

"This album is the one I've recorded with the most care, and everyone knows why—because the songwriters put in far more effort than I did." She glanced up at Lu Ran, their eyes briefly meeting. "So this trophy should be displayed in our living room, so everyone who comes over can see it."

She bowed and stepped off the stage, her steps more steady than when she went on stage.

When she returned to her seat, she handed the trophy to Lu Ran and said, "Hold this for me, there's another award." Lu Ran took it and placed it on top of the pile of trophies on his lap. Now he had six trophies stacked on his lap, and Shen Yue's song award was one more.

The last award was for Best Album.

When Li Heng returned to the stage, the entire audience fell silent. This award was the grand finale of the entire evening, carrying the most weight.

He stood in front of the microphone without immediately opening the envelope, first scanning the audience: "Best Album Award. This year's five nominated albums each have their own style: pop, rock, folk, electronic experimental, and one—" He glanced down at the list in his hand, "—is an album that has already won multiple awards."

Some people in the audience laughed, and some glanced towards the second row.

Li Heng opened the envelope slowly, as if performing a ritual. When he took out the card, he didn't read it aloud immediately. Instead, he looked at it first and then said into the microphone, "According to the procedure, I should read out the names, but I would prefer to invite the producer and singer to come up and receive it together."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and waved towards the second row, signaling the two of them to come up on stage together.

When Shen Yuege stood up, she glanced at Lu Ran, who was looking down at the pile of trophies on his knees, wondering how he was going to take all of them down with him.

Shen Yuege pulled Lu Ran's arm and whispered, "Just take the one you have, and put the rest on your seat." She bent down, picked up the trophy from Lu Ran's lap, put it in her arms, and then walked towards the stage.

When the two stood side by side in front of the microphone, Lu Ran held the Best Album trophy in his hand, while Shen Yuege stood to the side with a smile on her lips.

Lu Ran spoke first, her pace neither too fast nor too slow: "Thank you to the judging panel, and thank you to everyone who participated in this album. From the first song to the last, from the first track to the last, every song represents everyone's hard work. This album won this award because the singers performed every single line perfectly."

He turned his head slightly to look at Shen Yuege, "I've already accepted it several times, I'd really be embarrassed to say any more, let Yuege say the rest."

Shen Yuege adjusted her posture to get closer to the microphone.

She cleared her throat, her voice still tinged with laughter: "I already said a lot when I went on stage, thanked everyone I needed to, and I don't have anything new to say now. So I'll just say something very heartfelt—we won this award together."

She paused, glanced down at the trophy in her arms, and said, "Alright, if you keep going, it'll sound fake."

She bowed again, then turned and walked off the stage, with Lu Ran following behind her to accept the trophy.

The two adjusted each other's posture as they walked, returning to their seats amidst a barrage of flashing lights and laughter from the audience.

The rest of the proceedings went much faster. Li Heng gave a brief closing speech on stage, thanking all the musicians and behind-the-scenes workers present, congratulating all the winners, and saying things like "see you next year."

As the event ended, staff began guiding the guests to leave in an orderly manner. When Shen Yuege stood up, the number of trophies she was holding had not decreased. She had to carry all the trophies to the lounge in two separate trips.

Lu Ran was waiting in the lounge. He had only been sitting down for a few minutes when the door was pushed open and Liu Siqi walked in.

Holding a small brocade box, she walked up to Lu Ran and handed it to him, her tone more relaxed than during the award ceremony: "Teacher Lu, this is a little thing I made myself. It's nothing valuable, just a keepsake. Please take it."

Lu Ran took it, opened it, and looked inside. It was a dark blue tie clip with a line of fine text engraved on it. It was a lyric from the song "The Girl Who Waves Her Wings." The text was small but clear.

He closed the lid and said thank you. Liu Siqi waved her hand and said, "It's nothing," then turned and left.

No sooner had Liu Siqi left than the door was pushed open again, and this time it was Sun Li, an independent musician she had met before, who came in.

He walked in carrying a half-finished glass of mineral water, shook hands with Lu Ran, and said, "Congratulations! You two are treating the awards stage like your own living room tonight." Lu Ran smiled and said, "We'll let you have it next year. We get tired of winning too many awards."

Sun Li said, "You said it yourself, so I'll remember it." After chatting for a few more minutes and agreeing to have drinks another day, he said goodbye.

Zhang Yuanfan bumped into Lu Ran in the corridor, patted him on the shoulder enthusiastically and said, "President Lu, you've had a really great night!" Lu Ran replied politely, "Good luck, good luck."

When Chen Jianbin passed by, he stopped to say hello and said, "I need to study the arrangement of your song carefully when I get back," and then he left.

Lu Ran sat in the lounge for a while, and footsteps and farewells came from the corridor outside. Someone shouted "See you next year" and someone said "The car is waiting at the door".

A few minutes later, Shen Yuege finally finished processing all the trophies. When the two of them walked to the parking lot, they bumped into Jiang Nanxi. He had changed into casual clothes and was carrying a thermos. When he saw them, he smiled and said, "You two are here tonight to buy some goods, right?" Shen Yuege replied, "Then you can sit in our seats next time."

On her way home, Shen Yuege leaned back in her seat, holding the Best Album trophy in her arms, her fingers stroking the base.

Lu Ran sat next to her. The streetlights outside the car window slid past one after another, their orange light flashing quickly through the car, making Shen Yuege's face appear and disappear.

"Lu Ran," she suddenly spoke.

"Um."

"Most of the awards I received today are yours."

Lu Ran turned her head to look at her: "It was you who sang it."

"You wrote the songs, you arranged the music, and you oversaw the album." Shen Yuege's finger paused on the trophy base. "When I said on stage tonight, 'This album is one we won together,' I meant it."

Lu Ran did not respond.

He reached out and took the trophy from her arms, placing it on his lap to lighten the weight in her hands.

Shen Yuege pulled her hand back and placed it on the armrest of the seat, turning her head to look at the streetlights rushing past outside the window.

The car made the last turn and entered the community gate.

Looking at the familiar building outlines outside the window, Lu Ran thought to himself that the pile of trophies in the living room must take up quite a bit of space, and he would have to clear out a wall tomorrow.

Shen Yuege, who was standing next to her, was already rubbing her arms, which were sore from holding the trophy, and muttered to herself, "Why is this trophy so heavy? Next time, the organizing committee should design a lighter material."

Lu Ran chuckled but didn't reply.

The car stopped downstairs, and the two men, each carrying several trophies, walked into the building.

A night breeze carrying the warmth of early summer blew in from the stairwell. Shen Yuege's skirt fluttered in the wind at the doorway. Unable to hold it down, she let it float as she staggered into the building, clutching the pile of trophies.

Lu Ran followed behind her, carrying the remaining two trophies in his arms. He nudged the door frame with his shoulder to close the door, and then followed her into the elevator.

Before the elevator doors closed, the motion-activated light at the end of the corridor went out.

The warm yellow light in the elevator illuminated the pile of gold and silver trophies in the two people's arms, their surfaces reflecting tiny specks of light, making the entire elevator bright.

"Where should we put it when we get back?" Shen Yuege asked, tilting her head.

"That empty wall in the living room is perfect," Lu Ran said. "But the sunlight seems too strong there. Won't the trophy base fade?" Shen Yuege glared at him, as if to say, "You're quite the worryman." Then the elevator doors opened, and the two of them carried the trophy home.

The arrival of several trophies certainly added to the grandeur of our humble abode.

...