wavenovel Chapter 40, That wasn't what Zhou Miaotong saw.
Chapter 40, That wasn't what Zhou Miaotong saw.
Liu Shishi walked beside him, her pace neither hurried nor slow.
Her hands hung naturally at her sides; she neither took his arm nor deliberately kept her distance.
A faint line separates the two, neither too close nor too far, creating a perfectly ambiguous atmosphere that is quietly blossoming between them.
The red carpet is not long, about 100 meters from the entrance to the lecture hall entrance.
But he walked this hundred meters slower than usual because he had to stop every few steps to let the media take pictures.
The photography area was filled with dozens of cameras, the sound of shutters clicking incessantly, and the flashes making it as bright as day.
"Gao Huan, look this way!"
"Shishi, look to the left!"
"You two, come closer!"
Liu Shishi turned slightly to the side, facing the camera.
Gao Huan stood beside her, neither deliberately getting closer nor deliberately distancing himself.
The shutter clicks became more frequent, like someone was firing a machine gun.
The fan section exploded again.
"Huan Ge is so handsome—!"
"Sister Shi Shi is so beautiful—!"
"May the Star of Joy live on forever!"
The light sign swayed in the crowd.
Happy Star has the most light-up signs, but not all of them.
Liu Shishi has quite a few fans, and the light boards of the "Little Lions" are lit up like stars in the crowd, but they seem much thinner compared to the blue ocean of Happy Star.
It's not that Liu Shishi isn't popular, it's that Gao Huan is too popular.
Halfway down the red carpet, a fan climbed over the railing.
He rushed over, wanting to hand a letter to Gao Huan.
Security guards rushed over to stop her, but she didn't resist. As she was being dragged out, she threw the letter at them. The letter spun in the air and landed on the red carpet.
Gao Huan bent down, picked it up, and put it in his suit pocket.
The fan cried in the security guard's arms.
Liu Shishi glanced at Gao Huan but didn't say anything.
Her expression didn't change much, but there was something indescribable in her eyes—a sense of "I've never experienced anything like this before."
She's been in this industry for almost ten years and has seen many fans, but she's never seen anyone like this.
It's not a difference in quantity, it's a difference in sheer audacity.
Huanlexing's feelings for Gao Huan were truly different.
It took almost three minutes to walk the 100-meter red carpet.
As I entered the lecture hall, the warm air rushed towards me, dispelling most of the chill I felt.
The staff led them backstage, with Liu Shishi walking ahead of Gao Huan, her pace quickening slightly.
The backstage corridor was packed with people.
There were celebrities, staff members, and etiquette ladies in formal attire; everyone seemed to be in a hurry.
Liu Shishi turned to look at Gao Huan: "Where will you be sitting during the awards ceremony?"
"Second row," Gao Huan said.
"I'm also in the second row." She paused for a moment. "What a coincidence."
Gao Huan did not respond.
Liu Shishi turned and walked away, her high heels clicking crisply on the floor, one step at a time, unhurried and gentle, just like her personality.
The awards ceremony will begin at 7:30.
The 1500-seat auditorium was packed, with celebrities in the front row and audience and media in the back.
As the lights dimmed, cheers erupted from all directions, illuminating the fleeting faces on the big screen.
Gao Huan sat in the second row on the left, and Liu Shishi sat two seats to his right.
The middle seat was empty; I don't know whose it is.
Zhao Liying sat to his left, wearing a black short skirt, her hair loose, and light makeup. She looked much better than at the last dinner party.
"Nervous?" Gao Huan turned her head and asked her.
Zhao Liying glanced at him and laughed: "It's not like I'm the one winning the award, why should I be nervous?"
Gao Huan didn't say anything more.
The first half of the awards ceremony was nothing special; the best supporting actors, actresses, and actors, the best newcomers, and the best TV series were presented one by one.
The stage lights changed colors, music played one song after another, and the host's introductions were impeccable.
Until that award.
"The winner of the Most Popular New Actress award is Guan Xiaotong, who played the role in 'One Servant, Two Masters'!"
Applause erupted. Guan Xiaotong stood up from her seat, wearing a pink short skirt, her hair tied in a ponytail, her face showing the surprise of "I didn't expect it to be me."
She was sixteen years old, over 1.7 meters tall, and stood up to be taller than the people next to her.
She walked onto the stage, lifting her skirt, her steps quick, as if she were running but too shy to run, her gait carrying the clumsiness and cuteness unique to young girls.
Gao Huan and Zhao Liying, as award presenters, are already on stage.
Zhao Liying held the microphone, glanced at the list in her hand, and smiled: "Actually, I don't need to look at the list. Just now backstage, a little girl kept saying, 'Could it be me? Could it be me?'"
The audience laughed.
Gao Huan continued, "Now I can tell you, it's you."
Guan Xiaotong walked onto the stage and stood between Gao Huan and Zhao Liying.
She is half a head taller than Zhao Liying, but standing next to Gao Huan, she is still shorter.
Gao Huan took the trophy from the hostess and handed it to Guan Xiaotong.
When Guan Xiaotong accepted the trophy, her fingers touched Gao Huan's fingers.
Her face turned red, starting from the base of her neck.
That shy blush surged up all at once, spreading from her collarbone all the way to the tips of her ears, even turning her ears into a transparent pink.
Her hands were trembling; she was both nervous and excited.
"Th-thank you,"
She looked at Gao Huan, her eyes shining brightly, a light tinged with tears, and the kind of light that naturally dilates when a young girl sees someone she likes.
"Thank you, Huan, Brother Huan..."
The girl stuttered.
It was partly due to being too nervous to speak, and partly due to a heartbeat that caused blood to rush to the head, temporarily short-circuiting the brain and making it impossible for the mouth to keep up with the brain.
"Thank you, Teacher Zhao..."
Zhao Liying smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
Guan Xiaotong held the trophy, stood in front of the microphone, and took a deep breath.
Her face was still red, but it was better than before. She looked at the audience, her lips moved, and she uttered a standard acceptance speech.
But everyone could see that she kept glancing to the left out of the corner of her eye.
Gao Huan stood there, holding a microphone, ready to say "Congratulations".
Guan Xiaotong turned around and glanced at him again. This glance was more direct than before; it wasn't a sneaky look, but a blatant one.
"Thank you, Huan-ge."
She emphasized the words "Huan Ge" very much, as if she were confirming something.
Gao Huan nodded, said "Congratulations," and then handed the microphone to the host.
Guan Xiaotong walked off the stage with the trophy in her hands, her steps much slower than when she went on stage, as if she were prolonging that moment.
In the audience, Liu Shishi sat in the second row, watching Guan Xiaotong walk past her.
The little girl's face was still red, and her lips were slightly upturned, like a child who had stolen candy.
"This girl is too excited," a voice came from the side.
Liu Shishi turned her head away. Hu Ge sat next to her, wearing a dark gray suit, with a playful expression on his face.
"He seems to be a sucker for good looks."
Brother Hu said something else, not in a strong tone, but the "ah" sound was drawn out a bit, as if he were saying, "You figured it out, didn't you?"
Liu Shishi didn't respond. She turned her gaze from Guan Xiaotong back to the stage.
Gao Huan was walking down from the stage, his steps neither fast nor slow. The afterglow of the lights shone on him, casting a thin layer of light on his dark blue suit.
Her fingers clenched lightly on her knee.
Brother Hu glanced at her but didn't say anything.
He has known Liu Shishi for almost ten years; they're from the same company, one of the three treasures of Tangren Media!
They've collaborated several times and there have been rumors about them, but there's never been anything between them.
Most of the time, he was the kind of smart man who knew what to say and what not to say.
He noticed Liu Shishi's little gesture of clenching her fingers, but he didn't ask about it.
Liu Shishi's eyes followed Gao Huan's movements, from the stage to the audience, from the front row to the second row.
When Gao Huan sat down, he turned his head and said something to Zhao Liying. Liu Shishi's gaze lingered on Zhao Liying's face for a moment before moving away.
She didn't know why she had looked at it that way.
She knew Zhao Liying, but not well, though she recognized her.
An actress who is being attacked online is being stabbed in the back by her agent, and her Weibo comments are full of "get out of the entertainment industry".
Gao Huan had helped her at the dinner party, and Liu Shishi knew about it because she was there that day.
But that wasn't what she was thinking about.
She was wondering why the way Guan Xiaotong looked at Gao Huan made her feel uncomfortable.
It wasn't the satisfaction of "a senior mentoring a junior," nor the doting smile of "what a cute little girl," but something she didn't want to admit—jealousy.
Liu Shishi lowered her eyes and slowly loosened her fingers on her knees.
She recalled a scene from the set of "Brotherhood of Blades" where Zhou Miaotong was lying on the bed and Shen Lian was sitting by the brazier.
She is blind, but she can hear.
His breathing, his footsteps, the dull thud of the scabbard tapping against the chair leg as he gripped the knife.
He got too caught up in the role.
She is an method actor, and the most common mistake method actors make is bringing the emotions from the play into real life.
She thought she could tell the difference: Zhou Miaotong was Zhou Miaotong, and Liu Shishi was Liu Shishi.
But today, seeing the way Guan Xiaotong looked at Gao Huan, she felt a pang of jealousy: it wasn't Zhou Miaotong's, it was Liu Shishi's.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, her expression had returned to calm.
The awards ceremony continues.
Gao Huan won two awards.
The first is "Most Popular Male Actor in Mainland China", for his role as Baili Tusu in "Swords of Legends".
When he went on stage to accept the award, the cheers from the entire audience drowned out the host's voice.
The second award was "Most Commercially Valuable Actor," the grand finale of the night.
He stood on the stage, holding the trophy, and gave a few standard acceptance speeches.
Thank you to the director, the crew, and the audience.
Not much, but appropriate.
Liu Shishi also won an award: "Most Commercially Valuable Actress".
When she went on stage, she received a lot of applause, but it was a whole level less than Gao Huan's two times.
But what she saw was Gao Huan raising his hands high to applaud her.
She stood in front of the microphone and gave her acceptance speech.
"...Thank you Anhui TV, thank you China TV Drama Awards, and thank you to all the viewers who have supported me."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was steady.
Then she paused for a moment.
"Finally, I want to thank everyone in the 'Brotherhood of Blades' crew for their understanding of my 'leave' during the busy filming period, especially..."
She paused for a moment.
"...Shen Lian."
Some people in the audience laughed, thinking it was a joke about a character.
But Liu Shishi's gaze, looking down from the stage, across the crowd, landed on the second row, on the left.
Gao Huan sat there, watching her with admiration.
Deep down, I felt a little regretful.
The timing is a bit awkward; even if someone gets her, they're no longer at their peak.
In Gao Huan's opinion, Liu Shishi was most beautiful in two phases.
One was during the "Chinese Paladin 3" period, and the other was during the time when she had just returned to acting after marriage and had not yet undergone any cosmetic procedures.
The former is a clean and pure white flower, while the latter is a mature and sophisticated wife.
He smiled and shook his head, finally making a decision.
After Liu Shishi finished speaking, she bowed slightly, turned around, and walked off the stage.
She walked faster than usual, her high heels clicking rapidly on the steps.
She didn't know why she had to look at it.
But she saw it.
It was almost 10 p.m. when the awards ceremony ended. The backstage area was even more chaotic than the front stage, with staff running around and celebrities exchanging greetings, taking photos, and exchanging contact information in the corridors.
When Liu Shishi came out of a lounge, Gao Huan was standing by the window at the end of the corridor, making a phone call.
She walked over, but didn't get close, standing three steps away.
Gao Huan hung up the phone and turned around to see her.
"Congratulations," he said.
"You too." Liu Shishi looked at him, paused, and asked, "Do you have plans for tonight?"
Gao Huan put his phone in his pocket: "No."
"Brother Hu has organized a get-together for dinner," she said. "You should come too."
Gao Huan glanced at her and nodded.
Liu Shishi turned around and walked forward, with Gao Huan following behind, the two of them a few steps apart, neither too close nor too far.
The gathering was held at a restaurant near the Communication University of China. The private room was small, with seven or eight people sitting at a round table.
Hu Ge sat in the main seat, next to Liu Shishi, and next to Wu Qilong.
Zhao Liying sat to Gao Huan's right, and William Chan sat to his left.
Dishes were served one after another, and glasses of wine were drunk one after another.
The conversation ranged from tonight's awards ceremony to the film they're currently shooting, and from the film to gossip in the entertainment industry.
Brother Hu is the kind of person who keeps the atmosphere lively. He talks a lot, and he can respond to every sentence without making anyone feel awkward.
Wu Qilong sat next to Liu Shishi and occasionally said a few words to her, but Liu Shishi's reaction was somewhat lukewarm.
Gao Huan was sitting opposite Zhao Liying, whispering something to her.
Zhao Liying smiled happily.
Looking at that smile, Liu Shishi picked up her wine glass and took a sip.
Red wine, astringent.
Brother Hu glanced at her, said nothing, and put a piece of pork rib on her plate.
Liu Shishi glanced at him, nodded, and didn't eat.
It was almost midnight when the dinner party ended.
Everyone said goodbye at the restaurant entrance. Hu Ge's car left first, followed by Wu Qilong's car.
Zhao Liying said a few words to Gao Huan, and then got into her car.
Liu Shishi stood at the restaurant entrance, waiting for Gao Huan.
"How are you getting there?" she asked.
"The driver is waiting," Gao Huan said, pointing to the van parked by the roadside.
Liu Shishi glanced at the car, then at Gao Huan.
"Drive carefully."
"Um."
She turned and got into her car. As she closed the door, she glanced at Gao Huan through the car window.
He was bending down to get into the car when the hem of his suit jacket got caught in the door. He reached out and pulled it out, the movement as casual as if he were doing something he didn't need to think about.
As the car drove into the night, Liu Shishi leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.
In my mind were Gao Huan's appearance on stage, Guan Xiaotong's blushing face when she received the trophy, and Zhao Liying's smiling face when she listened to him speak.
And then there was the glance she gave Shen Lian when she said "Shen Lian" on stage.
She didn't know what that glance meant.
But she knew that Zhou Miaotong hadn't seen it.