Chapter 58: The Best Actress At This Golden Tripod Award Is…
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"It's highly poisonous, it's psychedelic, it's passionately resolute, it's youthful living. On June 16, "Calamus" will meet you in the theater."
Huge movie posters covered several floors of Huayu International. The movie starring Gu Xizhi and Cheng Wei, which was renamed "Calamus" and was submitted for review, began to be fully promoted. As the heroine, the movie won an award from a certain film festival. After receiving the special recommendation award from the jury, Gu Xizhi received high hopes from everyone.
"Nothing is better than this news. Five nominations are enough to make He Xue happy for the whole year." Just after finishing the meeting, Zhao Ling returned to the office, and the first thing she said was good news. Lili immediately asked, "Where's Xiao Jing?"
Zhao Ling raised her eyebrows, "What do you think?"
Lili's eyebrows were filled with joy and she immediately said, "I'll tell Xiaojing the news."
In recent days, Gu Xizhi had been busy with a mysterious task in the office. Because of her busy work, she would occasionally return to the office even after finishing shooting schedules. As for what she was busy with, besides the cleaning lady who tidied up, no one knew.
In the brightly lit room, Gu Xizhi faced the drawing board and checked it repeatedly, perhaps feeling that something wasn't quite right. Soon, she picked up her paintbrush to make corrections on the board.
Since the last time, Qu Xizhi found the diamond ring for her, Qu Xizhi's image in her heart had grown taller than goddesses like Hera and Athena. The fact that a lost diamond ring could be found overnight made her see Qu Xizhi as not just powerful and capable but also a magical figure, someone beyond worldly concerns, someone greater than a goddess.
To thank her and to express her admiration, Gu Xizhi excitedly decided to create a portrait of her, like a goddess, to convey her feelings.
There was a knock at the door, and Gu Xizhi looked at the drawing board, covered it with a cloth, and then went to open the door.
Lili was in a good mood and didn't mind her secretive demeanor. She stood at the door and said, "Nominated."
Gu Xizhi was stunned for a moment as if she didn't understand what she meant at first, and soon she burst into a big smile, but then her smile became restrained again.
"It's just a nomination, it's not like it hasn't happened before." After a pause, "Who else got nominated?"
"Yin Ci is highly praised for Best Actress, so of course, she's on the list. The other two are Zhao Youlan and Yu Ge, but their chances aren't very high; that's the consensus."
"In other words, Yin Ci is my biggest opponent."
"Yes. But this time, we all have a lot of confidence in you. We watched Yin Ci's role as Yu Ji in that movie, and she doesn't seem to have made much progress or breakthrough. I think if the judges are familiar with her, they might not rate her performance in this film very highly." Lili continued with excitement, "Xiao Jing, I can already imagine how you'll be after winning Best Actress. Your popularity on the small screen is good right now, and if you succeed this time, representing China on the world stage is also possible in the future."
She was so happy and excited that Gu Xizhi couldn't help but say, "It's not that exaggerated."
Although she said that, Gu Xizhi was also very happy.
Qu Xizhi had recently shifted her focus to charity work, often traveling to disaster-stricken and impoverished areas. Sometimes, the communication facilities in these rural areas were not reliable, and she could be out of contact for several days.
Even though she didn't know if the other person could see her messages, upon hearing her nomination, Gu Xizhi couldn't resist sending a text message to share the good news:
I'm nominated, come back and attend the film festival with me.
On the other side, Qu Xizhi, who was far away in a remote mountainous area, received a series of text messages not long after the signal on her phone stabilized.
She opened her inbox, scrolled through the messages, and found a familiar number. She opened it immediately and smiled upon reading the message.
"Ling Xian, we will finish the matter here within half a month and then go back."
Ling Xian, who wasn't accustomed to the local environment, was just sitting in the car drinking water. "I wish I could be back in a minute."
As the top award in the industry, the Golden Tripod Award had only started being held annually in recent years, taking place between May and August. The judging process had truly achieved professional fairness and authority.
Because winning this award could lead to overnight fame, many directors would do their best to schedule their films to avoid missing them. This time, "Calamus" had been nominated in five categories, including Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Newcomer, which was undoubtedly an uplifting achievement for the whole team.
It was not until the day before the film festival that Qu Xizhi confirmed her attendance and became a guest presenter for the Best Actress award. After learning the news, Lili's first reaction was: It must be very interesting for Xizhi to present the award to Xizhi.
When Gu Xizhi heard her thoughts, she kept telling her not to talk nonsense until the matter was settled.
The awards ceremony fell on a Monday, and Qu Xizhi, who had just returned to the city she lived the previous day, picked up Gu Xizhi early in the morning to go to the airport. Perhaps it was the joy of the occasion that put Gu Xizhi in high spirits. Seeing her so active, Qu Xizhi remarked, "You seem so happy to see me, don't you?"
"That's right." She was in a good mood and spoke very nicely, "By the way, when the film festival is over, I have another gift for you."
Last night, she officially finished painting the goddess. Although it cannot be considered a masterpiece on an artistic level, she, who was born in an art school, can still paint something that is not too crude.
"Really?" When Qu Xizhi heard her say that she wanted to give her something for the first time, she smiled and said, "Actually, you don't have to bother preparing any gifts for me. You are the best gift for me."
Ling Xian, who was being treated like nothing in the back seat of the car, couldn't help but clear her throat to remind the two of them to be careful not to be cheesy.
Gu Xizhi was in a good mood today and didn't care about anyone in the car. She said, "When you see the gift I have for you, you'll definitely see yourself in a new light."
"Really?" Hearing this, she became a little curious, "Then tell me, what am I like?"
"Mm…" Thinking, she said, "Gentle, beautiful, magical, and gifted?" The last word was a compliment to her acting skills.
Qu Xizhi, after absorbing her description for a moment, quickly said, "Is the last word referring to some certain skills?"
Gu Xizhi didn't initially suspect anything, but when she saw the meaningful look in Qu Xizhi's eyes, she suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Qu Xizhi!" with a glare.
Ling Xian, who was sitting in the back seat and wanted to poke her eyes out, couldn't help clearing her throat again, "Ahem ahem ahem..."
Ling Xian coughed all the way, including on the plane. Fortunately, the award ceremony isn't too far from here. Half an hour after getting off the plane, Ling Xian no longer wanted to travel with the two.
It started to rain as soon as they got off the plane. The actors would walk the red carpet at four o'clock in the afternoon. At Qu Xizhi's suggestion, Gu Xizhi chose a red dress from the same brand as hers, while Qu Xizhi, on the other hand, still opted for a conservative black.
Of course, Gu Xizhi walked on the red carpet with the members of the film crew. Cheng Wei, who was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award, wore a handsome black tuxedo. His British-style dress made him loved by younger audiences. Even though Gu Xizhi was just standing next to him, she could still feel his aura.
A film festival is like a big gathering in the film industry. Many acquaintances congratulated Gu Xizhi when they saw her. Being able to compete with her favorite actress, Yin Ci, made Gu Xizhi very excited.
The awards ceremony officially started at seven o'clock in the evening. Although she had experienced this kind of scene many times, Gu Xizhi still looked very nervous after taking her seat. On the contrary, Cheng Wei, who was attending a film festival for the first time, appeared more relaxed, reassuring her not to be nervous.
All award ceremonies put the highlights at the end, such as Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, and Best Film, so Gu Xizhi didn't really pay attention to the first few awards.
Halfway through the party, the Best Newcomer Award began to be awarded. It wasn't until halfway through the event that they started presenting the Best Newcomer Award, and because Cheng Wei was nominated, Gu Xizhi's attention finally focused.
Cheng Wei's situation was somewhat different from hers. Among the nominated newcomers, he was definitely a rising star, and winning the award was almost a sure thing. So, before the host announced the winner, Gu Xizhi had already congratulated him.
Cheng Wei, who was sitting next to her, smiled equally confidently, "Thank you."
The host on the stage began to open the envelope, and the camera switched to the four best newcomers. Gu Xizhi watched the host open the envelope and get the list of winners and then watched the other party pick up the microphone again after reading the list. Everyone present was waiting quietly for the results.
The host was still dragging on the suspense for a long time, and the four actors nominated for Best Newcomer were also zoomed in on the big screen. Finally, when the suspense could no longer be delayed, the host took the microphone and said in a loud voice:
"Congratulations Cheng Wei!"
Cheng Wei smiled, stood up, and bowed. His demeanor appeared mature and composed, even when delivering his acceptance speech.
After watching him receive the award, Gu Xizhi was even more nervous and couldn't help but send a message to Qu Xizhi:
I'm a little nervous, what should I do?
Qu Xizhi quickly replied:
Yin Ci's performance is at most as good as yours. Be confident. There's still half an hour left. Keep it up.
Seeing Qu Xizhi's reply, Gu Xizhi gained some motivation, calmed down, and continued watching the award ceremony.
The entries for this year's film festival are particularly diverse in style, and the literary style of "Calamus" has become one of them. From Best Newcomer to Best Actress, Gu Xizhi's mood fluctuates every time the promotional video is played. Finally, the moment came for the Best Actress award, and Gu Xizhi's palms were sweaty with nerves.
Cheng Wei had been paying attention to her emotions. Seeing her tightly clasp her hands on her lap, he reassured her, "Don't be nervous. We all believe in you."
The actors on the stage had just left, and the host had already started chatting to introduce the upcoming awards. When Gu Xizhi heard his voice, she turned her head and said, "I'm afraid I won't live up to your expectations."
Cheng Wei smiled and said, "Don't be discouraged. We're all just waiting to celebrate your success."
"Okay." The host's loud voice resounded throughout the awards hall. Gu Xizhi raised her head and looked at the stage. The female host looked at the camera with a smile on her face, "After talking for so long, I think every one must be looking forward to this. The results of the Best Actress of this year, now let us invite the award presenters - Miss Qu Xizhi, last year's Best Actress, and Mr. Kong Jia, Vice President of ZTE Media, to come to the stage to open the envelope of the winner's list."
Dynamic music sounded in the awards hall. On the stage, Qu Xizhi took Kong Jia's arm and walked onto the stage under the bright lights. Under the spotlight, she looked a little unworldly. After arriving at the center of the stage, the hosttess seemed to have found some topic that everyone was interested in. She smiled and said to Qu Xizhi, "Movie Queen Qu, we know that you won the Best Actress award last year, so you were also nominated alongside Miss Gu Xizhi last year, and this year, she's also nominated for Best Actress. We know you've worked together before. Is there anything you'd like to say to her?"
The big screen once again focused on the two of them. Qu Xizhi smiled in front of the camera and said briefly, "I just want to say that she's very talented. Regardless of the outcome, her hard work and determination are undeniable."
"Okay, okay." The female host took over, "Someone told me backstage just now that the pace of the award ceremony was too slow and made everyone very nervous. So, I won't say much more now. Mr. Kong, please open the envelope and tell us the answer."
The camera switched to the middle-aged man standing on the stage. He nodded with a smile, took the envelope from the tray in the hands of the hostess, opened the envelope in an extraordinarily tense atmosphere, and took out the list of winners.
In a display of gentlemanly manners, Mr. Kong handed the list to Qu Xizhi after reading it, indicating that she should announce the name. Qu Xizhi cooperated and promptly took the list.
Close-ups of the four nominated actresses were flashed on the big screen. All four of them wore rather composed expressions. Yin Ci smiled at the camera in her close-up, and although Gu Xizhi also had a slight smile on her lips, her expression was noticeably less carefree than the one she displayed last year.
She has waited for this award for too long, and she cares about it very much. She doesn't want to and can't pretend to be indifferent.
On the stage, Qu Xizhi took the list and picked up the microphone. Her eyes fell on the black and white words on the paper and waited for a long time. Then she raised her head and looked at a certain location in the auditorium.
"The best actress in this Golden Tripod Award is..." After a pause, she looked at Yin Ci's position, her was voice steady and serious.
Probably because they had been together for a while, she was able to grasp the other person's emotions to a certain extent. In short, Gu Xizhi was not too surprised when she heard her pronounce the next name.
"Yin Ci."
….
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Applause, music, smiles. The entire awards hall was enveloped in these joyous things in an instant. The camera, which had been evenly distributed among the four nominated actresses a moment ago, suddenly focused on Yin Ci. Gu Xizhi watched the scene quietly, her thoughts hidden.
"No, there must be something wrong with this award," Cheng Wei, who was usually quiet and shy, immediately voiced his opinion upon seeing the result.
Some people turned to look at him because of his words. He Xue, who had been sitting silently, cleared her throat and said, "Cheng Wei, don't talk nonsense."
Being scolded by He Xue, Cheng Wei turned to Gu Xizhi a little aggrievedly, "Sister Xiao Jing..."
"It's okay." Gu Xizhi signaled him to be quiet, "This is the result, and it should be correct."
"But you..."
"Cheng Wei," Gu Xizhi said seriously, "Yin Ci and I originally had a fifty-fifty chance. It's right that she won."
Seeing how calm she was, Cheng Wei didn't know what to say.
"Yin Ci, our Queen Yin! Please come to the stage to receive the award." The hostess' high and loud voice echoed throughout the awards hall.
Gu Xizhi looked up and saw Yin Ci, who was wearing a Chinese-style dress, standing up from the table and bowing to the audience to express her gratitude.
There was silence for a moment.
From the auditorium to the stage, Yin Ci has always been elegant and smiling. This wasn't her first award, so she appeared neither excited nor overwhelmed, though she was clearly happy.
With the result now unquestionable, Gu Xizhi showed no interest in Yin Ci's acceptance speech. After confirming the outcome, she turned to Cheng Wei and said, "The award ceremony is over, and it's not my concern anymore. I'll leave first."
"Sister Xiao Jing "
Cheng Wei wanted to catch up, but He Xue beside him said, "Don't chase her. Let her have some quiet time alone."
Cheng Wei looked at her back with a very complicated expression.
After a day of rain, the city seemed to have been cleansed thoroughly and the air was very fresh when the windows were opened. The awards hall is located on the top floor. As she walked out on the red carpet, she could see the iconic buildings at the city center through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Different cities, different landscapes, four years of emotions.
Gu Xizhi stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and looked quietly at the tall tower standing in the rain, her eyes silent and unfocused.
A few actors who had quietly followed her noticed her pause and approached, singing lines from a play behind her.
"Hey, look who that is. Dressed in red. So festive. She's going to receive the Best Actress award, right?"
The voice was sharp and dripping with sarcasm, clearly drawing her attention.
Gu Xizhi recognized the voice. She had originally been cast as the second female lead in "Wangchuan River" but was later replaced by Lin Mingling.
"Ah? I don't know much about Best Actress, but the clothes she wears are from the same brand and series as Qu Xizhi. I still think that only Miss Qu Xizhi can wear the elegance of that brand.
"Oh, oh, oh, don't say that. Her acting skills are already far inferior to Qu Xizhi's. When someone is inferior in every aspect, how can they compete?"
"Yes, yes, you must not say that. Her names are just similar to Qu Xizhi's, is it meaningful to compare heaven and earth together?"
"Ahem, I'm just curious. You said that they both started as an actress at the same time. How come some people have already won Best Actress, while others have been nominated for four consecutive years but can't win Best Actress? Do you think she has any self-esteem?"
"Self-esteem?" Someone laughed, "If I were her, I would either quit the entertainment industry directly or have beaten Qu Xizhi long ago. Someone like her, do you think she has any self-esteem?"
The constant ridicule and sarcasm poked sharply into Gu Xizhi's ears. She stared at the tall tower in the rain curtain for a long time. Then she turned to look at the actresses.
"No matter how bad I am, I'm still ten thousand times better than you."
When several actresses saw that she was fighting back, they immediately attacked her with words. But regardless of what they said, Gu Xizhi pretended not to hear and walked away alone towards the staircase.
The sky at night was pitch black without a single star. The moonlight became very pale in the rain curtain, and Gu Xizhi walked out of the hotel, gazing at the pouring rain and the empty road in a trance.
She didn't know where to go, but she knew she didn't want to see anyone familiar or make a scene in front of others.
The rain was pouring down, hitting her body painfully. Gu Xizhi walked forward quietly in the rain, her eyes remained slightly lowered.
An indescribable feeling made her unafraid of the rain, and she even felt that being baptized by this kind of rain might clear her mind a bit.
This is the last time.
Gu Xizhi said in her heart.
She wouldn't choose movies anymore.
She didn't know how long had passed when a car began to follow her at a steady pace. When she walked, the car followed, and when she stopped, the car stopped too.
Finally, Gu Xizhi couldn't help but stop and raise her head to look at the car following her. The owner of that car seemed to be also waiting for this moment, when she raised her head, the car window slowly rolled down.
If the media captures you looking so sad, they could make quite a story out of it," Lin Mingling sat in the back seat, quietly observing Gu Xizhi with a smile. "It's so cold in the rain, and your clothes are soaked. Why don't you come inside the car for a while?"
Gu Xizhi looked at her coldly, turned her head, and continued walking forward.
Lin Mingling smiled and said, "I heard that the best actress is Yin Ci. Although I don't know much about movies, I wonder what would have happened if Qu Xizhi had been on stage with her tonight?"
Gu Xizhi stopped and looked quietly at the empty road in the distance.
Yin Ci's performance hadn't been outstanding, but Qu Xizhi's recent work had been exceptional. If both of them performed flawlessly, Qu Xizhi wouldn't lose to her.
"I think you also know the result." Lin Mingling continued, "Look, Qu Xizhi is better than Yin Ci, and you. But you are not even as good as Yin Ci, what qualifications do you think you have to be with Qu Xizhi?"
Gu Xizhi slowly turned her head, "So you appear here at this time to sow discord between us. "Really?" She chuckled and said, "Dream on."
Lin Mingling smiled and said calmly, "I'm not forcing you to do anything, I just want you to understand the current situation." After a pause, "You and Qu Xizhi have been together for a long time. I think you should also know that you are not a match in terms of family background or career. You are so weak that I can block you with just a finger. Qu Xizhi likes you now and will be patient with you, but what about the future? Always dragging trouble, a useless cripple, are you sure she will always be kind to you?"
"Cripple..." Gu Xizhi curled her lips lightly, "Go on, use your best skills to persuade me and see if you can succeed."
"Losing the Best Actress award this time, Huayu International will shelve you." Lin Mingling smiled more gently, "I forgot to tell you before that the reason why Sun Tingyou suddenly made things difficult for you is because of me."
Her voice was clear in the rain: "The ancestors of the Sun family have indeed accumulated a lot of wealth. It was originally enough for Sun Tingyou to eat, drink, whore around, and gamble for a lifetime. Unfortunately, several directors of Huayu International had different intentions and wanted to bring him down. If I hadn't saved him halfway, He would have been doomed long ago."
She smiled and said, "Originally I didn't want to get involved in Huayu International's mess, but unfortunately, I can't see Qu Xizhi being with anyone else in this life. As long as I can get her back, I'm willing to try anything. As for your future, I think the shares I hold are enough to decide everything."
Gu Xizhi still looked indifferent, "Really?"
Lin Mingling wasn't affected by her passive attitude and continued, "By the way, what do you plan to do after being shelved by Huayu International? Will you continue to ask Qu Xizhi for help?" She smiled, "Of course, you have the right to do that without feeling ashamed but remember, Qu Xizhi is your lover, not just a tool for your convenience. Don't wait until people despise you to realize that."
The rain kept falling, soaking Gu Xizhi's hair and skirt. She listened to Lin Mingling's words quietly and smiled faintly "What else? I really don't want to tell you, but what you said didn't move me at all."
"I expected you to say that," Lin Mingling smiled. "So, I prepared a little gift for you."
She turned to the person beside her and said something. Soon, the car's other window opened, and a man dressed in black, accompanied by a woman, stepped out of the car. The woman seemed to be bound in some way, her movements restricted, and her mouth tightly covered with a bandage.
The man in black brought the woman in front of Gu Xizhi. The woman's legs appeared to be tripped, and she fell in front of Gu Xizhi. Gu Xizhi glanced at her, and her expression gradually showed surprise. "Yiqing?"
Bo Yiqing was pulled up from the ground by the man in black and kept shaking her head in front of Gu Xizhi.
Lin Mingling got out of the car, holding a large red umbrella, and smiled at Gu Xizhi. "I mentioned earlier that making Sun Tingyou trouble you was my idea, but sending Bo Yiqing to his bed was Qu Xizhi's idea."
Gu Xizhi's eyes turned away from Bo Yiqing because of her words and slowly turned to her.
Lin Mingling continued, "I'm sorry to tell you, but it was because she wanted to protect you who was useless that Qu Xizhi found Bo Yiqing and asked her to please Sun Tingyou on your behalf. How do you think your movie came about? You didn't want to sleep with him, Bo Yiqing slept for you. You didn't want to please him, so Bo Yiqing forced a smile and said good things in front of him on your behalf. I really don’t know how heartless you are to look at someone who is an unrelated person got into trouble because of you, she got pregnant, she had a miscarriage, all for your movie, in the end..." Her smile had turned weird, "You lost the Best Actress again."
Under the pouring rain, Bo Yiqing, who was restrained by the man in black, kept shaking her head, as if she wanted her to stop talking. Lin Mingling glanced at her, curved her lips deeply, and said the last words to Gu Xizhi. "I forgot to tell you that there were complications during the abortion, and she lost her uterus." Pausing for a moment, she added, "Because of you, she lost almost everything."
The rain hit hard, and it hurt like a knife when it fell on her skin. The world before Gu Xizhi became a blur as the downpour mixed with her tears.
Gu Xizhi looked at the blurry face in front of her, looked at the blurry face in front of her, suddenly feeling her eyes ache, and tears uncontrollably stream down her cheeks.
Bo Yiqing seemed to hate Lin Mingling very much. When she said the last sentence, she kept glaring fiercely at her.
Lin Minling looked at her, smiled slightly, put away her umbrella, and walked into the car again.
The man in black quickly joined her in the car. As the car's wheels passed over puddles, splashes of water flew up. Despite getting her clothes dirty from the splashes, Gu Xizhi walked slowly to Bo Yiqing. She gently removed the bandages covering Bo Yiqing's mouth.
The first moment she could speak, Bo Yiqing said in a hoarse voice, "Sister Xiao Jing, don't believe her, everything she said was all untrue, she's crazy!"
Gu Xizhi just looked at her overwhelming tears and said nothing for a long time.
Seeing that she was silent, Bo Yiqing was anxious and sad, "Sister Xiao Jing, don't be like this, you are just doing what she wants!"
Her knees seemed to be pulled down by some force, and with tearful eyes, Gu Xizhi looked at her. She then bent her knees slightly.
"Sister Xiao Jing?!" Bo Yiqing looked at her in surprise, and she completely bent her knees.”
She knelt heavily before her.
Author's Note:
Xiao Jing is still very weak now.
