Boss, He Is Chasing Stars Again Chapter 82
by“Click, click!”
“Please look this way!”
At the annual awards ceremony, the sound of camera shutters from reporters hadn’t stopped since the celebrities began arriving. Everyone wanted to send out the first-hand images to garner attention.
Jian Xingzhi’s outfit today was a moon-white suit. His demeanor was very similar to Shu Hua, the character he played—gentle and refined, yet not overly conspicuous. He arrived relatively early. After letting the reporters take their photos, he sat down in the spot arranged by the organizers to wait for the others.
Tonight was the awards ceremony for television dramas. When arranging seating, the organizers took this into account, generally placing people from the same production crew together. Bai He and Director Fu would also be arriving soon.
Jian Xingzhi glanced at the wristwatch on his arm. It was a Christmas gift from Jian Xingzhi, who had specifically instructed him to wear it before he left the house.
Based on the logo, the watch appeared to be the Bird brand, but Jian Xingzhi couldn’t find it when he searched online, suggesting it might be an expensive, hidden model. He smiled as he looked at the small, simply drawn fox head on the watch face. Jian Xingzhi always liked to hide things in the gifts he gave him, just to see if he would notice.
Jian Xingzhi took a picture of the little fox head and sent it: Where is my big tiger?
Jian Xingzhi replied with a selfie of himself watching the awards ceremony live: Right here.
Jian Xingzhi opened Jian Xingzhi’s selfie and noticed Jian Lezhi secretly giving a peace sign to the camera while Jian Xingzhi wasn’t looking, seemingly greeting him.
Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment and said: Please send my regards to your family first. I will visit tomorrow.
Jian Xingzhi: No problem.
After replying, Jian Xingzhi turned to look at Jian Lezhi, who was staring intently at the TV: “Don’t think I didn’t see that.”
“What’s the big deal, you stingy guy? I can’t even say hello to my sister-in-law?” Jian Lezhi rolled her eyes at him, but her words were overheard by Father Jian and Mother Jian, who were coming downstairs: “What sister-in-law? Lezhi, tell Mom.”
Jian Lezhi knew she had let something slip. Her eyes darted around, and she quickly pressed Father Jian and Mother Jian down in front of the TV: “Oh, it’s just Brother. He said Sister-in-law is attending this awards ceremony today, and I was just scolding him for not even letting me say hello to her. It’s so mean.”
Father Jian and Mother Jian immediately perked up. Father Jian quickly pulled Mother Jian down to sit: “Is it the one on TV? Then we must take a good look at who our future daughter-in-law is… Ouch! Why did you pinch me?”
“How is she a future daughter-in-law? We haven’t even met her, and I haven’t agreed yet!” Mother Jian glared at Father Jian, focusing all her attention on the TV, her intense gaze almost burning through the screen.
Jian Xingzhi felt a bit regretful. If he had known this would happen, he would have secretly watched in the home theater. He wouldn’t have been sitting in the living room watching TV if Jian Lezhi hadn’t complained that the home theater was too dark and she wanted to watch while doing her homework.
Now he couldn’t leave, and he couldn’t watch comfortably. He said to Mother Jian: “I didn’t say who it was. Don’t be too critical of everyone else.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Mother Jian said curtly, though she didn’t look like she knew what she was doing at all.
As more and more celebrities entered, the camera quickly panned through almost everyone in the venue. Jian Xingzhi naturally saw Shi Xingze. Shi Xingze gave a smile to the fleeting camera shot, appearing to be seated with his crew.
Unfortunately, the shot was too quick. Jian Xingzhi regretted not capturing it and decided he would have to clip a screenshot from the replay later.
Shi Xingze’s fans didn’t seem to have any famous fan site masters. He decided he should cultivate a few after this awards ceremony—he’d pay for it.
The awards ceremony didn’t have too many categories. The most anticipated awards, besides Best Actor and Best Actress, were Actor of the Year, Drama of the Year, and Best Director. These awards were almost always presented last.
The Best Newcomer award was presented after Best Supporting Actor and Actress. It was said that this order was specifically arranged to encourage new actors, and it had been done this way for the past few years.
Shi Xingze hadn’t even considered competing for this award. Jian Xingzhi listened as the host read out the names of the nominated supporting actors, who were mostly outstanding figures or veteran actors from serious dramas and rural-themed shows.
Jian Xingzhi waited patiently for the first few awards to be presented, while Father Jian and Mother Jian kept observing his reactions as if holding a magnifying glass, occasionally glancing at the screen:
“This actress is pretty. She looks like someone our son would like.”
“Impossible, right? She looks older than our son.”
“What if he likes older women?”
“…That’s true.”
Jian Xingzhi hadn’t even spoken, but Jian Lezhi next to him couldn’t stand it anymore: “Dad, Mom, she’s already married. Her kids are in elementary school. Stop staring at her.”
Seriously, her brother didn’t even like girls!
With Jian Lezhi speaking on his behalf, Jian Xingzhi was happy to stay silent and focus on waiting for the Best Newcomer Actor award. He appeared to be watching the TV, but nothing anyone else said registered in his ears.
“Next, we will present the Best Newcomer Actor award. Let’s take a look together at which new actors have been nominated this year!”
When Jian Xingzhi heard the host announce this, his casual expression immediately turned serious. He raised his index finger to Father Jian and Mother Jian, who were still guessing who it might be: “Shh, I need to watch the awards.”
Father Jian and Mother Jian keenly sensed that something was amiss. They exchanged glances and stopped discussing. Mother Jian signaled Father Jian to pay attention to Jian Xingzhi’s expression while she watched the nominated actors on TV.
The Best Newcomer Actor award was not divided by gender; anyone with good reviews could be nominated and win.
Although many dramas aired every year, not every year produced a massive hit, so the Best Newcomer Actor award winners had always been a mix of men and women. For example, the award had been won by actresses for two consecutive years previously.
However, this year, all the nominees were male actors, which the audience jokingly called the “Monk Year.”
Jian Xingzhi and Jian Lezhi, who followed celebrity news, knew about this, but Father Jian and Mother Jian didn’t!
Based on Jian Xingzhi’s expression, the person he liked must be on this nomination list, but…
Father Jian even rubbed his eyes in disbelief: “These actors… why are they all men?”
Jian Lezhi: “…”
Oh right, it was the Monk Year.
She glanced at her brother and saw that Jian Xingzhi had no intention of explaining. Instead, he said lightly: “He’s coming to visit you tomorrow. You’ll know then.”
Jian Lezhi shook her head silently, watching her parents fret with curiosity. Her brother was truly tight-lipped. If she hadn’t been so sharp-eyed and discovered it early, she would be the one fretting now.
“The winner of the Best Newcomer Actor award is… Shi Xingze, who played Shu Hua in The Direction the Wind Blows! Let’s congratulate him!”
Shi Xingze in the frame seemed not to react immediately and was raising his hand, ready to applaud. Bai He, beside him, kindly patted his shoulder, signaling him to look at the big screen. Shi Xingze then stood up as if waking from a dream and walked toward the stage.
A smile deepened in Jian Xingzhi’s eyes. This was Shi Xingze’s first award.
Shi Xingze looked down at the audience, feeling a bit lost. He took a few deep breaths, cheering himself on internally, and accepted the trophy from the host: “First, I want to thank everyone for their affirmation. Acting is a creative profession, and I have only just started. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to win the Best Newcomer Actor award. I sincerely thank the organizers, all the actors and staff of the crew, and my family and fans who support me. Thank you.”
Jian Lezhi raised her hands and clapped vigorously. Father Jian and Mother Jian also instinctively clapped twice, then turned to ask Jian Lezhi: “Why are you so excited? Is this the little celebrity you follow?”
Father Jian and Mother Jian clearly knew about Jian Lezhi’s hobby of following celebrities and naturally assumed this was just another young star Jian Lezhi liked recently.
Jian Lezhi nodded frantically: “Yes, yes! His name is Shi Xingze. Isn’t he handsome and amazing? I love him so much!”
She signaled Jian Xingzhi with her eyes to quickly join her in applauding so their parents wouldn’t guess who their sister-in-law was!
Jian Xingzhi understood Jian Lezhi’s little scheme, shook his head with a chuckle, and raised his hands to clap hard for Shi Xingze.
It was fine if their parents guessed. Shi Xingze wasn’t someone to be ashamed of. He just couldn’t stand the way his parents kept guessing and trying to arrange blind dates for him. He was just teasing them and giving them something to do.
Look, weren’t they having fun playing detective?
Jian Xingzhi sent Shi Xingze a congratulatory message the moment he won the award, though Shi Xingze probably didn’t have time to check it yet.
He suddenly felt a little envious of Bai He and the others, who could be by Shi Xingze’s side the moment he won and offer congratulations in person. Thinking this, Jian Xingzhi suddenly felt impatient.
Shi Xingze didn’t know that the Jian family was watching the TV like detectives trying to figure out who he was. He happily hugged his trophy and returned to his seat. The filming of Illumination was almost finished, and he didn’t plan on accepting any other engagements before the New Year.
He had promised Jian Xingzhi he would visit tomorrow and had prepared some gifts in advance, worried that Father Jian and Mother Jian might be displeased or angry.
The next day, when it was time for the meeting, Shi Xingze felt a sudden nervousness as he reached the front gate. He looked at Jian Xingzhi with some hesitation: “…Should I wait until I win Best Actor?”
Jian Xingzhi firmly shook his head: “How long do you want me to be alone without a proper title? My parents and little sister are easy to get along with. You have a sweet tongue, they’ll definitely be happy, unlike me, who is always criticized for not knowing how to talk.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Shi Xingze was still hesitant, but he slowly started walking inside: “Do you think this is okay? Hello, Uncle and Auntie, I am Shi Xingze. It’s a pleasure to meet you. These are the gifts I brought for you. Is that alright?”
Jian Xingzhi thought that was too formal and said to Shi Xingze: “That’s too polite. Just call them Mom and Dad.”
Shi Xingze pinched his waist: “If you talk nonsense again, I won’t talk to you! How can I call them Mom and Dad the first time we meet? That’s so rude!”
Jian Xingzhi grunted. Seeing that his father and mother had anxiously rushed to the door to see who it was, he quickly gave Shi Xingze a gentle push forward: “Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Shi Xingze. Xingze, say hello.”
Shi Xingze had thought Father Jian and Mother Jian were still inside. With Jian Xingzhi’s push, his mouth moved faster than his brain in his panic: “Hello, Mom and Dad, I’m Shi Xingze. Please take care of me on our first meeting!”
Father Jian and Mother Jian: “…”
Shi Xingze, who belatedly realized what he had just called them: “…”
He was doomed!!!
Shi Xingze thought despairingly, clutching his gifts. Would he be thrown out?