1. Film Festival, Live Broadcast
It’s that time of the year again, the International Film Festival. Every year, during this period, entertainment reporters are swamped, desperately pushing through the crowded masses just to get a step ahead in interviewing the award-winning stars.
This year’s film festival brought a big piece of news. The film “Desperate Path,” directed by the famous director Xu Yousheng, not only won the Best Film of the Year award but also swept fourteen awards at this festival, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Newcomer, and Best Director!
This unprecedented dominance had all the reporters buzzing with excitement. They rushed to surround the award winners, bombarding them with a barrage of prepared questions.
A man quietly stood up from the VIP seats. The purple suit he wore looked both luxurious and understated on him. His handsome and bright face was as beautiful and dazzling as the stars. Although his face showed no expression, it didn’t come off as cold or arrogant; instead, it exuded a calm and reserved aura.
Perhaps his appearance was too eye-catching, for as soon as he stood up, a reporter immediately noticed him.
“Shen Huai!”
The reporters who had been gathered elsewhere instantly surrounded him. “How do you feel about ‘Desperate Path’ sweeping fourteen awards, with all the main and supporting roles being named the best of the year, yet you, as the male lead, didn’t even get a nomination?”
Shen Huai replied calmly, “Congratulations to them.”
The reporter didn’t expect such a nonchalant answer and pressed on, “Shen Huai, you’ve been in the industry for fifteen years and have never won an award. You’ve been labeled as the biggest ‘flower vase’ in the entertainment circle, yet your father, Mr. Shen Nuo, is an internationally renowned movie star. Do you have anything to say to him?”
Most of the people in the venue had already left, and the staff began turning on the lights to clean up. The dim exhibition hall was suddenly lit up, and the glaring light made Shen Huai raise his hand.
He turned his head, using the back of his hand to shield his eyes.
He had a pair of very long and beautiful hands, with smooth and translucent fingertips, and even his nails were neatly trimmed. He half-squinted his eyes, his long eyelashes brushing against the back of his hand. His fair skin almost revealed tiny hairs under the light, making it hard for people to look away from his dreamy appearance.
The reporter was momentarily dazed.
Shen Huai’s father was one of the few international-level movie stars from China. At the age of 50, he was still active in the film industry, with his works almost always being nominated for international awards every year. He was undoubtedly a towering figure in the entertainment industry.
Shen Huai started acting in movies with his father at the age of six, working with big-name stars. Since his debut, he had access to the best resources in the entire entertainment circle.
With such a high starting point, anyone else would have become a popular young star, but unfortunately, Shen Huai’s acting skills were terrible.
Whether he played a dedicated teacher who eventually fell ill in a remote mountain area, a rebellious teenager who witnessed his father die saving him, or a prince who discovered his beloved woman was having an affair with his brother, he always had the same expression—(=_=).
Because of his expressionless face and his textbook-like line delivery, he had ruined countless movies over the years. His black fans were diligently chanting “Shen Huai, get out of the entertainment circle” every day, yet he still hadn’t fallen.
Besides his father’s influence, there was another reason—he was handsome.
And not just ordinarily handsome. Even in an entertainment circle full of beautiful men and women, he was so handsome that people couldn’t take their eyes off him at first glance. So handsome that as soon as he appeared on screen, even without a single line, the audience would immediately ask, “Is this the male lead?”
Just like now, the reporter almost forgot what question he had just asked. He just thought, if it weren’t for his poor acting skills, this face was truly a gift from the heavens.
Shen Huai closed his eyes and turned his head away from the uncomfortable light.
“I want to say to my father…”
He paused, seemingly in thought, his gray eyes under his short, messy hair resembling a beautiful gem.
After a while, he said seriously, “Forget it, I’ll just video call him when I get home.”
Reporter: “…”
Is this what you came up with after thinking for so long? What kind of answer is that to my question?
But Shen Huai seemed to have made up his mind and didn’t accept any more interviews, turning to leave the hall.
His manager was already waiting in the driver’s seat. Shen Huai opened his phone and shared the director Xu Yousheng’s new Weibo post about “Desperate Path” winning awards.
He suddenly asked, “Brother Liu, don’t you think I’m not cut out for acting?”
This wasn’t a question, but it left the manager speechless.
Shen Huai debuted as a child star, starring in the movie “Interstellar 14 Days” with his father Shen Nuo at the age of six. His serious little adult appearance in the film was well-loved by the audience.
But now, fifteen years later, Shen Huai had only grown taller and more handsome, with no change in his expression while acting!
The protagonist died! He was indifferent. His girlfriend was in trouble! He was indifferent. As for crying scenes, they were non-existent, and even the special effects artists complained that his expression was too stiff, making the tears look unnatural.
When he first took over Shen Huai, he hoped to bring out an international superstar like his father.
Now, well…
Although his acting was as stiff as a zombie, Shen Huai had a very good personality and temper. He wasn’t pretentious or troublesome, and he was more sensible and obedient than the newcomers under him, so he couldn’t bring himself to hurt his feelings.
“Not at all, you’re just getting started, there’s a long road ahead!” The manager said, even though he felt guilty.
Shen Huai nodded and suddenly said as he got out of the car, “Brother Liu, without me, you’d definitely go further.”
The manager was stunned, and a wave of sadness suddenly surged as he watched Shen Huai’s back.
Shen Huai’s father, Shen Nuo, was an international-level movie emperor with fans all over the world. Even the President of China had personally awarded him as one of the nation’s top 100 industry leaders. The Shen Company he founded at the height of his fame was now a renowned entertainment media company in the industry, with popular kings and queens under its banner.
To be an actor at this level was beyond the description of an ordinary movie emperor or superstar. His fame was so overwhelming that it intimidated the entire entertainment circle. Perhaps knowing how hard-earned his achievements were, Shen Nuo cherished his reputation very much. His original wife passed away nearly twenty years ago, and he hadn’t had any scandals since, with only Shen Huai as his only son.
Logically, with such a background, Shen Huai should be someone everyone was eager to curry favor with, not someone mocked by netizens and pressured by reporters. But the problem was that Shen Nuo was rigid and strict, believing that since he climbed up step by step, his son should do the same, completely ignoring the rumors.
And Shen Huai himself was a quiet and reserved person. Over time, people realized that as long as they didn’t offend Shen Huai too much, Shen Nuo wouldn’t bother them, so they became bolder, picking on Shen Huai as the easy target.
“Shen Huai! You’re not cut out for acting!” The manager shouted, surprising even himself, but Shen Huai actually smiled.
His lips, always pressed into a straight line, curved into a shallow arc, and he even softly said, “Thank you, brother.”
When Shen Huai got home, a video call from Shen Nuo came through.
“What were you saying in front of the reporters? You’re always embarrassing me! Look at the comments under your Weibo! Ever since you officially debuted, I’ve been getting scolded every day. Is acting really that hard? Director Xu even called me yesterday to talk about you.”
Shen Huai took off his coat and sat on the sofa. “What did Director Xu say?”
“He said you’re not cut out for acting at all!”
Shen Nuo was as angry now as he was disheartened when he heard that.
Acting, is it really that hard?
In his understanding, acting was something that could be done well as long as you put your heart into it. Shen Huai wasn’t acting poorly; he just wasn’t putting in the effort. But when Director Xu earnestly told him, “No talent, can’t force it,” he felt powerless for the first time.
Shen Huai nodded in agreement. “Director Xu is insightful.”
Shen Nuo: “…”
Is he saying I’m not insightful enough?
“Dad, I don’t want to act.” Shen Huai said seriously in the video, “I’m already 21 years old, and I want to do what I want to do.”
Shen Nuo fell silent, looking coldly at his son in the video.
This wasn’t the first time he’d heard this from Shen Huai, and he knew Shen Huai had no interest in acting. But he couldn’t understand how a son who had followed him to film sets since childhood could have no interest in acting. How could resources that many people dreamed of become a burden to him?
“You want someone who isn’t good at expressing their own emotions to express someone else’s emotions. Isn’t that asking too much?”
Recalling Director Xu’s earnest words from last night, Shen Nuo’s heart sank.
“You want to play e-sports?”
Shen Huai paused, then nodded.
Shen Nuo pursed his lips. He knew his son had loved playing games since he was young and seemed to have some fame in the gaming world. But to him, that was just playing, not even a proper job, let alone a profession.
“Dad, I don’t have the talent for acting, but I believe I have the skills for e-sports.”
Shen Nuo remembered how he had pursued an acting career against his family’s wishes when he was young. Back then, acting wasn’t considered a proper job either, but he had persevered with passion and reached where he was today.
Shen Huai’s gaze at this moment was exactly like his own back then.
“Do whatever you want, anyway, staying in the entertainment circle is just embarrassing me.”
A rare smile appeared on Shen Huai’s face. “Thank you, Dad.”
He hung up the video call and casually checked Weibo. The post he had just shared had already garnered over 20,000 comments.
[The entertainment circle’s number one flower vase is out to ride the wave again, haha. What does ‘Desperate Path’ winning have to do with you? With your acting skills, it’s a miracle the movie won any awards!]
[Daily chant—Shen Huai, get out of the entertainment circle, Shen Huai, get out of the entertainment circle, Shen Huai, get out of the entertainment circle…]
[Feeling sorry for the co-actors! Isn’t it awkward to work with Shen the wooden block?]
[With acting skills like that, getting the lead role is impressive. Having a rich and powerful dad is amazing. Uncle Shen, wake up, your son isn’t not trying, he’s just not good!]
[No exaggeration, if my idol had been the lead in ‘Desperate Path,’ it would have won more than fourteen awards! Shen Huai, you’re dragging the crew down, do you know that? And you still have the face to share the post, never seen someone so thick-skinned!]
Shen Huai had been in the industry for fifteen years, and ever since he opened his Weibo, he had been constantly criticized online, but he didn’t care. Everyone has things they’re not good at; he was just forced to turn what he wasn’t good at into a career.
He tossed his phone aside and turned on his computer. The desktop was very clean, with only a few system default software and an ice-blue icon for “City of Despair” and a live streaming platform “YouShen Live Room.”
These two were the most popular online game and the largest and most professional game live streaming platform at the moment.
Without hesitation, Shen Huai double-clicked on “City of Despair” and opened the live streaming platform to enter the live room. The account automatically logged in with the ID “Cang Yu.” Surprisingly, the number of fans under his avatar was 3 million, even more than his Weibo followers!
The game took a while to load, and the live room only showed an empty desktop and the “City of Despair” icon, but people were already starting to join.
[Oh my god!! Look what I found!! Cang Yu the Great!!]
[The god is finally back!!! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime series! When was the last time the god streamed?]
[Let me answer that for you! 3 months and 7 days!! Cang Yu the Great, please recommend some tips for ranking up!!]
[While there are few people, let me send a wave of rocket launchers to the male god!! Male god, please notice me!!]
Snack Noodles sent Rocket Launcher X10
As the hottest online game at the moment, “City of Despair” had many well-known professional teams. But in this circle, there was one person who wasn’t a professional player, and no one knew his real identity, yet his ID made all professional players take him seriously—Cang Yu.
A very casual, irregularly scheduled, never-before-seen, and even voiceless mysterious streamer, but his technical skills were top-notch, and his gameplay strategies were so unique that many professional players watched and imitated him.
As he started streaming, players from various teams who were training received a text message reminder—
[YouShen Live Room reminds you that the streamer you follow, ID Cang Yu, room number 666666, is now live!]