“The Blossoming of the Forbidden Flower” became a box office hit and received quite a number of praises. Mo Jinbei’s acting skills undoubtedly received the approval of everyone. On the other hand, Shen Xunyuan was pushed to the heart of discussion. Those who liked her labelled her a goddess, while those who disliked her categorized her as an er*tic actress.
Prior to accepting the role, Shen Xunyuan was already prepared for all these. She wasn’t afraid of being criticized. All she needed was a chance at fame, and “The Blossoming of the Forbidden Flower” made her into an overnight success. There was a price to pay for popularity, and she was willing to pay this price.
After the movie run ended, Shen Xunyuan unexpectedly received an endorsement deal. Initially, she thought that advertisers would only seek her out after she was free from her “p*rn star” shell, but she didn’t expect that she would be this lucky.
It was only when Sister Li and her went to discuss the endorsement contract that she found out that Mo Jinbei had promoted her extensively for this ad. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t moved; but Mo Jinbei was really that great, how could she drag him down?
Mo Jinbei continued to call her and send her messages on Wechat, but Shen Xunyuan didn’t pick up the calls, nor reply to the messages.
After that, there were a series of movie offers for Shen Xunyuan, but all of them required her to strip. Shen Xunyuan didn’t want to fix her image this way, so she rejected all of them.
As a result, she didn’t have any jobs for half a year. Apart from the endorsement deal that Mo Jinbei introduced, she didn’t have any income. However, Shen Xunyuan wanted to gamble one more time. She was popular now, and she only lacked the chance to change her image.
At the end of the year, Shen Xunyuan received an invitation for Jinzong Awards. It turned out that she had been nominated for the Best Actress and Best Rookie awards. No matter what, she had to attend this.
On Christmas Eve, Haixing Stadium was dazzling bright; it was the venue for the Jinzong Awards. The A listers who had been nominated this year had all arrived; what more the B and C listers. There was a flurry of activities, and the flashes from the fans and media’s cameras on the red carpet almost caused the night sky to become day.
Shen Xunyuan wore a black low-cut gown and heels that were about 10cm high. She heard a number of people calling out her name as she graced the red carpet. Right now, she was overwhelmed by the scene before her.
At the end of the red carpet, Shen Xunyuan had to meet up with the crew of “The Blossoming of the Forbidden Flower”, because the core figures of the movie had to sign on the backdrop together. And Mo Jinbei was one of them!
All this while, Shen Xunyuan didn’t dare to look at Mo Jinbei. She hastily signed on the board, then followed Director Guo into the venue. The actors from the same movie would usually sit together, but Mo Jinbei and her were both nominated. In the end, she had to sit with the other three nominees for Best Female Rookie, while Mo Jinbei naturally was given the most prominent spot for the Best Actor nominees.
The Best Female Rookie award would be given out before the Best Actor. When Shen Xunyuan and the other three female newcomers’ faces continuously flashed on the screen, Shen Xunyuan felt extremely nervous. She reminded herself repeatedly that she had to manage her expressions, so that she wouldn’t appear too tense. All of a sudden, her face was on the entire big screen!
Shen Xunyuan’s heart was palpitating wildly. The voices around her had become hushed, and all she could hear was her heartbeat, badum, badum… striking against her eardrums! It was only when another female rookie hugged her and whispered into her ear, “Xunyuan… Congratulations… Best Female Rookie…” that she was certain that the name the emcee had read out was really hers. She hadn’t even gone onstage but the rims of her eyes were already red. It was only when she forced her excitement down, walked up gracefully to receive her award, and saw the audience’s focus on her that she came to realize that she was already a celebrity now.
She was a true celebrity now!
Chapter 32
Shen Xunyuan lost the Best Actress award to an experienced actress. Before this, Shen Xunyuan had also looked upon this senior favourably, hence she didn’t feel regretful about it. There was still a long way to go; she believed that she would eventually reach the peak of an actress one day! This story is hosted at g.com.
The highlight for the night was the revelation of the Best Actor award. Shen Xunyuan observed Mo Jinbei on the big screen. He carried a smile, as though he was just sitting around. That relaxed vibe was vastly different from Shen Xunyuan’s previous expression.
Shen Xunyuan had just only calmed down, but now, she started feeling anxious again. She chanted internally, Mo Jinbei… It has to be Mo Jinbei! When the emcee’s voice echoed the voice in her heart, Shen Xunyuan stood up with the rest of the audience and clapped to congratulate him!
The same Best Actor as last year, Mo Jinbei, had done it again! Winning two consecutive Best Actor awards at the Jinzong Awards! While he might not be the last person to do so, he was the first!
After Mo Jinbei went onstage, even the emcee teased him, saying that since he was at his pinnacle, perhaps he should reveal his girlfriend, and make it a double celebration! However, why would someone as smart as Mo Jinbei confess honestly? He smiled, his tone warm and polite as he replied, “There’s someone I like, but I haven’t managed to win her over yet.”
When Shen Xunyuan heard this, her heart tightened.
The host was a big shot in the variety shows industry, but he regarded Mo Jinbei’s answer as playacting in response to him. He laughed, after which photos that the producers had prepared in advance appeared on the screen.
Mo Jinbei raised his brows and looked at the photos of the two celebrities. They had about the same levels of popularity as himself, both A-listers; he wondered what antics the Jinzong Awards had come up with tonight.
The emcee said gleefully, “Movie King Mo, taking the Best Actor trophy isn’t going to be that easy. Tonight, you have to pick out the looks of the person that you like. To be more objective, we’ve chosen the pictures of a few female celebrities. Tell us which is the one that you prefer!” Following that, he said to the audience, “Fans, watch this carefully to find out what the dream lover of Movie King Mo looks like! Hahaha!” Choosing one out of two? Everyone is in the same industry, this would offend so many people, Mo Jinbei could only smile bitterly inside. Yet, he was watched by so many people who appeared to anticipate this, so he could only force himself to do this.
“Between Gu Zhen and Feng Ningning, who would you choose?” The emcee sounded like he was playing a reaction game, speaking very quickly.
Gu Zhen was from the same company as him, and they were on good terms. He could simply send her a WeChat message to explain himself later on, so she probably wouldn’t take it to heart. Mo Jinbei deliberated for a while, then said words, “Feng Ningning”.
Gu Zhen and Feng Ningning were both present tonight. The screen cut into a live feed of Feng Ningning, who was covering her face and smiling sweetly.
“What about Feng Ningning and Qin Mengna?” The host didn’t seem to want to give Mo Jinbei time to consider, as he shot the next question immediately.
“Qin Mengna…”
“Let’s continue, Qin Mengna and Jiang Kerou?”
“Probably Jiang Kerou…”
At this point, everyone could tell that Mo Jinbei was really cunning; he didn’t want to offend anyone.
Until Jiang Kerou and Shen Xunyuan’s faces appeared on the big screen!
All of them were A-list celebrities, but Shen Xunyuan was only a small-time star who had just won the Best Newcomer Award, yet her picture was used! In everyone’s minds, this was probably because she had just worked with Mo Jinbei.
Shen Xunyuan was astonished when she saw her own picture. She gazed at Mo Jinbei, not knowing how he would answer this question.
Mo Jinbei only paused for a while, before he read Shen Xunyuan’s name out.
Shen Xunyuan gripped her dress.
At this time, everyone didn’t really think too much about it. The host continued cheekily, “What about Shen Xunyuan and Gu Zhen?” They ran out of new pictures, so they reused them.
Mo Jinbei shoved his hand into his pocket, then said leisurely, “Shen Xunyuan.”
Now that’s interesting! The emcee continued instantly, “Feng Ningning and Shen Xunyuan, what’s your choice?”
“Shen Xunyuan.”
“Qin Mengna and Shen Xunyuan?”
“Shen Xunyuan.”
“Jiang Kerou and Shen Xunyuan?”
“Shen Xunyuan.”
When Shen Xunyuan’s picture filled the big screen once more, the entire venue was in an upheaval. Shen Xunyuan appeared as though she was sitting on nails, so nervous that she was feeling suffocated. Everyone’s attention was on her, but she hoped that Mo Jinbei wouldn’t say anything shocking again.
Voices filled out the entire venue, and it was only when the host spoke again that everyone became silent again.
“So this means that your dream lover is someone like Shen Xunyuan?” The host didn’t delve into it further, as he focused on heightening the mood. There was no need for him to offend the two-time movie king!
“Yes.” Mo Jinbei didn’t want to pressure Shen Xunyuan too much, or she might run away again.
After the awards ceremony ended, rumours of Mo Jinbei and Shen Xunyuan appeared on entertainment news headlines!
“The Blossoming of the Forbidden Flower” had bagged the Best Actor and Best Female Rookie awards, so Director Guo paid from his own pocket and invited the entire crew for a celebratory meal. Everyone had their fill of drinks, chatted incessantly, and they only called it a day reluctantly at 3AM.
When Shen Xunyuan walked out, Mo Jinbei was waiting for her in his car.
“Hop on. We need to talk.”