026 Cheng Jie was so terrified that his legs went weak.

7:00 PM.
The Daxia Film Wind Chuan Awards ceremony was underway.
A massive crystal chandelier hung from the dome, casting down a brilliant light like scattered stardust. In the guest seating area, everyone wore smiles of perfectly measured warmth. Wang Bo, however, was trembling with such excitement that he could hardly sit still.

The list of nominees had been announced long ago. For his portrayal of the character "Black Skin" in *Crazy Stone*, he had won the Best Supporting Actor award! Such an honor was something he hadn't even dared to dream of before. Yet here it was, manifesting in such a grand fashion. The turn of events felt utterly surreal.

"Director Qian, did I really win Best Supporting Actor?" Wang Bo asked, wringing his hands, looking quite reserved.

"If not a certainty, then it’s at least nine times out of ten," Qian Lang whispered back.

Beside them, Pei Duoduo was resting with her eyes closed. Had it not been for her desire to spare no expense in inviting the legendary Jackie Long to come out of retirement, she wouldn't have bothered attending such an awards ceremony at all. When she invested in films, she did so with the intention of losing money. Yet, this time, *Crazy Stone* not only failed to lose money, but it was also winning awards until her hands grew numb. It was truly frustrating! She decided she would never offer any more suggestions again. It seemed that in the entire Galaxy Film and Television company, she was the only one who had ended up suffering.

"Nine times out of ten—does that mean there’s a 10 percent chance of failure?" Wang Bo counted on his fingers, a chill running through his heart.

"Uh, it’s one hundred percent!" Qian Lang replied, looking slightly helpless. He hadn't expected Wang Bo to be so anxious even after arriving at the ceremony. *Sigh, he’s far too concerned with gains and losses,* he thought. Unlike Pei Duoduo, who didn't care at all. Just look at her—she was so fast asleep that drool was almost dripping down.

Qian Lang shook his head with a smile. Just then, Pei Duoduo shifted her position, and her head inadvertently leaned against his shoulder. This... well, he supposed being a pillow for the big boss was part of the job.

"Distinguished guests, we gather here tonight to witness a momentous event in the film industry! The 7th Daxia Film Wind Chuan Awards ceremony now begins..."

On stage, the host, dressed in an extravagant outfit, delivered the opening remarks with great enthusiasm. Below the stage, the guests were also stirred. Although the nominee list had been public and everyone knew which films were winning which awards, the anticipation remained high until the very last moment.

Jackie Long and Lu Guang sat at the very back of the guest section. They stretched their necks to look at the guests in front, but could only see the backs of people's heads; it was hard to tell who was sitting where. However, they had managed to find out the order of the awards: *Crazy Stone* was scheduled early. Once the award was announced, Qian Lang would take the stage, and they would need to lock their eyes firmly on their target to ensure he and his team didn't slip away early.

"Brother Long, once I spot Director Qian, should we just block him at the door?" Lu Guang whispered.

To be honest, they had wanted to research Qian Lang before coming, but while there were many legends about him online, no one knew what he actually looked like. Director Qian seemed to value his privacy. It was understandable, though; he wasn't an actor and had no need to appear in the public eye. Many long-renowned directors actually enjoyed the thrill of operating from behind the scenes. It stood to reason that Director Qian was the same. This only made Jackie Long more interested in him.

"The nominees for Best Film are *Crazy Stone*, *You All*, and *Peaceful Society*! May the representatives please come to the stage to receive their awards!"

Hearing the host, Jackie Long and Lu Guang widened their eyes, not daring to blink.

"President Pei, why don't you go up and accept the award?" Qian Lang nudged her. If he didn't wake her up, she would surely drool on her clothes.

"Huh?" Pei Duoduo opened her eyes, her delicate face filled with confusion.

"Go on up." Qian Lang lifted her up without a word and gave her a gentle push. Thus, Pei Duoduo stumbled onto the stage in a daze.

Below the stage, Jackie Long and Lu Guang were dumbfounded. They hadn't heard that Qian Lang was a woman. After all, the public always described Qian Lang as a "young talent."

"Thank you to the organizing committee and the fans! And most of all, I must thank Director Qian. As the boss, I never expected *Crazy Stone* to achieve such results! In fact, when I started, I was aiming to lose money..."

On stage, Pei Duoduo gave her acceptance speech at the host's request. She hadn't taken the matter seriously, and having been pushed onto the stage in a daze, she hadn't had time to invent any high-sounding rhetoric. However, as a child of a wealthy family, she possessed the necessary vision and experience; speaking in front of people wasn't difficult for her. She simply hadn't had time to sugarcoat anything, so she told the truth.

She didn't expect that her heartfelt words would lead the host to fill in the gaps with his own interpretations, as if he had suddenly uncovered the secret behind the film's success. Building on Pei Duoduo's remarks, the host spoke at length about his own insights into cinema, thanking her for her contributions to Daxia's film industry and calling on all investors to learn from President Pei.

Pei Duoduo stood there stunned, blinking her large eyes, signaling, "As long as you're happy."

Qian Lang chuckled below the stage. *Isn't this just like the saying: "There will always be great scholars to interpret the scriptures for me"?* Pei Duoduo's expression was truly adorable. While the host was speaking eloquently, she looked like a primary school student who didn't want to listen to a lecture—wanting to slack off but not daring to truly lose focus. Qian Lang almost laughed out loud.

Finally, after the host finished expressing his thoughts, he let Pei Duoduo return to her seat.

"He can babble even more than I can. I’m not going up there again!" Back in her seat, Pei Duoduo puffed out her cheeks, looking just like an angry little hamster. Qian Lang suppressed his laughter beside her, not daring to show any reaction. After all, did he really want to risk his job by mocking the boss?

"The nominees for Best Director are Qian Lang for *Crazy Stone*, Jia Ping for *Good Deeds*, and Du Qiming for *Peaceful Society*! May the representatives please come to the stage!"

As soon as the host finished, Jackie Long and Lu Guang widened their eyes again. This award was for the director. Surely Qian Lang wouldn't let someone else accept it on his behalf?

"Dum-dum-da-dum—"

Amidst the stirring background music, Qian Lang stood up and walked toward the stage step by step, a faint smile on his face. His gaze swept across the guests, and he noticed that many of them seemed to gasp in shock.

"My god, is Director Qian this handsome?" Lu Guang rubbed his eyes.

Jackie Long was also shocked. Although Qian Lang was always praised as a "young talent," that was usually just a generic compliment. How many people actually looked like this?

"Director Qian, I never expected you to be so handsome! If I didn't know better, I'd think you were here to accept the Best Actor award! I must say, if Director Qian were an actor, I think all the directors present would be fighting over you, right?" The host on stage didn't hold back his praise. He was simply stunning!

Currently, the most popular genre in Daxia was the idol drama. It didn't matter how good your acting was; as long as you were good-looking, you could captivate the world just by standing there. As for lines? Just reciting one, two, three, four, five was enough! Dubbing was standard practice now!

"He's truly impressive! If he weren't a director, I’d really want to invite him to act in my films!" a director in the guest seats remarked.

"Indeed, the young man has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes; he perfectly fits the current aesthetic!" his agent added, nodding in agreement. "I really don't know what Xingyao was thinking, firing such a talent!"

Although she spoke quietly, those in the rows behind could still hear her. Jiang Yan looked at Cheng Jie with a thoughtful expression, while the latter broke out in a cold sweat. He never expected that by joining Jiang Yan at the awards ceremony, he would run into his former subordinate, Qian Lang. This was a classic case of narrow paths for enemies. If Qian Lang happened to say a few words in front of the big boss, Jiang Yan, wouldn't the whole truth be exposed? Cheng Jie felt his legs go weak.