“Mmm—”
Wen Ying nodded vigorously.
Xie Qian’s eyes curved with amusement as he let go of her mouth.
The hosts announced the official start of the awards. Applause rippled through the hall. Wen Ying clapped along with everyone else while leaning towards Xie Qian, whispering gleefully, “I really thought you wouldn’t make it!”
Xie Qian clapped too. “I just missed the red carpet. I never cared about walking it anyway.”
He had deliberated for a long time about whether to come and when would be safest.
In the end he decided he had to. They had agreed to attend together. If he stood her up, how disappointed would Wen Ying be?
He had to be there, but he also had to avoid the red carpet.
That woman surnamed Zhuo was currently in Shanghai, and Zhao Dong was still obsessively trying to confirm his relationship with Wen Ying. Xie Qian was doing everything he could to avoid appearing in the same frame as her.
When the hall lights dimmed, he slipped in quietly. No reporter would notice him. Xie Qian was being this cautious, yet he said nothing to Wen Ying. Some pressures were his alone to bear; there was no need to make her anxious.
Wen Ying, blissfully unaware, started secretly betting with Xie Qian on the winners as each category was announced.
They each won about half the time.
Wen Ying was genuinely surprised and texted him: “Did you cheat?”
Jiaxin had submitted works for many major categories, so she suspected they’d received inside information beforehand.
Xie Qian glanced at the message but didn’t reply. Instead he tapped his temple, indicating he had simply used his brain. Wen Ying couldn’t help touching her own head.
Same organ, yet was her brain capacity really that much smaller than his?
She was analysing too. She even had the advantage of foresight, knowing which stars would endure, and still she only tied with him!
Finally, it was time for Best Supporting Actress.
This time they were in full agreement: both bet on Xu Mei.
“And now, the winner of this year’s Best Supporting Actress… congratulations, Xu Mei!”
It was Xu Mei, just as expected.
Almost everyone present had predicted this one. Thanks to *Alleyway Family*, Xu Mei had dominated the first half of the year.
With both popularity and skill, the trophy sat comfortably in her hands.
When Xu Mei took the stage, she choked up the moment she thanked “the company” for nurturing her.
“At this very moment, my boss should be sitting in the audience. I don’t know what to say. I will never betray the company’s trust!”
She claimed her boss was in the audience. When the camera panned across the crowd, it stopped on Jiang Youjia.
The real boss, Xie Qian, was far too low-key.
After her speech, Xu Mei bowed deeply amid thunderous applause.
Of course some people disliked her. So what?
Right now she was riding high. Everyone, whether sincerely or not, would treat her politely. That was the entertainment industry!
When Best Screenwriter was announced, the spotlight hit each nominee as their name was read. When Zhang Guangzhen’s turn came, the beam blinded him. Instinctively he turned to look for Wen Ying.
As he turned, the light swung onto Wen Ying, and the camera followed.
Wen Ying smiled generously at the lens.
When the camera swept past the person beside her, Xie Qian lowered his head with lightning reflexes.
This year’s ceremony was being live-streamed in full by a major portal’s entertainment channel, with an edited highlight reel to be uploaded later for everyone to watch. Even one or two seconds of footage, Xie Qian refused to risk. He was cautious to the extreme.
The previous year’s Best Screenwriter winner announced the name: “Zhang Guangzhen!”
Wen Ying led the applause, clapping until her palms were red.
And, predictably, Zhang Guangzhen cried again!
He had prepared a speech, but the moment he reached the stage he forgot every word. The presenter put an arm around his shoulders and comforted him. “I feel you. We screenwriters never get the spotlight like the stars. We just quietly do the work!”
Zhang Guangzhen nodded tearfully.
He might seem foolish, but inspiration struck: he suddenly remembered to plug Tianjiao’s upcoming drama and reminded everyone to watch it over the summer.
The audience burst into laughter. Even the presenter was torn between amusement and exasperation. “Teacher Zhang, that has nothing to do with this year’s Magnolia Awards!”
The host smoothly took over. “No problem at all. We welcome Teacher Zhang’s new drama to apply for next year’s awards.”
With the host’s teasing, Zhang Guangzhen, embarrassed, clutched his trophy and returned to his seat.
The moment his bottom touched the chair, he texted Wen Ying: “Disaster! I completely blanked!”
Wen Ying comforted him: “It’s fine. Forgetting lines is forgetting lines. You advertised Tianjiao’s new drama. Teacher Yuan will be thrilled.”
That was true.
Zhang Guangzhen cheered up again.
The trophy was heavy, satisfyingly solid in his hands.
Looking down at it, he really wanted to cry some more. The presenter had been right: breaking through as a screenwriter was so hard.
Winning this award wasn’t just because his script was decent. It was inseparable from the people around him.
All the nominated scripts were excellent. Why had he won?
Because Jiaxin had worked the system, Tianjiao had worked the system, and together they had pushed him past the competition to claim Best Screenwriter!
The 2007 Magnolia Awards were practically tailor-made for *Alleyway Family*.
Besides Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenwriter, the drama also took home Best Actor and Best Director.
Wen Ying noticed Xie Qian remained perfectly calm throughout, clearly confident in those wins.
Of course, *Alleyway Family* didn’t sweep everything. Best Actress went to someone else.
Only when they announced the Grand Jury Prize did Xie Qian lean forward slightly, betraying a hint of uncertainty. When the presenter finally read out *Alleyway Family*, Jiang Youjia leapt to his feet in excitement, while Xie Qian leaned back with visible relief. Wen Ying let out a breath too.
Nominated in seven categories, taking home five major awards, *Alleyway Family* was the undisputed champion of the night!
Anyone hoping for Xie Qian’s downfall or for Jiaxin to go bankrupt would probably smash their TVs if they watched the live broadcast.
Wen Ying, however, was ecstatic!
She could feel Xie Qian was happy too.
Jiang Youjia accepted the Grand Jury Prize on behalf of the crew. Outsiders who didn’t know better assumed he was the boss of “Jiaxin”, since his name shared a character with the company.
At the after-party, Jiang Youjia became the centre of attention.
Some chased him asking if Jiaxin’s next project needed investment.
Actors pitched themselves for roles.
All sorts of people wanted to get close to Jiaxin’s “new boss”!
Truth is often held by the few. Ran Zong, who had flown in from Beijing, knew the real boss was Xie Qian.
He now looked at Xie Qian with genuine admiration. Spotting him from afar, he raised his glass and walked over.
“So young, and the first big project after taking over the company is already this successful!”
Ran Zong had completely forgotten his earlier criticism about the drama’s scheduling. Airing in April? Of course, perfect timing for the Magnolia Awards!
He was willing to chat a bit more with a smart young man.
Xie Qian was stopped by Ran Zong. Wen Ying couldn’t follow. She still had to keep an eye on Zhang Guangzhen.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Guangzhen was already surrounded. Wen Ying fought her way towards him.
She thought Zhang Guangzhen was the hot commodity, but in others’ eyes she was too. Along the way, several people tried to pitch scripts to her, pushing her further and further from Zhang Guangzhen.
Watching him get dragged into a corner, Wen Ying was close to tears.
