Chapter 110: Fighting for the best shot 

This awards ceremony was not merely a conferment of awards. There would also be program performances. The two hosts would need to continuously remain on stage and link all segments together.

This Asia awards ceremony consisted of not only the Chinese. The cast and crew from j.a.pan, Korea and other countries were also present. The awards were also very complex - 'Best Music', 'Best Clothing', 'Best Screenwriting', 'Best Director', 'Best Set'…

The guests conferring the 'Best Newcomer' award consisted of a man and woman. One of them was a veteran actress from Hong Kong called Ye Xin, while the other was a Korean director called Park Hyun Hoon.

Ye Xin was actually a celebrity past her prime. It was just that she was rich in experience and made use of an unknown connection to be an award conferrer. The guest conferrer would usually be required to look through the information on the films in advance. Only then would the introduction later on be smooth. Ye Xin was seated backstage doing her makeup while her a.s.sistant arranged the data on the films beside her. "Jie, take a quick glance. This time, the person arranged for you is a foreigner; he won't be able to remember the phrases."

"Why is it like this!" Ye Xin exclaimed in shock, somewhat angry. "Why was I paired with a foreigner? I only memorized half of the introductions, what if he can't handle the next half?"

At the same moment outside the makeup room, Park Hyun Hoon was also circling anxiously. "Is Ms Ye still not out? I need to rehea.r.s.e the script with her."

However, he couldn't enter a female makeup room and Ye Xin only came out right before they had to go up on stage. The two people hastily rehea.r.s.ed a few lines along the corridor before going on stage.

"I am fortunate to be conferring an award with Ms Ye. I am delighted," Park Hyun Hoon stuttered as he spoke in Chinese.

"I've long looked forward to meeting Director Park," Ye Xin was a little nervous and blankly blurted out a conventional greeting that she had thought of previously. But the two's style of speech didn't match, and the atmosphere turned somewhat awkward.

"I've watched the films you acted in, you're a very impressive actress," Park Hyun Hoon dully said the few lines he knew.

"Haha," Ye Xin smiled and thought of making a few wisecracks to brighten up the atmosphere. "The nominees for this 'Best Newcomer' award are all little fresh meats[1] and vivacious girls. Appearance-wise, they look fresh and tender."

As a foreigner, Park Hyun Hoon was not aware of the meaning of 'little fresh meat' and stared blankly right there and then.

Within a short while, the situation sunk into an impa.s.se. At a corner of the stage, Ah Yue was grinning with her teeth showing. This Ye Xin, if she couldn't make jokes then she shouldn't attempt to. This was too embarra.s.sing.

"Xin-jie, I'm also a little fresh meat. How about giving me the award?" Chu Qin calmly inserted a statement.

"What little fresh meat! How many years have you been in the entertainment industry," Ye Xin giggled.

"Don't say it out loud like that, I can still pretend to be tender for another two years," Chu Qin rolled his eyes inwardly, though it didn't show on his face. He straightforwardly s.n.a.t.c.hed back the power to speak. "I'm especially curious about the 'Best Newcomer' award this time. Xin-jie, quickly introduce the nominees." Then, he directly let the director broadcast the introductory video.

The large screen started to play the final candidates in a loop. The loud and clear introduction had been filmed beforehand and sounded within the venue. The screen displayed every finalist and their performances in the films before introducing them one by one.

The seated Mo Shaoyang was so nervous that his palms broke out into a sweat.

The female a.s.sistant brought up the envelope with the winner written on it. When it was delivered to the two people, Ye Xin reached out a hand and picked it up. She glanced at it and quickly sealed it back up, intending to speak more about their feelings towards the films.

"Which film does Director Park like the most?" Ye Xin feigned intelligence and asked.

"All these young people are outstanding," Park Hyun Hoon didn't answer directly. What a joke. The award was already fixed, what could he say at this point? If his answer coincided with the award winner, everything would be fine but if he guessed wrongly, wouldn't he be questioning the organizing committee's judgement?

Chu Qin looked at the time. This was a live broadcast and no tarrying could be allowed. Thus, he reminded Ye Xin. "Xin-jie, quickly say it. The candidates are so nervous they can't wait any longer."

The camera swept past the area with a few candidates - some openly waved, while others forced out a smile. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the camera swept to Zhong Yibin, who was seated in the first row.

Zhong Yibin was dressed in a high-end custom-made suit that had a similar pattern to Chu Qin's. His hair was swept to the back, his gaze steady and soulful - his aura was bursting forth. It was just that his hand was cupping a box of sandwiches, causing the atmosphere around him to be incongruous with the entire venue.

[Ah ah ah, Director Zhong is very handsome today!]

[Wait, what's that thing in Director Zhong's hand?]

[A box of… Sandwiches?]

Because of that one box of sandwiches, Zhong Yibin's whole style s.h.i.+fted from a domineering director to a delivery boy. This sort of bizarre contrast caused the audience in front of the television to meng and exclaim loudly. Naturally, Chu Qin also noticed the Zhong Yibin who had been swept past on the screen. The corner of his mouth couldn't help twitching. Luckily, Ye Xin didn't continue to cause trouble and directly proceeded with the award.

"The person who was awarded the 'Best Newcomer' award is…" Ye Xin paused for a moment to build the climax.

Park Hyun Hoon stretched his head to look at the card in her hands. The atmosphere in the entire venue grew tense.

"Mo Xiaoyang," Ye Xin said loudly.

There was a moment of silence in the venue. Mo Shaoyang awkwardly remained seated. His name had actually been mistakenly said during the conferment of the award - this put him in a position where he couldn't rise yet also couldn't not rise. Rising would make it seem that he knew in advance and thus could still react despite his name having been said wrongly; he could not rise, but none of the other four candidates were surnamed Mo.

Ah Yue covered her face as if seeing a tragic scene. This Ah Yue was truly a live disaster. She couldn't help opening her mouth. "Aiya Xin-jie, the person is called Mo Shaoyang!"

Chu Qin smiled and said, "Xin-jie mistakenly blurted out his nickname, right, Mo Xiaoyang?"

Mo Shaoyang smiled and stood up, accepting the microphone. "That's right, Chu Xiaoqin."

The lively atmosphere within the venue was once again restored, and the audience before the television also followed along to laugh.

As a whole, the entire experience pa.s.sed without mishap. Ye Xin was even excited after getting off the stage, thinking that she had finished her task perfectly. However, the other contract holder was furious. "Don't ever invite Ye Xin again! If Chu Qin wasn't around, this round of awards would have been bungled!"

Those of the same profession also felt distress in their hearts. It was still better to find those who could speak well for conferment of awards. Otherwise, if the host was not quick-witted, the event would fall apart.

A busybody even cut out the inconsistent dialogue between Ye Xin and Park Hyun Hoon and posted it on the internet for everyone to mock.

[All thanks to my family's Qin Qin. If not, these two would have lost face.]

[Director Park was completely stupefied. He had no idea what Ye Xin was saying, hahaha.]

[That's right, that's right. Looks like a new CP is fresh out of the oven. Aiya aiya, what should this be called, 'Mo Chu'?]

After the 'Best Male Lead' award was conferred, the awards ceremony ended on a perfect note. The lighting dimmed, and the person-in-charge of the organizing team raced over ecstatically to give Chu Qin and Ah Yue a hug.

"Today, it was really all thanks to the two of you," The person-in-charge said happily, feeling very wise for having persevered in inviting Chu Qin.

"You're too kind. All the workers should also be thanked," Chu Qin thanked the staff in charge of lighting, sound, directing, and so on. If it wasn't for the team cooperating in such a seamless way, such a great outcome would not have been achieved.

Zhong Yibin accompanied him and waited for the thanks to be over before stuffing the sandwiches into Chu Qin's hands. "Eat two first. We can eat delicious things after going back."

The fresh sandwiches had only been held in his hands for two hours and hadn't lost much of its flavor. Chu Qin was ravenous and picked them up to eat. Sandwiched between the soft slices of bread was salty and fragrant tuna, as well as a layer of thick sauce. He scarfed it down in two to three bites, successfully appeasing his starving stomach.

Chu Qin went backstage to remove his makeup while Zhong Yibin turned towards a remote corner. There, a slightly-built worker was being watched over by the two bodyguards. The worker was squatting and s.h.i.+vering.

"Young master," The bodyguards saw Zhong Yibin and lowered their heads in salute.

"Did you manage to get it out of him?" Zhong Yibin glanced at that person from a distance away. Because he was standing in a dim area, that person couldn't see his appearance clearly.

The bodyguards spoke a few words into Zhong Yibin's ears in a low voice. Zhong Yibin frowned slightly. As he watched the man dressed in the tee-s.h.i.+rt with the 'Golden Jubilee' symbol, his heart filled with loathing. This scoundrel actually placed hallucinogens into Chu Qin's cup. This sort of thing was a form of poison and would cause extreme stimulation before sending the person into hallucinations. If Chu Qin had drank it, he wouldn't only have humiliated himself on stage but would also test positive for consumption of drugs. Such a method was truly vulgar.

"Pour the remaining into his mouth and throw him onto the main street," Zhong Yibin ordered coldly. The water had been poured away by Chu Qin, so there wasn't sufficient evidence to make a report to the police. Since this was the case, he would let this man suffer the consequences of his own actions.

The next day, the news reported that a man dressed in the 'Golden Jubilee' work attire had run recklessly through the main street, forcibly hugged a muscular man and was beaten by the other party till he lost two teeth. After the police arrived, they realized that the man had overdosed on illusion-causing drugs and immediately arrested him on the basis of illegal drug consumption.

Chu Qin had woken up early and couldn't help smiling after seeing this piece of news on the television. "Did this person delude himself into viewing the large man as a beauty?"

"Hard to say," Zhong Yibin dragged the naked person who had sat up back under the quilt. "It's also possible that he fantasized about becoming a young beauty."

Having experienced the awards ceremony, Chu Qin's reputation soared. His super quick reactions on the spot, as well as his ability to adapt, received the pursuit of countless spectators. Ah Yue wanted to strike while the iron was hot and dragged Chu Qin, Zhong Yibin, and Mo Shaoyang onto her program.

"My program is famous for its low baseline, are you guys ready?" Ah Yue smiled evilly as she watched the three people sitting in a row on the sofa chairs.

"Nope!" Chu Qin raised a hand. "I'm still a minor."

"Hahahaha…" There were no spectators at the venue. The workers' laughter would be recorded and added as background sound.

"Aiya. It just so happens that I'm also a minor. We can have a campus love affair!" Ah Yue floated over and directly sat on Chu Qin's leg.

"Hiccup…" Chu Qin's face turned red as he choked.

"You even know how to be shy!" Ah Yue pointed at Chu Qin's face excitedly.

"Hey, you're very heavy!" Chu Qin seemingly would rather die than continue to live on.

Ah Yue stood up and glared at him with narrowed eyes and drooping brows. "What do you mean by that!"

At a corner, Mo Shaoyang had a fist covering his mouth in laughter. Zhong Yibin sat at a corner silently.

"Hah, I know now. Your new flame and previous love are all present, so you won't cherish me?" Ah Yue had her hands on her hips, her expression arrogant.

"What new flame and previous lover, stop spouting nonsense," Chu Qin glared at her, though there was no killing intent.

This program's script was only a few lines short, serving as a rough guideline. As for what the eventual result would look like, it was entirely dependent on everyone's performance during the program itself. Ah Yue herself also randomly blurted out her thoughts. "It's fine if you won't let me sit on your thigh. Let's play a game then."

"I heard our station bought the copyright to

and is about to broadcast it. Why don't we act out a scene from it then? Let's act out that scene where the first and second male lead fight over the injured female lead." Ah Yue snapped her fingers and the screen displayed the scene from the drama.

The weak female lead had collapsed in the second male lead's arms, unconscious. The second male lead wanted to feed her a bowl of medicine but couldn't get her to drink it no matter what he did. Thus, he drank it himself and prepared to feed her mouth-to-mouth. At this moment, the first male lead raced over, pushed him aside, and fed her himself.

Mo Shaoyang hugged Chu Qin as he sat on the ground, feeling a searing gaze boring into his back. He felt like he was about to be roasted dry. He couldn't help swallowing as the tiny person in his heart went on his knees and shouted, "Heavens, asking me to hug Qin-ge in front of director Zhong. Will I be killed after returning! Ah ah ah ah!" However, on the surface, he still maintained the feelings in the drama.

Mo Shaoyang recited a large paragraph of the script with feeling. "Jing Shu, you can't die just like this. Do you still remember our oath when we were young? Be good and listen, drink the medicine…" Then, he pretended to pick up the bowl of medicine and drank a mouthful. He hadn't managed to do any kissing actions when Zhong Yibin raced over like an arrow and s.n.a.t.c.hed Chu Qin away.

"Hey hey! He hasn't tried to kiss yet!" Ah Yue shouted.

"Ah, hasn't it started?" Zhong Yibin blinked, appearing completely innocent.

"Not yet…" The corner of Mo Shaoyang's mouth twitched as he spoke. He felt immense pressure upon meeting Zhong Yibin's gaze.

On the next attempt, Mo Shaoyang once again recited the lines sorrowfully. "Jing Shu, you…" He had only reached this part when Zhong Yibin once again raced forward. He s.n.a.t.c.hed the person into his arms and kissed him.

Mo Shaoyang was halfway through his lines and stared blankly in a foolish manner at the two of them. Chu Qin's eyes widened. He hadn't regained his wits and thus allowed this kiss. At the side, Ah Yue was stamping her feet in anger. "Aiya, that's not it! The lines haven't been fully said! Why is it even earlier this time!"

"Hahahahaha…" The workers were already guffawing with no end in sight.

The author has something to say:

Small theater:

Qin Qin: Are you keeping something from me?

Er Bing: No

Qin Qin: Er Bing, I don't like it when you shoulder everything

Er Bing: All right, I secretly hid one of your black sleeveless garments

Qin Qin: ?

Er Bing: All right, I also hid a pair of black underpants

Qin Qin: ??

Er Bing: All right, all right. It's two pairs of black underpants

Qin Qin: ???

[1] I usually translate this as young hunk but the meaning wouldn't come across if I did that, so it was left in literal terms this time.

Translator's corner: MSY's purpose in this novel is just to gawk at the dog food being thrown around like confetti lol