Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

Sandra Ng, holding the envelope, turned to Tony Leung Ka-fai and said, "This award is not easy to present."

"Then let me read it. My Mandarin is better than yours."

Tony Leung smiled as he took the envelope from her and opened it.

The audience fell silent.

Lu Chen's heart was pounding at an alarming rate; he could almost hear the roar of his blood coursing through his veins.

Tony Leung took back his cue cards, cleared his throat, and read them into the microphone.

The winner of the Best Director award at the 40th Golden Horse Awards is...

"Crazy Stone, Lu Chen"

Lu Chen did not move.

He heard his name, but his brain refused to process the three words.

Liu Yifei was the first to stand up, clapping her hands vigorously, tears streaming down her face.

She bent down and whispered in Lu Chen's ear, "It's you! Lu Chen! It's you!"

Wang Yan gave him a push from the side, almost lifting him off his seat.

Lu Chen stood up mechanically, his mind blank.

He turned around and found everyone behind him applauding. His idols from his past life, and his rivals in this life, were all applauding him.

Lu Chen gently hugged Liu Yifei and whispered in her ear, "Wait until I get the trophy back."

He turned around and walked towards the stage.

The lights followed him, and all eyes in the entire awards ceremony were on him.

He stood in the center of the stage and accepted the golden trophy.

Tony Leung patted him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, young man."

Sandra Ng handed him the microphone, "Say a few words."

Lu Chen held the microphone, his palms sweaty.

The audience was completely silent, everyone waiting to see what this 22-year-old Best Director would say.

He took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Golden Horse Awards." His voice was a little hoarse.

"Thank you to the judges for giving this award to a young person who makes comedies."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the audience.

"Some people say that 'Crazy Stone' is a farce and shouldn't have been nominated for the Golden Horse Awards. I want to say to these people that comedy can also embrace art."

Applause erupted again.

"Thank you to my actors and my team. Thank you Guo Tao, Liu Hua, Huang Bo, and Xu Zheng. You braved the 40-degree summer heat in Chongqing, crawling through sewers, jumping into stinking ditches, and slipping on curbs. This award is yours."

He paused for a moment, his gaze falling on the third row. Liu Yifei was looking up at him, her tear stains still wet, but the corners of her mouth were curved, making her look very beautiful.

"Finally, I'd like to thank the beautiful lady sitting in the audience right now. She's my lucky star. Without her, this film might not have won this award."

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the audience, and some even whistled.

Liu Yifei lowered her head, wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and her ears were so red they looked like they could bleed.

At the celebration banquet after the awards ceremony, Lu Chen was surrounded by a group of people.

Taiwanese publishers, Hong Kong investors, and mainland media reporters lined up to shake his hand, exchange business cards, and invite him to dinner.

He had been socializing with everyone and was feeling parched, so he made an excuse to slip out onto the balcony.

The balcony was quiet; the noise of the banquet hall was kept out by the heavy wooden doors, leaving only faint sounds of music and laughter.

The nights in Tainan are warmer than in Beiping, and the air is filled with the scent of osmanthus.

Just then, a person walked over from the other end of the corridor.

With gray hair, wearing a wrinkled shirt and a sweater over it, he looked like he had just come from a film set, not someone attending an awards ceremony.

Hou Hsiao-hsien.

Lu Chen recognized him.

In his past life, he had seen almost all of Hou Hsiao-hsien's films.

He recalled that in 1989, the year "A City of Sadness" won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the entire Taiwan was in an uproar.

Lu Chen vividly remembers Hou Hsiao-hsien's acceptance speech at the time, in which he said, "I believe that film can change some things."

Hou Hsiao-hsien walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well done."

"Thank you, Director Hou."

"But don't let excessive commercialization devour your artistic talent."

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

Hou Hsiao-hsien had already turned around and walked to the other end of the corridor.

Lu Chen stood there, watching his figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

There was no echo in the corridor.

Only the wind outside the window, carrying the scent of osmanthus, seeped in through the cracks.

He took a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth.

"When did you learn to smoke?"

Liu Yifei was standing behind him at some point.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth and put it back in the cigarette case.

"I didn't smoke it, I'm just playing with it."

"You're lying again."

Lu Chen turned his head and looked at her.

The moonlight fell on her face, softening her features.

She changed into casual clothes: a white sweatshirt, jeans, and her hair was down.

"What you said on stage just now, was it true?"

Which sentence?

"Just that line... I'm your lucky star."

"Of course... it's fake, it's just an acceptance speech."

Liu Yifei was immediately furious and punched him on the shoulder with her small, white fist.

"You bastard, can't you speak properly?"

Lu Chen grabbed her wrist, looked at her, and didn't say anything.

Liu Yifei blushed a little when he looked at her, and quietly took half a step forward, resting her head on his shoulder.

He didn't hide.

"Lu Chen".

"Um."

"Will you always take me with you?"

"meeting."

"Is it a deal?"

"It's settled."

A small cluster of fireworks bloomed in the distant night sky.

The fireworks were beautiful. Looking at the cluster of fireworks, Lu Chen suddenly felt that all his efforts in his previous life had been worthwhile.

It was already 1 a.m. when I got back to the hotel.

Liu Yifei sat on the windowsill in his room, her legs dangling in mid-air, holding a cup of hot milk in her hands.

The Best Original Screenplay and Best Director awards were placed on the table, like two golden horses, their front hooves raised, gleaming under the table lamp.

"It's so small." Liu Yifei leaned closer to look. "I thought the Golden Horse Award trophy would be much bigger."

"Too small?"

"I don't mind. It's quite beautiful." She reached out and touched the horse's head on the trophy.

"Lu Chen, it's so cold." She said, turning her head to secretly peek at Lu Chen.

"You still want a hug, right?"

Liu Yifei didn't say anything, but just blinked her big, bright eyes and nodded vigorously.

"Then you should think about it. Boys should take good care of themselves when they're out."

"You're so lame, you coward."

Lu Chen sat down opposite her.

The night outside the window was dark, and the lights of fishing boats flickered on the distant sea.

Lu Chen looked at her profile; the light from the table lamp cast a soft shadow on her eyelashes.

Liu Yifei turned to look at him: "You don't seem very excited."

"We've already had our share of excitement." Lu Chen pointed to the trophy. "It's just the Golden Horse Awards; anyone can get one, right?"

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes upon hearing this, "Show-off."

Then he laughed out loud, his shoulders shaking slightly.

The sea breeze outside the window seeped in through the cracks, carrying its unique scent.

Lu Chen stood up and walked to the window to stand next to her.

From this angle, you can see a wider expanse of sea, with the lights of fishing boats forming a discontinuous line, moving slowly in the darkness.

"Lu Chen".

"Um?"

"Next year..." she paused, "...Will you come again next year?"

Lu Chen did not answer immediately.

He reached out and touched the horse's mane on the trophy, feeling the same coolness on his fingertips.

"I'm not coming."

Liu Yifei turned her head and looked at him in confusion, "Why?"

"From now on, we'll be someone that Jinma can't even reach."

Liu Yifei didn't ask any more questions. She hugged her knees with both hands, and her shadow was cast on the wall as a small blob.

"I'm a little sleepy," she said.

"Then let's go back."

But she didn't move.

Lu Chen didn't urge him.

They stood and sat there, watching the sea, the night, and the stars reflected in the water.