He plays Feng Yuxiu, and his girlfriend is a fairy-like beauty.

Thirteen days.

Ye Mo stayed in the rented room for a full thirteen days.

The curtains haven't been opened many times, so it's hard to tell the difference between day and night.

When I'm hungry, I cook; when I'm sleepy, I sleep; when I'm awake, I browse my phone and watch movies.

Liu Yifei visited twice, bringing a bunch of frozen dumplings and snacks, filling his refrigerator before leaving.

Zhang Yuan called to ask him if he had died again.

He said no, he was resting.

Zhang Yuan was silent for two seconds, then said, "Then you can continue dying," and hung up.

Why don't you go out?

No money.

A few hundred thousand yuan is enough to live on in Yanjing, but it's not enough to go out and have fun.

Adding to the fact that the brand event he was scheduled to attend before the Lunar New Year was also canceled due to a last-minute rescheduling by the organizers, he no longer had even one reason to go out.

Mid-February.

Three days before the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony.

Ye Mo was lounging on the sofa when he received the official invitation from the organizers.

He looked at the electronic invitation over and over again several times.

The 34th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony.

Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Time, seat number, dress code—a bunch of densely packed words crammed together.

Actually, he didn't really want to go.

It's not that I don't want to win awards—it's that I'm tired.

After working on three films back-to-back for several months, all he wanted to do when he finally had a break was lie down.

Besides, Best Supporting Actor isn't the same as Best Actor. Being nominated is enough; whether he wins or not isn't that important.

But he dared not not go.

He's a newcomer.

A newcomer is nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards but doesn't show up? What do the organizers think? What do the jury think? What do the industry veterans think?

People will think you're getting arrogant, putting on airs after just one nomination, and who will dare to hire you in the future?

That's just how realistic the entertainment industry is.

You can have good acting skills and high box office returns, but if your attitude is wrong...

They feel they don't need to come to any occasion.

Then I won't invite you to any occasion next time.

Ye Mo sent a screenshot of the invitation to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan replied with three words: "I have to go."

He added, "Don't be late."

three days later.

Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, before the red carpet even started, the area outside was already packed with people.

Fans filled the area outside the fence completely, holding up light boards, posters, and light sticks.

Reporters carrying cameras and microphones crowded into the media area, with someone adjusting camera positions and someone squatting on the ground to check tripods every few minutes.

When Ye Mo came out of the hotel, her hair was freshly blow-dried and her suit was rented.

A classic black design with no fancy features.

Zhang Yuan had picked out the tie for him in advance; it was dark blue with subtle patterns, and the only highlight was the cufflinks.

The New Year's gift from Liu Yifei was silver, with two small letters engraved on it: Y&L.

He stood for a moment at the entrance to the red carpet.

In front of them was an actress in a red dress, and behind them was an action movie actor with a buzz cut.

Reporters carrying cameras stood on both sides, their flashes going off every few seconds.

Some people were calling out names, some were directing the positions, and some were live-streaming on their phones.

The entire cast and crew of "Kung Fu Jungle" have arrived.

Zeng Zidan was wearing a dark gray suit and stood ramrod straight, clearly someone who had seen this kind of scene countless times.

Director Chen Desheng followed behind, his expression clearly uncomfortable.

He comes from a martial arts background, and award ceremony red carpets are not his forte.

"Director Chen." Ye Mo walked over.

Chen Desheng looked up, saw Ye Mo, and visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ye Mo! You're here—Zi Dan and I were just talking about whether you'd overslept again."

"I set three alarms," ​​Ye Mo said with a smile.

The red carpet begins.

When the three of them walked down the red carpet together, the press corps in the media area visibly stirred.

"Zeng Zidan! Over here!"

"Ye Mo! Look here! Ye Mo!"

"Director Chen! Four nominations for 'Kung Fu Jungle'—What are Director Chen's feelings?"

Chen Desheng squinted from the flash, but still stood up straight and waved to the camera.

Ye Mo followed behind him, walking at a moderate pace.

When someone calls his name, he turns his head and smiles at them, without stiffness or affectation.

Several fans were holding signs on both sides of the red carpet.

The words "Feng Yuxiu" were written on it.

There was also a chibi-style drawing next to it, wearing dark clothes and with a fierce expression.

Ye Mo nodded in that direction, and a scream erupted.

We entered the hall.

Seating was arranged according to the film crew. "Kung Fu Jungle" was placed in a middle-forward position, not the best, but not too far off either.

Ye Mo sat down, leaned back in his chair, and looked around.

The hall was already more than half full.

The people sitting in the front row were all familiar faces.

Hung Kam-po was wearing a navy blue Zhongshan suit and sat in the third row by the aisle.

Next to him was Liu Weiqiang, and the two were huddled together, whispering something. Liu Weiqiang had a pen between his fingers and was pointing at the program.

The row behind them were Huang Qiusheng and Zeng Zhiwei, with Zeng Zhiwei still holding that same thermos cup that he never used to use.

A little further back, Ye Mo saw Andy Lau.

He was wearing a black suit, and his hair was shorter than it was in "Infernal Affairs".

Sitting next to him was Sammi Cheng, and the two were chatting about something. Andy Lau listened and smiled.

In the media area in the distance, several photojournalists were vying for a good spot to shoot.

Some people were adjusting the fill lights, while others were squatting on the ground changing lenses.

The hall was buzzing with voices; fans in the back rows were whispering, while celebrities in the front rows were greeting each other.

Chen Desheng sat down next to Ye Mo and followed Ye Mo's gaze to look around the front row.

Then he shook his head.

He's considered fairly successful in the industry, but he's still a step behind the others.

At the same time, Director Chen took out his phone.

The official live stream of the Hong Kong Film Awards has already attracted over a million viewers.

The comments section was flooded with messages.

"Here it comes! The Hong Kong Film Awards!"

"Isn't that Andy Lau in the first row? And next to him is Sammi Cheng!"

"Sammo Hung is wearing a Zhongshan suit, hahaha, the old man really has a solid presence."

"The front row is full of god-like lineups."

"What I'm most looking forward to this year is the Best Supporting Actor award—Feng Yuxiu for Ye Mo and Uncle Da for Human Reunion. It would be fair for either of them to win."

"Uncle Da deserves it. He's played supporting roles for decades, the Hong Kong Film Awards owe him one."

"But Ye Mo's explosive power in cultivation, that kind of madness wasn't acting, it seeped out from his very bones."

"I came here specifically for Feng Yuxiu—regardless of whether I take it or not, the character Ye Mo is already etched in my mind."

"Keep it up, bro!"

......

The comments section was filled with the phrase "I have to pay more" for three whole rows.

Chen Desheng watched the comments section and slowly grinned.

He turned to look at Ye Mo.

"Do you know what I just saw on my phone? The entire live stream was flooded with your name: 'Add more money,' 'Feng Yuxiu,' 'Add more money bro,' come on, take a look for yourself."

He shoved the phone in front of Ye Mo.

Ye Mo glanced down at the phone and then handed it back to Chen Desheng.

He didn't say anything, but his hand unconsciously touched his cufflinks.

Chen Desheng glanced at the comments again, then turned off his phone screen.

Everyone was waiting for the awards ceremony to begin.

......

P.S.: Thanks to 'Zhao Hu who loves eating wrapped fish' for the gift, and to all the brothers for their support. I'll be adding two more chapters today!