Chapter 328: The Story of a Young Talent

After successfully pulling a fast one on Bai Liang, Reba maintained a smiling face on the surface and didn't forget to clap.

Because she was also a nominee, the live cameras would give her shots—basic etiquette still had to be observed.

To be honest, she wasn't just teasing Bai Liang for fun.

Before the name of the Best Actress was announced, her own name, Reba, still had a chance of appearing on that card.

After all, she was a nominee—once you're nominated, anything could happen.

After the outcome was settled, Reba's inner feelings were actually quite complex.

After all, this might truly be her only chance in life.

Take Yang Mi—she's been in the industry for so many years and has never won a major Best Actress award.

She can only rely on a crystal cup to make fans fight for her.

But at the same time, she felt a sense of relief.

Mountain of knives and sea of fire?

Bai Liang was willing to walk with her—she didn't want to drag him down with her.

Now she could fully calm her mindset, since it was already over.

But her desire for the crystal cup had climbed another level.

The Most Popular Male and Female Actors receive their awards together on stage—she wanted to stand beside Bai Liang on the Golden Eagle Award stage.

After psyching herself up, Reba dared to cautiously glance at Bai Liang, wearing a pleading smile.

This expression rarely appeared on her face.

Bai Liang, who had been holding his composure, truly couldn't keep it anymore when he saw her expression.

He burst out laughing.

Then he said something seemingly unrelated: "Does your butt still hurt?"

Reba's expression turned sour; she glared at him reproachfully: "I have a shoot the day after tomorrow."

"I was just joking."

Now we're even.

However, after the Best Actress award ceremony ended, Reba began worrying about Bai Liang again.

"The competition for Best Actor feels even fiercer than Best Actress—you're up against seasoned veterans and powerhouse actors."

Bai Liang also studied it with her.

Indeed, this year's Best Actor contenders were quite formidable.

Some names might be unfamiliar to the general public, but seeing their faces would likely trigger an exclamation: "Oh, it's him!"

For example, Hou Xiangling, nominated for *Eastern Battlefield*, and Sun Weimin, the male lead of *Haitang Yijiu*.

These two actors' names were absolutely unknown in the domestic entertainment industry.

But their on-screen roles—or the characters they portrayed—are known throughout China.

The type-cast actor for Mr. Xiangyu!

In their nominated works, they both played this very character.

The other nominees were relatively much more famous—at least well-known.

Zhang Jiayi from *White Deer Plain*.

Zhang Yi from *Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky*.

Liu Yunlong from *Kite*.

He Bing from *The Four Courtyards*.

Yu Hewei from *The Grand Strategist Sima Yi*.

None of them were easy opponents.

Only Yu Hewei was relatively easier to beat.

This wasn't because his acting was bad or his experience insufficient—mainly because he wasn't the male lead of that drama.

The male lead of *The Grand Strategist Sima Yi* is Wu Xiubo, who got into trouble last month.

An unknown female actress posted a long article on her WeChat Moments, confessing to a seven-year extramarital affair with him.

This move was quite shocking—it was a mistress explosion.

It definitely served as a warning to many philandering men.

But the most outrageous part wasn't the incident itself—it was the Buddhist sutra.

Wu Laoshi's routine was too refined!

His style went like this:

At first, he was quite "shy"—when the girl was eager, he'd first lecture her about self-respect.

Then he'd pull out his personal copy of the *Diamond Sutra* and talk to her about Buddhism.

After an hour of that, he'd talk about Stanislavski.

Two or three hours later, once the girl grew impatient, he'd politely see her off.

The next day, he'd cut the chatter and just invite her over for sex.

Wu Laoshi had mentioned many times in interviews that he believed in Buddhism and recited sutras—but no one imagined he recited the *Diamond Sutra* this way.

This might be the most slandered instance in the history of the *Diamond Sutra*.

When this meme surfaced, Bai Liang, looking at the Buddhist sutra he'd bought, felt a bit unwell.

He too owned a copy of the *Diamond Sutra*—now the thing was becoming a "scumbag's proof."

Of course, his reading was eclectic—he read both Buddhist and Daoist texts.

But he'd never used them to lecture girls.

Ni Ni had shown some interest in the books on his RV last time and wanted to ask him for advice, but Bai Liang was too absorbed in gaming to help, so she had to read them herself.

His good friend Wang Sicong commented on this: "This guy is really nasty! Nasty enough to scare you."

Because Teacher Wu got himself locked up for reporting his mistress.

These days, even being a mistress is a risky job—if you lack legal awareness, you won't get money and might end up behind bars.

I heard some people do exactly this: generous with money at first, then sue to get it back after they're bored.

"So scary!"

Reba offered her evaluation on this.

The two had clearly switched seamlessly from discussing awards to gossiping—after all, gossip is far more interesting than the Golden Eagle Awards.

Then she gazed at Bai Liang with a haunting look, as if hinting at something.

If she remembered correctly, this guy Bai Liang had studied law in depth~

He definitely understands it far better than Wu Xiubo!

He used to smile all day and ask others, "Do you need legal aid?"

So when he turns nasty, he's definitely worse than Wu Xiubo!

Bai Liang blinked. "You want to hear the Diamond Sutra? I know a bit about it too."

"You're getting cocky now? Why did you even study that?" Reba warned sharply.

"It's just a scripture. If Teacher Wu dates girls and plays games, does that mean the game itself becomes proof of his being a jerk?"

That makes sense~

Reba: No!

Hey! You just confessed!

So that's how your big white uses this trick—no wonder all the female stars were on his side during the League of Legends celebrity match.

How many girls has he gone gaming with?

Reba stayed silent, silently imagining the scene.

Indeed, girls still need their own careers—she reaffirmed her "Dao heart" once more.

How had she acted before? When Bai Liang needed money, she'd "casually" toss him twenty million.

After reinforcing her Dao heart again, declaring she wasn't a love-struck fool, Reba no longer pressed Bai Liang on the Diamond Sutra.

After all, if she truly wanted to trouble him, she had plenty of other material—why bother with this?

Bai Liang: Did you see that, Teacher Wu? This is the gap between you and me.

Too bad Teacher Wu can only help make sure Yu Hewei has no chance this Golden Eagle Awards.

The Golden Eagle Awards won't give the Best Actor award to Yu Hewei—if they did, dragging in the cheating scandal would just bring useless traffic. But the other nominees are still fiercer and fiercer.

Fortunately, Bai Liang didn't feel the same anxiety about Best Actor as Reba did.

If I win, fine~

If I don't, fine too~

Still, Reba worried about him—if he didn't win, she'd just need to comfort him.

Comforting a boy is simple for a girl—she'd have him forgetting his troubles in no time.

But if he won, it'd be just like the situation she'd faced before.

Bai Liang debuted later than she did!

Even counting strictly, he's only been in the industry three years. Though his achievements in these three years might scare actors who've been around for thirty, his experience is still too shallow, and his idol-star aura is too strong.

That's the polite way to put it. Put bluntly—he's the top dog among today's idol stars.

If he actually won, he'd just hand out a target for everyone who wants to attack him.

Reba had a very ominous premonition.

A woman's sixth sense is always accurate in moments like this!

Carrying this tension, time slipped by, and soon it was time for the Best Actor award ceremony.

The presenter didn't drag it out—he announced the first Best Actor winner right away.

!

"Zhang Yi, 'Feathers Fly to Heaven.'"

Zhang Yi winning Best Actor raised no doubts—it was perfectly reasonable.

He was already widely recognized by both industry insiders and audiences for his acting.

When announcing the second Best Actor, the presenter began to stall.

The camera panned to the other nominees, most of whom wore calm or smiling expressions—everyone was dignified.

When the camera landed on Bai Liang, there was a sudden surge of noise from the audience behind him.

This reaction made Reba even more anxious~

It seemed to prove the old saying: the more you fear something, the more it happens!

The presenters for this award were three: Yu Rongguang, Lin Yu, and Wu Lei.

Their reactions upon seeing the second name differed greatly.

Yu Rongguang glanced once and smiled—just like his famous moment: "A few hundred a month—what's the point?"

But the two younger actors, Lin Yu and Wu Lei, clearly looked shocked.

Young people can't hide their feelings—their surprise and disbelief said it all.

There was only one name on this year's Best Actor shortlist that could trigger such a reaction.

"Bai Liang, 'Knowing Yes.'"

Reba's held breath finally died.

The instant she heard Bai Liang's name, she felt her head buzz.

I'm done for!

He's going to curse me to death for this.

Golden Eagle Best Actor?

"Don't panic, we're not the same~"

Bai Liang didn't rush to stand up and take the stage, nor did his expression look overly excited. Instead, he first patted Reba's shoulder to soothe her.

"How, how are we not the same?"

Bai Liang smiled, stood up, and welcomed the first spotlight of the night that belonged to him.

"The guidance luck gives me has never been wrong."

After a brief calm, the venue instantly erupted into the most thunderous applause and cheers of the entire evening!

Like mountains roaring and seas surging, it somehow conjured the atmosphere of a superstar's concert.

Leaving every other industry insider present utterly dumbfounded!

Every gaze converged on that young figure, and he himself showed no trace of unease or panic, merely keeping a faint smile.

That composure and ease, through the live cameras, was transmitted to every viewer watching the Golden Eagle Awards broadcast.

Hiss. Is he putting on an act?

But whether you like Bai Liang or not, you have to admit one thing—damn, this guy is really handsome!

The Golden Eagle Best Actor trophy. It's actually pretty good-looking~

A Miss with a voluptuous figure raised both hands high, holding up an eagle.

Looking at the trophy's design, Bai Liang felt that waist-to-hip ratio somehow looked more and more...

Luckily he still remembered he was standing on the Golden Eagle Awards stage at this moment; once he got back tonight, he could discuss the trophy's posture issue with Reba.

After receiving the trophy, the host Teacher He walked over with a smile.

After a few simple interview questions, he couldn't help but sigh: "More than two years ago when we first met, I really didn't expect to see you on the Golden Eagle Awards stage so soon, no matter how generously I tried to estimate."

Seeing that Teacher He clearly wanted to give him a boost and help him pull off a "recall past hardships to savor the present" move, Bai Liang thought it over and decided to return the favor, putting on a bit of showmanship.

"Perhaps it's because this world is in a hurry to hear stories of young success, and I happen to be that lucky one. But life and career aren't like TV dramas—they need more down-to-earth effort. A young man's path must be walked slowly. This trophy is both encouragement and a spur for me."

In his heart, Teacher He gave Bai Liang a frantic thumbs-up.

What a line—"a young man's path must be walked slowly"—say more of that!

Sometimes the barely-educated folks in the industry speak so despairingly; we need more of this kind!

And just this passage alone could be used as PR material later.

Teacher He is an old hand; upon hearing that the Best Actor's name included Bai Liang, he naturally anticipated what might happen next.

To be honest, the Golden Eagle Awards history isn't without Best Actors or Actresses younger than Bai Liang.

It's just that the internet wasn't as developed back then, so the doubts and attacks they faced weren't as exaggerated as now.

What Bai Liang was about to face was the most extreme traffic冲击 of the internet era to date.

Of course, this is also fair.

Because Bai Liang himself is one of the biggest beneficiaries of this traffic.

"Tonight we have indeed witnessed a story of young success. As a pioneer, the first post-90s actor to take home the Golden Eagle Best Actor—"

After coordinating with Bai Liang and laying the groundwork, Teacher He felt reassured enough to give him a proper boost.

Knowing he's reliable is why he dares to hype him up.

Otherwise, if some clueless fool came along, and Teacher He praised him while the other got carried away, he'd be cursed to death later.

After that came the more standard thanks to the crew. Naturally, Bai Liang didn't forget Sister Xiao Zhao, who hadn't come to the venue today.

"Hmph! At least this stinky kid has some conscience~"

Though she hadn't come, Sister Xiao Zhao was still following this Golden Eagle Awards ceremony. Watching Bai Liang on stage, she did her familiar routine of laughing and scolding at the same time.

But a hint of worry also crept between her brows.

After thinking for a while, Sister Xiao Zhao posted a Weibo update.

The content was congratulating Bai Liang on winning the Golden Eagle Best Actor.

The earlier part was fairly standard, but the key was the line she added at the end:

Absolutely well-deserved!

No choice—this stinky younger brother is surging too fiercely, and as his older sister she's afraid he can't handle it alone. At a time like this she can only step out and back him up.

But within two minutes, Sister Xiao Zhao got a notification: Yang Mi liked your Weibo, Yang Mi reposted your Weibo.

Damn! Can't that vixen write her own?!

After cursing out Yang Mi, Sister Xiao Zhao also checked the situation online.

As expected, Bai Liang's super topic and Weibo comments were already going wild with celebration.

Fans—of course they're thrilled.

But likewise, discordant voices were also beginning to surface.

Doubts, doubts, and more doubts.

No matter what.

The massive traffic the Golden Eagle Awards wanted to embrace—it has arrived!

——

Three updates, muah, begging for monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)