Chapter 157: The Greatest Villain in Film History! The Oscar Is in the Bag!

When the Oscars were held in the evening in North America, dawn was just breaking in the distant East.

Xu Yuling didn't wait for her alarm to ring; she crept out of bed on tiptoe and quietly slipped over to the desk to turn on the computer.

Today was the Oscar ceremony, and if nothing unexpected happened, her brother Xu Can would appear on the stage to accept an award!

Xu Yuling wanted to witness this thrilling moment with her own eyes.

The class group chat was already pinging away, buzzing with excitement.

Now a sophomore, Xu Yuling had spent the past two years turning every classmate in her year into an Xu Can fan.

Especially her close girlfriends—each and every one of them wanted to be her sister-in-law.

Dream on!

My brother's girlfriend is the little princess of country music!

Wait, that Stone Sister counts too!

The recent flurry of tabloid rumors left Xu Yuling a little dumbfounded; paparazzi kept catching photos of Xu Can looking awfully cozy with two beauties.

To the public, everyone was just a working partner, a good friend.

But in reality?

One of these days she'd make her big brother explain things to her properly.

"Why hasn't it started yet? When do we get to Best Supporting Actor?"

"Probably a while still—the earlier awards are all technical categories."

"Sigh, what a shame, I was hoping to see The Dark Knight."

"Just find a stream online?"

"No way! The cam rips are terrible, and I want to support the legit version for Xu Can! I'm buying the Blu-ray!"

"Yeah, mention piracy in front of Xu Yuling and watch her rat you out to her brother."

"Lingling, can you get me some more signed photos? I'll pay extra this time."

The last signed photo of her cousin that Xu Yuling had passed along sold for a thousand yuan, making the girl a tidy little windfall.

Too bad Xu Can had been so busy lately he hadn't had time to get her any new ones.

"It's starting, it's starting!"

It was still winter break, so everyone was at home, opening the livestream and chatting as they watched.

In this era, many video platforms hadn't yet risen up, so they could only find overseas livestream sites with terrible lag.

For instance, GalaxyTV+, which Xu Can had just set up, offered a synchronized livestream of the Oscar ceremony.

And it didn't require a VPN, which was awfully friendly to Huaxia film fans.

That was what Xu Yuling was using to watch—perfectly smooth.

First came the technical awards: The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Ma Te, took Best Film Editing;

Best Original Score went to the film Atonement,

Best Original Song was awarded to "Falling Slowly" from Once,

This gentle, slow love song had swept the charts in 2007 and even climbed onto the Billboard charts.

Best Animated Feature went to Ratatouille—they were lucky enough to have been released a year early.

Otherwise they'd have run into the heavyweight WALL·E.

Best Cinematography went to There Will Be Blood,

Best Art Direction: The Dark Knight had a nomination, but lost out to Johnny Depp's Sweeney Todd.

One presenter after another took the stage, but Xu Can was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Yuling was already getting drowsy watching, and didn't notice her mom quietly opening the door.

"What are you doing up? Not sleeping at the crack of dawn—pulled an all-nighter gaming?"

"No way!"

Xu Yuling jumped out of her skin.

"I'm watching the Oscars—my brother might get his turn on stage."

"Xu Can? The Oscars?"

Xu Can's aunt was having trouble processing it—the little brat she'd watched grow up since he was a kid had actually been nominated for an Oscar.

At that moment the camera cut to a close-up of Xu Can,

Dressed in a tailored Armani suit, he sat among a crowd of Hollywood superstars without looking the least bit dimmed—in fact, he outshone the rest of them.

In truth, Xu Can had already prepared himself to be a mere attendee; his composure, untouched by favor or disgrace, made him look far more at ease than the jittery superstars around him.

In his previous life, the original The Dark Knight had only taken home two awards, so he wasn't expecting any breakthrough this time either.

Later on, after a string of blunders, the Oscars' reputation had actually been thoroughly trashed.

The authority of the awards had plummeted sharply; it was no longer the highest honor in the film industry.

If Xu Can wanted to make a real run at the Oscars, the upcoming La La Land was the true trump card.

He could also bring up films like Birdman, Gravity, Parasite, and Joker to chase Oscars.

He was simply enjoying the process of making movies—and the box office.

So far Spider-Man had brought him in $15 million,

John Wick had generated $140 million, though most of it had been plowed back into investments,

By the time of The Dark Knight, Xu Can's salary has already climbed to $15 million, plus a box-office share,

Xu Can raked in $170 million!

Iron Man's box office had already surpassed $800 million, and was expected to settle around $950 million, with his share coming to roughly $400 million.

After taxes and company investment costs, his net profit was at least $300 million!

Xu Can's current assets have exceeded 500 million, with liquid funds alone nearing 100 million U. S. dollars!

In just two short years, he rose from a coffee shop worker and extra actor to become North America's youngest billionaire!

Xu Can has only just begun!

His film empire, music empire, and online streaming empire have only just started.

Too busy making money, he naturally dismissed a minor award.

It's not whether you're willing to give me the award, but whether I'm willing to accept it!

Soon, after the lengthy ceremony, the most important part of the Oscars finally arrived.

"The winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress is… Tilda Swinton!"

Based on her outstanding performance in the film Michael Clayton, this androgynous British actress rose to claim her award.

She was seated near Xu Can, who shook her hand to congratulate her.

Tilda Swinton's most memorable role for Xu Can was naturally the Ancient One in Doctor Strange,

and the Archangel Gabriel in Constantine.

Today, she wore a white suit, as majestic as the Archangel Gabriel.

As the Ancient One delivered her acceptance speech, Stone Sister's foot gently tapped Xu Can under the table.

"Xu, did you prepare your speech?"

"What speech?"

"The Best Supporting Actor award is up next."

"Pfft, I can improvise this on the spot—no script needed."

"Huh?"

Stone Sister had assumed Xu Can would take the Oscars more seriously, but he remained as calm as ever.

Thinking about it, that was just like Xu Can.

If he had prepared a speech in advance, it would've been strange.

Soon after Tilda Swinton stepped down, host Josh Stewart delivered a two-minute stand-up routine before finally introducing the presenter.

Meanwhile, in Huaxia, the sky had already brightened and the sun had risen.

Xu Yuling still sat at her computer watching the live stream; her parents had gone to work, so she could watch without restraint.

"Finally!"

"I even took a nap."

"It's Xu Can's turn at last! So exciting!"