Chapter 247

"The person I'm most grateful for is Xu Can; when we filmed Spider-Man, the original female lead was MJ..."

"It was Xu Can who suggested to the crew that the female lead be changed to Gwen Stacy, and then he invited me to audition."

"Without Xu, I'd probably still be making cameo appearances in different campus youth films, never getting invited for female lead roles."

"I'd never be standing here now, holding the Oscar statuette and addressing the world."

"This statuette is half his achievement, Xu Can, I—really—love—you."

The camera broadcast this moment to the entire world: Emma Stone, tears streaming down her face, declared her love for Xu Can while holding the Oscar.

She won her first Oscar as Best Actress and became the second-youngest Best Actress in film history,

behind only Marlee Matlin, who won Best Actress at the 59th Oscars in 1987 for Children of a Lesser God at 21 years and 218 days old.

Sister Stone, at 21 years and 252 days, ranked second, surpassing the legendary 1920s actress Janet Gaynor.

In the 21st century, Sister Stone truly became the youngest Best Actress, and for a long time afterward, few would come close to breaking this record.

Her heartfelt confession thrilled every guest in the hall and every viewer watching the live broadcast!

A massive scandal!

Before this, even though Sister Stone and Xu Can were close, they had never officially confirmed a relationship; their bond could easily be interpreted as just friendship.

But now it's clearly a romantic relationship! Sister Stone isn't saying "I love you" like a friend would.

Anyone with eyes can see she truly loves Xu Can—she even kissed him deeply before accepting the award.

So here's the question: Taylor Swift had also loudly declared her love for Xu Can; both she and Sister Stone sat beside him, and all three walked the red carpet together.

What exactly is their relationship?

Entertainment reporters, witnessing this scene, had already imagined dozens of different storylines,

and every guest in the hall—men and women alike—stared at Xu Can with varied expressions; anyone could tell this Oscar moment would become tomorrow's hottest news.

The other Best Actress nominees—Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, and Kate Winslet—looked at the two with warm, supportive eyes.

They all accepted Sister Stone's win; her performance in La La Land was truly outstanding.

Especially the final audition singing scene—Sister Stone's solo performance moved everyone to tears.

Kate Winslet had cried several times watching it.

The only one who seemed off was Anne Hathaway, who lost the Best Actress race to Sister Stone.

And in love, she lost to both Sister Stone and Taylor Swift.

She lacked the courage to publicly declare her love for Xu Can like Sister Stone did.

and now Anne Hathaway could only stare blankly, lost in a daze.

As the parties involved, Xu Can and Sister Stone remained calm; when Sister Stone stepped down from the stage, Xu Can stood up and embraced her.

"I got too carried away just now..."

"It's fine, no need to explain—I love you too."

Emma had worried that such a public declaration might affect Xu Can,

would he be upset?

Now it was clear her worries were unnecessary—Xu Can's gaze toward her held the same tenderness as before.

At this moment, Emma Stone's happiness surpassed even the joy she felt when winning the Oscar.

Taylor Swift, sitting beside them, watched this scene and saw both Peter Parker and Gwen, and Seb and Mia's happy ending,

her emotions were strange—jealousy surged, yet she was also happy for them; she felt almost mentally split.

After returning to his seat, Xu Can tried once more to hold Taylor's hand.

But Taylor kept pulling away, refusing to let him grab it.

Could this possibly stop Xu Can?

Super reaction speed—activate!

No matter how fast Taylor pulled her hand away, Xu Can firmly gripped it.

She stared at him with a complex expression, yet didn't let go. After a tense standoff, Taylor finally gave up resisting and let him hold her.

Tired. Let it be. Whatever.

Earlier, after being provoked by Taylor, Sister Stone chose to lie flat; now, Taylor, threatened by Sister Stone, had a similar "lie flat and give up" attitude.

One step at a time—let's see what happens next.

After this minor interruption, the next major event was due: the Best Actor award!

Previous Best Actor winners appeared together as presenters:

Robert De Niro, Adrien Brody, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Douglas;

The lineup of past Best Actor winners was dazzling—only such a roster could present the award to this year's winner.

Meanwhile, the large screen behind began playing clips of the nominees' performances.

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor;

Sean Penn, Milk;

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button;

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler;

Xu Can, La La Land;

"Nobody likes jazz—not even you!"

"Maybe you just like the broken version of me—it gives you a sense of superiority;"

"You're going to give up everything, because that's your dream—even giving me up."

"I'll always love you..."

"Welcome to Seb's..."

On the big screen behind the stage, the image froze on the classic final shot of *La La Land*'s male lead Seb—a glance that spanned ten thousand years.

Amid the frenzied applause in the hall, the previous Best Actor winners jointly opened the envelope to reveal this year's Oscar Best Actor.

"Will Sean Penn claim Best Actor once again, or will another nominee be crowned for the first time? Let's see who this lucky person is…"

"Oh my god!" Adrien Brody laughed,

"Now, with the warmest applause, let us congratulate the birth of a new Best Actor!"

"*La La Land*—Xu Can!"

At this sight, both foreign internet forums and Huaxia group chats exploded!

Xu Can's fans around the world screamed wildly, cheering Xu Can's first Best Actor coronation!

"The youngest Oscar Best Actor in history!"

Before Xu Can, Adrien Brody had been the youngest Oscar Best Actor, the only one under thirty.

He won the crown for his outstanding performance in *The Pianist*.

This moment was deeply symbolic—it was Adrien who placed the little golden statuette into Xu Can's hands!

And with it, the title of "Youngest Oscar Best Actor" passed to Xu Can—20 years and 141 days old!