The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

After taking her seat, Suwen sat with several members of the cast and crew. When the Best Supporting Actress award was presented, she didn't feel much. However, she did watch a short clip of herself acting again, and she felt that she was still wooden. Looking back now, she realized how immature her acting was back then.

She quietly turned her head to ask the teacher next to her, who pinched her and said, "It's already quite good that you can do this well on your first filming experience. Do you want to achieve great things overnight?"

Suwen thought about it and agreed. This was a period idol drama; as long as the actors were pretty, who cared about their acting skills? No wonder the big stars only took on movies and not TV shows anymore; she still had a lot to learn.

However, this teacher also heard about Suwen's new movie: "If there are movies to make, try to make movies. Make fewer martial arts films and more serious dramas."

"Why?" Suwen tilted her head. She really enjoyed watching martial arts movies; she found the fighting in the theater very exciting. Unlike many art films, which she couldn't even tear up after trying for a long time, she would almost doze off in the theater.

Just as the teacher was about to adopt a lecturing tone, drumbeats suddenly started on the big screen, and the list of winners was announced.

Just as she expected, winning awards was something that had never crossed her mind. Their show was already quite unconventional, with a touch of fantasy; in mainstream terms, it contained some feudal remnants, making it difficult to win an award. The other two nominated shows, on the other hand, were serious dramas reflecting the daily lives of ordinary people, definitely patriotic and wholesome. And the nominees were all veteran actors with many years of experience in the entertainment industry.

Suwen smiled and applauded the award-winning sister, her smile genuine.

Just like when she narrowly lost to Yuan Yuquan in the talent show, at the moment of the announcement, there must have been more than one camera pointed at her face, wanting a close-up. She used a bright smile to tell everyone that there was no disappointment, that she was just there for the sake of it. The main reason is that even if she were expressionless, she would be portrayed as resentful and intolerant. So she had to smile, and smile as brightly as possible.

The teacher next to her seemed quite sorry and gently patted her on the shoulder.

Suwen chuckled: "It's nothing, I'm really fine."

The teacher also thought, "Well, you're still so young, you can still make it in ten more years."

Su Wen was speechless. Ten years? But then she thought about it again. Xue Shaofeng was already over thirty this year. He was twenty-eight when he won his first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. So it seemed that she still had five or six years to work hard.

Thinking of the bet she made with Lu Zheng in the elevator, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. What if she didn't win Best Actress at the film festival at the end of the year... Sigh, it seems she wasn't as calm as she thought.

Afterwards, the organizers held a small thank-you reception, so everyone couldn't leave immediately. Xue Shaofeng called her, but with reporters everywhere, Suwen went to a quiet corner to answer the call.

"Are you upset?" Xue Shaofeng's tone was a little awkward. He had already seen through the live broadcast that Suwen had been eliminated, and he was feeling quite uncomfortable.

Suwen, on the other hand, had a good attitude and said with a smile, "I'm really sorry to disappoint you." Of course, she also felt sorry for the crew. So many people cheered her on when she flew out of Shanghai, but she still didn't get the part.

Thinking about it again, I'm glad it wasn't me. If she had actually won the award and gone on stage, she wouldn't have even prepared an acceptance speech. Would I have had to go and thank her again?

"You're still young. You might not win the Best Newcomer Award yet, but you'll win Best Actress in a few years," Xue Shaofeng comforted her.

Well, even Brother Feng thinks she still needs a few more years of experience. Does that mean she has no hope for the film festival at the end of the year?

Suwen could no longer laugh.

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Ai finally managed to reach her: "If you want to keep a low profile, you don't have to hide here. The crew is giving a group interview, so they looked for you."

Su Wen glanced over there. The crew was standing in front of a backdrop, with Xing Manzi, the undisputed star, surrounded in the center. Tonight, she had gained and lost a bit. She missed out on Best Actress, but won the Best New Actress award, so it wasn't a wasted trip. Now, facing the camera, she was smiling radiantly.

Su Wen wasn't in a good mood and shook her head: "If I go there, I'll just get asked about the new movie again. I don't want to upset anyone. Anyway, I'm not the lead actor, so let's not get involved."

This time, Xiao Ai didn't stop her and let her be willful. They weren't so generous as to be mere foils for people from other companies.

"Even though you didn't win an award, you'll definitely be all over the newspapers tomorrow."

That's right, she was the leading lady handpicked by director Wei, but she didn't even win a Best Supporting Actress award. So many people were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Suwen's complexion grew increasingly bitter.

Little did we know that Xiao Ai's words would come true.

The next morning, before they even had a chance to leave the hotel and get to the airport, they were surrounded by countless reporters' cameras inside the room. However, this time the news was clearly not as simple as missing out on the Best Supporting Actress award. The two retreated back to their room as if in a battle. Helpless, Xiao Ai called the airline to cancel her tickets. In less than half a day, Ye Zi flew over from Beijing in a flurry, slamming a stack of colorful newspapers in front of Su Wen.

"explain!"

Suwen never expected that the little incident between her and Dailin outside the elevator that day would be reported in the newspaper.

At the time, Dai Lin's slap was blocked by her, and the two women's hands blocked most of the shot, so the photo was not very clear. However, it did not stop the entertainment reporter from writing a vivid description, and even fabricated a huge network of relationships, making it clear that Dai Lin's marriage breakdown with Xue Shaofeng was inevitably related to Nie Suwen, a newcomer to the film industry.

With Su Wen's recent collaboration with Xue Shaofeng on this film generating much buzz, and the passionate scenes between the two in the trailer being a hot topic of discussion among viewers, it's clear now that their on-screen romance has become real!

The newspaper commentator devoted most of the page to the story of two women fighting over a man, much to the astonishment of onlookers. Just as in ancient times, beautiful women were considered a source of trouble, now two women were vying for a man – quite a spectacle!

No wonder so many reporters gathered outside the hotel so early this morning—

She had just walked the red carpet at the Golden Eagle TV Festival as the leading lady in a controversial drama directed by Wei, and after her disappointment, she quickly became famous in the newspapers again due to a love triangle scandal. Even Su Wen felt that she had been a bit too much of a sensation lately.

Recalling Lu Zheng's warning to her that day, Su Wen couldn't help but swallow hard: "This has nothing to do with me, Sister Ye. You know I only joined the company in April; they were already divorced by then..."

Ye Zi interrupted angrily: "Bullshit!"

She tossed her hand, pulled out various magazines and newspapers from her crossbody bag, and spread them out one by one: "This is today's, and these are for tomorrow. I had someone I know get these newspapers and magazines directly from the printing factory. I quickly flipped through them on the plane just now, and almost none of them spoke positively about you and Xue Shaofeng's affair. Just a few days ago you were all so righteous, saying you'd stand up for him. You're a newcomer, who can you stand up for? You're lucky if you don't cause me any trouble!"

"Why did you have to have an accident at this particular time? It had to happen to be with Xue Shaofeng. Do the media care when you joined the company? They're just afraid of not having anything to write about! And you, at this crucial moment, you make a mistake, giving them fodder for their stories. When something like this happens, everyone avoids it, but you even got into a fight with his ex-wife. Didn't you just ask for it?"

Suwen was almost driven mad by Ye Zi's rapid-fire scolding, listening intently without blinking. Her initial resentment and indignation suddenly subsided. She realized she hadn't thought things through. In truth, Lu Zheng was right to reprimand her; she had only been concerned with indulging in momentary pleasure and hadn't considered the consequences at all.

After a long silence, Xiao Ai spoke up for her: "...So what should we do now?"

The leaves inhale and exhale, calming the raging fire in their livers.

"This is a tough battle for you. Don't let the movie be nipped in the bud before it's even finished. The media is very biased right now. You're being portrayed as a homewrecker who ruined someone else's marriage. Do you remember the Hong Kong 'Jade Girl' from ten years ago? She was more famous than you back then, and she was a pure and innocent girl. Because she ruined someone's ten-year relationship, her image plummeted, and she hasn't been able to make a comeback yet. With such a precedent, the media is sure you'll follow in her footsteps. Besides, these bastards are eager to create some news, to make a big deal out of nothing, just to grab attention. You've already had a lot of trouble lately, and you just offended the eldest daughter of the Xiao family. Now everyone wants to kick you while you're down. Xue Shaofeng's agent, although he's my colleague, we're also competitors. If the media really pushes things too far, he'll definitely protect his artist and throw all the mud at you."

Such breakups within the entertainment industry usually draw more criticism from female celebrities.

Suwen felt powerless and looked up at Xiao Ai. Xiao Ai quickly turned around to make a phone call. Ye Zi knew she was calling the Beijing headquarters to inquire about crisis management, but seeing her serious expression and the occasional frown while she was on the phone, the situation was probably not optimistic.

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Ai looked at Ye Zi with a helpless expression: "They said they're handling it in Beijing. Star Weekly and Eight Entertainment won't be on the shelves until next Monday. These weekly and monthly magazines are trying to get as much time as possible to do public relations, but the daily newspapers..."

Suwen understood Xiao Ai's meaning; at this moment, Lu Zheng's forceful and decisive approach was needed.

She asked dejectedly, "Has Lu Zheng gone back to Beijing?"

Ye Zi seemed not to have quite grasped the situation yet; she was unaware of the relationship between Su Wen and Lu Zheng: "I heard he just got back from a business trip, but he hasn't shown up at the company these past two days, so he's probably still on vacation... Ah! It would be best if we could ask Young Master Lu for help."

Ye Zi suddenly slapped her forehead, as if a flash of inspiration had struck her.

It would be great to ask Lu Zheng for help, but unfortunately they had just had a fight. Recalling Lu Zheng's cold tone back then, Su Wen regretted it deeply. She should have been more patient and not argued with him…

“However, we don’t know when Young Master Lu will appear at the company. We need to be able to contact him. Asking his secretary is useless; it will definitely be postponed indefinitely. You can’t wait any longer…” Ye Zi paced back and forth in the room, looking very conflicted. When she stopped, Su Wen and Xiao Ai both stared at her. “Next week seems to be Young Master Lu’s birthday. I think I saw some gossip on the company’s website forum. There should be a birthday celebration.”