Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The Best Actor award was always highly anticipated, and this year’s Jinma Award had five talented actors competing for it.

The frontrunner was the veteran ”Movie King,” Liu Jie.

His performance in *Super Detective* was brilliant. He masterfully portrayed a crazed detective, and the film was packed with exciting fight scenes. Watching it was a thrilling experience, reminiscent of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.

Next was Huang Ge, who had been riding a wave of popularity in recent years and was known as the ”Ten-Billion Box Office Emperor.”

Although his looks weren’t considered outstanding, he possessed solid acting skills. Coupled with the added difficulty of playing two different roles in *Demon Suppression Tower*, his chances of winning were also quite high.

The third nominee was Mai You, a previous winner of the Best Actor award at the Berlin International Film Festival, whose acting was exceptionally refined.

His nominated film, *The Sun Sets in the West*, was a thought-provoking art-house film. It told the story of a volunteer teacher in a mountain village, played by Mai You, and was said to be a real tearjerker.

Unfortunately, Ni Bingyan wasn’t particularly interested in this genre of film, and with her busy work schedule, she never found the time to watch it.

The fourth nominee was Chen Shun, a very famous artist from Taiwan, who starred in a crime film this time.

The quiet and honest A Chen was a pork butcher. He was hardworking and earned a decent income, but his beautiful wife found him ugly and was always fooling around with other men.

For the sake of his children, A Chen always chose to endure it.

But when he discovered that none of his children were his, the honest man finally snapped and embarked on a criminal path, starting with the murder of his wife.

Ni Bingyan had seen this movie. It left her so incensed that she stayed up all night to write a review, submitted it to a website, and even ended up getting paid eighty yuan for it.

The fifth nominee was Zheng Rui, star of *We Celebrate New Year Together*, a phenomenal horror film. Ni Bingyan hadn’t had a chance to see this one either, but she’d read many reviews saying it truly deserved all the high praise.

Just looking at this lineup, it was easy to see why Huang Ge was nervous.

In the end, as expected, the Golden Horse was awarded to Liu Jie.

”This is the second time I’ve received this award. It’s been eight years, and I’m still just as moved.”

The veteran ”Movie King” started his speech with a humblebrag, but no one felt he didn’t deserve it.

His skill was undeniable, and he had poured so much into this role. Everyone agreed he was worthy.

Even Huang Ge, after taking a deep breath, quickly put on a smile and began applauding the moment the presenter announced the winner.

Ni Bingyan felt a little sorry for him, but she knew these things weren’t just about talent; you needed luck, too.

When faced with a slate of powerful competitors, failing to break through the pack was just how it went sometimes.

After Best Actor came Best Actress.

There were also five competitors, all of whom had more experience and were older than Ni Bingyan.

One was Zhen Yiyi, who played the undercover cop Xing Na in *Endless Summer Night*, which had previously won for Best Feature Film.

Another was Song Jiao, the star of *There Will Be Stars to Love You for Me*.

Just how popular was this sweet romance film last year?

When young women met, they would ask, ”Have you seen *There Will Be Stars to Love You for Me*? SOB, I cried my eyes out! How can a love so beautiful exist in this world?!”

Another was the single mother from *Lanterns*, who fought hard to make a life for herself.

The female lead was self-reliant and strong throughout, and the plot was both heartwarming and tear-jerking, filled with positive energy.

Another was the terrifyingly evil, high-IQ criminal in *Deserved Punishment*.

It was said that after the movie came out, the actress was nearly attacked on the street. This just goes to show how superb her acting was and how masterfully she portrayed the character!

It wasn’t that Ni Bingyan hadn’t thought about winning, but while she might have had a chance against the other three, she couldn’t compete with Zhen Yiyi.

Because back in October, Zhen Yiyi had already announced her retirement from acting due to illness.

Barring any surprises, this would be her last film.

Sister Wei had analyzed it for her: Zhen Yiyi was an actress with immense popularity in Taiwan. The young people on the island had all grown up watching her movies. Her performance in this film was also brilliant. If the Golden Horse was given to her, no one could say a word against it.

”Please welcome our award presenters, director Lin Zhiyuan and actor Wu Mengfa! They will reveal who the Best Actress award will go to!”

Even though she knew winning was impossible, hearing those words still made Ni Bingyan’s heart skip a beat.

On stage, the host finished his spiel and was about to exit as the two presenters, holding the envelope, prepared to come up.

Suddenly, someone stopped them, smiling as they handed over a new envelope and gestured for Lin Zhiyuan to swap it with the one she was holding.

”Excuse me, you two. You were given the wrong one~”

The host had already reached the edge of the stage. Lin Zhiyuan glanced down at the envelope in her hand. The cover clearly said ”Best Actress.” ’There’s no mistake, is there?’

”There’s no time! We’ll talk about the details later. Go announce the winner now!”

The two had no choice but to hurry onto the stage.

As was tradition, they dragged it out, building up the crowd’s anticipation before Lin Zhiyuan finally tore open the envelope and pulled out the card inside.

She focused on the card and, upon seeing the name written there, her brow immediately furrowed.

”And the winner of Best Actress is... COUGH COUGH... Bing... COUGH COUGH...” Lin Zhiyuan pretended to cover her mouth with the card and asked in what she thought was a whisper, ”Oh dear! Brother Wu, do you know this name?”

Wu Mengfa knew that Lin Zhiyuan and Zhen Yiyi were close friends. They had peeked at the previous envelope as soon as they got it and knew the winner was Zhen Yiyi. But the card had been swapped at the last minute, and now, opening it on stage, they discovered the winner had been changed to Ni Bingyan.

’What a power play!’

Both of them couldn’t help but wonder if Ni Bingyan had pulled some strings behind the scenes.

Lin Zhiyuan was furious about this and was now deliberately trying to trip Ni Bingyan up and embarrass her.

’Hahaha! What a joke! Someone wins Best Actress, and the presenters have never even heard of her? I’d be a fool to believe there’s nothing fishy going on here!’

Wu Mengfa could already imagine what the netizens on the island would be saying.

Without any warning, Lin Zhiyuan had put him on the spot.

Wu Mengfa was grinding his teeth in frustration.

’It’s one thing for you to meddle, but did you have to drag me into it? What did I ever do to you?!’

’Someone who can manipulate the results right before the announcement—do you think they don’t have powerful backing?’

’Why would I go out of my way to offend her?’

Having thought it through, Wu Mengfa smiled faintly. ”Oh, these two characters are a bit uncommon. The first is pronounced ’Nee’, and the second is ’Yahn’.”

Lin Zhiyuan’s face darkened. She was furious but couldn’t show it, so she could only express her displeasure with a stony expression.

Her anger was directed at both Ni Bingyan and Wu Mengfa.

In her eyes, since they were both from the island, Wu Mengfa should have been on her side. She never expected him to not only refuse to play along but to also embarrass her.

Wu Mengfa had no desire to deal with her. He just wanted to present the award and get off the stage to save his own skin.

”So, let’s welcome Miss Ni Bingyan! Congratulations!”

Having had nothing to eat or drink all day, being far away in Taiwan without Little Sang’s special beef jerky to sneak, Ni Bingyan was so hungry her stomach felt like it was stuck to her spine. Her mind was completely preoccupied with food and drink.

When she heard her name called, she thought it was a mistake and quickly looked around.

”Go! It really is you!”

She might have been dazed, but Luo Guangkun certainly wasn’t!

He was still feeling disappointed about not winning Best Actor when he heard Ni Bingyan had won Best Actress!

’What kind of human good-luck charm is she?!’

The one he had high hopes for came to nothing, while the willow branch planted without intention had thrived!

Tsk!