The air inside Fu Jing Rong’s private estate was calm.

Too calm, honestly.

He and Hua Jing were somewhere between reality and dreamland, wrapped in each other’s arms like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Warm sheets. Steady breathing. Her head tucked against his chest. Silence that made the heart ache sweetly.

But outside that peaceful room?

It was chaos.

Cold winds swept through the city, but the buzz in the streets was anything but chilly. Banners flapped on poles. Screens flashed the same name in loops. Cars paused at traffic lights where billboards towered above, pulsing with blue and gold light.

THE 38TH ANNUAL BLUE AWARDS

It was that time of year again.

In just a few days, the event would take place.

It was more than just a ceremony. To the fans, it was war.

Social media had exploded with countdowns and hashtags. Group chats were on fire.

Edits, fan videos, and promo snippets flooded every corner of the internet. Even those who didn’t usually care about celebrity news found themselves caught in the whirlwind.

"The Blue Awards are gonna break the internet this year, I swear!"

"Can’t believe I missed tickets again. I’ll just camp the livestream!"

"I’m voting for Hua Ling every hour on the hour. She deserves that crown!"

"What if Fu Jing Rong really shows up? I’ll actually scream."

"Movie King. That’s it. That’s the post."

That last one had nearly 500,000 retweets.

It had been a month since Fu Jing Rong was seen in public. A brief, accidental appearance had sent the internet into meltdown.

He had been out of the spotlight for a year, yet one sighting had been enough to ignite the flames of his fandom all over again.

No one was sure if it was even him yet his name was already on top of the searches!

#MovieKingReturns sat firmly at the top of the rankings, untouched for three days straight!

Inside the Blue Entertainment headquarters, it was nothing short of a battlefield.

"Why are the ticket servers crashing again?!"

"I told you we needed a bigger venue—weeks ago!"

"Sir! They’re asking if we’ll have online streaming this year—yes or no?!"

Mao Li, CEO of Blue Entertainment, sat in his office with a half-empty cup of ginseng tea. His eyes were red. Not from emotion—just sheer exhaustion.

His voice was barely above a groan. "Call the stadium. Again."

"The stadium, sir?"

"The arena’s already over capacity. If one more person emails me asking about a seat upgrade, I’m jumping out that window."

The intern silently took two steps back.

They were six days away from the biggest night in the entertainment industry. The Blue Awards was basically the Oscars of the East, and this year had already broken every single prediction chart they had.

Why?

Two words: Fu Jing Rong.

The Movie King.

He hadn’t acted in a film in over a year. Hadn’t posted a single selfie. Hadn’t attended a press conference. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

But ever since the news broke that he had finally woken up...

The internet? Not okay.

Social media had been flooded. Posts. Threads. Videos. Fan edits. Old clips.

Some of the most-liked comments floating around looked like this:

"If Fu Jing Rong shows up at the Blue Awards, I’ll propose to my toaster."

"I’ve never voted in my life but my entire office is clicking that man’s name like rent depends on it."

"He hasn’t said a word, hasn’t blinked in public, and he’s still wiping the floor with the others. A king, respectfully."

"Movie King. End of sentence."

Normally, the "Most Popular Celebrity" category was a bloodbath between ten stars and their screaming fandoms. The usual chaos.

But this year?

Hua Jing wasn’t in the list.

Fu Jing Rong was.

And despite a year-long absence, his name had jumped into the top three in just 48 hours. The numbers were climbing faster than the servers could keep up.

But the frontrunner this year?

None other than Hua Ling.

With her gleaming image, back-to-back film releases, and that oh-so-perfect smile, she had dominated headlines all year.

Her fans had been voting nonstop. Her name alone had over 300,000 individual votes. And it was still rising.

Blue Entertainment had originally planned to host the event in their usual venue—a luxury indoor arena. But now? That was laughable.

"Sir, the stadium’s confirmed!" the secretary shouted, bursting into Mao Li’s office.

He exhaled in relief. "About time."

"But... if Fu Jing Rong shows up, we might need backup paramedics. The fans will riot."

Mao Li rubbed his temples. "I don’t care if he shows up in pajamas. Just get those cameras ready."

...

After Mao Li finished his tenth meeting of the day, he rolled his neck stiffly and stepped out of the office like a man carrying the weight of a small moon on his shoulders. His assistant called out something behind him—he didn’t hear a word. His ears were ringing from negotiations, screen setups, and emergency call-ins about virtual streaming.

He needed to breathe.

Descending two floors down, he headed into one of Blue Entertainment’s private artist lounges. A sprawling, softly lit space lined with plush couches, minimalist décor, and racks of wardrobe changes waiting for celebrity fittings. The air was cleaner here—less caffeine, more vanilla candles.

Sitting inside, as poised as a queen on a throne, was Hua Ling.

She wore a pristine white blazer over a sequined tank top, her long legs crossed, and her expression unreadable as she scrolled on her phone. The screen reflected in her sharp eyes—poll numbers.

Next to her stood her manager, an impeccably dressed man in a navy turtleneck and sleek slacks. The kind of person who always smelled expensive and had an opinion about everything.

Zhou Yi looked up first. "Boss Mao!"

He sprang to his feet, straightened his sleeves, and gave a dazzling smile. "We were just reviewing the fan vote projections. Please, come sit."

Mao Li grunted. "Can’t sit too long. I’ll fall asleep standing if I do."

Zhou Yi chuckled politely and gestured toward the screen on the wall, which displayed the live feed of the "Most Popular Celebrity" poll. Bright graphics flickered in rapid real-time.

1. Hua Ling – 356,420 votes

2. Fu Jing Rong – 332,901 votes

Mao Li paused. "He’s catching up."

Zhou Yi nodded. "That’s what I was just saying."

Hua Ling didn’t say a word.

She was still staring at her screen, jaw tightening ever so slightly. Her perfectly glossed lips didn’t move, but inside, her mind was anything but still.

How is he rising this fast?

He hasn’t even shown his face.

For over a year, I’ve held the top. The covers, the headlines, the invitations. The awards. The cheers. And now, after one blurry photo and a few trending hashtags—

He’s going to walk in and take it all back?

She felt it deep in her chest. That simmering unease.

No.

Zhou Yi’s voice cut into her thoughts. "Lingling, is something wrong?"