Xia Siyu sat in the audience, listening. When her name wasn’t called, her mind went somewhat blank.

It was expected, actually. She was quite clear about her abilities. Especially now, looking back at the film "Spring Light," she had just begun to grasp the art of acting at that time. Although occasionally there were moments of brilliance, they were fragmented. The connection between one scene and the next wasn’t smooth enough. Individually, it was fine, but if you were to compare it with an entire film, it seemed a bit shallow.

So, the name wasn’t hers; it was given to another Spanish actress. She wasn’t surprised. As she sat below the stage, she clapped and looked in the direction of the actress, sincerely congratulating her.

It was Bo Yan who, upon hearing the name, looked at her first. Seeing Xia Siyu’s calm expression, he understood that she had not set great hopes on the award, so he also felt relieved. Of course, he still thought it was a bit of a pity for her: "What a shame."

Xia Siyu had a smile on her face, her eyes still looking towards the actress, but she leaned towards him: "It’s all your fault, guessing my wish last night."

Bo Yan laughed helplessly.

The scene was harmonious, but the live comments on the streaming platform were full of schadenfreude.

"Someone was boasting as if they were about to win the award any minute."

"Got a Cannes Best Supporting Actress and acts like she’s an overlooked gem."

"Waiting for the paid articles: The Uncrowned Queen of the Golden Lion."

...

The actress went on stage to give her speech, followed by the award for Best Actor. Bo Yan was also on the list, but in the end, he was only nominated.

At this moment, Xia Siyu mischievously leaned closer to Bo Yan: "What a shame."

Payback, fair and square.

Similarly, those who were mocking Xia Siyu earlier were mostly Bo Yan’s die-hard fans. So, the comments from Xia Siyu’s fans soon followed suit:

"Where are those gloating faces now? Oh, the Best Actor isn’t yours either."

"At least our Siyu has a Cannes Best Supporting Actress. Some people just linger in their own little corner of the world."

...

Next were the last two heavyweight awards, one for Best Director and the other for Best Film.

Sun Wujiu was nominated for Best Director, but he also didn’t have much hope for himself. As for Best Film, it was even more so.

China has won the Golden Lion for Best Film only a handful of times in the century since the country has had a film industry. Each one is a masterpiece enough to be remembered in history. This time, it’s Sun Wujiu’s first time directing a film, and being nominated for the Golden Lion is already a victory for him.

Sure enough, the Best Director announced next had nothing to do with him. Sun Wujiu wasn’t angry or upset. Neither was the entire film crew.

From the start until now, the "Spring Light" team had secured Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Although compared to director or actor awards, these are two somewhat less significant awards, they should help with its release back home. The film has gotten its dragon seal, passed the review standards for release, and the promotion is ongoing. However, it’s an art film and relatively niche, and since it’s Sun Wujiu’s first movie, even with Bo Yan and Xia Siyu on board, it might not gain much at the box office.

The entire crew, though missing out on the Best Actor and Actress awards, had a peaceful mindset, so the situation remained stable. There was still the Best Film award remaining, and while they were a bit nervous waiting for the announcement, at this moment, everyone in the crew bore an expression like they were just watching a show. After all, they had no chance of winning, so everyone was particularly relaxed.

With the final award at hand, the program had arranged a segment of performance. For the crews aiming for awards, the wait was undoubtedly nerve-wracking. But for the "Spring Light" team, everyone was delighted. Xia Siyu even had the mood to comment: "Look at that one, moving back and forth, quite like acrobatics. Oh dear, they messed up a flip."

Bo Yan glanced over, then nodded: "But this girl does look quite pretty."

Whoa, with his wife sitting next to him, he dare comment on another woman. Xia Siyu wasn’t backing down and immediately pointed at her male partner: "The guy is pretty handsome too. Wow, those little muscles. He can lift his partner with one hand."

After saying that, she turned to look at Bo Yan, the expression on her face was asking, can you?

Bo Yan said: "As everyone knows, lifting usually just involves leveraging force, mainly the female dancer jumping from below. And she’s very light."

Meaning, Xia Siyu has gained weight now, almost one hundred pounds, not something he could lift.

Xia Siyu, getting agitated, turned to him and retorted: "What do you mean? John can do it. When we shoot escape scenes, he doesn’t even need a prop, he can just lift me over the wall with ease."

Almost inciting an internal conflict, Bo Yan was about to reply when Sun Wujiu said: "The performance is over."

The venue fell silent since this was a show; fighting in front of the global audience wouldn’t be a good idea, would it?

Only then did Xia Siyu huff and turn her head back, Bo Yan leaned towards her: "Just try it. Tonight, we must give it a go."

To uphold her weight dignity, Xia Siyu retorted: "If you can’t lift, be careful you don’t try and die. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The two of them glanced at each other and then both looked away at the same time. One smiled, the other snorted lightly.

Finally, the award presenter went on stage. This year’s head of the jury was a well-known movie star with two Oscars and a Cannes to her name. But unlike previous years, after she got on stage, she first made a comment: "Last year, due to the pandemic, was a huge shock and challenge for us filmmakers. Many of our excellent directors, actors, and other staff unfortunately passed away in the pandemic. This was a great loss for us movie makers."

As she spoke, the LED screen behind displayed images of the filmmakers who passed due to the pandemic and clips related to their works. The entire audience was silent, as if in mourning for those who unfortunately passed.

"However, the pandemic did not crush us, nor will it stop our passion for creation. This year, we were delighted to see that the number of films submitted for the Venice Golden Lion was higher than in previous years. Among the over one hundred films submitted, we have selected ten films for various categories. These works are the painstaking efforts of filmmakers over the past year, and irrespective of who wins, they are all good works worth watching. Now, I will present the final award of the night: the Award for Outstanding Works."