On the big screen behind her, a list of various nominated works appeared again.

The final scene of "Spring Light" was shown, with most of the focus on Xia Siyu’s moments.

Although she didn’t win an award and some of her performances were not very nuanced, her on-screen charisma was incredibly strong—whenever she is present, she undoubtedly steals the spotlight from others.

Of course, Bo Yan’s performance was also commendable. This film was essentially upheld by the two of them.

The presenter needed to give a brief introduction to each film. When introducing "Spring Light," she said, "The performance in this film was exceptionally brilliant. We had difficulty choosing the best actress, as both are strong contenders. Ultimately, it was lost to Veronica by just one vote in the second round of voting."

"Of course, the male actor’s performance was also excellent. The collaboration between the two added tremendous tension to the film, enhancing its appeal. Likewise, the screenplay’s depth was notable. Among the nominated works, who will clinch this year’s Gold Lion? Let’s wait and see."

She finished speaking and lowered her head to open the envelope: "The winner of this year’s Best Film is—"

The camera focused on each participating film crew at the award ceremony. Although the other crews smiled, their bodies were tense, with a mix of dodging glances and anticipation in their eyes. Clearly, they all hoped to win.

But when the camera switched to the "Spring Light" crew, they seemed giddy with laughter. Xia Siyu sat casually, leaning back in her chair, even lounging with crossed legs. Her smile was aimless; evidently, she hadn’t considered winning an award. She felt proud, especially after the chairman of the jury praised her, saying her performance was particularly good, losing by only one vote.

Anyway, she had never won a Best Actress award before, so losing again wasn’t a big deal for her, as she was used to it. However, the praise from this authority filled her heart with delight. If she had a tail, it would have instantly perked up.

Bo Yan sat upright, but it was clear his body was relaxed. Sun Wujiu next to him was also prepared to applaud the other groups, judging by his expression.

"Spring Light, congratulations!"

...

???

!!!

There were regrets, happiness, and congratulations at the scene. But only the "Spring Light" crew was completely stunned.

When the camera cut back, Xia Siyu still lounged with crossed legs, Sun Wujiu was still preparing to applaud, but Bo Yan reacted quickly, immediately patting the director and turning to hold Xia Siyu’s hand: "We won!"

Usually, only the director goes on stage to accept the award, but Sun Wujiu didn’t expect that the first film he directed in his life would win the Gold Lion Award, one of the top three in Europe. This is an existence ranked higher than the three major Chinesespeaking awards—it’s already world-renowned.

He never imagined he’d win, nor prepared any acceptance speech, utterly bewildered. It was like being shocked into a daze, similar to the hysterical joy of a successful examinee. Only after Bo Yan patted him did he somewhat regain his senses, albeit a bit overly excited, nearly on the verge of tears.

After all, "Spring Light" faced challenges from the very beginning. They didn’t have funds; Bo Yan waived his fee, and Xia Siyu offered a low-cost friendly rate. After going to the Northwest, filming conditions were harsh, yet none of the actors complained. After finishing filming, due to review issues, it was stuck for two years without approval. Last year, they missed the deadline for the top three awards application. It dragged until now, and he only hoped they could get the release permit first and worry about other matters later.

Unexpectedly, it got nominated to Venice and eventually won the Gold Lion trophy...

"It seems our ’Spring Light’ crew is too excited and forgot to come on stage to accept the award." Seeing the director completely freeze, the presenter found it amusing.

Bo Yan patted the director again, but the director seemed not fully back to his senses, simply saying, "Together, together."

Generally, for individual awards, the winner goes on stage, and if unavailable, another crew member can accept it on their behalf. But for Best Film, the entire crew can go on stage. Considering the situation now, Bo Yan wouldn’t let Sun Wujiu go alone. He probably wouldn’t be able to say anything, with his mind blank.

Bo Yan exchanged glances with Xia Siyu, who understood. Both stood up, and with Bo Yan on one side and Xia Siyu on the other, they supported Sun Wujiu onto the stage. The presenter placed the Gold Lion trophy in Sun Wujiu’s hands; feeling its weight, he finally felt a tiny bit, nodding furiously: "Thank-you."

But when he tried to give his acceptance speech, facing the camera, the topic before him, and the audience below, he was completely overwhelmed, mumbling "I, I..." without managing to say another word.

Then he passed the microphone to Bo Yan, who calmly smiled and in fluent English said, "Sorry, our director is really too excited. Not just him—I’m thrilled too. Thank you all for loving our film. The success of the film is not any individual’s achievement, but the collective effort of our entire crew. Thank you to the judges and audience for recognizing our work. Thank you."

Bo Yan finished and handed the microphone to Xia Siyu. Xia Siyu had a slightly higher reputation due to her supporting actress award at Cannes and recent superhero films. Especially when the microphone was in her hands, John Scott from the guest seats blew a whistle without a care, a moment captured by the camera.

John Scott, from a Hollywood aristocratic family, had a dad who was a star and a mom who was a supermodel, growing up as the industry’s darling. Though he hadn’t won serious awards, his box office numbers were tremendous. Especially after becoming the male lead in a superhero series, his popularity soared. It was only known he was filming with Xia Siyu, unaware of their good relations.

The host didn’t miss this, handing the microphone to John who smilingly declared, "She’s my Linda."

Xia Siyu tilted her head slightly, responding in English, "Yes, Grant (the name he portrayed in the film), please let me accept the award first, and we can talk afterwards."

Then she looked at the big screen and spoke in Italian with the microphone: "I’m very glad to stand here."

Last year, she won at Cannes, speaking in French and Latin. This year, it was pure Italian, delighting the Italian audience with applause. Not just basic greetings, she continued in Italian, "I’m very glad our film won the Gold Lion in the place where I grew up. I’m also thankful to be part of this film and play this role. I hope next time I come here, I’ll be receiving an individual award."