When the host came for the interview, Xia Siyu only held a faint smile. Usually, when she walks the red carpet, she doesn’t need to wear heavy makeup and smile mindlessly, glowing radiantly. If an interviewer makes her uncomfortable, she’s been known to show her displeasure right on the spot. But this time, since she was holding Bo Yan’s arm, her expression was particularly bright.

"Siyu, you look beautiful tonight."

Lately, Xia Siyu did gain a bit of weight, and although she was once mocked on social media for being "pregnant," there’s no denying that in a qipao, having some flesh is essential. Without it, she’d look like a skinny rod, which would be unattractive. Xia Siyu responded calmly, "When do I not look good?"

Even if she gained weight, even if it was to the point of looking "pregnant," she still looked good. When she was skinnier, she bore some resemblance to her mother, with prominent cheekbones and sharp lines. But when she gained a bit of weight, the Xia family genes showed prominently, transforming those sharp lines into soft curves, giving her an innocent and somewhat naive appearance. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Thus, Xia Siyu suits both heavy and light makeup. Heavy makeup can enhance the shadows on her cheekbones, bringing out her boldness, making her shine brightly. Yet, she looks equally fit for light makeup, where her round facial lines maintain a delicate charm, making her appear adorable.

The youthful vibes from her debut and her commanding presence on the red carpet are a combination of these two aspects.

The host was slightly rebuffed by her response, but wasn’t really upset. The media is used to Xia Siyu’s style—if she doesn’t retort with a bit of sarcasm, it wouldn’t be her. The host asked, "You didn’t win an award last year, do you have confidence this year?"

Last year, when she competed, her work was "Youth 2." With such a movie, just being nominated was a testament to her acting skills; winning would feel rigged. The year before that, her nomination rights were revoked due to her "reputation," which was a different matter altogether.

Xia Siyu responded, "I guess everyone nominated has this confidence."

After all, with a one in five chance, if she wins, great; if not, she won’t be upset.

The host then questioned Bo Yan, who gave a charming smile: "Are you asking about my confidence as an actor or a director?"

He’s nominated for both Best Director and Best Actor, though generally, such films receive only one award. The host chuckled and remarked, "Both, of course."

Bo Yan added, "Then I’m much more competitive than her. Best Actor is a one-in-five chance, and so is Director. I’d be happy with anything I could get."

If he had to choose, he might lean more towards Best Director. After all, he already has two Best Actor awards, but this is his first time as a director. Besides, his directorial work wasn’t just about making money; he meticulously considered the shooting techniques, storytelling methods, and the arrangements of the scenes and lighting.

As an actor, he could only prove he acted well, but as a director, he felt he was in full control.

Just like a concert, between the lead violinist and the conductor, he’d prefer to wield the conductor’s baton.

Moreover, the director’s category is where the real competition lies, especially with Wang Ju enterer with "Moon Over the Sea," and his mentor Yu Fenfei also in the competition with his movie.

"Well, I wish both of you the best of luck in achieving your dreams."

Following them was Shang Feifei, accompanying Wang Ju this time. When answering, Shang Feifei consistently maintained her gentle tone: "I’m confident, though the performances of the senior friends are also commendable. Ultimately, it depends on the judges’ consideration."

As for Wang Ju, he’s been a renowned director for decades, and his past works have won numerous international awards. Although the Golden Phoenix Awards are among the top three Chinese awards, he remained calm: "There are many good works this year, and a few emerging excellent directors have, and outstanding works. Some I’ve visited on set, and they indeed moved me deeply."

He was referring to the visit to the set of "Sunrise." They had just returned from Cannes, where they witnessed Xia Siyu’s acting and Bo Yan’s cinematography, and the scene setups, which were indeed impressive. This led him to quickly collaborate with Xia Siyu on "Overthrows the Country and the City," currently in promotion, slated for a Christmas and New Year release.

Then Yu Fenfei also came. This time, he brought a story about his specialty, small towns in the West, and the joys and sorrows of some small families and lower-class individuals. The story is small but exquisite, and one of the segments was even acted by Bo Yan, with him as the executive director.

He was very straightforward: "Xia Siyu. This one might seem unreliable usually, but her acting is very powerful. She used to be like a vase—pretty, yes, but lacking depth. Now, I don’t know what hit her in the head, but she suddenly got it, and even the cracks look like ’golden silk iron lines’ in Ge Kiln, quite captivating." (The golden silk iron lines are a characteristic of Ge Kiln, naturally forming crack lines during the firing process. The interplay of black and light colors appears as if it’s fractured though it isn’t.)

He is Bo Yan’s mentor and has guided Bo Yan in directing, speaking entirely from a senior’s perspective, making his words sound reasonable. He’d worked with Xia Siyu before, and Yu Fenfei, notorious for his strict filming standards, had finished the shoot with Xia Siyu in twenty days. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with her work but that it was so outstanding, leaving him with nothing to critique and hence finishing ahead of schedule.

Initially, when Bo Yan and Xia Siyu were dating, as a teacher, he had some reservations about whether she matched up to his prized student. But after collaborating with Xia Siyu, he now worries that his student might not handle her well.

Two prominent directors supporting Xia Siyu from different angles, this is something of a marvel. After all, the films they represent aren’t the same, and they aren’t from the same company, so there’s no issue of the old promoting the new.

That can only mean that Xia Siyu’s performance managed to touch them.