The camera also panned to Bo Yan in the audience. A smile spread across his face, a smile of pure happiness and the contentment of a soulmate, along with the pride of "Look, she’s my wife."

Although "Sunrise" was indeed a film he made specifically for Xia Siyu, it was also a film he made for himself. From the start of his career, no, from when he chose this major in college, he always wanted to be a director.

He has always wanted to make a masterpiece to be passed down through generations. However, such a work demands not only the director’s own abilities but also a good script and a good team. Writing a script can be both easy and difficult; instead of trying to create an unmanageable story, it was better to adapt a mature and already classic script.

"Sunrise" was based on an original story, which was already outstanding. For a newcomer, it also had some convenient content. "Sunrise" revolves around the female protagonist, Chen Bailu, as the soul and the shadow. Her stories and those happening around her reflect the massive changes in family and society during the period of China. The most clever part is that most of the story takes place in the apartment where Chen Bailu lives.

Small but exquisite, using small to win big, the story is exceptional, almost a gift package for a newbie.

Xia Siyu thanked him, though he had as much reason to thank her. It’s well-known that many movie stars turn to television, only to face distress. In film, every take is meticulously controlled by the director, honing the details to choose the best one, thus showcasing an actor’s upper limit in acting.

TV dramas are different; the director’s control is not as stringent as in film, relying mostly on the actor’s own performance, which is usually good enough to pass. Therefore, TV dramas display the actor’s lower limit of acting.

But Xia Siyu was different; she acted in stage plays early on, with deep insight into role interpretation. Although Bo Yan exerted some control during filming, the understanding and portrayal of the character was mostly Xia Siyu’s initiative. If someone else were to act, even if Bo Yan strengthened his control, they could only reach up to eighty percent of the performance level. It was Xia Siyu’s acting that gave the film its soul.

If she had been as smooth-sailing as she is today, she wouldn’t have grasped the essence of the role. That proud, clear yet impotently decadent feeling is something that requires life experience to convey. This tension greatly exceeded his expectations, making him involuntarily follow the film’s character’s emotions while editing, resulting in a flowing, stream-of-consciousness sense of bleak grandeur.

Rather than saying Bo Yan gave Xia Siyu an opportunity, it’s better to say they complemented each other.

After receiving the award, Xia Siyu walked off the stage. Bo Yan sat in his seat, watching as she approached with the trophy in one hand. He didn’t make any overly intimate gestures, only holding her other hand when she sat down.

They were not only lovers but also soulmates who admired each other.

The award ceremony continued.

Unfortunately, "Sunrise" didn’t win any grand awards thereafter. Neither Best Actor, Best Director, nor Best Film received any more accolades.

When the ceremony ended and they were outside the venue, a group of reporters surrounded the crew.

The summer before last, Xia Siyu didn’t even qualify for nomination, and she was mercilessly mocked by reporters at the Golden Phoenix. Last year, even though Xia Siyu got nominated, it was for "Youth 2," destined to accompany the running without winning, and reporters mocked her regardless of her status.

But this year, it was different.

Xia Siyu not only won an award, but it was her second trophy. Back then, someone mocked her as "beautiful but soulless," likening her to a vase whose image on film was just "dressed up prettily and standing there stupidly."

Since winning the Cannes supporting actress award, the film also clinched Venice’s Golden Lion. Xia Siyu was already propelling forward triumphantly, with film stock including Wang Ju’s "Overthrows the Country and the City," Yu Fenfei’s art films, and superhero movies. A year ago, she and Bo Yan battled TV stations to make a drama inspired by her mother, but now the TV stations regretted not investing more.

As long as the storyline is solid, with the now prominent Xia Siyu and Bo Yan, there’s definitely no problem with attracting sponsorships.

Of course, this is hindsight. However, the media has always been a bit nasty. When Xia Siyu was accompanying the running in past years, the media risked being directly rebuffed by her to interview her. Now, although Xia Siyu won an award, Bo Yan remained empty-handed both times, so the reporters turned their targeting to Bo Yan.

"Bo Yan, you didn’t win any awards at both film festivals; do you have any thoughts on this?"

Xia Siyu can handle questions about herself, but when it’s about those around her, she tends to lash out. She was somewhat concerned about this—she had Golden Moon and Golden Phoenix in hand, but Bo Yan remained empty-handed, not contending for Best Actor or getting a director award either. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

There’s actually plenty of explanation: Best Director was highly competitive this time. Both Wang Ju and Yu Fenfei attended, with Wang Ju ultimately winning the award. Regarding Best Actor, the original book of "Sunrise" doesn’t depict a very solid male lead. Although Bo Yan altered some settings, he couldn’t make arbitrary changes. This movie, centered around the female lead, inherently offers limited space for his performance. Furthermore, the actor who ultimately won performed well; losing didn’t leave Bo Yan feeling dissatisfied.

Moreover, Bo Yan had won a Golden Phoenix before, making another win less feasible. These are undeniable facts.

Bo Yan, though genteel, inherently carries pride, which was tantamount to someone pointing out he wasn’t as good as his wife. Everything felt like the same as dealing with the reporters two years ago, a year ago — threats notwithstanding, while the unsentimental, thick-skinned Xia Siyu wouldn’t feel bothered by insult, Bo Yan was different. She wanted to defend Bo Yan, but Bo Yan grabbed her hand tightly.

Xia Siyu glanced back at him, his face displaying a sincere smile, not a forced or insincere grin. He said, "Indeed, this shows there’s still much room for improvement for both directors and actors. I’ll need to learn more in the future. As a director, although I didn’t win any awards, the leading actress and supporting actress both did. This means that the audience and judges still appreciate my films. Having them recognize my efforts is enough; I hope to deliver more and better works in the future."

Indeed, for his first time directing, the level Bo Yan reached was surprisingly impressive. Previously, he and Han Yifan’s film company could only produce small online dramas and stage plays, but now, investors were optimistic about them, intending to collaborate, and actors wanted to join in.