CHAPTER 240: RED CARPET ARRIVAL

Chen Xueru also attended this awards ceremony. Tang Shuwen had recovered from his injuries and been discharged from the hospital. She had recently been participating in various promotional events. The cast of "Beauty in the City" walked the red carpet together. Lin Ning led Li Yuanyuan, one of Anning’s four leading actresses, down the red carpet, followed by Wen Nuan and Zhou Chengge. Tang Shuwen accompanied Chen Xueru, which was also a major highlight.

Ye Feimo was not present at the venue, and Wen Nuan didn’t mind. Cai Xiaojing was unusually silent tonight, speaking little, occasionally glancing at Wen Nuan, who was nearby, full of anticipation.

Zhou Chengge and Wen Nuan sat together, occasionally whispering to each other. Lin Ning was in the front row, and Chen Xueru and Tang Shuwen were in the very front row. Wen Nuan didn’t interact much with them.

What pleased Wen Nuan was that Cheng Ying and Peng Yuming were also there, along with Zhuo Bingbing, Chen Hang, and Li Chengming. They were all familiar faces, which felt very comforting. All four of Anning’s leading actresses were present.

The flashbulbs kept flickering. Every awards ceremony felt like a special beauty pageant. Wen Nuan felt that being an artist required quite a sacrifice. In the depths of winter, she had worn a fur coat in the car on the way, but at the venue, she had to take it off, prioritizing style over warmth.

The female celebrities were all dressed quite lightly, which made her particularly envious of the male artists at that moment.

The awards ceremony began. The hosts were veteran variety show presenters. First came the Top Ten Films, and both "Beauty in the City" and "King Without a Crown" were selected, with no particular order. Wen Nuan and Chen Xueru were delighted.

"Beauty in the City" being selected was within their expectations. For Best Director, it was undoubtedly Lin Ning. When he went up to receive his award and give his speech, Cai Xiaojing finally showed her first smile of the evening.

"Sister Xiaojing, are you feeling unwell today?" Wen Nuan asked with concern.

Cai Xiaojing shook her head. "I’m fine, just a bit dizzy."

Wen Nuan looked at the judges’ panel. Han Bi was one of the judges this time. She saw Han Bi whispering with the others and felt a slight unease. It wasn’t that she was being overly suspicious, but with Han Bi as a judge, her chances of winning this time were very low.

After all, this was judged by professional and amateur critics, not by the audience outside. They were all from the same circle, and Han Bi was more experienced. They saw each other often, and Han Bi had an excellent reputation for both her conduct and acting skills. Her words carried a lot of weight.

Wen Nuan felt a little down.

Lin Ning’s acceptance speech was typically simple and concise, without any unnecessary rambling. He came down shortly after.

Next was Best Actor, which clearly went to Zhou Chengge. "Beauty in the City" had excellent reviews, and although it was a female-centric film, Zhou Chengge’s performance in it was by no means inferior. Winning this award put no pressure on him.

Wen Nuan was very happy for him. Next was Best Actress, with three nominations. Wen Nuan was the first nominee, naturally for "Beauty in the City." Another nominee was Zhang Zhilan, the lead actress from "King Without a Crown," and the third was Yuan Meiling, the lead actress of this summer’s box office dark horse.

Wen Nuan’s heart pounded with nervousness. Would it be her? She was truly looking forward to it. Her heart was beating even faster than when she kissed Ye Feimo; this was her first time experiencing something like this.

The host intentionally built suspense, then loudly announced the winner: Zhang Zhilan of "King Without a Crown" had won Best Actress. This was an annual award, and besides "King Without a Crown," Zhang Zhilan had two other good films. This award was well-deserved for her.

Wen Nuan felt a little disappointed. Cai Xiaojing smiled and said, "Wen Nuan, it’s okay. You’re a newcomer; this award isn’t that important."

Wen Nuan smiled sweetly. She was a little disappointed, but not too bothered. She wasn’t dreaming of an overnight leap to the top. Although she had become famous overnight, many things wouldn’t allow her to dream so freely.

This award would simply be left to fate.

Han Bi smiled and glanced in Wen Nuan’s direction. Only the Best Newcomer award remained. Wen Nuan also noticed Han Bi looking at her and pursed her lips, her unease deepening.

She didn’t have high hopes for Best Actress, but for Best Newcomer, she had very high hopes.

But because Han Bi was present, Wen Nuan’s hopes were reduced by eighty percent. Let it be, let it be.

Zhou Chengge leaned over and said with a smile, "Wen Nuan, this Newcomer award is definitely yours."

Wen Nuan smiled faintly. She wished it were so more than anyone.

Among the new faces this year, besides Wen Nuan, the strongest competition was a female actress from another group. However, in terms of box office and critical acclaim, Wen Nuan had an overwhelming victory.

Therefore, Zhou Chengge was certain that the Best Newcomer award would definitely go to Wen Nuan.

However, when the answer was revealed, it was quite unexpected. Wen Nuan was nominated but ultimately missed out on the Best Newcomer award, losing by just one vote. Zhou Chengge was very surprised. Considering Anning’s public relations efforts, promotional strength, and other comprehensive factors, it was 99% certain that Wen Nuan would win this award. He had been sure of it.

He didn’t expect...

The process was straightforward, but the result was very surprising.

If not winning Best Actress was a disappointment, it was a minor one. But not winning Best Newcomer made Wen Nuan truly disappointed. She wasn’t very good at hiding her disappointment. Cai Xiaojing smiled faintly and said, "It’s no big deal; no need to be upset over this award."

She said this, but her tone was extremely displeased.

Wen Nuan wasn’t stupid. From the beginning, Cai Xiaojing had been very unhappy. Except for when Lin Ning went on stage to accept his award, she hadn’t seen Cai Xiaojing smile. It seemed as if Cai Xiaojing already knew the outcome of today.

Was that true?

"Nuan Nuan, maintain your composure..." Cai Xiaojing said. Wen Nuan nodded; she naturally understood this. Zhou Chengge was quite surprised but smiled and said, "It’s okay, it’s just a Newcomer award. We’ll try harder next time."

"Thank you, Brother Zhou," Wen Nuan said with a smile.

Media reporters were everywhere. Tonight’s winners were naturally the focus of the media, and the other nominees who didn’t win were also a media focus, especially Wen Nuan.

Tonight was quite awkward for Wen Nuan.

The A City Film Critics Awards only presented a few categories: Top Ten Films of the Year, Best Director of the Year, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Newcomer. There were only these few awards in total.

Everyone saw the success of "Beauty in the City" firsthand. Wen Nuan had instantly shot to fame, becoming a hot commodity in the entertainment industry, with Anning’s strong backing and public relations. It should have been no problem for this film to sweep all the awards.

Even if the organizers wanted to spread out the awards and balance the situation, even if she didn’t win Best Actress, Best Newcomer should have definitely been hers. But everyone was surprised that Wen Nuan didn’t even get the Newcomer award.

Not just Zhou Chengge, but many celebrities were surprised.

Wen Nuan’s rapid rise was inseparable from Anning’s strong support. Ye Feimo, Gu Xiaobei, and Lin Ning’s attitudes were very clear: this was Anning’s newest promoted talent, so there must have been some behind-the-scenes manipulation at this first awards ceremony. Many actresses had originally thought that both Best Actress and Best Newcomer would go to Wen Nuan today, but to their surprise, she didn’t win either.