CHAPTER 243: CONFIDENT REASSURANCE

On the way back, Ye Feimo draped a fur coat over her. The weather was a bit chilly, and Wen Nuan leaned back and fell asleep as soon as they got into the car. Ye Feimo pursed his lips, glanced at her, and drove home.

He hadn’t heard her speak the entire way. Normally, she chirped like a little bird, but today she was suddenly silent. He, of course, knew why. It seemed that not winning the award was quite a blow to her. He could understand; even Lin Ning and Su Ran felt it was unfair, and he knew it was indeed a bit excessive. Wen Nuan had been smiling constantly, but now she was downcast.

Ye Feimo reached out and gently ruffled her hair. "Unhappy?"

"No..." Wen Nuan slowly elongated each word. She turned over, narrowing her eyes like a cat, her peach blossom eyes filled with confusion. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"The Newcomer award, how is He Yuanyuan better than me?" Wen Nuan was utterly perplexed. Her reputation and the film’s box office were undeniable, so why couldn’t she win the award? She felt a small, stubborn resentment.

If someone truly superior had won the award, she wouldn’t have felt so much disparity. But that person was basically not on her level; she was considered a second-tier actress, while Wen Nuan was already at first-tier status.

Ye Feimo stroked her head and smiled. "Don’t dwell on it too much. Not winning doesn’t mean you’re not good."

"I’m just so conflicted," Wen Nuan murmured, rubbing against his arm.

Ye Feimo hastily said, "Miss Wen, I’m driving. You can be conflicted after we get out of the car."

Wen Nuan sighed. "Just one vote..."

"What are you worrying about? You’ll have plenty of opportunities to win awards in the future. It doesn’t matter if you don’t win the Film Critics Award; focus on the Golden Seal Awards," Ye Feimo said. His decisions were always for her good, never for her harm.

"If I couldn’t get it this time, can I get it next time?"

"There are several awards ceremonies a year. Can one person monopolize all the Newcomer awards? These two are so close in time, and it’s still you guys. Don’t worry, there’s no problem with the Newcomer award at the Golden Seal Awards." Ye Feimo couldn’t bear to see her frown, so he hinted a little.

Wen Nuan stuck out her tongue. "Can you guarantee it? You don’t even know who the judges are?"

"If you don’t win the Golden Seal Newcomer award, I’ll castrate myself as an apology."

Wen Nuan chuckled and couldn’t help but tease, "Would you really be willing?"

Ye Feimo replied expressionlessly, "I’m just afraid you wouldn’t be willing."

"Go away!" Wen Nuan laughed, scolding him. For a playboy, self-castration as an apology was truly a vicious punishment. She’d reluctantly believe him. She actually had a little secret hope.

Anyway, many of those awards each year were arranged by the higher-ups. It was up to them who to promote. Even if Gu Xiaobei’s influence wasn’t strong enough, Ye Feimo should certainly be. If he promised, it was definitely going to happen.

To say she didn’t want to win an award was a lie; after all, it was a form of affirmation. Although she knew there was some manipulation involved this time, she was still happy. Even publicly voted awards had some manipulation now, let alone this kind.

Initially, she thought she had to rely on her own efforts to reach the pinnacle of the entertainment industry. Later, many events changed her mind. The directors, artists, and staff she first encountered subtly taught her many things.

Whether it was Chen Xueru, Zhuo Bingbing, and others, or Gu Yiting and Bai Xiuwen, they all showed her the dark side. Chen Xueru had beauty and acting skills, but was eventually blacklisted for several years. Bai Xiuwen, Gu Yiting, and others were at their peak, but then they disappeared, vanished without a trace, rumored to have resorted to selling themselves, with no one daring to hire them for films.

Cai Xiaojing usually wouldn’t let her come into contact with overly dark things, always trying her best to shield her. Wen Nuan understood this, but in this industry, Cai Xiaojing couldn’t follow her 24 hours a day to protect her.

So she still heard many things about this circle. For example, who was being kept, and what they gained; who hooked up with judges at awards ceremonies; which artist got involved with which director; which male celebrity had an affair with a rich older woman; what was the price for dining with certain people. There were also artists involved with gangs, drugs, and prostitution—all sorts of darkness that she couldn’t comprehend.

She had been well protected so far. The producers she had met were all from Anning, and no one dared to act improperly towards her. Outsiders also didn’t dare to mess with her. If a wealthy businessman invited her to dinner, she didn’t have to show up; Cai Xiaojing could handle it. Once, when discussing an advertisement with a director, her thigh was touched, and Cai Xiaojing, with her firm hand, handled it. She knew that without Ye Feimo’s backing, Cai Xiaojing alone couldn’t have protected her so flawlessly.

Once you gain a little fame, and you portray a pure image on screen, being young, beautiful, and having a good figure, there are many people with ulterior motives. But someone was always there to protect her. Wen Nuan understood this, even though Ye Feimo never said anything, always making her believe it was all Cai Xiaojing’s doing.

At first, she was naive, always thinking it was her agent’s credit. Cai Xiaojing had wide connections and handled these matters well. Only later did she gradually realize that without Ye Feimo’s escort, Cai Xiaojing, daring to challenge a gang leader, would have been chopped up and thrown into the sea.

However, this guy was a closed book; he never spoke about what he did.

She just needed to remember it in her heart.

To say she minded now would be being overly sentimental. She also began to understand that meeting him in this vast world was her blessing.

Without him, she would probably have taken three or four years to reach her current position.

"Any plans for New Year’s Eve?"

"No plans, just spending it with family. What about you?" Wen Nuan turned her head to look at him. New Year’s Eve was in a week. She usually spent it at home, and this year would be no exception.

Ye Feimo thought for a moment and said, "Dad and Mom are going to Rome. My brother and sister-in-law are going too. I’m going as well. Do you want to come?"

"Your family is going; why would I go along?" Wen Nuan chuckled, then thought for a moment. "Your family is strange. Why would you celebrate New Year’s in Rome? Don’t people usually celebrate at home?"

"My aunt is in Rome."

Wen Nuan didn’t ask further. Ye Feimo wanted her to go with him. He would be gone for a week, probably not returning until the ninth day of the New Year. "Come along."

"No, I want to spend time with my parents. I haven’t had time to be with them since I started working. I definitely have to be with them for New Year’s. Maybe another time," Wen Nuan said with a smile. Ye Feimo didn’t pressure her.

"Oh, right, during New Year’s, go wish your teacher a happy New Year," Ye Feimo said with a smile. "Cheng Yu helped you a lot. Many students will surely visit her for New Year’s; you should go too."

"I know, you don’t need to remind me," Wen Nuan smiled. "I’ll definitely go to wish my teacher a happy New Year. Mandong will probably go too."

Ye Feimo nodded. "You’re getting the hang of it."