Luo Ding knew Duan was trying to comfort him about all the online trolls saying he’d never get into the Golden Lion Festival, so he smiled. “Any news about *Assassin*?”
“It’s been submitted. Triumph is handling production and distribution, and they’ve submitted almost all their potential films for awards.”
Luo Ding just nodded. He didn’t have any expectations of winning. He was just relieved that finishing *Assassin* had resolved a personal issue for him. Internationally, the development of China’s film industry was still largely speculative. No one would know where it truly stood until the Golden Lion Awards kicked off. Moreover, with so many excellent films in the running, even if *Assassin* was great, it might not make the top of the list. Luo Ding had only been relying on the fact that the script was tailored specifically for the Golden Lion’s tastes.
Setting the bar too high in his acting career might not be a good thing. For Luo Ding, the real highlights would come with the Feline and European International Film Festivals.
But Luo Ding also understood that his ambitions were already greater than those around him realized, so he didn’t bother explaining further.
When they opened the door, the newly installed aquarium in Gu Yaxing’s office came into view. Clear water, bright green plants, smooth, glossy decorative stones, and red fish swimming leisurely among the rocks created a serene scene.
Now this looked like the office of a proper boss.
Gu Yaxing had already put down his pen and greeted them casually, as if Duan Xiubo’s daily visits to the office were nothing unusual. “You’re here?”
Duan Xiubo glanced around the office. It was a nice space, cleanly decorated, and while not huge, the large floor-to-ceiling windows made the view look expansive. Overall, it wasn’t as luxurious as Yu Shaotian’s office, and it was only a bit bigger than Luo Ding’s rest area.
This guy was really frugal. Despite earning so much money, he wasn’t willing to spend it on himself. Duan Xiubo had a good impression of Gu Yaxing, especially since last year, when Gu had gone out of his way to buy the apartment Luo Ding had been renting. Even though Luo Ding now had the financial means to buy his own place, he still appreciated Gu’s thoughtful gesture. Given Gu’s known stinginess, this gesture seemed even more meaningful.
Luo Ding’s contract was set to expire at the end of the year, but many things had already deviated from the original terms long before. Since Gu Yaxing had specifically asked Luo Ding to come to the office today, everyone knew what it was about.
The new contract Gu Yaxing presented offered Luo Ding very favorable terms. But despite this, Gu still seemed a little worried that Luo Ding might not want to sign.
Luo Ding carefully looked over the contract. When he glanced up, he noticed the hint of unease in Gu Yaxing’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile.
Rather than seeing Gu as a boss, Luo Ding considered him more of a friend. From the start, he had always seen Gu as an equal. Over the years, Gu had grown alongside him, taking on many worries and becoming more mature, though he now looked younger than before.
Without hesitation, Luo Ding signed his name with a flourish.
Gu Yaxing froze. “You didn’t find anything you wanted to add? What about the revenue split, you…”
“Boss Gu, Lao Gu,” Luo Ding interrupted him, sincerely. “There’s no need for us to calculate everything so carefully. I trust you.”
Gu Yaxing pressed his lips together, his eyes growing slightly red, though he quickly composed himself, holding back any tears.
Before Luo Ding came into his life, Gu had been on the verge of giving up on his struggling business. If it hadn’t been for the fire inside him, he wouldn’t have made it this far. But now, who could have predicted that his company would grow so quickly, all thanks to Luo Ding’s influence? While Gu might have had many complaints about Luo Ding, deep down, he was incredibly grateful. Luo Ding was his benefactor, and to say it in more dramatic terms, he owed him a debt as great as life itself. He had been worried that Luo Ding might feel obligated to stay out of sympathy, and now that the company was thriving, he’d choose to leave. After all, Luo Ding had such a good relationship with Duan Xiubo, and no matter how flawed Triumph Entertainment was, it was still far more established than YaXing. Leaving YaXing for Triumph would have been the most logical choice.
Gu had even prepared himself for how to handle the situation calmly and express his gratitude if Luo Ding ever decided to leave. But instead, Luo Ding had chosen to stay.
With this contract signed, they were bound together for another three years.
After a long silence, Gu Yaxing swallowed his tears. As someone who valued his pride, there was no way he could cry in front of others.
He glanced at both Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo. Ever since Luo Ding had said, “I trust you,” Duan Xiubo’s expression had darkened noticeably. He sat there, shooting sideways glances in Gu’s direction, his gaze unfriendly.
Luo Ding was just about to leave, halfway out of his seat, when Gu Yaxing said, “Both of you, Luo Ding, I trust you. As for your relationship, you should handle it yourself. The company will support whatever decisions you make.”
Luo Ding: “…”
After being pulled out of the office, Luo Ding looked at Duan Xiubo, a bit uncertain. “What did Gu Yaxing mean by that just now?”
Duan Xiubo’s earlier anger had been easily dissolved by Gu’s clever move. It had to be said that Gu Yaxing’s handling of the situation had improved greatly. Seeing Luo Ding’s completely clueless expression, he paused for a few seconds before answering, “Exactly what you think it means.”
“He knows?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s impossible!” Luo Ding gasped, incredulous. “We’ve kept it so well-hidden. How did he figure it out?”
Kept it hidden?
Duan Xiubo thought back to the past few days of showing up at YaXing daily, even more diligently than he did at his own company, and how, when they were outside, he would always opt for less conspicuous gestures of affection. These things didn’t seem obvious to others, but to those who were close to them…it was practically the same as going public. He never intended to hide it from anyone in the first place.
Still, thinking about how Mi Rui, who constantly complained about Wu Fangyuan’s obliviousness, had recounted stories of Wu’s cluelessness, Duan Xiubo suddenly found Luo Ding’s slowness more understandable.
****
The Golden Lion Film Festival’s nomination list was announced in November. It seemed that all international film festivals favored cold, chilly seasons—snowy European Film Festival in January, the Film Festival’s post-Christmas red carpets where actresses braved the cold in their strapless dresses—all these peculiar, yet consistent, themes made it seem like these festivals were created just to torment people.
As the date approached, domestic arguments had long since escalated, pulling more and more people into the chaos. Many newcomers, including Luo Ding, were dragged into the fray. At first, the behind-the-scenes voices were subtle in their attacks, but soon they became blatant, with people openly shouting their criticisms without any attempt to hide their true intentions.
Luo Ding’s fanbase kept a low profile, but not every group was so rational. Most fans retaliated, and their counterattacks only dragged more people into the fight. As more people got involved, the situation spiraled out of control.
Both the domestic invitation letters and the official website’s nomination list were released simultaneously, with the media being the first to catch wind of it. Until that moment, everyone was eagerly awaiting the results with bated breath.
Luo Ding looked at the online comments that had quickly risen to the top, where people accused his fans of shamelessly hyping him up. Yet, no matter how angry he tried to get, the fury brewing inside him wouldn’t take shape.
Oh no, he thought, I’m getting old. I can’t even get mad anymore. Looking at the attacks, it was like watching children fight, spitting at each other.
When the nomination list was released, some eagle-eyed individuals fluent in foreign languages quickly copied it from the Golden Lion’s official website to domestic sites, faster even than the mainstream media. Among the long list of names, the Chinese characters marking the few Asian nominees stood out.
Duan Xiubo was, unsurprisingly, listed as one of the top Asian actors. Luo Ding’s name appeared right below his!
Second in the Best Actor category!
The list wasn’t arranged alphabetically, and no one knew what criteria were used. But to many in China, this seemed like a recognition of the nominee’s strength. Out of all the Chinese nominees, only four actors, including Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo, were nominated. Alongside them were Yuan Bing and a veteran martial arts actor. Beyond actors, only one Chinese director was nominated.
Tang Rui.
He was nominated for his previous film *Yu Zai’s Diary*, a film that had performed poorly at the domestic box office but had earned Yuan Bing her nomination for Best Actress.
But Xu Zhen wasn’t on the list.
Luo Ding couldn’t believe it at first. He combed through every corner of the nomination list, even in the Best Director section, but Xu Zhen’s name was nowhere to be found.
After the Chinese nominees, the list moved on to other Asian countries. A Japanese actress had been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in a contemporary horror film, while Korea had two nominations for Best Picture, but none for individual actors.
Luo Ding couldn’t understand why Xu Zhen hadn’t made the cut. *Assassin* had earned him a nomination for Best Actor, so it didn’t make sense that Xu Zhen, as the director, didn’t get a share of the spotlight.
It wasn’t until later that Luo Ding remembered the team of assistant directors Triumph Entertainment had assigned to Xu Zhen. By accepting this team, Xu had essentially given up his right to be credited as the sole director. He had hoped to fulfill his dream, and now he was paying the price.
The backlash was swift and intense. The posts accusing Luo Ding of self-promotion were still pinned to the top of the forums. But now that Luo Ding’s fans had been vindicated, the slanderous comments were left on full display for everyone to see, while the venomous attacks from haters seemed to have backfired, suddenly falling silent.
Meanwhile, the major media outlets swiftly spread the good news across every corner of the country.
It was even better than anyone had expected! Many had predicted that Chinese cinema would receive at least three or four nominations, but now, with just the individual acting categories, there were already four. On top of that, nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score brought the total to eight!
The dry, cold air of November seemed to be heating up with this strange sense of excitement. The entertainment industry was buzzing with joy, though, naturally, some were left disappointed. But no one cared about the sour words of the losers.
YaXing Studio was practically celebrating in a frenzy. Luo Ding had been nominated for the Golden Lion Film Festival! Gu Yaxing was even considering whether he should go back to his hometown and burn some incense at his ancestors’ graves to thank them for their blessings. Though Luo Ding, half-jokingly, talked him out of it, the bubbling joy was almost impossible to contain.
Compared to everyone else, Luo Ding was like someone from another planet, calmly eating and sleeping, seemingly out of sync with the feverish excitement around him.
Gu Yaxing busily prepared plane tickets. This time, he was determined to accompany Luo Ding. The Golden Lion Film Festival was no small matter, and everything from the red carpet outfit to the potential acceptance speech had to go through him. Gu didn’t trust anyone else to handle it!
In the warm waiting area of the airport, Luo Ding was dozing off, his head resting on a U-shaped pillow as Gu Yaxing and Wu Fangyuan huddled together, using software to coordinate Luo Ding’s red carpet attire.
The contract Luo Ding had with D&S had only been for one year, and it had expired by the time summer rolled around. With Luo Ding’s current fame and value, the brand would have to be insane to pass up the opportunity to renew. Long before summer even began, in May, they had already sent over a three-year contract, offering Luo Ding generous terms, along with the chance to represent a new seasonal line of men’s suits as part of the brand’s main line.
Calculating it all, his endorsement fee was nearly double what it had been the first time, along with free clothing for all events. Gu Yaxing couldn’t have been happier.
The main line of suits wasn’t even sold in China, with retail only available in Europe and America. This season’s suits were priced in the six figures, and a single tie was in the five-figure range, which Gu found hard to accept. But since the clothes were complimentary, he made sure to pick the most luxurious and stylish options.
After all, it was free.
When the endorsement period for Zhen Jian’s men’s watch line ended, they, like D&S, had sent over a contract for another series of endorsements. As an old and prestigious luxury watch brand, Zhen Jian might not have been as focused on Luo Ding’s individual brand effect compared to D&S. The reason they had chosen him again was because of his excellent behavior as a spokesperson.
Whenever Luo Ding appeared in public, he had never worn a watch from any brand other than Zhen Jian. From street photos to random fan encounters, he had never been spotted with another brand. While this was something all brand ambassadors knew they should do, no one had ever done it as consistently as Luo Ding.
It was really just because he was lazy.
In situations like this, where he had to wait, he always made sure to rest as much as possible.
After browsing through their options, Wu Fangyuan and Gu Yaxing decided on a five-figure shirt, a six-figure coat, and a six-figure pair of pants. After submitting Luo Ding’s measurements to the local brand store, they called to confirm the items for fitting, leaving the choice of tie until they arrived. Just as Wu Fangyuan was about to lock the screen, a real-time news notification popped up.
“A press conference hosted by well-known director Xu Zhen will be held at the International Hall at 6 PM…”
Wu Fangyuan was stunned. “Xu Zhen? Is that the director from Luo Ding’s last film?”
Gu Yaxing glanced at it, uninterested. “Must be. There aren’t many directors with that name.”
“This guy was awful. He would always discuss scenes with the other actors but rarely talked to Luo Ding.”
“Really?!” Gu Yaxing’s eyebrows shot up. “Disgusting. I used to feel bad for him after his car accident, thinking he was pitiful.”
Luo Ding woke up just before boarding, noticing the two of them huddled together, whispering. “What are you guys up to?”
“Oh, you’re awake?” Wu Fangyuan quickly put the iPad away, and Gu Yaxing checked his watch, standing up and grabbing Luo Ding’s bag. “It’s almost time. I just spoke with Mi Rui, and Duan Xiubo says he’s going to pick you up when we arrive. Everything’s scheduled perfectly. We’d better not miss the flight.”
Luo Ding’s attention shifted immediately. “Okay.”
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