Chapter 214: The 74th Academy Awards

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: The 74th Academy Awards

As the Saturday sun just spilled over the shop windows on the streets of Los Angeles, Lena and Mia were already huddled together, arm in arm.

The two girls had been close since high school, right through to college. One worshipped Irene Coppola as a god-tier genius director, while the other regarded Britney Spears as her destined diva.

As it happened, their two idols were childhood sweethearts who had been inseparable since they were little, which meant the friendship between the two fans felt like it had a double-sweetness buff.

"Quick, quick, quick, let’s go into this store! I heard there’s a budget-friendly dupe of the gown Britney wore to the Grammys!" Mia dragged Lena toward the women’s clothing store, her eyes shining as if she had just won the lottery.

While being dragged along, Lena couldn’t help but laugh: "Alright, alright, I know your Britney has been winning awards until her hands are soft! Best Pop Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song—who wouldn’t call that impressive? It’s just a pity she missed out on Album of the Year, otherwise, she’d be legendary."

"That’s still enough for me to brag about for a lifetime!" Mia pulled out her phone, her photo album filled with pictures downloaded from the internet of Britney smiling brilliantly while holding her Grammy trophy.

"And don’t forget, that song ’Roar’ was written by your Irene! Double the joy for us fans, okay? This pair of heavenly best friends is simply a golden touch God sprinkled on Hollywood!"

Lena immediately straightened her back: "That’s right, how fierce is my Irene? At 20, she finished filming the $140 million investment Pirates of the Caribbean, was praised by George Lucas for having the style of Spielberg, and the Oscars even invited her to present Best Actress! And she can still find time to write songs for Britney, with every song becoming a hit. What kind of all-around genius is this?"

The two squeezed outside the fitting room, chatting away. From Britney almost being tricked into filming a bad movie to Irene helping Britney write songs and directly helping her win a Grammy, the more they talked, the more they felt that the friendship between their idols was even better to ship than any CP they were into.

"I’m literally dying of emotion. Irene was clearly so busy with post-production that she couldn’t even touch the ground, yet she still took care of Britney’s acting roles, afraid she’d get taken advantage of, afraid she’d waste the golden period of her career. What kind of top-tier mutual support is this?" Mia sighed, hugging her arms.

Lena nodded frantically: "I’m so envious! Both reaching the pinnacle of their careers, supporting each other in private, one ruling the film world, the other ruling the music scene, and having grown up together—you and I should be like that in the future! If one of us gets rich, don’t forget the other!"

"Absolutely!" Mia slapped her shoulder hard. "In the future, you’ll be a great director, and I’ll be a great singer. We’ll be just like Irene and Britney, sweeping Hollywood and the Billboard charts!"

"Then let’s start by buying a new outfit!"

Laughing and giggling, the two rushed into the fitting room with their clothes. The sunlight outside the window fell perfectly on the street, looking just like them growing up while chasing the light.

Cheering for their idols’ glory while quietly growing into better people in each other’s company.

By the afternoon, the sunlight gradually took on a warm golden hue, and Lena and Mia rushed straight toward the Dolby Theatre at the end of Hollywood Boulevard.

Tonight, the 74th Academy Awards ceremony would officially be held here. The entire street was filled with starlight, camera flashes, and a seething crowd, with anticipation and excitement floating in the air.

The two squeezed into the fan area outside the red carpet, standing on tiptoes and stretching their necks, their eyes searching for that familiar figure: Irene Coppola.

The surroundings were full of buzzing discussions. Movie fans, reporters, and passersby gathered together, heatedly guessing the winners of the big awards tonight, as lively as if it were an early New Year celebration.

"Best Actor must be Denzel Washington, right? His performance in Training Day is simply god-tier!"

"Not necessarily. Will Smith has such high national popularity, and his performance in Ali was also outstanding. The votes might be very close!"

"Russell Crowe won the award last year for Gladiator, so he probably doesn’t have a chance this year."

"For Best Actress, I’m betting on Halle Berry! That scene in Monster’s Ball gave me goosebumps!"

"Nicole Kidman is also super competitive. She was completely transformed in Moulin Rouge!, the race for Best Actress is truly cutthroat this year!"

"Renée Zellweger’s performance in Bridget Jones’s Diary was also very good. She brought the character to life completely!"

"Do you think Irene will reveal any news about Pirates of the Caribbean while presenting tonight? I’ve been waiting for this fantasy film until I’m going crazy!"

Lena and Mia’s eyes lit up as they listened, nodding along while continuing to stare fixedly at the red carpet entrance.

Just then, the crowd suddenly erupted into a collective gasp.

Irene had arrived.

She was wearing a light gold strapless gown, the hem shimmering with fine light, making her skin look fair and her temperament cold yet dazzling. Without any extra decoration, her mere appearance stole the spotlight from the entire venue.

What made everyone’s eyes light up even more was the tall, well-built young man standing beside her, whose handsomeness was practically a crime. With broad shoulders and long legs, and deep, defined features, the moment he smiled, the girls on the sidelines collectively gasped.

Mia instantly pinched Lena’s arm, her voice floating with excitement: "Ahhh, a handsome guy! Where did this handsome guy come from? Irene actually brought a male companion! This level of handsomeness is just too top-tier!"

Lena was also stunned for a moment and quickly squinted to identify him carefully.

The host on the red carpet was already smiling as they handed over the microphone, curiously asking about the identity of the young man beside her.

Irene turned slightly, her posture generous and composed, and clearly introduced him to the camera: "This is Henry Cavill, a young actor from the UK, and also one of the core leads in my new film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Bringing him to the Oscars tonight is also to let everyone get to know this promising young actor in advance."

Mia immediately had star-struck eyes: "Henry Cavill! The name sounds great too! He looks ten streets handsomer than that boyfriend Irene had before, don’t you think? The two of them standing together is just too pleasing to the eye!"

Lena, however, couldn’t help but burst into laughter, quietly poking her forehead and lowering her voice to spill the tea: "What are you fangirling for? Don’t ship them blindly. He already has a girlfriend. It’s the lead actress who is filming Pirates of the Caribbean with them—Keira Knightley."

Mia instantly froze on the spot, her expression one of heartbreak and disillusionment, wailing: "No way! Are all Hollywood handsome guys taken so early? I just thought of ten fanfiction titles!"

Lena laughed until she couldn’t straighten up. The two of them squeezed into the seething crowd, staring at the composed and confident Irene on the red carpet while chatting and messing around, their eyes full of unconcealable pride and joy.

Being able to watch your idol walk step by step to the center of the Oscar stage is probably the happiest way to be a fan.

Although Irene wasn’t up for any awards tonight, she believed that Best Screenplay was not the end for Irene, but the beginning of her setting sail.