Chapter 356 - 289: Now There’s Even Less Need to Be Nervous

You can never really tell where life will take you.

Just as Ni Bingyan had never imagined she would one day be living such a good, hopeful life.

And Miss Guo, who had never known a day of hardship, had probably never imagined she would one day suffer such a gut-wrenching, soul-crushing ordeal.

The two of them sat together, and a small act of kindness from Ni Bingyan was all it took for Guo Tong—who had endured over a year of slander—to suddenly feel her emotions reach a breaking point, compelling her to vent.

Who better to listen to her ramblings than Ni Bingyan, who was tight-lipped, on good terms with her, and also making a living in the same industry?

If she complained to an outsider, rumors of what she said would likely be spreading like wildfire in the blink of an eye.

Ni Bingyan still had to make her way in this industry. Even if she knew something, she wouldn’t dare spread it for various reasons. Or rather, there was no point in her spreading it. Talking to her was much less risky.

Guo Tong felt better after getting it all out, much like someone who has had too much to drink feels relief only after throwing up.

She started to focus on the awards ceremony.

Her entire demeanor shifted from "If you don’t like it, fight me" to "I’m over it all," just like a deadbeat guy who passes out after puking and can’t be woken up for love or money.

Having been forced to listen to an earful about the Old Guo Family’s troublesome son-in-law, followed by an earful of entertainment industry gossip, Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but start mulling things over.

’Logically speaking, it seems you can’t blame the scumbag entirely for Guo Tong’s current predicament.’

’Love is never just one person’s business, and marriage is never just one family’s business.’

’When both love and marriage go wrong, it just doesn’t seem reasonable to place all the blame on one party.’

After mulling over someone else’s problems, she inevitably thought of her own.

It was like two neighbors agreeing to go to the market, one pushing a wheelbarrow in front, the other pushing one behind.

When the one in front hits a pothole and flips his cart—sending chickens flying, eggs smashing, and leaving him a total mess—the one behind can’t help but wonder, ’Will I flip my cart too when I pass that spot?’

As the two hosts on stage delivered their enthusiastic opening remarks, Ni Bingyan, sitting in the audience, couldn’t help but think of Sang Yuan.

’If she and Sang Yuan got married, would their relationship change?’

’Would Sang Yuan’s parents still be as good to her as they are now?’

’Could he also be like Guo Tong’s husband? All sweet talk and perfect promises while dating, only to turn into a completely different person after getting married and having kids?’

’Always out drinking, rarely home, and when he is, he’s either playing video games or sleeping, completely ignoring the children.’

’And it gets even worse on set, flirting with pretty young things all day long.’

Sang Yuan’s situation was different from Guo Tong’s husband, but could the trivialities of married life also turn him into a similarly detestable person?

Then there was the unavoidable issue of preferring sons over daughters.

When people brought this up, a common retort was, "What, do you have a throne to inherit?"

’With the Sang Family’s wealth, they’re probably richer than many small countries. Don’t they practically have a ’throne’ to inherit?’

’If I have a daughter after we’re married, will my parents-in-law still treat me so well?’

’This preference for sons has nothing to do with education, gender, or age. Who knows how Shui Sulan feels about it?’

These were all sensitive topics she had never discussed with Sang Yuan, let alone his parents.

A long list of questions with no answers surfaced in her mind, and Ni Bingyan felt deeply uneasy.

It was like being back in her college entrance exam year, staring at the final, big mechanics problem in physics that she just couldn’t solve, able only to gaze blankly at the questions following the prompt.

She shot a resentful glance at Guo Tong’s hands, which were resting on her knees and adorned with cherry-pink nails, then sighed internally and looked up at the stage.

’No one has it easy. I should cut her some slack.’

"Tonight is truly star-studded! Just standing here and looking out at the audience makes me want to put on my sunglasses, because—you are all so dazzling!"

The male host’s exaggerated antics drew a few demure laughs from the audience.

He wasn’t disappointed. He turned to the curvaceous female host beside him.

"The nominated seniors are all exceptionally talented. Lingling, who do you think will take home the Best Director award?"

"In my heart, whether they win today or not, every single one of them is a best director!"

The female host, her cheeks dimpled with a smile, was the famous Sister Lingling, renowned on both sides of the strait for her high IQ and EQ.

Listening to her speak was like a breath of fresh air, even for the most critical person. Her skill was leagues ahead of the host from the red carpet.

"You’re right, and I think so too. But there’s only one trophy, so someone has to be chosen to accept it!"

Compared to Sister Lingling, this male host seemed to be lacking a bit in the EQ department.

Ni Bingyan silently judged, then heard Sister Lingling’s soft voice once again sidestep the question:

"That’s a question our professional judges have already agonized over for us. Come on, let’s just reveal the answer!"

Sister Lingling pretended to be impatient, holding the envelope as if to tear it open, but the male host reached out and stopped her.

"Wouldn’t revealing it right away be a little too... direct?"

The moment the male host spoke, Ni Bingyan immediately saw Luo Guangkun, to her right, clench his fists!

This tall director from the Northeast was a very straightforward man, and he hated nothing more in life than people who dawdled.

In his own words, people who dilly-dallied like that probably couldn’t even take a piss without it dribbling out unsatisfactorily!

Compared to the other directors, he had the least experience and was the youngest, but he had carved out a unique niche for himself among the many directors with his distinctive "force-of-nature" style.

He had been nominated for Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards before, but unfortunately, he was up against a new film by Old Monster Xu and missed out on the little golden statuette.

Now nominated for a Golden Horse Award, it was inevitable he’d be anxious about winning or losing.

"Director, stay calm!"

The hosts were deliberately building suspense on stage, and countless cameras were surely pointed in their direction, just waiting to capture something exciting to generate buzz.

He was her director; they would share in the glory and the disgrace. Seeing him clench his fist, Ni Bingyan knew he was furious, so she quickly smiled, leaned over, and whispered a reminder.

A whiff of perfume reached Luo Guangkun, and instantly, his head cleared.

"Heh heh..."

Luo Guangkun forced a casual laugh, but his jaw remained tight, and he didn’t speak. His attention was clearly fixed on the stage.

Guo Tong sat to Ni Bingyan’s left, and Luo Guangkun sat to her right. To Luo Guangkun’s right sat the male lead, Huang Ge.

She thought Huang Ge would be more relaxed, but when she glanced over, she saw his expression was grim, as if his soul had flown off to who-knows-where.

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but sigh.

’Seems like no matter how many Best Actor awards you win, you still get nervous.’

The reason Ni Bingyan was more relaxed than the two of them wasn’t that she had a better mindset, but purely because Sister Wei had analyzed the situation for her beforehand: her chances of winning this time were very low.

Ni Bingyan had already come to terms with not winning, so with less at stake, she naturally wasn’t as tense.

"And now, our Best Director is—Luo Guangkun for *Demon Suppression Tower*!"

After all that monkeying around on stage, they finally announced the winner.

Hearing the words "Demon Suppression Tower," Luo Guangkun let out a huge sigh of relief. But instead of jumping up, he relaxed and sank back into his chair.

He had been tense for so long that he felt a bit drained and needed a moment to catch his breath before he could stand up.

The venue erupted in thunderous applause. Ni Bingyan was genuinely happy for him and shook his hand enthusiastically, but a thought crossed her mind: ’Now I have even less reason to be nervous.’