Unexpected Surprise

Irene and Britney were nominated for Best Director and Best New Artist respectively, both of which were highly prestigious awards, so their seats were positioned very close to the front, surrounded by long-established singers.

Britney took Irene and Edward around to make introductions; most people were friendly, offering nods or handshakes, but a small minority treated them as if they were invisible.

Before the awards ceremony officially began, Irene heard quite a bit of whispering, and the primary subject of that whispering was Irene herself.

This was normal; Irene had always believed that if you didn't attract jealousy, you were mediocre. Her appearance was bound to provoke resentment from many, so she never wasted energy on internal conflict.

Moreover, unlike many people at the venue, she was very clear that she wouldn't be winning an award today.

The reason was that she had received a call from the organizing committee yesterday, inviting her to be the presenter for the Best New Artist award.

If they were asking her to present an award, then there was no need to guess who the Best New Artist would be.

As for having the Best New Artist and Best Director come from the same project, the possibility was extremely slim; MTV likely wouldn't do that, out of consideration for the feelings of the other nominees.

In reality, she didn't have high expectations for winning Best Director this year either. After all, filming a music video for Britney might be her only experience as a music video director, and compared to other directors who had been struggling in this industry for years, her credentials were too shallow.

If she won today, it would be a bit like bullying.

Afterward, Britney went backstage to change; she had a performance to give on stage today.

At this most important awards ceremony in the pop music world, Britney appeared in a sparkling crop top and schoolgirl outfit, her performance full of youthful vitality and confidence.

This performance propelled her from a popular newcomer to a global superstar, perfectly defining the "Sweetheart" phenomenon.

During the performance, Britney saw Irene in the audience. This was one of the most important moments of her year, and at this very moment, her best friend was sitting in the audience watching her, encouraging her, and she felt as if she possessed infinite courage.

As the performance ended, Irene led the applause, as if the entire stage were Britney's personal show.

Afterward, there were performances by other singers one after another. Among the young singers of this period, besides Britney, there were mostly boy bands, such as the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

When Britney returned to her seat, NSYNC was performing on stage.

"There's a boy up there who looks a bit familiar. Did you ever perform on the same stage as him?" Irene asked casually, as if she really just thought the person looked familiar.

"Oh, you mean Justin Timberlake? He and I were both child actors on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club, so you must have seen him."

Irene could tell that there wasn't a hint of hesitation or ambiguity in Britney's voice when she mentioned this person. It seemed that in this lifetime, they shouldn't have the chance to be together.

"Why? Are you interested in him? Do you want me to introduce you later?" Britney asked teasingly.

"I don't like these kinds of little boys, let's forget it."

Britney shrugged to express her regret.

After all the performances concluded, the host took the stage, and amidst his banter, the awards ceremony quickly began.

One by one, the awards were revealed. As the music genre awards were nearing their end, Irene saw the production staff suddenly waving at her from backstage.

She gave them a subtle nod before turning to whisper in Britney's ear: "Brit, I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back."

Britney waved her hand dismissively and whispered: "Go, go, just make sure you're back before they announce the Best New Artist."

But Britney didn't expect that even when the host had already begun the lead-in for Best New Artist, Irene still hadn't returned.

She was nervous about whether she would win, and anxious about why Irene hadn't returned yet, but the cameras sweeping over from time to time kept her from making any big movements; only her two hands, which were constantly tugging at each other, betrayed her anxiety.

"This year's presenter is a bit special," the host smiled mysteriously, building up the suspense. "As far as I know, this should be the youngest presenter since our MTV ceremony began. Let's welcome Ms. Irene Coppola to unveil the mystery of the Best New Artist!"

As the words fell, a spotlight hit the entrance, and Irene walked out from the shadows.

Britney covered her mouth in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief. Whispers broke out all around, and the anticipation in the eyes of the other candidates turned to disappointment at the sight of Irene.

Irene walked calmly to the microphone and unfolded the golden envelope in her hand. She had even changed into a black gown, and her smile was more radiant than the jewelry she wore.

Her gaze locked precisely onto Britney's position.

"The winner of this year's MTV Best New Artist award is..." Irene paused intentionally, and the entire venue fell silent.

Britney felt all the blood in her body rush to her ears, buzzing loudly. She saw Irene's lips move, clearly reading out the name she had dreamed of countless times—

"Britney Spears!"

As the name was called, the music for Baby One More Time immediately played from the back, but Britney remained frozen in place, her mind a blank slate.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted all around. Someone next to her gave her a nudge, and she finally came to her senses, nearly tripping over the table leg as she stood up.

She walked slowly to the stage. Irene opened her arms, handed her the heavy, golden microphone-shaped trophy, and then hugged her tightly.

"Surprise, my champion," Irene whispered in her ear, her voice full of pride and joy, while thinking to herself, The Best New Artist award you missed, I got it for you. From now on, your life will only be filled with glory.

At that moment, all of Britney's taut nerves and all her pent-up emotions completely broke through the dam.

When Irene and Britney returned to their seats holding hands, Britney's tears had not yet stopped.

Edward quickly offered the pocket square from his suit. Britney took it and was just about to blow her nose hard, but Irene immediately covered her hand and whispered: "Watch out for tomorrow's headlines."

While Britney was hesitating between blowing her nose and having an ugly photo in the headlines, Irene helped her carefully avoid the cameras and led her to a blind spot in the surveillance, letting her blow her nose to her heart's content.

She borrowed some makeup from a production assistant and touched up Britney's makeup.

Thanks to Britney's natural beauty, and thanks to the fact that she had watched enough beauty videos in her past life, she still knew some basic operations. It didn't take much effort before the two of them returned to their seats.

Just as they returned, Irene heard the host announce that the next award to be presented was Best Director, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief that she had made it back in time.

Even though Irene knew she wouldn't win, she still needed to be on camera when the nominees were announced. If the camera panned over and she wasn't there, it would look like she was being disrespectful to the awards ceremony.

As the presenter took the stage, she was busy planning where to spend the remaining ten days of her summer vacation—whether to go to Hawaii to soak up the sun and go fishing, or to go to Las Vegas to experience the glitz and glamour—completely oblivious to what was happening on stage.

Therefore, when her name echoed throughout the entire stage, she was still lost in thought, completely unconcerned about who was winning the award.

It wasn't until Britney's piercing shout woke her up that she blankly lifted her head to look around, discovering that everyone's gaze was fixed in her direction.

Among them were looks of inquiry, congratulation, shock, and even disdain; she realized what was happening in an instant.

Her brain had rebooted, but her limbs were still lagging, so she mechanically gave Britney and Edward a hug before walking onto the stage in a daze.

She took the trophy and wanted to open her mouth, only to find she didn't know where to begin.

It took a few attempts before she finally made a sound: "Honestly, when I received the notification that I was presenting the Best Newcomer award, my subconscious told me that I had no chance at Best Director, so I didn't prepare an acceptance speech at all."

The entire venue erupted into loud laughter; after all, this situation was truly unexpected.

"But since I'm standing here, I still have to say a few words. I want to thank my parents for their support, my agent for making the connections, and my fans for their hard work in voting.

But the person I am most, most, most grateful to is Brit. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have wanted to shoot this music video. You are the beginning of everything, and you are the best lead actress in my heart."

Thunderous applause rang out through the venue once again, cheering and celebrating for this pair of sisters.

On stage, Irene faced the world with a smile, while down below, Britney was once again moved to tears.

This scene soon appeared on the front page headlines of all the major newspapers the next day.