He didn't get to eat cake after the show ended. He went with the crew to the curtain call ceremony for photos and interactions, and smiled at the camera again.
Despite the heated online debate, his style became an instant hit, and designers immediately took notice.
"That's amazing! The scarf is a bit in the way though, we'll fix it next time!"
"With those broad shoulders and narrow waist, I thought she was a model. I even looked her up, and it turns out she's a celebrity. The Chinese entertainment industry is really something else."
"I feel my figure is just average, and it's not visible when it's covered up, unless I check it myself!"
"The abacus beads from upstairs hit my face."
As soon as he got into the car, Song Shi'an breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Shen Lingshu was not there.
Seeing their serious expressions, he asked in confusion, "What's wrong? You all look so grim. I'll treat you to a late-night snack!"
Lin Fan stared intently at Song Shi'an's face for a while, noticing no sign of displeasure, before saying, "Brother, that Yin Haowen must have been up to no good; this award should be yours!"
"Who said it's mine?" Song Shi'an frowned. "People are just joking online; you can't take it seriously."
Ji Shuyao then spoke up, "I was definitely notified in advance of the award, and I originally wanted to give you a surprise, but now it's turned into a shock."
Song Shi'an now understood why Wen Qing had asked him if he was alright.
He took out his phone and opened Weibo. The top three trending topics were all about Yin Haowen winning Best Actor. Some people were saying that Song Shi'an hadn't even starred in a single drama since his debut, so how could he compete with Yin Haowen?
He looked up and asked in confusion, "What does this Yin Haowen act in? Is he very famous?"
Lin Fan explained, "This Yin Haowen debuted as a child star and has been in the industry for almost twenty years. He has over 50 million fans and has played many leading roles, but most of them haven't been very successful. This includes his recent film, ' Crossroads of the Human World.' It's said that the poor box office performance was due to scheduling issues, but the real problem was the weak plot and acting."
Song Shi'an understood immediately. "It's just an award, it doesn't matter whether I win or not. To be honest, if I win this time, the online criticism will be even greater, so it's better to leave it as it is."
Everyone knew that regardless of whether they won an award or not, people would still talk.
But unable to swallow this insult, the other party even posted photos of themselves receiving the award on Weibo, acting like a smug little devil.
Ji Shuyao adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry, go back and rest first. The company will handle anything. I'll send you the new script later."
Song Shi'an was still thinking about going out for a late-night snack, but after hearing the second half of Ji Shuyao's sentence, he really wanted to lie down and pretend to be dead.
He gave an "oh," then leaned back straight, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.
Lin Fan looked at Song Shi'an, who was pretending to be dead, and sighed, "Brother, don't rush to pretend... cough cough, don't rush to catch up on sleep... We have to go to the engagement banquet of Miss Tang Family and Cen Jiye in a couple of days."
Song Shi'an sat bolt upright in a daze, as if from a dying dream. "What, Miss Tang Family? Why should I go?"
Lin Fan's eyes widened. "You're their spokesperson! The engagement is the best publicity; it'll be perfect time to announce that you're the spokesperson for Serenoir's new product."
Song Shi'an was even more shocked than the others. What?! Tang Manni? Engaged! Didn't she say she wouldn't marry anyone but Old Pei? A million questions flashed through his mind. What had he missed these past few months?! He really wanted to gossip, what was he going to do?!
He couldn't help but ask, " Tang Manni and Cen Jiye? And who is this Cen Jiye?"
Ji Shuyao shook his head. "It's very complicated..."
After Ji Shuyao and Lin Fan took turns explaining, he finally understood.
Tang Manni bumped into a pitiful, handsome man at a bar. He had a deceased mother and an alcoholic father. Feeling sorry for him, Tang Manni took him in. A few days before the Lunar New Year, the Cen Family came looking for him.
The Cen Family owns hotels all over the country. Their youngest son had been missing for twenty years and had never been found. But then, in a bizarre turn of events, he was found. He and Tang Manni developed feelings for each other during those few months together. Both families were overjoyed, and they chose an auspicious day to get engaged.
After listening, Song Shi'an just thought it was too melodramatic. Novels are based on reality, right? Oh wait, this is also a fictional world...
After finishing his explanation, Lin Fan took out his phone and handed it to him. "Here's a proposal video; it was quite a spectacle."
Song Shi'an took the video; it was fifteen minutes long and had already garnered over ten million likes. OMG, that shocked him!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a proposal of the century; it was a grand affair.
In the most bustling area of Capital, all the large screens displayed Tang Manni's name, and tens of thousands of drones proclaimed their love.
Okay, I don't understand rich people's confessions of love, and I'm quite shocked by them.
He scrolled down a few times, and the screen was filled with comments like "I'm so envious," "Is this the power of money?" and "I can't even afford a drone, but this person used a drone to propose."
He suddenly remembered that at Pei Zhiyan's birthday party last time, Tang Manni had confronted Shen Lingshu in public for Pei Zhiyan's sake.
How long has it been? The female lead has already changed scripts. The female supporting character in a CEO romance novel changes her story faster than he cannon fodder.
Song Shi'an thought to himself, "If only my cannon fodder progressed this quickly."
He handed the phone back to Lin Fan, then suddenly remembered something. "So what do I need to do to attend the engagement party?"
Ji Shuyao chimed in, "No need to do anything special. Just treat it like a normal event. The brand will arrange the official announcement process. Just show your face, take a few photos, and cooperate with the new product launch."
Song Shi'an nodded. That's alright. He was most afraid of occasions where he had to speak on stage. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Ji Shuyao said, "I'm leaving now. Lin Fan, please take good care of him. He'll be joining the production team in a few days. This director is tough to deal with, so you all need to be careful."
Lin Fan nodded hurriedly. He watched Ji Shuyao disappear from sight, then turned around and saw his brother's back disappearing at the top of the stairs. "Wait for him!" he thought, and immediately took off after him.
A short while later, the two fully armed dogs furtively took a taxi to Haicheng's largest food stall.
The driver was a friendly middle-aged man who started chatting as soon as we got in the car. "You've come to the right place! There are a lot of people, though. Usually it's not too bad at this time, but there's some kind of festival being held here today, so a lot of people have come. We've already made three or four trips."
Hearing this, Song Shi'an became even more excited; a large number of people meant the food must taste good!
He had the car window down, and to be honest, the scenery in Haicheng was quite nice, especially since it was close to the sea, and the evening breeze was pleasant.
Before they even arrived at the destination, the two of them could smell it. Awesome!
Looking at the beach not far away, Song Shi'an asked curiously, " Lin Fan, how much do you think this food stall must earn in a year to dare to open here?"
Lin Fan bluntly remarked, "Anyway, you earn more than me, that's all that matters."
Song Shi'an rolled his eyes at Lin Fan, without making any personal attacks...