Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The Film Festival’s set was bathed in red, creating a festive atmosphere. Celebrities sat in the audience, and Tao Hui’s row was filled with A-list stars who frequently appeared on television. However, Tao Hui couldn’t bring herself to look at them; her gaze remained fixed on Han Buji.

Han Buji placed the Golden Statuette aside, holding the microphone in one hand and the Best Actress nominees list in the other. The starry blue cardstock contrasted sharply against his long, clean fingers. As he spoke with a smile, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and the lazy affection in his eyes shimmered like starlight reflected in a clear spring.

He’s so handsome. And this handsome man is mine. Heh heh.

My boyfriend is so handsome.

“Congratulations!” The audience erupted in applause. Tao Hui, still dazed, lingered on Han Buji for another two seconds before finally tearing her gaze away, only to find a camera shoved right in her face.

Tao Hui: “?”

In this awkward situation, her first instinct was to look at Han Buji, seeking help from her own person.

But she never expected that the person she was seeking help from would be laughing at her.

Tao Hui looked up in a panic to see Han Buji standing on stage, practically doubled over with laughter, pointing at the large screen behind him.

What on earth was happening? Tao Hui was completely bewildered.

Following Han Buji’s pointed gesture, Tao Hui finally noticed her photo glaringly displayed on the screen, alongside those of two other actresses. A bold headline proclaimed: “Best Actress Nominees.”

Tao Hui: “……”

At that precise moment, Han Buji casually quipped, “Am I really that handsome?”

The audience erupted in laughter, with young actors whistling and cheering. Beside her, Meng Xue, a 35-year-old single woman, covered her face in horror. “Just film Tao Hui! Don’t film me! I can’t be seen in this kind of public display of affection, or my mom will nag me about finding a boyfriend again!”

The host, microphone in hand, glanced at the somewhat dazed Tao Hui and teased with a smile, “Tao Hui, this is your first Best Actress nomination. You seem a bit nervous? What’s going through your mind right now?”

Tao Hui had debuted at 16, and while her career hadn’t been entirely smooth sailing, she had been in the industry for several years. In her imagination, she had always pictured herself at a Film Festival nomination ceremony, smiling radiantly, her eyes sparkling with grace, and answering questions with unhurried composure, as if accustomed to such honors.

If she had to describe herself, she’d probably say she was like a female version of Han Buji.

But at that moment, Tao Hui felt nothing like the image she’d imagined. Completely distracted by her boyfriend’s striking looks, she’d even missed the initial excitement of being nominated for Best Actress. She was utterly out of it.

Her mind was shamelessly occupied with thoughts like, Ah, my boyfriend’s neck is so beautiful, I want to bite it.

If she could, she’d also want to kiss his thin, sensual lips.

In this dazed state, Tao Hui had no prepared remarks. Faced with the host’s questions and the reality of her nomination, she could only rely on her limited reflexes. She began, “I was thinking… if I win, I’ll definitely thank the production crew first, Director Lu, and…”

“Tao Hui! Tao Hui, wait a minute!” The host laughed so hard she clutched her stomach. “Hold on, I haven’t even announced the winner yet! Why are you already giving your acceptance speech?”

“Ah? Ah!” Tao Hui finally snapped out of her daze, instantly covering her face. “I’m so sorry!”

The host chuckled and teased Tao Hui a few more times, her face flushing crimson, almost matching the plush red chair she was sitting on. Suddenly, the host clapped Han Buji on the shoulder. “Your girlfriend is too adorable! I can’t bring myself to tease her any further. Why don’t we just give her the award already?”

Tao Hui’s head snapped up. She saw Han Buji smiling at her, microphone in hand. “Not coming up? Then I’ll just borrow you, I guess. Eight little golden men can be arranged into a heart, you know.”

The host, clearly understanding the implication, nodded in agreement. “Exactly! Arrange them into a heart and propose! Eight golden men to summon the bride!”

After the playful banter, Han Buji’s expression turned serious. “Congratulations to the Best Actress winner, Tao Hui.”

His voice, deep, sensual, and clear, resonated through the microphone, filling the auditorium. A wave of applause erupted. Another actress nominated for Best Actress sighed, “Truly well-deserved.”

Tao Hui’s performance in Drug Enforcement Storm had been exceptional. As the drug trafficker’s daughter, she had brought the character to life with every tear, every internal struggle.

When Lu Xiaotang spoke to Gao Meng, he only mentioned that Tao Hui might not win. He didn’t share the rest of Director Lu’s drunken lament: “Tao Hui deserves Best Actress, but I’m afraid our film’s niche subject matter might hold her back.”

In the auditorium, Tao Hui slowly rose to her feet. In that instant, a flood of memories surged through her mind.

She recalled the sudden wave of slander and defamation she faced at eighteen, and her meeting with Han Buji on the set of Sheng Jue at twenty-one. She remembered moments of occasional discouragement over the years, and the countless days and nights spent working tirelessly with the production crew.

Amidst thunderous applause, Han Buji stepped forward, extending his hand. Tao Hui’s fingertips brushed his palm as she ascended the steps. She glanced up at him and finally smiled.

Tao Hui accepted the golden statuette from Han Buji, her eyes rimmed with tears. She lowered her gaze and pressed a deep kiss to the trophy.

By then, Han Buji had returned to his seat in the audience. Only the host remained on stage. After Tao Hui finished her acceptance speech, the host, smiling mischievously, teased, “Tao Hui, now that you’ve won this award, is there anything else you’d like to share? Perhaps you could tell us who pursued whom first between you and the Best Actor?”

This group of peers always stirred up trouble whenever they gathered. In previous years, Han Buji had been friendly with everyone but too aloof, with no juicy gossip to tease him about.

This year was different. Best Actor Han, now in love, was a walking gossip generator.

The audience below erupted in cheers, and even the backstage sound effects crew received the “engage chaos mode” directive, immediately blasting high-energy background music with thunderous applause and cheers.

Tao Hui, slightly embarrassed, stood on stage, locked eyes with Han Buji for two seconds before finally speaking into the microphone, “Alright, I’ll tell you.”

The host grinned triumphantly, and the other guests began to shriek with excitement.

Tao Hui suddenly smiled, a hint of girlish shyness on her face. “Actually, Han Buji and I had a chance encounter a long, long time ago. I was 14 years old, and I met him for the first time at the beach.”

“Wow! The beach! How romantic!” the host led the crowd in a chorus of cheers.

Tao Hui added fuel to the fire with a smile. “And Han Buji told me that brief meeting was the first time he ever felt his heart flutter.”

The host shrieked, “Wow~ His first love!”

The other celebrities in the audience were equally astonished, counting on their fingers. When Tao Hui was 14, Han Buji was only 20. No wonder the Best Actor hadn’t dated for so many years—he’d already had someone in his heart all along.

What kind of divine romance is this?!

Tao Hui patted the little bun on her head, held up five fingers, and smiled. “Actually, I told him before that I’ve had five moments of genuine infatuation.”

Han Buji, sitting in the audience, lowered his gaze and smiled. He’d always thought Tao Hui’s “five moments of infatuation” were just a joke, until recently when Gao Meng came to talk to Tao Hui. The two girls closed the door and chatted until midnight.

He hadn’t intentionally eavesdropped that night. He’d simply overheard them while bringing Tao Hui some water. Tao Hui’s voice carried a hint of nostalgia as she told Gao Meng, “Ah, I’ve actually had five moments of infatuation, but before I got together with Han Buji, I never really thought about them properly…”

Han Buji was quite surprised at the time, but after a moment’s reflection, he understood. Tao Hui was 21 when they started dating, already an adult. Though she hadn’t dated before, it wasn’t unusual for someone to have a few crushes during their formative years.

Today, Tao Hui stood on stage and brought up the topic again. Han Buji, sitting in the audience, raised an eyebrow, thinking, Surely at least one of those five heart-fluttering moments must have been about me?

The crowd went wild, some even jumping on their chairs, urging Tao Hui to spill the details. They were more gossipy than ever, completely abandoning any pretense of celebrity dignity.

Even Director Chen, sitting in the front row and having worked with Tao Hui on Sheng Jue, showed particular interest in the “five heart-fluttering moments.” He glanced back at Han Buji, a hint of teasing in his usually stern gaze, as if eager to see the Junior Best Actor squirm.

Amidst the screams and clamoring, Tao Hui cleared her throat and began, “My first heart-fluttering moment happened when I was fourteen, by the sea. The sky was clear and the sea wasn’t particularly beautiful—far from what I’d imagined. The sand was coarse, and there weren’t even any seashells, just green seaweed washed ashore. But the rebellious glint in the eyes of the drowning boy I rescued haunted my dreams for years.”

“My second heart-fluttering moment… I think I was fifteen. It was the first time I saw Han Buji on the big screen in a movie theater.”

Tao Hui still remembers Han Buji playing a supporting role in a film. The theater wasn’t crowded that day, but when he glanced back in one scene, her heart raced as if she’d just finished the school’s 800-meter physical fitness test. Before even getting home, she impatiently searched for Han Buji’s Weibo account and devoured every post.

While other female classmates gushed about their crushes—the basketball team captain, the class valedictorian, a senior from school, or the new gym teacher—Tao Hui harbored a secret: the man who appeared in her dreams every night was an actor.

“My third crush happened when I was 18,” Tao Hui continued. “I was in a nanny van during rush hour, stuck in traffic outside an event venue. I saw a little boy crying miserably, and then a man wearing sunglasses picked him up, bought him a balloon and ice cream, and gently comforted him.”

Tao Hui smiled sheepishly, her ears flushing pink. “I was 18 then, you know, full of romantic fantasies. I remember thinking how perfect it would be to have a boyfriend like that. Later, I found out that man was Han Buji.”

The revelation that the Sunglasses Hottie was Han Buji came about by chance. Zhou Xun was watching a variety show when he pointed at Han Buji’s outfit and exclaimed, “Hui-ah, your ideal type is way too high-end! We’re never going to reach that level!”

The matter was dismissed with a single remark at the time, but Tao Hui was secretly astonished. Fresh off her award win, she even fantasized about becoming acquainted with Han Buji. Later, after her career took a nosedive, no one ever brought it up again.

The industry peers in the audience chuckled, only to suddenly realize they were green with envy.

Five heart-fluttering moments, and every single one involved Best Actor Han? How is that even possible?

The audience was filled with screenwriters and directors. Even a veteran screenwriter in his sixties silently vowed, This year, I’m definitely writing a romance script! Who says love stories aren’t compelling?!

Tao Hui slowly recalled each past moment. Trivial details she had brushed aside during her busy days now resurfaced with startling clarity. She continued, “The fourth time was at a company event. After a few drinks, I saw a poster of Han Buji…”

That day was actually quite embarrassing. When she drank too much, her tear ducts became overly sensitive. First, her heart raced, then a wave of resentment washed over her. Grabbing a marker, she drew a turtle on the poster and declared, “Marked, so you’re mine now! Come, let’s go to bed!”

The next day, when Zhou Xun heard about it, he laughed so hard he nearly choked. The senior staff from the neighboring work group even demanded she pay for the damaged poster.

Suddenly, the audience fell silent. Even during this humorous anecdote, some people were moved to tears, dabbing their eyes with tissues.

Tears for the Best Actor and Best Actress’s breathtaking love story!

Meng Xue, ever the pragmatist, wiped away her smudged mascara and exclaimed, “Damn it! Why is love so beautiful?!”

When asked about her last moment of heart-fluttering, Tao Hui looked momentarily lost in thought. “I can’t pinpoint the exact moment,” she admitted. “Looking back, perhaps every day after we met on the set of Sheng Jue, I was secretly falling for you.”

“Han Buji,” she said with a smile, “it wasn’t you who pursued me. We fell in love at first sight, years ago by the sea.”