My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 508: Who is the Best Young Actor in Acting? (5000 Votes for Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 508: Chapter 508: Who is the Best Young Actor in Acting? (5000 Votes for Monthly Ticket)

"If we’re just talking about making it onto the hot search list, I’m afraid he’s still far behind you," Director Zhang’s assistant made a fair comment.

"I’m usually very low-profile," Han Fei flipped through the information he had gathered and then asked the other person, "Do young actors like us only compete for the Best Young Actor award? Didn’t I get two nominations? Which carries more weight, the Best Young Actor award or the Best Supporting Actor award?"

"That’s definitely the Best Supporting Actor award! There’s only one for the entire year, competing with actors of all ages, including many seasoned veterans. This award is also the closest to the Movie Emperor title," Director Zhang’s assistant patiently explained to Han Fei, "All the nominees for this year’s film festival are very strong. I estimate it will be difficult for Bai Xian to aim for the Best Actor award and become Movie Emperor, and it’s not easy for Director Zhang to win the Best Director award either. Right now, our crew is hoping that you can win the Best Young Actor award, so that our movie can secure at least one award."

"Isn’t Director Zhang taking on this suspense thriller to win the Best Director award again?" Hearing the assistant’s tone, Han Fei felt that things might also be troubled on Director Zhang’s end.

"It’s a bit difficult. This year several top directors have released new works, and Director Zhang has only this one ’Mystery Novelist’ for the past three years. If the box office and reputation are good, that’s fine, but if someone steals the limelight, it will be hard for him to compete with the others." It seemed that Director Zhang’s assistant knew some insider information about the film festival and clearly wasn’t as passionate as a few days earlier, "Don’t tell Director Zhang this, I need to get busy now. Remember to come to the event at two this afternoon."

After the assistant hung up the phone, Han Fei took his phone into the hospital room, sat beside the bed to accompany the patient, and started looking up information on Bai Cha and Xu Junci.

Compared to Xu Junci, Bai Cha was more popular. Many people online were praising him, saying he was the best actor of the new generation, a rising sun in the entertainment industry.

Bai Cha was exceptionally handsome, unlike actors like Han Fei, who had a strong presence and a unique charm. He was the kind of actor whom you’d find stunning at first glance.

During the promotion of ’One Third of Comedy,’ Bai Cha also participated in various variety shows. He was very humorous and could easily liven up the atmosphere on the set, and his interactions with other guests were also highly entertaining.

Having both a perfect exterior and an interesting soul, it was no wonder that Deep Space Entertainment was pushing him so actively.

If you had to point out a flaw in him, it might be that his acting wasn’t quite good yet.

The veteran actors who had worked with him often praised him, but most were saying he was polite, promising, and hardworking, which was really a polite way of suggesting that his acting needed improvement.

An actor’s energy is limited, and even the most talented ones, without the tempering of time, tend to lack a certain flavor in their roles.

Unless they could be like Han Fei, who, despite not being seasoned by time, faced the threats of death and the despair on a daily basis.

Acting for the dream and acting to survive are two very different realms.

"Yan Mo..." A weak voice suddenly came from the hospital bed. Aunt Li slowly opened her eyes and saw Han Fei in a daze.

"Lie still, I’ll call the doctor," Han Fei stood up to leave but felt as if something had caught the corner of his clothes.

He turned to look and saw Aunt Li weakly lifting one of her hands, grabbing at Han Fei’s clothes.

Her face, which had aged considerably, looked at Han Fei, and her purplish lips parted slightly to say a few words to him.

"Thank you."

Han Fei wasn’t sure if Aunt Li had recognized him or if it was for something else, but he gently put her hand back on the bed, "Take care and get better."

After calling the doctor and nurses, and having Aunt Li phone her son, Han Fei finally stepped out of the room.

For him, doing good deeds increased his hidden virtue, and hidden virtue could upgrade his shrine, so whenever he had the chance, he would try hard to help others.

Aunt Li’s son was out of town and hadn’t arrived yet.

By noon, Han Fei ran to the hospital cafeteria to bring food for Aunt Li, and while getting the meal, he was recognized by some of the patients there.

The patient was quite intrigued because Han Fei was dressed so plainly that he had to confirm several times before calling out Han Fei’s name.

As an actor, Han Fei had no airs about him at all. He was holding two meal trays and greeted the patients warmly.

"I hear those actors get really good food, spending dozens of dollars for breakfast, but his seems pretty similar to ours."

"This actor donated all his money to the victims’ families. It seems he’s still renting a place to live."

A few patients started chatting, and an old man with his arm in a bandage just happened to walk out of the ward and overheard their conversation.

"Is Han Fei’s family member sick?"

"This morning he saved an unconscious Aunt Li. Her children work out of town and couldn’t come back, so Han Fei has been taking care of her since morning."

"What a kind-hearted kid," said the old man with the bandage, joining the other patients and joining in the conversation about Han Fei.

Unaware of the patients’ discussion, Han Fei left after finishing his meal with Aunt Li in the ward.

At half-past one in the afternoon, Han Fei rushed to the event site mentioned by Director Zhang’s assistant.

Smart New City has a designated area for various events, and the event Han Fei was to attend today was in a side hall next to the film festival main hall.

The day after tomorrow is the film festival, and the annual celebration has already started heating up. The place has become the focal point for national media, and Director Zhang has thoughtfully planned the last pre-release promotional event for "Mystery Novelist" there.

It’s not just him; other movies set to release tomorrow share a similar line of thought, all flocking here to promote their films.

When Han Fei arrived, he saw fans supporting him on the roadside, with a large crowd of passersby packed around, many of whom were self-media workers, shooting footage of the stars promoting their movies with their phones.

Coincidentally, two side halls next to the film festival’s main venue were booked by "Mystery Novelist" and "One Third of Comedy," with impressive celebrity lineups on both sides.

No need to say much about "Mystery Novelist": nine actors, two of whom are second-tier and the rest are all acclaimed for their acting skills, supported by seasoned professionals.

The "One Third of Comedy" side is a bit more extravagant, led by A-list actor Xu Zhen, with Deep Space Entertainment’s jewel as the lead actress. Starting with the five supporting actors who are all third-tier, Bai Cha is the least influential among them.

Bursts of exclamation arose from both sides of the venue as stars from each company had their own fans. If one were to compare, "One Third of Comedy" might have slightly more people on their side.

After all, compared to suspense thrillers, more people enjoy comedies.

Stepping out of the taxi, Han Fei appeared no different from the spectators there to show support.

"Make way, please, make way."

The event was set to begin at two in the afternoon, and many fans had arrived an hour early, creating a highly spirited atmosphere on the scene.

After calling Director Zhang’s assistant, a staff member escorted Han Fei through the staff entrance.

The fans attending the event were surprised to see Han Fei enter the staff corridor, wondering who that was. Can fans now buy VIP passes?

But it didn’t take long before Han Fei was recognized, and when the first person called out his name, everyone else started to shout it too.

Han Fei had never seen such a spectacle even in the Underworld, and he greeted everyone rather shyly before being led backstage.

"I don’t recall this many people knowing me before."

"Han Fei! Damn it! Why are you still wearing those clothes?" Director Zhang’s assistant ran over to Han Fei, "Everyone’s backstage, hurry up! Go touch up your makeup."

Dragged backstage, Han Fei also saw the other actors from "Mystery Novelist," and they all came to congratulate him, leaving him bewildered.

"Why does it feel like you’re all acting weird today? Did something good happen around me?" Han Fei asked with a puzzled face, looking at Bai Xian.

"Are you really clueless or just being pretentious?" Bai Xian pulled out his phone, "In the online voting for outstanding young actors, you’ve already surpassed Xu Junci and are now in second place. And for the most anticipated character, the Spider role you played is ranked first among all supporting roles! I have no idea you had such a strong appeal in everyone’s hearts."

"So it’s because of this?" Han Fei shook his head.

"The way you talk really makes people want to hit you," Bai Xian rolled his eyes, "The day after tomorrow is the film festival, and who knows how many people and companies are keeping an eye on the online voting. Besides, we’ve discovered something else; come take a look at the box office pre-sale rankings."

Guided by Bai Xian, Han Fei opened the largest online movie ticketing app in the country.

"’One Third of a Comedy’ has a pre-sale box office that’s ten million higher than ours, but in the actor’s personal box office appeal score, you’re actually ranked first among supporting actors," Bai Xian found it incredible, "Your ability to draw in money as a supporting actor is almost surpassing me, the lead actor."

"What is an actor’s personal box office appeal score?" Han Fei wasn’t very familiar with these things, as this was his first time filming a movie offline, and he’d never even had a chance to show his face before.

"When viewers book movie tickets in advance, there’s an option to fill out indicating which actor they’re most looking forward to seeing, and you’ve been ranked number one among supporting actors," Bai Xian explained patiently, "Although most people are there to see you solve cases, it can’t be denied that you now serve as a guarantee for a movie’s box office."

Han Fei’s online fans were genuine, and those netizens who were constantly talking about bounty hunters and police insiders, when Han Fei’s movie was actually about to be released, all chose to support him.

"This time you’ve really angered Bai Cha; he was far ahead of you and Xu Junci in the online voting for outstanding young actors, but you left him far behind on the pre-sale anticipation list," Bai Xian laughed heartily, seeming to be genuinely happy for Han Fei.

"Brother Bai, what about you this time? Looking at the list, that Xu Zhen is way ahead of you. Could he also be competing for Movie Emperor this year?" Han Fei spotted a blind spot, and Bai Xian’s face instantly fell.

"I guess my chances are slim this year," Bai Xian said with a bitter smile, "To be honest, my acting has improved, but mainly because I was acting opposite you. Your brilliance has overshadowed me. But no worries, I’ve been running for five years, I don’t mind doing it a few more years."

"Get ready, everyone, it’s time to go on stage; remember to interact more with the fans," a staff member signaled the actors to go on stage, and Han Fei simply touched up his makeup before wearing his usual clothes.

The host warmed up the outdoor event space, and Director Zhang was the first to take the stage to talk about his filming inspiration. Eventually, the host and the platforms currently broadcasting live started hurrying the actors to come on stage.

Compared to Director Zhang, the actors from "Mystery Novelist" were obviously more attractive.

The curtain opened, and nine actors walked onto the stage one by one. As their images appeared on the big screen, the audience cheered loudly.

Different from the other carefully dressed actors, Han Fei seemed like a staff member who had mistakenly walked onto the stage. He appeared out of place, but the audience really liked him, feeling that this was Han Fei’s unique style that no one else could copy.

At the same time, another venue was also filled with cheers, as "One Third of a Comedy" started its final promotion.

The big screen at the event showed scenes from both events, and for the sake of viewership, broadcast platforms were targeting the scene for their live feeds.

The film festival was just around the corner, and both Bai Xian and Xu Zhen had been nominated for Best Actor. Both wanted to use their works to make a bid for Movie Emperor, and during interviews, the platforms displayed them on the big screens at their respective venues, creating a sense of live competition.

Originally, Director Zhang hadn’t intended to compete with "One Third of a Comedy" since suspense dramas aren’t inherently as popular with the masses compared to comedies.

But the event organizers and broadcast platforms didn’t care about that—they were sharks feasting on hot topics and traffic, who would ferociously attack upon smelling blood.

During the audience Q&A session, many questions were blatantly provocative, such as directly asking Xu Zhen if he was confident about winning Movie Emperor this year, or asking Bai Xian if he intended to end his run after five years.

The two event venues weren’t far apart, and the big screens were showing live feeds of Bai Xian and Xu Zhen. Many passersby stopped to watch, not to mention the online viewers who came specifically for the spectacle.

Fortunately, both Bai Xian and Xu Zhen were seasoned players who responded flawlessly, with Bai Xian using self-deprecation and humor to defuse the situation, while Xu Zhen openly praised Bai Xian.

What people thought in secret, no one knew, but on the surface, they surely had to be amiable and courteous.

The interview continued to progress, with the host picking up the pace. When she reached Bai Cha during the interview at "A Third of a Comedy," she also happened to be right beside Han Fei.

"Han Fei, I heard you’ve received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor and Outstanding Young Actor this time. Getting two nominations for your first off-line movie appearance, you have set a record for young actors." Hosts at both venues were fanning the flames, here praising Han Fei as the most excellent young actor, there saying that Bai Cha was unequivocally the most outstanding youth.

The host kept lauding them, but Han Fei’s and Bai Cha’s reactions were completely different.

Han Fei didn’t take the host’s words to heart at all. Seeing that the host was wearing a headset and would pause before speaking, he immediately understood there was someone backstage instructing her to say these things.

With a professional smile on his face, Han Fei frankly admitted some of his shortcomings, such as having few works, being young, and having much to learn, among other things.

On the other hand, Bai Cha seemed clearly a bit carried away. It appeared he knew some insider information and was fully confident about being considered an outstanding young actor.

The host kept on praising him, and gradually he went along with the host’s words, only occasionally feigning humility, saying he still had room for improvement.

Perhaps the platform felt this wasn’t sensational enough, so to attract more heat, they selected some sharp questions from the live broadcast’s comments.

Han Fei was indifferent. From "Twin Flowers" to the present, the slander had never stopped. Earlier, when he opposed the entertainment company, he even faced deliberate targeting.

Without a company’s protection and no one to pay for managing his public comments, he had relied entirely on himself to get where he was.

Bai Cha’s situation was entirely different. He was a young actor vigorously promoted by Deep Space Entertainment, with hardly any derogatory comments about him seen online, and praises about him were everywhere.

His big company sheltered him from the storm; all he needed to do was act well and earn money for the company.

This caused his mentality to be less stable than Han Fei’s. Among the selected comments, many questioned his acting skills, with some even directly comparing him to Han Fei, feeling that Han Fei’s performance in "Twin Flowers" completely outshined his.

In public, Bai Cha didn’t dare get angry, patiently replying that every person has suitable roles and styles, and one shouldn’t generalize things.

He couldn’t possibly admit that his acting was inferior to Han Fei’s. Backed up by Deep Space Entertainment, Bai Cha actually didn’t think much of his peers, the other young actors.

The live event went on for a long time, and someone even singled out Bai Cha and Han Fei for a betting pool to guess who would be this year’s Outstanding Young Actor.

Bai Cha’s fans were mostly fans of his looks, while Han Fei’s fandom had a bit of everything: fans of looks, acting, detectives, security guards.

At first, the two sides were having a rational discussion, but somehow the conversation turned into an argument.

By the time the night’s live event ended, the internet was in an uproar, with neither side willing to concede; they decided to wait for the box office results of "The Mystery Novelist" and "A Third of a Comedy," as well as the two young actors’ actual performances in the movies, to determine the outcome.

After midnight tonight, both films would premiere simultaneously, and now it wasn’t just the two crews that were paying attention; a large number of netizens online were also watching for the final result.

No one could judge the movies without seeing them; true acting skills would be spoken for by facts.

After the event, Director Zhang called all the actors together. It was a rare gathering, and he planned to book a hall for them to wait for the premiere together in the evening.

This movie was extremely important for them; it might change many people’s destinies. Bai Xian wanted to shoot for the Movie Emperor title, Director Zhang wanted to prove himself again, the entertainment companies behind the films were anxious to recoup their investment, and the other actors also wanted to use this highly anticipated mystery film to boost their fame.

Among everyone, Han Fei seemed the least tense. After dinner, he was ready to head home, with no desire to read the online quarrels or Bai Cha’s subsequent statement.

For him, in this world, nothing was more important than playing video games.