Chapter 083: Winning the Award

Not only was the awards ceremony’s organizing committee stunned, but even the other reporters nearly exploded on the spot at Jin Yuchan’s unexpected arrival. All sense of decorum vanished; they could only raise their cameras and snap photos incessantly, terrified of missing a single shot. The images were quickly sent back to their newsrooms.

Everyone wanted to seize this opportunity—to be the first to break the news. This was a walking headline, an endless stream of traffic. If they could grasp this chance, attracting readers would be effortless.

Within three minutes of Jin Yuchan’s appearance, the internet was flooded with reports about his presence at the Golden Dog TV Festival. Netizens everywhere wore expressions of disbelief: Is it really the Jin Yuchan I know?

Upon receiving confirmation, their reactions were surprisingly unanimous—

Nonsense! It must be fake news!

Yet curiosity is a universal trait. To verify the truth, many clicked into the festival’s live broadcast page—

What if it’s real?

Many harbored this thought, especially the “wife fans,” those devoted admirers who rarely glimpsed Jin Yuchan in public.

Then, everyone was proven wrong: Damn it, please tell me that handsome man sitting in the guest’s seat isn’t my husband!

Fans spread the word, netizens passed it on, and within five minutes, the broadcast page reached a viewing frenzy: the red carpet segment, normally ignored, suddenly drew unprecedented attention.

When the audience soared into the tens of millions, the organizers finally had to stop the onsite camera operators from repeatedly directing their lenses toward Jin Yuchan—

If they didn’t intervene, the website would crash! They had never imagined an awards broadcast would attract this many viewers; the site’s capacity was capped at fifty million.

Yet, as the news of Jin Yuchan’s attendance spread, the numbers continued to climb.

Missing the red carpet felt like missing the entire world—

This topic began trending online just as the red carpet was nearly finished.

Previously, Jin Yuchan only appeared at contract signings with other companies or formal occasions. Cameras at those events lacked any “beauty filters.”

So when fans discovered Jin Yuchan looked even more handsome today than ever before, they were ecstatic.

“My husband is just that handsome! Handsome beyond compare!”

“I’ve always said these fresh-faced idols in the entertainment industry can’t compete with my husband, but some fans dared to argue with me—now, who would even try? Look at this stunning beauty caught on camera!”

“He’s richer and taller than you, and now he’s even more handsome! Celebrities, how do you still have the nerve to call yourselves idols?”

“Haha, so the cameras in the entertainment industry really do add effects. How could any star possibly outshine my husband?”

...

Overwhelmed by Jin Yuchan’s soaring charisma, he and Song Wan sat upright in the guest seats, hardly interacting. Few paid any attention to Song Wan.

Even the haters who previously targeted Song Wan because of Jin Yuchan had no time to focus on her, a minor celebrity.

This was likely the least noticeable protagonist in the history of awards ceremonies.

Yet even she wasn’t the most unfortunate. Thanks to Jin Yuchan, Song Wan kept appearing in the live broadcast shots. The truly unlucky ones were those entertainment industry stars who should have been tonight’s biggest winners—

To highlight their status, the organizers had placed them far behind.

But with Jin Yuchan’s arrival, no one cared who else was coming out!

Among them, Zhou Fan—who declined Song Wan’s invitation and instead partnered with his company’s leading lady—was the most furious. He thought even if he wasn’t the biggest highlight tonight, he’d at least earn a prominent spot in entertainment news. Reality quickly taught him otherwise.

Zhou Fan himself wasn’t too bothered; during “Immortal in the Clouds,” he barely had a presence. If not for the drama “Happy Family” where Zhao Meng and Chen Yi’s antics angered the host, he’d still be relatively unknown.

He owed the most gratitude to Song Wan.

Previously, his agent had accepted the leading lady’s invitation without his consent; he disagreed, but given her status and the calls already made, he had no choice but to accept the outcome.

Now, losing this exposure, he was disappointed but able to adjust his mindset.

But the leading lady beside him, Li Ke, who had schemed for a “big headline,” had her smile freeze on her face, her eyes burning with undisguised resentment toward Song Wan—the instigator of tonight’s chaos.

If Song Wan hadn’t shamelessly invited Jin Yuchan, how could Li Ke have missed even the chance for a “near fall, rescued by a young idol” headline?

Fortunately, Zhou Fan was unaware of her thoughts; otherwise, he would never have agreed to walk the red carpet with her.

Now, Zhou Fan worried that others might discover the reason for tonight’s events—that he had refused Song Wan’s invitation.

The awards ceremony began, but no one could focus on the once thrilling presentations. Instead, all eyes, intentionally or not, drifted toward Jin Yuchan.

Jin Yuchan was endlessly annoyed, but to Song Wan’s surprise, he didn’t display any overt impatience.

He had every right to be capricious, but he endured.

Song Wan couldn’t quite distinguish the emotions tangled within her, but she seized the blind spot of the crowd’s attention and hooked her pinky around Jin Yuchan’s.

He didn’t move, but a fleeting smile tugged at his lips—gone in a heartbeat, yet Song Wan caught it.

This made Song Wan sigh; she felt she owed him so much.

As expected, the outcome was no surprise to Song Wan and the others. Though her performance in “Immortal in the Clouds” was praised by all, her newcomer status limited her chances of winning the major award.

The only consolation was that the Newcomer Award ultimately went to Song Wan.

But even that brought no joy—

The previous year had been a quiet one, with only a handful of artists rising to fame across all films and variety shows. Aside from Song Wan, the others were fleeting stars who quickly vanished from the public eye.

It could be said that, besides Song Wan, there was simply no one else to present the Golden Dog TV Festival’s Newcomer Award to.

However, once the ceremony ended, Song Wan’s “vanished” status rapidly improved. The media seemed to suddenly realize that the woman standing beside Jin Yuchan was Song Wan, and quickly began publishing articles linking the two together.

“Perfect pair,” “golden boy and jade girl,” “a match made in heaven”—every compliment imaginable appeared.

Wasn’t it obvious? The ever-aloof Mr. Jin had come to the TV festival awards just for Song Wan. If they spoke carelessly, who knew if Mr. Jin might send them a lawyer’s letter?

Only Jin Yuchan’s “wife fans” might be incensed by these articles—but what did that matter? The media was simply stating the facts.

Having detonated a bomb in the entertainment world, Song Wan and Jin Yuchan now sat face-to-face in their car.

“I’m your wife; what’s wrong with living at your house?” Song Wan stared wide-eyed at Jin Yuchan, incredulous.

Just moments ago, Jin Yuchan had told the driver to take her back to the company apartment and then him to the villa.

Excuse me, weren’t they married?

He was the one who had proposed, even resorting to some tricks, yet now he was avoiding her? What was going on?

Jin Yuchan’s gaze wandered, as if thinking of something. “I still have unfinished work.”

“I’ll wait for you at the company,” Song Wan replied, her gaze unwavering and aggressive.

Song Wan’s beauty was dazzling and forceful; now, to make Jin Yuchan nervous, she leaned right up to his face, their noses almost touching.

Jin Yuchan’s nostrils twitched, feeling inexplicably itchy...

He quickly pushed her aside. “We haven’t held a wedding yet; we’re not truly married.”

“What kind of bizarre law is that? Why haven’t I heard of it?”

Seeing Jin Yuchan resort to nonsense to avoid the awkwardness of sharing a space with her, Song Wan was exasperated...

Yet, deep down, she found it amusing.

“Jin Yuchan, tell me honestly—did you propose just to make me your shield?”

Jin Yuchan hesitated, then shook his head. “I’m not that bored.”

To marry just for a shield, casually finding someone and registering—that was the most idiotic plot imaginable. He would never do such a thing.

“Then why don’t you want to live with me? Isn’t it normal for spouses to share a house, a room, even a bed?” Song Wan looked at him intently. “If you’re unwilling, do you think I’ll devour you?”

Normally, it should be the weaker party worrying, right? Not to mention, their physical strength wasn’t even comparable.

Even if her actions had startled Jin Yuchan when they first met, so much time had passed—was his psychological trauma still lingering? Did she really look like a ravenous seductress, ready to pounce on any man?

If Jin Yuchan knew her doubts, he’d say without hesitation: You’re not like a seductress—you ARE one!

But he didn’t know, so he turned away from her fiery gaze. “The company just took on a major project. I don’t have extra energy for anything else.”

Song Wan: “…We’d just be in the same house; we wouldn’t even share a bed. What else are you worried about?”

Why did his words sound as if he feared she’d cling to him for something indecent?

Was she really that shameless?