Chapter 172: Romantic Love

Everyone in the audience fell silent until Xiao Ran returned to his seat, after which thunderous applause erupted like never before. With a little thought, people understood what Xiao Ran meant. In fact, everything has its positives and negatives, and what Xiao Ran had revealed were the scars of Hong Kong cinema.
If Xiao Ran were in his current position today and still couldn’t expose all this, it would mean destroying his own ideals. He knew this, so he had to do it—just as the joy that follows pain is the most wonderful.
Next, the award for Best Actress was presented, going to Mei Yanfang’s “Red Lipstick”. After that came the Best Director award, with Zhang Aijia and Xu Ke as guests. Xu Ke spoke bluntly: “After hearing what Xiao Ran just said, I feel ashamed. We should try to give more opportunities to newcomers; otherwise, Hong Kong cinema might face a situation with no successors in the future!”
“I agree with you, but let’s first take a look at the list of nominees for Best Director!” Zhang Aijia exuded elegance and grace—she was one of the rare talented women.
“The nominees for Best Director are: Guan Jinpeng, ‘Red Lipstick’; Du Qifeng, ‘The Story of Ah Lang’; Wang Jiawei, ‘Carmen in Mong Kok’; Xiao Ran, ‘Hidden Flowers’; Xiao Ran, ‘Espionage’…”
“This competition is extremely fierce. If I were a judge, I wouldn’t know how to choose either!” Zhang Aijia laughed and turned to Xu Ke below the stage. In fact, the hardest choices in the Golden Horse Awards history were in the fourth edition, when “Waiting for Dawn”, “Night in Shanghai”, “Provincial and Hong Kong Troops”, and “Time Flows Like Water” were the most difficult to decide between.
Seeing Xu Ke on stage, Xiao Ran found it extremely amusing. Historically, Xu Ke had been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “The Final Victory”, yet he would blush whenever others discussed his acting skills, despite having acted in many films.
“Let’s see who will win this award!” Xiao Ran said, then laughed humorously, “But before that, I really want to say that there are some truly outstanding new directors this time!”
“Stop talking! Everyone below is getting impatient!” Zhang Aijia glanced at the audience and deliberately said to Xu Ke, “It’s time to announce the winner. The Best Director is… Xiao Ran, for ‘Hidden Flowers’!”
If he could, he would surely jump up and shout to express his excitement—finally winning that damn award. This time, there were no surprises. After receiving congratulations from others once again, Xiao Ran suppressed his joy as he stepped onto the stage. Xu Ke handed him the trophy. “It’s amazing. In just a few years, you’ve achieved so much. I even feel old!”
Xiao Ran chuckled, took the trophy, stepped back onto the stage, and spoke into the microphone in a cheerful tone, “The speech just now was quite dull. Now I’d like to bring some joy. I’m truly honored to receive this award. For me personally, it’s definitely an affirmation.”

“Sometimes I wonder what exactly a director’s responsibilities are,” Xiao Ran said with a cheerful smile, gazing quietly at everyone in the audience. “I think a good director is responsible for themselves, for the audience, and for the boss! Of course, I only need to be responsible for myself and the audience! I guess maybe it’s not just directors who need to do this.”
There was a brief silence in the audience before bursts of laughter erupted—Xiao Ran was joking about his own identity. After all, he was the owner of the film company, so he certainly only needed to be responsible for the audience and himself!
But really, did no one understand the words Du Zifeng had delivered at the 23rd Golden Horse Awards, which Xiao Ran was deliberately bringing up? Yes, some did. Many in the audience were deep in thought, and the journalists, with their keen sensitivity, quickly grasped the deeper meaning of those words—being responsible for oneself, for the audience, and for the boss—these three phrases encompassed the responsibilities of every film professional.
Amidst thunderous applause, Xiao Ran turned to leave. Glancing at Lin Qingxia’s thoughtful expression, he suddenly had a wildly absurd yet utterly shocking idea. In an instant, he decided to act on it.
He turned back to the stage. The applause in the audience gradually faded. No one knew what Xiao Ran intended to do; everyone was astonished. Xiao Ran stood calmly on stage for three full seconds without speaking, his gaze fixed on Lin Qingxia’s face. The journalists were extremely excited; they sensed that something significant was about to happen and quickly prepared their equipment.
“I’d like to take this opportunity, standing in this honored position, to announce something!” After saying a few words in a solemn tone, Xiao Ran became incredibly excited, his heart pounding wildly. He thought this might be the most risky and courageous thing he had ever done in his life.
As everyone was stunned, Xiao Ran mustered all his courage and suddenly shouted at Lin Qingxia, “Qingxia, I love you. Will you marry me?”
The entire audience was in an uproar. Lin Qingxia’s heart seemed to stop beating for a moment; the deafening noise in the room seemed to vanish. All she could hear was Xiao Ran’s words: “I love you. Will you marry me?”
For Wei Dongling, this wasn’t surprising, though he was indeed taken aback for a moment. He thought that if Xiao Ran didn’t do something extraordinary, it wouldn’t be like him. It was indeed a new insight—Xiao Ran didn’t even realize he longed for something different.
For Zhong Chuhong, though she felt a hint of bitterness, she immediately began to feel happy for her friend. Fa Ge was even more excited, his face turning red—he had been expecting Xiao Ran to do this all along. He never expected Xiao Ran to choose such an absurd moment, but now it didn’t seem so bad.
Yang Qi admired Xiao Ran greatly. At that moment, he knew his sister truly wasn’t worthy of him. He knew that only Lin Qingxia and Xiao Ran could be the perfect couple in the world. Although he had long forgiven Xiao Ran, he still regretted that Xiao Ran hadn’t chosen Yang Wei. But now, he was completely at peace.

Cheng Long’s emotions were extremely complex at the moment. Strictly speaking, he had no ulterior motives toward Lin Qingxia; it was Xiao Ran who had been misled by later gossipers. Cheng Long merely wanted to protect Lin Qingxia out of respect for his elder brother, Qin Xianglin, who, in his eyes, was the only one worthy of her. But now he realized he was wrong—Qin Xianglin couldn’t do what Xiao Ran was doing, nor could he even imagine it.

The venue was not only filled with people from the entertainment industry but also ordinary citizens, with live television broadcasts as well. Those who witnessed this scene admired Xiao Ran for coming up with such a sensational and daring proposal method, while the women found it incredibly romantic.

At that moment, those who had initially opposed Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia’s relationship hesitated. They no longer doubted Xiao Ran’s love for her. But could ethics and morals truly stop a love story? No one could—especially not someone like Xiao Ran, who already had such high status and position.

Suddenly, the whole world understood that Xiao Ran was Lin Qingxia’s perfect match. A wealthy, talented, and handsome man was undoubtedly far superior to the two men who had previously hurt her heart. No woman could refuse such a romantic man.

Lin Qingxia remained seated, motionless, as tears streamed down her face. She knew happiness was right beside her, but she never expected it to come so suddenly and in such an unconventional way. And here, she finally heard those words Xiao Ran had never spoken before—words every woman would love to hear.

“Although this isn’t a church, I hope everyone here and those watching on TV can witness our love!” Seeing the tears of happiness in Lin Qingxia’s eyes, Xiao Ran almost cried too, overwhelmed by joy. “I can’t promise anything else, but if I live to be eighty, I can assure you that for the remaining 20,000 days of my life, I will belong only to you. And you will be the only one in those 20,000 days!”

Touched! What else could there be but touch? Xiao Ran’s sincere confession could move any woman in the world. No one doubted his feelings for Lin Qingxia anymore.

“Say yes! Say yes! Go up there! Go up there…” What started as soft voices quickly grew into a force that seemed to lift the roof. Everyone was excited to witness this unique proposal.

Viewers watching live on TV felt as if they were there, deeply captivated by this love story, and started shouting, “Say yes! Go up there!”

Blushing, Lin Qingxia stood up at the urging of the crowd, though the tears in her eyes still clearly showed her excitement and happiness. Countless cameras followed her closely, trying to capture every subtle expression.

Amidst the loud cheers, Lin Qingxia stepped forward, her light footsteps making her look like a shy bride, beautiful and enchanting. Finally reaching the stage, Xiao Ran was as happy as a child. He walked up to Lin Qingxia, and the two hosts quickly placed microphones in their mouths.

Xiao Ran stared intently at Lin Qingxia, as if that would allow him to possess her. Suddenly, he pointed in Wei Dongling’s direction, knelt down, and said in a calm yet emotional tone, “Qingxia, there’s no ring, but I have two trophies. These are the most important honors I’ve ever received in my life. I hope you’ll accept them and keep them from now on.”

“I…” Lin Qingxia was completely conquered by Xiao Ran’s bold, absurd, yet extremely romantic gesture. Not only her, but every audience member was also captivated by him. She silently looked at him and nodded without taking her eyes off him.

“Great!” Seeing Lin Qingxia nod silently, Xiao Ran immediately sprang up like a spring. He went over to her, gently hugged her, and then they both turned to look at the audience. Xiao Ran glanced firmly and sincerely at the crowd, “No one can stop the story between me and Qingxia, nor can they stop our relationship from continuing! Thank you all for tolerating my nonsense!”

Applause erupted like thunder. Everyone admired Xiao Ran greatly, and their goodwill toward him grew even more. Of course, Xiao Ran never imagined that his impulsive act would bring so many benefits later on—it significantly reduced the time needed to launch the “Mystery Shadow” brand, and even made it easier to dominate Southeast Asia as a result.

Returning to their seats, Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia exchanged a smile. Actually, Xiao Ran hadn’t planned to do this; it just occurred to him in that moment. He quickly realized that doing so would likely dispel many people’s objections to their relationship. And indeed, that was the case, though he hadn’t expected even more benefits.

“You two must not be seeing anyone else!” After seeing Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia return to their seats with only happy smiles on their faces, Brother Fa couldn’t help but tease them, “Don’t forget, this isn’t a wedding yet. The awards ceremony must continue. You should go backstage!”

Indeed, Chen Xinjian and Feifei on stage were also deeply moved. Feifei wiped away her tears straightforwardly and said, “This is all so romantically perfect! No woman could refuse!”

“Yes, but it’s a happy occasion after all. It’s an honor for the Golden Statue Awards to help a couple in true love. Especially under such difficult circumstances, their ability to stay together is truly precious!” Chen Xinjian was filled with emotion. “Anyway, after witnessing this love between Xiao and Lin, let’s get back to our awards ceremony! The next award to be presented is Best Actor. Please welcome the guest!”

Xiao Ran and Ye Tong walked down the steps hand in hand, their movements gentlemanly and stylish. As soon as they stopped, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but mock himself, “A Tong, do you know? I’m actually a very shy person. After what just happened, if it weren’t for the tight schedule, I would have wanted someone else to present this award to me!”
The audience appreciated Xiao Ran’s lighthearted joke and burst into soft laughter. Ye Tong, without any restraint, let out a delicate, bell-like laugh: “No way! I think you’re very brave. If Qingxia hadn’t stepped forward, I probably would have rushed over to accept it right away!”
The audience laughed even harder—this joke was clearly very amusing. Xiao Ran shook his head helplessly. “Alright, if we keep talking about this, I’ll be too embarrassed. A Tong, you’re the best actress. Tell me, what do you think it takes to perform well in a movie?”
“You’re the director and have also acted, so this question should be asked of you!” Ye Tong smiled, looking very happy. “I rely on immersing myself in the role—only by doing that can I perform well. That’s my belief! What about you?”
Xiao Ran nodded and smiled at the audience. “No wonder you became the best actress. I haven’t even won Best Newcomer. But then again, from a director’s perspective, I think actors can be divided into two types: those who are controllable and those who aren’t.”
“Then which category do you think these actors belong to? Look at the nomination list!” Ye Tong and Xiao Ran turned to look at the big screen at the same time.
A deep-voiced narrator read, “Nominees for Best Actor at the 8th Hong Kong Film Awards are: Chow Yun-Fat, ‘The Story of Ah Lang’; Lau Wah, ‘Carmen in Mong Kok’; Hung Kam-Po, ‘Seven Little Fortunes’; Chow Yun-Fat, ‘Dark Flowers’; Su Yan-Yiu, ‘Dark Flowers’; Chow Yun-Fat, ‘Spy Change’…”
“Chow Yun-Fat, oh Chow Yun-Fat! Whether he can be elevated to a legend in Hong Kong cinema depends on what happens now!” Xiao Ran thought to himself, praying. Anyway, he hoped Chow Yun-Fat could achieve three consecutive wins like him—only he deserved such a title.
Chow Yun-Fat backstage was extremely nervous. A title as glorious as three consecutive wins was something anyone would desire. By achieving this, he wouldn’t even need a Lifetime Achievement Award to prove his talent.
“It’s that amazing Chow Yun-Fat again. His acting skills are truly admirable—no wonder he’s the top star in Hong Kong cinema right now!” Ye Tong wasn’t worried that praising Chow Yun-Fat like this might offend others. Even without mentioning his consecutive acting awards, just his $4 million net worth made him undoubtedly the number one. “Director Xiao, you’ve worked with all three of them. What do you think of them?”
“That depends on the perspective!” Xiao Ran chuckled and gestured. “I haven’t worked with Hung Kam-Po specifically, but his excellent acting skills are well-known.”

“Liu Hua is still young. I think he needs to keep working on his acting skills—that’s the real way to improve himself!” Xiao Ran’s eyes sparkled as he thought it would be good to give Liu Hua a reminder at this moment: “Su Renyao is an actor who’s easy to control; he’ll deliver the performance you want. The problem is he lacks experience. As for Brother Fa…”
“There’s no need to mention Brother Fa!” Ye Tong interjected with a smile. “Who doesn’t know that you two are the best partners? Whenever you work together, the box office results are incredibly impressive!”
Xiao Ran chuckled. He felt honored to be able to replace Wu Yusen as Brother Fa’s best partner. “Let’s see who will win this award now. Well, the Best Actor is… is…”