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"The 32nd Golden Laurel Awards came to an end last night after a fierce competition, and Tang Ruoyao won 'Best Actress' for her performance in 'Wild Duck's Homecoming.'"
"This year's Golden Laurel Awards... 'Little Qin Yinong' Tang Ruoyao won the award! It was well deserved!"
"The youngest actress of the Golden Laurel: Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao have several similarities!"
"A look back at the classics: Qin Yinong's Golden Laurel Award-winning moments, and whether her successor, 'Little Qin Yinong' Tang Ruoyao, can follow in her footsteps?"
......
Tang Ruoyao sat in the back seat of the car, holding a tablet in one hand, tapping her knee with the index finger of the other. Her eyelids drooped slightly, reading the news one by one, and seeing the headlines with her and Qin Yinong’s names together. No one noticed, but she hesitated to peel her eyes away for just a second. Her expression was indiscernible between happiness and anger.
Last night's Golden Laurel Awards ceremony came to a successful conclusion, and Tang Ruyao was awarded as “Best Actress." Her fame rose tremendously.
The internet had inexplicably seen a lot of headlines of the same sort, but no one ever linked Tang Ruoyao and Qin Yinong together before. The two of them were not even close to each other in terms of appearance, experience, or achievements.
Qin Yinong, a child of the wilderness without any professional training in acting, was discovered by talent scouts at 18 years old. Upon her first step into the acting world, she starred in several TV series that were popular from the north all the way to the south. But she had a nickname—"vase"—besides being beautiful, she was useless. Once during an interview, the reporter asked her about her aspirations, and the young Qin Yinong responded, saying she wanted to become a renowned movie star. The audience laughed at her answer.
And so she became this “vase." When she turned 21, she met another talent scout, and suddenly made rapid improvement. This was the turning point of her career—going from a mere “vase” to an actress that swept most of the awards at major ceremonies both at home and from abroad. She was only 29 years old and was already the most awarded actress in Chinese cinema to date, becoming an incomparable legend in the history of contemporary cinema.
No actress didn’t want to be as successful as Qin Yinong, but no actress wanted to have a reputation as notorious as hers—a chaotic private life, having countless lovers no matter their gender.
So many that her achievements were overlooked and people only remembered her frivolousness. Oh, and that damned face.
Long wavy hair, bright and misty eyes, and slightly-opened red lips. Qin Yinong was fully aware of her natural beauty, and her every move was full of passion.
From one look, anyone could see that this was not an innocent woman! Her sex appeal burned with lust! Her skills were all wasted with her affairs!
Her and Tang Ruoyao were two extremes at opposing ends. In the film industry, Tang Ruoyao was almost too "clean." While still studying in school, she worked with a well-known director in her first film, which was later nominated for awards. Since everything went smoothly, she had already won "Best Actress" before her graduation. There were no scandals to her name, not even small ones. With no negative press, she was a pure person that others accepted and looked up to; a clean flower atop a tall mountain.
It was said that her family background was quite privileged, but there was hardly any evidence backing that claim.
The fans of Tang Ruoyao felt that this comparison was a great shame, and fiercely attacked the writers of those articles.
”You are the one who is Qin Yinong! Your whole family is Qin Yinong! You all just follow the trends and have no thoughts of your own! Leave our Tangtang alone! Focus on filming, not dating!” (T/N: 糖糖 is not the same tang as her surname 唐. Her nickname means sugar)
”Tang Ruoyao made her acting debut while she was in school, and even then it was with a famous director! Everyone she’s worked with has been famous directors. As a newcomer in the film industry, she still needs to work hard to progress, and should not be compared to her seniors.”
Qin Yinong fans were not having it either...
”Can the smallest dandelion compare to a fully bloomed magnolia tree? How dare you say this about the most awarded actress in the history of cinema!”
”Empress Qin presented awards at the Cannes Film Festival this year, meanwhile some people are satisfied with even a small award in China!”
”Ahhhhhh the new airport picture of Empress Qin is out! Concubines (T/N: Qin Yinong’s fans) come quickly and lick her beauty, I’m dead!!!”
A shallow wave welled up in Tang Ruoyao’s calm eyes. She clicked on this netizen’s homepage, and found the recent airport photo of Qin Yinong.
She wore a bright red off-shoulder deep V-neck dress with cutouts in the waist, showing off her midriff. The white skin on her neck and chest stood out like a beautiful jade. She held a pair of oversized sunglasses and wore a charming smile that tugged at each corner of her lips. Nine squares of photos, connecting each other one by one, every gesture was that of a fiend that must have cultivated for thousands of years.
Tang Ruoyao looked at her in complete awe. Long press, and there—photo saved to her phone.
"Tangtang, it's time." The assistant reminded her. (T/N: here it's written as 唐唐, the character for her surname)
Tang Ruoyao used her thin finger to give this photo a like, put the tablet away with a calm expression, and raised her icy eyes. "Got it," she said with indifference.
She looked out the car window next to her. Both sides of the red carpet were already full of reporters carrying cameras, eagerly waiting.
The moment her figure appeared, the reporters couldn't help but immediately flash their cameras, shutters clicking intensely.
When Tang Ruoyao stepped onto the red carpet and began to walk slowly, her cool and pure aura was more shocking than her appearance. The reporters all held their breath for a moment.
Tang Ruoyao's outfit today had somewhat of a “retro style." The white knit shirt was form-fitting and sensual, but was still formal enough to wear. The clever design of the mismatched buttons added a dash of playfulness that belonged to her age, yet still brought out her aloof temperament.
She wore pointed high heels and black high-waisted wide-leg pants, though her legs underneath were slim.
Her long black hair was casually tucked behind her ear, revealing her earrings. One was a stud made of white crystal, and one was a shiny leaf shape from the new series "Cut Autumn," which had just been released at the R&D jewelry launch.
Tang Ruoyao became the representative of the top luxury jewelry brand in China at a young age, causing so many people to feel jealous. But this could serve as proof to the previous rumors about her family’s illustrious background.
Tang Ruoyao, with one hand in her trouser pocket and the other holding a delicate black purse, showed off her white skin and bright eyes. She slightly tilted her chin, maintaining a proud posture. She changed poses in front of the cameras with ease, allowing the media's shots and creating material for them to report.
In addition to Tang Ruoyao, there were other stars attending the new product launch, but no one could overshadow this young up-and-coming movie star. Wherever she stood, she shone brightly.
After the red carpet, Tang Ruoyao walked into the venue for the new product launch, followed by her assistant. This assistant had glanced at her slight frown, probably due to fatigue. She went up and said with concern: "Tangtang, the event has not started yet, do you want to take a break? I'll ask someone to arrange a lounge for you."
From the end of the award ceremony last night until now, she had only slept for two hours.
"No need," Tang Ruoyao said coolly, taking a glass of champagne from the tray in the waiter's hand. Because of exhaustion, her voice was slightly hoarse, making her usual unapproachable aura seem a little more personable.
She turned her face to look at her assistant, and suddenly the corners of her lips curved, revealing a shallow smile: "You have not been sleeping either. I do not need any assistance for now, why not rest a bit?"
Tang Ruoyao’s smile was like an eternal summer, with mountain flowers fully in bloom.
The assistant was briefly lost in her smile before whispering, "Qin-jie will skin me if she knows."
Ruan Qin was Tang Ruyao's manager.
Tang Ruoyao blinked. She was 5’7" and currently wearing heels, so she was forced to lower her head slightly in order to whisper to the assistant: "Don't worry, I won't tell her."
The assistant's focus was caught completely off guard. She looked Tang Ruoyao up and down several times and said curiously, "You're in a good mood today."
During the live broadcast last night, Tang Ruoyao did not smile the whole time while accepting her award. After coming back down to her seat, her morale was low. Today she not only laughed, but also joked with her assistant... did the sun rise out of the west this morning???
Tang Ruoyao's eyes flashed, unclear whether it was out of annoyance or shyness. Her thick eyelashes drooped, her red lips pressed against the rim of the glass, and she took a sip of champagne. Returning to her usual air of indifference, she answered, "No."
The assistant wisely said nothing more.
Tang Ruoyao was a new and rising star. She had now stepped into the center of the stage, and many people around her were watching carefully, following her every move. Partly because of her glory last night, and partly because of the mysterious background she was rumored to have, many were seeking to gain her favor.
What kind of background did she have? It was just ...
Tang Ruoyao showed a faint touch of disgust and self-deprecation in the depths of her eyes, blending into the crowd as if it were second nature. When people came forward to flatter her, she handled them all gracefully.
Once the press conference began, Tang Ruoyao came to the stage as the face of the brand to present her understanding of R&D's "heart, self, unique" brand slogan. In the midst of reporters asking her questions, one reporter looked up slyly, the corner of his mouth revealing a malicious smile. He raised his hand to ask:
"Heh. Ruoyao is very young, only 22 years old. You're the same age as Qin Yinong's when she won the Golden Laurel's 'Best Actress' Award. Some people on the Internet say that if you are Qin Yinong’s successor, your future achievements would not be less than hers. Ruoyao, what do you think?"
Tang Ruoyao glanced at the reporter, and a sudden chill suddenly rose in her calm and unwavering eyes.
The reporter shuddered, and the back of his neck felt cold. When he observed closely, it seemed that it was just his imagination. He was very dissatisfied with Tang Ruoyao's silence. He pressed in a loud voice, “What is Ruyao's impression of Qin Yinong?"
Every word fell to the ground, and the whole room clearly heard.
There was a moment of silence.
Tang Ruoyao lowered her eyes, and then raised them again. Calculating her tone, she answered carefully: "Qin Yinong is a senior I respect very much, and I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate."
The reporter tried to ask again, but was shut down by the company.
This was a new product launch, not a place for gossip.
The press conference was a complete success. Tang Ruoyao and the Vice President of R&D Jewelry caught up with each other before getting in the car to go home.
Buzz—— buzz——
Her five fingers, which were always close to the black handbag, finally felt a slight movement. Her phone vibrated twice: she received a notification.
Tang Ruoyao wiped her sweaty fingers and took the phone out from her bag. Before unlocking her device, her heart was beating uncontrollably, and she couldn't help but hold her breath.
[I’m back.]
Those two clear yet chilling words set off shock waves within Tang Ruoyao's heart.
She opened a mineral water bottle and took a few sips to calm her racing heartbeat.
The car brought Tang Ruoyao back home. When the driver opened the door to let her out of the car, all he saw was a bouquet of flowers on an empty seat. Tang Ruoyao was nowhere to be found.
Tang Ruoyao ran furiously, her high heels clacking against the tiles, matching the rhythm of her heartbeat. The elevator went up floor by floor, ding!—
She stood in front of the door to her house, trying to calm the light trembling of her fingers before opening the door.
There was no light in the living room, only moonlight spilling across the floor. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a woman in a red dress, fiery as fire.
Tang Ruoyao's back unconsciously tensed up, her thin lips mumbled: "Jiejie..."
Qin Yinong was holding a red wine glass in one hand. When she heard Tang Ruoyao, she turned her head.
Author’s Note
The author has something to say.
The daily change, update time for each night at nine o'clock, new article, need collection, comments, nutrient liquid, bully votes, are more than good buzz (* ° ▽ ° *) ╯
New story, hope you can like them as always, like this new world, also like pomegranate (*/ω＼*)
Thanks to everyone, than heart
The new story will be a great success.
No prototype, no substitution, no mention of real people!
The new world is a new world.
next chapter Translated by mooie, edited by mooie and melis.