When the Villainess Transmigrates as the Heroine of a Sadistic Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Entertainment Industry Arc

“Distinguished leaders, guests, and friends! To our viewers watching at home, you are tuned into the 27th Golden Hibiscus Awards ceremony of the Chinese Film Festival. Let’s head live to the red carpet!”

“Now approaching us is the cast and crew of Drunken Jianghu. Drunken Jianghu is one of the biggest favorites tonight, with six major nominations. Walking in the center is…” The host in the red dress paused, checking her script before continuing, “Ding Xiaoyao, nominated for two awards: Best Newcomer and Best Actress.” Seeing the group arrive, the host asked, “Xiaoyao, is this your first time at the film festival?”

“Yes,” Ding Xiaoyao replied with a shy smile. Her mind flashed back to Yin Ziming’s anxious search for Ning Yunqing this morning. Her heart felt stifled and her focus began to drift. Hearing the host ask, “Are you confident about competing against Ning Yunqing for the award?” she tilted her chin and said with absolute certainty, “Of course. Ning Yunqing isn’t even a trained professional.”

The host was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her smile. “Well then, I wish you luck in bringing home the trophy.”

“Thank you,” Ding Xiaoyao said, walking away with her head held high. Before she even reached the entrance, she heard a wave of screaming behind her—shouts many times louder than those for her own arrival. Was a popular young idol arriving? She glanced back, and her calm heart boiled again. The people behind her weren’t some “Little Fresh Meat” idols; it was that fraud, Ning Yunqing!

“Congratulations, Director Yin. Morning Dew has garnered eight nominations this time,” the host complimented. Yin Fengxuan glanced at Ning Yunqing, who looked ethereal in her flowing white gown, and smiled slightly. “I have my leading lady to thank for that. Because of her, we have one more nomination than last year.”

The host skillfully shifted the topic to Ning Yunqing. “The woman of the hour, the genius of Tsinghua-Peking—Yunqing, as a newcomer, your performance has been outstanding. You’re nominated for both Best Actress and Best Newcomer. Do you want to take the trophies home?”

“Do you want the honest answer?” Ning Yunqing chuckled. “Of course I do. After all, an actress who doesn’t want to be a Best Actress isn’t a good actor.”

The host laughed along. “True, but lately the rumor is that an actor who doesn’t want to be a scientist isn’t a good actor.” This was a reference to Ning Yunqing’s recent research passing its patent application; she was now officially a scientific researcher. Ning Yunqing remained modest, exchanged a few pleasantries, and entered the venue with the host’s blessings.

The interior of the Golden Hibiscus Awards was a grand theater. As the favorites of the night, the crews of Drunken Jianghu and Morning Dew were seated in the same row. When Ning Yunqing’s group arrived, the Drunken Jianghu crew was already seated. Yin Ziming, who originally wasn’t supposed to attend the gala, sat in the seat closest to the Morning Dew group. Seeing Ning Yunqing, he flashed his white teeth in a greeting.

Ning Yunqing nodded, but her hand was immediately pulled by Yin Fengxuan as she was led to the seat furthest away from Yin Ziming.

“There are a lot of cameras here, so watch yourself,” Yin Fengxuan said, sitting upright and looking forward. Her voice was cold. Ning Yunqing didn’t even need to look to know her lover was jealous.

“I know.” Without moving her head, Ning Yunqing placed her hand on Yin Fengxuan’s knee. “I’ll make it up to you when we get back.”

“Mhm.” Crossing her right leg, Yin Fengxuan brushed Ning Yunqing’s hand away and let out a soft huff from her nose.

The awards ceremony proceeded as scheduled. After both films won some technical awards for costumes and props, the first climax of the night arrived.

“The nominees for the Golden Hibiscus Best Newcomer are: Ding Xiaoyao for Drunken Jianghu, Yi Fei for Celestial, Nian Daji for Mahjong, and… also for Drunken Jianghu, Ning Yunqing as Princess Lingyue.”

The big screen flashed the faces of the nominees. When it reached Ning Yunqing, the clip shown was precisely the scene where she slapped Ding Xiaoyao. Ding Xiaoyao ground her teeth; she truly couldn’t understand how a cameo role could be nominated for Best Newcomer. It was infuriating!

The camera moved from Ding Xiaoyao’s complicated expression to Ning Yunqing’s face. Ning Yunqing smiled faintly, looking tranquil and serene. By contrast, Ding Xiaoyao looked somewhat unrefined.

“The candidates are all brilliant newcomers this year. Let’s see who takes home the Best Newcomer award.” The presenter opened the envelope with an exaggeratedly wide-eyed look. She read aloud, “For the character who dared to love and hate in Drunken Jianghu—”

A radiant smile spread across Ding Xiaoyao’s face.

“—the actress who played Princess Lingyue, Ning Yunqing! Congratulations!”

Ding Xiaoyao’s smile collapsed. It was only when her manager nudged her that she hung a fake smile back on her face and clapped hypocritically. It’s just Best Newcomer, what’s the big deal? Young Master Yin bought the Best Actress award for me anyway.

Ning Yunqing went onstage to accept the award, thanked the crew, and made a special mention of Yin Fengxuan’s guidance before gracefully returning to her seat.

The ceremony continued. Best Editing went to Morning Dew, Best Supporting Actor to Drunken Jianghu. Gradually, they reached the final four: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Film.

Best Director went to Yin Fengxuan without suspense. She accepted the award with poise. When her gaze drifted to Ning Yunqing, her expression softened. “I want to thank my lead actress, Ning Yunqing, for excellently fulfilling my requirements. Thank you, everyone.”

As Yin Fengxuan returned to her seat, the Best Actor award was announced. Since both Morning Dew and Drunken Jianghu were female-centric films, the male leads weren’t prominent enough to win.

“Ah, I’m a bit nervous presenting Best Actress today.” The previous year’s Best Actor was invited to present the award. Holding the script, he smiled and said, “Competition among the leading ladies is fierce this year. We have a ‘Genius Goddess’ and a veteran ‘Empress’ who has been nominated many times. Without further ado, let’s look at the nominees.”

He didn’t even mention me? Ding Xiaoyao gnawed her teeth while staring at the screen. So what if she’s a genius goddess? She’s just here to be a background character. When the screen showed Ning Yunqing’s brilliant performance in the film, the sorrowful expression was so moving it even affected Ding Xiaoyao for a moment. Ding Xiaoyao clenched her hands, silently reminding herself to stay calm for her benefactor’s sake, otherwise, she wouldn’t look good receiving the award.

“The newcomers this year are exceptional,” the presenter praised, opening the envelope and asking the audience, “Who do you think the Best Actress should be?”

The ceremony had specially arranged for fans to attend. Hearing the question, the theater erupted with shouts: “Morning Dew! Ning Yunqing!”

Ning Yunqing smiled, neither arrogant nor humble, maintaining an elegant posture. Ding Xiaoyao’s heart trembled; she peeked at Yin Ziming, who gave her a reassuring wink. Ding Xiaoyao composed herself and clapped generously for Ning Yunqing.

“The Best Actress for this year is—”

Ding Xiaoyao stood up slightly, preparing herself. After a pause, the presenter read the name: “The chameleon beauty, the lead of Morning Dew, Ning Yunqing!”

“Congratulations.” Yin Fengxuan tilted her head and smiled at Ning Yunqing. Ning Yunqing stood up and excitedly threw herself into Yin Fengxuan’s arms, kissing her right on the lips. While the scene was a bit “fragrant,” it wasn’t considered too over the top for the entertainment industry; people simply assumed Ning Yunqing was losing her composure out of gratitude for Yin Fengxuan’s mentorship.

Ding Xiaoyao forced a smile. Since she had already half-risen, she had to clap for Ning Yunqing to reduce the embarrassment, waiting for her to come over so she could give her a “big hug” and trip her.

“Congratulations, Yunqing.” Ding Xiaoyao opened her arms. Having played a villain before, Ning Yunqing knew exactly what she was up to. She gave a polite smile and took the long way around, exiting from a different aisle.

“…” Ding Xiaoyao’s smile began to stiffen, but she continued to clap vigorously, acting as if she didn’t mind at all.

Ning Yunqing stepped onto the stage again. Though she was calm inside, she had to feign excitement. With tears glistening in her eyes, she smiled at the audience. “Thank you, everyone! I am so grateful to the committee for this award. As a newcomer, I truly didn’t expect this. Thank you to the crew, the staff, and a special thanks to my director and boss, Ms. Yin Fengxuan. She is my life mentor, my goddess of luck, and the most important person in my life.”

The audience was stunned. The speech was a bit loaded, but before they could whisper, Ning Yunqing waved her trophy and joked, “I can’t say ‘one of the most important’—Director Yin is the one who pays me, and I’m still on my ‘probation period.’ Thank you again.” She kissed the trophy and gracefully left the stage.

Before she could even get her seat warm, Ning Yunqing was pulled back up. This time, they won the highest honor for a film: Best Picture.

Yin Fengxuan led the crew onto the stage. They offered their thanks, but the audience was still buzzing from a comment made by the special guest presenter the chairman of this year’s festival committee. He had sarcastically remarked with righteous indignation: “The Golden Hibiscus Award is a reward for a filmmaker’s achievements over the year.

It is a film festival, not a business. Money can buy you a building, but it cannot buy you recognition. I hope all our filmmakers focus on their work and stay away from crooked paths.”

These words stirred a thousand waves, quickly topping news headlines. The public discussed it fervently, and combined with Ding Xiaoyao’s behavior before the awards, the topic quickly shifted to Yin Ziming trying to “buy” the Best Actress award for his new favorite. The two instantly became laughingstocks.

Yin Ziming was furious when he saw the news. He had spent the money, but but he had gained nothing! As the scandal of the “black market” awards broke, strangers mocked him and even his acquaintances began to distance themselves. The board of directors, especially Yin Fengxuan’s relatives, began to scold him.

His position as the President of Shihua Shadows was suddenly demoted to a department manager as punishment, while his “old-fashioned” half-sister, Yin Fengxuan, was pushed into the role of interim president. They must be blind!

Yin Fengxuan only knows how to make movies; the company will go bankrupt under her! And that useless Ding Xiaoyao only brings me shame. She’s truly no match for Ning Yunqing. Let her go wherever she wants! Yin Ziming suddenly realized the only one worthy of him was Ning Yunqing. He decided to continue his pursuit of her.

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