“How is the wound?”
“It's fine, almost fully healed.”
“I'm keeping an eye on him,” Jiang Kaiwen chimed in.
Han Song smiled. “Then I can rest easy. I've heard all about what this guy of yours is like on set, and I've even seen it with my own eyes.”
Jiang Yue looked at him. “You certainly didn't miss a single chance to watch the drama when you were on 《The Hidden Sentry》 set.”
“I call that reasonable supervision.”
After speaking, Han Song lowered his voice. “Old Chen is over there doing an interview. He was just asking about you. He said if you pull off this look today, you'll definitely be all over the fashion pages tomorrow.”
Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow slightly. “Brother Chen actually follows that kind of stuff?”
“Of course he doesn't, I told him.”
Han Song said righteously, “Su Binxuan and Chen Yunjie have already gone inside. Those two rookies were incredibly nervous. They were just asking me which camera they should look at on the red carpet.”
Jiang Yue smiled and asked, “You didn't tell them?”
“I told them to look at the camera closest to them.”
Han Song paused and winked at him. “As for you, Zhou Jinnan even made the filming location's long street go viral. If the platform doesn't reserve an award for you tonight, the audience will be the first to riot.”
Standing nearby, Jiang Kaiwen almost blurted out, “How did you know?”
Jiang Yue smiled calmly, showing no signs of excitement. “The awards haven't been announced yet. I wouldn't dare issue a notice on the platform's behalf.”
Han Song's smile widened. “Alright, you really are the calmest one. I'll go finish up my interview first. See you inside. I just got my schedule, and our seats are right next to each other.”
“Sure.”
After Han Song left, Jiang Kaiwen looked down at the schedule he had marked in advance and lowered his voice. “Tonight's drama actor awards are roughly divided into a few tiers. The first tier is for rookies and promising talent—awards like New Face of the Year and Promising Drama Actor of the Year, which mostly go to rising young actors who have just made a breakthrough. The second tier is the rising breakthrough tier, including Breakthrough Drama Actor of the Year, Drama Character of the Year, and Quality Drama Actor of the Year. For these, they look at both the work itself and whether the character truly went viral.”
Jiang Yue glanced at the schedule. “What about Drama Character of the Year?”
“It recognizes a single character,” Jiang Kaiwen said.
“Regardless of whether they're a lead or a supporting role, the focus is on whether the character resonated deeply with the audience.”
“Further up are the professional awards focusing on quality, reputation, and sheer acting caliber. The final tier consists of the main-event awards for top-tier stars: Influential Drama Actor of the Year, Television Actor of the Year, Starlight Actor of the Year, and Penguin Video's Outstanding Contribution Artist of the Year.”
Jiang Yue didn't say anything.
Jiang Kaiwen continued, “The Outstanding Contribution Artist of the Year is a legendary award. It's only given to strategic partners who have deeply collaborated with the platform for years and have multiple massive hits under their belt. That's not something we should be thinking about right now.”
Just then, a staff member held up a cue card.
“Teacher Jiang, please get ready.”
In front of the red carpet entrance, the floor manager raised a hand to signal the entourage to stop. Staff and management teams had to take the side backstage passage.
Jiang Kaiwen couldn't go any further. He slipped the schedule into his pocket, quickly checked his cue card one last time, and whispered a reminder, “Be careful during the interview.”
Jiang Yue nodded and adjusted his suit.
The midnight blue velvet cast a deep sheen under the lights of the waiting area, looking like a patch of deep ocean water submerged under the glow.
As he squared his shoulders, his aura became calm and sharp, carrying an understated edge.
Jiang Kaiwen gestured toward the side door. “I'll wait for you in the backstage lounge. I'll keep an eye on your phone and the seating chart.”
Jiang Yue gave a soft grunt of assent and walked toward the red carpet entrance alone.
The moment he stepped out, deafening cheers and the rapid click of camera shutters washed over him.
The livestream camera captured his figure with pinpoint accuracy, and bullet comments instantly flooded the screen.
【Ahhh, Jiang Yue is here!】
【This blue velvet suit is an absolute stroke of genius!】
【His shoulder and back lines are incredible! How is his walk so steady?!】
【His left hand movements look completely fine. I hope his injury is fully healed!】
The flashes on both sides lit up the space like blinding daylight.
In the media area, photographers were still adjusting their shots of the previous artist, but the moment Jiang Yue stepped into the main spotlight, rows of telephoto lenses rose almost simultaneously.
Someone whispered, “This outfit is stunning.” The next second, the sound of shutters clicked as rapidly as falling rain.
Jiang Yue didn't walk too fast.
His steps were steady and his posture relaxed. The velvet fabric shimmered subtly with his movements. The silver embroidery along the edge of his peak lapels was understated, yet it highlighted his neck and jawline with sharp clarity.
The host's voice was completely drowned out by the roaring cheers.
In the fan zone, light-up signs merged into a sea of color, and the screams rose wave after wave.
“Jiang Yue! Look over here!”
“Teacher Jiang! To your left!”
Photographers in the media area kept shouting for his attention.
Jiang Yue stopped in front of the signature wall. He first nodded slightly toward the camera zone on his left, then turned to face the main center camera, standing naturally without any forced posing.
He took the marker handed to him by the hostess and signed his name in a fluid, sweeping script.
Jiang Yue.
The two characters were sharp and clean.
After signing, he walked to the designated photo-op area.
The lead photographer shouted almost instantly, “Teacher Jiang, pause facing forward!”
Jiang Yue did as requested. He stood facing the main camera, turning slightly as his right hand casually rose to adjust his cuff.
This movement protected the wound on his left arm while perfectly bringing both his cufflink and obsidian brooch into the camera's frame.
The obsidian brooch gleamed with a cold luster under the lights.
He shifted his angle slightly, lowering his shoulders as his gaze fell gently from just above the lens.
At that moment, the livestream felt as though it had cut from a chaotic red carpet to a cinematic close-up. The clamor remained, but his presence completely anchored the frame.
The bullet comments exploded.
【Oh my god, that look up!】
【Photographers, snap faster! If we don't get a high-quality photo of this, I'm going to riot!】
【Lamerd struck gold. This is exactly the kind of face and aura a spokesperson should have.】
【He really knows how to work the camera. He doesn't look greasy or stiff at all. Every single frame is screenshot-worthy.】
People in the media area whispered among themselves.
“Is that a new Lamerd piece?”
“Doesn't look like it. It's probably an unreleased sample, or maybe haute couture.”
“That suit is hard to pull off. Anyone with narrower shoulders wouldn't be able to fill it out.”
“Looks like Lamerd has something big planned for today.”
Jiang Yue didn't linger too long in front of the cameras. Each turn, pause, and glance during the photo-op was clean and precise, giving the media plenty of perfect shots to work with.
Afterward, he walked toward the group interview area.
The host walked up to greet him, cue cards in hand.
“Jiang Yue, welcome to the gala. Your look today is absolutely stunning. Could you share some details about it with us?”
“First, I'd like to thank the team at Lamerd. This suit fits perfectly. Wearing it makes me feel naturally upright and poised.”
“And what are you looking forward to most tonight?”
“I'm looking forward to seeing some friends I haven't met in a while.”
“《The Hidden Sentry》 has maintained incredibly high popularity on Penguin Video, and your character, Zhou Jinnan, has received a lot of love from the audience. What do you think is his most touching quality?”
Jiang Yue thought for a moment.
“He did many things that could never be spoken aloud, and he silently bore many misunderstandings that could never be explained. For an actor, having the audience understand and empathize with him through the screen is an incredibly fortunate thing.”
Once his ninety seconds of interview time were up, a staff member immediately signaled them.
Jiang Yue nodded politely and concluded the interview.
Instead of heading straight into the main hall, he was guided back to the backstage lounge by a staff member through a side door.
Rate on N.U.
