Chapter 569: Those People, Those Things, Are Not as Important as the Trophy in Hand

After leaving the event site, Xiao He had Lao Qi drive Mother Xiao back to the hotel to rest alone.

He stayed in the van with Liu Rulan, discussing the current situation.

Those smear articles really did seem intended to disgust him just before he received the award, then vanish immediately. So for now, the negative traffic against Xiao He had passed; overall public sentiment still tilted in favor of his Little Box fans. The top trending searches were mostly about Xiao He winning Best Actor.

Still, the rumor that “Xiao He bought the award” had left marks in some people’s minds, and a fresh batch of anti-fans had appeared in secret corners.

But Xiao He and his team didn’t care about those anti-fans.

Winning the award was about the result, not the process.

“No matter what, taking home the dual Best Actor awards is our ultimate goal. As long as we achieve that, negative public opinion won’t be a problem.”

Liu Rulan proactively reassured Xiao He. “You should have understood that when we decided to push for this award. Don’t worry, once this wave of heat dies down, people will only remember your achievements.”

The internet has a short memory. As long as Xiao He continues to produce excellent works, in a year or two who will still remember the current controversy?

And once the Best Actor title is secured, it will be secured.

“That’s natural. I’m not some moral paragon,” Xiao He shrugged. “If I can win, I’ll win. Acting high and mighty won’t actually shut people up.”

His Shu Yuxiu role aiming solidly for the Golden Flower Award would be difficult. Even if his acting proved his worth, the external factors alone could turn his victory into a source of controversy.

But so what?

He had the ability to win, and the confidence to prove it later.

Online insults and doubts were not that important.

“It’s just that this public opinion crisis came in a weird way,” Liu Rulan said, looking at Xiao He with a slightly grave expression. “Those who clearly knew about my moves in Beijing are most likely teams based in Beijing.”

Yet they rarely participated in events in Beijing; their main social circle was still around Director Ning, and they didn’t have conflicting interests with other Beijing companies or teams.

They say there’s no love without reason; likewise, there’s no hate without reason.

Xiao He raised an eyebrow. “Should I investigate it?”

“No need. Their investigation progress should be quick too.”

Sure enough, Liu Rulan’s phone rang the next moment.

She answered immediately.

A few minutes later she hung up and looked back at Xiao He. “It really is teams from Beijing making moves. Several groups acted at once. They probably think you’ll use Director Ning’s influence to enter their circle, so some people got anxious.”

When resources in a circle are scarce, exclusion naturally follows.

Besides, Xiao He’s achievements are indeed high now; some envy is normal.

“But I feel like most of these people are being used as pawns. No matter how anxious they are, on the surface they haven’t formed a direct conflict of interest with you yet.”

Liu Rulan sounded puzzled as she spoke.

Xiao He hadn’t barged in and stolen anyone’s resources from the start—why were they so anxious, one after another?

They could even do such disgusting things…

Xiao He frowned as he scrolled through the online comments, rubbing his brow helplessly. “Why has Mercury retrograde been visiting me lately? Always encountering crap on the internet.”

He’d just dealt with that viker earlier, and now this group from the Beijing circle. Was he destined to rack up misfortunes at year’s end to meet some quota?

Or perhaps because he’s popular now, whether hate or praise, countless eyes were fixated on him.

“Could it be something to do with Director Yang Li’s side?” Xiao He suddenly recalled Ning Jiaqi’s warning to him before he left.

“You mean Red Journey on the Snowy Ridge?” Liu Rulan narrowed her eyes. “Someone trying to snatch your role?”

Xiao He nodded. “Possible.”

“No—shouldn’t be.”

After a moment’s thought, Liu Rulan shook her head and said regretfully to Xiao He, “If people from their circle wanted to take part in Red Journey on the Snowy Ridge, it would be far easier for them than for you.”

Though the reality was a bit harsh, it was true.

If Beijing-based artists wanted to join Director Yang Li’s Red Journey on the Snowy Ridge, Xiao He wouldn’t have had a chance to pick up that opportunity on the awards night; it would already have been divided up. After all, they were in the same circle—resources and news move very fast, leaving no room for Xiao He.

Besides, the role Xiao He played in Red Journey on the Snowy Ridge was really tiny, not a top-tier resource. If they attacked him over such a role, they’d be stooping too low.

“Then there must be other reasons.”

Xiao He rubbed his chin, thinking.

“Forget it, there’s no need to rush to figure it out now.”

Liu Rulan pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of Xiao He holding the trophy, then said, “Post a Weibo to calm the fans. We can’t let those people affect our upcoming marketing plan. We worked hard to win you those dual Best Actor awards. If we don’t help you rake in a wave of traffic from this, I’ll be very upset.”

Xiao He’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t refuse. He cooperated as Liu Rulan directed various expressions and poses.

A few minutes later Xiao He posted on Weibo.

[Ling Hui Actor—Xiao He: Thank you all for accompanying me all the way. Let’s keep going in the future. [pictures]*9]

The Little Box fans who had been battling haters online suddenly found a rallying point and gathered in the comment section.

[Congratulations, Brother Xiao!]

[The youngest dual Best Actor in history! Well-deserved! Congrats to my Brother Xiao!]

[Two Best Actor awards in one year, that’s my Brother Xiao for you.]

[Haha, from now on we should call him Actor Xiao.]

[Would anyone actually call him Actor Xiao in real life? (Sincerely asking)]

[Don’t worry, the older folks already call Xiao He “Brother Xiao,” so calling him other titles seems fine too.]

[LOL, I can’t hold it together hahahah.]

While Xiao He celebrated on Weibo, Little Box fans started their own celebrations—some donated money, others offered manpower. The internet filled with joy and laughter.

At the same time, Bilibili’s Xiao Zhao the Roamer released a pre-made video to celebrate Xiao He taking home the dual Best Actor awards. The moment the video went live, it received massive likes and rocketed to the top of Bilibili’s trending list.

The video was a montage by Xiao Zhao the Roamer of all of Xiao He’s roles to date.

From the chilling first glimpse of Mu Ze, to the world-stunning Shu Yuxiu, Xiao He achieved all that in just three years.

What he left audiences with were more than a dozen unforgettable characters!

He was the spine-chilling Zhu Third Brother, the bloodstorm-bringing Shen Jue, the universally despised Meng Zetian, the mysterious Xu Ning, the ruthful Mo Tun, a handsome white-haired hacker, the White Outside Black Inside Yin Qi, the introspective multi-personality detective, the regrettable Lin Qingfeng, the righteously corrupted Song Chenye…

These roles were multifaceted and vivid. They were Xiao He, yet no longer just Xiao He.

They separated from him and gained independent souls—individuals beloved and unforgettable to countless viewers.

The montage also charted Xiao He’s rise to becoming a dual Best Actor.

In the video, viewers saw the young actor—whose acting was once a little immature—slowly grow into a richly skilled Best Actor.

At the end of the footage were clips of him repeatedly walking red carpets and ascending the stage to accept awards.

That young man, tall and handsome, lifted his gaze to the camera. Deep starlight filled his eyes, calmly reflecting the crowd below.

At that moment, it felt as though they truly had accompanied Xiao He all the way to now—

The bullet comments paused for a heartbeat, then erupted.

[Xiao He, well-deserved!!!]