Reborn in Stardom
She had not yet attained the honor she coveted most, when suddenly she found herself transported back twenty years. Confronted with everything she had once left behind, the pressure was overwhelming.
“The winner of the Fire Phoenix Best Actress Award at the XXXth Golden Dragon & Fire Phoenix Awards is—XXX!”
As the presenter finally drew out the name after a suspenseful pause, thunderous applause and congratulatory cheers erupted throughout the grand auditorium.
With a calm smile, Luo Xi Chu felt no particular disappointment. Perhaps she had sensed the outcome long ago, so she accepted it without regret.
She had been in the industry for twenty years, working her way up from her earliest days in the film city after graduation. She no longer wished to dwell on those years. Now, she was no longer young. This, the most prestigious and impartial film award in China, might be her last chance. If she let it slip by, she might never get another.
After so many years of hard work, countless nominations, and never once taking home the highest honor, even those with the weakest resolve would have learned composure. What’s more, she had already achieved the standing she deserved; it was only this final crown, the Best Actress award, that had eluded her.
“What the hell! XXX just played a naive girl—how did she end up as Best Actress? Have the judges all lost their minds?” fumed one fan, more agitated than Luo Xi Chu herself.
“Hah, you just don’t get it. What’s popular now are those weepy, ‘pure-hearted’ ingenues! At least XXX looks pitiful when she cries, and most of the judges are men!”
“Ugh, it’s disgusting and frustrating. The Golden Dragon & Fire Phoenix Awards claim to be the biggest and fairest, but is there some shady busines