257 An Eagle Falling from the Altar

The vote-counting screen lit up. They had finally reached the most important part of the Silver Eagle Festival, the actors’ awards.

The vote-counters for the favorite actor were rolling at a high speed. As time passed, the rising number on the screen slowed down.

There were lots of nominees for the award, and the voting mechanism made the competition fiercer.

Li Baotian, a frequent Silver Eagle nominee, was sure about the result.

There was only one minute left. The whole audience was focused on the countdown. As an onlooker, Qin Guan was clear about the situation.

All the nominated actors were more or less nervous. Only one was unusually calm.

The host was adding fuel to the raging fire. Suddenly, everyone stirred. During the last ten seconds, the counter for Pu Cunxin was rolling like crazy.

10,000, 20,000, 60,000 votes were pouring in in those thrilling last ten seconds.

His opponents watched the gap between them with wild eyes.

"What's happening?"

"Why?"

"I have no idea!"

Qin Guan cast a glance at Wang Jingcao. Her expression stood out among the stunned audience.

Li Bingbing whispered to him, "What’s the matter? This is strange."

Despite her rich experience in the circle, the situation had exceeded her expectations.

Not long after, she would feel grateful. "Thank god our show wasn’t nominated. Those seniors all look really shocked. This season may be an exception."

Qin Guan asked curiously, "Are there even any rules here?"

Li patted his leg and whispered, "Later! Let’s not talk about this here."

Qin Guan sat up straight. Behind them, Liu Jia was staring at Li and gritting her teeth. "The bitch is robbing the cradle!"

Her agent read her mind and poured cold water on her. "Stop it! I know what you’re thinking about!"

Liu grimaced but calmed down and listened to the host announcing the four favorite actors of the season.

It seemed that they had only taken money into consideration. Li Baotian, Li Youbin, Pu Cunxin and Huang Hong mounted the podium hand in hand. The audience stopped making noise and worshipped their acting skills.

The winners on the stage felt somewhat strange. They made a hasty speech and left quickly. The host diverted the attention at once.

The audience calmed down and waited for the favorite actress award to be announced.

Little did they know that the strange scene would be repeated. The actress who won was a green hand in the circle called Cao Ying.

She had originally been a hostess, but after several shows, she’d finally won the famous national prize, shocking everyone.

Some actresses had the impulse to stand up and leave the hall, but considering the surrounding directors, producers and media, they sat back down.

Wang Jingcao smiled and left the hall through a side corridor. Everything was settled.

Qin Guan and Li Bingbing watcher her leave. They exchanged a meaningful look with each other. We should be careful with her.

Many years later, Li would rejoice about her presence at the festival.

The host tried to attract the audience’s attention again, but the reporters were outraged. You are cheating both the audience and the media! You are looking down on us!

In fact, they didn't take any of them seriously.

The reporters wanted to do something. They were impatient as the next awards were announced. When the ceremony was over, they rushed back to their offices to work on their reports.

Countless photos, voting data and truth-revealing articles were sent to their headquarters.

Their partners hurried to their offices to work overnight. They had to make the headlines.

It was a pity that their excitement lasted for only half an hour.

Suddenly, their phones started ringing one after the other.

"Hello! Chief Εditor? Did you see my report? What? It’s not allowed? Any other news? Are you kidding? This is the biggest news! What are you talking about?"

The Chief Editor on the other end of the line was sitting in his dark, empty office, the dim light of his laptop shining on his face.