Chapter 98 – Best Actor Nomination
Chen Bai, the log, thought for a moment and changed “World’s Coolest Neighbor” to “World’s Coolest Old Xu.”
There was a slight change, though not much. The most notable difference was that it was one character shorter.
Looking on the bright side, at least he had moved on from being just a “neighbor.”
The log sent a message to “World’s Coolest Old Xu,” who quickly replied. Chen Bai turned to his agent and said, “Let’s keep those two days free in the middle of the month.”
The agent cleared his schedule for those days.
While scrolling through the upcoming months, she remembered something and said, “The movie won’t be ready for release this year. You’ll have to wait until next year to aim for an award.”
Originally, the plan had been to release the movie in time for the Spring Festival and submit it to film festivals. But with the shooting taking a month longer than expected, post-production had also been delayed. To ensure the movie was polished, they decided to push it back to after the New Year.
It was likely the film would be scheduled for release around National Day, with award nominations to follow next year.
The agent felt it was a bit of a shame.
This year, there aren’t many standout films, making it a relatively low-competition year. Next year, however, there are already several films aiming for awards, many of which have been delayed for a long time and can’t be pushed back any further. Since there’s been no news of release dates for this year, it’s certain they’ll be released next year.
Everyone carefully selected their slots, and now next year, which hasn’t even started, has become the most competitive year in recent times.
Chen Yi Bai has a pretty calm mindset about the whole awards situation. He takes it lightly and can even pat someone on the back to comfort them.
The most important thing is earning money; winning awards is secondary. Other people’s evaluations are also secondary. If he wins, great; if not, there’s always next time.
He had just sat down to rest for a bit when someone called out, “Teacher Yi Bai,” so he put down his thermos and got up again.
His guest role would only take about a month and a half, and once it was done, he would head home.
On the day he left the set, Chen Yi Bai’s boyfriend came to pick him up, and everyone else watched them leave.
Knowing he was coming home, Chen Yi Wan was sent for a bath that afternoon, and by evening, it had eagerly jumped onto the bed.
Its fur was fluffy, soft, and fragrant. Its dad loved it so much that, after finishing his nighttime routine and putting on pajamas, he flopped onto the bed with it, even rolling around twice.
Chen Bai’s partner stood at the bedside, watching father and dog roll around. Just as they were about to fall off the bed, he quickly intervened and stopped them from tumbling to the floor.
After nearly falling, Chen Bai finally settled down, hugging his precious “first son” and sinking into the pillows at the center of the bed. He patted the other side of the bed, inviting his partner to sit.
But pillows weren’t as comfortable as a person, so the moment Xu Sinian sat down, Chen Bai naturally adjusted his position to lean against him.
With a human cushion behind him and his dog in his arms, he closed his eyes in contentment and started planning their two-day break. He turned to his phone and began looking up nearby places to visit.
With only two days off, they couldn’t travel far, so they had to choose a local spot.
Last time, they had gone out without Chen Yi Wan, and the “young master” had been so upset that he refused to eat his canned food and sulked in a corner with his toy shark. So this time, they had no choice but to bring him along, meaning they needed to find a dog-friendly location.
There were many options, making it hard to decide. Chen Bai, feeling playful, held the phone out to Yi Wan, letting the dog “choose” the destination.
Yi Wan, though not fully understanding, leaned forward to look, playing along perfectly. Chen Bai laughed so hard he nearly dropped the phone on his face but caught it just in time.
In the end, Yi Wan’s input was symbolic at best, and they let the roll of a dice decide where to go. Unsurprisingly, Chen Bai rolled a one, so he let Xu Sinian roll next.
The dice led them to a newly renovated, pet-friendly mall that had just reopened. It was running promotions, had shopping discounts, and even featured a dog park.
With the destination decided, Chen Bai put down his phone, hugged Yi Wan, and slid down into the bed, his hair tousled. He half-closed his eyes and waved a hand, signaling that he was ready to sleep.
He didn’t mind if they all slept together, but Yi Wan took up half the bed, leaving no room for his boyfriend.
Yi Wan snuggled into his arms, having been trained to do so from a young age. Once settled, it rested its head on a pillow and closed its eyes.
The lights were too bright, so the dog opened its eyes again and glanced at its dad.
Though it didn’t say anything, its eyes said it all.
Xu Sinian brushed Chen Bai’s messy hair away from his eyes and gently ran his calloused fingers across his eyelids. Afterward, he tucked the pair under the blanket and, as Yi Wan wished, turned off the lights.
The room went dark.
The next morning, Chen Bai was woken by Yi Wan nudging him out of bed.
The dog, which had inherited its grandparents’ early-to-bed, early-to-rise habits, still thought it was small, pressing its large paw down on Chen Bai’s chest and waking him up with wide, startled eyes.
It was more effective than black coffee or strong tea. He was completely awake, with no trace of sleepiness left. In fact, his chest still throbbed slightly from the heavy blow.
In just over a month, the season had shifted from autumn to winter, and most places they were going now had heating. For him, the only adjustment was throwing on a coat over his sweatshirt.
He also found that oversized clothes layered over sweatshirts were much more comfortable, and his boyfriend’s wardrobe had become his personal dressing room. After breakfast, he randomly selected a coat from Xu Sinian’s closet, ready to head out.
Sensing that it was about to go out and play, Yi Wan spent the morning zipping around the house. Worried that the dog’s energy levels were getting dangerously high, Chen Bai, fatherly sternly reminded it in the car, “No lying down and refusing to move when we’re out.”
The dog might not follow through, but at least it responded with a soft whine.
The newly opened pet-friendly mall was located in the suburban district near their estate, so it wasn’t far—just a half-hour drive.
The view outside the car window shifted from green fields to towering buildings as they entered the mall’s designated parking lot. Yi Wan pressed its nose against the window, watching the scenery pass by, while Chen Bai discreetly began putting on his hat and mask.
One man and one dog sat quietly.
When the car came to a stop and the door clicked open, they both bolted out, so fast they almost left a blur behind.
Xu Sinian grabbed the dog’s vest with one hand and Chen Bai’s wrist with the other, successfully preventing them from dashing off just in time.
“…”
The “launch” failed, so Chen Bai and Yi Wan had no choice but to exit the car calmly, slowly, and obediently.
If Chen Bai had been the one holding the leash, both he and the dog would have taken off together. Xu Sinian took charge, gripping the leash in one hand and letting his other hand slip from Chen Bai’s wrist to interlace their fingers, holding firmly.
After their failed “launch,” Chen Bai glanced at their joined hands, feigning indignation, and accused, “You don’t trust me.”
He added, “I’m deeply hurt.”
But his “hurt” tactic failed—Xu Sinian didn’t let go.
The mall was bustling, much brighter and livelier than the quiet parking lot. People and dogs were moving about everywhere.
On the first floor of the mall, there was a pet snack section. Little Yi Wan, probably having frequented such places with its grandparents, knew this was where the food it loved was sold, and eagerly pulled towards it with its paws flying in the air.
It seemed like it simply had to go, and so it did. Yi Wan even remembered which snacks it usually ate, accurately locating them and sitting down in front of the spot where they were displayed, looking up at its dad and other dad, ears twitching expectantly.
The snacks it had chosen were placed in the shopping cart, all under its watchful eyes.
Yi Wan was brimming with energy, and while waiting in line to pay, Chen Bai looked down at his phone and found that the dog park was on the roof. He thought about taking Yi Wan there to blow off some steam afterward.
That was the plan—until, just before getting on the elevator, Chen Bai, who had decent eyesight, spotted a display window on the second floor across the way.
He stared at it for a couple more seconds, and Xu Sinian, noticing, lowered his eyes and asked softly, “Do you want to check it out?”
Yi Wan’s playtime plan was delayed, and Chen Bai pulled Xu Sinian’s hand as they went over to take a look.
It was a jewelry store, and its name seemed somewhat familiar, though Chen Bai didn’t have a clear memory of it—probably something one of his business partners had casually mentioned at some point.
The second floor was a dedicated area for jewelry brands, brightly lit with dazzling display cases lining the way. Chen Bai didn’t linger on the other stores and headed straight for the one that had caught his eye from below.
Xu Sinian followed his gaze and saw a silver bracelet embedded with a dark green gemstone—a simple and elegant design with smooth lines. As a customer entered the store, a sales associate quickly approached to offer assistance.
Chen Bai politely requested to see the bracelet displayed in the case.
The associate put on gloves and retrieved the bracelet, while another staff member led them to a sofa inside the store. After sitting down, Chen Bai declined their offer of coffee or tea, then turned to Xu Sinian and said, “Auntie Jiang has a green cheongsam she loves, right?”
Madam Jiang had always felt that wearing just a cheongsam seemed a bit plain and that it lacked an accessory. She had mentioned this in conversation before, noting that while jade would pair well with it, jade bangles are hard to remove, and she found that inconvenient. Plus, most of the ones she’d come across were too ornate for her taste, so she’d never bought one.
Though he usually dressed in inexpensive outfits, Chen Bai’s sense of style was actually quite good, and he thought this bracelet would be a perfect match.
The sales associate brought over the bracelet, and even outside the display case lighting, it was still stunning—the deep green gemstone exuding a calm yet strong presence.
As the associate explained the details, they also handed over a stack of certificates higher than the bracelet itself.
The overall design was simple yet elegant, with every little detail meticulously crafted. Chen Bai wasn’t one to dwell too much on these things; if he liked it, he would buy it. After briefly glancing at the certificates, he nodded in approval.
The bracelet wasn’t cheap by any means. In fact, it was much more expensive than most of the other items in the store, which was likely why, despite its fine craftsmanship and materials, it had remained unsold for so long, becoming a permanent fixture of the display.
Now, the store’s “noble wallflower” was finally being sold, and so quickly at that. The sales associate’s eyes lit up, and their smile was genuine.
They hurried off to wrap the bracelet. Meanwhile, Xu Sinian shot a video, and Chen Bai smiled as he stroked Yi Wan’s head, the brim of his hat casting shadows over his smiling eyes. He explained simply, “I paid off my debts recently, and I’ve got some extra cash.”
Money was meant to be spent, especially on the people close to you. That’s how Chen Bai saw it. Even if the bracelet came with a string of zeros, he wouldn’t feel a bit of regret.
The packaging process took some time, and the store staff kindly asked if there was anything else they wanted to look at in the meantime.
Not having any particular interests in these things, Chen Bai didn’t feel the need to browse, but he figured he’d take a stroll around the store. Habitually, he took Xu Sinian’s hand as they got up, intending to wander.
The staff’s gaze lingered on their clasped hands for a moment, pausing in surprise, before sneaking a couple more curious glances.
The closest display case to them showcased rings.
Having lived his whole life as a bachelor, Chen Bai’s first instinct upon seeing rings was that they didn’t apply to him. It was a mindset he had held for decades, so it was hard to change. Under the bright lights, his pupils reflected the glittering rings, but he thought to himself, “I don’t really need this.”
But then, glancing down at the hand holding his own, his thoughts shifted.
He almost forgot—he did have a boyfriend.
Adjusting his attitude, he stopped in his tracks, and this time, he took a proper look at the rings nestled in their velvet boxes.
After examining them with a serious mindset, his conclusion was: they all seemed kind of the same.
There were subtle differences, but overall, they weren’t that different from each other.
“Don’t they all look the same to you…” he murmured after another glance, but when he turned to ask Xu Sinian, he stopped mid-sentence.
Xu Sinian was looking intently at the rings, his dark eyes shaded under the brim of his hat. Hearing Chen Bai’s voice, he glanced sideways and responded, “Hmm?”
“Never mind.”
Chen Bai redirected his gaze, looked at the rings again, and, completely changing his tone, asked, “Do you want one of these?”
Leaning on the counter with one hand propped against his face, he added, “When I win that Best Actor award, I’ll get you one.”
Xu Sinian looked at him, and Chen Bai, who had almost but not quite won a Best Actor award, grinned. “Best Actor and Best Actor—it’s a perfect match, anyone would say so.”
He said this with a straight face, making Xu Sinian laugh softly. “Alright,” Xu Sinian replied.
Slowly rubbing the base of Chen Bai’s fingers, Xu Sinian said, “I’ll be waiting.”
In the time it took to package the bracelet, Chen Bai, who had planned to take a quick look around the store, ended up only checking out the ring display.
As they were leaving, Yi Wan got plenty of head pats from the staff members one by one.
This socially adaptable dog, who had developed a love for two-legged creatures, wagged its tail enthusiastically no matter who patted its head, providing plenty of emotional value.
After leaving the store, it finally got to visit the dog park on the roof.
Objectively speaking, the dog park wasn’t as big as the yard at home where it usually played, but there were lots of other dogs to play with. After snacking to recharge its energy, it played wildly with its new dog friends until the afternoon.
The result of all that play was that halfway through the bustling mall, the fluffy white dog suddenly flopped to the ground and refused to move.
Chen Bai, its human dad, who had anticipated this move: “…”
Chen Bai crouched down and gently pushed the fluffy mass to the side so it wouldn’t block the path. The big white fluffball cooperated by standing up and moving a few steps to the side, only to plop back down again.
In a way, Yi Wan showed an unexpected sense of public responsibility. The sight of the big white fluff lying on the ground was striking, and passersby couldn’t help but stop and form a crowd to watch.
Chen Bai crouched beside it, poking its head, trying to reason with it: “Didn’t you promise me this morning that you wouldn’t be lazy when we went out?”
Its fluffy ears twitched a couple of times, but Yi Wan eventually turned its head in the opposite direction and firmly remained on the ground.
Yi Wan had succeeded in being lazy.
Before the crowd of onlookers grew any larger, its other dad easily scooped it up. Instantly airborne, Yi Wan’s view shot up much higher than usual, and for the first time, it looked down at the two-legged creatures and its dad from a rare bird’s-eye perspective. The Samoyed, now back in action, suddenly appeared energetic again.
Chen Bai gave the dog a pat on the head.
The onlookers watched as the trio left, reluctantly turning their attention back to their own business.
That afternoon, after the lazy little dog returned home, a video was posted online.
[Chen9981Bai: Haha, you always encounter lazy dogs when going out. The Samoyed I met today was so cute! [Video]]
The video mainly showed the big white dog flopped on the ground. Occasionally, a few people appeared in the frame, but none showed their faces clearly. It captured the moment when the human—presumably the owner—was trying to reason with the dog, and continued until the Samoyed was picked up by another person and carried away.
Since this account frequently posted dog-related content, the post quickly gained traction, and comments started rolling in.
Initially, people were all commenting on how cute the Samoyed was, but then someone made a realization, and the conversation took a sharp turn.
[Wait, isn’t that Chen Bai and brother Xu?? You can tell from their clothes and height! Why are you all just watching the dog!]
[OMG, it does look like them! Classic Chen Bai wearing brother Xu’s clothes and having to roll up the sleeves, and still trying to reason with Yi Wan, LOL.]
[You ignored Chen Bai and just filmed the dog—81Bai, you’re just like that one fan who wanted Chen Bai as a wife (claps).]
[LMAO, the dog even took two steps to the side before lying down again. What a well-mannered dog (thumbs up).]
[OMG, I saw them today too! They were holding hands the whole time—so happy, I’m crying.]
Besides the people and the dog, Sherlock Holmes-level fans also spotted pet food bags and a certain jewelry store bag in the video.
Since both of them were generally indifferent to jewelry, fans quickly ruled out the idea that they had bought it for each other. Despite much speculation, no one could guess what the jewelry was for.
Only the giver and the recipient knew the answer.
One day, at a banquet, a certain Ms. Jiang, an entrepreneur, was seen wearing a green cheongsam. As she casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the bracelet with the dark green gemstone on her wrist moved along with her, making its presence known.
As winter arrived, the previously quiet film industry suddenly became lively.
Starting early in the year, a backlog of films that had been delayed for years were finally being released in a flood. Even a typical holiday weekend had transformed into a golden box office period, with major films clashing head-on.
The National Day and Spring Festival release periods were shaping up to be intense battlegrounds.
As National Day drew closer, in addition to the big-budget films that had already set their release dates, ‘Xunzong’ (Tracing), starring Chen Bai, was also scheduled for release. Many smaller films quickly withdrew to avoid the competition and awaited a more favorable release window.
The preparation for ‘Xunzong’ took almost a year, including the script, and filming lasted for seven months. After that, another six months were spent in post-production, making it a project that spanned over two years. The effort and energy invested by the entire team were proportional to the film’s quality.
The film premiered to rave reviews, even from the harshest critics, and repeatedly trended before its official release, topping the most-anticipated movie lists.
On National Day, ‘Xunzong’ unsurprisingly became the box office champion of the day, successfully standing out in the fierce competition.
After its release, the film’s reputation only improved, and it maintained first place in both showtimes and attendance, holding the top spot at the box office without any signs of slipping.
In response to all the previous industry speculation and rumors, Chen Bai proved with his performance that he could not only deliver TV ratings but also dominate the box office.
During the seven-day National Day holiday, the total box office across all films exceeded 10 billion yuan, with ‘Xunzong’ securing the top spot by earning 1 billion more than the second-place film. The movie continued to screen for more than 40 days after the holiday, closing its run after 50 days with a position in the top ranks of domestic box office history.
Once the film’s release ended, the period for submitting films for award consideration also came to a close.
After a lengthy selection process, the list of award-nominated films was finally announced, and it was long.
Unsurprisingly, ‘Xunzong’ made the list, earning nominations for multiple awards from best screenplay to best score. Chen Bai was also nominated for Best Actor.
