Chapter 89

Not long after, the award ceremony was about to officially begin. Wen Genying reluctantly said goodbye to Zhang Chengyuan and He Jiayuan, and sat in the seat specially arranged for her by the organizers. Before leaving, she warmly hugged He Jiayuan again, but Zhang Chengyuan did not receive such treatment, after all, this was a public occasion. From beginning to end, she hardly spoke a few words to Zhang Chengyuan, instead, she chatted idly with He Jiayuan, as if she had forgotten Zhang Chengyuan, her old brother, after finding a new sister.

The award ceremony began, and the first award presented was the Best New Actor Award. Originally, Zhang Chengyuan was not interested in watching, but the winner of this award had some entanglements with him. His name was Jae-hee, a young actor who had once competed with him for the lead role in "My Love, My Bride" and was defeated by Zhang Chengyuan using "cheating" tactics. At this moment, Zhang Chengyuan felt somewhat relieved, thinking that it was fortunate that the auditions for "My Love, My Bride" were held earlier. If they were held after today, this Jae-hee might have easily defeated him with the high popularity and fame he gained from winning the award.

The subsequent award presentations were even more boring, and Zhang Chengyuan almost fell asleep. He only perked up a bit when the guest performers came on stage. Seeing him so lazy, He Jiayuan wanted to talk to him to keep him company, but considering the solemn atmosphere of the venue, she could only let him close his eyes and rest.

Finally, it was time to present the Popular Star Award. He Jiayuan woke up Zhang Chengyuan, who was already lost in thought, and pointed to the stage. Zhang Chengyuan immediately understood and focused his attention on the front. As he looked, he immediately felt a sense of "life is full of unexpected encounters." Standing in the center of the stage was none other than his respected senior artist, Cha Tae-hyun, with whom he had collaborated in "The First Love of the Prince."

At this moment, Cha Tae-hyun's hairstyle was still the same as when he was filming, and he was wearing a neat, gray, high-end suit. However, even the most well-tailored suit could not hide his natural humorous demeanor. On stage, his words were still funny, and he quickly made many people in the audience laugh. After a while, he formally announced the names of the winners of the Popular Star Award, and Zhang Chengyuan then realized that this guy was the presenter of the award.

The first winner was Kang Dong-won, the second was Kwon Sang-woo. Both of these young stars had rapidly risen in the entertainment industry in recent years, and their fame, popularity, and status in the television industry far exceeded Zhang Chengyuan's. However, in the film industry, they were still just newcomers who had just left a slight impression. Compared to the television industry, the threshold for the film industry was clearly much higher.

The third name Cha Tae-hyun announced was Wen Genying. When Wen Genying heard her name, she could not help but smile, stood up, and with her left hand lightly pressing on her chest, she bowed respectfully to the seniors around her. The people around her also smiled at her, as if congratulating her. It was clear that the seniors liked her very much, and her popularity seemed to match her good interpersonal relationships. In Zhang Chengyuan's view, this was only natural, after all, who would bear a grudge or criticize such a humble and sensible young girl, and would only be happy for her achievements.

Wen Genying walked gracefully onto the stage, but her heart seemed to become increasingly excited and heavy. Others might not have noticed, but Zhang Chengyuan's eagle-like sharp eyes clearly saw Wen Genying's eyes gradually turning red, as if she was trying hard to hold back her tears.

The last winner of the Popular Star Award was also a female star, Kim Tae-eun, who played the lead role in the national drama "Paris Lovers" this year. Her popularity in the film and television industry this year was probably only slightly surpassed by Lee Young-ae, who played the role of Dae Janggeum.

Seeing Wen Genying standing side by side with Kang Dong-won, Kwon Sang-woo, and Kim Tae-eun, Zhang Chengyuan suddenly felt very proud, as if he had a very outstanding big sister. He smiled happily, almost unable to close his mouth, and his right hand kept rubbing his chin, looking a bit silly. It wasn't until He Jiayuan couldn't help but lightly tap him and point to his mouth, reminding him to pay attention to his image, that Zhang Chengyuan slightly restrained himself.

After the host said a few words to liven up the atmosphere, Cha Tae-hyun immediately presented the trophies to the four winners. As soon as Wen Genying received the trophy, she treated it like a treasure, firmly holding it with her right hand and placing it in front of her, while her left hand supported the base of the trophy, afraid that it might fall. The other three were not as cautious, especially Kang Dong-won, who casually held the trophy, sometimes placing it behind him, sometimes in front of him. Although this did not necessarily mean he was indifferent to the award, it was clear that Wen Genying cared more about the trophy and was more disciplined. If it were Zhang Chengyuan, he would have held it casually with one hand like Kang Dong-won.

After receiving the award, it was inevitable to say a few words of gratitude or answer the host's questions.

When the host asked Kang Dong-won who among the four winners had the highest popularity, Kang Dong-won glanced at Wen Genying beside him and answered without hesitation, "It's Wen Genying!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengyuan immediately felt a great liking for Kang Dong-won, thinking that this tall, handsome guy was really straightforward.

When the host asked Wen Genying how she felt about winning the Popular Star Award for the first time, and Wen Genying "hmm" a few times but was too excited to speak, Zhang Chengyuan felt that this little sister was becoming more and more adorable.

After a few more questions, the host suddenly asked, "If you were to shoot a movie next, which one of Kang Dong-won and Kwon Sang-woo would you like to work with?"

Wen Genying wiped away her tears, thought for a moment, and said, "Can't I work with both of them?" Upon hearing this, Kang Dong-won and Kwon Sang-woo both smiled happily, and the people in the audience also found her answer clever and laughed kindly.

The subsequent award presentations were no longer meaningful to Zhang Chengyuan. He only paid attention when the Best Actor Award was presented, as the winner was Zhang Dong-geun, a superstar deeply loved by the Korean people, and could even be said to be the king of the young generation of stars.

But this was not the reason Zhang Chengyuan paid attention to him. The reason he paid attention was that Zhang Dong-geun was the first artist he had collaborated with. He had once worked with Zhang Dong-geun in a Nongshim Shin Ramen commercial, playing Zhang Dong-geun's younger brother, and thus gained attention under the name "Zhang Dong-geun's younger brother." After that, he gradually progressed to where he was now. When Zhang Dong-geun realized that the media had misunderstood his relationship with Zhang Chengyuan, he did not clarify it, which allowed Zhang Chengyuan to gain a significant advantage. This had always made Zhang Chengyuan grateful. If he were still indifferent and dismissive when Zhang Dong-geun won the award, he would not be able to forgive himself.

Not long after, the film festival ended, and all the guests dispersed. Zhang Chengyuan and He Jiayuan did not leave immediately; they still needed to congratulate Wen Genying. However, at this time, Wen Genying was already surrounded by many people congratulating her on her award, so they did not immediately approach her. They waited until the crowd gradually thinned out, and under Wen Genying's occasional gaze, they walked up to her. Along the way, they inevitably ran into acquaintances and had to exchange a few pleasantries. By the time they reached Wen Genying, Zhang Chengyuan felt that his little sister was almost on the verge of tears from waiting.

He Jiayuan and Zhang Chengyuan each gave her a hug and said a few words of congratulations, then the three of them walked out together. At this moment, Wen Genying's manager was probably already waiting for her outside with the car.

In Wen Genying's limousine, Zhang Chengyuan, He Jiayuan, and Wen Genying continued to chat.

Wen Genying said, "Brother, when the host asked who I wanted to work with in a movie, do you know what I was thinking?"

Zhang Chengyuan replied, "How would brother know what you were thinking? But brother thinks your answer was really brilliant."

"Really? Brother also thinks so? I also think my answer was good. Oh, I almost forgot what I wanted to say. Brother, stop interrupting me," Wen Genying said, first delighted and then a bit unhappy.

Zhang Chengyuan surrendered, "Okay, okay, brother won't say anything. What do you want to say? Brother is listening."

Wen Genying said, "At that moment, I was thinking that if I could work with brother, that would be the best."

Zhang Chengyuan patted her hand and said, "There will be a day for that." Although his current achievements could not yet match Wen Genying's, he believed that one day he could protect all the people he cared about, and that day would not be too far away.

He Jiayuan, seeing their sometimes quarreling and sometimes harmonious interactions, sighed, "You two are really interesting!"