Chapter 63. "Do you still like him?" "No."

The opening ceremony of the Maple Leaf Film Festival was a star-studded affair.

After walking the red carpet, the opening ceremony performance began.

The lights in the entire venue suddenly went out.

A moment later, the stage lights slowly came on again.

A symphony orchestra of nearly a hundred people appeared on the stage. The performers held their instruments and sat upright.

Amidst a thunderous applause, the conductor took the stage, drawing all eyes to the audience.

Song Huai stood on the conductor's platform, bowed deeply to the audience below, turned around, and raised the baton in his hand.

The moment he raised his hand, the actors quickly set up their instruments.

Song Huai looked around the stage, took a deep breath, and began to wave his baton.

Blue Enchantress is one of the most beloved pieces of music from the film "Hometown," depicting the scene of the protagonist bidding farewell to his lover as he prepares to leave his hometown.

This piece of music was composed by Song Huai a few days before he parted ways with Bai Xiao, while sitting by the window and gazing at the sea of ​​roses in the courtyard.

He hadn't thought of a name for the piece at the time, but now he has.

When composing the music for the scene where the protagonist parts from his lover, he revised it several times, but Howard was not satisfied with any of them. Finally, in desperation, Song Huai handed him the untitled piece. Unexpectedly, Howard was incredibly moved after hearing the melody and immediately accepted it as the composition. Song Huai later refined the piece, transforming it into the symphony we know today.

As the cello emitted its final mournful cry, Song Huai's hand, which was holding the conductor's baton, gradually froze in mid-air.

The film's soundtrack is already stunning enough, but listening to the music live is an even more unique experience.

After the music stopped, there was a few seconds of silence. Suddenly, thunderous applause erupted. People's hands were red from clapping, and the applause was so loud that it seemed to lift the roof off.

While those vying for the same award as Song Huai applauded, a slight gloom settled in their hearts. They knew that the trophy was most likely to belong to Song Huai.

Next came the awards ceremony.

"The winner of the Best Original Score Award at this year's Maple Leaf Film Festival is..." The presenter paused deliberately when reading this part.

The camera panned across several of the nominees for Best Original Score.

Song Huai leaned back in his chair, looking at the award presenters on stage with a faint smile, as if everything on stage had nothing to do with him. But only he knew that his back was covered in cold sweat.

"My Hometown" by Song Huai!

The applause erupted again, and everyone—including Song Huai's competitors—genuinely congratulated him. Song Huai deserved the award, and they accepted their defeat wholeheartedly.

Song Huai accepted the gleaming gold trophy, his voice trembling slightly, "Thank you, Mr. Alan Howard, thank you, my mother, thank you, my brother, thank you... my friends. Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. And thank you all so much for liking Eastern music!"

Actually, there was someone he wanted to thank the most in his heart, but he couldn't even say their name.

That evening, Liu Weitian brought a bottle of red wine to congratulate Song Huai.

Song Huai took the red wine and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, isn't this the wine you've been keeping for years, never daring to drink a drop? Why are you finally giving it up today?"

Liu Weitian glanced at the almost blindingly bright trophy on the table and fawned, "See, your status will be different from now on, so I'm here to curry favor with you."

"You'd better not come here often."

After a whole night of performances and awards ceremonies, Song Huai was exhausted. Now was the perfect time to relax with a drink. He brought out a decanter and wine glasses and poured wine for the two of them.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two quietly sipped their wine together.

After a long pause, Liu Weitian asked, "Are you leaving again this time?"

"Let's go." Song Huai lowered his head, swirling the ruby ​​red wine in his glass. "We'll leave after the celebration banquet in a couple of days."

"Are you willing to leave?" Liu Weitian stared intently at Song Huai, his gaze deep, as if he could see right through her body and into her heart.

"Me?" Song Huai's eyes glistened with tears, but he smiled indifferently. "What do I have to be reluctant about?"

"Song Huai," Liu Weitian asked solemnly, "Do you still like him?"

Song Huai kept his eyes fixed on the wine glass in his hand and shook his head without hesitation, "I don't like it."

Whether Song Huai likes Bai Xiao or not, anyone with eyes can see it over the past few years; only he himself is still stubbornly denying it.

Although Liu Weitian couldn't understand what Song Huai liked about Bai Xiao, he knew that without Bai Xiao, Song Huai could never be truly happy, even though he held this highly anticipated trophy today and had achieved an honor that most people could only dream of.

He sighed and said helplessly, "Song Huai, look at me."

Song Huai had no choice but to raise his head. After only a second of eye contact with Liu Weitian, tears uncontrollably welled up in his eyes.

“I like him…” he choked out.

Liu Weitian handed him a tissue and silently refilled their glasses.

Regardless, he will support his choice.

Song Huai continued to cry for a while, then finally wiped away his tears with a tissue, raised his glass to Liu Weitian, and smiled, "Come on, let's celebrate winning the grand prize."

"bite!"

The crystal glasses clinked together, producing a pleasant and melodious sound.

The two men downed their drinks in one gulp.

"The investors are holding a celebration party for the movie in a few days. Are you coming?" Song Huai's cheeks flushed pink.

"I'm not going. I'm going abroad to film a movie. My flight is tomorrow."

Liu Weitian came to see Song Huai today not only to celebrate his birthday but also to say goodbye. This drama is a work that he has been preparing for many years, and now it is finally going to start filming. The trilogy will be filmed together, and he doesn't know how many years it will take.

He wasn't as stubborn as Song Huai; he had bigger ambitions, and besides, after all these years, it was time for him to give up.

The news was so sudden that it took Song Huai a long time to process it. "Then, I'll send it to you tomorrow."

Liu Weitian quickly declined, "No, no, no, you're always followed by paparazzi when you go out now, I don't want to cause so much trouble."

Song Huai had just stopped crying, but now his eyes were red again.

"Alright, alright, it's such a joyous occasion, why make it so sad?" Although he said this, tears were glistening in Liu Weitian's own eyes.

Before parting, Liu Weitian opened his arms and said, "Come on, give me a hug."

The embrace lasted for several minutes. Liu Weitian knew he couldn't continue like this. He struggled to pull Song Huai off him, hurriedly left, and disappeared into the night.

--

A few days later, a celebration banquet was held for "Hometown".

In addition to winning the Best Original Score award, the film also won numerous other awards, achieving both fame and fortune. The investors hosted a grand banquet to celebrate the entire crew's success.

Song Huai was no longer the same Song Huai who would agonize over what suit to wear before Bai Jingzhong's birthday banquet. He held up his wine glass, moved among the crowd, and chatted and laughed as if nothing was wrong.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the doorway.

"Isn't that President Bai? I heard he's the biggest investor in the movie!"

"Ahhh, he's so handsome!"

Upon hearing the familiar surname, Song Huai's back stiffened, but it was just a surname, and he still clung to a sliver of hope.

"Song Huai, what are you doing here?" Howard searched for a long time before finally finding Song Huai. He pulled Song Huai and walked into the most crowded part of the crowd.

"Come, come, this is Mr. Bai from the Bai Group. Mr. Bai, this is Song Huai, who composed the music for 'Hometown'." Howard warmly introduced the two to each other.

When he met those familiar eyes that were staring intently at him, Song Huai felt a sudden jolt, as if struck by lightning.