Chapter 86
''The Best Actress Award goes to the actress from Chinese film The Grandma Tree——Elaine Shen''
The Best Actress award went to Shen Li, an actress from the Chinese film "Grandma's Tree".
At the age of 28, she won the Cannes Best Actress award for the first time. After that, no one in Chinese-language cinema has won the award since. During this period, Shen Li took a two-year break and then made a comeback. She experienced emotional setbacks and divorce. When the public tended to criticize that Chinese films had no hope, she created a miracle again with her work!
State media outlets rushed to report on this exciting moment, and the audience erupted in applause. Shen Li calmly took the stage and delivered a brief speech in fluent French. When she reappeared, she was interviewed by domestic reporters who had traveled from afar.
"Congratulations to Shen Li on winning the Cannes Film Festival for the second time, successfully making up for the disappointment of 'Breaking the Cocoon' last time. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?"
"Thank you to all my fans who like and believe in me. Your expectations give me endless energy. I hope you will be with me in every glorious moment in the future. Thank you!"
After finishing her speech, Shen Li could no longer contain her excitement and proudly raised the trophy, allowing the camera to give her a close-up shot.
"Chen Li, Chen Li, look over here." A reporter got an interview, and more reporters rushed over. Security guards began to disperse the crowd, and Chen Li walked out of the crowd under the escort of her team.
As dusk settled over the street, a figure leaned against a car across the street. Amidst the bustling crowd, he looked at her and waved the bouquet of flowers in his hand.
"What brings you here?" After crossing the street, Chen Li took the flowers and asked, "Is the magazine photoshoot finished?"
Luo Mingxiu came to the film festival with her, saying he had a magazine shoot in Cannes and his schedule seemed quite tight. He only accompanied her to the premiere and was hardly seen afterward.
"No," Luo Mingxiu replied, "I finished work early today. The news of your second Best Actress award has spread far and wide, and I want to personally go to the scene to congratulate you."
Her heart skipped a second. Shen Li lowered her head to smell the flowers, then tiptoed and quickly kissed Luo Mingxiu's face before getting into the car.
Luo Mingxiu touched his face, smiled and followed her, sitting down beside her: "Are there any dinner appointments with Director Xu and the others later?"
"No, Director Xu is celebrating his wife's birthday, so he went to catch his flight right after the event."
"Then wait for me to go back to China together?" Luo Mingxiu said, "My work will be finished in two or three days."
In two or three days, the day after tomorrow will be May 27th, their anniversary.
As if guessing something, Shen Li nodded: "Okay."
Luo Mingxiu took her hand, lowered his head and kissed it gently, his movements even trembling slightly.
"What's wrong?" Shen Li looked at him in surprise. "Are you still excited about me winning the award?"
"Yes, you're amazing, so incredible." Luo Mingxiu praised her, quietly letting go of her hand, his gaze shifting to the side, his ears turning red.
Pfft—
Shen Li chuckled inwardly.
I'm just preparing another surprise for her, and she's getting shy.
Seeing through it but not saying it, Chen Li took out an eye mask from her bag and put it on, choosing to pretend to sleep.
.
Two days later.
It's so late at night. Luo Mingxiu is back again. If he stayed at the hotel for the next few days, he would have gotten up before dawn and not returned until it was completely dark. There's no way he would be shooting a magazine this late.
I wonder what they're planning; surprises have never been this mysterious before.
The door closed, and Shen Li on the bed closed her eyes, listening quietly to the sounds. Footsteps approached, and a warm breath lingered beside her for a moment before leaving.
"Click—" The sound of the wardrobe opening.
Shen Li raised her eyelids and secretly glanced over. Luo Mingxiu, with his back to her, took off his suit jacket and took a box out of his pocket.
What?
She curiously craned her neck; the small box likely contained jewelry or something similar.
Luo Mingxiu suddenly turned his head and noticed her: "Not asleep yet?"
As he spoke, he quickly put the box back in.
"I'm a light sleeper, I heard the door open," Shen Li said, pretending not to see, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Is the magazine shoot finished?"
"There's one more thing; we still need to finish up tomorrow."
Huh? It's not over yet?
“I’ve made a reservation at the restaurant for tomorrow night,” Luo Mingxiu said.
"Oh." Shen Li's lips curled up.
She said it herself.
How could he forget? He was just being cautious, always hiding it from her and never letting her know about the gift beforehand.
The next day, Shen Li woke up naturally, picked up her phone to check the time, and saw that it was already noon. She sent a message to Xiao Yu, wanting to go out for lunch together.
Xiaoyu didn't come back for the first time, which surprised her for a moment. She then ordered food delivery.
After lunch, I washed up and went back to bed. I watched an anime and waited until I had passed the time before getting up to put on makeup.
Luo Mingxiu sent the meeting address: Ba Romantic Beach, far from the city center.
The weather in Cannes in May was sunny, but thinking that it would still be a bit chilly at night, Shen Li chose a white dress and black trousers.
I touched up my lipstick in front of the mirror, set off by car, and arrived at my destination in the evening.
The pinkish-purple sunset painted the sky, beautiful and dazzling.
After getting off the bus, Shen Li walked along the coastal road. The wind blew her hair. She glanced at the sparkling sea. It seemed that some kind of performance was being prepared on the beach. The beach was surrounded by flowers and the scenery was exquisite. A group of fashionable people were dancing on the stage.
She lowered her head and typed: I've arrived. Where is the restaurant?
The message was sent, and then the phone rang. Luo Mingxiu's voice came through: "Go to the beach."
"Don't hang up the phone."
"Okay." Following his instructions, Shen Li walked to the stage she had just seen. At that moment, the phone call ended, but she still couldn't see Luo Mingxiu.
What's going on?
A group of people were still dancing on the stage. Shen Li looked around and saw the Coastal Restaurant not far away, where familiar people were sitting: Cheng Qingqing, Xiao Yu, Xiao Wen, Sun Qi, Liang Jin... People from her team and friends she knew had all come.
Suddenly, the music stopped. Shen Li turned around and saw the dancers disperse. Then Luo Mingxiu appeared, dressed in a black suit, his leather shoes making a "knock-knock" sound on the stage, each step like stepping to the beat of a heartbeat.
He stopped at the center, a gentle breeze ruffling his bangs, and soft music began to play.
Luo Mingxiu smiled, raised his hand to hold up the microphone, and his singing voice came out. His eyes were full of tenderness as he looked at her. Unlike the first time she heard him sing, he was off-key. This time, his singing was sincere and beautiful.
"What's going on?" Shen Li covered her mouth, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
As the song drew to a close, a crowd of onlookers gathered around. When the music ended, Luo Mingxiu stepped off the stage and walked to within a step of her.
"Three years ago, on May 27th, you responded to my feelings. That day was the luckiest day of my life. Now I want to continue that luck, to protect you and love you every moment in the future, to accompany you, and to continue writing the movie of our lives. So..."
He knelt on one knee, took out a ring from the box, and asked, "Chen Li, will you marry me?"
"I do." Shen Li cried as she reached out her hand, letting the ring encircle her finger.
With a bang, fireworks burst across the sky, and amidst the cheers of the crowd, Luo Mingxiu excitedly picked her up.
Chen Li wept uncontrollably.
So, all these days he's been leaving early and returning late has been preparing this?
When did he start? For a tone-deaf person to sing so fluently, he must have practiced for a long time. I can only imagine him awkwardly correcting himself line by line while listening to the recording, practicing over and over again.
Shen Li was crying, yet she also felt like laughing.
Stupid dog.
After a lively meal, the group dispersed.
Leaving the two of them alone, hand in hand, walking along the coast, Shen Li finally had the opportunity to question him:
"Tell me honestly, how long did it take to start preparing? This ring on my hand, this scene today, must have been planned a long time in advance."
Luo Mingxiu nodded: "It started three months ago."
“I haven’t heard that song before. Is it an original? Did you get Sun Qi’s help? The lyrics are really good.” Shen Li walked backwards and reached out her hand for him to hold.
"I asked Sun Qi to hire a professional singer to compose music and help me practice singing."
"What about the lyrics? Did you write them?"
"right."
Shen Li stopped and looked at him: "Luo Mingxiu."
"Um?"
"Lower your head a little, I'm going to kiss you."
After saying that, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, the evening breeze ruffling her skirt. Luo Mingxiu's eyelashes trembled slightly, his palm pressed against her face, gently returning her kiss.
.
The wedding is scheduled for October 2nd at a luxury hotel owned by the Song Group.
The day after both families agreed on an auspicious date, the two went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage. Luo Mingxiu also brought his aunt over, and together with Shen Li's parents, they chose wedding attire and took wedding photos.
We ordered more than a dozen sets of wedding attire, both Western and Chinese styles, and reserved two sets for separate design.
The Luo family prepared a dowry of ten million yuan and originally planned to buy an apartment, but Shen Li refused.
Luo Mingxiu specially prepared a card for Shen Li, intending to give all of his filming fees to his wife, as his commercial endorsements were enough to cover his personal expenses.
After finishing all this, the wedding date is fast approaching.
The day before the wedding, Luo Mingxiu was in high spirits. He got up early and practiced in front of the mirror, going over the wedding ceremony.
"Please welcome the groom! Ta-da! Ta-da!"
"It's so noisy." Shen Li threw a pillow at him and sat up from under the covers.
Luo Mingxiu caught the pillow and ran over to comfort her, "Wife, we're leaving for the hotel today, I'm so nervous."
"I'm not asking you to sing, what's there to be nervous about?" Shen Li patted his head and told him to relax.
Luo Mingxiu was still very excited, pacing back and forth in the room, sometimes taking out the marriage certificate to look at, and sometimes staring at their wedding photos and grinning foolishly.
After getting dressed, Shen Li looked up and saw his demeanor, and couldn't help but chuckle.
On the wedding day.
Gentle sunlight streamed in through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows into the top-floor presidential suite, where the makeup artist was putting a final touch on Shen Li's wedding dress.
This is a piece created by a haute couture brand over three months. It perfectly fits her waistline, and every part, from the veil to the skirt, is meticulously designed and full of details.
Shen Li lifted her foot and tried to take two steps, the skirt decorated with snow-like pear blossoms swaying with it, beautiful and light.
Downstairs, the guests had gradually arrived. This grand wedding in the entertainment industry was attended not only by the relatives and friends of Shen Li and Luo Mingxiu, but also by people they had worked with in the past.
This includes actors who have also won Best Actor and Best Actress awards, veteran actors, acting teachers, producers, directors, and artists with good relationships in the industry, such as Yao Yunhe and Yuan Haoxuan.
Director Weber, who had worked with Luo Mingxiu on a film for a year, and his co-star also came.
The hall was packed with people, making the already spacious banquet hall feel even more full. As the guests took their seats, their eyes were drawn to the stage.
As the wedding march began, the ceremony proceeded as if in rehearsal, and Shen Li remained calm and composed. She thought she would remain unperturbed until the end, but when the banquet hall doors opened, she saw Luo Mingxiu standing under the lights, impeccably dressed in a suit and holding a bouquet.
She couldn't help but get excited, and she gripped her father's hand tighter.
The couple walked down the red carpet, with the train of their wedding dress gently lifted by two flower girls. Guests along the way stood up and watched with smiles, while cameras and spotlights followed them the entire time.
As they walked to the center of the stage, Mr. Shen stopped, gently placed the bride's hand in the groom's, patted Luo Mingxiu's hand, and said with tears in his eyes, "Take good care of my daughter."
"Yes, thank you, Dad!" Luo Mingxiu said firmly.
The two then turned around, stood face to face, and listened as the officiant read their vows to each other.
"Mr. Luo Mingxiu, you once told Ms. Shen Li that she was the luckiest person in your life and that you wanted to continue writing a movie about the future with her."
And today, the only leading lady in your life's script stands before you. From this day forward, you will accompany her through every moment of starlight, witness every moment of glory, until the end of your life.
"Whether in good times or bad, in health or sickness, in wealth or poverty, are you willing to love her, cherish her, and protect her for the rest of your life?"
The lights shone on Luo Mingxiu's face. Despite having rehearsed many times, he still couldn't contain his excitement when he saw Shen Li standing in front of him in a wedding dress, smiling at him like a dream.
"Mr. Luo Mingxiu, are you willing?" the emcee asked again.
Luo Mingxiu held back his tears. At this moment, he only had eyes for her, Shen Li, his wife.
"I love you." He hugged Shen Li tightly and shouted it out.
The audience burst into laughter.
Shen Li smiled and lowered her head. She knew it. Just by looking at Luo Mingxiu's blank stare, she knew he was overly nervous again.
The emcee suppressed a laugh: "It seems the groom truly loves the bride; he's completely mesmerized by her."
“I do,” Luo Mingxiu immediately corrected.
The emcee continued reading the vows until the final question: "...Are you willing to love him forever, understand him, and let him always be the 'male lead' you trust most in the movie of your life?"
"I do," Shen Li replied with a smile.
Luo Mingxiu stepped forward again, wanting to hug her, but was stopped by the best man who came up to deliver the ring box.
"Look at you, so impatient," Liang Jin said, stuffing the ring into his hand. "Happy wedding."
After exchanging rings, we finally arrived at the last part.
The stage lights came on, and Luo Mingxiu could no longer contain himself and hugged Shen Li, kissing her amidst the blessings of the crowd.
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