Chapter 47 – Red Carpet
Qiao Huaiyao was observing Bai Jinyan’s hair, feeling the touch on the back of his hand when he suddenly froze. He raised an eyebrow and calmly looked at Bai Jinyan, elongating his voice, “Brother?”
Bai Jinyan chuckled lightly and placed his other hand over Qiao Huaiyao’s hand on the back. He gently rubbed Qiao Huaiyao’s hand and asked, “Will you walk the red carpet with me later?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, not wanting to go, “No.”
He wasn’t a celebrity, nor was he an invited guest. Although Bai Jinyan could bring people along on the red carpet, this was still an awards ceremony. Qiao Huaiyao didn’t want to join in the excitement. Moreover… he wanted to do something else.
Instead of walking the red carpet, it was better to follow and take photos from below. During variety shows, the pictures in his phone would occasionally be updated with something new. It had been a long time since he had an opportunity like this, and he could update the pictures in his phone during this red carpet event.
Leaning on Bai Jinyan’s hand by his face, gently tapping his fingertips, he smiled and asked, “Are you going with the crew or as an individual?”
Movie awards might involve the entire film crew. For some blockbuster movies, awards could go to the main and supporting actors, even the director and costume designers could win awards based on the exquisite work. However, achieving a complete grand slam like this was still something no crew had accomplished to date. But for crews with some nominations, if there were few invited artists, they would try to fit in the red carpet walk. This would give lesser-known stars a chance to appear on the red carpet. Given Bai Jinyan’s status, walking with the crew mostly meant boosting popularity.
“Individual,” Bai Jinyan replied, except for the few dramas he had done when he just debuted, most of the time he walked alone.
“There is more than one nominated movie I’m involved in; it’s hard to keep up with all the crews,” he added. And regardless of which crew he walked with, they would already be trending before the award live ended. The double standard was dropped directly. They would discuss whether walking the red carpet with a particular crew meant he was more inclined towards that movie and dissatisfied with his other works. Such comments were provocative and would stir up discussions on social media. It was better to walk the red carpet himself and keep a low profile. He wouldn’t need to deliberately wait for others.
Qiao Huaiyao chuckled and said, “Alright.”
Walking the red carpet alone made it easier to get good shots. As the styling time ended, the stylist went up on cue. The elevator ‘dinged.’ Lu Lu knocked on the outermost door, “Brother Bai, the stylist is here.”
After speaking, he stood in front of the door, not pushing it. Until Bai Jinyan’s voice came from inside, “Come in.”
Only then did Lu Lu respond with a “Okay” and pushed the door open to enter with the stylist.
“It’s good, this will do,” the stylist said after seeing the good condition and that there wasn’t much difference from when she went out with him. Except the hair was already dry.
“Put on the accessories, and it’ll be perfect,” she added.
When Lu Lu came up, he was holding a box of accessories; they were all top-tier watches and brooches. Suited for this western-style outfit.
Lu Lu opened the box, and in the large rectangular box, there was a row of neatly arranged watch boxes from left to right. There was also a row of brooches displayed in semi-transparent showcase boxes on top.
Lu Lu placed this set on the table in front of Bai Jinyan, “Brother Bai, take a look at these. They were selected after I sent you the pictures last time.”
No matter how good a photo is taken, there might still be color differences. Brooches were better to be seen in person. In the past, Bai Jinyan would casually pick a couple when time was tight, or sometimes not wear them at all. Now with more time… Bai Jinyan hadn’t made a choice, he turned his head and asked the person beside him, “Which one looks good?”
“This one?” Qiao Huaiyao spotted the single rose inside.
The rose was outlined with red diamonds, with the edges slightly darker in color, giving the brooch a sense of depth. The branches were also in gold overall, but from the side, it had a somewhat realistic color of the actual branches. From a jewelry perspective, it looked somewhat realistic.
“This one,” Bai Jinyan picked up the brooch. “Huaiyao, help me put it on. It’s not convenient for me to do it myself.”
Qiao Huaiyao said, “Okay.”
The stylist, who was organizing her box, couldn’t help but look up at this. She had styled Bai Jinyan for so long, including brooches and watches, Bai Jinyan always wore them by himself, and he never let Lu Lu assist. Why was he suddenly finding it inconvenient to wear it himself?
Qiao Huaiyao took the brooch, carefully threading it through Bai Jinyan’s suit. Bai Jinyan looked down at him, watching him with a serious expression. It seemed like he could kiss his forehead with a slight lean.
“Alright,” Qiao Huaiyao adjusted the angle and stood up straight. When he met Bai Jinyan’s affectionate smile, he hesitated for a moment and then gently curved his lips. Some things didn’t need to be said much; a single glance conveyed understanding.
Qiao Huaiyao helped him choose a watch again, then extended his hand, palm facing up, “Hand.”
Bai Jinyan chuckled, placing his hand in Qiao Huaiyao’s palm.
Qiao Huaiyao only wanted him to stretch his hand, but Bai Jinyan directly clasped his hand. He couldn’t put on the watch with one hand.
Bai Jinyan wasn’t in a hurry, gently rubbing his hand, showing no intention to let go.
Seeing this, Lu Lu silently turned around, checking the time from time to time, and then continued to look out the window.
Qiao Huaiyao lightly tapped Bai Jinyan’s hand on the back, and the watch he had unclasped rested on his palm. “Lift it a bit.”
Bai Jinyan raised his hand upon hearing this, and after putting on the watch, he put it back down.
“Let’s go,” Qiao Huaiyao said.
“Okay.”
The order of the red carpet was arranged by the organizers, considering various aspects to ensure that the artist’s popularity was boosted during the live broadcast. The more popular artists usually walked towards the end. When Qiao Huaiyao and the others arrived, the crew was being interviewed on the red carpet.
The car stopped briefly before reaching the red carpet area. Qiao Huaiyao planned to get out from this side; at this time, no media had noticed them yet.
Lu Lu got out of the car.
The noisy sounds were isolated outside the car thanks to the excellent soundproofing. Bai Jinyan leaned in and lightly kissed Qiao Huaiyao’s cheek
, “You can go first; I’ll be in soon.”
Qiao Huaiyao smiled, “No need to hurry for the red carpet. We’ll take some photos here later as a keepsake.”
Media and fans would produce content on this side of the red carpet, but due to Bai Jinyan’s habit of walking the red carpet alone, the organizers had to provide the clearly defined red carpet walk. Qiao Huaiyao searched through the messages, but there was no specific message. As soon as he got out of the car, the shutter sounds rang unevenly in his ears. They were aimed at the red carpet direction, and even from behind, you could notice some devices flashing.
At this time, Lu Lu got down to guide Qiao Huaiyao, “Walk this way, go around from here, and I’ll take you to the front row for photos.”