Qiao Huaiyao held two photos at the same angle, “Is this one better, or is this one?”
Bai Jinyan paused, gripping Qiao Huaiyao’s hand tightly. Were these two… not the same?
As Qiao Huaiyao repeatedly swiped between these two photos, Bai Jinyan furrowed his brows and cautiously said, “The one on the left?”
Qiao Huaiyao hesitated, “Hmm…”
Bai Jinyan made a decisive choice without hesitation, “The one on the left has a slightly dark outline, the one on the right is better.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Huaiyao also felt that the one on the right was correct, “Then let’s go with the one on the right.”
Bai Jinyan breathed a small sigh of relief.
Lu Lu was quick to act, running out to buy bubble tea after receiving the message. Bubble tea shops were plentiful, sometimes having more than ten on a single street. Lu Lu bought a lot, going to three different shops and then enlisting a driver to help carry the bubble tea. They entered through the back door and started distributing the drinks by Bai Jinyan’s lightboard.
“This bubble tea is bought by Brother Bai for everyone,” Lu Lu said, following the instructions Qiao Huaiyao had given him.
“Bought by Bai Jinyan?” a fan holding a lightstick looked surprised, “Does he know I call Qiao Qiao my wife online, so he’s sending bubble tea to get rid of me?!”
Lu Lu: “…?”
Quite bold.
“Haha, just kidding,” the fan, engaged in playful banter with Bai Jinyan online, said, “I’ve been cutting down on sugar lately, can’t have bubble tea.”
A nearby girl chimed in, “I don’t like sweet drinks either.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Lu quickly gave the bubble tea to fans in the back.
Everyone remained quiet, holding their lightboards in their seats and waiting.
After going around in a circle, there were still some cups left in the box.
Lu Lu bought so much bubble tea, following the principle of buying plenty. He looked around, then whispered, “This bubble tea was bought by Brother Bai and Qiao Huaiyao together.”
“?!?!” The fan resisting sugar immediately reached out, “You should have said so earlier. I wouldn’t have eaten breakfast if I knew, give me one.”
“Right, now that you mention it, I suddenly crave something sweet.”
Finally, after another round, every staff member had a cup of bubble tea in hand.
With one special mix left, Lu Lu trotted over to Qiao Huaiyao in the front row, handing it to him.
Lu Lu said, “It’s a low-sugar hot lemonade.”
Qiao Huaiyao was puzzled, “I didn’t…”
Lu Lu gestured at the people next to him, “Brother Bai asked me to buy.”
Bai Jinyan took the hot lemonade, feeling the warmth.
There weren’t many bubble tea shops that sold hot lemonade. If not prepared well, it could be bitter. Most shops primarily sold cold drinks, so special requests were necessary.
After delivering the items, Lu Lu went straight back the same way he came from.
He didn’t say anything unnecessary, not lingering for a moment.
Bai Jinyan put away the straw, “It’s a bit hot, try a sip.”
“Hmm,” Qiao Huaiyao took it and felt the cup was warm. The taste was okay.
During this time, guests were entering frequently.
In the blink of an eye, the VIP seats were filled, and the fans at the back were in their positions. The lightboards and horizontal banners were ready, and the upper level was filled too.
The people who sat down didn’t move much, and there were few people shuttling around in the seats, making them less conspicuous.
So the front row guests sat quietly.
The lights in the entire hall slowly dimmed.
When the audience was shrouded in darkness, the stage suddenly lit up.
The two hosts walked up together.
Qiao Huaiyao had been watching the stage, listening to the hosts’ playful banter with the audience. Many viewers were amused, and the atmosphere was quite good.
But he faintly felt a gaze on him, and when he looked to his side, he saw Bai Jinyan staring at him without blinking.
Staring… at the lemonade?
Qiao Huaiyao blinked lightly and tried to pass the lemonade to him.
Bai Jinyan seemed to pause for a moment, then couldn’t help but chuckle.
He asked, “It’s past three, are you hungry?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, “It’s past twelve?”
“After midnight,” the awards show included performances in between, so it would be quite late when it finished.
Bai Jinyan said, “No need to wait until the end, we can leave early.”
When it came to the parts where he wasn’t nominated, he could leave directly.
Except for the artists who came specifically to show their faces, most of the invited guests left on time.
Bai Jinyan turned over Qiao Huaiyao’s palm, placing a strawberry candy inside.
Qiao Huaiyao was somewhat surprised. Both he and Bai Jinyan had changed clothes in the company’s fitting room. “Where did this candy come from?”
Bai Jinyan smiled and leaned closer to Qiao Huaiyao’s ear, whispering, “I’ll tell you if you give me a kiss.”
The warmth in his ear made Qiao Huaiyao widen his eyes and realize what Bai Jinyan had said. He cleared his throat, ignoring him as he sipped the lemonade.
Bai Jinyan patted Qiao Huaiyao’s head, “Teasing you.”
He smirked and continued to tease, “Even if you kiss me, I won’t tell you.”
Qiao Huaiyao: “???”
Bai Jinyan held Qiao Huaiyao’s hand, resisting the urge to kiss him, and explained with a smile, “I left some candies in the company. I put them in when we changed clothes.”
Qiao Huaiyao was about to speak but saw their images on the big screen.
He was momentarily stunned and shook Qiao Huaiyao’s hand to remind him to look at the big screen, whispering, “Brother.”
In the nomination clip, several outstanding people were showcased in a row. Qiao Huaiyao, who was distracted, hadn’t paid attention to who was finally selected.
The screen swept across the audience seats, and he suddenly realized.
Bai Jinyan’s smile had not yet faded. He answered the question, “Hmm?”
The host on stage joked with a smile, “It’s evident that Bai Jinyan is very happy today. This is his first time singing the theme song for a movie, and he won the Best Movie Theme Song Gold Award. It’s quite a significant breakthrough.”
“Please welcome Bai Jinyan to the stage to accept the award.”
Previous awards were minor, and heavyweight categories like Best Actor and Actress were coming up later.
Amidst the applause, Bai Jinyan stood up and walked to the stage. The award presenter also stepped onto the stage and handed him the trophy.
Bai Jinyan was never prepared for any acceptance speech. He kept it simple, “It’s an honor to receive this award. Thank you.”
After saying that, he was ready to leave the stage.
The host quickly chimed in, “It’s obvious that Bai Jinyan is genuinely happy today. This happiness is definitely not pretend.”
Although he didn’t know why Bai Jinyan seemed happier for a minor award compared to when he was nominated for Best Actor when he was younger, he maintained a lighthearted tone to keep the show engaging. After all, a lively awards ceremony was more appealing.
The host casually asked, “May I ask another question? Jinyan, is today the happiest day for you? Happier than when you won Best Actor next door?”
Bai Jinyan calmly replied, “No.”
The host paused for a moment, smoothly laughing off the response, “Is that so, haha, indeed. So, the happiest day must be…”
Bai Jinyan added, “Yesterday.”
The host didn’t expect Bai Jinyan to answer, and exclaimed, “Ah?”
Bai Jinyan ignored the host trying to stir up excitement and continued to glance at Qiao Huaiyao, who was sitting in the first row.
With a tender smile, he said, “Yesterday was my happiest day.”