243: Chapter 243 The Awards Ceremony is About to Begin

The two of them walked slowly down the red carpet.

Lu Li deliberately slowed his pace, afraid that Shen Qingxue beside him would walk too fast and trip instead.

Fans and media reporters on both sides of the red carpet held up long lenses and short cannons, with shouts rising one after another.

"Shen Qingxue! Look over here!"

"The Goddess is so beautiful today!"

"Lu Li! Lu Li! Look over here!"

"Who is this acting so pretentious... Ah?! It's Lu Li! Holy shit, Lu Li! Lu Li! Lu Li, look at me quickly!"

Hearing these shouts, Lu Li almost couldn't keep a straight face.

Fortunately, his facial expression was still fairly composed, but his pace subconsciously slowed down a little more, and he smiled dryly while nodding to the surroundings.

After walking the red carpet for a while, he turned his head slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the person beside him.

Shen Qingxue's expression was relaxed and calm, with a perfectly appropriate smile hanging at the corners of her lips, neither overly enthusiastic nor appearing distant and cold.

Her state today could only be described as completely effortless.

Lu Li couldn't help but sigh that she was still the former national goddess; such a scene was still a piece of cake for her.

When the two walked to the middle section of the red carpet, a small-scale commotion suddenly came from not far ahead.

Lu Li raised his eyes and looked, seeing a pair of figures stopped in the center of the red carpet accepting media interviews.

Well, well, it was Zhou Yichen.

He was wearing a deep black slim-fit suit, with a bright brooch pinned to his collar, whispering something to the female companion beside him.

And that female companion was none other than Lin Zhihan, the newcomer recently strongly promoted by Starlight Entertainment.

How did these two get mixed up together?

Although Lu Li was surprised, he didn't take it to heart.

And Zhou Yichen seemed to have also noticed that Shen Qingxue and Lu Li were walking over from behind.

His gaze lingered on the intertwined arms of Lu Li and the other for a brief moment, then he nonchalantly withdrew his gaze and faced the camera again.

Just as they were about to pass by Zhou Yichen, a small episode occurred that even Lu Li hadn't anticipated.

Lin Zhihan, beside Zhou Yichen, suddenly nodded slightly toward Shen Qingxue, with a hint of a friendly smile at the corners of her lips.

Shen Qingxue also returned a nod of greeting; although the action was equally brief, it didn't make people feel impolite.

This scene naturally wasn't missed by the camera lenses. The barrage in the live broadcast room instantly increased by more than double.

[Holy shit? Lin Zhihan and Shen Qingxue actually greeted each other?]

[Logically speaking, shouldn't they be fighting?]

[Indeed, this picture... is much more harmonious than I imagined.]

[That's all made up by netizens, right? Maybe their relationship in private is actually okay.]

[But why is Zhou Yichen's expression a bit awkward, hahahahaha.]

[Big brother was left out in the cold, okay? And you guys are still laughing.]

The smile on Zhou Yichen's face did indeed stiffen for a fraction of a second, but he quickly adjusted himself and actively turned toward Shen Qingxue's direction, preparing to say something.

But before he could open his mouth, Lu Li had already naturally led Shen Qingxue forward two steps, cleverly avoiding this impending conversation.

Shen Qingxue felt the slightly tightened strength on his arm, and the curve of her lips unconsciously deepened a little.

Soon, the two walked to the host interview area at the end of the red carpet.

The host was a female host wearing a champagne-colored dress. Seeing the two approach, she immediately revealed an enthusiastic smile.

"Welcome Shen Qingxue and Lu Li! Both of you are in fantastic shape today!"

She handed the microphone in front of the two, her gaze wandering back and forth between them.

"The two of you walking the red carpet together today can be considered your first official appearance as a duo at such a large-scale award ceremony, right? How do you feel right now?"

Shen Qingxue took the microphone, her tone composed.

"It feels pretty good. The atmosphere of the Golden Melody Awards is indeed quite different from the events I usually attend; it's very formal and full of a sense of ritual."

After she finished speaking, she very naturally handed the microphone into Lu Li's hand.

Lu Li took the microphone, thought for a moment before speaking.

"Um... To be honest, while I was in the car just now, I still felt a bit nervous, but walking on the red carpet, I actually felt it was nothing."

He paused and added another sentence.

"Probably because the person beside me is quite reliable."

As soon as these words came out, an "I get it" expression immediately appeared on the host's face.

Shen Qingxue beside him slightly turned her head, as if looking elsewhere, but that tiny curve at the corner of her lips couldn't be hidden.

The barrage in the live broadcast room exploded again, as expected.

[Did he say reliable?! Please, using this word on the Goddess, why does it inexplicably feel a bit sweet?]

[These two are truly too natural, it's that kind of... feeling where they completely don't need to deliberately fake a persona.]

[Let me say it again, you brat Lu Li are truly so blessed.]

[Host, stop standing there dumbfounded, hurry and help me ask if they are actually together!]

The host clearly also wanted to strike while the iron is hot and ask a bit more, but time was limited, and other artists were walking toward this side from behind.

Therefore, she could only end the interview somewhat reluctantly, smiling and nodding to signal the two.

"Alright, thank you both, looking forward to some good news tonight, please walk towards the inner hall."

Lu Li handed the microphone back to the staff member, and together with Shen Qingxue, turned and walked toward the direction of the theater entrance.

After entering the inner hall, the lighting was noticeably much softer than outside.

There were already quite a few people standing around sporadically in the lobby, some making small talk, some looking down at their phones, and others taking group photos.

As soon as the two walked in, people around frequently looked over in this direction, their gazes carrying curiosity.

Lu Li felt several gazes sweeping across his back in turns, but it probably wasn't out of malice.

Under the guidance of the staff, he quickly found his seat.

The position wasn't very far forward, nor was it in the last row; it was in the mid-left area of the theater, and the view was fairly decent.

Shen Qingxue sat down next to him, put down her handbag, turned her head slightly, leaned close to his ear, and lowered her voice to say a sentence.

"The look Zhou Yichen gave you just now was just like eating a dead fly."

Lu Li glanced at her and also replied in a lowered voice.

"Otherwise what? He must be thinking, how come I run into him everywhere I go."

"Cut it out, clearly it's him running into us everywhere he goes."

There was a hint of rare playfulness in Shen Qingxue's tone.

After finishing, she straightened up, pretending to look ahead nonchalantly.

Lu Li couldn't help curving the corners of his lips, didn't reply, and also cast his gaze forward.

There was still some time before the award ceremony started, the lights in the theater gradually darkened from bright, and the surrounding conversations slowly lowered.

The big screen began rolling clips of nominated works, flashing past segment by segment.

Lu Li leaned against the back of his chair, his gaze falling on the screen, feeling a rare sense of calm anticipation in his heart.

He turned his head and glanced at Shen Qingxue beside him; she was looking down at her phone.

Lu Li withdrew his gaze without disturbing her.

Before long, the lights in the theater slowly dimmed, and the award ceremony officially began.