Translator: Lan_ Editor: Efydatia

  This was a violation of the festival’s rules. During previous ceremonies, there had only been one winner. The two awards implied that the organizing committee had made an exception.

  The unprecedented result made everyone excited, but it also made it difficult to make predictions.

  Even Zhang Xueyou had cheered up. Two of the four nominees would get an award, so his possibilities of winning had increased.

  Cai Kangyong announced the result amid the chaos, "The winners of the Best Actor Award are Qin Guan and Liu Dehua!"

  Applause followed the screams as everyone congratulated the winners.

  Qin Guan, who was the younger one, stood up first and gestured at Liu to walk before him. Liu stood up and hugged Qin Guan.

  Then Qin Guan embraced Liang Chaowei in an effort to comfort him. The smiling, quiet man took this chance to whisper to Qin Guan, "Well done! He only won half an award!" You were hoping that I would win the entire thing?

  Zhang Xueyou smiled at him. "Hello, half-winner!" Thank you so much!

  Qin Guan and Liu Dehua got on the stage and accepted the two horse figure awards, which looked exactly the same. Then they clanged their awards to congratulate each other. It was like a toast to victory, a clash of weapons between two warriors. The gesture expressed the subtle friendship between the two men.

  The cameras recorded the scene, which made their speeches seem inferior in comparison. Then, the actors walked off the stage and the ceremony drew closer to the end. The final award, which was the Best Drama Award, was about to be announced to the public.

  Lu Chuan, who was sitting with Wu Yusen, Du Qifeng and Li Yunchan, felt nervous. He only relaxed when Lin Zhiling read the result out loud in her childlike voice.

  "The winner is ’Ke Ke Xi Li’ by Lu Chuan! Congratulations! This is the second time that a film from the Chinese mainland wins. Does this imply that the film circles on both sides of the Taiwanese Channel will have more chances of cooperating in the future?"

  He had succeeded! A film from the Chinese mainland had gotten Taiwan’s approval!

  Lu Chuan got off the stage with tears in his eyes, while Cai made his closing speech. The 2005 Golden Horse Festival had caused a storm in the Chinese film circle, not because of the quality of the films or its reform, but because of the gossip surrounding the two actors.

  The next day, the tabloids in Taiwan and Hong Kong were filled with all kinds of gossip.

  "Was Liang Chaowei isolated by the other candidates?"

  "Liang failed to get along with the other nominees."

  "Does the two-time award-winning actor want to compromise with the Chinese mainland?"

  "The entertainment circle always predicts changes in the economy."

  There were many pro-independence individuals, as well as people against the Chinese mainland, in Taiwan, so these news met their taste.

  In Hong Kong, people were reading the news about handsome Wu Yanzu with relish.

  "Qin Guan shook hands with Wu Yanzu and complimented his looks!"

  "Did Qin Guan have a crisis awareness with Wu?"

  "Who is the most handsome actor nowadays?"

  The shameless titles were full of conspiracy theories, but the objective reports of the Golden Horse Festival were ignored by the readers.

  Meanwhile, the media of the Chinese mainland, who were always extremely patriotic, narrated the events that had taken place during the festival. A photo of Qin Guan and Liu Dehua took up the main part of their front pages.

  "Two winners on the same stage. Our film won!"

  "Golden Horse broke the knot. Films from the Chinese mainland get more chances!"

  It was an impressive achievement by a great, proud country.

  Reporters from other Asian countries kept pace with China, praising the actors as much as they could.

  Some fans watched the film again and found it filled with obscure information. Unfortunately, the film was not distributed in foreign countries. The fans tried their best to download it from Qin Guan’s blog in America and used heavy Chinese-English dictionaries to translate it.

  American fans knew nothing about the festival though. To the average American citizen, the US was the whole universe. A festival on a small island meant nothing to them. They knew absolutely nothing about traditional Chinese film awards. They didn’t even understand the importance of award ceremonies in non-English-speaking countries.

  [1] A famous gossip newspaper in Hong Kong.