Maternal altruism is a powerful thing; to Liang Chen, who used to be very image-conscious, nothing mattered more than her child. She had gained weight, stretch marks, and a nasty scar on her belly, yet she had no complaints.
If I was given a chance to be a mother, thought Yan Huan, I would have done the same, no matter what it cost me.
She arrived at the hospital. Not anyone was allowed to enter Liang Chen’s room, but Yan Huan just had to make a call to Qi Haolin. Soon, he came out to attend her.
“Where’s the baby?” Yan Huan asked the new dad.
Qi Haolin smiled. “She’s well and healthy, but smaller than most babies. A tiny thing, just a little above 5 grams. She’s in the incubator now. Come, I’ll bring you to her.”
Qi Haolin was eager to show off his daughter.
“She’s pretty, just like her mother.”
Yan Huan didn’t doubt that. Liang Chen was a natural beauty, and the apple wasn’t like to fall far from the tree.
She watched the child, a small and tender creature, through the incubator’s glass. It was too early to tell how she would look in the future, but her tiny limbs made Yan Huan melt.
She placed her hand on the glass, once again in admiration of the wonders of life.
Children are the most wonderful in these world, aren’t they?
Watching them grow, watching them learn to walk and talk, watching them acquiring their own thoughts… As you watch them grow and age along with them, you realize that turning old isn’t so scary a thing after all, for there’s no way they could mature without you aging.
Overcome with sadness, she felt a sudden tingle in her nose. In this life, she could never be a mother, and all she could do was watch the children of others. First it was Little Lei, and now, Liang Chen’s daughter.
She stood up and turned around, without betraying anything on her face, where a faint smile lingered.
Liang Chen was awake when Yan Huan arrived. She was in good health, but moved little so as to not aggravate her wounds. She grasped Yan Huan’s hand when she saw her.
“Have you seen my daughter?” she asked. “She’s pretty, isn’t she? Does she resemble me?”
“I did. She looks exactly like you, a pretty and lovable child,” said Yan Huan, sitting down. She passed Liang Chen her gift, a golden locket she had someone craft for the child. According to the older generation, this was the best gift for a child. If you are rich, you are obliged to give a golden locket, and a silver one if otherwise.
With joy, Liang Chen accepted it in her daughter’s stead. She will put it on her when they are both out of the hospital.
“Congratulations,” said Liang Chen, holding out her hand.
“Congratulations?” Yan Huan pointed at her hand. “What for? I’m not the one who just gave birth.”
Liang Chen rolled her eyes. “What nonsense are you thinking about? I’m congratulating you for smashing the domestic box office record, and making it to top 50 in the worldwide charts. Also, congratulations for becoming the first Eastern brand endorse of Alice Perfume. Back then, I vied with ten domestic nominees for the spot, but in the end the position went to a white person.”
“That’s why I wanted to tell you…” Liang Chen sat up cautiously. She felt genuine happiness for Yan Huan. “You have done well and did our nation proud. You brought our Eastern culture to the international stage, made yourself known, and made the beauty unique to Easterners known. Isn’t that worth celebrating?”
“I never thought as much as you did. I’m a lowbrow, and all I know is I got good money from it,” said Yan Huan. She really didn’t feel much about it. She wouldn’t even have gone, had Luo Lin not pestered her so much. Liang Chen’s elaborate praises made her blush.
She was merely a selfish woman.
Liang Chen felt like whooping her. How could Yan Huan turn such a classy topic into something about money?
“Speaking of which,” remembered Liang Chen. “The nominations for the International Film Award is in May, isn’t it? Before the Beginning is going to be qualify, right? I don’t see how such a good film wouldn’t make it pass the qualification phase. I just know that it’s going to get nominated.”
“Maybe,” said Yan Huan. She felt neither nervous or excited. Her heart had always been like calm water. After Lu Yi’s passing, it had become more like the Dead Sea.
Liang Chen had hoped that the news would lift Yan Huan’s spirits, but she was wrong. As always, Yan Huan didn’t look happy in the least. Perhaps Yan Huan had died along with Lu Yi, after all.
The Yan Huan that was alive was only waiting for the day death arrives.
Her eyes always seemed a little distracted, and there was little joy in her smiles. She was cold and distant, but that has only added to her charms.
The International Film Award was the most prestigious award worldwide, and the number of Chinese winners up till then could be counted on one hand. Most of the awards had gone to overseas megastars. Domestic films were rarely nominated, yet this time two Chinese films had made it past the selections; one being The Aster Flower, and the other being Before the Beginning. They were both crowned as masterpieces of the Chinese film industry, and had been in the limelight ever since their release. The two films were both difficult to surpass, especially Before the Beginning with its 53 million grosses. It could be decades before another film accomplishes that feat.
There was no telling as to which film would win, but both nominees this time round were high-quality production that did not lose out to any overseas films.
“Why must they be nominated along with us?” complained Su Muran. Her luck was never good whenever she crossed paths with Yan Huan. It was as though she was her kryptonite. She beat her in everything, whether it was in box office grosses or popularity. It was probably going to be the same with this International Film Award. Whatever chances she stood was as good as gone when Yan Huan came into the picture.
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