Chapter 668 - 664: Squandering Money, Wasting Time

The awards ceremony was at its midway point. Yuna Sutton was already backstage, waiting in the wings. The award for Best Supporting Actress would be presented right after the current singer’s performance.

Lily Sterling, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. She still felt a flicker of anticipation, but as far as she was concerned, tonight was already a resounding success for her in every way.

Soon, music swelled, and Yuna Sutton, clad in a gorgeous evening gown, walked onto the stage with her co-presenter.

After a moment of friendly banter, the two quickly got down to business. The main screen began playing the nomination clips for this year’s Best Supporting Actress.

This year wasn’t considered a "strong year" for the Best Supporting Actress category. A "strong year" refers to a year when all the nominees are exceptionally formidable, making the competition to win the award incredibly fierce.

This wasn’t a strong year; otherwise, Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix wouldn’t have secured two nominations for Best Supporting Actress from a single show.

The front-runner was the esteemed Dolly Jones for her outstanding performance in the drama Good Time!

Although Lily Sterling was no longer nervous, she kept her eyes glued to Yuna Sutton’s face. Yuna had told her that if she opened the envelope and saw Lily’s name, she would give two small nods.

As Yuna Sutton tore open the envelope, a tense drumroll filled the venue, perfectly matching the mood.

Beside her, Andrew Sutton and Sophie Grant grew tense as well.

Even Director Cole suddenly felt a surge of hope. ’Two nominations,’ he thought, ’surely we can snag one!’

However, once the envelope was open, Yuna Sutton’s expression visibly froze for a moment. She didn’t nod.

Seeing this, Lily Sterling felt the tension in her chest ease. ’Looks like it’s not me.’

Yuna Sutton studied the card for another moment to confirm what was written, then showed it to her co-presenter. He, too, did a slight double-take before nudging her hand, signaling for her to make the announcement.

A smile returned to Yuna Sutton’s face as she leaned into the microphone and said slowly, "The winner of the 37th Golden Magpie Award for Best Supporting Actress is..."

"Dolly Jones from Good Time!"

As the name was announced, the venue erupted in congratulatory applause. It was the expected outcome. Lily Sterling had seen Dolly Jones’s performance and felt the award was well-deserved, so she clapped wholeheartedly for her as well.

However, over the sound of the applause, Yuna Sutton’s voice rang out clearly once more, "And Lily Sterling, for Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix!"

This time, Lily Sterling froze.

When the main screen cut to her, it perfectly captured her adorably dazed expression.

"Lily, that’s you! You won too!" Andrew Sutton exclaimed, clapping excitedly beside her.

Lily Sterling still hadn’t processed it, a look of pure confusion on her face, but her body rose from her chair out of pure reflex.

"Lily, congratulations!" Sophie Grant said, rising to give her a hug. Lily Sterling was still in a daze.

’Did I just...?’

’Win the award at the same time as Dolly Jones?’

The host’s voice immediately followed. "Let’s congratulate both of our winners! This is the first time in five years the Golden Magpie Awards have had a tie, and only the fifth time in the award’s history. It’s clear that both performances were so outstanding that the judges on the panel simply couldn’t choose just one."

Meanwhile, the Sterlings were going absolutely wild. Ethan Sterling and Ronald were tearing around the room in excitement, while the sisters, Jasmine and Yvonne Sterling, were sobbing in each other’s arms.

Two nominations, two wins for Lily Sterling. Not even Connie had expected such an outcome.

Cecilia Sterling, meanwhile, watched her younger sister on TV with a look of proud satisfaction. ’She really is a natural-born actress.’ The bet Cecilia had placed before the ceremony was just a show of support; she never imagined she’d actually end up winning a huge sum from it.

’Wasn’t this her sister’s way of repaying her?’

Back on stage, Lily Sterling found herself repeating her acceptance speech, since it was the only one she had prepared.

Finally, the host prompted her, "Lily, on the red carpet, many veteran actors said they had high hopes for you tonight. Now, with two nominations and two wins, you’ve proven their praise for your performance was well-founded. Is there anything else you’d like to say?"

Prompted, Lily Sterling quickly added, "Thank you so much to my respected seniors for their recognition. I especially want to thank Jett Hughes, and Sophie Grant for giving me a shoutout on the red carpet, and all the other outstanding veterans who were nominated alongside me."

"Being on this stage with Ms. Dolly Jones is truly the greatest highlight of my life. I’m grateful for everything. Thank you!"

After shooting to fame at the Golden Magpie Awards, Lily Sterling—a newcomer who had been in the industry for only a year—now had two major awards and a brand ambassadorship for a high-end label under her belt. She had leapfrogged the competition, rapidly joining the ranks of starlets born after the year 2000.

*

A few days later, Cecilia Sterling went with Emeric Grant to his family’s home, gifts in hand.

She had agreed to this visit a while ago.

Mr. Grant and Mrs. White went all out for the occasion; Mrs. White had personally cooked a huge spread of dishes.

"Cecilia, please, make yourself at home. Don’t stand on ceremony," Mrs. White greeted her warmly. "When he heard you were coming today, Mr. Grant was so excited he almost couldn’t sleep last night. He was rushing me to go grocery shopping first thing this morning."

"You’ve both gone to so much trouble. A simple meal would have been more than enough," Cecilia said. "I’m the one who should be making the effort to visit you, not the other way around. You shouldn’t have gone through all this fuss."

In truth, she still felt a little uneasy. Sitting on their sofa, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was leading to a discussion about marriage.

"Of course. It’s your first time visiting, so naturally, we’d want to make it special," Mr. Grant said candidly. "You’re the first girl Emeric has ever brought home, you know."

Cecilia knew that.

Her relationship with Emeric was stabilizing, and her feelings for him had grown much stronger than before. This distinct shift began after they became intimate. From a physiological and psychological standpoint, this was due to "chemical messengers," which work in tandem to strengthen emotional bonds and attachment.

This phenomenon occurs more frequently in women, particularly when the male partner is an excellent sexual performer.

It’s also known as "post-orgasm aftereffect."

Cecilia had heard all of this from Jane Sterling, a relationship expert. Jane had explained that these were scientifically-backed phenomena and added that it also indirectly confirmed Cecilia’s own high standards for sexual satisfaction.

Cecilia didn’t deny it.

"Cecilia, you’re a junior in college now, right?" Mr. Grant asked, his tone casual.

Cecilia nodded, and Mr. Grant continued, "Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Are you thinking about grad school?"

Cecilia shook her head without hesitation. "No, sir. I’m not planning on grad school."

She didn’t want to waste any more time on academics. ’With the knowledge and experience I’ve already accumulated,’ she thought, ’I don’t need a degree to prove myself in this life.’

She no longer had any grand ambitions for research or lofty personal ideals.

Having been given a second chance at life, all she wanted to do was "squander money and waste away the hours."

Hearing that Cecilia had no plans for grad school, the smile on Mr. Grant’s face deepened.