At that moment, Alex experienced a feeling he had not felt in a long time: the feeling of a saint surrounded by demons, coveted like a living treasure.
Only this time, he had not walked into a seductive trap filled with delicate webs. It felt more like he had stepped into a mountain ruled by beasts.
After all, just imagine hundreds of people staring at you with the same gleam foxes had when eyeing a fat chicken. The thought alone was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
"I already have plans," Alex said, keeping his tone calm beneath that tidal wave of expectation. "But for now, everything is still in preparation. There's no need for everyone to rush."
The moment those words left his mouth, many people in the audience became visibly restless. Some looked as though they were simply waiting for the event to end so they could charge forward, smile, flatter him, beg him, and grasp at any opening they could find.
Among them were quite a few people who, a year earlier, had received audition invitations when Alex was preparing Bleach and had either refused or let the opportunity slip away. Now, their regret was written all over their faces.
During the filming of Nirvana in Fire, Mark had heard a young actor complain more than once that his previous agent had rejected the invitation for him to audition for the role of Peter.
To be honest, if Alex promised him a role right now, the guy might actually kneel down and lick the tops of Alex's shoes.
Well… of course, that was an exaggeration.
But not by much.
Meanwhile, many veteran artists in the audience smiled and applauded with quiet approval. For people of their age, Alex's stories were perhaps too wild, too imaginative, almost too unrestrained. But acting was acting. That, they understood.
And in that regard, Alex was not inferior to them at all.
As for comparing him with actors his own age… well, that could hardly be called a comparison anymore. It was pure dimensional suppression. Almost bullying.
Then again, what was the point of inviting so many respected veterans to an event dominated by traffic stars, pretty faces, and popularity contests?
To make the event look respectable?
"We may still need Director Alex back onstage later," the host said half-jokingly, sensing that Alex had probably figured out the atmosphere by now. "But why not say a few more words while you're here?"
After a brief pause, Alex leaned toward the microphone.
"I know many people hate me. I know many people despise my existence. That is a fact. But I also know that even more people like me, support me, and love me. That is also a fact."
The hall grew quieter.
Alex continued, his calm voice carrying an almost cruel confidence.
"I also know that if I ever fail, the people who hate me will come rushing out to attack me. Unfortunately, you will never have that chance."
The entire room seemed to explode inward before anyone could properly react.
Even those who understood Alex's personality were stunned speechless.
Was that arrogance? Confidence? Madness?
Even when a certain movie star once shouted to the world that he was the king, it had not sounded this brazen.
But Alex was not afraid.
To him, there was no real possibility of collapse. And even if he stumbled one day, all he had to do was return with a work strong enough to slap everyone in the face. He would not even need to buy defenders or hire an army of fans. There would always be people willing to justify him, explain for him, protect him, and wash away the stain.
That was how the entertainment world worked.
As long as the next work was powerful enough, as long as the next viral moment was explosive enough, even people who had once been dragged through the mud could nearly be reborn as saints. The problem was that some people simply could not stop digging their own graves.
But that night, none of that mattered.
Because Alex had thrown a sentence onto the stage like a banner planted at the top of an era.
And the internet, inevitably, caught fire.
The next day, one topic sat firmly at the top of the trending list:
Alex Makes Shocking Statement at Weibo Night; the Emperor of Film and Television Is Officially Crowned.
There was no doubt about it. From his kingly contempt toward those three young idols on the red carpet to his arrogant declaration on the awards stage, every frame had been screenshotted, clipped, reposted, and dissected by fans.
When Alex saw that the nickname people often used for him, "the little emperor of film and television," had finally lost the word "little," he was actually quite pleased.
After all, no man liked being called little.
But the word "crowned" made the corner of his eye twitch.
Crowned?
For winning an award at Weibo Night?
What kind of coronation was that supposed to be?
When he won a major television award, when he completed a full sweep of the drama circuit, then they could start talking about crowns, thrones, and empires.
One week later, Nadia entered his office with shining eyes.
"Boss, the Feitian Awards invited you to attend the ceremony!"
Alex fell silent.
Good grief.
That had come far too quickly.
At the Feitian Awards ceremony, the atmosphere was completely different from Weibo Night. There were no manufactured celebrities, no faces that seemed to live only off viral clips and rehearsed dances. Around Alex were real actors. People whose faces he recognized instantly because he had seen them in memorable roles, even if he could not always remember their names.
That, too, was one of the tragedies of the industry.
The true actors carried entire stories, marked entire generations, yet the public did not always remember them the way they deserved.
"Next, we will present the Best Actor Award at the thirty-something Feitian Awards."
The nominees appeared on the big screen.
Foreign Teacher - Tang Guoqiang.
The Courtyard Full of Love - He Bin.
Bleach - Alex.
Good grief.
They were all powerhouses.
Soon, the screen played clips of each performance in sequence. First came Tang Guoqiang's dignified elder, heavy with the weight of history. Then He Bin's ordinary yet painfully vivid Silly Zhu from The Courtyard Full of Love. Finally, Alex appeared as Sosuke Aizen, wearing that calm, almost gentle expression that concealed enough pressure to crush the air itself.
Thunderous applause filled the hall.
But when the clip from The Courtyard Full of Love appeared, Alex's expression turned slightly strange.
He could not help remembering the absurd number of online fanfictions based on that setting. There were so many versions, so many reinventions, so many recycled domestic dramas, that even though he had never watched the original series in full, he still knew characters like He Yuzhu, Qin Huairu, and Xu Damao as if he had lived next door to them.
Sitting beside the legendary Li Xuejian, Alex had to do everything he could to keep his expression normal.
Because of him, the number of people watching the Feitian Awards livestream online had skyrocketed. Weibo Night might be fun for watching celebrities tear into one another, but this was different.
This was a battle among gods.
At that moment, the host opened the envelope. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, but it quickly became the smile of someone who, deep down, had expected this result all along.
He lowered his head toward the microphone.
"Congratulations, Alex!"
In an instant, applause swept across the hall like a storm.
When Alex stood, several veteran actors around him rose as well and patted his shoulder with smiles. It was as if they were silently saying: the future belongs to you.
But Alex disagreed.
He did not need the future.
The present was already his.
After he walked onto the stage, the images of the other two nominees disappeared from the big screen behind him, leaving only him in focus. Holding the trophy, Alex allowed himself a rare moment of theatrical arrogance in real life and said:
"I am the emperor of film and television."
The older artists below the stage froze for half a second.
Then they burst into laughter.
It was not mockery. It was surprise, amusement, admiration. Some clapped even harder.
Slightly younger serious actors such as He Bin and Hai Qing could only shake their heads with helpless smiles. The sentence was absurd. Arrogant. Almost offensive.
But the worst part was that Alex truly had the capital to say it.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Dimensional Pictures, the situation could be summed up in one sentence: their private messages had exploded.
From the end of Weibo Night until now, the company had received more than a thousand audition requests.
Every single one of them wanted a role in Alex's next work.
If it had not been too much trouble, Alex would have sent one mass reply:
"Do you people even know what I'm filming next?"
Even he had not fully decided yet.
Originally, Alex had intended for Naruto to take up the banner after Bleach. Unfortunately, there were too many bugs, too many structural problems that needed fixing, and even Alex, with all his advantages, could not revise everything in such a short time.
Considering that Violet Grant was still at the perfect age for genius-little-girl roles, and that this phase would not last forever, perhaps it would be better to film the works with important young female characters first.
For example, Rin in Inuyasha.
Or Tatsumaki in One Punch Man.
There was only one small problem.
Alex glanced at himself in the mirror.
And thought sincerely:
Wouldn't I be a little too handsome to play Saitama?
Headlines came one after another.
Best Actor Crowned: Feitian Awards Officially Establish Alex's Dominance.
From Writing to Directing to Acting: His Roles May Not Always Be the Most Handsome, but They Are Definitely Among the Most Difficult.
Why Is Alex's Success So Hard to Replicate? A Screenwriting Ability That Transcends the Era.
Alex Reveals the Successor to Bleach Is Already in Preparation. Can He Create Another Miracle?
The filmmakers preparing releases for the National Day slot suddenly lost their good mood.
Popular comedians, prestigious directors, and action stars who were busy arguing with people online all realized the same problem at once.
Bleach had already ended some time ago. In theory, it should no longer be competing with them for attention.
But Alex himself had returned to steal the spotlight.
Worse still, at Weibo Night, Alex had said that the next work succeeding Bleach was already in preparation. Now, netizens cared only about what Alex's next project would be. Upcoming films? Recently released dramas? Expensive marketing campaigns?
Everything else seemed secondary.
An action star who had even invested his own money into his new film began to feel nervous.
But the film industry was not the only one feeling speechless. The television industry was not doing much better.
The first to suffer the impact was the crew of Nirvana in Fire, a production filled with Alex's old acquaintances.
Filming had wrapped some time ago. To build momentum for the drama, the main cast led by Mark, Rebeca Verne, and Emily had been desperately appearing on variety shows, trying to keep the series alive in the public eye.
But the host's very first question nearly broke Mark on the spot.
"Mark, everyone in the industry knows you're one of the artists closest to Director Alex. Has he notified you about auditions for his new work?"
Mark was completely stunned.
They were there to promote Nirvana in Fire. Asking that right away was clearly looking for trouble.
Fortunately, Mark had a good temper. After a dry smile, he replied:
"Not yet. But if I have the opportunity to participate in Director Alex's work again, it would be a great honor."
He thought the topic would end there.
It did not.
Perhaps because the host had not received the answer he wanted, he turned the focus toward Emily.
"Emily, as the most famous actress under Dimensional Pictures, you've probably already received a role, haven't you?"
Under normal circumstances, Emily would not have been so careless. This time, however, she could not quite suppress the little spark of pride in her chest.
"Of course. And it's a very important role. Unfortunately, it isn't the female lead, but there are a lot of scenes. Everyone can look forward to it."
The director of Nirvana in Fire, sitting below the stage, immediately darkened.
Was this supposed to be promotion for his drama or advertising for Alex's next work?
On the other side, Rebeca Verne's face turned even darker.
She was the female lead, after all.
Why was the host interviewing the second female antagonist instead?
Just because she had never truly been part of Alex's universe?
Well… technically, Rebeca had appeared in Bleach. She had played Kaien's wife, a minor character who exited almost as soon as she appeared.
Thinking back now, Rebeca actually regretted taking that role.
A lot of haters still used it to mock her, saying Alex had good eyes and could tell at a glance that Rebeca's level only deserved a brief appearance.
Besides, there were rumors that Lena from Aurora Entertainment had been getting quite close to Alex recently.
Rebeca almost spat out the thought in disgust.
Blind man.
The original was right in front of him, and he chose to get close to a knockoff.
Emily, for her part, also carried a small frustration. That bastard Alex seemed to have never once considered her for a female lead role.
If Alex heard that, he would have only one answer:
Do you really think your acting can carry a female lead?
Emily might be a traffic magnet in online entertainment novels, always capable of stirring discussion and attracting attention. But as for her acting… well, those who knew, knew.
Many entertainment webnovels loved to make popular actresses from her generation the absolute heroines. So whenever the protagonist made movies or dramas, those women naturally became the female leads.
Alex always wanted to complain whenever he saw that.
Fiction was fiction, sure. But even an urban entertainment story needed at least one foot in reality.
Those actresses were beautiful, famous, and charismatic.
But acting?
Everyone should know their own limits.
Alex was practical. The roles he reserved for Emily and actresses like her only required one main thing: beauty.
And that, they had in abundance.
In Alex's planned casting list, the notes were already very clear:
One Punch Man - Emily as Fubuki.
Inuyasha - Emily as Sango.
Naruto - Emily as Mei Terumi.
That was right.
No female lead.
Because she simply could not carry that weight.
So who were the female leads?
In One Punch Man, Violet Grant as Tatsumaki.
In Inuyasha, Zhao Jinmai as Kagome.
And in Naruto…
Oh.
The female lead of Naruto was the dark rival, Sasuke.
Sorry.
Got that wrong.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Additionally, more chapters exclusive content are available on Patreon: https://patreon.com/ImmortalEmperor?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
- CHRONICLES OF THE ICE SOVEREIGN
-PLAYING ANIME LEGENDS
-THE OTHER WORLD'S ANIMATOR
Join now and help shape the future of the story while enjoying special rewards!