Leonardo, who should have had to wait over a decade to finally get his hands on that Oscar for Best Actor, had stepped onto the stage so many years early—wasn't that already a huge success?
Laila pressed her hand against her chest, feeling the heavy and slightly rapid beating of her heart.
It felt like she had just accomplished something truly incredible!
Even if no one could understand how she felt at that moment, she genuinely felt an overwhelming sense of achievement surging inside her. If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, she might have even broken out into a public square dance to express her excitement that was about to spill over.
Ever since coming to this world, she had changed so many things. For example, Dragon Soul Pictures now existed, as well as an entire cinema chain that spanned the East, pushing the local film industry to flourish more than a decade ahead of schedule.
There was also Roy Jixing, the "Sexiest Man Alive," who had become her fiancé…
And now, she had created another miracle that only she could truly appreciate—Leonardo had become an Oscar-winning Best Actor while still young and handsome!
"Laila, your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell?" Roy noticed her bowing her head in a daze, her cheeks flushed, and couldn't resist putting his hand on her forehead.
"No, I'm fine."
Laila looked up at him, her bright, sparkling eyes easing his worry. If she were unwell, she definitely wouldn't look this... lively?
Roy wasn't exactly sure what it meant; he only knew that when he looked into her ice-blue eyes, gleaming like diamonds, he could practically feel the joy overflowing from them.
"Leonardo won Best Actor, and you're this happy?" He deliberately put on a serious face to express his jealousy. "When I won Best Actor, you didn't seem this excited."
"Nonsense! Of course, I was happy. I was so thrilled I nearly died, okay?" Laila knew he was teasing her, but she still couldn't stop herself from defending her feelings.
Roy chuckled and grabbed her hand to kiss it. "Alright, alright, I know."
The two of them didn't notice that as they spoke, a camera captured their intimate interaction, broadcasting it live on TV to millions of viewers, who were force-fed a big, steaming bowl of pure "couple's dog food."
"Roy and Laila are such a sweet couple. Just looking at the way they gaze at each other makes me feel warm, even through the TV screen."
"Every time I see them together, I start believing in love again."
"I want a boyfriend like Roy. No, it's enough if he loves me half as much as Roy loves Laila!"
On Facebook, countless viewers who were "brutally fed dog food" expressed their feelings in all sorts of ways. Even Leonardo's recent win for Best Actor couldn't compete with their online chatter.
Completely unaware that he had just achieved his long-dreamed-of Oscar Best Actor title, only to be upstaged by a couple shamelessly showing off their love, Leonardo had already stepped down from the stage.
"Your speech was great just now." When he returned to his seat, Laila hugged him, just like everyone else had along the way.
"Thanks." Leonardo scratched his head in embarrassment. "I must have looked so stupid at first. Oh God, I'm not reading any reports tomorrow."
Roy burst out laughing. "Don't worry, I'll enlarge the photos and mail them to your house. You looked your most 'handsome' ever."
Leonardo pretended to lunge at him, but Laila quickly separated them. "Stop it, the awards aren't even over yet."
While she was talking, the six presenters for Best Actress had already taken the stage.
This year's Best Actress award didn't have anything to do with Laila, so she hadn't paid attention. At that moment, her mind was still immersed in the sense of accomplishment from rewriting someone's fate. Honestly, that feeling—changing someone else's destiny—made her just as happy as changing her own.
In the end, Sandra Bullock beat out her competition and took home the Oscar for Best Actress.
Compared to Sandra, Laila had a deeper impression of another nominee, Meryl Streep. This veteran actress, who seemed to appear on the nomination list every year, could truly become any character she played. Before Laila came to this world, Meryl had already been nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars sixteen times and had won twice.
After the Best Actress award was presented, the backstage monitors suddenly noticed a spike in viewership ratings. At first, it wasn't very obvious, but when Barbra Streisand stepped on stage to present Best Director, the ratings soared dramatically!
"What's going on? Did something go wrong?"
"Of course not! Didn't you see? It's time to announce Best Director!"
"So many people care about Best Director?"
"This year, of course, they do. We've got Director Cameron, his ex-wife, and Director Moran. Just these three alone are enough to keep everyone glued to the screen!"
Whether it was Laila's strong showing, Cameron's worldwide box office dominance breaking countless records, or the critically acclaimed Kathryn Bigelow, who stood toe-to-toe with them, there were so many reasons for audiences to be on edge. Everyone wanted to know whose hands that golden statuette would ultimately end up in.
These three shone so brightly that the other two unfortunate nominees were completely overshadowed.
Quentin Tarantino, director of Inglourious Basterds, was a name familiar to many. Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, even the original Kill Bill—all came from his hand.
He was a true genius, his talent dazzling. Unfortunately, he just didn't have great luck. Even without Laila's interference, he had never won Best Director at the Oscars, though he had won Best Original Screenplay twice thanks to his brilliant writing.
Then there was Jason Reitman, also an immensely talented director. His self-written and directed film Up in the Air earned him high praise this year. Back in 2007, he had even made it into the Oscars with his comedy Juno.
This year's battle for Best Director was top-tier and fierce. It was no wonder millions of viewers had switched channels in just a short time, eager to find out in real time who would ultimately take the prize. Would it be the unstoppable box office king Cameron, Hollywood legend Moran, or one of the three other immensely talented directors?
"Laila, why aren't you nervous?" Finally stepping out of his "I won Best Actor! I did it! I became Best Actor!" euphoria, Leonardo noticed that Laila's expression looked much like his had before—completely calm, as if she didn't care about the outcome at all.
And he felt she genuinely didn't care, unlike himself, who only pretended not to care but was dying inside.
Why? Was there a director who didn't care about that little golden man representing the ultimate achievement in directing?