Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 772: The Youngest Best Actor Ever! Well Deserved!

The stage was bathed in brilliant lights as Xiao He, now fully at ease, stepped onto it with calm confidence.

As he moved, the camera naturally focused on his face.

Today, Xiao He's outfit finally showed some thoughtful design, shifting from the stiff, structured suit to a softer, new-Chinese-style black jacket paired with deliberately streamlined wide-leg black trousers. The overall look gave him a sense of detached calm, with a hint of Song Chenye's unrestrained and carefree vibe after retiring from the martial world—like a character stepping out of the story.

"Thank you all for your love and recognition of Song Chenye, and my gratitude to the judges for their acknowledgment of me—"

Xiao He paused. Though he had rehearsed countless drafts in his mind beforehand, when it came time to actually speak to the camera, he found himself uncertain how to begin.

This Best Actor award came to him both easily and not so easily.

Easily, because everything seemed to happen like water flowing naturally—Record of Chasing the Wind had risen with the wind like its name suggested, soaring straight to the heavens as soon as it aired.

Not so easily, because he had played so many supporting roles in TV dramas, starting from the earliest Mu Ze, to the later Yin Qi whose popularity took off through online traffic, until now, when he finally let Song Chenye, the male lead, ascend to the grand stage.

"Actually, I really love the character Song Chenye."

In the end, Xiao He, thinking of his deliberately fitting outfit today, decided to continue approaching from the character's perspective: "Many of Song Chenye's personality traits—I think perhaps I will never fully learn them. His frankness, his integrity, his chivalry, his detachment."

"I've always believed that staying true to your original intentions on the path of growth is an incredibly difficult thing. It seems that after reaching a certain point in life, you inevitably and helplessly walk onto a fork in the road, choosing a path your former self would never have imagined."

"But, my friends, I want to tell you this: Life may indeed be an unchangeable multiple-choice question, but how we walk the road ahead is still in our own hands. Don't abandon the original intentions of the past, and don't fail the steps of the present. The mountains ahead are high, and the roads are long. The person you become after growth will surely, across the years, give your past self the most perfect answer."

"Here, I want to thank my fans once again—my family, friends, and partners. You have always been the original intention that keeps me going, and indispensable key characters in this long journey. Thank you so much for your love, and thank you for your support and understanding..."

Xiao He extended from Song Chenye to himself, transitioning from the character's persona within the drama to his life outside it. His impromptu speech turned out even more moving than the drafts he had prepared earlier.

It wasn't until Xiao He left the stage that many people in front of their screens snapped out of their reverie, excitedly sharing their thoughts and congratulating Xiao He on his success.

[Congrats, Brother Xiao! The best Xiao He, the best Song Chenye!]

[Brother Xiao is way too humble. If he could act out the very soul of Song Chenye's vessel, how could he lack Song Chenye's core qualities? Brother Xiao, you deserve it.]

[Congrats, Xiao He! The youngest Best Actor ever! Well deserved!]

[Congrats, Brother Xiao! I just realized Record of Chasing the Wind is actually Xiao He's first male lead TV drama! The worth of winning an award on the first major male lead role goes without saying.]

[Oh my god, Record of Chasing the Wind is Xiao He's first male lead work? Why do I feel like I've been loving Xiao He's works for years?]

[Haha, that just shows how outstanding Brother Xiao is. Truly talented people will eventually succeed. Congrats, congrats! Following Brother Xiao feels like chasing a feel-good drama—he's taken us through all kinds of storms on this journey.]

[Haha, who else? Double win with both Best TV Actor and Best Movie Actor! Now all that's missing is a ten-billion box office.]

[Actually, if we count the box office of all the movies Xiao He has participated in so far, just The Phantom Thief Alliance series alone, plus his solo work No Bait, he should already qualify as a ten-billion-box-office Best Actor in the mainland, right?]

[Well, that's not quite how you count it. Xiao He wasn't a main character in The Phantom Thief series, so forcibly pulling in that box office is a stretch. Although nowadays many celebrities do count box office from movies where they just make a cameo as their own, Brother Xiao doesn't need to mess with that kind of fluff. He takes real achievements! The ten-billion mark is coming sooner or later anyway!]

[Based on actual billing position and role contribution, Brother Xiao probably has only three films that truly count toward his record, right?]

[Law of the Jungle is a dual male lead—Xiao He has second billing, so the box office definitely counts as his share. No Bait is undeniably his film as the lead. Let the Mistake Slide is also a second-billing male lead, but everyone knows it was Brother Xiao carrying the box office both domestically and internationally; it's a good thing it wasn't dragged down. And Thief Catcher 2, currently still in theaters, has Xiao He as a second-billing male lead, but we don't know the final box office yet, so let's not count that. Adding it up, Brother Xiao is still a ways off from the ten-billion mark.]

[I checked—currently, Thief Catcher 2 has 1.7 billion in box office, with the final estimate likely settling around 1.8 or 1.9 billion. If we include Thief Catcher 2, Brother Xiao should be at about 8 billion. Given his current box office pull, he's probably just one movie away from reaching it.]

[Huh? Thief Catcher 2 is so popular—I feel like so many people around me have seen it, even going for a second watch. But it's only at 1.7 billion? That's just a little better than Let the Mistake Slide...]

[??? 1.7 billion is already insane! Do you even know the current overall baseline for martial arts movies? Breaking 1 billion is a miracle relying entirely on word of mouth. Do you think this is some easy feat?!!!]

[A little-known fact: Super Spacetime Confrontation starring Brother Xiao and Brother Shu hasn't had any news yet. With the production speed of sci-fi films, it'll most likely be scheduled for next year's Spring Festival slot. The box office will definitely be huge then, so Brother Xiao breaking ten billion is absolutely certain.]

[Oh yeah... That makes me happy. I'm waiting for the mainland ten-billion-box-office Best Actor version of Brother Xiao.]

[Awesome! I just can't stand those people who make cameo appearances in minor roles and then casually piggyback on others' billions of box office achievements. I want to ask: Is that box office even yours? How dare you claim it as your own credit? Ridiculous.]

[Can't wait! And I heard Brother Xiao and the team are heading to Hong Kong soon to start filming, collaborating with Director Zhuang again. I feel like the next hit movie is about to rise!]

[Ouch, that's hard to say. Brother Xiao's team hasn't released any related schedule news. I've heard through the grapevine that this time, the film Brother Xiao is working on isn't planning to be released domestically, so the domestic promotion will be very low-key.]

[What? Really? Brother Xiao + Director Zhuang's combo, and this time they're skipping the domestic market? How are they going to make box office?]

[Then don't do it. Brother Xiao's momentum is so strong right now—why would he do something like that...]

The initially excited fans gradually had their enthusiasm dampened by this sudden news.

But trusting Brother Xiao, they weren't easily swayed. Instead, they looked forward to this "banned film" created by the collaboration between Xiao He and Zhuang Hongyi, anticipating the surprises it might bring in the future.

Meanwhile, Xiao He, having completed the award ceremony, was unaware of his fans' trust and expectations.

After finishing the final work handover in Shanghai, Xiao He and the rest of the production team flew together to Hong Kong, beginning a new chapter of life on set.