The Global Cinema Awards turned the city into a constellation.
Limousines lined the boulevard like a river of starlight, camera flashes erupted in endless bursts, and an audience of millions watched from beyond screens.
Yu Zhen waited inside the theater's restricted loading entrance — away from the carpet's madness — watching the livestream monitor flicker above stacked equipment crates.
On-screen:
Lian Xuan stepped onto the red carpet.
Black suit immaculate.Shoulders squared.Smile perfect.
But his golden eyes searched the crowd.
Not for cameras.
For Yu Zhen.
The moment their gazes met through the backstage hallway, something invisible clicked into place.
[SOUL THREAD: STRAIN HIGH] [MEMORY FRAGMENT 5 — PRE-AWAKENING STATE] Before the Ceremony
Yu Zhen joined Lian Xuan backstage moments later. Assistants scurried around last-minute adjustments.
Lian Xuan leaned close.
"You feel it too, right?" he whispered.
"The pressure?"
Yu Zhen nodded.
"The fragment is reaching its convergence point."
Lian Xuan exhaled slowly.
"I don't want to unlock it here."
"Fate rarely asks permission," Yu Zhen replied gently.
A stagehand called Lian Xuan's name.
They had to separate.
Not because they wanted to —
But because the world demanded it.
Lights, Applause, and Destiny
The ceremony roared to life.
Award after award passed.
Then the moment arrived:
BEST ACTOR
The screen displayed nominees.
Lian Xuan's name shimmered in gold.
"And the winner is…"
LIAN XUAN
Thunderous applause.
Yu Zhen felt the surge before the announcement finished echoing.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 5 — CRITICAL THRESHOLD BREACH]
As Lian Xuan rose from his seat, memories slammed into him violently:
• Kneeling before shattered light as he vowed eternal protection.• Holding Yu Zhen beneath collapsing sky bridges.• Watching him die for the first time — and the second — and again.
Lian Xuan staggered mid-aisle.
Yu Zhen felt it.
The soul-thread snapped tight like a divine tether.
He didn't hesitate.
He ran — straight across televised rows toward him.
Gasps rippled.
Security rushed forward.
But the moment Yu Zhen reached Lian Xuan —
—and clasped his hand —
Time shattered.
The Awakening
Golden-silver light erupted between them — invisible to cameras, but violently real to the stage.
The ceiling trembled.
Every nerve in Lian Xuan's body blazed.
He remembered everything.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 5 — FULL SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE] [SHARED PAST ACCESS: OPEN]
The actor froze.
The audience thought it was artistic vulnerability.
No one knew he was seeing:
• Their divine forms clashing against corrupted heavens.• Their punishment: endless reincarnation until the soul debt was paid.• Yu Zhen choosing fall over separation.
Lian Xuan choked.
"Zhen," he whispered.
Yu Zhen steadied him.
"I'm here."
Confession Under the Lights
The host called awkwardly from the stage:
"Mr. Lian?"
Lian Xuan walked up — still holding Yu Zhen's hand. No one stopped him. Not assistants. Not security. Not reason.
He took the trophy.
Then he looked directly at Yu Zhen — live on global television.
"I wasn't planning to say this," Lian Xuan said into the microphone.
The audience hushed.
"But I spent many lives believing I had already lost the most important person in the world."
Eyes lifted.
Yu Zhen's breath caught.
"Turns out," he continued quietly,"he was just waiting for me to remember."
Silence exploded into whispers.
Lian Xuan didn't name Yu Zhen.
He didn't need to.
The truth hit the soul, not the screens.
Yu Zhen gave a small, radiant smile.
After the Ceremony
They fled the after-party chaos and found refuge on the rooftop balcony overlooking glittering city lights.
Wind stirred between them.
All restraints were gone.
They didn't touch.
They didn't need to.
"You remember now," Yu Zhen said softly.
"I remember who you are."
Lian Xuan turned to face him fully.
"And who am I to you?"
Yu Zhen answered without hesitation:
"The one I always come back to."
At last, Lian Xuan closed the distance — resting his forehead against Yu Zhen's.
They stood together under the open night —
Not pretending anymore.
Not hiding memories.
Not afraid.
[WORLD 5 OBJECTIVE — COMPLETE] [MEMORY FRAGMENTS RETRIEVED: 5 / 12] [SOUL THREAD: DEEP STABILIZATION]