Contract Marriage: Let's Make It Real, Mrs. Sterling!-Chapter 227: Men Bloom at Thirty-One

After the Summer Dream group walked the red carpet, the staff led them to the dressing room to start the stage styling.

The invited celebrities had already entered the venue, and given Jensen Sterling’s status, his position was absolutely prime, right in the middle of the front row, offering an excellent view.

Seated next to him were prominent figures in the industry, including some longstanding top-tier artists, renowned directors, producers, and a few newly popular stars of this year.

Of course, the seats for the new stars were slightly to the side. When they saw Jensen Sterling and other veterans, they came over to greet them politely before heading to their seats.

This event is essentially this platform’s mid-year gala, where they select ten dramas aired in the past six months to award the leading actors.

The platform holds a leading position in the industry, both in download and viewing numbers, and has been organizing this event for five or six years, maintaining a good reputation.

So any artist with a show aired on their platform in the first half of the year generally attends, as not going after being invited could impact the airing of their future works.

On stage, the host had already started the opening, while viewers continued to flock to the live stream.

The camera occasionally swept over the celebrities below. Initially, they planned to invite the famous singer in the industry to open the show, originally considering Nolan Sinclair. However, they contacted his manager, who said he was attending an event out of town, so they dropped the idea.

But with Jensen Sterling’s attendance, it felt worthwhile.

After the opening, the host began announcing the top ten outstanding works on their platform in the first half of the year. After each mention, clips of the drama’s most iconic scenes played on the LED screen, and the camera would focus on the celebrities below accordingly.

They announced in reverse order, from last to first.

Holding the cue cards, the host excitedly declared, "Next is the work that ranked first in both views and clicks on our platform in the first half of the year. It excelled in both plot and production, receiving rave reviews since its release and sparking a ’Republican Era’ craze among audiences."

"It is the top quality drama—’Dream Back to the Republic.’

"And its leading star is—Jensen Sterling!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, clips from ’Dream Back to the Republic’ played on the screen behind, showing Jensen Sterling in traditional attire, holding an oil-paper umbrella, standing on an arch bridge, as raindrops pounded on the umbrella and trickled off the edges. The 1930s Republican Era ambiance hit immediately.

The camera then focused on Jensen Sterling, who sat there, creating his own world.

["After watching it, I went crazy collecting Republican Era items, I loved it so much."]

["Jensen Sterling truly is Jensen Sterling, his ability to resonate is incredible."]

["When will Jensen Sterling actually star in a drama with a romantic plot? Fans are getting anxious."]

["A warlord and a wealthy young lady in the Republic era would be perfect, I’m in!"]

["Actor Sterling, face it, you’re getting on in years. Not dating is one thing, but not acting in romance dramas will leave you an out-of-time bachelor."]

["Hahaha, out-of-time bachelor? You’re killing me!"]

["Stop joking, man at thirty-one is like a blooming flower, you know? Our Sterling is just flourishing, right, Actor Sterling?"]

["Jensen Sterling: How polite of you!"]

When Mia Sutton came out after changing into her stage attire and took her assigned seat, they happened to be announcing Jensen Sterling’s work. She looked up at the person on the big screen, feeling a flutter inside, recalling when their fingertips brushed briefly as she entered, and she gently rubbed her fingers.

The announced works had concluded, and next were performances from some of the invited celebrities, creating a buzz in the atmosphere.

Mia Sutton and her group’s performance was scheduled later, so she watched the shows with interest at first but soon grew bored. Their seating wasn’t particularly eye-catching, so Mia discreetly took out her phone and opened Weibo.

At this moment, the liveliest spot globally was undoubtedly Weibo. Upon opening it, she was greeted with entries related to the event—not few but many.

Curious, Mia clicked through one by one, pausing with a slight surprise at the very end.

This was due to a trending topic at the bottom: #WhenWillJensenSterlingGetAGirlfriend#

Apparently sparked by the discussions in the live stream earlier, Jensen Sterling’s fans playfully posted on Weibo, and the topic gained traction quietly climbing onto the tail end of the trending list.

Mia glanced towards the front. Jensen’s seat was quite far, so she couldn’t see very clearly, just his rough outline.

After glancing over, Mia secretly clicked on the trending topic, finding it filled with debates about whether Jensen Sterling will ever have a girlfriend and when he will get married.

Mia read through each post, silently musing: When will he have a girlfriend? Honestly, no idea.

As for getting married... he’s already married, albeit it’s fake.

People were mocking, calling a thirty-year-old a blooming flower, even comparing him to various flowers.

Mia mused: If Jensen Sterling knew they compared him to so many flowers, he would definitely revoke their fan status.

She pressed her finger to the screen and replied to the thirty-year-old flower post: ["Mr. Sterling is undoubtedly the most beautiful flower in the bunch."]

Just after hitting send, a message popped up on her phone screen: "Mr. Sterling: Stop playing with your phone."

Startled, Mia’s hand shook: "..." She nearly thought the camera had caught her using her phone. She looked up towards the stage, but the screen showed other artists.

Relieved, Mia lowered her phone, avoiding accidentally being caught on camera. Then, she saw on the big screen the face of someone in the first row.

And he happened to be holding a phone, looking at something.

Mia: "...!!!" Her eyes widened, what timing.