Chapter 16 and After

The venue fell silent, everyone craning their necks in anticipation as Benigni prepared to announce the winner. Adrian, too, couldn't help but clench his fists. The memory of this particular Oscar award for Best Actress was profoundly ingrained—it was stunning how Annette Bening, with all her accumulated fame, critical acclaim, and her husband's connections, was still unexpectedly defeated by Hilary Swank.

Perhaps it was destiny. From then on, whenever Annette Bening encountered Hilary Swank, defeat was inevitable. Although Adrian had put considerable effort into his public relations campaign, entrusting it to Weinstein and allowing him to leverage his resources to create such a spectacle, who could predict if something unexpected might occur? Luck is sometimes enigmatic, and every reborn individual must believe in some force beyond their understanding.