On the day of the Grammy Awards, Eva met Sinead at the airport, and Sinead took Eva to the awards ceremony.
In the limousine, Sinead admired Eva's sky-blue dress adorned with pink roses. "You have good taste. This dress must have been expensive."
Eva looked at her relatively high-end dress and replied contentedly, "It's not mine. It's Madonna's daughter's. She lent it to me because I couldn't afford an expensive rental, but I couldn't wear something too simple for this occasion."
Sinead inspected Eva's dress. "It suits you well. Madonna does have a good eye for clothes."
However, Eva knew that looking beautiful wasn't enough in this industry. There were countless beautiful women, and reaching the pinnacle of beauty was impossible. Even if she reached the top, someone would soon surpass her through plastic surgery. Beauty had no peak in this circle.
In this industry, no one relied solely on their looks. There were too many beautiful women, whether singers, actresses, or others. To have lasting success in this circle, it wasn't about looks but something else.
Even though Eva looked stunning today, she didn't expect it to make a difference. She remained unknown.
Sinead then asked, "Did you end up preparing an acceptance speech, even though I advised against it?"
Eva replied, "I wanted to, but I got too busy and put it off. So, no, I didn't prepare anything."
Sinead chuckled softly, "It's fine. As I said, this award is mainly between Beyoncé and Britney."
When they arrived at the venue, Sinead got out of the car first, followed by a barrage of lights. Eva followed, but the media's cameras only briefly glanced at her. No one recognized her.
As expected, the red carpet was filled with beautiful women, making her realization even clearer. In this circle, relying on beauty alone was foolish.
Eva followed Sinead down the red carpet quietly. The media's attention was mainly on the big stars, and Sinead wasn't considered a big star here.
No one noticed the beautiful, tanned girl following behind Sinead. Most people were cheering for the bigger stars.
Eva walked the long red carpet with Sinead and entered the Grammy Awards venue. Unlike the Oscars, the Grammy audience mostly stood, turning the event into a concert-like atmosphere where sitting was hardly an option.
Soon, the ceremony began. The host cracked jokes, and the atmosphere warmed up. Awards were handed out one by one.
Eva didn't recognize many in the music industry and didn't know most of their names. But music transcended borders, and the outstanding songs made her enthusiastic.
The awards were staggered, mixing popular and less popular categories to maintain viewership. The "Best Music Video" category, which Eva was nominated for, was considered marginal. She had checked the schedule and saw it was approaching.
In the past days, Eva researched the Grammys and her fellow nominees, confirming that winning was unlikely.
Firstly, the other nominated MTVs were excellent. Secondly, those artists were bigger stars than Sinead. Thirdly, they had likely lobbied for the award.
Eva had no high hopes. Busy with Madonna's MTV, she didn't prepare an acceptance speech and was just there to enjoy the nomination.
When the host announced the start of the "Best Music Video" category, Eva stared at the stage.
"And the Grammy for Best Music Video goes to—"
Eva wondered who it would be. Beyoncé's director, Britney's, or Linkin Park's?
Eva hoped for Beyoncé's MTV to win, as that director's style appealed to her.
"The winner is—Eva Cody, 'Girl on the Ruins'!"
!!!
???
No way!
Eva was stunned. How did this happen without lobbying? What was going on?
But what could she do? She hugged Sinead and whispered, "I didn't prepare an acceptance speech..."
Sinead whispered back, "Just wing it, girl..."
So, Eva braved the stage. Though the award wasn't heavily regarded, people were curious to see who the director was.
Everyone's eyes were on the screen, waiting for the winner to appear.
Surprised, they realized the name indicated a female director, a rarity.
When a girl's figure appeared on the screen, people were taken aback.
Wait, not a woman, but a girl! She didn't look even twenty!
Oh my god, this girl won the Grammy for Best Music Video?
Those familiar with Sinead's MTV were astonished. An 18-year-old girl directed such an amazing MTV?
Unbelievable!
Quick-thinking viewers searched Eva's information, discovering she was a film school freshman and only 18 years old.
And they saw something else incredible.
"Girl on the Ruins" was Eva Cody's first work, and she had no other official works before this. Her resume listed only this MTV!
An absolute newcomer winning the Grammy for Best Music Video with her first MTV...
How... FUCK!
How was this possible? But it happened.
This girl did it. Aside from praising her genius, what else could be said?
She was a prodigy emerging at the Grammy Awards!
All cameras worldwide focused on Eva's face, marveling at her beauty and talent.
Eva took the microphone, unsure what to say.
She gave a formulaic speech, thanking many people, including the organizers, and finished.
Because she wasn't prepared, she couldn't improvise much and stuck to the basics.
Then she left the stage, filled with disbelief.
But global media were abuzz. Particularly music media, who initially ignored this marginal award, now focused on this girl.
The "New York Music Channel" reported that evening:
"From a Marginal Award to a Rising Star!"
"No one expected a traditionally unnoticed award to gain attention because of a girl."
"She is so young that no one imagined she could direct the best music MTV of the year!"
"'Girl on the Ruins' won with its profound thoughts and impeccable technical execution, beating all rivals!"
"A new star in the MTV world is born!"
"She is also the youngest recipient of this Grammy award!"