Chapter 554: It definitely will. (Seven-thousand-word update!)

"Have you really decided to attend the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony?"

Jiang Yuqian's tone over the phone was quite shocked.

"You should know what the situation is like right now, shouldn't you?"

"Mm, I know," Lu Yan He said. "Sister Yuqian, you've already arrived in the United States, right?"

"Yes," Jiang Yuqian said. "I have to go try on my gown tomorrow."

Jiang Yuqian had been nominated for the Golden Globe Awards thanks to *Squid Game*, and she would also be attending the Golden Globe Awards ceremony alongside Jiang Jun.

For a global event of this scale, Jiang Yuqian's nomination and attendance would also push her career to an even higher peak.

Lu Yan He felt that ever since Jiang Yuqian had figured out how she wanted to walk her path as an actress, she had suddenly become like someone with a cheat code; she had been tossing and turning in her work with a destructive force, and the more she tossed, the better things got.

*Squid Game* had been airing for half a year, yet she showed no signs of her exposure declining; she was like a frequent flyer, showing her face everywhere around the globe.

From film festivals to fashion weeks, from commercial events to award ceremonies.

Looking at Jiang Yuqian now, Lu Yan He actually thought of two actresses he knew, Fan Xiaopang and Da Mimi—not because their looks or styles were the same, as they were completely different, but because their workaholic attitude toward managing their careers, as well as their drive, were just too similar.

Although Lu Yan He had always said that acting ability was the foundation of an actor's standing,

this did not mean he didn't appreciate such hardworking actresses.

Acting ability, when it comes down to it, still requires talent. Some have limited talent, and no matter how hard they try, they can only reach a certain level. However, she had truly worked hard.

Just like Jiang Yuqian; in order to transition and become a powerhouse actor, she had almost tossed herself out of her first-tier position.

Fortunately, she encountered *Squid Game* at that time, turning her life around overnight, and even relying on this drama to reach a height she had never reached before.

Lu Yan He actually quite admired her.

Moreover, given his relationship with Jiang Yuqian, as long as Jiang Yuqian herself refused to give up or admit defeat, he would continue to write scripts for her.

*Squid Game* was just a beginning; there were many, many more scripts to come.

Of course, Lu Yan He also very much hoped that Jiang Yuqian could act in more good plays herself, just like the Hollywood movie and English television series she had taken on. Although her screen time in them wasn't heavy and certainly couldn't compare to *Squid Game*, by first brushing up her presence, maintaining her popularity and buzz, and spending more time mixing in that European and American circle, the number of people who knew her would naturally increase, and among them, better opportunities would naturally arise.

An actor must never rely on just one or two people. Otherwise, once that person is no longer effective, the actor can only follow them down the slope.

Of course, Jiang Yuqian had been mixing in the entertainment industry for so many years; she certainly had her own rules for survival and didn't need Lu Yan He to remind her at all.

One could tell just by looking at how Jiang Yuqian was thriving right now.

Jiang Yuqian said, "Actually, Wen Yang also called me. He hopes I can also come back to attend this awards ceremony. I had been saying I needed to consider it."

"You don't have to agree just because I'm attending," Lu Yan He laughed and said. "I just feel that, anyway, within these few years, my hope of winning an award domestically isn't high. If they really want to deal with me and retaliate, it doesn't matter to me. At worst, I just won't be able to be nominated for acting awards in the future. My goal moving forward wasn't domestic awards anyway."

Hearing Lu Yan He say this, Jiang Yuqian instead made up her mind.

"Then I will attend. I'll be there too."

"Hm?" Lu Yan He was stunned. "Why? How did you suddenly decide?"

Jiang Yuqian said, "Burning the boats. It took me a long time to walk out of the obsession of wanting to win awards. I don't want to fall back into that obsession again."

Hearing this, Lu Yan He was incredibly surprised.

He certainly understood what Jiang Yuqian meant, but he was just very stunned.

He hadn't expected Jiang Yuqian to be so ruthless toward herself.

Everyone has desires.

Power, sex, wealth.

When concretized into different industries and different professions, they manifest as different things.

For an actor, being famous is one desire, and winning awards is another.

Chasing fame and profit is human nature.

Since attending the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony would cause some people to blacklist her and make it harder for her to be nominated for other awards in the future, she would simply go with the flow and cut off her own retreat.

Lu Yan He really hadn't expected Jiang Yuqian to think this way.

"Sister Yuqian, isn't that a bit too exaggerated? Do you really not want to win awards in the future?"

Lu Yan He was surprised by Jiang Yuqian's thinking.

Jiang Yuqian said, "Let it be. I will never do anything just to win an award again."

Jiang Yuqian was the first person to call Lu Yan He to confirm if he was really going to attend the Blue Ribbon Awards.

After her, Lu Yan He received quite a few more calls.

Everyone was concerned about what he was actually thinking.

Lu Yan He had long guessed that his decision would trigger quite a reaction, but he hadn't expected the friends he knew around him to react so strongly as well.

Especially Huang Kai, who specifically asked, "Did you get set up by the Blue Ribbon Awards organizing committee? Don't you know they are currently very controversial in the industry?"

Hearing what Huang Kai said, Lu Yan He asked back, "Brother Huang, do you not know why the Blue Ribbon is so controversial?"

"I know, they kicked out the three judges who took bribes and replaced them with a new jury to select the nomination list," Huang Kai said. "Doing it this way is indeed very sloppy. Who says those five hundred public judges are objective? We don't even know how these people were selected or how they cast their votes. I think they aren't wrong—those few judges who took bribes had problems and had to be kicked out, but where did those five hundred public judges come from? Can just publishing a list of names guarantee that they weren't influenced by someone to select that list?"

Huang Kai's words made Lu Yan He fall into deep thought.

"Brother Huang, who told you these things?"

"Ah?"

"Someone must have told you this, right?"

"Yes, actually..." Huang Kai said. "A director I know called me, asked if I had received an invitation from the Blue Ribbon, and then told me what I just said. He said everyone hopes the Blue Ribbon can give an explanation for the list of five hundred people; otherwise, they hope we can all unite to boycott the Blue Ribbon. I said I certainly couldn't publicly boycott it, but I think what he said makes quite a lot of sense."

Lu Yan He: "... Brother Huang, this isn't called making sense. The five hundred public judges are all frontline workers from various trades in the industry, all with names, surnames, and resumes of participating works. If there really were people in the Blue Ribbon officialdom directing them to favor someone, or if there was a dark curtain during the voting, with so many people, wouldn't some wind of it have leaked out by now?"

"Do you know? Those people who are discouraging you from attending the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony called a friend of mine and told him that as long as he doesn't attend, he will be on the nomination list for the Golden Tripod Awards next year," Lu Yan He said helplessly. "Their boycott of this year's Blue Ribbon is not for the high-sounding reasons they told you."

Huang Kai was incredulous.

However, since it was Lu Yan He saying this, Huang Kai had no choice but to believe it.

Lu Yan He: "I really didn't expect them to say such things just to smear the Blue Ribbon."

Huang Kai was somewhat dazed and said, "Then have I been an accomplice to evil?"

"Brother Huang, you haven't done anything that makes you an accomplice to evil."

—You just aren't very clear-headed.

Lu Yan He hadn't realized before that Huang Kai was so easily fooled.

What was going on?

When he asked Huang Kai to act in *Rouge*, why wasn't he so easily persuaded? -

"What is Lu Yan He thinking? How dare he just go like that?"

"I don't know what his plans are. Maybe he doesn't care about these domestic awards anymore. After all, he's already won Best Actor; is it important whether he wins Best TV Actor or not?"

Film and television are two different circles.

If the television circle wants to ban Lu Yan He, not to mention whether the television circle can reach a consensus, even if they did reach a consensus to ban Lu Yan He, Lu Yan He could still film movies—not to mention that he could organize the filming of dramas himself and not play with others.

However, no matter how clearly these things are calculated, in a society based on human relationships, things cannot be simply calculated by addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The fact that Lu Yan He, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang would all attend this year's Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony triggered an earthquake in the industry, and only those in the industry understood its significance.

In themselves, the three of them almost represented three types of male actors in their age group.

Lu Yan He, the talented acting type.

Li Zhibai, the popular idol type.

Yan Liang, the hardworking and diligent type.

The three most important acting paths were occupied by these three, and they had achieved remarkable results.

Compared to ordinary young actors who rely on marketing to maintain their popularity, all three of them were actors who had more than one representative work at a young age.

This foundation as an actor made them sought after by many people and many forces in the entertainment industry.

Generally speaking, if an actor reached the position of any one of them, they would be more cautious. High positions are not easy; their representativeness as young actors, as well as the symbolic meaning the industry bestowed upon them, were important cornerstones for their survival.

No matter what the Blue Ribbon Awards are doing or what the final outcome is, as long as they don't explicitly state their position or participate, this matter wouldn't affect the three of them.

Lin Suyang was very helpless and also very depressed.

At this moment, he suddenly empathized with Zhou Ping'an.

Li Zhibai was really hard to manage—especially when Li Zhibai got stubborn, it was useless to say anything to him.

Big brother, why are you joining in the fun?

And joining in the fun with such great fanfare.

The key is, for this kind of thing, you didn't even give a heads-up, completely catching him off guard, and no preparations had been made at all.

One call after another came to his phone incessantly.

All of them were asking him about the situation.

The situation on Li Zhibai's side was the same.

He simply turned off his phone.

Annoying.

*Nineteen Years of Crime Records* was ready in every aspect, just waiting to start filming.

Li Zhibai was rubbing his hands, waiting to officially join the crew and film his first major villain role.

He was the least concerned about the chaos in the industry.

Who knew that Lin Suyang would actually come knocking on his door.

"I know you're annoyed by those calls, but you have to answer my calls. You turned off your phone; what if I have something urgent to contact you about?"

Li Zhibai said, "Didn't you find me?"

He looked righteous and self-confident.

Lin Suyang was speechless for a moment.

It was indeed true; Li Zhibai's schedule was generally quite clear.

He knew about his work schedule.

During non-working hours, Li Zhibai was either at Huiziyuanqiao or back at his home. If he was going somewhere, his driver and assistant would know, and there wouldn't be a situation where he was unreachable without reason.

Li Zhibai: "You aren't still here to persuade me not to go to the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony, are you?"

"You've already publicly spoken out on Weibo; how can I persuade you? To make you lose face again?" Lin Suyang sighed. "You're really good at playing the 'act first, report later' game."

"Then if I had asked for your opinion first, would you not have agreed?" Li Zhibai asked. "Tell me the truth."

Lin Suyang: "I would have persuaded you not to attend."

"See, that's why I had to act first and report later." Li Zhibai still spoke righteously.

After finishing, Li Zhibai added an explanation: "Since Old Lu and Yan Liang are both going, I certainly won't stay out of it."

Lin Suyang: "..."

Lin Suyang said, "Aren't you afraid of losing everything together? Can't you leave a spark of hope? You should know the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket, right?"

"This is exactly the time when we need strength in numbers. You're still talking about not putting eggs in one basket; if you don't put your eggs in one basket, it's just a waste of effort," Li Zhibai said sternly.

Lin Suyang: "... How come you're talking in such a set of principles now?"

He was so angry he laughed.

Li Zhibai: "Brother Suyang, think about it. You being angry won't change the facts. Since it's already a foregone conclusion, you should change your mindset and look at things from a positive perspective. At least I did something with a conscience, right?"

Lin Suyang looked at him expressionlessly.

"No matter how eloquently you speak, it won't change the fact that you acted first and reported later."

"Do you still consider me your agent?"

An awkward expression finally appeared on Li Zhibai's face.

"Oh, I've already given you a step down; you should just follow it down."

Lin Suyang took a deep breath.

"The cover shoot for *Weekend Gentleman* magazine, are you doing it or not?"

"Doing it."

"The opening ceremony of the Luer Suo Art Museum next month, are you going or not?"

"Going."

"The show *Songs from Afar*, are you recording it or not?"

"Recording it."

"Alright then, I've taken the step down you gave me."

Li Zhibai smiled brightly and lifted his chin.

"See, the problem was still very easy to solve."

Lin Suyang suppressed his urge to complain.

"Yes, I will return."

Jiang Yuqian ran into a domestic media outlet at the media interview area of the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

They were also the only Chinese-language media outlet on site.

When asked about the news that the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony had invited her to serve as a presenter for Best Actor, she nodded and confirmed the news.

Jiang Yuqian was wearing a nude-colored long dress today, so beautiful that her whole person seemed to be glowing.

She certainly wasn't the protagonist of this grand ceremony tonight, but she had no intention of "being a guest from afar and not stealing the spotlight."

She was beautiful in a bright and flamboyant way; once she appeared, she would definitely not be ignored.

This was the path Jiang Yuqian was walking now.

Combining everyone's expectations of her, she was playing to her greatest strengths.

"Do you have any expectations for tonight's results? Would it be convenient to tell us?"

"Of course I hope to win an award." Jiang Yuqian smiled and pointed at the reporter with her eyes. "You just want to hear this sentence from my mouth, right?"

The reporter smiled and said, "Whether you win an award in the end is a matter for later, but we all want to see your confidence that you are determined to win."

"Thank you."

"Yuqian, you are becoming more and more beautiful." The reporter gave her a thumbs up.

"Thank you." Jiang Yuqian smiled, blew a flying kiss to him and the camera, lifted her skirt, and walked gracefully forward.

The path of fame and fortune is walked by too many people; no matter how popular you are, you walk it like walking on thin ice amidst a raging fire.

Therefore, some people walk it with hesitation and fear.

The Jiang Yuqian of the past had also experienced such a stage.

Not anymore.

It wasn't that she had more courage to burn her boats, but that once you start hesitating, you can't move forward.

It took Jiang Yuqian several years to understand this principle.

Jiang Yuqian would also return to the country to attend this year's Blue Ribbon.

Another bombshell piece of news.

In the entertainment industry, everyone was discussing it.

In this way, the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony would certainly not be lacking in popular stars.

The situation Wen Yang feared most seemed unlikely to happen.

In his office, he clenched his fists tightly twice, unable to hide the excitement of the stone in his heart finally landing after many days of anxiety.

And today, the press conference for this year's judges would also be held.

At this time, his secretary came to knock on the door.

"Chairman Wen, we need to set off."

"Okay."

Wen Yang nodded, his expression having returned to normal.

An hour later, the media press conference was held.

Chen Lingling led this year's jury to attend.

Wen Yang, as the executive chairman of the organizing committee, also appeared on the scene.

The media reporters were not polite at all, asking right from the start whether Chen Lingling, as the chair, considered the nomination list objective and fair.

Chen Lingling said, "As long as it is an award selection, there is no absolute objectivity or fairness. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; aesthetics and preferences are different. For me, I am very satisfied with this nomination list. Based on the dramas I have already finished watching, I think many nominations are well-deserved."

"What criteria will you base your selection of this year's winners and winning works on?"

"Quality, breakthrough, representativeness." Chen Lingling gave three keywords.

"It is said that many nominees this year will not be able to attend the scene due to work conflicts. When you are judging, will you consider this factor in deciding where the awards go?" another reporter asked.

"Is that so? Are there many people who can't come due to work conflicts?" Chen Lingling smiled. "That's really a pity. My being the jury chair means this year is absolutely fair. If someone wins an award this time but doesn't go on stage to accept it, it would indeed be a pity."

"Regarding the two very popular dramas this year, *Squid Game* and *My Own Swordsman*, and *Seventeen Layers* not receiving nominations for acting awards at the Blue Ribbon, many people have expressed disappointment. Do you have anything to respond to?"

Chen Lingling: "First, I didn't participate in the preliminary selection of the nomination list, so this has nothing to do with me. Don't come looking for trouble with me."

She said this with a smile first, causing the somewhat gunpowder-filled atmosphere at the scene to dissipate quite a bit, eliciting roars of laughter.

She then said: "Second, these three dramas are indeed not dramas that focus on character performance. You ask if the quality of these three dramas is high—of course it is high, otherwise they wouldn't have been nominated for Best Television Series and other awards. You ask if there are actors and performances I like very much in them—there are. Lu Yan He has collaborated with me, so he doesn't need to be mentioned much. Liu Zi's performance in *My Own Swordsman* was stunning. In *Squid Game*, Jiang Jun and Jiang Yuqian were both nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress at the Golden Globes, so their performance goes without saying."

"However, every award has a different focus, and the orientation of the awards is also different. Different judges will select different results, which is unavoidable," Chen Lingling said. "But you say this is unfair? To tell you the truth, the actors in these dramas should have been very clear when they were filming these works that the plays they were acting in might be difficult to help them win awards."

"But, the few dramas that most represent Chinese-language dramas this year have failed in the acting awards. Does this indicate that there is some problem with the domestic award system?"

"Your question is worth deep thought for many people, but I think the situation isn't as serious as you say," Chen Lingling said. "If you have carefully looked at the nomination list for the Blue Ribbon acting awards this year, you will know that these dramas not being nominated for acting awards is not unjust at all. It's not that the actors didn't act well, nor is it that their characters weren't good; it's just that their characters really didn't have much competitiveness within this year's nomination range. Liu Zi's performance was stunning, bringing out a very charming female image, a rare female image in our history of film and television dramas. But to be fair, isn't her character more symbolic than three-dimensional? If *My Own Swordsman* had aired all its dozens of episodes in one go, perhaps her character would be more three-dimensional and complete, but in the first season that has aired, she indeed lacks growth. If we are to discuss acting, we should discuss it more rigorously. We can't just choose whoever is most liked by the audience, right? We aren't selecting a 'Most Popular with the Audience' award; we have to look at it more professionally, no problem, right?"

Chen Lingling's speaking speed and reaction were both very fast.

"Still the same sentence: everyone has their own standards, but since I, Chen Lingling, am sitting here as chair, I must implement my standards—because this is the aesthetic standard I have precipitated over decades of being in the industry, directing plays for so many years, and watching plays for so many years. What I need to do is not reflect on my own standards, but to not let any external factors influence my judgment standards. If you are not satisfied with what I say, then please forgive me. Anyway, I won't be the jury chair for the next session."

Chen Lingling's words were not embellished at all, showing her pride, dominance, and confidence to the fullest.

However, compared to someone who is a fence-sitter and always speaks in platitudes, they would rather see someone like Chen Lingling, who has a firm attitude and is decisive, as chair.

She makes people feel at ease.

With such a fiery temper, who would dare to try to pull strings, go through the back door, or engage in public relations with her? It would be a wonder if she didn't scold them to death.

The influence and reputation of the Blue Ribbon Awards were rising steadily.

When Wen Yang came to find Lu Yan He again, Lu Yan He was dumbfounded and said, "Chairman Wen, I've already agreed to attend the awards ceremony, and I've even brought the *Friends* crew for you. What else do you want?"

Wen Yang smiled and said, "Yan He, thank you for your strong support. I suddenly remembered that you are preparing to make a show called *The Birth of an Actor*, focusing on acting and discussing what good acting is, right?"

Lu Yan He looked at Wen Yang thoughtfully and said, "That is indeed a thing, but what do you want to do? You speak first."

"The show needs promotion. You support me and the Blue Ribbon Awards so much, so I also hope to be able to give back. How about we add a segment to the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony to introduce this show and do a special tribute to actors?"

"Ah?" Lu Yan He was stunned.

Wen Yang said, "I will invite five veteran performing artists to the scene, and your *The Birth of an Actor* can find five young contestants to perform a tribute—a tribute from young actors to the older generation, signifying inheritance."

Lu Yan He: "..."

On one hand, he really wanted to complain about how Wen Yang was so good at making things happen; on the other hand, he had to admit that Wen Yang's proposal had great promotional value for *The Birth of an Actor*, which was equivalent to using the reputation of the Blue Ribbon to elevate the concept of this show. On the other hand, this segment was indeed very meaningful.

Lu Yan He asked, "Chairman Wen, can you still invite veteran artists to come out of retirement to the Blue Ribbon now?"

Wen Yang said, "I haven't been mixing in this industry for so many years for nothing."

Lu Yan He: "Since you've said so..."

Wen Yang: "The actors who come to participate will definitely not lose out. This is an official occasion representing five actors of the young generation. For them, it is also a very meaningful appearance."

Lu Yan He: "I know."

He took a deep breath and said, "I'll discuss it with them first and give you a reply later. It's so last-minute, I don't even know if I can find five people."

"If you can't find them, then no one in the entertainment industry can find them." Wen Yang put away the smile on his face and looked at Lu Yan He seriously. "This time, it was because you publicly said you would attend that we have the current situation. Your attitude has influenced many people's decisions. In the past few days, several people who previously said they had work conflicts have now said that their time has been coordinated and they can attend."

Lu Yan He: "What do you mean my attitude influenced many people's attitudes? Don't put me on such a high pedestal. Isn't this just the 'bird that sticks its head out' appearing, so they don't have to worry about becoming the target, and of course they come."

Hearing Lu Yan He's words, Wen Yang laughed.

He said, "Yan He, I promise you, I will definitely not let you become that bird that gets shot."

Lu Yan He waved his hand.

"I've already thought it through myself, you don't need to cheer me on. I won't back down at the last minute," he said. "I only hope that this year's Blue Ribbon Awards can truly bring some changes to the Chinese film and television industry."

Wen Yang said solemnly, "It definitely will." ===== CHAPTER 555 =====