Chapter 173: Perverting Right and Wrong

Ceng Aizi was shoved nearly to the ground and silently returned to the stage.

No one stood up for him; the crowd was too mixed, with people from both sides of the strait and the three regions, and besides, this guy truly had no brains.

Liu Tianwang on stage paid him no mind, and the atmosphere revived again as the big screen alternated clips of the four nominated film actresses.

"Don't Let Me Be Alone" — Shu Qi, "A Simple Life" — Ye Dexian, "The Piano in a Factory" — Qin Hailu, "33 Days of Losing You" — Liu Tianxian.

"You okay?" Fang Hong whispered.

Liu Tianxian shook her head lightly, her expression perfectly calm.

The public mention of this had left her feeling deeply unsettled; for months she'd tried to communicate with Zeng, asking him to clarify or even find a boyfriend.

Zeng claimed Liu Tianxian was humiliating her, treating her like less than human, as if she were the one in the wrong.

No matter what was said, he refused outright—even pretending wouldn't work.

Looking back, she'd been too naive; after all she'd been through, she still hadn't learned, still trusted people too easily.

Fang Hong glanced at Liu Tianxian again but said nothing.

"Wow!"

After playing clips from each nominated film, Liu Tianwang opened the envelope to read the winner, his expression wildly exaggerated.

Liu Tianxian's thoughts snapped back; she stared solemnly at the stage, suddenly tense.

The other nominated actresses also wore varied expressions.

Deep down, they all knew who should win—but still held a sliver of hope.

"I can't say it, you do!" Liu Tianwang handed the envelope to Ceng Aizi.

Ceng Aizi glanced at it: "Next time, Ye Dexian!"

As he shouted the last three words, applause and shouts erupted across the venue, rising and falling in waves.

The three other nominated actresses looked disappointed, but not overly so—they'd known this was coming.

Liu Tianxian seemed to deflate, sinking into her seat.

"It's fine, we'll come again next time. It doesn't matter," Fang Hong comforted.

Liu Tianxian turned to look at him, smiled, then leaned sideways, resting her head on his shoulder.

It was as if this man were her only anchor.

Fang Hong gently stroked her soft cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his movements tender.

The venue was noisy now, all eyes and cameras fixed on Ye Dexian on stage—no one noticed the two of them.

"Waaaah!"

Suddenly, Liu Tianwang knelt before Ye Dexian to present the award! The kneeling sparked immediate chaos; the audience clapped and cheered wildly.

Fang Hong merely watched calmly—he could never bring himself to kneel before certain seniors; how great could their favor truly be?

Liu Tianxian leaned for a moment, then sat upright, adjusted her mindset, and prepared herself to try again next time.

She'd endured this many times before—this one or two more meant nothing!

The Golden Horse then awarded Best Actor, which went to Liu Tianwang, and finally Best Feature Film, which went to "Seediq Bale."

Thus ended the three-hour Golden Horse Awards.

"A Simple Life" had swept the night—Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director all went to this film.

After the awards came a reception; Fang Hong and the other three took a look and left, since they didn't know anyone—everyone here was from Hong Kong and Taiwan, clustering in small groups.

No photos were taken, no cameras rolling—everyone just relaxed and played freely; their circles were wild.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian adapted easily; Wang Ran was fine too, but Bao Jinjin was too innocent.

To spare the young girl's eyes, the four left—better to stay pure.

The four went to the night market, but had changed clothes: Fang Hong wore a hoodie and long pants; the young couple didn't need to change—they'd already dressed plainly.

Liu Tianxian tied her hair into a ponytail, still in jeans and a denim jacket, wearing a baseball cap pulled low and large brown sunglasses—perfectly disguised.

Here, she wasn't nearly as famous as in Neidi; put it this way—she wasn't even as famous as Ju Junye.

He was the future husband of the big S.

Ju Junye wasn't even well-known in Neidi, but here he was hugely popular—sometimes the two sides chased different stars.

Of course, people like Fang Long and Liu Tianwang were famous across the Chinese-speaking world—they'd simply been born in the right era.

It was only just past ten at night, and the night market was bustling; shoulders brushed shoulders, and stalls on both sides sold all kinds of snacks, the air thick with aroma.

Fang Hong smiled at Bao Jinjin: "You won an award—you should treat us!"

"Sure! Eat whatever you want—I'll pay," Bao Jinjin said generously.

"You're the boss, making your employee pay? Aren't you embarrassed?" Liu Tianxian teased Fang Hong.

"I'm willing!" Fang Hong said firmly.

Liu Tianxian raised a fist the size of a sandbag.

"Give me some face—don't scare the girl."

Fang Hong, stubbornly proud, wrapped her tiny fist in his large hand and pulled her to a nearby stall: "Boss, four da chang bao xiao chang."

Here, da chang bao xiao chang wasn't a joke line—it was a snack: glutinous rice sausage wrapped around pork sausage.

Liu Tianxian smiled; she hadn't meant to really hit him—just teasing.

As they walked, stopping and starting, soon their hands were full of snack bags.

Liu Tianxian swung her ponytail, one hand holding a drink, the other a snack, devouring it with greasy lips.

When not working, she didn't care about her figure—but she was still so young, it didn't matter.

"This is pretty good—bite this," Liu Tianxian offered the bun to Fang Hong's mouth.

Fang Hong took a bite; sauce clung to his lips, then he offered his own food: "Eat mine."

"Ew, no! It's all black and dirty!" Liu Tianxian turned her head away in disgust.

Fang Hong's hand held a duck-blood cake, which looked especially strange, pitch-black and ugly.

"It's delicious, try a little bite," Fang Hong said.

"Don't trick me, or you're dead," Liu Tianxian opened her small mouth and took a bite.

Soft and glutinous, oily and fragrant in her mouth.

"How is it?" Fang Hong watched her.

"Not bad," Liu Tianxian nodded.

"Here, take another bite."

. The two walked slowly behind, while Wang Ran and Bao Jinjin walked ahead, intimately close—had there been no one around, they'd have kissed already.

Luckily there were no single dogs; if there had been, they'd have flipped the table.

The four grew tired from wandering and sat at a stall's table, eating and chatting.

"Sit here, I'll go buy you something to drink," Fang Hong gestured.

"No need, I just drank."

Before Liu Tianxian finished speaking, Fang Hong had already risen and dashed across the street, bustling.

Let him be; the other three continued chatting.

"Here you go!" Fang Hong placed a bubble tea on the table before Liu Tianxian.

"What's this?"

Liu Tianxian frowned, picked it up to examine.

Fang Hong gripped the writing on the cup: "Drink first, see if it's good."

Liu Tianxian eyed him suspiciously, lowered her head, and sucked twice through the straw—her eyes lit up: "Mm, good, really tasty."

Fang Hong smiled and released his grip. Liu Tianxian picked up the cup and softly read the label: "Papaya Milk."

"It's good for you," Fang Hong said.

The couple across the table heard those four words and exchanged knowing smirks.

Liu Tianxian glared at him, kicked him under the table—what a pointless thing to say.

He was implying her chest was too small and she needed to supplement it! "Hss!"

For the sake of his future sexual happiness, Fang Hong stayed silent.

While the four were touring and shopping on Baodao, the winners of the Golden Horse Awards had already reached Neidi.

Information dissemination was still quite advanced.

Sina and CCTV both reported it; every Golden Horse Awards ceremony sparks controversy, and this year was no exception.

"The Piano" had exploded in popularity in Neidi but won no awards, leaving Neidi filmmakers embarrassed.

Some said "The Piano" was inferior to "A Simple Life"; others accused the Golden Horse of bias, escalating into outright opposition—everyone had something to say.

This artistic film showdown between two strong contenders was indeed hard to judge—both had their audiences.

Also, Liu Tianxian not winning Best Actress was expected; no one criticized her further.

In many people's minds, her acting never deserved the Best Actress award.

Besides the award controversy, there was major debate over certain people's behavior at the ceremony.

Liu Tianwang's kneel drew mixed reactions: some praised his nostalgia and respect for seniors; others said he, as a presenter, lacked seriousness.

Of course, Liu Tianwang still maintained his king-like aura; most feedback was positive and liked.

Hao Lei was naturally bombarded by Wangyi, solely because she was too revealing—barely short of exposing everything.

Tang Wei holding Wang Yu was called a heartwarming scene.

Including the interactions between the Principal and Liu Tianxian at the Golden Horse Awards, photos and videos were posted everywhere.

Their mutual "roasting" of nerds video began spreading online in small circles; later, the Principal's furious scolding of Ceng Aizi was heavily commented on by many Wangyi.

"I support the Principal—Ceng Aizi was truly impolite, asking such unverified questions in front of so many people."

"Liu Tianxian must have been heartbroken—that look could kill."

"Ceng Aizi is a clown, in both appearance and behavior."

"He's the one who ruined Lan Jieying."

"Has no one asked why the Principal defended Liu Tianxian so fiercely?"

"Is Liu Tianxian really a lesbian?"

"The Principal's just a minor director—how dare he?"

Wangyi comments ranged wildly: some supported the Principal, some sympathized with Liu Tianxian, others questioned the Principal's ability.

Honestly, who owns Yutu? Outside the industry, hardly any outsiders knew, because they only saw Chen Zhixi speaking for Yutu.

They didn't know the Principal was Yutu's owner.

Those not especially tuned into the entertainment circle only knew the bosses of Huayi and Bona—maybe they didn't even know Wang Zhangtian of Guangxian.

As for other film studio bosses, very few outsiders knew them.

For example, Xiaoma Pentium, BJ Wenhua, Perfect—almost no one knew their behind-the-scenes owners; even later, Ruyi's true boss, Ke Liming, was rarely known.

Chen Zhixi was just someone like Yutu's current public face.

You had to specifically look into it to know.

The public opinion had been fine, no major issues—but somehow, the original video vanished, and the entire internet turned to condemning the Principal:

"He even hit someone—no manners at all."

"The Principal is a scumbag—he not only plagiarized and hit people, but also disgraced himself on Baodao."

"Can't we lock up someone so uncivilized?"

What is this? Made two movies and got completely arrogant, acting tough right on the spot.

The Principal is way too full of himself—who do you think you are?

Online criticism was fierce, and even various gossip media rushed to report it.

"Principal publicly yells at Ceng Aizi, physically attacks him."

"The 48th Golden Horse Awards: The Principal has zero decorum, acting like a bandit."

For a time, such news flooded everywhere, as if someone had seized leverage and launched a fierce assault on the Principal.

The reason was that the video had been re-edited and reposted online to stir up controversy again.

The edited video kept only the scenes where Liu Tianxian and Fang Hong called each other losers, then jumped straight to Fang Hong yelling, choking Ceng Aizi, and shoving him away.

That part in the middle where he asked Liu Tianxian if she was a lesbian was gone.

The speed of this distortion of truth was incredible!

Wangyi who had been watching the drama felt their memories go haywire, some even beginning to doubt themselves.

(End of Chapter)