Chapter 272: Plagiarizing You, You Should Be Grateful

November 24th, the day the Golden Horse Awards opened for the ceremony.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian landed on Baodao, and Zhang Songwen was also attending—he's a movie star now too.

And just as the two landed, the verdict for the "Those Years" plagiarism case, which had dragged on for three years, was finally handed down.

The verdict essentially said: Jade Rabbit did not commit plagiarism; the plots aren't even that similar, only the male and female leads falling in love is roughly the same.

Which film or TV show doesn't have its male and female leads fall in love?

If falling in love counts as plagiarism, then basically 90% of all films and shows are plagiarized.

If we're talking about titles being close to a novel's name, take that United States madhouse studio that piggybacks on blockbusters—when they made Prehistoric One Million Years off of Prehistoric One Million Years, differing by just one character, what do you say to that?

When they made Avengers Grimm off of The Avengers, differing by just two characters, what do you say?

If you say changing the name doesn't count, then The Hobbit—they just added two characters to make The Hobbit Era, what do you say to that?

Even that wasn't ruled as plagiarism.

In any case, Jade Rabbit won the lawsuit and it doesn't count as plagiarism, but the media is still calling it a plagiarist.

Jiu Ba Dao is still cursing the Principal: "Literary thief!"

This matter got stirred up again, but it's not really hot news anymore—it's been so long, people have long moved on; only the Baodao media is still fanning the flames.

Yilan Luodong Cultural Factory—the 49th Golden Horse Awards are being held here.

The long red carpet was laid out here. Xie Biwang, wearing sunglasses and a flashy hairstyle, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking like he owned the place, strutted past.

Fans on both sides of the carpet were screaming "Ahhhh!"

There were too many stars here—truly a gathering of celebrities, with big names and Heavenly Kings from both sides of the strait and Hong Kong all in attendance, an unprecedented grand occasion!

Even the bizarre appearances were plentiful—Cai Kangyong walked the red carpet with a birdcage on his head; anyone who didn't know him might think he had some strange fetish.

In any case, this place was far livelier than the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards; the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards really couldn't hold a candle, no way around it.

This edition was so lively because Liu Tianwang was serving as Golden Horse chairman this year—everyone had to give him face.

This ceremony wasn't just broadcast by TV stations from both sides of the strait and Hong Kong; even Southeast Asia's Star TV carried it, basically covering all Chinese-speaking regions of Asia.

Major portal sites like Sina, NetEase, Sohu, and Baidu also had real-time photo and text coverage.

Under the glittering lights, Liu Tianxian had her long hair pinned up in soft curls, wearing a pink silk satin gown, the long dress perfectly tracing her enchanting curves, making her skin look even fairer—like a gentle, soft-spoken woman.

She stood in the middle, her left arm linked with Fang Hong and her right arm linked with Zhang Songwen, walking the red carpet like a princess.

On both sides of the carpet were cheering fans, holding light signs, banners, and posters of their respective characters.

Now Zhang Songwen, thanks to Cold War, has moved onto the path of a serious actor; this film made 250 million in Neidi, a pretty decent result.

38.64 million in Hong Kong—that counts as a hit!

This place has few people, just a few million, so a ten-million box office already counts as a hit.

Additionally, there was 2.14 million USD from Malaysia, 750,000 USD from Singapore, 130,000 USD from South Korea; the rest aren't worth mentioning, all in the tens of thousands of USD range.

Overseas it totaled around 3.5 million USD, which is 24.5 million RMB—not a bad result!

The three walked up to the top of the steps, where a group of reporters was waiting and quickly swarmed around them.

A reporter stuck out a microphone and asked: "May I ask the Principal, what's your view on 'Those Years' plagiarizing Jiu Ba Dao?"

"Jade Rabbit didn't plagiarize," Fang Hong replied.

He glanced at the reporter's name badge—anyone who could ask a question like this was basically a Baodao reporter.

They cared more about this matter!

"How could there be no plagiarism? Everyone thinks there was plagiarism," the reporter asked.

"Who is this 'everyone' you're talking about? The court has already ruled—no plagiarism. I respect the court's verdict," Fang Hong said, a bit impatient.

"But you guys are just—"

"Since you put it that way, then Jiu Ba Dao should be grateful to Jade Rabbit for expanding his fame. If Jade Rabbit hadn't made this film, his novel wouldn't have become popular either. He should be thankful."

Fang Hong directly cut off what the reporter was about to say.

Chen Sicheng could face the plagiarism issue head-on, directly saying he copied it, so what? What does he have to fear?

The Jade Rabbit of today is no longer the Jade Rabbit of a few years ago.

If you've got the guts, sue again! If you've got the money, spend it.

The Baodao reporter was instantly rendered speechless—this guy is way too shameless, saying that plagiarizing you is doing you a favor by boosting your fame, you should be grateful.

Fang Hong, Liu Tianxian, and Zhang Songwen had already entered the awards ceremony venue.

The photos and text of this interview were transmitted in real time to the Neidi internet, where Wangyi were just watching the show, teasing the Principal as "domineering."

That's exactly how you should talk to those people with their narrow horizons—so what if we plagiarized you, always clinging to it. Of course, some also said the Principal shouldn't act like that, that it's embarrassing and such.

Baodao Wangyi, on the other hand, were furious, cursing the Principal as "trash"!

The two sides' Wangyi were in completely different states.

Jiu Ba Dao was also furious, cursing up a storm online. Whatever he was cursing about, this matter was finished as far as Fang Hong was concerned.

No matter how much more fuss was made, it was useless—not a single cent in damages; he was the one in the "right."

The awards venue had two levels; the upper level wrapping around the venue was the audience area, and the lower level, arranged like steps, was the celebrity guest area.

The guest seating was divided into left, center, and right sections, with steps in the middle of each section for people to go up and down.

The awards hadn't started yet, and the red carpet walk wasn't finished either. Many who had entered first were taking their seats, while others chatted at their spots.

"Principal!"

It was Hao Lei's familiar shout again.

Hearing that form of address, the Heavenly Kings, Fang Long, Li Bailian, Da Baobei, Gui Lunmei and others in the front row turned around, curiously looking at this legendary figure of the entertainment circle.

This person was still very mysterious—basically rarely seen in public, and you couldn't find much news about him either.

Fang Hong spotted Hao Lei and walked down several steps: "Sister Hao Lei, you're dressed so formally today!"

Last year it was very revealing, this year it's very formal—Hao Lei was wearing a black women's suit, looking very conservative. "Dressing this formally, does it disappoint you?" she laughed.

"No, no, I like the way you look now—you have the poise of a refined lady," Fang Hong observed.

This made Hao Lei cover her mouth and laugh "hehe" repeatedly.

She looked at Zhang Songwen; both nodded—they had collaborated before—then turned to Liu Tianxian: "Tianxian, please go easy on us."

Both were Golden Horse Best Actress nominees; Hao Lei's film, Floating City Mystery, directed by Lou Ye, was sitting right beside her.

"If I were a judge, I'd give the Best Actress award to you—but unfortunately, I'm not," Liu Tianxian replied in fluent English.

"Hehe, that'd be wonderful—I wish you'll become a judge soon," Hao Lei said, shaking her hand.

After some casual chatting, Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian moved to the front-row seats; Zhang Songwen stayed behind—he was in the back row.

Besides him, there were no actors from Jade Rabbit here—only big names from Hong Kong and Taiwan; those from Neidi rarely came, since they rarely had a chance to win.

Coming here meant little.

It would take a few more years before new stars emerged—Xu Guangtou, Shen Teng, Wu Jing, Guo Fan, Lu Yang, and others.

By fame and status, only Huang Bo still counted—he was the Golden Horse host; Ceng Aizi was already gone.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian sat in the front row; Fang Long and Li Bailian sat with them.

Liu Tianxian greeted them politely, still showing them respect—but wolves are wolves; kindness won't make them show mercy.

"Tianxian, my film Twelve Zodiacs has its premiere on the 12th next month—will you come?" Fang Long invited again.

"I'm sorry, Brother, but on the 12th I'm going to Macau—for a ceremony I must attend," Liu Tianxian politely declined.

December 11 to 13 was precisely when the Macau Film Festival awarded its prizes—a perfect excuse.

Besides, the 12th was also the release date of The Expendables—Jade Rabbit's film—and supporting Hua Yi instead would be seen as betraying your own, earning accusations of a traitor.

She rose on Jade Rabbit's back; if she didn't support Jade Rabbit but backed Hua Yi, it would be a black mark—her fans would curse her to death.

Fang Long looked disappointed, then turned to Fang Hong.

"Brother, we're rivals—you don't need to invite me," Fang Hong shut him down outright.

Li Bailian, seeing Fang Long's embarrassment, couldn't stop laughing.

In truth, she had no grudge against Fang Hong!

"Thank you, Principal, and Liu Tianxian, for attending this event—what were you talking about?" Liu Tianwang came over to greet them.

"Just chatting about movies," Fang Hong replied casually.

Liu Tianxian smiled in greeting.

"Principal, if you have a film, call me—I'm still a very capable actor," Liu Tianwang introduced himself with a grin.

He'd watched Big Man and Cold War—they were both excellent, and he felt suited for those roles.

"If a suitable role comes up, definitely," Fang Hong replied vaguely.

"Alright, you all chat—I'll go greet others," Liu Tianwang smiled politely at the group.

Then silence fell—no one spoke, and there was nothing left to say.

But people kept glancing toward Fang Hong, simply curious about him.

Liu Tianxian adjusted her dress, placed her hand to her mouth, and whispered: "I'm a little excited."

"Excited about what?" Fang Hong looked at her, baffled.

"Every time at an event like this, right before the awards are announced, I feel a little excitement—a tiny anticipation," Liu Tianxian whispered.

"Stay calm. Look at me—I know I'm going to win, so my mindset is steady, no anticipation at all," Fang Hong said about himself.

"Show-off! You haven't even started, and you already know you'll win?" Liu Tianxian said.

"How about we make a bet?" Fang Hong said.

"Are you addicted to gambling? You always bet," Liu Tianxian tapped his temple.

Last time too—during the Golden Horse, you bet you'd block my front door, and you actually went and built a snowman there.

As the two whispered, all the stars, guests, and audience had arrived; the venue quieted slightly—the Golden Horse Awards ceremony officially began.

This ceremony would last three hours, ending around 11 p. m.

Huang Bo and Zeng Baoyi had taken the stage to host—their style was witty and humorous, never awkward, always catching each other's jokes.

Their teasing drew loud "haha" laughter from the crowd.

Especially Liu Tianwang, the Golden Horse chairperson—joking about him was fine.

Far better than last year, when Ceng Aizi and his daughter hosted, often falling into awkward silence—this had way more entertainment value.

After another round of awkward singing and dancing, they declared firmly: "This year's Golden Horse is fair and impartial—no regional bias!"

Previous editions had faced controversy, accused of always favoring locals, making people think the Golden Horse meant nothing—plenty of disputes.

After another round of awkward singing and dancing, they began awarding Best Creative Short Film and Best New Performer.

The Best Short Film went to Scavenger Boy.

Next, Best New Performer went to Qi Xi from Floating City Mystery.

"Applause!"

The audience clapped and offered congratulations, though some faces showed disappointment at not winning.

Next came the awards for Best Styling Design, Best Art Design, Best Cinematography—then the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Fang Hong was nominated for this one.

(End of Chapter)