Chapter 403

After dealing with a group of familiar and unfamiliar people, Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian sat in the front row.

Liu Tianxian sat on the inner seat, beside her was Zhang Aijia; the two nodded and smiled in greeting; Fang Hong sat on the outer seat, next to him was the aisle, and across from him were Liu Tianwang and Zhang Manyu.

"Principal, Tianxian, we meet again—how have you been?" Liu Tianwang looked at Fang Hong and waved to Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian nodded in response, glancing at Zhang Manyu, who had retired nearly a decade ago and was rarely seen at events like this.

"How have you been?" Fang Hong replied.

"Hey Principal, what movie are you working on lately?" Liu Tianwang leaned forward, starting casual chatter.

"I'm preparing to shoot a sci-fi film," Fang Hong said.

"Oh!" Liu Tianwang perked up, leaning forward again: "Have you cast your lead yet?"

"This movie has only one lead actor—there's no role suitable for you," Fang Hong said bluntly, knowing exactly what the man wanted.

The implication was that even a supporting role was beneath Liu Tianwang's status.

"No problem—I can play lead or supporting roles. If you have a good part, give me a call," Liu Tianwang said.

"Definitely, definitely," Fang Hong replied, still brushing him off.

Liu Tianwang fell silent—last year he'd heard the same "definitely, definitely," and then nothing happened, while the film kept shooting anyway.

Seeing the Principal had no interest in chatting, he gestured toward the stage.

This man had been asking for roles for years—every time they met, he'd ask for one, but it was normal: Hong Kong and Taiwan directors were getting worse and worse.

He seemed to have a movie every year, but in truth, only Wang Jing could still produce real opportunities—The Lost and Rescue Me were both directed by Neidi filmmakers.

But Neidi directors realized he didn't pull box office—his name was big, nothing else—and lost interest in him.

So over the years, Liu Tianwang had been stuck in an awkward position: The Great Wall was a supporting role, From Vegas to Macau 3 was a supporting role, Iron Road Tigers was a supporting role.

Either stuck in trash films or playing cameos for others.

The memorial hall had now fallen silent, the lights dimmed; viewed from above, only the stage remained lit, all other areas dark.

But if you looked closer, every guest's face was clearly visible—the lighting was confined only to the guest seating area.

The award ceremony began, with only one host this year: Cai Kangyong.

Then Cai Qin took the stage to sing "Intimate Lover," her performance excellent and highly entertaining.

"I just saw Huang Bo in a robe that looked like pajamas, with his hair all messy from the wind—I didn't even dare laugh," Liu Tianxian tilted her head and said.

"What's so funny? There's someone else riding a horse," Fang Hong said.

"Huh?"

Liu Tianxian didn't immediately grasp who he meant; after thinking a moment, she realized he was referring to Cai Kangyong, and covered her mouth with a laugh.

The two chatted quietly about the bizarre outfits on the red carpet.

Onstage, Cai Qin continued singing, now performing "I Am a Cloud," the theme song of the film once starring Lin Qingxia and Qin Xianglin—an act of tribute.

As she sang, some guests and stars in the audience softly hummed along, stirred by nostalgia.

These songs were too old—those not of that generation couldn't feel the sentiment; Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian didn't feel it either.

The two continued whispering; Liu Tianxian tugged at the small braid on his head: "You're a grown man with a braid—don't you care what people think?"

"It's a trend, a cool look. I've noticed every time I walk the red carpet with you, I get overshadowed—I've decided I need my own style. Next time I walk with you, I'll tie a small braid at the back," Fang Hong said, sounding convincingly serious.

"Hehe, you're pouting at me, aren't you?" Liu Tianxian laughed.

"No, I want to compete with you for dominance—I want to be even more dominant. If people say 'Liu Tianxian is the dominant one, Principal is the submissive one,' how embarrassing would that be for me?" Fang Hong slapped his own face.

Liu Tianxian, amused by his words, gave a faint smile.

"So you're saying I'm not feminine?" she said.

"You're feminine normally—but in situations like this, you're not. Your confidence shines," Fang Hong said.

"So it's my fault?" Liu Tianxian said.

"Not your fault, not your fault—I need to stand up on my own," Fang Hong said.

"Then I support you. Honestly, I just want to be a delicate little woman," Liu Tianxian patted his shoulder, encouraging him.

Who wouldn't want to be a loved, protected little woman—if only sometimes you had to be strong?

The two whispered softly; onstage, Cai Qin had just finished singing "Like Your Gentle Touch," and after a moment of reflection, the award ceremony officially began.

This year's award order differed from all previous ceremonies—it started with the major awards.

That meant Best Actor came first, while Best Narrative Film was saved for last.

This year's Best Actor competition was fierce, all powerhouse performers: Wang Yu in The Lost, Liang Chaowei in The Grandmaster, Zhang Jiahui in The Raid, Liang Jiahui in Cold War, Li Kangsheng in A Touch of Sin.

But the surprise winner was Li Kangsheng for A Touch of Sin—Liang Jiahui and Liang Chaowei both lost.

At the moment the award was announced, he was visibly excited, hugging and embracing those around him.

But compared to the powerhouse male actors, this year's female nominees were mostly underwhelming: Liu Tianxian in Now You See Me, Zhang Ziyi in The Grandmaster, Gui Lunmei in Christmas Rose, Shu Qi in The Magicians, Zheng Xiuwen in Blind Detective.

Looking at them, aside from Guoji Zhang, the other four were essentially fillers—whether in artistic merit or performance, they were far behind Guoji Zhang.

Gui Lunmei's film couldn't even enunciate its lines clearly!

The presenters were Liu Tianwang and Zhang Manyu; after some playful banter onstage, Liu Tianwang looked down at the audience: "Tianxian, isn't this your third nomination?"

The camera cut to Liu Tianxian; she nodded.

"You've been nominated three times, and I've been here all three times—I honestly hope you win this year," Liu Tianwang said.

Liu Tianxian clasped her hands together in thanks.

The guests below applauded warmly—still sympathetic after so many losses.

"But don't be discouraged if you don't win—you're currently the highest-grossing female actress in the country. Do you know? I envy you. I've worked for decades; you achieved it all in just a few years," Liu Tianwang smiled.

He meant Liu Tianxian's box office achievements over these years surpassed what he had built over decades.

Liu Tianxian's personal box office now exceeds 2.7 billion yuan—domestic only, not counting overseas markets, nor films like The Four Great Constables, The Legend of the Forbidden City, or A Chinese Ghost Story.

If you include those films, her personal box office exceeds 3 billion yuan—domestic figures only.

"Hahaha." Laughter rose from the audience.

You can't look at this thing that way—it must be viewed in context of the economic market. Over these past few years, although Liu Tianxian had a hit every year, no one thought she was truly skilled at acting, or that she had real ability.

The one with real ability is the person beside her. That's also why so many people fawn over Fang Hong and curry favor with Liu Tianxian.

He's the one who made Liu Tianxian defy Huayi's boycott, return to her peak, and launch actors like Zhang Songwen, Xie Miao, and Guo Jingfei.

But that's not the main point—he also launched a whole generation of new directors. That's the real big shot.

Who among Huayi, Bona, or Light Chaser can launch their own new-generation directors?

Huayi only has Feng Kuzi; Bona and Light Chaser are constantly hunting for famous directors to collaborate with. They don't dare to gamble like the Principal does.

That's why Liu Tianxian has the Principal protecting her—everyone has to flatter her. After all, no matter how brilliant she is, compared to Fang Hong's influence in the film industry, she's still inferior.

After all, resources rule. In this era when the entertainment circle collectively moved north, if they don't step on you, you should be grateful.

Liu Tianxian smiled. She had no microphone, so she could only respond with facial expressions; beside her, Fang Hong's expression remained calm.

"As long as you're willing to work hard and hold onto that dream, you'll definitely win it. I hope this time it's you," Zhang Manyu gazed deeply at Liu Tianxian in the audience.

This was the first time she had noticed such a hot female star—and the Principal beside her.

After all, she had retired nearly a decade ago; she'd heard of them, but didn't understand them.

The camera focused on Liu Tianxian; she expressed her thanks to Zhang Manyu.

"We now announce the award," Liu Tianwang pulled out a small card, opened it, and both of them suddenly wore exaggerated expressions of shock.

The audience suddenly fell silent. Liu Tianxian's body tensed involuntarily. Although she had guessed the result, she still held onto hope.

"Guoji Zhang, The Master!"

The two on stage announced the winner. Uplifting music blared. The guest seats erupted in applause. Guoji Zhang rose happily, bathed in spotlight and the gaze of the audience. The other nominees wore varying degrees of disappointment; Liu Tianxian looked like a deflated balloon.

"Tianxian," Guoji Zhang came over to greet her.

"Congratulations," Liu Tianxian stood up and embraced her. After all, you still had to do the surface work.

Guoji Zhang extended her hand toward Fang Hong; Fang Hong merely gave a light shake, never rising from his seat, showing clear indifference.

Then they watched her walk onto the stage to accept the award and deliver her acceptance speech.

When Liu Tianxian sat down, she sighed.

In truth, everyone knew—she knew she wouldn't win—but when the award was announced, disappointment still struck.

Fang Hong placed a hand on her smooth shoulder and patted it gently, offering comfort.

"I'm fine. Really fine," Liu Tianxian turned her head, forcing a smile. Her mindset was steady—she'd experienced everything; nothing could shake her.

Fang Hong stayed silent, his gaze fixed on the stage.

The Best Actress award had been given. After this ceremony, the two could leave.

Fang Hong had only come to accompany Liu Tianxian.

Now they were awarding Best Supporting Actor, won by Li Xuejian. This award should have been presented by Fang Hong.

When the organizing committee approached him, he refused.

After Li Xuejian finished his acceptance speech, the next award was Best Supporting Actress, won by someone named Yang Yanyan.

Then came Best Visual Effects. *Now You See Me* had been nominated. Sitting in the back, Chen Xiuwei suddenly focused his attention.

The nominees were *1942*, *The Master*, *The Demon Slayers*, *The Zombie*, and *Now You See Me*.

On the big screen, the visual effects of each nominee were displayed. At a glance, *Now You See Me* was the most stunning.

That money rain—it was breathtaking.

This wasn't a major award. The presenter on stage directly announced the winner: "Now You See Me, Chen Xiuwei!"

Hearing his name, Chen Xiuwei leapt up in delight. Zhang Songwen, Li Anran, Wen Muye, and other Yutu Yiren members immediately congratulated him.

The audience's eyes turned to him—he looked so young!

Chen Xiuwei walked down the aisle, descended the steps to the front row—and Fang Hong stood up. He hadn't risen for anyone else.

This made Guoji Zhang feel uneasy. She, a world-class superstar, was less important in the Principal's eyes than a behind-the-scenes minor figure.

"Well done," Fang Hong congratulated.

"Congratulations," Liu Tianxian also stood up and gave him a light handshake.

"Thank you, Principal. Thank you, Sister Tianxian," Chen Xiuwei bowed slightly to both.

Saying that, he walked toward the stage.

Chen Xiuwei took the Golden Horse Trophy, calmed his breathing, and faced the guests: "Winning this award is thanks to every crew member who worked on *Now You See Me*. Thank you, Principal, for giving me this opportunity!"

He didn't know what else to say. After finishing, he bowed to the guest seats, bowed toward Fang Hong's direction, then headed backstage for interviews.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!" Fang Hong raised his hands, applauding for him. The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

This was because the Golden Rooster Awards didn't have a Visual Effects category—otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the Golden Horse to win it.

Yutu Yiren's greatest strength was behind the scenes; their front-facing figures weren't particularly strong. This was the result of Fang Hong's long-standing emphasis on building his production team.

Next came Best Art Direction. Li Anran was nominated, but he was disappointed—the award went to *The Master*'s Zhang Shuping.

That guy was incredible. Unmatchable.

Then came Best Cinematography. *Now You See Me* was also nominated. The cinematography was too dazzling.

"Now You See Me, Liu Yin," the presenter announced.

Fang Hong stood up and went on stage to accept it on his behalf.

There was no celebration or congratulatory gestures—it wasn't the actual winner—only the uplifting music and applause.

Seeing the Principal on stage, every guest focused their attention, watching him take the trophy from the presenter, then stand before the microphone.

"I have nothing to say. I'm accepting this for someone else. Keep moving forward," Fang Hong's speech was brief.

"The Principal has never won an award himself—but every award he's won, he's won at the Golden Horse. Doesn't that prove the Golden Horse is fairer, more prestigious?" Cai Kangyong leaned against the podium, speaking with obvious superiority.

Because Fang Hong had never won an award himself—but every award he'd won, he'd won at the Golden Horse.

This person's "we" touched on a sensitive area, and even said the Golden Horse Awards were fairer than Neidi's awards, asking the Principal to serve as a platform for their awards.

Some in the audience clapped, while others looked tense.

Cai Kangyong never had much brains to begin with; he had said many two-faced things, mocked Liu Tianwang, later mocked Gong Huang, and when he went to Neidi he even mocked Li Dan — there were plenty of such remarks.

Fang Hong glanced sidelong at Cai Kangyong: "In my eyes, all awards ceremonies are the same — none is nobler than another, only the level differs. Take the Oscars, for instance — in my eyes they're about the same level as the Golden Rooster Awards, because these two ceremonies are national-level. Of course, all the awards here are our awards, big or small."

What this meant was that the Golden Rooster Awards were national-level, on par with the Oscars, while the Golden Horse Awards were provincial-level, a tier lower.

Although he didn't say it outright, that was roughly the meaning.

This was already quite a tactful way of putting it; he really didn't want to touch on this kind of issue — it was troublesome.

The group of Neidi filmmakers in the audience clapped their hands, looking quite confident, while the Hong Kong people looked relieved — they too had feared this kind of question.

"I want to remind the Principal, the Golden Horse Awards are the biggest Chinese-language award — this is our award, not yours." Cai Kangyong pressed on relentlessly.

Once this was said, some people in the guest seats below shouted and clapped wildly; those who clapped can't be scrutinized too closely.

Some people's faces immediately changed, showing both an ugly look and worry; Li An, meanwhile, wore a deeply troubled expression.

"When this son of mine doesn't listen, he gets his butt spanked — that's how my mom usually treats me. Cai Kangyong, you must have lacked your parents' love and care growing up, so your brain isn't clear — you don't even know whether you like men or women. Tell me, is there something wrong with that brain of yours?"

Once Fang Hong said this, it immediately drew "clap clap clap" applause from the audience below, along with cheers from people with sound values.

Those with impure thoughts naturally showed displeasure.

He used himself as an example — saying here is the son, across is the mother, and if the son doesn't listen he gets his butt spanked. He also exposed Cai Kangyong's dirty secret, saying the man was 【redacted】-sexual.

He also said his brain had problems, that he lacked parental love and care.

This immediately put Cai Kangyong in an impossible spot, and he could only show an awkward look and force out a "Haha!"

The Principal called him brainless, and he really had to take it — the man's status and position were right there.

"If you come to Neidi in the future, you'd better get your brain clear first — we don't talk to idiots." This time Fang Hong didn't bother to disguise his cursing at all.

After saying that he walked straight off the stage, too lazy to keep talking nonsense with him — the man was simply sick.

There was still applause and cheers from the audience below, though of course there was more awkwardness and confusion — he had already left and was still blatantly cursing the guy.

The Principal really did have the ability to curse out Cai Kangyong, and with his status he didn't bother to put on any pretense — he just wanted to curse you, so what?

"The Principal is really humorous — just joking around."

Cai Kangyong didn't dare say a single word, and could only quickly skip past the topic: "Next up to present is—"

In his previous life he had gone to Neidi to develop his career in '14, that is next year; having offended the Principal so badly, how could he possibly still make it there? He could only swallow this round of being roasted.

The guests also stopped at the appropriate point and moved on — whoever touched this topic was done for.

The awards ceremony continued. Fang Hong sat back in his seat, and Liu Tianxian took one out from her pocket and stuffed it in his mouth, then ate one herself.

This awards ceremony lasted three or four hours — it was very long, and they needed to replenish some energy.

During the ceremony, Zhang Songwen, as a guest, also went on stage to present a Best Cinematography award. After these minor awards were handed out, the final major award was Best Feature Film.

This award was competed for by five films: "Ilo Ilo," "A Touch of Sin," "The Grandmaster," "Stray Dogs," and "Drug War."

Li An and Hou Xiaoxian presented the award, and it ultimately went to "Ilo Ilo" — this was a Singapore film.

The scene erupted in thunderous applause, and finally ended in an atmosphere of harmony.

One more chapter

(End of chapter)