Chapter 378: Martyr? Heretic!

December 19, 2010, 7:00 PM. Hou Hou Xiaoxian, chairman of the 47th Golden Horse Awards Executive Committee, hosted a banquet at the Palais de Chine Hotel in Taipei to entertain Director Zhang Yimou and his party, who had come to attend the Golden Horse Awards.

Also attending the banquet were Ang Lee, the "Godfather of Taiwanese Idol Dramas" Angie Chai, the current Golden Horse Awards Jury President Huang Jianye, jury members Chu Yen-ping and Shu Qi, the previous Golden Horse Awards chair Peggy Chiao, and the "Flower of Taiwan" Lin Chi-ling.

At the table, both host and guests were harmonious and talked happily, eating until past 11:00 PM before dispersing, considering that the *Under the Hawthorn Tree* crew and others had come from afar and were exhausted from the journey.

After the banquet, as Huang Jianye walked out of the Palais de Chine Hotel, he ran head-on into a group of reporters who had been waiting for a long time. Flashbulbs flickered incessantly, and microphones were almost shoved into his face. He frowned, but his pace didn't stop as he headed straight for the black sedan parked on the side of the road.

"May I ask what Chen Nuo said at the table? Can you share it with our readers?"

"Chairman Huang, have you talked to Chen Nuo about anything? Can you reveal it to the Taiwanese film fans?"

"Chairman Huang, did Chen Nuo mention anything about hosting the Oscars soon? Did he express any thoughts?"

"What kind of exchange did Director Ang Lee have with Chen Nuo?"

"Chairman Huang, you today..."

Huang Jianye didn't say a word, lowered his head, and ducked into the car. The car door "banged" shut, locking the messy questions outside. Subsequently, the sedan slowly drove away.

Chen Nuo, Chen Nuo.

As a scholar, writer, film critic, stage play director, and an acknowledged academic filmmaker of the Taiwan Film Festival, Huang Jianye actually didn't like this mainland actor who had become famous so quickly.

Just as he didn't like these media reporters blocking the entrance of the Palais de Chine Hotel.

Because in Huang Jianye's view, there was a common point between the two: both were under the spotlight, lacking calm reflection and respect for the essence of art.

Including *Under the Hawthorn Tree* as well.

This was a movie whose fame exceeded its substance.

Compared to *The Best of Times*, *Tempting Heart*, and *Yi Yi*, what did it count for?

If those Taiwanese art films were profound and thought-provoking university theses, then *Hawthorn Tree* was a primary school composition that was straightforward and shallow to the point of being ridiculous.

Therefore, although everything was not easy, through his efforts, he finally facilitated a certain matter.

It is foreseeable that under the current public opinion environment, the result revealed tomorrow night will inevitably bring some controversy to the Golden Horse Awards and himself afterward.

However, for the sake of film art, for the sake of showing the unyielding character of Taiwanese filmmakers,

he would only accept it willingly.

At the welcome banquet, both Chen Nuo and Liu Yifei drank alcohol.

Although not much, it was enough to go to the heads of both people, whose alcohol tolerance wasn't great.

Although Liu Yifei's brain wasn't dizzy, her body felt hot.

She had never thought that one day she would also uncontrollably want "that thing," and even secretly watched pay-per-view TV in the hotel, and finally, unable to hold back, ran to Akihabara to secretly buy one of those things.

It was all him!

He corrupted her!

Liu Yifei glared fiercely at the culprit.

She basically didn't hear what Director Zhang Yimou was saying; her mind was almost entirely filled with the scenes that would happen later. Her somewhat plump thighs under her tight jeans were pressed together, rubbing against each other from time to time.

"... It feels strange."

Chen Nuo admired Zhang Yimou's alcohol tolerance.

He watched the old master clink glasses with at least 90% of the people present, drinking 58-degree Kinmen Kaoliang, but at this moment, the Shaanxi man's brows were locked, his face full of contemplation, and there wasn't a trace of drunkenness.

"I feel that we might be in a bit of a precarious situation this time," Director Zhang pondered for a long time before finally saying.

Alright, the Shaanxi dialect had come out, so he was still a bit drunk.

Zhang Weiping said from the side: "No way? Mouzi, are you overthinking it? Besides Chen Dersen of *Bodyguards and Assassins* who might have a tiny bit of threat, the others like Zhang Zuoji, Liu Jie, Chung Mong-hong..."

"I didn't... cough, I didn't say me. Whether I win or not, it doesn't matter," the old master interrupted.

Zhang Weiping glanced at Liu Yifei and realized: "Yifei... Tang Wei, Xu Fan, and Lü Liping, indeed none of them are weak; it is a bit difficult. However, it's not impossible. At least that woman Lü Liping didn't dare to come to the awards ceremony this time because of Nuo-zi. If you ask me, it's not impossible for Yifei."

Hearing this, Chen Nuo felt that Zhang Weiping was splashing dirty water on him.

The grudge between Lü Liping and Sun Haiying and him was from how long ago.

Lü Liping came out of retirement last year and filmed *City Monkey*, which was nominated for Best Actress, but she chose not to come to Taipei for the awards ceremony. It was indeed quite unexpected.

However, that was the common voice of all the rainbow people in Taiwan; what did it have to do with him?

"I'm not talking about Yifei either," Zhang Yimou said. "I'll say it straight: Chu Yen-ping and Shu Qi were chatting with me the whole time while drinking today. They rarely communicated with Nuo-zi's side."

"Don't you think it's strange? I come here often, but Nuo-zi isn't that easy to meet. Look at Lin Chi-ling; that's the normal phenomenon."

"And what have these two been chatting with me about? I was puzzled at the time."

"Then I thought, could it be..."

"Think about it, the Golden Horse Awards selection results were decided a month ago, right?"

After Zhang Yimou finished speaking, the room suddenly went quiet.

More than a dozen people were looking at each other.

Whether it was the *Hawthorn Tree* staff, the director's assistants, the boss's secretaries,

or the parents of some star.

Everyone went over Zhang Yimou's implication in their minds several times before confirming what he was hinting at.

It wasn't that everyone was slow-witted, but that what he said was truly too bizarre.

Even though Liu Xiaoli was very angry at someone right now, she had never thought that his position as Golden Horse Best Actor this time could actually be reversed!?

Is it possible?

After Liu Yifei was nominated for Best Actress, she had read many media reports about this Golden Horse Awards.

And in these reports, there was one thing that was recognized: the ownership of the Best Actor award this time should be the least suspenseful.

Look at his competitors.

Qin Hao of *Spring Fever* was already his defeated opponent in Cannes; he changed from mother to *Hawthorn Tree*, and Qin Hao could win? No one would think so.

Wang Xueqi's performance in *Bodyguards and Assassins* was certainly good, but the space for the character to play was limited, and it was more of a group performance halo. Moreover, Teacher Wang also lost to him by a large vote count at this year's mainland Hundred Flowers Awards.

And Ethan Juan of *Monga*...

Just ask Ethan Juan himself if he dares to have this dream?

Even if *Monga* director Doze Niu was one of the 17 Golden Horse judges this time, if Ethan Juan really beat Chen Nuo, I'm afraid the credibility of the Golden Horse Awards would be wiped out in an instant.

Even the most green and reactionary Sanli Television in Taiwan only dared to say in a low voice when analyzing the trend of the Golden Horse Awards: "It's not completely impossible."

To let an idol drama actor win over an actor who had already won Berlin and Cannes, only missing a Venice to achieve the European film Grand Slam, and was also a Blue Dragon, Baeksang, Hundred Flowers Best Actor, and Oscar Best Supporting Actor...

As long as the judges weren't crazy, they would never do this.

Because the day after they did so, they would definitely be sprayed to the point of autism by the media all over the world—yes, the whole world.

Director Zhang Yimou... should be overthinking it.

It wasn't just Liu Xiaoli who thought so; Zhang Weiping obviously thought the same, only hearing him chuckle: "Mouzi, you, you. Yes, that's right, they finished voting two or three weeks in advance, but don't forget, the voting is anonymous; once cast, it's in the hands of the notary, and they don't know the final result either."

Zhang Yimou shook his head, his eyes a bit straight, and his face turned red visibly, "I hope I'm overthinking it too. But, I just feel like something is wrong. Sigh... forget it, sleep, sleep, everyone go rest early."

In the dark room, the curtains blocked the faint light of the Taipei night sky, leaving only a circle of dim yellow halo cast by the bedside lamp.

Chen Nuo leaned against the head of the bed, his shirt half-unbuttoned, Liu Yifei straddling his legs, her black velvet dress pulled up to her waist, revealing her fair and slender thighs.

Her breathing was rapid, her cheeks were hot, and her fingers were gripping his shoulders.

When Chen Nuo lowered his head to kiss her collarbone and bit it lightly with his teeth, Liu Yifei's body trembled, and she let out a hum in her nose.

Then his palm moved up along her thighs; he could feel the woman's tense muscles trembling slightly, heat radiating from her skin, mixed with sweat or something, feeling sticky and hot.

He didn't know where Chen Nuo flicked with his fingers,

but Liu Yifei's expression suddenly stiffened, as if she had been hit by a stick.

Immediately after, her body trembled like it was shaking.

Chen Nuo knew the woman's constitution was like this, so he didn't panic like the first few times; instead, he flipped over and pressed the woman's fleshy body back under him.

Continue.

Legs lifted, clamping his waist, the woman wrapped her arms around his neck.

Their shadows overlapped, swaying on the wall.

Five minutes later, the two shadows merged together and solidified.

The woman's panting gradually calmed down, and the fine beads of sweat on her forehead shone in the dim yellow light.

Liu Yifei let go of her hands around Chen Nuo's neck, her body sliding back softly onto the pillow, as if she had fallen apart, her legs resting weakly on him, a low sigh escaping her throat, carrying a bit of satisfied laziness.

Chen Nuo also withdrew and flipped to the side to lie down, his chest heaving violently, sweat dripping from his temples.

He didn't even take off his clothes; it was really hot.

Actually, it wasn't just Liu Yifei; when Zhang Yimou was rambling on before, he didn't really listen either.

Although he had fought a gun battle with Tong Liya a few days ago,

but he hadn't seen his fairy girlfriend for a long time, and the freshness was rushing at him; his mind wouldn't have anything else.

So, after returning to the room, closing the door, and not even taking off their clothes, the two of them were like thunder striking fire.

He heard Liu Yifei mutter: "It's all your fault..." Her voice was hoarse and delicate. Immediately after, the woman pulled the quilt over herself, turned her back, like a curled-up kitten.

Chen Nuo didn't answer; he didn't know what kind of temper she was throwing.

He propped himself up, grabbed the water glass from the bedside, took a big gulp, and then lay back down.

At this moment, only the sound of each other's breathing remained in the room, the salty smell of sweat mixed with the warmth in the air, slowly dissipating.

Chen Nuo felt that among the several women, Liu Yifei's characteristic was, first of all, that she was very sensitive and very easily satisfied the man's desire for conquest.

Secondly, compared to others who were also actors, although her legs weren't considered long and her waist wasn't thin enough, her bones were small and she had a lot of flesh, just like a meat cushion; whether it was the front or the back, it felt very good to the touch.

And there was also the "one-line sky" configuration, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

"What are you thinking about? Chen Nuo, I'm talking to you, why are you ignoring me?"

"Tired."

"Hmph, you're only in your 20s, and your physical strength is so poor, what will you do in the future?"

"What do you mean what will I do? What do you want to do?"

"So annoying, it's all your fault!"

This was the nth time Chen Nuo had heard the girl say these three words. He was truly baffled and was just about to ask when suddenly the phone on the bedside table vibrated, and a text message came in.

Liu Yifei was very alert, turned over immediately, and propped up her body. That feeling was more like a cat; her eyes were glowing in the dark, and it felt like the hair on her neck was standing up.

"Who is it, so late."

Chen Nuo didn't know who it was either, because there were really too many candidates, but he appeared very calm: "I don't know, let me see... Huh?"

"Huh what, who is it?"

"It's your mom."

"Eh, ah?"

"Liu Ayi called me over, saying she wanted to talk to me about work."

The official hotel for this Golden Horse Awards organizing committee was the Grand Hyatt Hotel, but considering the special nature of the *Hawthorn Tree* crew, they were arranged at the Mandarin Oriental. The environment here was quieter, and it was less likely to be chased and blocked by reporters when entering and exiting.

However, compared to the Taipei Grand Hyatt Hotel, the soundproofing of the rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Taipei wasn't that good.

Liu Xiaoli had originally planned to find another time to talk to Chen Nuo.

However, listening to the movements coming from next door, as well as that familiar yet unfamiliar cat-like cry, she felt heartbroken and unbearable.

Thinking that she didn't know what time the awards ceremony would end tomorrow, and then Xixi and she would fly back to Japan to start filming again the next day, and he would fly to the United States, she estimated that the only time they could talk was tonight.

So, when the sound disappeared, Liu Xiaoli didn't hesitate anymore and sent a text message directly.

After a while, the doorbell rang.

Liu Xiaoli went to open the door, her expression neither cold nor indifferent: "Come in."

Subsequently, the two sat facing each other in the room.

Liu Xiaoli said: "Xiao Chen, do you know why I called you here?"

Chen Nuo said truthfully: "Guessed a little."

Liu Xiaoli said: "Since that's the case, it's not early, so Auntie will just say it straight. That news on the internet a while ago, is it true?" After speaking, she looked at Chen Nuo with burning eyes.

It really was because of this.

Although Liu Xiaoli didn't say it explicitly, he didn't want to play dumb, so he nodded and said: "It's true."

Liu Xiaoli's heart sank.

The sounds she heard when she came out to pour water at night in Cannes were indeed not the wind, and certainly not her illusion.

It was Fan Fan Binbing!

"Fan Fan Binbing really has... your child?"

"Mm."

"Born?"

"Mm."

"You..."

Liu Xiaoli felt dizzy for a moment, her hand supporting her forehead.

Chen Nuo quickly said: "Liu Ayi, be careful, don't fall."

Liu Xiaoli opened her eyes and couldn't help but curse: "I don't need you to care! By doing this, are you worthy of Xixi? Do you know how much Xixi trusts you, and yet you treat her like this!? Tell me, what are you going to do?"

What could Chen Nuo say?

As a mother, she was standing up for her daughter and angrily cursing him, this scumbag; could he retort?

At this moment, he could only sigh and say: "Xiao Li-jie, this matter actually isn't what you think. But things have reached this point, and I don't regret it. I know it's my problem, and I'm sorry to Xixi. I'll go over now and explain it clearly to her."

After speaking, Chen Nuo turned around and prepared to leave.

Liu Xiaoli didn't expect this person's mother to be like a dog, turning his face as soon as he said so. Seeing him turn around, her heart tightened, and she immediately said: "Wait a minute!"

She had been accompanying Liu Yifei to film in Japan during this period, and living together day and night, the relationship between mother and daughter had slowly returned to the level of talking about everything. And the mother and daughter really started to repair their relationship from that time they bought underwear in Germany.

So she knew the weight of this man in her daughter's heart! If she really let Chen Nuo go over like this and say he had a child or something, the consequences would be unimaginable. "Are you crazy? If you go and tell her this now, do you still want her to attend the Golden Horse Awards tomorrow!"

"Also, then... I'll confess to her after the awards ceremony tomorrow."

Liu Xiaoli looked at him steadily and asked: "Can you tell me honestly, how many women do you have? Besides Xixi."

Gao Yuanyuan had asked last time, but he didn't answer. Now, facing the heartbroken questioning of his girlfriend's mother, Chen Nuo could only honestly say according to his conscience: "4."

Liu Xiaoli found that when she heard this number, not only was she not angry, she actually felt a sense of relief.

She could see that the boy wasn't lying.

And if it was four, she didn't know how... she actually felt it wasn't many.

Thinking carefully, this should also have to do with her being on good terms with Chen Jinfei when she was young and having mixed in the wealthy circle for a while.

At that time, she had seen too many bizarre situations... so okay, Liu Xiaoli even felt that if those people were in the boy's shoes, it wouldn't be strange to add a 0 after 4.

Liu Xiaoli was prepared to speak her mind completely today, so she asked again: "I know Gao Yuanyuan is among them, and now there's Fan Fan Binbing. Who else?"

"Wen Yongshan, and one is... um, an outsider, you don't know her."

Hearing that Wen Yongshan was actually included, Liu Xiaoli's anger lessened a bit, and she asked again: "Wen Yongshan? How did she... I heard Xixi say that you told her you hadn't seen each other for a long time, right?"

"Indeed, we haven't seen each other for a long time..."

Liu Xiaoli said: "Then what is your relationship with her now? Tell me, as long as you tell the truth, Auntie won't blame you."

Facing Liu Ayi's concerned eyes, Chen Nuo actually felt a bit moved.

He was already like this, and Auntie still didn't blame him?

If she were in his shoes, Chen Nuo felt he definitely couldn't do it. He would only take a knife and slice the person who scumbagged his daughter into a thousand pieces.

It seems he really misunderstood Liu Ayi before.

No wonder so many people want to mix in the "Auntie circle" every day and refuse to take any crooked paths. Auntie is really too good.

Next, he opened his heart and roughly told Liu Xiaoli about his situation with Wen Yongshan.

"... At first I didn't agree, but she felt sorry for me and insisted on breaking up. And although we broke up in name, in fact, we have always been together..."

"... Until now, although I haven't had time to tell her so clearly about some things, I think she has guessed it all. So, she didn't return to Beijing..."

"... However, after this Golden Horse Awards, I plan to go to Hong Kong for a transfer..."

Liu Xiaoli listened to this long story, and only then did she know that the two of them were like this. Although Chen Nuo didn't say too much, as a woman, she could imagine the subtle details of the love between men and women.

Then she sighed slightly and said: "What are you planning to talk to her about in Hong Kong?"

"Talk it out, see what it will be like then."

"If she decides she still wants to maintain a relationship with you, what will you say?"

"I agree."

"You..." Liu Xiaoli's anger flared up again, "What about Xixi?"

"Uh, before going to find Wen Yongshan, didn't I break up with Xixi?"

Liu Xiaoli was angered by the man's heartless appearance, "How can you do this!?"

Chen Nuo said speechlessly: "Liu Ayi, didn't I just say it? After the awards ceremony tomorrow, I'll tell her."

Liu Xiaoli said angrily, "Chen Nuo, actually, Auntie can turn a blind eye to many things, but you can't go too far. It's not too late to mend the fold after the sheep is lost. As long as you break up with these women and treat Xixi wholeheartedly in the future, then I can actually let bygones be bygones. Okay?"

"Uh, Auntie, I already have a child now... Let me put it this way, Auntie, if I must let someone down, I can only choose Xixi..."

Liu Xiaoli almost cursed, but finally held it back.

She continued to say with forbearance: "Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, Auntie trusted you very much before. Speaking of children... tell me honestly, did you originally plan to break up with Xixi this time? I ask you, if so, then why did you still... just now?"

*Do it so vigorously? *

Chen Nuo replied a bit awkwardly: "Uh, I didn't plan to break up. Auntie, a child is a child, a girlfriend is a girlfriend; I separate them very clearly."

*Damn it, what do you mean separate them very clearly? *

*Is this human language? Is this something a human can say? *

Liu Xiaoli's brain was buzzing. Looking at his serious face, she only felt that common sense had been subverted. She steadied herself and said: "Then what are you planning to do? Do you think Xixi will just accept it if she finds out?"

"Uh, I plan to pave the way slowly. I believe she should be able to, right!?"

*Is this a new way of saying 'if we can talk, we talk; if we can't, we roll'? *

*Pave the way, how to pave the way? *

Liu Xiaoli really couldn't imagine how to pave the way so that Liu Yifei could accept that her boyfriend had an illegitimate daughter, and it was born by her best friend!

*He is too confident, isn't he? * Liu Xiaoli really felt she had gained knowledge today.

She was about to open her mouth to denounce the other party's shamelessness when suddenly the doorbell rang again.

Liu Xiaoli stopped talking immediately. At this time, it couldn't be anyone other than Liu Yifei outside the door.

"Liu Ayi, it must be Xixi. Uh, what should we do now?"

Liu Xiaoli gritted her teeth. Within a few short seconds, her brain flashed through an estimated 100,000 ways to handle it, just like a quantum computer.

But in the end, she closed her eyes hard and squeezed a sentence out through her teeth: "Don't say anything yet, let me think about it carefully."

"Oh, okay, Auntie."

When Liu Yifei walked onto the red carpet of the 47th Golden Horse Awards, holding Chen Nuo's hand, she felt excited, thrilled, and happy.

Walking the red carpet with him again made her think of so many past events.

From LA to Taipei, from the Kodak Theatre to the Taoyuan County Performing Arts Center, walking all the way here, it was no exaggeration to say they had experienced many storms.

Yet, holding his hand, she felt it was all worth it.

However, she didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that after Chen Nuo went to talk to her mother about work next door last night, he became a bit strange.

So, when the two finished walking the red carpet and stepped into the Taoyuan County Performing Arts Center, about to separate to take their seats, Liu Yifei couldn't help but ask: "Chen Nuo, are you okay? Why do I feel like you've been unhappy?"

Chen Nuo was stunned, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed: "I think what Director Zhang said last night made a lot of sense, I..."

Liu Yifei was taken aback, leaned closer, and whispered: "You think you..." She deliberately lowered her voice, because the hall of the thousand-person Performing Arts Center was bustling with noise, the lights were dazzling, and it was crowded with tuxedoed directors, dressed-up stars, and media reporters carrying cameras.

Not far away, Shu Qi, in a gold dress, was smiling and exchanging pleasantries with Feng Xiaogang and Xu Fan; the figures of Ang Lee and Hou Hou Xiaoxian talking in low voices were vaguely visible; Zhang Manyu and Sylvia Chang were surrounded by a few people, talking and laughing. The air was filled with various perfumes, mixed with laughter one after another.

However, the moment they walked into the hall, Liu Yifei clearly felt that everyone's eyes were attracted over.

The smile on Shu Qi's face became a bit stiff, and Feng Xiaogang deliberately turned his face to the other side. Ang Lee and Hou Hou Xiaoxian stopped talking and looked over together. And Liu Yifei knew Zhang Manyu was acquainted with the man and had chatted several times, only to see the Berlin and Cannes double Best Actress, who was specially invited by the Golden Horse Awards as a presenter, smiling like a flower, raising her hand, and waving gently toward his side.

Liu Yifei didn't want others to hear, so she leaned close to Chen Nuo's ear and asked in a low voice: "... You think, you won't win Best Actor this time?"

Chen Nuo smiled and waved to Zhang Manyu in response, while whispering: "Yes, pay attention to your expression when the time comes."

Liu Yifei laughed out loud and said: "How is that possible, I don't believe it!"

Chen Nuo was, of course, lying.

He wasn't thinking about Best Actor at all.

Golden Horse Awards, hehe.

In another dozen years, who the hell would still say they had won a Golden Horse Award?

Golden Horse Best Actor, honestly, at that time, it would feel like an insult.

Therefore, after he finished exchanging pleasantries with some old friends at the scene and sat down among the candidates for Best Actor tonight, his mind wasn't on it at all.

Chen Nuo felt this was truly amazing.

What happened to the confidentiality?

As a result, why did it feel like everyone who shouldn't know already knew?

Instead, those who might not need to be kept in the dark, like his dad and mom, really didn't have any suspicion at all now.

Is there anything more absurd in the world than this?

After he greeted several other actors who were also candidates and sat down, he didn't have the heart to talk anymore and became lost in thought.

Qin Hao sat on one side, wanting to start a conversation several times, but seeing the other party's serious expression, he lost his courage.

He noticed that Ethan Juan, sitting on the other side, should also be like this, hesitating several times.

And his eyes met Ethan Juan's across the person in the middle, and the two tuxedoed Best Actor candidates curled their lips at the same time.

It could be seen that the young Taiwanese actor, like him, hadn't thought about the Best Actor award at all.

It was indeed so.

Qin Hao had watched *Under the Hawthorn Tree* three times in the cinema when it was released.

The shallow plot and thin characters were interpreted by him as soul-stirring and heartbreaking; the Berlin Best Actor award was absolutely well-deserved, and it definitely didn't rely on Yu Nan speaking for him!

Therefore, for today's Golden Horse Awards, Qin Hao really didn't think he had any chance.

Just as the media said, from mother to *Hawthorn Tree*, what remained unchanged was that he was still a supporting role.

This was very heart-wrenching.

But after feeling uncomfortable, Qin Hao comforted himself: it wasn't just him.

Weren't the other candidates the same?

Who wasn't a supporting role?

Therefore, when the awards ceremony segment reached Best Actor, and the presenter Ti Lung said: "The 47th Golden Horse Awards, the winner of Best Actor is, Chen Nuo for *Under the Hawthorn Tree*..."

Qin Hao wasn't surprised at all.

Just like a math problem of 1+1=?, the answer was already in his heart, and the teacher was just writing down the "2" unnecessarily.

However, no one expected, and no one noticed, that the expressions of the various judges sitting in the audience were exceptionally wonderful at this moment.

Among them were:

American-Chinese Sebastian Vegliani.

Taiwan Province: Huang Jianye, Ho Ping, Chiang Hsiu-chiung, Yang Li-chou, Tseng Chuang-hsiang, Li Fu-hsiung, Doze Niu, Lao Jiahua, Guo Lixin, etc.

Hong Kong: Patrick Tam, Shu Kei, Long Tin, Charlie Yeung, Chen Le-jung, etc.

Mainland: Zhang Yuan and Gao Qunshu.

If someone who cared actually counted the heads, they would find that there were 17 judges this time, one more than the previous session.

Among them, there were 9 from Taiwan Province.

There were 8 judges from Hong Kong, the mainland, and American-Chinese.

Why was it set up like this?

Because the 46th Golden Horse Awards had the first "double yolk" Best Actor in history.

Last year, after seven consecutive 8-to-8 ties, a director from the mainland suggested referring to the Golden Rooster Awards and letting *Cow* actor Huang Bo and *The Beast Stalker* actor Nick Cheung lift the Best Actor award together that night.

Hou Hou Xiaoxian invited 17 judges this time, just to prevent this situation from happening again.

However, Hou Hou Xiaoxian's intention was good, but this art film director ignored a detail.

According to the voting rules of the Golden Horse Awards, when encountering an interested party, the judge needs to recuse themselves and give up voting.

That is to say, among the 9 Taiwanese judges, because *Monga* was nominated for Best Actor, director Doze Niu would also give up his vote in this round of voting.

Thus, the Taiwanese judges and the mainland/Hong Kong/overseas judges became 8:8 again.

So, when Ti Lung finished speaking and didn't stop but continued to speak, the whole audience let out an "Ah!"

Qin Hao opened his mouth wide.

At this very moment, he really couldn't believe what his ears were hearing.

Even his brain felt numb.

Why?

Why did the Golden Horse Awards want to do this? Did it feel that holding 47 sessions was enough?

Qin Hao started to let his imagination run wild.

Otherwise, he really couldn't understand why he would hear such words from Ti Lung's mouth:

"And, *Monga*, Ethan Juan."

Ti Lung's voice sounded distorted through the amplification of the speakers; no one knew what this old-school Hong Kong action superstar was cursing in his heart at this moment.

Vivian Hsu, who was also a presenter, felt at a loss on the side.

And off stage, except for those dozen judges,

everyone was dumbfounded.

Ang Lee sat woodenly in his seat,

Hou Hou Xiaoxian next to him really followed the rules and hadn't looked at the list,

so at this moment, he bent his legs slightly, stood up, and turned to look at Huang Jianye in the row behind.

Huang Jianye heard this result.

He originally thought he would be very happy and proud. Because this was the result he had fought for through countless lip-smacking battles at the jury meeting.

No judge dared to let Ethan Juan win over Chen Nuo.

So... then let's just call it a tie.

Through his and Doze Niu's efforts, the 8 Taiwanese judges reached a consensus.

Because they believed that this was not just deciding the winner of one session of Best Actor, but also to resist the erosion of Taiwanese film by mainland film!

Look at the candidates for Best Actor this session; there were 4 people in total, 3 from the mainland and 1 from Taiwan.

If this continues, can the Golden Horse Awards still be considered a Taiwanese award?

They had to stand up!

Huang Jianye and the other 7 Taiwanese judges held this martyr-like mentality, voted 8:8 for 11 consecutive rounds, and finally, Huang Jianye, the jury president, announced that according to the precedent of the previous session, another "double yolk" would be issued!

Now, the result he wanted was achieved.

After the selection result for Best Actor of this Golden Horse Awards was spoken from Ti Lung's mouth, everything was irreversible. The 47th Golden Horse Awards Best Actor would be won by Chen Nuo and Ethan Juan together.

However, at this moment, Huang Jianye found his lips were very dry, and his palms were full of sweat.

It wasn't just the uproar of the whole audience; the discussions and exclamations that erupted everywhere were almost louder than the applause, making the originally solemn Golden Horse Awards scene as noisy as a vegetable market on the street.

It was also because most of the people in the first three rows around their jury table had turned their heads and were looking at each of them with strange eyes.

And Hou Hou Xiaoxian was standing right in front of Huang Jianye, happened to turn his head at this moment, and met his eyes.

Huang Jianye saw that this middle-aged man, who was the chairman of the Golden Horse Awards and always gentle and elegant, had extremely complex eyes, with surprise, doubt, and confusion intertwined.

But even more eye-catching was the indignation and anger that could almost burn people, as well as the chilling expression on his face.

Just like 500 years ago, in the gloomy and dark hall of the Inquisition, the Vatican judge stood on the high judgment platform, reading the appearance of Giordano Bruno being tied to the stake and burned to death in a cold tone.

That was definitely not looking at a martyr who was willing to die for his faith,

but scrutinizing a heretic who openly challenged divine power, was rebellious, and attempted to subvert the entire established order, and was unforgivable.

PS:

1700 monthly votes, adding 3000 words.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 379 =====