Chapter 258: Acting Together

A genius remembers this site's address in one second: 【Ai Bi Lou】 https: //

Not to mention Cheng Chen's situation of juggling two film crews at once.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, the 16th Golden Melody Awards was held in Xiong City, Taiwan Province.

The hosts of this edition of the Golden Melody Awards were all female.

For example, the sharp-tongued Tao Zi, the delicately beautiful Zhi Ling, and the ever-scandalous Miss Hou, among others.

As the old saying goes, three women make a whole show; standing on stage comparing beauty, eloquence, and charm, they appeared harmonious on the surface while secretly competing against one another.

The first battleground was the red carpet.

Zhi Ling turned heads with an explosive hairstyle and an emerald necklace.

She looked very much like a gypsy girl, a stark contrast to her usual delicate image.

Meanwhile, Miss Hou, always known for being steady and elegant, continued her "graceful" style in a beige low-cut dress that offered few surprises.

One wonders what Jay was feeling in the audience, but the photographers certainly got an eyeful.

Flashbulbs kept popping as cameras zeroed in on certain spots.

Among the three female hosts, Tao Zi was the most "out there," sporting a rooster-comb hairstyle and walking the red carpet without blushing or batting an eye.

And at the actual ceremony, these three women completely let loose.

Leveraging her stunning figure, Zhi Ling changed outfits repeatedly—wild one moment, demure the next—leaving the audience dazzled.

The fiercest of all was Miss Hou, who pulled out all the stops, abandoning her good-girl image, perhaps spurred on by a recent heartbreak.

Clad in a gold mini skirt that bared her entire thighs, she sang seductively, truly a sight for sore eyes.

As for Tao Zi, with nothing much to show off in figure and only an average face, she leaned all the way into her sharp tongue.

With mouth and mind firing in tandem, her quick wit and formidable eloquence at one point made the other two ladies look like mere props.

The nominations for this Golden Melody Awards were evenly split between established and new artists.

Familiar faces on the podium like Jay and Stefanie Sun were present.

Newcomers like Angela Zhang also broke into heavyweight categories such as Best Female Mandarin Singer.

However, the one thing people found fault with was that the Golden Melody Awards, which always held high the banner of artistry,

this time let the three most talked-about female hosts steal the spotlight, making this edition a bittersweet embarrassment.

Cheng Chen did not attend this Golden Melody Awards, disappointing many of his fans.

Still, whenever one participates in a judged competition like this, the winners are bound to face gossip and rumors.

Such as accusations of pork-barrel awards.

After the previous Golden Melody Awards, similar comments had been rampant in the original timeline.

After the ceremony, the judges emphasized in interviews: "Every winner truly deserved it!"

Regarding the "award-splitting" claims, the judges said that in the major categories, the winners had been clear frontrunners.

Best Male and Female Mandarin Singer winners Sky Wu and Wang Fei had essentially clinched their awards in the first round of voting.

Jay took home the most prestigious Best Mandarin Album award with "Ye Hui Mei."

In fact, he had scored high in many categories, even tying with Wang Leehom in Best Producer.

But the judges favored Wang Leehom's deep musical foundation, so Leehom ultimately won, leaving Jay defeated in the category he cared about most...

Yet in this timeline, Cheng Chen had directly snatched both Best Producer and Best Mandarin Album.

Though some remained unconvinced, in the face of absolute sales numbers and hit after hit, their resistance was nothing more than a futile struggle, regarded as a joke.

This Golden Melody Awards' judging was fairly standard, but the lineup was not to be underestimated.

Music godfather Lo Ta-yu came; the long-absent Fei Xiang came.

Heavyweights Wu Bai and Chen Sheng, who had never performed together before, specially collaborated to lend their voices.

Jay, Stefanie Sun, Leehom—these were all familiar faces at the Golden Melody Awards.

Power Station, nominated for five editions, finally took home Best Vocal Group for "The Complete Red Glory Record."

Chen Shan-ni won the Best Album Producer trophy with "Later, We All Cried."

The band F. I. R. took home the Best New Mandarin Artist award as expected by all.

……

"Superstars Swept Clean: The 16th Golden Melody Awards Accused of Putting Showbiz First"

"What was very surprising was that this edition's frontrunners Jay and Leehom both went home empty-handed.

Compared to the rather bland winners' list, the red-carpet rivalry among the three female hosts—Tao Zi, Zhi Ling, and Miss Hou—and the joint appearance of the 'Zhou-Hou Affair' leads became the real focus of the evening.

Turning this Golden Melody Awards into a music gala where 'showing off comes first, awards come second'..."

Cheng Chen was on set, holding in his hand the very reports about the Golden Melody Awards.

Glancing at the tabloid photos, Cheng Chen secretly admired Zhi Ling's figure.

He also recalled Jay's feeble voice on the phone the night before.

This guy had long grown numb to winning at the Golden Melody Awards—why did he still take leave from the crew to attend?

Obviously he went for Miss Hou, but in the end the two acted like strangers on stage.

Jay is heartbroken, seeking comfort 233...

Still, the news section also mentioned Cheng Chen's name, saying his absence from this year's Golden Melody Awards was truly a loss for Mandopop.

Cheng Chen secretly sneered—how harsh; after sweeping so many awards last year, going again this year would've made things awkward for the organizers.

Some awards only need to be won once...

"Mr. Cheng, it's your scene."

A crew member called out.

"Got it."

Cheng Chen answered and hurried off to the set.

The filming of *The Banquet* was not slow; unlike the State Advisor's hesitation, Director Feng was much more efficient.

The camera position set, the lens clicked and began shooting.

In Director Feng's words, the shot breakdowns were carved into my brain—why bother explaining? Just don't let the actors drag me down!

Cheng Chen was called over to rehearse with Ge Daye.

When he arrived at the set, Ge Daye was lying on the sofa, his whole body sunk into the soft cushions, limp as if boneless, as if embedded into the sofa.

It was said this was his unique way of relaxing; everyone on set had long grown used to it.

Ge Daye's acting was down-to-earth; he portrayed ordinary people with effortless ease, radiating a comfortable, everyday warmth.

It felt less like acting and more like genuine, unscripted life.

In short, he was utterly relaxed—as if he had no acting at all, just like a real person speaking to you in daily life.

Though his performance was subdued, it easily drew the audience in, subtly pulling them into the character without them noticing.

Director Feng understood Ge Daye well; after all, they had collaborated on so many New Year films.

So he believed Ge Daye was more than capable of playing the Emperor.

But he overlooked one problem: although Ge Daye's acting was excellent, his character's personality rendered with exquisite nuance and every detail flawlessly portrayed,

audiences still couldn't help laughing at his solemn, serious demeanor—in short, they simply couldn't take him seriously…

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