Chapter 423: Going on Tour, Trouble Brews

The Best Screenplay award went to Zhang Xian for Emei Studio's "The Corner Forgotten by Love," defeating two major rivals: Wei Ming for "Mama, Love Me Once More" and Xin Xianling for "Joyful Gate."

The result was surprising—not just to Wei Ming, but also to Gong Ying and Zhu Lin, and even the over two thousand audience members present, as most had never heard of the winning film; how brilliant must the script have been?

Wei Ming had already won the Golden Rooster for Best Screenplay and been nominated twice before; if his next film, "The Children of the Sheepfold," still fails to win, he might need to aim for the Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Next came the Best Director award, which went to Cheng Yin for "The Xi'an Incident," a film produced by Xiying Studio, though the director himself was from Beiying Studio and currently served as president of the Film Academy.

Finally, the Best Story Film award went to "The Neighbor," another film unfamiliar to the general public, produced by the Youth Film Production Unit of the Film Academy, directed by Zheng Dongtian and Xu Guming, both professors in the directing department; the film depicted the turmoil among several families living in a dormitory building at a university over housing improvements.

Wei Ming thought it was over, but after Best Story Film came an Honorary Award and a Special Award.

These were not permanent categories; the Honorary Award went to "Joyful Gate," and the Special Award to "Mama, Love Me Once More," as if the judges, though unimpressed by their artistic expression, still wanted to give the audience some recognition.

Still, winning these awards allowed the directors of both blockbuster films to justify their projects to their studios.

Then came the photo session; Wei Ming brought his own camera and took several meaningful photos, paying special attention to Lin Jie's expression—she wasn't upset about not winning, suggesting the sisters' bond still held strong.

These winning films would be re-released nationwide in the coming weeks, especially the Best Picture winners; "Mama, Love Me Once More" was expected to spark another wave of tears.

"Congratulations, Xiao Wei," Director Xie Jin approached Wei Ming and chatted with him, "How does it feel to have won the Golden Rooster?"

Wei Ming looked at the Golden Rooster for Best Music in his hand, feeling both amused and exasperated—screenwriting was his true calling.

"I heard 'Qiu Jin' is about to start filming?" Wei Ming changed the subject, glancing at Li Xiuming nearby, who seemed to be gaining weight for her role, appearing notably sturdy.

She was unlucky—"Xu Mao" didn't win Golden Rooster or Hundred Flowers, and since she retired early, few would remember her in the future.

"Yes, we plan to shoot the Japan scenes first," Xie Jin said, still nervous about his first international co-production. "Is your 'Children of the Sheepfold' going to the Children's Film Studio?"

"Yes, Factory Chief Yu Lan was very sincere, and she even said I could choose any director."

Xie Jin snorted: "I'd like to see what competent director you can pick."

After leaving the venue, Wei Ming took the Best Actor, Best Actress, and Zhu Lin out for late-night snacks, then returned to the hotel to sleep.

Early the next morning, news of the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers closing rapidly spread through households and workplaces with televisions, though the reports were brief, mentioning only the Best Story Film and Best Actor winners.

Yanjing.

"Mom, Xi Zi won!" Le Le, practicing her singing in front of the turned-on TV, suddenly shouted.

"What? What happened?" Lü Xiaoyan came out, but the TV had already moved on to another news item.

Le Le pointed at the TV: "It said Xi Zi won Best Actor!"

"Don't make up stories," Lü Xiaoyan didn't believe it. "You probably misheard. Him? Enough. Eat your meal, then I'll take you to school."

Le Le didn't insist—she didn't really believe her brother could win either.

But after the two left home, a neighbor stopped Lü Xiaoyan: "Congratulations, Editor Lü, your son Xi Zi is truly talented!"

"Huh?"

"Didn't you see this morning's news? Xi Zi won Best Actor at the Golden Rooster—he's only seven! No, six when he filmed—such great acting already, he's going to be huge!"

Lü Xiaoyan and Wei Le exchanged glances—he really won!

Wei Xi winning Best Actor at age seven was major news, enough to earn him the title of China's male Shirley Temple, but the most widely discussed and hottest topic was Gong Ying winning two awards.

Winning these two awards essentially made Gong Ying the top female star in China; Zhu Lin, though she won nothing, was still considered among the top two female stars due to the pairing "Gong Ying in the South, Zhu Lin in the North."

This made Liu Xiaoqing so upset she didn't even want breakfast—she was in Hengzhou, Wei Ming's hometown.

Having taken leave from the set for the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers, and not being invited to the ceremony, she'd gone on a touring gig with friends—not far, just in Hebei, since it was so close, so beautiful, perfect for a weekend trip.

After hearing mediocre singers in Guangzhou's teahouses perform just to make money, Liu Xiaoqing got the idea; luckily, a few friends who did xiangsheng had the same thought, so they formed a group.

Since Liu Xiaoqing had the biggest name and could host, sing, and even perform xiangsheng, she led the group and took the largest share.

She didn't realize how wealthy these remote villages had become—just a few years after reform and opening-up, they'd actually gotten rich.

Liu Xiaoqing had even grown addicted to the thrill of making money on tour—she earned in one day what she normally made in three months!

If she could earn this much regularly, why bother mooching off Liang Jiahui's meals? Soon, she'd let Xiao Huihui mooch off her.

She saw the brief TV bulletin the same day, but only read the detailed newspaper report the next day—learning Wei Ming had won a music award but lost the screenplay prize, which she found amusing.

Critics voiced sympathy for Wei Ming, arguing he should have won last year, and now that he'd produced "Mama, Love Me Once More," a sensation, he still didn't get the award.

Someone even revealed Wei Ming had already won Hong Kong's highest film honor—the Golden Horse—for Best Screenplay, mocking that even Hong Kong people appreciated talent better than they did.

Amid the controversy, Wei Ming and other cultural figures who attended the ceremony were officially arranged to visit Yan'an for study and inspection.

Wei Ming even brought Xi Zi to stay in a cave dwelling; though the season was warm, the cave remained cool, and living there made Wei Ming think of Lu Yao's "Ordinary World."

That night, Wei Ming told the excited, sleepless Xi Zi stories about the great leaders' time in Yan'an.

After completing the itinerary, they disbanded on-site; since there was a train from Yan'an back to Yanjing, Wei Ming decided to accompany the two sisters back by train, chatting with Beiying Studio staff along the way.

But unexpectedly, the group started talking about Wei Ming—specifically, Wei Ming and Gong Ying.

Though their age difference was large, their multiple collaborations and their matching talent and beauty made people speculate; someone even joked about a romantic relationship between them.

If it were just the two of them, Wei Ming wouldn't mind—he could easily brush it off with a joke—but Lin Jie was there, so he immediately denied it, insisting they were just like siblings.

This disappointed the onlookers, especially Xi Zi—he thought Xue Mama was wonderful, what a pity.

Gong Ying naturally clarified her relationship with Xiao Wei, adding with a laugh: "I'll avoid trouble from now on—I won't act in your scripts anymore."

Gong Ying had been resting for over two months and was struggling to decide on her next role; since "Mama" became a hit, every suitable script in China was offered to her first, yet none stirred her soul like "Mama" had.

She realized she needed to lower her standards—not every script could be compared to Xiao Wei's.

After a day's journey, Wei Ming's group arrived in Yanjing; along the way, passengers kept approaching the new Best Actor and Best Actress to chat, and Zhu Lin was also very popular—in rural areas, "Joyful Gate" was as popular as "Mama, Love Me Once More."

Li Xiuming felt no envy—she was about to go to Japan, to see the world abroad; the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers would come eventually.

After exiting the station, Wei Ming told Gong Ying and Zhu Lin to wait at the Sihe Academy—he needed to take Xi Zi home first.

When the bus stopped outside the north gate of Peking University, Wei Ming saw Wei Hong riding her bicycle and called out to her.

"Brother, Xi Zi!" Xiao Hong rushed over, pinching Xi Zi's cheeks. "Xi Zi is amazing—Golden Rooster Best Actor! Too bad it wasn't Hundred Flowers."

It would take a few more years before the Golden Rooster surpassed the Hundred Flowers in prestige; right now, Hundred Flowers still ruled, since millions of viewers had paid to vote—experts paled in comparison.

Then Xi Zi pulled out his award and showed it to his sister; Xiao Hong followed them back to Uncle Ping'an's house—Uncle Ping'an had been on a business trip yesterday but was home today.

He praised Xi Zi endlessly, saying: "Now you've won Best Actor at the Golden Rooster—when will you get your brother to write you a Hong Kong script so you can win the Golden Horse too?"