Chapter 208: Awarded

Jiang Heng rose to fame at a young age, handsome and wealthy, and has always been the most high‑profile figure in the Chinese‑language entertainment world.

Adding the buzzwords "Oscar awards," "Pacific Rim 2," and "Liu Yifei," it instantly set the public discourse ablaze.

The sheer volume of traffic and the high level of discussion left the authorities completely unprepared.

It seemed that overnight the entire internet was filled with calls to "take down" Song Zu De.

Print media across the board jumped on the bandwagon, reporting and condemning the entertainment industry's "rumor‑spreading" atmosphere.

Seeing this, Song Zu De was terrified and hurried to step forward and apologize.

First, the current momentum is too great, making mass anger hard to provoke; moreover, he fears "hundreds‑of‑millions in claims."

After all, whether it's Liu Yifei or her godfather Chen Jinfei, their influence is limited, so Song Zu De is not afraid.

Jiang Heng is different; he is the type who has both money and influence.

If one really tried to scheme against him, they would feel they couldn't bear the consequences.

Tang Yan, seeing Yang Mi's dejected expression, urged, "Actually, there are TV dramas being filmed now, which is fine—you're still the female lead!"

Tang Yan looked bewildered, "I don't know either; that day I went to Director Jiang's office, auditioned, and they sent me home. Later I heard Liu Yifei was chosen!"

Upon hearing that, Yang Mi slapped her forehead, thinking the girl was utterly lacking ambition—she was literally a salted fish.

Yang Mi analyzed, "If there's no reason, why suddenly pick her and stand up for her? It doesn't make sense!"

"Hey, didn't you go to audition back then?"

No, even saltier than a salted fish!

She moved over from Rong Xinda, naturally eyeing the resources of Outstanding Rising Film Company, but an outsider ended up getting them.

Tang Yan slowly shook their head, looking a bit disappointed, "I don't know, maybe!"

Moreover, after someone warned, she promptly stepped forward to apologize, and her reputation became downright foul.

Yang Mi shook her head, "How can a TV drama compare to a film? You're too unambitious. You once shot a big‑budget special‑effects blockbuster worth several hundred million dollars worldwide! Now you're doing a TV drama—don't you feel stifled, oppressed?"

The main point is that the whole internet is debating her relationship with Jiang Heng—why is Jiang Heng defending Liu Yifei? Is it truly only because she's the female lead of Pacific Rim 2?

In the "Sword and Fairy 3" crew's lounge, Yang Mi and Tang Yan each reclined on a lounge chair, resting.

Yang Mi sighed, "At least you two had a chance to be selected; I was never even considered!"

Yang Mi suddenly sat up, her expression serious, "You think the two of them might be together, right?"

"Forget the female‑lead issue, Director Jiang?"

Honestly, she had previously pondered the Pacific Rim 2 female‑lead matter, but she didn't know how Jiang Heng would choose.

Tang Yan gave a wry smile, "I don't know; they chose her, what can I say?"

"Exactly!"

After learning that Liu Yifei got the role and that Tang Yan also auditioned with Jiang Heng, they were beyond disappointed.

And Liu Yifei's fame surged again because of this.

Tang Yan shook their head, "Don't you think! Those hundreds of millions aren't my credit; audiences go to the cinema not to see me, just like cilantro on a fish…!"

"How did they get rejected?"

Upon hearing that, Tang Yan's expression darkened; after a moment they said, "My father told me you shouldn't be too greedy; everything is the best arrangement!"

Yang Mi heard that and instantly felt an urge to vomit blood.

"You, I'm completely impressed!"

……

Yet it was reported that Jiang Heng angrily denounced "entertainment rumors" at the airport, a story that spread widely domestically and even reached Haolaiwu.

After all, during the Oscar awards ceremony, reports about nominees attract extra attention, especially for a hot contender like Jiang Heng.

In an upscale restaurant, the president of Columbia Film Company, Amy Paskal, raised her glass and said, "I never expected Director Jiang to speak up for female artists; it's truly remarkable—I salute you!"

Jiang Heng smiled, "That, nothing special, right?"

Paskal replied, "You don't realize that once women in the entertainment industry become popular or get promoted, they inevitably attract a flood of negative news. In the past, no one would step forward to speak for them!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Don't you guys send out cease‑and‑desist letters here?"

Paskal also laughed, "In the United States, litigation isn't easy; it costs a lot of money. Often, after the case ends, the legal fees are huge and no compensation is obtained, so when this happens, everyone has to weigh it first."

"Having someone like you publicly voice support is truly a wonderful thing we never even imagined!"

Jiang Heng chuckled, "It's just doing a bit of what's within my duties!"

Paskal smiled, "Standing up for a girlfriend?"

Jiang Heng shook his head, "Just a friendship!"

Paskal gave a "I get it" look and said, "As long as she can handle the female lead, that's fine!"

Because this Pacific Rim 2 has a massive budget and China Film can't contribute much, it was co‑produced this time by Outstanding Rising Film Company, China Film, and Columbia Film Company, with Columbia investing a sizable amount.

Trusting Jiang Heng, Columbia kept to precedent, still splitting the money evenly and not interfering with the film's preparation or production.

Of course, they also have some say over casting choices.

However, before they could offer suggestions, Jiang Heng had already finalized the two key female roles.

The first female lead is Liu Yifei, the second is Megan Fox; seeing both are truly outstanding, Paskal could only concede.

After some idle chat about the Oscars, Paskal said, "This year's Oscars, the hottest films are 'Inception,' 'Million Dollar Baby,' and 'The Aviator.' Who do you think is the big winner?"

Jiang Heng smiled, "That's hard to say; luckily the results come out tomorrow!"

The next day, the 77th Oscar ceremony was held at the Kodak Theatre in Haolaiwu, with Jiang Heng and the Inception crew arriving in formal attire.

That evening, Inception won five major awards—Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects—making it the most‑awarded film at this Oscar ceremony.

Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator each received four awards; the former also secured heavyweight honors such as Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, giving it a slight edge.

The news flew back home, igniting public discourse once again.

After all, Hollywood is at its zenith now, and the Oscar is the target that fifth‑generation directors like Zhang Yimou and Thus output: Chen Kaige aim to strike.

These two people repeatedly failed in their Olympic attempts, but Jiang Heng succeeded in one go; the contrast is inevitably too great.

The crew of City of Golden Armor, director Zhang Yimou kept a black face all day, his expression very frightening.

Thus output: Chen Kaige, who had originally been in the United States to relax, felt increasingly gloomy upon hearing the news.

For the first time, he reflected on himself, wondering if he had made his films too obscure and hard to understand?

Chen Hong was about to cry, saying you're a genius, ordinary people can't appreciate your talent. You need to rein in your talent and tell stories using a film language that ordinary people can understand; only then will they think it's good and think you're great!

Thus output: Chen Kaige said: "That's how it's said, but to have me make a special-effects blockbuster with no substance is absolutely impossible!"

Chen Hong suggested: "Just make a low-budget film so they can see your talent, to stop them from constantly spreading rumors and slandering you!"

(End of chapter)