Chapter 609

Huang Yawen's eyes turned red with excitement; she was the first to bow to her manager, Guo Zhihao, and then she shook hands and hugged the other artists around her.

Sitting in the front row, Guo Qishan curled his lips in a calm, composed manner.

Over the past six months, he had defied public opinion to pour a significant amount of resources into Huang Yawen; her winning this Most Anticipated Newcomer Award could be considered a worthy return on the company's investment.

Pouring such unsparing effort into a newly debuted artist was certainly not profitable, but this time, Guo Qishan had also gambled heavily for the sake of his nephew.

Ever since Xu Tian resigned from Qingguo, several versions of rumors had been circulating throughout the group.

Many high-level executives also felt that by letting his nephew drive away a key contributor to the company, he had caused Qingguo Music to suffer heavy losses, and they complained about it quite a bit in private.

Later, the departures of Nie Jingjing, Murong Xue, and Shang Yiran were an even harder slap in his face.

Guo Qishan absolutely could not allow such gossip to persist; he wanted outsiders to know that the great tree of Tian Feng Entertainment would remain lush and flourishing regardless of who left, while those self-righteous little branches, having lost the nourishment of Tian Feng Entertainment, would soon wither and never recover.

Even if Guo Zhihao lacked management talent, so what? As long as he was willing to throw resources at them, he could make people famous.

This awards ceremony certainly did not disappoint him; their company had four or five artists shortlisted for major awards, and when combined with those less significant ones, the number of nominees actually reached over a dozen.

No matter how capable Xu Tian was, what could he do? He had barely managed to scrape into two award nominations, but he was destined to be nothing more than cannon fodder and a foil for others.

When walking the red carpet today, he didn't even have a solo interview and could only sneak into the venue in a dejected manner.

He wanted to make Xu Tian and everyone outside understand that this was the fate of those who betrayed him, Guo Qishan.

And those two ingrates, Nie Jingjing and Murong Xue—without the protection of Tian Feng, they were nothing either.

Currently, under his suppression, Flourishing Stars Media had no possibility of making a comeback.

Such a result could also serve as a warning to other artists under the group who had grown wings and wanted to fly solo, ensuring they would not dare to have any disloyal thoughts toward the company again.

Watching Huang Yawen walk off the stage clutching her trophy, a satisfied smile appeared on Guo Qishan's face, but the smile was faint, making it impossible for others to discern his true emotions.

His nephew, Guo Zhihao, was different; he wore his "triumph" all over his face, and when Huang Yawen went up to receive her award, he even deliberately turned back to look for where Xu Tian was sitting, casting a provocative look at him as if to show off.

The cameras in the venue seemed to know exactly how to maximize the buzz, cutting directly to Xu Tian and Yan Qingxue.

Xu Tian was fine; he was wearing a mask, and his eyes were obscured by bangs he had deliberately let fall, making it impossible to read his expression. Coupled with his innate, calm, and indifferent attitude, he gave the people present nothing to criticize.

But Yan Qingxue did not know how to hide her emotions, and her expression was not looking so good.

"Why is someone still wearing a mask..." an artist asked, puzzled, upon seeing the big screen.

"Just showing off," someone said dismissively. "Coming to the Golden Melody Awards and still wearing a mask—is he too ugly to be seen, or does he think he's an international superstar?"

"But his eyes are so good-looking... someone with eyes like that shouldn't be too ugly, right?"

"Pfft, who knows? Maybe his eyes are the only decent thing on his whole face," a male artist said sourly.

"If he were really handsome, how could he be afraid to show his face?"

"There are people in the circle spreading rumors that he's handsome, calling him the 'most handsome manager in the entertainment industry'—I spit on that! He's just a small-time loser with no skills and a high opinion of himself."

"It's different when you know how to market yourself. I think his buzz is even higher than the artists under him. With so much drama, why doesn't he just debut?"

"What kind of 'Gold Medal Manager' is that? It's all just a facade. Just watch, Flourishing Stars Media will definitely come away empty-handed this time. By next year's Golden Melody Awards... I bet this company won't even exist."

These mocking voices occasionally drifted into Xu Tian's ears, but he just smiled them off and didn't take them to heart; instead, it was Yan Qingxue who was quite angered by them.

"Do these people have any class at all? Gossiping like old men and women at a vegetable market—truly, anyone can get into the entertainment industry these days!"

"The entertainment industry never had a threshold to begin with, did it?" Xu Tian said with a faint smile. "But whether one can stay popular for a long time—that requires a threshold."

Guo Zhihao stared at Xu Tian's calm demeanor on the big screen, his eyes filled with even more sarcasm.

Let him have one more hour to put on his act. Once the awards ceremony ended and Flourishing Stars Media walked away empty-handed, this pretty boy Xu Tian would know the cruelty of society.

If he ran back to Qingguo to beg for shelter then, he might consider showing mercy and giving him a bowl of soup.

Of course, there would be no manager position for him; he could just be a bottom-level handyman, serving tea and water for the whole company.

After the Newcomer Awards were presented, there was another song and dance performance on stage.

Then, several more awards were presented, all of which were swept up by Tian Feng Entertainment. Although they didn't have the same prestige as the Best Male and Female Singer awards, they were enough to add a lot of color to Tian Feng Entertainment's annual report.

The Tian Feng Entertainment artists sitting in the audience held their heads high, feeling a sense of shared honor.

Guo Qishan nodded frequently, wearing an approving smile.

As a strong competitor to Tian Feng Entertainment, Giant Star Media had only won two awards in the first half, but their representative, Yan Hongyu, was not worried at all; after all, the real main event was still to come.

The Best Musical Actor and Actress, and the Best Male and Female Singer awards had not yet been presented. As long as Giant Star Entertainment won one of these, it would be enough to dominate the headlines of all major media outlets.

As for other minor awards like Best Soundtrack or Best Lyrics, no matter how many they won, they didn't carry the same weight as the King and Queen of Song.

The next award to be presented was the Best Album Producer Award.

The host's sweet voice rang out: "Next, I announce that the winner of the Best Album Producer is Wu Guohua!"

Thunderous applause erupted in the audience.

Wu Guohua was the producer of Song Jiamo's album. Although Song Jiamo herself was not nominated, the fact that this album allowed Wu Guohua to win an award was, in a way, a recognition of her achievements.

In addition to showing Wu Guohua receiving congratulations from surrounding artists, the big screen also deliberately gave shots of Yan Hongyu and Song Jiamo.

Wu Guohua was a music producer as famous as Jiang Fengyang, with even deeper credentials.

That Yan Hongyu was able to get him to come out of retirement this time was also thanks to the Xu family's influence.

With a figure like Wu Guohua protecting her, as long as Song Jiamo wasn't tone-deaf or a disgraced artist, she would definitely become a hit.

Some were happy while others were sad; seeing the awards being carved up one by one by the two giants, Tian Feng Entertainment and Giant Star Media, the expressions of the people from Flourishing Stars Media grew increasingly ugly.