Chapter 125 Ceremony Status
Chapter 125
Award ceremonies usually keep the suspense until the last moment, and upsets happen from time to time. However, the reason why the term "upset" exists is because, after so many years of awards, there are still some unspoken rules.
For example, the Tung Blossom Award.
Generally speaking, it's difficult for a single drama to win all the roles in the acting department. If the male lead award is given to one drama, the female lead award will inevitably go to another.
"The Powerful Minister" is a strong contender for this year's Tung Blossom Awards. He Xun and Wang Zhimin were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor but both missed out. Lin Yuan is a strong contender for Best Actor, so whether it's as compensation or considering his acting in "The Powerful Minister," his chances of winning will be greatly increased.
"Personally, I don't think so. He Xun is He Xun, and Lin Yuan is Lin Yuan. The Tung Blossom Award organizing committee doesn't need to favor Lin Yuan so much, does it?"
"+1, I'd rather Lin Yuan impressed the judges with his performance and won the award because his performance was irreplaceable."
"Lin Yuan and Hou Yunwu both have a good chance. I think they're evenly matched, but 'The Powerful Minister' is more popular than 'The Wolf.'"
As the Best Supporting Actor winner gave his acceptance speech, the camera panned to He Xun in the audience, and Lin Yuan also happened to be in the frame.
Both of them remained calm. He Xun noticed the camera first and nudged Lin Yuan. Almost in unison, they both flashed a bright smile at the camera.
"Hilarious, a copied and pasted smile."
"It feels like being caught whispering in secret. Look how serious everyone around you is, and then look at the two of you, pointing and whispering."
"These two always have a lot to say, no matter the occasion. (See the picture.) Seriously, hey! This is a formal setting!"
Whenever fans see Lin Yuan and He Xun together, they all express the same sentiment—
“I remember He Xun wasn’t this talkative before.”
One description is that "Lin Yuan successfully corrupted He Xun".
Although this was reality, Lin Yuan was still a little annoyed, as if he were the source of all evil.
Therefore, Lin Yuan said, "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks."
He Xun looked at him with a puzzled expression: "So who is the fly?"
#I've never seen anyone insult themselves like this before
#This person is amazing
...
The online discussion continued until the Best Actor nominee was announced.
There are many voices that are optimistic about Lin Yuan, and there are equally valid reasons for those who are not optimistic about him. Acting skills are acting skills, and winning awards are winning awards. Although the two are closely related, they cannot necessarily be confused.
Lin Yuan himself remained calm.
At the ceremony, awards were presented one after another. "The Powerful Minister" won Best Screenplay, while "Major Cases" narrowly lost. In terms of screenplay quality, "Major Cases" was no less than "The Powerful Minister." The latter's viewership was purely built up by a series of bloody cases. If the screenplay quality were not solid, "Major Cases" might not have become a hit based solely on the subject matter.
Neither "The Powerful Minister" nor "Major Case" were nominated for awards like Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. The winners were a period drama and a martial arts drama. The martial arts drama was even less popular than "The Powerful Minister." In today's trend of high saturation, this drama was rare in that it captured the ancient charm and style.
Lin Yuan felt that it was quite remarkable that someone was still sticking to their own unique style when the TV drama market was being described as "terrible".
...
After all the awards were presented, it was time for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.
Without a doubt, this is the most anticipated award at the Tung Blossom Awards ceremony, and it is full of stars.
He Mian and Lin Yuan go without saying, and Cao Xikuo, Hou Yunwu and Tang Yuan, who were also shortlisted, were all very popular at the time.
Objectively speaking, it's not impressive for He Mian and Lin Yuan to play leading roles at their age; it's just the norm in the entertainment industry. But for Hou Yunwu to still be able to play leading roles at his age is enough to show his profound experience.
Actors of the same age have either retired to the sidelines or disappeared from the entertainment industry completely.
As the award presenter went on stage, the camera kept switching between Lin Yuan and the others.
Lin Yuan and He Mian were naturally the ones who received the most attention from the camera.
Both of them had serious expressions. He Mian pursed his lips, and Lin Yuan didn't continue chatting with He Xun, but just silently looked at the camera.
Clips of the nominees were played one by one on the big screen.
The scene selected for "The Powerful Minister" is Shao Jing being seen off by his friend.
At this point, he no longer possessed the imposing presence of the Grand Secretary; he was merely an old man. He had come to the capital in his youth and returned to his hometown in his old age. The capital seemed to hold the dreams of his entire life.
Everything is over.
This is not the end of "The Powerful Minister", but it can be considered a major turning point in the entire story.
After the clip finished playing, the camera turned back to Lin Yuan's face.
The Tung Blossom Awards were broadcast live simultaneously on video platforms and television. The number of online viewers peaked during the announcement of the Best Actor award.
The most frequent and most liked comments are as follows:
"Don't tell me this is Lin Yuan???!!"
"Those who haven't seen 'The Powerful Minister' are stunned."
"Even though I've watched 'The Powerful Minister' countless times, I still find it hard to connect the characters Lin Yuan and Shao Jing."
The copyright of "The Powerful Minister" was sold to Xingyao Video. Although the series has been airing for some time, its data on the video platform is quite good - many viewers became fans because of the contrast between Lin Yuan and Shao Jing.
Even if you've been following "The Powerful Minister," you'll still be shocked the moment the cast list appears.
Ah, Shao Jing is Lin Yuan.
They did get hooked because of the real-life connection between Shao Jing and Lin Yuan, but they often forgot that while watching the show.
At the ceremony, the award presenters had already opened the envelopes.
He Xun whispered, "Nervous?"
"I've been nervous all night," Lin Yuan replied in a low voice, his lips barely moving, the sound almost coming from his abdomen.
He Xun gave a thumbs-up under his seat.
Lin Yuan wasn't really nervous; he had witnessed the same scene once before at the Golden Wing Awards ceremony.
To be precise, Lin Yuan looked serious not because he was nervous, but because he didn't know what expression would be more appropriate.
A smile that shows teeth doesn't seem dignified enough.
If you smile too lightly and don't get the curve right, it will look a bit fake.
So he could only make himself look more serious.
The moment the envelope was opened, Lin Yuan's expression became blank. He had a feeling that something else would happen afterward, but nothing did.
Except for—his name being read aloud.
"The winner of this year's Tung Blossom Award for Best Actor is Lin Yuan, for his role in 'The Powerful Minister.' Congratulations."
In that instant, He Xun shook Lin Yuan until he stood up.
If you were to ask Lin Yuan how he felt at this moment, he would say it felt like the drama "The Powerful Minister" from its premiere to its finale.
Initially ignored, it gradually moved forward, from leaving no trace in the minds of the audience to becoming the highest-rated show, and then shining on the stage of the Tung Blossom Awards.
Lin Yuan felt the same way. At first, he was stunned by the thought of "Ah, I won an award." Gradually, the joy of winning the award spread in his heart, gradually taking up more and more space, and then he became overjoyed.
From "Ah, I won an award!" to the certainty of "That person is me," the joy takes up an increasingly larger share.
Lin Yuan couldn't help but break into a smile.
The camera happened to capture this moment—
The stage lights at night were almost golden, and Lin Yuan's face seemed to reflect the golden light as well. Surrounded and pushed by the crowd, Lin Yuan slowly walked forward.
The crowd became his backdrop, and in that instant, even the lights seemed to dim.
No one can ignore his presence.
He slowly walked from the audience to the center of the stage.
This is Lin Yuan's first nomination for the Tung Blossom Award, and also his first win.
As the male voice introduced the event, everyone looked up at Lin Yuan, who was receiving the trophy from the guest.
It was a trophy made of white jade. The main body of the trophy was a flower petal, with gold inlaid in the stamen. The base was also gold. The moment Lin Yuan received it, he raised it high.
Countless reporters chose this moment to press the shutter.
Print media, online media, marketing accounts... whether related to or not in the entertainment industry, all recorded this moment—this year's Tung Blossom Award for Best Actor goes to Lin Yuan.
"The landscape of top-tier male actors has changed once again."
"Best Actor at the Tung Blossom Awards—Lin Yuan!"
The accompanying photos all feature Lin Yuan holding the trophy.
At the moment of receiving the award, Lin Yuan could not see the expressions of the other people in the audience clearly.
But the camera recorded it for him—
The laughing crew of "The Powerful Minister," his rivals who smiled at him, and the celebrities who, though having no connection with Lin Yuan, were still happy for him at this moment.
The trophy may have been hidden away at home and only be brought out once or twice every few years, but the moment of winning the award will be recorded forever.
It's not that actors have to win awards, but there's no doubt that award-winning works are more likely to be remembered.
The feeling of giving an acceptance speech on stage, rather than watching your opponent express their feelings, is completely different.
Lin Yuan held the trophy tightly in his hand.
Although he had already won the Golden Wing Award, this Tung Blossom Award still made him very happy.
"To everyone in the crew of 'The Powerful Minister,' when we were filming and wondering, 'Does anyone still watch historical dramas these days?', did we ever imagine this moment would come?"
"I confess, I can't even imagine it."
The director cut to a shot of the cast of "The Powerful Minister".
He Xun clapped the loudest.
"But I ended up standing here." Lin Yuan squinted, revealing a row of teeth, "because of a work that nobody really thought would become popular or a hit, a work that we just wanted to do well and not let ourselves down."
"I am able to stand here because I have encountered good scripts and good actors. Everyone is willing to keep polishing their roles in scene after scene because each character has grown together with Shao Jing. Without these characters, there would be no independent and complete Shao Jing."
Thank you everyone!
"I am incredibly fortunate to be an actor, to be able to portray the joys and sorrows of characters, and to grow alongside them."
The jewel around the young man's neck shone brilliantly in the sunlight, but it couldn't compare to the radiance of his smile at that moment.
"I won another award! Ahhhhh!"
"Lin Yuan, a god of acting, my Superman!!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, setting aside the less prestigious awards, I must mention Lin Yuan's authority in winning awards. Lin Yuan's current record is—100% accurate!"
"The prestige of the Golden Wing Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Tung Blossom Award for Best Actor speaks for itself, doesn't it? Come and pay homage to the Rat God!!"
"Kangaroo, kangaroo, rain or shine!!"
Lin Yuan, seeing the fans' celebratory messages: "..."
I have absolutely no idea what the phrase "rain or shine" means here; it just feels forced and contrived.
However, Lin Yuan's head was still spinning the moment he stepped off the podium.
He wasn't mentally prepared to win, and he actually did.
Of course, Lin Yuan didn't feel at all that he didn't deserve the award.
He thought it was okay to take it; he already thought it was.
However, the award is influenced by a variety of complex factors, and it's not simply a matter of whether he thinks it's appropriate.
Regardless of whether he won an award this time, Lin Yuan's belief in continuing as an actor has not changed.
I'll get it sooner or later.
Today it just happened a little earlier than he expected.
The trophy will be left backstage to be engraved with his name; Lin Yuan can take it with him after the party.
After he returned to his seat, He Xun reached out and gave him a light high five: "Congratulations."
Thanks.
In the final two awards, "The Minister" missed out on Best Director but won Best Drama Series. In terms of the prestige of the awards, "The Minister" was undoubtedly the biggest winner tonight.
After the interview, Feng waited for Lin Yuan backstage. As soon as Lin Yuan appeared, his agent came up to him and gave him a big hug.
Feng Zeng wasn't sitting in the guest seats; he was watching the live stream on his phone. Perhaps it was his agent's bias acting up, but the moment Lin Yuan stepped onto the podium, the word "superstar" suddenly popped into his mind.
The halo didn't seem to be rigidly embedded in Lin Yuan's body, but rather it accompanied him throughout his life.
In any case, in his eyes, Lin Yuan was already a superstar.
...
In some ways, the significance of the Tung Blossom Award for Best Actor is more important than Lin Yuan thought.
Although he is not the youngest among the award winners, Lin Yuan has been among the youngest in the past ten years or so.
This is a trophy that Lin Yuan can brag about for the rest of his life.
Lin Yuan doesn't have many rivals at the moment. He has almost defeated all of his former rivals. If he does have any, and if his rivals happen to be quite popular, then this Best Actor award is definitely worth having his fans bang drums and gongs in front of them for ten days and ten nights.
For a male actor who previously lacked popularity, winning the Tung Blossom Award for Best Actor is enough for him to gain a share in the highly competitive male actor market; this is his selling point.
For male actors like Lin Yuan who have already starred in hit dramas, the effect is amplified many times over.
The changes in business are the most obvious.
The brand even stated that if Lin Yuan doesn't have time to shoot the advertisement, then they won't shoot it for now; just showing the logo when posting on Weibo will suffice. They will discuss the collaboration when Lin Yuan has time; the most important thing now is to express their interest.
Next came invitations from fashion magazines.
Invitations have been sent to all four major publications, and their schedules can even be adjusted for Lin Yuan.
Then there's the pay.
Lin Yuan became famous late, and his salary adjustments didn't keep up with the speed of his rise to fame. Sometimes, his studio was hesitant to adjust his salary—not because the studio didn't care about money, but because Lin Yuan had too many opportunities to adjust his salary at different times.
Having won the Golden Wing Award, it's not unreasonable to ask for a pay raise, right?
"The Powerful Minister" is a hit, so adjusting the actors' salaries isn't unreasonable, right?
"Major Crime" is a hit... not an exaggeration, right?
The Tung Blossom Award... isn't that too much to ask?
If you keep doing things that aren't excessive, even the most moderate ones will eventually become excessive.
Even if Lin Yuan's base salary isn't considered high in the industry, after several rounds of increases, it's enough to make many production teams sigh in despair.
If the salary adjustments are done at this pace, the production team might have contacted Lin Yuan with one salary figure in the first half of the year, only to change it again in the second half.
Lin Yuan himself has no intention of getting rich through film fees. His main source of income is still commercial work. If his film fees are set too high, he will miss out on some good scripts.
However, Lin Yuan's salary still increased slightly after winning the Tung Blossom Award this time.
After the awards ceremony, Lin Yuan immediately returned to the film crew to shoot "Just Right You," but he had a mountain of work piled up on his plate.
First came interviews related to the Tung Blossom Awards, from print media, television media, and the Television Drama Association—invitations I couldn't refuse.
Lin Yuan didn't get this award for nothing; he had to cooperate with the organizing committee to complete a series of tasks.
Then came the invitations to various events.
Lin Yuan's commercial engagements are already booked until next year. In addition, he is now considered a representative of young actors and has a considerable number of official events to attend.
Lin Yuan knew very well that compared to other actors, his workload was relatively light; Qi Lian, who was in the same production crew, had a much busier schedule than him.
Lin Yuan even doubted whether the other party had time to sleep.
“It’s much better now,” Qi Lian said. “When I first became famous, even sleeping was a luxury.”
Lin Yuan has also received many invitations to variety shows.
Generally speaking, film crews are quite restrained in their pay for actors, but for variety shows... a single episode can cost seven figures, which even Lin Yuan found tempting.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time.
The filming progress of "Just You" and "Mandala" this year was relatively fast, not as tight as Lin Yuan had expected. If he squeezed in some free time, he could still manage to do so.
Lin Yuan plans to use this time to finish writing all the songs for the album.
According to Feng Zeng's idea, Lin Yuan could collaborate with other composers and have them write songs for him. However, Lin Yuan thought about it and declined. He felt that if he wrote the songs himself, it would be mainly to maintain the consistency of the song's style.
However, he plans to find a producer he is satisfied with.
"Still very busy," Lin Yuan sighed.
For him, acting and singing take priority over appearing on variety shows.
Moreover, Lin Yuan doesn't consider himself a particularly witty person, which may be different from the outside world's impression of him.
But Lin Yuan felt that he could create jokes at will, that was his freedom, not something he was forced to do because of the show's requirements or to cooperate with a particular guest.
That would be too painful.
Like a comedian who brings joy to the audience, his own underlying nature may be sad.
...
Lin Yuan continued filming "Just Right You" on set, but the buzz generated by the Tung Blossom Awards continued.
Marketing accounts made a point of publicizing it extensively.
Lin Yuan successfully rose to fame by stepping on He Mian to win Best Actor.
The Changing Landscape of Male Actors After Lin Yuan's Award
"...Lin Yuan..."
Lin Yuan felt that marketing accounts should pay him to analyze things and spout useless nonsense every day.
For this year's Tung Blossom Awards, marketing accounts couldn't find any topics to hype, so they started exaggerating the relationship between Lin Yuan and He Mian, saying things like "Kings never meet," "We will never betray each other," and "It's either me or him."
"It creates an atmosphere reminiscent of the legendary lovers, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl." — Lin Yuan's scathing comment.
In fact, he and He Mian had only met once.
Some marketing accounts also emphasized that the production team of "The Powerful Minister" gave the Best Actor award to Lin Yuan, "essentially sacrificing the interests of He Xun and Wang Zhimin," and that He Xun and Lin Yuan's "friendship broke down."
Finally, he lamented that there are no genuine feelings in the entertainment industry; it's all about interests. In the face of interests, even the best relationships can collapse.
Just like so-and-so and so-and-so.
Two celebrities who had a public feud years ago have been brought up again. Although they are more low-key now, they were once embroiled in a fierce battle, and their fans are still going strong.
The comments section is erupting in flames again.
Lin Yuan & He Xun: "..."
To be honest, if they weren't involved and were just watching the report as spectators, they would find the marketing account's narrative somewhat plausible.
Of course, not all marketing accounts are talking nonsense; there are still some that provide objective analysis.
In short, Lin Yuan was indeed firmly rooted in the front-line ranks, like a nail.
Male actors find it easy to become famous, but difficult to maintain that fame; their ability to retain fans is far inferior to that of female actors.
The front line, on the other hand, is a stable state that has been reached after fierce fighting.
When "The Powerful Minister" became a hit, Lin Yuan's popularity had already risen. With the broadcast of "Major Cases" and winning the Best Actor award at the Tung Blossom Awards, he had already secured a top-tier position.
However, compared to male actors like He Mian who have many representative works, Lin Yuan is not yet considered a stable actor.
All he lacks is time.
Unlike He Mian, Lin Yuan has dabbled in both film and television, and has achieved success in both—with two awards in hand, directors will never ignore him.
Commercial film directors may not care; they can hire anyone as long as it generates buzz for the work.
For directors who prioritize acting skills, Lin Yuan would naturally take precedence over He Mian.
Especially for award-winning films, whether for the Golden Wing Award or overseas awards, what's needed is more explosive and impactful acting.
That's the problem.
Good resources are always scarce.
Even top male actors in the television drama field will try making movies.
He Mian already has enough popularity; he has reached the peak on this path, and it can't rise much higher.
He can only try to explore new areas.
Lin Yuan is a rock that needs to be moved.
Besides, Lin Yuan is not entirely without a good reputation in the television drama industry.
Movies demand more from actors because of their shorter runtime, and every detail is magnified. But that doesn’t mean TV dramas don’t require acting skills.
Lin Yuan has acting skills and has starred in hit dramas. In the past, He Mian would have been the first choice for many production teams. Scripts from all over the industry would have to go through him first before other actors could get a turn.
Things are different now.
Perhaps some production teams have already handed the scripts to Lin Yuan.
This is the influence brought about by the Tung Blossom Award.
Before the Tung Blossom Awards, even if the production team approached Lin Yuan first, they wouldn't have been so direct. They would have at least included conditions like "having a strong following and representative works." But now—
We've found him, and that's Lin Yuan, you know.
Is there any reason not to seek out Lin Yuan?
The answer is no.
He Mian missed out on "The Powerful Minister," and therefore missed out on the Tung Blossom Award. In the film and television industry, the difference between being famous and not being famous may only be a tiny opportunity.
At least for scripts like "The Powerful Minister," the production team would only give priority to Lin Yuan.
The actors' status is not fixed, and the relationship between Lin Yuan and He Mian, as well as with other male actors, is not one of mutual exclusion. However, the production team does have some subtle considerations when casting a particular role.
Now, if you put He Mian and Lin Yuan together, Lin Yuan's fans will no longer feel that there is a huge gap between their idol and He Mian. Instead, they will feel that He Mian is indeed very good, but their idol is not bad either.
The most obvious example is a recent event held by Tnz.
At the Tung Blossom Awards, Tnz was one of the most eye-catching brands. Although they failed to successfully sell the large diamond to Lin Yuan, Lin Yuan's colored gemstone designs sold very well. The same style worn by Lin Yuan was sold out long ago, and necklaces in the same color scheme were basically pre-ordered.
Tnz's latest event was a large-scale event with celebrities and supermodels from various countries participating. Lin Yuan was seated very close to the front, and his photos from the event were officially recognized and occupied a large portion of the page.
Thanks to the Tung Blossom Award, photos of Lin Yuan holding the trophy have been circulating on social media recently, and his necklace has also appeared in the photos repeatedly.
The fashion industry is the place that best knows how to flatter the powerful and belittle the weak, displaying a money-first value system in a blatant way, but the fashion industry is also very perceptive.
The so-called top-tier magazines and the "golden September and silver October" are nothing more than a deliberate creation of prestige by the fashion industry, using the popularity of celebrities to elevate themselves. Celebrities, however, are willing to enter the game and fight tooth and nail for a single cover.
For Lin Yuan, the Tung Blossom Award also boosted his value in the fashion industry.
Lin Yuan's several unreleased works have also received extra attention due to winning awards - Lin Yuan is already a first-tier star, but he is still in a position of being poised for success.
Whether he continues forward, stops, or falls further depends on his next few works.
Both "Ghost Arts" and "Mandala" have entered the public eye, and even "Killing" was brought to the rescue by Lin Yuan.
Netizens unanimously agree that among the three existing projects, the one with the most value is "Killing".
Lin Yuan's act of saving the day already garnered a lot of attention for the production team, and in the blink of an eye, he won the Best Actor award at the Tung Blossom Awards.
If Ni Heng's accident had happened later, and the filming of "Killing" had been delayed, would the production team have been able to invite Lin Yuan?
Absolutely impossible.
Lin Yuan's rescue was arguably the most cost-effective rescue.
On the day Lin Yuan won the award, Li Mobei sent Lin Yuan his blessings on both WeChat and Weibo. On Weibo, he was more formal, while on WeChat, he said, "This is my sincerest congratulations and thanks to Lord Lin Yuan."
Lin Yuan said, "We could have been even more sincere."
"Killing" is scheduled for a summer release, while "The Art of Ghost" will be released later. In both movies, Lin Yuan plays some bad characters, but "Killing" is more suitable for the summer vacation. "The Art of Ghost" has a sinister atmosphere, and if it is released during the summer season, it may become cannon fodder.
However, Lin Yuan felt that, based on this judgment, it would be inappropriate to schedule "Ghost Arts" for any time slot in the second half of the year.
The film was released during a festive season, which didn't quite fit the atmosphere of "Ghost Arts".
According to the script, Lin Yuan only has a cameo role in "Killing", and he is not required to participate in the promotion. However, the "Killing" production team really hopes that he can come.
In any case, Lin Yuan can bring more buzz to the "Killing" production team.
The production team of "Killing" communicated with Feng Zeng about the details to see if Lin Yuan could free up his schedule. While Lin Yuan's fans were looking forward to his upcoming projects, they also had a lot of complaints.
"The Art of Demonic Arts, Killing, and Mandala—what kind of dark trilogy is this?"
"I can just imagine what these movies are about, it's hilarious."
"Lin Yuanyi has such a sunny and cheerful image, how come he plays these crazy, mentally ill people every day? Let the child get some good roles, I'm afraid he'll become abnormal if he keeps doing this."
"Isn't he a pervert?" — This is Yu Ying's statement.
"Isn't he a pervert?" — He Xun.
Lin Yuan: "..."
What's it like to be so adaptable that your friends are jealous?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here I am! [doge][doge][doge]
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