Chapter 693 Lunar New Year's Eve (5,000-word update!)
After the Friends cast finished their performance, the Best Supporting Actor award ceremony was held immediately.
Yan Liang was nominated for this award.
"The Summit"
Despite this, Yan Liang had no idea whether he had actually won an award or not.
Lu Yanhe gave no hints.
Of course, Yan Liang didn't ask. He was especially careful to avoid suspicion, especially at times like this. Yan Liang himself was quite surprised that he wasn't anxious or worried at all about the nomination and award, and hadn't even had a good night's sleep.
He certainly wanted to win an award, but that was all.
After delivering the award speeches, the presenter finally began playing short videos of the five nominees, showcasing highlights of their performances in the drama.
Yan Liang only became slightly nervous at this moment.
Li Zhibai turned his head and glanced at Yan Liang.
Yan Liang clasped his hands tightly together on his thighs, still feigning composure.
Then, Yan Liang's name was called out.
Li Zhibai shouted "Whoa!" and was the first to jump up.
Everyone looked at him.
For a moment, it even made people think that he was the one who won the award.
Yan Liang wasn't very excited.
He didn't stand up immediately either.
He sat in his chair and smiled incredulously.
The person sitting behind him gently patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him.
Lu Yanhe also stood up, clapping and smiling as he looked at Yan Liang.
Yan Liang shook his head and finally stood up.
He hugged Li Zhibai tightly.
"Awesome," Li Zhibai said.
Yan Liang turned to look at Lu Yanhe, who nodded at him, signaling him to hurry up and go on stage.
Yan Liang walked straight over and hugged him without saying a word.
Lu Yanhe showed a surprised expression.
The people around cheered and jeering.
Chen Siqi had the brightest smile and was the first to take out her phone to take a picture.
-
"Finally won an award." Yan Liang went on stage, holding the trophy in his hand. His eyes were slightly red at this moment. "Who would have thought that I would have this day? I never thought that this luck would fall on my head, even though Lu Yanhe was the chairman of the jury this year."
"The film 'The Summit' was a very difficult one for me to film. The demands it placed on me as an actor were higher than anything I had ever faced before. Initially, Ma Zhiyuan didn't want the role, so it ended up in my hands, and now I'm winning an award." Yan Liang couldn't help but smile as he mentioned this, "Who could have imagined it?"
The people below laughed.
“When I saw Lao Lu win awards before, I was a little envious and wondered when I would win an award myself. I thought, I’m not the kind of actor who is particularly talented, so I probably won’t be able to win awards when I’m young. I can only improve myself little by little. Maybe I can do it when I’m thirty? If not when I’m thirty, maybe when I’m forty. With that thought, I stopped dreaming about winning any awards.”
At this point, Yan Liang added, "Except when you're actually dreaming."
Lu Yanhe and the others all laughed.
"I've been very lucky these past few years. I've acted in several dramas, and they've all been quite successful. I've become known to the public as an actor. Back when I was an idol, I practiced dancing every day, going out early and returning late, just like Lao Lu when he was preparing for the college entrance exam in his senior year of high school. I never slacked off. I persisted like this for several years, but there's nothing I can do. It seems like I'm just not quite there yet. If it weren't for Lao Li leading the way, I probably wouldn't be known anymore. For a long time, the reason Lao Lu and I were still seen by the public was because we appeared on screen as Lao Li's friends. That's how we got our chance."
Li Zhibai crossed his legs and shook his head helplessly.
"Therefore, I hate the saying 'Heaven rewards diligence' because my efforts have never yielded the rewards I wanted. Unexpectedly, another path has led me to success. Becoming an actor is a very happy thing. I am not good at expressing myself in my own identity, but when I become a character and enter another life, it's as if I can completely let go of myself, let go of all the inferiority and cowardice that I know are not good but I can't really let go of, and become someone else."
"To gain recognition from everyone during this process makes me even happier," Yan Liang said, raising the trophy and bowing in thanks.
Thunderous applause erupted.
-
Yan Liang's performance in "The Mountain Top" is remarkable.
In everyone's eyes, his award this time was well-deserved.
However, the problem is that this time the chairman of the judging panel is Lu Yanhe.
In this situation, no matter how well-deserved the honor may seem, it appears to have some shady dealings involved.
Lu Yanhe knew he would face this problem.
However, he was confident in his own position and therefore unafraid of controversy.
Subsequently, Liu Zi, who played Tong Zhanggui in "My Own Swordsman," won the Best Actress award, once again igniting the entire audience.
This actress, who has only been in the public eye for less than two years, comes from the stage. The TV series "My Own Swordsman" made her an instant hit and she became known to people all over the country.
Her acting skills are widely praised, but she has been neglected in previous awards and mainstream media have been pessimistic about her performance because, no matter how successfully the female lead in a sitcom is portrayed, she is not a mainstream character type.
After the awards ceremony, the entire jury of the Lingyun Awards for drama series held a press conference.
This is also an innovation of the Lingyun Award. After each awards ceremony, the members of the judging panel will face the media together to answer questions.
What everyone is most concerned about is the awarding of prizes to Yan Liang and Liu Zi.
"Does this have anything to do with you being the chair of the jury?"
"Yes," Lu Yanhe nodded frankly.
"Are you admitting that you guaranteed those two people the award?" a reporter immediately asked.
"Admission without examination?" Lu Yanhe looked puzzled. "What do you mean? I don't understand."
Liu Teli waved his hand and said, "I know what he means. Let me put it this way: the selection of each award this year is actually determined by the vote of each of us. Whoever gets the most votes wins the award. Although Lu Yanhe is the chairman of the judging panel, he only has one vote. He doesn't have the final say. The final result is determined by the vote of each of us."
Some media outlets immediately said, "However, although many people praised Liu Zi's performance in 'My Own Swordsman,' didn't everyone say that sitcoms couldn't win Best Actress? If it weren't for Lu Yanhe, she would have had a hard time winning, right?"
"If our Lingyun Awards for drama series are still the same as other awards, what's the point of adding such a new award?" Lu Yanhe said bluntly. "You also said that the controversy surrounding Liu Zi has never been about her acting skills or her ability to portray characters. If it's just because of the subject matter, should an award that selects all drama series exhibit such discrimination?"
Jiang Yingxue, the only actress on the judging panel, also spoke.
“It’s wrong to categorize actors by comedy, tragedy, and drama,” Jiang Yingxue said. “Having been an actress for so many years, I know how many actors in the past have been overlooked and excluded from mainstream awards despite their outstanding performances due to various forms of potential discrimination. A good actress isn’t just someone who can cry well. Even the roles I’ve won awards for, the ones that people talk about are always the tearful scenes, as if only vulnerability and sensitivity can demonstrate our abilities as actresses. I’m very happy that in Chinese-language television dramas, there has appeared a rare female character like Tong Zhanggui, who isn’t overly bitter or resentful. Both the significance of the character Tong Zhanggui and Liu Zi’s acting skills in portraying her deserve praise.”
As the media relentlessly bombarded Lu Yanhe with questions, those who had been involved in controversies, discussions, or even differing opinions during the review process stepped forward to answer the media's questions.
-
As a result, before the night was even over, a trending topic appeared online.
#The toughest judges ever#
Click in and you'll see marketing accounts saying, "You've never seen a film awards committee respond so firmly to everyone's questions, standing tall and confidently to all the doubts."
Below are several GIFs, all clips of the jury answering questions from the media.
Besides those related to Zhan Yun and Yan Liang, there were other awards as well.
Including the fact that the Best Drama award was given to only one work, "Under the Zhengyang Gate", everyone was puzzled as to why only one work was awarded.
Lu Yanhe: "Because we are not choosing the Outstanding Work Award, but the Best Drama Award. Since it is the best, there can only be one. On the first day of our meeting, all the judges reached a consensus that we would not award a tie."
-
The following day, there was a lot of discussion online about the Lingyun Awards for drama series, and major media outlets were writing commentary articles.
Even many film and television bloggers are posting articles discussing the results of this year's competition.
It can be said that the results of this year's competition surprised many people, but they were also within reason.
The result surprised many people because it did not conform to the mainstream award selection direction. However, in reality, everyone felt that the result was well-deserved and fair.
Chen Hengyi published a long article thanking the judging panel led by Lu Yanhe for their contributions, and at the same time, he also made an announcement.
The winners of the Lingyun Awards for television dramas will hold a roundtable forum with the winners of the film awards this March, with the theme of "The Intersection of Film and Television Drama in the Present Day".
Chen Hengyi clearly wants to extend the popularity of the Lingyun Award, rather than just giving out awards in December and January.
His approach suggests he intends to make the Lingyun Award the most influential award in China.
Meanwhile, the Blue Ribbon Awards have finally released this year's nominations.
"Friends" and "The Summit," which were overlooked by the Golden Tripod Awards but won major awards at the Lingyun Awards (TV series category), were also nominated.
Lu Yanhe received two Best Screenplay nominations for his work on "Friends" and "My Own Swordsman".
Yan Liang has once again been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Liu Zi was also successfully nominated.
Everyone was very surprised.
It can be said that the nomination list for the Blue Ribbon Awards overlaps significantly with that of the Lingyun Awards (TV series).
This sparked another round of heated discussion.
However, these discussions were overshadowed by the popularity of the Spring Festival Gala a few days before Lunar New Year's Eve.
The Spring Festival Gala still commands unparalleled attention.
After successfully completing their final rehearsal, Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang were just waiting for their official performance on the Spring Festival Gala.
The annual performance stage, especially the Spring Festival Gala, naturally attracts a lot of attention.
This time, their joint performance stage is called "Love".
Judging from the name, it seems to be another very mainstream song.
The first version of "Green Apple Paradise" was a nostalgic classic.
The second version of "Chinese Language" features a youthful style.
This time they performed "Love" again.
The fact that they can frequently perform on the Spring Festival Gala stage at their age, in a sense, demonstrates their current image and status in the mainstream circles.
As a mainstream official body, how could they not like these three male celebrities who usually have no scandals, have distinctive personalities, and have representative works?
The three of them have taken increasingly different paths, but each one has achieved remarkable success.
He can be described as a truly positive role model.
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As for the Spring Festival Gala, their three-person stage is very easy to arrange.
There are three people performing one show, and the show lasts no more than four minutes.
This is different from the time required to perform a skit.
This is why the three of them are able to appear on the Spring Festival Gala without having to be replaced by other people in the program.
No one else can fit in.
-
On the day of the Spring Festival Gala live broadcast, Lu Yanhe and his two companions had a special rest room.
The dressing room that the Spring Festival Gala arranged for them was shared with others.
This is the first time they have been given a private lounge to use.
The elevation of their status is quite obvious.
The three of them were able to eat boxed meals, rest, and prepare inside.
Their performance tonight is in the front row, around 8:30.
So, they didn't have to wait long before they went on stage and began performing the song "Love".
This is still a song that would be suitable for the Spring Festival Gala stage.
You can interpret the word "love" in a small way, or in a big way. The meaning you give it depends on the stage you sing on.
The three of them are no longer teenagers. They have lost the student vibe they had when they first stepped onto the stage, and gained a more mature and refined air.
Fans who have always loved them are now glued to their TVs and watching the live stream, enjoying this rare moment of their joint performance.
Although they haven't sung and danced on stage for a long time, the three of them have gone through so many years of hard work and experience, and they have indeed become very relaxed about stage performances.
Even the Spring Festival Gala.
They rehearsed the song "Love" countless times; they knew it so well they couldn't be more familiar with it.
The three performers' smooth delivery and excellent control of the rhythm throughout the performance brought the atmosphere to a small climax.
They left the stage as soon as the performance ended.
Outside the studio, everyone was taking pictures of them.
Lu Yanhe and his two companions took a group photo with all the backup dancers for their show to express their gratitude, and then prepared to remove their makeup and leave.
"Where are you going?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Yan Liang said, "I went straight home."
Li Zhibai nodded, "Me too, what about you?"
"Siqi is already waiting for me. I'll go with her to her grandparents' house later."
Since they got together, he finally had somewhere to go on New Year's Eve.
When are you coming back?
"I estimate it will be after the Lantern Festival, and the day after tomorrow we'll all go to Sanya together," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "Siqi has arranged for all of us to spend the New Year there together."
“Yes, it’s very comfortable to spend the New Year there,” Li Zhibai said. “It’s warm, and it’s good for the health of the elderly.”
"Hmm." Lu Yanhe asked, "Will your family go over to visit during the Chinese New Year?"
“They don’t have the time; they’re all incredibly busy,” Li Zhibai said. “Being able to have a few family meals together at home is already a huge achievement.”
Of the three, Yan Liang is the only one with an ordinary and normal family situation.
Yan Liang said, "I'll stay home with my parents and probably come back after the Lantern Festival."
Li Zhi nodded a hundred times.
"Okay, see you later during the New Year."
The three parted ways, chatting and laughing as they went home.
-
Chen Siqi drove, with Lu Yanhe in the passenger seat, as they drove back home at night.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the road conditions were good, and there was no traffic jam.
Lu Yanhe is replying to the message.
At this time of year, there are many New Year's greetings text messages.
He was replying to messages while talking to Chen Siqi.
Has your dad contacted you this year?
“He contacted me and asked if I was going home for the Chinese New Year.” Chen Siqi said calmly, “I told him I was going to my grandparents’ house, and he replied with a simple ‘okay’ and that was it.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
“I’m thinking about something,” he said.
"What's wrong?" Chen Siqi asked. "Is it related to him?"
"Hmm." Lu Yanhe nodded. "When we get married, we should probably invite him, right? It wouldn't be right not to."
Chen Siqi: "Please."
"So, if we invited him, what about Liu Wei'an?" Lu Yanhe asked, "According to the normal wedding ceremony—"
"How about we cancel the wedding?" Chen Siqi suddenly said.
"ah?"
“We’re not having it,” Chen Siqi said seriously. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about this too. Do we really need to have this wedding? In fact, most of the time, weddings are just for show.”
“That’s true, but your grandparents definitely still want to see your wedding, right?” Lu Yanhe said. “We can’t let the problems of one or two people make us disregard the concerns of others who care about you.”
“At least those traditional steps can be eliminated,” Chen Siqi said. “I don’t want my dad to walk down the aisle with me and put my hand in yours. I also don’t want to hear him hypocritically say how much he loves me and how reluctant he is to part with me at the wedding.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
“You can decide these things, I’m fine with anything,” he said, looking up at Chen Siqi.
"So when you get married, you're not going to invite any of your relatives?"
“I have no relatives left,” Lu Yanhe said without hesitation.
Chen Siqi paused for a moment, then nodded.
"good."
(End of this chapter)
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