Chapter 68

Zhu Lan always thought she was quite kind. She was able to convince a young girl like Shu Miao within half an hour after meeting her. But now it was very different.

Because of these people's reactions, she opened her mouth but said nothing, as if she was powerless to persuade them.

Then, she heard Li Chu say, "Mr. Sheng, I know what you want us to do. You want us to film your movie."

President Sheng smiled and nodded, "Yes, yes."

"But we have an agent, we won't just take on resources on our own," Ji Mowei beside him continued, "You should talk to Mr. Su, we will listen to him."

There are no fools in this circle, and good resources will never come to you on their own.

It's not like Mr. Sheng hasn't talked to Su Ning before. There was only one sentence in his voice, which was rejection and no respect. He wanted to start with the artists, but he didn't expect these few people to be even less respectful.

Qu Shoubai even pulled the members away and said, "Sorry, now that we have finished talking, it is time for us to go back."

Although these seven people were all very polite, they were even more resolute than Su Ning.

President Sheng was repeatedly humiliated. He was not allowed to find artists himself. He could only watch these people leave. His face darkened and he cursed, "All of them... have no manners!"

The circle is in awe of the Shen family, but Shen Mingzheng is not the head of the family yet, and he is not here now. Su Ning's light and shadow entertainment has just turned its fortune around, and the only thing it can show is glory. Why is it so tough? !

At this time, Su Ning was a little suspicious when he saw that the seven people had not returned for a long time. He asked his assistant to look for them first, and waited for a while. When he was about to get up to look for them himself, Zhu Lan appeared and pushed him down.

"It's all right," she said, "the person is out."

Indeed, as she said, Glory came out from the aisle after finishing the performance, walked to her seat, and continued to watch the ceremony.

But when Su Ning saw the time difference and Zhu Lan's expression, he roughly understood and said, "That CEO Sheng contacted them privately, right?"

They really chase and block us and never let us go.

Zhu Lan did not deny it, nodded, and stared at Su Ning again: "Mr. Su is not nervous?"

"I know Li Chu and the others won't agree to this easily," Su Ning said, "They have the ability to distinguish."

But after hearing this, Zhu Lan sighed.

"You, Ming Zheng, and the others are young after all," Zhu Lan said, "How can it be so easy to produce successful works in this circle? And there are not so many good works, so you have to shoot some ordinary ones, right?"

"Even if we don't mention Glory, your palace drama, without Yuedong's help, you'd have lost half the battle. You lost at the starting line."

"Boss Su, do you know how many palace dramas or family dramas are planned to be released in the first half of this year? There are four in total. The original novel of "The Ambitious Family" is not the most famous. It has traffic, acting skills, and a platform. Others have everything," she said. "Of course, you and Mingzheng have money and can afford it, but it is not good for you two in the Shen family to play a big drama at this juncture."

There is no room for failure on the road to succession.

Zhu Lan is not a reserve heir. She only has this position and connections, so who becomes the head of the Shen family has no impact on her.

Su Ning knew that what she said was sincere advice based on her experience, but that was not his philosophy.

"The broadcast platform is of course very important," Su Ning said. "I tried to get it, but it didn't work out. But the audience will have their own opinions on how the show will end. When the show comes out, they will naturally make their own judgment."

Zhu Lan sighed: "Not necessarily."

She had seen too many idealists end up with wounds all over their bodies. When she first met Su Ning, she thought he was a practical person, but he was indeed an idealist at heart.

"I know you don't want to sacrifice others for your drama," she said at last, "but Mr. Su, this choice may not be good for them. Let me remind you one last thing, you still have a chance to regret it now."

Su Ning turned to look at her.

Zhu Lan said this to the point. After two rejections, he knew in his heart that there was no way to talk about cooperation between him and Yuedong. It was certain that he would offend people, but with so many people in the circle, there would always be some people who could not rely on smooth talk to maintain relationships.

There is no way I can go with someone like Mr. Sheng.

Some cooperation can be negotiated, but some cooperation can never be negotiated in a lifetime, and it is wrong at its root.

If it was just the loss of this cooperation, Su Ning could accept it, but after hearing what Zhu Lan said, he felt that the impact was more than that.

Tonight's awards...

The Audience Choice Award has always been very authoritative in the circle.

Su Ning had heard of this award before. It is not an ordinary small prize. It has an official background. The data-based award has a fixed calculation formula and has always been fair. The judging team also includes well-known figures in the industry.

Because they refused to cooperate with Yuedong, they lost even the award. Even the experienced Su Ning realized it when he refused and was unwilling to believe that this group of people dared to do such a thing.

Want to change the award on the spot?

Su Ning asked: "Does he really dare?"

"I don't want to either," Zhu Lan said, "but Mr. Su, you still have a chance to choose."

He saw Zhu Lan holding a cell phone, which showed that she was on a call.

At this time, not long after Glory finished their performance, when the Best New Group award was about to be announced, this award was divided into male and female categories, and the result for the female group was announced first.

The award was presented by someone Su Ning knew well, Mr. Liang Xiaoliang. He read out the name on it, which was the "Star Girls" who debuted a few years ago.

It was pretty much as expected, this group came from a small company, but when the five people came up, there were obvious differences, it didn't look like a group, more like a lead dancer and her backup dancers.

Tang Lulu, who is in the C position, is the most popular. She is wearing a high-end dress from a domestic brand with a very large skirt and a shiny little crown on her head. Although the others are also wearing dresses, the difference can be seen at a glance. The difference is huge. The skirts are just a little more gorgeous and longer.

And after receiving the award, Tang Lulu did all the talking, while the others only got to say a sentence or two.

When she spoke, she didn't mention her own company much, but she expressed special thanks to Yuedong Video.

"I am grateful for the recognition and opportunities given to me by the platform," she said. "I am very excited to receive this award. I have lived up to everyone's expectations..."

Li Chu was watching from his seat. He knew that this combination and this comparison of treatment were not due to the company's favoritism. This combination was a standard aircraft towing type.

The fans of Tang Lulu, the center, account for more than 90% of the entire group. The newcomer award is said to be given to the group, but in fact it is given to her alone. She is the only one who became popular.

Tonight, the brand only sponsored her dress and jewelry. If she were treated the same as other members, the fans who support this small company and group would definitely not agree.

Small companies do not have the power to find enough capital to balance the members, so they just accept it. Even though the contrast is obvious to others, there is nothing they can do.

Everyone knows that the reason why Tang Lulu is so popular is not only because of her good looks and her singing and dancing skills, but also because of another important reason - she is an actress.

She became famous through idol dramas, which happened to be produced by Zhu Lan and produced by Yuedong.

She was quite lucky. Although the plot of that idol drama was a bit childish, it was indeed very sweet, and the quality was considered relatively good in the market. She acted very well, playing the innocent and naive girl, and she became an instant star.

In this circle, being famous does depend on luck, and she is one of those who seized the opportunity.

Soon, Tang Lulu finished her speech and led the team members to stand aside. Then Liang Xiaoliang came on stage again to announce the results of the Best New Male Group.

Su Ning sat there and he knew what the other party meant.

Yuedong didn't come tonight to discuss "The Ambitious Family". His goal has always been the most popular Glory. Whether he can win this award depends on Su Ning's choice.

This is not the audience's choice, but their own control.

But Zhu Lan looked at him and saw that he still shook his head and said, "No."

So Zhu Lan sighed and hung up the phone.

At this time, Liang Xiaoliang had already walked up.

There is also a new boy band launched by his own company shortlisted here, but Mr. Liang knows that the dehydrated data is indeed not as good as the other party, there is a gap, and the previous voting is also quite different. Although the judges' votes and some key media data will also be taken into account later, the chances of winning... are really not much.

Before Liang Xiaoliang opened the envelope, he had already assumed it was Glory. He glanced at Su Ning in the audience and began to announce it verbally: "This is a new group that I particularly appreciate this year. You could say..."

Then he saw half of his name on the envelope. Even someone as experienced as him was stunned for a moment and a little stuck.

But soon, he adjusted his state and continued: "It can be said that everyone is very good and hardworking! Tonight's best new male group is-"

"ACE!"

This is the combination of Qilin.

Not to mention Glory himself, many people in the audience were stunned for a moment.

Everyone thought the award was a done deal, but the big letters on the big screen showed it was correct, so there was applause.

The four members of ACE were sitting behind Glory. They were very surprised when they heard their names. They stood up timidly, as if they couldn't believe it. They couldn't help but look at Glory's seats in front of them. However, Li Chu and Qu Shoubai reacted quickly. Despite the gap, they stood up and hugged and congratulated them.

I met him a few times when we were promoting our songs. Qu Shoubai is from Qilin and we had met together before, so we are quite familiar with each other.

No matter what the result is, even if you are extremely disappointed, you should at least remain decent in this situation. With so many cameras pointing at you, you must not show an inappropriate expression.

Su Ning was not watching this scene from his seat.

After finally rejecting Zhu Lan, he left the meeting and started calling his public relations department, asking them to make preparations and adjust their publicity strategies.

Even though this was his choice, my heart sank when I heard it.

Su Ning immediately turned around to look at the expressions of Li Chu and the others. The seats for the company bosses and the stars were in two different areas. He saw the smiles on the idols' faces from afar. At that moment, he couldn't tell whether he was shocked by the platform's boldness in doing such a thing, or whether he felt more distressed for them.

This is the first big award that Glory has participated in. He knows that the young idols have been preparing for this for a long time and the entire team has put a lot of thought into it. Zhou Chunqing has been preparing for tonight's makeup alone for several days. The fans are also looking forward to it. They say they will get the award when they come, but everyone is very nervous.

But the reality is, they didn't get it.

There aren't many prestigious awards in the idol circle, and some award ceremonies are only held every two years. This is indeed a heavy blow to the group.

Before they came, they didn't think that this was not an honor, but just another high-sounding deal, and Su Ning gave up.

"Audience Choice Award," Zhu Lan muttered to herself, "Who can explain clearly what the audience chose? I clearly advised you on this matter."

However, the ceremony went on. After this award was given, there would be another one. But as soon as the result was announced, Glory's fans on the Internet clearly couldn't accept it.

“Isn’t this shady?”

"Our previous voting also took into account the album's performance, which is obvious to all! And he still can't win the Best New Artist award?"

"How on earth is this reviewed?!"

There were also many viewers who felt that it was wrong, but it was not the first or second time that Yuedong had been criticized. Popularity is something that cannot be quantified, and there were also some comments mixed with sarcasm.

"Aren't there other votes? Maybe the group is just not popular with the media and judges."

"It's possible that the previous data was bought, so it's just a false red."

"The official said that according to the calculation formula, ACE did win in the end, just by 0.02. After all, the Kirin group has an advantage in the industry. Fans should stop complaining. If they didn't win, they didn't win."

Many people only look at the results, not the process, and subconsciously believe in the authority of Yuedong.

As Zhu Lan said, do the audience really know what they have chosen? If their eyes are temporarily covered, it is difficult to tell.

After the ceremony, Su Ning got into the car with them. The whole team was silent. He was the first to speak and take responsibility: "What happened today is my fault."

He chose it.

So from that moment on, Su Ning began to make amends.

He has cooperated with many media, and many of Glory's data are publicly available, so it is understandable that fans are angry. There are also many bloggers who come out to speak for him. Although Glory is powerful, it may not be able to control everything.

Su Ning's attitude was also very tough. He knew that this award was completely unfair, and public opinion began to change somewhat.

Even though Li Chu and the others felt a little uncomfortable, they didn't think he was wrong.

They simply rejected a collaboration that they disliked and was not suitable for. If you think about it, you can figure out the reason.

After Li Chu calmed down, he went to ask Su Ning's assistant, knowing that if Su Ning nodded, it would gain better benefits for the company, but he did not do so.

Qu Shoubai looked at his phone, choosing his words, thinking about how to comfort his fans with practical actions, and then raised his head and continued: "We also rejected it ourselves. We all bear the responsibility together. It's nothing, just a one-time award."

That being said, the team is bound to suffer some setbacks.

Even though we followed Su Ning's steps to start remedying the situation and correcting the trend, we saw many viewers speaking out about how unfair it was, but the atmosphere was still somewhat uneasy.

At this time, the bus carrying everyone had not yet left the venue, but stopped at the exit. Su Ning looked to the side and saw Liang Xiaoliang waving his hand. The driver stopped the bus to let Mr. Liang in. The first thing he said was: "Mr. Su, you know it clearly, this was not done by me!"

Seeing how nervous he was, Su Ning waved his hands and said, "I know it's not you."

Liang Xiaoliang was also quite confused when he saw the result, and there was already an argument on the Internet. He had participated in many competitions and was familiar with the so-called calculation formula. It was impossible for Yuedong not to know the dehydration data, and issuing that explanation was to deceive outsiders. He knew the weirdness of this matter.

After Su Ning told Liang Xiaoliang what happened that night, he finally understood what was going on.

"In the early years of its development, Joy-Con was not so arrogant. Now that it has gained market share and voice, it dares to do such things," he said angrily. "Fortunately, I came here to make it clear, otherwise it would be just an attempt to sow discord!"

His cooperation with Su Ning has always been stable. Fortunately, he came to explain, otherwise both sides would inevitably be unhappy.

Su Ning: "I underestimated them."

"In fact, it was OK in the first few years of judging," said Liang. "But things change. Sometimes, 'authority' is just a sign that can make money."

ACE got the award that Glory didn't get, and there was already a quarrel on the Internet. Some fans were also led to curse the team. Liang Xiaoliang now thinks Su Ning is in a good mood, and he even discussed with him how to unite with Qilin to deal with the public opinion.

Neither group anticipated this, and there was no need for them to argue internally. They should have united externally and let Yuedong decide the direction of public opinion.

Liang Xiaoliang naturally had no objection to this.

When he got off the car, he shouted: "Boss Su, don't let these people succeed! In our industry, the work still speaks. The audience can be fooled for a while, but not for a lifetime!"

Liang Xiaoliang was very passionate throughout.

He intentionally maintained his relationship with Su Ning at this time, which made the entire team, which was originally a little depressed, feel a little relieved.

We cannot doubt our own people because of this incident.

Afterwards, Su Ning sent them back to their residence in Xiangshan Villa. The gifts prepared for the team after winning the award were delivered exactly as planned, which calmed the team's emotions. He also sent people to communicate with the fan club, and by late in the evening, the public opinion had improved a lot.

The team has activities tomorrow, so we need to adjust our mood and work normally afterwards. We comforted each other that things in this industry are never so smooth.

Because Su Ning held on, after this incident, other people's emotions were gradually controlled.

By the time he finished dealing with all this and returned home, it was already very late, but he didn't go to bed, he just sat on the sofa.

The further Su Ning took a step forward, the more he could feel the difficulty and hardship involved. This was not the first time he had experienced this in his two lifetimes, but he inevitably felt a little tired.

The working machine will also feel the fatigue from the bottom of its heart at this time.

——Awards, especially authoritative awards, to some extent represent the rules of the industry. Even such basic rules can be changed at will. This circle is more chaotic than Su Ning imagined.

Zhu Lan was right. Su Ning seemed to be very good at dealing with people, but he was actually an idealist at heart. He had aspirations for this industry. So when he encountered something like this, he felt disappointed with this circle that was rotten to the core.

There were actually quite a few such things in my previous life. The process of climbing up was always accompanied by various injustices. Su Ning had to deal with them urgently, including public opinion, team, fans, and so on.

People have a short memory. The team handled this matter well and it was over in a few days. Glory is still very popular and it won't have much impact. To put it bluntly, the award is just the icing on the cake.

But even after experiencing it a hundred times, he still felt very disappointed.

Shen Mingzheng took an overnight flight and arrived home even later, at around three in the morning. He thought everyone in Su Ning was asleep, so when he got home and opened the door, he saw the light in the living room was on and didn't think much of it. Leaving the light on was a habit between the two of them.

So he quietly changed his shoes and took off his coat at the entrance and walked towards the living room. Halfway there he was stunned.

Because Su Ning was sitting on the sofa.

He was just sitting there, wrapped in a blanket, with his hair a little messy. When Shen Mingzheng called his name, it seemed like he took a while to react.

"Mingzheng," he said, "Well, Yuedong and I had a falling out. Sorry... I was thinking about something and couldn't sleep."