Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 508 Blooming Both Inside and Outside the Wall

In the sweltering heat of late July, long lines formed early outside record stores across the United States as people clutched newly released vinyl records of "folklore." The cover featured Taylor standing in a misty forest, his figure blurred like a mysterious figure from a folktale.

For Taylor, this album is less a transformative work and more like a quiet coronation.

In fact, before this, her popularity or stardom was more tied to her global hit songs and record-breaking tour box office. People loved her catchy and upbeat melodies, and often discussed her love life that dominated the news headlines, as well as the love, hate and personal grudges in her lyrics.

But with the release of "folklore," all the noise and the voices that had criticized her based on her previous album suddenly disappeared.

Critics almost unanimously praised her, saying she had transformed from a secular pop star into a true musical poet.

This is no longer just empty fame built on traffic.

Instead, they firmly grasped the power of artistic discourse.

Those who once questioned her ability to only describe her love life have completely lost their confidence in the face of this album, "folklore".

At the same time, with her reclaiming all song copyrights from her original company and announcing the re-recording of the album, her path to becoming a music queen in the post-righteous era is unstoppable!

And what about Shen Juan?

He also received a lot of subtle assistance.

As everyone knows, Shen Juan is currently caught in a bizarre online bullying spree. Perhaps it's because the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind, or perhaps it's simply out of jealousy and hatred. During this period, he has been secretly smeared by rival capital, with negative rumors and malicious comments targeting him everywhere.

He has always preferred a head-on confrontation.

A strong personality is often interpreted as a bullying trait.

It seems that as long as they label him a "bully," all their bullying against him is justified.

Until Folklore came along.

Whether it's "Exile" with Taylor Swift's harmonies, which topped the charts on various platforms, or "Betty" sung entirely from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy, both are quite surprising. It's unexpected that Seonnam-il, who is usually seen as a pop star who incorporates elements of pop, R&B, and hip-hop, can handle folk music so well.

This not only gave the public a completely new understanding of his musical talent, but also subtly reversed public opinion to some extent, pushing those vicious and mindless cyberbullying comments into a corner.

Rolling Stone magazine commented: "Alex Shen's performance on 'folklore' once again subverts people's previous perceptions of him, forcefully raising the ceiling of his creative talent. The melancholy of 'exile' and the dynamism of 'betty' prove that he is a genius musician capable of mastering diverse styles!"

Billboard's official website posted: "[Taylor's invitation to Alex to join 'folklore' was a stroke of genius. Alex and Taylor's soulful duet on 'exile' infuses the album with a unique and profound quality, successfully breaking down musical style barriers and showcasing the extraordinary musical versatility of these two talented songwriters.]"

The New York Times noted: "Working with Taylor Swift allowed Alex to temporarily escape the vortex of controversy. His exceptional vocals became an indispensable piece of the album's narrative, prompting people to calmly consider whether they had been too harsh on him. This artistic resonance was more persuasive than any public relations statement."

In this collaboration, neither party tried to ride on the other's coattails.

Taylor reached new artistic heights with this album.

Shen Juan, on the other hand, relied on those flowing, soothing melodies to calmly and silently dispel the gloom and fog surrounding him.

The battle for reputation has begun.

He is gradually regaining the reputation and glory that rightfully belong to him.

On July 25, the day after Taylor Swift released her new album, Shen Juan's reputation in China reached a new level!
Due to the impact of the pandemic, the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival, which was postponed, held an online awards ceremony, similar to the Hong Kong Film Awards.

(The original Golden Goblet Awards only announced the shortlist for all awards this year, without announcing the winners. But since Wa Juan is a son of Shanghai, he naturally deserves the highest level of treatment. Even if there is no opportunity, we will create one to feed the trophy to Wa Juan, so that the Golden Goblet Awards will be even more glorious because of the crowning of "World's Number One" Shen Juan!)

Shen Juan won his second prestigious Best Actor award for his role as Xiao Bei in "Better Days"!

This has sparked heated discussions among netizens.

[Shen Juan achieves double Best Actor status! At 22, he won both the Hong Kong Film Award and the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor – a record that no one in the Chinese entertainment industry can break! It's true that Leung Chiu-wai is a great actor and has won many awards, but he was already 30 when he won his first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. Those who like to glorify the past and praise "the older generation is unsurpassable" should look at the present; times have changed. Stop living in the past!]

[Aaaaaaahhhhh!!! I just crawled out of the cycle of Betty and Exile, and then I was stunned by the news that Juanjuan won Best Actor! What kind of divine double success is this? In North America, he silenced his haters with his new song, and in China, he won the Golden Goblet Award to broaden his acting career. His career in film, television, and music is flourishing in all three areas. This is just too amazing!]

[This award is no surprise at all. The Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Goblet for Best Actor are the most solid affirmation of his acting skills. This talent and explosive power are very similar to Leung Chiu-wai in his younger days! His eyes are expressive; even without speaking, a single glance can draw you into the character. This talent for acting with his eyes is truly rare.]

Shen Juan's path is very stable right now. Whether it's music, film and television dramas, or variety shows, he has representative works that have broken through to mainstream audiences. In terms of his achievements as an actor alone, if he continues on this trajectory for another ten years, he may very well reach the heights of his predecessors. What does it mean to be a born superstar? This is it.

[Holy crap, I don't even know what to say! Compared to those actors who toil for decades just to get close to an award, Shen Juan's speed is like a rocket launch. I want to call him royalty, but I can't find fault with it. After all, in "Better Days," the moment he stood there, he wasn't just Shen Juan anymore; he was the real Xiao Bei!]

[Is he destined to be a legend in Chinese film history? At just 22, he already has two major Best Actor awards, and he even has a high probability of winning the remaining Hundred Flowers, Golden Rooster, and Golden Deer awards this year. Holy crap, I can't believe it! My beloved Angelababy's grand slam prediction has actually come true for Shen Juan! Now, I just want to ask, when will "The Matchmaker" be released? We fans have been waiting for a whole year!]

It's not just empty praise; it's comparing Shen Juan's current film and television achievements to those of veteran masters in the Chinese film industry.

Then everyone came to a conclusion.
Few people of the same age can beat Shen Juan.

He may not be the best actor.

He may not be the most talented actor.

But his commercial value is absolutely the highest!

His value and significance are absolutely paramount!
The selection of any award requires consideration of multiple factors in order to choose the most suitable winner.

And to put it bluntly
It's often said that the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards are just a closed-door affair.

Does that mean our Golden Rooster Awards aren't?
It's just that the room is a bit bigger.

The current state of the Chinese entertainment industry is just a bunch of weaklings fighting each other. Apart from Shen Juan, no matter who gets the award, they can't maximize the value of the award.

Only by awarding the prize to Shen Juan can we generate the greatest traffic revenue and promote the award on international news forums.

So there's not much to say.

Just say "hello" and that's it!
When Nose Sister won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Hundred Flowers Awards, didn't she say that if things went smoothly, she would have won the Grand Slam by now?
Whether things go smoothly for her or not, Shen Juan doesn't know.

Shen Juan only knew that his achievements in the music field had completely influenced his development as an actor.

So his acting career has been incredibly smooth!

I need to take leave today for an event on the 26th.

The inaugural "Chinese Film and Television Night" of the Shanghai International Film Festival, hosted by Shanghai Radio and Television Station, was held at the International Media Port.

Shen Juan attended the event as a publicity ambassador and a representative of the main creative team of the TV series "You Are My Glory".

The former was a task assigned to him by the relevant department.

Consider it a byproduct of being crowned Emperor.

Having received so much mainstream resources and extra assistance from the Shanghai municipal government, Shen Juan naturally had to do some work for them.

The latter.
Let me briefly mention the format of this gala.

The event adopted a "recommendation of outstanding works + excellent film and television works" model, allowing celebrities to take the stage to recommend the film and television works they were responsible for.

For example, "Together," "Vanguard," "Wild Growth of Mustard," "Wuhai," and "Our Southwest Associated University."
These are all movies and TV series that have already been filmed and are about to be released.

The only project that hasn't started filming yet is "You Are My Glory".

Of course, this is not surprising.

After all, it's impossible for Dragon TV not to buy Shen Juan's TV series.

So whether it's turned on or not makes no difference.

Anyway, they'll buy it and broadcast it anyway.

The process is not much different from other galas.

They still walked the red carpet first, and then entered the venue.

However, after walking the red carpet, Shen Juan did not rush to enter the venue and take a seat. Instead, he returned to his personal dressing room to rest and adjust.

Although many big names in the industry and leaders from the State Administration of Radio and Television will be present tonight, it is definitely an important occasion to build connections.

However, this statement only applies to other peers.

A national icon like him?

As long as no one else in the Chinese entertainment industry can compare to him, his value and significance will forever remain irreplaceable.

In short, that's how awesome Big Brother Cheng is.

Shen Juan will only be more awesome than him!
And there is another very important reason
He can certainly use the background, power, and pressure that the relevant departments bring him to show off, but he must never become addicted to it.

After all, it's best for a relatively "pure" artist like him not to get involved in some complicated matters that involve other fields.

For example, a big shot had previously asked him to endorse newly opened real estate projects and some special products in Shanghai, saying that many celebrities in the industry do this, and it would be a win-win situation for them, allowing them to earn a lot of kickbacks. Shen Juan knew immediately that something was wrong; when things went wrong, he would obviously be the one to take the blame, being the most famous one.

Therefore, he immediately refused.

It can only be said that making a deal with the devil like Shuangzi does bring in money very quickly, but if something really goes wrong, the backlash can be incredibly terrible.

My friend's annual after-tax income as a pure artist easily reaches double digits, so there's really no need for him to take the risk of doing these kinds of things.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door of the lounge. Shen Juan looked up and gestured for his assistant to open the door. The person who walked in was both unexpected and yet perfectly reasonable.

"Oh! You're here?" Shen Juan smiled and got up from the sofa to greet Wang Churan, whom he hadn't seen for a while.

As a representative of the main cast of "You Are My Glory", she wore a relatively conservative evening gown because the occasion was quite formal. Although the look wasn't particularly eye-catching, she still looked stunning standing next to Shen Juan.

"I miss you so much! I wish I could fast forward a month straight to the Honor of Kings launch!" Wang Churan ran over with a bright smile, bumping into Shen Juan's arms. She then looked up, her eyes brimming with undisguised intense emotions, and her voice carrying a hint of coquettish eagerness: "Honey, have you missed me?"

Shen Juan didn't reply, but silently lowered his head and kissed those slightly pouting red lips, giving his answer through his actions.

The assistant watched with wide eyes as the long-distance couple seemed to meet and immediately become a couple, observing and learning from their interaction.

Watching handsome men and beautiful women kiss is indeed a feast for the eyes.

Just seeing those two perfect profiles intertwined like they're from an idol drama is enough to make me feel incredibly happy!

Wait, what's that sound?
Am I right?
Did I even make a drooling sound while kissing?
What?!

Why are this woman's ears all red?
Was it really that engaging? Was it really that exhilarating?
Holy crap!

This is way more exciting than watching a drama!

Of course, she didn't forget her duty, so she wisely opened the door and went out, gently closing it behind her. Then she stood obediently outside the door, holding her phone and pretending to reply to a WeChat message, but in reality, she was keeping watch for the two inside, cutting off any possible opportunity to disturb their exchange of affection.

The party officially began at 7:30 p.m.

Shen Juan first took the stage as a publicity ambassador to open the gala, and then returned to the audience to chat with the bigwigs.

After a segment featuring positive film recommendations and several stage performances, it was finally his turn to take the stage again.

This is to promote "You Are My Glory".

"Let's welcome actors Shen Juan and Wang Churan to the stage!"

As the host, Nigmat, announced the program, Shen Juan led Wang Churan onto the stage, where they stood side by side in the center.

This scene caused an instant uproar in the live stream room.

No one dared to disobey Shen Juan!

This is the great World Marshal!

Now I understand why middle and high school students get ostracized by their classmates if they don't idolize Shen Juan; this guy is practically a god!

This guy's looks are just undeniable! Every time he appears, he's so handsome it makes my pants fly! My blood is overflowing! He's absolutely domineering!

The two most handsome men in Asia are both in China. It's a pity I'm getting old. I wonder how much longer Shen Juan can keep going.

[The bro thinks he's AlexS.]

[I can't even imagine the shock that would have been to those Korean girls if Juanjuan had debuted in K-pop. Damn Ahn Joon-young!]

【Ahhhhhh, I'll marry Shen Juan, and my children will also be Shen Juan. I'll live my whole life in Shen Juan's shadow. The posters on the walls will be of Shen Juan, the blankets I'll sleep under will be of Shen Juan, the food I'll eat will be of Shen Juan, and even after I die, the photo on my grave will be of Shen Juan. The wings I'll have in heaven will still be of Shen Juan. Shen Juan's genes will continue for thousands of years. A thousand years from now, even the fossilized remains of everyone in my family will be able to reveal Shen Juan.】

[Holy crap, they're holding hands like that? Is Fireworks Girl really that strong in this version? Tian Jie lost 555 (crying)]

[It's not that Wajuan loves Yanhua more, it's just that Tianjie didn't have the right era. After all, what was Wajuan's status back then, and what is it now? But I still support Tongtang more! After all, a relationship that started from humble beginnings is always different! How could you bear to abandon a girl who stood by you through your obscurity?]

With a smile, host Nigmat first threw the question to the two: "We all know that in 'You Are My Glory,' the elements of aerospace and e-sports are particularly eye-catching and are combined very well! So let's talk about aerospace first. Nowadays, everyone is paying more and more attention to the aerospace industry. How does the drama present the mysterious work of aerospace to the audience? Of course, considering that the drama has not started filming yet, we will only talk about what you two know so far."

Shen Juan nodded slightly, then took the microphone and replied earnestly, "Although Glory hasn't officially started filming yet, I know that our crew has put in a lot of effort to realistically portray our country's aerospace work. For example, I'm currently using my spare time to receive online aerospace knowledge training, and we've also invited professional consultants to review the plot. Many scenes in the script will also be filmed on location, striving to let the audience feel the daily working environment of aerospace workers."

"Furthermore, through the experiences of the male protagonist Yu Tu, we will strive to showcase the process of how aerospace projects go from encountering difficulties to solving them, because behind this lies the hard work of countless aerospace workers. Therefore, we hope to take this opportunity to let everyone better understand their perseverance and dedication."

Nigmat then pressed on, "What about the e-sports elements? E-sports is developing very rapidly now. How do you make the e-sports part of the show both realistic and perfectly integrated with the plot?"

Wang Churan took the microphone from Shen Juan and responded softly, "In the e-sports field, our production team invited hosts and commentators from professional leagues, as well as retired players to play themselves. The female lead in the drama, Qiao Jingjing, practices hard under the guidance of Yu Tu in order to compete, growing step by step from a gaming novice."

Nigmat posed his third question: "I did my homework beforehand, reading the original novel, and found that the love story in 'Our Glory' is also very touching. From the innocent crush in high school to the long-awaited reunion after ten years, the two went through many twists and turns before finally getting together. How were the emotional changes in this story handled?"

Shen Juan and Wang Churan looked at each other with a knowing smile, exchanging a meaningful glance in front of the live broadcast camera. Shen Juan then spoke first: "In high school, Yu Tu was a top student who loved aerospace, and Qiao Jingjing was a girl who bravely pursued love. Their feelings were pure back then. Ten years later, Yu Tu faced career uncertainty, and Qiao Jingjing also had her own pressures in the entertainment industry. So, after their reunion, they rediscovered each other in their daily interactions. This relationship progressed step by step, from the initial surprise and astonishment to mutual understanding and support in everyday life, gradually coming together. Every step was taken very naturally."

Wang Churan smiled sweetly and nodded, adding, "Qiao Jingjing has always admired Yu Tu's persistence in pursuing his dreams. So after they met again, she has been encouraging Yu Tu to find his way again in her own way. In the process of getting along with Qiao Jingjing, Yu Tu has gradually seen her efforts and sincerity."

"Although their love wasn't a fairytale romance with its ups and downs, including arguments, misunderstandings, and even separations,..."

She paused for a moment, then looked up at Shen Juan, her eyes curving into crescents and a sweet smile playing on her lips.

"But it was these very things that deepened their bond, ultimately leading them to achieve mutual success and become each other's glory!"

The Huaguo Film and Television Night concluded successfully at 10 p.m.

The crowd left the scene in an orderly and regulated manner.

Meanwhile, with the marketing support of the artists' teams and agencies, related terms began to climb the trending topics list, turning the entire trending topics into a chaotic mess.

#HuaguoFilmNight#, #YouAreMyGlory#, #ShenJuanWangChuran#, #WangJunkaiRecommendsYouAreMyGlory#, #GloryCouple'sCPKiss#, #GodOfModernIdols#, #LeaksBeforeFilming#, #ShenJuan'sLooks#, #XuZhengSaysHeWantsToLearnFromShenJuan#, #ZhangMeng'sGazeAtShenJuan#, #SisterTian'sStatus#
The State Administration of Optoelectronics is very satisfied.

It's no wonder they gave "The Matchmaker" the green light; Xiao Shen really knows how to handle things and easily generated buzz.

The Shanghai government is very satisfied.

It's no wonder they bestowed so many honors and titles upon Shen Juan; when it comes to anything related to the entertainment industry, they trust Shen Juan to be right!

The space agency is very satisfied.

They had a premonition that this drama would be a huge hit, and might even become a "recruitment advertisement," which would be of great benefit to the promotion and development of China's aerospace industry!
Xu Zheng and Zhang Meng were very satisfied.

The former suffered a major blow due to her controversial actions at the beginning of the year and is currently doing her best to salvage her precarious public image.

The latter is even more impressive. As the wife of the boss of Yaoke, in order to attract attention and generate buzz, she even managed to throw a ball that brushed against Shen Juan's arm.

All I can say is that this woman is older than my old friend.
No, that's not right.
It can only be said that Shen Juan is a human-shaped heat source.

No matter where I go, I get mooched off.

Then, Wang Churan was also very satisfied.

Through actions including but not limited to holding hands with Shen Juan as they walked onto the stage, gazing sweetly at each other, and stating in an interview that Shen Juan was her role model, she garnered a huge wave of CP (couple) traffic. This not only further solidified her status as a top contender for "Sister-in-Law 202," but also challenged Sister Tian's existing dominant position.

Therefore, Sister Tian was definitely not very satisfied.

Especially that #SisterTian'sStatus#
Your mother's kiss!
Who the hell came up with this entry?! Every time Juan Gou has a scandal, they drag me out and dredge me up, it's so annoying!

Do you think people are stupid just because they're not angry? Do you think people are tigresses just because they're angry?
This group of fangirls is truly unbeatable!
Those sword tombs are truly damned!
I wish I could crawl up the internet cable and kill her!

They dug up all their ancestral graves!
And then there's that despicable couple, Shen Juan and Wang Churan!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ! !
This is absolutely outrageous!
The clouds had cleared and the rain had stopped; it was time for a break in the hotel room.

"Do you think Tian Xiwei is very angry right now?" Wang Churan, her cheeks flushed, asked softly as she nestled in Shen Juan's arms.

"I feel indebted to her, so please don't tease her like that," Shen Juan replied with a smile as he typed a WeChat message to Xiao Hu.

"Then how dare you laugh?"

"Because it's hard not to laugh."

"No mole, how about we make some jokes about Sister Tian?"

"Holy crap, how do you even know that?"

"Because I surf all the time!"

"You are awesome!"

Shen Juan couldn't hold back any longer, because this sentence often appeared as the opening line in the comments section mocking Tian, ​​and then it was followed by the netizens' wildly imaginative comments!

For example, some evidence that Tian Jie is James: James does not think that the Heat and Cavaliers he joined are super teams, Tian Jie also thinks that she is the only one in the BIG3 of the Winter Squad, and does not think that Cheng Xiaozhou is also a superstar. Then, I forgot to mention in the middle. The following is that Tian Jie and James have never appeared at the same time.

"You're really attracting a lot of hatred, no wonder people are blocking your door."

"She blocked the door first, that's when I started stirring up trouble, okay? You need to figure out the cause and effect and the relationship between the conflict first!"

Shen Juan smiled knowingly: "So you're planning to just keep fighting her from now on? Never speak to her again?"

"Why bring this up? Can we stop talking about her?" Wang Churan frowned and urged Shen Juan to start the second half quickly.

"I'm thinking about your future."

"But I just want to seize the moment!"

"???"

So that's what it is. Right now?
(End of this chapter)