Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 534 People must get used to his success

9 month 26 number.

The 35th Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony, which has garnered much attention due to Shen Juan's nomination for Best Actor, kicked off as scheduled.

In the morning, Shen Juan was taken by the organizers to meet with leaders of many film associations and literary federations. He made many connections in the entertainment industry that he didn't know if they would be useful in the future. They also had lunch together, and five vice chairmen of the associations, including Wu Jing, Yu Dong, and Zhang Hanyu, were among them.

These veteran actors and investors all admire and are optimistic about Shen Juan's future as an actor.

Dong and Wu Jing even personally called Shen Juan some time ago, wanting to make three visits to his humble abode to invite him to star in their main theme war project "Changjin Lake," which is scheduled to start at the end of the year.

They believe that if Shen Juan, who already has a strong box office appeal, can team up with the currently popular patriotic films, they will definitely rake in huge box office revenue!

It's not impossible that the film could not only be exported overseas, but even break the box office record held by "Wolf Warrior 2"!
But Shen Juan turned it down.

Moreover, they were invited three times, and declined each time.

Let those princes and Arthur go and steal this thing!

Anyway, he doesn't want it.

To paraphrase a quote from Big Brother Cheng describing "Wolf Warrior 2": This kind of movie is purely made for our own people.

There is no possibility of exporting it abroad.

Even if Shen Juan's influence is used to promote the project overseas, it may still bring controversy to Shen Juan due to the subject matter.

You should know that Western media are very good at stirring up trouble.

If Shen Juan were to star in a war film involving foreign countries, he would inevitably be labeled with some strange accusations, such as using his influence to incite the public to glorify violence and try to destroy this hard-won peaceful life. It's even possible that he would be a hidden communist.
Do whatever it takes to incite hatred.

They'd love to ruin Shen Juan's reputation and then hand back the top spot in pop music to either a white man or a white woman.

Shen Juan naturally wouldn't let them succeed so easily.

And it's still the same old saying.

Acting in a patriotic film?

You could grab anyone off the street and they could act.

But how did it gain genuine support from foreigners?
Not everyone can do that.

As the undisputed world number one, he has never needed the support of these mainstream films that incite nationalistic sentiments.

Because he is the main theme itself.

At 5 p.m., Shen Juan finished her hair and makeup and set off from the hotel to the venue for the awards ceremony, the Henan Art Center.

I had a brief chat with Zhou Qiuyu in the waiting area.

This woman said that she recently co-starred with Xu Kai in the ancient costume drama "Ancient Love Poetry" in Hengdian, and received a very pure laugh from Shen Juan.

no other meaning.

The fact that Zhou Qiuyu is acting in a period drama is hilarious in itself.

Moreover, the male lead she co-starred with was also a bit of a laughing stock.

At 6:30 p.m., Shen Juan, after walking the red carpet, entered the main venue of the awards ceremony under the guidance of staff.

The Hundred Flowers Awards are essentially a grand gathering for Chinese filmmakers, so there are naturally many of the usual social activities involved.

As the "national icon" and "son of Shanghai" described by the media, Shen Juan is naturally very popular among his peers, investors, and directors.

So, with the help of Wu Jing and Yu Dong, vice chairmen of the Film Association, Shen Juan chatted with the group of veteran filmmakers he had never met before for a while. He humbly accepted their guidance and experience sharing while talking about topics that interested them. He handled the situation with perfect tact and got along very well with them.

For example, how he achieved success in a white world where the strong are respected, defeated white singers, and won the favor of white people.

For example, the background and consequences of his Twitter spat with that milk dragon from across the ocean back then also need to be explained.

It must be said that, apart from his personality not quite conforming to Confucian traditions, his resume is indeed very pleasing to elders.

At 7 p.m., Shen Juan returned to his seat with his name tag on it, and the Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony and live broadcast officially began.

The first award to be announced tonight is Best Supporting Actor.

"Everyone has only ten seconds to vote. Who will win the Best Supporting Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards?"

"Now, please vote!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, a bar chart displaying the names of each nominee appeared on the large screen behind him, showing the real-time statistics of the voting results of the 101 public judges.

Ten seconds later, the final result was settled.

Wang Chuanjun sealed the victory with a decisive advantage.

Not much to say.

He was a favorite to win an award tonight, and his performance in "Dying to Survive" absolutely deserves this honor!

After Wang Chuanjun walked onto the stage with a beaming smile to accept the trophy and delivered his heartfelt acceptance speech, the first award of the evening, Best Supporting Actor, officially came to an end.

Next up is the Best Supporting Actress award.

Feng Wenjuan's "Peerless".

Qu Ni Ciren's "The Climbers".

Yang Zi's "Hero in Flames".

Wu Yue's "Better Days".

Yuan Quan, The Captain.

Ten seconds later, the results were in.

Feng Wenjuan: 4 votes, Qu Ni Ciren: 12 votes, Yang Zi: 5 votes, Wu Yue: 20 votes, Yuan Quan: 60 votes.

With the quick selection of 101 audience judges, the Best Supporting Actress award was almost unanimously given to Yuan Quan.

It is well-deserved that it has earned such a reputation.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Juan stood up and went on stage, winning his first honor of the night with an overwhelming majority of votes.

The Hundred Flowers Award for Best Newcomer.

Watching Shen Juan calmly deliver his acceptance speech while holding the trophy on the screen, the fans were happy as they were.

But the level of happiness was quite limited.

After all, such small prizes are practically worthless.

It is a pity that it is tasteless.

As a singer, Shen Juan has won the prestigious Grammy Award for Album of the Year. As an actor, he has also won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor and the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor, both of which are quite prestigious in China. Therefore, Xiao Chun Juan, who has seen a lot of the world and whose horizons have broadened accordingly, naturally does not think that the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Newcomer is such a prestigious award or honor.

Moreover, one should follow the example of the master.

Since the person in question is so calm, their fans naturally have to follow suit to show the composure and grace of a general!
The awards ceremony continued.

The Best Screenplay award was then given to Jiaozi, who created the blockbuster animated film "Ne Zha".

And then the main event of the night began.

"So, what will be revealed next?"

"Tonight's award, and indeed the entire year's award, is the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor."

Lan Yu, the more experienced female host, began the warm-up interaction before the important awards were presented: "Let's take a look at who the nominees are today."

Is Teacher Xiao Yang here? Where is Teacher Xiao Yang?

Xiao Yang, who was sitting in the audience, immediately raised his hand with a smile.

The surrounding crowd also gave polite applause to this colleague who "transformed from a singer into a powerful actor".

Congratulations on your nomination for "Sheep Without a Shepherd"!

After the female host finished speaking, she turned to her co-host and asked with a smile, "Xiao Kai, do you think Teacher Xiao Yang has a chance to perform tonight?"

Wang Junkai immediately replied in Henan dialect: "Okay!"

This drew a few light laughs from the audience.

"Then let's see who else is in the running."

Where is Teacher Zhang Hanyu?

As soon as the host finished speaking, Zhang Hanyu, who was sitting in the row behind Shen Juan, next to Yu Dong and Chen Daoming, raised his hand.

Congratulations to Zhang Hanyu on being nominated for Best Actor for his role in "The Captain"!

The cheers and applause from the audience grew even louder.

Wang Junkai quickly added, "That works too!"

Shen Juan almost lost his composure.

Because he suddenly remembered the joke about the secondary goat.

ky, zhyz!

Yes, Zhang Hanyu is selected!
The female host couldn't help but laugh and continued, "Look over here, our Mr. Huang Xiaoming is all smiles! You've already won all three major Chinese film awards for 'American Dreams in China,' is there any chance you'll add another Hundred Flowers Award to your collection today?"

“Still in the middle!” Wang Junkai continued to play the straight man.

Huang Xiaoming clasped his hands together and smiled modestly.

"What about Shen Juan, who is nominated for the Hundred Flowers Award for the first time?"

Before the female host could finish speaking, Wang Junkai, who had just played games with Shen Juan last month and reaped considerable benefits, enthusiastically shouted, "Great! Great! Great! That's fantastic!"

A thunderous round of applause immediately erupted in the room. Shen Juan, who was sitting in the first row, stood up upon hearing the applause, and like Huang Xiaoming, put his hands together in prayer, turned around to face his film industry colleagues and the audience judges, and bowed respectfully to express his gratitude.

The etiquette was impeccable.

The two hosts chatted casually for a few more minutes to liven up the atmosphere before getting down to business and inviting the award presenters to the stage.

"Hello everyone, I am Hou Yong."

"Hello everyone, I am Wu Jun."

The two guests were immediately greeted with applause upon their arrival.

"We are extremely honored to be invited to present the Best Actor Award at the 35th Hundred Flowers Awards!" Hou Yong said first.

Wu Jun immediately smiled and agreed: "Yes, the male actors nominated this year are all so talented, they're all a shoo-in!"

"It is precisely because our films are rich and diverse in subject matter that the Best Actor’s performance is more nuanced."

So just how amazing is it?

The two looked at each other and smiled, then shouted in unison:

"Please look at the big screen!"

The large screen on the right side of the stage then lit up.

The video begins playing a montage of clips featuring the five nominees.

The announcement, "The nominees for Best Actor at the 35th Hundred Flowers Awards are: Xiao Yang (Sheep Without a Shepherd), Zhang Hanyu (The Captain), Chow Yun-fat (Project Gutenberg), Huang Xiaoming (The Bravest), and Shen Juan (Better Days)," played in sync with the nomination clips, which flashed by in turn: "Xiao Yang (Sheep Without a Shepherd), Zhang Hanyu (The Captain), Chow Yun-fat (Project Gutenberg), Huang Xiaoming (The Bravest), and Shen Juan (Better Days)."

After the short film finished playing, the audience erupted in the loudest applause of the night so far, a thunderous and unending roar.

The live stream camera also simultaneously focused on the five nominees, including Shen Juan, projecting them onto the big screen in a split-screen format.

The other nominees were more or less nervous.

Only Shen Juan remained calm and composed.

His calm and composed demeanor instantly ignited the fans' enthusiasm, and the number of comments in the live stream reached its absolute peak for the night, with the dense messages filled with excited shouts from the fans.

Without a doubt, most viewers believe that Shen Juan and Huang Xiaoming are the two actors most likely to win the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor this year.

As for the other actors, almost no one mentioned them.

So who exactly will win this award?

"Please make your choice, please vote!"

The live broadcast camera quickly switched between the four Best Actor nominees who came to the scene, focusing on the favorites Shen Juan and Huang Xiaoming, not missing any of their subtle reactions.

Meanwhile, the 101 judges in the back row of the audience quickly cast their crucial votes.

The Henan Art Center fell silent instantly.

The drumbeats in the background music push the tense atmosphere to its peak.

Fans and netizens clasped their hands together and prayed silently.

The golden columns of light representing the votes on the big screen continued to climb.

Shen Juan and Huang Xiaoming quickly pulled ahead of the other nominees and became the only two candidates for Best Actor. But in the blink of an eye, Huang Xiaoming's spotlight slowed down and eventually stopped, leaving only Shen Juan's spotlight continuing to rise. The balance of victory had already tipped.

Ten seconds later, the voting ended.

Xiao Yang: 8 votes, Zhang Hanyu: 7 votes, Chow Yun-fat: 3 votes, Shen Juan: 56 votes, Huang Xiaoming: 27 votes.

"Time's up! The winner of the Best Actor award at the 35th Hundred Flowers Awards is Shen Juan!"

The deafening cheers, screams, and applause mingled together, almost lifting the ceiling of the Henan Art Center.

Seniors, colleagues, and friends around him stood up one after another, some rushing over to offer eye-catching blessings and hugs, others casting congratulatory glances and applause at Shen Juan from across the seats.

He stood up, first bowed to thank his colleagues and audience members around him and in the back row, and then walked towards the stage.

The female host, standing on the side stage, spoke up at the opportune moment: "At the same time, let's invite the famous performing artists Xie Fang and Liu Xiaoqing to present the award to Shen Juan! Please welcome them!"

Amidst continuous applause and cheers from the audience, Shen Juan stepped onto the stage. Wang Junkai, standing next to him, immediately took over and read the prepared script: "This is the first time that Shen Juan, at only 22 years old, has won the Best Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards. At the same time, this also means that the youngest Hundred Flowers Best Actor has been born!"

在此之前，最年轻的百花影帝是1987年靠《芙蓉镇》封帝的24岁姜文，最年轻的提名者则是 18年靠唐探2提名的21岁刘昊然。

At this very moment, the title of "youngest Hundred Flowers Award-winning actor" officially changed hands to Shen Juan, adding a new record to the history of Chinese cinema.

Shen Juan respectfully accepted the trophy and certificate of honor from the two senior figures, and bowed again to express his gratitude. The two award presenters then left the stage with smiles amidst applause from the audience.

"Thank you, Teacher Xie Fang and Teacher Liu Xiaoqing! Next, let's give a round of applause to invite Shen Juan to give his acceptance speech!"

Shen Juan walked to the standing microphone and stood still.

Silently adjusting my mood and breathing rhythm.

He gripped the microphone, his gaze calmly sweeping across the packed audience seats below, where everyone was watching him.

The dream scenes he had once longed for were repeated before his eyes time and time again, but he had long since become accustomed to them.

Of course, I felt happy and excited.

But not too much.

Because he had already witnessed even more beautiful scenery.

He cleared his throat, and his firm and powerful voice quickly and clearly resonated throughout the venue via the microphone and speakers.

"First of all, I must say thank you! Thank you to the 101 audience judges for their recognition. Although it seems like I'm winning awards every day, I know how important this award is. It's not just for Shen Juan, but for all the behind-the-scenes partners who stayed up all night working hard and putting in their efforts and dedication for this film."

"So my first thank you goes to the crew of 'Better Days'. Thank you to director Derek Tsang and producer Xu Yuezhen. You made me believe that Xiao Bei's world is real. Thank you to Zhou Qiuyu. Without Chen Nian, there would be no light in Xiao Bei's heart. I also want to thank all the lighting, cinematography, art directors and all the staff. You turned that summer in Chongqing into a story that the audience will remember."

"And I would also like to thank the fans and audiences who have accompanied me throughout my growth. It is you who have made all my dreams a reality that I can touch. There are no shortcuts on the road of filmmaking, so I will carry this honor forward and repay everyone's love with better films and roles."

As he spoke, Shen Juan looked down at the trophy in his hand, his fingertips gently tracing the patterns on it, his tone regaining its firmness.

"When I heard the host say that I am the youngest actor to win the Hundred Flowers Award, I was really happy. But now that I think about it, I seem to have won quite a few similar youngest honors over the years, and I am very grateful for them! Recognition from others is just as important as self-recognition."

"But I still want to take this opportunity to tell everyone that I have always known that many fans are proud of me and many people are trying to catch up with me. But standing on the shoulders of giants and learning from the experience of so many respected seniors, I don't want to just be the youngest."

“I know that many people, for various reasons, would not usually say such things, especially not in public, and would not make such irreversible statements that would be recorded on the internet. But I am different. I can tell you very clearly that what I have always been pursuing is excellence and greatness. What I have always been pursuing is to break through the shackles of age and be compared with those accomplished predecessors. Their actions have inspired me, and I want to become like them.”

"So ultimately, this award doesn't mean much, but it will give me more motivation to move forward. Thank you very much!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Juan held the trophy in one hand, faced the audience again, and bowed deeply to the millions of fans and viewers connected to the live broadcast camera in front of him.

The applause at the Henan Art Center surged up again like a tidal wave, wave after wave, and it took a long time to subside.

In the eyes of many film industry professionals, including Wu Jing and Huang Xiaoming, Shen Juan, standing in the center of the stage at this moment, is like a concrete manifestation of their childhood dreams.

His brilliant career path and the aura he exudes perfectly match their imagination of "being sharp and spirited", making him their dream man!

This also meant that, even though they had no conflict of interest with Shen Juan, they naturally felt a sense of goodwill towards this junior.

After all, who would make things difficult for the person they dream of being?
Meanwhile, many artists who were unable to attend the event also expressed their feelings and thoughts on Weibo.

For example, Tian Xiwei shared a photo of Shen Juan holding his trophy on stage, looking calm and collected, yet exuding an extremely confident and charismatic aura. She excitedly added a very personal caption: "[Awesome! You'll always be the most awesome singer and actor in my heart! (voice cracks)]"

Cheng Xiao didn't post a picture, but instead shared a highly pointed message: "When you're with someone on the same wavelength, even silence feels comfortable. You don't need to deliberately find topics, pretend to be interested, explain why you're suddenly happy, or explain why you're suddenly sad. He understands all your unspoken words and can catch all your wildest thoughts. Like now, even if I don't say anything, he'll know how happy I am for him and how proud I am of him."

Zhou Ye shared a set of old photos taken on the set of "Better Days," captioning them: "I suddenly came across these old photos while flipping through my album, and it really brought back so many memories! It's such a wonderful feeling to see my old classmates, who used to be my partners on set figuring out their roles, gradually become more and more dazzling, more and more invincible, and more and more capable, step by step climbing to higher stages, even reaching the top of the world!"

Following closely behind, numerous celebrities who had worked with or interacted with Shen Juan, including Wang Chuan, Xiao Hu, No. 6 Cun, Xiao Shen, Bao Bao, Jing Yi, Jenny, Tong Bao, Nazha, Ai Bao, Miao Zong, Jiang Jiang, Lao Song, and Zhu Xudan, updated their Weibo accounts to express their heartfelt congratulations in their own ways.

It evokes a strong sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of the second showdown between the Fish Pond girls at the Forbidden City after Shen Juan's global charity concert.

Moreover, the buzz on Weibo has already reached every corner, and the popularity continues to rise at a visible rate.

The hashtags #ShenJuanBestActorAtHundredFlowersAward# and #YoungestHundredFlowersAwardsActor# dominated the entertainment trending topics.

The comment sections of related trending Weibo posts were completely overrun by enthusiastic fans, with the screen filled with congratulations and cheers.

The path to excellence etches a name of greatness.

[He remains humble and grounded, always remembering where he came from. Hearing him say he didn't want to just be the youngest version of himself brought tears to my eyes instantly! This is the Shen Juan we admire! He possesses both ever-growing ambition and the ability to match it! And he's so sincere! Let's witness his legend and greatness together in the future!]

[I've always felt he's invincible. Whenever I see his promotional videos, I think he's amazing! His core is incredibly strong! He gives off an aura of omnipotence! And he's only 22 years old this year. It's truly remarkable that he's not only a singer but also achieved such success as an actor! I believe he'll only get better and better in the future!]

Many people overlook Shen Juan's talent in acting because of his outstanding achievements as a singer. Remember, he received a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Actor for his very first starring role! Someone like him would succeed no matter what he does or what he does.

[This guy really didn't prepare an acceptance speech, hahaha. It's just a slightly modified version of what he said in the documentary, right? But thinking about it, it's understandable. The Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor probably doesn't even make the cut on his trophy display case. What others treasure seems just ordinary to him.]

He reminds me of a lonely yet bright North Star, a noble and beautiful existence. The Chinese entertainment industry is a barren wasteland, lacking any truly shining figures, and he is that sole ray of light! So whenever I feel emo and insecure about life, I watch Shen Juan, and I think that there are still such wonderful people in this world to see, so I can't give up!

Amidst this grand celebration, many netizens spontaneously created videos to refute the previous controversies surrounding Shen Juan.

For example, a Bilibili up-master named "Tired Planet" immediately released a pre-prepared video to lead the way in clearing up the wrongs!

"I have never really understood the idea that Shen Juan is a privileged person. Does winning too many awards mean he has privileges? Wouldn't Liang Chaowei and Zhou Xun, who are also big award winners, be labeled with the same thing? We can't use prejudice to speculate about the success of a public figure just because he is too outstanding and too dazzling."

"This bizarre logic is untenable. It's unfair to him and to those who truly work hard! In my opinion, Shen Juan's award is not a victory for popularity. On the contrary, it is proof that strength reigns supreme in the era of popularity, and it can even be said to be a sign that the bubble of popularity has burst!"

"Moreover, a slightly more objective and rational viewpoint would reveal that his current popularity and traffic have never been built up through hype, but rather through the reputation and popularity accumulated from his solid works. All of his team's marketing efforts are based on reasonable exposure supported by his strength. None of the goals he has publicly stated were just empty boasts; they have all been realized through subsequent efforts."

"Therefore, the public's support, trust, and recognition of him have already formed an irreversible trend."

"This is not a coincidence; it is a well-deserved reward for one's strength."

"at last."

"People of this era have to get used to his success."

"Then accept his greatness."

(End of this chapter)