Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 535 Defeat You Head-on in Your Own Territory
After Best Actor, it's time for Best Actress.

Zhang Jingchu's "Project Gutenberg", Zhou Qiuyu's "Better Days", Zhang Ziyi's "The Climbers", Kara Hui's "My People, My Country", and Tan Zhuo's "Sheep Without a Shepherd".

Echoing Shen Juan's words from afar, there's not much suspense.

Zhou Qiuyu, also from the cast of "Better Days," won the Best Actress award with a landslide victory in the votes.

As Zhou Qiuyu walked off the stage with the trophy and certificate in his hands, the highly anticipated awards ceremony gradually came to an end.

The winners of the final awards have been determined one by one:

The Best Film Award was given to the patriotic anthology film "My People, My Country," while the Outstanding Film Award went to "Dying to Survive," which sparked nationwide discussion two years ago. Guo Fan, who devoted many years of his life to "The Wandering Earth," won the Best Director Award for his groundbreaking contribution to Chinese science fiction films.

With this, all the awards for the 35th Hundred Flowers Awards have been presented. All the guests and nominated actors went on stage to sing "Defend the Yellow River" together and take a group photo. This major film awards ceremony, which carries the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the film market, has now come to a successful conclusion.

However, the tasks for some of the award-winning actors are not yet finished.

As required by the organizing committee, they also had to take the trophy to the designated media area to be interviewed by the media.

On the way to the media interview area, people kept coming up to Shen Juan to chat and make friends or to get acquainted with him.

There were directors and producers he knew well, as well as senior colleagues who admired him and wanted to get to know this young hero who dared to challenge the dragon. Congratulations and words of advice rose and fell, making Shen Juan the center of attention.

Chen Daoming pulled him aside and admonished him: "Xiao Shen, you need to be more careful now. With your popularity rising, every move you make is under the public eye. Every work you star in will be analyzed frame by frame by the audience and people in the industry. Lines, eyes, and even a small gesture may be magnified and given some colors that you didn't intend to add. But you must remember not to put too much pressure on yourself. The most important thing is to stay true to your original aspirations, act solidly, don't let the outside voices disrupt your rhythm, and don't let temporary honors go to your head. Taking one step at a time is better than anything else."

Shen Juan nodded seriously.

He always showed great respect and courtesy to these truly capable and respected senior figures in the industry.

This is also the main reason why Princess Na Ying and her two sisters like him so much and help him open up various channels and connections in Beijing's social circles.

After all, who would refuse a junior who is good-looking, exceptionally talented, has a personality that suits their taste, and is also very genuine?

With a fawning smile, Liu Haoran wanted Shen Juan to help promote "Detective Chinatown 3," which had been shelved for a year.

Shen Juan said he would think about it later.

Dude, do you really think I'm just a ruthless PR machine?
Furthermore, even if we take a step back and assume that this is a good movie that helps the industry develop, then promoting it is fine.

It's still worth doing things that benefit others without harming yourself.

The problem is, this movie is really just so-so.

The number of product placements by various brands may be the highest in history!
Shen Juan was afraid that advertising for it would damage his reputation.

Huang Xiaoming invited Shen Juan to have dinner together after he returned to Beijing.

Although he still hasn't sought out the two parties involved to verify the truth of the rumors about Yang Ying and Shen Juan, he no longer cares.

At least you have to pretend you don't care.

Only in this way can we save some face.

Even if the two of them staged a scene at his house where the wife colluded with an outsider to get the husband drunk and then committed adultery, he would...
No, I still can't accept this!
That's so damn hurtful to my self-esteem!
Wu Jing pulled Shen Juan aside and whispered about "The Wandering Earth 2".

Although Guo Fan definitely had no objections, he didn't want to let Shen Juan steal his role as the young Liu Peiqiang.

In fact, he just wanted Shen Juan to make a cameo appearance and then use Shen Juan's influence to export the ball overseas.

Although Shen Juan was somewhat speechless, he had long been accustomed to being treated like Tang Monk's flesh by his colleagues who coveted his body.

So he also said we'd talk about it later.

Brother Jing doesn't have any major flaws.

He's a bit of a chauvinist and likes to show off.

And they often overdo it.

But no matter what, we are all Chinese. It's fine to joke around and have fun in private, but taking it too seriously is going too far.

Yu Dong is also inviting Shen Juan to join the cast of "The Battle at Lake Changjin".

Shen Juan was so rejected that he was speechless.
Bona Film Group has produced so many patriotic films over the years mainly because it was inspired by Wu Jing to go public and exploit retail investors.

As a result, the main theme faltered later on, and the show fizzled out.

Therefore, Shen Juan would certainly not be tied to them.

In fact, many big-name stars, including Big Brother Cheng, have said similar things. Mainstream films are a very clever subject. They can firmly bind the public's emotions and feelings about a certain period of history or a certain event to the film, thus allowing the filmmakers and the film itself to reap the benefits of the times.

The problem is that not every creator and investor deserves this support and love from the public.

Guan Hu is a big proponent of mainstream propaganda.

He directed all of the films, including "The Eight Hundred," "The Sacrifice," and "Dongji Island," and he also participated in "My People, My Country."

But is this guy really that passionate?
Hard to say.

Many people are consuming mainstream themes.

Many people are exploiting mainstream narratives to profit from Mane.

There were even quite a few mainstream investors who wanted to bring Shen Juan along to reap the rewards, believing that their combined strength would make them invincible.

For example, the character Zhang Yi in "The Sacrifice".

Guan Hu had called beforehand saying it was for Shen Juan.

A bit strange
This is like using a projector to play a great movie; you like the movie itself, not the projector.

Since you know there's more than one rat dropping in this soup, and you can't be sure if you'll get it on you, it's better not to drink it.

This is the simplest, most direct, yet most effective way to handle it.

So if an interview were to be conducted now, Shen Juan would express his respect and understanding of the mainstream ideology in the same way as Jackie Chan.

But I'd rather not act in it.

The eldest brother, Cheng, has already provided the answer.

With such a huge influence, such an exaggerated level of national recognition, and such strong public appeal, they really don't need to act in any mainstream films!
He couldn't possibly be unaware of the intricacies involved.

There are many ways to be patriotic.

Shen Juan has been deeply involved in the field of public welfare and charity for many years. For example, after successfully acquiring NBA and WNBA teams recently, he also plans to donate some basketball and football fields in China. He also plans to organize village-level basketball and football leagues in Guizhou in the original timeline as soon as the situation becomes more stable.

He helps everyone build their spiritual world by promoting mainstream values, and he does his best to help some people improve their material well-being.

Dude, this is the real deal – a perfect combination of two swords.

The person who was most pleased with Shen Juan's repeated rejections of "The Battle at Lake Changjin" was actually Yi Yangqianxi, the backup lover that Bona Film Group was keeping.

Since losing the competition for the lead role in "Better Days," he and his team have been closely monitoring Shen Juan's development, observing his every move, understanding his thoughts and actions, analyzing his future possibilities, and using Shen Juan as an ideal template to design a development path suitable for Yi Yang Qianxi himself.

They don't aspire to become world-renowned pop stars like Shen Juan; they only hope that Yi Yangqianxi can dominate the domestic young male idol scene.

Let me briefly mention the current development of this young actor.

Of the original four big names and three small names, Li Yifeng and Yang Yang are now flops, Lu Han is constantly declining in popularity, Wu Jiaheng has lost a lot of fans but is able to take the high-end fashion route, Hua Zi has made a big mistake, and Kai Zi has also disappeared somewhat. Only the four big names have gained a wave of fans with "Street Dance of China" the year before last and "The Longest Day in Chang'an" last year.

Lay's career has basically reached its limit. In the past two years, he signed with an overseas record company, hoping to become an international star. To this end, he even came up with the concept of "Chinese Power" to try to gain some traffic and star power from Shen Juan. Unfortunately, apart from fans, no one bought it at all. So he started cultivating a girl group, hoping to become the Lee Soo-man of the Chinese entertainment industry. Cai Xukun is not much different.

He wanted to become an international star, but he failed.

Her popularity has been declining for the past two years since her debut.

If it weren't for joining "Running Man" and releasing "The Lover" this year, which helped him recover some of his popularity, he would probably have become just an ordinary top star.

Xiao Zhan has a large fan base, but due to the explosion of fans, his public image has collapsed, and he is being protected and given the cold shoulder by Tencent.

Wang Yibo, who also rose to the top of the entertainment industry through "The Untamed," is doing very well. He is not only making strides in both business and fashion, but has also secured a role in "Peacekeeping Riot Squad," which is scheduled to start filming next February. Like Xiao Zhan, who took on the second lead role in "Ace Troops," both of them plan to wash away their image of being associated with BL dramas by starring in military dramas.

Moreover, because they both belong to the Ali Capital camp, in a sense, he and Yi Yang Qianxi have become destined rivals.

Who exactly is Ahri's Crown Prince?
That will depend on how things develop.

then
Shen Juan released a song, and Yi Yang Qianxi also released a song.

Shen Juan targets the global market, while he targets the domestic entertainment industry.

Shen Juan left Lehua to start his own business, and the ecological niche and resources that were vacated in Ali Entertainment's empire were naturally inherited by him.

The crime film "Broken Bridge," currently being filmed in Sichuan and directed by Li Yu, is actually a remake of "Better Days."

As for the film "The Battle at Lake Changjin" that we are currently in talks with?
It's important to understand that the domestic mainstream film market was at its peak at that time, with an astonishing scale! As long as the quality and release date weren't too bad, two or three billion yuan in box office revenue would be easy to come by, and even one billion yuan would be considered a drag. Therefore, Yi Yangqianxi and his team firmly believed that this film would be their springboard and a take-off!
Directed by Cheng Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam.

A host of big names, including Wu Jing, Duan Yihong, Zhu Yawen, Li Chen, Hu Jun, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xuan, and Han Dongjun, have joined the cast.

A truly all-star roster!

It would be a failure if it didn't cut 3 billion in box office revenue!
So when they learned that the key role of Wu Wanli in "The Battle at Lake Changjin" had been decided to go to Yi Yangqianxi, their long-suppressed expectations burst forth instantly. They were naturally overwhelmed with excitement and joy, feeling that Shen Juan was their benefactor!

With him around, Millennium really avoided a lot of detours!

So what's his next step?

I heard that they filmed an anti-cancer movie and a romance movie this year, and are currently filming a modern romance movie related to e-sports and space travel.
Yay! More homework to copy!
Let's leave the current situation aside for now.

My daughter, Millennium, is a distinguished movie star!

So it's time to start scouring for scripts on these two themes. If you're going to imitate, you have to imitate properly. If you're going to pay homage, you have to pay homage to the end!
From now on, when Shen Juan goes abroad and stops developing his career in the Chinese entertainment industry, the Chinese entertainment industry will be ruled by our Millennium!
(Different colors represent different months)
Even after winning the Best Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards, life goes on.

Shen Juan returned to the film crew in Shanghai and continued working diligently.

A few days flew by.

The best in the world is still the best in the world.

There's always a lot of news about the world's number one.

Sometimes, even if he actively avoids the world and reduces his exposure, the traffic and popularity that others flock to will still come to him.

So, as the end of the month approaches, another breaking news story has emerged.

First, as the National Day approached—the release date of the "Leviathan Era Tour" movie—Alovers across the country and even around the world launched support activities in their respective countries and regions, including but not limited to purchasing outdoor screens and placing advertisements on public transportation to promote the concert and movie.

Then, a marketing account revealed that Ju Jingyi had successfully terminated her contract with Siba, bringing an end to this months-long tug-of-war involving countless controversies and scandals. However, soon after, another marketing account revealed that after leaving Siba, Ju Jingyi did not start her own business, but joined Xinglian and became an artist under Shen Juan.

Considering Shen Juan's less-than-ideal private life and the well-known rumors about his fishpond, the turmoil began again.

Many fans and netizens have raised their own questions and opinions regarding Ju Jingyi's choice to join Starlink.

[No way! I was actually happy about terminating my contract, but then she signed with Shen Juan's company?! Everyone knows about his messy private life, his love life is overflowing! What is Ju Jingyi after? I really don't want to think about whether there's anything going on between them, please, please, it's just a simple collaboration!]

I know some people will start speculating! But I still want to say something for my sister: don't throw mud at us! I still don't quite understand why she chose Shen Juan's company. Was she coerced? Or is there some kind of behind-the-scenes contact we don't know about? Sigh... let's respect her choice.

[Seeing how assertive my sister was in terminating her contract, I thought she would open her own studio and take control, but in the end she signed with Shen Juan? Speechless. I can't help but wonder if they had been in contact all along? Otherwise, why would she choose Shen Juan over so many other companies? My heart is broken.]

[Stop throwing mud! My sister got the contract based on her national popularity and fan base data! Shen Juan is just the boss. Does signing with a company automatically mean she has to resort to underhanded tactics? Some people just can't stand to see my sister doing well after leaving SNH48! But I still hope she can stay away from the boss; I'm really afraid of these baseless accusations.]

[Wuhu~ Sister Ju has successfully left Siba, her career is finally about to take off! Seeing Sister Ju and Shen Juan together is really pleasing to the eye! And with their size difference, if they were together, wouldn't they be hugging... you know...?! I've already imagined a hundred different erotic fanfics with different professions and backgrounds!]

[Congratulations to Shen Juan icon on the successful completion of his fishpond expansion project! Also, congratulations to Ju Jingyi for officially becoming a new fish seedling under Shen's wing. The only question now is whether Ju Jingyi obtained a short-term visa or permanent residency in the fishpond?]

Objectively speaking, Starlink's resources are indeed excellent, both in terms of commercial and fashion, things Ju Jingyi couldn't access with SNH48. However, it's also a fact that Shen Juan has issues with his private life. Now that Ju Jingyi has signed with him, wouldn't discerning people immediately associate it with that? After all, there are far too many examples in the industry of people using each other for resources or even having affairs. I really don't want my sister to have any involvement with him outside of work. I hope her idol integrity built up over so many years won't be ruined by this scumbag, Shen Juan!

Next, Time magazine released its list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2020, and Shen Juan was selected for the third consecutive year.

It is worth mentioning that in its review of Shen Juan, Time magazine said: "He is an extraordinary figure who leads the trend of contemporary music. Through music and speeches, he constantly conveys and outputs values ​​about independence, confidence and resilience, becoming a spiritual sustenance and role model for many Gen Z young people."

"In the age of social media, he is adept at using his influence to actively participate in discussions on social issues, speak out for the promotion of equality for ethnic minorities and the protection of creators' rights, demonstrating a strong sense of social responsibility and inspiring fans and supporters to pay attention to the wider world and strive for justice and fairness."

Finally, the latest Billboard weekly chart is out, and Shen Juan's "STAY," released five months ago, continues to top the chart with a slight advantage over Cardi B's "WAP" and BTS's "Dynamite," becoming the first single in history to reach 20 weeks at number one on the US Billboard charts.

Such a groundbreaking and historic achievement has undoubtedly caused a huge stir around the world, instantly attracting widespread attention and heated discussions from all walks of life.

The New York Times immediately published an article marveling at the event: "Alex Shen's inclusion in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world for three consecutive years is no accident, but an inevitable result of his status as the King of Pop! He not only constantly innovates and pushes boundaries in the field of music creation, but also becomes a pioneer in cross-cultural communication with his unique personal charm and global vision. From the fusion and innovation of musical styles to the ultimate presentation of stage performances, every appearance of Alex Shen reshapes the public's understanding of pop culture, and he is undoubtedly leading the trend of the times."

The Guardian in the UK focused on the historic and astonishing achievements of "STAY": "Alex Shen and Justin Bieber's collaboration 'STAY' is like a miracle in the music industry in the streaming era. From a blank number one spot to a consecutive number one spot, back to number one, and then another consecutive number one spot, it has been able to maintain its dominance on the Billboard Hot 100 by a narrow margin for nearly five months after its release, setting a historical record of 20 weeks at number one! There is no doubt that it has broken the limitations of music genres and national and linguistic boundaries, allowing global audiences in different time zones to immerse themselves in the same melody, demonstrating the powerful appeal and unifying force of modern pop music that transcends geographical boundaries."

CNN also gave it high praise: "Alex Shen's dual success in music and influence perfectly reflects his unique position in the global cultural landscape. He uses music as a bridge to build a channel for communication between listeners from different cultural backgrounds; and he leverages his fan base and influence to drive changes in popular culture in the internet age. Whether in terms of artistic achievement or social impact, Alex has set an insurmountable benchmark, becoming a spiritual sustenance and role model for many Gen Z young people, and opening up a new path for the development of contemporary artists."

Fans and netizens from all over the world, speaking different languages, also joined in this limited-time carnival.

[OMG! Alex really did it! He's the man! He's the chosen one! I've been listening to this song on repeat since its release, and I still get rocking every time I hear it. So how does Alex consistently produce hits of this caliber?]

He truly understands pop music, and he understands us listeners so well! I never imagined a song could stay at number one for 20 weeks. I think Billboard absolutely has to change its rules to target Alex, otherwise Billboard will become Alex's playground! I'm not exaggerating! I'm seriously serious!

[Seriously! Shen Juan-sang is so handsome and amazing!!! You can hear "STAY" everywhere in Japan, and many of my friends who don't listen to English songs can sing it. I sincerely hope that a Japanese singer will collaborate with him in the future! I really hope that Shen Juan-sang will release more Japanese songs to give back to his Japanese fans!]

Just a few days ago, I saw the news on the Shibuya big screen that Shen Juan was selected as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, and many people around me were taking pictures. I didn't expect to see the news so soon that "STAY" broke the record for the most-selling album. Achieving such great success in the North American music scene is truly a source of pride and glory for all of Asia!

[How could BTS possibly compete with Alex? I told you Korean men were inferior to Chinese men, but no one believed me! Now look what happened! They've been holding back for so long and still couldn't even win a week's championship. If they had just honestly admitted defeat, there wouldn't have been so much trouble. All Korean men should learn a lesson from this and stop being enemies with Shen Juan!]

Actually...
It's no wonder that Heyman broke the anti-fraud campaign and accused Shen Juan of cultural appropriation, because he truly took Heyman's music in the streaming era to the extreme.

At least in terms of popularity, it was at the forefront of the times.

To crush, slaughter, and rule in a field created and cherished by others, or even to directly shatter their confidence and pride, is a disparity that no one can accept!

This is similar to table tennis, which is considered China's national sport. If one day Europeans were to dominate and win, the Chinese people would not be able to accept it either.

Therefore, the white population is much more at ease. They have long since given up, after all, the decline of white music in recent years is an indisputable fact. For them, it is better to become Shen Juan's defeated opponent along with the black musicians they despise than to lose to them.

At least Shen Juan still uses the music system that black and white people have cultivated for many years, rather than creating a completely new genre.

Our music is right, it's just that the people are wrong.

The concept itself is not the problem; the execution went wrong.

It's our generation of young singers who have let us down.

The emergence of short videos has destroyed popular music.

It's Shen Juan who's too strong, not that we're too weak.

Therefore, these kinds of blame-shifting views have become a source of some solace and self-comfort for them amidst their suffering.

(As of September 2020, Wajuan has 20 singles with over 1 billion views)
(End of this chapter)