Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 744 Before the Golden Horse Awards
The feud between Shu Chang and Yang Mi reached its climax before the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, sparked by rumors circulating online that Yang Mi had stolen Shu Chang's magazine.

COSMOPOLITAN magazine had originally planned to feature Shu Chang at the start of next year's year. Shu Chang's fashion resources are quite average, and this is her first time appearing on one of the top five fashion magazines at the start of the year. It was something her agent had worked very hard to secure.

Unexpectedly, Yang Mi, who was heavily pregnant, poached him, saying she wanted to take some kind of maternity photoshoot.

When did COSMOPOLITAN become so daring, using a pregnant woman to start the year?
Although this news was "rumored online," it became increasingly believable as it spread.

COSMOPOLITAN magazine completely ignored this wave of public opinion and remained silent.

This silence has only exacerbated the antagonism between the two artists.

Since Shu Chang posted a few days ago subtly criticizing Yang Mi for not being committed to her acting, Yang Mi has not responded.

But on this day, Yang Mi, who was resting at home during her pregnancy, probably found some time and posted a Weibo post.

"While cleaning out my closet, I dug out an old coat that had been gathering dust at the bottom of my drawer. I always thought it looked old-fashioned no matter how I styled it, but now that the retro trend is here, I find that old clothes can actually be quite fashionable. In fact, the fabric and cut of the clothes haven't been changed, and there haven't been any new designs. It's not that the clothes have suddenly become good; it's just that they've caught a ride on the wave of popularity and have become fashionable again."

It's quite obvious that Shu Chang is like an old coat that's been stored away at the bottom of a trunk. Her recent resurgence in popularity is just due to good luck and catching the right trend.

But as the saying goes, pregnancy makes you stupid for three years. Has Yang Mi forgotten that Shu Chang is the youngest among the post-85 actresses?

She was born in December 1987!
They're just considered old because they debuted early.

As soon as Yang Mi posted this Weibo post, she was immediately mocked by Shu Chang's fans for her age.

“You’re more than a year older than him; you’re the old coat.”

"Hahahaha! Trying to sound cultured by using metaphors, he ended up shooting himself in the foot!"

But these are all minor issues; the irony in that statement is quite clear.

But Shu Chang did not respond further, leaving only the fans of both sides to fight to the death.

Shu Chang's fans mocked Yang Mi for marrying the wrong person. "What female celebrity gets wished for divorce by netizens every day after getting married?"

This is a bit excessive. The other person is also constantly being asked by netizens when they will get a divorce. Blindly targeting others is not advisable.

Yang Mi's fans said that Shu Chang was opportunistic and that it was good to have powerful backers. "She didn't become famous on her own merits, so what's there to be proud of?"

If that's the case, then who in this industry becomes famous without relying on fate, luck, or the help of benefactors? Shu Chang has never marketed herself as someone who rose from humble beginnings.

Shu Chang ignored these comments because she was currently preparing for the start of filming for "The Beneficiary".

But reporters will inevitably ask Liu Yifei about this.

Before heading to the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, Liu Yifei was interviewed by reporters and was asked this question:

"It seems like Shu Chang and Yang Mi have had a bit of a falling out lately. Do you know why?"

Liu Yifei wasn't good at lying to reporters, but she couldn't just tell them everything, so she could only reply, "I've been on vacation for a while, so there are a lot of things I don't know. Don't you have any questions about the movie?"

Since Liu Yifei had already said that, the reporter had no choice but to steer the conversation back to this year's Golden Horse Awards.

"This is your second Golden Horse Best Actress nomination. You also won the Cannes Best Actress award for 'Marriage Story.' Do you think you can finally win the Golden Horse Award this time?"

Liu Yifei said, "The selection criteria for each award are different. I am already very lucky and honored to have won the Cannes Best Actress award. As for the Golden Horse Award, I will respect and accept whatever the result may be."

Liu Yifei is indeed the biggest favorite for Best Actress at this year's Golden Horse Awards. Before the reporter could ask any further questions, she continued, "Actually, if I could, I would like 'Marriage Story' to win Best Director. A lot of glory and recognition for this film has been given to me, and I am very grateful for the audience's and judges' love. But I think the director is the biggest contributor to all of this. Personally, he is my husband, and I hope he receives the recognition he deserves."

The biggest favorites for Best Director this year are indeed Zhang Yimou (Shadow) and Li Qiutang (Marriage Story).

The former's bold ink-wash aesthetics have received unanimous praise from critics at home and abroad; the latter, on the other hand, returns to tradition, and its Rashomon structure perfectly matches the film's theme, which has also won the favor of critics.

It can be said that either of these two directors from different generations deserved to win the Golden Horse Award.

Since filming wrapped on "Mulan" in September, Liu Yifei has not made any public appearances for two months. In fact, aside from a few sporadic interviews after winning Best Actress at Cannes, Liu Yifei has not appeared in public for half a year.

This is certainly in line with her personal style, but the media and the audience can't wait.

Today, as she attends the Golden Horse Awards, reporters have many questions for her.

A reporter asked her, "Reality shows are very popular now, would you consider participating in one?"

Liu Yifei shook her head firmly: "No. I don't reject reality shows. I often watch them at home, and they're a lot of fun. But I don't have the mood or the idea to participate yet. If I want to do it, I probably will. Right now, my focus is still on acting. Being a reality show viewer is also quite nice."

"What types of roles would you like to try after 'Marriage Story'?"

“I’m quite open to different roles; I don’t limit myself. What’s interesting is that being an actor can unlock many unknown aspects of yourself, and I’m also waiting for different roles to open up unknown aspects of myself to me.”

Will Director Li cast you in his next film?

Liu Yifei laughed: "Then you'll have to ask him. If I ask him, he'll deliberately annoy me and say he doesn't want to film me anymore."

"Marriage Story will be released next month. What preparations have you made?"

"Isn't this for an interview, for publicity?" Only Liu Yifei could say something so blunt that it would shut a reporter up.

"How do you feel about the movie finally being released?"

"I'm still nervous. Before, I was always facing judges, but now I'm facing ordinary audiences. The aesthetics and evaluation standards of the two groups are different, so I'm more nervous."

Liu Yifei chatted with the reporter for more than half an hour before leaving.

Meanwhile, Director Li was in the company's screening room, showing "Marriage Story" to some media and industry experts in advance.

In fact, Li Qiutang could have chosen not to come, but he still wanted to get direct feedback.

For some reason, Li Qiutang has been very worried lately about not getting feedback. Whether it's managing the company or working on a film set, timely and comprehensive information feedback is the most important aspect.

"The filming is fine, and the acting is fine too," Zhou Liming said after watching the film. "But if this kind of story and performance were released to the mass market, I'm worried that some people wouldn't appreciate it. Yi Fei's performance isn't 'explosive' at all. If someone insists that you acted badly, can you argue with them about acting techniques?"

"It's alright, I've already won the Best Actress award, I don't care about this," Li Qiutang said.

"The story is indeed a bit cliché, but fortunately it's wrapped in a Rashomon-like framework, so it's not boring and quite entertaining."

Later that evening, Li Qiutang joined the film crew, and the group flew to Taiwan.

On the plane, Li Qiutang's eyelids kept twitching; she had a bad feeling that tonight's awards ceremony wouldn't be peaceful.

(End of this chapter)