How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 429 Undercurrent
Two days later, Zhang Wen leisurely sipped his coffee while Wang Qi stared at the audio chart on the screen, making adjustments on the mixing console based on his earlier suggestions. The five girls from the Future Girls group huddled together, singing the lyrics a cappella and quietly practicing their harmonies.

Today we finished recording the fifth song, so the mini album is officially complete. All that's left is promotion and waiting for the release date.

"Buzz!"

Zhang Wen's phone suddenly vibrated. When he took it out and looked at the caller ID, he saw the name 'Wu Tong' flashing on the screen.

'Could the invitation have already been sent?'

Zhang Wen's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed the answer button, "Hello, Ms. Wu?"

"Hello, Teacher Zhang." Wu Tong's gentle voice came through the microphone. "Your invitation was delivered to the front desk of Tianxi Media at nine o'clock this morning. The receipt shows that it has been signed for. Did you receive it?"

"Not yet, thank you for calling to remind me. I'll go get it right away," Zhang Wen said after hearing this, just as he had guessed.

"Of course, then I won't bother you any longer. See you at the awards ceremony." Wu Tong's voice was filled with laughter.

"See you at the awards ceremony." Zhang Wen hung up the phone, waved his phone, and asked Wang Qi and the others who were looking over, "My invitations have arrived, and yours should have arrived too. Want to come and get them together?"

"I'll go!" Zhao Tong was the first to raise her hand, even more enthusiastic than when it was time to eat.

"I'm going too!" Zhang Jiajia and the others raised their hands one after another, their eyes practically overflowing with anticipation, all eager to see the invitation as soon as possible.

This is definitely an important moment in their lives that is worth recording.

Wang Qi stood up, patted the wrinkles on her clothes, and looked at Zhang Wen, saying, "Teacher Zhang, let's go get it together. It'll be good to stretch our legs; my back is aching from sitting so long."

"Hmm." Zhang Wen nodded, casually put down his coffee cup, and walked out of the recording studio.

A large group of people left in a grand procession, their hurried manner attracting the attention of the record production department staff, who craned their necks to look, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Where are we going? It doesn't seem to be lunchtime yet.
"Ding!"

The elevator reached the first floor, and Zhang Wen led the way out.

Upon seeing the group, the pretty receptionist immediately waved her hand and said, "Teacher Zhang, Teacher Wang, and members of the Future Girls Group, your packages are here."

After saying that, he took out the several express delivery envelopes that he had just received.

Zhang Wen found his envelope and carefully opened it. Inside was a folded red card with gold lettering on a white background that read: "We cordially invite Mr. Zhang Wen to attend the 22nd China Golden Melody Awards Ceremony."

In the lower right corner is the bright red seal of the China Music Association, and next to it is a metal guest badge.

Wang Qi, Zhao Tong, and the others also opened the envelopes. Wang Qi was a little better off, since it wasn't the first time he had received an invitation, and he wasn't as excited as he was the first time.

Zhao Tong and the others, on the other hand, looked rather exaggerated.

The five people stared excitedly at the contents of the invitation, their eyes wide open, unable to look away for a long time. Some even gently stroked the words with their fingers, as if to confirm if it was real.

"Wow, it's an invitation to the Golden Melody Awards ceremony!" The pretty receptionist looked at Zhang Wen, her eyes sparkling. "Mr. Zhang, you've written so many great songs, you must have been nominated, right?"

"Mm." Zhang Wen nodded with a smile.

"What awards did you get nominated for?" another receptionist asked, leaning over for a gossipy question.

"Best Lyricist, Best Composer, and Best Arranger," Zhang Wen said casually.

"And..." Wang Qi added from the side, "All three songs written by Teacher Zhang received nominations for Best Song Award."

Upon hearing this, the two receptionists instantly showed expressions of disbelief, their surprise almost tangible.

I've seen people get nominated before, but I've never seen anyone get so many nominations at once.

If it doesn't win two or three awards, then the judges are blind.

"Teacher Zhang, you're amazing!"

"Teacher Zhang, you are my idol! You truly are a hit song maker!"

The two receptionists looked on with infatuated expressions.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen waved his hand and calmly said, "Basic procedure, don't be silly."

"..."

The two receptionists' exclamations attracted many passing employees. Some stopped to congratulate them, while others took out their phones to take photos and share in the joy.

Zhang Wen smiled and made a few perfunctory remarks. He didn't stay on the first floor for long before returning to the recording studio. However, the news of his multiple Golden Melody Award nominations seemed to have grown wings and quickly spread throughout the entire company.

"Have you heard? Zhang Wen from the training department has received several Golden Melody Award nominations!"

"Not only that, even his songs were nominated for Best Song Award, that's amazing."

"No wonder he dared to publicly criticize the company and even challenge President Li. It would be a huge loss for the company to fire such a musical talent."

"Yes, now I understand why President Li chose to settle."

"..."

23rd floor. General Manager's office.

Li Lehua sat in the large leather sofa, her eyes closed, her head tilted back against the backrest, her right hand gently stroking the ring on her left ring finger.

Secretary Hu stood three steps away from the sofa and recounted in detail what had happened in the company last week.

In particular, the newly appointed deputy general manager, Chen Mingyuan, was the main focus of her report.

"Last week, Vice President Chen went to the film and television production department and stayed in Director Chen's office for more than half an hour. Then, accompanied by Director Chen, he visited two film crews..."

“On Wednesday morning, Vice President Chen called several top agents to his office. According to one of the agents, Vice President Chen hinted that artist resources would be redistributed in the future and hoped that these people would support him. He also promised to increase investment in these top agents in the future.”

"..."

Secretary Hu mentioned six things in a row. It can be said that the newly appointed Deputy General Manager Chen is never idle. He is always running around and eager to replace the General Manager.

Li Lehua slowly opened her eyes, her gaze devoid of any sleepiness, only filled with an unfathomable chill.

"He's in a real hurry," Li Lehua said with a sneer, his voice full of sarcasm. "He's only been in office for a month, and he already wants to win over all the important departments of the company. Is he afraid I'll make things difficult for him, or is he just eager to impress the shareholders?"

Secretary Hu didn't dare to respond. Having followed President Li for so many years, she knew all too well what these words meant. Just like the sea is always exceptionally calm before a storm.

She knew that President Li would never easily relinquish power; the reason he often didn't come to the company was simply because he was waiting for the right opportunity.

"What are the attitudes of the directors of each department? What do the company employees think of this Vice President Chen?" Li Lehua asked again.

"None of the department directors have publicly sided with Director Chen, but we don't know what they've done behind the scenes. As for the employees, they don't seem to have any particular opinion about Vice President Chen's arrival. However, the artists are starting to panic after learning that resources are going to be redistributed. It's said that several artists have privately invited Vice President Chen to dinner," Secretary Hu said truthfully.

"Hmph, taking over the company? Not so easy!" Li Lehua said coldly.

She wanted to let those shareholders know that without her, no one could make a difference to Tianxi Media.

"What's that guy surnamed Zhang up to lately?" Li Lehua asked abruptly.

"You mean Zhang Wen? He's been in the recording studio lately, preparing for Future Girls' new album..." Secretary Hu said, then suddenly seemed to remember something, "Oh right, I heard he received an invitation to the Golden Melody Awards ceremony today, and supposedly he received three nominations: Best Lyricist, Best Composer, and Best Arranger."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Lehua suddenly sat up straight on the sofa, her eyes narrowing into slits.

After waiting for more than a month, the opportunity has finally arrived!

In the entertainment industry, winning awards requires more than just a good work; the real factor influencing the outcome is the network of connections you have built.

The intricate relationships between the organizers, the seasoned judges, and the investors are the key factors in determining who wins the award.

Why do some singers win major awards at a young age, even though their works aren't particularly popular, while others, despite having debuted for over a decade or two and having a ton of representative works, consistently fail to win awards?

Ultimately, it comes down to not having strong enough connections or good relationships.

As the general manager of Tianxi Media, she has been in the entertainment industry for two or three decades, and connections are something she has no shortage of.

For an individual, receiving many nominations is a very happy thing, but if you don't win a single award, you are the biggest loser at the awards ceremony.

“Three nominations…” Li Lehua twitched the corners of his mouth, his smile filled with coldness.

Winning an award isn't that easy.

Li Lehua stood up, looked at his secretary and said, "Go check the list of judges for this year's Golden Melody Awards, then find that rare vinyl record I have in my collection and send it to the chairman of the judging panel."

"Yes," Secretary Hu replied. This wasn't the first time she'd done something like this; President Li always made these arrangements before major award ceremonies.

Li Lehua walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the bustling traffic below, and her smile deepened.

Doesn't that guy surnamed Zhang think he's incredibly talented and amazing?

This time, she wanted to show them that without connections to pave the way, even the most amazing work would only serve as a foil for others.

“And…” Li Lehua turned his head and said coldly, “Go and contact Chairman Zheng of the Music Association again, and tell him that I’m going to Guangcheng next week and would like to invite him to a casual meal.”

Upon hearing this, Secretary Hu broke out in a cold sweat.

With the judges and the music association working together, President Li not only wanted Zhang Wen to lose, but he wanted Zhang Wen to lose completely.

Three nominations, but no wins. This fall from grace is more painful than having no nominations at all.

It seems that winning this award will be even more difficult for Teacher Zhang than landing on the moon.

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Secretary Hu lowered his head, now only wanting to leave this office as soon as possible.

The office door slowly closed, and Li Lehua looked at her blurry reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

Hey Zhang, don't think you're so great just because you know how to create hype. This industry is a deep and murky place. I'll show you what I'm made of this time.

You're welcome.

(End of this chapter)