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

Chapter 441 From Mang Village?

The day after the Golden Melody Awards ceremony, just as dawn was breaking, the official Weibo account of the Golden Melody Awards organizing committee released a statement.

The statement was short, but it was filled with condemnation of Zhang Wen.

“During this year’s Golden Melody Awards ceremony, musician Zhang Wen engaged in extreme behavior on stage, such as smashing trophies and making inappropriate remarks. This not only seriously disrupted the ceremony’s order but also highlighted his extreme disrespect for industry awards.”

"As a highly credible selection event in the Chinese music scene, the Golden Melody Awards has always been committed to promoting the development of the music industry and has a zero-tolerance attitude towards any behavior that undermines industry rules and tramples on the dignity of the awards. We hereby strongly condemn it."

The entire statement made no mention of the controversies surrounding the Best Lyricist, Best Composer, and Best Arranger awards, as if Zhang Wen's act of smashing the trophy was merely a baseless farce.

After the statement was released, dozens of music influencers quickly reposted it, including some musicians who have served as judges for the Golden Melody Awards for many years.

They also added their own comments when they forwarded it.

"The music industry is most averse to impetuosity. It's good that young people are talented, but if they don't know how to respect others, they will only go downhill."

"The authority of the Golden Melody Awards cannot be challenged, and Zhang Wen's behavior has crossed the industry's bottom line."

"Zhang Wen disrespects the Golden Melody Awards and other musicians, and must issue a public apology."

"..."

The collective voices of these influential figures seemed like a pre-arranged script, attempting to seize the moral high ground in public opinion and nail Zhang Wen to the pillar of shame for 'breaking the rules and trampling on dignity'.

The organizing committee initially thought that the influence of the Golden Melody Awards and music influencers would quickly quell the controversy, but the situation developed in a way that completely exceeded their expectations.

This statement not only failed to quell the previous night's farce, but instead acted like pouring water into a frying pan, instantly igniting even fiercer criticism.

Angry and righteous netizens flooded the comment section of the Golden Melody Awards' official Weibo account like a tidal wave, with the number of comments exceeding 100,000 in just one hour.

"Hilarious! They don't mention a word about the shady selection process, but instead keep focusing on the smashing of the trophy. Are they trying to divert attention?"

"Three songs made it into the Top Ten Songs, and it even won the Best Song Award, but it didn't even get a lyricist or composer award. Who wouldn't be angry? And they still have the nerve to say that others don't respect the awards?"

"The organizing committee seems to have forgotten that the credibility of the awards is built on the works themselves, not on condemning musicians who are recognized by the audience."

"It's best not to say too much; justice resides in the hearts of the people!"

Soon, the pinned Weibo post, originally intended to promote the winning entries, was flooded with a barrage of criticisms, with the most liked comments all mocking and questioning the organizing committee and judging panel.

Media reporters attempted to contact the organizing committee staff to verify the selection details, but received a "no comment" response. Some judges' Weibo accounts were also flooded with comments from netizens hoping to learn about the selection criteria, but they did not receive a reply for a long time.

The organizing committee and judges' evasive attitude further fueled public dissatisfaction, and more and more people questioned the Golden Melody Awards.

Meanwhile, the video of Zhang Wen smashing the trophy saw a geometric increase in views across various platforms, surpassing ten million views in less than a day.

Even the footage of him bumping into the host was edited out, sparking even more suspicion.

In particular, the phrase "The Golden Melody Awards are nothing special" immediately topped the trending searches and spread rapidly online and in real life.

This statement, like a precise rant, hit the nail on the head regarding the industry's chaotic state, and quickly became the hottest buzzword of the year.

Whether it's casual banter on social media or casual conversations among friends, you can always hear people using the phrase "that's all there is to it" to express their mockery of injustice.

Zhang Wen and his songs have once again received a lot of attention because of this incident. Even some netizens who don't usually pay attention to music couldn't help but find those three songs and wonder why there are controversies every year for the awards, but only this time the losers received so much support from netizens.

As a result, even more people are mocking the Golden Melody Awards.

Meanwhile, the number of plays for the three songs "New Life", "Human World" and "The Best of Us" skyrocketed on major music platforms, dominating the top three spots on various charts and breaking multiple platform records.

Tianxi Media Training Department

After returning from Guangcheng, Zhang Wen only rested for one day before coming to work at the company.

He sat at his workstation, sipping tea and scrolling through his phone screen, looking at the latest news about the Golden Melody Awards online.

Whenever he sees comments from netizens who speak up for him, he doesn't hesitate to give them a thumbs up, his fingers constantly tapping the screen.

There's nothing we can do; there are just too many righteous people.

When Zhang Wen appeared in the office, his colleagues were incredibly excited, even more so than when they saw a celebrity. After all, celebrities wouldn't dare to smash a trophy.

"Teacher Zhang is so cool. I wish I had his courage," a female employee whispered to her colleague, her eyes full of admiration.

The female colleague sitting next to me picked up her coffee, took a sip, and said slowly, "It's cool, but a bit too reckless."

These words resonated with everyone, and those around them nodded in agreement.

“That’s right.” Someone leaned over and said in a low voice, “After what happened with President Li, who in the entire entertainment industry doesn’t know? These past two months, everyone in the company has been on their guard, and they have to think twice before speaking to him.”

When the others thought about the recent changes in the training department, they were at a loss for words.

When Teacher Zhang and General Manager Li had a falling out online, the entire company was filled with a tense atmosphere, and the employees in the training department were caught in the middle and felt particularly uncomfortable.

During that period, everyone avoided Teacher Zhang and didn't even dare to talk to him much, for fear that it would reach President Li's ears. When gods fight, mortals suffer.

After finally getting through these two months, everyone saw that Teacher Zhang and President Li got along peacefully without any conflict, and the relationship slowly began to return to normal. They could even chat for a few minutes when they bumped into Teacher Zhang in the break room. But just a few days after the atmosphere eased, the incident of smashing the trophy on the Golden Melody Awards stage occurred.

I heard that the day after the awards ceremony, which was yesterday, General Manager Li came to the company and started yelling at people. If the copywriting was not good, you would be yelled at; if you spoke too loudly in the office, you would be yelled at; and even if the lunch was not to your liking, he called out the head of the administration department and yelled at him for half an hour.

It's like gods cursing gods, and Buddhas cursing Buddhas.

"This time, Mr. Zhang has offended the Golden Melody Awards organizers," a veteran employee sighed. "They are a long-established authority in the music industry. He just smashed the trophy and said, 'The Golden Melody Awards are nothing special.' Isn't he just pushing himself to the brink?"

"I even suspect that Teacher Zhang is from Mangcun, otherwise how could he be so daring and enterprising? In all my years at the company, I have never seen a songwriter like him."

"However, this year's Golden Melody Awards were really excessive; those judges were clearly targeting Mr. Chang."

"Right and wrong are one thing, consequences are another." The veteran employee put down his teacup, his tone carrying the worldliness of someone who had been through it all. "In the entertainment industry, talent and temper alone are not enough. You have to know how to assess the situation. He got his way this time, but what about later? If the music association makes things difficult for him, who will sing his songs in the future?"

Although no one spoke after hearing this, everyone in the vicinity agreed with the old employee's words.

The workplace is like a martial arts world. But it's not about fighting and killing; it's about interpersonal relationships and social dynamics.

Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to Teacher Zhang, wondering what difficulties this seemingly reckless teacher would face next.

"boom!"

At that moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Director Xu Qingyu walked in with a serious expression. In an instant, the entire office fell silent. No one dared to speak and all lowered their heads, pretending to work.

Xu Qingyu scanned the office area, paused for a moment when she saw Zhang Wen, and then quickly walked over.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

Xu Qingyu tapped on Zhang Wen's desk, tossed her head, and walked towards the office.

When Zhang Wen saw this, he knew that Director Xu had something to say to him, so he got up and followed him.

The two entered the office, and Xu Qingyu slammed the office door shut. She then dropped her serious expression, put on a pained face, and said, "My dear young master, can you please stop causing me trouble?"

Zhang Wen looked puzzled. "Director, I just started work today and haven't done anything except drink tea. How did I cause you any trouble?"

"I'd rather you just stay in the department drinking tea every day, that way you won't cause trouble outside." Xu Qingyu sighed deeply. "That's the Golden Melody Awards, the benchmark of the music industry. You smashed the trophy during the live broadcast and said those kinds of things. What if the Golden Melody Awards and the Music Association target our company because of this?"

Seeing Xu Qingyu pacing anxiously, Zhang Wen calmly said, "Director Xu, you don't need to worry. The whole thing is actually Li Lehua trying to suppress me through the Golden Melody Awards, so neither the Golden Melody Awards nor the Music Association will target our company."

"What?" Xu Qingyu was completely petrified, her eyes filled with disbelief, and even her voice trembled. "How did you know? President Li wouldn't do such a thing, would he?"

"Why don't you just ask her? But I don't think she'll admit it," Zhang Wen said calmly.

Xu Qingyu frowned, her expression becoming quite complicated.

Regardless of whether Mr. Li would actually do such a thing, given his connections, it wouldn't be difficult for him to do it.

Having worked at the company for so many years, she was somewhat familiar with President Li's methods. While she couldn't say he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, he had certainly done quite a few outrageous things.

However, the idea that Li Lehua would go so far as to use her connections to influence the Golden Melody Awards selection in order to suppress Zhang Wen was still somewhat hard for her to accept.

"This is too outrageous!" Xu Qingyu muttered to herself, sweat beading on her forehead. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked up at Zhang Wen and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

Zhang Wen shook his head. "Not yet, but all signs point to her. And since I threw the trophy, she hasn't called me once. If it weren't for her, for the sake of the company's interests, given her temper, she would have already posted on Weibo to distance herself from me."

Xu Qingyu thought about it and realized that it made sense.

She turned around and covered her forehead with her hand.

The boss is a handful, and the employees are a handful too; she's having a really tough time.

At this moment, she even had the urge to send Earth's coordinates to the Trisolarans.

Let's just destroy it already.

"Ring ring ring!"

Suddenly, an electronic bell rang inside the room.

Zhang Wen took out his phone from his pocket, glanced at the caller ID on the screen, and said to Xu Qingyu, "Director Xu, if there's nothing else, I'll head out now."

Xu Qingyu was still processing what Zhang Wen had just said, and upon hearing his words, she nodded slightly.

Zhang Wen strode out of the director's office and answered his phone as he closed the door.

"Hey?"

"Teacher Zhang, someone is trying to suppress your popularity, it seems to be the music association. What should we do now?" Jiang Xin, the reporter, said over the phone.

"Is that even a question? Of course, we'll boost my popularity even further." Zhang Wen entered an empty practice room, closed the door, and said, "Like I said, we're not short of money."

I got a few million more from Li Lehua last time, and this time it will come in handy.

In this information-saturated era, popularity equals influence, and he won't let the Golden Melody Awards committee silence everyone so easily, nor will he let Li Lehua off the hook so easily.

Besides these, he had other plans.

When Jiang Xin saw that Teacher Zhang was about to start another online battle, she immediately became excited. "Teacher Zhang, are you planning to fight the Golden Melody Awards organizing committee this time? Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."

"In addition, contact some entertainment accounts to edit together Future Girls' previous stage videos to highlight their strength and hard work. By the way, although they didn't win the Best Newcomer Group Award this time, their songs made it into the Top Ten Hits, showing everyone how excellent they are."

"Understood, Teacher Zhang. Just watch, I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly." Jiang Xin said, making a mental note of it.

"Well done this time, I'll give you a big chicken leg," Zhang Wen said.

"Hehe, thank you, boss," Jiang Xin said happily, even changing her form of address.

This chicken leg isn't for eating, it's a red envelope (a monetary gift).

Every time she helped someone, Teacher Zhang would give her a red envelope. Just like the last time she received a red envelope for the 'bullying on set' incident.

A big chicken leg is like a big red envelope.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Wen looked at his phone screen, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

It seems that not only the Golden Melody Awards organizing committee is trying to suppress the hype this time, but also Li Lehua.

Ultimately, this whole mess was started by Li Lehua. Now that it's blown up so big, not only is the credibility of the Golden Melody Awards being questioned by the public, but even the music association, which has always considered itself authoritative, has been dragged into it. Li Lehua must be in a real bind right now.

"Since you won't give me an award, I'll create my own buzz."

"You ruined my plans, this is the price you pay!"

……

(End of this chapter)