Abstract Art Award Winner

afterwards.

Zhou Le looked at Xiao Tian, ​​who was curled up asleep like a kitten, and gently covered her with the blanket again.

He picked up his phone; the data for "Clash of Titans" on the screen was still dazzling, but he had already begun planning his arrangements after returning home.

After spending the next few days experiencing the Christmas atmosphere in America, Zhou Le and Tian Xiwei returned to China one after the other.

Upon returning to China, the media frenzy and the enthusiastic welcome from fans were to be expected.

But Zhou Le still couldn't stop, as he also had to attend the Macau International Film Festival, the Changchun Film Festival, and the Huabiao Awards.

Fortunately, these three awards were held close together this year.

At the Macau Film Festival, Zhou Le won the Golden Lotus Award for Best Actor for his role in "Cliff Walkers".

On the red carpet, he remained calm and composed. After all, with the Golden Rooster Award already in the picture, there was no need to get excited now.

Next is the Huabiao Award.

Unlike the atmosphere in Macau, the Huabiao Awards are more solemn.

Zhou Le's goal this time was not an individual award, but to represent the "Make a Name for Yourself" crew in the competition for and ultimately win the Outstanding Young Film Creator Award.

He remained the center of attention at the Huabiao Awards banquet.

He chatted warmly and naturally with many well-known actors and directors. In the past, Zhou Le was just an actor and needed to be reserved in such occasions, but now he has also risen to the level of a businessman, so he can naturally sit on equal footing with most people.

Just maintain a certain level of respect for your seniors.

However, just when Zhou Le was riding high...

He first received a call from Wang Baoqiang.

"Le'er, have you heard about what happened with Wang Leehom?"

Zhou Le was taken aback: "No, what happened to him?"

"Yes, she's also his ex-wife. I've calculated it, but it's hard to say exactly. You can look it up online."

Zhou Le quickly went online to take a look.

The divorce dispute between Wang Leehom and his ex-wife Li Jinglei has erupted online, and its intensity and public nature have overshadowed all other trending topics for a time.

Public opinion was in an uproar.

Wang Leehom's carefully cultivated idol image suffered a devastating blow, with endorsement contracts being terminated, collaborations being suspended, and his career instantly plummeting to rock bottom.

"Le'er, then tell me about the collaboration."

Wang Baoqiang hesitated.

"Brother Baoqiang, what are your thoughts?"

Wang Baoqiang was somewhat bewildered: "I don't know either. Should I ask around and see what the specific situation is on his end?"

"also."

Zhou Le also asked Su Yingxia to inquire about it.

Not long after, Wang Lihong called.

“Le’er…it’s me.” He paused, seemingly unsure how to begin. “First of all, congratulations on the great success of your new song…and then, you’ve probably seen what’s going on here.”

"Brother Li Hong, I'm watching." Zhou Le said calmly, without much small talk.

“What I want to say is that the demo of the end credits song I promised to write for your and Baoqiang’s movie is already done, but…” Wang Leehom’s voice was full of bitterness, “Given my current situation, I’m afraid it will affect your movie. So, whether or not to continue the collaboration is up to you. I completely understand, really.”

Zhou Le could sense that the other party still wanted to maintain their dignity under these circumstances.

He didn't answer immediately, but asked in a deep voice, "Brother Li Hong, how's the quality of the song?"

When music was mentioned, Wang Leehom regained a bit of his professionalism: "It's one of my most satisfying works recently. The melody and lyrics fit the feeling of tenderness and power that you mentioned."

“Okay.” Zhou Le said decisively, “I’ll take the song. Brother Li Hong, I’ve looked into your personal matters, and I trust you. As for music collaborations, I, Zhou Le, value both the work and the person. I also trust your professionalism. I’ll see what Brother Bao Qiang says first, and I’ll give you a clear answer in a day or two.”

"Of course, if he has to consider the commercial impact for now, I can also buy your song. I also have a movie coming out later, so I can use it then."

"it is good."

Zhou Le also learned some details.

It's different from the other person's short essay.

After all, people in the industry know more.

The next day, Wang Baoqiang called again.

“Le’er, I’ve made up my mind. I still plan to use it because I thought of myself. Although the situation is slightly different, it’s still similar. When I was going through the most difficult time, my brother helped me. Now I feel that I should stand up for myself.”

"Just as I thought, but the movie will definitely be controversial."

“What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t we also have a lot of criticism right now? Everyone has their low points. They don’t dare to stand up, but I do. He’s definitely going to sue, and he’ll definitely win. I’m just going to take this gamble. At worst, this movie will lose money, but I’ll do more shows later and pay you back.”

"Haha, do you think I need you to pay me back? I'm the one who introduced you to this person. If you want to gamble, gamble together. There are plenty of people like this in the industry. Some have indeed given up, but there are also quite a few who are still active."

"Okay, then you go talk to him or I will."

"It's all right."

"You should go."

"Row."

Then Zhou Le dialed Wang Lihong's number.

“Brother Li Hong,” Zhou Le’s voice was steady and strong, “Brother Bao Qiang and I have discussed it.”

Wang Lihong's breathing clearly faltered on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Le continued, "The ending theme of 'The Octagonal Cage' will use your version. Let's continue our collaboration."

After a brief silence, Wang Lihong's voice was filled with disbelief: "Ah Le, Bao Qiang... thank you! Really... thank you both! At this critical moment..."

“It’s okay, Li Hong,” Zhou Le interrupted him, his tone sincere. “We are collaborators and friends. Take care of your own affairs. We’ll wait for you on the music side. Don’t forget, you promised to personally supervise the production.”

"must!"

After dealing with this unexpected matter, Zhou Le felt that he had accomplished something more important than winning an award.

He turned down many unnecessary social engagements and prepared to go to the set of "The Octagonal Cage".

Before leaving, Nazha and Dilraba's "greeting" messages arrived as scheduled, and Zhou Le once again used his work schedule as a convenient excuse to gain a brief moment of peace.

Although Wang Leehom's situation was a minor setback, another piece of good news followed.

The anti-fraud film "All In," which he and Han Jianu jointly promoted, successfully passed the review of relevant departments and obtained the film's production license.

This signifies that this film, which deals with sensitive topics and directly addresses social pain points, has finally gained official recognition and approval.

Zhou Le immediately convened an emergency online meeting to discuss the release date.

"Currently, the summer movie season is the best choice," Su Yingxia analyzed in a video conference. "Students are on vacation, so the audience base is large. Moreover, the film exposes the dark side of overseas telecom fraud, which has a strong practical warning significance for students who are about to enter the workforce or are looking for part-time jobs. It will also be easier for the official promotion at that time."

Looking at the shocking poster for "All or Nothing" on the screen, Zhou Le nodded: "I agree. Moreover, the groundwork we laid through social media regarding public welfare and science popularization in northern Myanmar has been fermenting for several months, and the public opinion environment is fertile enough, with public outrage and attention reaching a high point."

Releasing the film now would capitalize on this emotional surge, maximizing both social and commercial benefits. Furthermore, a later release would have the added advantage of extending the film's release window until September or October if it performs well, coinciding with another peak season.

"Then it's settled," Su Yingxia concluded. "The preliminary release date is mid-July, aiming head-on for the summer blockbuster season!" The release date was set.

Wu Jing, however, has generated new public opinion online.

The Wolf Warrior meme has been used repeatedly in the past.

Now that the true situation in northern Myanmar has come out, many people are having even more fun.

"It's too dangerous, let Leng Feng go."

"Haha, if you go there with the national flag, you'll only get shocked even more."

"You can take out your passports and try it then."

These statements are clearly being pushed by someone.

However, Zhou Le has never really agreed with this view.

The audience isn't stupid, and neither is the country.

Every year, so many patriotic films are made, which can be said to be exploiting nostalgia, but those that are truly promoted must have the permission of higher authorities behind them.

The success of "Wolf Warrior 2" has its specific historical context and emotional appeal. To be honest, this denigration is nothing more than a product of premeditated hashtags and easily provoked netizens.

He called Wu Jing directly.

"Brother Jing, don't take those comments online to heart," Zhou Le said bluntly.

Wu Jing's voice on the other end of the phone was cheerful, even a little amused: "I'm used to it. The bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. Let them talk. What, does it affect you?"

"I'm fine here, I'm just worried about you." Zhou Le's tone remained unchanged. "But don't worry, Brother Jing, I have a way to handle this. Once my movie is released, public opinion will naturally turn around, and we'll have to guide public opinion then."

Wu Jing laughed loudly, "Good! That's enough! Just tell me how you need my cooperation!"

"No need for now, Jing-ge, you can just watch the show."

After dealing with the minor public opinion storm, invitations to various year-end events began to pour in.

Among them, the most anticipated event, Weibo Night, was declined by Zhou Le and Su Yingxia after some consideration.

“I heard that this year’s Weibo Night will be scaled down in terms of size and star power due to budget and internal adjustments, so there’s not much point in going,” Su Yingxia explained.

Zhou Le nodded: "Yes, let's focus our energy on our work. We won't go to these variety shows this year, since they won't be very exciting anyway."

He also learned that another major event in previous years, the Tencent Video Star Awards, will not be held this year.

This made him feel even more that his decision was correct.

If you can't achieve a certain scale, it's better not to go at all.

However, with Weibo and Tencent keeping a low profile this year, iQiyi is planning to take advantage of the situation.

iQiyi's Scream Night extended a sincere invitation to Zhou Le.

This event, with its mechanism of having the order of appearance and honors determined entirely by online voting, has a terrible reputation among fans, but it generates buzz, traffic, and money!

Which fan wouldn't want their idol to be the finale?
Who wouldn't want their brother to be in a better position?

Moreover, this year's theme seems to lean towards trends and music, with many rappers invited.

Zhou Le thought about it and decided that since they were planning a big event and he knew many people there, he might as well go and take a look.

Furthermore, iQiyi directly stated that as long as Zhou Le comes, they will give him the biggest prize.

Although they are still competitors with Tencent.

But who can rival Zhou Le's popularity right now?

They've collaborated with Eminem, and their song is being played both domestically and internationally, dominating the charts. If they don't capitalize on this popularity, what will they be?

Because there were no performances, Zhou Le didn't need to rehearse or prepare in advance.

On the day of the event, as soon as Zhou Le got out of the car, he was surrounded by a tidal wave of cheers from "Brother Le".

He calmly walked across the red carpet and ran into GAI as he entered the venue.

"GAI!" Zhou Le greeted him with a smile.

"Oh! Teacher Zhou! Please don't call me that, it's too kind of you!" GAI greeted Zhou Le warmly with a hug, his face full of heartfelt respect.

The two naturally began to travel together.

As they walked, GAI whispered to Zhou Le about their current circle: "Brother Le, I don't know what's wrong with them now. They all call themselves Eminem and want to be Eminem clones. They want to replicate his flow and tone one-to-one."

The lyrics are all about cars and watches, or just pointless whining; they have nothing original of their own. Eminem is a god, but gods are meant to be revered and learned from, not used as a copycat template.

Zhou Le smiled but didn't comment much, though he secretly admired GAI's clear-headedness even more.

As they were talking, a young rapper with a feminine appearance and a slightly artsy style walked over.

With a humble yet slightly nervous smile on his face, he said, "Hello, Mr. Zhou Le, hello, GAI, I'm Fox. I really love your music. May I introduce myself to you?"

Zhou Le glanced at him and vaguely recognized the name.

The masses revolve around me, and there's also the charm of Jiangnan, but he only remembers these two lines of lyrics.

He had also heard some of the other party's reputation.

GAI ignored him and walked past. Zhou Le glanced back but didn't stop, maintaining a polite distance and giving a slight nod: "Hello." Then he and GAI continued walking forward without any further interaction.

Fox's smile froze for a moment, and he stood there somewhat awkwardly.

The two continued chatting.

After a while, another figure approached; it was Li Jialong.

"Mr. Zhou Le, I've heard so much about you!" Li Jialong's attitude was more enthusiastic, and he smoothly continued their previous topic: "That's just how the music industry is in China. The audience's taste can't keep up, so it's too difficult to make music with real depth..."

Zhou Le: "."

What we were talking about just now was the atmosphere within the circle.

Who mentioned the audience?
In all my years in the industry, I, Zhou Le, have never said a bad word about the audience.

We all rely on our parents for food and clothing.

If word gets out that you said that, wouldn't I be seen as a traitor who betrays his own people?
He remembered that the other person seemed to be last year's champion as well.

Regardless of their professional abilities, there's a reason why they haven't really taken off like other champions.

I couldn't help but sneer at these seemingly complaining but actually self-aggrandizing remarks.

He still remembers that Li Jialong and Kris used to be quite close.

So he responded casually, "The market needs time to develop. Just do your best. If you feel the audience environment isn't good, you can try developing outside." After that, there was no intention to delve deeper into the conversation.

Li Jialong's attempt to add Zhou Le on WeChat was politely rejected by Zhou Le, who said his phone was out of battery.

In contrast, interactions with Chen He, Da Zhangwei, Huang Jingyu, and others were much more relaxed and enjoyable.

Chen He goes without saying, Da Zhangwei's abstract style also deeply resonated with Zhou Le, and Huang Jingyu is an old friend.

Not long after, the party officially began. Although it was a voting system, the order of appearance was actually based on the celebrity's status.

After all, the number of votes in the background is ultimately determined by the platform, isn't it?
However, Zhou Le didn't need to perform; he sat comfortably in the audience. (End of Chapter)