Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

Chapter 115 A cunning and ruthless woman, a successful career woman, the awards ceremony concludes.

Faced with the sudden and incredibly proactive approach of Sister Mi, Jiang Bai remained calm, took out his phone, and added her on WeChat.

This is a veteran in the industry, a top star among the post-85 generation actresses. She greeted you politely and warmly, so you couldn't possibly give her a cold shoulder.

Fortunately, Yang Mi is someone who knows how to manage relationships effectively.

After adding each other on WeChat, she gave Jiang Bai a seductive look, then gave Ju Jingyi a meaningful glance before turning to find her group of girlfriends.

Looking at her "swaying gracefully" back, Ju Jingyi revealed a very difficult expression to describe.

Women understand women best.

She naturally noticed the "special" signal Yang Mi was sending.

"You..." Ju Jingyi hesitated, seemingly wanting to advise Jiang Bai not to fall into the trap of a bad woman, but also feeling that she shouldn't say such things in her capacity.

Fortunately, Jiang Bai was quite perceptive. He rolled his eyes, gestured in one direction, and asked, "See that person over there?"

Following Jiang Bai's gesture, Ju Jingyi looked and only saw the TF Boys trio.

"You mean?"

"The one in the middle." Jiang Bai gestured with his eyes to Wang Junkai, who was standing in the middle of the three, and dropped a bombshell for Ju Jingyi: "He's almost been hooked by Yang Mi."

"And he was just a fish in Yangmi's fishpond."

"Huh?!" Ju Jingyi looked shocked.

"The two of them?!"

"Aren't they more than ten years apart in age?"

The impact of this news on her was far greater than receiving a single featuring singing and dancing.

Who would have thought that Wang Junkai, a top star in the Chinese entertainment industry who became a minor and had a promising future, would be controlled by Yang Mi, who is more than ten years older than him?

She became one of the other party's many ambiguous relationships.

"With such a large age gap, and the fact that they almost never interact in public, there's absolutely no sign of anything unusual about them."

Ju Jingyi muttered to herself softly, still unable to recover from the shock.

Jiang Bai shrugged and didn't reply.

The scandal between Yang Mi and Wang Junkai is still being kept very secret.

But it will be exposed a few years later.

Our Kai-ge, at such a young age, fell into the trap of Yang Mi, that seductive and wicked woman, and was thoroughly played with.

It can only be said that young boys really can't resist older women like this; they're easily led by the nose with just a gentle touch.

But Jiang Bai is different. Although he claims not to be a scumbag or a playboy, he still has a lot of experience dealing with bad women.

A woman like Yang Mi, who is deep-thinking, adept at maneuvering and playing games, and treats relationships as a pastime, is a top-tier hooker and should never be deeply involved.

Once you get involved, trouble will only keep coming, and it's a thankless and exhausting task.

This is quite different from Naza, who is skilled in bed but not clingy.

"In short, I have absolutely no interest in becoming a fish in Yangmi's fishpond." Jiang Bai ended the conversation with this statement.

"You'd better stay away from Yang Mi too. This woman isn't as simple as she seems," Jiang Bai casually advised.

Just as the two were chatting, a staff member walked over quickly, bowed slightly to them, and said politely, "Teacher Jiang Bai, Teacher Ju Jingyi, the ceremony is about to officially begin. Please follow me to the inner hall to take your seats."

"Let's go."

Jiang Bai nodded slightly and followed the staff with Ju Jingyi through the backstage passage, officially entering the venue of the gala.

The huge venue was packed to capacity, with fans displaying colorful light boards in different sections below the stage, and a huge LED screen above continuously playing promotional videos for this year's Weibo Night.

At this point, the two had to separate. Jiang Bai's seat was in the second row, while Ju Jingyi's seat was in the corner of the third row.

The primary criteria for judging are, of course, the celebrity status, commercial value, and industry experience. The closer the seat is to the front, the better the exposure.

Tonight, the organizers arranged seating not only according to celebrity status but also by placing artists who knew each other and had good relationships together.

For example, Guan Xiaotong sat with Yang Zi and Zhang Yishan.

Li Chen sat with Lu Yi and Tong Dawei.

Pan Yueming sat with Hu Jing and Yuan Quan, etc.

Throughout the entire venue, such arrangements can be seen everywhere.

This arrangement makes it easier for the cameras to capture footage and also effectively promotes the friendship between the artists. Clearly, this year's Weibo Night is going to focus on friendship.

The awkward thing is that Jiang Bai has only been in the industry for a short time and doesn't have many friends in the industry that are considered particularly close by outsiders.

"Then I'll go and take a seat first." Ju Jingyi looked at the seat with her name printed on it, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible loneliness.

Jiang Bai's seat was firmly located in the center of the second row, the prime C position of the entire event, maximizing his exposure, which shows how much Weibo officials value this rising star.

Ju Jingyi's seat was assigned to the most remote corner of the third row, far back and away from the main camera.

At this stage, Ju Jingyi is still just a rising star who has gained popularity in a small circle. Her resources, status, and public image are not yet comparable to those of top-tier celebrities.

Throughout the entire party tonight, the only person she was familiar with was Jiang Bai. Now that they were forced to separate, she would inevitably find herself in the awkward situation of having no one to talk to.

At this moment, Ju Jingyi felt an overwhelming surge of fighting spirit.

She hopes that next time she attends such a large event, she can sit closer to Jiang Bai!

It would be best to just sit next to him!

This idea has no personal feelings involved; it's all driven by Ju Jingyi's ambition for her career!

She also wants to become a popular artist like Jiang Bai, sitting in the spotlight!

Jiang Bai keenly sensed the ambition in her eyes and was inwardly astonished.

As expected of Ju Jingyi, who is so career-driven, she has already cut off all romantic relationships!

This woman is the only one Jiang Bai has encountered since entering the industry who has never had any "worldly desires" for him and whose heart is filled with nothing but her career.

That's incredible, absolutely incredible.

Having understood her thoughts, Jiang Bai smiled faintly: "Just sit still, the party will be over soon."

"You'll definitely be in a better position next time."

After a brief farewell, the two went their separate ways to their respective seats.

Jiang Bai followed his seat number to the second row, his gaze sweeping over the artists around him, instantly figuring out the lineup of his neighbors on either side.

To his left were Su Mang, Ni Ni, Liu Shishi, and Nazha. Apart from Su Mang, the fashion editor-in-chief, the other three were all veteran goddesses in the industry.

The entire cast consists of top-tier female celebrities with stunning looks and immense popularity; such a lineup of beauties is truly luxurious, even by the standards of the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

Right next to him on the right is the veteran Hong Kong and Taiwan actor, the ageless heartthrob Wallace Chung.

Further to the right, just across Wallace Chung's seat, are Kris Wu and Li Yifeng.

Seeing this seating arrangement, Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow slightly, instantly understanding the subtle intentions of Weibo's official account.

It was clearly intentional.

Jiang Bai can't fit the "friendship" theme tonight, so let's make it a love-hate relationship theme for him, right?

The thought of himself and Chris Wu appearing on camera alongside Wallace Chung made him shudder to imagine how fierce the battle between Baimifan and Meigeni would be tonight.

Weibo simply wants to create buzz and attract the attention of both sides' fans, while also generating a trending topic about them appearing together.

They know how to generate buzz.

Jiang Bai didn't care; he wasn't afraid to be in the same frame as anyone.

In contrast, Chris Wu, who should have been seated much earlier, still hadn't shown up even after Jiang Bai had been seated for more than ten minutes.

It's highly likely that Chris Wu was extremely unwilling to sit next to Jiang Bai after learning that he would be sitting there, and privately arranged for his team to urgently contact the Weibo organizers to try to coordinate a change of seats.

Given his arrogant and conceited personality, he simply couldn't accept sitting with Jiang Bai, who had used the "big bowl of wide noodles" joke to thoroughly humiliate him.

Even if there is someone between the two of them.

Unfortunately, Weibo's official stance this time was unusually firm; they directly rejected the seat change request without any room for negotiation.

Time ticked by, and the live broadcast cameras were gradually set up, allowing various media outlets to freely capture footage from the scene.

Sina Entertainment's photographers immediately aimed their lenses at the prime spots in the second row, signaling Jiang Bai to pose for several group photos with Wallace Chung next to her.

"Teacher Zhong." Jiang Bai took the initiative to turn to greet him, his attitude humble and polite.

Wallace Chung responded with a smile, displaying a gentle and refined demeanor, completely lacking the airs of a veteran actor.

The two, one a veteran and the other a rising star, one a long-time heartthrob popular across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and the other a currently trending new generation idol, create a truly immersive and engaging atmosphere when they appear together.

Facing the camera, the two calmly posed and took turns shooting individual and couple shots, working with the photographer to complete five or six sets of footage.

At the same time that the filming ended, a slight commotion was heard at the entrance of the passage.

Chris Wu wore a Burberry haute couture trench coat, with his hair meticulously styled with dyed blonde highlights and a tuft of hair framing his forehead.

But his expression was extremely gloomy, and the atmosphere around him was frighteningly low.

Clearly, the attempt to change seats failed, and I was forced to accept the result, leaving me in an extremely bad mood.

Throughout the journey, Chris Wu suppressed his inner rage and forced a professional smile for the camera, but the gloom in his eyes was still hard to hide.

Jiang Bai took in the other person's frustrated expression, and his mood instantly improved.

The simplest and most effective way to deal with this kind of arrogant and conceited person is to crush him time and time again while constantly making things difficult for him.

Taking advantage of the moment when Chris Wu sat down, Jiang Bai turned to the side, a perfectly harmless smile on his face, and said in a calm tone, "Brother Chris, long time no see."

The unexpected greeting caused Chris Wu's pupils to shrink slightly, and a clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He originally thought that Jiang Bai would be like him, harboring resentment and that the two would not communicate at all, keeping to themselves.

He never expected that the other party would actually greet him in public.

No, buddy, you even posted a song on Weibo mocking me before!

Unfortunately, at this moment, the area is surrounded by live broadcast cameras and media reporters, with countless eyes watching this scene.

Under the spotlight, even if Chris Wu was unhappy, he couldn't show it in public.

That would only give others ammunition to criticize him, and Jiang Bai's fans would mock him for being stingy and a sore loser.

Left with no other choice, Chris Wu could only force a stiff smile and say in a perfunctory tone, "Ah, oh, it really has been a long time."

After giving Jiang Bai a brief, perfunctory reply, he didn't give him a chance to continue the conversation. He quickly sat down, turned his head, and began chatting enthusiastically with Li Yifeng on his left in a low voice.

The two chatted and laughed as if nothing had happened.

I don't know where these two get so much to talk about.

Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow in boredom, then looked away and straightened his posture.

A few playful pranks are enough; you can't keep bullying him all the time.

It's a pity that Teacher Yang Yang didn't come tonight, which means we missed out on some fun.

Speaking of which, Teacher Yang Yang's popularity has really dropped this year; he wasn't even invited to the Weibo Night event.

As for why his popularity has dropped so drastically, that's none of your business.

Just as Jiang Bai closed his eyes to rest and wait for the party to begin, he suddenly felt a slight tugging sensation in his left arm.

A slender, fair hand gently tugged at the hem of his suit jacket.

Jiang Bai glanced to the side and saw that Su Mang had finished chatting with the three beauties, Ni Ni, Liu Shishi, and Nazha, and turned to look at him with a mature and dignified smile.

"Teacher Jiang Bai, nice to meet you, I am Su Mang."

As the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, Su Mang possesses a mature and capable demeanor, exuding an aura of authority. She speaks and acts flawlessly, and her interpersonal skills are always impeccable.

"Hello, Sister Su Mang," Jiang Bai replied politely.

The connection between the two is actually not unfamiliar.

Previously, Jiang Bai landed a solo cover for the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, setting a new sales record for a new generation of artists' magazines, which generated a lot of buzz in the industry at the time.

However, at that time, Su Mang was fully engaged in the preparations for the Bazaar Charity Night and was busy all day long, so she did not participate in this cover shoot and did not officially meet Jiang Bai.

Su Mang looked slightly regretful and said softly, "It's a real shame we couldn't invite you to last year's Bazaar Charity Night. Please come this year if you have the chance!"

As for why Jiang Bai wasn't invited to last year's celebrity charity gala, Su Mang herself didn't know at the time.

It was only when she was finalizing the guest list close to the start of the charity gala that she discovered Jiang Bai, who was incredibly popular at the time, wasn't there.

It's on the list.

It was only later that we realized the invitation list had been drafted in July, before Jiang Bai's "A Love So Beautiful" had even aired.

After the show aired, Jiang Bai became very popular, but they didn't send him a follow-up invitation in time.

So, taking this opportunity, Su Mang personally extended an invitation to Jiang Baifa to attend this year's Bazaar Charity Night.

Jiang Bai naturally wouldn't refuse Su Mang's invitation.

During the time she was still in charge of Harper's Bazaar before leaving the company, Su Mang was undoubtedly the queen of the domestic fashion industry.

With access to top-tier fashion resources, they wield immense influence.

Countless artists and agencies in the industry try every means to please her, just to win the opportunity to appear on top fashion magazine covers and endorse high-end luxury brands.

If she wanted to target a particular celebrity, she could easily block all of their fashion resources, completely cutting them off from the high-end luxury circle.

There was no need to offend this woman who later became a French maid.

With that thought in mind, Jiang Bai smiled broadly and agreed without hesitation: "Since Sister Su Mang personally invited me, I will definitely be there on time."

Anyway, the Bazaar Charity Night won't be held for many more years; it will be held once next year and then discontinued.

In fact, Su Mang is going to resign in two months. At that time, she will be forgotten as soon as she leaves, and her so-called "fashion queen" influence will quickly dissipate.

If you verbally agree at this point, you can simply find an excuse to decline the formal invitation later.

Jiang Bai had no interest in this kind of hypocritical charity gala.

Over the next few minutes, the two chatted about topics such as fashion trends in the industry, collaborations with high-end luxury brands, and their experiences shooting covers.

Fortunately, Jiang Bai possesses memories of two lifetimes, and he had some exposure to fashion in his previous life.

After all, he works and lives in Shanghai, so it's really hard for him not to come into contact with so-called fashion culture.

Therefore, he is very familiar with the rules, trends, and brand preferences of the Chinese entertainment and fashion industry over the past decade, and can handle them with ease.

His speech was composed and insightful, and he didn't reveal the slightest flaw throughout, which made Su Mang think of him even more highly.

After a brief chat, Su Mang seemed to find the scene too noisy and didn't linger. She got up and left the inner area, returning to the backstage lounge to relax.

Anyway, she's here tonight as an award presenter, so she doesn't need to stay in the front stage the whole time.

Jiang Bai didn't have that kind of opportunity to slack off.

At 7:30 p.m., with the host's rousing opening remarks, the 2017 Weibo Night was officially broadcast live across the entire internet.

The entire program was exactly the same as the Star Awards that Jiang Bai had participated in before, with a rigid and boring format.

It's nothing more than a host introducing the program, playing a short film reviewing the year, interspersing a few stage performances, and awarding various honors and awards in batches.

The artists in the audience only need to sit upright, occasionally show their faces to the live broadcast camera, and when their awards are announced, they go on stage to accept the award and give their acceptance speech, and the whole task is considered to be successfully completed.

The long party was mostly boring, but a few interesting things did happen during it.

When Zhang Yishan accepted his award, he made a few sarcastic remarks to Yang Zi, and when Yang Zi accepted her award, she made sarcastic remarks back.

It's clear that the two of them are going to promote their so-called "bad friendship" tonight.

In addition, the iconic scene on the other side of the second row was also captured by countless cameras.

At some point, Yang Mi, Angelababy, Liu Shishi, and Ni Ni, four actresses born in 85, quietly came together.

The four sat together, sharing the same candy, their faces beaming with smiles, displaying their close bond and perfectly embodying the deepest sisterhood in front of the live stream camera.

Viewers in the live stream were still excitedly praising the unity of the post-85 actresses and the incredible friendship within the Chinese entertainment industry.

But Jiang Bai, who was sitting right next to him, could see it all clearly.

Just as the live stream camera shifted and stopped focusing on the four people...

Yang Mi, who is usually good at her job, instantly lost her smile and even rolled her eyes, her perfunctory attitude and impatience were obvious.

Plastic besties, never to be separated.

This statement couldn't be more fitting for these four top-tier actresses born in the 85s.

On the surface, they are very close, but behind the scenes, they are fiercely competing for resources, each wanting to outdo the other.

The so-called sisterhood is just a performance script for fans and netizens.

They're not as genuine as the "Tiny Times" sisters.

At least the other members of the "Tiny Times" girls genuinely don't compete with Yang Mi for resources; in fact, Yang Mi's friendship with them seems more sincere.

The entire gala progressed steadily in this atmosphere that was both dry and interesting.

As the most popular new generation star tonight, Jiang Bai was also the focus of the camera, receiving a total of eight solo close-up shots.

Facing the camera, he sometimes smiled gently, sometimes raised his hand to wave and greet people, and occasionally even made a heart shape with his hands. In short, he did his best to promote himself and made a big splash in front of the camera.

His fans in the live stream always shower him with compliments and praise whenever they see him.

And so, it wasn't until the latter half of the gala, after most of the artists had received their awards and left, that Jiang Bai finally received his award.

Weibo's Male God of the Year Award.

Four artists received this honor: Lu Yi, Tong Dawei, Wallace Chung, and Jiang Bai.

Without exception, the top three are all middle-aged male actors who have worked in the industry for many years, have a solid reputation, and enjoy immense popularity.

Jiang Bai was the only post-90s winner among all the award recipients.

He is also the youngest of the four, but has the largest fan base and is currently the most popular new generation of top celebrities.

To be honest, being able to stand with these three is a way of elevating Jiang Bai's status.

After all, he was a top star and had a very high level of popularity at the time.

However, in terms of seniority, national popularity, and the number of classic roles he has played, he is completely incomparable to these three.

The presenter for this award was none other than Su Mang, who had left early and spent more than two hours slacking off backstage.

The stage spotlights came on, and the four winners took turns going on stage to receive their trophies.

When it was Jiang Baifa's turn to give his acceptance speech, deafening cheers erupted from the audience, and the live stream chat was flooded with comments.

Holding the crystal trophy, Jiang Bai stood tall and proud in the center of the spotlight, his expression calm and his tone sincere: "Thank you to Weibo for this honor, and thank you to every fan who voted for me."

"This award is both recognition and a heavy encouragement to me."

"In the future, I will focus on refining my work, balancing music and film, and repaying all those who support me with better songs and higher-quality roles. Thank you everyone."

In public, Jiang Bai began to mention his identity as a singer more often, which was also a prelude to his first album.

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

After bowing in thanks, Jiang Bai did not return to his seat as per procedure. Instead, he simply said goodbye to the staff and award presenter Su Mang, and then turned and walked off the stage.

At this point, the remaining segments of the party were meaningless to him.

He didn't have much time to stay and join in the fun.

As Xu Xu stepped out of the venue, the security team that had been waiting outside greeted him immediately.

"The car is ready, and the tickets for the late-night direct flight to Guangzhou have been bought. We can leave at any time," Xu Xu reported in a low voice.

Jiang Bai nodded slightly and glanced down at the time on his wristwatch.

If we leave now, we can catch the last flight to Guangzhou.

Arriving at the destination overnight and resting for several hours will allow me to be in top condition for tomorrow's launch ceremony of "The Thunder".

This drama is Jiang Bai's main focus for the new year!

Jiang Bai took out his phone and saw a message from someone with his hair tied up, inviting him to play a game that night—a flirtatious invitation. He shook his head regretfully.

It's a pity, he still misses Naza's long legs and graceful figure a little.

But career is more important.

After sending a few messages expressing regret that the timing wasn't right and that they would meet again next time, Jiang Bai immediately got into his car and headed straight for the airport.

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