Full-time actor

"The 44th Golden Horse Awards ceremony is now in session—"

"Officially begin!"

As soon as the host Zhou Yingqi finished speaking, the entire audience burst into enthusiastic applause.

Then the band appeared.

Before the awards ceremony begins, the Golden Horse Awards usually have an opening ceremony performance.

Basically, it consists of popular singers performing songs, or theme songs specially created for the ceremony.

With the performance over, the real awards ceremony finally began.

"Cough cough!"

Chen Jianzhou came onto the stage and coughed twice to attract everyone's attention: "I'm sure everyone is curious about who will score the first goal tonight?"

Chen Jianzhou's speech caused a burst of laughter from the audience.

Using a goal as a metaphor for the unveiling of the first award is quite entertaining.

"The first award to be presented is the Best Visual Effects Award."

This award is usually a good start, and due to ratings issues, some awards are also designed to attract viewers.

With the appearance of the two presenters, the first award of the 44th Golden Horse Awards was finally announced.

The film crew that won the award is—

"Secret"!

boom!
Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Clearly, Jay Chou still holds a very important place in the hearts of the people of Taiwan, especially given that this was his directorial debut.

The applause was thunderous; everyone is currently discussing "Secret" a lot.

As the music kings of Taiwan, winning their first award naturally makes them proud.

The fact that the first award went to Zhou Jielun's film also drew more attention to this year's Golden Horse Awards, causing the viewership ratings to rise immediately.

That is also the purpose.

While the Golden Horse Awards are undoubtedly fair, some awards are prioritized for commercial and ratings-driven reasons, serving to boost program viewership.

"Thank you, thank you everyone!"

Zhou Jielun delivered an emotional acceptance speech on stage, saying that he had poured a lot of effort into this film.

It was also his first foray into the film and television industry.

Although it was a trial run, it was quite successful, both in terms of box office and word-of-mouth.

It is undoubtedly much better than his other starring roles in "Curse of the Golden Flower" and "Kung Fu Dunk".

As awards were presented one after another, unlike the Golden Rooster Awards which were split among the films, "Better Days" had virtually no rivals this year.

Best Screenplay, Best New Actor, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography!
"The best original screenplay, 'Better Days'!"

"Best New Actor, Tang Yan from 'Better Days'!"

"Best Editing – Better Days!"

"..."

As the cast and crew of "The Youth" took to the stage one after another, many people in the audience became noticeably restless.

Clearly, so many production teams are just playing second fiddle.

It's clear that "Better Days" is sweeping the charts.

Apart from the Best Visual Effects award being accepted by "Secret," other awards were frequently given to "Better Days."

Can you bear this?

While others got one, he got two, three... Jiang Wen had just received the adapted script and his smile hadn't even faded when "Better Days" received the original script.

They went completely berserk.

"Thank you!"

Thank you, Golden Horse Awards!

When Tang Yan stepped down from the awards stage again, her face was beaming with smiles.

"I did it!"

"Best Supporting Actress, our second award today!"

sixth!
This is the sixth award that "Better Days" has won at this year's Golden Horse Awards.

Tang Yan gripped the Golden Horse Award trophy tightly in her hand. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but the corners of her mouth remained upturned.

"Yifei, I'm sharing this good fortune with you."

"You will definitely win the grand prize as you wish."

Tang Yan kissed the trophy hard, then pushed herself into Liu Yifei's arms.

"..."

Liu Yifei shook her head, but still reached out to touch the trophy in front of her with anticipation.

It's clearly a very childish behavior, yet it draws attention.

Finally, after Leung Ka-fai won Best Supporting Actor for his role in "War Drums", the awards ceremony brought forth the last few major awards.

Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film... the four usual categories.

They are also among the most watched at every awards ceremony.

"I am delighted to be invited to present this year's Golden Horse Award for Best Actress!"

The voice of Hong Kong's famous actress Yang Cai Ni echoed throughout the venue. Liu Yifei looked up and then turned her gaze to Chen Yu beside her.

Their gazes met in the air.

As for Chen Yu, he directly grasped Liu Yifei's hand.

In fact, he already had a definite answer in his heart.

"Caini, can you guess who will win Best Actress this year?"

Hua Zai was also a presenter for the Best Actress award. He and Charlie Yeung have worked together on many films, so they are quite familiar with each other in private.

To be honest, Charlie Yeung still harbors some resentment about winning the Best Actress award.

She is considered a fairly well-known actress in Hong Kong. Many Hong Kong and Taiwan actresses who are even remotely recognizable, even without the Golden Horse Award, can actually win the Hong Kong Film Award, which is the local Best Actress award in Hong Kong.

She alone is lacking in all aspects; she has fame but no awards to back her up, which is indeed something missing.

In fact, she is quite famous in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even mainland China.

The reason is actually quite simple.

She is from Taiwan, but Hong Kong is xenophobic, and Taiwan doesn't welcome her, so her career in the film and television industry has been turbulent, and she has missed out on awards many times.

It was still the mainland that took pity on her and gave her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

The only decent award nomination she received in her career was for her starring role in "Cold War".

They didn't even get a Golden Horse nomination, let alone a Hong Kong Film Award.

It has to be said that this is one of the biggest regrets in her life.

"I feel like...everyone really wants that!"

Charlie Yeung looked at the big screen behind her, where all five actresses nominated for Best Actress had appeared, including clips from the films in which they were nominated and images of them sitting there.

Liu Ruoying (Milk Tea) in "Kidnapping"

Chen Chong's "Intent"

Li Bingbing's "Yunshui Yao"

Zhang Jingchu in "Protégé"

Liu Yifei's "Better Days"

...The list of nominees for Best Actress is actually quite competitive.

Liu Ruoying is a Tokyo Film Festival Best Actress winner and has also won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress. Chen Chong's acting skills are beyond question, and she also gave a brilliant performance in "The Sun Also Rises".

Li Bingbing and Zhang Jingchu are also nominees for Best Actress.

As for Liu Yifei, she is probably the most talked-about actress among the newly popular actresses in terms of both popularity and acting skills.

She has already won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival and the Golden Rooster Awards this year, all for the film "Better Days," so the role she played undoubtedly adds a lot to her appeal.

Whether it was a deliberate gimmick or the jury felt that Liu Yifei's shaved head in the stills was very impactful, the still image of her with a shaved head was the one that made her nomination on the big screen.

The impact of this image is undoubtedly quite strong.

"So nervous!"

Tang Yan clutched her chest, feeling even more suffocated than if she had won the award herself.

Her friend's nomination filled her with anticipation and longing. Of course, she hoped that Liu Yifei would go all the way and win the Golden Horse Award again. If that were the case, her "Better Days" would almost certainly be the winner.

"Even the Golden Horse Awards seem to be failing!"

"Only one local actress was nominated; the rest were all mainland Chinese actresses!"

Luo Jin suddenly spoke up from the side.

Tang Yan slapped him and rolled her eyes, saying, "Who told you to research this?"

"Let's pray that Sissi wins the award, quick!"

This guy was holding Luo Jin's hand and muttering something. Luo Jin smiled and glanced at Liu Yifei, who was sitting upright with her posture perfectly straight.

It's clear that the other party has high expectations for this award.

Of course, no one can remain indifferent to awards, especially Best Actress trophies.

On stage, Andy Lau and Charlie Yeung chatted wittily, their topics revolving around the Best Actress award and anecdotes about the other nominated actresses.

"Alright, that's enough. I feel like if I keep going, the female leads are going to hit me!"

Andy Lau was laughing when he took out his Golden Horse Best Actress award certificate and handed it to Charlie Yeung: "Charlie, you open it?"

"I?"

Charlie Yeung quickly waved her hand: "I'm afraid my hands will shake from nervousness!"

"It's okay, I believe you, hurry!"

Everyone's getting impatient!

Without saying a word, Andy Lau shoved the letter directly into Charlie Yeung's hand.

Charlie Yeung shook her head, but still opened the letter, glanced at it, and then leaned close to the microphone, smiling elegantly as she said, "The winner of the 44th Golden Horse Award for Best Actress is—"

"Brother Hua, you...you read out the winners!"

"Ha ha!"

The audience below the stage had already started laughing. The two of them were keeping the five finalists on edge by their suspense.

"No wonder you never win awards!"

Andy Lau was obviously joking when he said that. After pointing at Charlie Yeung, he looked at the envelope and exclaimed, "Wow, it's her again! Liu Yifei, come up and accept your award!"

"Liu Yifei, 'Better Days'!"

Andy Lau announced the winner's name once again, and at that moment, highlights of Liu Yifei from the movie "Better Days" were played on the big screen.

boom!
The entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.

Even though Liu Yifei already had high hopes, she still covered her mouth in excitement when the award was actually announced.

"Ahhh!"

"Sisi, you've won an award!"

"The Golden Horse Awards!!!"

Tang Yan screamed and stood up to hug Liu Yifei tightly.

Liu Yifei hugged her best friend back, patted her back, wiped away her tears of excitement, and then gracefully stood up and hugged Chen Yu tightly, who was already prepared.

"Thank you husband!"

"I love you!"

Liu Yifei whispered in Chen Yu's ear, knowing full well that she was able to win the award largely thanks to her relationship with Li An.

In Taiwan, especially at the Golden Horse Awards, Li An wields considerable influence.

It should be noted that in the previous generation, the film that won the most awards in this year's competition was Li An's "Lust, Caution," which was nominated for 11 awards and won 7 major awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.

It can be said to be the biggest favorite of this year.

In this life, without the formidable rival "Lust, Caution," "Better Days" is simply unstoppable.

It replicated the path taken by "Lust, Caution" back then.

Furthermore, since Li An is also the chairman of the judging panel, there's even less to say.

The Golden Horse Awards have this one advantage: they praise excellent works so much that they practically shower them with awards; winning seven or eight awards in a single year is not uncommon. This is something the Golden Rooster Awards obviously cannot do, as the Golden Rooster Awards cannot give a film seven or eight awards.

Giving 3 or 4 is already quite an achievement.

But now, in this lifetime, "Better Days" has become the biggest winner of this year's Golden Horse Awards.

Including Liu Yifei's Best Actress award, it has won seven awards, directly tying with the previous film "Lust, Caution".

The only difference is that "Lust, Caution" won 7 awards this year, while "The Young Ones" has already won 7, with 3 more awards yet to be given out.

"Please welcome Ms. Liu Yifei to the stage to receive her award!"

The host spoke to Liu Yifei, who was tightly embracing Chen Yu. Liu Yifei then kissed Chen Yu's cheek, lifted her evening gown, and stepped onto the Golden Horse Awards stage like a queen.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience once again.

If Liu Yifei was like a princess fleeing from Venice, somewhat flustered and at a loss when faced with her award, now she has begun to accept her status as a recognized Best Actress.

Having experienced the Venice Film Festival and received recognition from the Golden Rooster Awards, Liu Yifei's victory at the Golden Horse Awards this time made her exude confidence and charisma.

On the awards stage, she shone brightly.

She smiled and bent down to take the trophy from Andy Lau's hand, briefly touching hands with Charlie Yeung. Everyone saw a completely different Liu Yifei, a beauty unlike her naivety at 14, innocence at 16, and radiance at 18.

At 21, Liu Yifei, who had just celebrated her 21st birthday, won her third Best Actress award.

At that moment, she was absolutely certain that she could continue down the path of acting.

Because she has the man she loves most in the world, a heart that is most sincere towards her profession, and so many fans who love her; most importantly, even though Chen Yu is so famous, he is still very supportive of her career.

The two cherished each other like bosom friends, knowing what the other wanted and working towards that goal together.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you Golden Horse Awards, thank you to the jury!"

Liu Yifei clutched her chest, smiled calmly, and exhaled.

She placed the trophy on the podium, her hand resting there, exuding a powerful and elegant aura.

It gives off a queen-like, dominant vibe.

"I'm so excited!"

"My heart is still pounding so hard I can hardly calm it down!"

"I am so lucky to have won such a precious award for my life and acting career on my first visit to the beautiful island of China!"

Liu Yifei smoothed her slightly drooping hair, and under the spotlight above her head, she seemed to radiate the most dazzling light in the world.

"..."

The countless men in the audience were captivated by her stunning beauty.

The countless netizens waiting in the live stream were all amazed by her beautiful face.

At this moment, the name Liu Yifei seemed to have become a uniquely personal term! (End of Chapter)