Actor: Thank you.

In the future, the Weibo Night will become one of the most important gala events in China every year.

The themes are current events, fashion, and film and television.

The lineup of guests and the boundaries of awards are also becoming increasingly broad.

Military, crime, aerospace, gaming, esports, electronic information—there's no category of content on Weibo that isn't included in the awards.

Although it was later relegated to a second-tier media platform in the era of short videos, its influence remains quite formidable.

As the awards progressed, the categories became increasingly detailed.

Artists can be categorized into categories such as "popular," "role model," "eye-catching," "rising star," "influential," "high-quality," "talented," and "charismatic"...

They use every available label, and each award is not necessarily given to only one person.

Weibo itself is also trying to use this to expand its reach.

Only by letting more artists benefit can one maintain their influence.

This is a business in itself, and it needs someone to bring it traffic.

However, there are only two awards that have existed since the beginning of Weibo Night, and only one person can receive them each year.

These are the Weibo KING and Weibo QUEEN, established starting from the second Weibo Night.

Because the first edition wasn't called Weibo Night.

The winners of these two awards are basically the most popular celebrities of the year.

Moreover, it's not the kind of popularity that's built up by fans or within certain closed circles.

Because some popular celebrities have a large fan base, but their core fan base is only a portion of female viewers aged 15 to 25 across the country.

The entire market has only tens of millions of people, yet it can generate a voice that surpasses that of hundreds of millions of people.

Fans trapped in their information cocoons may feel that their idol is invincible.

But Weibo is the creator of information cocoons, so how could it not know who the real "big shots" are?

At that time, the first Weibo Night, named Sina Awards 2009, did not yet have Weibo KING and Weibo QUEEN.

There can only be one king!

Zhang Yuan arrived backstage early to wait for the call of the times.

He and Sina tacitly agreed to "help" each other.

At this time, Sina's daily active users had exceeded 10 million, and the number of Weibo posts per day had exceeded 25 million.

It has been online for less than half a year now.

Even the Weibo app is in Alpha testing.

But it took the full effort of the entire Sina Group.

In particular, Cao Guowei, the head of Weibo, later became the head of Sina.

This was his "battle for godhood" within the company.

Only winning is allowed; losing is not an option.

"I hereby declare that the first Weibo King is... Mr. Zhang Yuan!"

Granting him the title of "King" is also a way of proving his own strength.

After all, in China, only the emperor could bestow the title of king, while in Europe, only the pope could do so.

Zhang Yuanmao was at the entrance to the stage when he spotted Cao Guowei reading out the winners' names in the center of the stage.

At this point, it was not yet his time to take the stage.

It's not enough to just shout it out; there needs to be publicity and promotion.

The large screen on the stage lit up, and the lights in the entire venue dimmed slightly.

Next up is the annual review.

From Master Ip in "Ip Man" to Young Chiang Kai-shek in "The Founding of a Republic" and Takeda-san in "The Message".

From the controversy he sparked in Paris to his meeting with the prime minister of the island nation and his photos with Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis.

All of this content was displayed on the huge screen.

More than half of the people who came to the scene were colleagues.

Looking at these characters, the photos flashed by one by one, and only one thought remained in my mind.

Impressed!

No one can mess around like them!
The trouble started domestically and continued domestically before finally returning to China from abroad.

Even when everyone else was bundled together, it wasn't as lively as when he was alone.

The remaining small group consists of people from various business, sports, and cultural circles.

The business people were the quietest, yet they watched with the most fascination.

Because besides collaborations between celebrities and platforms, brands are another major partner.

These three entities combine to make money off ordinary people...

As they watched the images flashing across the screen, they also considered whether they needed to use the image of popular celebrities to promote their company.

In particular, Zhang Yuan had previously spoken privately with Chen Nian, the owner of Vancl.

Having a science background and being middle-aged, I'm not really sensitive to fashion and popular culture.

When we were talking just now, I just felt that this young man had some ideas.

Now that I've read the introduction, I realize how amazing they are.

The company does indeed plan to find a spokesperson to open up the market, and the marketing department is already making plans.

As for his suggestion of exchanging stock options for endorsements...

This person previously found it funny.

My company is worth tens of millions of dollars; we've already raised tens of millions in funding.

Even without going public, its valuation has already exceeded 100 million.

If I exchange it for equity, I'll lose a fortune.

But now I think maybe what they said makes sense. From an economic perspective, their suggestion might not be unreasonable.

Otherwise, given his market value, directly paying for commercial endorsements would likely be quite expensive.

As he pondered this, the screen went dark.

Cao Guowei announced in a tone commonly used by leaders of large factories.

"Congratulations to Mr. Zhang Yuan for becoming the first Sina Weibo user to surpass 10 million followers!"

"Congratulations!"

"Now, please invite him to the stage to receive the award."

At this moment, Zhang Yuan stepped up the steps and jogged to the center of the stage.

Cao Guowei stepped aside and let him say some standard words of thanks.

Zhang Yuan was about to speak when he realized he was already very familiar with the task and could answer it immediately.

However, the male host, Hu Yihu, a well-known host from Phoenix TV, stepped forward to stop him.

"We have a small ceremony before the awards ceremony."

After he finished speaking, the entire room went dark, even the stage went dark.

Zhang Yuan's vision went completely black; it was truly black.

Only a corner of the hall had a little light.

Then he heard a lot of sounds of moving things, pushing carts, and moving things around him.

One minute later, the stage lights came on again.

The large screen that had just played the video moved to the left and right, revealing a bunch of small tables and people standing behind them.

After glancing at it, Zhang Yuan's pupils contracted, and he felt a slight numbness at the base of his tongue.

It seems I'm not the one who can cause the most trouble; it's you guys!

He didn't even need to count; he knew there were 24 small tables and 24 stylishly dressed women standing there.

In front of these 24 women were 24 lights with buttons.

"Now, let's invite our female guests to judge whether Mr. Zhang Yuan deserves the title of King of Weibo."

bang bang bang...

The 24 lights went out one after another, and the light gradually dimmed.

Those in the audience who knew him were already laughing hysterically.

They were clearly making fun of him.

The final blow that led him to have over 10 million Weibo followers was the content he posted after leaving the show "If You Are the One".

A photo shows 24 female guests who have turned off their lights, now in shadow.

He captioned the post, "I don't laugh at 24."

His original intention was to use the phrase "Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars" to satirize the woman who turned off his light.

Although much of the content in "The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars" is now considered cultural dross, many of it is a distorted product of the policy of recommending filial piety and integrity.

But in a sense, it still represents traditional Chinese values.

The show "If You Are the One" deconstructs traditional values ​​by amplifying social conflicts between men and women.

Because the show was so popular, his publicity stunt was also very successful, resulting in extremely high attention. Everyone inside and outside the entertainment industry knew about him being rejected.

He just didn't expect Weibo to pull this stunt on him.

And there was no prior rehearsal or notification to him.

Presumably fearing his disapproval, they acted first and informed him later.

"Yesterday once again, Zhang Yuan was rejected by the female guest again."

"It seems these people don't agree with the birth of the Weibo King...but..."

Zhang Yuan's expression remained unchanged; he kept a straight face.

His men in the audience were quite nervous, especially Cheng Hao.

I was afraid he would lose his temper.

After all, it contains elements of humor.

As the host finished speaking, a spotlight shone on the far end of the stage.

A small table appeared in front of Cao Guowei, with a switch on it.

After he raised his hand to darken the screen, there were several sharp, snapping sounds, and dozens of lights on the scene lit up, shining directly at his location.

"However, we at Sina Weibo have decided to give you the light!"

It's quite elaborate... Zhang Yuan raised his hand and clapped to express his gratitude.

"Please welcome our special guest to present the award to the King of Weibo."

At this moment, a woman carrying a tray and a crystal trophy walked onto the stage from the entrance.

The woman was not tall, but she had a broad mind.

Zhang Yuan: …

He felt a little numb the moment he saw the other person.

Isn't that Ms. Cang...?

I said I saw her backstage early on, but I didn't see her appear at all during the entire show.

So this was prepared for me!

How to do?
It's Smailoll now.

He continued to smile and clap, welcoming the other party.

At the same time, he looked towards the audience seats, gazing at Cheng Hao, who was dressed in blue, in the distance.

There was a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

The older sister also gently shook her head and gave a wry smile.

Only then did Cheng Hao remember what Zhang Yuan had told her before.

In the eyes of capital, these people are no different from Aoi Sora.

Stepping from school onto a film set reveals a harsh, hierarchical, and complex society. And once you're able to leave the film set, you discover the wider world is even more brutal.

In a film crew, as long as you can slowly climb up the ranks and become a big star, you will be fawned over and pampered.

But once I stepped outside, I realized that my status in the crew was nothing at all!

She seemed to understand a little why Zhang Yuan did everything and threw money around everywhere, not just within the industry.

The film and television industry is still too weak in the face of real capital.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan, facing Aoi Sora who was smiling and walking towards him, had only one thought in his mind.

"Have I been set up by capitalists?"

No wonder they didn't notify me in advance.

They turned off the lights again, and then asked Ms. Cang to give me an award.

Zhang Yuan looked at Cao Guowei.

Thank you, old man, for turning off the lights...

Yes, your Weibo posts are really effective; they're going to dominate the news tomorrow.

That means I'm going all out.

This process is a bit vulgar... but it does fit your style.

I guess it was worth it, since I met two island nation celebrities in public this year.

One is the top male star of an island nation, and the other is the top female star of an island nation.

He also said he wanted to keep his distance from Ms. Cang to avoid getting involved in public opinion and making things look bad.

Now that people are approaching me on their own initiative, what should I do?
"Thank you." Zhang Yuan accepted the trophy and held it high.

"Thanks to Sina and Weibo for providing a platform for all of us artists to communicate with the audience."

"I'm also very grateful to Weibo for giving me this award..."

"In particular, I want to express my special thanks to Director Feng Xiaogang for his help." Zhang Yuan looked at Feng Dapao.

This person had just felt a little relieved because Zhang Yuan had left the audience seats and was a little further away from him.

Now that he has "praised me by name," I feel a chill run down my spine.

Thank you, Old Biden, from the bottom of my heart.

Without your instigation, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything.

Although his subordinates were worried that their boss was going crazy.

But he won't.

Especially in times like these, it's important to maintain a dignified appearance.

Because everything will be "recorded".

Whether it becomes history or a dark chapter when it resurfaces in the future depends on your behavior.

It also made him realize more clearly that being an artist is not the end of his journey.

Fortunately, I have plenty of patience.

I'll remember if people make fun of me on Weibo.

"Excuse me, Zhang Yuan, do you know Ms. Aoi Sora?" the host asked cheekily.

The audience laughed again.

"I've heard of it," Zhang Yuan replied with a faint smile.

"So what's your impression of her?"

"I'm not very familiar with her, but she seems very approachable."

When the host asked Ms. Cang again, she said that he was very handsome and gentle, and must be a very kind man.

Are you looking forward to collaborating with them?

Zhang Yuan: …

What kind of cooperation are you referring to?

"That depends on what arrangements President Cao and Sina Weibo make." Zhang Yuan turned to look at his boss, who had already stepped down from the stage.

The tone of the person in charge carried a subtle hint of sarcasm.

After receiving the award, he stepped down from the stage without any problems.

There are also some performance segments.

Li Yuchun was the most popular singer of the year and performed on stage.

He then returned to his position.

"How are you feeling?" the older sister asked with some concern.

I was afraid he would feel uncomfortable.

"It's nothing, it's a small matter." He casually slumped back into his seat.

If you can't even get over such a small thing, then you've wasted your life.

"Try to look on the bright side of everything."

"At least I'll become popular again soon."

After leaving the party, everyone went to a hotel to rest.

The next day, we took the same bus to the airport.

They were going to take a flight to the south.

When Huayi went public, these people encouraged him to treat everyone to a meal. Since everyone was together during the Lunar New Year, he decided to do so.

"Wow, the boss is so generous!"

Board the plane.

Although the private jet has been returned, it can still be chartered.

Ordinary people would be terrified to hear about chartering a plane, assuming the cost would be astronomical.

It's not that exaggerated.

Zhang Yuan chartered an A320 from Air China.

A one-way trip from Beijing to Hong Kong costs less than 40.

Because the A320 is usually fully booked, a single public flight only costs a few hundred thousand dollars.

Besides, most of the time they are not fully sold.

For Zhang Yuan, considering that artists usually fly first class, chartering a plane would be cheaper.

Moreover, it offers better privacy.

on the plane.

"Big brother!"

Baoqiang grinned and came to him with a freshly printed newspaper in his hand.

You're famous!

This guy almost shoved the entertainment section right in his face.

Only when you move a little further away can you see clearly that the headline is a large photo of him and Ms. Cang.

"You seem quite happy?" Zhang Yuan squinted at him.

"Of course I'm happy that you're famous." Baoqiang, full of mischief, winked at him.

Yes, I'm red, but you're about to turn green... Zhang Yuan turned to look at Miss Ma, who had also come for team building.

I thought to myself, this one isn't even as good as Ms. Cang...

After landing, he first went to the fancy restaurant where Hong Kong tycoons usually treated him to meals, where he ate some expensive food that reflected the principle of "no buying, no killing".

At its peak, Hong Kong consumed more than 70% of the world's shark fins annually.

The BBC also produced a documentary showcasing the shark fin production process to promote marine conservation.

But the practice of eating shark fin soup in Hong Kong didn't just start this year.

Why didn't you report on this before 97?

"Could you please keep your voice down?" Zhang Yuan said, looking at Bao Qiang, who was slurping down his shark fin rice.

It tastes so good!

"I'll find a shark, you can hug it and gnaw on it, okay?"

Baoqiang shrank back.

Could it be that my older brother dislikes me because I said he became famous along with Aoi Sora?
Besides Baoqiang, Jiang Xin and Zhao Liying can also be considered to have plagiarized!
Dim sum is eaten by the basketful, and abalone is eaten by the piece.

"Save your appetite, there's more good food coming later."

"What's delicious?"

"fried rice."

"What's so great about fried rice? You're not trying to fob us off with grain, are you?" Jiang Xin retorted, implying that there's no need for rice when there's meat.

Zhang Yuan also noticed that people in Huayi generally have a high alcohol tolerance.

People here generally have good appetites.

Few people pay attention to their figure.

"Emperor's Fried Rice, do you understand?!"

In the evening, we took everyone to the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Hong Kong.

It's not a "fang" (坊), but a "fang" (舉), because this restaurant is a brightly lit large ship!
In the famous fantasy food manga "Cooking Master Boy", the duel between the young master and his nemesis, who is also his mother's apprentice, Shao An, takes place on a large ship.

Its prototype is the Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

At the same time, this ship is also the final battle scene in Stephen Chow's movie "The God of Cookery".

It can be described as a culinary paradise closely related to the cultural industry.

Here, you'll find the inspiration for "Emperor's Fried Rice," invented by Dai Long, one of Hong Kong's four most famous chefs, who also inspired the movie "The God of Cookery."

Dai Long also starred in "The God of Cookery," playing the "King of Stir-fry" who was criticized for not knowing how to use leftover rice.

After filming "The God of Cookery", he also created the "pissing beef balls" from the film, which he called "foie gras shrimp balls".

The fried rice first became famous after the gambling king spent HK$5000 to taste it and praised it highly.

It can be considered a form of hype.

The regular, non-customized version of "Emperor's Fried Rice" is not that expensive, only 1/10 of the price.

It's actually quite expensive, but they use plenty of ingredients: king crab, caviar, foie gras... it's all very gimmicky.

When organizing team building activities, it's not enough to just have fun; you also need to create memorable experiences.

Whether this stuff tastes good or not is another matter; as long as it's enough for these people to brag about after they finish eating it, that's fine.

Only by keeping them happy can you make money for yourself.

Especially since I have to attend Duowan Games' annual meeting in the next few days.

It's almost Chinese New Year, and you're still asking people to work for you; you have to show your appreciation.

And after he went out and boasted about it, his colleagues realized how good the treatment he received there was.

Seeing the table laden with delicacies, the group naturally shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

"Alright, you guys keep eating, drinking, and having fun tomorrow. I have something to do, so I won't be joining you."

Zhang Yuan also ate a few bowls; the taste was alright.

It's a dry fried rice with plenty of ingredients.

But in the end, it's still fried rice.

"What's wrong?" Brother Bo asked.

"I have some work to do." Zhang Yuan helplessly spread his hands: "You guys do your thing."

Chen Jiashang just called him, asking him to help promote the TV series version of "Painted Skin".

He happened to meet a rising star because of this... (End of Chapter)