Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 404 Lost
On June 15th, the 6th Donghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards Ceremony was grandly opened at Donghai Cultural Square.

Backstage, Liu Shishi was slightly more beautiful than the other women, with her long, black hair cascading down like a waterfall, and a crystal necklace around her neck sparkling and reflecting tiny rays of light.

A deep blue off-the-shoulder evening gown accentuated her refined and elegant beauty, and every gesture she made exuded grace.

At this moment, she is standing side by side with the two male leads of "Scarlet Heart," Nie Yuan and Yu Bo, at the entrance of the red carpet, waiting for her moment to appear.

The red carpet host's impassioned voice resounded throughout the venue: "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to scream? The three main characters of 'Scarlet Heart' have 'traveled through time' to the scene!"
Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the renowned actress Liu Shishi, as well as Mr. Nie Yuan and Mr. Yu Bo!

The hostess replied in a lighthearted tone: "The arrival of Ruoxi, the Fourth Prince, and the Eighth Prince has caused a frenzy among the audience. Please, media friends, capture this beautiful scene."

Liu Shishi gracefully lifted her skirt and waved to the media reporters and fans on both sides of the red carpet.

Nie Yuan was dressed in a black suit, while Yu Bo was in a white formal suit. The two stood tall and straight, like bodyguards on either side of the top star.

The three signed their names on the signature wall and posed for a photo before gracefully entering the venue.

Stepping into the awards ceremony hall, the lights shone brightly, and stars gathered. Liu Shishi knew her way around and quickly found her seat in the middle of the second row.

Nie Yuan and Yu Bo exchanged a glance, smiled helplessly, and silently followed behind.

They had hoped to take this opportunity to chat with Liu Shishi and get closer to her, but unfortunately, she seemed to have no desire to talk today and was taciturn, so the two of them didn't want to make a fool of themselves.

At 8 p.m. that evening, the audience lights dimmed and the stage spotlights suddenly came on. As the host took the stage, the awards ceremony officially began.

"Dear viewers, I am your old friend Cao Kefan."

"Distinguished guests, I am Shen Sisi, the host of this gala."

Offstage, Liu Shishi's pupils twitched almost imperceptibly the moment she saw that the female host was none other than her old acquaintance, Shen Sisi. She had never imagined that she would meet Shen Sisi again in this kind of setting after so many years.

Today, Shen Sisi wore a bright yellow dress, her face beautiful and her demeanor dignified and elegant. Having honed her skills on the Spring Festival Gala stage, she is even more composed and at ease in the face of big occasions.

His gaze slowly swept across the entire audience, and soon he saw the dazzling figure in the center of the second row, the woman he had envied all his life, Liu Shishi.

Their eyes met across the distance, and a thousand words seemed to be hidden in their gazes, conveying complex and unfathomable emotions.

After a series of procedures, including speeches from leaders and the chairman of the judging panel, the much-anticipated awards ceremony finally began.

Awards were presented in the documentary, animation, and film categories, and the online voting section, which was eagerly anticipated by the audience, was soon launched.

In today's booming internet age, the importance of popularity awards is self-evident. Even with superb acting skills, without popularity and buzz, and without market recognition, it is not easy for an actor to stand out.

At this point, the hosts for the awards ceremony changed to Yang Lan and Cheng Lei.

"The Magnolia Awards are renowned in the industry for their authority and have always been closely connected with the audience."

The Magnolia Awards introduced an online popularity award in 2009, which continues to this day. However, this year was particularly special, with an astonishing 580 million votes cast.

As soon as Yang Lan finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in uproar. More than 5 million views—what an enormous number! This fully demonstrates the tremendous influence of the internet on the film and television industry.

Such massive traffic and popularity, if properly converted, can generate huge profits.

Holding a cue card, Cheng Lei spoke fluently and clearly: "Please welcome Ms. Liu Yan, President of Weibo, and Mr. Hu Shugang, Chairman of Lao Feng Xiang Company, to announce the winner of the Most Powerful Director Award, as voted by the online poll."

The two guests are both distinguished figures: one is the head of the online platform partner of this year's Magnolia Awards ceremony, and the other is the owner of the gala's sponsors.

"The Most Powerful Director Award goes to Xu Jizhou, director of 'The Indelible Number.' Congratulations!"

Director Xu excitedly stepped onto the stage, accepted the trophy, and delivered his acceptance speech, beaming with joy throughout.

Yang Lan said in a gentle tone: "Next, we will announce the highly anticipated awards for Most Popular Actor and Actress."

One of the guests who announced the awards was Ms. Yang Mi, who was nominated for Best Actress last year for her role in "Palace".

Cheng Lei seamlessly transitioned to the introduction: "The other one is Lei Jiayin, a popular actor known to everyone for starring in the movie 'The Golden Era'! Let's welcome the two of them with warm applause."

As the music began to play softly, Yang Mi, arm in arm with Lei Jiayin, slowly walked in from backstage.

"Hello everyone, I'm Yang Mi." "Hello everyone, I'm Lei Jiayin."

Yang Mi, dressed in a snow-white dress with her hair flowing down to her waist, chuckled and joked, "I'm very happy to present an award with 'Little Northeast' Lei Jiayin."

However, just backstage, I suggested to the organizing committee that they keep a close eye on the trophies to prevent the "Gold Rush" film crew from "stealing" them!

Lei Jiayin, appearing somewhat reserved on such an important stage for the first time, responded earnestly, "Don't joke around, I really wouldn't dare 'steal' this time. To be honest, I feel extremely honored to present an award with you. Hello."

"Hello, hello." Yang Mi saw Lei Jiayin bow slightly in greeting and quickly bowed back in response. The slightly awkward interaction made the audience below the stage burst into laughter.

"I remember last year at the Magnolia Awards, Zhang Jiayi and Liu Shishi presented the award together, and he won Best Actor just 20 minutes later."

I wonder what good thing will happen to me in twenty minutes.

After saying that, Lei Jiayin laughed to himself.

Yang Mi glanced helplessly at her award presenter and poured cold water on her enthusiasm: "I think you're overthinking it. Nothing will happen, after all, you weren't nominated for Best Actor this year. I hope you do your best."

Lei Jiayin also realized that he was not very good at enlivening the stage atmosphere, so he quickly got to the point: "Now, let's reveal the winners of the Most Popular Actor and Actress awards."

Yang Mi opened the red envelope in her hand, a knowing look on her face: "I know this actress very well. We've known each other for a long time and have a very good relationship. She has always worked very hard and is a truly excellent actress."

The winner of the 2th...Most Popular Actress Award (Internet Audience Voting) for TV Series is my good friend Liu Shishi. She received 8374 million votes online. Congratulations, Shishi!

Thunderous applause erupted instantly, and the fans screamed wildly with excitement.

Yang Lan exclaimed, "With nearly 3 million votes, Ms. Liu Shishi's award is well-deserved. Please welcome Lei Jiayin to continue presenting the award."

Lei Jiayin quickly opened another red envelope: "...Most Popular Male Actor, Nie Yuan. 198.71 million online votes."

The fact that both the male and female leads of "Scarlet Heart" won awards fully demonstrates the show's enduring popularity and long-tail effect. The leading lady gracefully walked onto the stage, her steps like lotus blossoms, and Yang Mi warmly greeted her, showcasing their close sisterly bond.

After receiving the gleaming golden trophy, the two moved to the center of the stage to deliver their acceptance speeches.

Host Cheng Lei smiled broadly: "You two should give a long acceptance speech, because your popularity is unprecedented."

Nie Yuan was overjoyed and spoke eloquently into the microphone, talking excitedly for a long time.

Then, Yang Lan pointed the microphone at Liu Shishi: "Please let Shishi say a few words as well."

Perhaps because she was in a bad mood that day, or perhaps because the reunion with Shen Sisi affected her emotions, Liu Shishi did not launch into a long speech.

He simply said, "Thank you to all my friends who have supported me, thank you little lions, this award belongs to you!"

Yang Lan was slightly surprised, not expecting Liu Shishi to only say two sentences! After a brief moment of surprise, she quickly smoothed things over: "So Shishi's fans are called Little Lions. They must be happy for you winning the award."

After a few more interactive interviews, Liu Shishi and Nie Yuan stepped off the stage.

With "Water Margin" winning the Most Attractive TV Series Award, all the Popularity Awards were presented, and the gala then moved into the climax of the Jury Grand Prize TV Series category.

The male host, Cao Kefan, took the stage a second time to announce: "Please welcome the presenters for the Best Director Award, one of whom is the famous actor Hou Yong, who has won the Huabiao Award, the Golden Eagle Award, and the Feitian Award."

The other is Ms. Zhao Yazhi, who will always be our beloved Feng Chengcheng. Welcome.

Zhao Yazhi, dressed in a pink gown, showed off her ageless beauty, and elegantly linked arms with Hou Yong.

Hou Yong's left arm was held by Zhao Yazhi, and his right hand reached out to hold his female companion's soft hand, his face beaming with joy.

Seeing this, Cao Kefan joked, "Hou Yong is probably too happy to sleep tonight."

Hou Yong humorously remarked, "Teacher Zhao Yazhi has been my idol since I was a child!"

The two hosts feigned displeasure: "Is that how you compliment someone?" "You look much more mature than Zhao Yazhi!"

Hou Yong chuckled: "Teacher Zhao Yazhi is still my idol, and I'm extremely excited right now! When I watched 'Shanghai Bund' as a child, the feeling was indescribable!"

The entire audience burst into laughter! Hou Yong's witty and humorous remarks immediately enlivened the atmosphere.

After the electronic screen on stage finished playing clips of the Best Director nominees directing their films, it announced: "The winner of this year's Magnolia Award for Best Director is Zheng Xiaolong, director of 'Empresses in the Palace'."

Since Zheng Xiaolong was not present, Sun Li, the female lead of the drama, accepted the award on his behalf.

Sun Li, with her neat short hair and bright smile, received a Best Actress nomination and was considered the frontrunner to win online.

After the Best Director was announced, the atmosphere reached its peak, and the new Magnolia Award for Best Actor and Best Actress was about to be revealed.

Last year's Best Actor winner Zhang Jiayi and actress Bai Baihe appeared as award presenters.

Zhang Jiayi shaved his head completely bald for his role in a Qing Dynasty drama, and it shone brightly under the lights: "Please look at the screen!"

The exciting moment was about to arrive as the director's camera panned across the faces of the five nominated actresses one by one.

The expressions of the crowd varied. Jiang Wenli and Xi Meijuan, who had won numerous awards, were calm and composed. Song Jia and Liu Shishi were full of anticipation. Sun Li was the most confident, with a radiant smile on her face.

On stage, Bai Baihe slowly took out the list of winners, her voice clear and crisp: "...Best Actress at the Magnolia Awards, Song Jia for 'Cliff'!"

"Congratulations, Song Jia! Please come up to the stage to receive your award!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, the camera immediately focused on Sun Li and Liu Shishi.

Sun Li's smile vanished abruptly, her face turning ashen, as if she could wring water out of it.

Although Liu Shishi mechanically applauded the winners, her expression revealed a cold indifference, and her resentment was palpable.

Song Jia was both surprised and delighted. She excitedly embraced the director and then gracefully stepped onto the stage.

"Honestly, this was a wonderfully unexpected surprise for me, so unexpected that I didn't even prepare an acceptance speech." Song Jia's voice trembled, feeling as if she were in a dream, after all, her opponent was too strong.

The hit drama "Empresses in the Palace" made Sun Li a household name across China. Liu Shishi, with her powerful background, delivered a commendable performance in "Scarlet Heart." She never dared to dream of winning the Best Actress award.

Offstage, Liu Shishi was filled with resentment. She would have accepted defeat if she had lost to Sun Li, as she believed that "The Legend of Zhen Huan" truly deserved its success.

Or perhaps losing to Jiang Wenli and Xi Meijuan would be acceptable, since their acting skills are indeed superior to hers.

But losing to Song Jia was hard for her to accept. The drama "Cliff" was originally a male-centric drama with very little screen time for the female lead. She was not happy that Song Jia won the award!
"Why? Is Magnolia deliberately targeting me?!" The top actress was indignant, but she had to maintain her composure in front of the camera.

Sun Li was equally unwilling. She was determined to win the Magnolia Award for Best Actress and soar to new heights, sweeping away the slump she experienced after returning home to give birth. However, Song Jia won the award instead, and she, Sun Li, was not satisfied!

During the subsequent awards ceremony, Liu Shishi was in a daze, distraught, and overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss.

As soon as the party ended, he avoided reporters and fans and rushed back to his home in Tomson Riviera, wanting only to be alone for a while.

Assistant Su Xiaoxiao knew her boss was feeling down, so she silently stayed by her side the whole way. When they arrived home, however, they found the living room lights on—the man of the house was actually home!
The assistant tactfully withdrew from the living room, leaving the richest woman and her husband alone.

Upon seeing her husband, Liu Shishi's forced composure crumbled instantly. Her eyes reddened as she threw herself into his arms, on the verge of tears: "Yiyi, I didn't win the award again. Am I really useless?"

Song Ci already knew the outcome, which is why he specially came from Beiping to comfort her: "Life always has its ups and downs, don't be discouraged. The future is long, and we will all get better and better."

Liu Shishi nestled quietly in her husband's arms, listening to the familiar heartbeat, wishing time could stand still.

Song Ci gently stroked his wife's back and softly described: "After the wedding, we'll go to the Maldives to watch the sunrise, to Iceland to chase the Northern Lights, and to the East African savanna to see the animal migration..."

"I was too greedy. Having the most beautiful love in the world, I still wanted more. Yiyi, the joy I feel because of you is the most precious gift you have given me."

Liu Shishi smiled through her tears, her eyes sparkling as she imagined the most magnificent and wondrous scenery her husband had described, and murmured, "Husband, you love me!"

(End of this chapter)