I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

From her debut in 2002 with "The Golden Cangue" to winning the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress in 2025, a span of 23 years has passed.

Twenty-three years is enough for a new generation of film and television actors to go from entering the industry to becoming obsolete, enough to erase all of the audience's memories of an actor.

She endured the dark days of being ostracized by the entire industry and being collectively sidelined by capital, the hardship of not being able to pay her rent in Shanghai with her stage play salary, and a whole year of career death with no announcements and no exposure. She never bowed to the unspoken rules of the past.

This Golden Goblet Award is not only a recognition of her acting skills, but also a belated answer from the industry: all the rejections, all the forbearance, and all the silent dormancy back then were not in vain in the end.

As Cheng Sheng reviewed the entire process by comparing it with the memories of another world in his mind, he was filled with emotion.

In his view, Wan Qian possesses all the essential qualities for becoming a top star: a cool and attractive natural beauty, a distinctive and sophisticated temperament, and consistently excellent acting skills honed through formal training. She has no weaknesses whatsoever.

She was deliberately blacklisted in her early years, missing out on the golden age of 20 to 30 for actresses, and was delayed for ten years.

If it weren't for that hidden hiatus, she would have reached the top with high-quality mainstream works around the age of thirty, and her achievements would have far exceeded the original trajectory in both timelines.

Cheng Sheng held the group of industry figures and directors who had blacklisted Wan Qian back then in utter contempt.

He merely holds a little influence in the industry, and because of his own selfish desires, he was rejected, so he went so far as to try to destroy a newcomer who had just entered the industry and had no background. His mindset was extremely narrow, and his actions were despicable.

Many times he had the urge to take direct action to punish the other party, but reason quickly brought him back.

Today, he is the most famous among the new generation in the industry, and his network extends throughout the film and television industry. However, he has not yet reached the point where he can ignore industry rules and arbitrarily manipulate established capital and senior directors. Making rash moves would only backfire.

But simply protecting Wan Qian and clearing away any obstacles to her subsequent blacklisting was a piece of cake for Cheng Sheng.

Everyone in the mainland film and television industry knows that Cheng Sheng is a disciple of a renowned master at the Central Academy of Drama, deeply connected with the two major official film and television systems of the Central Academy of Drama and China Film Group, and backed by mainstream official resources, giving him far more influence than ordinary top-tier artists.

As long as he subtly sends out signals of protection, no one in the industry dares to risk offending the two major official systems and continue targeting Wan Qian.

After weighing the pros and cons, Cheng Sheng did not delay at all and directly replied to Zhang Meng, clearly agreeing to take action to resolve the hidden blacklist left by Wan Qian.

He then logged into his verified Weibo account and posted a short and restrained message: "Having watched many of Wan Qian's film and television works, I highly recognize her professional abilities and wish her a smooth and successful future in the entertainment industry."

The text didn't express any strong stance or name any past grievances; it seemed like just a normal industry appreciation speech. However, those with keen industry sense instantly understood the subtext—Cheng Sheng was publicly taking sides and protecting Wan Qian.

If anyone tries to sabotage him in the future, it will be tantamount to directly opposing Cheng Sheng, thereby angering the two major official forces, the Central Academy of Drama and the China Film Group, and no one can bear the consequences.

After processing his online statement, Cheng Sheng didn't linger and set off for his master's sect.

Previously, the realistic drama crew that his master's sect had been preparing for had entered the final stage of personnel formation. He needed to personally verify the progress of the main creative team and location selection, finalize the actors' schedules, and complete the start-up registration and other follow-up details to promote the project's implementation.

……

Within the domestic entertainment industry, undercurrents were instantly stirring.

Cheng Sheng's concise Weibo post spread throughout the private circles of various film and television production teams and brokerage company executives within just ten minutes of its release.

Almost everyone in the industry clicked on the post immediately, and all their attention was focused on the comment at the end that expressed optimism about Wan Qian. The industry was immediately in an uproar; everyone was shocked.

Cheng Sheng, who has been in the industry for only three years, has two box office hits, and is backed by the resources of both China Film Group and the Central Academy of Drama, rarely makes public comments on artists in the industry, let alone actively publishes articles to publicly support them.

Prior to this, he had never spoken out for any actress individually, making this a first in the industry.

In an instant, countless questions flooded private chat groups within the industry: Who is Wan Qian? This name has never appeared on the mainstream resource candidate list, so what makes Cheng Sheng make an exception for her? What exclusive connections does she have, or what extraordinary background does she possess?

Filled with doubts, various talent agencies and casting directors retrieved Wan Qian's complete professional resume.

After reviewing the document, everyone was stunned.

Wan Qian entered the industry around the same time as Cheng Sheng, and her resume is pitifully thin. Apart from a few supporting roles, she has had no roles for many years. In the past two years, she has been hovering in the 18th tier of artists, not even reaching the level of a third-rate actor. She has no traffic, no fan base, and no capital backing, making her the most inconspicuous low-level actor in the entertainment industry.

How could Cheng Sheng specifically post a message to protect an obscure, unknown celebrity with no connections?

As the doubts continued to be investigated, well-informed veterans in the industry quickly unearthed a long-buried secret: Wan Qian had rejected private invitations from seven top investors and well-known directors in her early years, and was subsequently blacklisted by the entire industry, unable to obtain formal film and television resources for several years.

After learning the truth, public opinion within the industry became completely divided.

Most people's first reaction was that Wan Qian was overestimating herself.

A powerful figure in the industry who controls top resources can decide the development of a small or medium-sized actor for the next ten years with just a word. Openly refusing to cooperate is tantamount to cutting off one's own career, so being sidelined is entirely reasonable.

But after calming down, many people felt genuine admiration for them.

In the entertainment industry, most people start out with the idea of ​​upholding their principles, but when faced with resources and survival, they all eventually choose to compromise and bow to the unspoken rules.

Wan Qian is one of the very few people who never wavered from beginning to end. She did what millions of people wanted to do but dared not do.

After the initial shock, all that remained was envy.

Wan Qian's stubbornness almost ruined her acting career, but her extreme stubbornness happened to meet her extreme good fortune.

She met Zhang Meng, a fellow actress in the drama "Nine-Tailed Fox," and the two hit it off immediately, becoming inseparable like sisters in just half a month.

Zhang Meng is a loyal and righteous person. After learning about her best friend's grievances of being sidelined for many years, she did not hide anything and told Cheng Sheng the whole story in private.

It was precisely this indirect relationship that allowed Cheng Sheng to easily dismantle the industry blockade that had lasted for several years by posting a single Weibo message.

Everyone in the industry is envious of this luck, but Wan Qian, the person involved, is completely clueless and unaware that a huge uproar has already taken place outside.

She was in a private lounge provided by the Hengdian film crew, sitting opposite her best friend, Wei Lai, who had been with her since their time at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. (End of Chapter)