The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

Shen Mo and Sun Zhonghuai, along with other industry leaders, sat in the first row, while Li Yitong sat with the cast and crew of "Silent Witness".

The awards were presented one by one, interspersed with stage performances.

When the Best Supporting Actor award ceremony began, Sun Zhonghuai smiled at Shen Mo and walked backstage.

Next, he will present the award for Best Supporting Actress.

This was something he specifically requested.

When the Best Supporting Actor award ceremony ended, the lights dimmed and then came back on, focusing on the center of the stage.

Sun Zhonghuai stood side by side with Ning Jing, the winner of the previous Best Supporting Actress award.

He is not an artist, but his demeanor as the head of Tencent Video and Tencent Pictures makes him perfectly at ease standing on this awards stage.

Instead, it highlights the silent influence of internet capital and platforms on the industry, beyond the awards themselves.

"Hello everyone, I am Sun Zhonghuai."

His voice was steady and carried throughout the venue through the microphone.

"It is an honor to present such an important Best Supporting Actress award at the Hundred Flowers Awards together with Ms. Ning Jing."

Ning Jing smiled and replied, and then the big screen began playing film clips of the five nominees.

When the clip from "Silent Witness" appeared, the camera panned to where Li Yitong was in the audience.

She tilted her head slightly upwards, looking at the screen with focused appreciation on her face.

Only the slightly curled and relaxed fingertips resting on the knees betrayed a hint of tension and concern.

In the first row, Shen Mo sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the stage, revealing little emotion.

However, he was more relaxed than usual, with a confident air that he had everything under control.

The comment section of the live stream has become active again.

[Here it comes! Tongtong's highlight moment!]

[Sun Zhonghuai even came up to present the award? Interesting. Is this to demonstrate Tencent's formal involvement in the film industry?]

The clip from "Silent Witness" was edited so well; Li Yitong's gaze was absolutely stunning!

The other nominees are also very strong; it feels like there's going to be a close call.

[Suspense? Don't you even look at who's presenting the award? Shen Mo's here! You really think he's just here to present the award to the new Best Actor?]

[Hey, stop with the conspiracy theories, okay? Li Yitong's acting was really good!]

[Exactly, acting skills speak for themselves! Go Tongtong!]

On the stage, Sun Zhonghuai had already opened the golden envelope in his hand.

He pulled out the card, glanced at it, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

He raised his head, his gaze precisely fixed on the direction of the "Silent Witness" film crew, and paused.

The winner of the Best Supporting Actress award at the 32nd Hundred Flowers Awards is—

Despite knowing there wouldn't be any major surprises, Li Yitong unconsciously held her breath.

"Congratulations to Li Yitong on 'Silent Witness'!"

"Whoosh—!!!"

Applause erupted instantly, and spotlights and all cameras immediately focused on Li Yitong.

She paused for a second, then her beautiful crescent-shaped eyes quickly curved into the most radiant arc.

Surprise, joy, relief...

A variety of emotions flashed through her eyes, finally transforming into bright starlight.

Congratulations, Yitong!

Congratulations!

Li Yitong slowly stood up and straightened her dress.

He gave a light hug to Sun Honglei, who had also stood up beside him, and then shook hands with Fei Xing, Guo Fucheng, Yu Nan and others to accept their congratulations.

She walked slowly towards the stage, her slightly flushed cheeks and slightly faster pace than usual revealing her excitement.

As she passed the first row, her pace suddenly slowed, and her gaze met Shen Mo's as he stood up, clapping and smiling at her.

Without saying a word, Shen Mo simply nodded, clapping even faster, his eyes brimming with praise and pride.

Li Yitong's smile deepened, and she straightened her back again, gracefully stepping onto the stage under everyone's gaze.

When Li Yitong received the heavy Hundred Flowers Award trophy and certificate from Sun Zhonghuai and Ning Jing, her hand trembled slightly.

"Thank you, thank you Teacher Ning Jing, thank you General Manager Sun."

She first thanked the presenter, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.

Then he stood in front of the microphone.

Standing here now, I look around at the star-studded crowd below the stage and at the countless fans cheering for me in the distance.

She felt that everything was unreal.

In his previous life, he spent more than ten years in the entertainment industry and won dozens of awards, but almost all of them were just low-quality awards.

And now, she stands here, and although it's only for Best Supporting Actress, it's undoubtedly the most prestigious award she's ever received.

At this moment, receiving honors and awards makes her even happier than when she saw "My Love from the Star" and "The Journey of Flower" become huge hits and gain popularity.

And all of this is inseparable from that man.

Li Yitong's eyes gradually welled up with tears, and she turned her star-studded gaze to Shen Mo.

She knew that although she wanted to change her image and win awards, even though her acting skills had improved.

However, this award is not so easy to obtain.

Wang Zhen and Du Juan from "American Dreams in China", Liu Yase and Jiang Shuying from "So Young", Yuan Quan from "The White Storm", Hai Qing from "Seattle", and Tao Hong from "Lost in Thailand".

She took a deep breath and blinked hard, trying to clear the mist from her eyes.

"Wow……"

Her very first sentence was delivered in her usual playful tone.

"I'm a little dizzy, the lights are too bright, and the trophy is a bit heavy."

A burst of good-natured laughter immediately erupted from the audience.

"I am very, very grateful to the Hundred Flowers Awards, and thank you to all the viewers who voted for me."

"This trophy means a lot to me."

She paused for a moment, then said, "The character in 'Silent Witness' is very different from the ones I've played before."

"Thank you to director Fei Xing for his trust and patience, and thank you to Brother Hong Lei, Brother Fu Cheng, and Sister Yu Nan for their guidance and help on set. Without you, I would not have been able to complete this role."

After thanking the production team, she immediately changed the subject.

"Of course, I also want to thank my company, Mohen, and my boss and partner, Shen Mo."

As she spoke, her gaze naturally drifted towards Shen Mo, a gentle smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you, Ink Trace, for giving me an environment where I can feel safe to try and break through."

"Without Mohen's support and reliance, I might not have had the courage to take on such a role."

"Finally," Li Yitong held the trophy to her chest, her crescent-shaped eyes sparkling with a confident and captivating light.

"I want to say that this award is a wonderful encouragement, but it will not be my final destination."

"I will carry this recognition with me and continue to work hard to portray more different and vibrant characters."

Thank you everyone!

She bowed, and amidst thunderous applause, raised the trophy high, her smile as radiant as a star.

From below the stage, Shen Mo's gaze remained fixed on the radiant figure on the stage, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and pride.

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Online, the speed at which comments flooded the screen doubled again.

Well deserved! Tongtong is awesome!

[Best Supporting Actress: Li Yitong!]

[“My boss and partner” Ahhh, I’m so into this! What an amazing bond of working side-by-side!]

Congratulations! A bright future awaits!

[Tch, it was definitely pre-arranged. I guessed it when Sun Zhonghuai went on stage to present the award; it was all a shady business by Inkprint Penguin.]

[The person upstairs is really making a scene, their acting is so bad. Why don't you show them some clips of their acting for comparison? Li Yitong's acting is just better!]

Regardless, congratulations to Li Yitong! Her next goal: Best Actress!

Meanwhile, the competitors offstage, including Liu Yase, Jiang Shuying, Yuan Quan, and Hai Qing, were also experiencing mixed feelings.

In fact, they had already guessed this when Li Yitong was nominated, after all, Li Yitong's popularity has indeed been incredibly high in the past two years.

With Mohen, who had forcefully defeated Huayi, as their background, they really couldn't think of a way to win.

However, there was still a sliver of hope, but now that hope has been completely shattered.

As Li Yitong walked off the stage with the trophy in her hand, she stood up and applauded as she passed by them, her lips trembling with emotion.

Li Yitong returned to her seat, and Sun Honglei and the others started making noise again.

She carefully placed the trophy aside and looked back at the first row.

Shen Mo seemed to sense her gaze, turned his head, raised his glass to her in the air, and then made a tiny mouth shape.

Li Yitong understood.

"Congratulations, my Best Supporting Actress."

She smiled, her crescent-shaped eyes conveying everything without saying a word.

The stage lights shifted and the music changed slightly after the Best Actress award was presented to Zhang Ziyi for "The Grandmaster".

The host's voice rang out again, "Next up is the 32nd Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Actor!"

The names and faces of the nominees flashed across the big screen in turn.

Leung Chiu-wai (The Grandmaster), Huang Xiaoming, Deng Chao (American Dreams in China), Sun Honglei, Guo Fucheng (Silent Witness), Xu Zheng, Wang Baoqiang, Huang Bo (Lost in Thailand).

Each appearance of a face was accompanied by enthusiastic applause.

"Now, let's welcome Shen Mo, the winner of last year's Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, to the stage to announce and present this prestigious award!"

The applause was thunderous, even more enthusiastic than before.

As the host introduced him, Shen Mo walked confidently onto the stage and stood in front of the central microphone.

"Good evening."

"It is an honor to stand on the Hundred Flowers Awards stage again. As a winner from the previous year, I feel the deep affection and recognition from the audience."

"This year, as an award presenter, I feel a sense of responsibility to witness the birth of another outstanding actor with everyone."

His opening remarks were concise and powerful. His gaze swept over the area where the nominees were located, and he smiled slightly.

The comments scrolled rapidly in the live stream.

Shen Mo's aura is absolutely amazing! He doesn't seem like a young man in his early twenties at all.

[He's the boss of Mohen, don't treat him like just an ordinary movie star, okay? Have a broader perspective.]

[Sigh, it's all a rip-off. Sun Zhonghuai just presented an award to Li Yitong, now Shen Mo must be coming up to present an award to someone from "The Partners."]

Why do some people always think the world is dark? Can't someone else truly deserve the Best Actor award?

Shen Mo turned slightly to the side, and the hostess stepped forward with a tray containing an envelope and a trophy. He reached out and took out the golden envelope.

The entire room seemed to hold its breath as the envelope was torn open.

He raised his head, his gaze slowly moving among the nominees, creating enough suspense before settling on the direction of the "Partners" crew.

More accurately, it was frozen on Huang Xiaoming's face.

The winner of the Best Actor award at the 32nd Hundred Flowers Awards is—

"Congratulations to Huang Xiaoming on 'American Dreams in China'!"

Applause, cheers, and gasps of amazement erupted instantly!

The spotlight shone directly on Huang Xiaoming.

Huang Xiaoming was clearly stunned. His eyes widened as if he couldn't believe it. It wasn't until Deng Chao hugged him tightly and the rest of the crew excitedly patted his shoulder that he snapped out of his daze.

He straightened his suit and walked onto the stage under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

As he passed the first row, he made a point of nodding deeply to Sun Zhonghuai, who was smiling and clapping. Sun Zhonghuai returned the gesture with an encouraging gesture.

On the stage, Shen Mo was already waiting with the trophy in his hand.

When Huang Xiaoming stepped onto the stage and faced Shen Mo, he took the initiative to extend both hands, accepting the trophy with one hand and tightly grasping Shen Mo's hand with the other.

He shook his hand vigorously while repeatedly saying thank you.

Shen Mo smiled and patted his arm.

Huang Xiaoming nodded repeatedly, stood in front of the microphone, and took several deep breaths to calm his excited emotions.

"I...I'm really...so excited!" His voice trembled slightly.

"Thank you to the Hundred Flowers Awards, thank you to all the viewers who voted for me! Thank you to the 'American Dreams in China' crew, thank you Director Chen, thank you Brother Chao, and thank you to all the staff both in front of and behind the camera!"

Then, he looked at Sun Zhonghuai below the stage.

"I would also like to express my special thanks to my new employer, Tencent Pictures, and to Mr. Sun for his trust and support!"

"This award is a huge encouragement to me!"

Congratulations Huang Xiaoming! His performance in "American Dreams in China" was truly excellent!

From Huayi Brothers to Tencent, Xiaoming should thank Shen Mo! Without him, you wouldn't have gotten to Tencent!

I knew they'd already coordinated everything.

[Although I had a feeling it was coming, congratulations anyway! Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor!]

It's a pity about the other nominees, especially Leung Chiu-wai and Sun Honglei.

What's there to regret? The Hundred Flowers Awards are essentially a popularity contest, and Huang Xiaoming's popularity is undeniable.

After the awards ceremony, Sun Zhonghuai returned to his seat, beaming with joy, shook hands with Huang Xiaoming to congratulate him, and then excitedly patted Shen Mo on the shoulder.

He knew that this was Shen Mo's sincerity in cooperating; otherwise, given the box office and popularity of "Lost in Thailand" and Mohen's capital, it wouldn't have been easy for "The Partners" to win this Best Actor award.

Shen Mo smiled slightly and took Sun Zhonghuai's hand.

"Mr. Sun, there will be plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"This is just the beginning."

After saying that, he calmly sat back down in his seat.

Sun Zhonghuai gradually calmed down, looked at Shen Mo with appreciation for a long time, and then sat down next to Shen Mo.

"I was indeed attached to appearances."

"Mr. Shen is right. There will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future."

Shen Mo's lips curled up slightly as he looked towards the stage.

The awards ceremony is still ongoing, and the winners of the awards and the best film have not yet been announced.

But for Shen Mo and Mohen, they had already achieved all their goals for coming here tonight.

Winning the award is one thing, but if you give up the Best Actor award, you should let your allies know so that the alliance can be more stable, right?

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