I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 117 Popular Celebrities VS K-Pop Supergroups (2-in-1, 9K)

April 14, Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the area outside the stadium was already a sea of ​​people in a frenzy.

A huge red backdrop stands at the entrance, printed with "The 13th Music Billboard Awards Ceremony" and the theme of this year's event directly below.

We are young!

The left and right sides are the sponsor IOGO walls, featuring Ritux Display, Samsung mobile phones, Master Kong Iced Tea, and Budweiser beer.

The red carpet stretched from the stadium entrance all the way to the edge of the road. Behind the metal barriers on both sides, reporters and fans crowded together, with cameras and microphones set up in a row, their caps already removed, just waiting for the first car to arrive.

This is the Music Billboard Awards, hosted by Enlight Media, and is known in the industry as the "Chinese Grammys".

The judging panel is relatively professional, unlike some award ceremonies where anyone who shows up gets a prize.

Winning a trophy on this stage signifies industry recognition.

Around 4 p.m., people from all walks of life had already begun to gather outside the venue.

Scalpers weaved through the crowd, clutching stacks of tickets in their hands and shouting, "Front row seats, DM me if you want them!" They were chased away by security guards but would circle back.

In the media work area, cameramen were adjusting their equipment, reporters were checking interview lists, and directors were yelling into walkie-talkies, "Move the camera a little to the left."

Several hosts in sequined dresses stood by the side door rehearsing their lines. Their makeup was exquisite, and their expressions were tense. They were about to go live and could not afford to make any mistakes.

But what truly enlivened this square were the fans of various celebrities.

At the south entrance, large swirling expanses of silvery-white light were visible.

There are no standardized official support outfits, but they tacitly prefer white or light silver plain T-shirts. Many people have a simple black EX0 logo printed on the corner of their clothes, which are the first generation of support shirts that everyone bought online and made themselves.

The crowd held up simple light signs of all sizes, the lights were not sophisticated, and were even a bit rough, with words shining in warm white light.

"EXO", "WeAreOne", "SUHO", "Lu Han" and "LAY".

No one wore fancy glowing headbands; most people held a few silver glow sticks in their hands and had homemade idol stickers on their cheeks, simple yet full of enthusiasm.

Many girls also wore light purple or light pink temporary hair extensions. They were mostly students who didn't dare to actually dye their hair, so they could only secretly do this little bit of rebellion.

They huddled together in twos and threes, whispering in hushed tones, nervous yet excited, afraid of disturbing others, yet unable to suppress the joy in their hearts.

"Did you manage to snag any tickets for the inner section? I've been trying to get tickets through the official ticket-buying platform for three days, and I only managed to get tickets for the upper tier."

"Be content! Many people couldn't even get a spot outside the stadium; just being able to see the big screen is enough for me!"

"I saw the rehearsal photos! Tonight's opening act is really 'MAMA'! And they'll also be performing a medley of 'History'!"

"Oh my god, I'm so nervous! Lu Han just celebrated his birthday yesterday, will he have a special performance tonight?"

"Don't push, don't push! Hold on tight! I heard their convoy is almost here!"

"I really didn't sleep a wink last night. It was my first time meeting him in person, and my palms were sweaty—"

"Oh right, has Bailu, the group admin of our Jiangsu Planet Support Group, arrived yet?"

"I don't know, but she's so obsessed with getting tickets for Lu Han, saying she'd die if she had to, she must be here, right?"

"But she's been like she's disappeared from the group lately, not saying a word. Could she have betrayed us and switched sides?"

"What are you thinking! Have you forgotten about Jiang Gou's fans infiltrating our group to poach people? It was Bai Lu and that Bai Xue who had a three-hundred-round online battle, making everyone in the group gossip and cursing their ancestors for eighteen generations. Would a fanatic who protects Lu betray us?"

"Then why hasn't she been talking lately?"

"I know that, I heard they're preparing some big surprise—"

The security personnel stood in front of the metal barricades, expressionless, but occasionally their enthusiasm would make their lips twitch.

The north entrance presents a completely different scene.

A large expanse of bright orange was the first to appear, featuring support T-shirts uniformly customized by Jiang Chen's official global fan club. The chest was printed with the simple white English words "JiangChen," and the back had the four square characters "Unstoppable."

Unlike the ordinary clothes that fans buy and make themselves online, these support outfits were custom-made by the fan club at full price and distributed uniformly. The fabric is thick and the prints are neat and clear, clearly showing that they have been prepared for a long time and that a lot of money has been spent on them.

Various LED light signs with metal frames stood scattered among the crowd, with the words "Jiang Chen Global Fan Club" shining brightly. The light signs were exquisitely and neatly made, far superior to the simple cardboard light signs on the south side.

Many people held fluorescent banners in their hands, one side printed with a silhouette of his character in a period drama, and the other side printed with various nicknames such as "Chenchen" and "Jiang Chen".

Several core fan site administrators and support group managers stood in the front row, all wearing simple walkie-talkie headsets and holding printed support schedules. They would occasionally look down to check the time and adjust their positions.

These fans were fully equipped and had a clear division of labor. They had rehearsed repeatedly in advance when to raise their light sticks, when to cheer, and when to sing the OST.

Several girls leaned against the railing, each holding a DSLR camera, their lenses always pointed towards the red carpet, ready to be used.

"How many awards will Chenchen win tonight? Have you reviewed all the nominees yet?"

"Most Popular Male Singer in the Chinese Entertainment Industry, Most Popular Crossover Male Singer, and Song of the Year. However, 'Unstoppable' is an English song, so I'm not sure if it counts as a Chinese music award here."

"Who cares if it counts or not, he's a sure thing with his popularity. If he doesn't get it, I'll just bite the light board right here and now."

"By the way, you all saw what happened with him on Billboard, right?"

A girl wearing black-rimmed glasses spoke with undisguised pride, "The first legitimate Chinese group to break into the top ten of the Billboard live chart. Before that, those Korean groups couldn't even get close to the top of the chart."

"Has EXO ever performed on it?"

"They don't even make it onto the mainstream overseas rankings."

The group exchanged glances, and a subtle smile crept onto their lips.

This confidence isn't something deliberately shown off; it comes from solid achievements, and the confidence is very strong.

"Who managed to snag tickets to his solo concert in Shanghai in May?"

"The game was completely empty within the first five seconds."

"I was stuck on the payment screen for a minute, and when I clicked again, it was sold out. I was devastated."

"Who exactly is scrambling for it?"

"Overseas fans are all waiting, it's a global frenzy, no wonder it's impossible to get one."

"It's okay if I don't get one. I'll just wait outside for three hours to listen to the live performance."

"Count me in, I'll never miss an opportunity to cheer from the sidelines."

As they chatted, the sunlight occasionally swept across the surging silvery white expanse to the south.

Across from us was a lively but still somewhat immature K-pop fandom. Although there seemed to be a lot of people there, they were poorly equipped and disorganized.

This is a well-organized and sophisticated national top-tier fan support event, with excellent equipment and impeccable order.

The two sides didn't get along well with each other, but fortunately, tonight was a big day for the grand ceremony. Separated by a passage, they were both full of expectations and decided to keep to themselves for the time being.

The van is spacious, and the seats are adjusted to a semi-reclining position.

Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let Li Yitong play with his face.

Li Yitong squatted down in front of him, holding a powder puff in her hand, carefully touching up his makeup.

She wore a simple black T-shirt today, her hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing her smooth forehead, and she looked focused.

"Boss, don't move," she frowned, "There's some powder stuck here, let me press it down for you."

"Tongtong," Jiang Chen said without even lifting his eyelids, "I'm going to receive an award, not to perform in a play. There's no need for all this."

"Simple powder," Li Yitong continued, "You've been working too hard filming lately, staying up all night revising the script, and your skin is in terrible condition. Plus, it's stuffy in the car, and you sweat and get oily easily, which doesn't look good on camera."

"What's wrong with me being a little greasy, being a man?"

"Men have pride too," Li Yitong secretly rolled her eyes at him. "You're a big star now, with so many cameras pointed at you. If you're photographed with an oily face, your fans will say I'm an incompetent assistant."

"You weren't competent to begin with," Jiang Chen suddenly opened his eyes. "Who gave you the job as an assistant? I told you to go to class and focus on preparing for filming. What are you doing here?"

Li Yitong paused in her movements and puffed out her cheeks.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to act in the future, but I can't miss out on your opportunities."

"You—"

Jiang Chen felt inexplicably pleased; Tongtong was so considerate, unlike that silly girl.

He looked across at the other side.

Bai Mengyan was sitting there, in a strange state.

Her face turned pale and then red, her eyes wide open, as if she were experiencing some huge psychological shock.

"Xiaobai, what are you doing? Are you carsick?"

"No—no!" Bai Mengyan straightened her back abruptly. "Boss—I—I'm fine!"

"Then why is your face so red, like a silly roe deer?"

"No! I'm just—it's my first time participating in such a big event, and I'm a little—excited."

"I might be a little cold—"

"cold?"

"I have a cold constitution —"

Jiang Chen: "??????"

Bai Mengyan was so excited she was incoherent.

Outside the car is the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.

Outside the car were EXO fans.

Outside the car, Lu Han was there.

It was Lu Han, her beloved, and her comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside her!

this----

Jiang Chen decided to tease her: "Xiao Bai, do you have a favorite celebrity? I can get you their autograph later."

Bai Mengyan froze: "No—no!"

"No? I heard there's someone named Lu Han who's quite popular."

Bai Mengyan's face turned pale instantly.

"Boss—what did you say?" she stammered, "I—I am an orange, born an orange person, and will die an orange peel—"

She spoke with such passion that she almost stood up from her seat.

Jiang Chen looked at her, his eyes carrying a hint of a half-smile.

Li Yitong, watching from the side, felt somewhat confused: "What kind of riddles are you two playing?"

"It's nothing," Jiang Chen said. "Xiao Bai is just showing his loyalty."

"Oh," Li Yitong didn't think much of it and continued touching up Jiang Chen's makeup, suddenly muttering, "I wonder if that idiot Bailu has arrived yet?"

Bai Mengyan stiffened again.

"If I ever see her, I'll tear her apart," Li Yitong gritted her teeth. "This woman comes to curse me every night; she's insulted my ancestors for eighteen generations."

Jiang Chen perked up: "You guys even added each other as friends?"

"Ugh," Li Yitong said irritably, "She infiltrated our group before, but I found out, so I added her with a fake account to try and get information out of her. But when she found out I was Bai Xue, she started cursing at me every day, saying I was trying to steal her away, that I was Jiang Zemin's lackey, and that I deserved to die a horrible death—"

As she spoke, her temper flared, and she slammed her powder puff on the table: "I'll dig her up my ass! She's the one who's lax in managing her own group, and now her fans are coming over, and she's blaming me?"

Jiang Chen:

Bai Mengyan:

"————"

Her face turned red again.

"Sister Tong," Bai Mengyan said in unison, "that Bai Lu—she's really despicable. If I were there, I'd help you beat her up."

Li Yitong's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Really!" Bai Mengyan nodded vigorously. "I hate these kinds of haters the most!"

"Mengyan, you're the best," Li Yitong said, holding her hand with emotion. "Unlike that idiot, who's like a lunatic."

Bai Mengyan stiffened as her hand was held, her lips twitching as she forced a smile: "—Hehe, yeah."

Seeing this, Jiang Chen finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Li Yitong turned her head in confusion: "Boss, what are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," Jiang Chen shook his head, reached out and pinched her cheek, "Silly girl."

Li Yitong was stunned for a moment, then blushed.

She playfully slapped his hand away: "Boss! What are you doing! I still have powder on my face!"

"So what if I have fans?"

"It'll get on your hands!"

"...

""

Bai Mengyan was still rambling on and on.

"Sister Tong, don't worry, your sisters are definitely on your side! If that Bai Lu dares to come to the scene, I'll be the first to grab her hair! Let her know how powerful Orange is!"

"Mengyan, you're so kind."

"Absolutely!" Bai Mengyan patted her chest. "I hate these kinds of haters the most! If you're going to be a fan, fine, but what kind of person insults you? If you're so capable, confront them in person! What kind of hero hides behind a screen!"

Jiang Chen leaned back in his seat, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth.

"And boss," Bai Mengyan turned to Jiang Chen, her face sincere, "choosing me as your assistant was a wise decision! These days, all those people outside claim to be loyal, but who knows who they're secretly supporting! Unlike me, I'm single-minded, my only focus is on the boss!"

As she spoke, she raised her right hand, making a vow gesture: "My loyalty to the boss is as clear as heaven and earth! As clear as the sun and moon!"

"I don't know anything about this deer or this 'cold'!"

Jiang Chen: "————"

He plans to make a spy drama for this girl someday.

At 16:30 PM, the red carpet began.

The first to appear was Gao Xiaosong, the chairman of the judging panel, accompanied by his wife, Xi Youmi.

Xi Youmi wore a see-through dress, showing off her sexy legs, while Gao Xiaosong remained as plump as ever.

The host, Colonel, joked, "Mr. Komatsu, you're dressed very formally today."

"7

Gao Xiaosong smiled but didn't reply. He led his wife quickly across the red carpet, clearly disliking this kind of occasion.

After that, one wave of celebrities began to appear.

Zhang Xuan walked the red carpet in a tank top and jeans, looking as simple as if she were shopping at a mall. When the host, Fang Ling, asked her which award she most wanted to receive, she actually said, "I like to see pretty girls go on stage to receive awards." She even called out to the audience, "I really want to see the creator, Shang Wenjie, in person," which drew laughter from the entire audience. Fang Ling quickly smoothed things over.

Huang Qishan wore a gorgeous dress and exuded an aura of "I'm here to receive an award," causing a flurry of camera shutters to click in the media area.

Wei Sheng's look was the most eye-catching, a dark-style red and white striped suit. When he walked onto the red carpet, the screams of his fans instantly drowned out those of the others.

Shang Wenjie wore a black dress and had a cool and elegant makeup look. She stood on the red carpet like a sculpture.

Twins' Ah-Jiao and Ah-Sa walked hand in hand down the red carpet, marking a rare joint appearance for them.

The two men, one in black and one in white, looked like close buddies and even gave a peace sign to the camera.

Wang Feng was wearing black leather pants and sunglasses, exuding the aura of a "rock and roll icon".

Zhang Liangying wore a silver sequined dress that sparkled under the lights, while fans around her shouted "Goddess!" one after another.

Chen Min, Zhou Xiaoou, Jin Zhiwen, Ding Ding, and Zhang Hexuan, representatives from the Singer and The Voice of China teams, took the stage one after another. Each of their fan groups were shouting their hearts out, but compared to the previous ones, the scale of their performances was much smaller.

Then there's Hu Defu, a godfather-like figure in Taiwanese folk music, dressed very simply, carrying a cloth bag, as if she had just come from the market.

Next, Han Geng, the "spokesperson" for this year's ceremony, made his appearance.

Before his car had even come to a complete stop, a scream ripped through the night sky.

"Han Geng!!! Han Geng!!!"

The moment Han Geng opened the car door, the fan areas on both sides of the red carpet exploded like a lit oil pan.

Screams, cries, and shouts mingled together, forcing security personnel to form a human wall to prevent the railings from collapsing.

The fans' shouts came in waves.

His fan base has been accumulating since the Korean Wave era, and these past few years have been the peak of his popularity.

The previous contract termination controversy has subsided, but this has made him the "first person to return to China after working in South Korea," carrying an aura of resistance against unreasonable contracts.

With his cutting-edge musical style, solid dance skills, and a face that's always favored by the camera, he has taken up the mantle of "Korean Wave male singer returning to China" and firmly established himself in both the music and fashion industries.

Then, the security personnel along the red carpet started to tense up.

Because the next car is EXO-M.

A black minivan slowly came to a stop at the starting point of the red carpet.

The moment the car door opened, six teenagers filed out.

They were all dressed in black suits, with white shirts, black ties, and small silver brooches pinned to their chests.

Six young faces shone brightly under the flashlights. Some walked quickly with their heads down, some smiled and waved at the camera, some pursed their lips nervously, and some had already entered "idol mode," charming the people on both sides of the red carpet.

XIUMIN walked at the front, followed by CHEN, while Wu Moumou walked in the middle with a cold expression.

Lu Han walked to the side, his golden hair making his skin look very fair, and his bangs slightly covering his eyes.

Zhang Yixing and Huang Zitao followed behind, sporting the standard idol smiles.

Their team consists of twelve people, but tonight's participants are the Chinese division, which focuses on the mainland market; these are the six people in front of us.

The emcee's voice was almost drowned out by the screams, so he could only shout at the top of his lungs, "Welcome! EXO-M!"

The red carpet incident completely spiraled out of control.

Silver-white support T-shirts surged like a tide, and light boards bobbed above the crowd's heads, chanting "EXO" and "We Are."

The words "One," "Lu Han," and "Kris" flickered in the night sky.

Several girls, their voices hoarse from shouting, were still desperately yelling, "Lu Han, look at me!"

"Wu, I want to be your girlfriend!"

The fans on the south side were all in tears.

The oranges on the north side all have different expressions.

Some people grimaced, some rolled their eyes, and some muttered under their breath.

"Six people walking the red carpet, it looked like a group fight."

"Dressed like he's going to a funeral, and he calls himself Prince Charming."

"That Lu Han, you know, the blond guy, he's like a woman."

An orange-clad female warrior crossed her arms and sneered, "It's just walking the red carpet. Anyone who didn't know better would think they won a Grammy."

"Exactly, they don't have many works to their name, so what's there to be a fan of?"

"She's nowhere near as good as Chenchen!"

"Stop talking, stop talking! Chenchen's coming! Get ready!"

The EXO members stayed on the red carpet for less than two minutes before leaving in an orderly fashion, leaving behind a bunch of fans who were almost fainting.

The security guards wiped the sweat from their brows and exchanged glances.

That's not all, there's one more.

Then, the screams started again.

It's not the silvery-white one, it's the orange one.

Like a volcanic eruption, like a tsunami.

"Jiang Chen! Jiang Chen!"

The van stopped at the starting point of the red carpet, and the moment the door opened, a black leather shoe stepped onto the red carpet.

Jiang Chen got out of the car, dressed in a classic black double-breasted suit, paired with a black shirt and even a black tie.

The hairstylist combed all the bangs back, revealing his forehead and handsome face.

The makeup was so light it was almost invisible, but the eyebrows were shaped to be sharp and clean.

He slightly adjusted the collar of his suit, then his gaze fell upon the orange sea in the distance, and he gently waved his hand.

The orange faction is in chaos.

"He looked at me!! He looked at me!!!"

"Chenchen, I love you!!! Ah!!!"

"Unstoppable!!!Unstoppable!!!"

Some people held up light boards and stood on tiptoe to squeeze forward, some held their phones above their heads to take pictures, and some covered their mouths while tears streamed down their faces.

The girl with glasses shouted into a walkie-talkie, "Third row, raise your light boards high! Fourth row, follow suit! Slogan one, two, three, Jiang Chen!!!"

The voices of thousands of people converged into a wave of sound, making the entire night sky buzz.

There was a moment of silence on the silver-white side, then someone muttered, "Tch, it's just a billboard, what's the big deal?"

"Yeah, what's so great about it?"

"Stop pretending."

"Dressed like a funeral emcee."

From the orange-clad group, a chubby girl in an orange hoodie, with sharp ears, turned and glared at them: "What did you say? Say it again?"

The girl in the silver-white outfit retorted, not to be outdone: "So what if I said he's dressed like a funeral emcee? Go ahead and hit me if you dare!"

"Say it again?"

"I'll say it ten more times. What's wrong with a bulletin board? Does a bulletin board make you special?"

Sister Orange sneered: "The bulletin board is indeed impressive, but have your brothers ever been on it? They haven't even gotten close to it."

Her silver-white face flushed red: "Our brother has only been in the industry for a year! One year! How many years has your brother been in the industry?"

"If you're so capable, compete on youth!"

"What's the use of being young? Can youth put food on the table? Does Billboard even recognize your age?"

"What are you looking at?"

"What are you looking at?"

The security guard rushed over and used his body to separate the two sides: "Hey, everyone's got a tough time, stop arguing and just watch the awards ceremony."

In the media area, the sound of camera shutters never stopped.

Several veteran reporters huddled behind the railing, their cameras fixed on the area where the orange and silver-white hues met. Their expressions weren't tense, but excited.

"Go ahead and fight! Why don't you start fighting?"

A guy carrying a camera muttered something under his breath and was slapped on the shoulder by his colleague next to him.

"Hope for the best."

"No, filming award ceremonies is so boring, filming fans fighting is what creates buzz."

"——.."

Another male reporter wearing a baseball cap, holding a DSLR camera, muttered, "Yes, yes, that's the look, stare harder, don't move, don't move—hey, security guard, what are you doing over there!"

"You're just someone who loves to stir up trouble," the female reporter next to him rolled her eyes at him.

"You don't want to film?"

The female reporter didn't say anything, but silently aimed her camera at the scene of the chubby girl in the orange sweatshirt and the little girl in the silver-white sweatshirt facing off, and took several pictures in a row.

She asked in a low voice, "Have you thought of a title yet?"

The male reporter rolled his eyes: "Is that even a question?"

"A standoff erupts on the music chart red carpet: orange vs. silver—who's the most popular?"

"Jiang Chen's fans and EXO's fans clashed on the red carpet, security intervened immediately!"

"Traffic Stars vs. K-Pop Idols: Undercurrents on Both Sides of the Red Carpet."

Another young reporter wearing glasses chimed in: "Too serious. If you ask me, you should write 'Stop Fighting, You're All the Best: A True Account of the Red Carpet Fan Battle,' which would seem neutral and endearing."

A group of reporters were having a great time watching the drama unfold, wishing they could get more material.

There's really no other way. There are so many singers at the event, and although they are all quite famous and senior, when it comes to popularity and fans, all of them combined probably don't have as many as these two groups.

On the red carpet, the security guards finally managed to separate the two groups a little.

The chubby girl in the orange hoodie crossed her arms, snorted, and turned her head away.

The little girl in silver was pulled away by her companion, still muttering to herself.

The reporters reluctantly put down their cameras.

An experienced reporter sighed and said to the newcomer next to him, "Take note: the real battle tonight isn't on stage, it's offstage."

The newcomer nodded as if he understood but not quite.

As Jiang Chen entered the venue, a bright and clear view suddenly appeared before him.

The interior of the venue has been transformed into a huge studio, with countless spotlights hanging from the dome, illuminating the stage as if it were daytime.

The seating is arranged in a circular pattern, extending upwards in tiers, and can accommodate nearly 10,000 people.

The front row is the guest seating area, furnished with leather sofas and coffee tables, with a program and bottled water at each seat.

In the center of the stage is a huge LED screen, which is currently playing a video of the sponsor, GG.

On both sides are T-shaped stages that extend outwards, covered with black carpet and edged with LED light strips.

"Teacher Jiang, this way please."

The staff led him to the VIP seating area.

Jiang Chen glanced at the seating arrangement and his lips twitched slightly.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the organizers arranged for him and EX0 to sit in the same row.

He walked over and greeted the seniors in the front row.

"Teacher Gao."

Gao Xiaosong sat in the first row, her long hair tied in a ponytail, waving a folding fan in her hand: "Jiang Chen, you're here?"

"Teacher Yu Quan."

"Hey, our Baili Tusu has arrived."

"You're too kind, Brother Quan."

Jiang Chen smiled and made a few perfunctory remarks, then nodded to Huang Qishan, Hu Defu, Zhang Xuan, and other seniors.

He stopped in front of EXO's seats.

The six boys stood up in unison, bowed to him, and said in Korean, "Hello, senior!"

Jiang Chen: "————"

These people have developed conditioned reflexes from training in South Korea —

That's how it is over there; there are tons of rules, and seniority is taken very seriously.

"No need to be so polite," he said in Chinese. "Sit down, sit down."

The boys sat down again in unison.

Jiang Chen sat down in his seat, and Lu Han sat down next to him.

However, this guy is a bit introverted.

He kept his head down, staring at the tips of his shoes, without saying a word.

He was happy to have some free time and didn't bother with formalities. He leaned back in his chair and waited for the show to start.

At 7 p.m., the lights suddenly dimmed.

The whole place fell silent.

Colonel and Fang Ling walked out from both sides of the stage, stood still, and recited their opening remarks.

"Distinguished guests, friends from the media, welcome to the 13th Annual Music Billboard Awards Ceremony. We are in the prime of our youth!"

Amid applause, Gao Xiaosong, chairman of the judging panel, stepped onto the stage and delivered a speech on "The Chinese music scene needs originality," which was rather bland and received only polite applause from the audience.

Then, Han Geng, the spokesperson for the event, gave the opening performance.

The stage went dark, and a beam of red laser light shone down. Han Geng, dressed in a black sequined jacket and wearing a half-clown mask, slowly rose from the platform.

The intro begins with an electronic beat from "Clown Mask".

His dance steps were sharp and swift, half of his face beneath the mask flickering between light and shadow, his smile somewhat eerie—

Immediately afterwards, the music seamlessly switched to "Wild Cursive Script".

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

After the opening ceremony, the awards presentation officially began.

The first set of awards is Best EP and Best Newcomer.

Wei Cheng won Best EP with "VSpace". When he went on stage, he specially thanked his fans and said, "Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Qu Wanting won Best Newcomer with "You Exist in My Song". She sang a chorus on stage, her voice clear and clear, and the audience was quiet for a while.

Then came the singer-songwriter category, where Deserts Chang won Best Singer-Songwriter for "God's Game." When she went on stage to accept the award, she simply said "thank you," which was straightforward and decisive.

Shang Wenjie won Best Album with "The Last Hymn". She gave a three-minute acceptance speech, talking about everything from music to philosophy. Some people in the audience started looking at their phones.

After the professional awards were presented, it was time for the voting section.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed.

As the host announced the nominees for "Most Popular Group," some people in the audience began to scream.

The big screen scrolled through images of the five candidate groups, and when the camera panned across EXO, the silver light boards in the audience lit up densely.

"The winner is EXO-M!"

The six boys stood up from their seats, patted each other on the shoulder, and filed onto the stage.

The screams from the audience grew louder and louder, and the silvery-white sea of ​​support was particularly dazzling in the darkness.

Fans of many other celebrities were also stunned by this spectacle.

"They have way too many fans."

"The Korean Wave, there's nothing we can do about it."

Wu, representing the group, said, "Thank you everyone, we will continue to work hard."

The screams from the audience instantly rose another notch, and several female fans in the back row were so excited that they cried.

Next are the most influential singers and groups.

Wang Feng won the Most Influential Singer award. When he went on stage, he said, "I hope that rock music can be heard by more people." Amid the applause from the audience, there were a few shouts of "Wang Feng is awesome!"

Yu Quan won the Most Influential Combination award, and the two brothers joked with each other on stage, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Then, there are the two most anticipated awards of the night.

"Most Popular Male Singer in Mainland China" and "Best Male Singer of the Year".

Best Male Singer.

"The winner is Eason Chan, for '--3mm'."

The entire audience stood up and applauded.

Eason Chan went on stage, accepted the trophy, said "thank you" into the microphone, and then sang a line from "Heavy Taste," while the audience laughed and sang along.

Jiang Chen clapped along, a slight smile on his lips.

The two have been getting along well in private lately, and they often chat on WeChat.

This person looks composed and has the air of a singing god on stage, but in private he is actually quite talkative, straightforward, and doesn't like to engage in empty formalities, which is actually very much to Jiang Chen's liking.

The big screen began playing a video message about the nominations for "Most Popular Male Singer in Mainland China of the Year".

Han Geng, Wei Cheng, Zhang Jie, Hu Xia!

As names flashed by, screams erupted from the corresponding fan sections with each change.

But when the last name appeared, the screams suddenly changed.

It wasn't a series of scattered, individual shouts, but rather a powerful, overwhelming wave of sound.

"Jiang Chen!"

Those two words were shouted out simultaneously by thousands of mouths, carrying an undeniable momentum, like a tsunami, like a landslide, like the roof of the entire stadium being blown off.

The orange light boards lit up in unison in the darkness, not just a small patch, not a large patch, but the entire grandstand, from east to west, from south to north, as far as the eye could see, it was all orange.

The media reporters at the scene were all stunned.

They have attended countless award ceremonies, seen Jay Chou's pink sea, Mayday's blue sea, and EXO's silver-white sea.

But the orange color before our eyes at this moment is so dense and so widespread that it is almost overwhelming.

Roughly estimated, more than half of the fans at the scene were wearing orange support clothing and holding orange light sticks.

The silver-white EXO fan area was squeezed into a corner, like a lone boat on a vast ocean.

Several little girls in silver-white clothes looked up at the orange expanse, their mouths slightly agape, completely dumbfounded.

Why are there so many?

The host, Colonel, stood in the center of the stage, glanced down at his cue cards, then looked up, his head flashing as the spotlight swept across the orange-tinged audience seats.

"Before announcing the awards, I'd like to take you back to a name that suddenly stirred up a storm in the Chinese music scene over the past year."

The big screen lit up, and the screen switched to behind-the-scenes footage from the set of "Swords of Legends".

Baili Tusu stood dressed in black, sword in hand, with his song "Sword Heart" playing in the background. As soon as the melody began, soft cheers rang out from the audience.

The scene shifts again to a stadium with tens of thousands of people, a sea of ​​glow sticks, and a person in the center of the stage singing "The Ordinary Road" with their eyes closed.

"The TV series 'Swords of Legends' made Baili Tusu a household name. The song 'Sword Heart' became the most popular TV theme song of the year. A mini-album broke the annual sales record."

"And the new song from the concert, 'Unstoppable,' even made it into the top ten of the Billboard charts in the United States!"

"This is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese music scene."

1

The image freezes.

The face, sharpened by the light, appeared on the giant screen, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a slight upturn at the corners of its mouth.

"He is an actor, a singer, and a songwriter. He was the most unstoppable wind of last summer."

The colonel paused, and as the noise from below the stage began to rise, his voice suddenly rose, and his aura became overwhelming.

"That's Jiang Chen!"