"The winner of the 2015 Chinese Music Charts Best Newcomer Award is…"
"Cui Zhengzhi!"
"Congratulations to Cui Zhengzhi!"
The moment Liu Zonghan revealed the result, Lu Chen's livestream room on Whale TV immediately exploded!
Countless fans watching the livestream in front of their computers simply couldn't believe what had just happened. It felt like they had been clubbed over the head, many were left completely dazed.
"What the hell!"
"How could it be Cui Zhengzhi? Are you kidding me?!"
"This is so rigged. It's a total joke! Who could possibly deserve Best Newcomer more than our Lu Chen?!"
"Can someone tell me who the hell Cui Zhengzhi even is? Never heard of him. What songs has he sung?"
"Heh, that's Xiangnan TV for you. I saw this coming from a mile away."
"I'm done with Xiangnan TV. This is just infuriating!"
"I'm out. What a waste of time!"
And it wasn't just the livestream room, blogs, forums, WeChat groups, Lu Chen's fans were venting their fury everywhere.
Earlier, most people had assumed that the Chinese Music Charts Best Newcomer Award would be Lu Chen's first-ever music award, and many were even optimistically hoping for a double win, adding Best Composer on top.
Some fans were already unhappy that he had only received two nominations in total.
Now, even the award he had the most confidence in… was gone!
How could anyone not be furious?
Meanwhile, in the Xiangjiang Grand Theater, Cui Zhengzhi walked up to the stage and received the crystal trophy from Liu Zonghan.
However, the newly crowned "Newcomer of the Year" looked noticeably awkward, the lukewarm reaction from the audience clearly took some shine off what should have been a golden moment.
Holding the trophy, he spoke into the microphone: "Thank you Xiangnan TV, thank you Hong Kong TV…"
His thank-you speech came across flat and lifeless, lacking any genuine emotion or excitement. The audience's response did eventually warm up a bit, and once Cui Zhengzhi finished speaking, there was a decent round of applause, enough to save him from complete embarrassment.
After all, people were upset at Xiangnan TV's manipulation, not necessarily at Cui Zhengzhi himself.
But the truth was, Cui Zhengzhi had known all along he'd be getting this award. His management company had deep ties with Xiangnan TV. Pretending he'd been kept in the dark? That would be the real joke.
Cui Zhengzhi quickly exited the stage, and Xiangnan TV's host Fang Chen immediately moved on to announcing the next category's nominees.
It was one of those painfully awkward moments, better to just get it over with.
Then came the Best Composer Award, and once again, Lu Chen lost. The award was taken by renowned music producer Qin Hu.
Qin Hu is one of the top lyricists and composers in the domestic pop scene, with a portfolio of hundreds of songs spanning emotional ballads, folk, blues, and even mainstream patriotic music. Many of his works have become classics across the country, and he enjoys a high level of respect within the showbiz community.
If you were to compare Qin Hu and Lu Chen side by side, then in terms of volume of work, industry experience, and seniority in the entertainment world, Lu Chen certainly couldn't match up.
But when Qin Hu accepted the trophy for Best Composer from guest presenter Tan Hong, he said this: "I'm very happy to receive this award tonight, and I feel honored and humbled by the recognition from the Chinese Music Charts.
"But at the same time, I also feel deeply ashamed, because in 2015, I didn't produce a single work truly worthy of praise. Compared to the other nominees, I feel unworthy of this honor…"
The massive Xiangjiang Grand Theater, capable of seating 2,000 people, fell completely silent. Everyone was quietly listening to the heartfelt words of this middle-aged man whose hair had turned noticeably gray.
"I've been involved in music composition for over twenty years. I've received all the awards I'm supposed to get, and all the honors I could hope for. That's why I sincerely hope that we, as seniors in the industry, can focus more of our efforts on supporting and encouraging newcomers, because they are the true hope for original Chinese music!"
"That's all I have to say. Once again, thank you all, thank you Xiangnan TV, and thank you Hong Kong TV!"
After speaking, Qin Hu gave the audience a deep bow. The moment he finished, thunderous applause erupted throughout the entire venue, with quite a few people even standing up to applaud.
Among them was Lu Xi.
Lu Xi was attending the awards ceremony as Lu Chen's representative. She wasn't the least bit surprised by the outcome, because she had expected it. She held no illusions about Xiangnan TV's moral compass.
However, what she hadn't anticipated… was that so many people in the industry were willing to show their support for Lu Chen.
Even if their support was subtle, it meant something. After all, Lu Chen had only been in the business for just over half a year. His network was still in its infancy. Many of these people didn't even know him personally.
Take Qin Hu, for instance.
Anyone with a discerning ear could tell, Qin Hu was subtly voicing his dissatisfaction with Xiangnan TV, displeased at how they were deliberately suppressing a newcomer like Lu Chen.
His criticism wasn't loud, wasn't an all-out attack, but it still carried power.
Lu Chen had been nominated for Best Composer for 'My Old Classmate', but in the industry, it was widely believed that his best works were 'In Spring' and 'I Love You, China', both of which were hugely popular and already regarded as modern classics.
Even 'My Old Classmate' was far more impactful than Qin Hu's winning piece 'Pencil Sharpener', and Qin Hu himself did not deny this. He wasn't truly happy about receiving the award.
Strictly speaking, Xiangnan TV had likely used him as a tool.
But Qin Hu truly didn't care about a measly Best Composer award. He had never met Lu Chen, but he admired him. After Best Composer, the ceremony moved into the heavyweights: Best Album, Most Popular Male and Female Vagabond Singer, Best Male and Female Vagabond Singer, etc.
However, as the remaining awards were announced one by one, the overall mood felt more like a wind-down than a climax. Even though the four hosts tried their best to keep the atmosphere lively, the energy just wasn't there.
That evening, Chen Fei'er won the Most Popular Female Vagabond Singer award. She went on stage, said a few simple words, and left.
The day after the 2015 Chinese Music Charts awards ceremony, many media outlets published the full list of winners along with reviews. The loudest controversy centered around Lu Chen being snubbed for Best Newcomer.
Online, that backlash was amplified tenfold. Many of Lu Chen's fans stormed Xiangnan TV's official blog, Weibo, and forum pages, launching wave after wave of sarcastic and scathing comments. This, in turn, sparked a verbal war with Xiangnan TV's paid internet trolls.
On Langchao Blog, someone mocked Xiangnan TV for "lifting a stone only to drop it on their own foot", saying their dirty tactics were just too obvious and ugly.
As for Lu Chen himself, the center of the storm, he remained calm. He expressed regret over not winning either award, but refused to comment on Xiangnan TV's behavior, disappointing many onlookers who had hoped for drama.
But the truth was, Lu Chen didn't need to care about the Chinese Music Charts at all.
He had already received an invitation from the Asian Chinese Music Awards, with four nominations under his name!
(End of Chapter)
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