Chapter 00198: The Nation's Most Popular 2 (Votes Needed, All Kinds of Votes)
# The Nation's Most Popular 2 (Votes Needed, All Kinds of Votes)
Chapter 198
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 198: The Nation's Most Popular 2 (Votes Needed, All Kinds of Votes)
"How could *Love on Lushan Mountain* win an award?"
"Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? How could the masses let such a film win, and even let an actress with such a strong capitalist image take the best actress award?"
At the scene, there were many officials, representatives from cultural and artistic organizations, and critics.
Among them were several who had previously harshly criticized *Love on Lushan Mountain*.
They sat below with expressions that seemed to say, "The masses can’t be wrong; it must be you manipulating things behind the scenes."
Being colleagues, Yuan Wenshu didn’t want to confront them directly.
Instead, he called over the editor of *Popular Cinema* and asked, "How many votes did Gong Xue receive?"
"We usually don’t disclose that information."
"It’s fine. This comrade has some doubts. Just explain it to him."
"Alright. For this year’s Hundred Flowers Awards, we received over 2 million votes. Gong Xue received 1.26 million votes, Wang Fuli came in second with 150,000 votes, and Zhang Yu was third with 140,000 votes."
"See? We are absolutely fair and just. The masses’ eyes are sharp!" Yuan Wenshu said with a smile.
"The masses aren’t always right!" the man grumbled, looking disgruntled.
Yuan Wenshu shook his head.
Many of the older comrades just couldn’t change their way of thinking.
They were still stuck in the mindset of years ago.
As the leader of the Film Association, he was actually quite satisfied with this year’s awards.
It was precisely because *Love on Lushan Mountain* had generated such immense popularity that it attracted 2 million votes.
If the film had been mediocre, the audience’s enthusiasm for voting wouldn’t have been so high.
These things went hand in hand.
Take Ge You, for example.
He had won the Hundred Flowers Award four times, and Feng Xiaogang had won it eight times.
Wasn’t it because, during those years dominated by propaganda films, they were the ones who produced the only entertaining commercial films? The audience only had enthusiasm for voting for them.
Gong Xue stepped off the stage and hurried back to her seat, handing the trophy and certificate to Chen Qi.
"Here, take it!"
"Why should I take it?"
"Without your guidance, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today."
She looked extremely serious, and Chen Qi chuckled.
"It’s too early to say that. There’s still one more award!"
"Don’t think about it. I’ve already won one. How could they give me a second one?" she whispered.
"Let’s see. What if you win? I’m determined to make you the most popular actress in the country. You need to win both awards. As the saying goes, ‘Strike while the iron is hot.’ If you don’t win this one, you’ll have to wait for the next opportunity…"
"Shh!"
Chen Qi’s voice had grown a bit too loud, and Gong Xue quickly reminded him to lower it.
"I’m already satisfied with one award. How could I be so lucky as to win both?"
Even as she said this, her heart was pounding, and she couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope.
After the Hundred Flowers Awards, the Golden Rooster Awards followed.
Again, someone took the stage, holding a list and reading off the winners one by one.
Chen Qi couldn’t bear to watch.
It felt like handing out certificates for being a model student—utterly lacking in ceremony.
But for people of this era, this was already an incredibly grand occasion, and everyone was on edge.
Those who heard their names jumped up in excitement, while those who didn’t were visibly crestfallen.
*Three Monks* won Best Animated Film.
Xie Jin won Best Director for *Legend of Tianyun Mountain*.
Best Screenplay went to *Evening Rain on Bashan Mountain*, a film that was a classic example of "scar literature":
The story takes place on a passenger ship, where a group of people from different backgrounds share the same cabin.
There’s a Peking Opera actor who had been criticized, a rural grandmother, a teacher, a girl who had been sold, a poet who had been denounced, and a young Red Guard who was escorting the poet…
Through arguments and conflicts, the young guard suddenly realizes that this is wrong!!!
It was very much a product of its time.
But what was truly bizarre was that there were no separate awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Instead, they had a collective award for Best Supporting Performances, which was given to the six actors from *Evening Rain on Bashan Mountain*!
"How unprofessional can they get? It shows there’s no proper judging mechanism. They just do whatever they want!"
"It’s like a joke!"
Chen Qi couldn’t stop complaining.
"Best Costume Design goes to *Love on Lushan Mountain*!"
Suddenly, an award was announced, and Chen Qi raised an eyebrow.
Historically, *Love on Lushan Mountain* hadn’t won this award.
The butterfly had flapped its wings again.
Could they also hope for Best Actress?
The announcements continued.
"Best Actor Award… uh, it’s vacant!"
A murmur spread through the crowd.
The person on stage explained, "After careful consideration, the judging committee decided it’s better to have no award than to hand out an undeserved one. This is a rigorous and fair approach, and everyone should support it."
"Next up is the Best Actress Award. I’m sure the audience is eagerly awaiting this one!"
The person on stage was clearly building suspense.
"……"
Chen Qi glanced at Zhang Yu, who was fidgeting nervously, completely unaware that her fate had already changed.
Historically, she had won the Best Actress award for her performances in both *Love on Lushan Mountain* and *Evening Rain on Bashan Mountain*.
But now, the roles were split between her and Gong Xue, one film each.
Chen Qi wasn’t sure who would win.
Yuan Wenshu stared at the stage, recalling the meeting where they had discussed the awards.
In the end, they had voted, and when he saw the result, he couldn’t help but smile.
Everyone knew that films weren’t just about the films themselves—there were many external factors at play.
"Best Actress goes to… Gong Xue for *Love on Lushan Mountain*!"
"Clap clap clap!"
The applause erupted instantly, louder and more enthusiastic than ever before.
Some audience members in the back even stood up.
They didn’t understand the intricacies of the awards, but they knew that giving the award to their favorite actress was the right decision.
"……"
Gong Xue’s mouth fell open, her eyes widened, and she froze.
Chen Qi kicked her lightly under the seat.
"Wake up, wake up! Go up there!"
Only then did she stand up in a daze, wearing an expression of disbelief, and joined the group on stage to accept the award.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu let out a long sigh, deflating like a balloon.
Her fame had never matched Gong Xue’s, and though she had held onto some hope, she now felt a sense of relief.
"Ah, it really wasn’t meant to be."
After the group on stage finished accepting their awards and taking photos, Gong Xue stayed behind.
She stepped up to a microphone, holding the Golden Rooster trophy in her left hand and the certificate in her right.
Now she understood why she had been chosen to represent the actors in giving a speech.
"Thank you to the organizers of this event, to the Film Association, to the judging committee, and to…"
The speech had been pre-approved, full of formalities, and she was supposed to just read it.
But suddenly, she felt the urge to add something, and with great courage, she said, "Thank you to screenwriter Chen Qi and director Wang Haowei…"
"As film workers of the new era, we will continue to work hard and live up to the expectations of the Party and the masses, creating more and better artistic works!"
"Clap clap clap!"
Yuan Wenshu clapped below, then turned to someone and said, "Was that okay? She was representing the actors. Why did she thank individuals?"
"She was probably just caught up in the moment. It’s understandable. She only thanked them briefly and didn’t say anything else."
"Still, we should remind her to be more careful next time."
After her speech, Gong Xue returned to her seat, burying her face in her hands.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, and it was unclear whether she was crying or laughing.
In such a public setting, Chen Qi couldn’t reach out to comfort her, so he looked to Wang Haowei for help.
Wang Haowei put an arm around Gong Xue’s shoulders and whispered comforting words for a long time before Gong Xue finally sat up, her eyes red.
"How does it feel?" came the familiar teasing voice from beside her.
"How does what feel?"
She wiped her tears, looking embarrassed.
"How does it feel to win two awards? I didn’t lie to you, did I? I said you’d be the most popular, and now you are!"
Chen Qi held out the Hundred Flowers trophy, and Gong Xue, as if reading his mind, tilted her Golden Rooster trophy to meet it.
The two trophies clinked together with a clear, pleasant sound, like a toast to celebrate.
(End of chapter...)