Chapter 127: Full Throttle
Chen Kexin and Wu Junru both thought that Zhou Xun, the intermediary, had played a role.
They were also happy to shake hands and make peace with Li Chen's 'smiling face'.
Zhou Xun was very surprised; she knew exactly what kind of person Director Li was.
To put it bluntly, he didn't even consider Director Chen a big deal.
However, Director Chen's personal charisma was indeed incomparable to Director Li's.
Just now, facing media interviews, Director Chen shamelessly said: "The Golden Horse Awards is the most fair and democratic Golden Horse Awards in all of Asia!"
As soon as he said this, Zhou Xun was stunned.
Could it be true, as Director Li said, that the awards were already fixed?
Otherwise, Director Chen was being too blatant.
When he was campaigning for the Oscars, Director Chen had repeatedly said that if he was going to participate, he would participate in the best.
Now that the Oscar campaign failed, was he lowering his standards again and again, singing praises for the Golden Horse Awards?
The two groups met, and Zhou Xun quickly regained her composure.
Chen Kexin seemed to have forgotten about the previous spat between his wife and Li Chen.
He smiled brightly: "Director Li's skills are really good. If that scene just now had happened to me, my wife would have been in danger!"
Wu Junru, with her big belly, held Chen Kexin's arm like conjoined twins.
Chen Kexin was also someone who could bend and stretch, like someone who squats to pee.
If it were Li Chen, he really couldn't achieve such selective amnesia.
"You flatter me. I also admire Director Chen's courage, to be so at ease in such a situation!"
Wu Junru's belly was already this big.
According to Hong Kong Island reports, her due date was this month.
And yet, Chen Kexin still dared to bring her to the Golden Horse Awards, truly impressive!
"Director Li misunderstood. My husband didn't want me to come, but I insisted," Wu Junru said with a forced smile.
Li Chen nodded and said no more, entering the venue with Liu Yifei and the others.
"Stop fighting, okay?" Chen Kexin said helplessly.
"He started it first, okay?!" Wu Junru said, feeling frustrated.
Chen Kexin comforted Wu Junru for a few sentences, not wanting to continue the topic.
In his opinion, the conflict with Li Chen was unnecessary and completely pointless.
That young man was on the rise in the mainland.
He had encountered setbacks in Hollywood, and upon returning to Hong Kong, things were not going smoothly.
Sooner or later, he would enter the mainland market, so why make a powerful enemy? Making money was the most important thing.
Once inside, Zhou Xun couldn't help but say: "Director Li, please stop bickering with Director Chen. I hear from him that he doesn't want to fall out with you at all."
"Alright, don't worry about these things."
Entering the backstage area, it was already star-studded.
Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Sammi Cheng, and the Orange Sky Entertainment stars, among others.
Seeing Li Chen enter, many acquaintances came up to greet him.
The Orange Sky Entertainment artists were the first to gather around.
Tony Leung Ka-fai wasn't here tonight, with Wang Jinghua and Hu Jun leading, followed by Xia Yu and Mei Ting.
"Director Li, Yifei... you've arrived."
Li Chen nodded and greeted them with a smile.
Hu Jun and Liu Yifei were acquaintances, but even he was amazed by Liu Yifei's appearance tonight.
Mei Ting had become acquainted with Liu Yifei when they acted in "shoplifters."
At that time, she already knew there was definitely something between Liu Yifei and Director Li.
Seeing them today, she was even more certain.
"Yifei is truly beautiful today, and Tangtang is also a sight to behold. Compared to you two, I'm embarrassed to stand together."
Mei Ting said intimately, holding Liu Yifei's arm.
"Sister Ting is also very charming," Liu Yifei said with a smile.
"Sister Ting, what about me? You didn't see me, did you?" Yang Siwei stepped forward, holding Wang Jinghua's arm and smiling.
"Siwei is also very cute!" Mei Ting added with a smile.
Yang Siwei rolled her eyes: "Cute again!"
The group was lively. With Li Chen's arrival, Mei Ting felt that they all had a backbone.
The people in Hong Kong were all looking down on others.
Wang Jinghua and Mei Ting and the others were also unwilling to fawn over others.
She was arranged to sit in the second row tonight, next to Xiang Huaqiang and his wife.
"Li Chen." Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung came together.
Hu Jun and the others quickly moved aside to make way.
"Hua Ge, Miss Cheung."
Maggie Cheung glanced at Andy Lau with some surprise, speculating that Hua Zai and Director Li must have a truly unusual relationship.
Hua Zai called him by his full name, and he called Hua Zai 'Hua Ge'.
But when he saw her, he called her Miss Cheung. Wasn't he her fan?
It had been a long time since anyone called her Miss Cheung.
People Li Chen's age, when they saw her, all called her Sister Maggie or Sister Manyu.
"Yifei and Xiao Tang are really beautiful tonight."
"Thank you, Hua Ge."
"Sister Manyu."
Liu Yifei and the others, along with Hu Jun and his group, moved to one side, leaving space for Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung.
"Li Chen, are you really Maggie's fan, showing no excitement at all when you see her in person?" Andy Lau said with a smile.
"Hua Zai said what I wanted to say," Maggie Cheung said with a smile.
Li Chen sighed: "When I think of Miss Cheung's withdrawal from the film industry, my heart is only filled with regret, and I really can't get excited. Unless Miss Cheung makes a comeback, I'll immediately change my address to Sister Manyu."
"Haha..." Andy Lau burst into laughter.
Maggie Cheung crossed her arms, curling her lips: "If Director Li calls me Sister Manyu, then a comeback isn't out of the question. Don't you agree, Hua Zai?"
"Exactly, I guarantee it."
"Okay, it's a deal, Sister Manyu." Li Chen said with a smile, extending his hand.
"Am I... am I being tricked, Hua Zai?" Maggie Cheung was stunned, but still extended her hand and shook Li Chen's, saying with a smile.
"It's hard to say who's being tricked," Andy Lau said meaningfully.
He knew more or less the reasons for Maggie Cheung's withdrawal from the film industry.
Firstly, both of her relationships ended in failure, and then she was involved in a love triangle scandal with Tony Leung and Liu Jialing.
Secondly, she was over forty, and had everything she could want. She had won two of the three major European awards, and had long since tired of winning the Golden Horse Awards and Golden Horse Awards domestically.
She no longer wanted to compete with others for a role, especially since there might not be suitable roles for women over forty.
The lively conversation among the three attracted a lot of attention.
Especially the scene of Li Chen and Maggie Cheung shaking hands.
Those with keen eyes speculated whether Li Chen had extended an invitation to Maggie Cheung.
Although Maggie Cheung had withdrawn from the film industry, she had never publicly announced it, and Li Chen was no ordinary person.
"Sister Manyu, I'm not joking. This 'sister' of mine isn't called for nothing."
Andy Lau smiled without speaking, watching how his friend would respond.
He also deeply regretted Maggie Cheung's withdrawal from the film industry.
Maggie Cheung glared at Andy Lau, seriously suspecting whether this scene today was a premeditated plan between Hua Zai and Li Chen.
"Alright, since I agreed, but I don't accept just any script. If I'm not satisfied, there's no room for discussion, even between siblings," Maggie Cheung said with a smile, wagging her index finger.
Li Chen nodded, confidently saying: "Very few people are dissatisfied with my scripts!"
The two opposite him fell silent, then the three of them laughed in unison.
After exchanging contact information with Maggie Cheung and chatting for a few more sentences, Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau tactfully moved aside.
Because many people were still hoping to connect with Li Chen.
Many directors and big names in Hong Kong might be self-important.
But there were still pragmatic, mid-level actors eager to connect with Li Chen.
Donnie Yen had been frustrated during the casting of "ip man."
He really couldn't understand why Li Chen would choose the unknown Zhang Jin instead of him.
Was it because his salary was high? But it wasn't that high!
Was his kung fu not as good as Zhang Jin's? That was even more impossible.
He didn't want to miss this opportunity today. Nick Cheung and his wife, the lead actors of "father's love is like a mountain," had just left.
Donnie Yen came up. Zeng Zhiwei, who was chatting and laughing with Ren Dahua and others not far away, glanced at Li Chen.
He sneered inwardly: I hope you can still be so glamorous in a while.
"Director Li, I'm Donnie Yen. I've long wanted to meet Director Li, and only today do I have the opportunity. A pleasure to meet you." Donnie Yen extended his hand proactively.
"Congratulations on your nomination for 'SPL'."
Donnie Yen was starting to emerge this year. With "SPL," he finally found his own style.
It was a completely different path from Jackie Chan's comedic action films and Jet Li's beautiful action films.
However, without the boost from "ip man," it was uncertain how far he could go.
Donnie Yen had barely spoken two sentences with Li Chen when Huo Wenxi came over.
Donnie Yen could only helplessly step aside, feeling in his heart that this young man, Li Chen, was just as difficult to deal with as rumored by the outside world.
Although he was polite on the surface, he always gave him a feeling of being kept at arm's length.
Li Chen was sitting in the first row tonight with Andy Lau and Kent Cheng.
He and Kent Cheng were arranged to present the Best Actress award.
Initially, the Golden Horse Awards committee called Yang Siwei, arranging for him to sit with Anthony Wong.
Yang Siwei agreed on behalf of Li Chen without much thought.
But when she mentioned it to her boss later, her boss immediately vetoed it.
She asked her boss for the reason, and her boss simply replied with three words: "No reason!"
Yang Siwei was exasperated and had to quickly contact the Golden Horse Awards committee to change seats.
The Golden Horse Awards committee was also very understanding; such things happened frequently.
Li Chen was already quite good. Some big names initially said they wouldn't come, but then called a few days before the Golden Horse Awards to say they would.
That's when they had a headache.
Arranging seats every year was an art. They would communicate with important guests beforehand.
Who couldn't sit with whom, and who would sit in which row, all had to be arranged perfectly.
Liu Yifei, Yang Siwei, and Tang Yan were sitting in the fourth row.
Before the awards ceremony began, Miss Liu specifically walked over to Li Chen.
Under everyone's gaze, she boldly leaned close to Li Chen and whispered in his ear: "Be merciful tonight, don't let anyone be embarrassed. If anything happens, I won't be responsible for you."
Li Chen laughed heartily: "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Many actresses on site saw this scene.
Their hearts were filled with various emotions of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
After speaking, Liu Yifei, Yang Siwei, and Tang Yan walked away.
Yang Siwei secretly gave Liu Yifei a thumbs-up: "Yifei, well done."
After the three sat down, Tang Yan also smiled: "Yifei, were you doing that on purpose just now?"
"Otherwise?" Liu Yifei said with a smile in her eyes.
Throughout the evening, she had seen at least more than a dozen actresses trying to get close to her boyfriend.
She had been holding in a lot of anger, and that scene just now was her way of declaring her sovereignty to those people.
The awards ceremony began on time.
Zeng Zhiwei, Chapman To, and Teresa Mo, the three hosts, appeared, looking radiant.
Zeng Zhiwei even smiled at Li Chen, who was sitting in the first row.
Li Chen, however, remained expressionless.
Zeng Zhiwei's big mouth really dared to tease anyone.
Even when presenting the Best Sound Effects award to "initial d," he managed to drag out the Four Heavenly Kings and Jackie Chan, who were completely unrelated, for a round of teasing.
And by the way, he also gave Hong Kong Island cinema a bit of a send-off.
“Actually, we all care about Asia films, because I’ve made many films in collaboration with Asia.”
“Andy Lau went to Thailand to box, Leon Lai went to Japan to be a gigolo, Jackie Chan went to India to film 'The Myth'. ”
Leon Lai wasn't present; if he had been, who knows if he would have been able to laugh.
Following that, the Best Film Editing Award was presented, and Sammo Hung's physique was once again made fun of.
“Mr. Sammo Hung doesn’t even use a body double; where would you find a body double with a physique like that!”
The camera cut to Sammo Hung in the audience, his expression very interesting. Even if some people laughed, they didn’t dare to laugh out loud.
Only Zeng Zhiwei still thought he was very humorous.
“How could he be like that? Making fun of other people’s bodies.” Liu Yifei was unhappy.
She could already foresee the predicament her boyfriend would face next, and couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Yang Siwei saw through Liu Yifei's concern and said with a smile, “Yifei, we need to have confidence in the boss.”
Actually, Yang Siwei was also a bit unsure at this moment, after all, this was their home ground.
That person was still the host, and could say whatever he wanted. Her boss couldn't possibly demand a microphone to put in front of him, right?
When it came to Best Supporting Actor, Fan Bingbing and Donnie Yen went on stage to present the award.
The two of them joked around. Hu Jun, who had just presented an award, said that those with the surname Huang had more confidence.
Many people in the audience were discerning, and knew that Hu Jun had probably let something slip.
Or, to be precise, it should be that Anthony Wong had let something slip in private, and the Best Supporting Actor had been internally decided for Anthony Wong.
Fan Bingbing hoped that 'SPL II: A Time for Consequences' could give her a role.
Donnie Yen said proudly, “Then you’ll have to cut your acting fee first.”
Fan Bingbing smiled without speaking.
Below, Yang Siwei slapped her thigh: “Xiao Fan is such a wimp! Why didn’t she retort with: ‘Then you should raise your status first!’”
Liu Yifei and Tang Yan couldn't help but snicker.
Sure enough, Best Supporting Actor went to Anthony Wong.
For Best New Performer, Tang Yan was quite expectant, but the award, as expected, went to the Taiwan little heavenly king.
The little heavenly king and his godfather Anthony Wong embraced tightly. Father and son both winning awards, even a script wouldn't be written like this.
Best Screenplay also went to 'dragon city years', and the camera even showed Li Chen.
Li Chen smiled, but everyone could see that Li Chen's smile was quite playful.
Just kidding, Li Chen's scripts only talk about price, he is firmly the number one person in the country.
The box office of 'father's love is like a mountain' also crushed 'dragon city years', no wonder only Huo Wenxi from Emperor Entertainment came today.
Finally, it was time for Best Actress.
Zeng Zhiwei indeed acted up, probably having been impatient for a long time.
Zeng Zhiwei: “Guess who the next award presenter is?”
Chapman To: “Can't guess, can you give me a hint?”
Zeng Zhiwei: “In 'infernal affairs', what did you call me?”
Chapman To: “Chen Ge?”
Zeng Zhiwei: “Hey, that’s right, he’s also called Chen Ge. But he’s even younger than my youngest son, yet much more accomplished than my youngest son.”
Not many people in the audience laughed. Basically, no mainland actors dared to laugh; everyone saw Li Chen’s poker face on camera.
At this time, if the camera captured their smiles and Director Li saw them.
Who knows what Director Li would think.
Liu Yifei was very angry, her face covered in frost.
Yang Siwei also had a somber face, and Tang Yan and Zhou Xun, sitting in the front row, were expressionless.
It was Wu Junru who burst into laughter, very disharmoniously.
Chen Kexin was truly helpless. Laughing is one thing, but why laugh out loud for everyone to hear!
Zhou Xun frowned and glanced at Wu Junru, thinking to herself, 'She's truly brainless.'
No wonder people say you become stupid for three years after pregnancy!
Smart Qiang, played by Chapman To in 'infernal affairs', called Han Chen, played by Zeng Zhiwei, Chen Ge.
Many netizens online also affectionately referred to Li Chen as Chen Ge.
No one at the scene was unaware.
However, at this moment, Zeng Zhiwei daring to compare Li Chen to his son was truly astonishing.
Xiang Huaqiang narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Zeng Zhiwei, his expression stern.
Only Zeng Zhiwei would do something like this; he was positioning himself as Li Chen's father.
Li Chen sat in the first row watching Zeng Zhiwei perform, a cold sneer in his heart.
“Please welcome our award presenters, Li Chen and Kent Cheng.”
Once on stage, Li Chen and Zeng Zhiwei exchanged glances.
Zeng Zhiwei smiled smugly, and Li Chen also smiled, as if looking at a clown.
This was just the beginning. To Li Chen's surprise, Kent Cheng also started to make things difficult as soon as she got on stage.
She didn't follow the script they had prepared backstage at all.
Whether it's the host or the award presenter, there's always a script for the lines.
Generally, no one would take it upon themselves to change the script, but there are exceptions.
Like today.
Kent Cheng: “I heard you initially refused our invitation, so why did you come after all?”
Li Chen smiled and said, “You should speak Mandarin. That line isn't in the script, and I don't understand what you're saying.”
The Golden Horse Awards chairman, Wen Jun, looked extremely awkward.
Andy Lau and other artists who were on good terms with Li Chen in the audience also looked serious.
This Kent Cheng is not an easy person to deal with. She considers herself a big sister and even slapped Liu Jialing once.
She's the same kind of person as Zeng Zhiwei.
Kent Cheng had no choice. She smiled and repeated it in a clumsy Mandarin.
This time, Li Chen understood.
“Yes, I refused once, but it's not good to refuse a second time, right, Mr. Wen?” Li Chen smiled, looking at Wen Jun in the audience.
Wen Jun was caught off guard, his smile as hurried as could be.
Andy Lau, however, was all smiles, applauding Li Chen.
Yang Siwei followed suit, and the mainland artists, of course, understood.
At this moment, even a fool would know what was going on, and they all clapped for Li Chen in unison.
“The boss is the boss, so witty.” Tang Yan said, her eyes gleaming, while clapping.
Liu Yifei smiled with crescent eyes, growing fonder of her boyfriend the more she looked at him.
Kent Cheng on stage, however, continued to make things difficult: “Wow, you’re really young! The Golden Horse Awards is 25 years old this year.”
Li Chen was not one to passively take a beating. Before she could finish speaking.
Li Chen directly smiled and interrupted: “Yes, young. Twenty-something years ago, I, this Chen Ge, was born.”
“That bastard Han Chen, wasn’t he born in ’02? I, this Chen Ge, am old enough to be his father!”
The scene was silent, but the fans in the stands burst into laughter.
When Zeng Zhiwei teased Li Chen earlier, they laughed. Now, Li Chen was indirectly scolding and disgusting Zeng Zhiwei, and they were even less stingy with their laughter.
'infernal affairs' was released in 2002, so saying Han Chen was born in 2002 is not wrong.
The Hong Kong people at the scene were all stunned, each of them stifling laughter, not daring to laugh.
But there were exceptions.
Huo Wenxi from Emperor Entertainment and the stern Xiang Huaqiang both applauded Li Chen.
They completely disregarded Zeng Zhiwei's feelings.
Yang Siwei and the mainland artists had even fewer scruples. Although they didn't laugh like a fool like Wu Junru.
But they all applauded and cheered for Li Chen.
Yang Siwei sighed sincerely, “The boss is truly a real man!”
Only her boss dared to openly point at a bald donkey and curse a monk.
And he was cursing Zeng Zhiwei, a big shot in Hong Kong.
Kent Cheng's expression was a bit awkward; she couldn't quite respond to that.
The topic had already gone off track by a hundred and eight thousand miles, and she couldn't bring it back.
Li Chen, however, did not stop there, continuing to go all out.
“Also, don’t always complain about your children being unaccomplished. If a child is not taught, it is the father’s fault. It is better to first look for the reasons within yourself!”
Zeng Zhiwei could no longer smile. Chapman To and Teresa Mo looked at each other.
This was playing too big; how would they end this!
There were many mainland media and fans present.
Even the fans on Hong Kong Island were enjoying the spectacle, not minding the trouble, and shouted in unison: “Chen Ge! Chen Ge!”
This awards ceremony was much more entertaining than a movie.
Tonight's Golden Horse Awards are destined to go down in history, and tomorrow's entertainment headlines will undoubtedly be dominated by the two Chen Ge.
However, it must be the mainland's Chen Ge who stands out, while the one on Hong Kong Island, well, he can rest.
Looking at the extremely unnatural Kent Cheng, Li Chen changed his tone and said with a smile, “Let’s get back to the main topic, shall we present the award, Miss Zheng?”
Kent Cheng regained her composure, cursing inwardly! Miss? I'm older than your mother!
Kent Cheng started again: “The Best Actress is about to be announced, are you nervous?”
Li Chen found it highly amusing: “Why would I be nervous? If anyone should be nervous, it’s the nominated actresses in the audience, right?”
“Let me ask on your behalf, Zhou Xun, are you nervous?”
The camera cut to Zhou Xun, who smiled and waved her hand.
Li Chen smiled and said, “See, even the Venice Film Festival Best Actress isn’t nervous, so others have even less reason to be nervous.”
Sammi Cheng in the audience felt that Li Chen's words were meant to comfort her.
She hadn't even dared to walk the red carpet today, instead entering the Hong Kong Coliseum through an internal passage.
Kent Cheng had never met such a difficult young man; he simply didn't play by the rules.
She had a belly full of words but no opportunity to speak them.
Li Chen had no interest in continuing to play with her.
Opening the list of winners, Li Chen nodded and said with a smile, “I just knew how could the Golden Horse Awards be fixed?”
Li Chen's single sentence left everyone on and off stage bewildered.
What did he mean? Especially the few insiders, Wen Jun and Chen Kexin.
Kent Cheng quickly leaned forward to look, it was Zhou Xun, that's right.
Sammi Cheng in the audience also sat up curiously.
If Zhou Xun wasn't fixed, then she also had a chance.
“Best Actress”
“Zhou Xun! Congratulations”
The winning music started, Zhou Xun breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and embraced Chen Kexin, whose emotions were fluctuating.
Many people in the audience had already reacted.
Li Chen had told the media a few days ago that if Zhou Xun didn't win Best Actress, he would consider it more like a fixed award.
Indeed, Zhou Xun won Best Actress today, which is why he said in his speech that it wasn't fixed.
“My boss’s words are full of hooks; one careless mistake and you’re caught.” Yang Siwei sighed.
Maggie Cheung, while clapping, leaned into Andy Lau's ear: “Li Chen is very impressive!”
Andy Lau smiled and said, “If he wasn’t impressive, could he win the Golden Palm? If he wasn’t impressive, could Xiang Sheng value him so much?”
Maggie Cheung also smiled: “Actually, compared to him asking me to film, I’d rather he write a song for me. I really love listening to 'those years.'”
“You know, I spent a year learning rock music a while ago.”
Andy Lau frowned and said, “Good idea, let’s get together another day and ask Li Chen to write one for me too. I’m sure he wouldn’t refuse, hahaha.”
