The Golden Rooster Awards opening ceremony was a star-studded and highly anticipated event.
From the very first second of the opening ceremony, the official stream went live online.
Fans of various celebrities gathered together, and countless ordinary viewers flooded into the live stream, pushing the view count to millions in an instant:
"Ahhhhh the stream is finally on, I can finally see my idol!"
"Sister looks so gorgeous on the red carpet, though isn't it a bit cold? I hope my sister doesn't catch a cold."
"I see the Heavenly King! He looks amazing on stream, not looking old at all."
"I'm so excited for Minmin! Minmin Minmin, hurry up and come out."
"Why are you calling for Minmin? She's waiting for Zhou Chen~"
"The person above is savage, haha. I heard through the grapevine that the married couple might have gotten a divorce."
"No wonder Zhou Chen has been hanging out on the hot search list these past few days. He probably lost his meal ticket and is afraid of becoming irrelevant."
"Irrelevant? Have you ever heard of Ten Years? With that song around, he will never become irrelevant in his lifetime."
"If the two of them really divorced, and Zhou Chen could write such a good song, it looks like this divorce was the right choice."
"Hahaha, exactly, exactly. Where is your beloved Minmin's new solo song? Why is it gone?"
"My sister's Weibo interaction index and Doukuai video views are in the top 10! Blossom on your floral path, Minmin!"
"Ahhhhh, Queen Yaoyao is out, I'd pluck the moon for little Yao!"
"......"
Fans of various rival camps gathered together, and the live stream comments turned into a chaotic battleground.
When the red carpet officially began.
The comment section grew peaceful once again. Whichever idol's fans were present instantly took over the chat for those few minutes, suddenly turning bizarrely harmonious.
Zhao Min came alone.
Ever since that phone call, she and Ye Nan had been unable to reach Zhou Chen at all.
Aside from news online, Zhou Chen had completely vanished from her life.
The organizers had invited them as a duo, and Zhao Min understood what kind of speculation her solo appearance would spark online, but she could not give up this opportunity for exposure.
Besides...
No matter what people guessed online, wasn't it all up to them to script the narrative?
Zhao Min took a deep breath and stepped onto the red carpet with a radiant smile.
The outfit she wore was a custom haute couture piece from Dior, making its debut appearance in the domestic market.
Her makeup was exquisite, and she exuded high spirits.
The comment section went completely wild at that exact moment.
"Sister is so, so gorgeous, I want to be held in her arms and kissed."
"Wuwuwu a goddess descending from the heavens, how can such a stunning beauty exist?"
" Wow, this time there are no stinky men around sister! She must smell amazing! I want a kiss."
"Weren't they a duo? How come there's only one person?"
"Where's Zhou Chen? Holy shit! Did they actually get a divorce?"
"Definitely... How long has the Golden Rooster Awards been in preparation? Invitations must have been sent out ages ago."
"Oh ho, we've got a prophet in the chat!"
"Huh? Why does Zhao Min have that look on her face?"
"......"
At this moment, on the red carpet.
Zhao Min was being interviewed by the host.
It was no secret inside or outside the industry that Zhao Min and Zhou Chen were a married couple. In fact, wherever Zhao Min went, no matter how inconspicuous Zhou Chen seemed, he was always there.
Fans might not have been optimistic about the two of them, but to industry insiders, they were truly a breath of fresh air.
It wasn't a facade of harmony masking deep discord; they were genuinely in love.
And yet, for such an important occasion, Zhao Min had come completely alone!
How could the host not be thrilled?
The host immediately asked with a beaming smile: "I noticed that Minmin came alone this time. Why didn't Zhou Chen accompany you?"
Zhao Min acted as if she hadn't heard, turning a deaf ear.
She simply smiled and announced: "My latest personal single will also be released soon, please look forward to it and show your support."
Dodge-rolling any mention of Zhou Chen and directly announcing her solo track, the couple clearly had the intention of going head-to-head.
Not only did the host sense that something was wrong, but the netizens watching the live stream also caught the scent of gossip.
"No way? Did the prophet actually nail it?"
"With such a great chance for exposure, how could Zhou Chen not come?"
"Holy shit! I just noticed that Zhou Chen unfollowed Zhao Min's Weibo and Doukuai accounts!"
"It's true! His Weibo is set to only show posts from the past three days, and all his videos with Zhao Min on Doukuai are gone."
"Wow—did they really break up? Are the two of them going to go head-to-head now?"
"Both husband and wife releasing new songs at the same time, are they getting ready for a showdown?"
"Zhou Chen's Ten Years is already a nuclear bomb of a hit, I wonder what song Zhao Min is going to pull out?"
"Our Minmin's talent speaks for itself, she can sing way better than Zhou Chen effortlessly!"
"Is baby Minmin finally going to shake off her blood-sucking parasite?"
"Ahhhhh celebrate all around! Congratulations to Minmin!"
"No wonder Minmin is glowing today and looks more stunning than ever—turns out she dumped the man!"
"Did you sisters see that? Leave a man behind, and you'll become gorgeous, pretty, and wealthy!"
"Congratulations, Minmin! Looking forward to the new song!"
"I'm waving the giant flag for Minmin!"
"......"
The moment the news of Zhao Min's upcoming new song was released,
coupled with the paid internet trolls and marketing campaigns Ye Nan had bought in advance, it instantly sparked heated discussions and shot straight up the hot search list.
With Ten Years setting a high benchmark, Zhao Min's own strength was no slouch either.
Whose solo single from the Wind and Moon Legend duo would come out on top?
The hype around Ten Years hadn't faded yet, and riding the remaining wave of that popularity was enough to capture the public's attention.
In the entertainment industry, nobody cares whether you have talent; what matters is whether you have hype and people talking about you.
Even notorious fame is fame.
As long as you can make the public remember your name, you get the last laugh!
Zhou Chen's steady, step-by-step approach would only lead to Zhao Min gradually fading into obscurity!
So what if a song has high streaming and sing-along appeal?
If people can't remember who you are, you can't monetize it!
Nowadays, capital only cares about your ability to generate revenue.
Watching the commotion online, Ye Nan sneered and cast her gaze back to the dazzling Zhao Min on the red carpet. The ambition in the depths of her eyes grew fiercer by the second.
After an entire red carpet session, Zhao Min was undoubtedly the female celebrity generating the most buzz.
Bursting with high spirits.
Gao Yu, sitting in the backstage control room, rolled his eyes. A new song, my foot! Which of your songs wasn't personally written, sung, and taught to you by Zhou Chen?
Yet now you've gone and forgotten everything!
"Director Gao, the show is starting!"
A staff member shouted. Gao Yu put away his phone, picked up the walkie-talkie, and said, "Attention all departments, attention all departments, do one last check..."
The evening gala kicked off with the song and dance performance Full Moon Reunion Night.
First, veteran stars from the film and television industry delivered speeches, followed by the hosts announcing nominations, voting, and award winners, interspersed with standard, middle-of-the-road performances by the stars.
Before they knew it,
the gala entered its final segment.
In the live stream, the fans of Xu Kun—his loyal "Aikuns"—had been waiting patiently for their idol's grand finale performance.
Xu Kun debuted through a talent show and became an A-list top idol right out of the gate.
Yet being able to perform in the finale slot at such a star-studded event was proof enough of his massive popularity.
This was a prime opportunity for a newcomer to make a splash in the industry!
Before the previous performance had even fully concluded, the live stream's comment section had been completely hijacked by the Aikuns.
The live stream's viewership, which had been flagging slightly, suddenly skyrocketed at this moment:
"Kunkan! Kunkan!"
"I'm waving the giant flag for Xu Kun!"
"Kunkan has arrived, all stars step aside!"
On stage.
The host glanced at the cue card, which bore lines completely different from the rehearsal script. She froze for a split second, but her solid professional hosting skills allowed her to continue reading:
"......Next, let's welcome singer Zhou Chen with warm applause as he brings us his new song, The Ordinary Road!"
Zhou Chen?
Wasn't it supposed to be Xu Kun?
The Ordinary Road?
Wasn't it supposed to be You Are So Beautiful?