Chapter 136: Female Vocalist of the Year

The two hosts played off each other, bringing the atmosphere of the venue to a fever pitch.

"If that’s the case, then I’m just going to take this award and run!"

"The Golden Melody Award of the Year—I’ve been coveting this for decades!"

As Sonny spoke, he ran to the podium where the trophy was displayed, stroking it as if he couldn't bear to let it go.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!"

"You really can't do that, sir! There are so many people watching!"

The male host, Sonny, gave an awkward laugh and returned to the center of the stage.

"I was just thinking it wouldn't be bad to try and sneak away with the trophy while everyone was distracted!"

"But you’re not giving me a chance!"

The female host, Shi Ya, rolled her eyes at him.

"Even if you were going to take it, you’d have to wait for a moment when there were fewer people around!"

After the two bantered for quite a while, they finally moved on to the main event.

"Alright, no more nonsense. Let’s get to the most important part of today."

"Best Female Singer of the Year!"

"Let me see... who are the nominees?"

"Qin Pei... Jiang Yan... Fang Jiaxin..."

Sonny read the names one by one.

"Forget it, the list is a bit long. Let’s just look at the big screen!"

"You really are sloppy!"

As the two hosts spoke, several cards appeared on the big screen, each displaying the name of a singer and her respective work.

Jiang Yan, "Thousands of Songs"
Qin Pei, "Fireworks of the Human World"
Fang Jiaxin...

There were five candidates nominated for Best Female Singer, but only one would emerge victorious.

"Who do you think will win in the end?" Sonny asked, looking up at the candidates on the screen.

"My opinion? Does my opinion even matter?"

"If it did, I’d be picking Qin Pei!"

As Shi Ya spoke, she scanned the audience, looking around.

"Where is Qin Pei? Is she here?"

The live feed cut to a shot, precisely locating Qin Pei in her seat.

"Oh, I see her! Over there!"

"Why are you sitting so far away?"

The camera focused on Qin Pei's face, and she waved to acknowledge the greeting.

"Do you think you’ll win today?"

Qin Pei shook her head, then nodded, wearing an expression that suggested she had no idea.

"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?"

"Shaking your head and nodding—you’ve got me all confused!"

The audience erupted in laughter.

"You need to have confidence in yourself, you know?"

"If we’re talking about who’s been the hottest this year, it’s definitely you."

"My daughter listens to 'Fireworks of the Human World' and 'Decency' at home every day. I’ve caught bits of them, and I’m almost ready to start singing along myself!"

"But honestly, they really are good songs!"

Sonny gave a thumbs-up in approval, and Qin Pei quickly waved her hands, humbly declining the praise.

After some more playful banter, it was Jiang Yan's turn.

"Speaking of our candidates today, we have a heavyweight!"

"Everyone listen closely—a heavyweight!"

Sonny deliberately emphasized the last few words.

"Jiang Yan!"

Someone in the back row shouted, and Sonny immediately seized the moment.

"Who? Who said that?"

After scanning the room, he walked off the stage and headed to the front row.

"Jiang Yan, you heard that. It wasn't me calling you a heavyweight!"

Jiang Yan playfully shook her fist, then stood up and scanned the back rows, seemingly looking for the person who had called out her name. The action drew waves of laughter.

"Speaking of Jiang Yan, we have to talk about that song of yours, 'Thousands of Songs'..."

Because it was the most important award, the interaction lasted for nearly twenty minutes. It wasn't until every nominee had been interviewed that the ceremony officially moved forward.

"Alright, no more talk. It’s time to reveal the mystery."

"Forget it, you read it!"

Sonny pulled out a card, read it halfway, and handed it to Shi Ya.

"You really are a handful!"

Shi Ya took the card.

"The 33rd China Golden Melody Award for Best Female Singer goes to..."

She paused for a moment before shouting it out.

"Jiang Yan!"

In that instant, the live feed split into five frames, capturing the reactions of the five nominees. Some were smiling, some looked awkward or uncomfortable, but all were applauding for Jiang Yan along with the rest of the crowd.

When the screen cut back to Jiang Yan alone, she pressed her hands together and bowed to her peers in every direction.

As she stood up, Lu Yuanqing and the singer next to her offered hugs. Jiang Yan made her way to the stage amidst a chorus of congratulations!

"Wow!"

"Jiang Yan, you’re dressed very magnificently today!"

"Did you know you were going to win?" Sonny teased dramatically.

Jiang Yan took the microphone.

"Sonny, you’re dressed so formally yourself. If I had come looking shabby, it would have been disrespectful to you!"

Sonny laughed.

"Our Goddess Jiang Yan always knows the right thing to say!"

"You should learn a thing or two."

He turned his attention to Shi Ya.

"Hey, why are you dragging me into this again?"

The two bickered for a moment longer.

"If I recall correctly, this is your first time winning Best Female Singer at the China Golden Melody Awards, isn't it, Jiang Yan?"

"How does it feel? Anything you want to say to everyone?"

Seeing that time was running short, Sonny began to guide her toward her acceptance speech.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to win this award today."

"I’ve listened to all the nominated songs, and every single one of them is fantastic!"

"I’ve had Qin Pei’s 'Fireworks of the Human World' on repeat countless times."

"Winning this award today... I feel like a huge part of it is just luck. Even now, it feels like a dream!"

"But without a doubt, this is a massive honor for me."

"In my view, this award doesn't just belong to me; it belongs to everyone who has supported and accompanied me..."

"..."

"And here, I want to give a special thanks to someone!"

Jiang Yan had been speaking fluently, but she stopped abruptly here. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation!

"That person is the composer of 'The Next Diva' and 'Thousands of Songs', Su Chen!"

*Gasp!*

There was a slight stir among the people at the venue.

They had heard of Su Chen before. Not only had he been involved in rumors with Jiang Yan, but he had also written two hit songs for her. Thanks to those two tracks, Jiang Yan had soared to the top of the charts, causing quite a stir in the industry at the time.

Many had tried to use their connections to get a song from Su Chen, but none had succeeded. Gradually, everyone had forgotten about it.

The entertainment industry changes too fast, and that’s not even mentioning that Su Chen was only a composer. Even for singers, if they aren't active after a burst of popularity, they are quickly forgotten.

Hearing Su Chen’s name again now, it was as if a dormant memory had been awakened, and everyone couldn't help but look toward the big screen.

Logically, the camera should have cut to Su Chen’s face at this moment, but it seemed there was no intention to switch the feed.

The people present were all surprised.

*What’s going on?* they wondered. *Is this a technical glitch?*