The four participants already had a fan base. The moment the voting channel opened, they didn’t even need to do anything. The number of votes started to increase.
The increase was very close to the number of their Weibo followers.
Xue Xiao was in the lead, Dou Mingjian and Gu Ling were close behind, and Cheng Yang was at the back, chasing after them.
The dominant and inferior players were obvious. Whether there would be major changes in the future depended on how they performed in the film and whether they could attract onlookers.
The number of viewers in the live stream room had exceeded 100 million. With this type of attention, there was definitely a chance to overtake as long as the performance was good enough.
On the stage, Jiang Quan led the process to the next stage.
The moment they arrived here this morning, Xue Xiao and the others drew lots and decided the order of the films. The result was Dou Mingjian was first, Cheng Yang was second, Gu Ling was third and Xue Xiao was fourth.
Xue Xiao became the last one to appear.
Jiang Quan said, “I will first ask Teacher Guan to introduce your group’s film.”
Guan Ruoying leaned forward, put her mouth on the edge of the microphone, and said, “The name of our film is ‘A Man Turns Fifty.’
Hearing the laughter from the audience, Guan Ruoying also laughed. “Don’t laugh. I know that Teacher Dou is only 45 years old this year. Isn’t this what the plot needs?”
“This is a story about life and dreams. Having said that, you should be able to imagine what the story is about, right? You can guess what skills Teacher Dou showed off in the film.”
The audience was enthusiastic and shouted one after another.
“Cooking?”
“Is it singing?”
Guan Ruoying blinked. “I won’t announce the answer. You can watch the film yourself!”
“Ah—!”
Jiang Quan smiled and said, “I heard that Teacher Guan also appeared in the film this time. What is the role you played?”
“I played Teacher Dou’s little assistant!”
“Okay, let’s take a look at the rehearsal footage of Teacher Guan and Dou Mingjian’s team first.”
The duration of the behind-the-scenes was three minutes.
Just like Su Shijin, Guan Ruoying had hired a great director to film for her group. Dou Mingjian chose the script himself from three alternative scripts.
Once the picture on the big screen jumped to the filming location of their group, Xue Xiao looked at the arrangement. He leaned toward Dou Mingjian’s ear and whispered, “Drawing comics?”
Dou Mingjian nodded in an embarrassed manner.
Xue Xiao was surprised, and the audience also made sounds of surprise.
It was obvious from the behind-the-scenes footage that Dou Mingjian did the drawings himself. His special skill was actually drawing comics. The drawing style and storyboarding were very beautiful, with a very juvenile comic feel. He could almost become a professional cartoonist!
Dou Mingjian touched his nose. “To be honest, my dream when I was in elementary school was to become a cartoonist…”
Xue Xiao asked curiously, “Then why did you become an actor later?”
Gu Ling also looked over.
Dou Mingjian replied, “It is because I found that to tell a story well, it is more refreshing to act it myself…”
Xue Xiao was stunned for a moment before smiling.
This coincided with his earlier thoughts!
After the rehearsal highlights were played, the promotional poster appeared in front of the audience.
The poster had a white background. Dou Mingjian was sitting behind a professional drawing table. One hand was on the table, a pen was in his right hand, and he was smiling at the camera.
It was a smile that after living half his life, had subdued all impetuousness. It became quite pure and beautiful.
The lens showed every detail of his face, including the ravine between his eyebrows, rough skin, and lips. All of this seemed to make him duller, but his eyes were bright.
The words ‘A Man Turns Fifty’ were splashed on the blank background above his head.
The design of the entire poster was simple yet impressive.
Then the movie officially began.
Xue Xiao watched intently.
Dou Mingjian’s acting level had always been very stable and this was also reflected in this movie. The only difference was that this was the first comedy Dou Mingjian had acted in since he participated in the show.
Of course, there weren’t many comedies in this show.
The plot was lighthearted from the beginning. The character played by Dou Mingjian was a senior executive of a multinational company. He was middle-aged, had a successful career but wasn’t married.
Everyone thought this was his shortcoming, but for the protagonist, his shortcoming was that half a century of his life had passed, but he never tried to take the path he wanted.
Recently, more and more of his hair had been falling out and his hairline became more dangerous. Several rising arrows on the blood test sheet indicated that his bodily functions were gradually declining.
The protagonist woke up every morning and brushed his teeth in the mirror. Seeing himself in the mirror get older year by year, he suddenly started to fear that he had never been himself in his entire life.
Thus, an idea was born.
He wanted to turn back.
He walked back to the starting line he wanted to start when he was younger, and ran desperately toward his dreams.
……
In this story, the director, screenwriter, and Dou Mingjian didn’t deliberately create tears.
The plot of this film was very cliched. If they aimed to show off tears, it would be more vulgar.
It was precisely because of their relaxed, happy, and positive acting style throughout the whole process that made this cliched story return to a touching, emotional tone.
Guan Ruoying was completely reduced to a supporting role in it. She didn’t take away Dou Mingjian’s sense of presence at all. In other words, Dou Mingjian’s performance was able to firmly maintain his aura as the protagonist and keep all eyes on him.
Once the 20 minute plot ended, Xue Xiao burst into tears. There were sniffles in the audience and their applause was like thunder.
Dou Mingjian sighed with relief.
So far, his journey on this show had been completely finished.
Regardless of the outcome, good or bad, he felt that he had succeeded at this moment.
He stood up and bowed to the applauding audience.
Jiang Quan invited Dou Mingjian to the stage and said, “Come, does the professional jury have anything to say?”
Several people raised their hands. Everyone had a strong desire to communicate. Jiang Quan selected three of them.
The first one was a screenwriter. “The subject matter of this film is common, whether it is a movie or drama. Now that I see this type of subject matter, I won’t pursue whether the plot is novel or not. I will only look at the actor’s performance. Can you move me, can you make me sympathize with you? Dou Mingjian, you completely did it!”
“The middle-aged man you played is open-minded, cheerful, smart, and funny. People around him think he is a failure in life because he isn’t married, has no children, and is unemployed. But I think every audience member will feel that he is actually a winner of life and hope to be as brave as him. Thank you for bringing us such a beautiful story!”
The second person was a producer. “In fact, when I heard that Guantian planned to host this show, I didn’t take it seriously. There are indeed people who have been buried in the industry, but if you want to talk about those actors and actresses who haven’t been noticed by us, I didn’t really think so. As a result, I was slapped in the face.”
“Dou Mingjian, your performance is very stable. On this stable basis, you are getting better every time. Today, you acted with Teacher Guan, and you weren’t overpowered at all. You can fully shoulder the responsibility of the male protagonist! You and Xue Xiao are both actors whose future development I look forward to. I’m curious about your upper limit. Do you even have an upper limit?”
The third person was also a producer. He stood up and said, ‘Mr Dou, I’m here to invite you to play a role. I have already sent the script to your agent. I don’t know if you have read it yet?”
In the midst of the audience’s uproar, Dou Mingjian was flattered and said, “Not yet. My agent said that he will discuss future work arrangements with me after the competition is over.”
The producer said, “Okay, okay. I’ll wait for your news. My name is Lu Anzhi. I hope you will take a careful look at the script I gave you. It is really suitable for you. I look forward to cooperating with you!”
Dou Mingjian hurriedly said, “Thank you, thank you!”
The professional reviews were followed by the comments of the four mentors.
In fact, at this stage, the four mentors had criticized everything that should be criticized and praised everything that should be praised. They really had nothing to say, so the process itself was very casual. It didn’t matter what order they spoke in.
As Dou Mingjian’s mentor, Guan Ruoying sincerely helped him gain some votes.
The microphone was finally handed to Dou Mingjian. Jiang Quan asked him if there was anything else he wanted to say.
Dou Mingjian thought for a while before saying, “I originally wanted to gather some votes for myself, but Teacher Guan has already done it for me. So I will say something else. I’m really grateful to the Studio Superstar show’s staff. This isn’t a compliment. It is a real thanks.”
“In fact, when I left the crew and embarked on the road to Hu City, I secretly wanted to regard this experience as the end of my acting career.”
“I am 45 years old this year, and my career hasn’t improved much. I only go home once or twice a year. My parents might be open-minded and have always supported me, but I sometimes feel that I am a waste who has accomplished nothing.”
A fan in the audience choked up and shouted, “Teacher Dou, don’t say that!”
Dou Mingjian smiled honestly. “But after I came to this show, I met so many friends and I got roles to act in. I want to charge forward again? Why did I choose the script of ‘A Man Turns Fifty’? It is because I remember the badge given to us by the show’s staff.”
“When I realized that it is never too late to start pursuing dreams no matter how old a person is, when I realized that the starting point is always at our feet, I suddenly felt that I was very lucky. I might’ve struggled for over ten years, but I have already rushed out of the starting line. Even if I ran a bit slower, I have run seriously for so long. I should see the dawn of victory, right?”
The audience: “ —Yes!”
Dou Mingjian smiled. “No matter what the result is today, I have seen the light now. Thank you, everyone!”
The audience gave a standing ovation.
Dou Mingjian was very emotional. He sat back down next to Xue Xiao, his eyes red.
Xue Xiao whispered, “Brother Dou, you acted very well.”
Dou Mingjian rubbed his head with a smile and said, “It is up to you next.”
Next up was Cheng Yang.
Unlike Dou Mingjian, Gu Ling, and Xue Xiao, who were particularly relaxed today, Cheng Yang was extremely tense.
He was so tense that people posted things like ‘Cheng Yang is so nervous’ in the live stream room.
His gains and losses were written on his face.
Feng Wei was very optimistic about him at first, but today, Feng Wei’s mood had become very light. Even when introducing the film, his words were very brief.
The moment the behind-the-scenes footage came out, what everyone saw was Cheng Yang constantly struggling on the set, while Feng Wei kept training him and helping him find his emotions. By the end, his voice was hoarse.
Feng Wei also found a famous veteran actor to act as Cheng Yang’s partner. The original intention might’ve been to add some excitement to their film, and at the same time, let the old senior lead Cheng Yang. As a result, Cheng Yang was under so much pressure that he was pale throughout the whole process.
The live stream room’s barrage:
“I feel like this set of pills…”
“Cheng Yang’s psychological quality is too poor…”
“I really didn’t like Feng Wei at first, but now I feel a bit of sympathy for him.”
“Feng Wei tried his best to help Cheng Yang, but he couldn’t take Cheng Yang at all.”
“I now feel that if Xue Xiao hadn’t helped Cheng Yang in the Puzzle group, he might not have acted so well…
“I also feel that Cheng Yang’s outstanding performance in the third round was all due to Xue Xiao…”
Fortunately, Director Feng Wei was experienced. The final edited film turned out pretty good.
The veteran actor slightly overshadowed Cheng Yang’s performance, but only slightly. Cheng Yang’s performance wasn’t too embarrassing.
The professional judges said some polite words. Feng Wei tried his best to recruit some votes, and Cheng Yang’s final summary statement was very good. He was obviously well prepared.
Obviously, this scene was passable, but something unexpected happened outside the venue…
Many netizens found that Cheng Yang’s votes had started to skyrocket…
First place was Dou Mingjian, who surpassed Xue Xiao after the film was played. The number of votes reached 54,301,987.
However, Xue Xiao wasn’t too far away from him with 52,890,736 votes.
Gu Ling was third, and the number of votes was 39,029,720.
Cheng Yang’s votes were originally just over 9 million. Yes, he didn’t even get 10 million. He was pathetically behind the top three.
But just now, his votes became 11 million, 15 million, 25…
The speed at which it caught up was stunning.
Netizens were stunned.
Cheng Yang’s performance in the film wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t that great either!
Just as Cheng Yang’s votes reached 35 million and he was about to catch up with Gu Ling, his votes dropped back to 9.5 million…
The whole Internet: “……???”
Someone in the theater found out about this, and there was a commotion.
The four mentors, 50 professional judges, and Xue Xiao all looked over, somewhat confused.
Today was a live stream. Viewers were allowed to bring their phones into the venue. After all, there was no problem with leaking the recorded content.
At this moment, even Jin Xiaochen and the others were whispering.
But the mentors, judges, and Xue Xiao were all required to leave their phones outside. The camera could scan over them at any time. Old Gao would never allow the scene of someone looking at their phone to appear in the live stream room.
All they knew was that something must’ve happened off the field.
This situation occurred after Cheng Yang’s film ended. It was most likely related to Cheng Yang, so some thoughtful eyes fell on him.
Cheng Yang looked a lot more confident at this time.
He remembered his agent’s arrangement and felt relaxed. His back was straight, and his face was calm. He had no idea about the subtle gazes from the audience.
The live stream room’s barrage:
“Was there a bug with Cheng Yang’s votes???”
“It has been cleared, hasn’t it?”
“…It was definitely cleared. Previously when he made it into the finals, I said that it must be fake votes.”
“Did he dare to try a second time after doing it once?”
“But the votes are always made public when voting for the finalists. There was no data rollback at the time.”
“I guess it is because the technology against fake votes has been updated.”
“In the last round, it was discovered that some votes were wrong, so new technology was used this round? Unexpectedly, the show’s staff updated the inspection methods in real time and cleared the votes on the spot?”
“Cheng Yang looks so confident… He doesn’t even know he was caught cheating…”
“Uh, haven’t you noticed? He had so many votes, but now it is overturned. There isn’t a single fan who came out to speak for him…”
“Is this the legendary story of a fandom collapsing with no casualties???”
“It is a public execution…”
“Lightning a candle for him.”
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Thanks for the update
This is so odd?? And the scrutiny is on Cheng Yang but he actually hasn’t done anything that bad, that director Feng Wei was the one who deliberately tried to mess things up, and he’s also the one with the capital to put pressure or buy votes.
Cheng Yang is just an above average actor who’s being used as a tool. And his ability is clearly not being nurtured properly by that director.
Same! Same! I feel exactly the same!
No. You forget that Cheng Yang is the same as Fan Xue, which is he isn’t some amateur or extras, instead a proper signed actor from the start and a small solid fanbase (smaller than 10millions since Fan Xue is the most popular in the beginning with 10millions followers). It isn’t mentioned about what type of company, either big, average or medium.. but he is different from GL, XX and DMJ from the starting points, even in this scene.. he had a proper agent. Even XX and DMJ still haven’t meet their agents after signing with Shen Tingyan since they are still in the midst of filming. They had only meet their assistants. That is why the nonexistent brain-dead fans explaination here is so jarring. Meaning the fanbase isn’t even informed to organize farming votes. They probably truly felt their brother made it with his own effort and focused only with their own votes (that 9mils clean votes). Hence they were late in realising of those nearly 26mils zombie votes and didn’t try to speak up and whitewashing him. Truly public execution.
Agents shows actors’ statuses, and one that can do pr management. Like here and last round. Cheng Yang’s agent able to secure company funds with some promises it seems, to buy fake votes for Cheng Yang (common tactics, win-win situation since company basically invested and can get the return back if he successfully take off). Feng Wei’s decision to support Cheng Yang also seems settled before Puzzle filming, meaning Cheng Yang’s agent had reached out to him for win-win situation (obviously exact copy of Fan Xue’s agent method) and Feng Wei realised his lost last round when Cheng Yang capsized his own boat. Feng Wei had capitals to speak up and persuade votes but he himself didn’t exactly buy votes for both situation; Fan Xue and Cheng Yang. He didn’t need too. They aren’t his exclusive or contracted actors.. The role of Feng Wei is to save these two if other mentors comments butchered them to badly, salvaging their chances since he atleast had credible reputation in the eyes of public; and give roles that biased to them while undermining others (that is why he is bummed when his scenario of elevating Xue Xiao only to pull his down from his pedestal the next is jeopardize by Shen Tingyan’s steal) and then gathered enough popularity, to collaborate them in his next movies securing positive public opinions (and maybe a box office too).
The one that spent money is Cheng Yang’s agent. Basically he had buy out Feng Wei and Feng Wei had to go through the motion salvaging Cheng Yang till the final since he had received their money. That is why Shen Tingyan tore off his facade before completely, even Su Shijin and Guan Ruanying chided him last round. They know he was a corrupted mentor and simply maintaining formality to have peaceful shooting.
Oh that’s… I was just starting to feel a bit sorry for Cheng Yang, only for this to happen… And yeah he is being used, but he’s Feng Wei’s second choice after Fan Xue. He’s a debuted actor. Aside from his ability there’s probably also a backer.