Chapter 521: Chapter 521

The assistant hurriedly handed the mobile phone to the judges to see, and on the mobile’s Weibo, Sheng Yan’s verified account had just posted a Weibo.

V Sheng Yan: [Awards should be fair and just, if this is not achieved, they lose their meaning of selection.]

Though this Weibo didn’t mention the Golden Custard Award directly, choosing to post it at this moment made everyone aware that he was indeed talking about the Golden Custard Award!

Even if the judges of the organizing committee tried to find excuses for Sheng Yan, they couldn’t deny that his statement was pointing towards the Golden Custard.

"How could this happen... We haven’t offended him, why would he post this message?"

Another judge said anxiously, "What should we do now? Just yesterday we announced that Sheng Yan would be a presenter, now he says this, does it mean he has decided not to come?"

Another judge tried to remain calm, "Let’s call his agent; we need to know Sheng Yan’s stance."

This suggestion gave the judges a direction, and the assistant quickly picked up the phone to call Zhang Ming.

Maybe it was because many people were trying to contact Zhang Ming today, but the assistant had to call several times as the line was continuously busy.

After about ten minutes, the assistant finally got through and immediately asked Zhang Ming what the intention was behind the Weibo that Sheng Yan posted and whether he would still attend the opening ceremony of the Golden Custard Festival in two days.

Zhang Ming nonchalantly said, "Sheng Yan’s stance has always been clear; what he wrote on Weibo is his attitude, which I will not elaborate on. As for the Golden Custard Festival opening ceremony in two days—"

Zhang Ming deliberately paused, speaking meaningfully, "Whether he attends or not will depend on what you do."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Ming hung up the phone.

Some judges were not willing to give up and had the assistant call again to confirm, but this time no matter what, the assistant was unable to get through to Zhang Ming; the line was constantly busy.

Half an hour later, the assistant gave up on making the call, and everyone in the organizing committee also gave up on the idea of changing Sheng Yan’s mind.

Suddenly, one judge had a flash of inspiration and said, "Could Sheng Yan’s statement be because of He Jinxia?"

Everyone else was puzzled, not aware of any connection between the two!

The judge explained, "Have you forgotten? He Jinxia is a star under Tonghua Entertainment, and she’s recently become very popular. I have inside information that she has even been cast in a movie by a famous international director. Though she isn’t the female lead, she has an important supporting role."

"Her momentum is so strong, if something unfair happened and made He Jinxia very angry, Tonghua Entertainment might stand up for her. He Jinxia can’t direct Sheng Yan, but Tonghua Entertainment can!"

The other judges suddenly realized, "You mean, the Weibo Sheng Yan posted was Tonghua Entertainment’s will?"

The judge nodded emphatically.

Many initially didn’t think that way, but now, seeing it spelled out, it seemed to make perfect sense.

While it may seem absurd for a second-tier star to command a top-tier star, the reality was different. He Jinxia had great potential, and many in the know were aware that continuing on her current trajectory, becoming a top-tier star was just a matter of time.

For a company, using a superstar to simply post a Weibo to exchange for gratitude from a future top-tier star was a worthwhile deal.

After understanding this, the other judges felt somewhat resentful towards Li Yaotiao.

Messing with votes was one thing, but did it have to spike in just a few minutes instead of evenly throughout the day?

If you’re going to steal an award, couldn’t you first check the management companies behind those stars? Is Tonghua Entertainment someone easy to mess with?!

"So now, what should we do?" Amid the silence, a judge suddenly asked.

A judge replied irritably, "What can we do now but hurry and clean up the votes?"

"We just announced yesterday that Sheng Yan would be coming as a presenter, and today he posts this Weibo. If we don’t take any action and Sheng Yan doesn’t show up in two days, won’t that be blatantly telling everyone that the Golden Custard Award is rigged?"

"If it were just a top-tier star speaking out, we might still ignore it, but Sheng Yan is a superstar, his influence is too great, admired by many both domestically and internationally.

The Golden Custard Award has been held domestically for so many years, weathering countless storms, and it can’t afford to be tarnished this time!"

Another judge added, "What’s more crucial is that this time we only invited Sheng Yan; other superstars didn’t have time. If he really doesn’t come, the value of the Golden Custard Award will drop, but more importantly, we have to consider the future."

"If Sheng Yan doesn’t come this year, it will signal that the Golden Custard Award is rigged, unfair, and unjust, ruining its reputation.

Who among the superstars will we be able to invite next year?

Stars at the superstar level value their reputation the most; the future of the Golden Custard will be even more difficult!"

These words caused many to reflect, and indeed, after Sheng Yan posted this Weibo, many had already leaned towards clearing up the votes, giving He Jinxia justice.

However, some stubborn judges still argued, "If we really do clean up the votes, then we can only clear Li Yaotiao’s votes, we can’t touch other stars, if we do, we’ll make enemies of all them!"

Other directors agreed, "Yes, only clear Li Yaotiao’s votes, the Golden Custard Award is no trivial matter, its authority is not to be challenged!"

"I’m just worried other stars will follow suit and cause trouble." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NoveI~Fire.net

"What trouble? We’re showing restraint by not making a scene ourselves. They really think someone will stand up for them just because they join a side? They’re too naive, they are not He Jinxia!"

"Li Yaotiao oh Li Yaotiao, you’ve spoiled a perfectly fine Golden Custard Award, how infuriating!"

With the judges in agreement, handling the matter became easier.

Ten minutes later, the official Weibo of the Golden Custard Award posted a message, saying that within half an hour of the voting channel closing, some stars’ vote counts showed abnormalities, and technicians were urgently investigating to provide a fair and just tally!

Though the official Weibo didn’t explicitly mention He Jinxia or Li Yaotiao, netizens all knew Li Yaotiao was definitely involved in the anomalies.

Gaining 300,000 votes within minutes isn’t trivial; if this isn’t considered abnormal, then other stars’ fluctuating vote counts certainly can’t be considered abnormal either.

Shortly after the Golden Custard’s official Weibo was posted, Luo You received the news and logged back into his personal account to post a Weibo.

V Luo You: [I believe in the fairness and integrity of the Golden Custard Award! The Golden Custard Festival has been established for so long and has weathered so many storms; it will not be defeated this time!]