Chapter 151: If You Cannot Surpass It, Then Defame It

The moment news of Zhou Ran winning the Best Newcomer Award at the Cannes International Film Festival was confirmed, domestic media outlets and marketing accounts swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, sensing the scent of viral traffic.

They had been waiting for this news. Just as they had done before, they had prepared their press releases in advance, waiting only for the confirmation from the awards ceremony stage to publish them immediately. To avoid the kind of embarrassing blunders that had occurred last time, they even intentionally waited a few minutes.

In an instant, news of Zhou Ran’s victory spread across every major domestic website. Given that the news had only been out for mere minutes, the sheer scale of the buzz was a testament to the level of attention Zhou Ran commanded.

The award immediately sparked a flurry of comments from netizens:

"As expected of my little Ran, well done!"
"Two Best Newcomer awards in one year—who else can top that?"
"I thought just being nominated at Cannes was impressive enough, but who knew the even more outrageous part was yet to come? He actually won Best Newcomer!"
"What’s there to brag about? It’s just a newcomer award. You’d think he’d won Best Actor by the way people are carrying on. Can’t you wait until he wins a real award before hyping him up? How embarrassing!"
"That’s just how Zhou Ran’s fans are; don't pay them any mind!"

Most of the online discourse was positive, as many netizens were well aware of the prestige of the Cannes International Film Festival and understood the difficulty of securing such an award. However, a small minority continued to disparage him. Their reasons were often irrational, and if one observed closely, these same individuals appeared in the comment sections of various celebrities, spewing negativity regardless of the context.

They were essentially professional trolls. No matter how well someone performed, if there was even the slightest flaw, they would launch a verbal assault. Such people are common; much like in a past life, where an athlete might be subjected to a country-wide smear campaign for missing a few games due to a minor injury, despite a stellar track record. In their eyes, public figures are expected to be flawless. They demanded that if Zhou Ran won one award, he should win them all, completely disregarding any sense of logic.

Those who have nothing of their own are the ones who work hardest to tear others down. Zhou Ran’s approach to these people was to treat them like thin air. If he tried to satisfy every one of their demands, he would have to be a superman. He simply dismissed their words as nonsense. Li Mi also made sure to arrange for the deletion of such comments to prevent them from steering the public narrative.

Zhou Ran’s win brought joy to some and sorrow to others. Huayu Entertainment, Zhou Ran’s agency, was naturally overjoyed; this meant their plans could proceed as scheduled and their previous efforts had not been in vain. Conversely, those feeling the sting were Zhou Ran’s competitors—singers or actors of a similar standing. The better Zhou Ran performed, the greater the pressure on them. Comparisons between peers are inevitable, and when one person is as "monstrously" talented as Zhou Ran, it can feel rather unfair to those who cannot keep pace.

Since they could not surpass him, they chose to slander him. It is far easier to disparage someone than to outperform them. Much of the negativity online was fueled by competitors who hired "water armies" to intentionally stir up trouble.

Zhang Yuan had been watching the livestream throughout the ceremony. She had intended to send a congratulatory message the very second he won, but just as she was about to hit send, she hesitated and waited ten minutes. Perhaps this was just the subtle, complex psychology of a girl.

Zhang Yuan had been feeling quite anxious lately. Without Zhou Ran’s help, she had to record her programs alone, and she feared that her ranking would plummet. However, the moment Zhou Ran won, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

As for Zhou Ran, his phone was flooded with congratulatory messages the moment he walked off stage. He didn't reply immediately, as it would have been inappropriate to be on his phone during the ceremony; he decided to wait until everything had concluded.

When Zhou Ran received the Best Newcomer Award, Chef Huang felt a mix of happiness and regret. He knew that since Zhou Ran had secured the Best Newcomer title, it likely meant the Best New Director award was out of his own reach. Although Chef Huang hadn't held high expectations for that award, the confirmation still brought a sense of disappointment.

He knew the quality of his own film, and having seen the other nominated works, he knew the odds were slim. With Zhou Ran winning the newcomer category, the writing was on the wall.

He suspected that perhaps the organizers, having decided against giving the Best New Director or Best Foreign Language Film awards to the film *The Drummer*, had given the Best Newcomer award to Zhou Ran as a consolation prize to ensure the team hadn't made the trip for nothing. But this was just Chef Huang’s speculation; the final outcome would ultimately depend on the decisions made on stage.