On stage, the award presenters had already taken their places, as had the winning designers.
Liang Xiaotong, much like Meng Dandan, wore an ugly expression.
The two exchanged glances, their faces a mixture of embarrassment and anger, devoid of any smile.
Meng Dandan finally lost her patience, turned, and swept out of the room.
This small award was for designers, not models. Staying any longer felt undignified and pointless, so she saw no reason to pretend.
At worst, negative news would circulate online after the competition about her, the little diva, throwing a tantrum and behaving unprofessionally.
For her, after two years of being sidelined, such news might not be entirely a bad thing.
The host, witnessing this, dared not address it and pretended not to see.
The presenters also acted as if they saw nothing.
Only among Meng Dandan's fans in the audience did a stir arise, with noisy shouts and boos.
Her fans were undoubtedly displeased that Meng Dandan had not won the grand prize.
They had come to see Meng Dandan win; others winning was irrelevant to them. They only wanted to see their idol shine and be recognized.
With smiles, the presenters received trophies and certificates from the ushers and presented them one by one to the winners.
The other three winners, all smiling, were quite satisfied.
Only Liang Xiaotong maintained a black face throughout, reluctantly accepting the trophy. She wished she could smash it on the stage to show her disdain.
However, reason prevailed, and she accepted it.
Even with Young Master Tang backing her, she was, after all, just a designer and not qualified to show disrespect to the organizers or the renowned industry judges.
"Congratulations, Miss Su!"
Jiang Tiansheng handed the trophy to Su Yingxue and said, "This trophy belongs to you; it is well-deserved!"
"Thank you!"
Su Yingxue bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
Looking at Su Yingxue, who stunned the entire audience, up close, Jiang Tiansheng couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and emotion.
He still remembered the day Chen Fan had asked him to find Su Yingxue, and he remembered the pathetic scene of Su Yingxue and her mother being kicked out by their landlord.
He had to admit, Mr. Chen's foresight was truly beyond ordinary people.
Su Yingxue's performance tonight was even more stunning than that of celebrities like Meng Dandan.
Coupled with his understanding of Su Yingxue's character, he knew that a woman as perfect as her was truly rare and worthy of Mr. Chen's attention!
Smiling, he stood to the side, awaiting the commemorative photo.
Just then, amidst the boos and dissatisfied protests from below, someone suddenly shouted, "Fix! Fix!"
Jiang Tiansheng couldn't help but frown.
Someone was instigating.
Meng Dandan's fans were like dry kindling, easily ignited and incited.
This group of rabid fans, lacking any sense of reason, could cause extremely detrimental effects if organized.
In a confined space like the venue, it could even lead to an accident.
Indeed, a unified chant erupted throughout the hall: "Fix!"
"Fix!"
"Protest the fix, re-evaluate the awards!"
"Protest the fix, re-evaluate the awards!"
"Protest the fix, re-evaluate the awards!"
"..."
A rhythmic wave of sound rose, almost capable of overturning the entire performance hall.
Two to three thousand fans, incited by a few instigators, waved their arms in unison, protesting the competition results and using public opinion to pressure the organizers, unwilling to stop until they got what they wanted.
In the backstage waiting area, Tang Ruolin watched the scene with a sinister look. He leaned in and whispered to Meng Dandan, who had just come off stage:
"Darling, don't be unhappy. Let's get this little bit of satisfaction first!"
Meng Dandan knew this was Tang Ruolin's doing and felt considerably more pleased.
If such a competition was ruined, at least she would be the center of attention and gain significant popularity.
"But Su Yingxue still got the grand prize!"
Under the immense noise, she had to shout into Tang Ruolin's ear for him to hear.
Tang Ruolin smiled and said, "Then let's invalidate the competition results!"
Frankly speaking, even if the grand prize was nullified, Meng Dandan wouldn't gain much.
But it would balance her emotions, and that was enough.
The host on stage suddenly turned pale, looking somewhat flustered.
The backstage staff, through their earpieces, urged him to announce the end of the competition.
He had no time to interview Su Yingxue or have her give an acceptance speech. He loudly declared, "Today's competition concludes here. Thank you all for attending. Winners, please proceed backstage. Audiences, please exit in an orderly fashion!"
The noise from below paused.
Then, the incited fans grew even more dissatisfied.
An instigator among them seized the opportunity and shouted, "Don't let them leave, catch them!"
"Don't let them go!"
The easily provoked fans suddenly rose and began to move, intending to surge onto the stage.
The situation quickly devolved into chaos.
Staff members quickly led Su Yingxue and the other winners off stage.
This further enraged the fans, who pushed towards the stage.
At this moment, Chen Fan's heart was filled with cold fury.
Meng Dandan and the person behind her were unforgivable.
In such a situation, causing chaos could too easily lead to a stampede and injuries.
He had realized something was amiss when the instigators appeared, but he hadn't expected them to be so reckless.
With the chaos erupting, he quickly grabbed Bob and Lilith, picked up Xiao Nannan, and hurried everyone towards the employee exit.
Of course, he could protect them, but in the ensuing chaos, oversights were possible.
Moreover, he still needed to go to Su Yingxue's side to prevent her from getting hurt or taken advantage of.
Watching Su Yingxue head backstage, Jiang Tiansheng also wore a furious expression.
A well-organized competition had been ruined like this. Although he wasn't an organizer, he couldn't explain it to Mr. Chen.
His subordinates stepped forward to protect him.
Meng Dandan's fans had reached the edge of the stage and were climbing up.
Jiang Tiansheng snatched the host's microphone, strode forward, and angrily pointed at the fans crowding onto the stage, shouting, "Stop! What do you think you're doing? What if there's a stampede?"
He held a high position and was an award presenter, possessing a natural aura of authority.
Those he pointed at hesitated.
"Get down, all of you!"
Jiang Tiansheng roared, "The competition was fair and just, decided by professional judges. What fix are you talking about? If you cause trouble here and severe consequences ensue, you will all be held responsible."
The surging fans began to show signs of fear.
After all, rabid fans were not the majority; most were incited or swept up in the fervor.
"Don't listen to him! We just want a fair and just result!"
From within the crowd, someone shouted, "Jiang Tiansheng, you are the biggest fix! The result of today's competition was manipulated by you!"
"Nonsense! Who is speaking? Step out!"
Jiang Tiansheng was furious.
"Jiang Tiansheng, don't think we don't know. You came from the underworld. Everyone in Hangjiang knows your name!"
Someone shouted, "Su Yingxue works for your Huancai Apparel Group. She's your kept mistress! You manipulated the competition just to make her win!"
Jiang Tiansheng was enraged.
As if that wasn't enough, the person continued, "He's the one who wronged our Dandan! Let's beat him up first!"
"Beat him!"
"Beating up criminal elements is not illegal!"
Incited, more than a dozen fans rushed onto the stage and charged towards Jiang Tiansheng.
Jiang Tiansheng's subordinates and staff rushed forward to block them.
As pushing and shoving ensued, fists were thrown, and the situation escalated.
As for Meng Dandan, the goddess in the hearts of many fans, she stood in a corner of the stage watching all this, with no intention of stepping forward to intervene.
"I can come out later to appease them and gain a good reputation,"
Meng Dandan thought to herself, a hopeful smile appearing on her face.
With so many fans standing up for her, it showed she hadn't faded away and was still the popular, hot multi-talented diva in film, television, and music.