But what could be done? He was the male lead of an idol drama.
While the judging panel might give idol dramas a chance, their standards for best actor and actress were much higher than for serious dramas.
The male lead of a serious drama came from high school students in regions like Tibet and Qinghai, who not only had lower admission score requirements but also received minority bonuses.
The male lead of an idol drama, however, faced the hellish difficulty of the Jiangsu Gaokao.
Unless the acting was divinely good, it was impossible to pass the three hurdles.
Although Jian Zhou didn't win the Golden Plum Blossom Award, his success in securing the Golden Peony Award, thanks to the audience's affection for Dan Junhao/Tong Hao, made it not too regrettable.
When the list of Golden Plum Blossom Award winners was announced, the entire internet exploded again.
No one had expected Jiang Ling, who had the highest number of votes but missed out on the Golden Peony, to actually win the Golden Plum Blossom Award for Best Actress.
It was an idol drama where the character was unloved by her parents; how could she win an award?
[Those who deserved to win didn't, and those who didn't deserved to win, did.]
[What on earth are the judges for the Golden Peony and Golden Plum Blossom doing?]
[Last year, for the film awards, Jiang Ling's role as Hailong should have won the Golden Plum Blossom but she got the Golden Peony instead. This year, it's even weirder, Ye Tianyu's role should have won the Golden Peony but was snatched by the Golden Plum Blossom. It's just unbelievable!]
[However, in terms of skill and looks, Jiang Ling deserved the Golden Plum Blossom long ago. Although the role for which she won this year was an idol drama heroine, she truly earned it!]
[Yes, she truly earned it. In the many years since the Golden Plum Blossom Award was established, no one had ever seen an idol drama win. This is the first time in history.]
[This also shows that the Golden Plum Blossom does not look down on idol dramas; as long as there is skill, any genre can win an award.]
[Yes, skill is the most important thing. This is true not only in the entertainment industry but in all fields. Skill is always advantageous.]
Despite their surprise at Jiang Ling's unexpected win of the Golden Plum Blossom, netizens were largely in agreement.
Her fans also congratulated Jiang Ling on her award.
Now she had all three major awards: the Golden Plum Blossom, the Golden Peony, and the Golden Magnolia.
In the parallel world of Longguo, the requirements for acting were even higher than in her previous life, and the difficulty of winning awards was also greater.
Even though Jiang Ling had secured all three, the Golden Plum Blossom, Golden Peony, and Golden Magnolia, she could only be considered to have achieved a "Minor Triple Crown."
Just as there is a Minor Triple Crown, there is also a Major Triple Crown.
The Major Triple Crown is also called the 'Grand Slam.' To achieve it, one must simultaneously win the Golden Plum Blossom, Golden Peony, and Golden Magnolia awards for both film and television, a total of six trophies.
When an actor completes the Grand Slam, the three major gold awards will specifically hold a ceremony to present them with the Lifetime Achievement Gold Award from the three major gold awards.
This award represents the highest achievement in the film and television industry and is the ultimate dream of every actor.
Currently, Jiang Ling had only won the Best Actress awards for the Golden Magnolia and Golden Peony, and the Best Actress award for the Golden Plum Blossom. She was still halfway to the Lifetime Achievement Gold Award.
Even though it was only a Minor Triple Crown, this achievement was a height that countless actors could not reach in their lifetime.
After receiving the Golden Plum Blossom award for Best Actress, Jiang Ling recalled winning the three major awards and completing the Grand Slam for Best Actress in her previous life.
Now that she had achieved the Minor Triple Crown and gained the audience's recognition for her skills, she was already very happy and satisfied.
As for the Grand Slam and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which required winning all six trophies, she would leave it to fate.
If she had the destiny, she would win it.
If she didn't have that destiny, it wouldn't matter.
Jiang Ling was very open-minded.