Fortunately, the chanting subsided when the show went into another commercial break. Jin Chonglin was so relieved that he felt like he just escaped a life and death situation.
His older brother had always been scary but only in a cold, unapproachable way. This time, however, Jin Chonglin could feel the fury emanating from Jin Liwei. It seemed like Iris Long had become his brother’s greatest trigger. He should be more careful next time, or Jin Liwei might suddenly forget that they were flesh and blood brothers.
The music awards ceremony continued after the commercial break. The anticipation reached its peak to the point that some of the first-time nominees felt like they were going to faint. Iris, however, looked relaxed as she chatted with JJ and DJ Song.
For her, getting awards was not the main goal. It was more important for her to share her music to the world and to let more people enjoy it. She would never allow a few judges comprising the music awards’ voting council to determine her worth as a musician. Whether they chose her to win or not was not something that she would fret over.
But this was not to say that she wouldn’t be happy if she won. On the contrary, it would be the best for her to win because it would open up more opportunities for her to advance her career. Regardless of whether she won or not, she wanted to savour this experience.
The minor categories went up first. Lots of emotional speeches and polite applause. Finally, the categories moved on to the more major ones.
“And the winner of the Best Instrumental Album is…’Rebirth Melodies’ by Iris Long!!!”
It was Iris’ first win in the official categories. She had been nominated in two other minor categories earlier but lost. JJ was very upset that she didn’t win those ones. Right now, however, he looked ecstatic when her name was called. She hugged both JJ and DJ Song before heading to the stage.
After receiving the heavy golden treble award, she stood once again in front of the mic. She swept her eyes across the audience and smiled at the delighted Black Stars. The four posh ladies at the front row seats were wiping their tears as they looked proudly at her.
Of course, Jin Liwei was also on his feet clapping his hands. She could see the pride and love in his eyes. She looked directly at him as she gave her acceptance speech, completely ignoring the man wearing a pinkish-grey suit standing beside her darling.
The audience hooted in a teasing way at her romantic speech. The cameras zoomed in on the diamond ring sparkling brightly on her finger. Another camera focused on Jin Chonglin in the audience. The LinRis shippers went crazy once again because they noticed that Iris was looking straight in his direction.
Iris finished up her speech by thanking JJ and his music label, her manager and Bright Summit, the Black Stars and everyone who supported her. She also complimented her fellow nominees. Then she returned to her seat, receiving congratulations along the way.
A few awards later….
“The winner of the Best Songwriter Award is…Iris Long for ‘Rebirth’!!!”
Once again, Iris accepted another award and gave another speech. This was her third award for the night and her second win in the official categories. Her first win was the people’s choice award, but it wasn’t really considered as an official category.
“For Best Producer of the Year, the award goes to…JJ!!!”
JJ wore an extremely smug expression on his face. His chest was more puffed out than usual. He already held the record for most wins for this award throughout the years. However, he was especially proud of his work in the past year because he felt like he had grown so much as a music producer. It was the first time in a long while that someone dared to argue with him when it came to music. Iris Long was a great partner because the two of them were able to force each other to improve with their equally perfectionist personalities.
Both Iris and DJ Song looked very proud, as JJ gave his speech on the stage. The Black Stars also cheered for him. After all, he was their Boss Iris’ music producer. They cheered even more loudly when JJ personally thanked Iris in his speech.
“Brat, you’re one of the most infuriating artists that I have ever worked with in my entire career because you’re never afraid to shove the inadequacies of my music ideas directly into my face. But that’s why we make such great music together because I do the same thing to you. We fill each other’s inadequacies when creating music. So thank you, brat! But don’t let it get to your head!”
There were only a few awards left. And they were considered to be the most important. Whoever won these awards would enter the annals of Harmony Music Awards history. Not to mention the other benefits to their careers, such as fame, respect, credibility, and increased worth in the music industry.
“The nominees for Best Music Video are…”
There were four other nominees besides Jin Chonglin and Iris Long for a total of six nominees.
“The award for Best Music Video goes to…Jin Chonglin!!!”
It was as if the entire arena exploded with all the screams, cheering and applause. His army of fans was the biggest fandom present in this event. He already had three nominations earlier and won two of them. This was his third win in the official categories.
“Dammit! What are those judges thinking? So they chose sex over artistry for best music video this year? Hmph!” JJ was displeased at the result. He thought that Iris should’ve won this award.
“Well, as they say, sex sells,” DJ Song commented.
Iris didn’t say anything, continuing to clap for Jin Chonglin instead. She knew that more people liked his music video because it was more eye-popping and relatable. Even Dom watched it more than a thousand times while squealing at Jin Chonglin’s sexy dance moves. Her music video was more artistic and required a lot more brain power, specifically abstract thinking, to understand all the symbolism.
Jin Chonglin gave a charming speech, thanking all the key people who helped him make the music video. It was a generic speech but his army of fans acted as if divine words were flowing out of his mouth.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Thanks, Big Bro.”
“But my wife—”
“I know, I know! Please don’t speak anymore, Big Bro. I already know what you’re going to say. Just allow me to enjoy my win right now. I beg you, please.”
Jin Liwei gave his younger brother a side-eye. Fortunately, he didn’t say anything more and just focused on the rest of the awards ceremony.
“The Best Female Singer Award goes to…Iris Long!!!”
“The Best Male Singer Award goes to…Jin Chonglin!!!”
Both their fans went crazy. This was even more amazing than when they won the people’s choice awards for Most Popular Female Artist and Most Popular Male Artist respectively.
“LinRis! LinRis! LinRis!”
The last three awards were the most sought-after. Most of the musicians in the industry considered winning these awards to be the greatest honour that they could ever possibly obtain in their entire careers.
This year, they were also the most competitive. The two most nominated artists, Jin Chonglin and Iris Long, would be directly competing against each other for these awards.
