Chapter Five: The Unawarded Trophy

Egret Theater was hosting the Golden Ear Award finals. Cheng Wu wanted five hundred yuan. When Shen Yan touched the trophy, he saw twenty-seven-year-old playwright Tang Li accepting it to thunderous applause. Then she fell from the theater's skybridge and the trophy landed in a stage brazier. Both scenes happened on November 26. “She wins and dies the same night,” Xu Zhi said. Yet the nameplate read GAO WEN. Gao chaired the jury and had once mentored Tang Li. He claimed her shortlisted play, The Empty Room, plagiarized his unpublished work. Tang Li produced handwritten drafts and accused him of stealing her script for an investor. Both had perfect evidence.