Last night’s Vogue gala was like a real-life version of “Empresses in the Palace”! What was expected to be an elegant fashion feast turned into a game of musical chairs among celebrities. Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, and Zhong Chuxi stood together, transforming a perfect photo opportunity into a silent battlefield. The scene was truly remarkable—three people standing together, none smiling, none speaking, the air could freeze. 01 Here’s how it went down: as the group photo session began, Liu Yifei naturally walked to the center position. After all, she had just gained popularity with “Dream of Splendor,” so this spot seemed uncontroversial. However! Zhong Chuxi, for reasons unknown, seemed glued to the center position, arriving at the venue six months in advance and adopting a stance reminiscent of a stone pillar. Yang Mi, initially standing in the back row, was pulled to the front by Guli Nazha, resulting in an awkward standoff among the three. Netizens noticed: “What is Zhong Chuxi doing? Did she drink too much? It feels like she came with a mission yesterday.” Sigh, indeed. Editor Liu Chong, seeing the situation deteriorate, hurried on stage to mediate. But as he stepped up, he accidentally stepped on Liu Yifei’s dress, making the scene even more chaotic. To balance the relationships among the three stars, the esteemed editor was burning the candle at both ends, nearly rolling his eyes to the back of his head. 02 What was most baffling was Zhong Chuxi’s actions. Standing next to accomplished actresses like Zhou Dongyu, Ma Sichun, and Zhang Xiaofei, she forced herself into the most prominent position. “Those who lack virtue will face disaster,” dear friends. Her face screamed two words: “I want.” She wants fame, beauty, good performances, and also… handsome men. Zhong Chuxi never hides her ambition; even in dating, she chooses the most handsome partners, with a terrifyingly stable standard—must be a strikingly handsome guy. However, ambition aside, one must have works to back it up! Liu Yifei has “Dream of Splendor,” Yang Mi has “You Are My Glory,” and even Zhou Dongyu is the only new generation actress to achieve a triple crown. What does Zhong Chuxi have to compare? A netizen aptly remarked: “Does anyone remember Angela Zhang fighting for the center position ten years ago? Now her reputation is quite different.” Time will prove everything; works are the hard truth. Oh, and someone also complained, “Why does Liu Yifei, an American, always linger in China?”—let’s not get into that. 03 The one I feel most sorry for is Zhou Dongyu. The once bouncy little yellow duck now appears lost and confused. Netizens have noticed: “Zhou Dongyu indeed doesn’t seem as lively as before. When she was with Ma Sichun, she always felt a bit lacking in elegance.” Behind a group photo lies the hidden rules and calculations of the entire entertainment industry. For the past twenty years, Vogue has relied on cover stars to maintain its facade. Previously, it was Li Bingbing and Zhang Ziyi, but now print magazines are losing readership; young people are glued to short videos, and advertising revenue dropped by 12% last year. Yet they still have to maintain the appearance of being at the “pinnacle of fashion” and make stars fight to be on the cover. In plain terms, this isn’t about beauty or art; it’s about whose team is better at strategizing and whose public relations can create more buzz. The most ironic part? Everyone is fighting tooth and nail for an event that holds little value, while the audience truly remembers not who stood closest to the front, but who played roles that made them cry, and who lived like a real person off-camera. If one day, no one fights for a group photo anymore, that would be true change.