1990: Starting from Baojia Street

"How Long Will I Love You" is a literal translation of "How Long Will I Love You", a song by British singer Ellie Goulding and also an interlude in the movie "The Time Traveler".

The new script Zhou Yan is going to write is "Time and Space Love Traveler".

As early as last month, Zhou Yan was thinking about what his next movie should be like. He thought about science fiction, mystery, musical, etc., but he still couldn't decide.

Recently, he suddenly wanted to make a movie with a love theme, and then he set his sights on the two movies "Time Traveler" and "Love Actually".

The reason why he chose these two movies is that, on the one hand, he really likes the stories told in these two movies, and on the other hand, these two movies have outstanding performances in music.

However, after weighing the pros and cons, he still chose "Time Travelers" because "Love Actually" is really not suitable for Chinese translation. The cultural differences are too great. If it is forced to be translated into Chinese, the quality of the movie will be greatly reduced.

Of course, not all the plots of "Time Travelers" are in line with the situation in China, but it is much better than "Love Actually", so it doesn't matter if many places have been modified.

The song "How Long Will I Love You" occupies a very important position in the movie. It is not a sad song, which can be seen from the lyrics.

The lyrics are very straightforward and simple. The general meaning is, I will love you till the end of time. As long as you love me unchanged, I will be as firm as a rock.

The melody is relatively light and makes people happy physically and mentally, so this song has become a common song at weddings. Many people will play this song when they get married, especially when the groom enters the venue.

Just now when Zhou Yan saw the bride appear, he immediately thought of this song.

Zhou Yan turned around and put down the bamboo flute, then picked up the violin. Li Biru asked, "Brother, should we cooperate?"

They were naturally happy to hear that Zhou Yan was going to play a new song, but Zhou Yan did not tell them about this in advance, so they were also surprised.

Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head, "No, it's a very simple piece of music, I can just play it solo."

After saying that, he turned around with his violin, walked to the microphone, raised his hand and started playing the chorus of the song.

The original melody of this song was relatively relaxing, and Zhou Yan made some adaptations to make it more cheerful and joyful.

Charmaine Sheh stood in the middle and back, jumping around on the spot, trying to see the situation on the stage more clearly.

Although she is considered tall in Hong Kong, there are too many people around her, and most of them are men. Her height does not give her much of an advantage among the boys. If she does not jump up, it is difficult for her to see the stage.

She couldn't help but complain that the temporary stage was too low.

The height of this stage is probably less than 50 centimeters, which is much lower than a normal stage. If the stage could be more than one meter high, the situation would be much better.

Or maybe the stage should be built on the steps, which would be better.

However, Charmaine Sheh also knew that after all, it was a temporary stage and tickets were not sold to the public, so it was impossible to spend a lot of money to build a large stage. As for setting up the stage on the steps, this was also not advisable because it would block the audience's normal travel and the scene would become more chaotic.

Just as Charmaine Sheh was trying hard to jump, the sound of a light violin rang out.

Seeing that the performance had already begun, Charmaine Sheh stopped jumping around and instead stood there and listened to the music quietly.

At the beginning of the song, she actually heard a bit of Scottish style, melodious and comfortable, as if describing a pastoral scenery.

Looking at the girl in the wedding dress, Charmaine Sheh suddenly had an image of a newlywed couple dancing on the grass by the Scottish seaside.

This song makes people feel happy just listening to it.

At the same time, Charmaine Sheh was a little envious of the girl. She was too lucky to have Zhou Yan send her a song to bless her on her wedding.

This bride will probably never forget this night.

Not only Charmaine Sheh was envious, all the audience present were envious of the newlyweds. The song was so beautiful, and the key was that it was a song that had never been released to the public, so it was of great significance.

The lively melody made the atmosphere joyful, and many audience members even swayed their bodies unconsciously to the melody.

Only the bride shed tears to the lively melody.

At this moment, she was immersed in a great happiness. The wonderful violin sound made her full of longing for the future. It seemed that her happy life had really begun from this moment.

After Zhou Yan finished playing the chorus, he started playing the main song. Compared with the light-hearted chorus, the main song was more like a whisper between lovers, like a flowing spring, refreshing the heart.

The reason why he played the chorus first and then the verse was, on the one hand, that he wanted to catch the audience's ears with the chorus, and on the other hand, he wanted to express one thing, that is, life is like this song, love and marriage are passionate and happy, but in real life, the main melody is plain.

But even if it is plain, as long as you feel and experience it seriously, it will still be wonderful.

The song was only more than two minutes long. When Zhou Yan played the last note, the applause from the audience rang out like a tsunami. This time, the applause and cheers reached the peak of the night.

Just this one new song made the hours they waited in line worthwhile.

They originally just wanted to meet Zhou Yan and listen to a few songs, but who would have thought there would be such a surprise.

Zhou Yan also discovered at this time that there were more people on the scene than at the beginning. The original open space near the roadside was now full. It could be said that it was truly packed.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Yan even began to consider whether he should hold some outdoor concerts in the future to allow more music fans to participate.

When the applause died down a bit, Zhou Yan said into the microphone, "All the friends present, let us congratulate the newlyweds and wish them a long and happy marriage. Everyone listen to my instructions..."

Zhou Yan raised his hand, "1, 2, 3!"

The audience followed Zhou Yan's instructions and shouted in unison: "May you be together forever and live happily ever after!"

The blessing was very effective. Zhou Yan smiled and said, "This is the last song for today. I won't let you choose another one. I'm going to sing "Fragrance in the Sky". Many people may not be familiar with this song..."

Before Zhou Yan finished speaking, a group of people in the audience shouted, "Familiar, familiar, very familiar."

Among all Zhou Yan's songs, "Fragrance in the Sky" is the least well-known and can usually only be heard in concerts or on video tapes. Audiences who are familiar with this song can be said to be Zhou Yan's more loyal fans.

Judging from the reactions on the scene, most people are still not very familiar with this song.

Zhou Yan praised the audience who said they were familiar with the song, "Being familiar with this song means you are all music experts. I composed this song when I was in school, but the current version is different from the one back then, and it is also different from what you have heard before. I hope the new version can bring you surprises."

After that, Zhou Yan didn't say anything else and started playing "Fragrance in the Sky" with the orchestra.

This piece of music has been constantly modified by Zhou Yan, becoming more complex and more technical. Now it is very difficult for Zhou Yan to play it himself.

It is said that one should keep practicing martial arts and music on one's lips. Although Zhou Yan also insists on practicing musical instruments, the intensity is far from enough, so there is no improvement in his skills.

Of course, Zhou Yan doesn’t want to make much progress in playing the instrument now. He insists on practicing just to try his best to maintain his current level.

If he has time, he would even prefer to try out some musical instruments that he has not been exposed to before.

Because "Fragrance in the Air" is very showy, it also stunned the audience. Although they don't understand the techniques of the bamboo flute, they can still hear the complexity of the song.

……

After the performance of "Fragrance in the Sky", Zhou Yan, Ma Dongfang and others bowed to the audience to express their gratitude and then left the stage.

The audience was still not satisfied and continued to applaud, wanting Zhou Yan to return for an encore.

However, Zhou Yan has never had the habit of returning to the stage, and this time was no exception. No matter how the audience cheered for an encore, Zhou Yan did not appear again.

After eight or nine minutes of encore, the audience finally gave up calling Zhou Yan back, and the audience at the back began to leave.

The security personnel at the scene immediately began to maintain order, allowing everyone to evacuate in an orderly manner to prevent people from rushing to leave and causing trampling.

Fortunately, there were many passages outside the venue, so everyone was able to disperse quickly. After about ten minutes, most people at the scene were evacuated.

The remaining people are much less densely populated and there is no need to maintain order.

Only then did the security personnel finally breathe a sigh of relief.

……

In order to allow the orchestra members to rest early and to reduce the pressure of the return journey, Zhou Yan let the majority of the group return first after the performance in the concert hall.

Only Zhou Yan and a small group of members were left behind. After the outfield performance ended, Zhou Yan asked Ma Dongfang and the others to take the bus back, while he went around to the back door alone.

There is a small passage behind the theater in the center. The lights in the passage are not on at the moment, and only the light from outside shines in, so it looks a little dim.

Zhou Yan shouted into the passage, "Gugu."

After he finished mumbling, Joey Wong walked out from the passage.

"I'm not a pigeon, why are you cooing to me?" Joey Wong joked.

Zhou Yan smiled and held Wang Zuxian's hand, "There must be a secret code."

Wang Zuxian stretched her head and looked towards the front door. "Shall we go back now?"

"Well, there are fewer people at the back, and I'm wearing a hat." Zhou Yan pointed to the baseball cap on his head.

Not only did he wear a hat, he also put on a pair of black-framed glasses and changed his clothes.

During the performance, although he did not wear a suit, he wore a pure black slim shirt, which looked more formal. Now he changed into a very loose white T-shirt with some cartoon characters printed on the chest, which made him look very young and energetic.

With such a contrast, if others don’t stare at the face, they may not be able to recognize it.

The two held hands and walked out of the back door of the theater. There were many people on the road, but no one noticed them.

After walking for a while, Joey Wong asked about the song "How Long Will I Love You".

“Have you finished the soundtrack for your new film?”

Zhou Yan nodded, "I made a few."

She rolled her eyes and said resentfully, "You didn't let me read the script or listen to the music."

"Don't worry, once the script is finished, I'll show you the first one."

"That's more like it." Wang Zuxian smiled and said, "Today's concert was really successful. The atmosphere was great. It's just that the space in front of the cultural center is too small to accommodate too many people."

"That's a lot. I estimate there are about 5,000 to 6,000 people."

"I think there are more than that. The road is full. Next time you can go directly to the Hong Kong Coliseum."

The Hong Kong Coliseum she was referring to is the Hung Hom Coliseum. Although it is called a coliseum, the Hong Kong Coliseum rarely hosts sports events. It is mostly occupied by cultural activities, mainly celebrity concerts. There are few places in Hong Kong that can hold concerts. The previously reopened Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay was expected to relieve the pressure on the Hong Kong Coliseum. However, the noise level of concerts held at the Causeway Bay Stadium is too high, and the sound system is very poor, which is often complained by citizens.

To the extent that if one wants to hold a concert there now, one has to turn down the volume of the speakers, and the effect is not very good. Therefore, unless the Hong Kong Coliseum is absolutely impossible to book, celebrities are reluctant to hold concerts there.

Nowadays, the Hong Kong Coliseum is still the first choice for concerts, so the Hong Kong Coliseum schedule needs to be booked a long time in advance.

Zhou Yan is not very averse to places like the Hong Kong Coliseum now, but at this stage, there is still no need to go to the Hong Kong Coliseum.

“Actually this place is pretty good, close to Victoria Harbour, with nice scenery.”

"Well, the atmosphere is really good, and the sea breeze is very comfortable, not hot at all. I wonder if there will be so many people tomorrow." Wang Zuxian suddenly thought of something and asked Zhou Yan, "You just said, are you going to come to Hong Kong again this year?"

Zhou Yan had never told her about this, so she was very surprised when she heard it.

"Yeah, it should be coming."

"Or is it for a concert?"

Zhou Yan shook his head. "No, it's mainly for the new movie. I plan to shoot the movie in Hong Kong this time."

This was a temporary decision, so he didn't tell Joey Wong.

Wang Zuxian's eyes lit up, "Are we going to shoot in Hong Kong?"

"Well, it will most likely be filmed in Hong Kong."

It is difficult to find a suitable filming location for "Time Traveler" in mainland China, but Hong Kong is a good choice because it is urbanized enough. If the filming is done here, many of the original plots will not need to be modified.

Upon hearing that the new movie would most likely be shot in Hong Kong, Joey Wong was delighted, as this meant that they would be able to meet often.

Wang Zuxian has been thinking about this matter during this period. She always feels that she and Zhou Yan are rarely together and apart, which is not a good thing in the long run.

Zhou Yan is too outstanding, and there are always beautiful girls around him. Wang Zuxian is not worried about thieves stealing him, but she is worried about thieves eyeing him.

She has even considered settling down in Yanjing.

Now that Zhou Yan is coming to Hong Kong to film a movie, she can put her trip to Yanjing on hold.

The two walked for a while, ate clay pot rice at a nearby shop, and then strolled back to the hotel leisurely.

……

The next morning, Zhou Yan woke up on time at 7:30. After washing up, he began to write the script of "Time Traveler". By the way, he also made the score of "How Long Will I Love You".

Zhou Yan didn't plan to simply put instrumental music in it, he wanted to make it into a song like the original, and an English song at that.

On the one hand, the song didn't quite taste right in Chinese, and on the other hand, he also wanted to take into account the European and American markets.

Without these English songs, the Chinese version of "Time Traveler" would definitely not attract attention in Europe and the United States, but with these English songs, perhaps it would be a little different.

This has always been his approach, using music to attract foreign audiences to watch his movies and then understand their culture.

Cultural penetration cannot be rushed; it must be done step by step, allowing others to accept it subtly.

What Zhou Yan is more concerned about now is who to find to sing this song, a male or female singer, a European or American singer or a Chinese singer.

In addition to this song, there are many other songs in the movie that also need to be sung by someone.

But there is no need to rush this matter, he has plenty of time to make a decision.

When Zhou Yan went to the cultural center in the afternoon, he found that there were more people coming today than yesterday. It was just after three o'clock, and a large group of people gathered outside the cultural center.

In addition to the surge in the number of music fans, the number of reporters and security personnel on site was also much higher than yesterday.

As soon as Zhou Yan reached the door, the security personnel rushed over and tried to protect him.

But surprisingly, the security personnel did not react as quickly as the reporters. Before the security personnel could reach Zhou Yan, several reporters had already rushed over.

Several microphones were placed in front of Zhou Yan.

"Zhou Yan, yesterday you revealed that you have a new movie coming up. Can you talk about the theme of the new movie?"

"Will the new movie soundtrack you performed live yesterday be released in advance?"

"Some people said that you specially invited the bride and groom to the scene yesterday to promote the new song and new movie. What is your response to this?"

"According to incomplete statistics, more than 7,000 people gathered outside the venue last night. This is a remarkable initiative. Would you consider holding a concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum?"

"There will definitely be quite a few people outside the venue today. Many of the audience hope that you can add a few more songs. Can you satisfy this?"

……

These reporters spoke very fast and many of them did not speak Mandarin very well. After listening to them all, Zhou Yan felt his scalp tingling.

Fortunately, the security personnel had come up by then and separated the reporters from Zhou Yan, allowing Zhou Yan to feel much more relaxed.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "You have too many questions. I will try to answer them one by one. First, regarding my new movie, the script has not been written yet, so it is not convenient to reveal too much information for the time being. Second, the new movie soundtrack played last night may be released in advance. Third, there are no plans for the Hong Kong Coliseum for the time being. Fourth, after the concert, it will be late, and it is not realistic to perform too many additional songs."

As soon as he finished answering, a reporter asked, "Will this new movie compete for awards at the three major film festivals?"

Zhou Yan shook his head and said, "I never think about awards before a movie is made. Whether to participate in a film festival is a matter of course, and I won't force it. Of course, I hope to be recognized by the film festival, but compared to the film festival, I care more about what my film can bring to ordinary audiences."

"So far, you have made three feature films, two of which have been remade in Europe and the United States and have achieved remarkable results, especially "The Sixth Sense", which is now sweeping Europe and the United States. Is it possible that "The Chorus" will also be remade?"

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "In fact, someone has contacted us and wanted to remake The Chorus, but I have no plans to do so for now."

"Will your fourth film focus on overseas markets?"

"Again, let nature take its course. In fact, I am not a director who is good at grasping the market."

After these words were spoken, the reporters at the scene looked at each other with complicated expressions.

Zhou Yan has been a darling of the market since his debut. His debut feature film "The Piano Boy Who Wants to Fly" achieved good box office in several box office markets in Asia, especially in Japan, where the results were very impressive.

Not to mention the second movie, "The Sixth Sense", which has done almost everything a Chinese-language movie can do, and even broke the box office record of Chinese-language movies in Japan that had been dormant for many years.

Although the box office in Europe and the United States was not very explosive, it did briefly maintain the box office record for Chinese-language films in the United States.

The third film, "The Chorus," benefited from winning the award at the Berlin Film Festival and also had very good box office performance. Although it was not as good as "The Sixth Sense," it was still a result that most directors could not match.

Even so, Zhou Yan still said that he didn't know how to grasp the market, which sounded a bit pretentious.

"Hehe, as long as you work hard to make a good work, you will definitely not be let down by the audience." A reporter flattered him and then asked, "Who will you look for to work with in the new movie? In "The Sixth Sense", you used Leung Ka Fai and Joey Wong as the male and female protagonists of the movie. Will you consider actors from Hong Kong this time?"

Although Joey Wong is from Taiwan, she is also classified as a Hong Kong actress.

Zhou Yan nodded, "As long as he's a good actor, I'll definitely consider it."

Then he smiled and said, "Please help me promote it. If any local actors are interested, please feel free to contact me."

The reporters also laughed. "If you don't even tell us the theme of the movie, how can we promote it for you? Those actors don't know if they are suitable for your new movie."

Zhou Yan joked, "It doesn't matter. The pen is in my hand. As long as I think it's appropriate, I can customize the role for the actor at any time."

He was just talking nonsense to the reporters. Even though the script hasn't been written, the framework has been finalized and it's basically impossible to add or delete characters.

The reporter also knew that Zhou Yan was probably talking nonsense, so he didn't continue talking and asked other questions instead.

"Many music and movie fans are also very concerned about your personal relationship issues. Are you still single now? Are the rumors circulating about you true?"

When the reporter asked about his relationship, Zhou Yan immediately gave up and said seriously, "It's all true."

The reporters were stunned for a moment.

"Are Zhang Manyu, Wang Zuxian, Kudo Shizuka, Maria, and Ah Mei real?"

Zhou Yan scratched his head. "Have there been any rumors about me and Sister Amei? This is probably fake. I'll go confirm it with Sister Amei later."

"..."

The reporters realized that Zhou Yan was talking complete nonsense to them.

However, the reporters are also helpless. Although they are very concerned about Zhou Yan's scandals, they have to say that these scandals will not have any impact on Zhou Yan. After all, Zhou Yan is not an actor and does not rely on this to make a living.

Don’t say that Zhou Yan is talking nonsense. Even if Zhou Yan really had dated these actresses, or even dated them at the same time, his music fans and movie fans would be extremely tolerant of him.

People's tolerance for "artists" can be said to be limitless.

Zhou Yan entertained the reporters for a while, and interacted with the fans at the scene before walking into the concert hall under the protection of security personnel.

……

The following three days of concerts were very successful. The crowds outside the venue were at least as packed as the first day.

Especially on the last day, the number of fans coming to the scene reached its peak.

The police had to carry out traffic control in advance to prevent accidents from happening at the scene.

The reason why there were so many people at the last show was also due to the vigorous publicity from the local media. Many media reports described Zhou Yan's concert as an "unprecedented musical feast."

After watching the news, many people rushed to the entrance of the cultural center just to join in the fun.

Some episodes that happened during the concert were also talked about by people, especially the new song "How Long Will I Love You" that Zhou Yan dedicated to the newlyweds on the spot.

There were media outlets on the scene recording everything, so much so that the song "How Long Will I Love You" became popular in Hong Kong before it was even released.

People have found that this song is indeed very suitable for weddings, and some people have even played this song at their weddings. (End of this chapter)