1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Zhou Yan was surprised that Wang Lihong came back.

"Lihong, why are you back again?"

Wang Lihong rubbed his hands a little embarrassedly, "I just called Teacher Li, and he asked me to come back directly to agree to your new song."

Zhou Yan smiled. Wang Lihong was still young, and he could have said things in a more pleasant way, but he chose to speak the truth in a serious manner.

But Zhou Yan thought it was good that he was so straightforward. As a young man, it was okay for him to be a little cunning. Zhou Yan himself was cunning enough, and he liked to get along with people who were not cunning.

Zhou Yan nodded, stood up, took out a folder from his briefcase, and handed it to Wang Lihong, "Here are the music scores and lyrics. Go back and study them today, and come back to this office at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Wang Lihong took the folder solemnly and said seriously, "Teacher Zhou, rest assured, I will study it carefully."

"Keep it confidential." Zhou Yan instructed.

In fact, it doesn’t matter whether it is kept secret or not, the song is already on file, but Zhou Yan doesn’t want to create any more trouble.

"Of course, I won't show these things to anyone."

Zhou Yan nodded with satisfaction. Then he saw that Wang Lihong's clothes were almost soaked, and there was water flowing down his hair. He asked with concern, "Do you want me to find a place for you to wash? It's easy to get sick after being caught in the rain."

Wang Lihong smiled and said, "No need, Mr. Zhou, I'll go back now. Do you have a plastic bag? I'm afraid the documents will get wet."

Zhou Yan went to find a plastic bag for Wang Lihong. After he took the plastic bag, he carefully wrapped the documents in it before saying goodbye to Zhou Yan.

……

When the performance was about to begin, Wu Bai also stood up and said goodbye, "I'm going to go to the front. I won't stay here to delay your preparations."

"Okay, you go ahead."

After Wu Bai left, Zhou Yan called over his other assistant Xiao Xu in Taiwan.

After Zhou Yan came to Taiwan, he had two temporary assistants. Xiao Chen was from Tang Chen’s branch in Taiwan, and Xiao Xu was from Zhou Chen’s branch in Taiwan.

Xiao Xu's full name is Xu Xiangjie. He is in his twenties and has just graduated a few years ago. He previously worked at EMI for more than three years before being poached by Zhou. He is now the head of the artist department of Fantasy Records.

Fantasy Records is a subsidiary of Zhou Entertainment in Taiwan. It was established just over a year ago and its business scope is not wide.

Although the young man is young, he has outstanding abilities, otherwise he would not have been appointed as the department head right after he arrived. Moreover, the Arts Department is the most important department for Huanyin now. After all, the focus of Huanyin's recent work is to recruit talents for the company.

In the entire Huanyin, except for the entertainment department, other departments have little work.

Of course, Xu Junrong chose Xu Xiangjie not only because of his outstanding abilities, but also because he had been working at EMI since its inception and had a lot of information on artists.

Xu Junrong had given Zhou Yan two sets of information before, which were basically compiled by Xu Xiangjie.

"Mr. Zhou, what can I do for you?"

Xu Junrong was a little surprised when he was suddenly called by Zhou Yan. After all, Zhou Yan should be preparing for the performance at this critical moment, and all matters related to the performance were handled by Tang Chen and had nothing to do with him.

After all, the two assistants belong to different companies, so their division of labor is naturally different.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Two things. First, go find out Wang Lihong's background. Do you know Wang Lihong?"

Xu Xiangjie nodded, "Yes, the young man who just came is Mr. Li Shouquan's favorite disciple. He is now working at Fumao Records and is about to release a new album."

It has to be said that Xu Xiangjie is indeed very capable and had already understood Wang Lihong's situation in advance.

"Find out what his current relationship is with Fumao Records and whether we have a chance to sign him to Huanyin."

Xu Xiangjie smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, whether he can be signed depends not only on his relationship with Fumao Records, but also on whether we can give him what he wants. As long as the price is right, there are few corners that cannot be pried open."

"I think it's great that you have such confidence. As for the conditions, you can decide for yourself. The only thing is that it must be lower than Wu Bai's salary."

Although Zhou Yan is optimistic about Wang Lihong and thinks that Wang Lihong's future commercial value will be higher than Wu Bai's, Wang Lihong is a newcomer after all. If the conditions are too high, it will disrupt the ecological balance of their company.

First of all, Wu Bai would definitely not be happy. Even the most unwilling person would not want to be suppressed by a newcomer who has not proven himself.

Moreover, if you set too high conditions at the beginning, it will be difficult to raise the fish later.

Hearing Zhou Yan say this, Xu Xiangjie was secretly shocked. It seemed that the second boss was very optimistic about this young man Wang Lihong.

Although Zhou Yan's salary must be lower than Wu Bai's, Wu Bai's salary is very high. Even if it is one level lower than Wu Bai's, it is still far beyond the level of ordinary newcomers.

At the same time, he also gained confidence. Since the company was willing to offer treatment, there should be no problem in winning over Wang Lihong.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhou. I will take care of it. I will do it in the next two days and give you an answer as soon as possible."

Zhou Yan waved his hand, "There's no need to be so anxious. More haste, less speed. Just go at your own pace. In addition to this matter, there is one more thing. Help me find a band called 'so band'."

"So band?"

Xu Xiangjie frowned and thought about it. He had no impression of the band name at all.

Logically speaking, he should be relatively familiar with the Taiwanese music scene and should have listened to any band that was even slightly famous.

Regardless of how famous they are, he should have an impression of any band that has released serious works or organized formal performances, after all, that's what he does.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it. It's a student band. The members are relatively young and usually hang out in bars. That's all the information I know. It might be a little difficult to find."

Xu Xiangjie said confidently, "As long as they are active in the bar, it won't be very difficult. I have the contact information of all the famous bars in Taiwan. I should be able to find out by asking them one by one. So after finding this band, do I need to take further action?"

"After you find them, learn about their situation and then report to me. We can talk about the rest later."

Xu Xiangjie nodded, "I understand, I will take action in a moment."

This time Zhou Yan didn't tell Xu Xiangjie to slow down, because he also wanted to find the band as soon as possible.

Zhou Yan believed in Wu Bai's vision. Since he said that this band had potential, it should be good. If there were people in the band that Zhou Yan was familiar with, he could take action directly. If there were no familiar people, he could also observe them before deciding whether to take action.

Although Zhou Yan relied on his experience in his past life, he was also superstitious. Some people were successful in their past lives, but they might not be successful in this life. Some people were unknown in their previous lives, but they might not be without investment value.

……

After talking to Xu Xiangjie, Zhou Yan concentrated on preparing for the performance.

The performance that night was still very successful.

The only drawback was that the rain was getting heavier and heavier, with no sign of stopping, so an outdoor performance was impossible.

I heard that many people were waiting outside, hoping that the rain would stop.

As performances could not be performed outdoors, Zhou Yan performed several more encores in the hall and played seven more songs to entertain the audience in the hall.

……

Because he had an appointment with Wang Lihong, Zhou Yan went to the concert hall early the next morning.

After meeting Zhou Yan, Wang Lihong was quite anxious and wanted to show his achievements to Zhou Yan directly. However, Zhou Yan was not in a hurry. Instead, he slowly poured two cups of tea, one for himself and one for Wang Lihong.

"Thank you."

After Wang Lihong took the tea, he put it directly on the tea table, and then said impatiently, "I went back home and studied it for a long time last night. Teacher Zhou, do you want to listen first?"

Zhou Yan nodded, "You sing."

Hearing Zhou Yan's agreement, Wang Lihong cleared his throat and began to sing.

“How long will I love you
as long as star…”

After hearing two sentences, Zhou Yan was a little disappointed.

Wang Lihong was so serious when singing this song, and even when singing in English, it still had a Zhang Xueyou feel, and even had a bit of Italian opera feel.

This is completely different from what Zhou Yan wants.

However, Zhou Yan did not interrupt Wang Lihong, but listened to him quietly. After Wang Lihong finished singing, he looked at Zhou Yan expectantly, trying to find a clue from Zhou Yan's expression to see if Zhou Yan was satisfied with his performance.

However, Zhou Yan had no expression on his face, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking, which made Wang Lihong feel a little nervous.

After a moment's silence, Zhou Yan suddenly asked, "Lihong, have you ever been in love?"

Wang Lihong could probably guess why Zhou Yan asked this question, and he nodded, "Yeah."

"Is this the same way you sing love songs to your girlfriend?"

"If it's a private song, it might be a little more casual, but isn't this a movie soundtrack? If it's too casual, wouldn't it be bad?"

Zhou Yan shook his head. "It's my fault that I didn't tell you in advance. This song is meant to be as light-hearted and casual as possible. You can try to sing it in a more casual way now. Just like singing it to your girlfriend... just think of the teacup in front of you as your girlfriend."

Wang Lihong glanced at the teacup and did not accept Zhou Yan's proposal. He couldn't treat the teacup as his girlfriend.

After thinking for a while, he started singing again.

This time, Wang Lihong's performance was much better. He was no longer as pretentious as before, and his singing style was much more casual.

But the whole thing was still a little off. When he was halfway through singing, Zhou Yan said, "Imagine that you and your girlfriend are walking into the marriage hall. She is wearing a wedding dress, walking towards you slowly and glamorously. Your relatives are sitting on both sides, and everyone has a warning look in their eyes. At this moment, all you have eyes for is her."

Zhou Yan's words obviously worked. Wang Lihong sang more happily afterwards, and in this state, Wang Lihong's resonance position changed.

Obviously the resonance at this moment can better bring out his tone.

Previously, when Wang Lihong performed in Daan Forest Park, he sang Chinese songs and felt like a child, imitating the voices of adults. Although his voice was very precise, it always felt a little awkward.

At this time, he sang English songs in a casual manner, and his voice sounded mature. It was real maturity, not deliberate pretense of maturity.

Later on, Wang Lihong gradually got into the groove and his performance increasingly satisfied Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but nod secretly. It seemed that it was the right decision to ask Wang Lihong to sing this song. He was completely capable of performing this song very well.

This time, Wang Lihong himself also sang very comfortably.

He likes singing like this. It feels like he is on the grass at school, holding a guitar, singing freely without having too many distractions in his mind.

When Wang Lihong finished singing, Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, "Not bad, although there are still some flaws, it's a good performance. Go back and prepare well. I'll have someone draft a contract and let you sign it as soon as possible."

Wang Lihong was stunned. Is it done?
Things were much simpler than he had imagined. He had just been thinking that Zhou Yan's standards were very high and he would continue to make more demands. He was already prepared for a protracted war.

I didn't expect Zhou Yan to be so straightforward.

"Then I..."

"Any concerns?"

Wang Lihong shook his head, "No."

"You don't have to rush to say no. Wait until the contract is drafted and you read it before you decide. The choice is a two-way street. I have to respect your opinion and the opinion of your company."

"okay."

Wang Lihong nodded, but he was already sure that there was no problem.

This song is an opportunity for him. Even if Zhou Yan's conditions are a bit harsh, he will definitely sign it, and Teacher Li and the company will not set up any obstacles.

Zhou Yan's songs are in great demand and are not something that can be purchased just by money. It is said that many big-name singers in Taiwan and Hong Kong have tried to invite Zhou Yan to sing for them but have not been successful.

Although Zhou Yan has not written many songs, almost none of them are unpopular.

Especially those related to movies, basically every song they release becomes a hit.

"Young and Beautiful" is the most famous one among them, and this time Zhou Yan did not write lyrics for the pure music of the soundtrack to make it into a song, but directly put the song as an interlude in the movie.

This means that the song will receive strong promotion along with the release of the movie.

Zhou Yan's movies have never disappointed anyone.

In the future, you don’t even need to shoot a separate MV for the song. Just cut out the wonderful clips from the movie, and the effect will be far better than ordinary MVs.

Wang Lihong was anxious to share the good news with Li Shouquan and wanted to leave, but Zhou Yan pressed his hand towards him, signaling him not to rush. "You came twice yesterday and didn't drink much tea. Don't be anxious today. Finish this cup of tea before you leave."

Although Wang Lihong was very anxious, since Zhou Yan said so, he could only sit on the sofa and drink tea patiently.

A cup of tea isn’t much, but it’s very hot when it’s just brewed, and it takes time to finish.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhou Yan started chatting with Wang Lihong.

"Are you graduating this year?"

Wang Lihong shook his head, "Actually, I haven't graduated yet. I enrolled two years ago and I still have two years to graduate."

"Does your career here affect your studies?"

"There is definitely an impact, but I am also trying to balance it." At this point, Wang Lihong scratched his head, "In fact, I am a little confused about whether I really want to develop in Taiwan."

Zhou Yan nodded. It was normal for young people to feel confused. After all, they had been living in the United States most of the time, and their career here was not very ideal.

In fact, what Zhou Yan didn’t know was that the reason why Wang Lihong was so conflicted was mainly because of his current girlfriend.

He has a girlfriend whom he has been dating for two years. They are alumni, and it is impossible for her to come to Taiwan to develop after graduation. If he returns to Taiwan, it means that they will be separated by an ocean.

Although Wang Lihong is young and believes in the power of love, he also has awe of reality. There are too many such examples around him, where couples break up as long as they live in different places after graduation.

Time and distance are too powerful, and few people can resist them. He hopes that he and his girlfriend can do it, but he is not particularly confident.

Zhou Yan didn't know about his dilemma, but the next words hit the nail on the head.

“Have you ever thought about developing in Europe and America?”

Wang Lihong looked up at Zhou Yan, not quite understanding why Zhou Yan suddenly said this, but he still answered seriously, "Of course, after all, I have been living in the United States, but it is not easy to develop in Europe and the United States. Although my development in Taiwan is average, I can still see hope."

"It doesn't mean that we must give up the domestic market. We can establish a foothold in China and look to Europe and the United States. I have never made a Hollywood movie, but haven't I done well in Europe and the United States?"

Zhou Yan has every reason to say this, as his popularity in Europe and the United States is obvious to all.

Wang Lihong has been in the United States and knows more about Zhou Yan's situation in Europe and the United States than most people. Zhou Yan can be said to be one of the most well-known Chinese in Europe and the United States in the past two years.

Previously, Zhou Yan won the Oscar for Best Original Score, and Wang Lihong and others were also honored and very excited.

Although Zhou Yan's deeds are very inspiring, Wang Lihong also knows that Zhou Yan is special and his success is difficult for others to replicate.

If someone is smart, they would probably guess why Zhou Yan said this, but Wang Lihong just thought that Zhou Yan was chatting with him and didn't think too much about it.

"It would be great if I could develop in Europe and the United States, but I still want to develop my career in China first."

Seeing that Wang Lihong was like a blockhead and didn't understand what he meant, Zhou Yan didn't rush to express his meaning. He just smiled and said, "It's a good thing to be more down-to-earth."

Then the two chatted for a while, and Wang Lihong finished his tea and got up to leave.

After Wang Lihong left, Zhou Yan returned to his desk and began writing the script for "Time Traveler".

Although some time was lost yesterday morning because of Wang's mother, Zhou Yan was able to make up a lot of progress last night because there was no extra performance outdoors, and now the first draft of the script is almost completed.

If nothing goes wrong, the first draft will be completed by tomorrow morning at the latest.

At about eleven o'clock in the morning, there was a knock on the office door.

"Come in."

Then Xu Xiangjie pushed the door and entered the office, smiling and saying to Zhou Yan, "Teacher Zhou, I have fulfilled my mission, so the band has been found." (End of this chapter)