1990: Starting from Baojia Street

As it turned out, her trust in Zhou Yan was not wrong, and the development of the story became more and more interesting.

It’s not that there are any earth-shattering plots, but the bonds between the characters and every little detail in their lives present a different kind of color.

This is obviously not an ordinary love movie, nor is it a novel science fiction movie. The direction of the whole story is like a clear spring, refreshing to the heart.

What is rare is that many lines in the script can trigger readers' thinking about life, but they do not appear excessive, but are presented in a relatively relaxed manner.

The love between the protagonists always makes Joey Wong smile knowingly, especially the marriage scene, which is very interesting and also the most unconventional part of the entire script.

Zhou Yan's script feels a bit like a literary script, with a lot of detailed descriptions, and sometimes it reads like a novel.

The narration of the marriage section is basically the same as the novel, and it is very immersive to read.

On the day of their wedding, the weather was not good. It was windy and rainy, and the scene was a mess. Many guests were caught in the rain, which was very funny to watch.

But besides being interesting, the conversation between the male and female protagonists also moved Joey Wong very much.

The male protagonist felt that the day he chose was not very good, so he asked the female protagonist if she wanted them to choose a sunny day.

But the heroine obviously didn't think there was anything wrong with this day. She shook her head firmly and said happily that their life was about to begin.

There was also the conversation between the father and son when the protagonist's father was about to die. The father narrated everything calmly, but it almost made Joey Wong cry.

……

Joey Wong read the entire script almost in one breath.

When she finished reading the script and looked up at the clock on the table, she was surprised to find that it was already past three in the morning.

It was already one o'clock in the morning when they got home, and it took her more than two hours to read the script.

Joey Wong thought Zhou Yan had already fallen asleep, but when she opened the door of the study, she found that Zhou Yan was still sitting on the sofa reading a book.

"Third brother, are you still awake?"

Zhou Yan slowly closed the book in his hand, turned around and said with a smile, "I'm waiting for you."

Wang Zuxian scratched her head, walked over to Zhou Yan and sat down, snuggling in his arms, "I should watch it tomorrow, you're leaving Taiwan tomorrow."

"finish watching?"

"Yeah." Wang Zuxian sat up again, "This script is really very good. It's not an ordinary love story. It makes people feel deeply touched after reading it."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "As long as you like it."

"Of course I like it, very much." Joey Wong nodded firmly.

The setting of this script was tailor-made for them. The male protagonist is from Pengcheng, mainland China, the female protagonist is from Taipei, and the two met in Hong Kong.

A movie that involves both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and is very similar to their situations.

Zhou Yan stroked Wang Zuxian's long hair and asked, "Are you sleepy?"

Originally, Joey Wong didn’t feel sleepy, but after hearing Zhou Yan’s question, she suddenly felt sleepy and started yawning.

"I'm going to take a shower, why don't you go to bed first."

"Then I'll wait for you in the bedroom."

……

The next day, Zhou Yan returned to Yanjing.

It was already late when he landed in Yanjing, but he still went to the studio.

Akira Nakamori has arrived early and has been recording and practicing in the studio for the past two days.

When Zhou Yan arrived at the studio, Akina Nakamori was singing in the studio. He greeted the recording engineer Xiao Liu, then picked up the headphones and started listening.

Akina Nakamori is currently singing the Chinese version of "Snow Flower". Her Chinese pronunciation is definitely not as good as Shizuka Kudo's, but it's still pretty good. She must have practiced a lot during this period when she went back home.

At this time, Akina Nakamori also saw Zhou Yan through the glass. A hint of joy appeared on her face, and she nodded to Zhou Yan.

During this process, her condition was very stable and was not affected at all.

I have to say that Akina Nakamori and Shizuka Kudo are completely two types of singers. In comparison, the former is much more stable, and she is also better at singing this kind of lyrical songs.

After Akina Nakamori finished singing, Zhou Yan turned on the microphone and said, "Ms. Nakamori, please come out and take a rest."

The accompanying translator, Iida Seiko, translated Zhou Yan's words. Akina Nakamori nodded and walked out.

"Mr. Zhou Yan, you're back."

Zhou Yan nodded. "I just arrived and came to see you. I just heard that you performed well. I can tell that you have been practicing your Chinese pronunciation well after returning home."

Akina Nakamori said shyly, "I just memorized the pronunciation of the lyrics, and my Chinese level is still very poor."

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "If your Chinese could improve so much in such a short time, I would be shocked. It's okay. If you want to learn Chinese, you can learn it slowly. Now just practice this song well."

Nakamori Akina pursed her lips and looked up at Zhou Yan, "Do you think there is anything that can be improved?"

"Of course the pronunciation should be as correct as possible. Other than that, your performance is impeccable. I think we can record it directly tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Zhou Yan nodded.

The only problem Akina Nakamori has now is her Chinese pronunciation, but this is obviously not a big problem. It is enough as long as you can clearly hear what she is singing. The key is that it is impossible to make great progress in a short period of time, so there is no need to delay recording due to pronunciation issues.

"Would you like to listen to the Neon version again?"

Zhou Yan wanted to say that the Chinese version was fine, and the Japanese version was even better, and he could listen to it tomorrow, but to be on the safe side, he said, "Then you take a break and sing the Japanese version again."

"I can do it right now."

Seeing that Akina Nakamori was about to sing, Zhou Yan nodded in agreement, and then Akina Nakamori went back inside again.

When Akina Nakamori started singing the Neon version, Zhou Yan raised his eyebrows slightly. He suddenly felt fortunate that he chose to listen to the Neon version today.

When Akina Nakamori sang the Chinese version, Zhou Yan already thought that her performance was very good and there was nothing to complain about.

But when he heard her singing the Neon version, Zhou Yan denied his previous thoughts. Her Chinese version could obviously be better.

Akina Nakamori's presentation of the Neon version of "Snow Flower" is a level higher than the Chinese version.

Sure enough, the pronunciation still affected her singing performance. In many places, the Chinese version was obviously not as good as the Japanese version.

Good or bad is mostly determined by comparison.

Before hearing Akina Nakamori singing the Neon version, Zhou Yan thought the Chinese version could score more than 90 points, but now after hearing the Neon version, it is impossible for the Chinese version to score 90 points, unless the Neon version scores 110 points.

That’s right, there is a twenty-point gap between the two.

After Akina Nakamori finished singing, she walked out and saw Zhou Yan frowning in thought, so she asked nervously, "Mr. Zhou Yan, do you have any questions?"

Zhou Yan was thinking about how to improve the Chinese version of Akina Nakamori. When he heard her voice, he raised his head and said seriously, "There is indeed a problem."

Akina Nakamori's eyes widened. "Can you tell me what the problem is?"

She felt that her performance was very good. She did everything she should do, even some things that she herself did not have the confidence to do.

She spent a lot of time and effort on this song, and she has been very disciplined in her life during this period, for fear that it would affect the condition of her voice and she would not be able to present the song well.

The effect is obvious. She has been in very good shape during this period, and she even feels that her singing skills have improved compared to before.

This could be said to be an unexpected surprise. The previous period of decadence made her think that her condition would plummet, but she didn't expect it to improve instead.

It seemed that after a period of decline, she finally awakened to something that she had not had before.

But even so, is Zhou Yan still not satisfied?

And judging from his expression, it’s not a small problem.

Just as Akina Nakamori was daydreaming, Zhou Yan said with a serious expression, "You sang so well, it's unbelievable."

"what?"

Akina Nakamori opened her mouth wide, and even suspected that Ida Seiko had translated it wrongly. "Seiko, are you sure your translation is correct?"

This is clearly praising oneself.

"There will definitely be no problem." Iida Seiko said confidently.

Before Akina Nakamori could ask, Zhou Yan explained, "I originally thought that you performed very well in the Chinese version, but after listening to the Japanese version, I found that you could perform even better. Now it seems that the Chinese version may not be recorded tomorrow, and it needs to be adjusted."

Hearing this, Akina Nakamori breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a little embarrassed.

Although many people have praised him for his singing, this is the first time he has been praised in this way. The key point is that Zhou Yan's expression does not seem to be a compliment at all, but rather a statement of a very serious problem.

“How should the Chinese version be adjusted?”

"I haven't figured it out yet." Zhou Yan shook his head and said to the recording engineer Xiao Liu, "Give me a copy of the Chinese version that Ms. Nakamori just sang."

"No problem, Mr. Zhou, I'll copy it for you now."

Zhou Yan nodded and said to Akina Nakamori, "I'll take the tape home and listen to it carefully. Maybe I can think of a way to adjust it tomorrow. In fact, the main problem lies in pronunciation. You must be paying too much attention to pronunciation, so many places are not handled well." "Then I will practice pronunciation again? Try to make it more fluent?"

"Don't worry." Zhou Yan waved his hand, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

After that, he looked at his watch and said, "It's getting late. I'll leave now. You should go back and rest early. A good sleep can keep your voice in good condition. We will definitely record the Japanese version tomorrow, so you need your voice to be in good condition."

"Please rest assured, I will protect my throat."

"Okay, see you tomorrow then."

Zhou Yan waved to Akina Nakamori and the others, took the copied tape from Xiao Liu, and left.

After Zhou Yan left, Iida Naoko touched Nakamori Akina's arm with a sly smile, "Akina, Mr. Zhou Yan really gave you a very high evaluation. I heard that Mr. Zhou Yan is always very strict."

Akina Nakamori smiled sheepishly, "His encouragement does give me more confidence. But..."

"Are you worried about the Chinese version?" Iida Naoko immediately guessed what Akina Nakamori was thinking.

"Ah."

"Haha, don't worry. Now that the problem has been discovered, it can definitely be solved." Iida Chengzi clenched his fists, "Come on, there will be no problem."

……

After leaving the recording studio, Zhou Yan did not rush back, but went to his office again.

During the time he was away, many people called him. If it was an urgent matter, the studio would contact him immediately.

If the matter is not urgent, the secretary will write it down and save it for him to deal with when he comes back.

The notebook is on the desk in his office.

I received a lot of calls during this period, most of which were unimportant, but all the details were recorded.

The order of records is based on time, but some relatively important things are circled by the secretary with a pen.

Zhou Yan took a quick look and decided to call back tomorrow morning.

……

Zhou Yan arrived at the office early the next morning.

After arriving at the office, he called Yang Dongsheng first.

Yang Dongsheng didn't say what happened in his call, but he specifically mentioned that he hoped Zhou Yan would call him back after he returned.

Zhou Yan would give priority to returning calls of this type.

When the call was connected, Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Director Yang, good morning."

Yang Dongsheng didn't recognize Zhou Yan's voice at first. After a moment's reaction, he smiled and said, "Oh, Director Zhou, are you back in Yanjing?"

"Well, I'm back. I heard from them that you called me. What instructions did Director Yang have?"

"Oh, Director Zhou, you're joking. What instructions can I give you? There is indeed something I want to discuss with you. Is your schedule tight recently?"

Yang Dongsheng asked about the schedule right away, which made Zhou Yan quite confused. What was the matter? Was he asking about the schedule?

Among the people from CCTV, Yang Dongsheng is the one Zhou Yan has the most contact with, and the two have a good relationship.

Therefore, whenever there is any matter at CCTV, Yang Dongsheng is asked to contact Zhou Yan, as it is easier to get things done with acquaintances.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Director Yang, if you have anything to say, just tell me. I don't care about my schedule here. I will go wherever you point me."

Although Zhou Yan was very humble, Yang Dongsheng did not dare to take Zhou Yan lightly.

"Director Zhou, you are too polite. The station respects artists like you very much. Everything is still based on you. Well, I won't beat around the bush. The station is planning to work with you again and hold a concert."

Zhou Yan nodded. So it was about this matter.

He had collaborated with CCTV once before and held the "Yanjing Silent" concert, which received very good response and caused quite a stir.

With that success, it is understandable that CCTV wants to do it again.

After all, cooperating with Zhou Yan to hold a concert is a sure-win business.

Even if they don't make any money from ticket sales, at least the show is made and the promotion is done.

However, Zhou Yan fell into silence. He had a lot of things to do later and had no energy to cooperate with CCTV to organize a concert.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Yan said tactfully, "Of course I want to cooperate with you, but I don't think I will have time in the short term. Director Yang, to be honest, I have a lot of work to do later. The soundtrack for Titanic, the concert tour, and I also promised a British director to compose the soundtrack for his film. I think it will be in the winter. Besides that, I will also start preparing for my own new film."

"I've seen the news about your new movie." Yang Dongsheng said.

Zhou Yan was surprised and asked, "Did the news spread so quickly?"

Yang Dongsheng said with a smile, "After all, you are the focus of the media now, and the news will definitely spread quickly. I am here to wish you the success of your new movie."

"Thank you for your kind words. If that's the case, then you should be able to understand me..."

Zhou Yan was halfway through his words when Yang Dongsheng said, "Director Zhou, please listen to me and let me report the situation to you first."

"Well, I'm all ears." Zhou Yan raised his eyebrows.

"The venue for this concert is a bit special, it's in the Forbidden City."

Hearing that the location was in the Forbidden City, Zhou Yan's eyes widened, "Inside the city?"

"Oh, that's not the case. It's in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, which is also part of the Forbidden City."

"Oh, I see." Zhou Yan suddenly realized.

He was not disappointed, because he knew that it was unrealistic to hold a concert there, and it was already very good to be able to hold it in the Taimiao.

"Director Zhou, what do you think?" Yang Dongsheng asked.

To be honest, Zhou Yan was very excited. After all, holding a concert in the Taimiao was of extraordinary significance.

“Is there a time limit?”

"Well, there is no specific time. It can be before June next year. You can choose the specific time yourself. Of course, you have to tell us the time at least three months in advance. As you know, there are procedures to follow."

Zhou Yan pondered and said, "Director Yang, can I ask why you organized this concert?"

"Director Zhou, you are now a business card for our country. Inviting you to hold a concert at the Imperial Ancestral Temple is of great significance and is consistent with the responsibilities our station has assumed."

Yang Dongsheng praised Zhou Yan, but his words were very official.

"Director Zhou is too harsh. I am just an ordinary artist."

"Don't underestimate yourself. Look at what happened at this concert..."

"If I can set my own time, then I have no problem with that."

"Of course you can choose the time. Also, I want to tell you that for this concert, our station is only responsible for matchmaking and helping you with venue issues. We will also assist with publicity. As for the organization of the concert, on-site decoration and other matters, you need to do it yourselves."

"Well, that's no problem. We are more experienced."

"Yes, there is no problem with your professionalism. However, what we want is to make the scene bigger. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is outdoors, so the performance effect will definitely not be as good as in the hall. The on-site layout will definitely take some effort... Let me be frank, we hope you can invest more in the layout of the concert."

Yang Dongsheng didn't say the rest, but Zhou Yan already understood that CCTV hoped Zhou Yan would not care about the profits.

For a place like the Temple of Heaven, although the hard conditions are good, if you want to decorate it well, the investment will definitely be huge, estimated to be hundreds of millions.

This is the cost of on-site layout, and other places also need money.

It would be difficult to recover this much money through ticket revenue.

Of course, you can recover the money later through record sales and other means, but that is too slow and may not be possible.

In other words, holding a concert in the Taimiao is equivalent to exchanging money for fame.

Zhou Yan didn't care about the money, but he didn't want to waste it either, so he asked, "How many games can I have?"

Yang Dongsheng was silent for a while before speaking, "How many games do you want to have?"

Zhou Yan probably calculated in his mind for a while and said, "At least three or four games, otherwise it would be a waste of the on-site arrangement."

"Three or four games... should be no problem. I'll report your ideas to the leader later."

"In that case, I don't have any other questions."

Seeing that the matter was almost settled, Yang Dongsheng smiled and said, "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation again. If you have time in the next two days, come to the station and we can talk in person."

"no problem."

"Then I won't delay your work. Let's talk later."

"See you."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yan knocked on the table with his hand, then picked up the phone and dialed the internal line, "Liu Hang, come to my office for a moment." (End of this chapter)