Actor: Thank you.

In the last quarter of 2010, most of the year's holidays had already been used up.

Ordinary people look forward to the arrival of the Spring Festival holiday while they are busy with work.

As the year draws to a close, homesickness, as it has in previous years, has slowly crept into my heart.

The events from National Day to the Spring Festival have been truly difficult to endure these past few months.

At this time, the era of short videos is still far off, and the era of mobile games has not yet arrived. People cannot obtain happiness or kill time anytime and anywhere.

Therefore, movies are a source of anticipation and hope for many people.

It's also fashionable for couples to go to the movies when they're dating.

Unlike later on, when people went to internet cafes or e-sports hotels to play games together, it was much more convenient.

But just before the Lunar New Year film season arrived, a short film, along with its music, entered the lives of Chinese audiences.

"That is the person I miss and love day and night."

"How exactly should I express this?"

Will she accept me...?

His name is "Old Boy".

It's not the famous South Korean suspense, thriller, and dark film, "Oldboy".

The film was later remade by the Americans and can be called a prequel to "The Avengers".

Because the male and female leads were played by Thanos and Scarlet Witch respectively, and there were even passionate scenes, Vision was furious.

Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Nick Fury, is also a lead actor; the cast is complete.

It must be said that Elizabeth Olsen was incredibly fair-skinned in her youth, comparable to Mrs. Qian.

The currently popular Chinese film "Old Boys" is not as gloomy, but it has still touched the hearts of countless Chinese people.

Especially when paired with a cover of Japanese singer Takuya Ohashi's "Thank You"... an original song about the warmth of parents, adapted and transformed into a lament for youth and a song of reminiscence.

Especially those few lines in the chorus.

"Youth is like a rushing river."

"He left and never returned, without even a chance to say goodbye."

"All that's left is numbness; I've lost the passion I once had."

It struck a chord with countless middle-aged people.

Youth fades quickly; looking back, are you still the same person you once were?

Especially for office workers.

His spirit has been worn down by endless work. The boy who once shouted that he would conquer the world and change the future seems to be in another time and space.

Looking in the mirror again, the person in the mirror only saw a blank, numb expression.

His eyes were icy cold, as if he had been killing fish at RT-Mart for three months.

This is your story, and it's also my story.

Laughter and cheerful voices filled the large courtyard.

Encouraged by Zhang Yuan, Xiao Yang and Wang Taili performed the song on the spot.

"Dreams are always out of reach."

"Flowers bloom and fade, another season has come."

"Where are you, spring..."

Zhang Yuan stood up and applauded. He clearly saw that Wang Taili's eyes slowly welled up with tears as he sang.

This is his story, and it is everyone's story.

"Good good!"

"Come on, have a drink!"

Zhang Yuan specially prepared a feast to treat the two brothers to a meal.

Are their singing skills high?
general.

Is the technique strong?
Not very good.

But it is precisely this simple singing style, which does not show off skills or have too many techniques, that touches people's hearts the most.

After finishing his drink, Zhang Yuan rubbed his eyes.

The word "youth" is truly an eternal topic.

Youth should be unrestrained, unkempt, without so many restrictions, and not necessarily with great abilities.

It relies on that unreasonable, seemingly inexhaustible energy.

Just like GALA's "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart," the notes were off.

But the good thing is that it cracks!
The most rock and roll and passionate place is right here.

"You two are really famous now."

What are the next steps?

Zhang Yuan urged the two to eat quickly and make themselves at home.

"We were a bit stunned too, we didn't expect this at all." Xiao Yang's gaze was blank when asked the question, and he seemed somewhat at a loss.

In truth, anyone would be bewildered in this situation.

In their eyes, what they did was similar to that short film called "Memoirs of a Male Prostitute".

The two designed a performance, and sang a cover of an island nation's song as the theme song.

It garnered millions of views and won some online awards.

This time, it's just that the film is longer and the cost is higher.

They knew it would be a hit, so they did it even better than before.

But I never expected it to become so popular!

In just one week, the number of views exceeded ten million.

On his way to his house today, Xiao Yang took the bus as usual, and was recognized by someone.

"You're that...that old boy, aren't you!"

That tells you how quickly this short film spread.

Moreover, this viewership of over 10 million is limited to Youku!
Other online self-uploads and downloads are not included.

Zhang Yuan knew that the film would eventually have a total viewership of no less than 100 million, but the exact number of views was hard to predict.

In short, it is a phenomenal work.

It marked the beginning of a new era!
If "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun," a satire of the poet Chen's film "The Promise," ushered in the era of short films in China, then...

"Old Boys" symbolizes that the peak of the short film era has arrived.

Short videos are no longer a niche form of entertainment for a select few netizens, but have become a form of entertainment for everyone.

Even those middle-aged and elderly people who haven't seen the film will be attracted by its catchy theme song.

"Since we don't have any ideas yet, let's take it slow for now, there's no rush."

Zhang Yuan filled their cups. At this moment, he shouldn't let the sudden success go to his head; it was better to play it safe.

"It seems the platform is still important." After drinking another cup, Xiao Yang picked up a dried chili pepper from the spicy chicken with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, using the spiciness of the chili pepper to relieve the spiciness of the liquor.

He's currently the hottest trending topic.

Many talent agencies have already extended offers to him.

Once the film became a hit, countless people wanted to sign him.

But they discovered that this person was already taken.

They discovered that the one who was ahead of the curve was that currently popular celebrity.

He slapped his thigh and cried out in regret, wishing he had seen these two talented people sooner.

I was also amazed by Zhang Yuan's sharp eye and quick action!

The money's out, guys!
Still a double gold medal in ten consecutive draws.

Why does he always get gold cards when he draws cards, while we always get nothing?

Could it be that the gacha pool he was drawing from had a pity system?

Xiao Yang has been getting a little confused lately from all the praise he's received from these people.

He felt something was wrong; it couldn't all be his own skill, could it?

Being able to doubt oneself at this point shows that one's mind is still sharp.

If it were a different idiot, they'd be all high and mighty by now.

They might turn around and sue Zhang Yuan to terminate the contract, taking advantage of someone else's bait to get a high signing fee.

There are quite a few people like this in the industry.

They both felt they needed to take it slow.

“Actually, it’s not just because of the platform.” Zhang Yuan both agreed and disagreed with his statement.

We shouldn't underestimate ourselves. Youku's all-out promotion naturally brought a lot of traffic, and their abilities are genuine.

But there's one more thing that neither Chopstick Brothers nor Youku noticed.

That is, this short film just happened to be at the right time of the times!
This trend is called "Remembering Youth".

They're filming "You Are the Apple of My Eye" in Taiwan.

On the mainland, Zhang Yibai is filming the movie version of "Eternal Love," which has brought Li Yapeng and Xu Jinglei back into the spotlight.

Wasn't Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree," which was released earlier, also a nostalgic film about youth?

Then there was the hugely popular "So Young," and after that, "Our Times" from Taiwan.

Actually, they are all works of this type.

The first generation of Chinese people who grew up with television and movies are now middle-aged.

These works recalling the past touched a nerve with him.

Teenagers see romance, they see themselves!
Artistic works are afraid of resonating with the audience. Once they resonate with the audience, it's all over; they can make money effortlessly.

The plot of "Old Boys" is not complicated.

Two artsy students who love singing and dancing, and who once had a crush on the school beauty, eventually became friends after a fight. However, they were unable to perform during the arts festival due to a power outage, leaving them with regret.

After growing up, the classmates went their separate ways, and the two of them started living ordinary lives. The mundane realities of daily life made them lose their artistic flair.

It wasn't until he met his old classmate, who had achieved great success and was organizing a talent show, that his desire for his dream was rekindled. After appearing on the show, he did gain some fame.

Little did they know, the classmate who put them on the show was the mastermind behind the power outage years ago, and now he had even managed to marry the school beauty from back then.

Ultimately, they were eliminated due to interference from their old classmates, but their ordinary lives will continue.

However, their minor fame has made their lives a little better.

Just like when teachers comment on "Water Margin," they say its strength lies in the appeasement policy, showing people the fate of those who surrender.

The same goes for "Old Boys." The good thing is that in the end, they didn't become stars, but instead returned to mediocrity.

The process may be magical, but the outcome is in reality.

Dreams may not make your life better, and most people can never become the person they dream of being.

But perhaps simply having a dream can make a dull life more beautiful.

The two male leads return to their daily lives, which feels very realistic.

The petty, scheming classmate eventually becomes rich and marries the school beauty. The petty person's success is even more realistic!

How can someone who has been through the trials of life not empathize with this film?

Therefore, the reviews for this short film are very polarized.

Ordinary people felt touched and burst into tears.

Two middle-aged people managed to portray a "youthful spirit".

Wang Taili naturally has loose skin and many wrinkles, and for this film, he used tape to lift his face every day.

If you put your heart into it, the audience will naturally see it.

However, some "tasteful" viewers felt that the film was uninteresting and lacked depth.

Does life need profound meaning?

People with elitist ideas will naturally be unable to empathize with the ordinary lives depicted in the short film.

Because this is a hymn that has been written for most people.

Zhang Yuan looked up at the courtyard and pondered quietly.

The short film "Old Boys" inspired and led to another well-known work.

Goodbye Mr. Loser!
The two films share a similar content direction and ultimately reach a similar conclusion.

He went back in time to pursue the school beauty, but she only loved his talent and wealth.

Ultimately, you'll find that the people around you are the best.

In "Old Boys", Xiao Yang marries the chubby girl who is the school beauty's little follower. Although she is not good-looking, the chubby girl always supports his musical dreams.

Although Mahua FunAge has never admitted it, they were definitely influenced by this short film.

Goodbye Mr. Loser is also the most successful film in the "reminiscing about youth" genre.

Clearly, this approach will be highly sought after in the film and television industry over the next 5 to 6 years.

"Tell me when you two have new ideas," Zhang Yuan said, not in a hurry, he was willing to take it slow.

“There’s something else, it’s quite troublesome…” Wang Taili suddenly frowned.

"Speak, what's the trouble?" Zhang Yuan sat up straight when he saw the other party's serious expression.

After some investigation, it turned out the problem lay with the song itself.

Now the movie is a hit, and the song is a hit too.

Zhang Yuan has entrusted Du Hua with managing this song, especially its online copyright.

He also plans to discuss with the veteran musicians in the industry about finding an opportunity to get Chopstick Brothers a guest performer at their concerts and get more exposure.

But before these matters were settled, Wang Taili delivered a bolt from the blue.

"what?"

"This song doesn't have cover song rights?"

Zhang Yuanren was dumbfounded.

What nonsense are you two spouting?

You didn’t tell me earlier!
I would have bought them for you if you had told me earlier.

However, after hearing the other party's explanation, Zhang Yuan also felt it was troublesome.

There's triangular debt involved here!
First of all, the copyright is held by a Japanese company, which is correct; they are the original singers.

The original song was released in 08, and then a mainland company took a liking to it and bought the cover rights for the Chinese-speaking region.

Normally, you just buy from this company and that's it.

But that's not enough!

When island nations sell copyrights, they retain the right to choose, arguing that to ensure song quality, the lyrics of cover versions must satisfy them, otherwise the song cannot be sold.

Now the situation has become that a domestic company wants to sell, but the island nation refuses.

They also demanded that the domestic company cooperate with them in pursuing liability for infringement.

Zhang Yuan analyzed the situation and concluded that it was because the cover song had become popular that the Japanese wanted to make a quick buck.

After all, the copyrights should have been sold for a very low price, and now they're using the backup plan they had back then to hold you back.

How can they continue singing without copyright protection?
That definitely won't work. As it gets more and more popular, and the profits become too great, they'll then file a cross-border lawsuit against you.

Although they may not win, it will damage the reputation of the Chopstick Brothers and cause them a lot of trouble.

Therefore, this matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

"In other words, there are two parties to be dealt with."

“Domestic music company Meili Music, and Japanese singer copyright holders.” Zhang Yuan raised two fingers.

This will definitely cost money, and neither of them has any.

In addition, having money alone is not enough; connections are also essential, and neither of them had any.

"Alright, I understand. You two just mind your own business. I'll take care of this." Zhang Yuan considered it for a moment and had a general idea of ​​what to do.

The next day, I called Du Hua and asked her to contact the copyright holder in China.

The results came quickly.

A domestic company wants to sell it. They initially asked for 15, but now they're asking for 35, which isn't unreasonable.

The problem was that the Japanese wouldn't budge and refused to agree no matter what.

Music Music is also furious, as the Japanese are planning to sue them and reclaim the copyright.

Zhang Yuan understood immediately; the purpose was clear.

The Japanese saw that songs were now valuable and didn't want middlemen to profit from the difference.

Instead of letting you earn it, I'd rather let you do it.

"These kinds of international copyright disputes are indeed troublesome." Du Hua felt a headache just listening to it.

"It depends on whether the higher-ups help us or not; otherwise, they'll sue us and we'll win every time."

"Moreover, if our competitors find out about this, some of them might try to steal our copyright and cause us trouble again."

"So we need to resolve this quickly, right?" Zhang Yuan nodded to indicate that he understood.

"You don't need to worry about it, I'll handle things in Japan."

"You know people over there?" Du Hua wondered if Zhang Yuan had this connection.
"I know him," Zhang Yuan replied, pursing his lips.

Not only do we know each other, but we also have a very high status.

I know all the top guys in the island nation!
Oh, now we have to call him the former number one.

This person was impeached and removed from office in June.

The reason is... the alliance between the USSR and the right wing of the island nation doesn't want someone who advocates peaceful exchanges and cooperation with China to be the leader.

Zhang Yuan had always thought that he couldn't just keep the stove hot while neglecting the cold one.

You're attentive to people when they're in power, but once they step down, they become indifferent.

Ultimately, they are an old friend of the Chinese people.

This is a good opportunity to pay them a visit.

and……

Zhang Yuan smacked his lips a few times.

I might need their help in the future. (End of Chapter)