Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 26: Face Turns Green (Two in One)

In Taiwan, Wang Jiajie, who had just finished class, sent a text message to his girlfriend: "Wait for me at the door. Let's have dinner together tonight. What do you want to eat?"

The routine is simple.

Choose to eat later, watch late movies, and then, those who understand will understand.

But the girlfriend replied: "I want to buy the album first."

"Buy an album? What album?"

"Lu Jiang's album."

"Lu Jiang? The singer from mainland China?"

"correct."

What good songs can mainland China produce?
In his impression, mainland songs, and even everything in the mainland, are associated with "earthy".

The overall strength of the mainland pop music scene is much inferior to that of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Many of the songs that have been passed down sound very rustic.

Songs like "Xiao Fang" and "The Boatman's Love" are shameful to listen to, as Wang Jiajie said.

Some other hits, such as "The Waves Remain", are good, but the styles are a bit outdated after all.

The main purpose of listening to pop songs is to follow the trend.

In this regard, the music style of mainland songs lags behind that of Hong Kong and Taiwan songs. In the eyes of people like Wang Jiajie, they are inevitably "rustic".

Of course, mainland Chinese songs have also made counterattacks in Taiwan before.

In the late 80s and early 90s, rock music in mainland China set off a wave.

Pioneering rock singers such as Cui Jian and Dou Wei were almost popular throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia at the time, and they also had a large number of fans in Taiwan.

But that era has passed after all, and there seem to be only a few famous singers in Taiwan now.

Yehenara, Wang Fei, Sun Nan, and Liu Huan.

Among them, Wang Fei is also known as the "Hong Kong singer".
In addition to the impression that the songs are rustic, the image of the singers is also the same.

The looks, clothing, hairstyle, and even the MV style all seem to be popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and they are always trying to catch up.

So now when his girlfriend says she wants to listen to a mainland singer’s new song and watch his MV, Wong Ka Kit is absolutely unwilling to do so.

But there's nothing he can do about it, since he's pursuing someone else now.

"Where are you? I'll come and stay with you."

Soon, the two met at the school gate and made an appointment to go to the video store together.

But before they had walked far, my girlfriend was attracted by the TV program in a small shop on the street.

The TV in the diner was locked to the Chanal V music video.

The host inside was introducing that the next song to be played was Lu Jiang’s new song MV.

The girlfriend suddenly couldn't walk anymore and quickly ran inside.

"Hurry up, it's about to begin!"

Wang Jiajie felt helpless, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't stop them, otherwise he would have to go back alone today.

We soon arrived at the store and Lu Jiang’s MV had already started playing.

The girlfriend quickly sat down, staring intently, and then exclaimed: "Feng? What a nice name."

What's so good about this?

Wang Jiajie curled his lips.

But soon his attention was drawn to the singing.

At this time, "Maple" began to play.

I won’t talk about the plot of "Maple".

In short, it was a bit confusing at first, as if the male protagonist was secretly in love with the female protagonist, and it didn't have much appeal.

What really attracts people is the songs of "Maple".

Catchy melody, layered high tones, and memorable lyrics.

My girlfriend didn't even hear half of it before she started exclaiming, "This song is great, isn't it?"

Wang Jiajie did not refute and was even surprised.

Is this song really from mainland China?
He didn't know much about music, but he could tell that the song was very fresh, as if there was no such song on the market.

It sounds really good, no, it sounds super good.

In addition to the style of the music, the three protagonists in the MV also surprised him.

The male actors no longer wear clothes that look like street stall goods, but have very white-collar urban outfits.

The hairstyle is also very trendy. Singer Lu Jiang has thick bangs, which, combined with his good looks, makes Wang Jiajie want to have one too.

The second male lead wears a hat, which looks a bit hip-hop, which is very "Taiwanese". In any case, it is definitely not the style that the mainland should have.

The same goes for the heroine, with a trench coat, long straight hair, and long legs. This look makes people think that this girl is quite elite and tasteful.

So this is really a song from the mainland?
It must have been designed by the Taiwan team!
Amidst the doubts, the MV came to an end.

The male protagonist Lu Jiang dropped his cell phone, and the female protagonist Zhang Jingchu came to Lu Jiang's house to return the phone.

While Lu Jiang was pouring tea, Zhang Jingchu visited Lu Jiang's home.

As a result, when she turned around, she saw a large number of intimate photos of Lu Jiang and herself in the past.

Lost memories are suddenly awakened
"Love you through time

Two lines of tears from late autumn

Let love penetrate the ground
All I want is you by my side
"

At the end, the song freezes on the gaze between Lu Jiang and Zhang Jingchu.

Everything seems to be irreversible.
"Wow, she turned out to be Lu Jiang's ex-girlfriend!"

The girlfriend covered her mouth and exclaimed.

The surprise and shock brought by the small reversal instantly elevated the MV, which was initially judged to be ordinary, to several levels.

So the girlfriend sighed with satisfaction: "I said Lu Jiang's MV wouldn't be so boring!"

After saying that, he looked at Wang Jiajie: "What do you think?"

That expression was full of pride.

Wang Jiajie said stubbornly: "It's okay, the song is pretty good."

He was still stubborn at this time.

My girlfriend rolled her eyes.

But she didn't have the heart to care about it now, because Lu Jiang's final assignment started to be broadcast on TV.

Next is "It's a pity there are no ifs".

Warner had already indicated during the promotion this time that although this song was not the title song, the MV was the most carefully crafted because it was Lu Jiang's final project.

Therefore, on TV, "It's a pity there are no ifs" has received a lot of attention.

The host on TV also gave a special background introduction and reminded us: "The MV of this song is a full 12 minutes long, which is the longest MV in the Chinese music scene so far. It was also written, directed, performed and sung by Lu Jiang himself. He also wrote the lyrics and composed the music himself. Isn't it amazing? Next, let's enjoy "It's a pity there are no ifs" together."

Self-written, directed, performed and sung
When a bunch of names were announced, Wang Jiajie's brows twisted: "Is this true?"

"Of course it's true. The Maple just now was like that too. You just didn't pay attention!"

“There’s something to watch.”

"Stop talking and watch TV first."

"."

Wang Jiajie felt a little aggrieved and wanted to refute, but his attention was quickly diverted by the MV.

At the beginning, Lu Jiang and Liu Ye were drunk in front of the school's iron gate, planning to break into their alma mater together.

Liu Ye was called over by Chen Hao. They had just finished working together on "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" during the summer vacation. At that time, Chen Hao was called over by Liu Ye.

So later, after Chen Hao was pulled into the crew by Lu Jiang, they were short of a second male lead, so Chen Hao returned the favor and brought in Liu Ye.

Now, two handsome guys, Lu Jiang and Liu Ye, appeared.

The girlfriend sighed again: "Another handsome guy."

Wang Jiajie didn't have any feelings for the two men, except for Lu Jiang's hairstyle.

But when Chen Hao came out, his eyes suddenly lit up.

She's a beauty!

But he quickly looked away.

He glanced at his girlfriend.

Fortunately, I was not discovered.
Then the plot begins.

The male lead Lu Jiang was playing the piano and was discovered by Chen Hao. Lu Jiang quickly hid and asked the second male lead Liu Ye to take the blame.

Chen Hao then mistook Liu Ye for the one playing the piano, and they developed a liking for each other and got together.

The misunderstanding and the wrong love finally ended when Chen Hao discovered that Lu Jiang could play the piano, and the song he played was the same one he had played that night.
Overall, the plot of this MV is quite melodramatic.

But this is what people like in this era.

Unrequited love, various misunderstandings, forbearance and restraint.
The most important thing is handsome men and beautiful women.

It kills the girls nowadays.

After reading it, the girlfriend's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at Wang Jiajie and asked, "Can you play the piano?"

"No." Wang Jiajie didn't realize the hidden meaning.

He was feeling that this singer named Lu Jiang was very special.

The MVs he shot, whether it was "Maple", the earlier "Fairy Tale", or the current "It's a pity there is no if".

Everything inside seemed to be out of touch with the mainland he had in mind.

The aesthetic is very different from that of other rustic mainland singers.

But his girlfriend didn't know that. Seeing his blank look, she got angry and asked, "Why are you chasing me if you don't like me?"

Wang Jiajie: “Ah???”

After one hour.

The young couple reconciled again and went to the music store happily.

"Boss, I want a copy of 'Lu Jiang'."

"Can I buy the cassette? The CDs are sold out." "Ah, how come they sold out so quickly?"

"Of course. All the songs from the album 'Lu Jiang' are on the charts and are selling very well. Do you want it? If you're any later, even the tapes will be sold out."

"Yes! Two."

Wang Jiajie paid NT$160, feeling a little sorry for it, while his girlfriend handed him the headphones: "Put them on!"

Afterwards, the two of them each put on headphones and began to enjoy "Lu Jiang".

Next, the musical light from Lu Jiang spread in the minds of these two Taiwanese children.

Jiangnan, Dusk, Let Tears Turn into Love Rain.
"Lu Jiang is so amazing, every song he sings is so good!"

After the last song "Our Time" ended.

Wang Jiajie expressed his sincere emotion.

"Which one do you like best?" asked my girlfriend with a smile.

"My favorite? If I say it's 'Our Time', you won't despise me, right?"

"Of course not, I like it too."

"That's good."

"So, will you always play the piano during our time together?"

"Yes, I will keep playing, only for you."

"Hehe, then you can play it now. If you don't play well, I won't go to the movies tonight." The girlfriend pointed at the piano in the piano shop in the distance and smiled slyly.

Wang Jiajie: (ω)!

On December 12rd, synchronized with the mainland, the music video of "Lu Jiang" began to be broadcast on various TV stations in Taiwan, the home base of Warner UFO.

The MVs of the two songs total 17 minutes, plus the 7 and a half minute version of "Fairy Tale", totaling 25 minutes, which is almost enough for a small or medium-sized TV program.

Such programs also have the conditions for statistical ratings.

So when countless TV users were attracted by these two "little movies".

The TV stations also achieved relatively good ratings compared to the past.

When TV stations negotiate with advertisers, they use ratings to decide.

With these data, no matter how small, they are bargaining chips.

Of course, Lu Jiang is still the most direct beneficiary of the increase in ratings.

The more people see it, the more consumers will be successfully converted.

As a result, the sales of "Lu Jiang" in various places have also seen a steady increase, and the two songs have quickly topped the top five, top three, and first place on various charts in Taiwan, and all the songs from the new album have also been on the chart.

The biggest increase was in sales of CDs.

The unit price of CDs is high, and the profit margin is also high, which has made Warner's Zhou Jianhui very happy these days.

Soon, Lu Jiang also received the sales report.

The first-week sales in Taiwan broke the record of 20 copies set by "Conquer", reaching 23.

It is expected that the annual sales of the entire album will most likely exceed one million.

Currently, the highest annual sales record for a single album in Taiwan is A-Mei's "BAD BOY", which sold 138 million copies.

The tenth place is Huang An's "New Mandarin Duck and Butterfly Dream", with 93.

If "Lu Jiang" can reach 100 million, it will be able to take the tenth place.

Being able to achieve such results in Taiwan, the "holy land of Chinese pop music", is a breakthrough from scratch for mainland singers and is naturally of extraordinary significance.

By then, the obstacles for Warner to officially market the "new king" will be greatly reduced.

Next, "Lu Jiang" continued to sell well.

When the charts were released in the last week of December, the competition for the top spot was still fierce.

Sometimes it's "It's a pity there's no if", sometimes it's "Twilight", and occasionally songs by other singers will flash, but they will soon be replaced by the brothers of "Lu Jiang".

When the chart was finally closed in the last week of 98, "Jiangnan" firmly sat at the top of the list, followed by "Sunset", and the third place was a bit surprising, it was "Fairy Tale", which had been released for half a year.

At this point, Lu Jiang officially completed his first achievement of dominating the first, second and third place in the China National Radio Music Weekly Chart.

"What? 'Lu Jiang' has exceeded 100 million copies sold in a single month?!"

In the capital, Yehenara sat up in shock from her dying illness.

She couldn't believe the number reported on the phone.

100 million!
That’s too exaggerated!

But fortunately, the person on the other end of the phone explained it.

Not mainland sales.

But it is mainland + Hong Kong and Taiwan.

61 in the Mainland, 34 in Taiwan, and 5 in Hong Kong.

This data is really terrifying.

But before I could think about it, the person on the other end of the phone said, "The sales of 'Fairy Tale' in mainland China have exceeded 72."

"what!"

Yehenara could no longer sit still.

The total sales of "Conquer" in mainland China this year reached 71.
So first of all, no.
After being stunned for a while, Yehenala quickly gathered all the team members to discuss countermeasures.

This time we must minimize the impact no matter what we do.

At this time, the monthly sales of "Lu Jiang" exceeded one million, and the news that the total sales of "Tale of Fairy Tale" in the mainland surpassed Yehenara had spread across the country.

This really excited the media.

Just as Yehenara expected.

Everyone had long noticed the press release issued by Yehenara earlier that said it was "the first in 98."

Now that the joyous scene of popping champagne at halftime has really arrived, we have to live up to our press credentials, right?

Thus, the real-life version of the "Tortoise and the Hare" story was directly portrayed.

Mainland queen Ye He was leading the music scene, but she became complacent before the finish line and was left far behind by rising star Lu Jiang.

Stories that are full of fables are the most attractive.

Yehenara was also directly labeled as arrogant and complacent.

Many music critics also took the opportunity to take advantage of the popularity. Although they also affirmed the quality of Yehenara's "Conquer", they gave higher evaluation to "Lu Jiang", believing that it is a hit album that is rare in many years.

So far, Lu Jiang has achieved a four-pronged victory over Yehenara in terms of rankings, sales, reputation, and popularity.

By stepping on the head of a mainland queen, he officially became a first-line singer in the music scene.

However, some people in the industry commented that this was an unfair competition.

First of all, Lu Jiang has only two albums, but he talks about the total sales, which is absolutely biased.

Secondly, the qualifications and status of Yehenara and Lu Jiang are very different, and the two should not be compared.

So Lu Jiang stepped on Yehenara to get to the top, but did not dare to touch other famous singers such as Andy Lau and Wakin Chau, which seems like he is bullying his own people.

This is a despicable act. It is really sad that such a bad apple has appeared in the music industry.

Yehenara also issued a statement to congratulate "Conquer" for winning the 98 China Record Asia Sales Champion.

This time we are not focusing on the mainland, but looking at Asia.

Strictly speaking, this data is not very accurate, because different organizations use it to calculate sales figures, and the data is different.

This time, Yehenara used the prefix "China Record", which is the statistical data of China Record Corporation. Under this premise, the announcement is really not false.

In addition, Yehenala once again deployed resources for publicity and promotion.

The news that Yehenara won the first place in sales in Asia in 98 spread all over the country.

Anyone who doesn’t know the situation can tell at a glance that Yehenara is number one, and number one in Asia.

Moreover, Yehenara was not prepared to compete with Lu Jiang. It was Lu Jiang who was trying to scam him. Yehenara was magnanimous, and Lu Jiang was a mean person!

However, the ridicule of Yehenara in the market has become even louder.

Soon, the media broke the news that "Conquest" had a crazy marketing campaign at the end of the year, which made its sales surpass "Fairy Tale".

At the same time, it is combined with the "First in Mainland" press release issued in advance.

This proves that Yehenara is not broad-minded, but really uses her status as a queen to pick on new singers. With such a narrow mind, are you worthy of being a queen?

Also, the so-called No. 1 in Asia sales belongs only to China Record Corporation, but ask A-Mei and Richie Jen if they would agree?
They also have a special statistical agency. According to their IFPI certification, in the sales volume in 98, Li Wen's "Hint", Zhang Huimei's "Holding Hands", and Richie Jen's "Love in the Pacific" were all higher than yours.

If we look at Asia, there are singers like Utada Hikaru who have higher overall sales.

How dare you say you are number one in Asia?
In response to this, several major record companies actually expressed their dissatisfaction, saying that Yehenara's self-proclaimed title was a bit arrogant.

Yehenara was dumbfounded. When promoting the song, I deliberately added the prefix "China Record", which was already following the rules.

As long as this kind of suspected concept substitution is done according to the rules, it will be tacitly understood. You promote yours and I promote mine, and we won't care too much about it.

But why are you turning a blind eye and trying to destroy my stage now?
But what she doesn't know is that many singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan now hate her to death.

The cause was naturally that in November, Yehenala mobilized a lot of resources, gave concessions to all parties to suppress "Fairy Tale" and secretly boosted the popularity of "Conquer".

At that time, the media described the scene as a war of gods.

As a result, after Lu Jiang released his album in December, he directly surpassed all other singers and topped the charts.

In other words, because of Yehenara, Lu Jiang not only stepped on Yehenara to get to the top, but also stepped on all the gods to get to the top!

What’s even more ironic is that, in the eyes of many people, this queen and king can’t even beat Lu Jiang’s “final assignment”!
Some media outlets are even preparing to write about it with the title "Twilight of the Gods".

"Students' works dominate the Chinese music charts," "If this were a final exam, how many would pass?"

Do you think fans will be interested in such a title?

After watching it, will the sales of "Lu Jiang", which is already extremely popular, and Lu Jiang's popularity increase again?
No one doubted it at all.

In this case, do we so-called "gods" still have any dignity left?

The key point is that you can't deny it, because Lu Jiang is indeed a student, and he has already said that this is the final assignment.

Fortunately, each family is not a bunch of idlers, and will not really sit idly by and watch Lu Jiang step on their people to get to the top.

So everyone rushed to suppress the "Twilight of the Gods" type of public opinion, and those who couldn't suppress it at all also shifted their targets.

Who should it be transferred to? Of course, it should be Yehenara, the person who is primarily responsible and the instigator!
Only by pushing you out, Lu Jiang will not slaughter all the gods this time, but will slaughter you alone!
So soon, more than a month ago, everyone was happy and joined hands to attack "Fairy Tale" and eat meat together. It was a very harmonious scene.

As a result, the situation is reversed now, and Yehenara has become the one who was pulled out by the coalition to take the blame.

After knowing the current situation, Yehenara's face turned green
(End of this chapter)