Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 69 Let's do it!
When "No Place to Hide" was played, the girls in the back rows didn't notice it because it started playing from the middle.

But when the second song, "Don't Break My Heart," came on, the girl named "Xiao Nuo" couldn't help but ask curiously, "Whose song is this?"

Have you ever heard of the Black Panther band?

Zhang Fang quickly answered, "This is their first album released in Hong Kong Island."

"The Black Panther Band?!"

Xiao Nuo didn't react much when she heard the name, but a girl from Beijing next to her exclaimed, "Isn't that the Black Panther band that sang 'Dreaming Back to the Tang Dynasty'?"

Zhang Fang said proudly, "My brother co-wrote 'Dreaming Back to Tang Dynasty' with Dou Wei, the lead singer of Black Panther. By the way, this car belongs to Dou Wei. They signed with a record company in Hong Kong at the beginning of the year and left this car to my brother."

Because her parents repeatedly told her not to show off at school and to be low-key and diligent, Zhang Fang only found the opportunity to "show off" now, and naturally she couldn't wait to pour out all her glorious deeds.

When it comes to the 'Black Panther Band,' only girls born and raised in Beijing might have some impression of them, but when it comes to signing with a record company in Hong Kong, the girls all show great respect.

Amid the girls' exclamations of praise, Chen Hong added with a smile, "These two songs, 'Don't Break My Heart' and 'Dreaming Back to Tang Dynasty,' are currently ranked first and second on the Hong Kong and Taiwan streaming charts, respectively."

Zhang Yan understands that people in Hong Kong and Taiwan prefer love songs that are a mix of Chinese and Western styles, but he didn't expect "Dreaming Back to the Tang Dynasty" to rank second.

This may be because people in Hong Kong and Taiwan have always had a tendency to favor the past and belittle the present when it comes to the mainland.

With the amazed girl in tow, Zhang Yan arrived at Manfulou near Di'anmen. After parking the car, he told the receptionist about the reserved private room, and a waiter led them upstairs.

This palace-style hot pot restaurant is considered a fairly authentic Beijing-style restaurant. Zhang Yan chose to entertain guests here on Feng Xiaogang's recommendation—he and Feng Xiaogang have been seeing each other frequently lately and are getting along quite well.

Just as I reached the top of the stairs on the second floor, a young man with small eyes suddenly called out, "Teacher Zhang?!"

Zhang Yan was taken aback, then looked closely before exclaiming, "You're from the Central Academy of Drama...huh?"

He remembered the name, but forgot the other person's surname.

"You're kidding me!"

Guan Hu hurriedly reached out his hand and said, "Teacher Zhang, it's been a long time since I've seen you. How is your TV series filming going?"

"Post-production has just been completed, and it is estimated that it will be broadcast in about half a month."

"So fast?!"

Guan Hu was somewhat surprised, and at the same time, his gaze subconsciously swept towards the group of girls behind Zhang Yan.

"My younger sister just got accepted into the Capital Broadcasting Institute."

Zhang Yan pointed behind him and laughed, "It's been a month since school started, so I'm taking her and her roommates out for a treat."

"Oh~"

Guan Hu pretended to understand, but a doubt arose in his heart. The ones behind him might be his 'younger sisters,' but the one right next to Zhang Yan was definitely not.

But I clearly heard Hu Jun and He Bing say that Zhang Yan and Xu Fan were dating, so how come...

Forget it, why should I care so much?

Those women from the same class are snobbish and only believe that outsiders can chant sutras, but they refuse to believe that their classmate can make a good movie. They deserve to be dumped!
Thinking of this, he suddenly had an idea. Because his father had many connections in the industry, he had also heard about Tianjin TV and was preparing to use Zhang Yan's script to compete with Wang Shuo's script.

Even if you're just bragging, you should at least have some basis for it, right?
Moreover, Zhang Yan is an "insider" in the rock scene and is quite familiar with the industry and its dynamics. Why not show the script to him and let him give it his opinion?

Guan Hu's face became even more enthusiastic: "Teacher Zhang, actually I'm planning to self-fund a movie recently. If you have time, could you give me some pointers on the script?"

After a pause, he quickly added, "I wrote this script myself, and the theme is lost youth and rock bands."

These days, anyone who can raise their own funds to film a movie is definitely not an ordinary person.

Zhang Yan unconsciously held Guan Hu in higher regard, and considering that Guan Hu had helped him in the past, he nodded and said, "Let's exchange contact information. We can talk in more detail when we have time."

"Okay, okay!"

Guan Hu hurriedly pulled out his business card, and Zhang Yan also gave him his business card—of course, this time it wasn't for discussing funeral business.

Then Guan Hu stepped aside and watched Zhang Yan and the others go up to the third floor.

Once inside the private room, Chen Hong couldn't help but inquire about Guan Hu's background.

"He just graduated from the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama. Because he likes rock music, he once helped me hand out flyers. I also met him again when I saw Black Panther off. I don't know much about him, but his family must have some connections."

When the topic turned to bidding farewell to Black Panther, Zhang Yan suddenly remembered that Guan Hu had gotten drunk and had been clinging to Cui Jian's leg, saying that Cui Jian was his god.

uh~
Zhang Yan suddenly felt that this person was not very reliable.

Chen Hong had her eye on it. Although Guan Hu was a newcomer, if he had connections and powerful backers, who could guarantee that his work wouldn't become a hit?

So she reminded him, "Honey, let me see the script later; maybe there's a role that suits me." "You want to act in his movie?"

Zhang Yan said in surprise, "After 'Tianjin Wei' airs next month, you'll most likely become famous."

Chen Hong then realized that when she heard it was a director, she instinctively wanted to seize the opportunity, but forgot that she was about to become famous herself.

After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Let's see first. I didn't say I had to act in it."

It wasn't a big deal, so Zhang Yan casually agreed and started asking the girls to order.

While the food was being served, Zhang Fang introduced her roommates one by one. These girls were probably feeling the sting, and they all revealed some of their family connections.

Most of them come from the arts and culture sector, and some of their parents are influential figures in the industry, having seen it all before.

However, they had never seen such an outstanding 'peer' as Zhang Yan before—and compared to showing off his parents, showing off his brother always felt that the former was somewhat vulgar.

Everyone at the table was quick-witted, and once they got to know each other a little, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Just as laughter and chatter filled the air, Zhang Yan's pager suddenly vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was Guo Chuanlin calling. He quickly stood up and said, "You guys keep eating, I'll go return the call."

Guo Chuanlin had only returned last week. Hearing that Zhang Yan was still arguing with the landlord, he took the initiative to take on the job.

Guo Sige is indeed efficient. He settled everything in just a few days. The total price was set at 66666, but the homeowner needed to clarify the property rights issue in advance.

If Zhang Yan were to handle the paperwork himself, it would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but he would also have to spend at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan to "settle things." All things considered, it would be equivalent to getting the house for 45,000 yuan, while saving a lot of trouble.

Zhang Yan was naturally very grateful after hearing this, but Guo Chuanlin seemed uninterested. After discussing the house, he suddenly asked, "Have you been in contact with Dou Wei recently?"

"Now that you mention it, it seems like it's been about two weeks since we last contacted each other."

"Then take some time to talk to him, and try to persuade him. He's a brother, there's no need to... well, never mind, I don't really know what to say. Anyway, you should talk to Dou Wei first."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yan wasn't surprised at all; instead, he felt a sense of relief, as if "it's finally here."

Not long after Dou Wei's pager was disconnected, he called back, but this time he didn't speak as quickly as before.

Zhang Yan sighed, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, why look for one right beside you?"

"You found out? Fourth Brother told you?!"

"Does anyone even need to tell me? I'm not blind."

Zhang Yan sneered, "When you drove to pick me up back then, I could tell there was something fishy going on between you and Wang Fei—Fourth Brother vaguely mentioned something about brothers, how could I not understand?"

"Then why didn't you remind me?"

"If I'm going to remind someone, it's Jiang Xin!"

Zhang Yan chuckled, "But I've been a bit of a womanizer lately, so I didn't do anything like the pot calling the kettle black—but even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows, so if you want to cheat, go find someone outside."

"I...she...I can't explain it to you!"

Actually, there's not much that's unclear; it's highly likely that Wang Fei took the initiative between the two.

She had always admired Dou Wei's talent. Now that Black Panther was famous in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the most popular songs were all written by Dou Wei, it was only natural that Wang Fei would fall for him.

However, since it has already happened, there is no point in discussing who cheated first.

"What are you thinking now?"

"I want to go home."

Dou Wei's words contained both dejection and a hint of defiance: "I don't like Hong Kong Island, nor do I like what I'm writing now. I want to make more interesting rock music!"

"Let's do it then, it's no big deal."

Zhang Yan had no intention of trying to reconcile them. In any case, his relationship with the other people in Black Panther was just so-so, and he had long expected this day to come.

Dou Wei seemed to choke, remaining silent for a long time.

Now, everyone in the know is advising him to prioritize the bigger picture and not to create a scene of brothers turning against each other when Black Panther is just becoming popular. This would not be good for either him or Black Panther.

Only Zhang Yan supported his break with Black Panther without hesitation.

"You are the master of your life."

Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhang Yan continued, "But if you want to come back, you'd better finalize the contract first, or you might lose the right to make music in the mainland."

Dou Wei dismissively said, "What problem could there be? These Hong Kong companies don't operate on the mainland, why are they meddling so much?"

(End of this chapter)