A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 163 The Heavenly King!

Hong Kong people have a long tradition of enjoying English songs.

It originated from a port, and the ships that came and went were all foreign ships. From the Governor of Hong Kong down, the people in power were all British. So whether dealing with the Hong Kong government or looking for a job, you had to speak English. Later, on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, many foreign compradors fled from Shanghai and Zhejiang, and they were all fluent in English. As a result, the atmosphere of the whole society increasingly favored foreign languages.

When predicting global sales, Zhao Mingxin of Sony Columbia made a table. As of August last year, 1996, Hong Kong's annual record sales showed that not only were there at least one or two English albums in the top ten, but also three to five in the top twenty, and even more than ten in the top fifty in some years. Records that are popular all over the world will definitely sell well in Hong Kong!

This principle is similar to that of Hong Kong records and movies. Even though Hong Kong's local population is not large, as long as the sales and word-of-mouth are a hit in Hong Kong, they will definitely sell well in Southeast Asia.

The strong cultural influence brought about by economic development.

However, Hong Kong people have a strange habit: albums by Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey are sure to sell well in Hong Kong. Celine Dion's magnificent voice and Madonna's global idol status are even more beloved by Hong Kong people. But when local Hong Kong musicians record English albums, people generally don't buy them. Even someone as good as Cheung Suet-yau's English albums only sold 20,000 to 30,000 copies at best, barely achieving gold record status, which is considered an honor.

Ultimately, it all boils down to nothing more than worshipping foreign things and fawning over foreigners.

Only those songs that sell well in the European and American markets can be considered advanced culture, and hearing them is like bathing in holy light. These local musicians can only mingle in the Chinese-speaking world. Singing English songs is not acceptable. Trying to imitate others will only result in a poor imitation!
It's not fit for polite society!
This isn't just a problem for ordinary fans and the general public; even singers and musicians in Hong Kong and Taiwan generally think the same way—there are countless singers releasing English albums because it's a high-end thing. Mentioning that you've released an English album makes you seem very professional and highly skilled. But sales figures aren't a big concern; selling over 10,000 copies is already considered a big hit. Singers, record companies, and die-hard fans are all complacent and consider themselves to be highly skilled.

That's the custom.

Therefore, the release of "21" in Hong Kong and Taiwan is not surprising in itself. At most, it is only because the person who released the album is named Lin Jianlu, and he has not released an album for more than a year that this matter has attracted extra attention from fans and media in both places. But in fact, only the media really cares. Most ordinary fans basically skip it when they hear that it is an English album.

However, I don't have any complaints. It's not wrong for Ah Lu to spend half a year preparing an English album. It is indeed more difficult to make a good English album. Of course, I won't buy it, but I agree that he should make an English album to enhance his status. I will buy his next Mandarin album!
That's roughly how it is.

For example, in Hong Kong, of the nearly 800,000 copies sold by "Cold to the End," at least 100,000 to 200,000 people are fans of English songs. So, theoretically, these people are both the target audience for English songs and Lin Jianlu's core fanbase, and should naturally be his comfort zone for sales.

But the truth is, less than one-tenth of these people would actually buy his English album or at least go to a record store to listen to it after learning that he had released one.

The intersection of the two circles—Chinese people and English albums—is pitifully small.

Even seeing a deer in the forest won't work.

Just skip it.

This led to a rather strange situation: the media reported on it enthusiastically, with writers and musicians from all walks of life coming out to discuss the album "21," Lin Jianlu, and even the bizarre and comical photo on the album cover. This even temporarily diluted the various attacks on Lin Jianlu that had been circulating in newspapers and the media. However, in the general public and in front of the shelves of record stores, people just watched the spectacle with little interest.

On the morning of the 15th, the day of the listing, Lin Jianlu suddenly received a call from Wang Fei.

He had gone for a run and taken a shower, so he just let the phone ring without paying any attention to it. But then, after the phone disconnected by itself, it rang again in just half a minute.

After four attempts, Lin Jianlu was exasperated and had no choice but to stop. She picked up her phone, slightly out of breath and a little angry, and asked, "Hello?... Huff, hiss... Ah? Who is it?"

"It's me, Wang Fei! Holy crap, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, just going for a run! Are you crazy, making four phone calls?"

"Pretty much. If you were in front of me, I'd practically kneel down and kowtow to you!..."

Lin Jianlu was speechless and looked down at the person kneeling in front of him.

"No rush. I'll go to Hong Kong in a few days and give you a chance. Let's not just say one thing and do another; we have to really work hard!"

"Go to hell! ... I mean, you're fucking awesome! Dou Wei listened to this all night last night! I just woke up, and the first thing he asked me to do was listen. I just listened to it once, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I had to make this call to you. You're fucking awesome! In my heart, you're like the King of Heaven right now!"

"Don't give me that! I'll call you in a few days, and you'll have to come and kowtow to me!"

"Hahahaha, get lost! I said, you wrote it all by yourself from beginning to end? You... how is your brain even structured? Holy crap... I was stunned before I even finished one song, and after five or six, I was already completely in awe! I'm telling you, bro, from now on I'll call you Brother Lu, in all capital letters, Brother Lu is awesome!"

"Hahaha, kowtow!"

"Seriously, Lu Han, you've never written or sung an English song like this before! Even in Europe and America, you'd be a top-tier singer-songwriter! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!"

“Knock!”

"Hahahaha, you son of a bitch! Fine, I'll kneel then, but do you dare to take the hit?"

"Dare! Anyone who doesn't is a coward!"

"Go to hell! ... Huh? You say it, hahahaha! ... Dou Wei asked me to say it for him, and he said, 'Go to hell! ... Hahahaha! ... Hey, this is the first time, my sister has opened her mouth. You old man, you'd better write me two songs! And you have to make them for me!" "Then you'll have to kowtow three times!"

"Hahaha, you old man! ... But be prepared, although I think anyone who knows their stuff would want to kowtow to you after listening to this, I guess it won't sell very well! Hong Kong people are cheapskates, they don't buy English songs sung by Chinese people, they only buy those Westerners."

"It's okay, it's normal that sales aren't good in Hong Kong and Taiwan, I'll sell in Europe and America this time!"

"Holy crap...really? Sony Columbia is going to do your global marketing? Can't they do it themselves? Are they going to sell it through their parent company's channels? Hey, hey, that big news you made last year, the one where you were holding hands with a pretty girl, did you really go to New York to record?"

"Yes."

"Holy crap! Lu Ge is awesome!"

Wang Fei was rambling and a bit manic today, and seemed very excited. But Lin Jianlu was actually enjoying it, so he chatted with her for a while longer. When he felt it was almost over, he ended the call with a few words, threw his phone aside, grabbed Chen Hong's head, and rushed over.

…………

Ge Fuhong, the vice president of Xinli Columbia, and Wang Jing flew to Hong Kong together.

Zhang Yimou, Gu Changwei, and others returned to the capital.

Yu Feihong planned to take the opportunity to go back to her hometown. Coincidentally, her home is in Zhejiang Province, which is close by. Chen Hong's home is in Jiangxi Province, which is not far away either, so she also decided to go back.

The scandal caused quite a stir. Although it didn't affect the mainland much, a few months later, the rumors still got in. The only difference was whether the media hyped it up or small magazines just copied and pasted pictures.

So, well, it's necessary to go back and explain to your family.

No, we're dating. The other woman is his assistant. Hong Kong paparazzi are always like this; they take a random picture and start making things up—well, that's the explanation they discussed.

As for Lin Jianlu, he packed a few things and only brought a small backpack. He asked Zhang Yimou to take the larger luggage back to the capital or Ge Fuhong to Hong Kong. He traveled light and boarded a minibus from Yangzhou around 9 a.m.

This was arranged in advance; He Xiuqiong specially sent someone to pick him up.

Well, the crew of "Heaven Has Tears" is currently filming in Yangzhou, shooting scenes at Heyuan Garden. Lin Jianlu plans to visit the set—Jia Jingwen is the female lead, so it's impossible for her to get away, otherwise she would have definitely come running over in the car.

After a nearly four-hour journey, we arrived at almost two o'clock.

The driver even drove directly to a restaurant, and we went upstairs for a quick bite before heading straight to Heyuan Garden.

Upon entering, one could see that Alyssa Chia was being criticized.

Hmm, two long braids, oh my, so beautiful!

While other aspects of Qiong Yao dramas may be debatable, such as plot, character design, values, and dialogue, there are plenty of things to criticize. However, the appearance of her leading ladies, at least in this era, is truly impeccable—pure and gentle, is the most common and typical characteristic.

He Xiuqiong took the initiative to leave the crew and came over. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, she saw that Lin Jianlu's attention was on the set and Jia Jingwen, so she smiled and explained, "She has been absent-minded all morning. She either forgot her lines or her expressions were just not right. The director is very angry and has criticized her many times."

Lin Jianlu also laughed.

At this moment, a middle-aged man strode over, and He Xiuqiong immediately introduced him, "This is Mr. Gong Ruofei, the producer and distributor of our show, who works at Hunan TV in mainland China!"

Gong Ruofei extended both hands enthusiastically, "Hello, Mr. Lin! I have long admired you!"

Lin Jianlu had no choice but to use both hands as well, saying, "I'm flattered! Hello!"

Just then, a scream suddenly rang out from the set. Everyone turned to look, only to find that Jia Jingwen had shaken off the director and was running towards them—her sudden rush startled a female makeup artist! Behind her, the director, after a moment of stunned silence, snapped angrily, "What are you doing! I haven't finished speaking yet! Jia Jingwen, do you even want to continue filming!"

Before the roar had even finished, Alyssa Chia had already run up to her, and from a great distance, she took flight.

Lin Jianlu quickly caught it, covering its backside.

Behind Jia Jingwen, and in front of him, was the entire crew staring at him in disbelief.

Wow... it's all been made public now!
I've known for a long time that this girl wanted to find someone to rely on and support her emotionally, and her desire was so strong and urgent that she was willing to do anything. In the last six months, after she decided on me, she loved me just as passionately. But I never expected her to be this desperate—she traveled hundreds of miles and went through all sorts of hardships to visit me on set, only to have her confession exposed as soon as she arrived! There was no way to hide it anymore!

She seemed eager to announce this to everyone: Lin Jianlu is my boyfriend!
(End of this chapter)