A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 17 Just Shoot It!
Zhang Aijia's guess was correct; Ge Fuhong did indeed bring photos, but not as many as "a stack"—there were only four, all standard front-facing photos.

"This girl's name is Lin Xilei, born in 75, 167 cm tall. She returned to Taiwan after graduating from the University of California last year and I signed her. She just finished filming a drama called 'Joyful Gathering,' which hasn't aired yet. She's very pretty, with a slightly glamorous vibe, but with some makeup adjustments, she can play all sorts of teenage girls and stand out quite a bit. Also, she has a great figure!"

"Her name is Leung Wing-ki. She's from Hong Kong, the same age as you, born in 76. She's 20 this year. I discovered her last year and signed her to my agency, Era, in Taiwan. She's currently studying at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She's very tall, 176 cm. Last year, I arranged for her to shoot several print ads, which were well-received. She's also doing model training and occasionally walks the runway. She has a great figure!"

"Last year, I also arranged for her to film a movie by Derek Yee called 'Full Throttle,' which she starred in with Andy Lau. It was released at the end of last year and did well at the box office, grossing over HK$3300 million. She was also recently nominated for Best New Performer at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards. At the same time, she can sing well, so I also got her signed to a record company, Millennium Records. Currently, the plan is to make a Cantonese album for her this year."

“She’s tall, so she’d be a better match for your height. She’s also very pretty, but she’s more of a pure and innocent type. If your music video is about a budding romance, like a middle school student’s, she would be more suitable than Lin Hsi-lei.”

"This is Qu Ying, a model from mainland China. She's won major awards and has a great stage presence. She probably felt she'd hit a bottleneck in her development in mainland China, so she went to Hong Kong to look for opportunities two years ago. I thought she was pretty good, so I signed her as an agent and have been arranging for her to come here every year, including to walk the runway in Japan and Singapore. Her face isn't as strikingly beautiful as Lin Xilei or Liang Yongqi, but she has a fantastic aura, both in person and on camera. She's also acted in movies in mainland China, so she has some acting skills. But she's a bit older; she's 25 this year."

"This is Nakatani Miki, the same age as you, born in 76. She's not one of my signed artists; she was recommended by a partner in Japan. I think she has a great image and temperament. She debuted as a singer and model and has played supporting roles in dramas. Currently, she seems to want to focus on her singing career. I heard that the great Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has taken a liking to her and might produce a record for her, but it's not confirmed yet. If you want her to act in the show, I shouldn't have any problem communicating with her. You're a musical genius! Artists in Japan admire geniuses more than anywhere else; they're willing to be servants to masters!"

Wow, that's really professional...

Based on these four photos, Ge Fuhong recounted each person's data, strengths, and past experiences as if they were imprinted in her mind. Now, she spoke with introductions and suggestions, making everything clear and understandable.

But Zhang Aijia, sitting on the sofa next to her, interjected inappropriately, "Not just in Japan, geniuses are admired everywhere. Especially in the music industry."

Ge Fuhong smiled and asked Lin Jianlu, "So, which one do you think is more suitable? If neither is suitable, I'll go and look for more information for you. They're not important; your music video is more important."

Tsk... this is such a difficult choice!

Whether it was Leung Wing-ki or Lam Hei-lei in their youth, they were both incredibly beautiful!
Although they seem to have maintained their looks very well after making a comeback 30 years later and are still called goddesses, they only look "like they did when they were young". To be honest, there is no comparison.

Look how young and tender she is now!

Miki Nakatani is also a star at first glance, truly stunning, especially her eyes, which appear particularly sharp, and her whole persona exudes a kind of unconventional and eccentric beauty.

"Let's choose her, Leung Wing-ki!"

"Oh, you've made your selection so quickly? Can you tell me why? You're an artist, a genius, and I'd love to hear how you choose your people?"

An artist? Ha...

"Because she's from Hong Kong!"

Lin Jianlu said with a smile, "A Taiwanese director paired with a Taiwanese female singer to make 'Fairy Tale,' a Hong Kong director paired with a Hong Kong female singer to make 'Ten Years,' and later I'll find a director from the mainland and invite a mainland actress to make 'Flower Field Mistake'... Wouldn't that take care of the markets in the three regions?"

The two powerful figures in the underworld were taken aback upon hearing this. They exchanged a glance, then felt relieved.

…………

They took the photos without hesitation.

According to Rock Records' plan, Lin Chien-lu was supposed to fly to Hong Kong on April 1st or 2nd to start a new promotional tour. However, since the director and female lead for "Fairy Tale" were already finalized in just one day, March 30th, it wouldn't be unreasonable to delay for a few days and shoot the music video.

The main point is that with a quick contract signing, Lin Jianlu will have two agents for the next three years. Both Zhang Aijia and Ge Fuhong are the kind of people who can easily assemble a large production crew with a single phone call; shooting a music video is a piece of cake for them.

Then let's take the picture.

Early the next morning, Zhang Aijia had already taken the photographer to scout locations.

The cinematographer used was Chen Huai-en, the same cinematographer who worked on Hou Hsiao-hsien's film "A City of Sadness".

He wasn't one of Sylvia Chang's trusted associates, so things were rushed. Chang's usual cinematographers and lighting technicians were all making money in Hong Kong. But that didn't matter. As an agent backed by a massive media conglomerate, Ge Fuhong summoned Chen Huaien with a single phone call, and with a few more, assembled a fully-fledged production crew. Chen Huaien's skills were undeniable, so Sylvia Chang was naturally satisfied and had nothing to complain about.

By the afternoon, the location was quickly arranged, and filming was about to begin. Zhang Aijia was busy negotiating with Chen Huaien about camera angles and lighting, and told Lin Jianlu and Liu Ruoying to go and have some fun dating to get a feel for each other.

The two entered the coffee shop, and Liu Ruoying seemed a little restrained and nervous. "Teacher Lu, the teacher said that according to your script, I need to act a bit mischievous and cute. I'm afraid I won't do it well. Do you need to give me some guidance?"

Lin Jianlu couldn't help but chuckle, "Please, what kind of teacher am I?"

Well, actually, back when she first landed in Taiwan and visited Rolling Stone Records, Lin Jianlu noticed that she and Richie Jen looked particularly humble.

It shouldn't be that bad. First, they're not really newcomers. Richie Jen had already released several albums when he was with his original record company, and they sold pretty well, ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 copies to 50,000 to 80,000 copies. Rene Liu did even better. Although her last album, "Rainy Season," was a complete flop, "The Beauty and Sorrow of the Girl Xiao Yu" sold over 200,000 copies and was quite popular!

But they were both humble, far less carefree and lively than Su Huilun, who claimed to be "living a mere existence in the record industry."

Perhaps it's because Rene Liu seems too weak in relation to her producer Chen Sheng, and Richie Jen seems too weak in relation to his producer Xiao Chong. It's not just a teacher-student relationship, but there's also a feeling that their lives are in each other's hands. But Su Huilun doesn't feel as much pressure in relation to her producer Bao Xiaobo. Her personality is also a bit quirky, so even though her albums haven't sold very well, it's still a relaxed and enjoyable experience.

I really want to confirm this guess.

So, in a gossipy whisper, I asked her, "Hey, you seem really afraid of your teacher! I noticed back at Rolling Stone that you were quite afraid of Professor Chen Sheng, and now I see you're calling Sister Aijia 'teacher' too, so you seem afraid of her as well?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoying glanced at him, then at Zhang Aijia. Perhaps genuinely wanting to spend more time with Lin Jianlu, she fearlessly whispered, "Of course I'm afraid! They're all so amazing!"

After a pause, he continued, "I joined Mr. Chen's New Paradise Studio in 90, but I was always an assistant and learning. I never had the chance to release an album. It was only after I filmed Mr. Chen Guofu's movie 'My Beautiful and Sorrowful Life' that I made my debut. It was only after I filmed Mr. Zhang's 'Girl Xiao Yu' that I gained some fame. Only then did Mr. Chen agree to make an album for me!"

"I'm just stupid. Jin Chengwu, who joined the studio to learn from Teacher Chen a little later than me, was already filming TV dramas in less than a year, and later he even filmed movies. In 92, Teacher Chen had already produced an album for him! I just couldn't do that. After 'Shao Nv Xiao Yu' became popular, I signed with Teacher Zhang's agency, and I finally got my first album. But just as the sales started to pick up, 'Yu Ji' sold terribly... Oh, right, she's really amazing too. Jin Chengwu is one of her artists."

Lin Jianlu followed her finger and looked over. Old Duan, Duan Zhongtan, and Sister Ge, Ge Fuhong, were standing on the outside watching the commotion. "Oh, Sister Ge..."

Liu Ruoying looked at Lin Jianlu with a complicated expression, it was hard to tell whether it was envy or admiration.

"You have no idea how amazing you are. Not only do you write your own songs and produce your own albums, you're so talented, but you even managed to have Sister Ge and Teacher Zhang as your joint managers. Everyone in the company says you're going to be a huge star!"

Lin Jianlu pursed her lips and shrugged, "Thank you all for your kind words!"

(End of this chapter)