The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

On the afternoon of September 22, Huang Weijie appeared on the set of "Love Limited Time".

The process of getting to know the director and lead actors went smoothly.

Producer David Haberman, who had learned of the news early on, was the first to come forward and shake hands, his smile almost excessively warm.

"Jace! Welcome, welcome!" He shook hands firmly. "It's great that you've joined us. The director and lead actors are all inside; let me show you around."

"Hello, thank you for your help." Huang Weijie smiled and shook hands with him.

Director Anne Fletcher is a woman in her fifties with short hair.

Upon seeing David Haberman enter with a handsome young man, he immediately recognized him as Huang Weijie, who has recently become very popular.

"Hi Jace, I've seen your music video, it's fantastic! I'm sure this collaboration will be a great experience!"

As soon as Anne finished speaking, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, the lead actors, also stepped forward to exchange pleasantries.

At this time, Little Deadpool was not yet famous in the film industry, so he was very friendly when Huang Weijie arrived.

The female lead, Sandra Bullock, is more outgoing.

In this film crew, she can be said to be the biggest star in the movie. She is the lead actress and also the producer!

The US film industry is different from China. In China, the film industry is director-centric, which means the director has the final say.

However, the United States has a producer-centric system, where the producer is the most important person. Even the top directors will take on the role of producer while making a film.

"Hey Jace, my niece is a huge fan of yours!" Sandra Bullock smiled broadly. "She insisted I get your autograph."

"Of course," Huang Weijie readily agreed. "Actually, I'm a fan of yours too. I really like your movies 'Speed' and 'Crash.' If possible, could you give me your autograph?"

"Yay~ No problem!" Sandra Bullock raised her eyebrows and laughed. She was in a good mood to be liked by a handsome guy.

He handed her the photos he had prepared beforehand, and Huang Weijie smiled as he watched her sign them.

Whether someone is a true fan or not doesn't matter, as long as they show goodwill.

In this film crew, the only boss is this woman in front of you, so it's always good to maintain a good relationship with her.

Although the other party certainly wants to get along well with him, it would be much more effective for him, as a junior, to do this.

Hollywood, to put it bluntly, is a circle, and it's hard to get ahead by going it alone. Sandra Bullock has a high status in Hollywood, and getting along well with her will definitely help you in the future of the film industry.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they went their separate ways.

Since it was his first time filming a movie, Huang Weijie, who could have gone back to the hotel earlier, chose to stay on set and watch the others film.

Shooting videos or music videos is different from making movies.

He needs to learn from others how they quickly get into the zone and how they improvise.

While Huang Weijie was observing others filming, the Billboard Hot 100 was also updated.

As expected, "Just the Way You Are" topped the charts!

Second place went to TI's "Whatever You Like," and third place to his "What Makes You Beautiful." "Baby" fell out of the top ten, while "As Long As You Love Me" made a strong showing at number eight.

This also means that Huang Weijie now has three number-one singles, two songs from his albums that were in the top 3 of the charts, and three songs that were in the top 10.

But that's not all. The official Billboard account posted a long tweet: "Congratulations to Wong Wai Kit on becoming the first Asian artist in Billboard Hot 100 history to have three singles in the top ten at the same time. Among them, 'Just the Way You Are' reached number one, which is his third number one single in three months."

Huang Weijie was naturally happy about this.

But thinking about it carefully, it seems that the initial excitement is gone.

It's strange, but he still remembers how excited he was on July 8th, when "Baby" topped the Billboard Hot 7!

It's only been two months...

No wonder the richer people are, the more extravagant they become; it turns out that the threshold for happiness can disappear so quickly.

When I was poor, I would think that I would be happier when I had money than when I was poor!

Looking back now, that's not entirely true, because as long as desires don't decrease, the more money you have, the less happy you actually are.

Holy crap?!

Is this the origin of the statement "I have no interest in money"?

Huang Weijie realized that he had vaguely touched a blind spot.

Although he is not as wealthy as Mr. Ma in the future, he is actually financially independent and has plenty of ways to seek excitement.

However, this was just wishful thinking. Huang Weijie knew that he was essentially a person with low tastes. He didn't gamble or do drugs, and at most, he was just yellow all over.

……

The filming went more smoothly than expected over the next few days.

Although Huang Weijie's acting skills are average, the requirements for supporting roles are not actually very strict.

In addition, he didn't put on any airs of a celebrity and was very willing to humbly learn from others. The male and female leads and the director also took good care of him.

The three-day shoot passed in the blink of an eye.

The filming progressed as expected and was perfectly completed.

Besides filming his own scenes, Huang Weijie also contributed a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and group photos for promotional purposes in the later film.

"Jace, congratulations on wrapping up filming!" Sandra Bullock clapped and smiled as she stepped forward.

There were no flowers, but everyone around him applauded and cheered him on.

"Haha, thank you everyone, thank you Ms. Brock." Huang Weijie grinned as he accepted the compliment. "Please contact me anytime if there are any reshoots. I'll be in New York these next few days."

"I won't stand on ceremony." Sandra Bullock opened her arms and hugged Huang Weijie, then smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, I'll contact your agent in a few days. We'll need you to come and do the voiceover."

"Jace, don't forget to record a video message for me." Ryan Reynolds gave Huang Weijie a bear hug after Sandra Bullock let go of his hug.

In just three days, Huang Weijie and he had become quite familiar with each other.

Calling them best brothers is a bit of an exaggeration, but they became friends much faster than expected.

It can only be said that friendships between boys can also come about inexplicably.

Huang Weijie had only casually remarked out of boredom that Hollywood was more open and more conservative than he had imagined, but it unexpectedly resonated with him.

Then the two started chatting about all sorts of things. One was 16 years old and the other was 32. Despite being twice the age difference, they were both incredibly talkative.

"Of course I won't forget, don't worry." Huang Weijie laughed and punched him in the chest.

The future Deadpool had already begun to take shape in 2008.

Humor, optimism, and a quick wit are Huang Weijie's deepest impressions of him.

Oh, and of course, another striking thing is that he got engaged to Scarlett Johansson this May.

The two will get married in Canada at the end of this month.

To be honest, the time was quite tight. Basically, after filming wrapped up, we had to fly back to Canada immediately to hold the wedding.

……

After taking a few group photos, Huang Weijie returned to the hotel.

Tomorrow we'll start preparing for recording. Mark has been called over from Los Angeles by Madeline to help, along with the original production team. The only thing missing is Huang Weijie to arrive for the recording.

However, before recording the song, he prepared to do one more thing.

At 9 p.m. in the United States, which is 9 a.m. in Beijing, Huang Weijie specifically logged into domestic online forums and message boards.

She posted on her account: "Today, 'Painted Skin' is released. I was fortunate enough to sing the theme song 'Painted Heart' for this movie and also saw the finished film in advance. Without exaggeration, I personally believe this is a truly sincere work of Chinese fantasy cinema in recent years! Not only is the production excellent, but the performances are moving and the story is complete. I hope everyone can go to the theater to support this great film and also hear how 'Painted Heart,' sung by Liang Ying and me, appears in the movie. Finally, I wish 'Painted Skin' great box office success!"

At the same time, Madeleine also began to arrange street interviewers, mainly to highlight Huang Weijie's role.

The post was quickly pinned by the moderator after it was published.

The comment section quickly filled up:

"Oh ho, why haven't you posted for a few days? Your latest post is promoting a domestic movie?"

"Even while in the US, you're still thinking about domestic films. Boss, you're so kind!"

"I was still hesitant about whether to watch it, but since the boss recommended it, I'll definitely buy tickets!"

"Boss, when are you going to release a Chinese song? I've listened to 'Painting Heart' on repeat so many times."

Some praised his thoughtfulness, some urged him to write a song, and others said they would go see him in the movie.

A piece of peace.

The following day, while Huang Weijie was recording a song in the recording studio, "Painted Skin" was officially released.

That evening, domestic entertainment news broadcast clips of street interviews.

A reporter randomly asked moviegoers at the entrance of a cinema in Beijing:

"Hello, why did you choose to watch 'Painted Skin' today?"

Most of the people asked by reporters were girls, and even the boys who were asked all chose to answer questions about having girlfriends.

Of the ten audience members interviewed, six explicitly mentioned Huang Weijie.

"I'm a fan of Jace. He recommended this movie and sang the theme song, so of course I had to come and support it."

"I saw Huang Weijie's post recommending it online, so I checked it out out of curiosity. I think his songs are pretty good, so I guess his movies won't be bad either."

"Why did we come to see 'Painted Skin'? You should ask my daughter; she insisted on dragging me to see it."

"Because the boss recommended him! Oh, the boss is Huang Weijie, do you know Huang Weijie? He is..."

This news was quickly reprinted by multiple media outlets due to Dao Le's influence.

Coupled with the film's high quality, "Painted Skin" grossed 1700 million yuan on its opening day, breaking the opening record for Chinese fantasy films.

Shanghai Film Group sent a warm thank-you email, which, in addition to expressing gratitude, also extended an invitation for further cooperation.

More collaboration offers from domestic film and television companies flooded Madeline's inbox.

Regardless of whether Huang Weijie's publicity had anything to do with the first day's box office, just looking at the amount of buzz and discussion he generated, the collaboration was definitely worthwhile.

Moreover, what if?

What if he really did have something to do with the box office? Wouldn't that make him even more money?

Huang Weijie didn't pay attention to the box office results afterward. In the end, he wasn't one of the main creators of the film, and he was content with just getting a little bit of box office revenue.

That night, at ten o'clock.

Zhang Liangying made an overseas call.

"Weijie, you're amazing! Everyone in the domestic film industry is saying that you can boost box office revenue by millions with just one sentence."

"That's an exaggeration. You actually believe what the media says?" Huang Weijie leaned back on the hotel sofa. "The movie itself is of good quality. I'm just riding on the coattails of its popularity."

"Oh, you're being modest," Zhang Liangying laughed crisply. "I was stunned when I woke up this morning and found out the box office figures! You definitely played a part in that! The director and the others all told me to thank you!"

Look, they actually have to thank me.

"They have my contact information, why are you asking me to tell them?"

"We've worked together before, but you haven't met in real life, so they think it's more appropriate for me to do it."

"oh..."

"Oh, by the way, I heard you've started making movies?"

"Tsk..." Huang Weijie raised an eyebrow and joked, "Are you here to thank me, or to inquire about me...?"

"Don't misunderstand~" Zhang Liangying laughed and quickly explained, "The main thing is that you didn't deliberately hide your information, so it's easy for people in the industry to find out."

"Hmm~ So you called this number?"

"Let's catch up. Didn't you say we're friends? You've been so busy and popular lately, I had to come and show my face and make my presence known," Zhang Liangying said, feigning nonchalance.

After listening, Huang Weijie's eyes flickered: "What problem have you encountered?"

"Problem? I don't have a problem, what's wrong with me..."

"I didn't say I would definitely help you solve it, so don't feel guilty," Huang Weijie joked.

"Hahaha~" Zhang Liangying laughed for a while, then remained silent for a moment...

"Here's the thing, Brother Feng recently told me he wants to start a company next year and asked if I'd like to join him..."

"So you're... planning to break the contract?"

"No, no." Zhang Liangying sounded visibly anxious on the other end of the phone. "I'm just... just a little hesitant."

Isn't hesitation the very idea that's already been formed?

Huang Weijie shook his head with amusement. Women, ah.

"Actually, we didn't sign a contract. If you really want to be with him, Sister Liangying, no one can stop you."

"Hey, what do you take me for? We made a promise, and I'll definitely keep it!"

Zhang Liangying gave a reproachful look, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I called you because I was hesitating about how to refuse Brother Feng. After all, he did me such a great favor by digging me out of the bar. Now that he's started a company and is asking me about it, it would be too heartless of me to refuse him outright."

"It's not like you can only repay him by joining his company. Once you become famous, you can just share some resources with him." Huang Weijie said nonchalantly.

I don't really remember what company Feng Ke started. Besides Zhang Liangying, the person I remember most is Liang Bo.

(Liang Bo joined Feng Ke's Shaocheng Era in 2012.)

If you really want to repay a favor to a small company that you don't remember much about, then two more collaborations and some additional resources will suffice.

Selling oneself into servitude is either stupid or brainwashed.

Sensing the nonchalant tone in Huang Weijie's voice, Zhang Liangying pursed her lips, suppressed her thoughts, and changed the subject: "Okay. By the way, remember to message me if you ever go back to China, I'll treat you to a meal!"

OKOK.

After hanging up the phone, Huang Weijie casually put away his phone and devoted himself to arranging the music. Zhang Liangying's storyline was, frankly, just a random move he made.

Those who are willing to join are naturally good friends, but it doesn't matter if they are not.

On the other side, Zhang Liangying lay dejectedly on the bed, feeling a bit annoyed...

The real intention behind the call was to ask Huang Weijie if what he said back then still stood by him, but for some reason, I suddenly became hesitant when the time came.

Speechless.

It's not like we're dating; it's just asking about a promise we made before. What's so hard about saying it out loud?

After witnessing Huang Weijie's popularity, Zhang Liangying, who had always aspired to go international, also thought about trying her luck abroad.

After all, even if you can't make a name for yourself, doing an export-to-domestic sales strategy can still elevate your status, right?

The idea is simple, but putting it into practice is a bit difficult.

Then she remembered that Huang Weijie had promised her that if she wanted to develop her career in the United States, she could contact him.

I originally called today to exchange pleasantries and ask about this aspect, but who would have thought that instead of revealing this, I ended up digging out other secrets.

Oh, it doesn't seem to be a secret to him. Weijie had predicted before that Brother Feng would start a company.

That's amazing!

You could have guessed that.

……

On the 28th, Huang Weijie went to the film set to do the final recording.

On the 29th, after four days, I finally finished rearranging the three songs "Baby," "What Makes You Beautiful," and "Just the Way You Are," and made them into solo versions.

I flew back to Los Angeles on the 30th.

Today, Tencent officially announced that it has reached a deep cooperation with Huang Weijie, and all the songs from his first solo album "Jace Huang" will be used as exclusive background music in the new version of "QQ Speed" called "Speed ​​Beat".

On the promotional poster, Huang Weijie's virtual avatar, dressed in a racing suit, stands alongside a sleek sports car, with the eye-catching slogan: "October 1st, experience extreme speed, listen to Jace!"

The effect is immediate.

Although the new version will not be released for another day, the number of QQ Speed ​​registrations is growing rapidly on September 30th.

It's worth noting that QQ Speed ​​officially launched its open beta in January of this year. After surpassing 300,000 concurrent users that month, its active user base began to decline sharply from April onwards (although new players kept coming in, more old players were lost).

By September, the user churn rate had reached 55%. While the impact of other games certainly played a role, the most fundamental reason was the lack of new content. Although core features such as the team system and customizable music player were added in June, there was nothing particularly compelling to keep players engaged.

Therefore, once the novelty wears off, most players easily become bored and eventually quit the game.

This official announcement of the collaboration with Huang Weijie was like a shot in the arm, turning many long-time players back into "ten-year fans" and making a strong comeback.

These veteran players didn't return because of Huang Weijie's influence; they came specifically for the female players.

Because on September 30th, the vast majority of people who registered for QQ Speed ​​were Huang Weijie's female fans.

They posted numerous messages on forums and online communities asking how to play the game.

It immediately attracted the attention of a large number of male players.

What game?

Wow, so many girls are asking this!

Let me take a look!

Once you look at it, you get lost in it...

P.S.: In 2008, QQ Speed ​​did not have the "Dance Mode" (it was introduced in May 2009), so most of the players in QQ Speed ​​were male.