Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Chapter 77: Which is more important, the awards ceremony or the Spring Festival Gala?

As I walked out of the red building at Beijing Film Academy and reached the school gate, Lin Dashan had already driven over.

Zheng Hui opened the car door, climbed into the back seat of the Audi, Lin Dashan started the car, shifted gears, released the handbrake, and the car slowly glided out of the gate of the Beijing Film Academy.

"Boss, back to the hotel?" Lin Dashan glanced at the rearview mirror.

"No rush."

Zheng Hui took out a notebook from his pocket, uncapped the pen, and began to write on the paper.

The book titles that Director Xie mentioned in his office just now were all ones he had read in his mental database.

I have the knowledge, but these days, you need evidence to back it up. Since I've decided to apply to the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy, it wouldn't make sense if I didn't have a few decent professional books to back me up.

If you ever discuss theory with someone and they ask where you got your perspective, you can't just say it was given to you by the system. You have to say you read it from a specific book and page number; that's called having a solid foundation.

The pen tip moved swiftly across the paper.

"The Nature of Cinema: The Restoration of Material Reality," "On Montage," and "The Grammar of Film Language"

"A History of the Development of Chinese Cinema"

After writing seven or eight lines, Zheng Hui stopped writing, thought for a moment, and then added a few more books that were a little more niche, which were about screenwriting structure, such as "The Theory of Script Structure" and "The Anatomy of a Story".

He tore off that page and handed it to Lin Dashan in the front row.

"Dashan, go and buy the books according to this list."

Lin Dashan took the slip of paper, glanced at it while the light was red, and frowned: "Boss, these books don't look like regular textbooks. Does Xinhua Bookstore have them all?"

"Go to Haidian Book City, they have a full range of books. If they still don't have it, try the secondhand book market in Liulichang first."

"The capital city may not have much else, but it has plenty of shops dealing in secondhand books."

"Okay, I'll take you back to your hotel first, then I'll get things done."

"No need to see me off, just go directly." Zheng Hui waved his hand. "I'll take a nap in the car. When we get there, you can buy it yourself. I'll wait for you in the car."

The car turned a corner and headed towards Haidian Book City.

Upon arriving at the destination, Lin Dashan parked the car on the side of the road.

"Boss, wait in the car and don't show your face. There are a lot of students here. If someone recognizes us, we'll be stuck here." Lin Dashan instructed, put the note in his pocket, and got out of the car.

Haidian Book City is busiest right now. Bookstores line both sides of the street, their signs of all sizes crammed together.

College students carrying backpacks, intellectuals wearing glasses, and vendors pushing tricycles selling pirated CDs weave through the cold wind.

Clutching the note in his hand, Lin Dashan plunged into the bookstore, first heading to the largest one, Haohailou.

Upon entering, the bookshelves stretched all the way to the ceiling, densely packed with books.

Lin Dashan didn't know how to find it either, so he just grabbed a stock clerk and handed the note to him.

"Comrade, please give me one set according to this list."

The stock clerk took the slip of paper and looked at it: "These are all textbooks from film school. Are you a student?"

"I bought it for someone else," Lin Dashan said with a simple smile.

"Okay, you wait."

The stock clerk took the note and disappeared into the depths of the bookshelf. A dozen minutes later, he emerged carrying a stack of books: "We have 'Montage Theory' and 'Film Language' in stock, but the rest are gone."

Lin Dashan paid the money, took the books out, and then went into a small bookstore next door.

This is a small shop, and the owner is a bald, middle-aged man who is drinking tea from a purple clay teapot.

"Boss, do you have these books?"

The bald shop owner took the list, glanced at it, and chuckled: "Hey, this book list is spot on. Are you preparing for graduate school?"

"More or less."

"I have a copy of 'A History of the Development of Chinese Cinema,' but it's an older edition, the one edited by Cheng Jihua. Do you want it?"

'

"Yes, as long as there are no missing words, that's fine."

During this trip, Lin Dashan visited more than ten bookstores, and even asked the old man selling used books at a roadside stall.

When he got back to the car, he was carrying two bundles of books tied tightly with plastic rope, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

"Boss, that's almost all of them." Lin Dashan put the books on the passenger seat. "I'm only missing a copy of 'The Theory of Script Structure,' which I've searched everywhere for but couldn't find. An old man at a used bookstore said that it was printed in small quantities and is long out of print."

Zheng Hui reached out and picked up the top book, "The Nature of Cinema." The cover was a little yellowed, and the edges were curled.

"Okay, thanks for your hard work." Zheng Hui patted the stack of books. "These should be enough for you."

"Boss, you really want to look at this?" Lin Dashan asked as he started the car. "I just flipped through it, and it's all text, a lot of it doesn't even have a picture. It's giving me a headache."

Zheng Hui casually said, "Of course you buy books to read. If you don't memorize them, when others come to your house and see all these books, if you can't say anything meaningful, you'll inevitably be labeled as a nouveau riche pretending to be cultured."

O

Over the next few days, the weather in Beijing grew increasingly cold.

Zheng Hui was also busy, working with Li Zongming to build relationships with several media outlets in Beijing.

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After all, appearing on the Spring Festival Gala is a matter of national pride, and there's no harm in maintaining good relations with these mouthpieces.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, Zheng Hui had just seen off a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily when his cell phone rang.

Zheng Hui walked over and looked at the caller ID; it was an area code from Hong Kong.

He picked up his phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hui, you must be freezing in Beijing, right? Do you miss Hong Kong-style milk tea?"

"I'd like to, but the hot pot in Beijing is quite good too," Zheng Hui replied with a smile. "Mr. Zheng calling personally, there must be good news, right?"

"It's not just good news, it's a joyous occasion."

Zheng Donghan's voice rose a few decibels: "Our 'Floating Life' has recently seen explosive sales, a complete and utter explosion!"

0

"What are the current sales figures?"

"As of yesterday, shipments across Asia have exceeded 800,000 units," Zheng Donghan reported. "And that's a conservative estimate. Taiwan is experiencing severe shortages; even with factories running 24/7, they can't keep up with demand."

Eight hundred thousand copies, and that's only been a little over half a month.

At this rate, breaking one million in the first ten days of next month is a certainty, and looking at the long term, two million is not impossible.

"Hui, this time I'm calling not only to share good news, but also to discuss something more important."

Zheng Donghan got to the point: "It's almost the end of the year, and the list of nominees for all the major award ceremonies is about to be released. The company has already registered you."

Zheng Hui asked, "What kinds are they?"

"In Hong Kong, the top three are TVB's Jade Solid Gold Top Ten, Commercial Radio's Ultimate Song Chart, and RTHK's Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs."

Zheng Donghan listed them off with great familiarity: "In Taiwan, the Golden Melody Awards won't be until next year, and there's also that Channel V chart."

"With your current achievements, the Best New Artist award is a sure thing. You'll also win several Golden Melody Awards. Especially the Best New Artist award, no one can compete with you this year."

At this point, Zheng Donghan's tone became serious: "So, Hui, you have to come back."

"Mr. Zheng means I need to go back and do publicity?"

"Yes, winning awards is 30% skill and 70% strategy. Even if your sales are strong, if you're not there in person, many things will be difficult to accomplish."

Zheng Donghan explained, "Moreover, with such a large number of products being sold on the market now, if you don't show up, the hype will easily die out."

The company's planning department's idea is to capitalize on this momentum, have you come back and do some promotional appearances and TV shows to further boost sales.

"There's something else. The company did some market research. Based on the situation of your previous autograph session and the feedback from the survey report, the planning department suggested that we organize a few small fan meetings for you, or rather, test concerts."

Zheng Hui asked, "A trial run?"

"Yes, let's test the waters."

"You've never held a concert before, so going straight to the Hong Kong Coliseum is too risky. The company wants to see your live audience appeal first."

Zheng Donghan reported the data: "PolyGram conducted a survey in Taiwan. In Taipei, you can support a venue with at least two thousand people."

In Hong Kong, venues like the Elizabeth Stadium or University Hall, with seating sizes ranging from 800 to 1200, are absolutely packed.

"This is also to prepare you for a large-scale tour. We'll practice in smaller venues first, get the band in sync, and see how the audience reacts."

This is also a mature and prudent opinion. Although Zheng Hui has the singing skills supported by the system, stage experience really needs to be cultivated through real-world practice.

Two thousand people, one thousand people. This scale is already top-tier treatment for a newcomer who has only been in the industry for half a year.

Zheng Hui mentally calculated the days; it was currently mid-to-late December, and there was still some time before the Spring Festival.

He's in Beijing; the Wahaha commercial shoot is finished, and the first round of auditions for the Spring Festival Gala has passed. The next major rehearsals won't start until mid-to-late January.

There was indeed a gap of about a month in between.

Instead of waiting idly in Beijing, I might as well go back to Hong Kong, win these awards, and earn some money from commercial performances.

"Okay." Zheng Hui agreed readily: "Mr. Zheng, I've almost finished taking care of things here, and I can go back in the next couple of days."

Zheng Donghan was delighted: "Okay, then I'll have the administration department book your plane ticket."

Zheng Hui changed the subject: "However, there's something I need to make clear to you first."

"you say."

"I can only stay until mid-January." Zheng Hui looked at the calendar on the table: "I must return to the capital before January 20th."

"January 20th?" Zheng Donghan hesitated for a moment. "Hui, that's when all the major award ceremonies are at their peak."

"I know."

"Especially the TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation." Zheng Donghan's tone became serious: "This year's date is January 24th, at the Hong Kong Coliseum. It's the most important award in the Hong Kong music scene, the most prestigious one."

"If you leave on the 20th, you won't be able to attend this awards ceremony."

Zheng Hui calmly said, "Mr. Zheng, I have to participate in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala rehearsals. The final rehearsal is in late January, and I must be there. It's a formal rehearsal with costumes and an audience. It's a strict order; if I miss even one, the program will be canceled."

"Spring Festival Gala—" Zheng Donghan pondered the word for a moment.

For Hong Kong people, the Spring Festival Gala is a big program, and they know that it has high viewership in mainland China.

But they didn't actually have a firsthand understanding of how high or how important it was.

In Zheng Donghan's eyes, the Spring Festival Gala is just an announcement, a slightly larger gala.

"Hui-zai, could you ask CCTV for a leave of absence?"

Zheng Donghan tentatively asked, "You'll only be back for two days. Fly back on the 24th, collect your award, and then fly back early on the 25th. I'll charter a plane for you; it won't cause any delays."

"Mr. Zheng, you may not be familiar with CCTV's rules."

Zheng Hui said firmly, "That was a political mission, not a commercial performance."

"Don't even mention me, even if it were the King of Heaven himself, he'd have to wait there obediently. Take leave? Unless I break my leg and end up in the hospital, forget it."

The sound of a lighter lighting a cigarette came from the other end of the phone; Zheng Donghan was deep in thought.

After a long while, Zheng Donghan finally spoke, his tone tinged with embarrassment.

"Hui, there's something you might have heard of, it's an unspoken rule in Hong Kong. You might have heard of it, or you might not."

"Please speak."

"There's an unwritten rule at TVB awards—you only win if you're present."

"No matter how popular your song is, no matter how high your sales are, if you don't show up at the awards ceremony, you won't get the trophy. This is a rule set by Uncle Shaw, and it's been there for decades; no one has been able to break it."

"Even if you're Jacky Cheung, if you don't go, the Golden Melody Award will go to Leon Lai or Aaron Kwok. This is a tactic TVB uses to control singers and ensure ratings."

"If you return to Beijing on the 20th and don't show up on the 24th, you'll definitely lose the Most Popular Newcomer Award and the Mandarin Golden Melody Award. TVB really will replace people at the last minute; they don't care about fairness."

Zheng Hui listened without showing any emotion.

He knew this rule from his past life. The reason the Hong Kong music scene later declined was due to this factionalism...

The award system of distributing pork as prizes is also one of the reasons.

"Mr. Zheng, I've thought this through very clearly."

"Do you think it's important that an awards ceremony is only broadcast in Hong Kong and reaches millions of people?"

Is a Spring Festival Gala stage, which reaches the entire nation and even Chinese people worldwide with over a billion viewers, more important?

"TVB's trophies are gilded bronze. The Spring Festival Gala stage, on the other hand, represents real national popularity."

Zheng Hui continued, "If I sing a song on the Spring Festival Gala, the whole of China will know who I am the next day. My cassette tape sales in mainland China will double again. You should be able to do the math better than I am."

"As for whether TVB will give me an award or not—" Zheng Hui chuckled lightly, "To put it arrogantly, as long as my songs are popular enough, as long as everyone loves listening to them, does it make a difference whether I get the trophy or not?"

"If they don't give it to me, that's their loss. It shows that the list isn't authoritative; the audience has their own standards."

"If they give the award to someone else because I didn't go, that's fine. Let the audience see who's really burying their head in the sand."

The reason Zheng Donghan on the other end of the phone was conflicted was due to his habitual thinking that the Hong Kong market was his base and he couldn't afford to offend the local power, TVB.

But Zheng Hui's words brought him to his senses.

Yes, Zheng Hui isn't the kind of TVB actor who rose to fame through promotion. He's a rising star who made his way back from the mainland through his work.

His foundation lies in his inexhaustible creative power. As long as he can still write good songs, awards are just icing on the cake for him.

To offend CCTV and give up exposure opportunities to billions of people for an award that is insignificant to him in Hong Kong?

This business deal is a total loss.

After thinking it through, Zheng Donghan said, "Hui-zai, you're right. I was thinking too narrowly. We need to broaden our horizons."

"Those awards, to put it bluntly, are just icing on the cake."

Now that you can write and sing, if you release two more hugely successful albums, no one can shake your position in the music industry.

At that time, it won't be that you need TVB's awards, it will be that TVB needs you to uphold its image.

"Okay, we'll do it your way!"

Zheng Donghan made the decision: "You come back and run around for a month, do the necessary publicity, and hold the concert. On January 20th, I will personally take you to the airport to return to Beijing."

"As for TVB—I'll talk to them. If they know what's good for them, they'll give us a pre-recorded award or have someone else accept it on their behalf. If they dare to embezzle the award over this, then we don't care!"

"The current PolyGram is not a pushover."

Zheng Hui smiled and complimented, "Mr. Zheng is so impressive."

"Stop flattering me." Zheng Donghan laughed and scolded, "Then you get ready, I'll arrange the plane tickets tomorrow."

"After we get back, let's have a meeting to finalize the concert setlist."

"no problem."

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Hui put it down. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

But in the adult world, if you have enough power and resources, sometimes these rules can be changed.

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