Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

Jiaozuo Qinhuang Palace Film and Television City.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the majestic palace complex looked like a fairyland under the sky.

Kuang Cheng crouched behind the monitor, clutching a walkie-talkie, his voice nearly hoarse from shouting:

"Extras, get ready!"

"Lights in place!"

"Is the camera track laid out yet?"

He glanced at the sky, then at the ground.

It rained last night, and the fog was very thick this morning. Coupled with the dark style of the "Yellow Race" music video, it's as if even God was on our side!

Nearly a hundred extras, temporarily recruited, have already changed into Qin Dynasty armor and the court robes of civil and military officials.

They stood in two rows, extending from the square into the main hall.

The battle flag fluttered in the morning breeze, and the black dragon pattern on the flag was faintly visible in the mist.

In the distance, a taxi drove through the thick fog and stopped at the entrance of the film studio.

"Here he comes!" Fang Ge immediately went to greet him. "Mr. Gu, everything is ready, we've been waiting for you."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Fang." Gu Bei released Zhou Huimin's hand, looked up at the square, and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is set up as you requested." Kuang Cheng jogged over, his face full of excitement.

"Let me tell you, today is truly a day where even God is on our side."

"Alright, let's get started!" Gu Bei dragged his luggage into the makeshift dressing room.

The staff are all ready.

As soon as he walked in, the makeup artist immediately picked up hairspray and a wig and put them on him.

Other staff members held up the black and gold dragon robe, helped him put on the inner lining, and fastened the belt.

Layers of black silk were wrapped around the waist, the belt was fastened, and a gilded buckle in the shape of a dragon head was fastened in place.

Then came the outer robe.

Finally, there is the crown.

The prop master held it in both hands and carefully placed it on Gu Bei's head.

Twelve white jade beads hung down from the front and back, swaying gently in front of the eyes and making a soft clinking sound.

Gu Bei stretched his shoulders; the weight of the entire dragon robe pressed down on him, yet he felt nothing at all.

However, the delicate feel of the silk made his skin feel very comfortable.

"Okay." He turned and walked out of the dressing room.

In the square, everyone was waiting for him.

The moment Gu Bei, dressed in a black and gold dragon robe, walked into the main hall, the entire hall fell silent.

He was like a real emperor who had stepped out of history.

Even Vivian Chow was stunned.

She had seen Gu Bei wearing a dragon robe.

But that was in the desert, carrying a sense of desolation and tragedy.

Now... in the morning mist, he walked into the palace, as if he would leave at any moment and return to the history that should belong to him.

Kuang Cheng was the first to react, his voice trembling: "All departments, all departments, take your positions!"

Gu Bei took a deep breath and strode towards the dragon throne. Suddenly, an image flashed through his mind...

That's a scene from "Qin's Moon".

Qin Shi Huang stood on the throne, his back to the officials, his eyes cold and majestic.

The camera zooms in rapidly from outside the main hall, passing through layers of steps, through vermilion gates, and through the ranks of civil and military officials, finally settling on Gu Bei's face.

The fog was thick, enveloping the entire Qin Imperial Palace.

The music video ends with the line: "Your emperor has returned!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

Kuang Cheng was so excited that he shouted three times!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Bei, dressed in a dragon robe, exuded an aura of immense power as he turned his back to the crowd.

This made them afraid to breathe loudly.

……

With Gu Bei on the island in July, things are destined to be anything but peaceful!

Several days have passed since the authorized pinning of "Lovely Woman".

KTVs, restaurants, shopping malls, internet cafes... those places that used to play songs on repeat have now replaced them with other songs.

During this vacuum period, public opinion, like fermented dough, expanded wildly.

A popular online music channel, the radio program "New Vision of Music".

Music critic Ah Le sat in front of the microphone, holding a cup of Americano in his hand, looking as relaxed as if he were having a casual chat.

"Welcome to 'New Vision for Music', listeners."

He paused, took a sip of coffee, and said, "Today we're going to talk about a song."

"For example, there's the currently very popular... oh no, I mean the once very popular 'Lovely Woman'."

Ah Le emphasized the word "once".

"When this song first came out, I said on the show that it wouldn't be popular for long."

Why?

"To put it bluntly, it became popular because of Jay Chou's music video and the topic of 'finding relatives'."

"Now that the hype has died down, Gu Bei has run away."

"This song naturally flopped."

Ah Le chuckled, his laughter filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"Where did the second song go?"

"Oh~" he deliberately dragged out his voice, "So you couldn't make it in Taiwan, so you ran off to the mainland."

"Is this some kind of grand plan?"

"All talk and no action!"

"I don't think he'll dare to come back."

Non-disc radio station, "Music Vanguard" program.

Music critic A-Guang was even more direct.

"Dear listeners, today we're going to talk about the concept of 'pie in the sky' (or 'promising something for nothing')."

His voice was steady, and his pace was neither too fast nor too slow. "About half a month ago, a new singer said on TV that he would release four free singles with Jay Chou."

"The first song is 'Lovely Woman,' and the following three songs are no worse than it."

"At the time, many people thought, 'Wow, that's amazing, that's so bold!'"

"And the result?"

"Huh? He went to the mainland and didn't even release a song."

Ah Guang paused for a moment and took a sip of water.

For some reason, he almost couldn't help but laugh.

"I think Gu Bei is probably the only singer in history who doesn't have a single musical work."

"This is unprecedented and will likely remain so."

The variety show "Guess".

Welcome to Guess Guess Guess!

"I'm the host, Wu Zongxian!"

"Our program today is going to be very exciting, and we have the special pleasure of having everyone's dream girl—Xu Ruoxuan!"

applause.

"Hello everyone, I'm Vivian Hsu!"

Xu Ruoxuan smiled sweetly, "I hope everyone will support my new album, 'The Pretending Angel'."

"We definitely have to support her!" Wu Zongxian clapped his hands, then suddenly changed the subject, "But Ruoxuan, there's a newcomer in the entertainment industry who's been making quite a stir lately."

Do you know?

"You mean... Gu Bei?" Xu Ruoxuan blinked.

"Hey! No, it's Jeremy!" Wu Zongxian slapped his thigh.

Gu Bei has too much backing; how could he dare to criticize him on the show?

He just felt the public opinion was too intense and wanted to quickly distance himself from Jay Chou to avoid getting burned.

"I remember you wrote the lyrics for his songs 'Lovely Woman' and 'Tornado,' right?"

"Do you think he can still become popular?"

Xu Ruoxuan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized: "This is difficult, isn't it?"

"His singing style is already very niche. The reason why 'Lovely Woman' became popular was largely due to Chow Tin-hwa's music video."

"Now that Jay Chou and Gu Bei have gone to the mainland, Jay Chou is alone..."

She shook her head, not finishing her sentence, but the meaning was clear: "Although I wrote the lyrics, we're not close at all."

Wu Zongxian knew she was lying, but he didn't call her out on it.

Xu Ruoxuan and Jay Chou are senior and junior classmates, how could they not be familiar with each other?

He picked up the conversation: "I also find it difficult."

"Look at him, he has a speech impediment, isn't handsome, and sings terribly. How could he possibly become popular?"

"Actually, I advised him not to leave back then," Hu Zongxian suddenly revealed. "I said, 'Jie Lun, work hard at Alfa Music, and I'll help you release an album in the future.'"

He wouldn't listen and insisted on leaving.

"But he didn't appreciate it, and there was nothing I could do!"

After watching the program, Yang Wanqing turned off the TV in a bad mood.

She sat in front of the computer, constantly refreshing the website of Suibian Studio.

The official website changed when "F5" was pressed one of the times.

Amidst a chorus of insults and ridicule, the music video for "Yellow Race" was quietly released online.

The official website also offers a free MP3 download channel.