Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Chapter 65 Run First

Life is fleeting.

Zheng Hui recalled Zheng Donghan's words just now.

In youth, we make choices, wait, let go, find peace within ourselves, and reconcile.

Even as a reborn individual, he never intended to string these songs together to depict a man's life.

Zheng Donghan, however, only listened to it once and gleaned a complete story from it.

This skill... Looking at the man in front of him, he realized for the first time what a true industry godfather was.

It is the result of decades of immersion in music that has honed a keen eye and a knack for turning lead into gold.

"Mr. Zheng, I agree with this name."

A smile appeared on Zheng Donghan's face.

Although Zheng Hui agreed to change the album name, the frown between his brows still didn't completely relax.

He still felt unsatisfied.

Emperor Entertainment Group publicly criticized him in the newspapers, and Nicholas Tse tried to use him to climb the ladder of success. Now PolyGram is fighting back, but it feels like they are waging a proxy war.

He himself, the person involved, didn't say a single word from beginning to end.

This feeling remained stuck in my chest.

Zheng Donghan is a man whose ability to read people is second nature.

He looked at Zheng Hui, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip.

"Hui-zai, you agreed to this name, but your brow is still furrowed."

Zheng Hui looked up and met Zheng Handong's eyes. He didn't hide his feelings: "Mr. Zheng, I can't swallow this."

He wanted to fight, to fight face to face.

They want to use sales figures, awards, and everything tangible to completely crush Nicholas Tse.

This current, confusing propaganda war makes him feel like he's punching cotton.

Zheng Donghan smiled, a smile that carried the understanding and appreciation of an elder looking at a younger person.

"Young man, it's good to have a temper. I guarantee you'll get through this."

"But don't use your fists, use a knife to cut slowly."

Zheng Hui looked at him, somewhat puzzled.

"War is not about being ruthless, it's about winning."

"Emperor wants you to fight fiercely, wants you and Nicholas Tse to fight in front of the public, the more exciting the fight, the happier they are."

""

"So, we're not going to fight him."

"We're not going to fight him; we're just going to outrun him."

"Emperor Entertainment has scheduled the release of Nicholas Tse's EP for mid-December, right?"

Zheng Hui nodded.

"Okay, then our 'Floating Life' will be released on December 1st."

"Why?" Zheng Hui asked.

"Let me ask you, in a race between two people, is the person in the lead under more pressure, or the person chasing?"

Zheng Hui thought for a moment: "The person chasing."

"Wrong." Zheng Donghan shook his head: "It's when the leader looks back that he feels the most pressure."

If he doesn't look back and just keeps running, then all the pressure will fall on the person behind him.

He picked up the pen on the table and drew a timeline on a piece of white paper.

"November 18th, today, your master tape was delivered."

"From November 19th to 30th, these ten days are dedicated to expedited production, shooting the music video, and distributing it to record stores throughout Hong Kong. At the same time, the marketing department begins promoting your new album."

"On December 1st, 'Floating Life' will be officially released."

At that time, Nicholas Tse's EP was still nowhere to be seen, and all the media and market attention was on you.

"Your record sales figures will be released on December 10th. I wouldn't dare say over 100,000 copies, but I'm confident it will be around 100,000. How will the media report it then?"

Zheng Hui followed his train of thought: "They will report on the sales figures and be amazed that a newcomer can achieve such results."

"Yes, at this point, the attention is passive; people just think you're very capable."

Zheng Donghan emphasized the timeline with the tip of his pen.

"From December 10th to 15th, when the public opinion was at its peak, Nicholas Tse's 'The Cry of the End of the Century' was released."

"Hui-zai, tell me, what will happen then?"

Zheng Hui's eyes lit up; he understood.

"The media will spontaneously put the two of us together for comparison."

"That's right, they'll compare our sales figures. Yours is 100,000 copies in the first week, how many will theirs be? 10,000? Or 20,000?"

"They'll compare the quality of our songs. Your album 'Floating Life' has ten songs, all of which are potential hits. How many of his EP's songs are truly competitive?"

"They'll also compare our reputations. You're popular with all age groups, you're a social phenomenon. And him? He's still that spoiled rich kid."

"Hui-zai, remember this." Zheng Donghan's tone became serious.

"The first movers define the track. The latecomers can only passively compare themselves."

"We released our album two weeks ahead of schedule, so we defined the market. From the moment Nicholas Tse released his album, he became the pursuer."

"It's shameful that he can't catch up."

"Even if he manages to catch up, that would be expected, because he is Patrick Tse's son and the crown prince favored by Emperor Entertainment Group."

No matter what he chooses, he's going to lose.

Zheng Donghan put down his pen: "If we release them on the same day, it's a deliberate clash, which means we're actively helping him elevate his status, putting him on the same level as you. What kind of duel is this? He'll actually benefit from it."

"If we delay releasing it until he releases his, then we'll be seen as following the trend, giving others ammunition to criticize us."

"Therefore, we have no choice but to move it forward."

"We will not initiate a war; let the market compare on its own. From today onward, everyone at PolyGram, including you, will never mention the name Nicholas Tse again, and we will not allow him to bask in any of our fame."

"All our publicity revolves around two things: a top-notch love song album and an eighteen-year-old musical prodigy."

""

"We only focus on the work, not on creating conflict."

"Once the album is released, let the music critics, radio DJs, and record buyers compare it for themselves."

"This comparison is a choice made by the market, not a provocation from our company."

"When the time comes, if reporters ask you what you think of Nicholas Tse, just say one sentence."

Zheng Donghan looked at Zheng Hui and said, word by word, "I don't comment on other people's works."

"Maintain a high profile and never fall into the trap of online arguments."

"Just think about it, what will Nicholas Tse do then?"

"If he responds by saying your song is bad, or by praising his own song, then he loses. Because the moment he opens his mouth, it confirms that he's trying to ride on your fame, which makes him seem petty."

"If he doesn't respond, he'll lose even more. In the face of the market's overwhelming opposition, his silence is tantamount to admitting defeat."

"Hui-zai, do you understand?"

"Not declaring war is the harshest punishment for him."

97

Zheng Donghan leaned back on the sofa and slowly summarized.

"He gets his hair done in mid-December, we get ours done in December. A week earlier, you're ahead of the game; a week later, you're just following the trend."

"If you speak up, he will be in the same class as you. If you do not speak up, you go up yourself, leaving him where he is."

Zheng Hui understood completely; this was no longer a simple business competition.

Zheng Donghan calculated all aspects of human nature, media dynamics, and market reactions to the extreme.

He wove a net that would trap Nicholas Tse, and no matter how much Nicholas Tse and Ying Huang struggled, they would be entangled tighter and tighter in the net, eventually suffocating to death.

The pent-up frustration that had been building up in Zheng Hui's chest for seven days vanished in an instant.

He looked at Zheng Donghan before him and was completely convinced.

"Mr. Zheng, I'm convinced."

He spoke those six words from the bottom of his heart.

Zheng Donghan burst into laughter; he was very satisfied with Zheng Hui's reaction.

"Just be able to hear."

Now that the general strategic direction has been set, all that remains is to perfect the details of the work.

Zheng Hui suddenly remembered something and looked at Zheng Donghan: "Mr. Zheng, since the film is going to be released on December 1st, there's still a small copyright issue that we need your help to resolve."

Zheng Donghan put down his teacup and asked in confusion, "Oh? What copyright?"

Zheng Hui said, "It's about the arrangement of the song 'King of Karaoke'. In order to fit the theme of karaoke and create the atmosphere of singing other people's songs and shedding your own tears in a karaoke room, I hid an Easter egg in the intro."

"An Easter egg?" Zheng Donghan became interested.

"For the Cantonese version of 'King of Karaoke,' I directly quoted a melody from Faye Wong's 'The Promise' for the intro."

"For the Mandarin version's arrangement, I referenced Zhang Yu's 'Bitter Heart' for the intro."

Both of these songs are contemporary classics; once the melody is played, everyone can understand its meaning.

By grafting the intros of these two classic love songs onto "King of Karaoke," listeners are instantly drawn into the melancholic atmosphere, which is also a brilliant deconstruction of popular culture.

However, this involves sampling and melody citation. If an ordinary person were to negotiate, they might not be able to obtain the original authorization, and might even be considered an infringement or a publicity stunt by the other company.

"The copyrights for these two songs belong to different companies, so it might not be convenient for me to negotiate with them directly, therefore—"

Before Zheng Hui could finish speaking, Zheng Donghan waved his hand and said, "I thought it was something important. It's a matter of authorization, a small problem. I can just make a phone call."