"Weihang. The 'Wei' from reed, the 'Hang' from Suhang. People often say my name sounds a bit masculine." Li Weihang introduced herself. She was fairly well known in Jiangsu Province, but compared to Chu Zhi... there was no comparison. That was why she took the initiative to greet him.
"A very commanding name," said Chu Zhi. "As the poem goes, 'Who says the river is wide? A single reed can cross it.' I like your name. It carries power."
Many had read The Book of Songs, but to be able to recite it on the spot was rarer.
As expected, Chu Zhi's fondness for reading wasn't just an image. Li Weihang smiled brightly.
"Yes, my grandfather had high hopes for me, so he chose this name especially."
She shouldn't have mentioned her grandfather. The words were out before she realized. Brother Jiu had a deep bond with his own grandfather, and bringing it up might have been careless... But as the conversation went on and she noticed Chu Zhi showed no particular reaction, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
The director and art director were already waiting at the filming site by Taihu Lake, with everything well prepared.
"Director Li, Brother Liao, have you eaten? Would you like something first?"
The Taihu Lake scenic area was vast, so renting part of it for shooting wasn't difficult. All that was required was a cultural preservation agreement.
After three hours of stop-and-go filming, the music video for the album was finally complete. The pressure on his shoulders eased at last.
Reporter Li Weihang didn't end up being much help. After all, if things like venue rental couldn't be managed, then Brave Cow and Old Qian would have seemed amateurish. Still, she did contribute by suggesting a good spot for dinner.
Chu Zhi picked up the bill. "Consider this our MV wrap-up dinner. I really have to thank you all for your work," he said, raising his glass to Director Li Tedian, Liao Dachong, and the rest of the crew.
They had dinner in Yingtian City, but that same night Chu Zhi flew straight back to Beijing. The next day he was due on a CCTV program.
Even with so many songs under his belt, Chu Zhi didn't always perform originals when on stage. By now he had released five Chinese-language albums (including two from his predecessor), with plenty of what he jokingly called "retirement insurance songs." Most of the time, singing older tracks was enough.
For instance, on CCTV variety shows, his standard picks were A Thousand Miles Away, Chrysanthemum Terrace, Chinese, or Proud Youth.
On the flight, Chu Zhi didn't rest. He was mulling over an offer for a film theme song.
The client was again Bona Film Group. Their previous production, No Ex, had pulled in a billion at the box office. Capitalists loved repeating winning formulas.
Since You Make Me Drunk had stirred so much buzz, they figured at least a tenth of that box office came thanks to Chu Zhi. By that logic, paying a premium for him seemed reasonable.
So far Chu Zhi hadn't written many film themes, but his rates were outrageous. The surprising part was that companies were still willing to pay.
"Why hasn't anyone asked me to score a film? I did draw that background-music big prize after all." Chu Zhi answered himself. "Because I've never shown I can actually compose scores. And the waters of film scoring run deep. Can I even swim in them?"
Perhaps he needed to seize a chance to showcase it.
He flipped through the synopsis Bona had sent. To his surprise, this one wasn't some contrived melodramatic romance.
Instead, it had the feel of a pure love story. Not "pure love" in the sense of certain green sites online, but genuine, sincere romance.
The script was delicate, charting the shift from love at first sight to deep devotion. From the Emperor Beast's perspective, none of it felt forced.
"Legend would fit perfectly for this movie. After all, the male lead just happened to look one more time in the crowd." Chu Zhi decided to use Legend. That song had itself been the theme of a romance drama.
Chu Zhi was also aware that his income this year would dip slightly. Too much of his time had gone into filming Shiyi Lang and recording his album. Ads and commercial performances were down by nearly a third compared to last year. If his market value hadn't risen so much, it wouldn't just be a "slight" drop.
The next half-month was grueling, with travel across China and then to Japan and Korea. In two words, the schedule could be summed up as: "award collecting."
The film Shiyi Lang had won him all sorts of acting awards, many obscure.
For example: Best Actor from the China Film Association, Best Actor at Japan's "Cine City" festival, Best Actor at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, the Japanese Critics Grand Prize, Best Actor in a Foreign-Language Film, and more. Of course, there were the authoritative awards too, like the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor.
He called Director Wang to give thanks. The Emperor Beast always kept a clear sense of reality. His performance came partly from inheriting Cheng Dieyi's artistry, with his movements nearly identical, and partly from the exacting training of a master director.
"This might be the peak of my acting career," Chu Zhi judged. He remembered chatting once with the system brother about parallel worlds.
"Brother, who are the best actors in the parallel worlds you know of?" Chu Zhi asked.
[Su Ye and Su Chao], the system replied.
Both surnamed Su? Was it easier for people named Su to become movie kings? One thing was certain: neither of them were from his Earth.
"Not a single Earthling?" Chu Zhi muttered under his breath.
[In the world of Su Ye and Su Chao, the form of cinema is different. Compared to normal actors, they have an absolute advantage], the system explained.
Fine. Whatever the format was, Chu Zhi wasn't that interested. His main profession was still being a singer.
Blink, and time's little carriage carried him forward to October 29, 2022.
The last Saturday of early winter was special for Liu Fusu. It was a holiday. Around three in the afternoon, he dragged himself out of bed, his eyes bloodshot, his mouth parched.
"Gulp, gulp." Liu Fusu drank straight from the kitchen faucet. Dutch tap water was a bit hard, but right now he didn't care.
"Why hasn't Bucky called me?" Once he quenched his thirst, Liu Fusu pulled out his phone. No missed calls. He opened Skype. A few scattered messages, nothing important.
He was a little hungry, but anyone who'd used European food delivery knew what a pain it was.
He decided to make a sandwich instead. Before using the toaster, he opened Apple Music and hit play on Chrysanthemum Terrace. Life needed music.
As the melody filled the room, Liu Fusu dropped bread into the toaster, tapping his feet to the rhythm.
A student at the University of Amsterdam, Liu Fusu's family was well-off, and his own willpower weak. He had picked up more than a few bad habits: drinking, clubbing, paying for sex. Worse still, he had gotten into something heavier.
The "Bucky" he mentioned was a classmate who had introduced him to marijuana.
Everyone knew the Netherlands was Europe's model pupil. The Holland Casino welcomed anyone over eighteen, decently dressed, with ID or passport in hand.
Amsterdam's De Wallen was world-famous as a legal red-light district. Marijuana could be bought in certain coffee shops. Gambling, sex, drugs—the full set.
Abroad, as long as he avoided smoking in the days before returning home, he could dodge detection. Several summer and winter trips back to China, and Liu Fusu had never once been caught.
Sandwich ready, he scrolled through short videos to kill time. Hm? His idol's account had a new update.
He tapped it open—
==
传奇, Chuánqí (Legend) — Faye Wong
千里之外, Qiānlǐ zhī wài (A Thousand Miles Away) — Jay Chou& Fei Yuqing