HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 43 [043] CCTV's Water Margin premiere, why is he in it too?

"Of course there is no problem. Ah Ni's song is of very high quality, with a brisk and catchy rhythm, full of the flavor of youthful love."

The lyrics are funny and humorous enough that they could definitely be used as the lead single on your new album.

If we get Qi Yuan to sing a duet with us, this song has a very high chance of becoming a huge hit, perhaps even rivaling "Too Softhearted."

Lee Tsung-sheng, the godfather of pop music, gave his evaluation of this song.

……

after one day.

Qi Yuan had just finished recording "When" and hadn't even had a sip of water to quench his thirst when he heard Zhang Hao say that Rock Records had sent the song over.

"Hey girl over there, are you looking over here?!"

Hey!
Qi Yuan couldn't help but swear.

This song is incredibly popular; it evokes youthful memories for both the 70s and 80s generations.

Like "Too Softhearted," this song was an absolute street hit around 2000.

This song can be heard everywhere, in the streets and alleys of the country.

From an eighty-year-old grandfather to an eight-year-old child, everyone can sing the line, "Girl across the way, look over here, look over here."

Many men born in the 70s and 80s won over their first girl with this song.

In Qi Yuan's memory, this song was even featured on the Spring Festival Gala.

This is a true powerhouse song; I never expected Rock Records and Richie Jen to be so awesome, throwing him a powerhouse right from the start.

In his previous life, Richie Jen became famous simply by singing alone.

He dared not even imagine how popular the song would become if he sang it with Richie Jen in this life.

Rolling Stones played their trump card, a move that even Qi Yuan, a singer known for his exceptional talent, wouldn't dare to use.

After much thought, he finally replied to Rolling Stone with a song that was also a part of the youthful memories of a generation, "Can't Help Falling in Love".

……

Rolling Stone.

Lee Tsung-sheng, Chou Hua-chien, and Jen Hsien-chi began to seriously study the new song sent by Warner Music.

All three of them are musicians.

Whether a song is good or bad, they can tell at a glance.

Li Zongsheng brought over a guitar and began to play and sing, looking at each note of the sheet music.

Li Zongsheng's singing skills are actually quite good, but his strong songwriting ability makes people easily overlook his singing skills.

Many of the songs he wrote for others have a different feel when he sings them again.

This is also a natural advantage for singer-songwriters; who can understand a song better than the person who wrote it?
"I can't forget the first time I saw you, your captivating eyes. Your image is etched in my mind, impossible to shake. Holding your hands and feeling your tenderness, I felt almost breathless. I want to cherish your innocence. Seeing you suffer makes me sad. Oh... I'm just afraid I might fall in love with you..."

At first, Li Zongsheng sang and played the guitar alone. Halfway through the song, Zhou Huajian and Ren Xianqi joined in, turning it into a three-person duet.

A few minutes later.

Lee Tsung-sheng put down his guitar and couldn't help but exclaim, "Qi Yuan's creative ability is terrifying. He writes great melodies and great lyrics. It brought back all my memories of my youthful, awkward love. Falling in love with someone at first sight, yet feeling unworthy of them, experiencing inner conflict—that feeling is so damn real."

There's a reason why Lee Tsung-sheng felt so deeply about it.

His appearance hasn't changed much; he looked like he was in his forties when he was in his twenties, and he still looked like he was in his forties when he was forty.

In his youth, his romantic experiences could be described as bumpy.

In 1986, he released his debut album, "The Spirit in Life".

While composing the song, he was pursuing a girl, tormented by love, and then the girl left him.

This song reminded him of the days when he was heartbroken and spent composing songs at home with his guitar and old friends.

Most importantly, he discovered that Qi Yuan was actually better at writing youth love songs than him.

"What a pity, Rolling Stones and this kid are not meant to be." Li Zongsheng shook his head again.

If Chi Yuan were at Rock Records, Lee Tsung-sheng would bet that Chi Yuan would become Rock Records' most popular star, even more popular than Richie Jen.

It's a pity that such a person went to Warner Music.

That bastard Zhou Jianhui is really lucky. ...

Mainland China, Beijing.

On January 8, 1998, a major event took place in mainland China that was of great concern to the entire nation.

Following the CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", another big-budget CCTV version of "Water Margin", which took three and a half years to film, will premiere nationwide tonight on CCTV1 at 8 pm prime time.

This important drama is attracting attention not only from ordinary people but also from students at the Beijing Film Academy.

With the end of the semester approaching, someone suggested that everyone get together outside and watch the premiere of "Water Margin".

Everyone accepted the suggestion. Winter break is coming soon, and everyone will go back to their own homes and see their own mothers. We won't see each other again until after the New Year.

The group arrived at a restaurant near the Beijing Film Academy.

Most of the students from Class 96, including Huang Xiaoming, Chen Kun, Yan Danchen, and Zu Feng, were present.

Zhao Yanzi also came; she returned to school after filming for "Princess Pearl" wrapped up at the end of December.

Zuo Xiaoqing and Yang Xue, who were not from the class of '96 and had a good relationship with everyone, also came, making the scene very lively.

"It's so rare to have a reunion like this. It's such a pity that Qi Yuan isn't here. If he were here, all of us would be missing him," Zuo Xiaoqing said regretfully.

When Qi Yuan is mentioned, everyone's feelings are somewhat complicated.

This classmate of theirs has progressed so fast that in less than half a year, he has left them far behind.

"I wonder how well Qi Yuan's album sold in Taiwan. I heard it sold nearly 800,000 copies in mainland China. That's really impressive," Chen Kun said admiringly.

"I met some Taiwanese staff members from the crew of 'Princess Pearl' while filming. They told me yesterday that Qi Yuan's record sold 450,000 copies in Taiwan and 150,000 copies in Hong Kong, earning triple platinum certification."

Aunt Yao publicly appealed to him in Taiwan, hoping to have the opportunity to work with him. She said that as long as he is available, she can tailor-make a role for him in the next script she writes.

He declined, saying he just wanted to focus on making music right now.

Zhao Yanzi sighed.

Last September, everyone got together once. In just six months, Zhao Yanzi felt that things had changed.

In order to get the role of Xiao Yanzi in "My Fair Princess", she asked her boyfriend for help and finally got the role.

As a sophomore at the time, she inevitably felt a little smug after getting such a significant role, thinking that she had already stood out from the crowd among her classmates.

In the blink of an eye, she discovered that Qi Yuan, the role she had to pull strings to get, had casually refused, which completely shattered her pride.

"Wow, that's amazing. His album has sold almost 1.5 million copies. No, wait, he signed with Warner Music. Warner has influence in Southeast Asia, South Korea, Japan, and other countries. It's probably already over 1.5 million."

"How much money will Qi Yuan make from this? When he gets back, he'll definitely have to treat us to a meal."

"He's amazing, but his songs are really good. They have a kind of ahead-of-the-time feel to them. He has such talent, he deserves to be famous."

……

As everyone ate and chatted, the restaurant's television had already started playing "Water Margin".

Everyone in the restaurant fell silent without prior agreement.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a big-budget production that brought together a host of film and television industry heavyweights.

The costumes and props are exquisite, a hundred times better than many later period dramas. The actors' performances are also superb, especially Sima Yi... no, Wei Zongwan's portrayal of Gao Qiu, which perfectly captures the treacherous, cunning, and obsequious nature of the character.

As the first episode ended, some of the restaurant patrons were still savoring the experience.

The stirring prelude of "Heroes' Song" begins, followed by Liu Huan's bold and unrestrained voice.

"The great river flows eastward, and the stars in the sky point to the Big Dipper..."

Accompanied by a heroic song, the names of the TV series' chief consultant, chief producer, and others appeared on the screen one after another.

Then everyone saw a familiar name at the end of the film.

Song of Heroes

Singer: Liu Huan

Composer: Qi Yuan

Lyrics by: Qi Yuan

Huang Xiaoming, Zuo Xiaoqing, and other classmates from Beijing Film Academy who were having a meal together were dumbfounded. How could he be involved in Water Margin?
(End of this chapter)