Entertainment: Starting with a Song of Rice Fragrance

Dongzhou, Donghai Animation Company.

Director Gong was currently holding a paintbrush in his mouth, examining the architecture on the canvas in his office, his brows furrowed, as if he felt that his work was not perfect enough.

As the pillar of Donghai Comics, he has at least several projects lined up in the pipeline.

So even though Spirited Away was finished, he didn't have time to rest, but continued to think about his next work.

What troubled him even more was that the theme song for the movie was still not delivered. A movie without a soundtrack is a movie without a soul.

Since it's a film he directed, it absolutely needs a high-quality theme song to match it in order to fully bring out its artistic conception. Without the background music, it's only 70%, but with a good background music, it's 120%.

"Hehe."

A knock on the office door interrupted his train of thought.

But he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he gently called out "Come in" towards the door.

"Huh? Director, you're already designing characters for your next movie so early? Our 'Spirited Away' hasn't even been released yet!"

Looking at the tall castle on the drawing board that seemed to be hidden behind the clouds, Assistant Xiao Gao was both surprised, delighted and helpless.

Director Gong spends more than ten hours a day in his studio. When he gets into the creative process, he completely forgets everything around him. He even needs someone to remind him to eat.

As the company's pillar of strength, if he doesn't take care of his health and falls down, there really won't be anyone to replace him!

"You should rest more; if you continue like this, your body won't be able to take it..."

Xiao Gao handed Director Gong a cup of brewed ginseng tea and gave him some words of advice.

"Alright, alright, don't I know my own body best... You must have something else to tell me, not just about bringing a cup of tea."

Holding the warm ginseng tea, he took a gentle sip, and the 50-something-year-old director, whose hair was already gray, felt a warmth that came from the bottom of his heart.

"Ah, of course. Great news, Director! Flying Entertainment from Xizhou has sent us the theme song for 'Spirited Away,' and the team in charge of the film's music is extremely satisfied with it!"

Xiao Gao quickly handed over the USB drive, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Oh? It's really finished? I knew it. Feiyang may be slow, but he's never let us down. He always manages to send us a satisfactory piece before the deadline... Xiao Gao, let's put it aside for a bit."

As he spoke, he took the ginseng tea, sat down in his chair, closed his eyes, and took a short rest.

The assistant then deftly plugged the USB drive into the computer port and opened the file to play it.

……

The director's office computer is connected to a pair of huge speakers, which are usually used to enjoy music or to finalize the soundtrack.

The intro to the theme song has begun.

It was a clear and melodious piano sound.

From light to heavy, neither too fast nor too slow, gentle and soothing.

"Yes, it was indeed accompanied by a piano; at least they remembered our request."

Director Gong nodded.

"And the style of this piece seems completely different from the versions they sent us before?"

He savored the melody of the song while talking to himself.

"The previous versions were completely stuck in the old-fashioned, melancholic style of Western music. They were either written as being full of bitterness and hatred or as being dark and heavy, which didn't fit the theme and style of our movie at all."

"But this time..."

He stopped there and didn't continue, so Xiao Gao naturally didn't know what the director was trying to say.

But the song had already started, so she put aside her curiosity and listened quietly again.

"A call from somewhere deep within the soul"

I always want to keep my dream alive.

The sorrow is countless

You will surely meet it on the other side...

The sound was so soft, yet so bright.

With the sincerity and purity unique to young people, he slowly tells his story.

"Oh?"

Director Gong suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the lyrics on the screen with great interest.

"Who...sang this?"

"It's sung by the songwriter himself. He's not only a composer, but also a fairly well-known singer. He won both the number one and number two spots on the West Continent's newcomer chart!"

Assistant Xiao Gao had already memorized all of this information, and could answer the boss's questions immediately.

"Can he write and sing at the same time? He's a true all-rounder..."

He nodded, then opened the trailer for "Spirited Away" that was stored on his computer.

Listening to the song "Always with Me" while watching the promotional video adds another layer of enjoyment.

The promotional video focuses on the young girl who is traveling on a train filled with various ghosts and monsters by the sea, and this is exactly the scene playing on the screen at this moment.

"People always..."

All I know is the blue sky

Although the endless road always seems to continue

These hands will surely embrace the light…

As he listened, Director Gong's eyes, which had been extremely tired from working at his desk for long periods, suddenly felt relaxed.

He stretched lazily, leaned back in his chair with great ease, and lazily enjoyed the work of this talented young man.

At this moment, he himself seemed to be traveling with the little girl and those ghosts along the beach and in that hazy time and space, heading towards an unknown destination.

Everything was so dreamlike, everything was so clear and distant.

For a moment, apart from Zheng Ning's singing and the piano accompaniment, there was no other noise in the office.

……

A few minutes later, the song finished playing.

But Director Gong remained motionless, listening intently with his eyes closed and a smile playing on his lips, as if time itself had frozen on his face.

"Director?"

After a while, he still didn't move.

Assistant Xiao Gao was startled and cautiously called out twice.

"Oh, it's nothing, I was just savoring the charm of this song."

Director Gong finally moved, but his voice was slightly choked with emotion.

Two glistening tears slid down the corners of his eyes, which were slightly lined with crow's feet.

"These composers from the West are quite talented."

He stood up, stretched slightly, and loosened his stiff muscles.

"The composer of this song is Zheng Ning, right? That's amazing! He's the first person to write a song that has truly touched my soul!"

He turned his head and said to his assistant with a satisfied smile.

"Go tell Xiaoling and the others that I'm very satisfied with this song too, let's use it as the theme song for our 'Spirited Away'!"