After the dishes were served, Wen Liang ordered a bottle of Lingqu wine. He opened it and tasted it. It was still the original recipe and the familiar taste. The taste was not affected by the blending incident. Qin Yin watched him taste the wine and asked with interest: "You seem to be very familiar with Lingqu wine. Do you know any inside information?"
"I'm just a high school student, what inside information can I have? Sister Qin, please don't think too highly of me." Wen Liang picked up a piece of cold celery for her and said with a smile, "I came here today because I have something to ask of you."
"Oh, you even used the word 'beg', it seems like it's not a small matter."
"For me, it's a huge problem, but for you, it's absolutely a piece of cake!"
Qin Yin smiled and said, "Tell me what it is first. You know I will definitely try my best, but my ability is limited, so I may not be able to really help."
"It's like this, I heard a song a while ago, and I'd like you to make the music for it..."
Qin Yin will never forget the first time they met. It was Wen Liang who came to Qin Yin through Zuo Yuxi's relationship to compose music for two songs with novel styles. When Qin Yin asked him where he heard them from, Wen Liang was vague about it. It's the same now. However, things are different now. Given their relationship, Qin Yin must get to the bottom of it.
"Here are the lyrics. I'll hum the tune..."
Wen Liang took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. Qin Yin looked at the lyrics while listening to Wen Liang singing in a low voice. The surprise in her eyes became more and more intense, especially when it came to the chorus. She almost clapped her hands in admiration. She listened to it three times in a row before staring into Wen Liang's eyes and said with a smile: "It's okay if you want me to help, but you have to tell me where this song came from?"
Wen Liang was about to make up a lie and use the same old trick again, but Qin Yin raised her green index finger and gently tapped his mouth, saying, "Don't say those nonsense words you heard on the street again. I'm not a fool. I was fooled by you once, but there won't be a second time. If you really want my help, you better think about your reply!"
Wen Liang smelled the fragrance from her fingertips and knew that Qin Yin was open-minded, not pretentious, and that there was no ripple of love between men and women in such an action, so he would not think about anything. He nodded with a wry smile, and waited for her to retract her index finger, and said, "This is a song written by my buddy Tan Yu himself, but he is not familiar with the five-line score, so he asked professionals to fill in the gaps and perfect this song. The previous one was also his masterpiece. But he is shy and doesn't want others to know, so he lied to you, sister Qin. Please forgive me!"
"real?"
Qin Yin was half-believing and half-doubting. Her primary suspect was still Wen Liang, because with his extraordinary powers and mysteriousness, it was only natural that he was proficient in all kinds of skills, let alone writing songs and lyrics.
"It's real gold. The boy has now formed a rock band and is singing on the streets every day. If the opportunity comes, I think he will definitely become a big star."
This is not a lie. Tan Yu has excellent voice conditions. If he is packaged well, he may become a big star.
Since they have started to form a band, it is possible that they have such musical talent. Qin Yin agreed with this answer and said, "Be sure to bring your friend to meet me someday. I want to see what such a talented young man looks like."
Wen Liang agreed, thinking that he still had to get Tan Yu to give a statement, so he asked, "How many days will it take?"
"Three days, your song is actually quite complete, just make some minor changes."
"Three days is too long..." Wen Liang shook his head and said, "Sister Qin, I need this song urgently. Can you give me the complete score tomorrow morning?"
"Well... well, I'll stay up all night tonight, I should be able to make it in time."
Wen Liang snapped his fingers and said, "OK, this meal is my advance payment."
"Can you be more stingy?"
At nine o'clock the next morning, seven Audis picked up people from Qingzhou Airport, and then drove silently into the Hua Ting five-star hotel. They checked into the presidential suite from the VIP channel. The man walking in the crowd was graceful and had a kind smile. Anyone who was not deaf, blind or older would recognize that he was Andy Lau, one of the four kings who was very popular in the 1990s.
Originally, according to Luo Qi's idea, they were going to make a big deal about it. After all, a small place like Yishan doesn't get the chance to host such a big star every day. However, this suggestion was rejected by Wen Liang in the end. Firstly, the cooperation between Yishan and Andy Lau is still confidential. Secondly, if it becomes known to everyone, it will also affect the schedule of the advertising shoot, so everything is kept low-key.
Wen Liang did not show up, and stayed in the ordinary guest room with Chang Cheng to rest. He handed the lyrics and music score to Shao Yuhua, who negotiated with Liu Fang. Three hours later, Shao Yuhua and Teng Jinglin knocked on the door and came in. Director Teng was in a good mood and praised him before he even sat down: "It's just like the rumors say, he's easy to talk to, he's not arrogant, and most importantly, he doesn't interfere with the script, and he's very respectful to the manufacturers and producers..."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "As long as Director Teng is satisfied, Yuhua, how did the discussion about the song go?"
"They were very interested, especially Andy Lau himself, who almost decided on the spot, but was stopped by his agent, who said he needed to think about it. Judging from the situation, it shouldn't be a big problem. The agent was probably worried that we would ask for an exorbitant price or put forward excessive conditions, so he was more cautious."
"Glad that you're interested!" Wen Liang knew how much of an impact this song had on Liu Dehua's career in another time and space. It was like it was tailor-made for him. Music has no borders, and no time and space. In this life, if he encounters it, he will not let it go. He said, "Tell them that all the copyrights of this song can be given unconditionally without charging a penny, but there is only one condition, which is to authorize Yishan Pure Water to use this song in its advertisement."
"What?" Teng Jinglin expressed strong dissatisfaction and said angrily: "Boss Wen, I have no objection to you adding something to the ad, but why not add it earlier or later? Now that the preliminary preparations have been completed, suddenly putting such a song in, does it match the artistic conception that the ad wants to express? Is there a conflict with the concept of product marketing? What kind of chemical reaction will the combination of the two produce? These are all unknowns. You are the boss, you are the boss. Even if you don't respect me, you have to respect the hard work of so many staff members and the objective laws of advertising shooting. Shooting an ad is not what you want. Have there ever been successful examples of laymen guiding experts?"
Shao Yuhua was shocked. After working together for so long, she knew a thing or two about Teng Jinglin's temper. He would lose his temper and swear at people at every seminar, but she didn't expect him to be so disrespectful in front of Wen Liang. She wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere in the room, but after thinking it over, she felt that it was not her place to speak, so she could only secretly look at Wen Liang's face and remain silent.
Wen Liang was neither angry nor furious. Instead, he apologized, "This is indeed my fault for not communicating with you in advance. However, I believe that the essence of advertising lies in creativity, and creativity comes from countless accidental flashes. Although I am not a professional like you, there should be no big difference in our understanding of flashes. The so-called flash is because you don't know where it will appear in your mind, right?"
Teng Jinglin snorted, but did not object. Wen Liang continued, "I just happened to think of this song the day before yesterday, so I asked someone to compose the music last night and brought it over today. I really didn't have time to greet you in advance. Besides, Jinglin, I believe in your ability to perfectly blend the style of this song with the style of the advertisement in a short period of time..."
After being complimented, Teng Jinglin looked much better and muttered, "It's true that the boss only needs to talk and the subordinates have to run around. I'm so unlucky to work with you."
Wen Liang laughed and said to Shao Yuhua, "Let's take a break after lunch and continue the discussion in the afternoon. We'll try to finalize the authorization today."
The negotiation with Liu Fang went smoothly. After repeated confirmation, the agent found no traps and decisively signed a copyright contract with Shao Yuhua. Liu Dehua only practiced three times to perform the song perfectly, but since there was no professional recording studio in Yishan, the demo had to wait until he returned to Mingzhu City. After a day and night of sleepless and high-intensity work, Teng Jinglin and his team finally fine-tuned the shooting plan to keep it as close to the meaning of the lyrics as possible, and officially started the trial shooting three days later.
Perhaps due to the contribution of this song, Andy Lau extended the original schedule to ten days for free, giving them ample time for filming. Xu Yao and her three daughters also asked for a ten-day holiday from school, and began their first advertising career. Wen Liang was worried about them, so he stayed in Yishan to follow up on the filming progress and was ready to solve any problems that arose. He and the three daughters had a rare long time together, and they were very happy and there was no need to say more.
During this period, Ning Xi came from Shahe County to visit the set. Liu Dehua's agent happened to see her and was immediately shocked by her beauty. He invited her to join his company and promised to package her in all aspects of film, television and music, and to make her a superstar. Ning Xi declined at first, but later it developed to the point where the agent even knocked on her door secretly. Although they were all women, Ning Xi was annoyed enough that Zhuo Min threw her out directly, causing a small storm. Fortunately, Liu Dehua understood the situation and knew that he was at fault. He reprimanded the agent and came to apologize to Ning Xi in person, which calmed the situation down.
Ten days passed quickly, and when Teng Jinglin finally shouted "CUT", the shooting was successfully completed. Liu Dehua gave some small gifts to all the staff before leaving. The word of mouth was so high that it was overwhelming. He also praised Yishan's professionalism and dedication, and expressed his willingness to continue the cooperation next time. In a word, everyone was happy and mutually beneficial.
On May 4, the May 4th Youth Day, the advertisement for Yishan Pure Water was officially launched on CCTV-1 during non-prime time. It featured beautiful scenery, professional and smooth editing, three young and beautiful girls, and a superstar with strong appeal. It was accompanied by a line or two of the song "Chinese" that is well-known in later generations. The advertisement ended with the image of Andy Lau holding up the Yishan Pure Water high in the air, and the slogan that resounded throughout the 1990s:
Chinese people, drink the water from the mountains! (To be continued)