Chapter 139: Year’s End and Beginning! This is Music, Its Charm is Unstoppable!
With less than a month and a half until the Spring Festival Gala, Shen Qing, along with Zhang Liangying, Jay Chou, and six other members of the “My People, My Country” film crew, spent their days in a recording studio that cost 18 million to renovate.
Teaching, practicing songs, rehearsing, and recording, they were fully immersed in music…
Huang Xiaoming, Huang Bo, Fan Xiaopang, and Gao Yuanyuan saw a serious side of Shen Qing and were almost all surprised, “Is Shen Qing really that serious when he works?”
Zhang Liangying explained, “Of course! You only see his talented and unrestrained side, but only I know the effort he puts in behind the scenes! When I participated in the Super Girl competition, he would wake me up at five in the morning to practice songs…”
Huang Bo: “Indeed, no one succeeds casually. In the places we can’t see, they’ve all put in effort beyond ordinary imagination.”
Fan Xiaopang: “That kind of man is the most charming~”
Gao Yuanyuan and Jing Tian nodded vigorously.
Zhang Liangying: ???
…
Time flew by to the end of January 2007.
The eyes of major media outlets gradually focused, conducting a comprehensive summary and review of the entertainment circle in 2006.
Sina’s entertainment section homepage published a long article.
“2006 was a year of gods battling in the music scene. Jay Chou’s ‘Fearless’ ignited the battle at the start of the year, followed by Wang Leehom’s ‘Heroes of Earth’ and Angela Chang’s ‘Invisible Wings’ entering the fray. Jolin Tsai’s ‘Dancing Girl’ and Wilber Pan’s ‘Turn Around the Earth’ joined the melee…”
“But all of this was ended by Shen Qing, leading Zhang Liangying, with two albums!”
“Her debut album, ‘Zhang Liangying,’ sold over 3.5 million copies across Asia. Her second album, ‘Wish,’ sold over a million copies in 5 days, exceeding 4.5 million for the year, setting a miracle in the Chinese music scene. CCTV certified her as an ‘Idol of the People,’ crushing all Hong Kong and Taiwan singers of the same period, and she was hailed by Hong Kong media as the ‘Only Heavenly Queen of the Chinese Music Scene’!”
“2006 was also a year of explosive growth for the talent show industry, with Mango TV’s ‘Super Boy,’ Dragon TV’s ‘Go! Boys!,’ and Jiangsu Satellite TV’s ‘Absolute Singing’ forming a three-way standoff, marking the first year of the entertainment industry’s soaring development.”
“As the year drew to a close, a dark horse broke through the barriers of the Chinese New Year film season. ‘My People, My Country’ set a record with a box office of 420 million, ending the monopolistic situation of capital-intensive blockbusters like ‘Curse of the Golden Flower,’ ‘The Banquet,’ and ‘Confession of Pain,’ creating a red miracle of a small investment yielding big returns.”
“Arguments between screenwriters and directors…”
“Fan Bingbing left Huayi, Feng Xiaogang broke ties with the Wang Brothers…”
“Sprite and Coca-Cola competed for spokespersons…”
“The battle for Super Girl popularity…”
“CCTV stepped in to support Zhang Liangying…”
“It seems Shen Qing’s shadow is behind all of this?”
“That’s right, he connected half of the major entertainment events of 2006. Shen Qing, almost single-handedly, stirred up the entertainment circle.”
“We look forward to him bringing more surprises to the entertainment circle in 2007.”
Other media: No, you wrote it so comprehensively, what are we supposed to write?
Let’s copy!
In less than half a day, major portal websites and mobile wireless news networks were pushing this article.
Zhang Liangying and Shen Qing’s fans were thrilled.
Especially Shen Qing’s small group of female fans, they were overjoyed!
Their idol was so amazing, they felt honored. Every time they gossiped about the entertainment circle with classmates, friends, and colleagues, they could stand tall, “Our Brother Qing is the best!”
…
Meanwhile.
Various media outlets also focused on the Spring Festival Gala.
After all, the Lunar New Year was approaching.
With the Chinese New Year film season not yet very popular, the Spring Festival Gala was the top trend during this period.
What kind of skit Zhao Benshan would perform and which celebrities received invitations became hot topics of discussion.
End of January.
The program list for the 2007 Spring Festival Gala was released.
All the programs people wanted to see.
For crosstalk, there was Feng Gong’s “Our Village Affairs.” For skits, there were Guo Da and Cai Ming’s “Giving Gifts,” and Pan Changjiang’s “Let Love Last.”
There were also Huang Hong and Niu Li’s “Test,” Guo Donglin’s “Test,” and Zhao Benshan and Song Dandan’s “Plan.”
If the 2006 Spring Festival Gala had these people, the ratings would have exploded.
Watching the Spring Festival Gala every year and eating dumplings, who could stand it?
In addition, the singers included Zhang Liangying, Jay Chou, Angela Chang, He Jiong, Han Xue, David Tao, Jolin Tsai, and Han Hong.
Each of their representative works was good.
Of course, Han Xue was an exception. She sang a song with nonsensical lyrics, “Bamboo Forest Wind.” It’s unclear whether the song was amazing or she herself was amazing, but it made it onto the Spring Festival Gala.
Of course, putting Han Xue aside, the other artists could be described as a gathering of stars.
Especially Zhang Liangying and Jay Chou, and David Tao and Jolin Tsai, these two pairs were highly anticipated by fans.
【Zhang Liangying will perform a new song, “Love Each Other,” with Jay Chou. It is reported that this song was specially created by Shen Qing for the Spring Festival Gala. 】
【Zhang Liangying revealed to reporters: “Love Each Other” may become the exclusive BGM for the Spring Festival Gala. 】
【Jay Chou appeared at the Spring Festival Gala studio and said: I am honored to be invited to the Spring Festival Gala. I am very happy to sing with the goddess Zhang Liangying. This song will be amazing! 】
【David Tao and Jolin Tsai will perform “Marry Me Today.” The Spring Festival Gala is urging marriage, are you ready? 】
Perhaps the only news that could stand out amidst the dazzling entertainment news was the following:
—China’s GDP grew by 10.7% year-on-year in 2006, exceeding 20 trillion yuan （2.79 trillion US dollars）, surpassing the UK to become the fourth-largest economy in the world, trailing only the United States, Japan, and Germany.
However, the US GDP at the time was as high as 13.82 trillion US dollars, more than the combined total of the 2nd to 5th ranked countries. It was terrifying.
…
In today’s China, the entire society is busy making money!
Shen Qing certainly wouldn’t fall behind. During this period, he wasn’t just focused on coaching a few people; he also invested money in several ventures.
After all, one cannot succeed in the entertainment industry without capital.
Buying property is the most stable, and buying stocks yields high returns. However, Shen Qing only bought stocks he was familiar with, and anything unfamiliar was passed.
After all, he wasn’t a professional stock trader in his previous life, and one wrong move could lead to losing everything.
Buying a few stocks that would become future powerhouses, and a few top luxury homes in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and holding them long-term would give him confidence and make him speak more assertively.
…
In early February, Shen Qing took some time to hold the Qingying Studio annual meeting and the “My People, My Country” celebration banquet.
The two events were held together.
The celebration was simple: they booked a large private room at a five-star hotel and invited a national banquet chef to prepare several tables of dishes…
The rest was talent performances by actors and singers.
Of course.
Red envelopes were definitely indispensable.
Shen Qing gave out 5 million yuan in cash in one night.
Considering there were only 3 tables and less than 40 people present, each person had to grab at least 100,000 yuan.
This money was a small matter compared to the box office revenue of “My People, My Country.”
However, the box office revenue is not solely pocketed by the production company. First, 3.3% value-added tax and 5% film special fund must be deducted. Then, after deducting the distributor’s 16% and the cinema’s 40%, the remaining 35.7% belongs to the production company.
In other words, Qingying Studio could receive 150 million yuan from the 420 million box office.
And the production and promotion costs for this film were less than 20 million…
They made a killing.
A steady income of 130 million yuan.
At this moment.
Including ringtone revenue, endorsement revenue, and album revenue, after deducting taxes, Qingying Studio’s account had nearly 430 million yuan.
Of course, 200 million yuan of this was used by Shen Qing for investment.
170 million yuan was heavily invested in Tencent and Alibaba. He also bought a considerable amount of stocks in China Merchants Bank, China Yangtze Power, and Kweichow Moutai.
Another 20 million yuan was invested in several pharmaceutical stocks that he remembered would skyrocket…
However, he didn’t know which one would rise.
He didn’t dare to invest too much.
Finally, he bought 10 million yuan worth of Xinfu Pharmaceutical and 10 million yuan worth of Guangji Pharmaceutical.
Another 10 million yuan was poured into a building materials company.
After completing these, he felt much more at ease. He then flew to Shanghai with Liangying and spent 50 million yuan to buy a building by the Huangpu River.
When Shen Qing reviewed his accounts the day before New Year’s Eve, he had 180 million yuan left.
Of course.
Ringtones, CDs, and tapes were still bringing in continuous income, and the money in the account grew every day.
Zhang Liangying had woken up laughing several times in her dreams these past few days.
She was a little money-grubber.
…
New Year’s Eve.
The Spring Festival Gala began.
Across the vast land, countless lights.
Shen Qing’s parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins sat together for a reunion dinner.
Zhang Liangying’s mother also went to her grandmother’s house.
As the opening song and dance, “Flowers Bloom in the Chinese New Year,” began, the festive atmosphere reached its peak.
After the performers left, three pairs of male and female hosts walked onto the stage hand in hand.
Zhu Jun/Zhou Tao: “China Central Television!”
Li Yong: “Live, and to our dear audience friends in front of the television…”
Dong Qing and the other six hosts shouted in unison: “Happy New Year, everyone!”
At this moment, Shen Qing’s “My People, My Country” film crew was sitting in the first row, with Feng Xiaogang, Ge You, and Ning Hao beside him.
If a table could seat more than four people, Shen Qing would have invited everyone.
The hosts left the stage, and the Spring Festival Gala officially began.
The first two acts were song and dance combinations, with a total of two dances and four songs. There were no big stars, so not many viewers might have been interested.
But it must be said, these songs and dances were performed very well.
By the third act, when Feng Gong appeared, the audience started to laugh.
…
The subsequent programs continued to mix song and dance with spoken word performances, always keeping the audience engaged.
When you were getting sleepy from watching song and dance, they would unexpectedly present a crosstalk or skit, immediately waking you up.
And with Zhao Benshan as the grand finale at ten o’clock, could you sleep peacefully without watching until then?
Otherwise, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you wouldn’t be able to join the conversation if others talked about Zhao Benshan and Song Dandan’s skit.
Finally, at the 14th act, it was “My People, My Country’s” turn. Gao Yuanyuan, Fan Xiaopang, Jing Tian, Huang Xiaoming, Huang Bo, and Zhang Yi, dressed in evening gowns and suits, confidently took the stage.
But only they knew how nervous they were inside.
Standing on this stage for the first time, their excitement was indescribable. Fan Xiaopang glanced at Shen Qing, who was sitting in the front row applauding, her eyes filled with unconcealable tenderness.
Gao Yuanyuan also looked at Shen Qing gratefully. If Shen Qing hadn’t given her a hand, she might never have had the chance to be on the Spring Festival Gala.
As for Jing Tian, at this moment, she was full of admiration for Shen Qing!
If Lu Mouren knew, his heart would be bleeding. The young actress he had painstakingly cultivated had her heart set on someone else?
Huang Xiaoming, Huang Bo, and Zhang Yi, amidst their excitement, showed a hint of heroism. Their expressions clearly conveyed four words: Loyal to Shen Qing!
These four, like Han Xue before them, were lip-syncing, only needing to mouth the words.
For them, performing was not difficult at all.
They were even better than ordinary singers, their expressions filled with love for the great rivers and mountains of their motherland, every glance captivating.
“My people, my country”
“Cannot be separated for a moment”
“Wherever I go”
“A song of praise flows”
“…”
In front of the television, many people focused on their appearances, and no one paid much attention to the song.
“Fan Bingbing looks so beautiful tonight, like a fairy.”
“Gao Yuanyuan is so charming, like a newly married wife, incredibly beautiful.”
“This little sister Jing Tian is also pretty. So fair. She played a nurse in ‘My People, My Country,’ a very cute actress.”
“Haha, Huang Bo is so funny. Whenever I see him, I think of ‘Black Skin,’ crawling out of the sewer to the Spring Festival Gala, amazing!”
“Huang Xiaoming looks quite handsome~”
“…”
After the song ended, the six calmly walked off the stage.
But as soon as they reached the backstage, they excitedly hugged each other, “We succeeded, hahaha, this is great! Tonight, after Shen Qing and Liangying are done, we’re not going home until we’re drunk!”
Zhang Liangying and Jay Chou were still in the lounge. They were one of the final acts in the song category, scheduled just before Zhao Benshan’s skit.
Liangfen and Jay fans couldn’t wait any longer.
After much anticipation, they finally appeared.
Around 9:55 PM, Zhang Liangying and Jay Chou took the stage.
Fans in front of the television had finally waited for this moment.
“So beautiful!”
“No need to think about Liangying’s makeup, it must be Shen Qing again. She always looks so ethereal!”
“Did Jay lose weight? The black suit looks cool!”
The subtitle displayed “Love Each Other,” Lyrics/Music/Arrangement: Shen Qing, Performed by: Zhang Liangying/Jay Chou.
Seeing this, Liangfen fans were already certain that this song was going to be a hit!
Because any song Shen Qing released on a live stage was never a miss; it would always start a trend.
As the prelude began, the Shandong people’s DNA was immediately stirred.
“Damn, is that the ‘Yimeng Mountain Folk Song’?”
“It is indeed. Shen Qing is borrowing from our Shandong culture, great!”
“It sounds so good.”
“As expected of a golden arranger…”
“Quick, they’re about to sing. Did they both pick up their microphones? Is it a duet from the start?”
…
“Heaven~ and~ Earth, kindred and loving”
“Though miles apart, hearts are one”
“Tonight, when myriad lights shine”
“Perhaps gazing through the window, a dreamlike paradise awaits”
“Heaven~ and~ Earth, kindred and loving”
“Though miles apart, hearts are one”
“Perhaps gazing through the window, a dreamlike paradise awaits”
After the seven-line chorus ended, the atmosphere of the entire gala was instantly elevated. The song’s infectiousness was extremely strong.
The melody was pleasant and lively, passionate and uplifting. It felt particularly heartwarming to listen to on New Year’s Eve, as if it were singing about the lives of ordinary people.
Zhao Benshan, Song Dandan, and Niu Qun, who were preparing to go on stage backstage, were all stunned. Zhao Benshan even started humming along.
Song Dandan: “These two young people sing really well. Shen Qing’s songs are written so well. I think your ‘Country Love’ theme song could be written by Little Shen.”
Zhao Benshan: “Haha, I wouldn’t have remembered if you hadn’t mentioned it. After this, I need to chat with Shen Qing. Uh, assistant, please help me schedule a meeting with Shen Qing and ask him to wait a bit before leaving.”
Meanwhile, the reaction of the audience in front of the television was equally enthusiastic.
“As expected, Shen Qing is Shen Qing. These melodies are truly amazing!”
“Liangying’s vocal tone is so great, it gave me goosebumps.”
“Jay is responsible for the mid-low range, and Liangying handles the high notes. Their cooperation is so perfect. I feel this song will be as popular as ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’.”
“One family on both sides of the strait!”
“Is this the charm of a song? When Liangying sang, I actually felt like crying. This song is too magical.”
“Happy New Year! Looking forward to Liangying’s 2007 concert tour!”
“…”
