Chapter 109

Cheng Chen's third album, as widely rumored, aims to champion Chinese style and stand against K-pop.

Some praise his courage; others mock him for overreaching.

Few believe he can truly resist the impact of K-pop music with this album—even a fair contest seems a fantasy.

Cheng Chen's first two albums were of exceptional quality, a point no one disputes.

After all, they were the foundational works that made him famous and crowned him atop the music scene.

But a person's energy is limited, and those exceptional songs were painstakingly polished masterpieces.

Before, Cheng Chen was unknown in the music industry; many speculated that during his silent years, he had meticulously refined these songs, leading to his sudden rise.

Moreover, only half a year has passed since his last album, until this May.

Furthermore, his current banner is "Chinese style"—though he had previously released similar works that went viral.

But to produce an entire album of "Chinese style" to oppose K-pop—how immense the workload, how extraordinary the talent required?

Thus, while they await his new album with anticipation, they do not expect much.

They believe he is riding the trend, exploiting the public's resentment toward K-pop cultural invasion to portray himself as a warrior against cultural imperialism, merely for attention.

No matter what the outside world says, Cheng Chen doesn't care—he is now fully immersed in recording the songs.

Tianhai Records also understands the significance of this album to Cheng Chen.

So Wang Tianxiao has mobilized all the company's resources.

He even specially arranged for the industry's top music producer, Ouyang Jian, to assist with the album's production.

To ensure the album's quality, Cheng Chen and Ouyang Jian talked for a long time.

About every setting and plan for the album, and the fine details of arrangement, vocal style, and more.

Only after they thoroughly discussed and broke down each of the ten songs, analyzing them one by one, did they begin production.

Cheng Chen also spends nearly every day in the studio working alongside Ouyang Jian.

This is especially crucial, as countless examples exist of singers and producers clashing over album production.

But Cheng Chen's side is fine—he wrote all the lyrics and melodies himself, and the quality of his first two albums speaks for itself, so Ouyang Jian fully respects his opinions.

In addition, Tianhai spent a high price to rent a high-end recording studio in Jingcheng.

Tianhai Records' own studio no longer meets Cheng Chen's needs; renowned bands, accompanists, and recording engineers are required—on hardware, Wang Tianxiao imposed no restrictions on Cheng Chen: quality was paramount.

Whatever he needed, a single phone call, and she would spare no effort to fulfill it.

On the condition that he completes all ten songs of the new album with quality and quantity!

Because when she saw the ten songs Cheng Chen presented, she was ecstatic and immediately declared:

This Time Magazine is destined to bear Cheng Chen's imprint!

First, "Wanjiang."

This is the official flagship song nominated for Cheng Chen, and after the Spring Festival Gala, it became household knowledge.

According to reliable sources, Cheng Chen's song won first prize in the Spring Festival Gala's music category, consistent with the Gala's traditional preference for main-theme works.

Moreover, Cheng Chen holds a certain status in the music industry, and this song excels in both innovation and popularity—winning the award is unquestionable.

Second, "Bencao Gangmu."

A dance-and-sing track by Zhou Dong, with strong rhythm—it is one of the few fast-paced songs in this album.

In the future, this song sparked a nationwide fitness craze led by Coach Liu, making people want to kick their legs the moment they heard it…

Since everyone says he is raising the banner of Chinese style to oppose K-pop, this song is undoubtedly the perfect choice!

Many didn't understand this song, let alone comprehend it.

Some asked: what does Bencao Gangmu have to do with Li Shizhen and modern people?

In fact, Bencao Gangmu is merely a metaphorical name.

Its core message urges the Chinese to cherish traditional culture and not worship foreign ways.

The first line of lyrics expresses his viewpoint directly:

"If Hua Tuo were reborn, worship of the foreign would be cured…"

Third, "Qinghua Ci."

If one must choose a single masterpiece of Chinese style, "Qinghua Ci" must be on the list.

Let it be said: Wenshan's lyrics are among the finest in the Chinese music industry.

His "Qinghua Ci" is like a misty ink-wash landscape of Jiangnan, exquisitely evocative.

Moreover, this song has appeared repeatedly in college entrance exam questions, leaving countless students awestruck.

The line "Listen to the blue rain, while I wait for you" quickly revived the song's popularity on future short-video platforms.

Third and fourth, "Qianbaidu" and "Qingming Yu Shang."

As Xu Song's two representative Chinese-style works, the former was selected for College Chinese.

Upon release, it immediately dominated all major music charts; its lyrical imagery immerses listeners effortlessly.

The allusions embedded within reveal the lyricist's extraordinary command of language.

The chorus of "Qingming Yu Shang" is breathtaking—every melody and lyric delights.

"Red rain pours, stirring memories—how deeply buried," paired with its lingering, melodious tune, mournful yet not despairing, striking straight to the heart.

Though later, the opera-style version from the Modu concert was beautiful, Cheng Chen prefers the original.

Cheng Chen this time ruthlessly plucked every last wool from his Hui Sheng fellow townspeople.

Fifth, "Sanguo Lian."

As an era of heroes and beauties, the common soldier went unnoticed—this song describes that grand, magnificent age from the soldier's perspective.

Back then, this song spread wildly through internet cafes, with extremely high popularity.

Yet Cheng Chen currently has not a single song that narrates such a grand historical epic.

This song, as the vanguard, greatly enriched Cheng Chen's music library!

The sixth song, "The Fireworks Grow Cold."

Cheng Chen nearly plucked Zhou Dong bald, but there was no help for it—he loved this song too much.

The lyrics of this song draw from a story in Yang Xuanzhi's Luoyang Jialan Ji from the Northern Wei period:

In Luo Yang Cheng, a royal general met a woman by chance, and the two fell in love at first sight and pledged their lives to each other.

At that time, the general was summoned by the court to fight on the frontier; amid years of war and chaos, the imperial capital Luoyang had become ruins, shattered and desolate.

In the end, the woman waited faithfully for the general but never saw him again, so she shaved her head and became a nun; when the general, after enduring hardships, returned and found the ancient monastery where she had taken refuge, she had already passed away.

People told the general that a woman had been waiting for him here all along…

With this historical reference, the song gained a layer of legend; the tragic romance of the general and the woman was precisely the kind of tone the public loved.

While copying this song, Cheng Chen's mind automatically conjured the MV visuals—it was truly perfect for filming as an MV.

The seventh song, "The Red Actor."

Regarding this song, there are many online discussions, centered on its backstory…

In fact, from its lyrics, it's clear there is genuine reverence for the old heroes, but some marketing accounts have overexploited it.

Though the truth of the rumors is mixed, it does nothing to stop its widespread popularity.

Repeated covers by the national team and famous singers have earned it a large fanbase in the music industry.

The line "Though lowly, I dare not forget my concern for the nation—even if no one knows me…" conveys the emotion perfectly.

The frequent use of opera vocal styles was also one of the reasons Cheng Chen chose this song.

The success of "Ten Thousand Borders" showed Cheng Chen that blending opera vocals with pop was clearly acceptable to everyone.

Since this is a national-style album, this song must be included!

The eighth song, "Wukong."

Dai Quan's signature song—when it first came out, it swept all major music charts; paired with various montage visuals, countless people burst into tears.

The entire song never mentions Wukong by name, yet listeners instantly know it's singing about the mighty Sage who, despite his powers, is filled with endless helplessness.

With the backing of a classic IP and a fresh interpretation of a legendary mythic figure, it renews the classic tale with profound meaning.

It ensures wide appeal while prompting listeners to reflect inward—deeply immersive.

The ninth song, "Not Called a Hero."

Also a hit on post-generation social platforms.

The entire song radiates a free-spirited, unrestrained martial world vibe.

From the southern mountains to the northern seas, along the way he cuts down injustice, and when he meets a true friend, he drinks until dawn.

The melody is dynamic, the lyrics catchy, vividly portraying the hero's joyful, untamed martial world.

Relatively speaking, this song is better suited as a wuxia drama theme song; even just selling it separately could earn a good profit.

But for Cheng Chen, the importance of this new album far outweighs the value of licensing it as a theme song.

The tenth song, "Moonlight."

Hu Yanbing's compositional talent remains exceptional—this song is difficult; at first listen, it evokes the cycle of love and hatred, yet also carries the might of ten thousand troops.

Many anime fans first discovered Hu Yanbing through this song.

Though in this life "Qin Shi Ming Yue" has not yet been born, this song alone carved out its own territory.

Old Hu is amazing, and the song quality is top-tier; the only flaw is his taste in girlfriends…

…

These are the songs on Cheng Chen's new album—national-style, drawing elements from the grand landscape, opera, history, myth, heroes, and love.

The musical aesthetic and depth are sufficient, and its potential for popularity goes without saying—each track is a hit.

With so many high-quality songs on one album, some are inevitably overlooked by the market and fail to reach the heights of their post-generation fame.

But Cheng Chen no longer has time to care.

He's already raised the banner to fight the Korean wave—if he doesn't unleash some explosive masterpieces, how can he stand against them?

Moreover, Cheng Chen wants to use this album to propel Chinese pop beyond its borders, break out of Asia, and sweep the globe.

After all, several songs on this album have gone viral on YouTube, once worshipped by foreign netizens.

This battle must end with a total domination of the charts and the entire Chinese music industry!

This battle must be fought with the momentum to achieve godhood and leave a mark on the era!

Therefore, Cheng Chen named this album "Chinese Wave: Ten Thousand Borders!"

…

Meanwhile, news came from Su Qingya's side: Cai Yinong of Tang Ren had expressed interest in discussing a collaboration on "The Legend of Sword and Fairy I."

Cheng Chen put down his current work and flew to Modu.

Before leaving, he reminded Ouyang Jian about the album—contact him anytime he couldn't decide something.

Before meeting Cai Yinong, Cheng Chen sat on the plane, recalling the legendary businesswoman's history.

If there was one thing this businesswoman had done that went viral, it was surely her 2011 article titled "Today I Was Bitten by a Dog."

In the article, she mentioned her feud with Yu Chaochao—simple enough: Tang Ren's Cai Yinong bought the rights to "Bu Bu Jing Xin."

Then a certain platform released a conversation between Yu Chaochao and someone else.

Cai Yinong was the center of their topic; Yu Chaochao directly accused Cai Yinong of being a third party, claimed she was jealous of Da Mimi's fame, and more.

The content was explosive, and it clearly revealed Yu Chaochao and her friend's contempt and disdain for Cai Yinong.

Soon rumors spread that "Bu Bu Jing Xin" was a plagiarism of Yu Chaochao's "Gong Suo Xin Yu."

Cai Yinong personally stepped in, publicly tearing into Yu Chaochao, accusing her of merging content from "Bu Bu Jing Xin" and "Suo Xin Yu."

And the article also said:

"In the martial arts world, you're the famed Yu Chaochao. Know that this nickname wasn't mine to give..."

This was tantamount to tearing off the mask and confirming Yu Chaochao's alias outright.

Thus online, the two of them exchanged barbs, engaged in fierce back-and-forth battles.

Judging from the series of evidence Cai Yinong presented in her article, this matter was indeed handled unethically by Yu Chaochao...

This female boss possessed extraordinary methods, entering the scene just as Hong Kong cinema flourished in the 1990s.

With high demand for personnel, she smoothly entered the film and television industry.

Her first job after entering the industry was film promotion, not screenwriting as she had intended.

Yet Cai Yinong was a steady, pragmatic person who never entertained dreams of instant success.

Even in film promotion, she insisted on perfection.

In two years, she participated in the release of films such as "Fong Sai Yuk," "Heavenly Mission," and "A Moment of Romance."

The experience of dozens of films transformed Cai Yinong from a novice into a seasoned professional.

At age twenty-five, she founded Tangren Film and Television, initially achieving no notable success.

Only after the broadcast of "Xianjian Qixia Zhuan" did Tangren truly establish itself in the Mainland film and television industry.

And much of the success of "Xianjian Qixia Zhuan" was due to Cai Yinong.

First, she overruled all opposition and rejected the partners' chosen actors: Xie Tingfeng, Zhang Weijian, Lin Xinru, and others.

She boldly launched new talent—after much deliberation selecting Hu Ge, Peng Yuyan, An Yixuan, all in their early twenties, and seventeen-year-old Liu Tianxian.

Second, she deeply studied the game and made rational adaptations to the plot.

She added romantic subplots for Tang Yu Xiaobao, Anu, Liu Jinyuan, and others, enriching the drama's emotional arcs.

She also transformed the wuxia setting into xianxia, with more distinct character traits...

Thereafter, Tangren steadily built its reputation in the industry, producing numerous outstanding dramas and launching many actors to fame.

Thus she is a bold, hardworking woman who insists on handling everything herself.

But now, Cai Yinong is still in the early stages of her career.

To deal with such a person and win her over, first and foremost is a financial assault.

Second, you must gamble—that she is currently desperate for funding and unaware of "Xianjian's" future explosion in popularity.

In short, it's a matter of timing...