Chapter 165

Cheng Chen still included the song "Time Where Did Time Go," performed at the Spring Festival Gala, in his new album.

The song received an especially strong response, helping Cheng Chen attract many middle-aged fans.

Moreover, "Time Where Did Time Go" became a nationwide topic of discussion during that early period of the year.

This alone proves that the current market values high-quality songs.

Especially on the eternal theme of "family affection," it holds unique appeal.

Therefore, Cheng Chen decided to continue this style in his new album.

Immediately, the song "Father's Prose Poem" surfaced in his mind.

Like "Time Where Did Time Go," this song also lacks ornate or convoluted lyrics.

It contains abundant descriptions of real-life scenes.

For example: "Today's open-air movie, no time to watch; my wife reminded me to fix the sewing machine's pedal."

"Tomorrow I'll borrow more money from the neighbor next door; my child cried all day, demanding cookies."

When these plain, unadorned words are set to melody, they move the heart even more deeply.

As the music plays, scenes from the "father's" diary appear before the listener's eyes.

As if viewing a series of photographs faded by the passage of time…

Later, Cheng Chen added "Confession Balloon" and "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" to the album.

After all, these two songs are rare high-quality works—one perfectly captures the sweetness of love.

Listening to it, one cannot help but raise their hands and sway along with the melody and rhythm.

Like a concert where everyone waves glow sticks, the whole venue becomes romantic.

The lyric's playful use of balloons to describe how hard it is to win over a girl makes the song even more romantic and beautiful.

The latter, when listened to, always evokes youth and dreams carrying the boldness and drive of youth.

It shows the power of passion to every young heart.

It expresses people's persistence and pursuit of dreams and ideals.

Many hear in this song the version of themselves from long ago…

Of course, promoting Huaxia-style music could not be overlooked; previously, Cheng Chen's releases—whether represented by "Wan Jiang" or "Chi Ling" with opera vocals—

Or songs like "Blue and White Porcelain," "Smoke and Fire Grow Cold," "A Thousand Times"—all Huaxia-style pop—

Had, to some extent, made Cheng Chen the absolute dominant force in Huaxia-style music.

Now, whenever people think of "Huaxia-style" music, the first name that comes to mind is Cheng Chen.

Seizing the momentum, Cheng Chen continued releasing Huaxia-style music.

For the opera vocal style, he planned to release "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."

The song draws its inspiration from one of China's Ten Great Classical Paintings: "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."

It blends classical and modern elements, with lyrics steeped in ancient charm and a light, brisk vocal delivery.

By expressing this timeless masterpiece through singing, it creates an extremely vivid visual experience.

While listening, one seems to see pedestrians' flowing robes and street vendors' calls…

Of course, Peking opera vocals cannot be omitted—they are the soul of this song.

For the other Huaxia-style pop song, Cheng Chen chose "Between Mountains and Waters."

This song swept all major music charts upon release; notably, it was created in 2014.

In an era of highly developed internet, achieving such outstanding results upon release—

Was due not only to Xu Song's own fan support, but unquestionably also to the song's exceptional quality.

After finalizing these two ancient-style songs, Cheng Chen thought for a moment and added another song that became wildly popular on the internet in the future.

"The Wind Has Blown!"

This song exploded in popularity on the future internet and was frequently used as background music in short videos.

Notably, the original version of this song was the ending theme of the Japanese drama "Midnight Diner."

Now, by releasing it first, Cheng Chen eliminated any notion of a Japanese version.

The remaining three songs were "Worry Relief," "Chasing the Light," and "Boy."

These three songs, needless to say,

Were all selected through talent shows, eventually becoming massive internet hits.

Each one, on its own, could serve as a lead single—its quality is unquestionable.

For this album, Cheng Chen still considered all three generations—young, middle-aged, and elderly—but with clear emphasis.

He wanted to solidify his position in the music industry and must absorb youthful energy.

Therefore, in selecting songs like "The Wind Has Blown," "Worry Relief," "Chasing the Light," and "Boy,"

He prioritized the preferences of the younger generation.

Since participating in brand events, Cheng Chen had to not only write lyrics, compose music, and practice all these songs,

But also add daily work writing the script for "Wulin Waizhuan."

Actually, writing the "Wulin Waizhuan" script was simple—Cheng Chen only needed to write down the plot he had watched countless times in his mind.

Of course, visual and textual descriptions vary from person to person.

Cheng Chen did not rigidly fix everything, always leaving some creative space for the director.

He only needed to clearly write the character profiles and dialogue.

While writing the dialogue, Cheng Chen couldn't help but feel deeply moved—it was no accident that it had remained popular for so many years.

Even after many years, the jokes in the drama still remained hilarious.

The production team's perspective still aligned with future values, and even its presentation style was not outdated.

The "advanced" expressive style of this sitcom seemed at the time to have a mocking, internet-flavored trend.

But whether it was Tongfu Inn or Qixia Town, their essence was surreal—"martial arts" as a genre was inherently surreal.

Yet on this "surreal" stage, what was portrayed were trivial, everyday matters: firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

Added to this were many internet elements that had just begun to "take off" at the time (internet slang, memes, etc.).

Sike

These were the reasons for its enduring popularity...

"Ding-ding-ding."

Cheng Chen, fully absorbed in writing, suddenly heard his phone ring.

It was Wang Tianxiao calling.

"Yeah, everything's ready. Recording the songs should be fine tomorrow—same production team as last time, it's good."

"We can also start preparing for the MV shoot. The MV's female lead? Still tentatively Yan Danchen and my sister."

"Come on, where do you get that idea? It's all work, okay? Yan Danchen is an artist under Starfire—more screen time benefits the company!"

Cheng Chen communicated with the other side, utterly speechless.

"I'm not just being paranoid—it's just that you're too flirtatious. Even a trip to Tai Sheng gets you gossip with so many women. Please, Master Cheng, can you just behave yourself?"

Wang Tianxiao pleaded earnestly over the phone.

"Ah, fame brings trouble. Those gossip stories? Most of them are just people throwing themselves at me. I just act, write songs, perform—how many male stars in the entertainment industry are as honest as me?"

Cheng Chen chuckled.

"Alright, Master Cheng, remember to show up on time tomorrow for the recording."

After a few more reminders, Wang Tianxiao hung up.

Cheng Chen's recording process was simple: he wrote the lyrics and music himself, and knew every song inside out.

Aside from rehearsing with the band, he finished recording all ten songs in just one week.

During this time, Cheng Chen also managed to meet Gao Yuanyuan, who was filming in Jingui City.

"Sis, why are you back? Aren't you filming somewhere else?"

Cheng Chen was puzzled by Gao Yuanyuan's sudden return.

"First, take a look at this script."

Gao Yuanyuan handed Cheng Chen a script titled "The First Under Heaven."

Cheng Chen had a strong memory of this drama—he'd watched it countless times in his past life.

Opinions on this drama were divided: some called it a heartfelt masterpiece.

Others said the plot had few highlights and offered little novelty compared to previous martial arts dramas.

It consistently carried a typical comedic tone: language full of puns and banter, performances exaggerated and humorous.

As a result, the plot felt loose and unengaging...

"You want me to play Duan Tianya?"

At home, Cheng Chen stared at Gao Yuanyuan, who had just returned from Jingui City, and asked in surprise.

"Yes. Li Yapeng, who was to play Duan Tianya, injured his foot and was hospitalized for surgery. The doctor says he needs at least two or three months to recover."

"The crew just started filming when this happened. Luckily, his scenes weren't many, so they considered a last-minute cast change."

Gao Yuanyuan spoke slowly.

"What did Li Yapeng say?"

Cheng Chen asked.

"Although the cast change involves many complications, none of that matters now."

"The production team will handle communication with him. What's your opinion?"

Gao Yuanyuan looked at Cheng Chen, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.

Since their last collaboration on "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," they had not worked together again—except for the MV...

"Hmm... let me read the script first."

Cheng Chen paused, then picked up the script and began reading.

The drama was set in the Ming Dynasty, featuring the Four Secret Agents of Hulong Villa: Guihai Yidao, Shangguan Haitang, Duan Tianya, and Cheng Shifei.

Each possessed extraordinary skills and served the Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi.

During this period, the emperor was incompetent, and the eunuch director of the Eastern Depot, Cao Zhengchun, controlled the government, framed loyal officials, and constantly sabotaged Hulong Villa.

Thus, a series of conspiracies enveloped the villa, leading the Divine Marquis to be framed and imprisoned.

The four protagonists joined forces to eliminate the eunuch director—only to discover the true mastermind was the Divine Marquis himself.

The drama featured a star-studded cast, including Guo Jin'an, Ye Xuan, Huang Shengyi, Zhang Weijian, and others.

Hmm, Deng Chao, who'd had some minor friction with Cheng Chen, was also in it—though his role was small: he played the emperor.

In China, both directors and audiences held a special fondness for martial arts television dramas.

Although martial arts dramas had a vast market, original screenplays were extremely scarce.

Many directors, under these conditions, turned repeatedly to adapting novels by Jin Yong and Gu Long.

But Jin Yong and Gu Long had only a few novels suitable for adaptation, and their repeated filming led to audience fatigue.

Thus, original martial arts dramas became exceedingly rare, while "The First Under Heaven" blended elements of political intrigue, romance, chivalry, and brotherhood.

Each character in the drama displayed distinct, vivid traits.

All personalities were fully realized, collectively supporting a clear main plot and memorable characters.

Undoubtedly, this was a high-quality masterpiece.

Moreover, this drama also introduced a character who became a target of endless internet mockery in later generations.

The polite eunuch Cao…

And at this moment, Cheng Chen had received the script for Duan Tianya, the top-tier "Heaven Number One" role.

In the drama, his personality is calm and composed, navigating among several women while facing multiple trials of love, family, and justice.

Cheng Chen skimmed through the script, then set it down and said:

"Sis, I can take this role, but my schedule might be tight lately.

You know I'm releasing a new album and shooting a music video."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded and said:

"I understand, but I truly believe this role suits you perfectly, which is why Producer Wang recommended you.

If you agree to take this drama, we can negotiate with Producer Wang.

We can stagger the shooting schedule for Duan Tianya's scenes so you have time for both the music video and the drama.

I've already thought of all this before coming here, and Producer Wang said it's no problem."

"Hmm, I heard the producer of this film is Wang Sanri?"

Cheng Chen had no particular fondness for Wang Sanri.

At the same time, Cheng Chen admitted that Wang Sanri was an extremely talented and highly original director.

He had directed many memorable film and television works, but after the year 2000, most of Wang Sanri's films were rated as trash by audiences.

Thus he earned the nickname "King of Bad Movies."

As a director, the fat and pudgy Wang Sanri appeared somewhat "slick."

He had directed many famous erotic films and launched many "Crystal Girls."

Therefore, in public perception, Wang Sanri was "greedy."

Because he could make actors famous, many female actresses actively pursued him.

So Wang Sanri never lacked women around him—he would tire of one and replace her.

Of course, the entertainment industry was deep and murky, and those actresses did not mind interacting with him.

They often performed intimate gestures on camera, purely for resource exchanges.

What truly gave Cheng Chen a grudge against him was when he directed "Little Fish and Flower."

The two Hong Kong leads, during the filming of a fight scene, turned fiction into reality and beat the Mainland actor playing the villain into the hospital.

Afterwards, the Mainland actor filed a lawsuit against the two leads.

The assault incident caused a huge uproar in the media, with the public buzzing with speculation.

Reasons varied widely. Some claimed the Mainland actor, emboldened by his fame, frequently flirted with female crew members.

The two leads, acting as righteous avengers, turned the scene real.

But the Mainland actor denied it, insisting he had never flirted with anyone and that everyone on set knew what kind of person he was.

Others speculated the conflict arose between the Mainland actor and Hong Kong crew members.

The Hong Kong stars allegedly sought personal revenge; reportedly, several veteran Mainland actors and directors jointly petitioned.

They demanded that the assailants and the production team apologize and pay compensation.

Yet as the director, Wang Sanri did not apologize immediately after the assault.

Instead, before the media, he claimed the act was done purely for dramatic effect.

He even slapped himself six hard slaps and insisted it didn't hurt at all.

Remember, this was a co-production, yet Mainland actors were consistently mistreated on set.

This kind of behavior—eating from the bowl then smashing it—was deeply despised, and the assault incident was quietly dropped.

To this day, the true cause remains unknown…

So, faced with Gao Yuanyuan's purpose in coming, Cheng Chen was still weighing his options…

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