Chapter 325: Playing Chopin's Nocturne for You

"Terrifying. Is the music scene over there tearing itself apart that badly too?"

Chen Hao, who wasn't very familiar with the Taiwan music scene, clicked her tongue in amazement: "I thought the infighting was serious over in Hong Kong."

Having grown up almost exactly during the peak of Hong Kong music, Chen Hao knew very little about the Taiwan music scene, but she could rattle off the inside stories of the infighting among the Hong Kong Four Heavenly Kings with ease—

After all, her idol during her middle and high school years was Leon Lai, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Hong Kong music scene.

It was just that because there was no internet back then, Chen Hao now flatly refused to admit the dark history of her cringey fan days when she waved flags and cheered for Leon Lai—As long as I don't admit it, the dark history doesn't exist.

"It's the same everywhere. Didn't the mainland tear itself apart just as fiercely in the 80s and 90s? If we really talk about the music environment, the mainland after the millennium might actually be the best."

Zhou Yi, who was used to such things, tossed the watermelon rind away, reached for a box of tissues from a nearby chair, pulled one out, and wiped his hands: "Because, counting strictly, from the millennium until now, it's been two years, and you can't even gather ten famous pop singers in the mainland."

"That's true, but it doesn't matter."

Compared to Zhou Yi's voracious rate of eating watermelon, Chen Hao, afraid of smudging her makeup, ate in small bites very slowly. Hearing this, she raised her hand to tuck the wind-blown hair behind her ear and smiled: "The mainland music scene has you, a true deity, that's enough to suppress all demons and monsters."

Judging solely by achievements and popularity, Zhou Yi, who had debuted only two years ago, had now achieved a qualitative leap, jumping from a Heavenly King to a stabilizing pillar.

"You might be underestimating the fans of those other singers. Right now, it's just that my power is greater."

Zhou Yi crumpled the tissue into a ball, flicked it into the trash bin not far away, propped his hands on his knees, slowly stood up, and stretched: "Moreover, compared to this, I still feel acting is a bit harder."

"What exactly is this 'killing intent' Jiang Wen talks about? I've never killed anyone, where would I get killing intent? Do I have to kill a few chickens before filming starts?"

When the progress bar reached the MV for "Killer," Zhou Yi, who had been able to muddle through before, was now completely stumped by Jiang Wen.

To be honest, he had indeed been quite unconvinced at first; he believed his own eyes already held a lot of killing intent, but after Jiang Wen showed him the footage they had shot, he shut his mouth immediately.

If you're bad, just practice more.

That boomerang remark had finally boomeranged back onto Jiang Wen's head.

"Why don't you try acting in the direction of a pervert?"

As an outstanding graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, Chen Hao, who played the innocent female college student in the "Killer" MV, squinted her eyes into crescent moons, her long skirt's hem falling onto the floor filled with Italian style.

"I'm already acting very perverted."

"Then maybe you're not perverted enough."

Chen Hao stood up, holding a watermelon in one hand, and pulled Zhou Yi's right hand with the other, voluntarily letting his palm lock onto her throat—

The man's slightly rough fingers rubbed against the woman's pale, tender skin on her neck. Chen Hao looked up at him: "Imagine, right now you are the killer in the later part of the script who has gone completely mad. You can't have me, so you want to kill me."

"..."

Zhou Yi frowned, imagined the refined but villainous film and TV images he had seen, and was just about to try, when his gaze unconsciously drifted to the half-eaten watermelon in Chen Hao's free left hand...

The emotions he had just cultivated instantly collapsed—

He couldn't hold it in.

"No, no, you holding that watermelon is way too distracting."

Zhou Yi, unable to hold back his laughter, waved his hands repeatedly.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it; it was just that Chen Hao's performance, which looked like she was facing a great enemy, formed a sharp contrast with the watermelon rind in her hand.

He hadn't received formal education as a film and TV actor, so it was hard for him to ignore things that would hinder him from entering the role.

"Then rehearsing like this goes like this."

Turning her head to look at the watermelon in her hand, Chen Hao, who had just imagined that scene, also had a smile rise on her face. She casually placed the uneaten watermelon on the nearby piano stand.

This was a piano composed of black and white, also the visual technique in the "Killer" MV symbolizing the progress of the male protagonist's mental breakdown.

When the MV started, the male protagonist played by Zhou Yi could still sit before the piano and play elegantly, forming a sharp contrast with the end where he completely gave up the piano (the female lead).

The piano was the manifestation of the female lead.

"Do you remember when we first met? Back then, wasn't I rehearsing with classmates at school? Even with so many people walking around with things nearby, I had to force myself to ignore them."

Chen Hao, with her ten fingers crossed in front of her and her back leaning against the piano, tilted her head up slightly, her expression somewhat nostalgic.

"I remember. I even used getting lost as an excuse to try to hit on you, but unfortunately your classmates saw through it."

Zhou Yi pouted.

Back then, having grown tired of wandering around Tsinghua and Peking University, he started wandering around the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama. He had intended to encounter future female stars, but ended up wandering for several days without seeing any; luckily, on the last day, he met Chen Hao.

"More than that. Back then when I lent you money, my classmates said you might be a scamming gambler, told me to keep my eyes open, saying you were just using your musical instrument and singing to scam women out of money."

Chen Hao, talking about this matter, was in stitches.

If she hadn't lent the money to Zhou Yi without hesitation back then, the two of them probably wouldn't have reached this level of mutual trust now; one hundred thousand yuan in '98 was no small sum.

Truly meeting in humble beginnings.

"Short-sighted, vulgar."

Zhou Yi spoke with righteous indignation: "Just say, did I win or not?"

I won, so I have the right.

"You did win, but there's one thing I'm still curious about. Why do you always refuse to delve deep into one profession? I remember when you had money back then, the piano teacher you chose said you had great talent."

Chen Hao crossed her arms over her chest, bent forward with a smile, and stretched her body: "Saying that one year of your study is almost equivalent to others' childhood foundation."

"You're listening to him brag; he just wants to charge more lesson fees."

Zhou Yi sneered and pouted, glanced at the piano, then walked over to stand before it. The annoyance in his heart prompted him, after sitting down, to run his ten fingers over the black and white keys: "I do have talent, but for the field of classical music, this little talent of mine isn't quite enough."

"But I think you play very well." Chen Hao raised an eyebrow, turned her head to look at the man sitting at the piano, and expressed a different opinion.

"It's enough for the entertainment industry."

Zhou Yi, with his ten fingers on the keys, smiled: "Since you praise me so much, come on, pick any song. With my current status, a single commercial performance starts at a million; you should cherish this."

"Hmm, Bach's 'Nocturne,' then. You know, I've always been a loyal listener to Bach." Chen Hao blinked, her thoughts turning, and smiled happily.

"That's Chopin's, you fake fan."

Hearing Chen Hao say this ignorant sentence again after so many years, Zhou Yi corrected her while laughing, sitting before the piano, looking exactly as he had back then.

The version played by the piano master Rubinstein flowed forth like a clear spring under Zhou Yi's ten fingers; an elegant atmosphere drifted within the photography area filled with Italian style;

The man dressed in a black and white suit sat before the piano with a smile on his lips, while the woman in a Mediterranean blue long dress leaned elegantly against the piano, listening quietly.

Not far away, Ning Hao, who was about to remind the two, had his mouth suddenly covered by Jiang Wen, who was quick-eyed and quick-handed; the latter raised his index finger and simultaneously signaled several cameras to change their angles and film over there.

For Jiang Wen, who was extremely skilled at capturing female beauty, this scene instantly sparked a great deal of inspiration.

Although Chen Hao still couldn't understand the piano piece as she had back then, she could still feel the different emotional changes conveyed within the music—

For her, this was a very magical thing.

Perhaps this was the charm of classical music.

The complete version of the Nocturne was very long; Zhou Yi could not possibly play it all the way through. But even so, after Zhou Yi stopped his ten fingers, Chen Hao still smiled, raised her hand, and applauded him—

"It sounds good."

The applause broke the elegant atmosphere; Chen Hao's praise made the corners of Zhou Yi's mouth rise uncontrollably, his face full of smugness.

"Keep it low, keep it low."

The words were put on as a pose, but on his unmasked face, four big characters were written plainly: Praise me quickly.

(End of this chapter)