Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 169 What is lost is gained in the east
Lu Jiang's attitude was very tough, and he had the confidence to be tough.

He was the one with the advantage in this episode; John needed him to make money.

Since that's the case, why should I let him get in my way of getting the treasure chest?
John probably didn't expect a Chinese person to be so assertive.

This not only overturned his original impression of Lu Jiang, but also his impression of all Chinese people.

Shouldn't Chinese people, or East Asian people of the yellow race, all be the kind of people who are peaceful and amiable?
After a moment of stunned silence, John also became a little unhappy. He felt that Lu Jiang might not have understood the situation; after all, this was America, not China.

He then frowned and said, "Lu, the contract doesn't specify who will be the host."

It's obvious that they don't want to do what Lu Jiang said.

Zhou Jianhui sensed the tension and immediately tried to mediate, but as soon as John finished speaking, Lu Jiang chimed in: "The contract doesn't say I can't criticize the radio station on the show, and it doesn't say we're in a long-term partnership."

Nelson, who was standing nearby, immediately warned, "What do you want to do?"

"I didn't mean anything by it. I just don't want to work with an arrogant idiot like you. Is there a problem with that?"

"you"

"What do you mean, 'you'? You're just a rookie host, how dare you boast that you can make me famous? Do I need you to make me famous? Who do you think you are?"

Nelson's neck turned red, and he shouted, "I'm not an onion!"

"Easy, easy!"

Zhou Jianhui immediately stepped between the two, feeling extremely pleased.

That's how you should be scolded!
Of course, he also gained a new understanding of Lu Jiang.

It seems that Lu Jiang's sharp tongue has become more biting ever since he went abroad; he's really quite different from the average Chinese person.
Despite the feelings, what still needs to be done must be done.

After calming the impending verbal battle, he pulled John aside for a discussion.

A compromise was eventually reached: Arthur could appear on the show, but Nelson would also have to be present.

Lu Jiang had no objection to this, since he definitely wouldn't cooperate with John again next time.

With the matter settled, all that remained was to wait for Arthur to arrive.

At that moment, Arthur was drowning his sorrows in a bar with his friends.

"Brother, I'm quitting my job."

Arthur downed a sip of whiskey, twirled his fingertip around the rim of the glass, and revealed his thoughts after much contemplation.

His friends naturally knew why he wanted to resign: Arthur's boss had recently hired a DJ named Nelson, who had taken Arthur's position.

If Nelson had been a professional with outstanding skills, that would have been fine, but he turned out to be a terrible person, and so within a few days, Arthur almost got into a fight with him.

After an argument, everyone found out that Nelson was actually John's nephew.

Now that things have come to this, Arthur is naturally even less willing to stay.

The friend then comforted him, "Don't worry, didn't you say Lu promised you? Lu should be at your company by now, right? What if things take a turn for the better?"

Arthur shook his head with a wry smile: "I'm not that familiar with him, what reason would he have to do these things for me?"

My friend also realized that he had been making assumptions; there aren't that many fairy tales in this world.

He sighed and stopped dwelling on the topic: "So what are you planning to do now that you've resigned?"

"Go home and inherit the family business."

"Inherit the family business?! Did I hear that right? You? Inherit the family business? Wasn't your dad a worker?"

“Back then, when I was 8 years old, he switched to business.”

"Fuck you, I never knew you were a rich kid!"

"He's not exactly a rich kid, just a small business owner, that's my dad."

Before he could finish speaking, his cell phone rang, startling Arthur.

He took it out and saw a text message from director Allen: "Lu has arrived at the company and specifically asked you to be on the show. He's almost arguing with the boss right now, but things might turn around. Hurry back to the company; there might be good news!"

Arthur jumped to his feet.

"What's wrong?" my friend asked, looking curious.

"Lu really helped me!"

"real?!"

"Yes, look!"

"Oh my god!" His friend gasped, covering his mouth in surprise, then urged Arthur, "What are you waiting for? Go now!"

"I'm off then, wish me luck!"

"Hey, wait a minute, pay first."

More than half an hour later, Arthur returned to the company and met Lu Jiang, as well as a disgruntled Nelson.

But Arthur's attention was entirely on Lu Jiang: "Lu! We meet again, I've missed you so much!"

A big hug made Lu Jiang look disgusted, and he quickly pushed him away: "Why do you smell like alcohol?"

"Sorry, I was having a drink at a bar just now."

"Drinking? You're drinking on such an important day?"

"I had no choice."

"I don't care if you have any ideas or not, just get to the script!"

"Okay, no problem!"

Although Lu Jiang's tone was harsh, Arthur could tell that this was something only "one of their own" could enjoy.

At that moment, he even had a kind of illusion.

The more fiercely Lu Jiang cursed, the closer their relationship became, and the happier he would be.

As a result, the pressure on him decreased significantly, and he became incredibly flexible in his thinking when working with the script.

What he didn't know was that Lu Jiang genuinely disliked him.

If it weren't for Nelson being really annoying, and Arthur not having that purple treasure chest on his head, he really wouldn't want to continue working with this not-so-professional DJ.
Next, they proceeded step by step. Because the show had a high level of attention and was very profitable, and because they already knew that Lu Jiang was not someone to be trifled with, Nelson had no choice but to cooperate even if he was unwilling.

Soon it was time to record, and countless people throughout New York were already gathered in front of the radio station, waiting for "Midnight Love" to air.

Many of the musicians among them had a simple goal: to hear the quality of the second half of "Free Loop" and whether it truly deserved such a grand production.

If the quality is truly excellent, then there's nothing more to say, and everyone will naturally join the praise frenzy. But if it's terrible, then countless articles have already been written to criticize it.

The program started soon.

The introduction began with a standard format: two hosts and one guest.

The new host wasn't a celebrity, which surprised the audience, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Then, under Arthur's guidance, Lu Jiang began to explain the creative inspiration behind "Free Loop".

Similar to "You," it's about "a short but beautiful love, even if it can't last forever, is still worth cherishing," and so on.

Then there's the arrangement concept and what instruments were used.

The audience was left scratching their heads in bewilderment.

Can you please stop talking nonsense!
But can a radio station really give listeners what they want?

With such a great opportunity, the best course of action is to extend the program and save the treasure for last.

So for more than half an hour, the show didn't play any new songs. Instead, it interspersed conversations about music, the Grammys, Cannes nominations, and various interesting stories.

They would occasionally insert commercials in the middle of the show, which was quite unseemly, causing the number of complaint calls to skyrocket, but this only made John happier.

It wasn't until the 50th minute, close to midnight, that we finally got down to business.

Next, the program began airing sequels to "Free Loop" written by various local American musicians, which Lu Jiang commented on one by one.

Many of these sequels are of good quality.

Lu Jiang was impressed, remarking that true talent abounds, especially in the music industry, a phenomenon seemingly particularly applicable in the United States. The good news, however, is that none of the versions matched the originals.

But the audience wouldn't think that way.

After several sequels were released, many people were looking forward to Lu Jiang's full version, while others were waiting for Lu Jiang to make a fool of himself.

"I've heard this song, and I think it's perfectly fine for release!"

"This one is good too, better than the one you mentioned. The road is going to be a big problem!"

"That's not necessarily true. Lu is a musical poet; there might be some surprises."

"Whether there are any surprises or not, I think Lu is doomed to lose this time, because whether a song is good or not is a very subjective thing. If he can't make most people like it, he's going to lose!"

"But what if we actually did it?"

"If you do that, I'll give you my guitar!"

"You said it yourself."

Listeners and musicians from all walks of life engaged in various discussions.

This also set a new record for the number of listeners for this episode of "Midnight Love" since the station was established.

Amidst the various discussions, it was past midnight.

Under Arthur's throat singing, the official version of "Free Loop" was finally sung.

At this moment, almost all the listeners stopped discussing and listened to the song quietly.

Some people who were driving also pulled over to the side of the road, wanting to listen to the whole thing before continuing their journey.

Then, songs began playing on millions of radios in New York and the surrounding area.

I'm already very familiar with the opening verse; I've played it many times over the past few months.

As the "Fragment" point approached, everyone held their breath and focused intently.

Then the chorus came out so smoothly!
".Cause It's hard for me to lose in my life I've found
Because I simply cannot afford to lose in my life.

Only time will tell and I will figure out
I've realized that only time can prove everything in my life.

That we can baby, we can do a one night stand
Darling, we will find the answer; at least we can hold each other all night.
"

As soon as the chorus begins.

Countless listeners breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the smoothness of the original!
Now I feel much better!
The musicians, on the other hand, have an even more professional feel for it.

The climax of the chorus truly elevates the melody and theme of the entire song.

That raw sense of struggle, the uncertainty brought by time, and the brief moments of tender compromise.

It conveys a complex emotion of "being unwilling to let go, yet having no choice but to accept reality" in an incredibly smooth way.

Especially the line, "We can baby, we can do a one-night stand."

From a business perspective, with this lyric, its popularity is guaranteed to be high!

Then listen to the second half.

The piano interlude in the middle has a light and smooth melody with a certain "bouncy" feel, similar to the rhythm of improvisational jazz, making people unconsciously nod or sway along.

Countless musicians are now convinced of this.

This song is guaranteed to be a hit!

And indeed, at this moment, countless listeners had already begun to sway to the rhythm.

Especially now that it's the middle of the night, and everyone is almost alone, it's even harder to resist the urge to dance to the music.

Therefore, many people have already made up their minds: this song is a must-buy!
"Wow, Lu, I have to say you're a genius! I absolutely love this song!"

Arthur was genuinely moved, even though he had already heard the full version.

Even Nelson, who was standing next to him, gave a genuine review: "It sounds great!"

Lu Jiang, following the rhythm of the script, continued to deliver his message: "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. My new album has three songs!"

"Yes, listeners, did you think Lu traveled 12000 kilometers to come here today just to bring us one song? Of course not! Today, Lu is going to play all three songs! I dare say, they are all of super high quality! Now, everyone please take your seats, those who want to sleep, don't sleep yet, those who want to make love, stop for now, turn the volume up to the maximum, and enjoy Lu's second new song!"

Arthur's passionate vocals boosted the ratings for "Midnight Love" by several points.

That night also set a listening record that "Midnight Love" and even the entire ADS radio station could not surpass for the next five years.

Why five years?

It went bankrupt in its sixth year.
After the three songs ended.

Lu Jiang had no idea what kind of upheaval was unfolding in the New York music scene, or what kind of upheaval the entire American population would experience tomorrow.

All he wants to know now is what kind of inheritance Arthur has received.

After the recording ended, Lu Jiang and John exchanged perfunctory expressions of pleasure at their collaboration. After shaking hands with Nelson, who was so captivated by "Shape of You" that he lingered for a long time after the show, Lu Jiang and Arthur said their final goodbyes.

"Lu, I really don't know how to thank you enough."

"Just keep it in mind."

Lu Jiang didn't care much. Providing him with a treasure chest was enough. As for anything else, Lu Jiang didn't think he could offer anything else.

However, Arthur's next words were: "Without you, my DJ career wouldn't have had such a brilliant ending, so Lu, I've already remembered you. Although you might not consider me a brother, in my heart, you are my brother!"

"Don't be so mushy. But what do you mean by leaving?"

"I'm quitting my job. As you know, I'm not really good at DJing."

Arthur sighed. "I'm going back to inherit the family business, Lu. If you have time in the future, you can come to my house. I'm sure you'll like my mom's apple pie!"

"Inherit the family business?"

In the US, this term is only used by people who are very wealthy and powerful.

So Lu Jiang became curious: "What does your family do?"

“It’s a small business, running a movie theater. The first theater was opened in 94. Now my dad owns a small theater chain with a total of 43 theaters. He is the second largest shareholder.”

"Theatrical releases?" Lu Jiang's eyes lit up.

This truly is a case of losing one thing but gaining another.

I just broke up with John, and now Arthur has come along.

This is much better than Johnny's Independent Films.

They're directly involved in the cinema chain, which, in some ways, better suits Lu Jiang's needs!
He then asked, "Are you involved in production and distribution?"

"We weren't involved in production, but we were involved in distribution, though only in small films. We had nothing to do with big-budget films."

Is it that producing is something that can't be done, or that they lack the ability to do it?

"Because of the Paramount Act, the same company cannot be involved in both production, distribution, and exhibition, but if it is not the same company, there is not much of a problem."

Arthur realized what was going on then, "Lou, you want to make movies in our country?"

"Correct."

Lu Jiang did not hide anything.

John's path has failed; he has to find another one.

I was wondering how to find him when Arthur suddenly appeared.

It seems he's more reliable than John now.

So the remaining question is how to find the starting point for cooperation.

Upon hearing this, Arthur immediately said with eager eyes, "Lu, I can help you!"

(End of this chapter)