Entertainment: Since 1990

Chapter 317: Can a young person with unclear speech have a future?
"They found the person so quickly?"

Cao Jian immediately sat up from his reverie.

Jay Chou, the future Jay Chou, a human cash cow, an idol of countless people born in the 80s and 90s, someone like him must be signed to our company.

"I'll be there right away."

After hanging up the phone, Cao Jian said to Wang Fei, "Get up, go see the person I'm looking for."

"Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over Jay Chou?"

Wang Fei was kept up late by the man last night, and her back is still sore.

Moreover, I've never heard of this Jay Chou before; he must be a newcomer. Why are you so excited?

"I have high hopes for this person."

After getting dressed, Cao Jian told Lin Zhiling to sleep a little longer, and then took Wang Fei with him to TTV immediately.

He admits his singing skills are good enough now, but he doesn't really know how to sing like Jay Chou with his unclear pronunciation.

The two quickly arrived at the TTV building and entered the reception room, where they saw TTV Chairman Mr. Chen and TTV host Wu Zongxian sitting there. Next to them sat a young man with a youthful face who looked a bit shy.

"Hello, Mr. Cao. My name is Wu Zongxian. This is Jay Chou, the man you are looking for. He is currently working as a music assistant at my music company."

Upon seeing Boss Cao, Wu Zongxian immediately came over and warmly introduced the boy.

"I know you."

Cao Jian simply nodded casually to Wu Zongxian, then looked at Jay Chou.

This future superstar is now unremarkable in appearance, with small eyes and no star quality whatsoever.

The main problem is that he took the entrance exam for music academies several times but failed each time, supposedly because he wasn't a good singer.

Even Wu Zongxian and the boss of TTV were curious as to why Mr. Cao was interested in such a young man.
Cao Jian's gaze made the boy named Zhou Jielun even more embarrassed.

He loved music and naturally knew the name of Cao Jian, a senior musician. He just didn't expect that this senior would know him.

However, facing such a powerful figure, he didn't know how to start the conversation, let alone what to say.

Cao Jian watched for a while, then smiled and said, "Xiao Zhou, I've heard your songs. I'd like you to come to my record company, what do you say?"

"I"

When invited by industry bigwig Cao Tianwang, Jay Chou could hardly believe his ears. He opened his mouth to agree, but then remembered that he was with Wu Zongxian's Alfa Music, so he had to look at his boss.

"Mr. Cao, you want to sign him?"

Wu Zongxian originally thought that Boss Cao was looking for Jay Chou to give him a chance to cooperate, but he never expected that he would directly poach him.

Could this young man be very promising?
"Yes, I like this boy."

Cao Jian nodded and said, "Mr. Wu, would you be willing to part with it?"

Cao Jian's request put Wu Zongxian in a bit of a dilemma.

They wouldn't allow it, because Mr. Cao and the owner of TTV have a very good relationship and have been cooperating with each other.

Let it go. What if this young man named Jay Chou really becomes a big star in the future? Wouldn't I have lost a cash cow?

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Actually, I also think highly of Xiao Zhou. Mr. Cao, I'm really sorry."

"That's it."

Cao Jian didn't press the matter, and said calmly, "Is your company called Alpha? Since you're unwilling to put it in, I'll just buy the whole company."

"what?"

Now, not only was Wu Zongxian shocked, but even Wang Fei was a little confused as to what was wrong with her man today.
Why would someone buy a company for this unassuming young boy?
Little did he know that Cao Jian wasn't doing this because he had a lot of money. Besides Jay Chou, he remembered that there was another person named Fang Wenshan in Wu Zongxian's company.

Without him, Jay Chou's achievements might be greatly diminished.

Since you, Wu Zongxian, won't give Jay Chou to me, then your company is all mine.

Seeing that Mr. Cao was so domineering and wanted to buy the company directly, the TTV boss stepped in to smooth things over and said, "Zongxian, since Mr. Cao has taken a liking to this Xiao Zhou, why don't you just give it to him and let him pay some termination fee?"

"Chairman Chen, instead of paying the termination fee, it would be more convenient for me to just buy the entire company."

Cao Jian, seemingly unconcerned about money, said to Wu Zongxian, "Name your price."

Fearing that Wu Zongxian would overcharge and offend Boss Cao, the TTV boss quickly said, "Zongxian, your Alpha only has four people, so let's just say it costs three million NT dollars. You won't lose out."

"I"

Wu Zongxian was speechless for a moment, and really wanted to thank the boss's whole family.

The person in front of you is one of the top ten richest people in Hong Kong, worth billions, and you only want three million? Or in Taiwan dollars?
Even though the boss had already spoken, he still wanted more, saying, "Three million is a bit too little. My company may be small, but it's full of talented people. How about this, four million NT dollars, I'll give it to you as a package deal."

"make a deal."

Cao Jian was too lazy to waste his breath on a million NT dollars.

If you manage to win over Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan, you can earn back any amount of NT dollars in the future.

Wu Zongxian felt that four million was still a bit low, but he could barely accept it.

After all, there are only four people in their company, and it's really uncertain what Jay Chou's situation will be like.

It's better to take a sum of money now and start a company later; it won't cost much.

But Jay Chou was so excited he almost cried.

Being signed by Boss Cao must mean he appreciates me, so maybe my hard times are finally over.

Cao Laoban is a household name among Chinese people. The pop diva Wang Fei in front of us was made famous by his songs.

But Jay Chou's excitement lasted only a few seconds before Wang Fei, whom he admired, suddenly spoke up: "I'd like to hear what this boy's voice is like first. Can he sing a song on the spot?"

"?"

Cao Jian looked at Wang Fei curiously, "Are you suddenly exercising the powers of a record company general manager?"
"I just want to hear it."

Wang Fei quietly squeezed Cao Jian's hand, as if to say that four million was too much.

It's really inappropriate to spend so much money on a singer, and I want to know if he's worth it. If his skill level is just average, at least we could negotiate a lower price.

Since his lover had already spoken, Cao Jian couldn't refuse Wang Fei's request, so he smiled and said, "Xiao Zhou, let your future boss see your abilities."

Jay Chou had no choice but to say, "Then I'll just sing a short song that I recently wrote, and I'd appreciate any feedback from teachers Cao Jian and Wang Fei."

After saying that, he cleared his throat and sang: "The clouds are moving, the rain is falling, and so much sorrow is laughing in the wind."

"That's it."

Wang Fei rubbed her forehead as soon as she heard one sentence.

The boy in front of her not only had unclear pronunciation but also a weak voice. With such a level of skill, how could her man be willing to spend four million NT dollars to buy a company for him?
It's really not worth it.

Moreover, the song itself wasn't very well written. The only thing worth praising is that Jay Chou's pitch was excellent, with almost no off-key notes.

Wang Fei's appearance was somewhat disheartening for Jay Chou.

I took the entrance exam for a music academy twice and failed both times. When I participated in singing programs, people said my pronunciation was unclear.

She was finally noticed by Wu Zongxian, but only because of her decent musical talent. She was appointed as a music assistant and there was no intention for her to release an album.

He thought that being noticed by Boss Cao would change his luck, but he didn't expect that this senior, Wang Fei, also looked down on him.

Wu Zongxian initially thought that the price of four million was too low.

At this point, however, they worried that Boss Cao might change his mind and abandon their company.

He didn't actually think highly of Jay Chou and didn't think he had much of a future. He just felt that Boss Cao valued him, so he wanted to raise the price.

At this moment, Wang Fei said, "Miss Wang Fei, Xiao Zhou is only nineteen years old this year. With proper training, his composing ability and musical literacy will definitely have a bright future." Wu Zongxian said this, but he didn't really think highly of Jay Chou's unclear pronunciation.

Wang Fei countered with, "Does our company lack composers? Isn't Mr. Cao Jian's composing ability sufficient?"

That one sentence left Wu Zongxian speechless.

In today's music scene, whose songwriting ability can compare to Cao Jian's?
If you're not convinced, why don't you compose a song called "My Heart Will Go On," or perhaps "The Cup of Life," which could become the theme song for this year's World Cup?
Seeing that the other party remained silent, Wang Fei smiled with satisfaction and said, "Actually, three million is a reasonable price. If you agree, I will take over your company."

"Sell it."

The owner of TTV (Taiwan Television) provided a crucial assist at this critical moment.

Looking at Cao Jian, then at the boss of TTV, and finally at Jay Chou, who was only nineteen years old.

No matter how he looked at it, he didn't think that a young man with such unclear pronunciation could become popular.

After doing the mental calculations, I realized that three million NT dollars was equivalent to more than one million Hong Kong dollars. For a music company without any big-name singers, the price was indeed very reasonable.

After a long pause, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Three million it is."

"readily!"

Wang Fei said with satisfaction, "We'll sign the contract tomorrow."

After leaving TTV, Cao Jian said approvingly, "Honey, you said you didn't know how to do business, but you did a great job today, saving a million dollars."

"I just wanted to save us some money, and that Xiao Zhou really doesn't have any special characteristics."

Wang Fei couldn't understand why Cao Jian would spend so much money on a young man with no future.

“Honey, believe me, although Xiao Zhou’s pronunciation is unclear, that’s his unique characteristic. I will definitely make him the best singer in the Chinese-speaking world in the future.”

"I still don't quite believe it."

"How about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"If he becomes famous, you'll have three children for me."

"If someone like him can become famous, I'll have eight children for you."

"Then my Afei will become a little pig."

"Hmm. Does it sound nice?"

The two were joking around when they returned to the hotel, where they received a call from Stephen Chow.

"Brother Jian, 'King of Comedy' is finished and the release date is set for the Spring Festival. When are you going back to Hong Kong to promote the movie?"

"I don't have time during the Spring Festival this year. Just release the film as scheduled. I've already made arrangements with Universal Cinemas, so you can rest assured about the screening schedule."

Cao Jian has been extremely busy lately.

In Taiwan, I need to prepare for "Super Girl" and I also received a call from James asking me to go to the United States. After that, I need to go to Beijing to participate in the final rehearsal for the Spring Festival Gala.

In addition, we need to finalize the production plans for "Meteor Garden" and "Little Li Flying Dagger" with TTV.

Besides, isn't Stephen Chow's name enough? Does "King of Comedy" even need hype?
Stephen Chow said, "Actually, I wanted to discuss the filming of 'Shaolin Soccer' with you. I plan to film this movie in mainland China, and I need your help with the venue, the stadium, and the tens of thousands of extras in your script."

“These are all easy to arrange. This film is being shot in Shenzhen, and the extras are very simple to find. You can just say that you can come to the stadium to watch the filming for free, and the stadium with a capacity of 100,000 people can be filled to capacity.”

"What a great idea."

Upon hearing Cao Jian's suggestion, Stephen Chow expressed his admiration but also his concern: "There's another thing. Last year, the Jinzhou Massacre occurred during the World Cup qualifiers for the Chinese national football team. Will this movie be seen as satirical, and thus not allowed to be imported to mainland China?"

"What's there to be afraid of with me here?"

After Cao Jian's rebirth, although he changed some things, he still had to perform on a stage like the World Cup opening ceremony.

But he couldn't change the national football team.

The Jinzhou tragedy occurred again in the World Cup Asian Qualifiers last July. Under the curse that a draw would qualify the national team, the Chinese national team led their opponents 2-0 at the Jinzhou Stadium, but ultimately lost 2-4.

The release of "Shaolin Soccer" at this time may indeed be seen by some as a satire of the Chinese national football team, but this is not a big problem. At worst, we can just use our money to support it.

Furthermore, the new abbot of Shaolin Temple has not yet registered "Shaolin" as a brand, so there is no problem using these two characters in the movie title.

Making this film now is just in time to prevent that monk from making the money.

"I can rest assured that."

With Mr. Cao's assurance, Stephen Chow felt much more at ease and said with a smile, "Then I'll start preparing the production team and investing in that area."

"Don't worry about your investment, it's the same as before, still 60%!"

Cao Jian certainly understood what Stephen Chow wanted to say.

When he was filming "Shaolin Soccer," Win's Entertainment declared that anyone who dared to invest in Stephen Chow was going against them.

In the end, it was Xie Xian who invested a little money, which allowed the movie to be made.

However, now that Stephen Chow has his own backing, it's estimated that the Xiang family wouldn't dare to make such a statement.

Now that "King of Comedy" is finished, Zhang Baizhi can start filming "Wish Upon a Star".

Although he sang "Too Softhearted" in advance, Richie Jen still became popular with songs such as "Rely On" and "Very Hurt".

He has always liked the singer Richie Jen and thinks he has a good character, so he will still cast him in the drama "Wish Upon a Star".

However, I didn't direct this film myself; I only needed to invest in it.

For the next period of time, Cao Jian was busy with work during the day and spent his evenings with Wang Zuxian, Lin Zhiling, and others. The Spring Festival was fast approaching.

During this time, he also went to the United States and was invited to attend an Oscar nominees dinner.

At the same time, the release schedule of Blizzard games was arranged.

When he returned to Taiwan, Jay Chou had already become a member of his own company.

In addition, Wang Fei and Wang Zuxian met a singer-songwriter named Zhou Chuanxiong through a friend and successfully signed him to their record company.

"Boss Cao, you must attend the Super Girl finals in person."

This singing competition show is almost finished, and the audition registration has already begun during the winter break.

Moreover, the singers who sign up are not limited to those from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other places. As long as they speak Mandarin, they can also sign up.

In just this short period of time, we received hundreds of thousands of application forms.

"I will definitely come."

Cao Jian's goal is to discover new talent, and he must be present at the finals.

Moreover, he would screen all the singers who made it into the top 100, not wanting to miss a future star.

The reason he let TTV produce this variety show first was mainly because variety shows in mainland China were not yet developed, while variety shows in Taiwan were relatively more mature.

Furthermore, mobile phones are relatively common in Taiwan, so more people will be willing to vote by sending text messages.

And incidentally, to boost the sales of their own phones.

The final rehearsal for the Spring Festival Gala was held on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.

When Cao Jian and Wang Fei returned from Taiwan, they were immediately surrounded by hundreds of reporters from various media outlets at the entrance of the CCTV building.

They wanted to know what song Mr. Cao would sing this time.

Of course, I'd also like to know his thoughts on this year's Oscars and whether he's confident of winning.
-
I worked overtime today and it wasn't easy to finish this chapter. Sorry for posting it a little late.

(End of this chapter)