Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 119 It's normal that you don't know.

1992 1 Month 23 Day.

The day after the speech was published in the internal reference materials, Tianjin TV held a grand mobilization meeting.

The meeting was nominally chaired by Director Lin, but Ma Yuan delivered the opening speech, which clearly indicates that Director Lin had already made preparations for a transfer.

Ma Yuan also shook off his recent dejection, talking about reform and opening up to revitalize the economy and liberating his mind to understand the spirit of the times.

In fact, he and Director Lin have been under the most pressure these past few months, because if they were to go back to the old ways, the achievements of "Tianjin TV" would likely have to be downplayed, and they might even be investigated for excessive commercialization.

At that point, let alone advancing further, it's uncertain whether the two of them can even maintain their current positions.

Fortunately, the clouds have now dispersed.

After delivering his impassioned speech, Ma Yuan asked each department to express their determination and explain how they would implement the guiding principles of his speech.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yan, who was sitting next to Yan Xiaoming, raised his hand high.

"Look at Zhang Yan!"

Ma Yuan said with a look of satisfaction, "They always dare to be the first. It is with this kind of mindset that they can keep achieving results. Xiao Zhang, come here, tell us about it, speak boldly!"

"Uh~"

Zhang Yan stood up somewhat awkwardly and said sheepishly, "Director Lin, Director Ma, um, may I take my leave first?"

"what?"

Ma Yuan asked in astonishment, "You're leaving?"

Zhang Yan said helplessly, "I also wanted to stay until the end of the meeting, but our magazine also has a meeting. Secretary Jiang of the Writers' Association is going to give a speech in person, and he specifically called my name..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present remembered that Zhang Yan's work relationship was with the Tianjin Literature Magazine. If it weren't for his record company being affiliated with the TV station, he theoretically would have no connection with the TV station whatsoever.

Ma Yuan realized what was going on, exchanged a few words with Director Lin, and waved his hand helplessly, saying, "Go on, go on, remember to give our regards to Chairman Jiang."

Zhang Yan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly packed his bag and made a hasty escape.

Upon seeing this, the auditorium erupted in laughter, with even Ma Yuan and Director Lin unable to hold back their laughter.

When Zhang Yan arrived at the magazine office, the meeting had already begun, and even the president, Zhang Shaomin's, speech was coming to an end.

Zhang Yan tiptoed to the back row, and shortly after he sat down, Wang Zhongqi secretly handed him the meeting minutes.

Zhang Yan glanced at it briefly. It wasn't much different from Ma Yuan's speech, but it was more concise. Chairman Jiang of the Writers' Association was a decisive reformer who hated long-winded and empty talk.

Just then, the president of the publishing house, Zhang Shaomin, finished his speech, and it was Jiang Zilong, the chairman of the Writers Association, who took his place.

Jiang Zilong didn't bring a prepared speech to the stage. He addressed the audience directly, saying, "Your editor-in-chief, Zhang, has already explained the spirit of the speech very clearly. I'll just talk about the specifics. Our magazine has achieved good results in the past two years and has truly turned a profit."

But I think the reform efforts are far from enough. "Popular Fiction Newspaper" is a supplement, but now people outside regard "Popular Fiction Newspaper" as our magazine's main publication. So what exactly is our main publication doing?

I know some comrades will say that pure literature works cannot be adapted like popular novels—but "Red Sorghum," "Fuxi Fuxi," "Life on a String," and "Wives and Concubines" are all pure literature, right? They can be adapted into movies, so why can't the works in our main journal be adapted?

Is it that our authors' writing is subpar, or is there a problem with the direction our literary society is taking?!

At this point, he waved his hand and said, "Today is a good day, and I don't want to put too much pressure on anyone, so I'll stop here."

"Zhang Yan, stop hiding behind me and come up here to tell everyone your thoughts on how our cultural sector can revitalize the economy—if you speak well, come with me to the Writers' Association this afternoon and give it another speech!"

…………

In the afternoon, Zhang Yan was ultimately unable to attend the Writers' Association event.

It wasn't that he spoke poorly, but the Economic Development Zone also invited him to participate in the mobilization meeting, and he was given a relatively prominent position and the title of "Economic and Cultural Advisor".

Regardless, this storm has finally passed.

Unfortunately, with the Lunar New Year approaching, the working group that "I Am a Singer" sent out to find contestants has already received applications to go home for the holidays. To get them motivated again, it will have to wait until after the Lantern Festival.

It's already the 25th, and there are still eight days until Chinese New Year.

Zhang Yan bid a reluctant farewell to Chen Hong at Tianjin Airport before heading to the set of "Hair Messed Up".

Today is the last day of filming for the crew. Although Guan Hu really wants to finish filming in one go, most of the crew members are just doing it out of love and only provide food, drink and pocket money.

Moreover, the importance that people attached to the Spring Festival at that time was far greater than what it is today.

They've already helped us for free, and you're still going to detain them and prevent them from going home for the New Year? That's just awful.

The last scene to be filmed is Wang Luyao's only scene, which is the part where she and the male lead are having an affair and are caught in the house by the female lead.

The filming location was chosen in an old tenement building. When Zhang Yan walked to the stairwell, he felt a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

However, no one would sit in the middle of the stairs at his house with a guitar.

"Gao Qi~" Zhang Yan waved his hand in front of the other person's eyes and asked with a smile, "It's so cold, aren't you afraid of getting a cold butt? Didn't your band members already go back to Beijing? Why haven't you left yet?"

"We broke up."

Gao Qi sighed and said helplessly, "There are only two left out of the five people. We'll have to form a new team next year."

"That's normal. Every rock band breaks up a few times."

Zhang Yan is not at all surprised. No matter what their outward personality is like, rock musicians all have a strong inner drive, and when their emotions run high, they are particularly prone to conflict.

Especially when they first became famous.

That's how it is with the band Overload. Their album "China Fire" was a hit in Taiwan at the end of December, and before the hype even reached back to China, the band was already difficult to manage.

Gao Qi sighed, stood up, and asked, "Brother Zhang, do you still have any empty seats in your car?"

Gao Qi was born in 68, the same age as Guan Hu, Han Lei, Chen Hong, and Wang Jinghua, and one year younger than Zhang Yan.

As for Han Hong and Wang Luyao, they are both young people born in the 70s.

"Let's just squeeze in."

Zhang Yan patted him on the shoulder and asked, "Who cares which floor they're on?"

"The top floor is said to be so that people won't disturb us, and you can also see more scenery when you open the window."

The two chatted as they climbed up the stairs, one in front of the other—the stairs were too narrow for two grown men to walk side by side.

Gao Qi suddenly asked, "Has the song 'When Dreams Entangle' been found yet? If we don't hurry, we might miss the filming in January, right?"

"Ok?"

Zhang Yan stopped in his tracks, puzzled, and turned around to ask, "You didn't know? Someone already sang this song a long time ago, and the demo has already been recorded."

"is it?"

Gao Qi stared blankly at Zhang Yan: "How come I didn't know? I'm an author, after all. Why weren't you even notified of this?"

Zhang Yan also found it strange at first.

But seeing Gao Qi's handsome face, even in his confusion, he suddenly realized that this honest man also had a cunning mind.

So he patted Gao Qi on the shoulder and said, "It's normal that you don't know. I'll have Zhang Weining treat you to a meal later and apologize to you in person."

After saying that, he went up to the top floor on his own, without waiting for Gao Qi to understand.

Upon arriving at the filming location, Xu Fan and Wang Luyao were seen listening to Guan Hu explain the scene, while Huang Lei sat to the side in a daze, presumably pondering how to portray a scumbag.

Wu Yujuan has finished filming and left the crew. Usually, Xu Fan is the only woman in the crew, so she spends her free time hanging out with Chen Hong. The two get along quite well.

When Zhang Yan came in from outside, everyone greeted him, and Wang Luyao called him "President Zhang" repeatedly.

Zhang Yan pulled out a stack of red envelopes from his pocket and handed them out to everyone he met: "It's just a small token of my appreciation, not much money, please don't think it's too little."

He, as the producer, doesn't usually show up much, but he has to leave some impression on the crew during the Chinese New Year.

"I have it too?"

Guan Hu was somewhat surprised.

"Why don't you give it back to me?"

"No, no, no! I've been spending money like water for the past few months, and it's so rare to see any income!"

While the two were chatting and laughing, Wang Luyao secretly opened the red envelope and glanced at it. She found that there was only one hundred yuan inside, and immediately smiled smugly.

The year-end bonus at Dream Records is 2,000 yuan per person.

It turns out that I was right to join a record company in the first place—it wasn't a matter of how much money I made, but mainly a matter of how close or distant I was to them.

"correct."

At this moment, Zhang Yan turned to her and asked, "The Snowy Mountain Fox is going to be broadcast in mainland China. Why didn't you tell me? We might be able to use it for promotion."

"what?!"

Wang Luyao asked in a daze, "The Snowy Mountain Fox is going to premiere? When? Which channel?"

Zhang Yan had just heard this news on TV a couple of days ago, and he was surprised that Wang Luyao, the person involved, was still unaware of it.

But considering she's only the third female lead, and doesn't have that many scenes...

"It's normal that you don't know. Ask Wu Yujuan later; she should know more."

(End of this chapter)