HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 71 [071] The Youthful Version of Fan Xiaopang

Qi Yuan was a little worried at first, but once all the dishes were served, he finally felt relieved.

The dishes include the restaurant's signature roast goose, clear stewed mushroom soup, braised scallops with vegetables, fried shrimp balls, Yangzhou fried rice, and a dessert of mango pudding.

Qi Yuan had to give Jung Joong-ki a thumbs up after tasting it; the flavor was indeed excellent.

"Yuan, if you run into any trouble in Hong Kong in the future, just come to me. I still have some influence in Hong Kong." Cheng Chung-ki put his arm around Qi Yuan's shoulder, thinking that Qi Yuan was such a good brother, coming up with two great songs right away.

He also has some creative abilities.

In 1996, his first Mandarin album, "Caught in the Middle," included a song he wrote himself called "Like a Song."

Music professionals can assess the quality of a song based on its lyrics, melody, and other aspects.

You can tell the quality of these two songs just by humming a short section of them.

To be honest, "Freaks," as the Mandarin version of "Rogue," falls short.

The "almost" part means that the Cantonese version is so good that it falls short compared to the Cantonese version.

Even without the Cantonese version, "Freaks" is still a great song.

"Heart Like a Knife" is amazing; the lyrics are full of emotion, the melody is moving, and it truly conveys that heart-wrenching sadness.

The song "Heart Like a Knife" definitely deserves to be the lead single on his new album.

It's a pity Chen Huilin came today, otherwise he would definitely have taken Qi Yuan to get dialysis, and they would have become brothers from then on.

……

The next day.

Zhang Hao picked up Qi Yuan and took her to the airport.

Zhang Hao asked curiously, "PolyGram wired HK$100,000 to you through HSBC this morning. Did you do business with them?"

"I wrote two songs for Prince Ji, and they paid me back quite quickly," Qi Yuan said leisurely.

Last night at the dinner party, Jung Joong-ki said he would pay him, and he did not refuse.

This is deserved, especially since it's PolyGram's money, not Jung Joong-ki's own. Neither Qi Yuan nor Jung Joong-ki has any reason to save money for PolyGram.

The reward of HK$100,000 was somewhat beyond Qi Yuan's expectations; it wasn't too little, but rather too much.

Currently, top-tier lyricists in Hong Kong charge between HK$10,000 and HK$15,000 for a single poem, and even Lin Xi wouldn't charge much more.

Although Qi Yuan wrote both the lyrics and music, the price of 5 yuan per song is still higher than the market price.

Considering that Jung Jong-ki's father, Jung Dong-han, is the president of PolyGram Asia, a reward of 100,000 yuan is reasonable.

The father and son used the company's money to befriend Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan has become incredibly popular in Hong Kong these days, with paparazzi staking out his residence every day.

He couldn't escape the paparazzi when he boarded the plane at Hong Kong International Airport.

……

Yinghuang.

Huo Wenxi and Xie Tingfeng breathed a sigh of relief when they confirmed that Qi Yuan had indeed boarded the plane back to the mainland.

Qi Yuan exerted immense pressure on Nicholas Tse during his time in Hong Kong, a complete and utter domination that left him breathless.

“Stop competing. Let’s release the album in early March while Qi Yuan is temporarily away from Hong Kong. You’ll have to work hard, filming and promoting at the same time. I heard that Qi Yuan went back to the mainland to film a music video, and the EP should be released when he comes back.” Huo Wenxi made the decision on the spot.

Qi Yuan won three awards at this year's Hong Kong Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards and is riding high. It would be difficult for Nicholas Tse to beat Qi Yuan in music, and the probability of them being evenly matched is very slim.

I'd better maintain my dignity and release the album ahead of schedule.

Although I'm a bit timid, I won't lose too much face.

It was the media that said Nicholas Tse and Qi Yuan were going to have a head-to-head competition. Neither Yinghuang nor Nicholas Tse said that. They only said that Nicholas Tse would release a new album in March or April.

There's no way around it, Qi Yuan's creative ability is too terrifying, Huo Wenxi doesn't want to gamble on how many good songs are hidden in Qi Yuan's EP.

So be it. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback. They have more cards to play than Qi Yuan. Once Xie Tingfeng's movie is released, they can launch a two-pronged attack—movie and music—and they'll still have a chance against Qi Yuan.

Just after Qi Yuan left Hong Kong, Yinghuang officially announced that Nicholas Tse's new album "Horizons" will be released on March 7.

……

Three hours later.

Qi Yuan appeared at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Zhang Hao answered the phone and grinned from ear to ear: "Back when we were in heaven, Yinghuang officially announced the release date of Nicholas Tse's new album. Look how scared you made Nicholas Tse!"

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "What do you think Xie Tingfeng and Yinghuang's reaction would be if we flew back to Hong Kong right away?"

Hey!
This is too bad.

Zhang Hao couldn't help but complain: "Just be a human being. Nicholas Tse is just a 17-year-old kid. Don't drive him crazy."

Qi Yuan retorted, "I'm just a 19-year-old kid too."

Zhang Hao: "..."

I almost forgot, Qi Yuan is not even 20 years old yet.

Qi Yuan's outstanding talent makes it easy for people to forget his age.

Actually, Qi Yuan was just saying that; his music video hasn't been filmed yet, so even if he went back to Hong Kong now, there's nothing he could do.

Let Nicholas Tse post it first if he wants to.

In a sense, Nicholas Tse releasing his album first is tantamount to admitting defeat to him.

Qi Yuan kept a low profile during his return to Beijing, wearing a baseball cap and a mask to cover himself up completely.

He's gotten a little tired of being greeted by fans at the airport so many times.

He didn't give any advance notice of his return from Hong Kong. It wasn't until he and Cheung Ho boarded the plane that paparazzi discovered he was going back to the mainland.

Qi Yuan was just about to gloat about how well he had kept his whereabouts hidden when he was slapped in the face.

"Are you Qi Yuan? I'm your fan, can I have your autograph?"

She was a girl with clear, bright eyes, a straight nose, and a pretty oval face, with a touch of baby fat on her face.

By North!

Qi Yuan was stunned when she saw what this person looked like.

Isn't this Sister Eight Hundred Million?
When did I become his fan?

Honestly, Qi Yuan felt that Fan Binbin's methods of improving his public image were a bit clumsy.

However, it's understandable, as Fan Xiaopang, born on September 16, 1981, is only in his early 16s at most.

A player's rank isn't something that can be achieved in a day. Fan Xiaopang's performance in reaching the Bronze rank is quite reasonable.

“I’m really a fan of yours. Last year I heard your song at a friend’s house, and when I got home that day I bought a cassette tape of yours. I listen to your songs every day, and I can even recite a lot of the lyrics.”

The younger version of Fan Xiaopang hadn't yet been corrupted by the entertainment industry; she looked quite innocent back then.

Everyone goes through a process of change.

Fan Xiaopang and Lin Xinru are both signed artists with Qiong Yao Company.

She played a maid in "My Fair Princess 1".

Zhao Yanzi and Lin Xinru, one had someone protecting her and the other was Qiong Yao's protégé. Under Qiong Yao's arrangement, the two filmed hit dramas such as "Princess Pearl 2", "Old House Has Joy", and "Romance in the Rain". Only she was always sidelined and not given important roles.

During the filming of "My Fair Princess II", a crew member mocked her, saying, "Why is a maid trying to steal the spotlight? Just be a supporting character!"

She played a maid in the show, but was humiliated off-screen. In news related to "Princess Pearl," she was always just a foil to Zhao Yanzi and Lin Xinru.

She had no powerful connections or background, and the poor Yao family didn't value her. In order to escape her status as a maid and climb the social ladder, she had no choice but to go all out and work harder than others.

(End of this chapter)