This director is so innocent.

Chapter 140 Wang Fei

It was a little after 7 p.m. at a private restaurant.

After the lobby manager finished serving a guest, he saw a handsome man walk in and immediately broke into a bright smile.

He quickly stepped forward to greet him; this was a big customer, whose minimum spending was over four or five thousand yuan.

"Director Su, are you here to see Third Master?" The lobby manager asked with a smile, bowing slightly.

Su Jin nodded and greeted him.

"Manager Su."

"Oh dear, Director Su, you're too kind. Just call me Lao Su." The lobby manager waved his hand hurriedly, looking somewhat flattered.

Then, the lobby manager respectfully guided Su Jin through the corridor to the door of a private room called Plum Blossom Hall.

He knocked lightly on the door twice, and when he heard a "come in" from inside, he took his leave.

Su Jin pushed open the door and immediately saw Han Sanping and a middle-aged man sitting inside.

This middle-aged man must be Zhang Xiaohai, the director of the Arts Department of CCTV's Arts and Literature Center and one of the chief directors of this year's Spring Festival Gala.

Han Sanping had already explained the purpose of the dinner on the phone, but he didn't say that he had to agree; he just said it was up to him.

However, we are all smart people, so there's no need to spell things out.

To put it bluntly, Han Sanping is a man of great importance. Participating in the Spring Festival Gala is just a small matter. If you can't even give him this small amount of face, how can we be friends in the future?

When Han Sanping saw Su Jin enter, he immediately stood up, smiled, and said, "You're here. Please have a seat."

"Third Master."

After greeting Han Sanping, Su Jin turned to Zhang Xiaohai, extended her hand, and said with a smile, "You must be Director Zhang!"

People within the system prefer to be addressed by their job title.

Zhang Xiaohai was no exception. "Director Su, I've heard so much about you!" Zhang Xiaohai smiled, but he was shocked inside.

I thought Su Jin was very beautiful when I saw videos and photos before, and Chen Linchun also said that Su Jin was very beautiful when he came back.

But when he saw Su Jin Zhenren, he realized that she was not just good-looking, but that this person should only exist in heaven.

With looks like that, getting on the Spring Festival Gala would guarantee high ratings and generate buzz without him even having to boast.

We must take it down, we absolutely must take it down.

"I don't have any real name, it's all just empty fame, unlike Director Zhang, who is very well-known in the arts and culture circles. The 2000 film you directed..."

"The Spring Festival Gala had a 41% viewership rating that year," Su Jin complimented with a smile.

"Hahaha—you flatter me, Director Su. You're a very talented director too! You won the Cannes Jury Prize with your very first project." Zhang Xiaohai replied with a smile.

At this moment, Han Sanping interjected with a smile: "Alright, alright, you two stop praising each other. Let's sit down and talk slowly."

The three sat down and began ordering food, following the host's lead.

After ordering, they started chatting casually. It was nothing special, just mutual flattery, you compliment me, I compliment you, it wasn't interesting at all.

After chatting for half an hour and having drunk some alcohol, Zhang Xiaohai saw that the time was right and asked, "Director Su, what are your thoughts on the Spring Festival Gala?"

Things are going downhill, getting worse year by year.

Su Jin mentally complained, but said seriously, "Great, there are wonderful programs every year. I watch them with my family every year. If the TV series I starred in had half the ratings of the Spring Festival Gala, I would be laughing in my dreams."

Zhang Xiaohai chuckled; there was a hidden meaning in his words!

He replied, echoing Su Jin's words, "I didn't expect Director Su to be so filial, unlike my brat, who disappears after dinner."

"Director Zhang, you flatter me. My hometown is in the countryside. Even if I wanted to go out and have fun, there's nowhere to go. I can only stay at home with my parents and watch the Spring Festival Gala."

"Director Su, what kind of TV shows do your parents like to watch?"

"Mr. Benshan's sketches, and he also really likes Ms. Song Zuying's singing."

"Oh my god, what a coincidence! Look, Mr. Benshan has a skit this year, which is a continuation of last year's skit 'Planning.' I watched the rehearsal, and the content was so wonderful that I almost died laughing."

Su Jin smiled and waited for him to continue.

"Your parents haven't watched the Spring Festival Gala live, have they?"

"no."

"Since there isn't one, Director Su, you can bring your parents to Beijing for the Spring Festival so they can experience the atmosphere and also watch the Spring Festival Gala."

"Director Zhang's suggestion is good, but it's too cold this year, so I'm afraid my parents won't be able to come."

Zhang Xiaohai frowned, looked at Han Sanping who had been eating silently, and signaled that it was his turn to take action.

Han Sanping received the signal, put down his chopsticks, wiped his lips with a tissue, and said, "Su Jin, let's not stand on ceremony. Lao Zhang and I have been friends for many years. I accepted two bottles of his good wine as a persuasion, hoping to get you to participate in the Spring Festival Gala."

"Third Master, to be honest, the Spring Festival Gala is the most prestigious event in China. Being able to perform on it even once is an honor, and I really want to participate."

Su Jin paused slightly, glanced at Zhang Xiaohai, and then changed the subject, saying, "But I'm here all year round and haven't been back even once. My parents and my grandma all want me to come home for the New Year."

"Didn't Old Zhang say that we can bring your parents and grandma here for the New Year? They can even watch the Spring Festival Gala live."

"But it's too cold this year. The roads in my hometown are all icy, and it's not safe to travel on them."

"Su Jin, Lao Zhang has had a tough time. Look at last year's Spring Festival Gala ratings—"

In the following days, Han Sanping kept persuading Su Jin to participate in the Spring Festival Gala, but Su Jin kept making excuses and never directly refused.

Watching the two of them sing in unison, Zhang Xiaohai finally understood: he could participate in the Spring Festival Gala, but he needed something in return.

"Old Han, I invited you here to be a mediator, not to set a trap for me. You must return the wine to me when we get back."

Zhang Xiaohai complained to Han Sanping, then said to Su Jin, "Director Su, let's be frank, what do you want to do to get a spot on the Spring Festival Gala?"

Upon hearing this, Su Jin didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "I want a skit for one of my company's artists."

"No, there's only one month left until the Spring Festival Gala. Adding a skit now would disrupt the entire planned schedule," Zhang Xiaohai refused without hesitation.

It's good that he wants to invite Su Jin, but he won't joke around with the entire Spring Festival Gala.

Now that the entire program has been completed and we've already rehearsed once, adding a skit would be too much trouble and would disrupt the entire choreographed program.

Even if we remove one skit and add another, the skits provided by Su Mo require rehearsal time, and the quality cannot be guaranteed.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohai's resolute tone, as if there was no room for negotiation, Su Jin conceded and said, "That song."

"OK, but the song must be reviewed by us. If it's not sung well, I will refuse."

"Okay, but we can't be too strict with it."

"Can."

"Thank you, Director Zhang." Su Jin raised her glass to him, then took a bite of food and asked, "Director Zhang, what are your plans for my program?"

"We're going to let you sing."

Do you have any suggestions for the song?

"No, but the theme should be cheerful and uplifting, not depressing. I think your 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky' is pretty good."

"Director Zhang, could you please invite Wang Fei?"

"What do you want to do?"

"There's a song on my album called 'Because of Love,' you know Director Zhang, right? If we could invite her and sing it together, wouldn't that create even more buzz and boost the ratings?"

When we were making the album, we wanted to ask Faye Wong to sing a duet with us on "Because of Love", but he looked down on us and wouldn't sing even if they offered him a million dollars. He's so arrogant!

Later, he wanted to collaborate with some lesser-known singers, but they didn't seem interested. Frustrated, he decided to go after Sister Xia directly.

Sister Xia's singing ability is really just average; it took her five days of practice in the recording studio to get it right.

Let's talk about album sales.

Thanks to the huge success of "w—Two Worlds", the album has sold over 100 million copies.

"Smack."

Zhang Xiaohai thought about it carefully, then slammed his hand on the table and said excitedly, "Su Jin, your idea is good, but I can't guarantee whether we can invite Wang Fei. I'll have to go back and ask him."

"It's alright, Director Zhang will do his best. If it doesn't work, I'll sing 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky'." Su Jin didn't care too much.

"OK."

Around nine o'clock, the party ended, and everyone went home.

Su Jin chatted with Han Sanping for a while longer before getting into the car and returning to the hotel.

In the car, he took out his phone and called Zhao Shan.

"Zhao Shan, I just had dinner with Zhang Xiaohai, the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala, and I've decided to participate in the Gala."

"Boss, you've finally come to your senses."

Is the Spring Festival Gala really that good?

"Of course it would be great. If I had connections, I would send all the artists in the company up there for a spin."

"Take a stroll? You've turned the Spring Festival Gala stage into a pigsty."

"Hahaha----"

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Zhang Xiaohai also promised to give me another song for the show. You should find Li Jian from the Shui Mu Nian Hua group and buy the cover rights to his song 'The Wind Blows the Wheat Waves'."

The choice is Luo Jin and Shi Shi; let them sing a duet.

"Boss, I understand you're praising Shishi, but isn't her singing ability a bit inappropriate?"

"If there's anything inappropriate, just record it in the studio and then lip-sync."

"Alright!"

On the other hand, Zhang Xiaohai did not go home, but went straight back to CCTV's Studio One.

The studio was still brightly lit, and the dancers were rehearsing intensively.

This kind of rehearsal doesn't require the singer to be present; it's just a rehearsal process, showing the visual effects.

Zhang Xiaohai approached Chen Linchun and several other directors, first mentioning Su Jin's agreement to participate in the Spring Festival Gala, and received a barrage of flattery.

Then he mentioned that he wanted to invite Wang Fei.

"Director, you've really given us a tough problem," Chen Linchun said with a wry smile.

Since May 2005, Wang Fei has been indefinitely out of the music scene. Apart from attending the Yanran Angel Foundation charity gala, he has not participated in any commercial performances or sung any songs for two years.

-

Inviting her to come out of retirement is no easy task.

She said this to her fans during her "Phoebe's Extraordinary" tour in 2004.

"If one day I stop singing, I will resist all self-promotion activities. I don't want others to remember me. If I stop singing, I hope everyone forgets me. I really don't want them to remember me."

"It's precisely because of this problem that I've gathered you all here to discuss it. What do you all think we can do to get Wang Fei to come out of retirement?" Zhang Xiaohai said.

"Director, is it absolutely necessary to invite Wang Fei?"

"It's not that she's indispensable, but having Faye Wong sing a duet with her would create a bigger buzz."

The others were relieved and did their best to handle the situation as long as it wasn't a death order.

"Director, I think we can start with the Yanran Angel Foundation." If you have the host mention the Yanran Angel Foundation when introducing Wang Fei, and then appeal to her emotions and reason, I think she will agree.

Zhang Xiaohai thought about it and felt that the idea was feasible. After all, it was just a matter of a word, and he didn't have to spend any money.

"Are there any other options?"

"Li Yapeng has always wanted to be on our station's 'Dialogue' program! We can invite him to participate once."

Next, everyone shared their opinions and came up with seven or eight ideas.

Zhang Xiaohai felt they were all okay, but he still thought the "Yanran Angel Foundation" was the best.

"Old Chen, you heard about the method just now. I'm entrusting this difficult task to you. Give me an answer by the morning after tomorrow. If Wang Fei doesn't agree, then forget it."

"Yes, Director, I will do my best to complete it."

"It's quite late, everyone, don't stay up too late. Health is the foundation of everything, so go back and rest early. There are still many tough battles to fight ahead."

"Thank you for your understanding, Director."

The following morning.

Chen Linchun contacted Wang Fei's agent, Chen Jiaying, to discuss inviting Wang Fei to the Spring Festival Gala, but was naturally rejected.

But Chen Linchun was not discouraged and played the "Yanran Angel Foundation" card, hoping to meet and discuss the matter in detail.

Chen Jiaying couldn't refuse now. She knew that Wang Fei felt guilty because his second daughter was born with a cleft lip, and even felt that it was his fault, and was even a little depressed.

-

After that, she and Li Yapeng founded the Yanran Angel Foundation, hoping to help more babies with cleft lips.

After meeting, Chen Linchun easily persuaded Wang Fei to agree to sing a duet with Su Jin.

Back at CCTV's Studio One, Chen Linchun reported the matter to Zhang Xiaohai, who was very pleased, feeling that the Spring Festival Gala's ratings had stabilized considerably.

Su Jin was quite happy to receive the news that Zhu Fei had agreed.

It also carries a sense of vindication, as if to say, "You looked down on me before, but in the end you still have to sing a duet with me."

At Xiao Ke Music Studio, Su Jin met Wang Fei.

No wonder some lecherous critics portrayed Wang Fei as the leading lady of Chinese entertainment; she really is captivating.

Although he is 36 years old, he doesn't look old at all.

Her eyes were clear and bright, her nose was small and delicate, her skin was fair and glowing, and she wore a kind and gentle smile.

Wang Fei was also sizing up Su Jin. She was beautiful, even more so than her ex-boyfriend.

"Teacher Wang, I never expected that after all these twists and turns, we would still be working together," Su Jin said with a smile.

Wang Fei wasn't embarrassed at all and said, "Yes! This shows that we are very destined to be together."

"Teacher Wang is right."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and then began recording the song.

Su Jin sang it once first, the unedited version.

After listening to this, Wang Fei felt somewhat disappointed.

Su Jin has talent, but not much. Her breath control is insufficient, and her transitions between notes are not smooth enough, which is a real waste of a good song.

However, considering that he wasn't a professional singer to begin with, it's understandable.