Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Chapter 111 Victory Celebration Banquet

According to Zheng Donghan's original plan, after the phenomenal sales of "Half a Lifetime" in 48 hours were announced today, he intended to invite Zheng Hui and several core executives from Universal Music to a familiar restaurant for a simple celebration dinner.

After all, the real highlight, the grand celebration banquet announced to the world, is usually held after the cumulative sales figures for the first week or even the first month are released.

At that time, with total sales data across Asia potentially exceeding two or even three million, we'll issue invitations to all heroes.

We invite all the media and entertainment industry colleagues in Hong Kong to witness this, to definitively declare that Universal Music remains the undisputed leader in the Chinese music scene even after acquiring PolyGram.

Even if the sales figures for the past two days are impressive enough, there simply isn't enough time to organize such a grand celebration right tonight.

When Zheng Hui said in the meeting room that he was going back to the mainland to visit the set and buy a house, Zheng Donghan knew that once this guy left, he would be gone for at least ten days to half a month.

If the main characters aren't even there, what's the point of having a celebration party in the first week or month?

Since Zheng Hui is leaving and there's no time for a grand celebration, let's just have a company-wide celebration banquet.

He instructed the administration to book a luxurious banquet hall at the Peninsula Hotel and ordered: Tonight, all artists under Universal Music in Hong Kong, regardless of their current engagements, must cancel everything and come to the Peninsula Hotel to congratulate Zheng Hui!

At 7 p.m., in the luxurious banquet hall on the second floor of the Peninsula Hotel.

The banquet had not yet been officially announced to have started, but the invited artists from Universal Music Group had already gathered in the hall in twos and threes, holding wine glasses.

Accompanied by Manager Chen, Zheng Hui entered the lobby.

Manager Chen was beaming, even more excited than Zheng Hui himself. He led Zheng Hui to the area where the crowd was densest and the stars shone brightest.

Looking at those faces, even in later generations, they would be renowned figures in the Chinese entertainment industry.

The list includes Jacky Cheung (God of Songs), Alan Tam (Principal Tam), Daniel Chan (who has recently become popular), Priscilla Chan (Queen of Love Songs), and Ronald Cheng (Priscilla Chan's son).

"Principal Tam, I've heard so much about you. I've been listening to your song 'Saying Goodbye Is Hard' since I was a child." Zheng Hui greeted Alan Tam with a smile.

"Wow, Hui-zai! You're amazing, young man! Over 800,000 copies in two days!"

That blow you gave us old folks no goosebumps! From now on, when you're eating meat at the company, you'd better leave some soup for us!

"Principal, you're joking. Everyone knows your status in the Hong Kong music scene; you're a pillar of strength," Zheng Hui replied politely.

Priscilla Chan also stepped forward with a wine glass in hand, smiling as she said, "I listened to your new album in the car this afternoon. The song 'The Wind Rises' is really good. The lyrics are so beautiful. I even want to cover it."

"If Sister Huixian is willing to sing, I'll give the green light on the copyright issue anytime," Zheng Hui replied with a smile.

Chen Xiaodong and Zheng Zhongji, who were standing nearby, also came over with their wine glasses in hand.

"Mr. Zheng, your song 'Nameless Hero' is absolutely amazing. I'm even thinking of shamelessly asking you to write a song for me." Chen Xiaodong spoke very politely.

Ronald Cheng, swirling his wine glass, looked at Cheng Fai and said, "Ah Fai, what's wrong with your brain? You wrote eleven masterpieces in four days. My dad (Cheng Tung-han) has been praising you to the skies at home. I'm sick of hearing it."

"Brother Zhongji, you flatter me. When inspiration strikes, it's unstoppable." Zheng Hui smiled and clinked glasses with each of them.

As they were talking, Zheng Hui's gaze lingered on a figure standing next to Chen Huixian.

Benny Chan?

Looking at that familiar face that had made him a household name for playing Duan Yu in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," Zheng Hui was slightly surprised.

He always thought Benny Chan was just a TVB actor, but he never expected that he was also a signed singer under Universal Music.

He had often heard that Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists liked to pursue dual or even triple careers in film, television, and music. As long as they had a little fame, even if they were tone-deaf, their companies would drag them into the recording studio to release a couple of albums and rake in profits. Seeing it today, he realized it was indeed true.

"Mr. Zheng, hello, I'm Benny Chan." When Benny Chan saw Zheng Hui looking at him, he quickly greeted him politely.

In the entertainment industry, class distinctions are very clear. Although Benny Chan is very popular in television, in a top music company like Universal Music, he wouldn't dare to be arrogant in the slightest when facing a cash cow like Zheng Hui, who could bring in tens of millions in profits for the company in a week.

"Hello, your portrayal of Duan Yu was excellent, I've seen it." Zheng Hui exchanged a few simple pleasantries.

Afterwards, Manager Chen led Zheng Hui around the crowd.

To be honest, besides these well-known big names, there were also many second- and third-tier singers from Universal Music Group present, whom Zheng Hui didn't recognize at all.

Before his rebirth, he was just an ordinary post-90s generation, not a hardcore Hong Kong music enthusiast. He couldn't even remember the names of many singers who had a fleeting moment of fame in the late 1990s or whose fame was limited to Hong Kong.

However, among this group of singers, there was one face that made Zheng Hui pause for a moment when his gaze swept over it.

Chen Songling.

She has short hair and a gentle yet independent demeanor.

The moment Zheng Hui saw her, a woman he had dated before his rebirth involuntarily came to mind.

The girl looked very much like Chen Songling in front of her. To be precise, she looked like Zhu Pinting, the character played by Chen Songling, in the classic Hong Kong drama "The Legendary Four Aces" which aired in 2000 in her previous life.

She was a makeup artist who often styled her hair in various ways, bought all sorts of hairpins, and dressed up just like that Princess Pingting.

Unfortunately, it was 1998, and the script for the TV series "The Four Great Scholars in Golden Robes" was nowhere to be found, let alone broadcast.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar female celebrity in front of him, Zheng Hui only felt a sense of loss and disillusionment.

There was no attraction, no desire to strike up a conversation, and no impulse to use my current position to do anything.

You might just stop and take a look if you suddenly see a face that looks a lot like someone you know.

Zheng Hui and the others gathered around, chatting politely. The atmosphere seemed harmonious, but it was only superficially harmonious.

He is a singer from Macau who rarely stays in Hong Kong for extended periods and doesn't usually mingle in nightclubs or the Jockey Club.

More importantly, Zheng Hui's meteoric rise was so rapid that these veteran singers had no time to adapt or build personal relationships with him.

A newcomer who debuted just last year has now become a monster with a signing bonus of 50 million and the potential to sweep Asian sales with his third album.

After a brief chat about the music market and record sales, the conversation cooled down. Soon, everyone tactfully dispersed to chat with friends they knew.

As Zheng Hui turned past a champagne tower, he bumped into Jacky Cheung, who was chatting with several producers while holding a glass of red wine.

As the undisputed number one star of the PolyGram era, Jacky Cheung didn't deliberately dress up in a particularly dazzling way today, but he himself was enough to make him stand out in the crowd.

"Brother Xueyou." Zheng Hui took the initiative to step forward and raised his glass slightly.

"Hui!" Jacky Cheung turned around, saw it was Zheng Hui, and smiled: "Your name has been on my lips these past two days! 120,000 copies released in Hong Kong, you're leaving no room for anyone else!"

"Brother Xueyou, you're joking. I just got lucky and happened to catch the market's appetite," Zheng Hui said with a smile, clinking glasses with him and taking a sip of his drink.

The two stood aside and casually chatted about music. Jacky Cheung was extremely curious about Zheng Hui's creative speed and the precision of his approach, asking many questions about the arrangement details of the album "Half a Lifetime".

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As they chatted, the atmosphere gradually became more comfortable, and Zheng Hui suddenly remembered something from the past.

"Brother Jacky, actually, there's an interesting story about us that almost led to a romantic relationship."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Jacky Cheung raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Zheng Hui slowly said, "Last year, I came to Hong Kong for the first time with demos of my ten songs to find a record company to release them."

The first place I went to was PolyGram. I was received in the office by Manager Chen.

"When Manager Chen heard my song, he thought it was a good song, but he didn't plan to sign me as a singer because he felt the market risk was too great."

Zheng Hui looked at Jacky Cheung with a smile on his lips: "However, he proposed at the time that he would pay a high price to buy all the songs from my first album as a song library for the company's internal singers."

"Later, after I released an album in mainland China and came back to PolyGram to sign a distribution contract and make the record a hit, I had a casual chat with Manager Chen one time."

He said that if I had agreed to sell those ten songs to PolyGram, his first choice for the singers was Jacky Cheung.

Upon hearing these words, Jacky Cheung was visibly stunned, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Is that so? Old Chen has never mentioned it to me."

Jacky Cheung recalled the wildly popular hits from Zheng Hui's first album, "Stubborn," including songs like "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart" and "My Sky." The highly evocative melodies and lyrics were truly rare gems.

However, it's perfectly normal to give it to Jacky Cheung. Even if the styles don't match, it's only natural to have the company's top star review it first.

"Because I told Manager Chen that I wanted to sing these songs myself, even if I couldn't sell a single cassette tape, I still wanted to make my voice heard."

Therefore, I rejected his acquisition offer and went to the mainland instead.

After listening, Jacky Cheung remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed with some regret and raised his glass to toast Zheng Hui.

"That was my loss, and also PolyGram's poor judgment at the time. However, it turns out that your persistence was right. If you had compromised back then, the Chinese music scene would have lost a talented singer and gained a behind-the-scenes ghostwriter."

Only you can sing those songs with that reckless, youthful spirit.

Jacky Cheung's words were both a regret and an acknowledgment of Zheng Hui's talent.

As the two were chatting, Zheng Donghan, who was at the other end of the banquet hall, waved to them, signaling them to come over and meet some new VIPs.

"Let's go, Mr. Zheng is calling us." Jacky Cheung smiled and gestured for Zheng Hui to go first.

The two walked side by side toward the center of the hall. This was the first time Jacky Cheung and Zheng Hui had walked together like this in a public setting within the company.

At that moment, a delicate scene unfolded.

Within Universal Music, everyone knows that Jacky Cheung was the top star during the PolyGram era and the company's pillar of strength.

But everyone also has their own opinion.

Last year, when rumors of Universal's acquisition of PolyGram were at their peak, there was widespread anxiety within the company. Almost everyone in the marketing and artist production departments was worried about being laid off.

But at that very moment, Zheng Hui suddenly appeared.

The flawed distribution strategy for "Stubborn" was corrected after Zheng Donghan intervened and promised fewer layoffs if the product performed well.

As a result, not only did the performance meet the target, but Zheng Hui then released another album, "Floating Life," which achieved even better results than "Stubborn." Ultimately, PolyGram Hong Kong's marketing and artist production departments not only avoided layoffs, but also received year-end bonuses.

Everyone knows perfectly well that Zheng Hui's phenomenal performance is what led to this result.

Therefore, although in name Jacky Cheung is still the high and mighty Brother Cheung, in the emotional balance among the company's employees, everyone has unconsciously leaned towards the young man who brought them stability with his talent and sales.

This emotional closeness was fully demonstrated when the two walked side by side for the first time.

A waiter carrying a tray, a new assistant in the artist department of Universal Music, saw the two approaching and instinctively bowed to greet them, "Brother Hui!"

After calling out, he suddenly realized that Jacky Cheung, the "God of Songs," was standing next to him. His face paled, and he quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Brother Cheung!"

The way he called out "Brother Hui" came naturally; but the way he called out "Brother Xueyou" carried a sense of panic and an attempt to make amends.

Jacky Cheung paused for a moment, but still had a smile on his face, as if he didn't mind.

After walking a few steps, another marketing department employee approached and, upon seeing the two of them, reacted almost identically: "Good evening, Brother Hui! Oh, Brother Jacky Cheung is here too!"

First Brother Hui, then Brother Xueyou.

More than one, more than two.

Along the way, at least three or four Universal employees made the same mistake.

Their way of addressing Zheng Hui stemmed from genuine affection; while their way of addressing Jacky Cheung reflected more of a sense of awe and respect for authority.

Zheng Hui noticed this as well. He felt a little helpless, but he couldn't say anything. He could only smile at the employees.

Jacky Cheung's smile remained unchanged, but a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. He didn't speak again, but simply walked on quietly.

New talents replace the old, and the changing of the guard in the music scene sometimes doesn't require intense conflicts or dramatic declarations of war.

It happens in these subtle changes in terminology, in the most unintentional shifts in people's hearts.

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