Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

As soon as the car stopped in front of Zhenghua Hotel, Wu Ziming pulled Lu Jiuge inside.

"Hurry, hurry, to the Peony Hall on the third floor!"

When I pushed open the door to the private room, there were already four people sitting inside.

Without saying a word, Wu Ziming bowed and apologized.

"Sorry, there was a sudden problem on set, sorry to keep you all waiting!"

Seated in the main seat was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He glanced at his watch, waved his hand, and smiled:

"Ziming, we've heard about your reckless and carefree personality when you're filming, and besides, it's not time yet!"

"Mr. Liu, please don't make fun of me!"

"Let me introduce you all. This is Lu Jiuge, our new assistant director, and also a candidate composer for the theme song of 'The Song of Zhenguan'!"

As Wu Ziming sat down, he raised his hand to introduce himself:

"Xiao Lu, this is Liu Feng, the vice president of the Central Conservatory of Music, a leading figure in the field of folk music."

He pointed to the thin-faced middle-aged man to Liu Feng's left:

"This is flutist Qiu Jian; his solo albums are famous both at home and abroad!"

Then, Wu Ziming turned to another middle-aged man with a refined and scholarly demeanor:

"This is Su Jianghe, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Musicians Association, a master of traditional musical instruments."

Finally, he looked at the young woman and paused.

Su Jianghe naturally continued:

"This is Li Huizhen, my student. She took a break a few years ago due to health reasons, but recently she's made a comeback. I brought her out for a walk and to learn from her."

"Li Huizhen? The one who sang 'I Loved Yesterday to Death'?"

After the introductions, Lu Jiuge had just sat down when Liu Feng's gaze lingered on him for a moment before he slowly said:

"Oh, Lu Jiuge? The one who fought Luo Zhiqiang?"

"it's me."

Lu Jiuge smiled and nodded.

Liu Feng remained noncommittal, taking a sip of tea:

"I listened to the song 'Liang Liang'. Using the xiao (a type of vertical flute) instead of the guitar in the interlude is an interesting idea, but the fusion still feels a bit awkward!"

Lu Jiuge felt a chill run down her spine; this guy really had a sharp ear.

"Mr. Liu is right. Time was tight back then, and the details could indeed have been polished to be more refined."

Sitting to Liu Feng's left, Qiu Jian tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table, then suddenly spoke:

"An idea is one thing. But the way you're making such a big fuss now, betting against Lo Chih-Chiang, are you really trying to compete musically, or...?"

He looked up, his gaze sharp:

"Just want to become famous?"

Wu Ziming frowned, about to smooth things over, but Lu Jiuge spoke first:

"Teacher Qiu, if I only wanted to become famous, I should be going on TV shows everywhere, complaining and trying to ride the wave of popularity, instead of sitting here. What do you think?"

Qiu Jian spoke very directly, and Lu Jiuge's reply left him speechless.

After a few seconds of pause, Lu Jiuge spoke again, explaining with a smile:

"Teacher Qiu, it's not that I want to gamble!"

Lu Jiuge spoke calmly:

"It was Luo Zhiqiang who brought reporters to my company entrance and challenged me to a fight on camera. If I didn't accept, the headlines would be about Lu Jiuge backing down!"

"You tell me, do I have a choice?"

The table was silent for a few seconds.

Liu Feng suddenly laughed:

"Haha, young man, you've got guts! But Luo Zhiqiang has SG Records backing him; you're going it alone, your chances of winning aren't high!"

"That's why I need to create good works even more."

Lu Jiuge looked at Liu Feng:

"Let your work speak for itself; it's more effective than any PR campaign!"

"That makes sense!"

When Lu Jiuge mentioned her work, Wu Ziming patted his forehead:

"By the way, Xiao Lu, you said you finished the theme song demo. Since the food is still being served, put it aside. The teachers are all here, so they can give us their feedback!"

"Okay, Director Wu!"

Lu Jiuge got up and connected the MP3 player to the portable speaker in the private room.

As the prelude of the chime bells and xun began, Su Jianghe, who was pouring tea, paused slightly.

As the string music began, Qiu Jian, who had been leaning casually in his chair, unconsciously sat up straight.

When Lu Jiuge sang "A thousand sails pass by the sunken ship," Liu Feng closed his eyes and tapped his fingers very lightly on his knees.

When the music ended, only the soft hum of the air conditioner remained in the private room.

After a long while, Liu Feng finally opened his eyes and looked at Lu Jiuge:

Play it again.

After listening to it a second time, Liu Feng let out a long breath. Instead of directly commenting on the song, he asked:

"Whose idea was it to connect the zither's tremolo technique with the fast tempo of the strings in the arrangement?"

"That's my idea!"

Lu Jiuge answered confidently:

"My main intention with this design is to express a sense of urgency and decisiveness in the face of a historical opportunity."

Liu Feng stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled and said to Wu Ziming:

"Ziming, you've struck gold with this theme song."

After saying that, he continued with his comments:

"The overall flow of the music is seamless, and the concept is lofty. The most difficult aspect is that it is grand yet not empty, and ancient yet not outdated. This arrangement is not the meticulousness of the academic school, but the brilliance of an unorthodox approach. And it is precisely this brilliance that is most precious!"

As the vice president of the Central Conservatory of Music, Liu Feng took the lead in defining the nature of the song, and the other two did not offer any further opinions.

However, to demonstrate his professionalism, Qiu Jian still offered a detailed evaluation:

"These lyrics have a grand vision. 'All the heroes of the world are within my grasp'—this one line perfectly captures Li Shimin's magnanimity!"

Su Jianghe pondered for a moment and said:

"The arrangement is also meticulous. Modern instruments form the foundation, while traditional Chinese musical elements add a finishing touch, achieving both a sense of historical depth and the emotional impact required for a TV drama!"

Although Li Huizhen had already been a guest performer at dozens of Jacky Cheung's concerts, she still seemed to lack the seniority for this occasion, so she didn't speak but instead looked at Lu Jiuge with appreciation.

After hearing the three people's evaluations, Wu Ziming's eyes lit up:

"That's exactly the feeling I wanted! Grand, but not empty; epic in scale, yet capable of moving ordinary people!"

After making his evaluation, Wu Ziming looked at Liu Feng and the others:

"Three experts, do you think this song is suitable as the theme song for the Zhenguan Song?"

"Although I haven't watched the TV series yet, the emotions conveyed in the song are more than enough to make it the theme song for a historical drama!"

Liu Feng first gave a positive answer, then frowned slightly and looked at Lu Jiuge:

"It's a good song, but there's a problem. I feel the perspective in this song is more suited to a female voice."

Lu Jiuge secretly admired him and nodded in agreement:

"Teacher Liu is truly amazing! She grasped the key point immediately! When I was writing this song, I used a female perspective as my entry point!"

After a pause, Lu Jiuge answered frankly:

"But the company was newly established and didn't have a female singer yet, so I recorded a demo myself first!"

"I was just about to suggest to Director Wu that the theme song should ideally be sung by a female singer!"

Wu Ziming was taken aback:

"You should have said so earlier! Do you know anyone suitable?"

The eyes of everyone at the table fell on Lu Jiuge.

Lu Jiuge glanced around, pondered for a few seconds, and then looked at Li Huizhen:

"Sister Huizhen, why don't you give it a try?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ziming looked at Lu Jiuge thoughtfully, but did not say anything.

On the other side, Li Huizhen was also stunned when she heard this:

"I?"

"right!"

Lu Jiuge's tone was sincere:

"The quality of your voice, especially the depth and narrative quality of your mid-to-low range, is perfect for this song!"

Li Huizhen subconsciously looked at Su Jianghe.

Su Jianghe smiled:

"Since Xiao Lu has said so, why don't you give it a try? I also think your voice is suitable!"

"But……"

Li Huizhen hesitated:

"I don't have sheet music!"

"That's easy!"

Lu Jiuge waved to the waiter:

"Could you please get me some paper and a pen?"

After the paper and pen were brought over, Lu Jiuge bent down and began to write the score under the watchful eyes of several people.

His movements were swift, requiring almost no thought; melody, chords, and lyric placement flowed smoothly from his pen, line by line.

Qiu Jian leaned closer to take a look and asked in surprise:

"Is this song really your original composition?"