1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

Faye Wong came to Hong Kong when she was 18 years old.

She grew up in Beijing and was admitted to the Biology Department of Xiamen University after graduating from high school. She was supposed to go to school, but due to her father's job transfer, she had to give up her studies and go to Hong Kong to study fashion modeling instead.

She later gained the appreciation of her mentor Dai Sicong, signed with Cinepoly Records, changed her name to Wang Jingwen, and officially debuted.

The company positioned her as a standard Hong Kong "pure and innocent" idol, requiring her to sing Hong Kong-style pop love songs in a ladylike manner.

Yes, when Faye Wong first debuted, she was also a pure and innocent girl.

Then came the well-known story: he released album after album that flopped, used a name that wasn't his own, wore makeup that wasn't his own, and sang music that wasn't his own style.

One thing after another hit her, causing her to gradually lose herself in self-doubt and resorting to secretly going against the company in her own way.

As a result, this time not only did it fail, but they also ended up in a car heading to the Clearwater Bay film set.

Wang Jingwen stared out the window, silently regretting her actions.

Why should we agree...?

……

Each lost in their own thoughts, the bus arrived at its stop more than forty minutes later.

But this was not the end of their journey. They still had to go up Clear Water Bay Road, then downhill past the intersection of Film Road, walk for five minutes to Silver Shadow Road, and then continue forward to reach the entrance of Shaw Brothers.

Fortunately, there is a market in Hang Hau halfway through, which allows us to take a shortcut.

But the market was a mixed bag, with stalls crammed together and vendors hawking their wares incessantly. A sharp-eyed flower vendor spotted the two walking one after the other and immediately stepped forward to block their path.

"Hey handsome, aren't you going to buy your girlfriend a flower?"

Huo Sheng paused, glanced at the vendor, and smiled, "I'll come back to patronize your business next time."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110 ...

It sounds like they don't care at all.

What girlfriend...

Wang Jingwen pursed her lips, staring intently at his shoulder, as if she wanted to bore a hole through it.

"Are you hungry? Let's find a place to have lunch."

At this moment, Huo Sheng turned to look at her and casually said something.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jingwen wrinkled her nose, clearly not in the mood.

Seeing her expression, Huo Sheng said slowly, "You want to eat with me at the TVB cafeteria?"

"Walk."

She managed to squeeze out a single word.

The two entered a fairly clean tea restaurant. Huo Sheng sat down in a corner, and Wang Jingwen sat down opposite him.

One plate of stir-fried beef noodles, and one plate of Hainanese chicken rice.

"Did anything come to mind on your way here?" Huo Sheng asked her before the food even arrived.

Caught off guard, Wang Jingwen watched as the ball slipped from her grasp and rolled away before finally replying, "What are you thinking about?"

"In the recording studio."

Huo Sheng said, "You criticized me so much, you didn't forget it all as soon as you left the house, did you?"

Wang Jingwen paused for a moment.

She got emotional in that moment and spoke quite frankly, but regretted it a little afterward.

Ka-ying is probably still in the recording studio with Leung Wing-Chun, looking at each other in bewilderment, not knowing how to end this.

Thinking of this, she felt a little annoyed and looked at Huo Sheng, "I was wondering why you didn't refute me."

"In some respects, you're not wrong."

"Then why did you send me?"

Huo Sheng shifted his position, leaned back in his chair, and smiled: "Because I think you can sing the song that you call worthless well."

Do you think I can sing well?

Wang Jingwen never expected that his performance in the recording studio would be recognized.

"Your voice is very beautiful."

Huo Sheng frankly admitted, "It's a pity we didn't make good use of it."

"That doesn't sound like a nice thing to say."

"It's not exactly a compliment," Huo Sheng readily admitted.

He leaned closer to the table, then changed the subject, "You said in the recording studio that this song's melody is outdated and the lyrics are clichéd. So, what kind of song do you think has soul?"

After a moment's thought, Wang Jingwen said, "At the very least, one must have ideas, be independent, and be pioneering."

"That's right."

Huo Sheng nodded. "If I were the producer, I would definitely find a singer to sing progressive rock for you and make you pay for it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jingwen frowned slightly.

"It's a pity you're not an audience member." Huo Sheng looked at her. "You're a signed singer with Cinepoly Records now."

"..."

"When you judge a song, you use your own standards."

Huo Sheng said, "The melody is outdated, the lyrics are clichéd, you're right about that. But your standards aren't the standards of the audience."

Wang Jingwen raised her chin.

"So what?" she said stubbornly. "Do I have to sing whatever they like to hear?"

Huo Sheng looked at her without saying a word.

"You've been in the industry for three years and released three albums," he suddenly asked. "Are you famous yet?"

Wang Jingwen's expression stiffened for a moment, "...No."

"Do you want to be famous?"

Wang Jingwen remained silent for a few seconds.

Of course she wanted to be famous. She had loved singing since she was a child, and after coming here from Beijing, she made singing her only solace. She desperately needed to be recognized.

However, she didn't want to obtain it in a way she didn't like.

Judging from her expression, Huo Sheng had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.

"So the reality is, you don't even have an audience."

"you!"

Huo Sheng ignored her emotions and continued, "Have you ever thought that whether you like it or not is a different matter from whether the song will become popular?"

"Two different things?"

"You want to be yourself, you want to sing the songs you like, no problem." Huo Sheng leaned back in his chair, his tone firm, "But you have to be qualified first."

Wang Jingwen frowned slightly.

"Like right now, you don't like the image the company has given you, you don't like this song, you think it's too feminine, too humble, too formulaic—"

Huo Sheng looked at her, "But the reality is that you don't even have the right to refuse."

Even if you go to the film set today and don't like it, you can't change anything when you get back, because you have no choice.

"I……"

Wang Jingwen seemed lost in thought.

"Only when you become famous will you have a voice and the right to do what you want."

Huo Sheng chuckled, then gave an example that even made him laugh at himself, "In the end, I might be the one begging you to sing my theme song. How about it, sounds pretty cool, right?"

"..."

It's pretty cool.

Wang Jingwen did not answer, but seemed to be deep in thought.

She unconsciously poked at the ice cubes in the glass with the straw, making a crackling and popping sound.

She understood what Huo Sheng meant.

Thinking back, I've spent five years in Hong Kong. On one hand, I've been searching for an opportunity to rediscover myself, and on the other hand, I've been constantly losing myself.

Getting bogged down in trivial matters, arguing with the company, arguing with the song, and neglecting the longer-term goals.

That's pretty silly.

Huo Sheng had already seen through this in the recording studio.

He wasn't angry, nor did he use his position as the copyright holder to force her to do anything. Instead, he readily accepted her criticism, took her on this journey, and talked to her for so long.

Instead of proving to her that the song wasn't outdated, he intentionally tried to enlighten her.

This person...

She looked up and glanced at Huo Sheng.

He was looking down at the chopsticks on the table, not looking at her.

Soon after, the Hainanese chicken rice was served, followed by the stir-fried beef noodles, glistening with oil and steaming hot, served with a spoon.

Huo Sheng picked up his chopsticks and pushed the beef chow fun towards her.

"Eat."

Wang Jingwen looked away and picked up her chopsticks.

Hong Kong people are used to eating rice noodles by picking them up with chopsticks and then supporting the bottom with a spoon, so as not to drip them all over themselves.

Wang Jingwen was clearly not like that. With the spoon left aside, she casually picked up food with her chopsticks, eating as if it were nothing.

Huo Sheng glanced at it and smiled.

He felt a sense of familiarity with her, but Wang Jingwen was completely unaware of it.