Huayu 2009: Who should we call the Heavenly King?

"Okay, okay, let's work together again in the future."

"Um."

I wish your movie great success.

After hanging up the phone, Sister Xia's perked-up ears fell back down.

The entire exchange was formulaic and polite, without a trace of ambiguity.

"Are you asking me to write a song for you?" Liu Shishi asked tentatively.

"Yes, but I declined." Shen Yan said frankly, "I've been too busy lately and haven't had time to write. Besides, I'm not very good at writing songs with a battlefield theme."

Soon after Li Jun and the musicians arrived, Shen Yan immediately got to work.

Liu Shishi then moved over to Zhang Dandan's side, saw the Weibo interface on the computer, and quietly asked a question.

"Is this Shen Yan's Weibo account?"

"Um."

Zhang Dandan nodded; she would occasionally help post some work-related updates.

During her time in the recording studio, she posted quite a few photos.

"Please follow me on his Weibo account."

Liu Shishi harbored deep resentment about this matter.

How long has it been!

I follow everyone on Weibo, from K-sister, Hu Ge, Yuan Hong, Guo Xiaoting, Hu Jia... but I don't follow her at all.

There were also some trolls stirring up trouble, saying that the two of them didn't get along.

There are many reds.

After "Chinese Paladin 3" was broadcast on television, it was met with a barrage of criticism, with many calling it another addition to the ranks of "terrible dramas," but this did not prevent the show from becoming a hit.

Even with thunderstorms that fierce, the fire still raged.

The more they criticize, the angrier they get!

As "Chinese Paladin 3" became a huge hit, Liu Shishi's popularity naturally soared as well, and she now has over 20 followers on Weibo.

"Isn't Brother Yan following this?"

As she spoke, Zhang Dandan opened Liu Shishi's Weibo account and then casually followed her.

Seeing this, Liu Shishi felt a little discouraged.

Why don't I feel any sense of accomplishment?

Instead, it felt rather dull and uninteresting.

For the next few days, Liu Shishi spent all her time in the recording studio, either chatting with Zhang Dandan or quietly watching Shen Yan and the band record songs.

After watching for so long, she had to admit it.

As expected, Shen Yan was right; she was not naturally suited for singing.

Shen Yan's demo was better than her retouched version.

These past few days, Shen Yan hasn't had time to flirt with Xia Jie; he's been too busy, staying up late every night.

He didn't have time to sleep in until the 31st.

I slept until noon.

After quickly washing up and eating a couple of bites of the takeout Zhang Dandan had bought, he put on a denim jacket and walked to the company with Zhang Dandan.

He pushed open the conference room door and saw Zheng Donghan and Qi Yalai. He paused for two seconds, then greeted them.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Zheng and Mr. Qi."

"good afternoon."

Then, Shen Yan greeted Huang Weijing, Lei Songde, Zhang Yi and others separately.

They're early enough.

While Shen Yan was talking with the executives of Gold Typhoon, Zhang Dandan had already connected the sound system.

Once everyone had arrived, the planning meeting officially began.

Similar to most meetings, Huang Weijing spoke first, representing Gold Typhoon.

Let's first give a big shout-out to the achievements of Shen Yan's self-titled album.

Currently, several of the main songs still dominate the new song charts and hot song charts on various platforms, with "The Ordinary Road" and "My Song" performing the best.

He has topped the charts on various platforms and is still in the top ten of the most popular songs charts on multiple platforms.

Sales were also quite good.

The actual sales in Taiwan exceeded 4 copies. This number may seem low, but it's actually quite impressive.

In 2009, Jolin Tsai's "Butterfly" was the No.0.1 best-selling album in Taiwan, with a total of 13 copies sold, but many people questioned whether it was fake.

After all, the second-place book, "More and More in Love" (by Fei Lun Hai), and the third-place book, "The Story of a Trendy Man" (by Luo Zhi Xiang), only sold 6 and 5 copies respectively.

The sales of the top-selling item exceeded the combined sales of the second and third-ranked items.

Referring to the sales rankings of 09, Shen Yan's first album sold over 4 copies, enough to rank him among the top ten of the year.

The only downside is that Shen Yan's debut album was released at the same time as Luo Zhixiang's "Rashomon," and he never managed to top the G-MUSIC weekly chart.

Besides Taiwan, album sales in mainland China are also quite high.

In the nearly two months since its release, shipments have exceeded 20 units.

Even after deducting a 30% return rate, actual sales were around 14 units.

Based on historical data and the long-tail effect, the final sales volume steadily exceeded 20.

Previously, Gold Typhoon suggested that Shen Yan hold a celebration banquet.

The celebration party for the album's sales exceeding 500,000 copies across Asia was held, but Shen Yan did not agree to it.

Revealing sales figures of 20 is a bit embarrassing, since others inflate their figures; if you don't, it'll look bad.

He felt ashamed when he reported a false report of 50.

Let's just not do it.

After highlighting the achievements of her debut album, Huang Weijing briefly looked ahead to the future. Half an hour later, the microphone was finally moved to Shen Yan.

For his second album, he was the producer, and he was the only spokesperson.

"Thank you all for coming. Regarding the second album, I plan to make an album with a complete concept and a relatively unified sound."

After a brief opening, Shen Yan got straight to the point. He liked to get straight to the point; we're all adults, there's no time for drawn-out arguments.

"Regarding the topic."

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang Dandan, who immediately understood and switched to the PPT.

The world is so big, I want to go see it.

Upon seeing the album title, Cai Yinong muttered something under her breath.

"Isn't this name a bit too long?"

On the other side, Shen Yan didn't hear her words and continued his introduction.

"I believe life should not be defined. This world is worth exploring. With passion in our hearts, we dare to cross mountains and seas and embark on every unknown and beautiful journey."

"..."

"The first song on the album, 'A Guide to Wasting Life,' was inspired by the high-pressure life of urban white-collar workers."

"Life doesn't have to be confined to the framework of 'usefulness.' Life should be 'wasted' on things you love, breaking free from the constraints of a monotonous routine, and giving your time to yourself and to freedom."

"..."

"Then it leads to the second song, 'Life is More Than Just the Present.'"

"Life is not just about what's in front of you, but also about poetry and distant places."

"The world is so big, there's always a place waiting for you."

Actually, Shen Yan had struggled with whether or not to copy this song when choosing the music.

After much deliberation, he decided to copy it.

Some inappropriate words can be changed, as long as the overall framework remains the same.

"..."

"The third poem is 'Orange Sea' (Summer Soseki)."

"This song creates an atmosphere of sunshine, beaches, and waves, allowing us to slow down the pace of our lives."

"..."

"Next, the fourth song is 'I Want to Go to the Beach'."

"On the surface, this song is about heading towards the sea, but it's actually about saying goodbye."

When you get to the beach, you think of someone, and you want to take them to see the sea.

"Maybe it's someone else, maybe it's yourself before you set off, the you trapped in your cubicle."

"But no matter who it is, it's time for you and them to say goodbye."

"..."

The fifth song is "Sunset Boulevard".

"We continued driving, and the sunset was beautiful, golden and dazzling."

"But after the sun sets comes night."

"What this song is trying to say is that the journey won't always be sunny."

"We will search along the way, and we will get lost along the way; we will run, and we will cry."

"Whether it's the beauty of the sunset or the darkness of the night, it's all part of the journey, and also part of life."

"..."

"The sixth poem is 'Seagull,' and the seagull is a symbol of freedom."

"It also has a slight connection with 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky' from the previous album."

"That song is 'I'd rather keep all the pain in my heart,' while this one is 'Those wounds will pass, but some regrets will remain in my heart forever.'"

"I hope everyone can be like a seagull, unafraid of the wind and waves, breaking free from their cage."

"Be able to bravely say goodbye to the past and move forward."

"..."

"The seventh song, 'The Boring Life After Lunch'."

"Life is like a journey; it won't always be at its peak."

You arrive in an unfamiliar city, finish lunch, and feel drowsy under the sun. You sit on the street and feel that everything has slowed down again, making you a little bored.

"But this boredom is different from being trapped in a cubicle."

"The cat in the flower bed, the bird on the roof, the wandering singer, the auntie in the snack shop—these overlooked everyday things may hold unexpected beauty."

"..."

"The eighth song is 'Take Me to Find Nightlife'."

"After going through so much, when night falls, we have to find a way out."

"I don't want to hold back the emotions I've accumulated during the day, whether it's happiness or sadness."

"Whether it's healing alone or partying with others, it's all about your own 'nightlife'."

"..."

"The ninth song is 'The Wind Rises'."

"This song is simple: you've had your fun, you've had your fill of revelry, you've experienced things, you've been hurt. No matter what you've been through, you still feel that the world is vast, and you still want to keep going and keep seeing."

"..."

"The tenth song, which is also the last song on the album, is 'Goodbye' (Anhe Bridge)."

"Those summers, like you, will never come back." This "you" can be a person, a period of time, or an obsession.

"There are too many regrets in this world every day, but reminiscing, sadness, helplessness, and anticipation are all part of life, and they will eventually pass."

"Just like youth, it's gone forever."

"So cherish the present, move forward bravely, and there will always be a beautiful reunion."

"..."

"That's about it for the ten songs. Actually, after saying so much, I just want to express one thing: the world is so big, you deserve to go and see it."

"certainly."

"I'm not telling people to abandon everything and embrace freedom, I'm just reminding everyone that there's still a lot of beauty in life, and not to lose yourself in the process of moving forward."

"Thank you everyone, now let's move on to the demo listening session."