Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

Gu Bei pushed open the door of Suibian Studio, and a strong aroma of coffee immediately wafted out.

Jay Chou sat in front of the electronic keyboard, without a baseball cap, his hair appearing somewhat too long and messy.

The impression they give is one of decadence.

His fingers rested on the piano keys, but he didn't press them down; he remained motionless, like a statue.

Fang Wenshan sat on the sofa in the corner, clutching a piece of draft paper in his hand, his expression unreadable.

"What's wrong with you two?" Gu Bei glanced at them. "You two look like you've lost your souls."

Fang Wenshan snapped out of his reverie and adjusted his glasses: "Gu Bei, 'The Lady' is finished."

"However, Jay wasn't in a good mood and couldn't sing the feeling I wanted."

"Oh? Let me see." Gu Bei became interested and walked over to take the draft paper.

The lyrics were densely written on it, the handwriting so messy it looked like scribbles:

My lady, my lady, still every day

Where are you if I break off a willow branch?

It waited for me silently by the stream and river mouth outside the small village.

The wife still breaks off a willow branch every day.

You are there by the stream outside the small village.

Silently waiting for my wife

A pot of good wine and a bowl of hot porridge

Paired with several pounds of beef

I asked the shopkeeper if three taels of silver would be enough.

The autumn scenery is filled with yellow sand sweeping across the sky.

The inns in the northern border region are crowded.

Is there any hay? My horse is a little thin.

Having seen through the ways of the world, one can witness the ebb and flow of life.

What grudges and mistakes?

It still makes people sad many years later.

Heartbroken

My wife is waiting for me in Jiangnan.

Tears never cease, words remain silent

……

It is indeed well written, with a strong visual imagery, like a landscape painting slowly unfolding.

It truly deserves to be called the pioneering work of Chinese-style lyrics.

"How is it?" Fang Wenshan asked with some doubt, wondering if he had written it poorly.

"Very good," Gu Bei nodded, "The lyrics of this song will be the key to the rise of Chinese-style lyrics."

"So... what's wrong with Jay Chou?" He turned his head and looked at Jay Chou.

Fang Wenshan pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat helpless. "Brother Xian and Ruoxuan... said some things on the show."

He picked up the crumpled newspaper from the trash can.

Gu Bei took it and unfolded it; the title read:

Wu Zongxian distanced himself from Jay Chou, saying, "I tried to persuade him not to leave, but he didn't appreciate it."

The article quotes Wu Zongxian's original words from "Guess Guess":

"Hey Jay, keep up the good work at Alfa Music, and Brother Xian will help you release albums in the future."

"But he wouldn't listen and insisted on leaving."

"He doesn't appreciate it, there's nothing I can do."

There was also an interview with Hsu Ju-Hsuan:

"Although I wrote the lyrics for several of his songs, we weren't close at all."

"His singing style is already very niche. The reason why 'Lovely Woman' became popular was largely due to Chow Tin-hwa's music video."

After reading it, Gu Bei crumpled the newspaper into a ball again and threw it into the trash can.

"That's it?" He walked over irritably and patted Jay Chou on the shoulder.

"Hey, Gu Bei, when did you get here?"

Jay Chou was startled.

After realizing what had happened, he silently lowered his head. "I...I'm a little sad!"

"I feel betrayed, like the whole world is against me!"

"That's normal." Gu Bei smiled. "You need to remember one thing."

"When you become famous, you'll find that everyone around you is a good person."

Jay Chou was stunned.

Fang Wenshan was also stunned.

There are indeed many such examples in their lives.

But no one has ever said it in a single, genuine sentence.

"Waiting for you to become famous, waiting for you to become the king of the Chinese music scene, waiting for one of your songs to sell millions..."

Gu Bei's tone was very calm. "At that time, Wu Zongxian will say on the show, 'Jie Lun was trained by me. I could see his talent back then.'"

"Xu Ruoxuan would say, 'We had a very good relationship back then, and we often created works together.'"

"Everyone will say that they have always believed in you and knew you would become famous."

He stood up and put his hand on Jay Chou's shoulder: "So, don't be sad."

"Being sad is useless. Focus on writing good songs, making a good album, and letting the results speak for themselves."

Ah!

He felt a sense of irony when he recalled Wu Zongxian's actions in his previous life.

After Jay Chou's first album became a hit, Wu Zongxian directly sold Alfa Records to Holiday KTV.

It seems it sold for 100 million New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 25 million RMB) at the time.

Jay Chou's net worth accounts for 90% of that.

In fact, his real "mentor" was Yang Junrong.

They started a company with Fang Wenshan in 2007, which is when the matter came to light.

Jay Chou looked up, put his baseball cap back on, and asked, "Gu Bei, will I really become famous?"

"Don't think about these things." Gu Bei sighed.

"Rumors, public opinion, ridicule... they're all trivial matters to me."

His eyes darted around, recalling some unpleasant memories. "The only two people who really made me feel pressured were..."

"One is Sun Yanzhi, a relatively unknown singer, and the other is Liang Jingru, the 'Six-Eyed Flying Fish'."

"Sun Yanzhi is a strong competitor for our Rookie of the Year title."

"I also received a message." Gu Bei took a pen and paper and wrote two words on it: courage.

"Fish Leong's second album will be released on the 2nd of next month, and there is a song called 'Courage' in it."

"I predict it will become the number one single of the year."

It would be too embarrassing to be reborn and still get beaten up by someone else.

"Hiss~"

After hearing this, both Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan gasped in shock.

"Well... I... I'll try my best!" Jay Chou stammered.

He turned around and picked up his guitar.

Upon seeing this, Fang Wenshan quickly walked over to the jazz drum set and sat down.

Soon after, the two sang the song "Niangzi" on the spot.

Jay Chou's slightly muffled voice rang out in the studio:

"My wife, my wife, still waits for me every day, my wife, my wife, still waits for me silently by the stream outside the village."

"My wife still breaks off a willow branch every day, and you wait silently by the stream outside the village... my wife."

"A pot of good wine, a bowl of hot porridge, and a few pounds of beef—I'd like to ask the waiter if three taels of silver would be enough."

……

After finishing the song, Fang Wenshan was so excited that his face was flushed. "Yes, yes, that's the feeling!"

At the same time, a voice echoed in Gu Bei's mind:

[Beep beep beep...]

Jay Chou composed a complete song: "Niang Zi" (娘子).

[Random song selection in progress...]

Congratulations on obtaining: "Beauty"

The system is registering your copyright...

[The system is currently recording the full version of the song into your DNA...]

"The Beauty"?

Gu Bei was stunned for a moment.

Swords boiled with wine have no flavor; for whom shall I drink this cup?

You saw me off. You saw me off.

The scent of rouge can be loved, but not given.

How long is the sky? How long is the earth?

……

If this journey leads to reincarnation...

I would be willing to be a cow or a horse in my next life.

I will follow you to the ends of the earth.

Hu Yanzu's 2004 song is a perfect blend of traditional Chinese style and R&B, and the intro is full of chivalrous spirit.

He has won the Best Composer Award in Mainland China, the China Music Award selected by Guangdong Radio, the Best Film and Television Song Award, and the Golden Melody Award of the Year.

This guy wrote songs without thinking, which resulted in his songs becoming rare and unavailable even before he passed away...

Am I going to have to sing with my butt clenched up even in my old age?

"Gu Bei?" Fang Wenshan saw that he was in a daze and waved his hand in front of his eyes.

"Oh, I'm fine." Gu Bei snapped out of his reverie, praised the two of them a few times, and then changed the subject, "I want to go see how the studio renovation is going."

"Do you have anything else to do? If not, get back to creating."

what!

It really gives off the vibe of a heartless boss.

But we're all partners...partners, after all.

"I... I need to go record the song for 'Black Humor'." Jay Chou scratched his head.

"I'd like to stay and read some books," Fang Wenshan said, adjusting his glasses.