Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

In mid-February 2015, Beijing was still chilly.

The glass curtain wall of Kiwi's headquarters building reflected a cold white light in the afternoon sun, and the heating in the conference room was on full blast.

Dai Ying leaned back in her chair, with two neatly printed musical scores spread out in front of her.

Chen Li sat opposite her, having just arrived from the set of "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer".

He pushed the two sheets of music towards Dai Ying, getting straight to the point:

"Mr. Dai, I'm here today for no other reason than I have two songs that I'd like to collaborate on with iQiyi. Both songs are sung by Zhou Shen."

Dai Ying took off her headphones, a glint of excitement flashing in her eyes.

She didn't rush to turn the pages of the sheet music, but instead looked up at Chen Li, her tone carrying an undisguised admiration:

"Teacher Chen, I know your two songs very well. I was following you when 'Undyed' was dominating the Kugou charts, and after 'The Wind Rises' came out, I told my team—this young man is extraordinary, and we must have the opportunity to collaborate in the future. Sure enough, you came to us yourself."

Chen Li smiled and pushed the first sheet of music in front of Dai Ying:

"This song is called 'Rings of Time,' a traditional Chinese style lyrical piece with a melancholic and graceful melody. Mr. Dai, I heard that your company, Kiwi, has partnered with Hunan TV to secure the broadcasting rights for 'The Journey of Flower.' This drama will air this June. The original novel has a large fanbase, and the audience for fantasy romance and tragic love stories highly overlaps with the audience for traditional Chinese style music."

"I had Zhou Shen sing 'The Years' as an interlude, and then I added more of his unique breathy vocals and head resonance techniques. The final version will be more ethereal than other singers' versions, and it will fit the tone of the drama perfectly."

"The Journey of Flower" - produced by Ciwen Media.

The costume fantasy drama starring Wallace Huo and Zhao Liying, and co-directed by Lin Yufen, will premiere on Hunan TV's Diamond Theater on June 9, 2015, and will be available for online streaming on iQiyi.

This drama series created a ratings legend in its previous life, with an average rating of 2.981% in CSM50 cities. It was the number one weekly TV drama in China in 2015, and its online viewership had exceeded 64 billion by July.

If "The Years" could be included as an interlude in this drama, Zhou Shen's exposure would be boosted to a national level.

Dai Ying flipped through two pages of the sheet music, her finger lightly tapping a trill, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Having worked on self-produced dramas for so many years, her sensitivity to content and music far surpasses that of ordinary people. Just by looking at the first few lines of this score, you can tell it's not a piece of work that was just handed in casually.

She closed the sheet music for "Rings of Time," picked up a second copy, flipped through a couple of pages, her eyebrows slightly raised, and the corners of her mouth curving upwards.

This score is from a completely different world from the first one, which was so melodious and poignant.

The rhythm is erratic, the characters switch frequently, and the vocal range is ridiculously wide.

"This song is called 'Da La Beng Ba'," Chen Li explained.

"It's a completely opposite approach to 'Rings of Time'. Zhou Shen switches between multiple vocal styles in this song, from a young knight to a dragon to a princess to a narrator, jumping back and forth across four octaves or more throughout."

"The selling point of this song is not emotional resonance, but a pure display of singing talent—letting the audience see for themselves what a 'one-man voice actor drama' is all about."

Dai Ying put down the sheet music, leaned back in her chair, crossed her hands on the table, and the excited look in her eyes had turned from curiosity into a firm business judgment.

"Undyed" and "The Wind Rises" topped the charts, followed by "So Cute Us" with 7 million views.

She had thoroughly examined everything this young man was producing, whether it was a song or a play.

"Teacher Chen, the styles of these two songs are so different—one is deeply emotional, and the other is technically amazing. But you've given them a very accurate positioning: one is for dramas, and the other is for variety shows."

She laid the two sheets of music side by side on the table, and first touched the sheet music "Rings of Time" with her fingertips.

"Of course, I can give you this resource. But Professor Chen, business cooperation is not charity, and I need you to show corresponding sincerity as well."

Chen Li nodded slightly.

Kiwi is not going to give away resources for free. Dai Ying, a veteran who has been working in the field of self-produced dramas for many years, always lays out her cards on the table before letting you reveal them when discussing cooperation.

"The exclusive digital distribution rights for 'Rings of Time' can be exclusively released on the iQiyi Music Channel, and for the first three months after its release, it cannot be licensed to other platforms," ​​Chen Li said calmly.

"A music video will be released at the same time, featuring Zhou Shen himself."

Dai Ying nodded in satisfaction, moved the sheet music for "Rings of Time" to the side, revealing the sheet music for "Dala Bengba" underneath.

Her fingers tapped on the sheet music, the rhythm light and quick, like she was keeping time.

"I suggest 'Dala Bengba' be on a variety show." Dai Ying flipped through the schedule, her fingertip pointing to a line of dates.

"In mid-March, iQiyi will produce an innovative idol-training reality show called 'King of Pop' - twenty young contestants will receive systematic training in the original Korean star-making system, with three celebrity mentors in charge, competing in all aspects from singing and dancing to stage performance."

When she spoke about her field of expertise, her tone became more confident and assured.

"Before this show goes live, we need a performance that generates buzz to warm up the show. Zhou Shen's debut performance—singing four roles, four vocal ranges, and four octaves all by himself—is the ultimate technical demonstration on the best stage, which in itself is the best material for generating buzz."

Chen Li glanced at the schedule and quickly went through the positioning of "King of Pop" in his mind.

This year's key self-produced variety show by iQiyi uses a pure Korean star-making system and targets young female viewers, who are the most easily moved and have the strongest desire to share.

This stage is perfect for Zhou Shen; it has a greater impact than singing a regular song at any music festival or gala.

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Dai. I am very satisfied with this cooperation and wish us a successful collaboration." Chen Li nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Dai Ying stood up and extended her hand to him.

The two shook hands briefly. Her palm was dry and strong, the kind of crisp and decisive hand that comes with years of experience as a producer.

Chen Li knew why she suddenly changed the subject.

The goal is to transform this brief collaboration into a true strategic channel.

"Mr. Chen, I know you're getting close to Tencent now, but there's no black-and-white approach in the streaming industry. If you have any new projects in the future, you can come directly to us."

"You've seen the amount of investment iQiyi has made in its self-produced dramas and variety shows—30 self-produced dramas annually, a 5000 million yuan script reward fund, and the introduction of the South Korean star-making system. They have both money and talent."

Dai Ying's gaze passed over the two sheets of music on the conference table and landed on Chen Li's face, her smile now tinged with seriousness.

"We can provide you with the best resource placements and promotional support. This promise is here today and can be fulfilled at any time."

Chen Li nodded slightly and put the two sheets of music into his backpack.