Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Zheng Hui mentally reviewed Emperor Entertainment's lineup and the songs that would become hits across the country in the next few years.

Since we're going to fight, we can't hold back.

Nicholas Tse is still rebelling, smashing guitars, and proclaiming himself as a new generation.

Next year, he will make a complete comeback with an album and sweep the Mandarin market.

That album is called "Thank You for Your Love 1999".

Zheng Hui's pen swept across the paper, writing down the words "Thank You for Your Love 1999".

Weren't you going to publish "The Cry of the End of the Century"?

I'll post this.

Next up is "Because of Love, So I Love".

This song became more widely sung and is also a representative work of Nicholas Tse in his later years.

The lyrics are simple and the melody is catchy; as soon as the intro starts, the whole audience sings along.

Zheng Hui quickly drew musical notation on the paper and filled in the lyrics.

After writing those two lines, he paused for a moment and moved his pen to the next line.

Chen Yixun.

This future karaoke king is still with Capital Artists Records. Although he has some fame, he is still far from being a legend.

Chen Yixun's songs have a unique feature: one melody with two lyrics.

First, the Cantonese version was released, which became a huge hit in Hong Kong. Then, Mandarin lyrics were added, and the song went on to conquer Taiwan and mainland China.

This tactic has proven effective time and again for Emperor Entertainment.

Since you guys like this kind of two-way fish cooking, then I'll just take the fish away first.

He picked up his pen and wrote "Next Year Today".

This is the Cantonese version.

He then wrote "Ten Years" next to it.

This is the Mandarin version.

Two songs, same melody, different lyrics, different emotions.

The Cantonese version sings of despair and letting go, while the Mandarin version sings of regret and longing.

This song is a hit across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Next up is "King of Karaoke".

This song was practically made for chart rankings.

The intro uses the piano piece "Canon", the song title pays homage to countless classic hits, and the lyrics are full of Easter eggs.

It is also a bilingual version.

Zheng Hui's wrist moved swiftly, and the score unfolded line by line on the paper.

Let's have another pair.

"White Rose" (Cantonese).

"Red Rose" (Mandarin).

"What you can't have always stirs your heart, and those who are favored are always fearless."

This lyric, once written, will undoubtedly resonate with countless urban men and women, and can also serve as a rebuttal to those who say his lyrics are too straightforward.

After writing these poems, Zheng Hui counted them; there were eight now.

Two more songs are needed.

Zheng Hui recalled that Emperor Entertainment was going to sign Wang Jie next month, in December 1998.

They wanted to use Wang Jie's image as a playboy to complement Nicholas Tse's rebellious persona, creating a situation that appealed to all ages.

That's a clever plan.

Zheng Hui wrote five words heavily on the paper: "The Crime of Not Being Romantic".

This is Wang Jie's most important Cantonese song after his comeback, and also his most powerful and signature work in his later period.

Now, this signboard belongs to Zheng Hui.

Nine poems.

The last song.

Zheng Hui glanced at the newspaper and said, "You all say my songs are all about one person, so I'll sing another love song with only one person in it, and let's see what you say then."

"Single Love Song"

"I can't hold onto love; I always watch it slip away..."

In later generations, this song became the anthem for Singles' Day, a must-sing song for countless single men to belt out in karaoke.

All ten songs are complete.

"The Unromantic Crime" (Cantonese).

"Next Year Today" (Cantonese).

"King of Karaoke" (Cantonese).

"White Rose" (Cantonese).

"Ten Years" (in Mandarin).

Thank You for Your Love 1999 (Mandarin).

"Because of Love, So I Love" (Mandarin).

"Single Love Song" (Mandarin).

"King of Karaoke" (Mandarin).

"Red Rose" (Mandarin).

Six songs are in Mandarin, and four are in Cantonese.

If this album is released, not only Nicholas Tse, but even the Four Heavenly Kings would have to think twice.

Zheng Hui doesn't want to dwell on any particular theme for this album. He'll just randomly name it something like "Seven Days of Love Songs," saying it's an album he wrote on the spur of the moment and finished in seven days, satirizing those who think only love songs have substance and attitude.

He called Li Zongming over: "Go buy me a tape recorder, the kind that can record, the simplest one will do. Also buy a few blank cassette tapes, they have them at the convenience store downstairs."

Li Zongming grabbed his coat and went out. Half an hour later, he returned carrying a plastic bag.

Zheng Hui took the tape recorder, put in the batteries, and inserted a blank cassette tape.

"You stay outside and keep watch, don't let anyone in and disturb me."

Zheng Hui locked himself in his bedroom and put the door on.

He sat on the edge of the bed and pressed the record button.

There was no accompaniment, no musical instruments.

Only his a cappella singing could be heard.

"Ten years ago, I didn't know you..."

"I can't hold onto love..."

One song after another.

He recorded the melody, rhythm, and dynamics entirely in his own voice onto the tape.

After recording one side, flip it over and continue recording.

Two hours later, the bedroom door opened.

Zheng Hui came out, holding several cassette tapes and a stack of manuscripts.

He put the items into a brown paper document bag and sealed it.

"Buy me a train ticket to Guangzhou, the earliest one."

Li Zongming glanced at his watch: "The earliest bus is at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Buy that train."

……

As dawn broke, at Hung Hom Railway Station.

Zheng Hui and Li Zongming joined the early morning crowd as they entered the platform.

Neither of them brought much luggage; Zheng Hui was carrying the file bag.

As the train started moving, the skyscrapers of Hong Kong outside the window gradually receded, turning into the wilderness of the New Territories. Finally, after crossing the Lo Wu Bridge, the scenery of Shenzhen came into view.

At 8:00 AM, the train arrived at Guangzhou East Station.

Instead of taking a taxi, Zheng Hui pulled Li Zongming straight to the post office next to the station.

"Comrade, send a registered letter."

Zheng Hui placed the file bag on the counter.

The salesperson weighed the item, affixed a stamp, and asked, "Where should I send it?"

Zheng Hui picked up a pen and wrote his name and his company's address in Guangzhou in the recipient section. Registering copyrights with lyricists and composers is possible, but there are procedures to follow; this is the fastest and safest way to start.

"Send it here."

The clerk didn't ask any questions and stamped the postmark with a snap.

After doing all this, he turned around, walked out of the post office, and hailed a taxi.

Go to the Swan Audio-Visual Publishing House.

The car weaved through the streets of Guangzhou, and Zheng Hui leaned back in the back seat, closing his eyes to rest.

He had already called President Wang before he came.

At the White Swan Hotel, the recording studio was empty, and all the musicians who had worked with them last time had been called up.

Although President Wang didn't understand why he was in such a hurry, he still quickly got the job done for him.

The car stopped in front of the publishing house, and Zheng Hui, carrying another file bag containing copies, strode inside.

Upon seeing Zheng Hui enter the recording studio, several people stood up.

"Mr. Zheng, why the rush?" the guitarist asked.

Without wasting any words, Zheng Hui opened the file bag and distributed the musical scores to everyone.

"Everyone, time is tight and the task is heavy. This week, we have to master these ten songs."

Several people took the sheet music and began to look at it.

I originally thought it would be another simple pop song, even if it was a quick job, but with their skills, they could easily make two songs a day.

But as he looked at it, Old Zhang frowned.

"The piano intro to this song, 'King of Karaoke,' is quite interesting."

The keyboardist tried playing a few notes: "Is this a variation of Canon?"

Zheng Hui nodded, "Yes, that's exactly the feeling I'm looking for."

"For this song, 'The Unromantic Crime,' the drumbeats need to be heavy, to have that sense of tearing apart," Zheng Hui said, pointing to the drum score.

"And then there's this song, 'Ten Years.' The piano forms the framework, but when it gets to the chorus, the strings should fill it out, creating that layered, progressive sadness."

Zheng Hui took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and sat down in front of the mixing console.

"Everyone, let's get started. Let's go through 'Thank You for Your Love 1999' first."