r18novel Chapter 55 Press Conference Bombardment
Chapter 55 Press Conference Bombardment
As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, Chen Fan finally got a feel for things.
He drew inspiration from symphonies and suddenly realized that there seemed to be no precedent for adapting pop music into symphonies in this era.
Aren't those people in Europe and America the most fond of making symphonies?
Let's give them a big shock first!
Chen Fan began to transcribe the music.
Add some folk instruments to the prelude to the symphony.
After downing a can of Red Bull, the lights in the recording studio came back on, and Chen Fan put his headphones back on.
Each time Chen Fan sang a demo, he would give it a number so that it would be easier for him to find.
The folder already contains hundreds of files; an average person would be overwhelmed just looking at it.
If your throat hurts, stop and drink some water, or take a throat lozenge and continue singing.
I played the piece several times according to the sheet music, and then put on headphones.
Then he opened his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"That's enough," he said in a low voice.
On the fifth day of the public outcry, Ge Mingyue received a phone call.
"Miss Ge, President An wants to see Chen Fan."
The voice on the other end was young; it belonged to An Shihuan's assistant.
An Shih-huan is a bigwig in the entertainment industry.
Chairman of Xinghe Culture Media, whose company has signed three Best Actor and two Best Actress winners, and has overseas branches in Los Angeles, London and Seoul.
Known in the industry as "Uncle An," none of the artists he's worked with have had a major scandal.
Ge Mingyue hung up the phone and looked at Chen Fan beside her: "An Shihuan wants to see you."
Chen Fan was looking at the sheet music and didn't even look up: "Who?"
Ge Mingyue took a deep breath: "The chairman of Xinghe Culture. The largest artist management company in China."
Chen Fan finally raised his head.
Of course he knew about Xinghe Culture; no one in the industry was unaware of it.
But he didn't know why An Shihuan wanted to see him.
"He is Andy's father," Ge Mingyue added.
Chen Fan was stunned for a moment.
It's hard to connect a big-shot broker with Andy, a foreigner who can't even speak Chinese clearly.
Chen Fan asked Ge Mingyue incredulously, "Is it the Andy who recorded 'Master Class' with me?"
Ge Mingyue nodded, "Yes."
"His father wants to see me."
"right."
Chen Fan was stunned. "So his agency is only second-rate in the industry?"
Ge Mingyue explained, "Their main business is actor management. They've only recently gotten involved with singers. Strictly speaking, they're a level above second-tier companies because they can handle international work."
Chen Fan's lips twitched as he listened; what a fantastical development!
His good friend even gave him the big shot's business card, and he actually believed Andy's nonsense that his agency was only second-rate in the industry!
You shouldn't have trusted that foreigner Andy!
The meeting place was to be on the top floor of Xinghe Culture's headquarters, in An Shihuan's private tea room.
When Chen Fan walked in, An Shihuan was making tea.
He was not yet fifty years old, but he looked like he was only in his thirties.
She was wearing a light gray Chinese-style jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, and a string of sandalwood beads on her wrist.
If it weren't for his exotic appearance, Chen Fan would almost have thought he was a native Chinese.
"Sit down." He gestured to the chair opposite him without any formalities.
Chen Fan nodded to the person and then sat down.
An Shihuan pushed a cup of tea in front of him; the tea was clear and had a delicate aroma.
"I've managed many artists in my life."
An Shihuan spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was steady. "I've seen all kinds of actors, actresses, superstars, and so on."
Chen Fan picked up the teacup and held it in his hands, listening quietly.
"But I have never seen a celebrity mentioned so many times by my son."
An Shihuan looked at Chen Fan, his gaze gentle yet sharp. "He said you're 'different.' I asked how you're different, and he said, 'Your talent matches your ambition, but what's truly valuable is that your ambition isn't about fame and fortune, but about proving yourself.'"
Chen Fan put down his teacup, somewhat surprised by Andy's understanding of him: "It proves that Chinese music is no worse than anyone else's."
An Shihuan nodded: "So, you disagree with Thomson's statement that your music 'cannot go international'."
"What I resent isn't that he said I'm bad,"
Chen Fan explained, "What I disagree with is his statement that 'it cannot go international.' Why should it go international? When did going international become a standard for judging music? Whether music is good or not has always been decided by the listeners."
An Shihuan looked into his eyes for a long time.
Then he laughed.
The young man's eyes shone with a sharpness that he made no attempt to hide; he was an open and honest person.
Openly reveal your ambitions, openly raise questions, and openly accept criticism.
"Andy is right, you really are different."
He stood up, walked to the wall of the tea room, and took down a piece of calligraphy. There were only four characters on the paper—"The music and songs never cease."
"This was given to me by my teacher forty years ago. It means: 'To continue the lineage of culture through the sounds of the zither and lute; though the world is difficult, it must not be stopped.'"
He handed the letter to Chen Fan, saying, "Now, I'm giving it to you."
Chen Fan accepted the document with both hands, looked at the four words, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Yes, I will not let you down."
An Shihuan patted him on the shoulder: "It's not that I won't be disappointed. It's that everyone who was waiting to see you make a fool of yourself will be disappointed."
The two talked for less than half an hour before An Shihuan finalized a deal with the contract department to sign Chen Fan.
The press conference was scheduled for the afternoon of the following day.
The venue is Studio One at the headquarters of Galaxy Culture, which can accommodate 300 people.
Ge Mingyue notified fifty media outlets, including CCTV's music channel, major mainstream media, and three overseas Chinese-language media outlets.
The news sparked another split in the comments section.
"Chen Fan is going to sign with Galaxy Culture? Master An has made his move!"
"Who is An Shihuan? Is he very powerful?"
This comment was pushed to the top, and someone replied: "He's the originator of all the awesome agents in China, isn't that amazing?"
"What's the point of signing a contract? It's still soulless if it's not."
"Looking forward to Chen Fan's response! He's been silent for too long!"
The press conference finally began amidst much anticipation.
An Shihuan was the first to step onto the stage.
He was wearing a dark blue suit, his silver hair was neatly combed, and he stood behind the podium with a steady and confident aura.
"Dear journalists, thank you for coming today."
He adjusted the microphone. "Today, Xinghe Culture officially signed singer Chen Fan."
The flashbulbs went off one after another.
"At the same time," An Shihuan continued, "Chen Fan will be the sole representative of the Chinese-language region to participate in the 'Universal Original Music Competition'."
There was a stir in the audience.
Global Championship!
That's a top-tier international original music competition, held annually in Paris, with judges from twelve countries, and is known as the "Olympics of the music world."
The spots in the Chinese-speaking region have always been the most fiercely contested.
Because the number of places offered each year is limited, the competition is not just fierce, it's brutal.
Last year, the contestant representing the Chinese-speaking region was an established singer-songwriter, but unfortunately, he was eliminated in the semi-finals.
This year, the spot was actually given directly to Chen Fan!