Chapter 40: First Exploration of the Mountain
It must be said that Zhuang Menghua has a good eye for talent, and she has given Zhuang Menghua as many choices as possible within the limited resources available: a Chinese cover of a hit song, "My Beloved", a cover of an ancient song with a new tune, "Hateful Marriage", an original song, "One Two Three, Each with Their Own Dreams", and an original duet song, "Longing in the Wind and Rain". From the quality of the songs to the budget for the album production, it is clear that both thought and money have been spent on it.
This is probably the reward you get after you work hard to improve your "value"—if it were the Zhuang Menghua who had mediocre grades and was prone to getting stuck on trivial matters, she definitely wouldn't have been willing to put in so much effort in the early stages.
Even if I did, back then, I was too "proud" and didn't like picking up what others didn't want, so I wouldn't have accepted these songs, even if there were good songs among them that I could see had great potential to become very popular even without my memories of the future.
Indeed, the first thing to do in this industry is to have a good mindset. Don't focus too much on the process, but rather pay attention to the result.
After finalizing the four songs for the EP, Li Sishi obediently followed Zhuang Menghua's instructions and began preparing for tomorrow's lessons very seriously.
Zhuang Menghua was deeply gratified by Li Sishi's "obedient and sensible" behavior: Indeed, one can only become wise by reading more books, and she understands the importance of accumulating knowledge and experience at such a young age.
These days, many newcomers to this industry either come with the intention of finding a good job to make money or with the mentality of becoming famous overnight. While impetuosity and utilitarianism may breed the arrogance of those who want to get ahead quickly, only those who are down-to-earth, serious, and persistent in their efforts can ultimately succeed.
In this world, there really are those shallow-minded and not-so-bright "smart" people: you see their potential and spend money and effort hiring teachers to train and guide them, but they feel that you are blocking their path to making money, that you look down on their talents, and that you are suppressing them by sending others to auditions and acting while they stay indoors to study...
Fortunately, Zhuang Menghua had only seen such people, but had never actually encountered them.
Even though Huang Qianyan is now becoming increasingly opinionated, she used to obediently study when asked to—of course, this might be partly because she was taken to a place she was completely unfamiliar with.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Menghua's expression relaxed a bit. She then told Li Sishi that if she missed home, her family could be invited over for a short visit later when things calmed down. As the saying goes, it's better to guide than to block, and Li Sishi's family was all in Hong Kong. Even though she now possessed a maturity beyond her years, she was still only ten years old.
Seven years old is still an age where children need comfort from their families...
"Thank you, Miss Zhuang." Throughout the entire conversation, Li Sishi's words of gratitude were undoubtedly the most sincere.
She was escorted directly to this villa after getting off the plane, and she was prepared not to see her family for most of the summer vacation. At most, she would be allowed to call regularly to let them know she was safe. She never expected that Ms. Zhuang, who always valued her career, would be so generous and take the initiative to suggest that she bring her family to meet her.
As expected, Miss Zhuang mostly needs to be stroked gently, and her occasional little temper tantrums can only be considered "fun" and should not be overused.
After seeing Zhuang Menghua off and leaving the villa, Li Sishi, who had just washed up, lay in bed and thought to herself.
Before leaving, Zhuang Menghua told her that she would arrange an agent and assistant for her as soon as possible; however, Li Sishi did not expect that the agent and assistant would arrive so quickly, arriving early the next morning, much earlier than the teacher she had arranged to meet.
Fortunately, Li Sishi didn't dare to sleep too soundly in the new environment and got up early, which allowed them to meet in time.
Zhuang Menghua assigned her an assistant, a tall, spirited girl with a name completely opposite to the lively and cheerful short-haired tomboy. During her self-introduction, she emphasized that she had let her parents down.
Instead of growing up to be the gentle little princess they envisioned, he grew up to be a tomboy who could carry heavy loads. His amusing appearance and tone of voice were particularly endearing.
Li Sishi liked this eloquent assistant very much. As for the other agent who came over, Li Sishi couldn't help but be surprised when she first saw what she looked like.
Besides being surprised, I was also amazed.
From its inception, TBL Television was already rife with factions, and the leader, Sir Zhao, acknowledged that this internal struggle fostered mutual growth. Therefore, the factional culture within TBL Television never ceased or disappeared; at most, as times changed, one faction would leave and another would rise in its place.
As for the "mountain stronghold," it actually refers to the "high-level" people in the TV station who have a certain amount of influence, along with the small shareholders who don't want to be idle, who always cause a great stir whenever they get involved.
Currently, the two most influential executives at TBL TV are Yang Jiayu, known as "Brother Tony," and Yin Lifen, known as "Sister Fen." Each of them manages a group of artists and produces dramas with distinct styles.
Yang Jiayu and his wife Zhao Shaoling are a husband-and-wife team that produces dramas with a grand scale.
Known for its high level of professionalism, typical examples include family dramas and professional dramas such as "Creation of the World," "The Court of No. 7," and "The Healer." These dramas, which are of high quality, can often carve out a path to nationwide popularity among housewives who control the remote control at home.
On the other hand, Yin Lifen promotes talent without being bound by convention. This veteran, who joined the TBL shortly after its inception, does not judge people by their appearance but values their ability and potential, thus earning her the nickname "Empress Dowager" within the television station.
If it weren't for the fact that the TV station was too small, causing the potential movie stars she had discovered to gradually move from the television industry to the film industry, Yin Lifen would definitely have the most and strongest talent among all the talent pools.
Although Yin Lifen couldn't retain Chow Yun-fat and Vic Chow, who were destined to leave sooner or later, she did retain many talented artists.
In addition, the dramas produced by Yin Lifen are mainly aimed at housewives, including various palace dramas, family dramas with strong female leads, long sitcoms, and the very exciting "Tang Family Domestic Violence" series, which are all from Yin Lifen's school of thought.
Currently, the Yang faction and the Yin faction are locked in a fierce battle. After the Yang faction is defeated in a while, Zhuang Menghua will specially arrange for a trusted confidant to enter the TV station to take over the next round of factional struggles. And this person is Lu Yiting, who is standing in front of her and will become the future leader of the "Lu faction".
Compared to "Empress Dowager" Yin Lifen, who judges people solely on their abilities and not their looks, Lu Yiting, from herself to the artists she signs, prioritizes appearance above all else. If someone has a good face, they get good resources; if not, they won't even sign them, let alone offer them any. She has a rather spoiled and pampered attitude, like a favored concubine.
Moreover, Lu Yiting is not only a looks-obsessed person, but she is also as beautiful as female celebrities, especially at this age when she is at her most mature and beautiful. At first glance, she doesn't look like an agent, but more like a senior actress from the 1980s.
Seeing Lu Yiting looking at her with a big smile, Li Sishi felt a little more at ease: it seemed that Lu Yiting was very satisfied with her appearance.
It seems that during this period, Lu Yiting was still working part-time at Zhao's Film Company. Miss Zhuang's arrangement was truly killing two birds with one stone—it allowed her trusted confidante to take care of the promising talents she was grooming, and it also allowed Lu Yiting to use her connections at Zhao's Film Company to find the right opportunity to put her, who was gradually building a solid foundation, into the film industry. Since both sides were so satisfied with each other, they naturally hit it off immediately. Before long, Lu Yiting had taken care of all the details that Zhuang Menghua hadn't had time to handle. Li Sishi only needed to go about her classes and record songs as usual; she didn't have to worry about anything else.
After attending two full days of classes as planned, Li Sishi sat down that evening, as arranged by Lu Yiting.
The nanny van, along with her assistant Zuo Lili, went to the recording studio.
Most singers of this era are involved in both singing and acting, or even all three. So after recording shows during the day, they record songs at night, and then add a late-night radio show recording or film location shooting...
That's how filming on location in Hong Kong is, especially for scenes that require street scenes. Clearing the set is not only expensive but also difficult to get approval for, so most of the time filming doesn't start until two or three in the morning when there are few people around. This makes actors terrified of "night shooting".
But there's no way around it; if you want to enjoy salted fish, you have to be able to withstand the thirst. If you don't want to take pictures, there are plenty of other people who do, so there's absolutely no room for negotiation.
Shang Hanyou glanced at his watch; it was nine o'clock in the evening, almost time to start recording.
After recording the song, he still has to film a night scene. If both projects go smoothly today, he should have three more hours of sleep...
He's called a "superstar," but in reality, to save up some money to buy a house, he has to take on a ton of jobs and work non-stop.
Hopefully, the new Miss Hong Kong who replaced his old partner Kang Baoyi will record a new song that sounds as good as her covers of other people's songs: He had previously participated in the Miss Hong Kong Music Lecture Hall and the final performance, and had also seen Li Sishi's singing voice. She is obviously very talented, but her approach is rather unconventional. She has not received much formal training, so it is said that she is now intensively taking vocal lessons.
If he hadn't known and witnessed Li Sishi's singing voice, he really wouldn't have been impressed with Miss Zhuang's "favorite"—after all, the last time Miss Zhuang had him and Hou Beihua perform, it was with the soulful singer Huang Qianyan...
It's not that Huang Qianyan is bad; he's worked with her on a movie, and her acting and looks are undeniable. It's just a pity that God closed the window for her singing talent. Her pronunciation is unclear, her breathing is off-key, and she's completely out of tune—it's heartbreaking for someone like him who loves music.
She can actually sing like that?!
How can she sing like that?!
How can she sing like that?!
Ever since that performance with Huang Qianyan in 1991, which filled his mind with a series of questions, Shang Hanyou has almost developed PTSD from being Miss Zhuang's favorite general...
"Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way, so I'm a little late." Just as Shang Hanyou was recalling his painful memories from back then, Li Sishi, who realized she was five minutes late, apologized in a very polite manner.
"It's alright, come on, get ready, we're about to start recording. But would you like to... practice singing a cappella first? Although Li Sishi's singing had left a good impression on him, Shang Hanyou was still as patient, patient, and cautious as possible with Miss Zhuang's second favorite...
"Hmm...that's fine too."
Noticing the slight tension hidden beneath the patient and cautious expression of the person in front of her, Li Sishi, holding the sheet music, nodded gently.
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