Translator: Vian
Editors: namio, celes
Since the sudden trailer release, "Black Clouds"'s crew's official Weibo had been silent for over ten days, without a single new post. But what surprised people was, it was still okay if they didn't post, but once they posted, it scared them to death!
Jennifer Akron, Xia Muyan, Liu Zhen …
The official Weibo tagged over a dozen famous stars, including Britain's Film Empress who had won an Oscar, Jennifer Akron; China's Film Empress who won the Golden Phoenix Award, Xia Muyan; Korea's famous love song singer Liu Zhen…
Since Chinese fans, of film and music alike, were most accustomed to using their own Weibo instead of the foreign Twitter and Facebook, these famous stars also had their own Chinese Weibo.
"Black Clouds"'s crew openly tagged them like this. Originally, some netizens wondered, "Did the crew make a mistake? Why did they suddenly tag so many big stars?", but after watching the video, they were all rendered speechless.
This video clipped together all the appearances of these big stars!
The entire video was barely over forty seconds. Everyone had only shown their faces before it switched to the next person!
The speed at which the images transitioned was incredible. Sometimes, you wouldn't even have time to name the star before it switched to the next person. These people would be at least first-tier stars on Tang Menglan's level in China, not to mention the huge stars like Jennifer Akron and Xia Muyan among them.
And the official Weibo even said——
Part! One!
[If this is part one… are there still many many big stars coming? Oh damn! I knew that "Black Clouds" invited a lot of stars, but that didn't mean you could invite this many! And they're all big names ah!]
[6666666 This crew really knows how to play. The money for the movie ticket is already worth it with so many stars appearing, I'm in!]
[Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah Goddess Jennifer is actually here! I wanna see I wanna see! Please release the movie soon, I can't wait to shove my money to the crew! Hurry up and take my money, hurry!!! ]
Of course, there were also some netizens who focused on other things.
[Won't the male and female leads' spotlight be stolen with all these famous stars? Yu Siyu's still okay, but Rong Xu… the gap between him and these stars is too big. Will a movie like this be enjoyable to watch…]
A young rookie star can actually compete with so many famous stars!
If it wasn't for Ling Xiao's popularity and global influence, this would've been nothing but a dream.
At the same time, this was also testing the male and female leads' acting skills and aura. Testing to see if they could hold their own against so many stars, and if they could keep the audience's attention on them.
Many netizens had a "wait and see" attitude as they discussed "Black Clouds"'s luxury guest star lineup and looked forward to the movie's release.
Everything depended on personal skill! Good acting meant good acting, and a good movie was a good movie regardless! There was less than a month left, everything would be apparent then!
While the netizens were discussing this in full swing, Rong Xu and Luo Zhentao arrived at Huaxia Entertainment.
Luo Zhentao reached out to press the 47th floor button on the elevator as he conversed with Rong Xu: "Regarding Zhao Chuyun, you might not recognize her, Xiao Xu, but she's the role Yu Siyu is playing in the movie. She is one of our company's ace managers. She managed to bring Ling Xiao to fame that year and even after Ling Xiao died, she brought up the now famous Sweet song singer, Music Queen Zhuo Xinyi. I'm not that familiar with her, but I heard that she is good-natured."
"Black Clouds" was a biographical movie, but it was impossible to completely retell all the facts. For example, there were some differences between the real Zhao Chuyun and the Zhao Chuyun played by Yu Siyu. But if she was able to get Luo Zhentao's "good-natured" evaluation, she should be a good manager.
Rong Xu smiled and nodded. "I heard that she paid for Ling Xiao's funeral and blocked the media from taking pictures. So… I don't think you need to be so nervous Luo ge."
Luo Zhentao was startled for a second but then laughed: "So I was found out. No matter how it's said, she's still considered my boss. I heard that she had fired several managers before…"
Rong Xu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Luo ge, didn't you just say Zhuo Chuyun was good-natured?"
Luo Zhentao quickly waved his hands. "She is good-natured, but it's also true that she helped the company replace several managers…" As he spoke, Luo Zhentao couldn't help but shiver, like there were some dark secrets he was hiding.
Rong Xu wasn't very interested in the things between managers. He just politely smiled and switched the topic. The two quickly reached the forty-seventh floor, and Luo Zhentao led them to Zhao Chuyun's office.
It seemed Zhao Chuyun was in the middle of a call.
She obviously didn't expect that Rong Xu would be coming today. Luo Zhentao had said over the phone that he needed to discuss with Rong Xu and would give her a reply another day. But within a few hours, the two of them were standing in front of her.
Zhao Chuyun spoke a few words and hung up her call before walking up to Rong Xu and Luo Zhentao. She brewed two cups of tea and led them to sit over on the sofa as she sat down on the other side.
Zhao Chuyun's glance swept over Luo Zhentao before finally settling on Rong Xu.
Zhao Chuyun had clean and neat short black hair and dressed plainly, wearing a formal button-up white shirt and pencil skirt. She didn't wear any earrings, rings, or necklaces, and wore simple yet elegant makeup. Her face was ordinary compared to her actor Yu Siyu, but she was well worth a second look. She should be forty-seven this year, but she maintained herself well and only looked to be in her thirties.
Zhao Chuyun carefully looked over Rong Xu, and Rong Xu also looked back at her with a smile.
After the two people evaluated each other for a while, Zhao Chuyun gave a few words of pleasantries before going straight to the subject: ""Lost Wings" was Ling Xiao's last work when he was alive. Afterwards, he was hospitalized due to his illness and died, so he was never able to see through to the end of this song. The crew gave me the finished recording of the song yesterday. I heard it, and that's why I decided to seek you out." Pausing here, Zhao Chuyun sat up straighter and pronounced word by word: "Rong Xu, I want to cooperate with you to release a "Lost Wings" single."
Rong Xu had already learned about this proposal from Luo Zhentao before he came, and now, Zhao Chuyun was formally proposing this once again in full sincerity.
Ling Xiao had no relatives, never married, or had a child. The person closest to him after his death was his manager and good friend Zhao Chuyun, and at most, He Xinrou could also be included.
The song, "Lost Wings," was completed by Ling Xiao alone, and now, its copyright was in the hands of Zhao Chuyun. Ling Xiao has passed away for three years now, but the song was never released. Now that "Black Clouds" was about to be released, it's understandable that Zhao Chuyun wants to finally let this song see the light.
Being able to sing Ling Xiao's song and it was even an original song Ling Xiao had never sung before was a dream countless singers yearn for. But in the face of such a huge pie that fell from the sky, Rong Xu wasn't overjoyed and didn't hastily accept. Instead, he thought for a moment then asked: "Zhao jie, do you have any thoughts or opinions regarding this cooperation?"
Zhao Chuyun's eyes flashed with surprise. She glanced over at Luo Zhentao and found that he also had a surprised look on his face as he stared back at her.
A sense of admiration arose from her heart. Zhao Xhuyun placed down the tea cup in her hand and smiled: "Actually, I do have one thought. I want to donate all the revenue from this single to the Rongyun Foundation. This is my only request that you can not refuse."
Luo Zhentao's eyes widened in surprise, Rong Xu also appeared a bit astonished but then smiled: "I accept."
Luo Zhentao quickly turned his head to look at Rong Xu, but the latter had a calm and composed smile on his face.
Once Rong Xu agreed to the proposal, Zhao Chuyun immediately took action. She quickly contacted the Director of Huaxia Entertainment's Music Department in their headquarters at B-City and determined the details regarding the production of the single. Rong Xu's recording of "Lost Wings" at the S-City branch was good enough so there's no need to re-record it. The next thing they needed to do now was to shoot the MV and publicize it.
That evening, Zhao Chuyun promptly drafted the contract, made three copies, and had Rong Xu sign them.
Originally Luo Zhentao still wanted to say, "We all belong to Huaxia Entertainment, can't we just follow the company's arrangement?" However, Zhao Chuyun rejected this suggestion as she carefully put away the contract.
After all of this was over, Zhao Chuyun finally showed a sincere smile on her face. She personally sent Rong Xu downstairs. While sending the two to the elevator, she gave a deep look towards the handsome youth. After a long while, she gently hugged him.
Rong Xu accepted the hug generously. When he was about to let go, he heard Zhao Chuyun whisper next to his ear: "You and him don't look alike, but you played him very well."
Slightly pausing for a second, Rong Xu then whispered back with a smile: "Thank you for your compliment."
After finally saying goodbye to Zhao Chuyun, Luo Zhantao lamented inside the elevator: "Although I knew Zhao Chuyun probably had some other purpose for letting you sing "Lost Wings", I didn't expect that she would want you to donate all the income to the Foundation."
Rong Xu raised an eyebrow and looked over at Luo Zhentao: "You already knew Luo ge?"
Luo Zhentao smiled awkwardly: "Of, of course I knew." Not wanting to give Rong Xu any time to think deeper into it, Luo Zhentao quickly added: "Zhao Chuyun being the producer of this single should probably be kept tightly under wraps. The song is already recorded, what we need to focus on next is the MV. Next week, you will be traveling around to promote "Black Clouds" and also need to participate in three variety shows. So we'll need to shoot the MV within this week, Xiao Xu. Zhao Chuyun will probably notify us of the time tomorrow."
Rong Xu bowed his head and didn't expose Luo Zhentao's lies: "It's a good thing there's nothing else this week. I'm free at any time, Luo ge."
Luo Zhentao laughed and let this incident pass over just like that.
The Rongyun Foundation was founded by Ling Xiao when he was alive and dedicated itself to helping poor children in rural mountain areas. It's said that they donated to hundreds of Hope Primary Schools over the years. After Ling Xiao's death, the Foundation was run by Zhao Chuyun.
Although "Lost Wings" has yet to be released, the earnings from the single would definitely not be a small amount. To donate all this money without gaining a single penny takes a great deal of determination. So when Rong Xu agreed without hesitation, Zhao Chuyun was very surprised.
It can be said that Rong Xu would just make a name for himself by singing this song. Despite being able to sing a song made by the Music King, he wouldn't get a single penny.
Even Luo Zhentao felt a bit sorry for Rong Xu. It would be great if he could even get one tenth of the earnings ah. But when he mentioned this, Rong Xu just smiled, very calmly stating: "Maybe in the future, you will also need to help me manage a foundation like Zhao jie, Luo ge."
Luo Zhentao was startled and turned to face Rong Xu. But Rong Xu had already lowered his head to look at his phone and browse through the latest entertainment news, as if he was really just saying it casually.
***
When Rong Xu returned home, he didn't expect that Qin Cheng would have already left.
No one turned on the lights in the empty house. When Rong Xu pressed the switch, the bright light illuminated the quiet house, making it appear a bit lonely. Rong Xu looked around and determined that Qin Cheng had really left.
He hung his coat in the closet then walked into the dining room where he found a note on the table.
[I have to temporarily go discuss work, I may return very late.]
On the small piece of paper, the black ink lines were simple and fine. The black of the ink and white of the paper contrasted against each other as the ink faintly shone under the light. The words appeared powerful and bold; every stroke was sharp and precise. Even on this flimsy piece of paper, one could feel the cold and unfeeling strength.
Rong Xu stared for a moment, then placed it back on the table. But after he had put together a simple bowl of noodles and sat down at the table, he couldn't help but pick up the piece of paper and look over it again.
His gaze followed the words on the little white paper. After a while, the corner of the youth's lips curved and he pressed against the paper with his index finger.
"The words are written beautifully… Are the words like the person himself?"
After eating the noodles, Rong Xu went to the movie room, planning to go to sleep after watching a foreign movie. He has only been in this world for a short amount of time. If he wants to have a deep understanding of the industry here, he couldn't just read those front page news. He also needs to watch its movies.
Just like "Hongmen Banquet", Rong Xu had seen the information on this movie and knew that Qin Cheng played Western Chu's Xiang Yu. Before watching this movie, he didn't know that the Xiang Yu Qin Cheng played would be like that.
Qin Cheng had already told him in the afternoon that he could watch all the DVDs in the cabinets without worry. So Rong Xu flipped through the foreign movie DVDs. He saw several well-known Oscar-winning movies and was about to take one out to watch when his gaze suddenly stopped.
The youth's eyes stared at a nearby DVD for a very long time. After a while, he pulled out the foreign movie he originally wanted and placed it in the multimedia player. The movie's opening song soon started playing. As the melodious and mellow music sounded, Rong Xu didn't go sit down at the sofa but instead walked back to the cabinet and pulled out that DVD.
On the DVD case was an alluring bright red rose. The two words "Blood Rose" jumped out in Rong Xu's sight and below the title was the name of the Director and starring actors in a smaller font size.
Director: Liu Sheng, Male Lead: Chai Minglang, Female Lead… Xia Muyan.
After staring at this DVD case for a while, Rong Xu placed it back in the cabinet and silently turned around to go watch that foreign movie.
At the very same moment, a certain man who was reading through his new script at Huaxia Entertainment felt a shock run through his heart. His handsome brows slightly furrowed, and Qin Cheng looked up over at his manager who was playing on his phone not far away then looked down at the script again. A short while later when nothing seemed abnormal, he continued to read the script.
… Was there really nothing abnormal?
Be honest, did you really only have Xia Muyan's "Hongmen Banquet" in your collection of DVDs?
Was this "Blood Rose" she won a Golden Phoenix Award for eaten by you or was it eaten by you or was! it! eaten! by! you?!
Anyway, even after Rong Xu finished watching this classic foreign movie about the sweet little everydays, Qin Cheng still didn't return. He washed and got ready to rest. He was about to enter the bedroom when he thought about it a bit, and in the end, still went back to the movie room and actively helped a certain man dig out seven movie DVDs that Xia Muyan appeared in.
Among them, Xia Muyan was the female lead in five movies and the second female lead in the other two. Furthermore, Qin Cheng only appeared in "Hongmen Banquet" and the others had nothing to do with him.
As he stared at these seven DVDs, Rong Xu's lip slowly curved into a smile. One by one, he helped Qin Cheng hide these DVDs in corners of the cabinet (all very hard to find places). After finishing doing this, the youth nodded in satisfaction and whispered to himself: "I guess he forgot about these films?"
That's what he tells himself but the meaning behind the smile on the youth's lips grew deeper and deeper.
Perfectly tying all loose ends, Rong Xu then returned to his bedroom perfectly satisfied, opened his phone, and browsed through Weibo for a while.
[Rong Xu: I learned a lot after working with my seniors. Finger heart [heart][heart][heart] // "Black Cloud"'s crew: Part one of the ultra-luxury guest stars lineup…]
After making this post, Rong Xu read the fans' responses. Now he could already calmly accept his fans exaggerated and enthusiastic declarations like "Rongrong I want to give birth to your monkeys" or "I need to lick Rongrong a hundred times a day I say, a hundred times". These are all child's play, extremely trivial and nothing out of the ordinary.
But tonight, a strange call came just as Rong Xu as about to go to sleep.
After the call connected, a leveled voice came over from the other side of the phone: "Young Master, it will be the Old Master's death anniversary in two days. Should I drive over to pick you up?"
The author has something to say:
Qin Orangeorange: Ah, was there something Baby forgot to do? Mm, Baby's just thinking too much, Baby didn't forget anything~
Fuwa[Stare]: Your little tail's been caught!!!
Translator's Corner:
Vian: You didn't get rid of the evidence and even need the person you're tricking to hide it for you—
Hope Primary Schools – It's an actual thing. It's a Chinese public service project organized by the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) and the Communist Youth League (CYL) Central Committee that aims to bring schools into poverty-stricken rural areas of China, to help children whose families are too poor to afford complete elementary school education. Through Project Hope, the CYDF has also sought to improve educational facilities and improve teaching quality in poorer regions. – Wiki
Finger heart – It actually took me a really long time to realize that this gesture was suppose to be a heart <.<;