A New Album and a Festival Selection

At the end of December, Huang Bai's new album, For Love, was officially released. With only five songs, it counted as an expanded EP.

The five songs were:

"Ten Thousand Reasons"

"There's a Kind of Love Called Letting Go"

"Don't Say You Don't Care About My Tears"

"Wait One Minute"

"Seeking Buddha"

These songs were among the few wildly popular ringback tones Wei Jin could remember, and they didn't demand much in the way of vocal skills.

They were also typical examples of songs making the singer famous. Most people could hum a few lines, but very few knew who sang them.

The original singers themselves had vanished without a trace within a couple of years.

Wei Jin had planned to find a few more songs on the market to fill out a full album. After all, he couldn't keep writing songs for Huang Bai forever.

But after looking over the songs Wei Jin had provided, Huang Bai's manager, Zhang Xu, said quality mattered more than quantity. Rather than pad the album with ordinary works, it was better to strive for excellence and safeguard its reputation.

Ever since officially becoming Huang Bai's manager, Zhang Xu had been very active. He practically wished Huang Bai could become a commercial-performance machine and work twenty-four hours a day without rest.

He was also the one who cared most about Huang Bai's new album.

To expand Huang Bai's influence, Zhang Xu had even hired people to produce polished music videos featuring him, giving him more exposure.

After the album's release, he ran to Tianyu Records every day, to the point that several second-generation rich kids in management couldn't stand the bother.

But the results were obvious. As soon as For Love was released, it drew an unprecedented response from the market and quickly seized the top spots on major music charts.

At the same time, major radio stations played the songs in rotation, and their brainwashing effect was better than anyone had imagined.

For a time, Huang Bai became the most eye-catching singer of the winter.

Since the songs were almost all about love that could not be fulfilled, various media outlets hailed Huang Bai as the "King of Heartbreak Songs."

And sure enough, paired with Huang Bai's looks, fans generally believed he had personally experienced everything he sang about.

Before long, he had gained quite a few "simp fans" with similar experiences.

There were even wealthy women who thought Huang Bai was wholeheartedly devoted, unable to obtain the love he sought, and wounded by it, making him worthy of their pity. They boldly declared that they wanted to keep him as their boy toy.

When Huang Bai heard about it, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Wei Jin, meanwhile, delighted in his misfortune.

After New Year's Day, the year became 2004.

That day, after a string of commercial performances, Huang Bai took his girlfriend Xiao Ou's advice and invited Wei Jin, the man who had recognized his talent and was also his financial backer and boss, to dinner as thanks.

Wei Jin gladly accepted and brought Zeng Li along.

They chose an old Beijing mutton soup hotpot restaurant.

It was winter, after all. Who could resist mutton soup hotpot?

When Wei Jin entered the private room and saw Huang Bai disguised from head to toe, he couldn't help laughing.

"Old Huang, are you putting on a show here?"

No wonder Wei Jin laughed. Huang Bai wore a black wool coat, a wide-brimmed hat, a scarf around his neck, and sunglasses on his face. He was the very image of Xu Wenqiang as played by Huang Xiaoming.

"Don't blame me. You have no idea how crazy the paparazzi are. They chased me so hard I had to move."

As Huang Bai took off his hat and scarf, he complained, then made an introduction.

"Old Wei, this is my wife, Xiao Ou."

"Xiao Ou, this is our boss and my brother, Wei Jin."

"Hello, Manager Wei. I often hear Huang Bai mention you. Thank you for helping him get ahead."

Xiao Ou was a quiet, delicate-looking woman with a petite figure. Standing beside Huang Bai, she really did look rather like a little bird nestling against him.

"Hello, sister-in-law. Just call me Wei Jin or Xiao Wei. Old Huang and I are thick as thieves."

Wei Jin couldn't be discourteous either, so he introduced Zeng Li to the two of them.

"Old Huang, this is my Sister Li, Zeng Li."

"Sister Li, this is our employee and my brother, Huang Bai."

Everyone laughed. Wei Jin's introduction was clearly copied from Huang Bai's.

"Hello, Huang Bai, Xiao Ou. I'm Zeng Li. I'm an actress."

It was Zeng Li's first time meeting Wei Jin's friends, and she carried herself with poise.

Once they had finished exchanging pleasantries and sat down, Zeng Li asked curiously:

"Brother Bai, you said you were forced to move. What happened?"

Huang Bai explained that ever since his new album had become a hit, entertainment reporters had frequently followed him and staked out the area around his rented home, hoping to dig up a big story.

With no other choice, Huang Bai had brought Xiao Ou to Beijing and bought a house while he was at it.

Housing prices in Beijing weren't high yet. The average was less than five thousand, and even good locations cost no more than eight thousand. It was a good time to buy.

"I told you not to appear in the music videos. Once you're famous, you have to put up with these things."

Wei Jin made no comment on Huang Bai's complaints, while Zeng Li was used to such things.

"By the way, your fee for commercial performances has gone up quite a bit lately, hasn't it? Hurry and do more before the New Year. Your boss wants to buy a house too."

"Have you no humanity? Your sister-in-law just got to Beijing. Shouldn't I spend more time with her?"

Hearing Wei Jin's teasing, Huang Bai refused to be outdone. Then he said excitedly:

"I'm a huge star now. My appearance fee is two hundred thousand per commercial performance."

"Whoa, would you look at that! You're already catching up to Sun Nan? You're that popular?"

Around 2003 and 2004, Sun Nan's appearance fee was less than two hundred thousand, while even the big shot Liu Huan charged only three hundred thousand.

Huang Bai's price was genuinely a little exaggerated. It was as if he had ascended straight from the ground with a single album.

"You just haven't been paying attention. Brother Bai's songs are playing in every street and alley now."

Zeng Li liked listening to music and had a woman's natural interest in gossip, so she knew more about these things. She chimed in.

"It's all because Old Wei writes such good songs. I'm just benefiting from them. You flatter me, Miss Zeng."

Huang Bai spoke modestly. "The album's at the height of its popularity. I expect the price will have to come back down once the hype dies down."

Perhaps it was a common failing among men, but both Wei Jin and Huang Bai were much more courteous when facing a brother's woman.

"Mm... then do more while the hype lasts."

Wei Jin glanced at Xiao Ou as he spoke, then added, "Just stick to the areas around Beijing. I'll have a word with Zhang Xu later."

"Then thank you for your mercy, Boss."

Huang Bai started clowning around again.

"I'm just afraid you'll call me Wei the Skinflint behind my back."

Wei Jin laughed and scolded him.

The group chatted and laughed, and before long, the two women hit it off.

When Zeng Li heard that Xiao Ou and Huang Bai had been together for nearly ten years, she humbly asked Xiao Ou for advice.

Xiao Ou was generous with her advice. The two women whispered together about how to keep a firm hold on a man.

"There's a kind of love called letting go, giving up forever for love~~"

Wei Jin's phone rang.

"Hello, Teacher Jiang. Mm, go ahead. Really? Congratulations to you too! Thank you for the school's strong support. All right, I'll let them know right away. All right, see you after the New Year. Mm, goodbye, Teacher Jiang."

After hanging up, Wei Jin was a little excited. Seeing everyone staring at him in unison, he spoke.

"The film has officially been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival. The organizers have invited us to attend the opening ceremony in February."

"Congratulations, Old Wei."

"Congratulations, Manager Wei."

"Xiao Jin, you're amazing."

Huang Bai and Xiao Ou hastened to congratulate him, while Zeng Li leaned over and kissed him, her face full of excitement.

Good news lifted the spirits. Wei Jin's film had been selected for the festival, and Huang Bai's album was a huge hit. What could be more worth celebrating?

The two men exchanged toast after toast, while the two women beamed. For a time, hosts and guests alike enjoyed themselves.

After the meal, Wei Jin, slightly tipsy, called Qin Hao to tell him about the selection and reminded him that they would leave Beijing together after the New Year.

When Qin Hao heard, he acted as if he had won the lottery, so happy he could barely speak coherently.

On the way home, Zeng Li drove while Wei Jin opened his window a crack. The biting wind sobered him a little. He knew the first shot in his campaign through the entertainment industry had been fired.