"Qingqing, what are you doing here?" Niu Jiangxue asked.
"I'm definitely here to thank brother Jiu," Mo Qingqing said. "I heard brother Jiu just moved to a new office, and after calling him, I found out he still needed a computer. So I bought a set and brought it over."
No wonder, Niu Jiangxue understood immediately. No need to rush the three floors of computers.
The company rented three floors in Building C of Tiandi Software Park. The first floor was for the old studio staff, the second floor handled maintenance and operation of the Orange Home, and the third floor was naturally reserved for the overseas department still being formed.
"My new album, Forget the Bad Memories, will be released tomorrow. One of the lead singles, I'm Willing to Stay by Your Side in an Ordinary Way, was written by brother Jiu. I came especially to say thanks," Mo Qingqing explained.
Oh, so she wrote a hit song. That made sense.
Niu Jiangxue was the chief manager and knew exactly how many songs artists wrote for others. Mo Qingqing's song must have been half a year ago. No wonder it hadn't been released before — she was waiting to drop the whole album.
"Sister Niu, here's my album. Listen when you have time," Mo Qingqing said as she pulled several copies from her white pouch, handing them to Lao Qian, Niu Niu, and others.
"I'll listen carefully. Qingqing's Flying Rainbow is a song I played on repeat," Niu Jiangxue said.
Besides being chief manager, Niu Jiangxue also served as the administrative director of the new company and received dividends. Backed by Aiguo Media, she was a big figure in the group chat.
The staff placed over twenty computers and finished installing them. Two hours later, it was lunchtime. Mo Qingqing originally offered to treat everyone but did not insist because the company had a lunch meeting.
"I don't think I've heard many of Mo Qingqing's songs. She's pretty niche," Wang Yuan said, looking at the album.
The album cover stood out — a black silhouette swallowed by blue liquid, struggling to break free.
The album theme was Memory is Blue, with melancholic blues and pop styles. The kind of music you finish listening to without feeling sad but feel uncomfortable all day.
"She's talented. Blues, folk, electro-rock, even EDM — all her songs carry a unique sadness," Lao Qian said. "If I were to describe it with internet slang, she's 'little certain sadness.' She has a lyric: 'Why do birds fly so high? My wings are just for show.' Sad and a bit down."
Earlier, Niu Niu mentioned Flying Rainbow as Mo Qingqing's breakout song. It was performed at the Hokkaido Song Festival and was one of her few upbeat tracks.
"Oh? You really know your stuff," Niu Jiangxue said.
Lao Qian nodded. "I just looked it up on Baidu."
"...," Niu Jiangxue was speechless. But the song I'm Willing to Stay by Your Side in an Ordinary Way didn't match that style at all.
Opening the album revealed twelve tracks split into two parts: one song written by Chu Zhi called Like Blue Red and the rest titled Blue.
Things got interesting. Niu Jiangxue set the album aside to listen at home as lunch arrived and the meeting started.
Even though artists had joined, company work never stopped. This year, they had to screen brands for portrait rights — underwear, contraceptive brands, no matter how much money offered, they wouldn't sell.
Forbes and Hurun lists ranked top again, both an honor and a headache. Many charity invitations came in, but stars who made the most money also became targets. Anyone wanted a bite.
If donations helped, fine. But many celebrity charity funds spent more on appearances than on actual help.
Invitations included Dainyu Environmental Fund, Yang Suiyi Charity, Ten Dollar Breakfast, Tang Yu Happiness, and dozens more — all needed careful screening.
Basic tasks included attending award ceremonies. Little Fruits is Sweet sold crazily, sweeping sales awards across Asia. Most could be handled by proxies, but a few required the artist in person.
For example, the MTV Asia Award for Most Popular Male Singer. MTV was the world's largest music video platform and a respected continental award.
As a traffic star, Chu Zhi didn't have the exhausting schedule of fashion invitations. No Paris Fashion Shows for him yet.
No worries, once Chu Zhi made a name in Europe, capitalists would come crawling.
Another day, people grew older.
The weather was clear.
Mo Qingqing's new album release was well supported by the company, ranking around Tier 2 for promotion. She appeared on variety shows like Ace vs Ace to promote it.
Generally, Mo Qingqing wrote most of her lyrics and music herself, sometimes collaborating with old partner Meng Guangjiang or the arranger.
But this album's fans noticed a familiar name.
Song: I'm Willing to Stay by Your Side in an Ordinary Way
Lyrics: Chu Zhi
Music: Chu Zhi
Arrangement: Chu Zhi
Simple melody, catchy lyrics. Yes, everything was back — the viral short-video style, the trash-can hit!
🎵"Ugly lives long, handsome ages fast.I'd rather be an ugly monster, positive and cute. I stand on the hill, leisurely looking down,I am the biggest sun, just shining on you."🎵
The lyrics were playful with a girlish charm. Sung by Mo Qingqing, they had a strange kind of cuteness.
No surprise, as one of the lead singles, it went viral within two days.
Buying the computers was the right move. Previously her digital album sold only about 100,000 copies, but thanks to this song, sales doubled to over 300,000.
Chu Zhi hadn't released a song for half a year, but when he did, it stuck on short videos for months.
Finally, Mo Qingqing's wish came true — she had a ubiquitous song.
"Haha, this song is so weird, not sure about it. I'll listen again..."
"The birth of a short video hit depends on whether Jiu-yé wants it. Anyone else feel like just hearing the song, it's hard to believe Jiu-yé wrote it?"
"More accurately, it's hard to imagine someone so handsome writing such optimistic and lively lyrics. Doesn't sound like a depressed person at all."
"I prefer the next line: 'Ugly lives long, fat days thrive.' Isn't Jiu-yé already full of life?"...
If it were someone else's work, some of Mo Qingqing's fans might protest since they preferred her niche style. They wouldn't like a viral smash hit.
It wasn't that they didn't want Mo Qingqing to be popular, but they wanted her to be niche and popular, which was always contradictory.
But with Chu Zhi as the songwriter, it was fine. His style was high-class, and his popularity was solid.
The Scarlet Youth team's singles were overshadowed by Mo Qingqing's success. Despite their larger fan base, their songs only ranked second on multiple charts.
"You guys should record a greeting video," the team manager said. "Send it to Jiu-yé."
"What?!" Nan Kui, lead singer of Scarlet Youth, protested. Why greet Chu Zhi on video?
Lead dancer Guang Xi quickly chimed in, "Yeah, why? Our team even suffered because of that Orange Festival incident."
They were all jealous, envying and resenting Chu Zhi.
"Greeting to invite songs," the manager said. "The company will use connections to send your videos. Whether you get invited depends on you."
After saying that, the manager left. He didn't bother coddling them. For the company, rookie boy bands were easy to manipulate. They had contracts but no promotional power. What did they think they were?
The difference was clear. Scarlet Youth thought they carried the company's revenue and deserved more pay. The company thought the product sold was the result of good advertising and packaging, not the product itself.
The five members left in the meeting room looked at each other. Despite jealousy, they had to admit that "that handsome Chu Zhi" had some songwriting talent.
If they got the invite, that would be good.
"Should we record it?"
"I think we can."
After discussing, they decided to swallow their pride and do it. Great achievers don't fuss over small matters. Han Xin even endured humiliation under the horse.
Oh, the highest educated member, Nan Kui, was a normal university graduate. Others like Guang Xi hadn't gone to college and might not know about that humiliation story.
They called company staff who specialized in filming these videos, got ready, and started—
"Hello, Jiu-yé, I am your loyal fan. Becoming an idol, I want to work with you."
"I'm Guang Xi, lead dancer of Scarlet Youth. Brother Jiu is my guiding light. I hope to become an idol like him and get his guidance."
"Ahhh! When my manager told me to record a video for Jiu-yé, my heart jumped. I'm Nan Kui, lead singer of Scarlet Youth. I really love Jiu-yé. I'm also a Level 9 Little Fruit of Orange Home!"
Each member recorded their own clip. No matter how jealous they were, on camera they all acted admiring.
This was how it was with Chu Zhi — you disliked him but had to respect him.
That night, under the starry sky, the Ziwei star shone bright. Changes were coming.
Director Wang Anyi felt something was off watching the day's footage. It was like dirt on the material, making her uneasy.
The discomfort was about Chu Zhi. Not his acting, which was even better than Wang Anyi expected, or his makeup that stunned everyone. Something else felt wrong.
"Height is 183 cm, weight about 135 jin (67.5 kg). He's much thinner now for mental reasons," Wang Anyi read the evaluation report collected by the producer. One note caught her eye:
"Artist Variety Show Evaluation: Professionalism (good). Directors who worked with him said Chu Zhi actively cooperated with normal filming requirements. Cost performance (high).
Note: This report is internal payroll information, please do not distribute."
Capitalism's evaluation of a person was like a product. Wang Anyi hated dealing with capitalists.
"For an actor, that's a pretty standard build."
After some thought, Wang Anyi realized actors appeared ten jin (5 kg) heavier on camera, so they needed to be very thin.
Other roles could handle Chu Zhi's build, but not Su Shiyi. That character needed to look fragile.
That way, when Su Shiyi faced public criticism as Yu Ji, it created a sharp contrast between a great era and a fragile individual.
"Right, he needs to lose at least ten jin, maybe fifteen," Wang Anyi said.
Without delay, she called the executive director and Chu Zhi at 2 a.m.
"Sorry to wake you, Chu Zhi," Wang Anyi apologized first.
"No problem, I usually don't sleep until two or three," Chu Zhi said. "Director Wang, what's the matter?"
"The role Su Shiyi was sold to an opera troupe as a child by his mother, learning the qingyi role. Later he became famous for Farewell My Concubine. My senior brother Ma Dalang says Su Shiyi is 'crazy or not alive.' I want to fully embody Yu Ji who can't escape the play. I hope you can get thinner."
"How much thinner?" Chu Zhi asked.
"About ten jin, ideally fifteen."
Wang Anyi felt a bit guilty. Strictly speaking, it was her fault not to say this before filming started. If actors had more time, losing weight would be safer.
Chu Zhi agreed immediately. Wang Anyi had called the executive director along for support.
Chu Zhi didn't ask how long he had — less time was better.
Back at the hotel, before being called out, Chu Zhi was finishing his reading for the day. He didn't let anything interfere.
He first thought of the rare item Greedy Lollipop of Guilt from the prize pool, which promised a healthy 30-jin weight loss in two months.
"System brother, if I eat a third of it, will I get a third of the effect?" Chu Zhi asked. "Like losing ten jin in twenty days."
"Effects are all-or-nothing. Partial use not effective." the system replied.
Losing thirty jin would put Chu Zhi just over 100 jin (about 50 kg). At 1.83 meters tall, that weight would be terrifying.
Chu Zhi searched the small item shop for weight-loss items but found none suitable.
No shortcuts, he sighed. Life was tough. He messaged Lao Qian to bring Morton to the set.
Unlike the massage therapist Ma Weihao who eased fatigue occasionally, nutritionist Morton was more useless. Chu Zhi's "overeating without gaining weight" made Morton's job trivial. Morton had shifted from personal nutritionist to company nutrition advisor, focusing on diet plans.
The next day, Morton took the earliest flight to the capital.
Chu Zhi picked him up. Because the set was closed, no one could enter without a guide.
Journalists camped around, hungry for big news. The dream team of Wang Anyi and Chu Zhi drew attention.
"Mr. Morton, I need your help," Chu Zhi said.
"Boss, finally a chance to shine. Otherwise, I'd feel bad taking a salary and doing nothing," Morton laughed.
As a nutritionist, Morton often slacked but got paid anyway. Lucky guy.
"Can I lose about fourteen jin in a week?" Chu Zhi asked directly.
Morton thought for a moment. "Losing two jin per day is possible. I've seen people lose twenty jin in a week, but that's very harmful."
"I'm sorry, I don't have a scientific plan either," Morton said.
"I know losing ten plus jin in a week will hurt, but just give me a plan to minimize damage."
Morton designed a professional weight-loss plan. To lose fast, Chu Zhi had to eat right and exercise.
For one week, Chu Zhi followed the plan.
Wang, the producer from Photon Music, heard the news and immediately thought of a promotional idea — film Chu Zhi's weight loss journey as behind-the-scenes footage.
As long as Chu Zhi didn't complain during actual filming, Wang Anyi was easy to work with and agreed.
"Xiao Chu's acting is a bit weak, but his attitude is good," Wang Anyi said. She now called Chu Zhi "Xiao Chu."
Ge Zongfeng said, "Xiao Jiu is really good. It's rare to see such dedication from the younger generation."
"I agree," You Quan said. "I'm out of touch. I thought voice actors only dubbed foreign languages or special scenes. Didn't expect even Chinese dialogue needed dubbing."
"According to you, Brother You, voice actors should all be unemployed," Rong Yi joked.
After ten days, both You Quan and Ge Zongfeng appreciated the young man.
"No, no, no. Don't say that. Xiao Jiu is young and has made a huge name for himself. He's talented."
Ge Zongfeng sighed. "Looks like I'm the only one in the crew who needs dubbing. I'm holding the team back."
He played Ma Dalang, a famous actor. There was no way he'd master Peking opera in a few months, so they invited a big wusheng (martial male) actor to dub his singing parts.
The male lead Su Shiyi needed dubbing even more, but Chu Zhi didn't. He could do his own singing. Ge Zongfeng knew he couldn't compete. In the film world, he'd learned one thing: don't compete with prodigies.
After seven days, Chu Zhi lost 15 jin visibly. His figure looked so fragile a breeze could blow him away. With Peking opera makeup, he looked truly pitiful.
The crew filmed others' scenes while Chu Zhi's parts started.
"Xiao Chu, your expression just now was off, too big. Tone it down, got it?"
"Cut, stop. The emotion is wrong, still wrong. Little Chu, come here, I'll analyze the role."
"Better, but not enough."
"Still not enough."
...
This was Chu Zhi's daily routine on set.
"Brother, I have a question. If I use a sick persona to induce dissociative identity disorder, then open the blind box for Cheng Dieyi's dan role skills, is it possible that my split personality becomes Cheng Dieyi?"
Chu Zhi asked, "Cheng Dieyi plays Su Shiyi in this world, isn't that the ultimate?"
[Not recommended. Although the sick persona removal cancels disease and aftereffects, psychological aftereffects are hard to eliminate.] the system replied.
"I see..."
Chu Zhi quieted down. He wasn't Su Ye from the parallel universe who'd sacrifice everything for a role. He let out a heavy breath.
The crew was full of movie kings and queens, and Chu Zhi had the most retakes these days. Only he could self-adjust without breaking down.
[Host has Cheng Dieyi's dan role skills and can mimic his behavior at will.] The system added.
In other words, Chu Zhi could imitate Cheng Dieyi's behavior perfectly on the outside.
He searched deeply for memories of Cheng Dieyi's dan role. Usually he only studied the singing style, not the behavior.
Sure enough, Chu Zhi found many of Cheng Dieyi's mannerisms and started pondering...
Shiyi Lang had over a dozen shooting locations, all in the capital. The story was about Republican era Beiping, so no nationwide travel like some big-budget popcorn movies shooting across seven or eight countries.
Half a month into the crew, Chu Zhi took his first day off. Today was the wedding of Little Fruit Hou Jun.
Hou Jun and Sadie's wedding was at the Shangri-La New Pavilion's second-floor banquet hall in the capital. It looked proper, expensive, money clearly spent.
"How's Brother Qian?" Hou Jun asked.
"Everything is ready and proceeding as planned," Lao Qian said. "Don't get nervous."
"I'm never nervous, when have I ever been?" Hou Jun said.
Right, he even said his own nickname. Lao Qian understood. First weddings always came with inexperience.
"Brother Qian, find a seat, I'll go get Sadie." Hou Jun glanced at the time.
"No problem." Lao Qian nodded, sitting in the middle as the wedding liaison. He had also given a gift, so he planned to eat well.
The banquet had fifty tables. The right side was for the bride's friends and family — clearly white-skinned Caucasians.
"I didn't expect Sadie to really marry Chase, my goddess. No hope for me now," Philip grumbled loudly.
"If you didn't always say stupid things, Philip, you'd find a girlfriend," Alice said.
Milton added, "There will be another wedding at a Los Angeles church. Chase told me."
All three studied at UCLA and were in the same club.
Philip said, "Sadie likes surprises. If it were me, I'd have a hot air balloon wedding."
Hou Jun's foreign sure name was Chase, and he pick Qing Si in Orange Home — a phonetic translation. Sadie gave herself the Chinese name Da Qiao. She used the surname Li because Li was the largest surname in China.
"Hot air balloon? Too unsafe. Surprises should be safe," Alice said.
On the left were the groom's relatives and friends. Some guests in the middle were online friends of the couple, including several Little Fruits from fan groups.