"'22nd Century Killer Network'? What kind of trash title is that?" That was Chu Zhi's first reaction.
Niu Jiangxue explained, "Warner Brothers invested 140 million US dollars in this S-tier project. The director, Davis, is Mexico's national treasure, also known as Hollywood's king of blockbusters. If the box office blows up, it's guaranteed to turn into a long-running series."
She added, "Even if the future's uncertain, just looking at the investment and director lineup, this film has a really high chance of success."
The team behind it wasn't bad, but the name sounded way too much like a B-movie. Chu Zhi skimmed the synopsis: a hacker named Neo discovers the world he thinks is real is actually controlled by an AI system called the Matrix…
"The company wants me to take this?" The outline screamed bad movie, but he only asked after thinking it over.
"If the male lead of Unsinkable had been a Westerner, the film could've run another month in Europe and the US." Niu Jiangxue didn't answer directly. Instead she brought up another point. "Capitalists only care about profit. Unsinkable still has potential to squeeze out, but Fox didn't extend its global keys. That either means they're eyeing bigger returns, or a huge player stepped in."
"So if I score another hit, my reputation and position in Europe and the US will lock in even stronger?" He finished her thought. Brave Niu nodded, that's exactly what she meant.
He had an appointment coming up, so Chu Zhi just accepted the script. He'd read it properly later and give his answer then.
On the 14th floor, in the company's reception room, his assistant had already set out tea. The scheduled guests were two foreigners: Hollywood big-name director Howard Tunney, and Disney's head of Greater China, Curry.
"Mr. Chu Zhi, we're here to sincerely invite you to compose the soundtrack for War of the Planets: Reboot," Tunney said himself.
The Emperor Beast had scored Unsinkable, and the press praised it, calling him the "Vladimir Horowitz of the 21st century." Compared to his stunning looks, his musical talent hadn't been hyped much. People might only notice after he picked up an Oscar nomination.
Within the industry, though, his ability was recognized. Tunney had gone to the preview of Norman Conk's new western, Canyon West. Forget the story, the score alone was peak western soundtrack. He'd also listened to Chu Zhi's albums, and even felt that something as brutal as a "space opera" score might be within reach.
"We're willing to increase the pay, 3.5 million dollars plus royalties from soundtrack sales." Tunney leaned forward. "Please consider it seriously."
Top Hollywood composers made about three to four million, and Chu Zhi had only one soundtrack to his name. It was a very generous offer.
"Mr. Howard Tunney, I'm grateful you came all this way, but my schedule's packed too tight. I'm really sorry, I don't have the time to work with you." Chu Zhi rejected him again. He'd already had Lao Qian turn Tunney down once before, but apparently the man came himself this time.
Tunney gave a bitter smile and glanced at Curry. They both knew, this wasn't something money could fix.
Honestly, Tunney had dug his own grave. "Serves him right" wasn't unfair. His friends Norman Conk and Cameron had introduced Chu Zhi to him last year, back when he wasn't so busy. If Tunney had asked then, maybe it would've worked out. But he hadn't cared about their recommendation, thinking "Chinese people don't get Star Wars."
After seeing them out, Chu Zhi got news that one of his events had changed schedule.
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight has been pushed back two days," Lao Qian said. "Probably connected to that veterans' parade in front of the White House."
Headache. A two-day delay meant a whole chain reaction for his calendar.
"Brother Qian, what if we just say the schedule's too full and decline Mrs. Tracy's invitation?" Chu Zhi asked.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Lao Qian said. "The US cultural industry is number one in the world. Jiu-yé, you're the only Chinese star invited. If you skip it, it'll feel like China's not present. That's not great."
They were talking about the First Lady Tracy's music exchange on the White House South Lawn. She'd invited singers from the UK, Germany, France, India, and other top-20 GDP countries. Everyone but Russia.
Chu Zhi thought differently. If his fame rose another level, then the First Lady's concert couldn't even make sense without him.
"Fine, no choice. Adjust the schedule," he said.
Originally, he'd planned to fly to Washington in two days, attend the White House concert, then return to China the next day. Now everything had to be reshuffled. Anything that could move forward, would. The rest would be delayed.
For example, his trip to Hong Kong to host a meeting was moved up.
"I need to move the Asian Music Association's headquarters to Shanghai," he thought. As its president, and since he'd rebuilt the association's entire framework, he had the authority to make that call.
The current meeting was about forming the "Asian Music Competition." His goal with the association was to give young singers a stage. So the mentors' lineup was stacked, and he'd even used his influence to sign cooperation agreements with over thirty Asian music companies.
One more thing: the competition's trophy would be called the "Jiu Hua Cup," combining his nickname "Little Jiu" with "China."
Then there were things that couldn't be delayed. Like the Coca-Cola "Fun Party." Silly name, but it was basically a brand conference to announce Chu Zhi's renewed endorsement. The delay wasn't only because of his schedule, but also because the brand itself wasn't ready.
Other events, like award shows where he was a guest presenter, absolutely couldn't move. Niu Jiangxue had to make apology calls one by one.
That night, at the hotel…
"Rebooting Woodstock Festival, huh? Now that's interesting." Chu Zhi was looking at a new invitation.
Since his breakout on Fox's Masked Singer, almost every major festival in Europe and the US had invited him, as long as they could pay his fee. He'd refused them all. Festivals weren't worth it for the Emperor Beast's jam-packed schedule, not even Glastonbury, the biggest outdoor music festival in the world.
The only reason this one landed on his desk was because it was something else entirely.
He'd mentioned Woodstock before when talking about Wacken Festival. Woodstock had been born in the spirit of peace and anti-war, held only three times, but it left a huge mark on Western music history. It started as an ideal of peace, but ended in riots.
"Hollywood music mogul George Robdrick, together with Mike Lang, one of the original Woodstock organizers, want to bring it back."
Chu Zhi flipped to the poster:
[There was only one time music saved the world, and that was Woodstock.]
[Peace, anti-war, equality, love. Let's save the world again.]
The new festival was planned for the Sahel region, lasting three days and nights.
The goal was peace in the Sahel, peace in Africa, peace in the world.
"?"
"?"
"?"
He had to add three question marks to match his confusion. If he remembered right, the Sahel was anything but safe.
He searched. Yep. Not just unsafe, downright deadly.
The Sahel stretched over 3,000 kilometers between the Sahara Desert and Sudanese grasslands, across Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Nigeria, Chad, and other countries. Stability? None. Since World War I ended, the region hadn't seen a single peaceful year.
"They think singers and fans are bulletproof?" Chu Zhi was speechless.
Mike Lang, a former hippie, was an idealist. Maybe he didn't care about his own life. But George? He should've known better.
Still, with the UN Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme, and funding from South African Media Group, maybe it wasn't completely impossible.
"So that's who's behind it. Then maybe it really could happen," Chu Zhi thought.
South African Media was Africa's top company, once Tencent's biggest shareholder. Officially, it was controlled by the South African Social Security Fund, but in reality, 90 percent of its top ten shareholders were Western. The company dominated Africa's media, telecommunications, gaming, pay TV, and print. It was even one of the top ten internet firms globally, the only one not based in China or the US.
From a business perspective, if Woodstock could run smoothly in the Sahel, it would instantly become the most commercially valuable festival brand. The organizers would get massive fame. No wonder South African Media and the UN were in.
Forget the "music saves the world" slogan. Everyone knew it was nonsense. But if they managed to keep the peace for just three days, it'd be enough to declare, "Music saved the world again!"
Who cared about the truth? Who cared about what happened in the Third World?
Take the Second Congo War, the deadliest conflict since WWII, only twenty years ago. How many people even knew about it?
So yeah, nobody cared.
"I pulled Ning Wang before, and I was saying I'd stop wars. Now you're giving me the chance?" Chu Zhi thought suddenly. "If I fuse Ning Wang with Angel's Gospel and really end a war, wouldn't that be insane?"
A nice idea, but it'd stay an idea. With the UN and South African Media backing it, those three days would probably be safe anyway.
No wonder the team showed him this invitation. "Reboot" really was a perfect credential booster. He told them to send back his acceptance.
The festival wouldn't be until next year. That made sense. A three-day event for half a million people would need crazy logistics and equipment. Even the UN and South African Media needed plenty of prep time.
===
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
Original artist: Elton John