1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Hiramatsu and Hiro's words aroused the boy's interest. He stretched out his hand towards Hiramatsu and Hiro, Hello, my name is Watanabe Cheng.

I'm Hiramatsu Kazuhiro.

Excuse me, where can I buy Zhou Yan's album? asked Watanabe Cheng.

Hearing this question, Watanabe Cheng laughed, This bookstore sells it, and the bookstore sometimes plays Zhou Yan's songs.

Then I should probably buy one and listen to it.

No need. Hiramatsu and Hiroshi smiled and took out the CD player and headphones from their backpacks. I have brought two of his albums with me. I can listen to them first for you.

You really like Zhou Yan. Cheng Watanabe smiled and took the earphones, Then I'm welcome.

You are welcome.

While operating the CD player, Hiramatsu Kazuhiro introduced to Watanabe Cheng, The one inside is Zhou Yan's second album Mysterious Country. You should be able to guess the style of this album from the name. Mysterious Country The songs in Kingdom all have traditional Eastern elements, and the album's global sales seem to have exceeded three million.

I don't know much about music albums. Is this sales volume good?

Hiramatsu and Hiroshi nodded heavily, Of course it's great. It should be the best-selling music album in the past two years.

I have never heard of such a best-selling album...

Hiramatsu and Hiro scratched their heads, It's normal, just like I've never heard of Oe Kenzaburo.

At this time, Hiramatsu and Hiro had already pressed the play button. A loud bell sounded from Watanabe Cheng's headphones, and the music started. He didn't speak and listened to the music seriously.

After listening to it for just a few seconds, Watanabe felt that the song sounded familiar.

As Hiramatsu Kazuhiro said, this piece of music has a very oriental connotation. In just a few seconds, the image of the ancient palace appeared in Watanabe's mind. He always felt like he had heard it somewhere.

Watanabe Cheng listened for a while, and he was sure that he must have heard this piece of music, but he couldn't remember where he heard it. It might have been on a TV show or in a street shop.

When the second song played, he felt more familiar, and this time he also remembered where he had heard it.

At the beginning of the year, he went to Sensoji Temple and heard this piece of music. The first piece of music was also heard at that time. At that time, he was thinking that these two pieces of music would go well with Sensoji Temple.

However, at the time, he thought it was music exclusively for temples, and did not expect that it was actually composed by a modern composer.

Watanabe Cheng also understood why Zhou Yan's album was a best-seller. This type of music was indeed very attractive to Neon's audience. Even he, a person who usually didn't pay much attention to music, fell in love with it all of a sudden.

While Watanabe was listening to the music, Hiramatsu and Hiro were observing his expression.

When Hiramatsu and Hiramatsu saw the surprised expression on Watanabe's face, he also laughed. He knew that Zhou Yan's music would definitely conquer Watanabe.

Hiramatsu and Hiro often recommend others to listen to Zhou Yan's music. So far, almost no one has met someone who doesn't like it. There is always one of Zhou Yan's songs that can impress them.

Maybe the other person doesn't like this kind of music with oriental elements, then he can also take out the album Piano Boy.

If a sad song like Kite can't impress the other party, there is a playful and light song like Wind, or if that doesn't work, there is an exciting song like Awakening.

To take a step back, if the other person doesn’t like to listen to pure music, that’s okay. Aren’t there also popular songs like “If Love Is God’s Will” and “Stand With Me”?

No matter what, there is always one that suits each other.

Of course, in most cases, most of Zhou Yan's songs can be liked by the other party, and they are very surprised that Zhou Yan can control so many styles.

Hiramatsu Kazuhiro really enjoys people's surprised expressions. This feeling of being recognized by his favorite musicians is the fun of chasing stars.

Watanabe Cheng has been listening, while Hiramatsu and Hirono have been waiting quietly.

It wasn't until the entire album was played that Watanabe let out a long sigh of relief and returned the headphones to Hiramatsu and Hiroshi.

Thank you, Pingsong, for letting me know such a talented musician. No, Zhou Yan is not only a talented musician, he is also a very good writer.

You're welcome. Even if it wasn't me, you would have discovered him yourself in the future. Hiramatsu and Hiroshi scratched their heads.

Watanabe Cheng put the book into his schoolbag, I should often read in this bookstore recently. Do you usually come here often?

Well, my friends and I come here often. I also have three friends, they are all from Kakegawa High School, but today...

Hiramatsu and Guang suddenly remembered that Tian Zhongmao and the three of them had not come until now.

He looked at the time. It had been more than an hour since he came to the bookstore. Logically speaking, Tanaka Maji and the others should have arrived long ago.

Watanabe Cheng saw him in a daze and smiled, I have something to do today, so I have to leave first. Remember to introduce your friends to me if you have the chance.

Are you leaving? How about I give you this album? By the way, Zhou Yan also has Piano Boy which you haven't listened to yet.

It doesn't matter, aren't they sold in bookstores?

After saying that, Watanabe left.

Watanabe Cheng did not leave directly, but went to the record section to buy two albums before leaving.

Hiramatsu and Hiro watched Watanabe Cheng leave the bookstore, and then sighed in boredom.

I don’t know what Pingsong and Guang are doing, they haven’t come yet.

Another half hour passed before Hiramatsu, Hiro and Ibuki Suzune arrived belatedly.

As soon as the three of them arrived, Hiramatsu and Guang asked them resentfully, How come you didn't arrive until now...

Halfway through the conversation, Pingsong and Guang suddenly found Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng in the hands of the three of them.

You've actually bought the book?

Yes, I bought it at the nearby Nanling Bookstore.

We didn't make an appointment here, why are you going to Nanling Bookstore?

Nanling Bookstore is the largest bookstore nearby, but they rarely go there. Although it is large, it is full of commercial atmosphere, unlike this bookstore, which gives people a very warm feeling.

Moreover, Nanling Bookstore often holds events and there are always many customers, and sometimes there is no seat at all.

Ibuki Suzune smiled and said, Hiramatsu-kun, don't blame us, it's because a very lively thing happened at Nanling Bookstore today.

Something exciting?

When we passed by Nanling Bookstore, we found that the place was crowded with people. Ricai said we wanted to go in and have a look, so we went.

Hiramatsu and Hiro rolled their eyes at Sato Rina, I knew it was you.

Sato Rina shrugged, Fortunately, we went in and found out that Kudo Shizuka actually appeared at Nanling Bookstore.

Is she holding a book signing there?

Ibuki Suzune shook her head and said, No, she just went to buy Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng.

She went to buy it - oh, she has covered Zhou Yan's songs, so there must be cooperation. Maybe this is a marketing event?

I don't know. Anyway, she went to buy books and was discovered by a customer. She was very friendly and even sang a cappella song If Love Is Divine Will on the spot.

Originally, Hiramatsu and Hiro didn't feel much when they heard that Shizuka Kudo appeared at Nanling Bookstore. But when they heard that Shizuka Kudo sang If Love Is Provident live, they scratched their heads with regret on their faces.

Shizuka also said a very important news. Sato Rina said with a smile.

what news?

She collaborated with Zhou Yan on two new songs.

New song? Hiramatsu and Hiroshi's eyes widened, Really?

Of course, she said it herself.

When will the new song be released?

That's not true.

Hiramatsu Kazuhiro said with emotion, Shizuka Kudo is so awesome. She actually asked Zhou Yan to write two new songs for her. Is this the first time Zhou Yan has written songs for a neon singer?

It seems so. Zhou Yan has never written a few songs. Stay with Me and If Love Has God's Will are both from pure music.

It seems that Shizuka Kudo has been saying that she admires Zhou Yan in front of the media before, and this trick still works.

Well, it does work.

It's a pity that I didn't go there today.

…

Shizuka Kudo went to Nanling Bookstore to buy books, which caused quite a stir. Before she left the bookstore, reporters had already arrived at the scene and took pictures of the scene.

In fact, Shizuka Kudo had no intention of showing up. She really just wanted to buy a few copies of Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng by herself. Unexpectedly, she was discovered.

Now that she was discovered, she did not hide it. Instead, she openly communicated with readers in the bookstore and helped promote the book. As a result, all the Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng that Nanling Bookstore bought that day were sold out. .

In fact, Nanling Bookstore has purchased a total of fifty copies of Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng this time. This number is not small, and it should be able to sell for a long time. After all, this kind of purely literary books are not that easy to sell.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhou Yan was among the authors, Nanling Bookstore would probably only have five or ten copies of this kind of book.

They never expected that Shizuka Kudo would come to their bookstore to buy books.

Some people suspect that this is a marketing campaign, but Nanling Bookstore is confused. Even if this is a marketing campaign, then this marketing has nothing to do with their bookstore. Otherwise, they cannot only buy fifty new books, but should buy Five hundred copies is right.

Shueisha was also very confused because they did not contact Shizuka Kudo to cooperate with them in marketing activities.

They do have the heart, but they don’t have the money.

To be honest, how much money can this set of books make in total? What kind of celebrity is Kudo Shizuka now? How much does it cost to hire Shizuka Kudo? How many copies do they have to sell to make back the money?

If you want to say that it is a well-known comic published by them, and it is hoped that it has even been made into an animation, it is still possible to find some stars to help promote it. Only fools would spend money to find big stars for such purely literary books. marketing.

Even Ogi Production was a little confused, because they didn't even know about Kudo Shizuka in advance.

But Ogi Production has gotten used to it. Kudo Shizuka has always been very rebellious. Last time the company didn't allow her to go to Zhou Yan's concert, didn't she go secretly in the end?

And after the news came out, the feedback from all aspects turned out to be positive.

Before, Ogi Productions had been planning how to publish the song written by Zhou Yan for Kudo Shizuka. Now, it’s okay. Kudo Shizuka did it directly without them having to do anything, and the effect was surprisingly good.

Now everyone is not only interested in Zhou Yan's new book, but also in Kudo Shizuka's new song.

On the same day, Ogi Production received many calls, asking about the new song written by Zhou Yan for Kudo Shizuka.

The callers came from all sides, including record companies that I had worked with before, asking if the new song had been decided and who to collaborate with, and colleagues asking how much it would cost to invite Zhou Yan to sing a song.

Some people even asked if they could help with matchmaking. They also wanted to ask Zhou Yan to help write songs.

There are many people asking Zhou Yan to write songs, especially after Kudo Shizuka sang If Love Is God's Will and Stand With Me, more and more people from Neon approached Zhou Yan to invite him to sing.

But so far, only Shizuka Kudo has been successfully invited. The others have all been rejected, and they can't even negotiate the price. Zhou Yan's attitude is very clear, that is, there is no need to negotiate.

Ogi Production is also very lucky. If Shizuka Kudo hadn't released a Chinese album, I'm afraid Zhou Yan wouldn't have agreed to help write songs.

Anyway, Kudo Shizuka's rebellious behavior made all parties happy.

Shueisha received a free promotion opportunity, Nanling Bookstore's sales increased sharply, and Ogi Productions was able to promote the new album in Neon.

The happiest people are actually the media and newspaper offices, because they have news to write about again.

There have always been rumors about the scandal between Zhou Yan and Kudo Shizuka, but now the heat has been raised again. In this time, nine out of ten news reports mentioned the scandal between Zhou Yan and Kudo Shizuka.

Although the focus of the news is on the scandal between Zhou Yan and Kudo Shizuka, the popularity of the novel collection has also really increased.

In just one week, Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng sold more than 50,000 copies.

This result is naturally not impressive among many best-selling books, but for a collection of purely literary novels by foreign authors, it is already very impressive and far exceeded Shueisha's expectations.

When they originally talked with Zhou Yan, they felt that the first printing of 80,000 copies was a bit too much, and wanted to reduce the first printing quantity to 60,000 copies.

They never imagined that in just one week, 80,000 copies would not be enough. Fortunately, as soon as the news about Kudo Shizuka going to the bookstore to buy books came out on the first day, Shueisha was already busy printing more copies, so there would be no supply delays. Not available.

Seeing that the sales volume of the novel Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng has soared due to Kudo Shizuka, some publishing houses have inquired with Ogi Productions about how much it would cost to invite Kudo Shizuka to help with a marketing campaign.

However, the price offered by Ogi Production was simply not something that those publishing houses could afford, so in the end they had to give up.

It's not just Shizuka Kudo who has received invitations to this kind of event, there are also some other stars who have received similar invitations, but the prices they offer are basically not acceptable to any publishing house.

What these publishing houses can afford to hire are little-known celebrities, and hiring such stars will not improve the sales of books at all. It is completely wasted money.

…

News of the book's bestseller soon spread to China.

The first person to report this news was the Yangtze Evening News, which used a very exaggerated headline.

[Selling 10,000 copies a day, Chinese writers are causing shock in neon! 】

The key is that the title is not wrong at all, because Zhou Yan, Yu Hua, Shi Tiesheng sold more than 16,000 copies on its peak day in the past week. They did not write nearly 20,000 copies. Very restrained.

Yangzi Evening News was very impressive this time and took out two tofu-sized pages to report exclusively on this incident.

In the news, it was also mentioned that the well-known Neon singer made a special trip to the bookstore to buy novels. By the way, it was also mentioned that Shizuka Kudo's Chinese album will be released soon.

After the Yangtze Evening News fired the first shot, other major media outlets also reported the news.

Formal media are relatively restrained in reporting, while some less formal media just let themselves go.

[Chinese literature conquers neon! 】

[Musicians who don’t want to be writers are not good directors, the Zhou Yan phenomenon continues to ferment in Neon! 】

[The trident of Chinese literary circles, set out to conquer! 】

【Chinese film! Chinese music! Chinese literature! 】

…

On November 21st, Zhou Yan was paying attention to the box office performance of The Fugitive when he suddenly received a strange phone call.

Hello, Comrade Zhou Yan, I am Gao Wei from the Innovation and Liaison Department.

Ministry of Creation and Alliance? Zhou Yan was confused.

The Innovation and Liaison Department is a very common department. Many units will set up this department. This kind of self-introduction itself is a bit strange.

The other party immediately explained, It's the Creative and Liaison Department of the Chinese Writers Association.

Zhou Yan understood it now, but he was curious why the Writers Association suddenly came to him.

Minister Gao, what do you want from me?

That's right, I would like to invite you to join the Chinese Writers Association.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, I am actually a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Writers Association.

It's still different. If it's convenient for you, you can take the time to fill out a form.

Zhou Yan thought for a while and said, How about I go there later? I'm really busy at this time.

Gao Wei said, If you are busy, we can send someone to come to you with the order, and it won't waste too much of your time.

Zhou Yan pursed his lips. He even wondered if the person from the Innovation and Liaison Department was a liar. Was he so anxious?

The Chinese Writers Association has always been aloof. There is no need to worry about an ordinary writer. Zhou Yan was surprised to make a special call.

But since Gao Wei had already said this, he couldn't refuse anymore, Would it be too much trouble for you?

No, you are in Yanjing, right? Just give me a time and address.

Okay, I'll be free the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. The address is...

Okay, I've written it down. I'll send someone there the afternoon of tomorrow. Also, I want to ask you something. Do you have Yu Hua's contact information? It seems that the contact information he left in Harvest is no longer in use. (End of chapter)