Chapter Eleven: Have You Ever Seen?

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They had known in advance that someone would be there to pick him up at the airport, but they never expected such a grand scene. A crowd of two or three hundred people clearly gathered as fans to welcome him.

At first, Lin Jianlu, who had just begun to feel a bit “famous,” was genuinely taken aback, not quite sure how to react until Xue Zhongding gave him a gentle push from behind. What else could he do? Greet them, sign autographs, chat kindly.

Keep smiling.

Several reporters snapped photos incessantly and asked random questions.

This went on for a good thirty to forty minutes, only ending when airport security intervened. Finally free, Lin Jianlu then received the first bouquet of flowers in his life—though unfortunately, it came from a man.

“Thank you! Hello, Mr. Duan!” the man said warmly.

His name was Duan Zhongtan, a man in his forties, plump and very amiable. During their handshake, he even pulled Lin Jianlu in for a big hug.

“Welcome, Ah Lu!” he said cheerfully.

Old Xue had warned him beforehand—Duan Zhongtan, known in the industry as Old Duan, was the general manager of Rockstone International. In 1980, he and his second brother, Duan Zhongyi, had founded Rockstone. Duan Zhongyi was the chairman, overseeing administration and distribution, while Duan Zhongtan specialized in content production, music, and records. Within just a few years, with a roster that included Luo Dayou, Li Zongsheng, Zhang Aijia, Pan Yueyun, and Qi Yu, Rockstone had leapt to become the largest independent record company in the Chinese-speaking world.

Later, due to ideological differences, some founding members left to establish UFO Records, symbolizing “where there are rolling stones on the ground, there are flying saucers in the sky.” UFO became renowned for its commercial savvy, successfully launching stars like Wang Jie, Qi Qin, the Little Tigers, and Zhang Yusheng. It quickly rivaled Rockstone, at one point even putting Rockstone in a tough spot. It was only when Li Zongsheng personally produced an album for the newly signed Lin Yilian that the situation stabilized. When Zhou Huajian’s albums soared in sales, the two companies reached a certain balance.

Rockstone, UFO, and Hong Kong’s Polygram were known as the three giants of the Chinese music scene.

Speaking of Old Duan, Lin Jianlu suddenly recalled an old Zhou Huajian song from the ‘80s called “Recently Quite Annoyed,” which included the lyrics: “Recently quite annoyed, quite annoyed, quite annoyed, my daughter says six plus six equals thirteen, I asked Old Duan, 'What should I do?' He said, 'Basically, that’s hard to fix!'” That Old Duan was surely Duan Zhongtan.

Having the boss personally pick him up and present flowers—such treatment was undeniably high-profile.

Once in the car, Lin Jianlu was even invited into Old Duan’s vehicle. They chatted casually all the way to the designated hotel. Only then did Lin Jianlu seize the moment, somewhat timidly, to ask Xue Zhongding, “Are those fans real? They’re not hired by the company, are they?”

Xue Zhongding was surprised. “The company paying people to pretend to be fans? What a joke! Which company would waste money like that? Oh… now that you mention it, maybe UFO would do something like that!”

He went on to explain, “A reporter once interviewed the boss, who accidentally let slip that you’d be flying to Taiwan in the next couple of days to meet your fans there. So your fans showed up at the airport! I just asked my colleagues in the car—they’ve been waiting for two days already.”

“No doubt about it, Ah Lu! You’re really popular! And it’s not just your songs; young people here in Taiwan really like your face! That strong, sharp vibe you have—they love it! Even more than the bad-boy image of Wang Jie back in the day. After all, you’re way more handsome!”

Well, as long as they’re real, that’s good enough.

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Otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.

But come to think of it… did fans really chase idols to such lengths back in the ’90s?

...

After a brief rest at the hotel—he had only hastily eaten lunch on the plane, and there was surely a welcome banquet waiting that evening—Lin Jianlu rummaged through the hotel snacks, devouring two pieces of bread, a packet of ham sausages, and three packs of locally made instant noodles. He even ate two pieces of the flaky fried bread his mother insisted he bring along. Feeling somewhat full, he brushed his teeth and washed up, then casually went downstairs to meet Old Xue and head to Rockstone.

As a newcomer, having signed for a few months and with his album already a hit, this was his first time at the company and his first visit to Taiwan. Naturally, he wanted to tour the famous Rockstone Records. This time, the occasion was even grander—the chairman, Duan Zhongyi, was also at the company, so the two bosses escorted him personally.

Wow… a gathering of industry giants.

Li Zongsheng, Xiao Chong, Chen Sheng, Zhou Huajian, Zhao Chuan, Qi Yu, Su Huilun, Xin Xiaoqi, Du Dewei, Zhang Zhenyue, Huang Weide, Huang Jiaqian, Ren Xianqi, Liu Ruoying…

Apparently everyone knew Lin Jianlu was coming and was curious about him. So aside from Luo Dayou and Lin Yilian, who were both often in Hong Kong, and Chen Shuhua, who was caring for her sick mother, nearly all the producers and singers at Rockstone were present.

They toured the company and chatted casually.

Seeing Zhao Chuan in person, he indeed wasn’t handsome, but he exuded a rugged, tough vibe.

Li Zongsheng looked a bit old now, but he seemed to have always looked that way—like he never really looked young.

Su Huilun was quite beautiful. Hmm… in the past, watching her music videos or variety shows, Lin Jianlu never thought she was particularly pretty, but in person, she was truly charming and youthful.

Of course, Liu Ruoying was just a little bit prettier.

Mainly because Liu Ruoying carried an indescribable artistic young woman aura, coupled with a gentle demeanor. No wonder she was favored and strongly supported by the previous generation’s artistic icon, Zhang Aijia.

Su Huilun had been doing quite well recently. Last year, Liu Ruoying was also very popular and should still be doing fine. But Xue Zhongding had explained before that Liu Ruoying’s breakout came from starring as the lead in Zhang Aijia’s film “Young Girl Xiao Yu,” where her performance was stunning. She then officially debuted, and her debut album last year, “The Beauty and Sorrow of Young Girl Xiao Yu,” sold well. Especially the song “Crazy for Love” made her an instant star in the music scene. Unfortunately, her second album “Rainy Season,” released at the end of last year, did not sell well.

In comparison, Su Huilun had maintained steady, efficient output over the years. Her albums typically sold a few tens of thousands to around 200,000 copies at best. But her consistency and the ability to release Cantonese EPs and English EPs to test markets kept her relevant.

Su Huilun was considered a second-tier singer in the company, while Liu Ruoying had probably slipped out of that category.

Then there was Ren Xianqi… he debuted in 1990 with a company named New Era Records, releasing three albums that sold between 30,000 and 70,000 copies. After New Era was acquired by Rockstone, his contract transferred there. Now managed by producer Xiao Chong, he hadn’t released an album in five years and was frequently on the list of artists considered for contract termination at company meetings.

Nonetheless, Xiao Chong hadn’t given up on him and was currently recording his first album since joining Rockstone. The album, titled “Reliance,” was nearly complete and expected to be released around May or June.

At least for now, he would rank below Liu Ruoying.

Everyone was generally very welcoming toward Lin Jianlu.

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Their attitudes were uniformly friendly.

Especially the singers… Xue Zhongding had mentioned before that after hearing six of Lin Jianlu’s songs performed in a small live concert over the phone and deciding to sign him, Old Duan had said inside the company, “Rockstone needs to have its own Wang Jie!”

The call’s audio quality was poor, but from what he heard, Lin Jianlu’s voice was somewhat similar to Wang Jie’s. Hearing from Xue Zhongding that Lin Jianlu was unusually handsome and charismatic, the statement made sense.

When the master tapes arrived for post-production, Old Duan was stunned. He summoned producers Li Zongsheng, Xiao Chong, Chen Sheng, and others to listen. Many singers, upon hearing the news, came to listen as well, all unanimously impressed.

Lin Jianlu’s vocal skills were honed in the 2020s, not counting the earlier years of classical vocal training. Simply from his time at music academy, teaching at a prestigious school, and daily two-to-three-hour livestreaming sessions spanning over a decade, his fundamentals were rock solid. His voice was excellent, and with some refinement, in today’s Chinese music scene—where vocal techniques were still evolving—he was undoubtedly top-tier.

His voice wasn’t really like Wang Jie’s; it was much stronger, somewhat reminiscent of a later singer, Chen Chusheng, but overall thicker and more magnetic.

A great voice, excellent technique, good works, plus striking looks… Xue Zhongding had agreed to follow Lin Jianlu’s marketing strategy in mainland China, with Lin even funding his own MV productions. Duan Zhongtan invested heavily in promotion across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In truth, it was these factors that supported him.

When experts looked at these elements, they immediately judged, “This guy is going to be big.” Otherwise, why would a powerhouse like Rockstone indulge a mainland newcomer so much?

However, these things were not the most important.

For the many singers at Rockstone, whether Lin Jianlu became famous or his album sold well or poorly mattered little. What was most astonishing was that all eleven tracks on his album, each with distinct styles and nuances, were created entirely by one person.

An album with three lead singles is already impressive, right? And a big seller, no doubt?

But an album where all eleven songs have the potential to be hits, all suitable as lead singles—you’ve ever seen that?

Everyone knew the pop music world was one where singers were often promoted because of their creators. A good songwriter was like a godfather to singers.

The worry was always that the creator wouldn’t favor you, no matter how much you bowed down.

Luo Dayou famously launched Zhang Aijia, Su Rui, Pan Yueyun, and Liu Wenzheng, ushering in an era. He was revered as the top producer in the Chinese music scene. At Rockstone, he was the undisputed kingpin.

Li Zongsheng had launched Zhao Chuan, Wa Wa, Chen Shuhua, and Zhou Huajian. A few years ago, after persuading Lin Yilian to join Rockstone, the two formed a perfect partnership. In just two albums, Lin Yilian, once a second-tier singer in Hong Kong, rose swiftly to become an undisputed diva in Rockstone and the entire Chinese music sphere.

With such a powerful creator standing right in front of them, who wouldn’t want to build a good relationship?

So after the tour, when the boss said there would be a dinner to welcome Lin Jianlu, everyone asked if they could come. Almost without exception, everyone said they were free.