Chapter Seventeen: When We Say Shoot, We Shoot

Sylvia Chang’s guess was spot on. Ge Fuhong had indeed brought photos, though not an "entire stack" as exaggerated; there were only four, all standard headshots.

"This girl is Lin Xilei, born in 1975, 167 centimeters tall. She returned to Taiwan after graduating from the University of California last year, and I signed her. She just finished a drama called *Joyful Gathering*, which hasn't aired yet. She’s very beautiful with a somewhat glamorous aura, but with a slight shift in makeup, she can perfectly portray any type of teenage girl. She’s quite versatile. Plus, her figure is amazing!"

"This is Gigi Leung, from Hong Kong. She’s the same age as you, born in 1976, turning 20 this year. I discovered her last year and signed her to my agency in Taiwan. She’s currently studying at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She’s very tall, 176 centimeters. Last year, I arranged for her to do some print advertisements, which were well-received, and she’s been doing modeling training and occasional runway work. Her proportions are superb!"

"Last year, I also arranged for her to shoot a film directed by Derek Yee called *Full Throttle*, starring alongside Andy Lau. It was released at the end of last year and performed well, grossing over 33 million Hong Kong dollars. Recently, she was even nominated for Best New Performer at the Hong Kong Film Awards. She can also sing, so I’ve had her signed to a record label, Millennium, and we plan to produce a Cantonese album for her this year to see how it goes."

"She’s tall, which would match your height better. She’s equally beautiful, but in a very pure way. If your music video needs that kind of innocent, middle-school-age romance, she would be a better fit than Lin Xilei."

"This one is Qu Ying, a model from the mainland. She’s won major awards and has a great stage presence. I think she felt she hit a bottleneck in the mainland, so she went to Hong Kong to find opportunities the year before last. I thought she was impressive, so I signed her management contract. Every year, I arrange for her to work here, including runway shows in Japan and Singapore. Her features aren't as stereotypically 'pretty' as Lin or Leung, but whether in person or on camera, her charisma is exceptional. She’s also acted in films in the mainland and has some acting experience. However, she’s a bit older—she’s 25 this year."

"And this one is Miki Nakatani. She’s the same age as you, born in 1976. She isn't my signed artist; she was recommended by my partner in Japan. I think her image and temperament are excellent. She debuted as a singer and model and has played supporting roles in dramas. Currently, she’s looking to develop as a singer. Rumor has it that the great Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has taken a liking to her and might produce an album for her, though nothing is confirmed yet. As long as you want her to star in it, I shouldn't have any trouble communicating with them. You are a musical genius, after all! Japanese artists worship genius more than anyone else; they are willing to serve the masters!"

How professional...

With just these four photos, Ge Fuhong spoke with ease. Each person’s data, specialties, and background seemed imprinted in her mind. Her presentation was clear, insightful, and filled with well-reasoned suggestions.

Sylvia Chang, sitting on the sofa nearby, chimed in at an inopportune moment, "It’s not just Japan; everywhere worships genius. Especially in the music industry."

Ge Fuhong smiled and asked Lin Jielu, "What do you think? Which one is the best fit? If none of them work, I’ll go find more information for you. They aren't the priority; your music video is."

Tsk... it really is hard to choose!

Whether it’s Gigi Leung in her youth or Lin Xilei, they are absolutely stunning!

Although they seemed to maintain their looks well even after making comebacks thirty years later, still hailed as goddesses, that was merely a shadow of their younger selves. To be honest, there was no comparison.

They looked so fresh and vibrant right now!

Miki Nakatani also had that instant star quality—truly breathtaking. Her eyes, in particular, were sharp, giving her an edgy, cult-classic beauty.

"Let’s go with her—Gigi Leung!"

"Oh, you decided so quickly? Could you tell me why? You’re an artist, a genius; I’d love to hear how you choose your talent."

An artist? Ha...

"Because she’s from Hong Kong!"

Lin Jielu said with a laugh, "A Taiwanese director paired with a Taiwanese singer for *Fairytale*; a Hong Kong director paired with a Hong Kong singer for *Ten Years*; later, I’ll find a director from the mainland and invite a mainland actress to film *Mistake in the Flower Field*... Wouldn't that mean covering the markets across the Taiwan Strait and the three regions?"

The two industry titans were stunned. They exchanged a glance, then felt relieved.

...

Once decided, they acted.

According to the plan from Rock Records, Lin Jielu was supposed to fly to Hong Kong on April 1st or 2nd to begin his new promotional tour. But since the director and lead actress for *Fairytale* had both been finalized by March 30th, there was no harm in delaying a few days to get the music video shot while they were at it.

More importantly, with the contracts signed, Lin Jielu would have two managers for the next three years.

Whether it was Sylvia Chang or Ge Fuhong, both were the type of people who could easily pull together a large film crew with a single phone call. Shooting a music video was a trivial matter for them.

So, they shot it.

Early the next morning, Sylvia Chang had already taken the cinematographer out to scout locations.

The cinematographer was Chen Huai'en, who had worked on Hou Hsiao-hsien’s *A City of Sadness*.

He wasn't part of Sylvia Chang's core team—everything had been too rushed, and her usual crew was busy working in Hong Kong. But it didn't matter. As a manager backed by a massive media group, Ge Fuhong made one phone call to bring Chen Huai'en in and a few more to assemble a fully-staffed crew. With Chen Huai'en’s technical skills on display, Sylvia Chang had nothing to complain about and was quite satisfied.

By the afternoon, the location had been quickly coordinated, and they were ready to start filming. Sylvia Chang was busy discussing shots and lighting with Chen Huai'en, shooing Lin Jielu and Rene Liu off to start "falling in love" and finding the right chemistry.

As they stepped into the coffee shop, Rene Liu looked a bit constrained and nervous. "Teacher Lu, the director said that according to your script, I need to act a bit more willful and cute. I’m worried I won't do it well. Could you guide me?"

Lin Jielu couldn't help but laugh. "Please, what kind of 'teacher' am I?"

Actually, back when he first landed in Taiwan and visited the Rock Records office, Lin Jielu had noticed that she and Richie Jen seemed particularly humble.

It shouldn't have been that way. For one, they weren't true newcomers—Richie Jen had already released several albums at his previous label, selling anywhere from twenty to eighty thousand copies. Rene Liu was even better; although her last album, *Rainy Season*, had been a dismal failure, *Siao Yu* had sold over two hundred thousand copies. She was quite famous!

Yet, they were both so humble, far less free-spirited than Su Huilun, who jokingly called herself someone "merely surviving in the record industry."

Perhaps it was because Rene Liu felt too small before her producer Chen Sheng, and Richie Jen before his producer Xiao Chong. It wasn't just a teacher-student relationship; there was a sense that their fates were held in someone else’s hands. Su Huilun, however, didn't feel as much pressure from her producer Bao Xiaobo. Her personality was more quirky and whimsical, so even though her albums weren't massive hits, she remained relaxed and happy.

He really wanted to verify this guess.

So, being a bit gossipy, he asked her in a low voice, "Hey, you seem really afraid of your teacher! At Rock Records, I felt like you were so afraid of Teacher Chen Sheng, and now I see you calling Sister Chang 'Teacher' and you’re afraid of her too?"

Rene Liu looked at him, then glanced in Sylvia Chang's direction. Perhaps because she genuinely wanted to get closer to Lin Jielu, she braved it and whispered, "Of course I have to be afraid! They are both so incredible!"

She paused, then added, "I joined Teacher Chen’s New Paradise Studio in 1990, but I was just an assistant, learning. I had no chance to release an album. Later, I finally debuted after filming Teacher Chen Guofu’s movie *My Beautiful and Sad Days*, and only gained some recognition after filming Teacher Chang’s *Siao Yu*. That was when Teacher Chen finally agreed to produce an album for me!"

"I’m just slow. Takeshi Kaneshiro, who joined the studio to learn from Teacher Chen even later than I did, started acting in dramas within a year. Later he did movies, and by '92, Teacher Chen was already producing his album! I couldn't do that. After *Siao Yu* became a hit, I signed with Teacher Chang’s agency, and I finally got my first album. But just as the results were looking up, *Rainy Season* sold terribly... Oh, by the way, she’s amazing too; Takeshi Kaneshiro is her artist."

Lin Jielu followed her finger to see Old Duan, Duan Zhongtan, and Sister Ge, Ge Fuhong, who were standing on the sidelines watching the fun. "Oh, Sister Ge..."

Rene Liu looked at Lin Jielu with complex emotions, it was hard to tell if it was envy or admiration.

"You don't even know how amazing you are. Not only do you write your own songs and produce your own music with such talent, but you even managed to get Sister Ge and Teacher Chang to co-manage you. Everyone in the company says you’re going to be a massive star!"

Lin Jielu pursed his lips and shrugged, "I’ll take everyone’s word for it!"