Chapter 44: Humble

This time around, Lin Jianlu stayed in Hong Kong for roughly a week.

He recorded "The Gift," drank heavily—on two separate occasions—met with numerous brand representatives, posed for a full day of promotional photo shoots, and even sat down with three different media outlets for interviews. Oh, and right, he also agreed to write a short essay of two thousand words.

On June 30th, a local radio station in Hong Kong invited the three remaining members of the band BEYOND for an interview.

It was the third anniversary of Wong Ka Kui's passing.

Even when he was alive, he had never been overwhelmingly popular in Hong Kong; the local soil was simply too barren for rock music. Yet, he had at least won hit golden melodies, making him a figure of some stature in the Hong Kong and Taiwanese music scenes. In fact, the further one moved away from Hong Kong, the greater his and BEYOND's influence became, rendering them one of the crowning glories of the Hong Kong music industry.

On the third anniversary, naturally, there was no shortage of media and fans wishing to pay their respects and reminisce.

Just as the radio program was drawing to a close, quite unexpectedly, after a brief introduction by the host, the station suddenly began playing "The Gift"—a present dedicated to the departed.

The listenership of the show was arguably not very large; firstly, it was merely radio, and secondly, with Wong Ka Kui gone and only the other three members remaining, their appeal among fans had plummeted to almost less than a tenth of what it once was.

However, the moment "The Gift" was broadcast, it rapidly sparked a massive reaction.

The attention it garnered far exceeded the scope of simply "commemorating Wong Ka Kui"—many listeners subsequently called the station demanding a replay. The station replied that this song had been specially coordinated through Lin Jianlu's communications, and a dedicated person from Rock Records had brought it to the station to be played, after which it was immediately retrieved. Without authorization or the audio source, it was impossible to play it again before the official release of the song.

The next day, the whole of Hong Kong was buzzing with animated discussions about Lin Jianlu's new ensemble song commemorating Wong Ka Kui.

While the tape itself couldn't be obtained, the Hong Kong media still possessed formidable resources; they managed to secure the lyrics as well as the basic details of the recording process, and thus wrote extensively about it.

Several newspapers even went so far as to list the photograph of every single person who participated in the recording, accompanied by brief biographical resumes. They also hired industry experts to dissect the profound and poetic meaning hidden within the lyrics, line by line.

Moreover, most of the media outlets involved in the reports almost inevitably mentioned the song's creation process: it was said that while Lin Jianlu was helping someone produce a new track at Rock Records, he chatted about Wong Ka Kui during lunch. Touched in his heart, he spent only ten minutes completing the lyrics and melody for the entire song—a feat of effortless writing that showcased his boundless talent!

According to listeners who happened to catch "The Gift," the song sounded grandiose yet deeply warm and inspiring. Furthermore, bringing so many different vocalists' voices into a single track, each with their distinct characteristics, not only avoided turning the song into a chaotic mess, but instead imbued it with a uniquely powerful energy.

Right, there were also Hong Kong media outlets crying out indignantly: "Our Hong Kong's outstanding musicians, our outstanding band, Ka Kui's anniversary, yet it requires an Mainland musician to rally Mainland and Taiwanese singers to create a commemorative work! What are all of you in Hong Kong's music circles doing? Fortunately, Little Lu has a heart and remembered to invite Uncle Jim and Leslie, otherwise where would the Hong Kong music industry hide its face?"

…………

Before finally leaving, Lin Jianlu made a special phone call to invite Rosamund Kwan out once more.

Dim sum and casual chat.

The original intention was merely a normal social outing—after all, she had proactively asked him out several times, and Lin Jianlu had grown somewhat weary of posing in the photography studio, needing a lovely face to help shake off his drowsiness.

The result, however, was quite unexpected. She was somewhat different from the Rosamund Kwan he had heard about in the past.

Her reputation... whether currently or on the internet of later generations, well, was virtually common knowledge.

Her beauty was universally acknowledged, but at the same time, all sorts of negative rumors were overwhelming.

Yet, witnessing her in reality, she had matured a great deal. She was not like the rumors and gossip portrayed her—obsessed with money, consumed by vanity, and so on. From her speech and demeanor, Lin Jianlu detected none of that superficiality.

Instead, they talked about life.

Lin Jianlu could clearly perceive that, although her beauty remained intact at that very moment, after years of glitz and glamour, she seemed to be filled with bewilderment regarding life.

And as she spoke of these things, her gaze was hollow and distant, making her look utterly breathtaking.

It was a pity Lin Jianlu felt he was not qualified to help her resolve her doubts.

She had been a beauty for thirty years and a superstar for over a decade!

Lin Jianlu had only been handsome for half a year and famous for a mere three months!

He wasn't hollow, he wasn't empty, he wasn't bewildered, nor was he bored—he was simply hoping to quickly finish the work he had promised and ought to do, and then return to the capital to resume his retirement life.

Besides, he had already met Yuanyuan; just imagine, could Bingbing be far behind?

Good days were plentiful ahead; what the hell was there to feel empty about? What the hell was there to be bewildered about?

Consequently, the very next day, photographs of him and Rosamund Kwan chatting animatedly across from each other at a tea restaurant made the front page.

Sylvia Chang and Michelle Ge, amidst their busy schedules, helplessly helped set the record straight, surmising that a photographer must have stood on top of the roof of one of Hong Kong's ultra-tall sightseeing buses and snapped the picture in the fleeting second the vehicle drove past—quite simply, the two of them were drinking tea on the third floor, with nothing across from them except scenery and no buildings, making it nearly impossible to be photographed.

So what could be done? Simply ignore it!

Yet the very next day, just as Lin Jianlu was heading to the airport to wait for his flight, he was directly blocked by a group of reporters as he stepped out of the hotel—they were brandishing a newspaper and flashing it before his eyes.

Rosamund Kwan had been ambushed by reporters the day before, and during her interview, she stated that she loved Lin Jianlu's songs, praising him as a talented individual with mature thoughts and great wisdom. She indicated that she would not be averse to dating Little Lu, but added that in front of him, she often felt inferior, sensing that both her talent and cognition were too shallow to be worthy of him.

The man who made Rosamund Kwan feel a sense of inferiority!

Just thinking about it, given the nature of the Hong Kong media, could this possibly not blow up?

"A person cannot simultaneously possess beauty and low self-esteem, but perhaps Rosamund Kwan can."

"A girlfriend? Yes, I've mentioned it many times in previous interviews, haven't I? I have lots of girlfriends!"

"Gigi? We reconciled a few days ago, and just broke up again yesterday. When I come back to Hong Kong next time, we might reconcile once more, so remember to keep tracking me!"

"Hahaha... None of your damn business!"

"I'll sleep with whoever I want to sleep with; do you think I'd report that to you?"

"When I eventually manage to win over Miss Kwan, you'll definitely find out. I have faith in your capabilities!"

"Brigitte Lin is not my girlfriend; she's my brother."

"I'm game! I'm totally fine with it! But I asked her husband, and her husband told me to go die!"

"Nonsense! Of course I don't plan on dying! If I really died, where would you guys get so many scandals to make a living off of writing articles? Can't you credit me for even a little bit of goodness? I'm practically a living Buddha!"

"I don't mind at all, but I'm just a humble little singer; how would I dare stand up to President Tuan? If he says it goes into the celebratory edition, then it goes into the celebratory edition! Don't ask me, I'm extremely humble."

"A person cannot simultaneously possess Lin Jianlu and low self-esteem, but Lin Jianlu can."

…………

Having finally shaken off the paparazzi, rushed to the airport, and successfully boarded the plane, even Lin Jianlu couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

One had to admit that earning a living in the entertainment industry indeed wasn't all that easy... Time to retire quickly!

Retirement would be bliss!

As soon as the plane touched down, Chen Shuhua didn't even dare to come pick him up at the airport, so Lao Tuan sent a car instead. Right there in the car, Lin Jianlu received another phone call from Rosamund Kwan.

"Little Lu, my manager told me she received numerous program invitations from Mount Wutai. I told her, as long as Little Lu goes to record, I'll go record."

"Oh, that's fine then, my manager will help me decline them."

"Why?"

"I suffer from low self-esteem."

"Hahaha... I wasn't just buttering you up; I genuinely think you are so learned and wise. Others only see that you were born extremely handsome, but I truly believe that doesn't even matter for someone like you."

"You really have no idea about the hardships of the mortal world, senior. Without this face, could I be this famous?"

"Hahahaha!"