On May 8th, the rankings for the first week of May on China's original music charts were released on schedule.
There was no suspense: Chen Fei'er's new album, Flower Woman, dominated the charts. All ten tracks from the album made it onto the rankings, and the lead single Flower Woman, along with the second single I Crossed the Ocean to See You, Hello Tomorrow, and Meeting, claimed the top four positions respectively.
The Heavenly Queen was crowned once again!
This was the headline published immediately on a well-known entertainment section of a major website after the chart was updated.
Chen Fei'er's new album not only set a recent record for domestic album sales but also received widespread praise beyond the show business community. Her successful transformation had undoubtedly elevated her music career to a new peak.
Bloggers even declared that, with this album, Chen Fei'er could continue to shine in the pop music scene for another ten years. That evening, in the grand ballroom of the famous Regent Hotel in Capital City, numerous media reporters surrounded Chen Fei'er, eager to ask her about the album.
Chen Fei'er was attending the event with Lu Chen for the opening ceremony of 'Full House'.
When 'Autumn in My Heart' was filmed, the production team had skipped a grand opening ceremony to save costs, as the project initially had very little attention. It had been a simple formality.
Back then, 'Autumn in My Heart' was like an ugly duckling; despite Chen Fei'er's participation, it had barely attracted notice.
Now, the situation was completely different. Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er had become the top on-screen couple in domestic television thanks to the success of Blue. The filming of the new drama 'Full House' had become a highly anticipated event.
In such a context, a grand opening ceremony was necessary. Not inviting media would upset partners and create rumors; people might wonder if something was wrong.
In fact, opening ceremonies for TV dramas or films have become an important early promotional strategy.
Previously, domestic productions didn't bother with such ceremonies, but after the turn of the century, actors and directors from Hong Kong brought this trend northward.
As a result, many domestic professionals now feel uneasy if they skip rituals like offering incense or performing opening formalities. If something goes wrong during filming, they will blame it on the skipped ceremony, "better safe than sorry."
Domestic film crews have now become skilled at this practice. The opening ceremony is usually held either on location at the filming site or in a hotel.
For 'Full House', the partners included Lu Chen Workshop, Chen Fei'er Workshop, Capital City TV, Zhedong TV, SPG, Crown Pictures, Flying Stone Records, Qiande Brothers Productions, Rainbow Management, and others. With multiple filming locations, the ceremony was held in a hotel in Capital City.
The evening timing was chosen because night scenes would be shot in the Regent's grand restaurant.
Holding it in Capital City made it convenient for the media. Over 30 media outlets attended that night, including TV stations, radio, websites, newspapers, and magazines. With the main actors, directors, and producers present, the room was packed.
Of course, the media's attention was primarily on the protagonists, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er.
"Miss Chen Fei'er, congratulations! All the tracks from your new album have ranked on the latest Original Sound chart!"
A reporter holding a microphone labeled "NetEase Entertainment" asked eagerly: "Four of the songs have claimed the top four positions. How do you feel about that?"
Chen Fei'er was momentarily stunned, then smiled: "I didn't even know! Thank you for telling me. As for how I feel… I'm obviously very happy. After all, it's a great honor."
The NetEase reporter continued: "It's been reported that the Original Sound chart plans to change its rules, going forward, only three songs from the same album can chart simultaneously. What's your opinion on this?"
Chen Fei'er thought for a moment and replied earnestly: "I fully support it!"
"Fully support?" The reporters present were stunned, many doubting their own ears.
How could Chen Fei'er fully support this?
With her album breaking sales records, such a rule change was clearly targeting someone. Even if not her personally, it was aimed at Lu Chen, who stood behind her.
That was obvious: over the past year, the singer dominating China's pop scene was none other than Lu Chen. Everything he wrote and sang topped the Original Sound chart, sweeping rankings effortlessly.
Such talent naturally provoked envy and resentment.
The news of the Original Sound chart rule change inevitably carried the faint smell of "suppression."
For such an obviously tricky question, Chen Fei'er's response was truly unexpected. According to the reporters' experience, the normal reaction would have been to evade the question or refuse to comment. Even a slight expression of dissatisfaction would have been justified; Chen Fei'er was fully entitled to do so.
But "I fully support it"?
What the heck was that?
Was it sarcasm?
Seeing the reporters' astonishment, Chen Fei'er smiled gracefully and said, "For me personally, over the past decade or more, I've received enough honors. I'm more than willing to let opportunities go to those musicians who are working hard, and I sincerely hope that domestic original music can rise again, creating more and better works for the music scene and fans."
"If the Midrange Association were to consult me about changing the rules of the Original Sound chart, I would certainly vote in favor!"
The reporters finally realized that Chen Fei'er wasn't just saying something nice, she truly meant it.
One reporter, unwilling to give up, asked, "So Mr. Lu Chen thinks the same way?"
Although they'd received press passes tonight, they weren't going to leave without a scoop. They were hoping to see Chen Fei'er criticize the Midrange Association.
Unfortunately, Chen Fei'er was a member of the Midrange Association herself. She simply smiled and said, "Yes!"
The reporters had nothing left to say, they hadn't expected Chen Fei'er to act as Lu Chen's spokesperson.
What they didn't know was that Chen Fei'er had mentioned the rumor to Lu Chen when she first heard about it, and he didn't care either way about the chart rules. Even if not all his works could chart, it didn't matter.
As long as his songs were loved by the fans, that was enough.
Fretting over a little superficial fame would only lower one's class, and Chen Fei'er didn't care about that at all.
Some might argue that the Original Sound chart affects album sales and increases a singer's fame. In reality, with today's highly developed media and countless marketing channels, the chart's influence has been steadily declining.
So if the reporters thought they could stir up trouble with this question, they were just deluding themselves.
Chen Fei'er said firmly, "Everyone, tonight is the opening ceremony for the new drama. Let's not pick another topic, alright?"
The reporters, however, didn't agree. One asked, "Miss Chen Fei'er, when are you planning to marry Mr. Lu Chen? I'm sure many fans are curious about this!"
Chen Fei'er didn't know what to say. She couldn't just ignore it, so she replied, "As for this question, neither Mr. Lu Chen nor I have thought about it for now. At the moment, we're both focusing our main energy on work."
"For other matters, why not ask Mr. Lu Chen himself?"
She skillfully passed the ball to Lu Chen.
A few steps away, Lu Chen was surrounded by another group of reporters.
With so many media present that night, both protagonists were being interviewed simultaneously, so they had to handle the press separately.
The questions Lu Chen faced weren't as off-topic as those Chen Fei'er got, but that didn't mean they were easy to answer.
For example, a reporter from Entertainment Weekly asked, "Mr. Lu Chen, Xiangnan TV recently announced a new drama, Endless Waves of Love. It's said to have a plot similar to 'Autumn in My Heart'. What's your opinion on that?"
This question was clearly not well-intentioned.
But that's the nature of entertainment journalists, if they don't guide or create controversial topics, how else would they grab readers' attention?
Knowing how to handle entertainment journalists is, therefore, a skill that every celebrity must master.
(End of chapter)
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