Chapter 309: 270 Million US Dollars, a Super Dark Horse

On May 26, before Zhou Yan was about to return to China, he caught up with the release of "The Chorus" in Neon.

The movie was released in Neon, and there was no ceremony or press conference.

However, Zhou Yan was in Neon, so the agent naturally would not miss such a good opportunity. They invited Zhou Yan to go to the cinema to watch a movie on the 26th.

Zhou Yan originally thought that it was just a simple movie, and at most some media reporters were invited to the scene.

But what he didn't expect was that the agent not only invited many media reporters to the scene, but also booked several halls of the entire cinema that day, and all the movie tickets for these halls were given to fans for free.

So when Zhou Yan arrived at the scene, the entire cinema hall was crowded with people, and many people couldn't even squeeze into the hall and could only wait outside the door.

The fans knew in advance that Zhou Yan would come, so many people brought Zhou Yan's albums or photos, waiting for Zhou Yan to help them in front.

When Zhou Yan arrived at the door of the cinema, he saw a group of fans holding various cheering items and waving at him.

Although Zhou Yan is very popular in Japan, the support level of his fans is very average. The most eye-catching thing in the whole scene is a DIY small flag held by a young man, on which the covers of three albums were hand-painted, as well as the promotional pictures of "The Piano Boy Who Wants to Fly" and "The Sixth Sense".

Others either held album photos waiting for signatures, or held a small banner with the words "We Support You" written on it, both in Japanese and Chinese.

Overall, it was relatively simple.

Zhou Yan was a little confused when he saw so many people standing at the door of the cinema. He turned his head and asked Sang Tian next to him, "What's going on? Isn't it just watching a movie?"

Sang Tian was also confused, because Yingfeng Company didn't tell them that there would be so many fans participating in today's event. He always thought it was just watching a movie, and at most accepting some media interviews on the spot.

Now it's good, it has directly turned into a fan meeting.

Seeing the crowded scene at the scene, Sang Tian felt a little resentful of Yingfeng. It's not that they can't hold activities, but they have to inform them in advance. Now they haven't prepared anything, which is a bit passive.

"Teacher Zhou, look..."

This matter still depends on Zhou Yan's opinion.

Zhou Yan controlled the muscles on his face and kept smiling. Although the agency was not very authentic, it had nothing to do with these fans.

"Slow down, let the staff maintain order, and then you quickly confirm the approximate number of people who came to the scene today with Yingfeng."

"I'll go to find Yingfeng's people, then Teacher Zhou, you here..."

"You ask the staff to come to me and maintain order. There is no need for translation for signing for them."

"Then... okay."

Then Sangtian went to find Yingfeng's staff to maintain order, and Zhou Yan also took the "Piano Boy Who Wants to Fly" videotape and pen from a fan in front of him and signed his name on it.

Seeing Zhou Yan really signing, the others also became excited and squeezed towards Zhou Yan.

However, the staff were already in place and began to maintain order, asking the fans to line up and come one by one to find Zhou Yan for autographs.

Zhou Yan was not in a hurry. He took the things handed over by the fans in an orderly manner and signed for them. When he met Chinese or Japanese who could speak Chinese, he would chat briefly.

He signed for about a dozen people. A person at the back handed Zhou Yan an album of "Yu Linglin" and excitedly shouted in Chinese, "I love you."

The pronunciation of this person was quite clear, but it was obvious that he was Japanese.

Zhou Yan signed for him and smiled, "Auntie, wash the railway."

The people at the back saw that this trick was quite useful, and they all came up to show Zhou Yan Chinese. Everyone said "I love you", and some people had a richer vocabulary and could say "hello" and "Have you eaten?"

As long as they spoke Chinese, Zhou Yan would respond more or less.

After signing for a while, he finally signed in front of the young man holding a hand-painted cheering flag.

The young man handed the flag directly to Zhou Yan, "Teacher Zhou, please help me sign on this."

The young man spoke in Chinese, but he was definitely Japanese.

Zhou Yan was quite surprised to hear him speak such a long string of Chinese words, "Your Chinese is pretty good."

The young man grinned, "I learned Chinese for you."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your support. What's your name?"

"My name is Kawabata Shun, the Chuan of Shanchuan, the Duan of Duanzhuang, and the Xun of Xunri."

Zhou Yan wrote on the empty space of the cheering flag: To Kawabata Shun.

Then he wrote: Sincerely thank you for your support - Zhou Yan.

When Zhou Yan was writing, Kawabata Shun was staring at him with his eyes wide open.

The people around him also cast envious eyes. This was the first time Zhou Yan signed so many words for people. If they had known earlier, they would have brought a cheering flag.

……

There were hundreds of people at the cinema today. In addition to the fans who got tickets, there were also some people who didn't have tickets but still came to join in the fun. I didn't expect that this fun would be so rewarding.

There were hundreds of people in the audience, and everyone got Zhou Yan's autograph, without exception, even the media reporters, Zhou Yan signed for them one by one.

After watching the movie, Zhou Yan was very cooperative and accepted interviews from the media reporters on the spot. Basically, he patiently answered all normal questions.

Even if he encountered some questions he didn't want to answer, he gently said that it was inconvenient to answer. In short, the atmosphere on the scene was peaceful, and both fans and media reporters were satisfied.

After the event was completely over, the person in charge of Yingfeng came to thank Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan was also very considerate and greeted the other party for a long time, and also said that he must strengthen cooperation in the future.

The other party didn't expect Zhou Yan to be so cooperative and smiled from beginning to end.

But on the way back to the hotel, Zhou Yan said to Sang Tian, ​​"Call Zhang Youan later and tell him not to cooperate with Yingfeng in the future."

"Ah?"

Zhou Yan suddenly said this, which confused Sang Tian. He just saw Zhou Yan chatting well with the person in charge and thought that they would really strengthen cooperation.

At that time, he was thinking that Zhou Yan was really not particular about trivial matters when he achieved great things. He didn't even blame Yingfeng Company. Unexpectedly, Zhou Yan turned his head and turned his face.

"There's no need to cooperate with such a company. Problems will arise sooner or later."

Sang Tian nodded. He also felt that what Zhou Yan said made sense.

However, Mr. Zhou's emotions were too stable. If it were him, even if he didn't lose his temper in front of fans and reporters, he would blame the other party a few words afterwards to vent his anger.

...

After "The Chorus" was released in Japan, Zhou Yan set off for Yanjing a few days later, while Qingyinfang continued to stay in Japan to participate in activities.

During this period, Qingyinfang played the two songs "Snow Flower" and "Beginning" on the spot, and the response was very good.

Of course, the most important thing was that the episode of "Music Home" recorded by Qingyinfang was broadcast.

After the show was broadcast, many viewers were very interested in "Snow Flower" created by Zhou Yan on the spot.

Zhou Yan will not release a single or album for the time being, so if everyone wants to listen to "Snow Flower", they can only go to Qingyinfang's performance.

Those programs naturally knew this, so they threw olive branches to Qingyinfang and invited them to play "Snow Flower" and "Beginning" on the show.

In addition to the two songs "Snow Flower" and "Beginning", the audience was also very interested in the Qingyinfang band itself.

This kind of all-female folk band was something the audience had never seen before. So many outstanding female performers gathered together, wearing beautiful traditional clothes, playing traditional Chinese instruments, and reinterpreting Zhou Yan's music. It was an ultimate enjoyment both visually and auditorily.

It took only half a month for Qingyinfang to become quite famous in Neon.

…

Qingyinfang has been developing rapidly in Neon, and most domestic media have also reported it very actively.

However, the reports about Qingyinfang were not all praises, and some criticisms appeared.

For example, an entertainment magazine "Red Star Affair" in early May wrote a big headline on the cover: An all-female band seduces people in Neon with sex?

"Red Star Affair" is not a serious magazine at first glance. It usually reports entertainment gossip news, with no bottom line, and follows the path of those gossip magazines in Hong Kong.

For example, the other titles on the cover of the same issue of "Red Star Erotic Affairs" are "Did Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing have that affair?" "Hong Kong's third-level movie actor and actress photo album" and "Liu Xiaoqing's pornographic yellow belt investigation record".

Originally, this matter was nothing. After all, people are used to such a low-level magazine writing some messy things, and it will not have any impact on Qingyinfang or Zhou Yan.

But there are some regular media who also join in the fun and insist on reporting Qingyinfang Orchestra from the perspective of "seducing people with sex".

The fire burned to Zhou Yan, because the band was founded by Zhou Yan, so some people questioned whether Zhou Yan had ulterior motives in forming such an all-female band.

In fact, Zhou Yan didn't pay much attention to these news. There are always two sides to things. As long as something is hot, in addition to praise, there will definitely be criticism. As long as these criticisms are not mainstream, there will be no impact.

Over the years, Zhou Yan has never met a celebrity who has not been fabricated with some negative information. If he takes every one of them to heart, it would be too tiring.

But this time is a little different, because among the many comments, there is an article written by Zhou Yan's colleague Liang Maochun.

Liang Maochun is a professor in the Department of Music of the Central Conservatory of Music. He is in his fifties this year. He has been working in the school for a long time and is quite popular among students in their department. He is considered a relatively famous teacher in the school.

He himself graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music. After graduation, he has been engaged in teaching and research in the history of modern and contemporary Chinese music for a long time, and has made considerable academic achievements.

However, Liang Maochun has never done research related to Zhou Yan before, and this is the first time he has written an article related to Zhou Yan.

[To promote national music, it is not necessary to "take a different approach." 】

This is the title of the article published by Liang Maochun in "Music Review". It seems to be relatively euphemistic. It neither mentions Qingyinfang nor Zhou Yan.

But the main text of the article is very targeted and directly points to Zhou Yan.

"If you want to eat the bowl of rice of national music promotion, you can also do it uprightly, and there is no need to take crooked ways."

"As far as I know, due to the establishment of the women's orchestra, many female students spend the whole day thinking about how to wear more beautiful performance costumes instead of focusing more on improving their skills. Such a practice of putting the cart before the horse is a kind of harm to national music?"

...

When Zhou Yan saw this article, he couldn't believe it.

He and Liang Maochun were in different departments and their ages were very different. They rarely communicated with each other. Sometimes when they met, they just smiled and said hello.

And his impression of Liang Maochun came from other people's mouths.

This is a kind and senior teacher who has made great achievements in academics and is also very successful in teaching.

If the Central Conservatory of Music were to make a list of popular teachers, Liang Maochun would definitely be on it. I heard that Liang Maochun's class at school was always crowded.

Zhou Yan still respected Liang Maochun, so when he saw this article, his first reaction was whether he had made a mistake.

But the article was indeed written by Liang Maochun.

Zhou Yan did not think that Liang Maochun wrote this article to "set things right" out of his inner justice or persistence, because Liang Maochun usually did not do this.

Liang Maochun's sudden voice this time made Zhou Yan feel very strange.

Zhou Yan scratched his head and could not think of any conflict between him and Liang Maochun.

After this happened, Zhou Yan was called by the principal Liu Lin before he could react.

…

When Zhou Yan arrived at the principal's office, Liu Lin was frowning and reading a document. When he saw Zhou Yan coming, he said in a deep voice, "Sit down."

After about a minute, Liu Lin put down the document in his hand, walked to Zhou Yan and sat down.

"You have seen the article Liang Maochun posted, right?"

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, "Yes, the students of the orchestra showed it to me yesterday afternoon."

Liu Lin glanced at Zhou Yan and then lit a cigarette, "What do you think of this?"

"Well, there are indeed some media outlets that have made bad comments about Qin Qingyinfang, and there are many that are more direct and vicious than Professor Liang. Speaking of which, Professor Liang is considered to be tactful."

Liu Lin spit out a puff of smoke, "You have a good attitude. Liang Maochun is a teacher in our school. This article has been posted, and now people outside are watching us. Some people have said that we are struggling internally. Do you think this is an internal struggle?"

Zhou Yan didn't know what Liu Lin's attitude was, so he said carefully, "The term internal struggle is a bit too big. Although I don't know Professor Liang's specific thoughts, what can I compete with him for? We are in different departments and we don't have any competitive relationship in normal times."

Liang Maochun and Liu Lin are basically in the same period. Liu Lin entered the school one year earlier than Liang Maochun, but the two graduated at about the same time.

Who knows how their personal relationship is usually?

So before he is sure of Liu Lin's attitude, Zhou Yan can't say much.

Liu Lin knew Zhou Yan had reservations, but he didn't point it out. "I've already asked Liang Maochun, and he said that he had a misunderstanding about you forming Qingyinfang, so he wrote that article on impulse. But the article has been sent out, and it can't be withdrawn."

Misunderstanding, impulse, Zhou Yan felt funny when he heard these two words.

Liang Maochun is already in his fifties, not a young man in his twenties, is he so impulsive? And writing and posting articles are not something that can be done on impulse.

Zhou Yan probed, "Then now..."

"Now that things have happened, we can only prevent further fermentation. What I mean is that both of you should stop talking about this matter later. After a while, the heat will fade."

Zhou Yan immediately understood why Liu Lin was in a hurry to call him here. It turned out that he was worried that he would retaliate against Liang Maochun.

Indeed, if Zhou Yan was so angry that he went to war with Liang Maochun, no matter what method he used, it would make the situation worse.

So, Liu Lin wanted to deal with it coldly.

But in this way, Zhou Yan suffered a loss. He was slapped in the face, but for the sake of the overall situation, he could not fight back.

In fact, Zhou Yan did not want to do anything to Liang Maochun. He just wanted to know why Liang Maochun wrote that article. But now after listening to Liu Lin's words, he was a little dissatisfied.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan said, "President, I respect Professor Liang very much, so I especially want to know why Professor Liang misunderstood me and why he had to write an article to criticize me publicly. As long as he gives me a reason that convinces me, I won't say a word."

Zhou Yan's meaning is very clear. Even if you are slapped, you have to tell me why you slapped me. You can't be unclear.

Liu Lin sighed slightly. He understood Zhou Yan's reaction. If it were other young people, they might react more fiercely than Zhou Yan.

He actually wanted to know why Liang Maochun wanted to trouble Zhou Yan. After he called Liang Maochun to his office in the morning, he also asked the reason, but Liang Maochun insisted that she just couldn't stand the idea of ​​forming a women's band and had no other ideas.

Liu Lin didn't believe Liang Maochun's explanation, but he couldn't do anything about Liang Maochun.

Liu Lin is a good principal, but he can't deal with anyone in the school casually, especially a professor as famous as Liang Maochun.

The key is that Liu Lin is still from the composition department. If this matter is not handled properly, it is very likely to arouse resistance from the music department.

People in the music department may think that he is helping his relatives and not helping others.

Taking a deep puff of cigarette, Liu Lin put out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, and then said, "Zhou Yan, sometimes retreat is equal to advancement. The national composition competition will be held in a few months." , you can get an award this year, and then be promoted to associate professor, and then you can win the Fok Ying-tung Award next year. Originally, these things had to be pushed back a year or two, but now we can pave the way in advance.”

Liu Lin felt that Zhou Yan had suffered a loss this time, and wanting to make it up to him could be regarded as an exchange of interests.

Although Liu Lin cannot control these things, Zhou Yan is capable. As long as Liu Lin uses his connections, he can easily take them down.

Faced with such temptation, Zhou Yan shook his head, "Principal, I still want to know what Professor Liang thinks."

Seeing Zhou Yan's lack of energy, Liu Lin was also a little angry. He smoked another cigarette and lit it again, "Since you want to know so much, just ask him yourself. But you have to be mentally prepared. Some things may not necessarily I can get the answer. I know Liang Maochun well. He looks kind but has a deep mind. You are no match for him."

Hearing Liu Lin's words, Zhou Yan laughed and thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, senior brother."

Zhou Yan was not sure what Liu Lin's attitude was before, but after hearing this, he was sure that Liu Lin was still on his side, and the reason why he was allowed to swallow his anger was indeed for the sake of the overall situation.

Although Liu Lin said this with resentment, it was really for Zhou Yan's benefit.

When he heard that Zhou Yan was calling him senior brother instead of principal, Liu Lin waved his hand and said, "I don't care about this matter. You should pay attention to your own sense of propriety."

"I understand, senior brother." Zhou Yan stood up, "Then I won't disturb you."

"Go ahead."

…

After Zhou Yan left Liu Lin's office, he did not take any action against Liang Maochun, as if he had listened to Liu Lin's words and tolerated the incident.

However, the news about Qingyinfang soon died out because there were things more worthy of attention.

For example, the box office of "Cowherder's Spring" at Neon, and the North American box office of "The Sixth Sense".

"Springtime of the Cowherd" performed very well in Neon, but the box office was not as good as the previous "The Sixth Sense". Half a month after its release, the allotment revenue was less than one billion Neon coins. In the end, let alone surpass "The Sixth Sense". "Sense", it is impossible to surpass "The Piano Boy Who Wants to Fly".

This is also the one with the worst performance at the Neon box office among the films directed by Zhou Yan.

But no one was disappointed, because the box office goal has been achieved, and "Spring of the Cowherd Class" was not very commercial.

The North American box office of "The Sixth Sense" has completely exploded.

The release of "The Sixth Sense" in North America is coming to an end, and the box office data has basically settled.

As of May 14, the latest data shows that the box office of "The Sixth Sense" in North America exceeded US$270 million.

"The Sixth Sense" also successfully topped this year's North American box office rankings with a box office of US$270 million.

Of course, this is only temporary. Starting in May, there will be many popular movies that can have an impact on "The Sixth Sense."

For example, "Tornado", which was just released a few days ago, had a box office of 41 million US dollars in its first weekend and performed very well at the beginning.

Now all parties are paying attention to whether "Tornado" can surpass "The Sixth Sense".

Although "The Sixth Sense" may not always occupy the top spot at the end, it has accomplished a feat after all.

The movie with a budget of 20 million US dollars has a box office of more than 270 million US dollars in North America alone. This is undoubtedly the biggest dark horse this year.