Cross-border

The old man was silent for a while, probably trying to organize his words, and then he slowly said, “Back then, we old guys developed on our own after leaving the National Theatre. Over the years, except for Wang Chong who has disappeared, everyone has lived a good life. Now that we are older, we feel a little nostalgic. We want to hold a farewell concert before we can no longer perform. This will also fulfill our long-cherished wish of reuniting. Wang Chong was the best violinist among us. Now he is gone, and we don’t want to leave him behind. You are his student and probably his only successor. After discussing it, we would like to invite you to represent Wang Chong in our farewell performance.  I wonder what you think?”

Lu Yan was already very excited by the news, but he remained calm on the surface and said hesitantly, “I am naturally very honored to be invited by the seniors. However, I am worried that I may not be able to perform at such a high-level concert. My current level may be enough to fool laymen, but in front of experts, I will only be laughed at.”

The old man sighed and said, “Of course we know this very well. Wang Chong is a talented violinist. His level back then would be considered top-notch even today. The performance I saw you perform on the show the other day was not even one-tenth of his level back then.”

Lu Yan said with shame, “I’m sorry that I didn’t pass on my teacher’s music well.”

The old man waved his hands and said, “You don’t need to apologize. Everyone has their own ambitions, and you weren’t interested in this. I think when Wang Chong taught you to play the violin, he didn’t think of asking you to pass on anything. But your basics are still very good, just a little too rusty. This farewell concert we want to hold is not actually a very formal performance. The old guys are old now, and it is difficult for them to maintain the same level as they did back then. As long as you practice a little, you will have no problem keeping up with the rhythm. However, I still want to ask for your opinion. If you agree, then I am afraid that you will need to strengthen my training in the future.”

Lu Yan hesitated for a moment and asked, “So when will the concert be held?”

“Tentatively scheduled for the end of November, there is still about half a year left.”

“In that case, since you seniors don’t mind, I will respectfully obey your orders.” Lu Yan said cheerfully.

The old man smiled and said, “Don’t be so polite. Actually, we have selfish motives in inviting you. This time we are planning to hold a charity show and all the proceeds will be donated. We are all old and I am afraid that few people would want to come to our concerts. Although you are not a musician, you are very popular now and we would like to use you to attract more popularity.”

Lu Yan naturally didn’t take such words seriously, and smiled and said, “Seniors, you are too modest. With your appeal, I’m afraid the tickets will be sold out quickly once the news is released.”

This was not just a casual compliment. The senior Zhu Yuchi in front of him was once the leading pianist in the country. Although he was now old and rarely showed up in public, his reputation remained. Apart from anything else, the fact that today’s most popular “Piano Prince” Kong Xiange was once his student was enough to make people look forward to his concert. Moreover, Lu Yan knew that it would definitely not be easy to be with the old guys who worked with Zhu Yuchi at the National Theatre.

Therefore, being able to participate in this grand event was definitely a great thing for Lu Yan. Although Zhu Yuchi’s reason for using Lu Yan to gain popularity may be true, it was definitely not the main point. The most important thing was that he was Wang Chong’s only student.

Zhu Yuchi looked at the time and said, “Let’s make this clear first. Xiao Lu, in the next six months, when you have time, come to me and we’ll decide on the music. You need to practice more. There will definitely be an ensemble, and you have to rehearse with us. But I’m afraid you are very busy right now, can you make arrangements?”

“No problem, I will arrange the time. Don’t worry, senior.” Lu Yan said with a smile.

Zhu Yuchi smiled and said, “Young man, a little hardship is a kind of training. You will definitely achieve great success.”

Lu Yan bowed his head slightly, “Thank you for your kind words.”

The two exchanged contact information and agreed on the time and place of their next meeting before saying goodbye to each other. Lu Yan accompanied Zhu Yuchi to the car and watched him leave respectfully.

Song Hui’s car was already waiting outside, and Qin Feng was also in it. Because they didn’t know why Zhu Yuchi wanted to see Lu Yan, they didn’t want to follow him out of respect, so as soon as Lu Yan got in the car, Qin Feng couldn’t wait to ask, “What was it? What does the old pianist want to see you about? I wonder if he is impressed by your musical talent and wants to take you in as his disciple.” The last sentence was of course said with a hint of sarcasm.

Lu Yan smiled mysteriously and said, “Although it’s not right, it’s not far off either.” Then he told him the story in general.

Qin Feng immediately got into work mode. “Great, this is really a timely relief. You just won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and now you have the opportunity to participate in the field of traditional music. Although it is just a farewell performance, with an old musician of Zhu Yuchi’s weight here, I can already imagine that it will cause another sensation in the circle. Let’s see who dares to say that pop singers are not worthy of being in the upper class. Lu Yan, you are amazing. It turns out you have such an awesome teacher. “

Lu Yan smiled, a little regretful and nostalgic, “I never thought that after so many years, my teacher would still bring me such a blessing. It’s a pity that he is no longer here, and I didn’t take that path in the end. I almost let him down.”

Qin Feng patted his shoulder and said nothing to comfort him.

“By the way,” Qin Feng suddenly asked, “Did Mr. Zhu tell you which organization will host this charity performance?”

“I haven’t asked him about this. From what he said, it seems that he has just made the decision and may not have had time to confirm it yet.”

“Well, next time you meet him, ask him to let us take care of it if possible.”

“Okay, but is it necessary?”

“Yes, because this is a charity performance. Lu Yan, I think we should pay more attention to charity now. Your strength has been gradually recognized by others. If you want to strengthen your social influence, this part is indispensable. It is also more conducive to establishing a positive image, which is very important for your future development.”

“I see. In that case, we can start with some public service announcements.”

“Well, that’s a good idea. I’ll arrange it.”

Qin Feng thought about it, and said with some worry, “However, how confident are you about this concert? Performances of this level must be mostly performed by experts, and they are not as easy to fool as the audience of variety shows.”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Zhu has confidence in me, so why are you worried? But I must intensify my training during this period of time. I haven’t played the violin properly for a long time, and my hands are not so good at it. So apart from film and TV dramas, and some necessary work to do, I will try to postpone other announcements as much as possible. I want to concentrate on preparing for this.”

“No problem, you don’t have to worry about that.”

The two of them already had a tacit understanding in their work, so Lu Yan was naturally very confident in Qin Feng’s arrangements.

When they met again, Lu Yan raised the issue of the organizing unit to Zhu Yuchi. Zhu Yuchi directly admitted that they had not yet made any contact and even the organizing unit had not been decided. Lu Yan then suggested that he would make the contact and Zhu Yuchi readily agreed.

For these veteran musicians, making good music was their job. There were too many things to consider when organizing a concert, and they simply did not have the energy and patience to do it. They usually find a reliable merchant to contract it out directly. Now that Lu Yan had taken the initiative to propose it, they were naturally happy to let him do it.

He was then in charge of all matters including the organizing and organizing units, as well as publicity, packaging and other trivial matters.

Naturally, Lu Yan didn’t have time to deal with it, so it finally fell on Qin Feng’s shoulders. Qin Feng was always adept at this kind of thing, and he made the contact quickly. Although all the proceeds would be donated because it was a charity performance, it was good publicity for the company. Coupled with the influence of Zhu Yuchi and Lu Yan, it was still easy to find sponsors.As for the organizer, just leave it to Star Sky. Star Sky held no less than ten concerts for its singers every year, so they were naturally experienced.

After things were settled, the first thing to start was various publicity activities.

Although the main performers of the concert were veteran musicians, Lu Yan was used as a gimmick in the promotion. On the one hand, Starry Sky was of course more inclined towards its own artists, on the other hand, Lu Yan had just won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the limelight had not yet passed, so the promotion was particularly attractive.

Although the dividing line between pop music and traditional music was not so obvious nowadays, and there had been frequent performances of pop singers and musicians in recent years, this was the first time that a pop singer had directly participated in a traditional music concert. Moreover, Lu Yan’s main job was not a singer, but an actor.

As soon as the news came out, there was another round of shock.

Fans were a little skeptical at first. Although they were definitely happy to see their idol holding a concert, it was indeed a little too unbelievable.

The haters became active again, and all the frustration they had felt because of Lu Yan winning the Best Actor award seemed to burst out at once.

“It’s hype, it’s definitely hype. He’s just an actor, isn’t he? When can an actor hold a concert by himself? Will anyone go to listen? The sponsors must have been kicked in the head by a donkey, they are not afraid of losing money. People who go to concerts are not those brainless fans, they are not satisfied with just having a good look.”

“Hey, maybe the promotional text was written wrong, saying ‘concert’ instead of ‘recital’. But even if it was a concert, it would be ridiculous enough. There are only a few songs, and there is no room for selection.”

“Wow, this is a huge crossover. I really thought that winning the Best Actor award meant he was an all-rounder. I think he will announce tomorrow that he is actually promoting a certain movie.”

…

As if they were waiting for this effect, when the doubts became louder and louder and fans almost called the company to verify the truth, the next round of publicity was launched. This time, the specific members, specifications, purpose of the concert were introduced in detail, and even the repertoire was previewed.

Now it had some basis, and except for Lu Yan, the others were all well-known musicians of the older generation. Naturally, there was no problem with credibility and feasibility, especially after a reporter visited Zhu Yuchi and got a positive answer.

The fans were immediately excited.

“Ahhhh, my idol is really going to hold a concert. I can’t wait to see him in a concert hall wearing a suit and playing the violin in my lifetime! This scene is so beautiful that I can’t even imagine it.”

“I saw him playing the violin on a show last time and it was so exciting. I never thought he would have a formal performance one day.”

“When will the tickets go on sale? I’m ready to queue all night.”

“+1, I’ve asked my boyfriend to queue all night.”

“Upstairs, showing off your skills, be careful not to get burned.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, but I’ve already agreed to be generous with the oil.”

“He is truly a male god, a jack of all trades. He just won the Best Actor award, and he is about to enter the music industry.”

“Speaking of the decathlon, don’t you think the setting of this TV series is great this time, instant memory and all that, it couldn’t be better.”

“It is said that the male god himself has a very good memory. I heard from the young ladies who visited the class that the male god memorized the lines very quickly. He even memorized the lines of his opponents. He can remind others if they forget the lines.”

“I just thought about it and it’s really cool. I really want to see it soon.”

“Although filming movies can better show one’s status, I still hope that my idol can take on more TV dramas so that I can see him more often. Movies are only two hours at most, and filming three a year is considered high production. Six hours in total is not enough to watch.”

“No, filming too many TV dramas will affect his acting skills. For the sake of my idol, I hope he can focus on movies and shoot some dramas when he has time, which will help hone his acting skills.”

“I think the male god’s acting skills are already very good. It’s harder to see him in dramas than in movies. So he should make more movies and promote his films more often. That way, we can see him more often.”

“Oh, if you guys make such demands, the male god will be very busy. Will he have time to spend with his girlfriend?”

“The person above is begging for mercy. Can you please not bring this up? I’ve been trying to hypnotize myself that my idol hasn’t chosen someone yet.”

“+1, please don’t mention it, please let it go.”

“+2”

“+3”

…

“Please call me the little angel of the main building. Actually, I am a little worried. For such a high-level concert, it seems that the collaborators are all very good musicians. Can my idol be up to the task? How was the performance in the last show? Is there any professional who can analyze it? An outsider just thought the male god’s performance was very good. “

“Same concern, seeking professional help.”

“The level is OK, it’s pretty good among non-professionals. But if it’s a professional performance, it’s still a little short of what it was in the show. But it’s still early, maybe it can be done with practice.”

“The professional upstairs, can I ask what you do? Are you a musician? From your professional perspective, can a male god reach a professional level in half a year?”

“I’m a teacher at the Conservatory of Music, but I teach piano, so I’m not very professional in violin. I can’t say for sure whether it can be mastered in half a year. How should I put it? It depends on the individual. It depends on talent and hard work. Of course, it would be better if there were guidance from a famous teacher.”

“Although I am still a little worried, I believe in my idol. Anyway, I wish the concert a great success and I will definitely be there to support him.”

“+1”

“+2”

“+3”

…

Even fans had such doubts. Although the haters were slapped in the face by the facts of the concert, they still jumped up and down to express their pessimism about Lu Yan, fearing that a good concert would be ruined by the participation of an outsider. To be more harsh, one would say that a bad apple spoiled the whole pot of porridge.

In the face of such remarks, of course we could only wait and let the facts speak for themselves.