Chapter 100

After two weeks of busy work, shooting music videos, and recording songs, Ye Ming was also swamped at the Baihua Palace, so much so that he no longer knew what a normal schedule was.

Finally, everything was done. Ye Ming went to the company and pushed a master tape forward, saying, "Brother Fei, this is the master tape for [Legend]. It’s already made. Twelve songs, six music videos, all completed. Next, it’s up to you. When can it be released?"

Solving everything in two weeks seemed impossible to Hong Fei. This was satellite-launching speed. For a singer to make an album, it usually took at least half a year. Who could say it was done in such a short time? Selecting songs alone took a lot of time, and shooting music videos for two or three months was not uncommon.

But Ye Ming had done it. In fact, this was because Ye Ming had the help of a heaven-defying system. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to achieve this. According to the speed at which future entertainment industry singers released albums, completing an album in two weeks was not particularly fast.

Hong Fei thought for a moment and said, "Production, distribution, promotion, it will take at least a month, right? In Taiwan, the broadcast date for *The Story of the Concubine* has been set. Our plan is to release your album three days in advance. If it fails, we’ll both go to the construction site to carry bricks. As for acting, forget about it. You can’t expect to shoot *Crazy Stone* either."

The company was betting everything on this. Only someone like Huang Yonghua, who was hands-off, could make such a decision.

Ye Ming had indeed secured a 500,000 yuan support fund, but he didn’t have that much money himself. There was still over 500,000 yuan left, which naturally had to be covered by Yonghua Company.

However, this album release would absolutely drain all of Yonghua’s working capital.

Therefore, Hong Fei sighed, saying that Huang Yonghua’s original words were "no courage, no assets." No one knew where he heard this, but he was betting the company’s money on Ye Ming’s album.

Unconsciously, Ye Ming had already completed his role in the production. Today was the open day for the production, and a lot of journalists suddenly showed up. This was due to Guo Baochang’s influence. Although he wasn’t an international director like Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige, didn’t you see Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige come to play minor roles?

Therefore, Guo Baochang’s production media open day was quite attractive.

At this time, most of the journalists’ questions naturally revolved around Sichen Gao and Chen Baoguo.

These two were top-notch actors, standing at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry. Each of them could independently carry a production.

Moreover, there were new acting kings like Liu Peiqi and famous supporting actors like Jiang Wenli.

However, at this moment, Lao Bai from *Southern Sunday* stood up in the crowd and said, "I would like to ask Mr. Ye Ming, I heard you are preparing your first album. I wonder if this will affect the shooting of *The Grand Mansion*. As they say, one cannot do two things at once. This is a big no-no in the industry."

This guy had always been at odds with Ye Ming. The more negative news about Ye Ming, the more he was willing to report, and he would do so relentlessly.

He was deliberately trying to make Ye Ming lose face in front of the media. Juggling two projects at once was something only big stars dared to do. No ordinary actor would dare to do it.

Moreover, Ye Ming was taking on a major role in *The Grand Mansion*.

Ye Ming said calmly, "First, I want to thank Director Guo for giving me this opportunity to learn a lot in this production. Second, my role has already been completed. Bai Jingye, the eldest son of the Bai family, is a supporting character, and his screen time is not much. I also thank Director Guo for allowing me to work on my album during the shooting breaks. As for other matters, I cannot say much here."

Ye Ming was determined not to talk about anything unrelated to *The Grand Mansion*, and there was nothing the others could do about it.

Lao Bai had no choice, but fortunately, with big stars like Sichen Gao and Chen Baoguo, most of the journalists still focused on the main actors, including some extras like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige.

At this moment, Guo Baochang suddenly revealed something, saying, "Our production is full of talent. I don’t need to say much about the main actors, who are all very dedicated and well-respected in the industry. Today, I see that everyone is quite interested in Ye Ming, so I’ll share a piece of news. When Zhang Yimou came to our production as a guest, he found Ye Ming to be very good and invited him to sing the theme song for his new film *Not One Less*. I’ve heard it, and it’s a very rare and excellent song."

This immediately sparked everyone’s interest. Zhang Yimou’s new film, and Ye Ming was singing the theme song. This was big news. Everyone knew that Zhang Yimou’s new film was about to be released, and they didn’t expect such news to come from the *The Grand Mansion* production.

Since it was revealed by the director himself, they couldn’t talk about other films in the production.

A journalist asked, "Director Guo, can you tell us the name of the theme song? In what situation did Director Zhang invite Ye Ming to sing it?"

Guo Baochang smiled and said, "I won’t say the name, but Director Zhang’s film is about to be released, so you can see it for yourselves. I can guarantee that the theme song is excellent, a rare and good song. As for the circumstances under which he invited Ye Ming, I can only say it was a matter of fate."

The next day, the media, in addition to the news about the luxurious extras in *The Grand Mansion*, had another highlight: what kind of theme song Ye Ming had sung for *Not One Less*.

However, since Guo Baochang didn’t specify the name, and Zhang Yimou was keeping it under wraps, the media and the public were even more curious.

It had to be said that old hands were still the best. With just a few words, Guo Baochang had already created a buzz for *Not One Less*.

Zhang Yimou had come to *The Grand Mansion* to play a minor role, and Guo Baochang naturally didn’t hesitate to promote Zhang Yimou’s new film.

While everyone was discussing, Ye Ming and Fang Fang had already boarded a plane to Taiwan.

On the plane, Fang Fang, holding some documents, said, "This time, the company has put in a lot of effort. To support your album, the company has set up a branch in Taipei. After we land, we will first meet with Huang Meihua, who is the elder sister of the CEO and a board member of Rock Records.

Meihua has a lot of connections in the entertainment industry across the strait. Our successful release in Taiwan is largely due to her support. Therefore, we will first visit her."

Ye Ming had no objections to the visit but smiled and said, "Setting up a company in Taiwan, if it’s just a shell company, a few thousand yuan in taxes and fees would be enough. What kind of company is it? Do you have long-term plans?"

This was a bit of a tease. Yonghua Film itself wasn’t very profitable, but it had set up a branch in Taiwan.

Fang Fang said nonchalantly, "To facilitate financial transactions, otherwise it would be very troublesome. Don’t talk so much. Brother Fei has already said that if this doesn’t go well, he’ll kill you as soon as you land."

This threat didn’t scare Ye Ming at all.

After landing and leaving the airport, a driver holding a sign with "Ye Ming" was waiting for them, sent by Huang Meihua.

Sitting in the car, Ye Ming finally had the chance to look at this unfamiliar city. Fresh and clean, this was his first impression of the city.

The sky was as blue as the sea, with white clouds floating, exuding a subtropical charm.

A gentle breeze blew through the car window, lightly stirring the green grass on both sides of the road, giving a sense of closeness to nature.

There is always a place that, when you see it for the first time, feels familiar, as if you’ve been there in a dream.

It gives a sense of warmth and familiarity, making you instantly like the city.

As the song goes, if you come to see the rain in winter, you might just have a romantic encounter.

The driver took Ye Ming and Fang Fang to a hotel they had booked in advance and settled them in, then told them that Huang Meihua would be waiting for them in the hotel’s coffee shop for the next two days.

The driver left a phone number and told them to call if they needed a car.

This was a car rented for them by Huang Meihua, and the driver would be on standby 24/7 for the ten days they were in Taiwan.

After a simple lunch, Ye Ming and Fang Fang went to the coffee shop. At this moment, Fang Fang’s phone rang, and she stood up excitedly, answering the call and rushing over.

A thirty-something woman in a white business suit with short, neat hair came over with Fang Fang.

She wore a pair of lavender glasses, and if you looked at her appearance, she bore a resemblance to Huang Yonghua.

However, Huang Meihua had a more serious demeanor and an air of authority.

Huang Meihua might seem unreliable, but her elder sister was definitely a strict boss.

Ye Ming quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Sister Meihua."

Huang Meihua glanced at Ye Ming, nodded, and indicated for him and Fang Fang to sit down. She then said, "I know my brother best. He’s a bit unreliable, especially in business. He lost two million yuan in three years. However, I’ve listened to your album, and I must say, it’s the best investment he’s ever made. I’m very optimistic about it. Later, I’ll introduce you to a very famous person in the industry, Ms. Zhang Xiaoyan, the operations director of Taiwan’s Golden Channel. With her help, your promotion will be much easier."