RBCT Chapter 56: Singing
Chapter 56: Singing
I had just stepped out of the school gate when my phone vibrated.
He took out his phone and saw a message from Liu Yifei: "Director Liu, our Class of 02 is having a get-together tonight, are you coming? Luo Jing and the others are coming too. I'll send you the address."
Liu Yu thought for a moment and replied with a single word: "Come."
Then I called Wang Chaowen, "Are you going to the acting department's dinner party tonight?"
Wang Chaowen's voice immediately rose eight octaves on the other end of the phone, "Go! Of course I'll go! Why wouldn't I go if there's food to eat!"
The gathering was held at a Shandong cuisine restaurant outside the north gate of the school. The food was quite good, and it was a regular hangout for performing arts students.
When Liu Yu arrived, the private room was already quite full of people.
The round table was very large, seating a dozen or twenty people, with additional seats available.
He glanced over and saw Luo Jing sitting by the window, next to several unfamiliar boys, playing drinking games and having a lively time.
Liu Yifei sat opposite, with an empty seat next to her, it was unclear who it was reserved for.
"Director Liu is here! Have a seat!" A round-faced boy stood up and greeted Liu Yu warmly.
Liu Yu didn't recognize him, but smiled and sat down in the empty chair.
After sitting down, I realized that Liu Yifei was next to me. She had changed her clothes today, wearing a black sweatshirt and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She looked much more casual than she had in the afternoon.
"Director Liu, let me toast you." The round-faced boy stood up, raising his glass. His face was already red, whether from drinking or excitement, it was hard to tell. "I'm Liu Yiyang, from the 02 acting class. I especially love your film 'A Moment to Remember,' I've watched it several times."
Liu Yu clinked glasses with him and took a sip. The beer was lukewarm, but the taste was alright.
Then another girl came to offer a toast, followed by another boy, and then another.
Liu Yu's cup was refilled as soon as it was put down, and then picked up again as soon as it was filled.
Wang Chaowen sat on his other side, and every time someone came to toast him, he would cheer them on, saying, "Cheers! Cheers!"
Liu Yu glared at him, but he pretended not to see it. After three or four rounds of drinks, Liu Yu felt nauseous and turned his glass upside down on the table to indicate that he was done drinking.
No one dared to offer any advice, and they dispersed dejectedly.
Liu Yifei sat quietly to the side the whole time, not saying much and not eating much.
The plate in front of her was so clean it looked like it had never been used, and the chopsticks were neatly arranged on the chopstick rest.
Liu Yu turned his head and glanced at her. She was looking down at her phone, the light from the screen illuminating her face and making her features appear soft.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Liu Yu asked in a low voice.
She looked up and put down her phone.
"I'm not hungry." After a pause, she added, "Filming for 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' has wrapped up, and I can finally rest for a few days."
Her voice was almost drowned out in the noisy private room.
Liu Yu picked up a piece of pork rib and chewed it slowly. "How long do you want to rest?"
"In a few days. I'm going to Japan at the end of the month."
"Going to Japan? To film a movie?" Liu Yu put down his chopsticks and turned to look at her.
"It's not for filming. My company arranged for me to go there to learn to sing, in preparation for releasing an album."
Liu Yu paused for a moment, then learned to sing, released albums, and pursued a career in singing, releasing albums, and so on.
He had seen this tactic too many times in his previous life. Artists in Hong Kong and Taiwan all did it this way, acting, singing, and hosting—doing all three at once, going wherever there was money to be made.
That's Hong Kong and Taiwan; it's a different market logic.
The mainland market is different. Mainland audiences remember you because of your roles, not because of your songs.
Look at those who came from the Hong Kong and Taiwan model, how many of them have truly established themselves?
Most of them became mediocre at best, not as good as professional actors in acting, not as good as professional singers in singing, failing in both areas, and ultimately losing in both.
"What do you think?" Liu Yu didn't directly tell her not to go, but asked her first.
Liu Yifei lowered her head, looking at the torn tissue scraps she had made.
"It was arranged by the company, and my mom also thinks I should go. She said it's always good to learn more while you're young." Her voice trailed off, as if she were trying to convince herself.
Liu Yu leaned back in his chair, looking at the chandelier on the ceiling.
"Learning new things is fine, and singing isn't a bad thing. But you need to figure out where your roots are." He turned to look at her. "Your roots are in acting. From 'The Story of a Noble Family' to now, you've acted in so many dramas. Audiences remember you because of your roles. If you put your energy into singing, you'll neglect acting. If you neglect acting, your roles will become detached. And if they become detached, the audience won't recognize you anymore."
Liu Yifei looked up at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but then swallowed it back.
Liu Yu picked up his now lukewarm beer and took a sip. "I'm not saying you can't sing. You can sing, but just for fun. Don't take it seriously. Your main focus is still acting; everything else is just a side job."
He put down his cup. "To be honest, I don't have a high opinion of your agency. They're laymen; they don't know anything about the industry. They want you to develop in three fields, not for your own good, but for their own. Three fields, three sources of income, and they'll take a cut from each. You'll work yourself to the bone, while they'll make a fortune."
Liu Yifei stopped wringing the tissue and looked at Liu Yu with an indescribable light in her eyes.
"Don't look at me, I'm just guessing." Liu Yu smiled and changed the subject. "You can go to Japan to study singing, just treat it as a trip. When you come back, you can go back to filming or resting. The album is released, it's released, whether it sells well or not doesn't matter, don't take it too seriously."
He paused for a moment, then said, "You're still young, you have a long road ahead of you. If you make a mistake, there will be plenty of opportunities to correct it later. But you need to know which step is wrong, and you can't just walk blindly."
Liu Yifei didn't speak. She lowered her head and picked up the scraps of tissue paper one by one, squeezing them into a crumpled little ball in her hand.
"Director Liu," she looked up, placed the crumpled paper in her hand on the table, and said in a voice so soft it was as if she didn't want to wake someone, "thank you."
Liu Yu waved his hand, "No need to thank me, I was just saying. It's up to you whether you listen or not."
She didn't reply, but a slight smile appeared on her lips.
......
The people in the private room gradually dispersed.
Wang Chaowen drank too much and fell asleep on the table, with a trace of drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Liu Xiao and Xin Hao each supported one of him as they walked out. He mumbled, "Brother... I'm not drunk..."
Before leaving, Luo Jing shook hands with Liu Yu. "Director Liu, I'm leaving now. I'll treat you to dinner next time I'm back in China."
Liu Yifei also stood up, picked up her coat hanging on the back of the chair, and draped it over her arm.
She looked at Liu Yu, her lips moved slightly, and she said, "I'm leaving."
"Drive carefully."
She nodded, turned, and walked away. When she reached the door, she paused, but didn't look back.
The pause was so brief that Liu Yu wasn't sure if she had actually stopped for a moment.
Then she stepped out the door and disappeared into the light at the end of the corridor.
When I stepped out of the restaurant, the wind outside was already quite chilly.
In Beijing in April, the day and night are like two different seasons.
He put on his coat and stood by the roadside waiting for a car.
Four years, from 2002 to 2006, from under twenty-one to twenty-five years old, from a freshman to a Berlin Silver Bear.
These four years were like a river. He stood in the river, and the water flowed past him. He experienced it all: cool, hot, fast, and slow.
The river is still flowing, and he must continue walking forward.