"Looks like he's almost done," Fang Zhao said.
"Just a little bit more. I've run into some problems, but they said it'll be solved in half a year. I'll be fully recovered in the next three to five years. "
At the mention of Ming Ye's illness, Ming Cang and his wife's faces were glowing. The heavy stone that had been weighing down on their hearts had long since been lifted.
Fang Zhao hadn't asked about Ming Ye's treatment in detail because everyone had been busy. Now that he was here, it was a good opportunity to learn more. He was curious, but the treatment hadn't been made public. Fang Zhao had only learned about it from medical journals. But that was from a researcher's point of view. Now, he was learning about the treatment from Ming Cang and his wife.
Fang Zhao checked the time and realized it was time for dinner.
"Xiao Fang, did you bring a driver? Call him up for dinner. We don't have that many rules here, "Su Tong said warmly. Su Tong said enthusiastically, "After dinner, I'll ask Mr. Ming to tell you what you need to pay attention to in the concert."
Yan Biao and Zuo Yu tried their best to minimize their presence, especially Yan Biao. Zuo Yu said he looked like a gangster and would scare kids. Yan Biao would have just rolled his eyes and ignored Zuo Yu, but now he seemed restrained.
After dinner, Yan Biao and Zuo Yu sat in the living room. Su Tong's warm welcome made their faces stiff.
"Tea? Or juice? "Su Tong asked.
"No, no, we'll just have some warm water and help ourselves. You go ahead, we'll wait here," Zuo Yu said hurriedly.
Seeing how uncomfortable Yan Biao and Zuo Yu were, Su Tong didn't insist. He brought Ming Ye into the room to talk.
Only Yan Biao and Zuo Yu were left in the living room. They finally relaxed.
They could be at ease with rough men or shrewd businessmen, but in a home with a strong artistic atmosphere, they felt a little restrained. They didn't even dare raise their voices.
"Hey, Zuo Yu, can I ask you something?" Yan Biao lowered his voice, curiosity written all over his face.
"What?"
"That Ming Ye, Professor Ming's son, what kind of illness did he get from listening to Boss's music?"
"You can say yes, but you can also say no."
"Yes means yes, no means no. What do you mean?" Yan Biao was dissatisfied.
"For example, Boss's' 100-Year Period of Destruction 'series was like a key that opened the door. It allowed the research team to find the direction of treatment. The rest is up to the research team. As long as we find the right direction and grasp the key points, we don't have to listen to those movements anymore."
"It's easy to say. If you don't find the right direction, no matter how much time, manpower, and financial resources you spend, it will all be in vain." Yan Biao finally understood why this couple treated Fang Zhao so well. Ever since they had stepped through the door, Ming Cang and his wife had not stopped smiling. But thinking about it, if Yan Biao encountered this kind of situation, he would also do the same.
Yan Biao and Zuo Yu were gossiping in the living room. In the study, Ming Cang was telling Fang Zhao about things to take note of during the concert.
When it came to concerts, Ming Cang was also helpless. Nowadays, people in the upper echelons of the music industry despised the tackiness of money, yet they still wanted the performers to be as high-end as possible, especially those extremely expensive concert halls with limited ticket sales. It seemed like only those kinds of venues could match their high standards of artistry.
In other words, people in the upper echelons of the music industry only recognized the Three Great Music Halls in Yanzhou. Even places like Golden Age Music Hall, where you could get a performance as long as you threw in money, would be criticized for being "tacky and full of money," but they still recognized it.
This was a big characteristic of the current music industry, a big bad habit. Ming Cang's power was limited. Even if he had objections, he could only adapt to these bad rules.
Ming Cang had also told Fang Zhao about these things. If he couldn't change it, he had to obey the rules first.
Ming Cang had also mentioned a few details that were easy to overlook during the concert.
After some thought, Ming Cang said, "How about this? Wait a moment, I'll check it out. You've never been to a concert held by the Three Great Music Halls, so no matter how much I tell you, you might not have a clear understanding of them. I'll take you to one, and you'll understand. I have quite a few tickets on hand, so I'll take you to one. "
After all, Ming Cang had been the former principal of Qi'an Academy of Music and the current vice president of the Yanzhou Music Association. People of Ming Cang's status would always receive some invitations. Receiving concert tickets was a common occurrence.
Ming Cang and his wife were usually invited, but because of Ming Ye's illness, other than a few of the more important concerts, the couple had declined everything else. Even if they went, only one of them would go, while the other stayed at home to take care of Ming Ye. After all, the tickets had been delivered. Whether to go or not was up to them.
Fang Zhao watched Ming Cang pick and choose. A few young musicians with some reputation in Yanzhou had been tossed aside by Ming Cang.
Sensing Fang Zhao's doubt, Ming Cang explained, "You can't trust the information online. You've seen a lot at an entertainment company like Silver Wing, so you should know that as long as the backing team is strong, black can be white."
What Ming Cang meant was that some of these people only looked like they were capable, but the team behind them had exaggerated them. There was no value in checking them out and it was a waste of time.
"Too many people only see concerts at the three major music halls as a necessary process, a springboard to climb up the ladder. I'm not saying that's completely wrong. That's the way things are, but if even the work is half-hearted or if there's someone behind the scenes, the utilitarian nature of the work is too strong, and the original intention is forgotten, then I'm really disappointed. "Ming Cang sighed. People like them could tell from the sound of the work whether or not it was done painstakingly.
"Oh, I got it! Ha Wen, this student is quite capable. He's also very talented when it comes to arranging. The quality of the concert should be pretty good. "
Ming Cang pointed to the two electronic tickets and said to Fang Zhao, "This is a student I used to teach and also taught by Auntie Su. He's from the arrangement department. He might not have much talent when it comes to composing, but he's very good at arranging. "
Fang Zhao checked the time. It was the night after tomorrow.
"Do you have time?" Ming Cang asked.
"Yes," Fang Zhao replied. If there wasn't anything urgent, he would definitely spare some time on the night after tomorrow to attend the concert Ming Cang had chosen.
After making the decision, Ming Cang asked his wife, Su Tong, to transfer Su Tong's electronic ticket to Fang Zhao.
"The medical team will be here to do a checkup on Xiao Ye the day after tomorrow. She's staying at home, so I'll go with you." Ming Cang chuckled. "It's just a weekly checkup. It's fine. She had a meeting last week, so I was the one keeping watch. This time, it's her turn to stay at home. We'll go to the concert together. "
Su Tong had no objections. She even asked Fang Zhao if one concert was enough. She would transfer all the other tickets.
Ming Cang stopped her. "There's no need to see many of them. It might affect your performance. When I have time, I'll take a closer look and transfer them to him."
Su Tong thought it made sense, so she only transferred Ha Wen's concert tickets.
On the day of Ha Wen's concert.
On the way to Golden Age, Ming Cang told Fang Zhao about Ha Wen's experience.
"Ha Wen's performance at the Music Palace is a huge step forward in his musical career. He has been preparing for this concert for twenty years in Hall Number One..."
Ha Wen was already in his 50s. Compared to many of his graduating juniors, he had been holding his first important concert much later. In fact, not long after Ha Wen graduated, he had started preparing for his own concert. If things had gone smoothly, he would have held his first concert in the first hall of Golden Age five years after graduation. However, things did not go as planned.
At the time, Ha Wen's family's company had been in a crisis, so he hadn't had the energy or financial resources to put on a concert. Those had been Ha Wen's toughest years, but he had pulled through. That was why he had the concert today.
"Ha Wen's musical style is completely different from yours. He leans more towards the lyrical genre, and the emotions he expresses are more exquisite. His path is different from yours. You can use him as a reference and learn from his experience, "Ming Cang said.
After arriving at the venue, Ming Cang gave Fang Zhao a rundown of the details from the entrance all the way to Hall One.
Fang Zhao's first concert had been prepared by Silver Wing, so he didn't have to worry about a lot of things. But what about in the future? What if Fang Zhao left Silver Wing and went solo? The more he understood, the easier it would be.
So Ming Cang gave Fang Zhao a rundown of things to take note of.
Fang Zhao listened attentively, committing every detail to memory. Sometimes, a careless mistake could change people's impression of you.
Now was not the time for Fang Zhao to put on airs. He couldn't afford to offend the old veterans of the music industry who had been invited.
After entering the venue, Fang Zhao sat down according to the seat number on his ticket. There was a music list on his seat. It was the size of an A5 and very thin. It looked like paper, but when he opened it up, he saw an electronic screen with the names of the 10 songs and an introduction by Ha Wen.
Fang Zhao also noticed that each of the 10 songs was marked with a hollow circle. He knew what this symbol meant. It meant that the copyright had not been sold. If the copyright had been sold, it would have been marked with a solid circle.
There were still some whispers in the concert hall, but after the official start of the concert, it quieted down.
Ha Wen didn't look old. After all, people in the New Era lived in their fifties. In the Old Era, he was only 30. However, he was a little chubby and looked very modest. Perhaps because of his personal experiences, he was more at ease, and he gave off a good first impression.
After the opening thank-you speech, the first song was a nursery rhyme from the Founding Era that Ha Wen had adapted. He played it on the harmonica.
The harmonica was a niche instrument in the New Era, but when combined with this nursery rhyme, the melody was melodious, pure, and warm.
After the first song, there were rearrangements of violin, flute, classical guitar, and other instruments for solo or ensemble performances.
For people in their line of work, music was the best way to express themselves. When they presented their own works, they also conveyed their own emotions.
And people with a deep foundation could hear the resonance between the music and the emotions without even looking at the detailed introduction.
There was a break between each song to introduce the background of the composition and what the composer wanted to tell the audience. Fang Zhao understood these procedures in advance.
The tenth and final song of the concert came to an end.
On stage, the backdrop was a deep blue. Metallic specks of light and light flowed like waves. The stage image served as a contrast to the atmosphere.
The tenth song was a piano piece played by Ha Wen himself. It was adapted from a well-known composer from 200 years ago. Fang Zhao had heard Natiwuzi play it on an electric guitar before.
The original song was cheerful and lively, while the electric guitar version was flamboyant and uninhibited. This song was different from the previous two.
On stage, Ha Wen was very focused. The melody was soothing, but it was expressing a deeper and longer emotion.
The original song was over four minutes long, but the piano variation was eight minutes long. It was almost twice as long, but it didn't seem cumbersome. Instead, it expressed the emotions more vividly.
It was as if time had converged into a lake. Gusts of wind blew, rippling the hearts of the people. The occasional bubble was filled with the sounds of time.
Prosperity has fallen. Never forget your original heart. Never let go of the past. Beautiful forever.
This wasn't the best version of the famous song Fang Zhao had ever heard, but it still ranked in the top three. It was amazing. Without a doubt, this was a high-quality variation.
No wonder Ming Cang had recommended it.
To be able to adapt a famous song from 200 years ago to this level, there was no need to doubt Ha Wen's ability. His love for music could also be seen in the work.
Just as Ming Cang had said, even though Ha Wen had encountered some bad things in the past, had endured more pressure than most people could endure, had experienced ups and downs, had gone from rich to poor to rich again, and had seen the cruelty of reality, he still loved life and music. It was rare.
Fang Zhao smiled as he thought of something.
He knew why Ming Cang had chosen Ha Wen's concert and brought him here.
Ha Wen indeed had the ability. Actually, not all of the people who could perform here were just that. There were many geniuses, but in the end, Ming Cang had still chosen Ha Wen's concert and brought Fang Zhao here personally.
Actually, Ming Cang was tactfully telling Fang Zhao not to be blinded by his current popularity and profits. The entertainment circle was fickle and changed too quickly. No one knew what the next moment would bring. Would it be quiet, or would it be even more glorious?
No one could guarantee it.
It would be best if the concert in August was a success, but if it wasn't, there was no need to be discouraged. Just look at Senior Ha Wen. He was already in his 50s, but hadn't he endured it step by step?
The truth was as Fang Zhao had expected. Ming Cang was worried that Fang Zhao would be under too much pressure. After all, Silver Wing was a commercial company. Profits were the most important. Other aspects might not be taken into consideration.
The attention of the media, the invisible pressure exerted by the management companies, the evaluation of the public, all of these could affect his development as a person.
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