Chapter 112: Heavenly Music

The program "Sky Sound" was one of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Satellite TV’s flagship music competition shows. Its benchmark was the same show Zhou Ran had appeared on before, "Who Is the King of Songs." Ever since "Who Is the King of Songs" aired, Star City Satellite TV’s ratings had surged several times over, catapulting it straight to the top of the national satellite channel rankings.

That single program had made countless other stations look on with envy, and so one after another they launched their own music shows meant to stand against it, all in hopes of sharing a piece of the traffic and heat it generated.

When the production team learned that Zhou Ran would also be appearing on their show, the staff practically exploded with excitement. As people in television, they often heard all kinds of news about Zhou Ran and all sorts of incredible legends surrounding him, such as winning awards like Best Singer in less than a year after his debut.

They had only ever heard his name, however, and had never seen what he truly looked like. Now that they had learned they would be seeing him on the show, they were all brimming with anticipation.

Jiangsu and Zhejiang Satellite TV had chosen Mingzhou as the filming location, a fine place nestled among mountains and waters. As Zhou Ran sat in the car on the way to the recording site and watched the scenery drift by outside, he could not help reciting, “The ripples of the water gleam beautifully in the sun; the mountains look misty and enchanting even in the rain.”

This feeling was something Zhou Ran had never experienced in Star City. The two places gave him entirely different impressions.

Star City was like a fiery, outspoken beauty, passionate and direct. Mingzhou, by contrast, felt like a quintessential woman of the south of the Yangtze, gentle and graceful, carrying a comfort that settled softly in the heart. No wonder people in his previous life had always praised the women of the south of the river so highly. Women nurtured in such an environment could hardly be anything less.

On the way to the recording site of "Sky Sound," Zhang Yuan was with Zhou Ran. She was very excited in the car, because she had already read the song Zhou Ran had written for her.

After reading it, Zhang Yuan could only describe it with one word: brilliant. It was simply too good, and it instantly swept away all the worries she had carried before.

In that moment, she felt all the investment she had made earlier was entirely worthwhile. Just by the quality of this song alone, it could stand alongside the few signature works she had released since her debut, and in terms of quality, it might even surpass them by a bit.

Seeing the work, Zhang Yuan could not help but lament the vast difference between people. Why did she not have a mind like Zhou Ran’s? If she did, would she still need to worry about how to reach the position of diva? If Zhang Yuan had Zhou Ran’s brain, that throne would probably be eager to come and sit beneath her on its own.

Fortunately, the move she had made now seemed to be the right one so far: she had successfully found Zhou Ran to collaborate with. If not for this cooperation, she did not know how much longer she would have had to wait for such an opportunity, perhaps several more years at the very least.

Soon, while Zhou Ran was still admiring the scenery along the way, their car arrived at the recording site.

By the time Zhou Ran reached the venue, the production team was already waiting at the entrance. They had all been standing there, waiting for his arrival.

Seeing them, Zhou Ran hurriedly got out of the car and greeted them warmly. “Director Wang, why are you all waiting at the door? You’re being far too kind. Good heavens!”

Among those waiting at the entrance was Wang Chong, the director of this installment of "Sky Sound."

“Hahaha, hello there! Fame is not as good as seeing you in person, and you really are handsome,” Director Wang Chong said with a laugh when he heard Zhou Ran.

Although Zhou Ran had said they need not be so courteous, the show still had to provide the proper reception. After all, Zhou Ran’s participation alone had already brought a huge wave of popularity to the program. Just from hearing that Zhou Ran was joining, advertisers had rushed to have Wang Chong’s team name their price, all for the chance to secure a single ad spot on the show.

All of this was because Zhou Ran had become, in the industry, a living symbol of popularity. Any program with Zhou Ran in it had never lost money, and everyone was willing to invest.

According to the marketing department’s estimates, Zhou Ran’s addition alone could significantly boost the show’s ratings. His name by itself was enough. So in the face of such a财神爷, a true patron of fortune, Wang Chong naturally had to arrange everything properly and not allow even the slightest negligence.

He also wanted to use this opportunity to raise his own standing as a director and strive to make "Sky Sound" set a new ratings record.

Just like "Who Is the King of Songs," which had sent his own value soaring, instantly pushing him into the top three among variety-show directors in the country. And the greatest contributor to that success was Zhou Ran himself; the vast majority of the buzz and traffic had been brought over by him.

Of course, that achievement was also the result of a perfect combination between the two sides. Neither could be missing. Without either one of them, that chemical reaction would never have occurred, and such results would never have been possible.

While welcoming Zhou Ran, many of the staff at the scene stared at him with near frenzy. They all wanted to know what the legendary Zhou Ran really looked like, and whether he was as handsome as he appeared online, because they knew that many celebrities who looked good on the internet were just average in real life.

But when they saw Zhou Ran in person, they were all stunned.

He was even more handsome than the photos online. If the Zhou Ran online was a seven out of ten, then the real Zhou Ran was a perfect ten.

He was the sort of person who did not photograph especially well. On camera, some of his natural flaws were exaggerated.

They also noticed that Zhou Ran did not seem to carry any sort of celebrity airs. He was very approachable, and this completely transformed the image of him that had formed in their minds.

After Zhou Ran and Zhang Yuan arrived at the recording venue, Director Wang Chong took them on a brief tour of the set. To produce this show, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Satellite TV had spent heavily on the staging, and every arrangement had been made to the highest domestic standards, all for the sake of making "Sky Sound" a resounding success.