Chapter Fourteen: The Album and the Official Release Date

When it came to recording the album, the happiest person wasn't Jing Tian, nor was it Chen Ling—instead, it was Fan Zheng. Mr. Fan, in his earlier years, had graduated from a proper music conservatory, majoring in album production, composition, arrangement, and the like.

He had once joined a record company in Taiwan, responsible for post-production of songs. Later, unable to stand certain things and speaking out against his superiors, he not only got kicked out but was blacklisted in the industry. Although that Taiwanese record company has since faded, back then it wielded considerable influence. Fan Zheng, not being a particularly famous musician, found himself unwelcome at any record label in Hong Kong or Taiwan after the incident, leaving him with no choice but to return to the mainland.

In the early 2000s, the mainland music scene was clearly overshadowed by Hong Kong and Taiwan, but it was also a time when many online singers in China were emerging, so jobs for music producers weren't hard to find. However, the quality of music from that period left much to be desired. After hopping between several companies and earning some quick, unsatisfying cash, as he watched his hairline recede, Fan Zheng was already considering retiring from the field.

It was then that he encountered the founding of Bad Monkey Pictures and happened to know Ning Hao. After some discussion, the two decided to set up a recording studio within the company—this way, they could do post-production music for films and, during downtime, take on outside projects: recording for small-time singers, or scoring other companies' movies.

Over the years, Fan Zheng led a fairly comfortable life, thinking he could coast to retirement this way. But his peaceful days were upended by Chen Ling and Jing Tian. Fan Zheng had done a lot of recording for others in recent years, but the quality of those songs was generally abysmal, and when released, they barely made a ripple. Still, it was easy money, so he didn't care much about artistic merit—so long as he got paid.

That changed when he met Chen Ling. After hearing a few songs, Fan Zheng, with his professional eye, immediately recognized their potential for widespread popularity. Back in his Taiwan days, due to a certain prejudice against mainlanders, he rarely encountered top-tier songs, no matter his own talent. After returning to the mainland, he had resigned himself to quick jobs for easy money, so quality was no longer a concern.

He never imagined that, near retirement, with his hair almost all gone, he would stumble upon an album where every song had real punch. And Chen Ling had promised him credit as producer and arranger on the album, making Fan Zheng grin from ear to ear.

At that moment, Chen Ling and Jing Tian were recording a sweet little love duet. The chemistry between the two lovers was palpable, and the thought of the reputation this album could bring him made Fan Zheng smile even more widely as he waited outside.

Chen Ling had prepared two duet love songs for the album. One was "A Little Sweetness," which Wang Sulong would release in 2012 in another timeline; this was the one they were recording now. The other was the classic "Because of Love," originally sung by Chen Yixun and Queen Wang Fei—a song that would later become a massive hit, even performed on New Year's Gala. He recalled how Queen Wang made headlines for going off-key during that performance.

Besides these two duets, Chen Ling planned to borrow a few more songs. He didn't know if he’d ever have another chance to release an album, and since this was a gift for his girlfriend, he poured his heart into it.

The rest of the songs were already chosen: Sheng Zhe's signature piece "By Your Side," Escape Plan's "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky," and later Zhou Shen's "The Whale That Became an Island." In total, nine songs were ready. With Jing Tian's solo "If Love Is Forgotten," the album would have a neat ten tracks.

Next came the rush to complete the recordings, because time was tight: Jing Tian was about to join a film crew. The blockbuster "Warring States," produced by Starlight Brilliance, was about to start filming. Starlight Brilliance had just announced the project after the New Year—a grand historical epic with a total investment of 150 million. The cast had already been revealed, boasting a lineup of domestic and international stars: Francis Ng, Sun Honglei, Jing Tian, Kim Hee-sun, and more.

With production about to begin, Chen Ling wanted the album finished and delivered to Jing Tian before she left for the set, so she could focus on her acting with peace of mind. Though he already knew the fate of the film, Chen Ling didn't try to dissuade her; after all, this was Starlight Brilliance's first major production, crafted specifically to launch Jing Tian's career. Persuasion would be pointless, and he didn’t even know Lu Zheng, the producer. Even if he did, what could he say? That it was a flop in the making and they shouldn't bother filming? All he could do was help Jing Tian focus and give her the best support.

Jing Tian's singing wasn't spectacular, but it was certainly better than most amateurs. She’d released an album before, and with a sound engineer on hand, the results of the two duets were quite good. As lovers, their feelings naturally infused the songs, making their performances shine. Even her solo, "If Love Is Forgotten," was sung with real emotion.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another week had passed. These days, everyone in the studio had been working overtime, and the album was essentially finished. Chen Ling had already handled the copyright registrations. As for distribution, they decided to release it online, skipping any in-person launch events—after all, Chen Ling was not well-known, and even if he held an event, few would attend besides a handful of classmates. Jing Tian was about to join the film crew anyway and had no time for such things.

They would make a small batch of physical albums, mostly for keepsakes or gifts; it wouldn't cost much. The main focus was uploading the songs to music platforms to broaden their reach. These were, after all, signature songs for many singers in his previous life. Even though Chen Ling was "borrowing" them, he didn't want them buried—helping these songs shine again was a basic form of respect.

Uploading the album and handling the song registration and filing was left to Fan Zheng, who was quite pleased to do it. Unlike in the past, where he’d been churning out subpar tracks just for cash, this time he was working with genuine, high-quality songs, which made him much happier and far more invested.

Finally, Fan Zheng asked if they should submit the album for the upcoming Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan, as he had some contacts there. Chen Ling said he didn't mind, as he had no particular desire for awards, especially not the Golden Melody, where the odds of winning were slim. Fan Zheng understood, but still wanted to submit it—not for the prize, but to let the music scene in Taiwan know that Fan Zheng could still produce a quality album.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, Chen Ling felt that Jing Tian was exceptionally sad and reluctant during their farewell. She hugged him for a very long time, her tears soaking his shirt, and Chen Ling could only offer gentle comfort. Such was the nature of their professions: from now on, time together would be rare.

Moreover, Chen Ling knew that from this year on, Jing Tian would only get busier.

Starlight Brilliance’s campaign to promote her was about to kick off in earnest. A string of blockbusters and resources would keep her constantly occupied. Chen Ling planned to find an opportunity to talk with Lu Zheng; after all, with non-stop filming and no breaks, an actor’s craft would hardly improve. Pouring vast resources in without a proper return was not just a waste of investment, but also squandered the prime years of an actress.

Jing Tian left the Beijing Film Academy campus carrying her first finished album and a deep reluctance to part from Chen Ling. She named the album after one of its tracks: "If Love Is Forgotten."

After Jing Tian left, Chen Ling returned to perfecting his film, continuing with the editing process. By early March, the final cut of "Love Is Not Blind" was ready. Chen Ling called in the heads of Starlight Brilliance and China Film, as well as his homeroom teacher, and they all viewed the finished product several times, expressing their satisfaction.

Now all that remained was to submit the film for approval and select a release date. In the original timeline, "Love Is Not Blind" premiered on November 11, Singles’ Day. The distributor had chosen that date because the film’s theme matched the holiday’s atmosphere. But it was only early March now, and Chen Ling felt the wait until November was too long. Besides, November 11 wasn’t a particularly advantageous slot—there were no public holidays, and it wasn’t considered a proper release window.

After discussing with Starlight Brilliance and China Film, Chen Ling decided to schedule the release for July 1, during the summer box office season, a choice met with no objections. Both parties promised to secure as many screenings as possible, since the number of showings in theaters could make or break a film’s success.

It was only 2010, and smartphones had yet to become widespread; people still queued at theaters for tickets. The initial number of screenings and cinema promotion were crucial to a film’s box office performance. A movie’s fate could be decided right there. Of course, if the film was poor, no amount of early promotion or showings could save it from flopping in the end.

But for a small-budget film like Chen Ling’s, as long as it got enough screenings, it was unlikely to lose money. Whether it could repeat its box office miracle from the original timeline was up to fate. After all, the original film had premiered in 2011, a year later, and the number of screens in theaters would have grown in that time; you win some, you lose some—there was no point dwelling on it.

With the release date and final cut set, Chen Ling submitted the film for review. With no content violations, approval came quickly, and news soon spread that the film would premiere on July 1.

The announcement caused a bit of a stir. "Warring States" had just revealed its cast, and as the female lead of a 150-million-yuan blockbuster, Jing Tian’s other starring role being scheduled for release drew some attention.

Moreover, Dou Xiao, recently selected by Zhang Yimou to star in "Under the Hawthorn Tree," also had a role in this film. As a result, the upcoming movie garnered a fair bit of media coverage and interest, though the attention was limited; none of the actors were yet major stars, and most audience curiosity was just that—curiosity.

Chen Ling informed the entire crew of the release date, and everyone was excited, pledging to mobilize friends, family, and classmates to support the film in theaters. When the crew had finished filming, their newly created QQ group had become quite lively; luckily, QQ hadn’t yet introduced the red envelope feature, so Chen Ling was spared a few hundred yuan in gifts.