Chapter 150: The Chessboard Band

“Why do I feel that just this footage alone isn’t nearly enough? Isn’t it missing some musical accompaniment?”

As the video ended, Liu Qingshan was the first to voice his doubts.

The man smiled and explained, “What you saw, Mr. Liu, was the raw footage. There’s also a version with voice-over. Would you like to take a look?”

Liu Qingshan nodded and tossed a cigar across the table to a few gentlemen.

His stock was genuine handcrafted Cuban cigars, and just the iron tin packaging alone was quite valuable.

“Shanzi, you’re just tossing out such precious cigars like that? If I’d known, I’d have asked you for a few boxes!” Yang Wancheng teased half-jokingly.

Liu Qingshan didn’t take it seriously but understood the importance of currying favor. “I set some aside for you a long time ago. They’re in the car; I’ll have someone fetch them for us shortly.”

“Are they still from Kram?”

Yang Wancheng had also appeared at the grand opening of the Snowy Mountain Studio but left right after the ceremony, skipping the subsequent banquet.

However, he was well aware of Kram’s attitude toward Liu Qingshan—more than just respect.

“Mr. Kram knows I have a taste for these. His father, Old Bumi, owns a cigar workshop in Cuba, ensuring an authentic flavor!”

Others didn’t know, and whether Old Bumi even knew about Liu Qingshan was uncertain.

Mentioning him was a calculated move to borrow prestige.

Fortunately, bringing this up at this moment felt natural, well-timed, and wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

Still, Liu Qingshan only mentioned it in passing and didn’t dwell on the topic.

He quickly fell silent, giving others a chance to speak.

“Mr. Liu, what you just saw was the original version. The edited version with voice-over is ready; would you like to watch that as well?”

Since there was a finalized version, Liu Qingshan naturally wanted to see it.

After viewing it, he couldn’t help but speak up: “It’s set to Cantonese songs? Don’t forget, I’m from the mainland. And lately, there have been suspicions about behind-the-scenes forces deliberately hyping up ‘The Myth.’ Wouldn’t it be somewhat inappropriate to use Cantonese voice-over for this video?”

His words weren’t alarmist. The hype scheme orchestrated by Yang Wancheng wouldn’t fool insiders.

Even if it wasn’t obvious initially, once the official promotion of ‘The Myth’ kicked off, this method of hype would raise more eyebrows.

If the methods became too blatant now, it would give sharp-eyed critics something to latch onto relentlessly.

Someone began to protest but was silenced by a wave of Yang Wancheng’s hand.

He smiled at Liu Qingshan and said, “Shanzi, it’s easy to change the song now, but finding a suitable one on short notice is quite difficult!”

Having been involved in the entire hype plan, he fully understood Liu Qingshan’s concerns.

“I do have a song. Does Junjing have a recording studio? Or perhaps a band ready to go?”

Before Liu Qingshan finished, Yang Wancheng commanded without hesitation, “Manager Bian, immediately notify Aidi to clear the recording studio and prepare it. Also, find a band to get here as soon as possible.”

He turned to explain, “Junjing doesn’t have a recording studio, but less than a hundred meters from the hotel, there’s an Aidi Music Studio equipped with professional recording facilities.”

Not wanting to waste time, Liu Qingshan immediately stood up to follow Manager Bian after she returned from the call.

Manager Bian was a striking middle-aged woman, but among those heading out, there was an additional young and beautiful lady.

According to Manager Bian, this woman was named Chen Qianhui. She was not only a singer under Qinghuang Studios but also a distant relative of Boss Yang.

She boasted a model-like figure: over 1.7 meters tall, and with heels on, she easily surpassed 1.8 meters, looking perfectly matched when walking beside the 1.85-meter Liu Qingshan.

Upon hearing her name, Liu Qingshan mentally searched her future profile but found no information.

The Super Star Creation Device recorded nearly all future notable entertainers, so the absence of Chen Qianhui’s data suggested her future career would not be promising.

This raised Liu Qingshan’s suspicions about whether she was truly a singer.

He worried she might have been deliberately sent by Yang Wancheng. With the formidable Kim Hee-sun at home, he didn’t want any jealousy stirred up by such matters.

On second thought, he felt more at ease. Firstly, he had no interest in that area, and secondly, if Chen Qianhui was indeed related to Yang Wancheng, she might not have been sent deliberately.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the Aidi Music Studio.

After exchanging a few words with the owner, named Aidi—a figure Liu Qingshan felt he vaguely recognized—more people gradually arrived.

Leading them was a young man with long hair down to his shoulders. He looked close to thirty, tall and sturdy, his face marked by the wear of life.

Introductions revealed they were all members of the local Hong Kong Chessboard Band.

The leader with long hair was named Ajie, the band’s drummer. The other four were considerably younger; for example, the drumset player, Leon, had just turned eighteen last month.

Most others were around twenty-three, dressed in a non-mainstream style, each radiating a strong rock-and-roll rebellious vibe.

Despite their appearance, they were all decent people, especially Ajie, whose fluent Mandarin made Liu Qingshan feel particularly welcomed.

“Mr. Liu, your name is quite famous here in Hong Kong. Though most rumors spread within the entertainment industry, your name has been on everyone’s lips these past few days!”

“Oh? I’m well-known here?” Liu Qingshan was somewhat surprised. It was natural for rumors to circulate in the martial arts circles, given his encounters with many figures in that world, including several kung fu stars.

“At first, friends from the Five Elements mentioned you—said there was a frighteningly talented young martial arts master from the mainland. Today, I heard your name again on the phone, so I called Brother Guang—yes, Brother Yu Rongguang—and that’s how I connected the dots!”

“Brother Rongguang? You’re close with him?”

There were two “Brother Guang” figures on the set of ‘The Myth.’ To differentiate, Liu Qingshan referred to Yu Rongguang by the mainland custom.

Ajie’s ability to speak directly with Yu Rongguang suggested a special connection.

“I’m actually from the mainland too. Years ago, I came here because I especially admired the band Beyond. I met Brother Guang at a friend’s gathering, and we hit it off.”

“Then there’s no outsider here. He’s my big brother and took good care of me during the filming of ‘The Myth.’”

After this brief exchange, Liu Qingshan excused himself to the restroom and quickly exchanged for the song.

He had been following this song for a long time, waiting for the right opportunity to redeem it.

When he heard the Cantonese music in Junjing, the song immediately came to mind. Now that the time to use it had come, he felt an urgency deep in his heart.