She hadn’t expected Liu Ning to speak up and confirm the matter. Ye Peiwen had not even brought her manager and assistant with her today. She even said that they could talk about it later.
“Thank you, Producer Liu,” Ye Peiwen said immediately, feeling surprised.
“I’m pleased to work with you.” Liu Ning reached out her hand. “I’ll take you to meet the director later. Shi Jin, you can talk to Teacher Ye about the main content of the script.”
“Okay,” Shi Jin agreed, leading Ye Peiwen out.
After Ye Peiwen left, she asked Shi Jin softly, “Has Producer Liu always been so easy to talk to?”
“I think so.” Shi Jin nodded lightly.
Ye Peiwen nodded. Rumor had it that Liu Ning was not that easy to get along with. He had probably been affected by Shi Jin.
“This time, I will make a guest appearance as a small singer, a very small character. The general story goes like this…” Shi Jin explained simply.
She and Ye Peiwen chatted as they walked out.
Many staff members greeted Shi Jin.
Huang Kaiqin was in the midst of taking photos when she caught sight of them and quickly retracted her gaze.
She was still a little confused. Why did the crew seem to know Shi Jin?
“Teacher Ye, this is an interlude that I wrote for ‘Twilight Years’. Take a look. If possible, please sing this interlude too.”
Ye Peiwen knew about Shi Jin’s ability to compose. She took the manuscript and scanned through it. She could not help being amazed. “This tune… is so good. Shi Jin, you’re really not bad.”
“We still have to work together.”
“Very good. When I finish writing the theme song, I’ll discuss it with you.”
Shi Jin nodded and smiled. “Sure.”
Huang Kaiqin finished the photoshoot and planned to invite Liu Ning for a meal.
Currently, in Liu Ning’s production team, he had more authority than the director. Other than being the boss of Changhe Film and Television, he was also outstanding in all aspects. Even the director had to give in to him.
“Maybe next time, Ms. Huang,” Liu Ning declined. “I have something on today.”
Huang Kaiqin felt a little disappointed. Although Liu Ning had personally dealt with her the past few times, she had never eaten with him. That said, she felt that their relationship was still lacking.
She could only leave with her assistant.
Liu Ning turned around and walked over to Shi Jin. “Shi Jin, you promised to eat with me previously. You won’t go back on your word today, right?”
Shi Jin was supposed to be having dinner with Ye Peiwen tonight, but there was no harm in inviting Liu Ning.
She nodded. “If you don’t mind, you can eat with me and Teacher Ye?”
“That’s perfect.” Liu Ning passed something to her. “This is a gift for your brother. Give it to him for me, please.”
“Sure.” Shi Jin took it. It just so happened that she was going to meet Gu Jingyuan soon anyway.
Liu Ning, Shi Jin, and Ye Peiwen walked out together. Huang Kaiqin was about to get into the car when she saw this scene. She could not help but frown.
She watched the three of them get into the car before looking away.
***
After Shi Jin promised Song Huaixian that she would learn piano, she arranged a time to meet him.
“I’ll come and pick you up.” Song Huaixian seemed to be afraid that she wouldn’t come, so he was taking precautions.
Shi Jin did not reject his kind intentions. After leaving the event venue, she waited at the carpark.
Song Huai was the first to arrive. He was driving an ordinary black car that was inconspicuous in the traffic.
After he came over, he got out of the car and went over to Shi Jin’s side, opening the car door for her. “Shi Jin, get in.”
They then drove towards the Piano Association.
According to Fu Xiuyuan, the Piano Association was very powerful and could not even be compared to the Four Great Clans. Their existence in Beijing was very important. It was no wonder Fu Heyan was from there.
After all, the Fu Family was a big family that transcended even the four major families.
The Piano Association was located on an inconspicuous street. There was no door number on it and it looked ordinary. However, in a place like Beijing, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, and on this street, Shi Jin could tell with one glance that the location was extraordinary.
There were many buildings in the capital that could not be bought with money alone.
She followed Song Huaixian in. After he swiped his card, the door lock opened.
Shi Jin took a glance at the door lock. It was much more secure than the one in the dance association and was much harder to break.
They continued in and saw people ahead. When those people saw Song Huaixian and Shi Jin, they all stopped in their tracks.
When Song Huaisian approached, they said, “President Song.”
Song Huaixian nodded. Only when he walked past did those people continue walking.
Shi Jin initially thought that he was a teacher. She hadn’t expected him to be the president…
“When you come here in the future, you can learn from me.” Song Huaixian smiled. “Also, I recommended you for participation in the Chopin piano competition. See if you’re interested.”
“The Chopin piano competition? That international competition?”
“That’s right. This is one of the top piano competitions in the world. The people who win this award are all well-known figures in the piano world. I think you have a good chance.”
Shi Jin entered his office. A piano was quietly placed in a corner. It looked old, but it was well maintained.
From the looks of it, it was tailored to the pianist’s strengths and weaknesses.
Every pianist who had reached the top had their own strengths, and the difficulty of playing a certain piece varied from person to person. Ordinary pianists could not fully utilize their own abilities and advantages. The more custom-made a piano was, the more distinguished it was.
“But I heard that this year’s Chopin competition has already progressed past the preliminary round. Every country has already decided on the participants,” Shi Jin said.
“That’s true, but a few days ago, I sent your performance video to the committee. They agreed to let you participate in the semi-finals—don’t worry, this isn’t the end for you.
The State Chopin Award is held once every five years. The entire committee doesn’t conform to the rules of the competition. No matter what form one takes to participate in the preliminary round, as long as one obtains the approval of the committee members, one can enter the semi-finals. ”
“But if I go in like this, will I squeeze out other participants?”
“Of course not. Currently, the top three of the domestic preliminaries have the qualifications to enter the semi-finals. The spot you got was obtained with your own abilities.”
When Shi Jin heard this, she did not object.
Since she was determined to learn from Song Huaixian, participating in the competition was definitely necessary. It was not a bad idea for her to broaden her horizons by accepting the challenges of the world’s top competitions.
Seeing that she had agreed, Song Huaixian immediately replied to the organizing committee and told them that Shi Jin would be participating in the semi-finals.
After chatting with him for a while, Shi Jin realized that he was indeed very professional. His short comments were very accurate.
“Try my piano.”
