lovenovelstory Chapter 68 Two Pieces of News
Chapter 68 Two Pieces of News
January 22th, morning.
Li Si'an squatted at the shop entrance, munching on an ice pop, while Tang Yun was inside dusting the cassette tapes on the shelf with a feather duster. A large floor fan stood in the corner, blowing a strong breeze.
My StarTAC beeped.
He quickly finished the popsicle in two bites, wiped his hands on his pants, and pulled out his phone, flipping it open. "Feed?"
"Li Si'an? I am Zhao Hongyu." Zhao Hongyu's voice came through the receiver, carrying the crispness characteristic of a foreign company executive, with a hint of relaxed laughter in his tone.
"Two pieces of news. One good, one not so good. Which would you like to hear first?"
Li Si'an leaned against the door frame, somewhat nervously replying, "Director Zhao, then... let's agree on something first."
"Your phrase, 'Motorola, bringing hearts closer,' has been reported from Singapore to the US headquarters. The US headquarters has officially put it under consideration. Not for China, not for the Asia-Pacific region, but globally."
Zhao Hongyu's tone became slightly excited. "If headquarters approves it, then this slogan will become Motorola's global promotional slogan, competing with Nokia's 'Connecting people'."
Li Si'an gripped her phone, her mind a little fuzzy.
Motorola's global slogan...?
In his past life, he wrote code for twenty years, and his proudest project had over a million daily active users. That was a rare highlight in his resume.
He wrote a sentence in his life that Motorola wanted to use to compete with Nokia...
This feels a bit surreal.
Li Si calmed herself down and continued to ask:
"Director Zhao, what...not so good news?"
"The approval process has become longer," Zhao Hongyu said after a pause.
"Originally, the GG video could be used once it was approved in the Asia-Pacific region, but now headquarters needs to review it. That slogan is supposed to be at the end of the GG video, and the video can't be shown until headquarters approves it. You have to wait."
Li Si'an leaned against the doorframe, watching the locust tree leaves on the road outside being blown about by the wind. "So... how long will it take?"
"It's hard to say. It could be a few weeks at the earliest, or two or three months at the latest. You know what those people at headquarters are like."
Li Si'an remained silent.
In two or three months, Xu Zhongming had already set up the distribution channels for the album, just waiting for Motorola to provide a boost. Now, that boost has stalled halfway.
"Don't be in such a hurry," Zhao Hongyu said, his voice softening slightly.
"If your line really becomes a global slogan, you'll be the person who wrote Motorola's global slogan. That kind of title can't be bought with any amount of money."
Li Si'an smiled. "Mr. Zhao, I'm fine. I'll just wait."
He hung up the phone, closed it, and stuffed it back into his pocket. Tang Yun peeked out from behind the shelf, holding a feather duster. "Who is it?"
"At Motorola, my slogan caught their attention at headquarters, and they need to review it and go through the process. The promotional video will have to wait."
Tang Yun's eyes lit up. "Headquarters? Which global headquarters?"
"Um."
"Isn't that a good thing!"
"That's good news. I just don't know how long we'll have to wait." Li Si'an took another mung bean popsicle from the freezer, sat back down on the chair at the shop entrance, and stared blankly out the door.
Tang Yun came out of the house, pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, placing the feather duster on her lap.
The two sat side by side, looking at the roadside trees outside. Tang Yun placed her hands on his knees, her fingers cool. "Let's wait. Your songs are so good, whether it's a couple of months earlier or a couple of months later, you'll be just as popular."
Li Si'an didn't speak. Tang Yun drew a circle on his knee with her finger, then withdrew it, hugged her knee, and rested her chin on it.
Sunlight shone from her side, making her hair shimmer with a golden glow.
After a while, she suddenly spoke up. "Isn't the global marketing slogan similar to Nokia's 'Technology for People'?"
"Yes, that's it, 'Connecting people,' connecting people with each other."
"Oh right. Connecting people." Tang Yun tilted her head and thought for a moment. "What was that line you used again? 'Bringing hearts closer'?"
"Bringing hearts closer."
Which one is better?
Li Si'an leaned against the doorframe. "Mine is definitely better."
Tang Yun chuckled. "You're so shameless."
Li Si'an laughed too. After laughing, he leaned against the door frame and looked at the locust tree outside.
Global promotional slogan... awaiting review... album delayed... a few things swirled in his mind, then he took out his phone and dialed Xu Zhongming's number.
It rang twice, and then the other end answered.
"Mr. Xu, this is Li Si'an. I just got a call from Motorola."
He repeated Zhao Hongyu's words. Xu Zhongming listened and remained silent for two seconds.
"This is a good thing!"
"I know. I just don't know how long it will take."
"We'll wait, good things come to those who wait." Xu Zhongming's voice was steady and clear.
"If your lyric really becomes Motorola's global slogan, just imagine what they'll print on your album covers in the future—"
"The author of Motorola's global promotional slogan." That title alone is worth at least 100,000 in advertising fees.
Li Si'an remained silent.
"I'll talk to the distribution channels. The first batch of 500,000 boxes was already prepared, but we'll hold off for now; there's no rush."
Xu Zhongming paused for a moment, "Your album has good songs, good music videos, and now you've also caught up with Motorola's global promotional slogan."
Two months earlier or two months later, it would still be a hit.
After hanging up the phone, Li Si'an placed it on the doorstep. Tang Yun tilted her head to look at him. "What did President Xu say?"
He said good food is worth the wait.
Tang Yun nodded and rested her chin on her knees. The two sat side by side on the threshold, looking at the street outside.
The locust leaves on the ground were still turning in the wind, their silvery-gray backs shimmering.
January 23th, morning.
Li Si'an was leaning over the counter flipping through a copy of "Popular Cinema," while Tang Yun was dusting the top row of cassette tapes with a feather duster. Her cell phone rang.
He took out his phone and flipped it open. "Feed?"
"Anzi, this is Zhang Yibai." Zhang Yibai's voice sounded quite energetic. "I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."
"Please speak."
"A friend of mine, who shoots male-male photos, got a job with Meidengo Ice Cream. They're short of a female model, and after several rounds of auditions, they still haven't found one. I was drinking with him yesterday, and when he mentioned this, Tang Yun was the first person I thought of."
Li Si'an closed the magazine and leaned back in her chair. "Director Zhang, this isn't me helping you; it's you recommending Tang Yun for an opportunity. I should thank you."
"That's not quite right," Zhang Yibai paused on the other end of the line. "Tang Yun's appearance has a mixed-race look, which makes her look striking on camera."
But it's not the kind of look that's overtly flamboyant; it's more understated. The moment it's placed in a frame, it exudes sophistication. That's the kind of image that international brands like Midea aim for.
Zhang Yibai chuckled on the other end of the phone, a hint of smugness in his voice:
"In all my years in this industry, it's rare to find someone whose face looks this good on camera. Introducing him to my friend is a way of helping him out."
He's been searching for so long without finding anything suitable; he should thank me for my recommendation.
Li Si'an smiled. Zhang Yibai, while saying "please help me," was actually subtly praising his good judgment.
"Okay, thank you very much for your recommendation, Director Zhang. I'll have Tang Yun go. Where exactly, and when?"
"This afternoon. GG Company is on Chang'an Avenue, at the Great Wall, Guanghua Chang'an Building on Jianguomen Inner Street. Take Tang Yun there and go directly to the director surnamed Chen, Chen Hanwen. Just say I introduced him."
"Okay. What time?"
Two points.
"Alright. Oh, right, Director Zhang, there's something else I wanted to tell you."
"you say."
"As for Motorola, the 'Fairy Tale' movie will probably have to wait a while before it airs."
Zhang Yibai paused for a moment on the other end. "What's wrong? Did Zhao Hongyu change his mind?"
"It's not a change of heart. It's that my slogan, 'Motorola, bringing hearts closer,' caught the eye of the US headquarters, and they want to include it in their global promotional slogan to compete with Nokia's 'Connecting people.'"
The ending of the GG film didn't just revolve around that line, did it? "The film has to wait until headquarters approves it."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Then Zhang Yibai's voice rang out again, half an octave higher than before. "Global promotional slogan? US headquarters?"
"Um."
"Damn." Zhang Yibai laughed on the other end of the line. "You kid, you're only eighteen and you've already written global promotional slogans for Motorola."
Li Si'an did not respond.
"Let's wait and see. If your line really works out, I, as the director, will also benefit. When I'm negotiating work later, I can say I directed the Motorola global promotional slogan film..."
"Just for that one sentence, I'll have to double my rates for jobs from now on."
Zhang Yibai paused for a moment, then asked, "Did Director Zhao say approximately how long the wait will be?"
"It's hard to say. It could be a few weeks at the earliest, or two or three months at the latest."
"Okay, I'll wait. Good things come to those who wait." Zhang Yibai lit a cigarette on the other end of the line, and Li Si'an heard the lighter click. "Are you waiting for your album too?"
"Yes. Mr. Xu said to wait."
"Alright. Then let's wait." Zhang Yibai exhaled a puff of smoke. "Don't forget this afternoon, two o'clock, Guanghua Chang'an."
"I can't forget it."
After hanging up the phone, Tang Yun peeked out from behind the shelf, holding a feather duster. "Who was that?"
"Director Zhang, I've introduced you to a job filming a movie, for Meidengo Ice Cream. Go for the interview this afternoon."
Tang Yun's hand froze in mid-air. "Me?" She looked down at herself. "Am I capable?"
Li Si'an leaned back in his chair and looked her up and down.
"Director Zhang said that your face has a striking presence on camera, with a touch of exoticism, and it's very sophisticated. That's the kind of image that a big brand like Meidengo wants."
Tang Yun blushed slightly at his praise and turned back to continue dusting the cassette tapes. She rubbed the feather duster back and forth on the tapes; in fact, she had already dusted them once already.
Li Si'an looked at her and said, "Don't worry, I'll go with you this afternoon."
Tang Yun hummed in agreement, without turning around, still rubbing the feather duster.