Chapter 113: "Painted Heart" (Two Updates, 10,000 Words—Please Vote and Subscribe)

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“The preliminary choice for the theme song is ‘Painted Heart,’ and you’ve already seen the production budget—two million. Of course, this price includes the producer and singer, who must cooperate with our promotional activities, such as attending the film press conference and appearing on TV shows to promote the movie. All of this will be stipulated in the contract.”

Luo Yuheng was meticulous and made sure to cover these details upfront.

In reality, producing a single song wouldn’t normally require two million.

However, since Bluebird Media intended to use this song as the movie’s theme, during the promotional phase, both the singer and producer needed to actively participate.

Naturally, the two million was not a buyout of the song’s copyright.

Because Pine Stone Records was responsible for producing and distributing the track, all future royalties would belong to Pine Stone Records.

Hence, the fee was set at two million.

In fact, when record companies create theme songs for films, it often serves as mutual marketing, driving traffic for both parties.

As for the contract signing, Fang Xing handed it over to Liang Yusong and Qiao Yinghong to handle.

Luo Yuheng added some clauses nearby: “One more thing—time is tight, so I need to hear the final version of ‘Painted Heart’ as soon as possible. There’s a clause in the contract stating that if the final version doesn’t meet our satisfaction, we reserve the right to reject the song, only paying one-tenth of the fee as production costs.”

These are standard industry practices.

Liang Yusong was very familiar with these rules. After sending the contract back to the company for legal review, it was signed the same day.

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After returning, Fang Xing prepared to begin the official recording.

Li Caiwei was ecstatic to learn she had been chosen to sing ‘Painted Heart.’

She realized Fang Xing was truly her benefactor.

Her career, once lukewarm, was reignited by the song ‘Red Lantern,’ bringing her back to the stage.

Now, with ‘Painted Heart,’ she was poised to reach near top-tier singer status, given her strong musical foundation.

After hearing the demo, she was convinced the song would be a hit.

She was deeply grateful to Fang Xing for securing this opportunity.

The next morning, the official recording commenced. Li Caiwei entered the studio and sang through one take.

Fang Xing gave a thumbs-up and asked, “You practiced in advance?”

Li Caiwei nodded. “Yes, after finishing the demo, I practiced every day. Are you satisfied with the result, Teacher Fang?”

Fang Xing could tell she had been practicing diligently over the past few days; otherwise, she wouldn’t have reached this level.

“If you weren’t the one singing this song in the end, wouldn’t all that practice be wasted?”

Li Caiwei shrugged. “Not at all. Even if I’m not the final singer, I can still use this for commercial performances. Besides, I have a feeling you’ll fight for me. Who wouldn’t want a free near top-tier singing machine?”

Fang Xing was indeed pleased with this free singing powerhouse—talented, unpaid, and cooperative.

“Alright then, let’s do another take. Focus especially on the dolphin whistle during the interlude—that ascending chant builds layer upon layer, culminating in an E6 note. The tone there is crucial.” Fang Xing explained the details as she sang again.

Li Caiwei gave an OK sign, immersed herself in the music as the intro played, and sang once more.

Fang Xing looked at the sound engineer and said, “The effect is good enough. Just fine-tune some details, then master the track and it’s ready to deliver.”

“No problem,” the engineer nodded.

...

Bluebird Media was initially anxious to hear the final version of ‘Painted Heart.’

Luo Yuheng had originally allowed one week.

But Fang Xing’s speed was astonishing; the final version was delivered on the third day.

Xue Tao was extremely pleased upon hearing it, smiling all day long.

The crew hadn’t seen Xue Tao so cheerful in nearly half a year—they thought the director was overwhelmed with post-production.

After receiving the final version, Bluebird Media added ‘Painted Heart’ to the second trailer and began the promotional campaign.

Three days later, Bluebird Media officially launched promotions for the film *Strange Tales: Painted Skin*.

The first event was the release conference for the trailer and theme song.

Because the contract with Pine Stone Records included cooperation in the film’s promotion, both the singer and producer of ‘Painted Heart’ were required to attend the event.

At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Fang Xing and Li Caiwei arrived early at the press conference venue in the company’s shuttle, accompanied by Qiao Yinghong.

The venue was already adorned with posters of the film.

The posters featured three lead actors—one man and two women—with the actress playing Painted Skin being a particularly accomplished award-winning star.

Two days before the conference, Bluebird Media had begun building momentum on Weibo, announcing the event and the stars attending through their official account.

As a result, the venue was packed with fans from early morning.

Of course, most fans were supporters of the three leads and had little connection to Fang Xing.

After all, Fang Xing only produced the theme song and didn’t sing it himself.

To the average viewer, the producer of a theme song is often less important than the singer.

At 10 a.m., Bluebird Media arranged the seats for the guests and officially opened the press conference.

The host briefly introduced the agenda:

“Today marks the press conference for *Strange Tales: Painted Skin*, a 150 million yuan investment by Bluebird Media, where we release the second trailer and the theme song ‘Painted Heart.’

“This theme song is produced by Pine Stone Records’ music producer Fang Xing and performed by Li Caiwei.

“Fans and reporters present will be able to hear the song in the trailer.

“Additionally, ‘Painted Heart’ will appear on the Music Wind and Cloud Chart, and fans can stream it on major music platforms.”

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“Without further ado, let’s watch the trailer for *Strange Tales: Painted Skin*.”

The host stepped aside, revealing the large screen.

On screen, a delicate yet fragile woman was beset by a band of mountain bandits.

The bandits captured her and took her to their mountain stronghold. But the bandit leader quickly fell under her spell, willing to sacrifice everything—even his heart—for her.

The woman smiled softly and pulled the leader’s heart from his chest…

It turned out she was the Painted Skin spirit.

The footage flickered rapidly, depicting a love story between a mortal and a ghost.

Accompanied by the music of ‘Painted Heart,’ entertainment reporters at the event were completely captivated.

In the song, Li Caiwei’s ethereal, crystal-clear voice sang:

“Loving you, like a heartbeat, elusive to touch.

“Painting you, yet unable to capture your bones…”

‘Painted Heart’ was originally written by Chen Shaoqi, composed by Fujiwara Ikuro, and performed by Zhang Liangying as the theme for the film *Painted Skin*.

After the trailer, director Xue Tao spoke, followed by crew members sharing amusing anecdotes from filming.

Once that segment ended, it was time for Q&A with reporters and fans.

Reporters focused on movie-related questions:

“Is there a love triangle among the three leads?”

“Does Painted Skin devour the male lead’s heart in the end?”

These were spoilers, and the director and main crew cleverly avoided direct answers, responding only, “You’ll find out when the movie releases.”

After the press Q&A, fan interactions began.

The host invited several fans to ask questions.

Most questions were simple, especially from female fans who loved asking the male lead Zheng Yanxi about his favorite foods, hobbies, and sports—trivia with little substance.

Then, one “fan” grabbed the microphone and loudly asked, “Fang Xing, do you think you shone on *Tomorrow’s Star*?”

The question stirred immediate commotion.

The *Tomorrow’s Star* finale had aired less than two weeks ago, and its buzz was still high.

Reporters seized the opportunity, aiming their cameras at Fang Xing.

The fan pressed on: “Wu Junchen worked so hard, yet you’re inferior in every way. How did you manage to beat him? There’s clearly a rigged system—do you admit it?”

Qiao Yinghong grew nervous, worried this could cause a scandal.

She rushed forward to grab the microphone and shield Fang Xing from the question.

But Fang Xing gently stopped her hand and retorted to the fan: “Then tell me, what do you think I should have done to make Wu Junchen win?”

The questioner was clearly a Wu Junchen supporter, not a fan of the three leads.

She answered firmly, “If the show weren’t rigged, Junchen would have definitely beaten you.”

Fang Xing laughed in frustration and fired back: “When your idol lost to professional judges, you cried foul and protested on Weibo.

“The producers listened and removed the professional judges, making the rest of the competition rely solely on audience votes.

“Your idol still lost the audience vote. Now, do you say the audience is unfair?

“If you want your idol to win, maybe you should ban the audience too—just leave the fans like you, then he’s guaranteed to win.”

A roar of noise erupted.

Many reporters inwardly cheered: “This guy is bold, directly confronting the rival’s fans. This is going to be big news.”

The host, seeing the situation slipping out of control, quickly intervened: “Today is the press conference for *Strange Tales: Painted Skin*. Please keep questions related to the film.”

Simultaneously, Bluebird Media’s security escorted the fervent fan out of the venue.

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Less than half an hour after the conference ended, the video of Fang Xing confronting Wu Junchen’s fan went viral.

Weibo exploded.

Fans of the Iceberg Group, provoked beyond measure, swarmed Pine Stone Records’ and Fang Xing’s Weibo pages, dragging Bluebird Media and *Strange Tales: Painted Skin* into the fray.

Though this incident seemingly had nothing to do with Bluebird Media, fans didn’t care.

Once the video spread, humorous netizens flooded the comments with jokes:

“This argument makes sense—ban the audience and Wu Junchen would definitely win.”

“Ban the audience, what a brilliant idea.”

“There was definitely rigging on *Tomorrow’s Star*. Otherwise, Fang Xing wouldn’t have gotten so many votes—I was there in person, and I was that one black vote.”

“Only a few days have passed? The Iceberg Group’s already sinking so low they’re attacking Fang Xing?”

“Look at Fang Xing—just days after the finale, he’s already in the film industry producing theme songs. Fans are just pretending not to see it.”

“What song?!”

“Fang Xing didn’t sing.”

“A singer not singing? That’s not right.”

“I just came back from ‘Painted Heart’—SPK is in trouble.”

“What? Fang Xing takes on Wu Junchen, now SPK? What grudge is this, attacking Chaoyin Culture so fiercely?”

“Who told Chaoyin Culture to provoke? They released a press statement claiming SPK’s new song beat ‘Nocturne.’ Asking for trouble.”

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“The show’s over but the drama is still so good—love it.”

“‘Painted Heart’ might not even beat SPK’s new song, right?”

“Latest update: ‘Painted Heart’ just debuted at number one on the new songs chart.”

“That’s fast—pretty ruthless.”

Three hours after the press conference, ‘Painted Heart’ surged to the top of the Music Wind and Cloud Chart’s new songs list.

This rapid rise wasn’t solely due to the song’s quality.

Even a great song needs time to grow in popularity.

‘Painted Heart’ rocketing to number one in three hours was largely thanks to Bluebird Media’s push.

They needed to promote the movie’s theme song quickly, with only two months until the National Day release.

Bluebird Media didn’t wait for organic growth—they pushed hard to propel the song onto the charts.

The heated dispute on Weibo drew massive attention.

Fang Xing himself was at peak popularity, having just finished dominating the charts with ‘Nocturne.’

All these factors combined made even casual listeners curious about ‘Painted Heart.’

Additionally, Li Caiwei’s contribution helped.

She already had a considerable fanbase, with her popularity revived by ‘Red Lantern.’

The combined momentum propelled ‘Painted Heart’ to number one in just three hours.

Listeners who enjoyed the song then flocked to watch the trailer for *Strange Tales: Painted Skin*.

The trailer and song blended seamlessly, stirring strong desire among many to rush to theaters.

But with two months still before the National Day release, all they could do was wait.

After topping the new songs chart, more listeners kept streaming ‘Painted Heart.’

Music critics across platforms began writing reviews.

Ni Hongdan wrote:

“Another masterpiece by Fang Xing—though he doesn’t sing it himself, the vocalist is our old friend, the treasure singer Li Caiwei.

“For listeners, the most stunning part is undoubtedly the interlude chant.

“That segment ascends step by step from G5, culminating in an E6 dolphin whistle.

“Li Caiwei’s clear and ethereal whistle perfectly interprets the song.

“I can only say this track has the power to challenge for the top spot on the hot songs chart—let’s wait and see.”

Ni Hongdan’s review attracted many SPK fans who flooded his Weibo with negative comments.

Having endured similar attacks from Iceberg Group fans over the past three months, Ni Hongdan had developed immunity to such criticism.

It wasn’t just Ni Hongdan—every critic praising ‘Painted Heart’ faced the same backlash.

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That afternoon, topics like ‘Painted Heart,’ *Strange Tales: Painted Skin,* and Fang Xing’s confrontation with SPK topped trending charts.

Bluebird Media was pleasantly surprised by the unexpectedly successful promotion.

Originally, Luo Yuheng worried that Fang Xing’s blunt remarks at the conference might harm the movie’s reputation.

But after the trending topics exploded, she thought his responses were brilliant—he was a natural spotlight magnet.

Once the ‘Fang Xing vs. SPK’ topic gained traction, SPK’s fans entered the fray.

This idol group’s fanbase was far more aggressive than Iceberg Group’s.

They flooded relevant Weibo accounts with comments:

“What’s Fang Xing even? Dare to compare with SPK? SPK’s new song ‘Sexy’ is international level. ‘Painted Heart’—please.”

“Exactly. The real battlefield for ‘Sexy’ isn’t this tiny domestic pond—it’s already on international music charts.”

“Beating a washed-up group from Chaoyin doesn’t mean you can take on SPK. Dream on.”

Amidst the flood of comments, ‘Painted Heart’ climbed to number three on the hot songs chart within three days, beginning to threaten ‘Sexy’s position.

SPK fans panicked and launched a campaign to boost their idol’s ranking.

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Bluebird Media continued their promotional efforts.

Fang Xing and Li Caiwei received a notice to appear on Fruit TV’s variety show *Laughing Weekend* on Friday to promote the film.

On that day, they joined the film’s creative team on the show.

They even performed ‘Painted Heart’ together, promoting both the movie and the song’s chart performance.

Subsequently, Bluebird Media arranged several more shows to promote the film.

For some of these, Fang Xing did not attend, alternating with Li Caiwei.

Since the theme song’s production team was not part of the core film crew, sending one representative sufficed.

Only for more important programs did both appear together.

As these variety shows aired, ‘Painted Heart’s popularity soared, quickly reaching number two on the hot songs chart, officially challenging SPK’s ‘Sexy.’

SPK and Iceberg Group fans united to boycott Fang Xing, Li Caiwei, and Bluebird Media’s movie.