Chapter 120: Hip-Hop Meets Traditional Elegance?

The second take was also unusable; by the third, the sun had already descended to the level of the two actors' lips.

They held back, their lips barely making contact.

This take was finally usable, and the sunlight in this shot was the best of the entire session.

"Perfect..." the studio head sighed in admiration.

The photographer beside him echoed the sentiment, "Indeed. For these clothes and these two people, 'perfect' is the only word that fits."

"No," the head shook his head. "I meant that being able to capture such a piece of work makes my career complete..."

...

"Excuse me, Mr. Wu Qian, please don't bounce when you walk. You are wearing traditional Chinese-style attire; your gait should be steady. That string of Bodhi beads in your hand is meant to be wrapped around your wrist..."

The production crew looked at Wu Qian, their heads throbbing with frustration.

The Bodhi beads could be worn around the neck, but what was the point of attaching a small gold medallion to them? He walked with a bouncy, uneven gait, like a lethargic gym student. The expression on his face was equally bizarre—constantly rolling his eyes left and right—while his arms moved as if he were simulating DJ scratching.

"What do you mean, 'steady'?" Wu Qian waved his hand impatiently. "Do you have more experience with endorsements than I do? This is how it's supposed to be shot."

"My fans love my hip-hop style. Only by adopting this persona will people actually buy the product."

Sweat beaded on the movement director’s forehead.

"Mr. Wu Qian, I really think—"

"I don't care what you think! I only care about what I think!" Wu Qian snorted coldly.

"..."

The director wiped the sweat from his brow. *Is this guy out of his mind?*

The attire Wu Qian was wearing was designed with the aesthetic of a classical scholar in mind; it naturally required a certain grace and poise to pull off. Now, however, it looked less like a scholar and more like "AKA Zhuge Liang."

*Blade, ragingly slays the snow-winged eagle; Mountain, heroically charges into the clouds?*

The director, out of options, finally said, "Mr. Wu Qian, why don't you take a break? We need to discuss the camera angles."

"Fine, sure. But remember, you must incorporate my hip-hop elements into the design."

Wu Qian nodded, shooed away a crew member, and sat down in their chair.

The director walked to a secluded spot and called the owner of Huaxia Buyi.

"What's wrong, brother?"

"Well, Mr. Feng, Mr. Wu Qian is strongly insisting on changes. He wants to inject hip-hop elements into the movements..."

"...What?"

The director found it hard to say, but he pushed on.

"He says from the perspective of fan economy, his promotional video must include hip-hop elements. Basically... aside from the clothes you requested, everything else must be hip-hop."

Mr. Feng pondered this for a long time. Every word the director said was in standard Mandarin, yet together, they made absolutely no sense.

"Fine. Let me give him a call."

Mr. Feng rubbed his temples and dialed Wu Qian’s manager, Xiao Liu.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Feng. I'll put him on."

Wu Qian, wearing a cap, lay comfortably in the chair and took the phone with a look of confusion.

"It's Mr. Feng from Huaxia Buyi," Xiao Liu whispered.

"Mr. Feng, what is it?" Wu Qian asked lazily.

"Hello? Mr. Wu Qian," Mr. Feng organized his thoughts. "You are endorsing our traditional Chinese-style clothing, and this attire requires a certain level of complementary performance..."

"Oh, that? You're talking about this?"

Wu Qian had thought it was something major; he hadn't expected it to be about performance style.

"You've been making these clothes for so long, and yet it's still a niche brand, isn't it? Most people on the street still wear modern clothes, right? It's just so tacky, so tacky!"

Mr. Feng frowned at these words. Was traditional Chinese clothing not attractive? What did he mean by "tacky"?

"I think your company's philosophy needs to change. Shouldn't we be combining Eastern and Western elements? That’s the only way to link traditional style with current trends and change the status of traditional fashion." Wu Qian spouted off, talking nonsense.

Mr. Feng had chosen to make traditional Chinese clothing because he genuinely believed in its beauty; Wu Qian’s words were beginning to cross the line.

"Look, brother, since you took the endorsement, the filming should follow our direction. Why add that stuff to perfectly good traditional clothing..."

"Oh, why do you think I chose your brand over others? Wasn't it to help you out?" Wu Qian interrupted. "There's an old saying: 'Those with different paths cannot make plans together.' Since you and I don't see eye to eye, shall we just terminate the contract?"

The word "terminate" choked off whatever Mr. Feng was about to say. They had just signed the contract, and the company's official account had already announced the partnership. To terminate it so soon and offend Wu Qian’s fans would be another major blow to the company.

Hearing the silence on the other end, Wu Qian softened his tone.

"Mr. Feng, what year is it now? Your retro style is behind the times. Trust me, a fusion of East and West will absolutely work!"

Having been offered an olive branch, Mr. Feng felt he had no choice but to take it.

"Fine... do it your way," Mr. Feng said after a long silence.

"Great. Don't you worry. People like Lin Ze and Su Zitan, who only know how to stick to the old ways—how could they possibly beat our East-meets-West approach?"

...

On that day, Lin Ze's account posted two updates.

First, the short film *Old Boys* would soon be released on major platforms.

Second, the new "Lotus Pond Moonlight" collection from Zitan Ji would soon be available for a limited trial release.

He included two photos. The first was a background shot from *Old Boys*: Chang Zheng holding a guitar, sitting in the center of the stage as if singing, while Zhao Funing held a percussion fan and leaped high into the air behind him, as if dancing.

The second photo showed Lin Ze and Su Zitan standing under the sunset, gazing at each other with such intense affection it felt like their eyes were spinning silk. The clothes they wore looked breathtaking in that setting.

Just as Lin Ze posted this news, Wu Qian also released a message.

Huaxia Buyi’s new collection launch was scheduled for the exact same day as Zitan Ji’s.

"Launching at midnight, the day after tomorrow! The promotional video will be processed and released tomorrow."

Wu Qian posted a second message: "Come on then, let's settle this once and for all!"