Chapter Fifty: Traveling on Public Funds

"Shooting an MV?" The woman hesitated for a moment, her expression softening. "I see. As for this, I can't decide for Yukie, you'd better discuss it with her yourself."

"Aren't you her agent?"

"I'm a teacher at the Okinawa Actors Association. I accompanied her to Tokyo for the audition," the woman explained, then looked at Yukie Nakama. "You heard just now. So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"

Yukie Nakama's cautious gaze shifted back and forth between Ye Zhao and the people beside him. The guarded look on her face finally eased a little. After thinking it over, she asked timidly, "Are you Mr. Ye Zhao, who sings 'Summer Colors'?"

Ye Zhao nodded, "The genuine article."

Receiving this confirmation, Yukie Nakama relaxed and offered a shy smile. "That song is extremely popular in Okinawa. Everyone sings it at karaoke."

"Thank you for liking it. Since that's the case, are you interested in being the heroine in my MV?"

"But I've hardly acted before..."

"Don't worry, it's a simple MV. Even without acting experience, you'll be able to manage."

"If you don't mind me dragging you down, I'd like to try," Yukie Nakama said. "But will Teacher Yoshinaga come along too?"

"Of course. You're underage, it's only right for your guardian to accompany you."

Ye Zhao planned a groundbreaking move for his new single: shooting two different MVs for the lead track, to be broadcast on different channels, thereby piquing the audience's curiosity through the contrast. Additionally, in this era dominated by 8CM singles, he boldly intended to release a 12CM single, including the MV with it.

The 8CM single had many advantages, particularly its portability, which greatly boosted sales. However, the 12CM single possessed unmatched benefits: greater capacity and the ability to include a booklet, making it easier for artists and labels to expand and enrich the CD content.

In the 90s, the 12CM single first shone in 1995 when Masaharu Fukuyama released "HELLO" in this format, achieving million sales and becoming the first officially recognized million-seller 12CM single in ORICON's records. Although, in the Recording Industry Association, it was B'z's 1989 mini-album "BAD COMMUNICATION" that was first certified as a million seller, charting for 156 weeks and marking B'z's rise to stardom.

Nowadays, releasing a 12CM single naturally attracts attention and is useful for promoting the track. Were it not for Ye Zhao's reservations about multi-version marketing, he might have also tried the first-edition/regular-edition strategy to boost sales. But that's only a passing thought—he had no desire to be blamed as the origin of all evil when later generations critique CD marketing strategies...

The original plan for the MV was Ye Zhao performing live with his band in the studio, with editors later splicing in some behind-the-scenes footage to create a straightforward MV.

The second MV was a spur-of-the-moment idea: at the start, Yukie Nakama, playing the heroine, walks down the street holding a mini camcorder. The scenes she captures shift amid swirling snow. On the other side, Ye Zhao, also wielding a mini camcorder, strolls the streets; his captured landscapes shift as well, with the snow, of course, added in post-production.

As the song progresses, their camcorder footage starts to overlap, and by the song's end, Yukie Nakama's camera shows Ye Zhao slowly approaching her.

The director had no objections to Ye Zhao's concept, but Yukie Nakama felt uneasy. From Ye Zhao's description, she gathered it was a winter song, but as a native of Okinawa, she had never seen snow. "Is this really okay? For someone who's never seen snow to be the heroine of a winter song MV?"

"Absolutely. For example, you've never planted an apple tree—does that mean you can't eat apples?"

"That makes sense," Yukie Nakama nodded, accepting the reasoning. That innocent look was so adorable... Ye Zhao mused with a middle-aged man's sentiment, then said, "Hokkaido had its first snow recently. How about this winter break, I invite you and your family to Hokkaido for a holiday, so you can experience real snow?"

"Eh~" Yukie Nakama was tempted.

"It's settled then," Ye Zhao declared. "Leave your contact details and address later, I'll have Kamimura arrange everything. Consider it a token of thanks for agreeing to the MV. Honestly, you helped me out—finding a suitable actress last minute would have been tricky."

With the decision to shoot on location, Kamimura Yuuki hurried off to negotiate the venue. Meanwhile, Ye Zhao and his band completed the first MV shoot.

For the outdoor scenes, they used the area around Ye Zhao's residence in Sangenjaya. The shoot went smoothly; once in their roles, neither Ye Zhao nor Yukie Nakama encountered any of the mishaps they had worried about.

When filming wrapped, Ye Zhao handed Yukie Nakama a bouquet he had asked Kamimura to prepare in advance. "Thank you for your hard work. I hope we have the chance to collaborate again."

Yukie Nakama accepted the bouquet. "The honor is mine—to be part of your project, Mr. Ye Zhao."

Ye Zhao laughed, "I'm not that much older than you, no need to be so formal, just relax."

Yukie Nakama softly replied, "Mm." Ye Zhao didn't press further and went on to thank the crew.

...

With the MV completed, the next issue was the cover and inner pages of the single. For the cover, Ye Zhao again chose to feature Yukie Nakama—not out of some foolish desire to capture her youthful beauty, but simply to echo the MV and add a touch of mystery.

The final cover was a photo of Yukie Nakama holding a white rabbit and smiling at the camera; the rabbit was generously provided by a local Sangenjaya pet shop.

Since Ye Zhao planned to use the 12CM format, he needed a selection of photos for the inner pages. This time, he didn't refuse the BEING photographer's meticulous search for angles, patiently posing for nearly two hours, and then joined the team in picking out suitable shots from hundreds for the booklet.

When the MV was completed, technical limitations meant the snow looked utterly fake. Even so, the budget was fully spent—though, of course, that sum couldn't compare to a single sweat bead from a certain Hawaiian diva who burned down houses, or a certain unlucky woman who lounges in a bathtub of diamonds.

Incidentally, since this was an extra-budget shoot, ZYE ended up footing the bill.

Using the 12CM format increased costs, which in turn meant a higher retail price, threatening to erode the single's advantages—after all, in the 90s, affordability was one reason singles sold so well. After weighing everything, the single was priced at 1,165 yen—tax included.

Although BEING lacked media resources, they had a two-minute mini-program in the evening prime slot on TV Asahi called "NO.", dedicated to airing behind-the-scenes clips and short MVs of BEING artists in the studio. Once promotion began, Ye Zhao's first MV was sent there for broadcast.

As for the second MV with Yukie Nakama, Ye Zhao once again paid out of pocket, arranging via ZYE for it to be aired on MTV Japan.

Additionally, Takeda Shun tried to secure some variety show appearances for Ye Zhao, but with the company's current standing, it was difficult to get good slots. In the entertainment industry, twenty percent of people enjoy eighty percent of resources, while eighty percent fight over the remaining twenty percent.

Looking over the stack of miscellaneous offers Takeda handed him, Ye Zhao pondered, then set the papers down. "Mr. Takeda, I have an idea."

"An idea?"

"Let's all go on a trip together!"