PNB Chapter 21, "Medals," Released
Chapter 21, "Medals," Released
From November 3rd to November 11th, Gao Huan led his film crew to five cities.
Guangzhou, April 4.
The art studio in the villa at the foot of Baiyun Mountain faces south.
The curtains weren't fully closed, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps, drawing a thin golden line on the floor.
Ye Yunzhu stood in front of the easel, the canvas in front of her only had a rough background color, like the night sky, or like the deep sea.
A song was playing from the stereo.
The song "One Meat, One Vegetable," released on Gao Beibei's birthday, has a slow melody and light lyrics. It automatically switches to replay after one playback.
Ye Yunzhu paused for a moment while holding the paintbrush, then walked to the speaker.
"Gao Huan."
She turned the volume up two notches, stepped back in front of the easel, but the brush just wouldn't come down.
The unfinished eyes on the canvas, the pupils formed by the piled-up black paint, resembled a deep pool of water.
When "One Meat, One Vegetable" was replayed for the third time, she put down her paintbrush, picked up her phone, and found a number she hadn't dialed in a long time.
The note reads "Wei Dichun".
She answered the phone after it rang three times. The voice on the other end sounded cheerful, as if it had been waiting for her to call back.
"Yun Zhu? A rare visitor."
"Uncle Wei," Ye Yunzhu walked to the window, "has the song category for this year's Spring Festival Gala been finalized?"
"Still choosing, do you have any recommendations?"
Ye Yunzhu turned around; the song was still playing on the stereo.
She glanced at the unfinished eyes on the canvas and said, "I have a friend who sings very well. His songs are perfect for New Year's Eve."
After hanging up the phone, she put it on the table and picked up her paintbrush again.
This time, the brush tip landed on the canvas, as steadily as if she had never hesitated.
……
On the same day, in Chongqing.
Gao Huan rode his Ducati all the way from the hotel in Yubei to Bishan.
The mountain road was winding and sharp, and he completed the curve nearly twenty minutes faster than the navigation estimated. The roar of the engine left a long trail in the valley.
Zhang Xue's workshop was hidden at the end of an alley, with the roller shutter door half-closed and the roar of an angle grinder coming from inside.
Engine casings, wiring harnesses, and semi-finished vehicle frames were scattered on the ground, and tools were hanging on the walls.
Gao Huan parked the car at the entrance and turned off the engine.
The roller shutter door was pushed up from the inside, and Zhang Xue leaned half his body out.
He was in his early thirties, wearing a faded black T-shirt, with two oil stains on his hands that he hadn't had time to wash off.
"Brother Huan," Zhang Xue wiped his hands, "why did you come in person?"
"Let's see how the car modifications are going."
Zhang Xue stepped aside, and Gao Huan pushed the car into the workshop.
That Ducati was a nearly new Monster 1200S that he bought at the end of 2013.
Zhang Xue removed the original ECU and replaced it with a custom-programmed replacement computer; the intake and exhaust systems were completely rebuilt, the front suspension was stiffened, and the rear suspension was fitted with Olympus springs.
This was the first time Zhang Xue had taken on a modification project with such a large displacement engine. It took him nearly seven months and countless sleepless nights.
A few months ago, Zhang Xue left a message on Gao Huan's Weibo account, and his series of modification ideas were more thorough than those of many "professional technicians".
Gao Huan did not reply to the public message. Instead, he had Yangyang Jin obtain his contact information and had the Ducati transported from Beijing to Chongqing by trailer, entrusting it to this complete stranger.
This stranger was also the young man who would later earn the admiration of countless Chinese men who would say, "You're amazing."
The entire motorcycle community is laughing at him for being crazy.
Is it a joke that a celebrity would hire a small workshop owner to modify a motorcycle to be over 100 liters?
Gao Huan didn't say anything else at the time.
He only looked at Zhang Xue's handwritten proposal, which contained a dense list of modified parts, tuning data, and suspension geometry calculations.
Each page was drawn by someone hunched over a workbench using a ballpoint pen.
After Gao Huan finished reading, he returned the stack of papers to Yang Yangjin and said, "Tow truck."
In the workshop, the motorcycle was started, the instrument panel lit up, and the nearly 1,200 milliliters of displacement rolled low through the exhaust pipe.
Gao Huan got into the car, shifted gears, and started driving. Zhang Xue held up his phone and took a few seconds of photos.
There's no grand claim like "a completely self-designed prototype"; this is a modified car that he assembled step by step.
On his first trip, Gao Huan rode back and forth three times, circling the winding roads of Bishan.
When he returned to the workshop entrance, he took off his helmet and said only one sentence: "The fuel supply at the back end can be adjusted a bit more."
Zhang Xue didn't say anything, but squatted down and started tightening the screws.
As evening approached, the film crew arrived.
Gao Huan parked the motorcycle at the intersection of light and shadow—sunlight cut in from the top edge of the half-open roller shutter, gilding the motorcycle's outline with a sharp golden line.
There was no need to pose deliberately. He put on his helmet, got on the bike, started the engine, shifted gears, and the front of the bike lifted slightly the moment he twisted the accelerator.
Before the cameraman could even yell "Action," he followed Gao Huan for the entire two runs of the mountain road. The camera captured every frame of Gao Huan's shoulder almost scraping the asphalt as he bent over the bends.
When it was time to finish work, Zhang Xue stood at the entrance of the workshop, still clutching the wrench that had been used to tighten countless screws.
He stood silently for a long time, finally placing the wrench on the toolbox lid, turning and going into the house. He didn't say anything to express his gratitude.
For Zhang Xue, gratitude is never something he says aloud. The best way to express it is with the engine of a modified car, every screw, and every wire.
Moreover, Gao Huan signed off on every modified part of the car – “Suspension tuning: Zhang Xue; ECU program: Zhang Xue; Intake and exhaust system: Zhang Xue”.
Gao Huan included this scene in the music video.
He also kept a photo of Xue squatting on the ground adjusting the shock absorber on his phone.
At that moment, there was only the posture of a craftsman bowing over his own work.
That was in 2014. There were still many years to go before "Kayue Motorcycle" was launched and "Zhang Xue Motorcycle" truly launched a fully independently designed mass-produced motorcycle.
However, the bicycle Gao Huan was riding at that moment was modified by Zhang Xue, and it was running very well. That was enough.
Gao Huan got into the car, started the engine, and set off.
In the rearview mirror, the workshop lights gradually shrank into a small ball of light, and were finally completely blocked by the bend.
Those who haven't been seen yet will one day stand up on their own.
……
On the 5th, at the Kunming National Swimming Team Winter Training Base.
Sun Yang is in the water.
Gao Huan didn't disturb his training, but took several slow-motion shots of the splashing water through the glass of the pool.
Sunlight refracted through the water, creating fragmented spots of light that shimmered on the athletes' shoulders and backs like scales.
He stood by the pool for a while, then turned and left.
Some scenes don't require the main character to show their face; an underwater silhouette is enough.
……
Suzhou, June 6.
Zhang Zhilei had just returned from the United States not long ago.
In August 2014, he made his professional boxing debut in Nevada, ending a period of more than a year of training in the United States.
In the weight room, he was hitting the sandbag, his fists slamming against the canvas with a dull thud.
Gao Huan stood at the door for a while.
When a training session ended, Zhang Zhilei turned around, drenched in sweat, his boxing gloves still strapped on.
"You're the Gao Huan who played Baili Tusu? I've always heard you're incredibly handsome, but I didn't quite believe it. Seeing you in person, you really are! Are you also a boxing enthusiast?"
"Yes, I've always maintained a part-time training routine."
Zhang Zhilei smiled, somewhat skeptical, but nodded nonetheless.
Gao Huan did not respond.
The cameraman has already set up his equipment.
Zhang Zhilei didn't deliberately strike a pose; he just continued playing at his own pace.
The impact of the fist landing on the sandbag was so strong that even the camera lens could feel the vibration.
……
On the 8th, BJ.
National team diving training hall.
Guo Jingjing has been retired for three years, but her name and image are still posted on the honor wall of the training hall.
When Gao Huan found her, she did not refuse and stood on the diving board wearing a simple tracksuit.
No need to jump.
Gao Huan only needed to see her back as she stood at the end of the diving board, leaning slightly forward, at that subtle angle between her body and the water.
The cameraman zoomed in from the side, and Guo Jingjing's silhouette was reflected on the blue water, like a quiet statue.
……
On the 9th, BJ.
Zhang Weili came straight from the training hall, so rushed that she didn't even have time to drink water.
Her sports vest was soaked with sweat. After wiping away the sweat, Zhang Weili said to the camera, "Wait for me for a minute."
Then filming began.
Her punches were fast and frequent, and the sound of them hitting the target was like firecrackers.
The cameraman habitually asked her if she wanted a set of side lighting, and she said, "Whatever, you guys decide."
On the 10th, BJ.
Women's volleyball training base.
Zhu Ting was leading his team in spiking practice, the net swaying back and forth as it was hit. Gao Huan didn't let them stop for a posed photo, but instead took pictures of them training.
The arc of sweat being flung out, the taut arm muscles when spiking the ball, the action of getting up and brushing the dust off the knees after a diving save.
When Zhu Ting spiked the ball, the force was so great that even the net trembled.
At the moment Hui Ruoqi made the putback, Zhang Changning's hang time from the back row was longer than that of the male players.
The images of the nine people running on the field were edited into the last part of the music video.
……
On the 11th, BJ.
Gao Huan sat in front of the editing table, going through the footage from the past few days one by one.
Fan Zhendong's serve, Guo Jingjing's silhouette, Quan Hongchan's entry into the water, Zhang Weili and Zhang Zhilei's sandbags, the women's volleyball team's spikes...
Every frame is perfectly timed to the rhythm of "Medal".
The music arrangement was done by Li Ronghao.
After listening to Gao Huan sing it once in the recording studio, he didn't say "where to adjust," but went straight into the control room, put on his headphones, and listened to the entire track.
On the other side of the soundproof glass, Li Ronghao pressed the intercom button: "Try it again."
And then again.
When Gao Huan sang it for the fourth time, Li Ronghao put down the sheet music and turned up the master volume fader.
It wasn't until the sixth take that he looked up from the effects pedal and said, "You sang the harmonies yourself, so you don't need anyone to sing them for you."
At 2 a.m., the final version of the film was exported.
……
The Weibo account went live at 10 a.m. the next day.
Gao Huan's account released a new song and music video without any prior announcement or hype; he simply posted four words.
""medal"."
Then there are links.
This music video doesn't feature Lu Han's smoky makeup and love story from the original timeline of "Medal," but only shows people who have perfected their craft in their respective fields.
Their faces are the best dialogue.
……
11 month 12 day.
Weibo went live at 10:00 AM.
Gao Huan's account released a new song and music video without any prior announcement or promotion.
He only posted two words: "Medal".
The first line of the message below is dedicated to all those who strive for their dreams.
The first shot of the music video is a slow-motion shot of Fan Zhendong serving.
When the ball is tossed into the air, light passes through the edge of the ball, casting an almost invisible shadow.
The camera cuts to a silhouette of him swinging his racket in the training hall, his sweat dripping down and captured in slow motion.
Then there's the arc of Sun Yang turning in the water, and Guo Jingjing's determined look from above the diving platform.
The moment Zhang Weili's muscles tensed when she threw a punch, and Zhang Zhilei's composed gaze as he put on his boxing gloves.
The force of Zhu Ting's spike made the net strap tremble.
Every frame is cut to the drumbeat.
There were no lines, no plot, only the person and that action.
Fan Zhendong: Stepping off the podium, everything starts from scratch.
Guo Jingjing: Being demanding of myself is my only direction.
Zhang Weili: I don't care what others say, I only do what I want to do.
Zhang Zhilei: My fists are not for knocking down opponents, but for letting the world see us.
Sun Yang: Every breakthrough is the result of countless days and nights of hard work.
Zhu Ting: Volleyball isn't everything, but it's worth giving everything for.
There's also the line, "I only feel alive when the wind is in my ears," which reflects Gao Huan's feeling after riding Zhang Yu's modified motorcycle for a while.
The scene where he's wearing a motorcycle outfit and takes off his helmet is the moment with the most comments in the music video.
This also led to a widely circulated comment among fans and netizens: "I've never seen Leonardo DiCaprio in his twenties, but I've seen Gao Huan in his twenties!"
……
The final long shot of the music video shows the dome of the stadium.
Morning light streamed through the glass curtain wall, dividing the empty stands into blocks of light and shadow.
There were no slogans, no emotional appeals.
There is only a group of people who live their passions as a daily routine.
By noon on the 12th, the number of reposts had exceeded 500,000.
At 2 PM, #MedalMV# became the number one trending topic.
By 6 p.m., the topic had garnered over 500 million views.
The volume of comments flooding the comment section exceeded everyone's expectations.
It wasn't just Happy Stars who cheered for this song; fans of athletes came, sports bloggers came, and ordinary viewers came, bringing their own experiences, memories, and feelings.
Those scenes that could only be seen in stadiums were brought to a wider audience through the music video.
"What is Gao Huan's song about? It's about Fan Zhendong's shoulders at seventeen, Sun Yang's underwater breathing, and Zhu Ting's taut shoulder blades when he spikes the ball."
It's about everyone who's relentlessly dedicated to their field.
"I watched the music video three times and cried each time."
"I broke through the defenses of the dome of the last stadium."
A prominent sports blogger posted a long article, the last sentence of which was: "Gao Huan is no ordinary person."
Fan Zhendong himself reposted it, with just two words in the caption: "It sounds good."
Deng Yaping reposted it, writing: "This is the best music video I've ever seen about athletes. Gao Huan, thank you."
Even more unexpectedly, the official account of CCTV Sports Channel also reposted it:
"This is the most moving sports music video of the year. Every athlete deserves a medal."
……
After posting on Weibo, Gao Huan tossed his phone aside.
Yangyang Jin rushed in and said, "The Coffin in the Mountain has surpassed 500 million." He grunted in response, without looking up, still reading the script for Brotherhood of Blades in his hand.
He released the mouse and leaned back in his chair.
After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, I picked up my phone, opened NetEase Cloud Music, and clicked on the comment section of "Medal".
Scroll down and you'll find a post with over 700 likes.
"I am a table tennis player. I have been training for twelve years, but I have never made it into the provincial team."
My parents have always felt that I'm wasting my time.
I retired today.
Hearing this song, I feel like these past twelve years have been worthwhile.
Gao Huan stared at the comment for a few seconds.
He put his phone face down on the table, stood up, and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the sky over Beijing reflects a day in constant motion for many.
Just like what Fan Zhendong said in the training hall: "After stepping off the podium, everything starts from zero."