[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty":3,"chapter-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-100":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The King of 2000: A Mandopop Dynasty",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2301356,4501,"Chapter 100: The Real Rival","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-100",100,"\u003Cp>“What? I haven’t even dated anyone—what’s this about bringing someone home or not? It’s way too early. Mom and Dad, stop worrying about this—I’ve got my own plans. That’s all, I’m hanging up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Baodao, in Zhou Yi’s “luxury dorm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, who had just received a call from his parents early in the morning, felt a headache coming on and quickly explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This latest scandal had gotten big enough that even his parents back home had heard about it and called specifically to ask if Sun Yanzi was the girl they’d seen at last year’s Global Chinese Music Chart Awards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a bit absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You and Sun Yanzi are both too famous now—any rumor between you two is bound to cause this kind of commotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang, his agent, sat neatly groomed on a single-seater sofa in the living room. After Zhou Yi finished his call and stepped in through the balcony’s floor-to-ceiling window, he smiled reassuringly: “But the company has already moved in—this effect will fade soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hope so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sighing, Zhou Yi plopped onto the large sofa and stared up at the creamy ceiling, grimacing: “Sun Yanzi really got dragged into this unfairly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself didn’t care about gossip, but Sun Yanzi did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, if he ever played up rumors, he always stuck to the principle of mutual consent—it went against his values.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just need to be more careful in the future, especially when meeting Xiao Yaxuan or Fan Bing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the only two women in all Zhou Yi’s rumors with 100% authenticity, Qian Jiang still reminded him: “Learn from your mistakes—the paparazzi are truly impossible to guard against.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not just you—even Jackie Chan gets caught now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Qian Jiang laid several newspapers and tabloids on the table in front of Zhou Yi—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank Jackie Chan—he’s stolen a lot of the spotlight from you and Sun Yanzi with his and Zhang Ziyi’s story.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jackie Chan? Zhang Ziyi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, still processing, lowered his gaze to the newspapers on the coffee table—the color spread showed Zhang Ziyi kissing Jackie Chan’s cheek, the background lavish, clearly some banquet setting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flipping through, there were multiple crystal-clear photos—all featuring Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi, their postures intimate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of these photos, Zhou Yi instantly remembered why he’d made an excuse to decline Jackie Chan’s birthday party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s that? If even Jackie Chan got caught, can you finally relax?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang chuckled: “This new paparazzo named Zhuo Wei is seriously good—he managed to sneak into Jackie Chan’s 47th birthday party and got close-up shots of Zhang Ziyi and Jackie Chan. No one in the paparazzi world has ever heard of him before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Supposedly he’s from the mainland—no one knows who trained him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi skimmed the articles, a faint smile on his lips: “No need for ‘supposedly’—he’s mainland. He just landed a huge scoop on his debut—he’s probably famous now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The future number-one mainland paparazzo really had skills. If he remembered right, Zhuo Wei had even leaked something about him last year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But last year, Zhuo Wei was clearly inexperienced—he couldn’t tell truth from fiction and just followed his Hong Kong seniors in publishing a pile of fake news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A bottle of champagne worth nearly twenty thousand yuan, just poured straight into Zhang Ziyi’s mouth—wow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he’d seen it once, Qian Jiang still marveled at the extravagance of Jackie Chan’s birthday party—this was only the tip of the iceberg Zhuo Wei had exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now the media everywhere is criticizing Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi—your and Sun Yanzi’s rumor has been buried.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the real international superstar Jackie Chan; the other was Zhang Ziyi, who’d just made a name for herself in Hollywood with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Both were long-established figures in the domestic film industry—their scandal stirred up serious waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thankfully you didn’t go—if you had, you’d have been dragged into the criticism too.” Seeing Zhou Yi still studying those “masterpieces,” Qian Jiang smiled: “You’ve got the luck no one else can match.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackie Chan had invited Zhou Yi to his 47th birthday party—he’d even tried to convince Zhou Yi to go, since they were already collaborating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Yi had been busy filming the Coca-Cola commercial and told Jackie Chan he couldn’t get away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back, it was clearly a wise choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi casually tossed the newspapers into the trash and smiled without speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he hadn’t been filming the Coca-Cola ad, he’d have found another excuse to decline Jackie Chan’s invitation. After all, Zhang Ziyi’s scandal was Zhuo Wei’s ticket to fame—he had no interest in showing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, by the way—will your parents come to this year’s Golden Melody Awards? If so, I’ll book their tickets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, please, thank you, Uncle Qian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his first Golden Melody Awards—he knew his parents, with nothing else going on, would want to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if he didn’t feel confident he’d win at least one award, he wouldn’t have bothered making them travel so far—they’d be more comfortable at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his parents put it, they’d missed last year’s Top Ten Chinese Golden Melody Awards because of the upcoming New Year, so they couldn’t miss this one on Baodao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their son winning his first award on Baodao—of course they had to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem, I—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhou Yi, what’d you make for breakfast? If you didn’t, I’ll just have my assistant—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Qian Jiang finished, Xiao Yaxuan stepped out of the bedroom in a pink silk robe. Seeing him, she paused, then smiled and nodded: “Morning, Uncle Qian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I already bought breakfast for you two—eat it while it’s hot. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her attire, Qian Jiang instantly understood how Zhou Yi had spent last night. He stood up with a grin: “Oh, by the way—if you’re free this afternoon, come to the office. Wang Xinling’s ready for the ‘Big City, Little Love’ music video audition—she and her agent are both on Baodao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“OK.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving Qian Jiang an OK gesture, Xiao Yaxuan, yawning, slumped onto the empty single sofa and eyed the breakfast on the table: “Your agent’s actually pretty decent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He came out of Hong Kong’s golden era of entertainment—what hasn’t he seen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, noncommittal, reached out and took the chopsticks she tossed him: “You, on the other hand, look like you haven’t eaten in days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t start—I still have a sore waist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yaxuan rolled her eyes at him: “Wonder who the poor soul will be that marries you someday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s one-sided.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi smiled, broke his chopsticks, and started eating, then flipped on the TV news with the remote.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On screen, the first thing to appear was his Coca-Cola commercial—“Don’t Listen to Slow Songs When You’re Heartbroken.” As the opening notes played, Xiao Yaxuan, seated on the single sofa, swayed gently to the rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rhythmic grace made Zhou Yi envious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In dancing, Xiao Yaxuan was truly gifted—her sense of rhythm and movement was top-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Love Is Deep, Rain Is Heavy’ is really popular lately—I see Gu Juji’s ‘I Really, Really Want’ is starting to threaten your chart position.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the year’s hottest Qiong Yao drama follow the commercial, Xiao Yaxuan, chewing her chopsticks, sounded almost gleeful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her “Love’s Main Theme” had held the top spot on every music chart—Gu Juji’s drama boost hadn’t budged it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her view, Zhou Yi’s ad song holding off “I Really, Really Want” for nearly five days was already insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Love Is Deep, Rain Is Heavy’ doesn’t threaten me on Baodao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi snorted at that, showing zero concern for the Qiong Yao drama. ‘Love Is Deep, Rain Is Heavy’ wouldn’t air on the mainland until September—by then, his second album would be out, his mainland momentum solid, and Gu Juji couldn’t possibly dethrone “Jiangnan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, his biggest rival this year was the idol drama ‘Meteor Garden,’ airing late April—F4 would explode across Asia from it alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on Baodao, he probably wouldn’t even be their rival—it was just too overpowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the mainland, though, he might stand a chance—since the drama would be banned there by March 2002, he’d win by default.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem really confident about your new album—got any demos? Let me hear one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhou Yi barely glance at Gu Juji, Xiao Yaxuan eagerly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do—but they’re at the office. Want to come with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Nah, forget it. You’ve just gotten some attention diverted by Jackie Chan—I don’t want to drag you back into the spotlight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sneaking over to check on Zhou Yi’s mood was already the limit of Xiao Yaxuan’s recklessness. Push it further, and her mentor Yao Qian might have a stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing breakfast, Xiao Yaxuan, now disguised, left his house and got into her assistant’s car, heading straight for the office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, after tidying up, boarded the company’s chauffeured car and headed for Warner’s office building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, while recording, Zhou Yi received a call from Qian Jiang. He went downstairs and met Wang Xinling, one of the future “Four Greats and Three Little Ones”—the Sweetheart Queen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, I’m Wang Xinling. Thank you so much for giving me this chance—I’m truly grateful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xinling, still unknown, was visibly excited meeting Zhou Yi—like a fan meeting her idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ps: Overtime isn’t over—still two more updates to go. After work, I’ll be too tired and probably just pass out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ps2: I’ll make up the two missing updates tomorrow. After tonight’s overtime, I’m off tomorrow—four updates.\u003C\u002Fp>",1582,"2026-06-20T07:33:41.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bf5d7196a9ed7375c3d79cb2dcc504c339732f914632f572117b4923fa9ae57a","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-101","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-99",883,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-cover.jpg"]