Chapter 110: Was This Also Within Your Calculations?

“Zhou Yi, the MV shooting dates in mainland China have all been coordinated. The team for ‘Jiangnan’ has already gone to Jiangxi Province for location scouting.”

“The team for ‘Drifting Northward’ has also gone ahead to the capital for shooting; Tan Jing from the Youth Singing Competition has already adjusted her vocal delivery on the hook of this song according to your request—the effect is quite good—”

After Zhou Yi signed the contract with Anta, Qian Jiang was about to approach him to discuss the progress of this crucial second album when he opened the door to the dressing room and saw Zhou Yi being chased around like a madman by Sun Yanzi.

Blinking, Qian Jiang chose to ignore the signal Zhou Yi sent him as both pairs of eyes turned toward him. His left foot, just inside the door, quietly retreated, and he silently stepped back, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Zhou Yi: “...”

Sun Yanzi, a cruel smile returning to her face, mimicked a villain from a wuxia drama by licking her lips exaggeratedly, then curled her fingers into a claw and lunged at Zhou Yi, who had nowhere left to dodge.

A few minutes later, Qian Jiang, pretending to read documents outside the dressing room, heard the door open. He looked up to see Sun Yanzi stomping out, muttering curses. Her shoulder decorations hung loosely, and her chin-length hair looked slightly disheveled.

Seeing Qian Jiang still waiting outside, Sun Yanzi froze for a moment, then quickly fixed her hair, cleared her throat awkwardly, nodded at him, and then dashed off on swift legs.

Qian Jiang strolled forward with a smile, about to push the door open, but seemed to remember something and instead tapped lightly on it with his fingers—

“Tap tap tap.”

“Come in.”

As the dressing room door opened and Qian Jiang stepped inside, he glanced at Zhou Yi, who was sitting on the sofa tidying up pillows and other “weapons,” and grinned like a Maitreya Buddha: “Who won?”

“Even if I let her use one hand, she still couldn’t beat me.”

Zhou Yi flicked his hair, which had grown slightly longer over time, with disdain: “Do you even understand what absolute domination means?”

He was 1.83 meters tall and weighed 82 kilograms—crushing Sun Yanzi, who was only 1.62 meters tall and weighed less than 100 jin, was child’s play.

“Although I really don’t want to interrupt your victory reverie, how’s the production of your second album’s songs going?”

After placing the files on the coffee table in front of Zhou Yi, Qian Jiang seriously updated him on his own progress: “Cai Zhuoyan and Zhong Xintong from Hong Kong have already cleared their schedules and are ready to participate in your MV shoot.”

“No problem—the filming for ‘Big City, Little Love’ was nearly finished before the Golden Melody Awards, and it should already be in post-production.”

Recalling the completed album tracks and MVs, Zhou Yi stretched his neck and took a sip of water: “They can come anytime—I’ve already finished producing ‘The Mermaid’ and ‘Back-to-Back Hug.’”

“OK, I’ll let Emperor Entertainment know.”

Qian Jiang nodded: “Are you shooting these two songs in mainland China or on Baodao?”

“Mainland. The Golden Melody Awards are already over here on Baodao, and I can’t appear on any shows anyway—filming MVs here comes with restrictions: you can’t shoot here, you can’t shoot there—it’s pointless.”

Zhou Yi frowned slightly: “Going back to the mainland is perfect—I still need to return to school to graduate. Oh, by the way, Qian Shu, please sue all the media outlets that have spread rumors about me over the past six months—I need case studies for my graduation thesis.”

“...”

Qian Jiang’s eyes widened in shock at this unexpected request: “Wait, you’re serious?”

“What else would I be? They’ve feasted on my traffic for half a year, sold newspapers and magazines like crazy—now I’m just collecting a little compensation. What’s wrong with that?”

Zhou Yi crossed his legs calmly and glanced at the newspapers on the corner of the coffee table: “Remember to include the rumor-spreading media on Baodao too. Since I can’t promote myself here to maintain momentum, I’ll use lawsuits to make my fans know I’m releasing a new album.”

“Also, don’t settle the lawsuits here on Baodao too quickly—drag them out, create some back-and-forth, and keep releasing new developments so other media here will naturally chase the story.”

“Extending the heat of this news cycle benefits me—I’m the real beneficiary.”

Backed by Warner, in a lawsuit, he was the one who could afford to wait. Warner’s legal team would handle everything—he just needed to cooperate when necessary.

This way, his face would appear frequently in Baodao’s major newspaper reports, which, in a way, was a roundabout form of salvation.

Moreover, Baodao couldn’t do anything about it, because he was using their own legal system to sue those rumor-spreading media.

Unless Baodao was so shameless it refused to recognize its own laws.

“Oh, by the way, go recruit those stars who’ve been viciously smeared by the media. Tell them I’m young and hot-headed, can’t take this injustice, and am willing to be the first to strike back at malicious media—they just need to publicly support me when I rise.”

“Later, we can turn it into a petition campaign—Baodao loves these kinds of things, so I’ll play their own game.”

“And once the lawsuit gains momentum, make sure the publicity shifts toward framing it as an ‘Entertainment Industry News Environment Purification Campaign’—think bigger, win more support.”

“From top-tier stars in the entertainment industry down to ordinary fans—these are all potential allies I can rally behind me.”

“And once this becomes a tide, even if someone in the industry dislikes me, they’ll stay silent to enjoy the victory’s rewards after the lawsuit and public opinion tip in my favor.”

“After all, they’re tired of those baseless fake news stories too.”

Making a fist, Zhou Yi chuckled wryly: “In this unequal lawsuit, their silence is the same as helping me.”

“...”

Qian Jiang suddenly felt a chill crawl up his scalp. He licked his dry lips and confirmed again: “But if you do this, aren’t you cutting yourself off from the entire media industry?”

“No, no, no—these people aren’t nearly as united as you think. Besides, what normal exposure channels do I even have left on Baodao?”

Zhou Yi raised his right hand and shook his index finger, rejecting his manager’s conclusion: “The rumor-spreading media in mainland China? I’m only targeting them for my thesis—I’ll go easy.”

“In Hong Kong, just put on a show—you can even buy them off and get them to interview me during the lawsuit, portraying me as a victim. Their media industry is more advanced and better for shaping my image.”

“Once the lawsuit explodes, it becomes a hot topic—and for sales, they’ll happily let me manipulate them. Not to mention Emperor Entertainment still has a partnership with us—they’re the top group in Hong Kong.”

“Only on Baodao.”

“I have nothing to lose here—what do I fear? I just need to rally some mainland and Hong Kong media, suppress some Baodao media, and maintain a minimum level of exposure here during the album’s initial release.”

“Besides, I’m only targeting the media outlets that spread rumors about me—suing them is my legal right under modern law—reasonable, justified, and lawful.”

“Who can say I’m wrong?”

“And if I maintain momentum on Baodao, my album sales can ride this wave and surge against the odds there. For the company, this is meat they absolutely won’t let go.”

“Compared to my album sales, the legal team’s fees and time spent are negligible, aren’t they?”

“...”

Qian Jiang swallowed hard, his gaze complex as he stared at the man before him—who hadn’t even turned twenty: “Have you been planning this all along? That’s why you never bothered dealing with the rumors about you before.”

(End of Chapter)