Chapter 112: Take Me as the Standard

《When Tolerance Ends, No More Tolerance! Xiao Tianwang Zhou Yi’s Counterattack!》

《Say No to Rumors, Declare War on the Rumormongers!》

《Zhou Yi: Youthful Arrogance Is Not a Derogatory Term to Me》

《……》

On May 11, after the Warner Music Golden Melody Awards celebration, interviews featuring Zhou Yi were released en masse by major island media eager to ride the hype.

His unpretentious, sharp demeanor instantly won the support of countless young listeners who had only ever listened to his songs, drawing massive attention and controversy.

Zhou Yi, who had just solidified his position as Xiao Tianwang by winning his fourth Golden Melody Award, was already at peak popularity; add to that the photos from the 9th showing Sun Yanzi’s driver outside his residential compound, and the news of him meeting her family had already surfaced—rumors of the “Twin Stars” romance were everywhere.

Suddenly launching a legal campaign against every media outlet that spread rumors was baffling to many.

For how many years now, since the entertainment industry emerged in the mainland, has spreading gossip or fabricating rumors not been standard practice?

Besides, it was just a rumor—nothing else was circulated.

Angering the media too severely is truly unnecessary for artists who rely on exposure; after all, the pen is still in their hands.

Immediately after the reports surfaced, artists close to Zhou Yi—Zhou Jielun, Xiao Yaxuan, and Zhang Shaohan—called to inquire about the specifics.

Unlike the two women, Zhou Jielun first let out an exaggerated cry of admiration for Zhou Yi’s “fearless defiance” against paparazzi media, then pragmatically advised him not to sue, suggesting instead that a lawyer’s letter and private settlement would suffice.

“There’s no need to go this far, Zhou Yi. Paparazzi are annoying, but dragging this out will drain your energy.”

Though Zhou Jielun, who himself suffered greatly from paparazzi, wholeheartedly admired Zhou Yi’s hardline stance, he couldn’t help but reason: “You’ve already lost many exposure channels on the island. If you alienate every media outlet willing to write about you, it will severely hurt your album sales.”

“Is there a chance that if I hurt them badly enough, they’ll resent me and become even more relentless in hunting for dirt and tracking my news?”

Leaning against the black railing of his balcony, Zhou Yi spat out a grape seed, looked up at the distant sky, and smiled faintly: “And even if things get worse, how much worse could my public image possibly get here?”

“……”

Not just Zhou Jielun—even Sun Yanzi, Xiao Yaxuan, and Zhang Shaohan—were all left speechless by Zhou Yi’s words.

Something felt off, but no one could articulate why.

Because her rented apartment was nearby, Sun Yanzi arrived at Zhou Yi’s place immediately after hanging up the phone—

“Zhou Yi, honestly, I think your company should just issue a lawyer’s letter to make your stance clear.”

As another victim of rumors, Sun Yanzi, watching Zhou Yi stir up the public discourse step by step, ultimately ignored her manager Chen Zeshan’s warning and came in person to dissuade him.

She genuinely feared he’d be crushed on the island—this was going to court; one misstep could mean total ruin.

“Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

Smiling as he opened the door for her and washed some fruit, Zhou Yi sat down and recounted the plan he and Qian Jiang had devised.

Due to fears that uncooperative media might sabotage the marketing, the operation’s confidentiality level was extremely high—only Zhou Jianhui, Zhou Yi himself, and Qian Jiang knew.

Now, Sun Yanzi was added to the list.

“……You’re really too reckless.”

After hearing the plan, Sun Yanzi gasped, eyes wide: “Who ever uses something like this for promotion? You might lose your entire market here.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you’re seeing now?”

Zhou Yi shrugged, placing the fruit platter on the coffee table, unconcerned.

This was just the beginning.

It was time to give the young, new-generation paparazzi a masterclass in marketing.

On May 13, 2001, according to Warner’s official announcement, Zhou Yi, having returned to the capital, filed lawsuits against mainland media outlets that spread false rumors about him.

Due to their inexperience, the mainland media had left too many loopholes in their false reports, which Warner’s seasoned legal team easily uncovered and used to bring them to court.

Once the news broke, every media and entertainment circle across the mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan understood: this young musical prodigy was serious.

He wasn’t joking.

True to form, on May 15, Warner’s legal team struck again in Taiwan and Hong Kong, filing lawsuits against the first batch of paparazzi and media outlets whose loopholes had been identified.

On the same day, back in the capital, Zhou Yi began writing his graduation thesis—using his own cases as examples.

It was the most hardcore, and by far the most valuable, university thesis in the history of China’s entertainment industry.

No matter what he was accused of, he could confidently say, “Take me as the standard.”

“Zhou Yi, hello.”

On the set of the “Drifting North” MV, Tan Jing, from the General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe, met Zhou Yi, the rising Xiao Tianwang, and smiled politely: “I’m honored to work with you.”

“Tan Jie, you’re too kind. I should be the one saying that—you’re a talent from the General Political Department. I still have much to learn from your vocal technique; I hope you won’t find me too clumsy.”

Meeting the future Tan Jing Demon King for the first time, Zhou Yi smiled humbly.

Even this version of Tan Jing, fresh off her Qingge Sai popular singing gold medal, could easily outperform him in vocal skill alone.

No matter how good his abilities, he was still a self-taught amateur. Had Warner not intervened and altered his path, he’d likely still be planning something else.

“No, no—you’re the real Xiao Tianwang. That’s too much praise; we just walk different paths.”

Finding this younger brother surprisingly polite, Tan Jing chuckled, then, remembering his public feud with rumor-spreading media, couldn’t help asking out of concern: “Is your current situation affecting your MV shoot?”

“Of course not. The company will handle it.”

Zhou Yi felt zero pressure—he’d already played it light on the mainland, used Hong Kong for a high-profile collaboration, and planned to strike hard in Taiwan.

After all, he could promote freely on the mainland and in Hong Kong.

Shooting the “Drifting North” MV was effortless for Zhou Yi—it was just walking down streets in the capital.

After forming a simple friendship with Tan Jing, Zhou Yi wrapped up the “Drifting North” MV in two days and headed straight to Jiangxi Province, to Mount Lu.

For him, the real challenge on this album was the lead single, “Jiangnan.”

The original MV for “Jiangnan” was impossible to reference—Lin Junjie had simply sung sitting in a drainage ditch. It was precisely because of this abstract MV that Lin Junjie later earned the nickname “Drainage Ditch God.”

Zhou Yi certainly couldn’t do the same.

Since Jiangxi was historically part of Jiangnan and still held numerous untouched, pristine natural sites, Zhou Yi decided to turn his “Jiangnan” MV into a scenic tourism promotion.

The plot was simple: a romantic story set in a Jiangnan water village.

The female lead, Liu Tao, wore two modern outfits and two period costumes—

In the ancient storyline: a scholarly scholar and a beautiful maiden;

In the modern storyline: tourists on a spring outing, strangers at first glance.

They met across both timelines at locations like Mount Lu, Mount Sanqing, Tengwang Pavilion, Wugong Mountain, Longhu Mountain, and Poyang Lake.

Alternating between ancient and modern scenes, the breathtaking Jiangnan landscapes created a sense of fated reincarnation between lovers.

Most importantly, to embody the lyric “round circles, round circles,” he had the crew capture the ripples formed when droplets fell onto the surface of Poyang Lake.

As the sun set and the sky met the water, the ripples glowing under the twilight glow were breathtaking.

PS: Came back late from late-night snacks~

One more chapter~

(End of Chapter)