Chapter 119: The Jiangnan Talent Still Lives (Fifth Watch)

The Sanction of Law!

Zhou Yi Arrives in Taiwan! Fans Riot! Court Steps Turned into Fan Meeting Venue!

Reflections on the Zhou Yi Incident: Purifying the Social Public Opinion Environment Is Urgent!

The Pioneer of the Young Generation: Zhou Yi!

Law Student Zhou Yi: Vanguard of the Legal Front!

……

On June 18, after Zhou Yi made a grand appearance in Taiwan to attend a trial requiring his personal presence, public opinion across the entire island exploded instantly.

The photo of Zhou Yi standing atop the courthouse steps, looking down upon a crowd of Taiwanese reporters, was wildly circulated; his unyielding, arrogant aura nearly spilled out of the frame, making it unforgettable after just one glance.

The brazen phrase "If you're not bold in your youth, what's the point?" became a popular saying among Taiwanese youth within a single day.

Especially among viewers of Meteor Garden.

Zhou Yi's defiant demeanor resembled a fusion of certain characters from Meteor Garden; for them, seeing an entertainment idol frequently appear in legal news was so absurd it left a deep impression.

As many followed Zhou Yi's journey, some emotionally sensitive female fans joined his camp, raising banners and shouting in his support—

Idol dramas are fake, but Zhou Yi is real!

Zhou Yi is a living person!

Zhou Yi had been suppressed by Taiwan: he couldn't promote his album, appear on shows, or perform on stage; now, he had to travel here during the launch period of his new album just to sue the media for defamation.

He staked everything—even if he lost, he had no regrets and refused any settlement.

What an arduous journey! What an indomitable spirit!

This was literally an idol drama come to life!

Under Warner's invisible hand, topics like "Sympathize with Zhou Yi," "Zhou Yi Deserves It," and "Idol Drama Come to Life" were deliberately attached to Zhou Yi, who appeared deeply wronged.

As a result, the idol drama craze sparked by Meteor Garden was forcibly hijacked by Zhou Yi—

On music charts, this manifested as "Jiangnan," "Back-to-Back Hug," and "Love in a Big City" climbing steadily on every ranking list.

With a massive influx of female fans, "Love in a Big City" overtook "Jiangnan," dethroned "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "The Love You Want," surged to number one, and began challenging "Meteor Shower" by F4.

Chai Zhiping, who had never imagined such a tactic could work, stared in stunned silence.

Who the hell at Warner is handling Zhou Yi's marketing? This actually works?

Are you kidding? Just because Zhou Yi never acted in an idol drama, he still gets its popularity? He's just good-looking!

Don't be fooled! He's only done music videos!

Thanks to his outstanding performance as a villainous idol-drama boyfriend in "Love Me or Him," contrasted sharply with his sweet singing in "Love in a Big City," and fueled by his handsome face and striking physique constantly appearing on legal news pages, Zhou Yi pulled off an astonishingly unconventional promotion during his peak popularity.

At this moment, veteran record labels like Rock Records, PolyGram, and EMI, as well as TV production companies like Qiong Yao and Chai Zhiping, were utterly stunned by Warner's utterly irrational yet wildly effective marketing strategy.

And no one could replicate it.

Because Zhou Yi's hardships were real—he simply turned them into opportunities. No other mainland singer had the capital to pull this off, because he already had a massive, unmatched popularity before being blacklisted.

Taiwan was also stunned.

They thought banning him from entertainment sections was enough, but Zhou Yi turned himself into a legal figure.

Ban him? He came to sue for defamation, not to promote his work; every harsh word he spoke targeted only the media that spread lies about him;

Don't ban him? Then he's constantly flashing his face—left, right, back and forth, over and over again…

They wanted to catch Warner manipulating public opinion, but General Manager Zhou Jianhui personally intervened; even if anyone suspected Warner had bribed those "overinterpreting" media outlets, they found zero evidence, and could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yi kept flashing his face on the legal pages every day.

"He really is—Heaven itself is making him famous."

This legal storm, now known nationwide, drew attention far beyond Taiwan's entertainment circle. Entertainment giants from the mainland and Hong Kong, upon hearing the outcome, were left speechless.

Especially Hong Kong's entertainment industry, deeply superstitious about feng shui, nearly elevated Zhou Yi to the status of a "God of Wealth."

One tabloid's description of Zhou Yi was most apt, winning widespread approval, especially from housewives who bought his photo albums—

"Zhou Yi, the Son of Heaven! The Purple Micro Star Descended from the Heavens!"

Exactly!

Zhou Yi must be the Son of Heaven!

The absurd, mystical claims were so over-the-top even Zhou Yi himself found them hard to look at.

In contrast to Taiwan and Hong Kong's reactions and rivals, on the mainland, Zhou Yi was unquestionably dominant—

Mainland's hottest singers and groups—Hua'er Band, Xu Wei, Yu Quan, Wang Feng, who left Baojiajie to join Warner—all were crushed under Zhou Yi's shadow.

On China's Pop Music Chart, Zhou Yi's "Jiangnan" sat firmly at number one; the next eight positions were all his own songs; only Yu Quan barely clung to number ten—a scene unprecedented in history.

To achieve total domination, mainland Zhou Yi fans pushed even harder to knock Yu Quan off the chart entirely.

After all, compared to Taiwan with Meteor Garden and Hong Kong with Xie Tingfeng, charting on the mainland this year was far easier.

Yu Quan had no TV drama boost; even together, their faces couldn't match Zhou Yi's looks, so their popularity naturally lagged far behind.

Especially with the explosive success of "Jiangnan."

As a song that appealed to all ages, it expanded Zhou Yi's audience; the elegant "Dongfeng Po" was a delightful surprise.

On the mainland, "Dongfeng Po" received far greater attention than in Taiwan or Hong Kong, ranking third on China's Pop Music Chart, behind only "Jiangnan" and "Love in a Big City."

What Zhou Yi never expected was a report from the Jiang Xi Youth Daily—"The Jiangnan Talent Still Lives."

"In Zhou Yi's depiction, the poetic Jiangnan—misty rain, blue-brick lanes, small bridges over flowing streams, green waters and verdant mountains—has been reborn."

"Mount Lu, Poyang Lake, Mount Sanqing…"

"The millennia-honored beauty of Jiangnan now shines brightly under the lens of this new-century Jiangnan talent…"

As an officially inclined newspaper, the deputy editor of Youth Daily writing this praise was effectively an official endorsement of Zhou Yi's promotion of his hometown's scenery in his music video.

According to statistics from tourism bureaus across Jiang Xi, the number of visitors to the scenic spots featured in Zhou Yi's music video rose noticeably in the past half-month.

Jiangnan-born, Jiangnan scenery, song titled "Jiangnan."

Buffed to maximum.

The neighbor, Su Hang, watched with envious eyes.

Damn it, we are in the Jiangnan region too!

PS: Fifth watch! Praise me!

(End of this chapter)