Chapter 15: The Young Boss Zhou Crawling Down the Hallway

A properly tailored, form-fitting outfit traced the woman's curvy, fiery figure; her height, estimated at just over one meter sixty, and her pretty face still beaded with sweat perfectly illustrated the iron-clad entertainment industry adage that "a rosy complexion nourishes a person."

The fashion and sexiness he had not yet seen on Sun Yanzi or Zhang Shaohan at this time caught Zhou Yi's attention instinctively, and he promptly introduced himself in a friendly manner: "Hello, Miss Xiao, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Xiao Yaxuan — in the early 2000s, the only woman who had dominated the young female singer charts before Sun Yanzi burst onto the scene.

Debuting at the end of 1999, her first solo album, produced and released by Virgin Music, took only a week to cut down a host of established heavyweights as a newcomer.

As of now, sales of her debut album were already hurtling toward the 500,000-unit mark.

That was a terrifying number.

At a time when piracy had already begun hammering the physical record industry, a newcomer selling several hundred thousand copies in the Treasure Island alone — that was a bona fide overnight sensation.

Of course, for many netizens of later generations who had never seen her at her peak, their only two impressions of Xiao Yaxuan were probably just the title "Little Fresh Meat Harvester" and the legendary commercial-performance moment of "I say hey, you say hey."

In fact, up until 2005, Xiao Yaxuan was the second most popular among the so-called Four Big and Three Small, trailing only Sun Yanzi. Her representative works — "The Most Familiar Stranger," "The Brilliance of One Person," "Love's Theme Song," and so on — were all released during these few years, and could truly be said to have blazed across every street and alley.

"Love's Theme Song" especially.

Among the so-called Four Big and Three Small, Xiao Yaxuan was actually the first to become hugely popular with a singing-and-dancing style.

This also explains why, when Cai Yilin later transformed into a singing-and-dancing act and rocketed past her, parts of her fanbase and parts of Xiao Yaxuan's fanbase ended up forming opposing camps.

"No, it's fine — I've already finished practicing, otherwise I wouldn't have come out."

As the first A-list superstar Zhou Yi had encountered since arriving in Treasure Island, Xiao Yaxuan didn't put on any airs just because the current Zhou Yi was a nobody; instead, she kindly offered him a piece of advice: "If you're here to practice dancing, I'd suggest you change out of that outfit first — the changing room is in 302."

A T-shirt and jeans combo did work well in everyday life, but wearing it to practice dancing was a bit much to ask.

Anyone who could find their way here to practice was either a rising star the company had its eye on or a big shot in the industry, and looking at Zhou Yi's young, unfamiliar face, Xiao Yaxuan figured casually making a small goodwill gesture probably wouldn't be a problem.

As everyone knew, she, Xiao Yaxuan, was a face-con.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Miss Xiao."

Facing this popular female singer's goodwill, Zhou Yi returned a polite smile: "But this is actually my first time here. Today I'm mainly just getting familiar with the place — I probably won't need to practice dancing."

"First time here? Are you a Warner newcomer?"

Xiao Yaxuan hadn't forgotten that the staff had introduced Zhou Yi as being from Warner, and she was a little curious.

As Virgin Records' undisputed top girl nowadays, Xiao Yaxuan, who had already debuted over half a year ago, naturally had a grasp on the industry's ecosystem.

But as far as she knew, wasn't the newcomer Warner was pushing this year a girl?

How did it become a guy?

A smokescreen from Warner?

"Yes."

"No wonder — I was wondering why I felt like I hadn't seen you before."

Xiao Yaxuan nodded and didn't press further; after all, pressing further would touch on Warner's record-label strategy. She then, out of habit, offered a kind word: "Keep at it — you're so handsome, you're bound to blow up big."

"I'll take that as a good omen."

Zhou Yi smiled in response, watching the future Queen of Dance sway her way out of sight.

To be honest, setting aside this lady's later rampant romantic history, Xiao Yaxuan, who was now stepping into the peak of her solo career, could indeed rank among the very top of this batch of female stars emerging at the turn of the millennium when it came to figure alone.

Judging solely from the few female stars he had encountered so far — no need to mention Sun Yanzi, whose family was genuinely well-off and whose vibe was the clean, simple type;

Zhang Shaohan was also just so-so — in fact, at this stage she was even a bit too thin, pure next-door-little-sister vibes.

The only one who could consistently outshine Xiao Yaxuan in looks, figure, and even height — Zhou Yi thought it over and over and could only come up with one person —

Cheng Hao, who was still studying at the Central Academy of Drama and hadn't yet become Wan Ren Mi.

Speaking of which, when did "Pretty Ladies," the show that made Cheng Hao famous nationwide, start filming?

Thinking of how Cheng Hao had yesterday ultimately said she'd turned down the drama "Li Wei Dang Guan," and with nothing to do and idle hands being idle hands anyway, Zhou Yi began recalling this childhood-favorite work of his.

It aired in April '03, so it was filmed in '02?

"You're Zhou Yi?"

Before long, his teacher — a middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail at the back of his head — appeared punctually at the door of the dance studio, a stack of materials sent over by Warner in hand.

Zhou Yi, snapping back to attention, promptly rose from his chair: "Yes, hello Teacher Liu Xiong, I'm Zhou Yi."

"The file says you used to dance on the mainland — what kind?"

"I know a little street dance, but not much."

"Can you do the splits? Have you trained your fundamentals?"

After closing the studio door, the direct Liu Xiong didn't beat around the bush at all.

Zhou Yi was honest: "No, and no."

He wasn't a professional dancer, after all.

Having gotten his answer, Liu Xiong didn't stand on ceremony: "Go change — Warner's already prepared clothes for you, head to 303, there's a locker with your name on it."

"……"

Please don't tell me it's the splits.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.

Facts proved he wasn't wrong.

Or rather, the direction of his thinking wasn't wrong.

"Relax, don't feel pressured — I'll keep a good handle on your condition. I just want to see what your body's various qualities are like.

"Use your strength — imagine your upper body is a heavy hammer, and press down as far as you can…"

When the ever-expressionless Liu Xiong applied his own high standards to Zhou Yi, the latter, for the first time in his life, finally got a taste of hardship —

"Ow! Ow ow ow!"

"Don't mind it — this is all normal. Your physical foundation is excellent; believe in yourself, there's still a lot of room for development."

"???"

Zhou Yi, whose attempt to play the victim had failed, gripped the barre with both hands, his face strained and hesitant — and seeing such promising raw material, the thrilled Liu Xiong couldn't resist stepping in personally —

"Ah!!!"

Zhou Yi, experiencing for the first time in his life what it meant to fall into hell, immediately wore a mask of genuine agony—

Fuck! After this album is over, I'm definitely not practicing dance again!

Singing-and-dancing idols really suffer so much at the start!

"Relax. Considering your muscle mass, your flexibility isn't bad. When I trained Guo Fucheng, I was far harsher—he never made a sound..."

"..."

Though he desperately wanted to say, "Teacher, times have changed," he swallowed the words—aware that this early 2000s era still prized endurance and hard work.

Suffer now, enjoy later.

He could only comfort himself with that thought.

"Good, now let's check your waist and hips—huh? Your waist and hips can actually do that?"

As one of the most critical parts in dancing, the quality of the waist determines whether a dancer can even enter the field, let alone reach the top.

To Liu Xiong's surprise, Zhou Yi, who had screamed through the previous test, now moved with surprising ease in this segment.

Zhou Yi could only scratch his head, offering no explanation—

I'm just naturally gifted!

Thinking of the dark month ahead, Zhou Yi's eyes gradually lost their light.

After being dragged through a series of basic tests by Liu Xiong, Zhou Yi, whose dancing journey for the day had ended, looked like a young man just ravaged by a wealthy woman—spiritually drained and listless.

When he finished showering, changed clothes, and walked toward the massage and relaxation area, Xiao Yaxuan, having just finished her muscle relaxation session in the adjacent therapy room, saw his state and looked surprised: "Mr. Zhou, what's this...?"

"Just call me Zhou Yi, Miss Xiao."

With little energy, Zhou Yi barely forced a smile: "For the first time in my life, I've been utterly worn out."

"It's always like this the first time. Once your body adapts, it'll get better."

As someone who'd been through it, Xiao Yaxuan instantly understood, her eyes crinkling as she smiled: "Don't call me Miss Xiao. We're all in the same industry—call me Elva or Yaxuan. Elva's my English name."

………………………………………………………………

Taiwan, Alpha Company, ALFA Recording Studio.

A young man with bangs long enough to nearly cover his eyes removed his headphones, stood up from his chair, and gave a thumbs-up to those in the studio: "Done. No problems."

"Phew, finally over. By the way, Jielun, wanna go play basketball and unwind?"

Beside the young man named Jielun, a man in a gray tank top, his prominent muscles exposed, leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply, then turned to invite:

"Sure, I'll just come over to your place to shower."

Zhou Jielun, having completed the demo recording, nodded without hesitation, then seemed to remember something and turned to his friend: "Genhong, you said last time that guy who could kick a basketball into the hoop with his foot—was that real? Are you sure you're not pulling my leg?"

"Why would I lie to you? Even if I wanted to lie to you, I wouldn't lie about something like this."

The man named Liu Genhong rolled his eyes and nodded toward a slender figure walking out of the studio: "Don't believe me? Ask Wen Lan—she was there too. You just arrived late and missed it."

"True. I can confirm—Genhong didn't lie to you."

Wen Lan, having just finished recording, also sighed in relief, then chuckled: "That guy was actually quite handsome—I think he's even better-looking than Xie Tingfeng from Hong Kong, and taller too."

As a female singer with growing fame, Wen Lan was naturally familiar with Xie Tingfeng, whose career was currently booming.

Even though they'd never met.

"Forget it. It's normal for true masters to be among the common folk."

Seeing his brother still fixated on that remark, Liu Genhong laughed helplessly: "If you really want to do it, just practice harder."

For some reason, since they'd become close, he'd noticed this stubborn streak in Zhou Jielun.

You could call him introverted and shy, or laugh at his mumbled pronunciation during demo recordings—he wouldn't argue with you. But if you said he was bad at basketball, he'd argue every single detail with you.

"Yeah, maybe he's from a football academy. If you're a professional footballer, kicking a basketball into the hoop isn't that strange."

Wen Lan, who also understood Jielun's stubborn obsession, smiled: "But if you two are going to play basketball, can I join? I just finished recording 'Hell Angel' and have no appointments—perfect chance to relax."

As a female singer who debuted with an album back in late 1999, Wen Lan was now the most famous among the trio.

Though that fame was still relative—she was the tallest among dwarfs.

Liu Genhong, needless to say, was clearly fading; Zhou Jielun was a complete unknown, currently writing and selling songs at Alpha Company.

Most of his songs weren't wanted—over 90% had been rejected.

"Alright, let's pack up and head out."

Liu Genhong was a man of action. As soon as the plan was settled, he marched straight out, grabbing the basketball left on the rest area: "Let's go to my court. After playing, we can just head upstairs to shower."

Since Liu Genhong's home was the closest to Alpha Company, his bathroom had naturally become the group's shared shower.

Of course, Wen Lan rarely went there—only Zhou Jielun was a constant.

"Come on, come on—I've come up with a new shooting technique, super cool..."

Zhou Jielun, his eyes brightening at the mention of basketball, slung an arm around his buddy's shoulder and enthusiastically described his painstakingly developed new skill—

Then, he was soundly defeated in a one-on-one game.

He lost badly...

Night fell. The basketball court's lights couldn't soothe Zhou Jielun's wounded spirit. Even as he returned to Liu Genhong's home to shower, he kept muttering, explaining his eight-shot-six-miss new technique.

He even kept muttering while showering.

Probably because he took so long, he emerged after an hour to receive identical disapproving stares from Liu Genhong and Wen Lan.

"If you didn't come out soon, I was going to call the police," grumbled Liu Genhong, the homeowner, who'd been ready to shower but had waited this long.

Wen Lan, watching a variety show on the sofa, laughed uncontrollably: "Eat first, Jielun. This portion's kept for you."

The atmosphere inside was still peaceful—no one noticed the odorless, colorless gas slowly leaking—

Until Wen Lan on the sofa first felt something wrong, collapsed, and began foaming at the mouth.

——?!

"Liu Genhong! Something's wrong! Wen Lan is foaming at the mouth!"

The young man Zhou Jielun, who had never seen such a scene, panicked. He suddenly stood up, only to feel the world spin dizzily, and he collapsed straight to the ground!

"Jielun?! Wen Lan?!"

Liu Genhong, who had also sensed something was wrong, frantically called the police, but his slurred speech caused by his clouded mind led to the call being hung up as a harassment call.

"No! This won't do! Jielun! I'll keep calling; you crawl out and knock on the neighbors' doors for help! Hurry!"

Liu Genhong shook his head violently, struggling to maintain the last shred of his clarity, and shouted sternly.

Zhou Jielun, his face pale, crawled out of the living room door like a caterpillar, wriggling along the corridor under the lights, trying to knock on doors for help—

"Holy crap! What's that thing on the floor!"

After completing his daily basic training and returning under the stars and moon, Zhou Yi came upstairs and saw the wriggling lump of a person in the corridor, giving him a sudden fright!