Chapter 150: The Supreme Emperor (5k)

"It's truly surprising that the audience here spontaneously started singing for Zhou Yi. For a singer, this should be the most moving thing imaginable..."

As a chorus wave led by one Zhou Yi fan club after another rapidly swept over the entire stadium, the guest commentator in charge of this charity match was also taken aback. He immediately turned his head to tease Alan Tam, a music giant sitting in the guest seat beside him: "You didn't get this kind of treatment when you participated in charity football matches before, Principal."

Alan Tam, who couldn't personally participate in this football match due to health reasons and only sat in the guest seat, clearly knew how to create an effect. He smiled, picked up the microphone, and teased: "The waves behind push the waves ahead. Besides, he is Zhou Yi. Listen to the singing in the stadium."

The unexpected "Stubborn," after being rearranged, suited this occasion even better. The deafening singing caused everyone in the stands to turn their gaze toward the figure gradually walking back to the center circle.

Sun Yanzi, who was holding up Zhou Yi's banner alongside Elva Hsiao, Fan Bingbin, and Angela Chang, unconsciously kept the beat with the singing. Her lively gaze locked firmly onto Zhou Yi, her eyebrows and eyes piled with joy that was hard to describe in words. Her voice joined the general flow, wrapping into the chorus—

"Just this once, let me sing loudly~

"La La La!

"La la la la, la la la la~"

A beautiful love letter handwritten by fans unveiled the final scene at this moment.

At this moment, even Xie Tingfeng, who had a huge competitive relationship with Zhou Yi on the football field, rubbed his nose and, rarely, clapped for Zhou Yi. His gaze toward him also carried a bit of sincere admiration.

Without Zhou Yi's words defending his fans at the press conference at the end, it would be hard to say if this scene would appear today.

The highest honor on a football field: to make all the audience in the stadium sing in tribute to you.

Not to mention Zhou Yi was actually playing as an away team. On the four-sided stands of this stadium, at least 90% of the people singing for him in the end were Hong Kongers.

This was not Zhou Yi's concert.

"Zhou Yi! We will always support you!!!"

At the end of the song, the little girl who had led the way at the beginning called over her classmates behind her, expressing support for their idol amidst the final music.

As the camera swept over them, Zhou Yi, clapping to express gratitude, had to admit that he was indeed moved.

"I can already foresee what tomorrow's headline will be: Zhou Yi conquered Hong Kong." Chen Baixiang, who had missed a brilliant pass by Zhou Yi at the start, walked over, raised his right hand and placed it on Zhou Yi's shoulder, pointing at the four-sided stands and saying cheerfully.

"Thanks for your good words, Brother Ale."

After the song ended, Zhou Yi, who had made up his mind in his heart, clapped to thank the four-sided stands, took a deep breath, nudged the turf with his toe, and his gaze gradually became firm.

At the commentary desk, the host also resumed co-commentating on this charity match with Alan Tam after the song ended: "Okay, we can see that after the kickoff, Zhou Yi looks extremely active. It seems he was moved by that big chorus just now."

As a senior, Alan Tam's illness obviously hadn't healed yet, and his voice still sounded somewhat hoarse: "That's for sure. For a singer, a full-stadium chorus like just now—"

"Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!! Zhou Yi is dribbling straight towards the Yellow Team's penalty area!!!"

Before Alan Tam could finish speaking, the host beside him, with a suddenly excited tone, had already interrupted his commentary. The audience in the stadium, who had just calmed down, collectively held their breath. Sun Yanzi and others from the cheerleading squad even nervously clenched the banners and flagpoles.

"Stop him! Stop him! Stop him quickly!"

After Xie Tingfeng was completely dribbled past as if he were a wooden stake, Eric Tsang, who was an attacking midfielder and understood football, smelled something wrong immediately. While preparing to rush in, he didn't forget to direct his teammates.

As the goalkeeper, Huang Qiusheng hadn't taken it seriously at first, but when he saw Zhou Yi directly lift the ball over Eric Tsang's head, his eyes instantly widened!

"Eric Tsang! Eric Tsang rushed in! Eric Tsang was dribbled past!

"Rainbow flick! Zhou Yi directly flicked the ball over Eric Tsang's head with a rainbow flick full of Brazilian street football style!"

The host, watching Zhou Yi's performance which was completely different from before, was also a die-hard football fan. Seeing Zhou Yi's incredibly smooth rainbow flick, he slapped the table and shouted out: "Anthony Chan is coming up to intercept immediately! Too late! He nutmegged him!"

Alan Tam, who never expected Zhou Yi to dribble alone into the lion's den instead of passing, instinctively pushed up the glasses on his nose. On the football field, after nutmegging Anthony Chan, Zhou Yi didn't hesitate for a second. Before the Yellow Team's defense could react, he unleashed a fierce shot from the top of the arc outside the penalty area!

Huang Qiusheng, confident in his reaction time, immediately leaped into the air, but the football, like a streak of light, darted into the snow-white net behind him a step before him!

"Goal!!! 1:0! Number 9 forward Zhou Yi scoring for the Red Team!!!

"At the 17th minute of the match, after dribbling past Eric Tsang and Anthony Chan, Zhou Yi directly blasted a stunning worldie! Unbelievable, Zhou Yi single-handedly solved the entire process from dribbling to scoring!!!"

Under the excited commentary of the host, the stadium's big screen also replayed the stunning worldie by Zhou Yi. Having scored, Zhou Yi directly faced the nearest front stand and performed a smooth knee slide celebration. His cool and free manner caused the audience on the sidelines to scream continuously!

Chen Baixiang, who had only passed the ball and scraped an assist, ran over cheerfully, helped Zhou Yi up after his knee slide, and casually called for others in the team to come celebrate together.

Huang Qiusheng, muttering a curse about bad luck, looked at the Red Team celebrating in the corner flag area, helplessly shook his head, fished the football out of the net, and handed it to Eric Tsang who came to ask for the ball.

"Pay attention to defense! Pay attention to defense! Don't let him have such a big shooting space!"

Eric Tsang, clapping his hands, kept giving instructions, but after the kickoff, before he could react, Xie Tingfeng, who was dribbling clumsily, was kicked away by Xie Tianhua of the Red Team—

The latter casually passed it to Louis Koo, and then Louis kicked a long ball towards Zhou Yi's direction!

—?!

"Zhou Yi?! Zhou Yi again?!"

Facing the unpredictable amateur long pass, Zhou Yi, who exploded with super speed and shook off the defending players by a large margin, leaped into the air. With his long legs raised high, he directly kicked the football, which hadn't hit the ground yet, straight into the goal guarded by Huang Qiusheng!!!

"Scored again??? Huang Qiusheng had no reaction at all?!"

Alan Tam on the guest seat immediately stuck his head out, unable to hide the shock on his face.

In the cheerleading section, seeing Zhou Yi's aerial kick after violently eating through the Yellow Team's defense with that speed, whether they were real football fans or not, even older stars including Anita Mui and Liza Wang opened their mouths in shock.

"How did he do that?"

Angela Chang, watching a live football match for the first time, had thought this was just a friendly charity match where everyone gets along, but she never expected Zhou Yi's aerial kick to be so violent.

Simply...

"Cool!"

Watching Zhou Yi run to the left stand to celebrate again, Elva Hsiao couldn't hide her excitement. Zhou Yi's pose, full of violent aesthetics, was simply too handsome!

Although she didn't understand football, she could touch Zhou Yi.

"Maybe... his core strength in his waist and abdomen is very strong?" Fan Bingbin, instinctively holding her waist, seemed to think of something too.

Only Sun Yanzi, who was left cheering for Zhou Yi like a fanatical audience member, was still laughing.

At the 20th minute of the match, the second goal was born.

As the goalkeeper, Huang Qiusheng was very depressed, but soon, he realized he was depressed too early.

At the 22nd minute of the match, Zhou Yi, who had only celebrated for two minutes, actually rushed to the goal he was guarding again and pierced the goal he was defending with one kick—

3:0!

Zhou Yi! A hat-trick!

"Damn! Defend a bit! I just picked up the ball two minutes ago!"

Huang Qiusheng, kneeling on the grass after making a save, couldn't hold back anymore—he slammed his fist into the turf and shouted to his teammates.

Are you even human?

Are you guys deliberately holding back?

It's a charity match, but doesn't Huang Qiusheng have any pride?

"Ours, ours."

As the young defender on Huang's team, Chen Yi Xun chewed his lips a few times and took the blame himself.

Then Zhou Yi came again.

In the 24th minute, Zhou Yi dribbled past five players and scored, making the score 4–0.

Chen Yi Xun: "..."

Tsang Chi-wai: "..."

Huang Qiusheng: "..."

Four goals in seven minutes? Are you guys standing there like wooden posts?!

"Hey, Zhou Yi, that's enough."

Xie Tingfeng, holding the ball for the fifth time at the center spot, frowned at Zhou Yi, who was clearly panting: "This is a charity match. Even if you're angry at them, don't make it so obvious."

"Am I?"

Listening to the cheers from the stands, Zhou Yi pushed back his sweat-drenched bangs with his right hand and smiled indifferently: "I'm not even satisfied yet."

Xie Tingfeng: "..."

You damn it!

After the whistle blew again and Chen Yi Xun passed the ball, Xie Tingfeng, fully aware of his limits, didn't try any fancy moves against Zhou Yi—he just kicked the ball hard and sprinted as fast as he could—

If I run fast enough, it's a dribble!

Unfortunately, Zhou Yi had already seen through it—he caught up, overtook him on the curve, and stole the ball.

——?!

For the first time, the two kings of the music industry raced purely on speed, triggering a roar from every spectator.

On the guest seats, Alan Tam's face lost its ease and comfort; Sun Yanzi, on the cheerleading squad, unconsciously clenched her fists, watching anxiously as Zhou Yi sprinted with the ball after regaining it, and Xie Tingfeng chased him, teeth gritted.

Speed contests have always been the most thrilling part of sports, especially when the competitors are Zhou Yi and Xie Tingfeng—the two brightest young stars in the early 2000s Mandarin music scene.

At this moment, Xie Tingfeng felt fire burning in his throat, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, his legs heavy as if filled with lead.

He wanted to give up, but seeing the figure ahead still dribbling forward, his stubborn pride and youthful vanity kept him chasing—

"Zhou Yi has the ball, Tingfeng is chasing! Zhou Yi still has the ball, Tingfeng is still chasing! Zhou Yi passed Chen Yi Xun and still has the ball! Xie Tingfeng is still chasing!"

The commentator's speech grew faster with tension; Huang Qiusheng, facing Zhou Yi's fifth attack at the goal, instinctively closed his legs to block the shot—but it was too late.

The ball slipped between Huang Qiusheng's legs, bounced off his shin, and flew into the net; he himself, thrown off balance by the impact, collapsed to his knees—

Right in front of Zhou Yi, who, after shooting, didn't even glance at the goal, stood there with arms raised high, signaling for cheers and applause!

Xie Tingfeng, having chased half the field, felt his lungs would burst—he bent over, hands on his knees, eyes shut, gasping for air...

On the podium, Alan Tam and Anita Mui stared blankly.

On the cheerleading bench, Sun Yanzi gazed at the emperor-like figure celebrating on the field, her eyes sparkling.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!! Unbelievable!!!"

"Nine minutes! Only nine minutes since the match restarted—Zhou Yi scored five goals! He netted five in nine minutes, even counting the time he spent celebrating!!"

The commentator was so excited he nearly swore—each of Zhou Yi's five goals was spectacular, especially the last one.

The stadium erupted!

Five goals in nine minutes—excluding celebration time, it was probably under six minutes, nearly one goal per minute. Are you playing football or table tennis?!

At this moment, everyone in the crowd who knew Zhou Yi's past remembered "a certain person"—

A ghost, a ghost named "Peking University Chinese Department," now drifting above the stadium...

……………………………………

"Charity Match Gets Serious! Score 8:2! Zhou Yi Scores Five! Xie Tingfeng Scores Twice!"

"Zhou Yi: I'm Opening a Bottle of 1982 Lafite to Celebrate"

"Dimensional Domination! Zhou Yi Scores Five in Nine Minutes!"

"Best Footballer Among Celebrities: Zhou Yi"

"..."

The next day, entertainment newspapers across Hong Kong and even mainland China ran this un-charitable charity match result on their front pages.

While mainland media reported it relatively straightforwardly, Hong Kong media went wildly over-the-top.

"The Nine-Five Emperor! New King of Mandarin Music, Zhou Yi Jun, Ascends the Throne!"

"The Emperor Descends! Zhou Yi's Imperial Celebration, Huang Qiusheng Crushed and Kneels!"

"Zhou Yi Conquers Hong Kong! Crowd Roars, Female Stars Cry Out in Overwhelm!"

"..."

Zhou Yi, who had spent half the night in Fan Bingbin's hotel room, now looked at the newspaper handed to him by his agent Qian Yijun—compared side by side, the mainland media's "naive simplicity" was obvious.

"What's this 'Yi Emperor' title?"

Zhou Yi, eating a custard bun, twitched his eyelid several times, looking up at Qian Yijun, who shrugged: "Clearly, your bold challenge to Chow Yun-fat was seen by the youth as defying the older generation's authority.

"Then today, you broke the record with five goals in nine minutes—something never seen in domestic football history. Now some people have adopted these gossip media's nicknames and call you the Nine-Five Emperor.

"'Zhou Emperor' is awkward to say; 'Yi Emperor' flows better."

"..."

Zhou Yi opened his mouth, but the words died before they left his lips.

The logic is a bit twisted, but it does make sense?

"Additionally, Chow Yun-fat has never responded publicly before, even when Jackie Chan and Jet Li stepped in. It seems he intends to drag things out until the hype dies down.

"According to the information I received, he originally planned to market the 'Twin Prodigies' football showdown between Xie Tingfeng and you after the charity match concluded.

"But what Chow Yun-fat's side didn't expect was that you directly treated Xie Tingfeng's Yellow Team to a bottle of 1982 Lafite, and yourself won the nickname 'Emperor of the 95' with a explosive performance of five goals in nine minutes.

"The dispute between you and him was not overshadowed by the 'Twin Prodigies' comparison in the charity match; instead, it became an eyesore and a stumbling block on your path to becoming Emperor."

Qian Jiang, who was speaking of this matter, clearly held back laughter as he handed over the other newspapers in his hand: "Do you know what phrase is circulating among your fanbase right now? 'Take down Chow Yun-fat, and your status will leap to a qualitative new level.'"

Looking at the information Qian Jiang had gathered, the smile on Zhou Yi's corner of the mouth was simply brilliant.

"Additionally, riding the heat of this match, your song 'Stubborn' has actually entered more schools, becoming a track many students like to play on the school broadcast system.

"Because they feel the inspirational and unyielding spirit in the song fits the style of young people in the new era. Yesterday, that little girl leading the singing in the stadium, Deng Shiyin, made many people set aside their opposing emotions to appreciate your song and savor your lyrics."

Qian Jiang's words instantly pulled Zhou Yi's thoughts back to the gymnasium yesterday afternoon; he hadn't expected that Deng Ziqi, who had just entered junior high, was actually a die-hard fan of his.

Moreover, after the match yesterday, when he specifically took commemorative photos with a crowd of fans during the closing ceremony, Deng Ziqi, who had not yet debuted or taken a stage name and was still called by her original name Deng Shiyin, directly exposed the fact that she was shipping the 'Twin Stars' CP, and pitifully requested Sun Yanzi to join them for a group photo, leaving the two somewhat speechless between laughter and tears.

"What about Xie Tingfeng's side?"

Zhou Yi, who had flipped through everything for a long time without finding news on Xie Tingfeng, raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion.

"Emperor is currently buying him effort-filled press releases, after all, he scored two goals not long after learning football. 'The match was lost, but Xie Tingfeng did not lose,' and the like.

"Poor the Chinese Department players from your alma mater. To highlight how strong you were originally, their 13:0 record was dragged out and whipped again.

"But this time it's okay; there's also the 8:2 Lafite scoreline."

Qian Jiang's expression became a bit strange when speaking of this matter; he glanced sideways at Zhou Yi, seriously suspecting that Zhou Yi had intentionally let the score become 8:2 just to "open a bottle of 1982 Lafite to celebrate."

But he had no evidence.

"There is one more thing; the selection for the female lead to star in the simple MVs for the other three songs of your EP is also complete. You can take a look and see if anyone catches your eye.

"If not, we will just arrange it randomly."

Although the release of 'Stubborn' was rushed due to Chow Yun-fat, the unprecedented heat has now made everyone at Warner ecstatic.

So they directly opened three filming crews with deep pockets, striving to release the chart campaign for the second song, 'Those Years,' within two weeks, and complete all preparation work for the EP's release within a month.

After taking the folder Qian Jiang handed over, Zhou Yi casually flipped through a large stack of documents—

This time, Taiwanese models no longer occupied the majority; instead, it was split evenly between Taiwan and Hong Kong, with some mainland minor artists included, though in very small proportions.

"Although the MV for 'Those Years' doesn't need to be too refined, it's best if it leans towards the pure style—hmm?"

Zhou Yi, who flipped through resumes faster than flipping through books, was speaking when his gaze suddenly stopped on one resume; a resume with a photo attached immediately came into his view—

Lin Yichen.

(End of Chapter)