Chapter 171: What Shitty Luck

We who don't understand the torment of love and hate, thought falling in love was like wind and clouds, ever-changing~

Baby~ you're my only one, even if both worlds warp, how easy is it to go back~

My pride and stubbornness, I clench my fists and refuse to let go~

I gave you delicate blood vessels, exquisite features, yet insisted on giving you a beating heart; I gave you a pistol, one bullet—does that mean you must shoot someone in the chest?

……

September 11, 2001, an ordinary Tuesday.

On the street outside a middle school gate in Qiwan, Zhongshan.

In the scent of meals, stationery shops, book rental stores, even bicycle tire repair and air pump stalls, the cassette tapes playing in their radios were the most popular songs among students at the time.

Zhou Yi's newly released EP, benefiting from a lower price than a full studio album, successfully opened the legitimate sales market among students within just four days of release.

However, unlike the release of "Jiangnan," this time Zhou Yi's EP "Graduation" did not achieve complete dominance.

The man who printed his own face on Wahaha mineral water carved out his own market with the song "Only One," squarely between Zhou Yi and Xie Tingfeng, the two top idols.

Leveraging the speed of internet dissemination and Wahaha's distribution network, the legitimate sales of his album skyrocketed since release, greatly increasing Wang Lihong's popularity on the mainland.

Before the fans of Xie Tingfeng, singing "Jade Butterfly" and "Hidden Dragon, Don't Use," and Zhou Yi's fans, singing the entire "Jiangnan" album, could react, Wang Lihong's new fans officially joined this pop music free-for-all.

In just ten days, the smash hit "Only One" climbed relentlessly, storming to the number one spot on the Central Radio Station's Cultural Frequency weekly request chart;

It broke into the top three, even top two, on mainland charts like the Pop Music Rankings and Mandarin Pop Listening Charts, leaving only "Jiangnan," still holding its championship record, able to hold its ground under the assault.

If last year's adapted version of "Descendants of the Dragon" merely made Wang Lihong known on the mainland and gained him his first loyal fans, then this year's "Only One" was the song that propelled him to instant stardom in the mainland music market.

One song made him famous!

"Since the album's release on June 6, the title track 'Jiangnan' by Warner Music's Zhou Yi has held the number one spot on major mainland music charts for a continuous thirteen weeks—an unprecedented miracle in mainland music history.

"Even Zhou Yi's newly released 'Graduation' EP, with its four new songs and the advantage of freshness, has not a single track able to surpass 'Jiangnan' on the mainland charts.

"And Wang Lihong's 'Only One,' under Sony Music, is the only song in the past three months to pose a threat to 'Jiangnan's ranking. After ten days of chart-chasing, can 'Only One' finally end 'Jiangnan's streak of consecutive number ones?"

The latest new episode of "Contemporary Music Scene" magazine devoted a major feature to analyzing the excellence and staying power of "Only One"; the deputy editor who wrote the article even raised a question that delighted many Wang Lihong fans and annoyed some Zhou Yi fans—

End Zhou Yi's streak.

After three months of release, "Jiangnan" still holds the weekly number one spot across all charts—an astonishing phenomenon in the entire Chinese-language music scene.

This is a highly volatile weekly chart, not a monthly or semi-annual or annual chart that favors cumulative data.

By industry rules, consecutive wins are acceptable—others have done it before. But Zhou Yi winning thirteen straight weekly number ones—isn't that just a bit too much?

"It's well known that the longer an album has been out, the weaker its new data becomes until it falls off the charts entirely. 'Jiangnan's thirteen-week streak might sound ordinary, but what if we say it's been dominating the charts for three full months?

"That means a massive influx of fresh data has sustained it at the top for three straight months…"

As the mainland's highest-circulation and most authoritative music magazine in readers' eyes, "Contemporary Music Scene" undoubtedly pushed Zhou Yi's reputation to another peak with this analysis, released three months after his new EP.

"No one can remain number one on the charts forever, but the record Zhou Yi has set will forever remain in the history of mainland and Chinese-language pop music."

To prevent being overhyped, Warner's general manager Zhou Jianhui immediately publicly cooled down the hype around Zhou Yi.

Sony Music, which had been eager to recreate last year's Zhou Yi sweep across Taiwan's music scene for Wang Lihong, could only mutter under its breath: damn old fox.

When Zhou Yi swept aside Ren Xianqi, Liu Ruoying, and even the Four Heavenly Kings last year, didn't he also benefit from timing, catching all the record companies off guard?

Now that it's Warner's turn, why are you pretending to be a pure white lotus?

"Sony is scheming behind the scenes—you've held the chart too long, now you're becoming everyone's target."

On the minivan rushing from one signing event to the next, Zhou Yi's agent Qian Jiang reported Sony Music's malicious intentions to him.

Zhou Yi, worn out by back-to-back signing events, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples: "I haven't even fallen yet?"

Yesterday, Monday the 10th, the new week began—he ran five signing events in Beijing, returned to his hotel exhausted, nearly collapsed on the bed, and had no energy to check his chart performance.

Today, his hand shook while signing autographs.

"Not yet, keep pushing," Qian Jiang encouraged, seeing Zhou Yi's half-dead state.

"Now I finally understand why Yenzi keeps yelling she's tired," Zhou Yi grinned, slowly opening his eyes: "What about Taiwan's numbers?"

If he weren't truly willing to eat this cake, he'd have quit long ago.

"Not bad—sales exceeded 100,000 in three days; breaking 150,000 in a week should be no problem."

Even without promotion in Taiwan, "Jiangnan" still battled "Meteor Shower" on the charts, maintaining Zhou Yi's popularity and solidifying his loyal fanbase.

"Also, Wang Lihong's album sales in Taiwan aren't explosive, but 'Only One' is rising fast, breaking into the top ten in a short time—clearly a hit single, a tough opponent.

"Sony Music and some Taiwanese media are actively promoting it, clearly hoping to use Wang Lihong's single to knock you and F4 off the charts."

Qian Jiang's expression turned solemn—he clearly recognized Wang Lihong's threat.

Yet just as he was urgently preparing to counter Wang Lihong's assault, at 9 PM Beijing time on September 11, a shocking event swept across the entire world—

The 9/11 attacks occurred; global media instantly shifted focus, and Sony Music's newly purchased advertising space vanished in an instant!

Qian Jiang, who had just received a large budget to counter Sony's push, was stunned.

Huh?

"Damn it! What shitty luck Warner has!"

Night, Sony Tower in Taiwan.

Sony's general manager, who had just spent a fortune, sat in his office, his temples throbbing with rage!

His money!

His marketing!

His hype!!!

"Only One" was gaining momentum—then suddenly 9/11 stole the public's attention…

Money spent, ad space secured, but the hype was buried under 9/11…

What a supreme fool…

Especially after he learned that Warner had planned to release Zhou Yi's English single in the U. S. several days ago, but Zhou Yi had intervened and delayed the release date.

Compared side by side, he looked even more like a victim...

"Damn it! What the hell kind of luck does this Zhou Yi have?!"

The secretary, who had read too many Hong Kong newspapers, frowned and speculated, "Could it be that Zhou Yi really has a fate so noble it's beyond words, just like that White Dragon King said? Does he even have Heaven's help?"

"..."

PS: The Mortal Realm!

For the next one, let's play it safe: twelve-thirty, half a step into the Mortal Realm!

(End of this chapter)