Chapter 179: Quickly Use Nunchucks, Heng Heng Ha Xi

"Are you serious?"

"What else could I do? Would he dare say anything outside?"

At the Warner Bros. Building, Zhou Yi's rest room.

Zhou Yi on the sofa nodded toward the pile of newspapers and magazines on the coffee table: "The media in Hong Kong are all saying this; if I don't do the same, wouldn't I be losing out?"

"..."

That reason... is damn reasonable!

You're famous, so you're right.

Qian Jiang knew his duties as an agent well.

Since he couldn't restrain Zhou Yi, he might as well help him clean up the mess; otherwise, what was the point of having an agent?

Besides, Chow Yun-fat really dared not speak of this matter to the outside world.

Once he spoke, he would not only be mocked by all the major media until next year, but might also ruin the charitable reputation he had just gained.

He could only sullenly hold his nose and admit defeat, easily manipulated by Zhou Yi.

"Oh, by the way, there's another matter that should also be related to him."

Qian Jiang reached into his suit pocket, took out a notebook, opened it, sat on the sofa, and said: "Do you know Rejoice shampoo?"

"Currently in the mainland shampoo market, the 100-Year Runfa brand, which just terminated its contract with Chow Yun-fat, ranks second in market share, while Rejoice, under Procter & Gamble, ranks first in the domestic shampoo market share."

"Now, Rejoice has contacted you and wants to invite you as their brand ambassador. They have been evaluating you for some time; now, seeing that 100-Year Runfa terminated its contract with Chow Yun-fat, they fear you might sign with them instead, so they want to strike first."

"Their current offer is five million for three years, which shows sincerity. My opinion is that we can negotiate; this price might even have room to go higher."

Rejoice?

"I have no objection to this price, and the term is suitable. If other shampoo brands want to join the bidding later, we can use this as the baseline."

It was clear that Rejoice had indeed evaluated his endorsement performance and star power.

"Okay."

Turning a page in his notebook, Qian Jiang continued: "Additionally, on the 20th, Anta has an official event; as their ambassador, you will need to attend."

"Kong Linghui's results have declined this year; your fame among young people is greater than his. This year, they may direct their promotional resources toward you."

"Coca-Cola also has two events requiring your presence..."

As a popular singer, the number of endorsements Zhou Yi carried was definitely on the low side, mainly because the first endorsement, Coca-Cola, had set the price extremely high from the start.

But as a newcomer who had debuted only a little over a year ago, securing so many endorsements at such high fees was somewhat inconsistent with the status of a newcomer.

"Additionally, CCTV has also sent you an invitation for a program. I estimate the remuneration for this program won't be much, but you should go."

At the end, Qian Jiang handed a new program invitation to Zhou Yi—"The Same Song."

"This is a large-scale medley concert program organized by CCTV, basically traveling across the country to hold various themed charity concerts, especially in small places where singers rarely perform concerts. Those who appear on this program are either current popular singers or big-name stars."

"No problem, I can do it."

The moment he saw the program's name, Zhou Yi decisively nodded: "When is the recording? Where?"

Throughout the entire first decade of the millennium, no medley concert tied to charity had greater influence than the program "The Same Song."

Although this program later encountered many problems, in its early stages it truly embodied the concept of "bringing concerts to remote small towns, enjoying the same song."

"It hasn't been finalized yet; only preliminary contact has been made, and the other party has expressed interest."

Seeing that Zhou Yi agreed without even giving it much thought, Qian Jiang was somewhat surprised and continued his report: "Regarding Taiwan, today that young man named Jay Chou released a new album."

—?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi was momentarily stunned: "Jay Chou's new album?"

"Yes. The album title seems to be called something like 'Fan Texi,' strange and peculiar, hard to understand."

Saying this, Qian Jiang stood up, took a CD from a backpack on the office desk in the rest room, and handed it to Zhou Yi: "The lead song on his album is too strange, but the album contains many rap elements. I thought you would understand them, so I had someone from the company buy a copy for you to listen to."

As the first person to bring Hip-hop elements into the mainstream market, the second album by Zhou Yi, "By Plum Blossom Side," although its market response was not as strong as another pure rap track in the album, "Drifting North," was better in terms of musicality and reputation among music listeners.

Especially when they looked back starting from "Flower Field Mistake" on the first album.

"Flower Field Mistake," "By Plum Blossom Side," "Su San Says," "East Wind Break," "West Chamber."

Five songs across two albums, each incorporating different elements of traditional Chinese culture; even within the industry, some were already exclaiming that this man seemed to be playing with a very new concept, yet no one could yet figure out the logic behind Zhou Yi's actions.

As a result, most musicians in the industry were burying their heads in research, and no one dared to speak for the time being.

And just at this moment, this man named Jay Chou burst onto the scene on September 14 with "Fan Texi."

"Love Before Christ"

"Dad, I'm Back"

"Simple Love"

"Ninja"

"Can't Open My Mouth";

"Shanghai 1943"

"Sorry"

"Gubao"

"Nunchucks"

"Quiet."

The moment Zhou Yi opened the deluxe CD of "Fan Texi," he saw the tracklist written on the insert.

"The integration of rap elements indeed gave me great inspiration from Zhou Yi; he made me realize that songs incorporating rap elements could still find a market this way, and then the company gave me this opportunity, allowing me to make the album according to my own wishes."

"Zhou Yi proved that Chinese rap songs can achieve great success in the music market; lyrics don't have to be about gold chains, sports cars, and beauties. I think this is a kind of confidence."

At exactly three o'clock in the afternoon on September 14, in Taipei, Taiwan, at the third "Fan Texi" promotional conference.

Facing the reporters' questions, Jay Chou, still wearing a baseball cap, smiled shyly. Unlike a year ago, when his attitude was completely akin to autism, now he had learned to speak a little.

At the same time, they held Zhou Yi in the highest esteem, though he was not on the island, yet legends of him always persisted there.

"Then, have you talked to him about your new album? It's rumored that Zhou Yi will hold a concert next year—will you go as a guest?"

"Uh, well, we've actually had phone calls and text messages. I even told him I planned to promote my new album on the mainland after the release party, and suggested we get together for a game of basketball."

The debutant Jay Chou once again showed a famously shy smile before the camera.

For nearly a year, driven by the regret of losing to Zhou Yi at the Golden Melody Awards, Jay Chou pushed himself relentlessly and ran four promotional events in a single day.

An extremely peculiar song, after market testing, emerged triumphantly and swiftly swept through the entire student circle!

"Quick, use the nunchaku! Heng heng ha xi!"

"Quick, use the nunchaku! Heng heng ha xi!"

The incredibly catchy chorus turned the song into the defining track of Jay Chou's album overnight, its rise to fame astonishingly rapid!

Half an hour late? No big deal, cough cough…

(End of chapter)