Chapter 216

The NRG boy group, far from being blind, could only pretend the cheers of the live audience were too loud and the crowd too dense, acting as if they had heard and seen nothing.

Zhou Yi, whose smile was harder to suppress than an AK, instinctively glanced at An Chixuan, who had been caught in the same crossfire; the latter's expression had not changed from start to finish. A gentle smile always hung on his lips, and he even warmly waved and greeted the fans.

Seeing Zhou Yi look at him, he instinctively straightened his back and nodded very politely and solemnly in greeting.

After all, as a former member of the one-generation top-tier boy group H. O. T., his psychological quality was indeed far superior to that of the NRG members.

When Zhou Yi strolled past the first and second rows where the leaders were seated and took his seat in the exact center of the third row, Han Hong, who had entered a step ahead of him, jokingly teased, "Your popularity is a bit exaggerated, Zhou Yi; this China-Korea Song Festival is about to turn into your fan meeting."

Because they were both in the core circle of mainland singers, although her status in the sequence of female pop singers was temporarily not as high as Na Ying's, relying on her second studio album "Awakened," which she single-handedly produced this year, Han Hong unexpectedly surpassed veteran female singers still active like Tian Zhen and Sun Yue, quickly rising to become the second person after Na Ying.

It was precisely for this reason that her seat tonight was right next to Zhou Yi's.

"If I remember correctly, Zhou Yi's songs seem to have been covered in Korea; it was that one sung by An Chixuan, which was incredibly popular."

Na Ying, sitting at Zhou Yi's right hand as the number one female singer of the mainland, leaned over to join the conversation, her words not lacking in envy.

She had struggled in the Chinese music industry for so many years, finally figuring out the Hong Kong and Taiwan music market, only for Zhou Yi's sudden emergence to utterly shatter the little smugness in her heart.

She was now also a Warner person, so naturally she knew some information unknown to the outside world.

For instance, Zhou Yi's English single "The Lazy Song," which had not stirred up much wave in the mainland, had already been sent to the desks of numerous American radio stations under Warner's operation, with related promotional plans being arranged in full swing, spending one huge budget after another.

"By the way, Zhou Yi, are you free on January 19th next year?" Na Ying, whose intentions lay elsewhere, cut straight to the point after briefly switching topics for a few sentences.

"I'm not clear on that yet; my schedule is arranged by Qian Jiang, and I generally don't remember it. What's up? Is there something, Sister Na?"

Zhou Yi, who was just passing the buck to Qian Jiang, curiously asked back.

"It's not a big deal; I just wanted to ask if you have time and if you could come as a guest at my concert. I have a concert on January 19th at the Shanghai Stadium for ten thousand people."

"..."

Since you've asked like that, I definitely won't have time then.

Zhou Yi immediately responded with a brilliant smile: "That's simple, Sister Na; just send the invitation to Qian Jiang and let him check the schedule. If I have time, I will definitely go to support you then."

Qian Jiang, sitting in the audience, suddenly felt a chill down his neck, making him want to sneeze, but in the end, he held it back.

Chen Hao, sitting nearby, propped her chin with one hand, tilted her head to gaze at Zhou Yi who was chatting and laughing with a group of mainland singers, and a faint smile then formed on her lips—

Until the show officially began.

Ya Ning from CCTV and Hwang Su-kyung from South Korea's KBS TV station took the stage first, speaking with perfect pronunciation about the friendship between China and Korea and looking forward to the future that was about to take off.

When the lights dimmed, accompanied by the start of the first opening act of the show, "Fengyang Huagu," Zhou Yi, who had stopped chatting, pressed his lips together and "was forced" to appreciate the rather era-specific aesthetic of the current styling.

If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, he would have yawned continuously.

Until the second act was served up—

"Next, the top idol group Baby. X from South Korea will bring you a song that both the audience friends in front of the TV and everyone here should be familiar with—'Come On' (Happy Worship)."

When the familiar intro music of "Happy Worship" sounded in the venue, almost everyone's gaze immediately focused on the figure sitting in the exact center of the third row in the Chinese artist area.

Zhou Yi, with his elbow resting on the armrest of the seat and one hand rubbing his chin, his legs crossed, wore a faint, elusive smile on his lips; his calm and composed demeanor formed a sharp contrast with the gazes of various emotions—

Zhou Yi ignored the surrounding gazes and looked with interest at the five beauties of different styles on stage.

The team leader, Jin Qizhi, who was 172 cm tall with long legs, attracted his eyes the most after changing into low-rise hot pants—although her face, in his opinion, was at most above average, her legs were truly top-tier!

Girl groups of this period had not yet developed so many dances with explicit sexual implications; although it was difficult to perform high-difficulty dance moves with the lower body due to wearing high heels, it still made many Chinese audiences, who were experiencing Korean dance for the first time, scream continuously.

"This song has been changed to lose its original meaning; your original Chinese lyrics were so good."

Han Hong, who valued the unique Chinese culture of lyrics, shook her head holding the song list, her tone full of regret.

Singing a song covered from Zhou Yi to pay tribute at an event like the China-Korea Song Festival; if she didn't believe that SM Entertainment was hiding behind the scenes manipulating things with insider trading, she would be lying.

And when Baby. X came off stage after singing the second original track from their album, the applause they received was obviously much more intense than the first "Fengyang Huagu."

Lin Yilun, who came out right after Baby. X to sing "Love in 2000," didn't even get this treatment; one could only say the advantage of girl groups was indeed huge...

Since the flow of this China-Korea Song Festival was relatively speaking no different from a medley concert, basically, except for the hosts' routine connecting introductions, it was essentially one person came up and sang, and unless there was a second song, they immediately went off stage after finishing.

From Han Hong to Na Ying, to the national team members Chen Hong and Dai Yu, without exception.

When An Chixuan came out as the highest popularity contestant from the Korean side, the re-sounding intro of "My Microphone" caused Zhou Yi, who was in the grand finale position, to once again receive a large number of gazes from non-fan audiences before even taking the stage.

"Ahhh!!! It's Zhou Yi's song again!!! It's Zhou Yi's song again, did you hear it!!!"

Zhou Yi's true fans, who were able to enter after getting a few tickets from the official Warner side, were tonight as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

This was an official occasion, and a foreigner was covering it!

They had previously only seen media reporters report that Chinese singers had covered some foreigner or another; seeing Zhou Yi be so promising and give face was truly a first time for a young lady getting into a sedan chair.

This is what an international superstar is!

"The singer about to come out next is a brilliant pearl discovered in the Chinese pop music scene after entering the 21st century. His songs have been translated into multiple versions and sold far and wide at home and abroad;

"His English single 'The Lazy Song' has even consecutively topped the weekly charts of multiple overseas rankings, still maintaining an undefeated golden body to this day..."

As a CCTV host, Ya Ning was visibly happy introducing Zhou Yi, while the Korean female host Hwang Su-kyung beside him also introduced Zhou Yi's entrance in Korean, restraining her excitement—

"The dream lover of countless Korean girls, consecutively topping the rankings of the most fashionable male stars selected by mainstream Korean fashion magazines, hailed as the fashion barometer—Zhou Yi!"

Hmm, this was already very restrained.

After the reporter friends invited by CCTV faithfully recorded everything, Zhou Yi, wearing a white suit with cloud patterns, leaped onto the stage amidst the suddenly sounding melodious flute sound—

His agility was eye-catching.

Especially when the drum beats in the intro of "Yellow Race" joined in, Zhou Yi seemed like a young hero in white robes appearing with lightness skill; the moment he turned around holding the microphone, the stage lights immediately focused on him alone!

"From waves that crossed five thousand li, or to the walls waiting to be rebuilt

"The yellow after all history fades, gathers into the sunset dyed on my body~~"

The catchy intro combined with Zhou Yi's innate talent voice captured the audience, who were hearing this song for the first time, almost the moment he opened his mouth—

His body swaying slightly accompanied by the elongated tail notes; the arrangement of a group of melodious flutes and heavy drum beats after only four lines of lyrics at the beginning was extremely memorable, enough to leave a deep impression on the audience hearing this song for the first time, and allowing the audience to immediately identify what style of song this was.

The arrangement characteristics were too distinct; this was a song with a very strong flavor of Chinese elements, even stronger than songs like "Dongfeng Po" in Zhou Yi's past two albums.

"Yellow Race, coming to the ground, raising a new chest~

"Yellow Race, walking on the road, the world knows I am different!"

"The more turbulent, the braver; as the world changes, let me break through!"

Zhou Yi, clad in white robes with cloud patterns, raised his left hand against the backlight, arrogantly pointing his thumb at his own chest, and stepped one foot onto the nearest stage speaker; the youth's unruly spirit was supreme—

"With a heart wide open, I go everywhere!

"After five thousand years, it is finally my turn to take the stage!!!"

High notes capable of shaking the soul, paired with a grand arrangement of drums and flutes, saw emotions layer and stack to the peak before pouring out in the most intense growl!

Though clearly alone, at this very moment, Zhou Yi sang with the heroic momentum as if a thousand armies and ten thousand horses stood behind him, full of spirit and boiling with passion!

The beauty of the imagery implied in Chinese song lyrics was fully realized at this moment.

Koreans who could not understand Chinese or only understood a little could only listen to the grand, magnificent melody and compare it with the translated Korean lyrics in their hands, but Chinese people seamlessly connecting with the imagery of the lyrics could easily grasp the meaning expressed within them.

In 2001, Chinese people encountered many things, many joyous things.

The successful launch of China's first unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou II, marked major progress in manned spaceflight;

The successful bid for the Olympics brought nationwide celebration.

The Chinese national football team advanced early from the World Cup qualifiers with a record of six wins, one draw, and one loss, creating history for Chinese men's football by entering the World Cup finals for the first time;

And the imminent accession to the World Trade Organization, and so on and so forth.

At this point in time, no one would doubt what the "I" and "Yellow Race" written by Zhou Yi in this song referred to; it was a very timely triple pun: referring to himself, to the people, and to the nation.

When the song ended, many people in the audience even stood up, clapping vigorously and shouting praises.

Because she was far from the stage, Chen Hao, standing among the crowd, no longer hid anything; her eyebrows and eyes were filled with endless affection—

Her bright, beautiful eyes stared straight at the tall figure on stage, radiating spirit, clapping until her palms turned red!

"Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!"

"Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!"

The shouts, one after another, were slightly chaotic at first, but quickly adjusted and twisted into a single thread; above the vast CCTV Studio 1, Zhou Yi's name rang out in perfect unison.

Those who knew this was a recording of the China-Korea Song Festival might think something had happened here if they didn't know.

On this official venue for the Spring Festival Gala live broadcast, Zhou Yi, with just one song, turned a solemn official occasion into a concert.

Had CCTV not failed to distribute glow sticks, over 80% of the fans still reminiscing about the singing would likely have joined in, waving glow sticks and turning the scene of this China-Korea Song Festival into a magenta ocean belonging solely to Zhou Yi.

The cameras by the side faithfully recorded every reaction on site, including scenes of some Korean fans who understood Chinese standing up and clapping along with the crowd, all captured within.

Setting aside other things, this song is very grand.

Both in musical style and in the conception of the lyrics.

The CCTV leaders sitting in the front row had their mouths twisted from happiness, each smiling until their eyes squinted into a single slit.

Given Zhou Yi's performance in this live battle, this extra opportunity given to him was indeed not in vain.

Soon, reporters from major newspapers invited by CCTV wrote about their feelings on this year's China-Korea Song Festival in their own publications—

On November 7, the first day after the recording of the China-Korea Song Festival ended, the Capital Youth News took the lead in publishing an article, adding the final spark to the already scorching Zhou Yi: "Every generation produces talented people, each leading the trend for hundreds of years."

Just looking at the title, one feels an overwhelming air of a supreme king.

"The red sun rises, its path is bright.

"The river emerges from the hidden flow, pouring into the vast ocean.

"The hidden dragon leaps from the abyss, its scales and claws flying high.

"The nursing tiger roars in the valley, causing a hundred beasts to tremble in fear...

"Zhou Yi's unruliness, Zhou Yi's youthful spirit, are the capital allowing Zhou Yi to achieve the dazzling accomplishments of the present. The unruly youth has read extensively; the spirited youth is full of learning..."

The Capital Youth News, borrowing famous lines from Liang Qichao, was full of flowery prose, yet many readers were overjoyed.

The Daily New News, which had fired Zhuo Wei, after flexibly kneeling, also chose to embrace Zhou Yi, directly adopting a line from Zhou Yi's new song and changing one character: "After five thousand years, it is finally his turn to take the stage."

"As a song, 'Yellow Race' maintains Zhou Yi's consistent rule: Zhou Yi production, must be a masterpiece."

"CCTV Studio 1 is a historic performance hall that has hosted countless large-scale galas and song festivals.

"But Zhou Yi is the only young singer so far who has been able to turn CCTV Studio 1 into his own concert venue, without exception.

"Just as sung in this song, the Mandarin music scene has finally reached his turn to take the stage..."

Not knowing what had happened, media in the Taiwan and Hong Kong regions, upon seeing this sudden explosion of Zhou Yi news on the mainland, had a few people thinking to ask for clarification, while the majority simply changed the titles and reused them—

"Zhou Yi: I am the music Emperor encountered once every five thousand years!"

"Divination calculates an auspicious day; Zhou Yi furiously slays the White Dragon, declaring himself Emperor and founding a lineage!"

"..."

"I understand the logic, but what does 'furiously slays the White Dragon' mean?"

At home, Zhou Yi, half-lying on the living room sofa while looking at the latest Hong Kong entertainment newspapers brought by Fan Bingbing, rested his hand on her shoulder, which was covered only by a white shirt, not quite understanding.

"Well, this might be related to the White Dragon King refusing to calculate anything related to you?"

Fan Bingbing turned her head to look at him with amusement: "It is said that Chow Yun-fat is now under a soft ban, so he shamelessly tried to ask him for help with divination, but the White Dragon King ran back to Thailand overnight, not even taking the incense money."

Zhou Yi: "..."

PS: I originally said I would make up the three chapters today, but it looks like I'll have to do it tomorrow; luckily I didn't say it yesterday, haha.

(End of Chapter)