Chapter 217: You Have Great Talent

Due to the fact that neither Hong Kong nor Taiwan had imported CCTV programs, at this very moment, they felt somewhat anxious about this carnival of opinion originating from mainland entertainment media.

Just from Fan Bingbing's oral account, Zhou Yi could feel their urgency, urgency, urgency, urgency.

"Before you, they had never reported news so blindly, because previously there was nothing worth writing about in mainland entertainment news; the most popular figures were basically concentrated in Hong Kong, followed by Taiwan.

"They had hardly deployed any reporters in the mainland at all; who could have expected that a you would suddenly emerge in the mainland."

With his old, slick white shirt casually draped over his body, Fan Bingbing couldn't help but laugh heartily, her body shaking like a flower, when speaking of the rare chaos on the Hong Kong entertainment media side.

As a singer, Zhou Yi had absolutely no need to do what those Hong Kong migrant actors from the last century in the mainland did: even knowing deep down that the other side discriminated against you, you still had to hold your nose and go over just to become famous.

Just like her signing with Madame Chen, the reason she stayed in Hong Kong was for better film and television resource development; after all, under this Madame Chen, she didn't have to worry about some messy things.

With joint ventures prevailing, her mainland origin had now become an advantage instead; one could only say that indeed the wind and water turn in cycles.

In the past, mainland reporters would chase after Hong Kong and Taiwan reporters like good brothers to leak some dirt; now the situation has reversed, and there is actually a day when reporters from the Hong Kong and Taiwan side have to beg mainland reporters.

Although not said openly, quite a few related mainland practitioners were secretly delighted in their hearts.

Lu Qi was one of them.

As the person arranged to temporarily take over the handling of related affairs after Zhuo Wei was fired, ever since the definite news about Zhou Yi was released, his phone hadn't let him sleep a good night.

One after another, some Hong Kong and Taiwan reporter friends he knew called, wanting to get first-hand news materials about Zhou Yi from him.

"Hello? Information related to Zhou Yi can be given, just pay money—"

When the phone ringtone sounded again, Lu Qi, who was busy, didn't even look at the note, and with great confidence, dropped a sentence: "Pay money."

The next second, the report from the phone made his expression change sharply!

"Brother Lu, we followed Fan Bingbing; we photographed her entering the residential compound where Zhou Yi is, but we can't get in right now."

"... Wait outside, don't leave; I'll be there immediately."

Considering that his predecessor Zhuo Wei was fired because he failed on Zhou Yi, Lu Qi suddenly became cautious. After thinking it over repeatedly, he still felt he should go to the scene personally to scout it out.

The residential compound where Zhou Yi lived could be counted among the high-end compounds of the Imperial Capital; there were quite a few other stars in the same compound, so the security against paparazzi could be described as second nature; therefore, he wasn't surprised that his subordinates couldn't get in.

"See that, Xiao Wang? Those outside carrying long guns and short cannons, peeking around sneakily, are obviously paparazzi wanting to dig up dirt; I've seen plenty of these people."

Outside the residential compound security booth, a burly middle-aged security guard pointed at those few paparazzi whose disguises were obviously fake, explaining to the young man beside him with a black bag slung diagonally across his shoulder, his tone full of disdain: "Don't you think about what kind of place this is."

"I see it; so this is what paparazzi are like. I've learned something; I've only seen them in news media reports before."

The young man biting a hot bun pushed up the glasses on his nose; the calm and composed face while speaking was full of scholarly air; just this boldness in chatting casually with the security team leader was something ordinary paparazzi could never reach.

"It's still you, Xiao Wang, a designer like you who is good; young, with a bright future."

"Oh, nowhere, nowhere; I'm just making a living." Wang Xiaoyu was not at all intimidated; he could even chat happily with the security team leader, listening to him occasionally talk a bit about the xxx stars he had helped before, then offering flattery to satisfy his vanity, coaxing the man into a daze.

Seeing that it was about enough, he finally took out his phone to check the time: "Then I'll go meet the client first; we'll chat later, Uncle Wang."

"Good, good, keep it up; there are plenty of rich people in here; if you close one deal, you can eat for a long time."

"I borrow your auspicious words."

With his hat on, Wang Xiaoyu's psychological quality was extremely strong; he was completely different from that group of sneakily prowling paparazzi outside; his whole scholarly air looked extremely deceptive.

Anyone who saw him would probably not believe he was actually a paparazzo who made countless stars grit their teeth in hatred; his slightly curly medium-length hair made him look more like an artsy youth into art.

"Fan Bingbing, Zhou Yi..."

Tightening his backpack straps, Wang Xiaoyu, after arriving at the designated spot, didn't hide; he just openly set up his camera by the flower bed in the compound, then took a red banner out of his bag and hung it diagonally across his body—pretending to take a few photos of the green belt inside the compound after entering the east gate.

Anyone seeing that posture would have to praise it as professional.

Not long after, he waited for the Fan Bingbing and Zhou Yi mentioned in the intelligence to walk out of the compound lobby side by side, chatting and laughing; the man was handsome and the woman was beautiful, looking quite pleasing to the eye.

"Are you sure you want to go with me?"

Woken up somewhat by the cold wind, Fan Bingbing wrapped her white cotton-padded jacket tighter, rubbed her hands, and exhaled a breath of white vapor: "I have a feeling this might be the film crew trying to ride your coattails."

Just not long ago, Zhang Baizhi, who had been selected for the "The Lion King" film crew along with her, called her, saying that several main actors in the crew were now in the Imperial Capital, asking if they should get together to hang out and play, to increase their mutual familiarity; between the lines, she was hinting that if Fan Bingbing could, she should invite Zhou Yi along as well.

She originally wanted to refuse, but at that time, Zhou Yi had spoken up without any hesitation and agreed.

To be honest, Fan Bingbing had roughly guessed what Zhang Baizhi and these people were thinking; nothing more than wanting to test whether the rumors about her and Zhou Yi having a good relationship were true or false.

"Ride them then; you've already been eaten by me; the coattails I'm riding are yours, not someone else's."

Walking out of the lobby, Zhou Yi casually responded; just as he was preparing to head to the parking lot, his peripheral vision caught sight of someone wearing a compound work badge and a banner doing photography at the flower bed not far away...?

Seeing that Zhou Yi seemed to have noticed him, Wang Xiaoyu also frowned secretly; after quickly taking a few more proper landscape photos, he not only had no intention of lowering his head to avoid, but instead put on an expression of surprise and made eye contact with Zhou Yi walking towards him: "Zhou Yi? My god, are you really Zhou Yi?"

"Brother, are you from property management?"

Glancing at the advertising banner with writing and the work badge, Zhou Yi asked with interest.

"Yes, I'm here to shoot a promotional advertisement. Nice to meet you, Property Xing Advertising, Wang Xiaoyu; this is my business card."

Wang Xiaoyu acted extremely excited; just as he wanted to shake hands, he then seemed to remember something, wiped his hands on his coat, then pulled a business card from his pants pocket and handed it to Zhou Yi with both hands: "May I ask for your autograph? I really like your songs."

"How long have you been filming me?"

"?"

Wang Xiaoyu was stunned; his face immediately became strange; with great confidence, he defended himself: "I didn't, I really didn't film you, Zhou Yi; I'm just an advertising practitioner; if you don't believe me, you can ask property management; I was hired by them.

"It's also a surprise for me to meet you; if you don't believe me, you can look at my camera."

In this era where mainland paparazzi were still very innocent, playing sneakily with hidden cameras, Wang Xiaoyu's set of moves had always been infallible.

Thanks to his appearance and superior scholarly air and conversation, every time he acted, he did so openly; others simply wouldn't notice.

Especially in this era, people who knew how to use cameras were still a minority; even Zhuo Wei, whose reputation had once plummeted to the bottom, wasn't very skilled with cameras now, let alone Zhou Yi, who started as a poor kid; no matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem like someone who knew how to use a camera.

Even if they wanted to check the photos, he could easily slip through.

Hearing his words, Zhou Yi laughed; the laugh made Wang Xiaoyu feel somewhat nervous in his heart for no apparent reason.

"Brother, you have a lot of talent; your mindset is very steady; why not switch tracks?"

If it were anyone else, they might actually have been fooled; but unfortunately, Wang Xiaoyu ran into Zhou Yi today, someone who not only knew his future inside out, but at the very least could be said to know a little about it.

Wang Xiaoyu, one of the three幻神 (幻神) of mainland paparazzi in the early millennium, was most famous for relying on his boldness, making no attempt at disguise in appearance, and simply hard-nosedly using his smooth talk and boldness combined with carefulness to falsely claim he was a professional designer, thereby directly entering and exiting Li Yapeng and Wang Fei's wedding home under the guidance of staff, photographing the layout of Li Yapeng's mansion and the rooms, and exposing them.

In the future, he was arguably the one who left the paparazzi world the earliest among the three幻神 (幻神) and had the most successful career transition.

Even Zhuo Wei, who was equally famous as him, got banned, yet he became the boss of a marketing company, transformed overnight into an upper-class figure with an annual income exceeding one hundred million, chatting and laughing with a group of company executives.

The progenitor of the "passerby paparazzi-style marketing" that would become common throughout mainland China in the future.

"I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Wang Xiaoyu, feeling an unease deep in his heart, was already thinking of slipping away.

This Zhou Yi is a bit off; he's quite different from the celebrities he's encountered before, seemingly immune to the trap of reverse thinking.

He isn't very "simple."

"Don't hide anything anymore. How about this? I'll give you a chance. Today, Fan Bingbing and I should be appearing at these few locations; you can come and take photos."

As he spoke, Zhou Yi, acting as if they were old acquaintances, reached out, took a notebook filled with various advertising materials from the man's backpack, then pulled out a ballpoint pen and wrote down several addresses.

?

Wang Xiaoyu was stunned.

Wait, buddy, are you messing with me?

Didn't you play this trick in Hong Kong before? Turning those Hong Kong media waiting in ambush in circles?

Do I look like the kind of person who would still fall for that?!

"Oh right, you can take a few more photos of Fan Bingbing and me right now. No need to sneak; we'll stand in position for you. Just keep the distance like you're taking a paparazzi shot."

"..."

Not far away, Fan Bingbing, recognizing the camera and knowing a reporter was present, suspected something might go wrong, but she never in a million years expected that after Zhou Yi handled the situation with lightning speed, the paparazzo actually became...

Exclusive?

"Your psychological quality is excellent; you're the best reporter I've ever met, bar none. If you consider a career change, you can give him a call."

"If you're not interested in my proposal, then pretend I never said it; consider these photos a gift for meeting."

While both Fan Bingbing and Wang Xiaoyu stood there completely bewildered, Zhou Yi handed a business card into Wang Xiaoyu's hand.

"?"

Wang Xiaoyu could swear to heaven that someone like Zhou Yi was truly the first he had ever seen.

But...

A career change?

Wang Xiaoyu, who had always inwardly disagreed with and disliked the so-called "paparazzo" label, watched Zhou Yi and Fan Bingbing leave openly, blinked his eyes, then looked down at the business card in his hand—

Qian Jiang.

As everyone knows, he is Zhou Yi's agent.

"Are you crazy? That's a paparazzo; we actually cooperated with him to take photos? Your image is already on the tip of the spear."

After getting into the car, Fan Bingbing, who had been holding back the whole ride, spoke up immediately: "I have a new drama and need news heat, but this is equivalent to damaging your image."

Zhou Yi, who had started the Mercedes, chuckled lightly, slowly pressed the accelerator, and retorted: "What else is there for me to lose? Do rumors affect me in any way?"

"Uh—" Fan Bingbing was momentarily speechless.

Speaking from an actor's perspective, rumors are indeed something many actors try to avoid.

Singer-songwriters, on the other hand, don't have this worry; many people just say, "I wrote the song and it's right here; if you like it, buy it; if you don't, forget it."

"Don't you have a girlfriend who would get jealous?" Seeing Zhou Yi's attitude, Fan Bingbing rolled her eyes, weighed her words carefully, and cautiously opened her mouth to test the waters with a question.

"Of course not; if there is one, she's just a friend."

Zhou Yi answered very decisively, directly downgrading a "good friend" to just a "friend."

"..."

Fan Bingbing pondered thoughtfully.

Zhou Yi's wealth is absolutely exploding; having such thoughts isn't strange. During her time in Hong Kong, she had also heard many stories that would absolutely shock mainland audiences.

Even Alan Tam, who was adored by thousands, actually had two wives...

If one wanted to control Zhou Yi, one would have to be richer and more powerful than him...?

Having felt some confusion after staying in Hong Kong for a while, Fan Bingbing suddenly felt a bit of motivation—set a small goal: surpass Zhou Yi in wealth before she turned twenty-five, uh, no, twenty-eight?

Thinking of Zhou Yi's currently terrifying earning speed and the news she heard from Hong Kong about the rapidly declining Chinese music industry record market, Fan Bingbing blinked, and imagined a dream future—

When she transformed overnight into a wealthy and powerful matriarch of a wealthy family, turning the tables to become the master, pinning the playful Zhou Yi beneath her, threatening him that if he didn't settle down, she would cut off his resources, but if he did, they would live happily ever after, get married, and have two children...?

Hiss...

Just thinking about the usually arrogant Zhou Yi being taken down by her, someone of lower status, and then suppressed after she acquired all his companies...

Fan Bingbing, who had just imagined a certain scene, immediately turned her head to look at Zhou Yi; sunlight filtered through the car window, dappled and scattered across the man's handsome profile.

Fan Bingbing instinctively pressed her lips together, then her tongue swiftly swept across the corner of her mouth.

Excellent!

Fan Bingbing set a rather ambitious small goal for herself: Take down Zhou Yi!

In the Imperial Capital, inside a certain KTV.

Louis Koo, Zhang Baizhi, and others, who were still eating fruit platters, were chatting back and forth until the包厢 door was pushed open.

Fan Bingbing, wearing a white cotton jacket paired with jeans and knee-high boots, pushed the door open and entered; the people in the room immediately saw the man behind her—

Zhou Yi.

Under a heavy wine-red woolen coat, Zhou Yi, having taken off his scarf, casually closed the door; as he opened his mouth, a few wisps of white steam escaped.

"Zhou Yi?"

"Zhou Yi?"

"Wow, Bingbing, you really brought Zhou Yi over." Zhang Baizhi, who had already known from that phone call that there was definitely a relationship between the two, immediately stood up to welcome them, while also giving both of them an apologetic look.

"Let me introduce you; this is Mr. Xiang from China Star." Louis Koo, whose face hadn't yet been ruined by plastic surgery, although his looks had declined compared to his peak, at least didn't look fierce, stood up kindly and introduced the boss beside him.

Xiang Huaqiang, who was trying desperately to squeeze into the mainland, also saw Zhou Yi and stood up proactively.

PS: Unknowingly, I've gone dark again today.

Never mind, since I've already gone dark, I'll just write four thousand more characters to make eight thousand.

(End of this chapter)