Chapter 224: What Is Called Vertical and Horizontal Alliances?

After bidding farewell to her beloved teacher and receiving a precise answer, Utada Hikaru finally set her mind at ease and returned to the recording studio. Looking at the various newspapers laid out on the table, she fell into deep thought.

Thanks to the strong performance of "The Lazy Song" in Japan, the crown named "Star Among Stars Among Stars" on Zhou Yi's forehead gradually gained recognition from Japanese music fans, and the sales of Zhou Yi's two Chinese albums also passively increased significantly.

It doesn't matter if fans don't understand Chinese; they can learn it. After all, it is a foreign language.

In the past, Korea even had a large number of women who learned Chinese specifically for Leon Lai and married into Hong Kong; moreover, even if they didn't marry him, they could still become interpreters.

For Japan, which already had the soil for visual kei bands to survive, the gorilla mask dance in the MV of Zhou Yi's "The Lazy Song" somehow touched upon the visual kei style—

Not only did it look extremely fun visually, but the simple and clear song rhythm was also damn infectious.

In 2001, when various abstract visual MVs were rampant, playing this kind of "visual art," Zhou Yi was truly a unique case, like a scorpion's droppings being the only one of its kind.

Arakaki Yui, who originally didn't like this kind of song, after experiencing constant shuttling between Tokyo and Okinawa for work and studies, has now come to like this song as well.

It wasn't just because of her older sister.

Because she really wanted to be like the song, taking a lazy break whenever possible, happily relaxing for a day, but unfortunately, she couldn't do it.

Since becoming a model, the busy work and heavy studies have almost suffocated her, which made Arakaki Yui personally experience the meaning expressed in the song "The Lazy Song."

After finishing the filming work, Arakaki Yui put on her headphones and resignedly returned to Okinawa, but unexpectedly noticed that the Americans here were much more active than before.

Next month is the end-of-year Christmas; for the US military stationed in Okinawa, there is a group of people who can prepare to end their tour and return to the US mainland.

"Hey, John, I asked you to bring back some local specialties, why are you buying CDs?"

"You don't understand, this song 'Spike' isn't even available in the US yet; many of my friends, after hearing me sing it, have begged me to buy some for them to take back."

"..."

When Arakaki Yui passed a street-side music store on her way home, two big-headed soldiers, in high spirits because they could go home, were chatting happily with each other, occasionally criticizing their pig friends who couldn't eat fine grain, and brushed past her.

"Such a nice song, and they still don't like it."

"I dare bet that once they see the MV, they will fall in love with this singer named Spike."

"..."

When she got home, her older sister, who had already become one of the members of Zhou Yi's Okinawa fan club support group, had even reached the "management level." With a white bandage tied on her forehead, she was vividly describing the terror of the enemy to her companions with both hands and feet—

"Although Utada Hikaru's single sales are still tens of thousands ahead of Zhou Yi-sama, this doesn't matter!

"My younger sister Yui, thanks to my efforts, has now become a fan of Zhou Yi-sama, which means that in the next month and a half, we still have ample opportunities to recommend him to others..."

Feeling that she might have returned at the wrong time, Arakaki Yui was just about to slip away when she was immediately grabbed back by her older sister, who had eyes in the back of her head and ears on the sides of her head—

"You returned at the perfect time; tell them about your experience."

"..."

A war between fan circles quietly broke out in silence.

Japan's Warner Music, which had long mastered the fan circle tactics, kept putting on shows, saying "Zhou Yi-sama" here and "Zhou Yi-sama" there, coaxing these female fans to charge forward with roaring enthusiasm.

A few spending big fans with unique thought processes even came up with a trick of "vertical and horizontal alliances"—recruiting Ayumi Hamasaki's fans.

As everyone knows, in March of this year, a massive battle of light and steps erupted in the Japanese music scene; the final result was Ayumi Hamasaki's defeat, losing in sales to Utada Hikaru.

Many of Ayumi Hamasaki's fans were quite unconvinced.

Even if, barring unexpected events, Utada Hikaru would consecutively win the annual album sales champion and the annual single sales champion, becoming a double champion.

"Fellow Ayumi Hamasaki fans who are feeling aggrieved, you don't want to see Utada Hikaru crowned as this year's double champion, do you?"

Because she was positioned by the magazine as a model, Arakaki Yui, who had already shown her talents in both Okinawa and Tokyo, had now become the most relied-upon general under the fan leader sister at home—

Positioned by the company initially as a gyaru style, her speech had extremely strong infectiousness and incitement: "Now, Zhou Yi-sama's single is the only one with hope to break Utada Hikaru's monopoly; don't you want to see Utada Hikaru finally lose the championship in pain?"

…………………………

"We must together topple Zhou Yi from that damn throne!"

In the mainland, within various fan chat rooms related to new generation singers like Jay Chou and Wang Lihong, fans who had been suppressed by Zhou Yi on the Music Wind and Cloud List for over a month, two months, were expressing their views and reached a consensus.

From the official release of "Jiangnan" until now, Zhou Yi has consecutively topped the mainland's Music Wind and Cloud List for a full 20 weeks.

20 weeks, what concept is that? One month has 4 weeks, that's a full five months!

Not to mention that Zhou Yi currently seems to have the intention of consecutively topping for the 21st week.

Damn, even the thousand-year-old turtle and the big Wang Ba couldn't be so stubborn! This isn't purely calculated by sales; where are there so many people who haven't heard "Jiangnan" and click on it and listen to it every day?

Whether it was Jay Chou's "Double-Section Staff" or Wang Lihong's "The One," since these two released songs in September, they have taken turns as the runner-up, failing to beat Zhou Yi's "Jiangnan" even once.

Watching the end of the year approach, as Zhou Yi's "Jiangnan" on the music charts of the Hong Kong and Taiwan music scenes could no longer maintain the trend of returning to first place, Zhou Yi, who was left standing only in the mainland, immediately attracted the attention and joining of many new fans.

The fans of Jay Chou and Wang Lihong who reached this consensus didn't ask for much; they just wanted "Double-Section Staff" and "The One" to be number one.

In Taiwan, although these two songs are currently no longer number one, they have at least taken turns being number one.

Then, unsurprisingly, they didn't win at all.

November 15, Thursday, the Cold Clothes Festival.

Watching the time get closer to Sunday, although "Jiangnan," which occupied the Music Wind and Cloud List and other charts, showed a clear downward trend in daily data statistics.

But obviously, even though "Jiangnan"'s data continued to decline due to the long duration, relying on the large population in the mainland, Zhou Yi could still firmly hold the top seat.

November 19, a new week begins, Monday.

When Zhou Yi's charitable acts were truthfully spread from one person to ten and from ten to a hundred, the young fans of Zhou and Wang who had newly joined the fan ranks retreated to Mai City again and again and again, feeling disheartened.

Prepared for so long to climb the charts and still couldn't win; how can this be played?!

Why don't Jay Chou and Wang Lihong, you two who have a chance to end his consecutive wins, also donate a wave and do some charity?

Just as both sides of fans were preparing to give up, the fans of other singers who were well-versed in the art of vertical and horizontal alliances grouped together to cause trouble—

The last charge of the Zhou and Wang fans last week made these "defeated subordinates" of Zhou Yi see the dawn of hope to end Zhou Yi's consecutive wins, so this week they all came sniffing and arrived in droves—

From Liu Ruoying's fans to Zhou Huajian's fans, people who loved to watch the chaos without fearing it made their bets on either "Double-Section Staff" or "The One."

"Charge, charge, charge! Pull Zhou Yi down from that damn throne!"

The fans of veteran Guo Tianwang and Guo Tianhou, who were well-versed in the art of vertical and horizontal alliances, successively entered the fray, charging fiercely at the unstoppable declining Zhou Yi: "Where is Xie Tingfeng? Where are Xie Tingfeng's fans? Aren't you entering the fray?"

"..."

It's practically 2002 already; if you, Zhou Yi, keep winning consecutively, that's getting impolite!

You really want to win consecutively for six months?! That's a full half-year!

In this era, people with time for high-intensity internet surfing already have relatively more time and a bit of spare cash; once combined, the various data metrics for the songs "Double-Section Stick" and "The Only One" immediately began a charge like a wild boar.

Warner, noticing this situation first, thought Sony had finally couldn't hold back and started trolling, but after learning the actual circumstances, everyone was left laughing and crying.

"Letting you win consecutively too many times, now you've provoked the anger of the masses, haven't you?"

Sun Yanzi, having flown back to the mainland Warner office, teased Zhou Yi with a grin: "You've already created a mainland consecutive win record; it's time to make way."

No normal person has a song that can dominate the number one spot for five consecutive months.

Even if the quality of your "Jiangnan" is extremely high, after five months of "torture," all the various data metrics have basically surged to the peak; going further is simply impossible to push.

"No way; even if I die, I have to die at your hands."

Zhou Yi, chewing on a sugar tangerine, glanced at her sideways: "What are you doing? Work harder, surpass me? Isn't your new album just released?"

"Damn, the ones ahead are all monsters; my new album released on October 22; it needs time to surge up, okay?"

Sun Yanzi rolled her eyes at the man in annoyance: "Summer Blown by the Wind hasn't even been promoted much in the mainland yet, and it's already surged to number three; now that I've arrived, if I grit my teeth, it should be soon."

"Your Smile is already at number five, and that song Remember has actually entered the top ten in the mainland too."

Three songs from one album entering the top ten; regardless of whether it's a brief glory, at least the results are solid enough.

The last person in the music scene to have such results is now sitting beside her, eating sugar tangerines.

Come to think of it, sour and sweet, it's actually quite delicious.

"Hurry up; my Jiangnan will probably last at most through this week. Compared to Jay Chou, Wang Lihong, and Xie Tingfeng, I'd rather be knocked down by you."

"Tsk tsk, then lift your butt up first; let me test the feel."

"Acting like a hooligan, huh? Be careful I sue you for molesting a decent married man."

While saying this, Zhou Yi, with a look on his face that seemed to say "if you dare, come on," hadn't even barked twice before an extremely unfamiliar phone call came in—

"Hello?"

"Hello? Good day, may I ask if this is Mr. Zhou Yi? My name is Feng Gong."

From the other end of the phone, the voice of a future Spring Festival Gala regular immediately came through.

(End of this chapter)