Chapter 320: What Does It Mean to Be an International Superstar?

"Does Tencent have this much money?"

Zhou Yi was genuinely curious about this invitation.

In his mind, Tencent's finances back then couldn't be called frugal—at best, they were barely able to put food on the table.

Sohu, as one of the few internet companies with decent cash flow at the turn of the millennium, he could understand spending this much on a tight budget.

But what was Tencent's deal?

"If it were two years ago, or even a year ago, they definitely wouldn't have signed you."

"You probably won't believe this, but Tencent was the first among these internet companies to turn a profit."

"Last year's year-end settlement, after deducting all costs, yielded a net profit of over ten million."

Qian Jiang took a sip of water and handed Zhou Yi another document on the sofa: "Now, as of early this August, they're said to have achieved massive, breakthrough profitability, with projected net profits exceeding 140 million yuan by year-end."

"So now they want to expand their influence further—and they've set their sights on you."

Forty-five million sounds like a lot, but spread over several years, it's no real strain on Tencent's cash flow.

Not to mention signing Zhou Yi also brings direct revenue to Tencent itself.

That's why Tencent now dares to come knocking with an open wallet.

They're envious of Zhou Yi's market influence.

As everyone knows, due to some time-honored shameless tactics, even though Little Penguin is now profitable, competitors won't miss this chance.

"But isn't 45 million a bit low for this year?"

How much is that per year, converted?

Zhou Yi, whose tastes had grown somewhat spoiled, wasn't impressed by Tencent's offer.

"I think so too, but business negotiations never get settled in one go," Qian Jiang smiled, his expression slyly calculating.

Come on, who are we talking about? Our Zhou Yi?

An international superstar!

Do you even understand the value of an international superstar?

Since you're already making money like Lady Gaga, don't even ask for dollar-standard rates—minimum annual fee should be ten million."

And it can't be an exclusive contract—only endorsement for QQ, Tencent's single product.

If you want more endorsements, you'll have to pay extra.

"With such high thresholds, are you sure you won't scare them off?" Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Qian Jiang's confident rambling.

"You already have few endorsements. Now that you've reached this level, you must raise the bar even higher."

"At your stage, quality matters more than quantity. If the money isn't enough, you must compensate with other strategic advantages."

Saying this, Qian Jiang pointed to the document he'd just handed Zhou Yi and smiled: "Take a look—this is one of your biggest gains in the international market."

"?"

Zhou Yi, who'd initially paid little attention, suddenly perked up. He flipped open the document—and the header staring back at him was: Coca-Cola.

"Remember what I told you before? You focus on fighting on the international stage; I handle everything behind the scenes." As an agent with exceptional negotiation skills, Qian Jiang now spoke with unmistakable confidence after securing this contract.

After Zhou Yi's World Cup theme song went viral globally, he'd already begun his tug-of-war with Coca-Cola.

Then he encountered Zhou Yi's utterly unreasonable English-language album—suddenly, it was Coca-Cola that grew anxious, while Qian Jiang remained calm.

Though even Zhou Jianhui and Qian Jiang, the most loyal believers at Warner, never expected "Attitude Show" to achieve such dazzling success, that didn't stop Qian Jiang from hiking the price—

"Twenty-five million U. S. dollars for a three-year renewal, plus a five-million-dollar performance bonus clause. Your endorsement tier was upgraded directly from Asia to the highest global level."

"Coca-Cola will also use their channels to promote your personal image as much as possible, to help build your global name recognition."

As the only Chinese—and indeed, the only Asian—singer to break into the international market and compete head-to-head with Western giants, Zhou Yi's significance extended far beyond himself.

Even in Japan, after his album achieved four consecutive number-one spots on the U. S. charts, he was regarded as the true light of Asian pop music.

Who's Utada Hikaru? Never heard of her.

Both of you went to the U. S. in 2002—while Zhou Yi's albums were dominating, what about yours?

Still only releasing a Japanese album in June and selling it domestically? Your English album? Still "in development"?

So you spent months in the U. S., didn't even show up for your own Japanese album promotions, and just gave yourself an English stage name?

Many Japanese fans were deeply disappointed—but still voiced their support for Zhou Yi.

As for his feud with hip-hop king Eminem, in newspaper polls across both countries, Japanese fans' 98% approval rating—even surpassed China's 94%, thanks to Tianxing's stubborn nature.

"Coca-Cola plans to hold the renewal press conference on August 6, which is also the day Billboard updates its charts. I doubt your album's four-peat will hold, but your single's three-peat should continue."

Qian Jiang, constantly monitoring U. S. data, analyzed for Zhou Yi: "There's a new female singer named Avril—her album is surging hard on the album chart; this week she might break your four-peat."

"..."

Zhou Yi, who'd been about to ask who it was, swallowed his question the moment he heard the name.

Canadian punk princess Avril Lavigne—a singer who peaked right from her debut. Her popularity in Asia, especially in China, would later become the highest among Western female artists.

Had he not emerged, this little devil would've been the runner-up on this year's global album sales chart, just behind champion Eminem—her sales were perfectly normal.

"Losing the four-peat doesn't matter—it's already arrogant enough to dominate for a month. What about global sales?" Zhou Yi, already satisfied with the four-peat, cared more about his worldwide numbers.

"The momentum is fierce—it'll definitely break 15 million globally. This is the first time the marketing team gave an accurate sales projection. Add your single sales, and your total for this year will easily surpass 21 to 23 million!"

Qian Jiang's voice surged with excitement as he spoke of global sales: "Then you'll be this year's global annual sales king, Ah Yi!"

"Alright, I'll take your good wishes."

Zhou Yi wasn't as excited as Qian Jiang—only smiled calmly.

Warner didn't know what was coming this year—he did.

Theoretically, Eminem's current album, "The Eminem Show," will sell over 13.9 million globally, plus the "8 Mile" soundtrack singles selling over 6.6 million—totaling over 21 million for the year, making him the sales king.

That's without even fighting him.

Now that they've started this feud, it's hard to say whether Eminem's album sales won't climb even higher.

August 6, Coca-Cola (China) held a grand renewal press conference for Zhou Yi as promised, completely cutting off Pepsi's thoughts of poaching him—

With the floating total reaching a 30 million USD contract, this is absolutely the highest endorsement deal Zhou Yi has received to date!

"The First Person in the History of the Chinese Music Scene!"

"One hundred million in a week? Wrong, it's one day!"

When Zhou Yi and the President of Coca-Cola (Asia) sat before the cameras, each holding a pen to sign the prop copy of the contract, Zhou Yi officially transformed, truly stepping into the ranks of international superstars!

"I am very pleased to reach a cooperation with Mr. Zhou Yi. Mr. Zhou Yi possesses extraordinary talent; we believe in his future, believe he will become a mainstay of the Chinese music scene and even the world music scene..."

The President of Coca-Cola Asia flew all the way to the Imperial Capital leading his team, praising Zhou Yi's achievements in English at this grand press conference.

At the same time, on August 6, the B-Chart also updated the rankings for the new week—

On the Singles Chart, Eminem's "Without Me" dropped one spot from last week, and in its place was none other than Zhou Yi's "Good Time," sharing the top two throne positions with "Yeah," which still held the number one spot!

On the Albums Chart, Eminem's album "The Eminem Show," riding the wave of heat from his previous feud with Zhou Yi, unexpectedly overtook Zhou Yi by a narrow margin of 3,000 copies, topping the chart with 710,000 sales.

"Unbelievable! A month has passed, and they are still fighting to a stalemate; Eminem has truly met his match this time!"

"How did that Chinese person do it? Is his album really that good? Counting the deluxe edition, there are clearly only 12 songs, while Eminem has a full 20!"

"Is it possible that Eminem's 20 songs aren't as good as the five in Spike's album?"

"Too much; I prefer Eminem."

"I prefer Spike."

"..."

After spending a full month proving he was not a flash in the pan, Zhou Yi had thoroughly set off a wave in the United States, with even some American fans finding ways to purchase the Chinese version of his album—

Even if they couldn't understand the lyrics, they could listen to the melody!

Chen Hao, who had been arranging her father's treatment in the United States, felt in a daze as if she hadn't even left the country—

How could she still feel Zhou Yi's fire in America?

"Spike's popularity is normal; the quality of his album is very high." In the hospital, Maria Carey, who had come to help and support Chen Hao at Zhou Yi's request, perhaps seeing the confusion on Chen Hao's face, said with a smile.

"Is that so... Thank you today, Ms. Maria." Chen Hao, speaking fluent English, expressed her gratitude.

"You're welcome; I am honored to be able to help you."

Maria Carey waved her hand with a smile: "My father received treatment here before he passed. Once your father's treatment is complete, transferring him here for recovery and convalescence would be best."

Chen Hao was slightly stunned: "Ms. Maria, your father he—"

"He also had cancer, but obviously he wasn't very lucky."

Maria Carey gave a self-deprecating smile and encouraged her: "Chen, your father's condition is only in the early stages; if he convalesces here after surgery, recovery is very hopeful."

(End of Chapter)