[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty":3,"chapter-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-34":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The King of 2000: A Mandopop Dynasty",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2301290,4501,"Chapter 34","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>“What, got caught and coming back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the empty clothing store, Xiao Yaxuan turned her head as Zhou Yi approached, having just hung up the phone: “Does Warner also forbid you from dating?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not that desperate—that’s the kind of restriction only someone with no choices suffers under their company.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi shrugged, retorting with a smirk: “I only signed because the Warner CEO knelt at my dorm door begging me—my contract isn’t that strict.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure? My teacher Yao Qian knows Zhou Jianhui. You wouldn’t want me to verify that, would you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s rhetorical flourish—metaphor, do you understand metaphor?” Zhou Yi’s tone shifted effortlessly, his face utterly unflustered: “Looks like your Chinese needs a redo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yaxuan, stroking the fabric of the garment, chuckled silently: “Sometimes I envy you—free to play, no constraints, no pressure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be dramatic. If you want to disappear, just quit—your family can afford the breach penalty.” Zhou Yi, who’d long interacted with all kinds of artistic girls on the mainland, had a clear-eyed understanding of such melancholy and doused her in cold water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To enjoy the thrill of being adored by thousands, you must lose something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no such thing as wanting it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interrupted in her musings, Xiao Yaxuan’s expression froze. She gave the man a silent, exasperated glare: “Can’t you just agree with me? Comfort me—you might get some unexpected rewards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi feigned surprise, raising an eyebrow: “Oh? Like what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked you out to shop and date so we can get to know each other, okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you’ve misunderstood. I came with you only out of friendship. You know—I don’t have many friends on the island.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi raised his palm in denial, then smirked: “Besides, you’re chasing me—not the other way around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Technically, I’m the one in control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yaxuan, fully aware, stepped closer instead of retreating and tossed a selected men’s shirt into Zhou Yi’s arms: “Do women really like someone like you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That depends on how you define ‘like.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi walked to the full-length mirror, held up the shirt, shook his head. Seeing this, Xiao Yaxuan muttered under her breath: “Hard nut to crack.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t overthink it—you don’t like me. Let go of that idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if hearing her thoughts, Zhou Yi picked out a floral shirt for himself, slipped it on, and smiled sideways at her: “You’re just rebelling against your teacher, family, and company’s pressure—I’m just a tool that happened to appear when you were stressed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coincidentally, this tool is handsome and tall—you feel like you’re getting a good deal. That’s why you’ve invested so much energy in me, ignoring the possibility of paparazzi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you genuinely find me attractive, maybe we can have a real conversation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, if you want to take me to a hotel right now, I’ll pretend I never said any of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yaxuan, caught off guard, opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a single rebuttal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since that night she’d driven her Ferrari to pick him up, this silent rebellion had already begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, as payment for accompanying me shopping, buying a few more outfits isn’t too much, little rich girl?” Zhou Yi, having unapologetically picked out several luxury items, asked knowingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yaxuan snapped back to reality, gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, met his gaze, smiled, then waved her hand grandly: “Go ahead. Try emptying my wallet if you dare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a wealthy heiress who’d already amassed great fortune before entering the entertainment industry, Xiao Yaxuan’s challenge was clearly formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Zhou Yi stepped into the company the next day dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, he was met with Baozhi’s and Zhang Shaohan’s unusually strange stares—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why the sudden switch to designer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t refuse—the rich girl forced them on me. She gave me way too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After feigning helplessness with a dramatic head shake, Zhou Yi, wearing sunglasses, stepped aside as Xiao Yaxuan, radiating the aura of a reigning pop princess, pushed open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Removing her sunglasses, she greeted the two women with effortless approachability:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here to shoot a music video with Zhou Yi. Who’s the director?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighteen-year-old Zhang Shaohan stood silently beside them like an unnoticed lackey; Sun Yanzi, still unsigned, couldn’t resist the reigning princess’s aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And over the next two weeks, they truly witnessed the power of a top celebrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rumor Reversed! Pop Princess Infatuated with Warner’s Freshman!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exposed: Zhou Yi—the Mainland Man Who Stole Xiao Yaxuan’s Heart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What Are Taiwan’s Young Male Stars Doing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Warner’s True Face: Mainland Newcomer Zhou Yi Is Stunningly Handsome!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before Singing, Already Famous: Warner’s Newcomer Zhou Yi’s Looks Revealed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For Her Lover, Virgin Records’ Queen Xiao Yaxuan May Switch to Warner!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once-in-Fifty-Years Handsome Man: Warner’s Newcomer Is Coming Strong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just two weeks, centered on Taipei’s entertainment weeklies and newspapers, the name “Zhou Yi,” alongside “Warner Music” and “Xiao Yaxuan,” radiated outward until it swept across the entire island—and even reached Hong Kong and the mainland!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the mainland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Hong Kong merely wondered, mainland media exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who is Zhou Yi?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whose general is this?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How come we mainland media didn’t even know about a talent from our own side?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When reporters from “Contemporary Music,” self-proclaimed mainland’s top music magazine, saw the same “Warner Music Mainland Newcomer Zhou Yi” label across Taiwan’s entertainment sections, they, sensing urgency, contacted Warner through channels to verify the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this Zhou Yi was genuinely tall and handsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just two weeks, with no album released and only leaked or paparazzi photos circulating, he’d gathered a small fanbase of girls who cared only about looks and physique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even wrote letters directly to Warner, demanding a photo book immediately…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Zeshan, then Warner’s vice president, stared in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This future PR genius, at that moment, seemed to have learned something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up and produce the album—and posters! Photo book!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember: shoot the photos as handsome as possible! Highlight the artist’s charm and brightness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Warner’s CEO office, Zhou Jianhui, triumphant, waved his hand and pulled staff from the PR department to work overtime—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Make Zhou Yi look even more handsome than idol drama stars! I want that vibe!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His artists were already self-generating buzz—he couldn’t afford to fall behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the external chaos, Zhou Yi, who had orchestrated it all, watched his name and photo leak again and again through Warner’s hands, beaming as he returned to the mainland to meet Cheng Hao, who had been waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spending the night at a hotel with pop princess Xiao Yaxuan? You’re doing well in Taiwan—I guess I worried for nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Hao, in a white dress, stood at the school gate, holding up a newspaper as Zhou Yi approached and stopped before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How to put it? Maybe I just attract older women—I always seem to meet benefactors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi tilted his head, smiling: “Right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Hao wrinkled her nose: “I’m not your sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1156,"2026-06-20T07:33:41.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cea91c05c4361881d3704e3fbaa62092ebfca3e2c6888e2f2806de16cf95be8d","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-35","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-33",883,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-cover.jpg"]