Chapter 340

"Look, look! Zhou Yi in the white suit is so handsome!! So handsome, so handsome!!"

After the words "Fairy Tale" faded away, Zhou Yi, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, slowly ascended the lawn wedding venue that had appeared in the previous MV. The chatter of the small group of companions beside him immediately grew louder—

Especially when contrasted with the staff moving the piano onto the main wedding stage, the slight upward curve of Zhou Yi's lips at the moment sunlight poured down almost became the visual template for the term "Prince Charming" in fairy tales.

Although it was somewhat strange that there were no guests and no bride at the wedding venue, Deng Shiyin, still immersed in the sweet emotions of the duet "Little Dimples" and "Today You Marry Me," did not notice anything wrong.

Perhaps Zhou Yi was just scouting the venue early to prepare for the wedding performance.

In the MV for "Little Dimples," the young couple was learning the tango; in the MV for "Today You Marry Me," the young couple had a segment in the kitchen where they sang and danced the tango.

Although it was merely at a beginner's level, it was precisely this youthful reaction during the couple's learning process that made people more eager to see what the final product would look like.

"Zhou Yi playing the piano at the wedding venue, Yanzi dancing? I've really never seen Yanzi dance properly before. I'm really looking forward to it."

A companion rubbed his hands together in anticipation, casually tore open a bag of potato chips, and held it out before Deng Shiyin, who was staring fixedly at the TV screen. The latter took it, her hand just reaching in to grab two slices and put them in her mouth, when the very next second she immediately sensed something was off—

In the MV footage, Zhou Yi, who had been smiling continuously, stepped forward alone after the staff helping push the piano left. Facing the empty guest seats below, he bowed deeply, and the smile on his lips slowly vanished as he bowed.

No applause, no cheers, no flowers.

On the vast lawn, only Zhou Yi in a white suit and a completely white piano remained.

The midsummer wind blew through Zhou Yi's soft hair. After the bow of greeting ended, a solemn-looking master of ceremonies gradually walked into the frame from off-screen and handed him a mobile phone.

"Thank you."

After lowering his gaze to look at the number on the phone screen that required him to redial, Zhou Yi forced a smile onto his face.

The master of ceremonies nodded at him, then walked to the spot directly opposite the piano. At the moment Zhou Yi pressed the redial button and placed the phone on the piano stand—

The master of ceremonies began introducing the newlyweds of the day. His voice gradually weakened as the piano music began, until it disappeared completely.

Deng Shiyin, sitting in front of the TV, had only bitten into half a broken potato chip when she froze in place, motionless. Her usually lively eyes were now filled with disbelief.

She understood music.

This piano prelude was completely different from the main themes of "Little Dimples" and "Today You Marry Me"; it was a sadness that could be distinguished at first listen.

Wait a second?!

What the hell?!

Just as Deng Ziqi, who understood music, was about to hold back and unleash her Cantonese charm, the camera at the wedding venue gradually began to pull back—until it blurred.

As if time were flowing backward, the camera appeared in the house from the earlier "Little Dimples" and "Today You Marry Me."

Zhou Yi, sitting in front of the piano, played a clearly unfinished piano piece. It sounded seven or eight-tenths similar to the prelude he played at the lawn wedding venue at the beginning, but this version was clearly more chaotic, more like an unfinished demo.

Sun Yanzi, wearing a cartoon bear pattern, lay barefoot on the sofa. Her right hand, like a conductor's, directed left and right the Zhou Yi who was creating at the piano. Even with her eyes closed, the warmth and smiles accumulated on Zhou Mei Yu could not be hidden.

Until Zhou Yi's piano playing became increasingly chaotic and increasingly intermittent. Sensing his inner irritability, Sun Yanzi immediately stopped her conducting right arm. After opening her eyes, she tilted her head to look at him. After sharing a knowing smile, she stood up, clasped her hands behind her back, and hopped over to her boyfriend's side—

Under Zhou Yi's gaze, she reached out and pressed several black and white keys on the piano in succession, clarifying the notes that served as the foundation for Zhou Yi.

"?"

Zhou Yi looked up in surprise and met her gaze. Sun Yanzi immediately grinned, revealing an energetic, full-of-vitality smile in response.

With the inspiration given by his girlfriend, Zhou Yi smoothly completed the composition of the song. The song's official prelude sounded immediately, connecting seamlessly with the melody at the very beginning of the MV.

Sun Yanzi held up a camcorder, aimed it at herself and Zhou Yi creating behind her, beaming with joy, with Zhou Mei Yu filled with a sense of happiness: "We're getting married~ Mr. Zhou and me~ We're moving soon, moving into the wedding house~

"Hehehe."

Sun Yanzi's signature hearty laughter, in the light refracted through the window glass, was like an angel descending from heaven. Her playful and happy wink struck the hearts of countless people in an instant.

And following Sun Yanzi's words, which sounded like an introduction to the background, the very next second, Sun Yanzi, who had just been lying back on the sofa laughing hysterically, appeared on a small truck fully loaded with furniture and luggage. She lay diagonally amidst the crooked furniture, wearing sunglasses and looking spirited.

Zhou Yi, with his sleeves rolled up, sat on the side drinking water to quench his thirst. As their eyes met, both of them involuntarily revealed a happy smile on their faces, making one's heart feel refreshed and delighted.

In front of the TV screen, a motherly smile unknowingly appeared on Deng Shiyin's small face—

The very next second, that damn sad piano piece sounded again, instantly pulling a discordant gap out of the happy and sweet emotions in her heart.

The scene should have been very happy, yet it was paired with a sad piano piece.

"I've forgotten how long it's been, since I last heard you tell me the story you love most

"I've thought about it for a long time, I'm starting to panic, did I do something wrong again~"

When the singing began, the camera cut back to the wedding venue. Zhou Yi, who was singing the lyrics, had completely lost his smile. After a close-up shot large enough to make people lick the screen, the camera specifically gave a close-up of the mobile phone placed on the piano stand.

Accompanied by the sound of a door opening in the background, the plot scene flashed back to the young couple who had moved into the wedding house.

The bright red "Double Happiness" characters had been cut out and pasted up by the two in advance. The master bedroom was completely changed to large red duvet covers and pillowcases; even the wedding photos were taken in the MV for "Today You Marry Me."

And after arranging the wedding bed, Sun Yanzi leaped onto the bed first, rolling around happily. Her toothy, grinning smile was extremely infectious.

Zhou Yi, with one hand on his hip, looked at her with a doting expression. The pink bubbles between the two almost overflowed the screen.

"This is prepared for our future son. This is prepared for our future daughter."

The scene shifted. Sun Yanzi and Zhou Yi, having finished decorating the wedding house, sat on the sofa leaning against each other, flipping through a shopping magazine. Sun Yanzi, with her head resting on her boyfriend's chest, pointed at a series of baby products in the magazine and imagined a beautiful future with him.

"Oh, by the way, we need to buy more formula."

As if thinking of something, Sun Yanzi got up from her boyfriend, sat to the side, took out a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote something down.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi blinked, slowly turned his head, and his gaze intentionally or unintentionally lingered for two seconds on Sun Yanzi's chest, where she was wearing a brown vest. His expression became somewhat strange—

"Ah!!! Where are you looking!"

Realizing she seemed to have said the wrong thing, Sun Yanzi immediately rose up, unleashing the cute girl punch on her boyfriend Zhou Yi. The effect was outstanding.

This very funny scene of the two fooling around made Deng Shiyin, in front of the TV screen, unable to help but laugh out loud.

Seeing this, she didn't find anything abnormal; instead, she was completely satisfied.

Eating the candy sugar with gusto, it was really exciting.

And following Zhou Yi's singing, the plot progressed to the next scene. The young couple, having moved into their new wedding house, lit the stove to cook. After dinner, they curled up on the sofa to watch a movie together. The movie playing on the screen happened to be the kissing, marriage, betrayal, and killing plot of Zhou Yi and Chen Hao in "In the Name of the Father."

The heart-wrenching drama made Sun Yanzi's tears flow freely: "Wuwuwu, this male lead looks so much like you, A-Yi."

"Indeed, but I still think he's not as handsome as me. If I were him, this gangster's daughter would have already gone home to rest her pregnancy."

After offering a sharp critique of himself in "In the Name of the Father," Zhou Yi smiled and put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. Sun Yanzi, having dried her tears, heard him say this and without hesitation pinched the soft flesh at his waist—

"Hiss! You d—mmph!"

Sun Yanzi, pouting in dissatisfaction, directly hugged her boyfriend's head and pressed her lips to his!

"Ooooooh!!!!"

In an instant, everyone before the screen, including Deng Shiying, immediately started shrieking like monkeys on Flower-Fruit Mountain, each with a face as red as a monkey's butt.

They kissed! They kissed!

They really kissed!

And they kissed so hard, so passionately!

Zhou Yi! You are my god!!!

The excited little Deng Shiying now completely forgot the earlier awkwardness, immersing herself in this mellow, sweet champagne.

Good people get two kids in one birth!!

However, right at the peak of Deng Shiying's excitement and sugar-rush emotions, the MV's plot development took a sharp turn downward, directly stunning her—

These two actually kissed until they drew blood?

Sun Yanzi is bleeding from her nose???

The two, currently locked in a passionate kiss, obviously noticed this anomaly; after wiping the fresh blood clean with tissues, they decisively went to the hospital. At first, the two, not taking it seriously, were still talking and laughing, until the doctor handed them a diagnosis—

Leukemia, an incurable disease.

The following plot, combined with Sun Yanzi's body growing weaker day by day as she actively pursued treatment while also arranging wedding matters with Zhou Yi, yet she always endured it without saying a word.

Until, the day before the wedding, the two walked hand in hand through the church and finally arrived at the lawn wedding venue.

Amidst Zhou Yi's skillful piano playing, amidst Zhou Yi's words envisioning tomorrow's wedding, Sun Yanzi, who had been forcing herself to show no sign of anything wrong, finally couldn't hold on—she collapsed.

She fell straight down in front of Zhou Yi.

Dripping blood stained the white piano; panicked, Zhou Yi immediately dialed the emergency number, holding the unconscious Sun Yanzi in his arms, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

The scene shifted to inside the hospital.

The doctor informed Zhou Yi that his girlfriend's days were numbered; Zhou Yi could not accept this reality, but Sun Yanzi on the hospital bed reached out to comfort him, expressing that she still really wanted to marry him, wanted to hear the song they created together at the wedding venue.

Zhou Yi wanted to cry, but tears swirled in his eyes for a long time yet refused to fall; he could only bite his lip with all his might, widening his eyes to prevent himself from losing control of his emotions.

Thus, the dual-timeline shots converged here—

The mobile phone Zhou Yi had placed on the piano stand now became the bridge helping the two "marry," and Sun Yanzi, who should have appeared on the wedding day, finally appeared.

At the venue, Zhou Yi, wearing a white wedding suit, his voice already trembling uncontrollably; on the hospital bed, Sun Yanzi, wearing hospital clothes and a respirator, with a mobile phone similarly placed by her pillow, from which came her boyfriend's singing at the venue, a single tear slowly sliding down from the corner of her eye—

"I wish to become the angel you love in the fairy tale,

"Spread open my arms, become wings to protect you~"

"You must believe, believe we will be like in the fairy tale,

"Happiness and joy are the ending..."

Singing to this point, Zhou Yi's voice had choked up so much he could not continue; opening his mouth several times, he still could not carry on singing the song—

Sun Yanzi, her face pale, struggled to speak; even through the respirator mask, even while still shedding tears, she still used all her strength to smile and encourage her boyfriend, even though he couldn't see it: "C-come... on..."

The intermittent and weak voice of encouragement made the tears on the other end of the phone completely flood Zhou Yi; the uncontrollable sobbing, accompanied by surging tears, reached Sun Yanzi's ears.

The sorrowful melody pushed the emotions to the extreme at this moment; to do his best to fulfill his girlfriend's wish, to not disappoint his fiancée, Zhou Yi closed his eyes and, with tear tracks on his face, continued the interrupted singing—

"You cried and told me, fairy tales are all lies,

"I cannot be your prince...

"Perhaps you won't understand, since you said you loved me,

"My sky, all the stars have lit up..."

Past scenes floated up once more—from Sun Yanzi bringing the drunk Zhou Yi home in "Cheers," to Sun Yanzi and Zhou Yi learning the tango in "Little Dimples," to their sweet intimacy in "Today You Marry Me";

Even the sweetness of the young couple after moving into the wedding house in the early part of "Fairy Tale."

At this moment, all of it turned into blades, stabbing into the heart of every viewer, one cut after another!

As a gifted little singer, Deng Shiying's empathy was already quite strong; now she was directly stabbed by this blade, crying out "Wa!" and shedding tears without stopping!

"Waaaaaa..."

One person crying led a group to cry.

A group of little girls were led to cry and sob, completely unlike their giggling selves before arriving. Several boys also had red eyes, but feeling it might be a bit embarrassing to cry in front of girls, so they strained hard not to shed tears, determined not to cry at all—

To avoid crying, their necks were stretched almost like giraffes.

However, when the final climax of "Fairy Tale" arrived, they ultimately could not hold back.

Sun Yanzi, lying on the hospital bed, didn't even have time to hear Zhou Yi finish the whole song; the electrocardiogram had already flatlined completely—her right hand, which had been keeping time, fell limply, and her breath stopped instantly.

As if sensing it in her heart, a layer of extreme sorrow immediately enveloped Zhou Yi's heart at the lawn wedding venue; the final singing sounded like a funeral bell for the departed, melodious and lingering.

"I will become the angel you love in the fairy tale,

"Spread open my arms, become wings to protect you~

"You must believe, believe we will be like in the fairy tale,

"Happiness and joy are the ending~

"Together we write our... ending!"

The singing ended, the sunset set.

With his head bowed low, Zhou Yi, holding his mobile phone in one raised hand, was unwilling to stand up for a long time. On the other end of the phone, however, he did not wait for even a single word of encouragement from his girlfriend.

At this moment, all the emotions Zhou Yi had to suppress during the singing could no longer be concealed; his right hand tightly gripped the phone, his left hand clutched his pant leg—silent sobbing at first turned into wailing...

Heart-wrenching emotions made even the boys who wanted to hold it back each cry like tear-soaked people!

"Waaaa! Zhou Yi, you are not human!"

"Waaaa, Zhou Yi, what a cruel heart you have, not even letting Yanzi finish hearing the song..."

"Wu wu wu…"

Teenagers, with their delicate emotions and romantic fantasies, could turn any love story into an epic film in their hearts.

Zhou Yi used "Cheers" as setup, then lured people in with the MVs of "Little Dimples" and "Today You're Marrying Me," only to slaughter them with a fairy tale twist—truly breaking a crowd into sobs.

People of this era had never endured the torment of terminal-illness Korean dramas or idol dramas; how could they withstand this tear-gas bomb?

Those with strong empathy, like Deng Ziqi, were already in shambles—crying while watching, watching while pulling out tissues to wipe tears.

On this day, everyone across the nation who bought Zhou Yi's album or watched this MV was utterly shattered—

"Zhou Yi, you're fucking not human!"

"Con artist! Zhou Yi, you're a con artist! You lure people in and then kill them!!"

"I'm a 1.9-meter-tall Shandong giant, and I turned into a weeping mess—who the hell would believe it?! Zhou Yi, you did great! If you've got guts, don't wear a helmet when you come for your roadshow!"

"…"

On October 1, forums like Tianya, Mop, and even university circles at Tsinghua and Peking University were flooded one after another with threads berating Zhou Yi.

Every Zhou Yi fan who'd watched the MV and knew how to surf the web posted online to denounce Zhou Yi's inhuman move.

Public outrage surged violently!

Even Warner's seasoned PR department was momentarily at a loss—

Are you… dissatisfied or satisfied? Positive reviews or negative ones?

Why are you buying his music like crazy while simultaneously tearing him apart?

On Mop, one thread was directly upvoted into trending status by furious Twin Star fans, traumatized bystanders, and Zhou Yi fans alike—

"Zhou Yi, the Greatest Con Artist in the History of Chinese Pop Music!"

The OP, "Catfish from the River," wept as he denounced Zhou Yi's inhuman act, declaring he would never buy another Zhou Yi album—

"Zhou Yi, you con artist! I bought your album for the first time because I believed your reputation. I thought it was sweet love—instead, you made me cry like this! From now on, even if I jump into the Pearl River or off Baiyun Mountain, I won't buy a single one of your albums!"

"Support the OP! I'm the same!"

"Zhou Yi's promotion is so deceptive—those two chart-topping songs were so sweet, but the album turned me into a sobbing mess!"

"…"

The endless replies beneath the post proved just how ferocious this public backlash against Zhou Yi had become.

Many, heart-pounding from the trauma, didn't even finish listening to the rest of the album before rushing online to vent—flaying Zhou Yi alive. The once ecstatic Twin Star fans were all stunned—

How long had it been?

Half a month ago it was "Today You're Marrying Me," and now it's "Today You're Going Into the Urn"?!!

At least give us a warning or a hint?!

Did Sun Yanzi offend you? Why kill her outright in the MV?!

"You know what I'm about to say."

"I know—fuck you, give me my money back! Zhou Yi, refund me!"

"No, no—anyone have extra copies of 'Lianshan'? Big brothers, can you help me buy one? I'm in Yuexiu, Guangzhou, and it's completely sold out, wu wu wu…"

"????"

"You're this traumatized—and you still want to buy the album?"

"Only by buying it can I have the moral high ground to curse Zhou Yi! After all, if I bought the album, I'm his unseen provider of food and clothing—I'll curse him hard!"

"…"

Since the maturity of China's internet communities, this was the first time such a massive public outcry had occurred.

Outrageous words flew everywhere, sending Warner's PR team into a state of terror.

With this level of backlash, if conditions allowed, Zhou Yi would probably have to perform his roadshow wearing a bulletproof vest…

"Fuck, I get it now—Zhou Yi really lives up to being called one of the Twin Stars alongside Xie Tingfeng. One tricks people, the other follows right behind and tricks too—you two really are a perfect pair!"

"Xie Tingfeng tricked people until he nearly got soft-banned. Zhou Yi's trickery is debatable—in strict terms, it's not even trickery."

"Don't fool yourself, guy upstairs. Look at what songs Zhou Yi released for chart promotion! He lured us in and killed us during National Day holiday?! My whole holiday mood is ruined, damn it!"

"Just tell me if it's good or not." This was from a pure fan.

"It's good, but I still have to curse him! Unless Zhou Yi releases two sweet new songs to heal my wounded heart."

"??? So now it's the knife out from the scroll?"

"To be fair, I'm an Elva fan. I was mad that Zhou Yi wrote Elva a breakup song—but now that Sun Yanzi's gone… he actually treated Elva better. At least she's still alive."

"Huh. That's true."

"…"

The Twin Star fans, who had swaggered for half a month, were now shattered and unable to mount any counter-response against Elva's fans rising up—they could only rally their remaining strength to storm Zhou Yi and Warner.

"What the hell is Warner doing?! Can't you control your artist's creative urges?! If you want to write sweet love songs, write them properly!"

"Where's the manager?! Where's the manager?! All he does is pretend to be dead! Zhou Yi is cursed to have such an irresponsible manager!"

"Uh, guys upstairs, if you're this angry, can you sell me the album? I'll pay extra."

"Fuck off!"

The moment someone mentioned selling albums, the enraged fans who were storming Warner and Zhou Yi all replied "Fuck off!"—then turned right back to storming.

In Hong Kong, Deng Ziqi, weeping at home, furiously wrote over a dozen complaint letters to Warner, planning to mail one per day until Zhou Yi noticed her—

"Dad, I've decided—I'm going to sing. I'm entering the entertainment industry. I'm becoming a singer!"

Deng Ziqi, who had been hesitating whether to pursue singing, wiped her tears and made a grand vow: "I want to meet Zhou Yi face to face—and accuse him of hurting me!"

(End of Chapter)