Chapter 387: A Larger Circle, A Muster of Troops

Cui Jian could see the immense pressure Wang Xiaojing had been under since the start of spring this year, but he was utterly unable to help.

He couldn't very well have the Twelve Women of Music perform rock with him, could he?

Which rock band uses pipa, guzheng, and erhu as accompaniment?

Although, to promote the market, Wang Xiaojing had set his sights on Japan early this year, the domestic market still held a certain obsession for him—

Even with his future development in Japan confirmed, he was still actively contacting venues and selling tickets, attempting to expand the domestic market and wanting to have his cake and eat it too.

But the results... one couldn't say they were meager; one could only say they were nearly non-existent.

Under these circumstances, the olive branch Zhou Yi extended was nothing short of a timely aid in a time of need.

Just as Wang Xiaojing had said: Zhou Yi is a person worth dealing with.

Originally, due to the Ai Ai Ai Dajin incident, many people in the music circle of the capital had some reservations about Zhou Yi.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, Ai Ai Ai Dajin's status in the industry was high back then; otherwise, so many people wouldn't have been willing to fawn over him.

While the old veterans represented by Cui Jian also found Ai Ai Ai Dajin unbearable, they were still stunned by the ruthlessness of Zhou Yi's strike—Ai Ai Ai Dajin was completely gone; what industry status? It had now turned into nothing but a fart.

This was far more exciting than the rock circle's mutual disdain and insults.

Ai Ai Ai Dajin couldn't even curse; all his originally scheduled events were cancelled, he paid a huge sum in breach-of-contract compensation, and not to mention, the people who sought him to produce music had vanished overnight.

A month ago, Ai Ai Ai Dajin was still the progenitor of campus folk songs, with people flocking to his door seeking his help to produce music;

A month later, Ai Ai Ai Dajin's doorstep became deserted, and he had shouldered the black pot of being a "murderer" in the public eye.

Whether Ai Ai Ai Dajin would have the heart or ability to return to music production remained to be seen; at the very least, he certainly couldn't for the next few years. Just like the rumors of Jiang Wen's five-year ban on directing, Ai Ai Ai Dajin had also happily received a five-year restriction within their music circle.

This was a rumor Cui Jian heard with his own ears; it couldn't be false.

"But you must think it through. There are no shortage of resources with good relations with his family; if you go, you will be automatically categorized into Zhou Yi's camp."

Cui Jian thought for a moment and still offered a reminder: "Zhou Yi may not need their resources, but that doesn't mean your team doesn't."

Zhou Yi, who could produce and sell his own work, was completely free from any external constraints; as for writing songs, collecting songs, and making songs, who in the domestic market could be more awesome than Zhou Yi now?

"I've figured it out. Anyway, the Twelve Women of Music I created were never highly regarded."

Wang Xiaojing sneered: "Since Zhou Yi still remembers me at this time, what does it matter if I'm categorized into his camp? Besides, at this current moment, Zhou Yi's circle of friends in the mainland isn't that big yet; my addition would be a form of support for him."

"That's true."

Cui Jian remained noncommittal.

Although Zhou Yi was from the mainland, the circle he relied on was very special—

He had no connection with any of the mainland's music circles; the mainland music circle's network was completely ineffective on Zhou Yi's side; even Na Ying, being with Zhou Yi at Warner, couldn't gain any benefits.

Instead, he maintained close ties with a few minor divas in Taiwan; in Hong Kong, at most, the Ying Huang faction counted as his ally. If Wang Xiaojing were categorized in now, it would undoubtedly supplement the power of Zhou Yi's faction, and there would be people to cheer for him in the mainland circle in the future.

"It's strange to say, but Zhou Yi, a resident of the mainland, has more musicians close to him in Taiwan, especially regarding scandalous rumors."

"Doesn't this make it even more apparent that the two sides of the strait are one family? The higher-ups would be pleased to see this."

"However, it is said that Zhou Yi also favored two mainland musicians: one was Wang Feng, the other was Hu Yanbin. Warner poached Hu Yanbin because Zhou Yi thought this young talent was excellent..."

The two drank wine while chatting about the network of connections gradually formed around Zhou Yi since his debut.

Xiao Yaxuan, regarded by the two as one of the representatives of "the two sides of the strait are one family," had officially concluded her activities today and was preparing to fly to the Shanghai 80,000-Person Stadium to attend Zhou Yi's concert rehearsal; she was the guest for the Shanghai leg.

"Zhou Yi, I'll probably arrive in Shanghai tomorrow afternoon. What about you?"

"Me? The day after tomorrow."

"?"

Surprised, Xiao Yaxuan jokingly teased: "Are you still reluctant to leave someone in Hong Kong?"

"Well, you'll probably understand once you see the news after you arrive in Shanghai."

Zhou Yi, lying in a rocking chair, took a sip of red wine; his pleasant tone aroused curiosity in the woman's heart. If he weren't out of reach, she would have subjected him to severe interrogation to make him confess honestly.

Zhou Yi had no doubt that, given New Image's ability to hype things up, once he accepted this promotional song, Zhang Weiping would absolutely shout about it all over the world, wishing even the grasshoppers in the mountains could hear it clearly.

The only reason he stayed in Hong Kong for an extra day was simply because Zhang Yimou was also still here.

Facts proved that Han Sanping's actions were far more rapid than Zhou Yi had imagined—

Early the next morning, Qian Jiang received a call from Han Sanping and, on his behalf, passed it to Zhou Yi; a big fox and a small fox exchanged mutual flattery over the signal, theoretically swapping contact information.

"7.2 million, not a buyout; you still retain subsequent royalty earnings."

After hanging up the phone, Qian Jiang stepped forward and presented Zhang Yimou's team's latest offer: "I estimate this is already the limit; no matter how much we drag it out, it won't go much higher."

"It's fine. Even the 200,000 remainder has come out; it shouldn't be addable anymore."

Amused by this 200,000 remainder, Zhou Yi flipped through the contract and quickly agreed.

Unaware that Zhou Yi had already seen "Hero," Zhang Yimou was overjoyed upon receiving the response. He immediately brought his team to formally sign the contract with Zhou Yi and dragged him to watch a film original, carefully describing the relevant content while watching: "Zhou Yi, my requirement remains the same as before; just need to showcase the dominance of the Qin army and the grandeur of the Qin state..."

Regarding the expression of the theme of "Hero," Tan Dun's series of pure music had actually expressed it very well, but the only shortcoming was insufficient emotional effect when elaborating on the passion of the world; he had already told Zhou Yi this before.

For Zhou Yi, Zhang Yimou's requirements for the promotional song were basically no requirements at all; "Xiang Wang Xing" fit perfectly.

"Xiang Wang Xing" actually had two versions: one was the 48-second version showcasing only the essence of grandeur, which was the original version; this version was very suitable for use as BGM for Qin Wang or the Qin army in the "Hero" original film.

The other version, nearly three minutes long, was a special edition created by Guan Dazhou after the original became popular, re-extended and re-arranged according to requirements; it was more suitable for cutting war scenes from "Hero" to pair with for promotional purposes.

And this, in fact, perfectly matched the relationship between a film soundtrack and a film score—

Just like Zhou Yi's former "Song of the Lazy," which only appeared in its most essential and thrilling segment in Jackie Chan's movies, but the complete version appeared in the film soundtrack.

After all, "Hero" was not a musical film; every piece of score couldn't be inserted in its entirety; only the essence could be taken.

The Twelve Women of Music happened to fill the gap in instruments; for them, performing such pure music was extremely proficient. When performing at the concert, it would not only surprise the fans, but Zhou Yi could also play the role of a side drummer, slacking off and resting.

And just as Zhang Yimou was explaining to Zhou Yi, the number of stars appearing in the city of Shanghai continued to increase—

Wang Feng, a male singer under Warner like Zhou Yi, was about to release his new album in December; he should have been doing promotion, yet he appeared in Shanghai at this moment;

Hu Yanbin, the young talent who had just jumped ship to join Warner, also followed his senior brother Wang Feng to Shanghai, stating outright that he was there to learn from Zhou Yi's concert performance.

The Shui Mu Nian Hua group, which had been compared to Zhou Yi several times in the past due to their Tsinghua background, and Li Jian, a former member of the Shui Mu Nian Hua group, had also arrived in Shanghai low-key;

The Flowers Band, which had met Zhou Yi once at an event venue, also arrived at this genuine 80,000-person feast under company arrangement, soaking up all the heat.

Other actors like Zhou Xun, Lu Yi, and Ren Quan were familiar faces Zhou Yi had known since shortly after his debut; as Shanghai locals, Hu Ge and Yuan Hong had spent these days gleefully reading news about stars staying in Shanghai hotels for leisure.

"It has to be Zhou Yi; with such popularity, he seemingly didn't even invite these people as guest singers, yet they all came to show support."

Shanghai, inside a certain hotel.

Zhang Jie and Wang Zhengliang, who had come together from Sichuan, gazed at the newspaper news with uncontainable envy.

And next door to them, a young girl named Zhang Liangying had arrived in this bustling metropolis along with members of her band, Yuanche, solely to catch a glimpse of her idol's charm.

Deng Wenbin, a young man from Guangxi currently in Guangzhou, thought of the inspiration he had drawn from Zhou Yi's song "West Chamber," and with a mindset of "pilgrimage," had bought a high-priced ticket from scalpers at a premium.

Students Wang Sulong and Xu Liang, because of their whimsical idea to run to Shanghai to watch the concert, had received a combined beating from their parents...

"Waaah! I just wanted to see a Zhou Yi concert; what fault is that of mine!"

In Hong Kong, little Deng Shiying, clinging to her father's leg, cried with tears streaming down, while the clothes hanger in her mother's hand stirred with intent...

(End of this chapter)