Chapter 389: An Unprecedented Scene (10,000)

At their level, there truly is no right to speak without investigation.

Watching this executive speak with such authority based on the data, successfully persuading the Zhongli Sect and suppressing the opposition, Xiao Ma pondered for a while before making the final decision at this emergency crisis meeting.

Compared to Penguin's current state of peril, Sohu was clearly much more carefree and successful.

As the news portal with exclusive rights to Zhou Yi's internet news, Zhou Yi's concert special topic was launched as soon as Warner made the official announcement; with each day closer to the concert, the activity and traffic in chat rooms and forums related to the topic grew larger.

Sohu's dispatched personnel, holding exclusive media press passes, even openly obtained guest tickets for the inner field, sitting only a few rows away from big shots like Lu Yi and Zhou Xun who came to support Zhou Yi.

Cameras at corresponding positions captured photos of Zhou Yi rehearsing on site several times; when uploaded to the special topic column, every single photo could trigger enthusiastic comments from countless Zhou Yi fans unable to attend the venue.

Especially when they saw that the current mainland hot idol young actor Lu Yi had also appeared on site—

Lu Yi, who became famous across Dajiangnanbei thanks to "Never Close My Eyes," although faced much criticism last year for replacing Zhou Jie as Bao Zheng in "Young Bao Qingtian 2," it is undeniable that he is currently the single most popular idol male actor in the mainland entertainment industry.

Some of Zhou Yi's new fans were still somewhat confused, wondering how these two could be hanging out together, but immediately someone explained the intersection between the then-raw Zhou Yi and Lu Yi in "Love Me, Love Me Not."

"Recall that back then Lu Yi was just a guest star in 'Love Me, Love Me Not,' but because he was so popular and handsome, they forced extra scenes until he became the male lead of the unit."

"It is said that Chen Kun was also a guest star, but he too had extra scenes added."

"Then how did Zhou Yi escape this fate?"

"At that time, he had just released his first album; although popular, his level of familiarity among the public was still not as high as Lu Yi and Chen Kun, who had starred in TV dramas; Chen Kun's 'Like Fog, Like Rain, Like Wind' was also quite popular back then."

"..."

With historical explanations from some of Zhou Yi's old fans, the drama "Love Me, Love Me Not," which had not yet been released on the mainland and was still in the submission-for-approval stage, saw its discussion heat gradually rise on the internet.

Zhou Yi, Lu Yi, and Chen Kun—the number one figure of the younger generation in the mainland music industry plus the leader of the younger generation in the film and television circle—could have been gathered together in "Love Me, Love Me Not" given the timing.

If it had been dragged to this year, even if they themselves were willing, their own market value would not allow all three to appear together in the same TV drama.

As a self-proclaimed ten-year Zhou Yi fan, Wei Yuncong even kept pressuring the producers and reviewers of "Love Me, Love Me Not" under Sohu's concert special topic, and even cursed Zhou Yi for being inhumane—

"Damn it, with Zhou Yi's habits, the song 'Li Bai' probably won't be included in the album again; this damn thing is really a waste!"

"No rush; trust the all-powerful Baidu MP3."

"..."

Baidu MP3, a music download method that has been highly praised since its launch, is also the only chart where Zhou Yi currently cannot demonstrate his top-ten dominance—

On the latest new episode of the Baidu MP3 music download chart, the only song by Zhou Yi to make the top ten was "Fairy Tale," ranking first.

Following his "Fairy Tale," ranking third, fourth, and fifth were Zhou Yi's old rivals from the battles of 2000, 2001, and this year—"Twilight," "Courage," and "Break Up Kindly," one per year, neatly arranged.

Ranking second and surpassing these three songs was the theme song "I Believe" from the Korean film "My Sassy Girl"; the scene of the Korean wave entering the Chinese market via blockbuster films is already showing signs.

"If it weren't for Zhou Yi holding it up, the number one download probably would have become 'I Believe'; is the movie 'My Sassy Girl' that popular? Why haven't I seen it in the cinema?"

"It is very popular, but in the mainland it's all pirated DVDs; this movie was only released in Hong Kong and Taiwan this year."

"When will Zhou Yi's concert also be filmed as a DVD for sale? I can't afford to go to the concert, but buying a disc to watch at home is doable."

"Then you have a long wait; Warner has plans to produce a concert DVD, but production will only begin after the entire Star concert series concludes."

As a die-hard fan who followed Zhou Yi since his first album, Wei Yuncong, while sharing the gossip he had learned, did not forget to show off his concert ticket—

Although not the most expensive inner-field VIP area, the swarming envy greatly satisfied his small vanity: "I won't talk to you anymore; the concert is about to start ticket checking, I have to head out."

As a Shanghai local who only graduated from university and started working in the second half of this year, he usually ate and slept at home and had saved quite a bit of money; Zhou Yi's concert happened to be on the weekend, so he didn't even need to ask for leave, and could go straight home to sleep after watching.

November 30, 2002, 7:08 PM; Zhou Yi's Star concert officially began ticket checking at the Shanghai 80,000-Person Stadium.

Due to the excessively large number of people this time, to prevent accidents, Warner hired a full eighteen security teams to cooperate with the police officers in maintaining order at the venue; ticket checking even started one hour before the concert began, aiming to reduce peak traffic at each entrance as much as possible.

"Warner really put glow sticks on every seat; I thought before it was just a joke."

"Glow sticks are saved; no need to spend our own money to buy them; Zhou Yi is really a good person."

Two girls next door, clearly there together as successors, looked at the magenta glow sticks quietly placed on the seats; while their faces lit up with joy, they kept chattering nonstop.

Glow sticks for 80,000 people; this is not a small sum.

Moreover, judging by the situation at Zhou Yi's previous Workers' Stadium show, these things probably won't be collected after the concert ends; fans can freely choose to take them away or leave them.

Geigei spends money, fans feel heartache.

Isn't this a whole galaxy better than those stars whose glow sticks fans have to buy themselves or rent upon entry?

"Eh? Wait a second, what is this horizontal strip screen in the middle?"

Some curious fans also noticed the teleprompter and were just about to move forward when security personnel, who were constantly monitoring the situation, stopped them.

While listening to the staff's introduction, Wei Yuncong also looked around the venue—

An oval runway stage was a configuration he had never seen before; it looked a bit like a compressed version of a lotus leaf.

Staircases were set up on all four sides of the stage connecting to the audience seating below, presumably to facilitate dancers, musicians, or others going up and down the stage; many familiar stars were seated in the fixed guest area.

Cameras set up at various positions were on standby, with recording indicator lights flashing continuously.

A venue for 80,000 people; this was the first time Wei Yuncong had been to such a large gathering; the murmur of countless people and loud clamor at this moment merged into a torrent that ordinary people could not resist, constantly pouring into his ears.

It was like the fuse of firecrackers lit by fire; the sparks constantly rising made his heart unconsciously beat faster—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His right hand instinctively grabbed his chest; for some reason, he could even clearly feel his own heartbeat in his ears, and his face appeared flushed with excitement.

Whether known or unknown, everyone at this moment had one common topic.

The countdown to the official start of the concert was displayed on the large screen above the four-sided stage; when this number counted down to 01:00, a clear and articulate broadcasting voice suddenly came from the venue's speakers—

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Zhou Yi's Star concert..."

The voice was very standard, somewhat like the righteous lawyer in a courtroom scene in a TV drama; yet the audience on site all immediately recognized who was speaking and excitedly responded—

"Zhou Yi!"

"Zhou Yi!"

"Zhou Yi!"

From the initial unevenness to the final uniformity, it took only thirty seconds. And when the countdown on the large screen reached the last ten seconds, someone unknown took the lead, and almost half of the fans on site began counting down along with the numbers on the screen—

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!!!"

Crack!

The sound of the simulated lights going out remained crystal clear even amidst the uproar, and the stadium plunging into darkness instantly triggered cheers from tens of thousands of fans!!!

The next second, the intro to "Yeah," domestically nicknamed the nightclub god-song, suddenly blared out!

Wait, wait, deng-deng! Wait, wait, deng-deng!

"Zhou Yi!!! Zhou Yi!!! Zhou Yi!!!"

The extremely dark stadium instantly switched to a nightclub party lighting mode the moment the music struck, stimulating the nerves of every audience member present from the very opening!

The backup dance team that had ascended the stage in the darkness had already taken their positions; a door suddenly opened in the center area of the oval runway stage, and Zhou Yi, surrounded by beauties, wearing a white suit embroidered with gold, sat on a crown-shaped sofa that looked incredibly expensive, with an earpiece microphone hanging right by his mouth—

Legs crossed in a swaggering posture as if the world was old and he was second only to it; a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose bridge, and a pure white fur coat with an exaggerated style draped over his shoulders.

Beauties dressed in cool, midriff-baring tops, tube tops, and micro-skirts flocked toward Zhou Yi one after another as the extremely dynamic intro of "Yeah" played; those closest even leaned right up to Zhou Yi's ear, blowing hot breath continuously on his earlobe while speaking!

"Ahhh!!!"

When this extremely stimulating scene played out on the stage and the giant screen, the atmosphere of the entire 80,000-person stadium exploded right from the opening!

Multicolored light beads constantly changed hues; countless female fans, and even male fans, wanted to be the one able to reach out and keep roaming over Zhou Yi's body. Xiao Yaxuan, sitting in the guest area, had strange lights flickering in her eyes.

When the lift came to a complete stop, Zhou Yi, sitting on the Wang Zuo, finally rose proudly from the Wang Zuo, shook his shoulders once, and the exaggerated fur coat immediately slid off his body, while the beauties surrounding him also took their positions behind him—

"Yeah, ok~"

After gliding forward a large distance with a few extremely smooth moonwalks, Zhou Yi, who had just ripped off his sunglasses, immediately began to dance with his body following that extremely dynamic musical rhythm—

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

"I'm in the club with my homies, try'n a get a lil' v-I (That day at the bar, my friends and I wanted to find some excitement)

"Keep it down on the low key, 'cause you know how it feels (Doing this kind of thing always requires keeping a low profile, because you know how it feels)

"I said shawty she was checkin' upon me (A little girl kept checking me out)

"From the game she was spittin' my ear you'd think that she knew me (The way she whispered in my ear made it seem like we weren't meeting for the first time)"

The nightclub-style flashing lights, following Zhou Yi's smooth dance transitions, triggered non-stop screams; the highly guiding song rhythm became a potion at that very moment, making tens of thousands of people shake their heads and bob their bodies together—

Wait, wait, deng-deng! Wait, wait, deng-deng!

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

Admittedly, many people didn't understand English, but this most frequently repeated word kept repeating in their ears like a spell, leading them to stand up from their seats and twist their bodies along with the lights and rhythm—

Although the twisting wasn't regular, everyone's face was beaming with brilliant smiles of excitement and joy, with no hint of embarrassment.

Shanghai 80,000-person clubbing scene!

The largest clubbing event in history!

"Come on!"

Zhou Yi, who kicked off with the nightclub god-song to build the atmosphere, also had a brilliant smile on his face; his smooth steps, completely unlike a beginner's, kept changing and spinning as if his feet were oiled, while his hands were raised high, pointing at the audience below and the stands on all sides.

Wherever his fingertips passed, there were screams and cheers from countless people who would roar out even if their throats went hoarse!

This is the charm of a large crowd! This is the atmosphere of a concert!

The adrenaline spiked at the opening, the extremely excited emotions, the thrill of tens of thousands of people jumping and bouncing with you—this is a feeling you can never get listening to a CD at home!

In the guest area, Zhou Xun, Lu Yi, and others, seeing this scene for the first time, were all somewhat startled by the frenzied atmosphere of the concert.

Especially singers like Wang Feng and Hu Yanbin.

As singers, they had quite a few experiences with public performances, but Zhou Yi's performance right now was undoubtedly the most passionate opening they had ever experienced or seen. A scene of nearly 80,000 people clubbing together at the venue was something they had never seen in their entire lives up to this point.

Zhou Yi managed to do it, giving them a broadened view.

Zhou Yi, knowing that since the atmosphere had ignited, it must continue without stopping, seamlessly connected another DJ god-song, "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," right after "Yeah." It didn't matter if fans didn't understand English songs; just follow the dynamic rhythm and keep rocking at the venue!

Clubbing, clubbing, the main point is that even if you don't understand, you can still party wildly with the rhythm!

Two songs right at the opening, not a single word spoken, just going straight through like this; the concert atmosphere instantly skyrocketed to its peak. Nearly ten minutes of non-stop high-energy songs and hot dancing left Zhou Yi, who stepped the final dance move in time with the notes, panting heavily and sweating on his forehead.

When the lights froze on Zhou Yi standing at the very front of the stage with his legs apart, his right hand raised high with a single finger pointing to the sky, the screams that had just subsided for a moment roared up again, Gao Hu-ing this man's name like a mountain call and sea roar—

"Zhou Yi!"

"Zhou Yi!!"

"Zhou Yi!!!"

"Aaaaaah!!!"

On stage, Zhou Yi, using the time to hold a frozen pose to quickly adjust his breathing, after pausing for a brief few seconds, smiled and waved to the stands on all sides to greet them: "Welcome to the Star Concert, good evening everyone!"

"Zhou Yi, I love you!!"

"Thank you, I love you too."

Zhou Yi, who had walked to a corner of the stage, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water that had been prepared long ago, took a small sip, listened to the cheers from all directions, and raised his hand in the distance as a response.

"Zhou Yi, I want to marry you!"

"Zhou Yi, I want to marry you too!"

"Zhou Yi, I want to have your child!"

"Zhou Yi..."

After the passionate and wild opening, the fans, with their emotions released, were no longer reserved, spouting out one tiger-and-wolf phrase after another. Zhou Yi on stage didn't hold back either; pointing at the area making the most noise, he joked: "Marriage isn't allowed, you guys are too numerous; that would be illegal.

"According to the 'Marriage Registration Management Regulations' released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on February 1, 1994: A person with a spouse who cohabits with another person in the name of husband and wife, or a person who knowingly cohabits with another person who has a spouse in the name of husband and wife, shall still be convicted and punished for bigamy."

???

Damn!

Forgot you're still a law student!

Master, what kind of law did you actually study in school?

The female fans in the audience erupted in the loudest laughter.

After emotional release, a person's state often becomes unusually relaxed; this is why concerts usually open with fast-paced or high-energy songs—

Most fans don't know each other, and the simplest way to eliminate their nervousness and discomfort in the venue, and to stir up the atmosphere so they feel surrounded by like-minded friends to party with, is to get them excited.

"So, I think it's better for us to maintain this pure relationship we have right now. What do you think?"

Having taken the microphone, Zhou Yi removed his earpiece mic, handed it to the staff member who came on stage, and joked while breathing slightly heavily.

"No!!!"

The unified rejection made both sides laugh until their eyes were nearly invisible.

"OK, for the next song, anyone who wants to sing along can do so; the on-screen prompters will display the lyrics for everyone."

After pointing to the prompters around the stage and briefly explaining their function, Zhou Yi, holding the microphone, clicked his tongue in regret. The next second, the melody of "Today You're Going to Marry Me" played from the venue's speakers.

Instantly, the cheers of the female fans who had just shouted "marry" erupted!

"Spring warmth and blooming flowers take away winter's sorrow, the breeze brings a romantic scent.

"Every love song suddenly fills with meaning; I suddenly see you at this very moment~"

The live band's performance had more texture than listening to a CD or cassette; singing the male part, a mischievous smile curled Zhou Yi's lips. He pointed his left hand first toward the front-view audience seats, and the microphone was immediately extended—

"Spring warmth and floral scent take away winter's chill! The breeze brings unexpected love!

"The birds' high songs draw us closer! I suddenly fall in love with you at this very moment!!!"

Because it was a duet, the sound exploding from the front-view seats sounded more like roaring. A wedding love song that should have been sung by a man and a woman had, at this very moment, become a bridge of communication between the idol and the fans.

Smiling while singing the chorus part, Zhou Yi gave a thumbs-up toward the front-view seats— "OK, so next... friends on the left!"

The emotions that had paused due to the brief break were instantly stirred up; whether male or female fans, they were lost in Zhou Yi's repeated calls of "friends on the right, friends in the back, friends above."

After finishing one song, the sense of participation was maxed out. In the venue, where the heat had risen to a bustling level, one couldn't even feel the cold; instead, it was so hot that people were sweating profusely and wanted to take off their jackets.

And as the instigator of all this, Zhou Yi himself immediately followed up with a trio of love songs: "Little Dimples," "Big City, Little Love," and "It's You I Love." By the end, he even made a heart gesture toward the fans below the stage for the first time—

It's you I love.

Sincerity, overflowing in words and deeds.

Borrowing the lower energy consumption of love songs to recover his stamina, Zhou Yi then performed four more songs capable of stirring up the venue's atmosphere: "Dance Gate," "Happy Worship," "Reverse the Earth," and "Baby," igniting the entire eighty-thousand-person venue once again!

Those synchronized and hypnotic "Baby, baby, oh~" even echoed outside the venue; any passerby who happened to walk by the eighty-thousand-person stadium at that moment could vaguely hear the loud singing coming from inside.

"Baby baby oh oh~~"

Wei Yuncong, shaking a glow stick in his hand alongside the two girls beside him, tore at his own tone-deaf throat, roaring until his voice grew slightly hoarse and the veins near his eyes bulged, yet he still didn't give up.

The depression that had been suppressed in his heart for nearly half a year of working was completely released in tonight's carnival; he felt ecstatic from head to toe!

It has to be Zhou Yi!

This was way more exciting than the Andy Lau concert he attended before; all around were young women.

On stage, after jumping and dancing non-stop for four songs in a row, Zhou Yi's breathing was clearly struggling; he couldn't even control his heavy panting when speaking, and even drinking water was done in a confused, gulping manner.

"Cough, cough."

Having almost choked, Zhou Yi screwed the cap back on, placed the bottle on the edge of the stage, took a deep breath, and grinned: "I almost passed out from lack of air; luckily, I finished singing."

Four songs, over thirty minutes non-stop, with not a single buffer in between; the whole point was pushing himself to the cliff's edge—even the fans' screams clearly sounded like they were getting tired of shouting.

If it weren't for his superior physical fitness and body constitution providing support, he really might not have been able to pull off something like this at such a time.

"So next, I'm going to cool myself down a bit, singing some songs that don't require such screaming or such jumping and dancing."

Adjusting the cables on his back, Zhou Yi unbuttoned the top three buttons of his loose shirt to dissipate heat; the faintly visible pectoral muscles, moistened by sweat, made many people's eyes shoot out red hearts—

Foul!

Too much of a foul!

"For example, songs like 'West Chamber,' 'Eastern Break,' and 'Fireworks Cool Easily in Yi.' I've seen on the internet and in the news that many people call them 'Chinese-style' songs."

Sitting down naturally in front of the stage as if chatting with an old friend, Zhou Yi smiled and listed song titles one by one: "And my agent also told me that various news outlets have many people praising this, but I actually think this is really unnecessary.

"Just 'Chinese-style,' 'Chinese-style'—what exactly is 'Chinese-style'? We ourselves are Chinese; why praise 'Chinese-style'? We ourselves understand the culture of this land.

"If we're going to praise, we should praise it abroad, show it to foreigners, let foreigners hear it, because they are the ones who don't understand our culture..."

On stage, Zhou Yi continued explaining the concept of so-called "Chinese-style" in his mind, repeatedly stating that he was not the so-called founder of "Chinese-style," nor had he established any school or sect; he was merely standing on the shoulders of giants, that's all.

But the more he said this, the clearer the vague concept of "Chinese-style" in the fans' minds became—

So, here comes the question: who proposed this clear concept?

More and more fans looked at the humble young man on stage, who was completely different from the arrogant image described in the print media, and automatically imagined a scene of a young grandmaster indifferent to fame and profit.

The more Zhou Yi denied something in this regard, the more they believed he was the pioneering figure in this field.

Young fans are often easily carried away and easily brainwashed by idol concepts; this is why the so-called fan-circle fans usually have a base of young people, regardless of gender.

Don't think men don't play in the fan circle; they are just as devotedly fanatical. In the future, even after Leo Yo-Xi casually dodged Hong Kong's forty thousand people without a single timely apology or remedy, he could still be washed clean; one might think this Worm King had also strained his vocal cords.

Putting aside the sports circles where male fan circles are more prevalent, just talking about the singer circles, the male fans of Zhou Wang Taolin still had their share of infighting, none missing.

In a certain seat in the middle layer of the left-side viewing area, Deng Wenbin, holding a baseball cap in his hand, felt as if a flash of lightning "whoosh" suddenly streaked through his mind while Zhou Yi was elaborating on the concept—

"So that's it..."

Just as if the Ren and Du meridians in a Wu Xia novel had been unblocked, at this moment, both Deng Wenbin and the newcomer Hu Yanbing sitting in the guest area wore expressions of sudden realization, murmuring words that no one else could hear amidst the huge cheers.

I've understood!

I've understood!

If only this weren't a concert right now.

When the Gong-mode R&B intro of "West Chamber" began to play, the previously extremely lively concert venue gradually quieted down.

Eighty thousand magenta glow sticks were held high over the fans' heads, swaying left and right in rhythm with the melodious tune of "West Chamber"~

"I passed by the West Wing again, the daydreams of twelve years ago."

"Writing about you and me back then, a song to the tune of Shuidiao Getou~"

In a tone completely within his comfort zone, singing effortlessly, Zhou Yi, borrowing a Chinese-style song to recover his stamina, stood up as he sang, began circling the stage, and raised his left hand high, swaying it along with the magenta ocean below—

"I pass by the West Wing again, twelve years later, with talent overflowing."

"The hundred flowers still bloom, but the people are gone and the tower is empty; those flowers bloom often, yet people are hard to keep~"

Sweat sliding down from his forehead dampened his temples; under the warm-toned lights, Zhou Yi, holding the microphone and smiling while singing, looked at that moment like a chosen one embraced by a sea of magenta flowers—

The twelve musicians of the Women's Twelve Music Workshop, dressed in qipaos, slowly appeared on the rising and lowering platform, accompanying Zhou Yi together with the band.

Once the song finished, Zhou Yi, who had given them a transition time as guests performing classical instruments, finally took the elevator down to the backstage—

"Quick, quick, quick, water, water, water, wipe the sweat, first give Ah Yi a rinse."

Qian Jiang, who had prepared warm water early on, arranged the work methodically; after Zhou Yi simply rinsed off the sweat on his body and changed into a fresh set of clothes, he then went back on stage, timing it perfectly.

"Too risky; your concert lasts three hours, and you only have two guest performers for transitions, that's too much." Looking at Zhou Yi, who held water in his mouth for two seconds before spitting it out, Qian Jiang felt a bit heartbroken.

"They bought tickets to hear me sing and watch me perform; how can I justify having so many supporting acts to this group of fans willing to spend big money or even travel long distances to see me?"

Zhou Yi smiled and said indifferently, "It's fine; I'm young, I can still hold on."

As the members of the Women's Twelve Music Workshop retreated behind the scenes to begin accompanying again, Zhou Yi, back on stage, started his own Chinese-style journey of recuperation.

"Flower Field Mistake," "Susan Says," "East Wind Breaks," "Fireworks Cool Easily," and even "By the Butterfly Spring" and "Qingming Rain Above," which were for Sun Yanzi, were all sung by him.

Sun Yanzi, who was still running around promoting her new album, could not appear at the Workers' Stadium like before; instead, she appeared on the large screen at the venue in the form of an MV; the forbidden male-female duet made the audience shout that they couldn't get enough—

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough; if I sing two more times, I'll have to pay her portrait rights fees for two more times, that's a huge loss."

Raising his hand to scoop up a handful of wet hair, revealing his forehead, Zhou Yi shook his index finger with feigned displeasure: "You don't know; she's very black-hearted."

"You know 'Fairy Tale,' right? Many people outside scold me for being ruthless; actually, I never thought of this direction at first; it was her who proposed this concept first, and then I developed 'Fairy Tale' along this direction."

"As a result, this black-hearted person insisted on pinning the blame on me; I'm very wronged—"

Ring-ring-ring!

Just as Zhou Yi was speaking, a mobile phone ringtone suddenly rang out, interrupting his attempt to shift the blame—

The large screen at the venue, at some point, had even captured his phone; the screen clearly displayed the caller's note: Rich Woman.

—?!

Rich Woman?!

Eighty thousand pairs of eyes at the venue stared roundly in unison, their expressions somewhat incredulous.

What's going on? Did Zhou Yi really go pick up a Rich Woman for a meal?!

Seeing the caller ID, Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise and pressed the answer key: "Hello?"

"Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me?"

The next second, Sun Yanzi's energetic voice spread throughout the venue through the microphone—

"Zhou Yi! Don't think you can slander me freely just because it's your concert! 'Fairy Tale' was clearly your idea, and the male and female leads repeatedly dying in the two songs was also your idea!"

In an instant, whistles and cheers flew together!

"Hooooo~~~"

After Sun Yanzi's unexpected call, the venue directly turned into an ocean of joy; various kinds of "booing" were sent to Zhou Yi on stage, who was caught between laughter and tears, and everyone was laughing wildly.

"No, stop, stop."

Zhou Yi, who hurriedly made a stop gesture to the venue, asked: "How do you know what I said at the concert? Are you here too? Weren't you promoting your new album in Jiang Xi?"

"One of my assistants is your fan; she asked me for leave specifically to come watch your concert; after hearing your words, she immediately sent me a text message."

"..."

On stage, Zhou Yi's utterly speechless expression filled the entire eighty-thousand-person Shanghai venue with a lively atmosphere.

"Hehe, everyone at the STAR Concert Shanghai stop, please don't be deceived by Zhou Yi's sweet talk; actually, he is the one who is extremely black-hearted."

Sun Yanzi in the phone chuckled proudly twice: "Let me tell you, I just often told him some tragic stories, and he just—"

With a "beep," the call was hung up decisively.

The fans at the venue hadn't even had time to react before Zhou Yi raised his hand and signaled to the band behind him: "Brother Chen, we can start the next song."

The leader of the band just made an OK gesture; the next second, the phone ringtone rang again—

It was still that Rich Woman.

"Zhou Yi!"

The moment the answer key was pressed, Sun Yanzi's voice, which had clearly risen several octaves, came from the receiver—and then, Zhou Yi hung up again without changing his expression.

Called again, hung up again;

Called again, hung up again.

A relentless tug-of-war made the fans in the audience seats all bare their teeth and laugh like Lady Gaga.

Finally, Sun Yanzi stopped calling, and Zhou Yi was at peace.

"Change the song, change the song, Brother Chen, please switch to the accompaniment for 'Fairy Tale'."

Zhou Yi, who had just stuffed the phone back into his pants pocket, turned around and requested to "change" the song, his eyes not forgetting to sweep around the audience below: "That assistant Young Lady, you should still be there; please tell her I will directly sing 'Fairy Tale' to send her off."

"..."

Too ridiculous!

What does it mean to sing 'Fairy Tale' to send her off?!

You just argued a moment ago, and now you're bringing up bad memories?!

Before anyone could object, Zhou Yi's phone ringtone rang again—

Only this time, after answering, he did not hang up; instead, just like in the MV, he placed the phone on the piano.

A beautiful piano melody rose, and in one second, Zhou Yi, switching into deep-emotion mode, slowly opened his mouth: "How long has it been since I heard you tell me your favorite story~

"I've thought about it for a long time, I'm starting to panic

"Did I do something wrong again~"

Singing with deep emotion, performing with deep emotion—this explosive song, which tops music charts in every city and even monopolizes the number one spot, was brought to life by Sun Yanzi's phone call, immersing the eighty thousand people in the venue a bit too quickly.

Upon reflection, wasn't that phone call by Sun Yanzi, with its coming and going, merely a microcosm of lovers playing around or even quarreling?

And the story in Sun Yanzi's mouth that wasn't finished...

Damn!

This can be so heartbreaking?!

"You cried and told me, fairy tales are all lies, I can't be your prince

"Maybe you won't understand, after you said you love me, the stars in my sky all lit up~"

The lights in the venue stopped flickering; the arena, suddenly dimmed, caused no disturbance. A beam of light seemed to burst forth from the polar night, shining directly on Zhou Yi, who stood alone in the exact center of the stage, illuminating the tiny feather decorations on his person.

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

"Spread my arms, become wings to protect you"

The gradually soaring chant, pure as a hymn, when there was only this single beam of light on the main stage, instantly filled the atmosphere with a sadness as if he were the only person in the world—

A man isolated from the world closed off his heart, pacing within the circle of light he had drawn as a prison, yet never managing to take even half a step out.

"You must believe, believe that we will be like in fairy tales

"Happiness and joy are the ending~~~"

The closing hum accompanied by the wing special effects on the big screen; the main stage seemed to be snowing, and white snowflakes fell onto the shoulders of Zhou Yi, whose eyes were so deep with emotion they could make a dog cry.

Fans with low emotional thresholds had, without realizing it, already reddened their eyes, unconsciously raising their hands to wipe away tears.

The infectious power and charm of a live performance often come from the abundant emotional progression and layering in the singer's voice.

When the song ended, Zhou Yi, whose lips trembled twice, seemed not to have withdrawn from that sorrowful emotion, and there seemed to be faint glimmers of tears in the corners of his eyes.

This time, there were no cheers, no screams, no one to break this silent atmosphere.

Until, a slight applause suddenly broke the harmony.

Just like the chain reaction caused by knocking over the first domino, the applause spread from points to areas, evolving from sparse to groups—

Until finally, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause, the lingering sound seeming to circle the beams, never ceasing!

"Zhou Yi!"

"Zhou Yi!!"

"Zhou Yi!!!"

The overwhelming cheers made Zhou Yi, standing in the light, spread his arms and slowly walk down along the nearest stage stairs.

"Your smile is a blessing

"The world is so rarely so beautiful~"

After finishing "Fairy Tale," the band, without resting for long, played the intro to "Lonely Mr. Chen."

"The reason the night is black

"Is to wake the ghosts in people's hearts~"

Seeing Zhou Yi walk off the stage and begin to approach the audience in the stands along the aisle for a close-up face-to-face, the venue instantly erupted in unparalleled screams!

Security personnel who had taken their positions early on constantly protected the advancing Zhou Yi; Zhou Yi, singing while extending his hand toward them, seemed to high-five continuously as he swept across the palms extended by the fans.

The smiling faces, overflowing with excitement at being able to get close to their idol, moved Zhou Yi somewhat.

"I can, be, in-dif-fer-ent~~~

"But loneliness keeps shedding tears~"

High note!

The ultimate high note!

A pure high note capable of shaking the soul!

There was no sharp discomfort; instead, it carried a certain mellow and rich sadness. The top-tier vocal function, which Li Sisong had evaluated back then, after so much time of training, became effortless when mastering this song "Lonely Mr. Chen."

Faces overflowing with enthusiasm; Zhou Yi, whose walk even carried the wind, also showed a smile on his face. After singing the high note, he even handed the microphone directly to the fans along the way.

Although the lyrics were somewhat off-key due to excessive excitement, to Zhou Yi's ears, it was of no consequence.

Until...

Hmm?

Hu Ge?

Zhou Yi, who was supposed to take the microphone back to sing the high note himself, felt somewhat surprised when he saw the face of that future big star in the audience.

Hu Ge, who had not yet experienced the car accident, had a somewhat long face; compared to those traditional handsome guys, he was at a disadvantage, but he couldn't help that standing beside him, contrasting him, was his good brother Yuan Hong.

"It's my turn, it's my turn! I'll do it, Zhou Yi! I'll do it, Zhou Yi!"

The still very cheerful Hu Ge, taking advantage of Zhou Yi's moment of surprise, stretched his neck and leaned his head over to the microphone that hadn't yet been handed to him, opened his mouth to join in the singing, and the high note rang through the clouds—

"I can, be, in-dif-fer-ent!!! Cough cough cough!!"

Hu Ge, who knew immediately that things had gone wrong upon opening his mouth, had veins bulging on his neck and face, finished the whole sentence with a fierce expression, while everyone around him, including his good brother Yuan Hong, burst into laughter.

Zhou Yi widened his eyes, with an expression as if he had seen a ghost...

(End of this chapter)