Chapter 419

To be fair, this isn't Zhou Yi overreacting.

Right now, Mobile hasn't even confirmed how profitable ringtones could be, and they've only dared to launch pilot programs in four cities.

But once this giant wakes up, the future will either be endless bickering or us having to bow our heads and accept trivial gains while the operators—including Mobile—swallow the bulk of the profits.

This is no joke.

The Mobile representative was drenched in sweat, overwhelmed by this elite team of lawyers who were nitpicking every word—and he had no recourse.

When Sun Yanzi returned to Warner's Beijing headquarters, humming the tune of "Green Light," she passed the conference room several times and saw only closed doors and lights burning steadily—

"Strange, is there some department holding a big meeting today? Why isn't anyone eating dinner? It's almost half past seven."

Sun Yanzi, who had come to find her teacher Li Sisong, chewed chocolate while complaining about late nights and early mornings, then asked curiously.

Because of Zhou Yi, Warner's center of gravity has gradually shifted to the mainland; Sun Yanzi, who had surpassed Xiao Yaxuan in popularity on the mainland thanks to her Twin Star fans, also moved her work focus there.

"Zhou Yi personally hired a legal team, supposedly over a contract."

Looking at his student who had turned his office into a snack storage room, Li Sisong sighed: "When did you hide chocolate in here again?"

"Hehe, don't mind the details."

Chewing chocolate bars like a hamster to replenish energy, Sun Yanzi froze for a moment, then instinctively glanced at the potted plant nearby, grinning to deflect: "Has Zhou Yi come back?"

"He's back. Don't you watch the news?"

"I've been sleeping at two a. m. and waking up at four, barely catching naps during the campaign—how could I have time to watch the news? Chen Ze Shan won't tell me anything; he just says my work isn't done and I can't rest."

Upon hearing Zhou Yi had returned, Sun Yanzi's eyes instantly lit up, her tone brightening.

Heaven and earth bear witness: since Zhou Yi began promoting his album "Lianshan" in October, she hasn't had a single good day—every day is either being exploited or on the way to being exploited.

When busy, she sleeps only two or three hours a day, so exhausted she nearly fell asleep on the couch during a Taiwanese online show answering fan questions, nearly causing a live-streaming disaster.

The result of this intense workload is the sustained火爆 popularity of her new album "Leave."

If not for the singer Huang Pinyuan, whose song "Xiao Wei" also swept across Dajiangnanbei, she would have been the brightest star from November until now.

"Promoting the album is your job."

Li Sisong glanced at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking: "Also, don't hide snacks in my office next time."

"Got it, next time for sure!"

Sun Yanzi saluted mockingly, grinned, then casually crumpled the chocolate wrapper and tossed it into the trash bin.

Li Sisong could only shake his head helplessly, then handed her a document: "The company is now trying to partner with Kuriyama Mai to help you break into the Japanese market; she's agreed to duet on the lyrics you wrote—consider including it in your next album."

Since Zhou Yi went global, although new-generation musicians don't say it aloud, at least inwardly they've developed a real trend toward going overseas.

Wang Lihong, backed by Sony, was the first to take this step; this year he even secured the rights to compose and perform the Asian version theme song for "Spider-Man."

Despite the massive success of "Spider-Man," Wang Lihong's English-language theme song "Like A Gunshot," which he wrote, composed, and sang, stirred not even a ripple.

Recently, with the box office explosion of "Hero," Wang Lihong's diehard fans have been mercilessly crushed by Zhou Yi's diehard fans.

Including but not limited to: "If you don't have the ability, don't imitate Zhou Yi promoting movies," "Crushed by 'Rush Hour,' crushed by 'Hero,' go back to America, ugly face," and other seemingly minor friction-laden remarks have become the mainstream online sentiment in China's singer fan circles during this period.

Meanwhile, Wang Lihong's diehard fans have abandoned "Rush Hour," a masterpiece, and now blame Zhou Yi for aiding the devil by using his influence to help Zhang Yimou engage in unfair competition, centered on the argument that "Hero" is a terrible film—their feud has been blazing hot.

Especially after the Spring Festival Gala lineup leaked.

Wang Lihong performed on the Gala last year but didn't make it this year, while Zhou Yi's name remains as solid as Taishan.

Under this atmosphere, Warner, quietly making big profits, reached out to Japanese new-generation diva Kuriyama Mai; she too coveted the Mandarin-speaking market, and with Zhou Yi's established influence in Japan, the collaboration naturally clicked.

"Agreed? Good, then I'll give it a try."

After receiving the sheet music for "Mystory, Your Song" from her teacher, the ecstatic Sun Yanzi immediately wanted to find Zhou Yi to share the joy—but after thinking, she sent him a text instead.

What if he's still in the meeting room? Calling might disturb him.

"A collaboration with Kuriyama Mai?"

In the break room, Zhou Yi, who had only just eaten dinner after working until now, saw the screen light up and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Doesn't this song seem to be written by Sun Yanzi herself, with music by Li Weisong?

As Sun Yanzi's first international collaboration aimed at expanding her market, "Mystory, Your Song" failed to make any waves; in terms of popularity, it didn't even surpass their second collaboration, "Tonight, I Feel Closer to You."

Because the results didn't meet expectations, after these two songs, both sides, due to their changing circumstances, never collaborated again.

Learning from the text that Zhou Yi was eating in the break room, Sun Yanzi came sniffing around, ready to steal a meal—

She was hungry too.

"Don't blame me—I've been eating only once or once and a half a day lately; when hungry, I just gnaw on biscuits or bread."

After a long absence, meeting again meant only one thing: food. Sun Yanzi stared at the dishes on the coffee table and unconsciously swallowed.

Spicy stir-fried pork, boiled cabbage, and sour-spicy shredded potato.

The chocolate she'd just eaten suddenly lost its appeal.

"Aren't you afraid Chen Ze Shan will let you starve to death on the road?"

"I did eat one meal, right? Consider it weight loss."

"... You? Weight loss?"

Zhou Yi, chewing furiously, looked up, a strand of potato still dangling from his mouth, his eyes scanning Sun Yanzi's body—she'd barely gained a few pounds and now had lost them again: "Planning to weigh five jin total, body and box included?"

"...????"

Sun Yanzi, initially confused, snapped back and bared her teeth: "I'll shove you in the box, thanks."

"You probably can't lift me."

Zhou Yi smiled, pointing to the other box on the table: "That's Qian Jiang's—he's still negotiating in the conference room. If you're hungry, eat first; I'll have my assistant prepare another for Qian Jiang."

"Deal."

Sun Yanzi, who had been furious moments ago, instantly moved swiftly to claim Qian Jiang's meal, then expertly turned on the TV to find a variety show to watch while eating.

Her actions flowed like water; by the time Zhou Yi finished sending a message to his assistant and looked up, Sun Yanzi's chopsticks were already digging into his bowl, pulling out meat…

"?"

"You never told me Qian Jiang's boxed meals were diet food — that clear, watery slop."

Under Zhou Yi's stare, the petty thief Sun Yanzi bared her teeth in a grin, brazenly showing off the gap between her front teeth that still had grains of rice stuck to it.

In front of her, one bowl of shredded pork with carrots, one bowl of sliced cucumber.

"Take a look yourself — this little bit, you feeding a cat?"

"Be grateful you even have something to eat, stop being so picky." Zhou Yi said, curling his lip.

Say what you will, the speed of his chopsticks actually picked up, first piling the meat into his own bowl.

Sun Yanzi, who had assumed he would defer to her, instantly widened her eyes — and then, two pairs of chopsticks promptly launched a thoroughly exhilarating proxy war across the plate.

The television was playing a special edition of "Same Song": Approaching Korea — "China-Korea Song Concert."

Onstage, Zhou Yi was radiant, in high spirits singing, "A youth has a youth's wildness, his heart like a blazing sun with boundless light";

In reality, Zhou Yi was "hideously ugly," fighting over meat with a Sun Yanzi who couldn't even overpower a chicken…

The thoroughly defeated Sun Yanzi had both wrists pinned to the sofa, watching helplessly as the smug Zhou Yi, whistling, scraped every last bit of shredded pork with carrots from her plate into his own, baring her teeth in fury in a way that didn't look acted at all.

The stubborn Sun Yanzi glanced at the Zhou Yi on the TV screen: "And you call this the spirit and vigor of a youth of Huaxia? Do you think you deserve this song of yours? Not a shred of the virtue of respecting teachers and honoring the Way."

"I'm not a youth." Zhou Yi shot her a sidelong glance and said matter-of-factly.

Sun Yanzi: "……"

(End of chapter)