Chapter 454

"Speak! Hei Zi, speak!

"Where's the stutterer? Where's the horse-face? Where are those ancient blowhards?

"And those who claim Deng Lijun is the number one in Asia, come here, let's discuss the fact that your idol doesn't even dare to hold a concert on the mainland. Zhou Yi dares to go to Taiwan; why could Deng Lijun only say nice things on stage back then?

"Don't talk to me about scheduling conflicts. She has time to travel the globe with her little boyfriend but no time to arrange that mainland free concert she's been bragging about for years without ever realizing it? She even wants to hold a concert in Tiananmen Square; why not go to the sky?

"Since 1982, every time she said everything was contacted and negotiated, with victory banquets and private dinners, but when it came time to sign the contract, various so-called unexpected situations would arise, causing the mainland trip to fail.

"Not to mention concerts, even invitations for events concerning the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and invitations for the Spring Festival Gala were all rejected without exception.

"Once or twice, I'd call it a coincidence, but four, five, seven, eight times and you still tell me it's an accident?

"She doesn't even dare to come see her own aunt, only daring to express how much she misses her family through so-called television interviews..."

Guangzhou, Xintang Town, near the Xintang Denim City.

A certain factory supervisor, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, sporting a neat three-seven-parted fringe, had finished dinner after work and was sitting in his rented room, tapping on a keyboard—

The television in the living room was still playing advertisements with perfect pronunciation. The swirling smoke gradually blurred his eyes, which had already turned red from fighting online. After exposing the dark secrets of the Four Heavenly Kings, he dug up a few dissatisfied Deng Lijun fans: "The mainland not banning her or her songs is already very generous. Do you have any idea whether she dares to come over yourself?"

If Wu Jian previously lacked a bit of confidence when arguing with Deng Lijun's fans, now Zhou Yi's achievements completely gave him the means to fight back—

"I won't mention any messy spy theories to avoid you accusing me of spreading rumors. I'll just talk about two people:

"Liu Dehua, in '93, right after playing with a military knife in Taiwan and right after giving a public speech at the Great Hall during a disaster relief charity performance broadcast globally, said something wrong. We on this side still magnanimously let bygones be bygones;

"Zhou Xingchi wanted to emigrate and run to Canada in '93 but was rejected by the Canadian Immigration Bureau, and rejected twice in a row. In the end, the mainland still treated it as if nothing happened.

"Friendly reminder: because the immigration failed and the reasons involving organized crime were made public, Zhou Xingchi, in a fit of anger and shame, directly sued the Canadian Immigration Bureau in court. The lawsuit dragged on until the end of 2000 before he lost. Even so, the mainland still maintained an attitude of letting bygones be bygones towards him. As long as he behaved and didn't cause trouble, he could even go to Peking University to do publicity.

"Where is your Deng Lijun?

"When Liu Dehua and Zhou Xingchi were doing these things, your Deng Lijun was still jumping around on stage, you know? Why doesn't she dare to come?

"By the way, your idol back then went to Japan and was caught by Japanese officials and thrown into a detention center for using an irregular but authentic Indonesian passport to enter. If someone hadn't bailed her out, well, well.

"But your idol is indeed very tough. Just like she never came to the mainland, even until her death, she kept her mouth shut about where that irregular but authentic Indonesian official passport actually came from..."

Wu Jian, now 28 years old, spoke about the various newspaper reports he had seen back then, and even thoughtfully pasted out those materials from back then, directly suppressing those champion fans who liked to follow the trend and blow Deng Lijun's horn—

He didn't know if it was true or not; anyway, that's just how the matter was. If you want to refute it, explain all the puzzles first, then come argue with me.

As the oldest batch in Zhou Yi's fan group, Wu Jian, who had always been chasing trends, could be said to be well-traveled and knowledgeable.

Because he was a supervisor at a denim factory and often did business and negotiated orders with foreigners, his appreciation for Zhou Yi actually leaned more towards English songs—

Having poor academic performance since childhood, he forced himself to chew through English to live better. It was precisely because of this language skill pack that he could stand out among the crowd of migrant workers heading south, be valued by the factory boss, and after a few years of training, sit in the supervisor's position.

As the time spent contacting foreigners grew longer, gradually he also made some foreign friends and, through them, got in touch with foreign music.

Precisely because of this, he understood much better than many domestic Zhou Yi fans just how awesome the achievement Zhou Yi had made was—to put it solemnly, it was a historic breakthrough for the yellow race, truly from zero to one.

Don't tell me there are Asians in the Linkin Park band; whether they themselves acknowledge it is a question. They didn't grow up in the same cultural circle, so don't force it; there will be no good result.

For this reason, listening to Zhou Yi's latest English single "Shots" that he bought, Wu Jian skillfully opened Mop and, feeling moved, wrote a long article—

"When did Zhou Yi become number one in Asia? Right today!"

"I haven't seen Michael Jackson at 22, haven't seen Elvis at 22, and haven't seen The Beatles at 22, but I have seen Zhou Yi at 22.

"I'll put my words here: as long as Zhou Yi's upcoming English second album doesn't suck and lives up to the world music scene's expectations for him, even if his Chinese fourth album to be released domestically in the second half of the year turns into a pile of shit, he will still win awards until his hands go soft and sweep Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan..."

The English second album determines whether Zhou Yi can maintain this "b-ge" in the public opinion field.

The award ceremonies of 2003 looked at albums released by singers in 2002 for over 95%.

Judging by the quality of last year's Zhou Yi "Lianshan" album, I ask you, in this public opinion environment, which award ceremony's judging panel could withstand the pressure to balance things out and not give Zhou Yi an award?

Wu Jian thought there wasn't a single one.

Thinking this, after admiring his own work, Wu Jian clicked publish, minimized the webpage, started logging in to play Legend, and conveniently made a phone call to an older brother he knew in the game—

"Hello? Boss, remember to save me a copy of Zhou Yi's English album when the time comes."

Thanks to Zhou Yi's current popularity, Wu Jian, who had to work, didn't think he would be able to grab a genuine copy of Zhou Yi's album immediately. Because the Xintang jeans industry was booming nationally and even internationally, a large number of young migrant workers gathered here—

Among them, quite a few relied on their youth and willingness to learn to get rich, and many in this group were Zhou Yi fans.

Buying a genuine album was like a drop in the bucket for them. Therefore, referring to the previous experience, several large record stores in Xintang would definitely sell out immediately.

He couldn't wait for restocking.

"No problem, no problem at all, come on, log in, log in..."

The big brother with connections to the Warner distribution channel readily agreed. Wu Jian, who was just about to take the big brother to have a good time, heard a familiar name from the living room television speakers the next second—

"Good evening, dear audience friends."

"Good evening."

"Today is Tuesday, February 25th. Welcome to the 'Xinwen Lianbo' program."

"The main content of this program includes: Our country's young singer Zhou Yi has recently received good news frequently, achieving a historic breakthrough for Chinese pop music and even Asian pop music in New York, USA..."

"..."

Click.

The cigarette Wu Jian had been holding in his mouth fell to the ground, yet he had no reaction at all—

He still stared with wide, incredulous eyes, watching the two hosts in suits and leather shoes in the television screen recite the key news points with extremely standard broadcasting voices.

Three seconds later, he finally came to his senses—

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!!

What the hell?!

Zhou Yi was on 'Xinwen Lianbo'?!

At the same time, different locations.

Any local government officials watching the program immediately read the signal represented by this news content: as a news program with extremely tight time and content arrangements, Zhou Yi alone occupied a full 33 seconds!

From 19:21:03 to 19:21:36.

The previous mainland cultural and sports figure to receive single-person reporting treatment, with a single-person continuous reporting duration exceeding 30 seconds, was still the Sage of Go Nie Weiping, who in 1985 at the first China-Japan Go Team Match, single-handedly defeated three Japanese generals in a row, reversing the total score from 5:7 to 8:7—

From 1985 to 2003, a full eighteen years!

At this very moment, the entertainment industry was in turmoil—the news that Zhou Yi had appeared on "News Broadcast" swept through the entire sector like a tornado almost instantly.

"Ah Yi! You've made something of yourself!"

In New York, USA, inside a luxurious billiards hall.

With his right arm around the waist of the woman who claimed to be a near-Victoria's Secret supermodel, Zhou Yi propped a pool cue in his left hand; feeling his phone vibrate, he took it out, glanced at it, and pressed the answer key.

Even though the dance floor below was noisy, Zhou Yi still heard everything clearly—Qian Jiang's excited voice was so loud he didn't need to worry about being heard.

"Hey, darling, it's your turn."

A blonde model dressed scantily moved her finger under the man's chin, tilted her head back slightly, and gazed up at him from a low angle.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Although I'd love to keep playing with you, I have to head back first to handle some work matters."

Zhou Yi lowered his head slightly, planted a kiss on the woman's red lips, and pulled away immediately; smiling, he waved to a bodyguard standing nearby, who instantly tossed over a sequined suit jacket.

The next second, Zhou Yi draped the suit over his shoulder, turned around, and chose to leave without a shred of reluctance.

"Spike? Hey Spike, does our appointment for tonight still stand?"

"Of course."

Without stopping his steps, Zhou Yi waved his hand at the woman and the group of pool partners behind him without looking back: "I never lie, especially to women."

"..."

Forty minutes later, inside Zhou Yi's lounge at the Warner Building, Qian Jiang looked at the man who had changed clothes again with a strange expression; after a long silence, he spoke: "So, you didn't go back to the hotel last night again?"

"I did. I definitely did."

Zhou Yi, who was adjusting his shirt buttons, turned around upon hearing this and smiled, echoing his manager's words: "If you don't believe me, you can ask my bodyguard or driver."

"Play with fewer groupies from the modeling world a bit less. I checked; this woman is indeed preparing to go for Victoria's Secret, but there are countless women who want to get on Victoria's Secret. I don't think she'll make it; Typhoon simply can't compare to her good friend, who is already a top model, Alessandra Ambrosio."

"She's just using your fame."

Qian Jiang got a headache whenever he talked about this matter.

Who would have thought that this damn Zhou Yi would actually use his blog to arrange an offline meeting with someone? It was just ridiculous.

"I know. So what?"

Zhou Yi shrugged indifferently: "But don't say I didn't warn you; her so-called good friend named Alessandra Ambrosio is indeed quite good."

Alessandra Ambrosio, a rising star in the modeling world who shot straight to the heavens starting in 2001. One of the future top Victoria's Secret supermodels, affectionately nicknamed AA by domestic fans.

Qian Jiang: "...???"

Is that even the point I'm making???

Hmm? Wait a second—

That's wrong.

How come you're still thinking about someone else's good friend?

"Forget it. The reason I called you back is not only to accept a brief interview from a CCTV reporter, but also because the person in charge of Disney's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' project has finished the rough cut; they invited you over to watch it so you can write the theme song."

Qian Jiang, resigned to cleaning up Zhou Yi's mess, seriously introduced the tasks: "Additionally, people from Victoria's Secret contacted me; they want to invite you to watch this year's November Victoria's Secret Fashion Show live."

"People from Victoria's Secret? Do I have any connection with them?" Zhou Yi was quite surprised.

He didn't even know a single Victoria's Secret supermodel; the one beside him was merely a near-Victoria's Secret supermodel, and her Victoria's Secret best friend was someone he had only seen in photos.

"You don't, but that post of yours on the blog titled 'Look at the Legs' does."

Qian Jiang innocently shrugged: "Although I was also quite surprised, according to the investigation, the operating company of the Victoria's Secret Show clearly understands the art of hype. Having you, a Chinese person, invited by Victoria's Secret to watch the show is not only a gimmick for them but also a great opportunity to expand their market base and brand awareness."

"Of course, the main reason is still that you are famous."

"So, after you publicly replied to that message from the near-Victoria's Secret supermodel, Victoria's Secret people noticed you. Now that your popularity is so high, they naturally want to give it a try."

Previously, so many models wanted to attract Zhou Yi's attention; how did the only one who received a public reply stand out?

After some screening, the answer was obvious—she said she was going for Victoria's Secret.

These past few days, the Western media had figured out a pattern—

If you curse at him under Zhou Yi's blog post, he definitely won't reply to you.

But if you bring a photo and troll saying you want to meet him, then maybe there's a chance to progress together.

Precisely because of this reason, Zhou Yi's blog is now flooded every day with various models chasing their dreams—or female actors and singers who desperately want to progress, claiming they are preparing for the Oscars or Grammys.

The photos sent privately to Zhou Yi were each more scantily clad than the last.

Don't ask; just say February in New York is a bit hot.

Having been in the US for nearly half a month, Zhou Yi, solely through his unique provocative tactics and persona, became an object of public fantasy for many Western women alongside Justin Timberlake, the runaway prince of Disney—

Being a scumbag isn't the problem; once I've slept with you, I can brag about it for the rest of my life.

Bad boy, genius playboy; with these labels, women gain immense psychological achievement and satisfaction when they get the upper hand.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Seeing that Zhou Yi was about to finish changing to accept the brief exclusive interview from the CCTV reporter, Qian Jiang slapped his forehead and said: "The first batch of stock for your new album has been completed; it will be released on March 1st. After that, besides appearing on TV shows and radio stations, you'll need to hit many offline music festivals and music venues; I've already contacted them for you."

In the US, if a new album wants to sell well, hitting various offline venues is indispensable.

Unlike the book signings in Hong Kong or the handshake events in Taiwan back home, music festivals and small-scale music compilation shows are the mainstream offline events for Americans—

Especially since Zhou Yi's new album is of the rock genre.

This is practically designed to kill it offline.

"Alright, I know—"

Knock, knock, knock.

Before Zhou Yi could finish speaking, the room door was already knocked upon—

The next second, a suited gentleman who looked at Zhou Yi as if he had seen the savior's face instantly changed expression: "Spike, I beg you, Spike, next time you release an album, can you not be so willful? How can you bear to put so many good songs into just one album?"

Little Edgar's face was almost twisted into a bitter melon.

Little Edgar, who possessed an extraordinary talent for the arts, was himself a songwriter who, not to boast, had once secured the number-one spot on the charts in both the American and Japanese markets, earning the title of Sales King.

When Zhou Yi's new album had already been recorded, he was still leading public relations efforts alongside Zhou Jianhui and had no time to listen. But once he finally had a moment to sit down and hear it all, he nearly wanted to fire the entire idiotic Warner board of directors—yet, considering Warner was not yet his to command, he could only let it be.

God, Jesus, Mary, Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, who the hell at Warner Headquarters was responsible for approving this album?!

How could this possibly pass?!

(End of this chapter)