Chapter 466: Because She Is Madonna

Obviously, the live director on site understood how to create program effects.

Almost immediately after Scarlett Johansson finished that sentence, the camera cut to her on the big screen, and the phrase about drinking bathwater, broadcast to everyone, echoed throughout the Compaq Center—

While most men's eyes lit up, many of Zhou Yi's female fans naturally made the same dismissive gesture as Taylor, silently cursing her as a seductive fox in their hearts.

Even in North America, a female star whose figure was so explosive she needed breast-reduction surgery was as rare as a phoenix's feather or a unicorn's horn.

Although eighteen-year-old Scarlett had not yet reached the peak of her looks and figure, she was certainly enough to dominate the scene today.

Although her height suggested a fifty-fifty split and her proportions weren't great, it didn't matter because she was simply too big, a genuine weapon for actual combat.

Zhou Yi, chatting with Yao Ming and others backstage, was naturally drawn by the commotion outside and saw on the big screen Scarlett Johansson, still acting like nothing was wrong while being interviewed by the Rockets' on-site reporters—the Rockets' bunch of SPs immediately whistled at him.

"I hope I won't see news of you dating this Hollywood star in the papers in a couple of days," Yao Ming, who had already secured a starting position on the team, teased Zhou Yi's style.

After a brief two-day contact, Zhou Yi gave him the impression of being quite easygoing, lacking any superstar airs, and able to take a joke.

Although, due to having just arrived in the US not long ago, he didn't know who Scarlett was, it didn't stop him from deducing from his teammates' chatter that this woman who spoke so astonishingly was the most traditional type of Hollywood blonde beauty.

"That would mean she achieved her goal."

Zhou Yi shrugged, saying indifferently.

Although he found the "bathwater" remark slightly ridiculous, especially since it came from the woman herself, Scarlett Johansson, considering this was a woman bold enough to stir up the "Staircase Vibration Gate" scandal after the Oscars, making her name spread across the entire US and even Europe, it was normal.

Having big ambitions when young, liking to ride the coattails of hot topics, and having no filter on one's mouth—it's very normal.

He admired such knowledgeable people.

If necessary, being generous with one's wallet wasn't out of the question.

The only pity was that the current Scarlett Johansson was not yet in her peak state when she starred in films like "Match Point," "The Black Dahlia," and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"; those years of peak Scarlett could be called a true sex kitten, perfectly fitting the label of a Hollywood blonde beauty.

By the time she played Black Widow in "Iron Man 2," whether looks or figure, she had actually started to decline, and even her breasts had been reduced.

As for the long-legged girl sitting next to Scarlett—Zhou Yi really didn't recognize who she was.

After finishing his conversation with Yao Ming and others, Zhou Yi, watching the entire Rockets team stand up and head to the locker room, returned to his seat in the front row.

In the NBA, performances by big-name singers are usually concentrated in the so-called All-Star Game halftime.

For instance, at this year's NBA All-Star Game, Mariah Carey performed "Hero" at halftime to pay tribute to the old rascal Jordan, who was participating in the All-Star Game for the last time. However, due to a disastrous performance, Mariah Carey was heavily criticized by public opinion.

And this Rockets game was merely a regular league match; the fact that they could invite Zhou Yi for the halftime show was thanks to Yao Ming as a gimmick. Warner Bros. also felt that having two genuine Chinese celebrities together should spark discussion and be beneficial for Zhou Yi's news promotion, so they hit it off immediately.

Of course, the Rockets management, who hadn't yet lost their minds this time, gave Zhou Yi the utmost respect—even letting him walk out of the player tunnel alone, enjoying the cheers of the entire arena before returning to his seat in the first row to watch the game.

"Spike! Spike! Spike!"

The mountain-and-sea-like screams made Zhou Yi, dressed in sportswear, smile and wave to the stands; anyone who didn't know might think he was a legendary team veteran returning to the court to watch a game.

"Hey Spike, I hope my thoughtless words just now didn't cause you any trouble, sorry. But believe me, I absolutely didn't mean it," Scarlett Johansson, self-deprecating, hurriedly offered a sincere apology upon seeing Zhou Yi approach.

The principle of showing ( ) ( ) when apologizing, she had implemented it thoroughly.

"Damn!"

Another big-breasted seductress!

Beijing time, 08:27 AM, Sun Yanzi's home.

Sun Yanzi, who had poured a dish of blueberries into her oatmeal and then added a bag of pure milk to mix it all up, happened to see this scene on CCTV's broadcast; she bit down hard on her spoon with her back teeth, her expression resentful.

Because Yao Ming was on the Rockets, the broadcast of the NBA this year was fully handled by CCTV in China, making the Rockets the first choice for many Chinese people watching the NBA—because there was one of their own playing.

The NBA league also knew how to cater to Chinese viewers; the times generally wouldn't be as inhumane as the Serie A broadcasts, which were always at 2 or 3 AM, or 3 or 4 AM.

Just like today's Rockets game, although there was a time difference, when the broadcast started in Houston, it was exactly 8 AM in China.

Originally, people in China were just inexplicably happy that Zhou Yi and Yao Ming, the two people making their way in America, had finally met, but after the broadcast started, they found it wasn't that simple—Zhou Yi was actually publicly confessed to by a Western female star who wanted to drink his bathwater?

Was there such a unique fetish?

"Damn it, this Zhou Yi really has women throwing themselves at him wherever he goes; no way, I'm so jealous!"

"Although she doesn't look very tall, her figure is quite good; it feels like it must be very bouncy. Damn it, did Zhou Yi just glance at her with those dog eyes?"

"Oh no, looking at the eyes of that blonde star when chatting with Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi will probably have to break the press with the ball tonight..."

"Yao Ming grabs rebounds, Zhou Yi breaks the press with the ball, and we wave flags and cheer for them online; we all have a bright future..."

"Who is this female star? I don't recognize her. Why isn't it Nicole Kidman? I like Nicole Kidman; Zhou Yi, go get one for me!"

"You're even ordering dishes now? Then I'll order a meat-slice Kate Winslet."

"She feels a bit familiar; I searched and found out the most famous one is probably the one who acted in the 'Home Alone' series? She's now going for the art-house film route, and at only eighteen, she's already played several leading roles."

"............"

"Home Alone," even in China, this series of films had a considerable audience. Therefore, once mentioning having acted in this film, many people immediately had the concept of starting as a child star.

And once the label of "art-house film" came out, Scarlett's prestige inexplicably rose quite a bit.

In these days, many online audiences in China still had a higher-level filter for art-house films; a female actress who had already played leading roles in several art-house films naturally meant her acting skills were definitely no problem, directly leaping from child star to the ranks of a powerhouse.

And yet, such a powerhouse woman said such things in a public TV setting...

"Has this dog gone and written songs for someone as prostitution fees again?"

"No way, isn't this Scarlett an actress?"

"What are you saying? Fan Bingbin is an actress too; does that stop her from releasing songs?"

April 5, 2003, Fan Bingbin, who was in Hong Kong, released her first personal single according to the original plan—"The Couple Sitting at the Alley Entrance."

Composition, lyrics, and arrangement: Zhou Yi.

It was still the familiar one-man team for lyrics, composition, and arrangement; the simple, catchy melody and lyrics were also suitable for Fan Xiaopang's voice, which had no talent, sounding as if it were tailor-made. After being distributed by Warner Bros., the song's various data points skyrocketed.

In just two short days, whether in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or the mainland, it dominated the scene by combining the fame of "Zhou Yi production" and Fan Bingbin—

In Taiwan, Wang Xinling's "Love You" and Cai Yilin's "Say You Love Me" and "Look at My 72 Changes" were originally fighting on various charts, but Fan Bingbin's "The Couple Sitting at the Alley Entrance" suddenly appeared, joining the battlefield with the posture of descending from the sky;

In Hong Kong, Joey Yung, who had released her new album "My Pride" on March 25, was ready to fight; the song "The Girl Waving Her Wings" from the album soared to the sky, completely establishing her status in the Hong Kong music scene.

Originally, everyone thought there were no competitors during this period, but they didn't expect to meet Fan Bingbin, a fierce competitor crossing over from another field.

On the mainland, "The Couple Sitting at the Alley Entrance" directly landed in the top ten of various charts, fighting with songs like "Running," "Dark Fragrance," and the theme song of "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," "Drunk in the Spring Breeze."

It truly made jaws drop to the floor.

Of course, no matter how hard this group tried to kill it, the song that remained firmly at the top of the Greater China charts was still "Superstar," released at the beginning of the year by the Heavenly Palace Trio, with all metrics leading the second place by a cliff-like margin.

These past two days, Fan Xiaopang could be said to be riding high on a spring breeze; after all, this song held extraordinary significance for her, almost serving as a love letter written by Zhou Yi specifically for her, at least that is how she saw it.

Moreover, after this song became a hit, she no longer had to awkwardly sing other people's songs that didn't suit her at various official galas and performances; she could simply pull out this, her own representative work.

Zhou Yi even more so stole the show.

Clearly still in the United States and not yet returned, he nevertheless managed to maintain his "suppression" over the Mandarin music scene in terms of both news heat and song heat, causing many challengers to feel a sense of despair in their hearts.

The media were even more delighted to write about Zhou Yi.

Especially after such an incident occurred—

"Transnational Love Moves Heaven and Earth, Zhou Yi Drains the Pacific Ocean for an American Actress!"

Hong Kong citizens, who cared less about the NBA than those on the mainland, woke up the next morning to see these headlines, their eyeballs popping wide open—

"Love to the Point of Leaking! Hot Actress Seduces Zhou Yi into a Passionate Battle on the Court!"

"Pleasure Dolls Burn with Desire, Drinking Zhou Yi's Love Fluid to Cool Down!"

What the hell?!

Although they knew it was fake, many Hong Kong citizens' hands still uncontrollably reached for their wallets...

"Damn your mother! Is love fluid bathwater?! Smash your bathtub!"

"Just ask you, does bathing cool you down or not?"

"..."

Amidst a chorus of curses, the meme "Zhou Yi's Bathwater" spread on a large scale. Not only in Hong Kong, but it was exported to Taiwan, and even reverse-exported back to the mainland.

Lin Junjie, who was preparing for his official debut, felt somewhat amused and helpless in his heart.

His first album of his music career, "The Music Walker," had been scheduled for release on April 10th and promoted for a long time, but at the final hurdle, he encountered Zhou Yi coming to steal the spotlight.

One could only say it was a good thing Zhou Yi wasn't releasing a Chinese album in the first half of the year, and the hype around Ying Zhuan had already passed in the domestic market; otherwise, under the circumstances where the heat was sucked away, it was questionable how much market attention he, a Ocean Butterfly new artist debuting under the title of "Zhou Yi's Most Admired Newcomer," could receive.

Ying Huang, the new Mandarin album "Black · White · Gray" scheduled for release on April 15th, left Chen Yixun feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart as well.

To avoid the scorching hot Mandarin singers in the second half of the year like Zhou Yi, Jay Chou, and Wang Lihong, Ying Huang, after consulting with him, placed this Mandarin album in April of the first half of the year, avoiding the battlefield of the second half to avoid becoming cannon fodder.

"I hope 'Ten Years' can help me open up the Mandarin market..."

Chen Yixun, feeling uneasy, went directly to a temple to burn a stick of incense.

In this brand new Mandarin album, the song he looked forward to the most was "Ten Years."

As for that Singaporean singer from Ocean Butterfly debuting under Zhou Yi's name, Chen Yixun was not currently taking him seriously...

And in the United States, after Scarlett's one sentence that refused to stop until it shocked everyone, the entire American entertainment media landscape exploded as well—

"Public Confession of Love?! Where is Scarlett Johansson's Dignity?!"

"She Has Lost the Self-Respect of a Woman!"

"Zhou Yi's NBA Halftime Show Performance Was Out of This World, the Whole Crowd Shouted Long Live Life!"

"..."

At a time when Zhou Yi was already at the center of controversy, Scarlett Johansson's behavior directly earned her all the entertainment pages the next day—even the sports pages had news about her!

Just as Scarlett Johansson had hoped, her discussion volume and exposure skyrocketed almost overnight.

Overnight, her information seemed as if it had sprouted wings, spreading directly across the entire United States.

Those cursing her shamelessness, spitting on her for losing her self-respect, and reporting on Zhou Yi's charm; Zhou Yi's heat was instead kept burning fiercely by this.

The media reporters who longed for Linkin Park to fight with Zhou Yi waited bitterly for a few days only to get this result, and were somewhat unable to accept it.

Especially after the new episode of the Billboard charts was released on the morning of April 8th, US time—

Good news: Zhou Yi indeed did not win the consecutive championship.

Bad news: The new champion is still Zhou Yi.

On April 8th, amidst the stunned state of many industry insiders, last week's defending champion "Viva La Vida" retreated to second place, while "Counting Stars," jokingly called the "Star Counting Divine Song" by fans, topped the charts!

And what about Linkin Park?

Linkin Park was still honestly running promotions and hitting music festivals, unable to create any news that could shock the entire United States to draw eyes and gain attention, so the rankings of their several songs were still hovering in the 30-75 range.

This made them very angry.

Not brothers, you need to hype it up!

You have to hype it up!

You all came from the same company, how can the gap be so huge?

With such honesty, how can you possibly sell better than Zhou Yi?!

All that high expectation for you was wasted!

The portion of the media that hated iron for not becoming steel shook their heads directly, then seemingly made a decision, turning their gaze toward another person.

Or rather, a legend.

The eternal diva spanning two generations, the pop empress who first ruled television music;

A pioneer of stage visual arts, the holder of the highest album sales record for female singers globally; the person who loved and fought with Michael Jackson, the former Warner pillar and biological mother—

Madonna Ciccone.

After this damn thing called Linkin Park stopped hyping and causing trouble, if they wanted to stop Zhou Yi's championship, they could only place their hopes on Madonna, who had already secretly clashed with Warner.

Because Madonna's new album, hailed as her life's work poured out with blood and sweat, was about to be released soon.

Since they had already clashed, given Madonna's personality, she certainly wouldn't be polite.

Madonna will not lose!

As long as Madonna makes a move, everything will be fine!

"Because she is Madonna!"

(End of chapter)