Chapter 467: A Forty-Year-Old Woman Guarding the National Gate

For her own path to fame, Scarlett Johansson has actually always been very dissatisfied.

She did not want merely an ordinary actor's life; she wanted to be surrounded by flowers and flashbulbs, to become a superstar watched by the whole world.

Because her mother was a film producer, Scarlett Johansson, having been exposed to the entertainment industry's operating nature from a young age, had resources upon debut that were by no means poor.

Although she could not compare to those top-tier star children under the spotlight, at the very least she did not lack roles to play.

Since officially debuting and entering Hollywood in 1994, up until the end of 2002, Scarlett Johansson had acted in eleven films, including lead roles, supporting roles, and cameos in well-known major productions.

Yet even though she had worked so hard, honed her acting skills to the point where any director would praise her overflowing talent, and had won or been nominated for Best Actress awards at some ceremonies, she still could not change one fact—

She was not famous.

Whether it was refined art-house films or big-budget commercial films, the recognition for her was basically limited to the industry. Leaving Hollywood and shifting the gaze to the general public, many people who had seen her movies could not even call out her name.

Or rather, what many audiences could call out was only her character's name, not her own.

Once the film promotion period ended, her name would not occupy even a slightly larger space in the media or in the mouths of the American public.

If she were a drama addict obsessed with acting, she might perhaps be very satisfied with this state, but Scarlett was not.

From the very first day she entered the entertainment industry, she had one goal—to be famous, to be hugely famous.

She wanted fame; she wanted material wealth.

This is also why she set her sights on Zhou Yi.

If one were to find the hottest entertainment star in the recent United States, it would absolutely be Zhou Yi, one could even say there was no other.

Especially after the press conference on the 17th of last month that shocked the entire American industry.

Bold Scarlett Johansson thought of declaring her love for Zhou Yi in public to increase her own media space and exposure, and among the public events Zhou Yi attended recently, the only one that could be televised and broadcast nationwide was this NBA game.

"The news situation outside seems unfavorable to you, Spike."

Houston, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, inside a suite.

Scarlett Johansson, 翘着 her toes applying nail polish, was on the phone with Zhou Yi, who had been added yesterday; her loose pajamas could not contain her surging bosom, and within her half-open collar, a career chasm shone particularly dazzlingly under the lights.

"What does it matter?"

In the phone, Zhou Yi's voice was exceptionally clear: "Anyway, in a few days they will pretend they never said it and start praising me again, because after Madonna they have found no one else to find."

Scarlett's corners of the mouth could not stop rising: "Well, I now believe the news saying you are arrogant is true; that was Madonna."

Honestly, she had originally come to ride on Zhou Yi's heat.

After adding contact information last night, she even treated Zhou Yi to a meal to express her apology; she had originally prepared herself to be dragged by this man into a hotel, but the final result was Zhou Yi's attitude of complete indifference to her riding his heat.

Anyway, it looked like he truly did not care.

During dinner conversation, he was also very gentlemanly toward her.

Although he did indeed like to speak flirtatiously, he would not make her feel disgusted; his teasing and interaction stopped at the right point, making Scarlett feel very comfortable. To put it in slightly more artistic words, Zhou Yi's gaze at her held no aggression.

This is very rare.

"Whether she is Madonna or Michael Jackson, it makes no difference to me."

Ritz-Carlton Hotel, inside the presidential suite.

Zhou Yi, having just finished his shower and drying his hair, teased: "They are already old."

Not only Madonna; Zhou Yi did not even put Michael Jackson in his eyes.

If these words were exposed, they would definitely stir up huge waves in public opinion.

"Although I do indeed like hearing the truth, aren't you afraid I will record this and tell the public? You know I need heat." Scarlett was somewhat curious.

Because her family was somewhat connected to an acting family, she knew quite a lot about the filth between stars within the entertainment industry.

Zhou Yi had known her for just over a day at most; was he really this honest, saying whatever came to mind?

Wasn't this heat being delivered straight to her mouth?

You have to know Zhou Yi was an outsider; plus his consistently arrogant behavior, even if Michael Jackson was currently surrounded by scandals, it would be hard to say the media would be willing to speak for Zhou Yi.

"I don't care; the only pity is that we恐怕 will find it hard to be friends again. I have always been like this..."

Zhou Yi's blunt honesty almost made Scarlett's brain freeze—was he always this direct?

"Aren't you afraid of being boycotted?" In the end, Scarlett still could not help asking the answer she most wanted to know in her heart.

Since she learned of Zhou Yi's deeds, she had always been curious how Zhou Yi, this thorn, dared to do so. Whether in China or in Europe and America, he always maintained an attitude of doing whatever he pleased.

Even a rogue like Eminem knew to appropriately restrain his sharp edges; only Zhou Yi kept galloping to the end on the path of letting the horse run free.

"I don't care; why worry about the past and future and make yourself feel blocked? There are many places to make money; why hang oneself on one tree."

"..."

Watching Zhou Yi hang up the phone after saying goodbye, Qian Jiang, who had come to urge him to hurry and attend a small rock concert, had a strange expression: "What persona are you selling to someone again?"

"What do you mean 'selling a persona'? Is there anything wrong with what I said?"

Zhou Yi glanced at him: "Just one Madonna; even if John Lennon resurrected and led the Beatles to reunite and debut, I would still say the same thing."

"Don't say it; the Beatles really weren't this capable of causing trouble; this time you have finally met your match."

Qian Jiang slapped a set of documents into Zhou Yi's arms.

Madonna, the queen most skilled at hype in the entire Europe and America region, without a single exception.

Political correctness, feminism, sexual liberation, religion, and other elements were all means she used for hype; from the 1980s of the last century until now, no one has been her opponent.

To put it this way, Taylor Swift, who ascended to the top of the world's number one female after her, mastered various concepts of queen, feminism, and big heroine in the mobile internet era—all of which were things Madonna had already played with when she was young.

Even in the aspect of boyfriend scandal hype, future Taylor Swift was merely a super low-spec version of Madonna—after all, Madonna was a top-tier star who created a bizarre scandal with NBA hall-of-famer Dennis Rodman: if she got pregnant, she would give Rodman 20 million US dollars.

Appearing completely naked on covers, having sex with bodyguards recorded on video, and then, when being blackmailed, immediately giving benefits to her own fans first;

Those she had slept with and those she hadn't, real and fake mixed together, the lovers Madonna had taken a fancy to, according to the media, had already approached eighty people up to now.

She could advance by publicly taking off clothes and tearing pants to act as a vanguard for feminism; she could retreat by搞ing religious concepts at concerts and acting as a shaman, and so on...

One word: As long as the situation required it, she could hype whatever kind of news and perfectly grab the public's attention.

For Qian Jiang, this woman was simply the biggest opponent Zhou Yi had encountered in marketing since his debut; her hype methods regarding scandals even far exceeded Zhou Yi's.

After all, Zhou Yi cannot appear on camera completely naked.

"If she dares to strip now, I definitely wouldn't be her match; after all, she is now a married woman wed to Guy Ritchie. Once she strips, the heat will absolutely explode in a short time."

Zhou Yi, who flipped two pages without a care before tossing the document back to Qian Jiang, smiled and said, "But the concept of her new album dictates that she must put her clothes on; not only must she put them on, she must do so very seriously."

"American Life," a concept album about the American Dream and materialism scheduled by Madonna for release on April 21—perhaps due to 9/11, Madonna even promoted herself as being inspired by Che Guevara, dressing herself as a warrior.

Even the promotional cover for this new album leaned towards Che Guevara's famous "Guerrilla Hero" photograph.

If she were to strip or stir up rumors for heat now, it would directly disconnect from the tone of the entire album; even if Madonna is capable of stirring things up, she would have to change direction—for instance, to criticism and reflection.

Because she is now a warrior.

"Really?"

Qian Jiang was somewhat suspicious of Zhou Yi's certainty.

But soon, he took today's Madonna promotion from the team assistant's hands.

On the latest new episode of Vanity Fair magazine, Madonna's military-themed photos appeared so brazenly on the cover—wearing deep green and black clothes, military boots, and holding a gun in her hand.

The famous magazine Veja also released Madonna's exclusive interview: "Che Guevara: An Idol Endowed with Revolutionary Spirit, My Entire Album Is Like This: At This Moment, I Feel a Revolutionary Mindset."

An American, a pop diva from a capitalist country, began promoting her criticism and reflection using Che Guevara as a template.

The album's title track, "American Life," also officially launched alongside these reports with extreme contrasts.

Qian Jiang looked and shouted, "Insider!"

"Over these years, America has changed; many of our values seem to be material-oriented, so it seems we are all obsessed with fame for the sake of fame. Anyway—

"If necessary, sell your soul to the devil, and we are also completely obsessed with our appearance, sinking into materialism.

"We need a revolution of the mind..."

On April 8, when Madonna's television interview aired, the entire United States was shocked—because she not only mentioned the Iraq War but also mentioned the nightmare in every American's heart: 9/11.

"Madonna is not wrong; we are too obsessed with fame and money. This society has changed, and with it, many people's values have become deformed."

Ryan Fafana, the then-ABC host, publicly sided with Madonna on his own program and also commented on recent hot topics—namely, Scarlett publicly stating at the NBA arena that she wanted to drink Zhou Yi's bathwater.

"It is obvious that this is a thorough炒作. Scarlett Johansson is that woman who is obsessed with fame for the sake of fame; she is willing to sell her soul to the devil to profit from her exquisite appearance.

"Spike? Obviously, he is just an ordinary person obsessed with appearance, obsessed with the physical body, obsessed with material enjoyment..."

……………………………………

"Fuck!"

Inside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, when Scarlett Johansson saw that after Madonna's album's advance single was released, many reports had escalated to criticizing her on social values, she couldn't help but crush the newspaper into a tight ball and blurted out a dissatisfied word.

She didn't mind if they criticized her relationships; she had even thought long ago that she could use sexual liberation and feminism to make excuses.

Damn it, going straight for social values? I've become the representative of this value system?

If I don't seek fame, profit, or money, why would I even enter Hollywood?

Isn't it better to go home and act in stage plays?

Besides, America is a capitalist country; talking to me about money alienation makes me think it's ridiculous.

You, Madonna, have earned enough money and fame, and now you're taking down your juniors, right?

She could guess with her chest alone that this was definitely coordinated, aiming to smear Zhou Yi's reputation and destroy the image he had built after the 17th. And she happened to provide the material, becoming a gun.

If handled poorly, she would be turned into a typical example of distorted values.

Moreover, she is insignificant and has little say, making her an object that can be easily manipulated.

"Sorry, I didn't expect to bring you such big trouble, Spike. I will handle this matter as quickly as possible." Essentially, she had caused it herself, so Scarlett, adhering to the code of the Jianghu, sent Zhou Yi a message apologizing.

Having entered the entertainment industry in '94 relying on family connections, she still had a strong sense of professional ethics, especially in front of a big shot like Zhou Yi.

"Didn't I say it? I don't care. I have a performance tonight, so I won't talk further. If you want to apologize, just owe me a meal and it's ok."

Soon, Zhou Yi's light and easy reply left Scarlett Johansson in silence.

To be fair, she had collaborated with many big shots and knew that this group of big shots had their own set of principles for controlling their negative news—even Madonna, who was so lenient with her scandals, did so because those scandals were actively created by herself.

But this time, the gun used to smear Zhou Yi was one she had created.

"The so-called rock spirit is just the appearance Spike put on; he just wants to take down 50 Cent!"

"Go to hell, Spike was wrong to pursue equality?! I think if it weren't for the dark suppression, at least ten of his songs should have reached the top ten on the Billboard!"

"Blow your own horn, top ten on the Billboard all wrapped up? You're treating other singers like air, right? This is America, not China."

"Look, look, you're discriminating again..."

On the North American internet, with Madonna herself never stepping forward to speak, accompanied by a series of newspapers, hosts, and editors pushing the waves, the heat of this quarrel, hyped as the "Battle to Guard the Bottom Line of the American Music Scene," climbed step by step.

"At first, when Eminem was killed by Spike and couldn't reach number one on the Billboard, and global sales ranked second, I didn't speak up for him;

"Then, album sales for people including Kylie Minogue, Avril Lavigne, and Norah Jones didn't sell more than Zhou Yi's, and I still didn't speak up for them because I didn't think it would affect me.

"Next, 50 Cent also fell, beaten by Spike until he lost his armor and weapons; I didn't care because I don't like hip-hop either.

"But when Linkin Park also fell, I realized we could no longer remain silent—if we remain silent any longer, Spike will very likely break through the entire North American music scene.

"The bottom line of the North American music scene ultimately fell to Madonna to guard, but she is already 45 years old this year.

"Letting a 45-year-old veteran diva guard the bottom line of the North American music scene, I don't understand what has happened to the American music scene..."

With Madonna herself not appearing, such remarks suddenly exploded on the internet, directly igniting a sense of superiority and crisis in the hearts of some American music fans.

Domestically, the most well-informed Hong Kong reporters were the first to bring this dispute into the country—"Zhou Yi Shows Off! A Forty-Year-Old Old Lady Guards the National Gate!"

"Holy crap?! What did Zhou Yi do?! Is the American music scene about to be broken through by him alone?!"

……………………………………

"One album with five songs occupying the top five on the Billboard; isn't this a betrayal of the American music scene?!"

"The championship cannot be left for Spike to take; we should snatch it back!"

Of course, due to the fact that Zhou Yi's momentum was already established, his fans were naturally not willing to show weakness and were active on various battlefields countering—

"Music has no borders!"

"Oppose discrimination! Pursue equality! We cannot let others laugh at us!"

"Letting Spike teach the American music scene a lesson and thoroughly crush those singers living off past glories—wouldn't that be great!"

"It's all Scarlett Johansson's fault!"

"..."

Due to Madonna's deeply entrenched fan base, the photo of her holding a gun in military attire was directly interpreted as a label of "vowing to defend the bottom line of the North American music scene to the death."

As for Madonna herself, she remained beautifully hidden behind the media, watching all of this unfold.

She had no intention of making Zhou Yi her enemy, but if the media placed her on the opposing side to stir up controversy, she would not stop them, because this would also boost her reputation and image.

As for that small-time actress caught in the crossfire, Scarlett Johansson?

Who would care about the feelings of a small fry in the entertainment industry?

Scarlett Johansson felt extremely aggrieved, but was powerless to do anything about it.

This is the reality of the entertainment industry; no one cares about the life or death of a minor character.

Not even Zhou Yi would.

Wearing a leather jacket paired with jeans and stepping in a pair of small white shoes, Scarlett Johansson entered the small concert venue after passing the ticket check.

She had come personally to apologize to Zhou Yi.

Because of this incident, she was about to be called back by her company, so to show her sincerity, she still chose to meet with Zhou Yi.

This was a small-scale rock performance for about 600 people, hosted by the HMV music store, which counts as an offline channel.

Upon entering, Scarlett saw many fans holding up Zhou Yi's albums, shouting his name loudly, both men and women.

"Spike! We will always support you!"

"Oppose discrimination! Pursue equality!"

When Zhou Yi, dressed in a black T-shirt and dark gray jeans, stepped onto the stage, the scene immediately erupted into a wave of screams loud enough to make Scarlett cover her ears with both hands!

"Wow, very enthusiastic."

Stepping onto the stage, Zhou Yi smiled and tossed the handbell in his hand. Wearing a round top hat, he looked completely unaffected by public opinion, his state extremely relaxed: "I know what you want to say, but what I want to say is, it's unnecessary; I will handle it myself."

"Madonna's new single, titled 'American Life,' in my opinion, can easily rank in the top ten worst songs in Billboard history; she cares too much about so-called expression and ignores the most basic attributes of music."

"So, I simply don't care about those comments saying she can stop me, because she simply cannot."

—?!

The fans, who never expected Zhou Yi to immediately sweep Madonna's newly released single into the trash heap, were momentarily choked up.

Good heavens, top ten worst songs in Billboard history?

Below the stage, Scarlett, who had a deep understanding of Madonna's reputation, instantly widened her eyes, her shocked expression identical to everyone around her.

She now began to feel that when Zhou Yi spoke to her on the phone earlier, his tone might have been slightly restrained...

"Of course, there are also those media outlets that dragged Scarlett Johansson into this. I think they may have forgotten one point: in my opinion, they are actually the ones alienating this society."

Under Scarlett's incredulous gaze, Zhou Yi, standing before a tripod and holding the microphone on stage, smiled coolly: "It's just that they dare not aim their矛heads at me, so they utilized the innocent Young Lady Scarlett."

"So, the next song is dedicated to her, to me, and to you all. Those who seek to kill me will make me reborn—'Counting Stars'."

'Counting Stars,' the newly crowned Billboard chart-topping single, a rock song with an extremely catchy melody and very inspiring lyrics.

The moment the opening guitar melody suddenly rang out, the entire venue of 600 people immediately erupted into cheers loud enough to blow the roof off!

"Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep (I've been tossing and turning lately)"

"Dreaming 'bout the things that we could be (Dreaming of all the things we could be)"

"But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard (But baby, I've been praying hard)"

"Said no more counting dollars, We'll be counting stars (No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars)"

His voice, almost a cappella, sounded particularly charming in this small venue of 600 people. Zhou Yi, holding the handbell in one hand and standing before the microphone, had a smile playing on the corners of his lips; then he spread his arms to both sides, his voice gradually deepening:

"Yeah, we'll be counting stars (Yeah, we'll be counting stars)~"

Accompanying the fading of the vocals, highly rhythmic drum beats suddenly rang out, beating against the hearts of the audience in the venue one by one, replacing Zhou Yi's voice!

"Come on!"

As the drum beats pushed to their peak, 配合 with the suddenly flashing lights, Zhou Yi jumped up and down in place several times, constantly gesturing to both sides with his hands—

"I see this life, Like a swinging vine (I see this life, chaotic and tangled)"

"Swing my heart across the line (Swing my heart across the line through this mess)"

"In my face is flashing signs (Flashing signs are flashing before my eyes)"

With extremely relaxed footwork, a passionate and surging voice, and occasionally shaking the handbell in his hand a couple of times, Zhou Yi held the microphone and began jumping around directly on the stage; the atmosphere ignited in an instant caused a chorus to rise from below the stage while also driving everyone to stand up from their chairs—

Swinging along with Zhou Yi!

Swept up by the crowd and standing up, Scarlett Johansson hesitated for a few seconds before, influenced by the atmosphere, waving her hands, raising her gaze to watch the back of the man jumping around all over the stage, her lips twitching twice before involuntarily curving upward.

This world is not yet beyond saving—

Some people, though trapped in the wrong vortex, can always do everything right, bringing everything back on track;

Some people, though clearly walking the right path, can always do everything wrong, twisting everything off course.

Self-deception and drifting with the tide are indeed good medicine for escape, but facing everything head-on is what allows one to be reborn from the flames.

Because—

"Everything that kills me makes me feel alive!"

Those who seek to kill me will make me reborn; those who push me to the depths will help me soar high!

As the chorus pushed to its climax, Zhou Yi on stage also noticed Scarlett below, constantly swinging her arms to the rhythm of the song. Although somewhat surprised, he was already interacting with the fans, so with a mischievous smile, he threw the top hat he had taken off in her direction—

"Aaaaaah!!!!"

Arms swarming forward directly lunged to snatch this idol item falling from the sky; Scarlett, jostled and stumbling, was completely unable to get it.

Reacting, Scarlett, after steadying her balance by holding the railing, angrily raised her middle finger at Zhou Yi on stage, though her face was filled with uncontrollable laughter.

At this moment, Scarlett Johansson understood for the first time what was called the charm of rock and the charm of a singer.

At the end of the song, because she was a bit short, she stepped directly onto a chair, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, and screamed hysterically along with the entire crowd—

"Said no more counting dollars, We'll be counting stars (Don't be fooled by money anymore, let's count stars together)!"

"We'll be counting stars!!!"

When tonight's rock opened the door to that carnival, sweat was destined to be unavoidable.

Scarlett, moved in her heart that Zhou Yi had actually spoken up for her, called after the performance ended, then went straight to the backstage, where she met Zhou Yi who hadn't had time to change out of his performance clothes yet.

"To actually disparage Madonna like that, you really are a madman."

"So?"

"But I like it very much."

That night, Scarlett Johansson, who had originally planned to come apologize to Zhou Yi, took him directly to the training ground and played a thoroughly satisfying game of ball.

In the first half, although Zhou Yi's lower body strength was formidable despite his one-on-one isolation play, Scarlett, with her deep reserves, employed the knowledge of double-teaming from both sides to solve her own problems early on to avoid exhausting herself before the first half ended;

At halftime, Scarlett had to give high praise to Zhou Yi's physical fitness as a player.

In the second half, Scarlett, who had adopted a back-to-the-basket isolation tactic to completely defeat Zhou Yi on the court, was still unable to force the game into overtime after exhausting her stamina, and was left panting and out of breath.

Meanwhile, outside, because of Zhou Yi's shameless words, a storm suddenly arose—

"Shame! Shame! He is simply a shame to the music world! Nonsense, pure nonsense!"

Madonna's fans were not having it.

After all, you are both with Warner; couldn't you cooperate a bit with a senior for some hype?

Madonna herself had a mouthful of old blood stuck in her throat, nearly making her sick from holding it back.

Starting off with the worst top ten in Billboard history?

Having dominated the scene for over twenty years, when had she ever received an evaluation that almost negated her musical taste?!

Online and offline, there was constant cursing because of Zhou Yi's active challenge.

Unwilling to be humiliated, Madonna took the initiative, appearing frequently at various single promotion events to promote her single released before her album—

But, as if confirming Zhou Yi's words, the song "American Life" debuted directly in the top ten of various radio stations at the start, riding on Madonna's extremely high popularity, and once overshadowed Zhou Yi.

However, as time passed, the drawback of insufficient song quality began to show—

On April 11, when Madonna's personal popularity could no longer mask the song's quality, on radio station charts in places like Houston and San Francisco, Madonna was surpassed by Zhou Yi once again.

On April 13, even the two cities of New York and Washington, which were Madonna's largest voter bases, saw their city gates breached, yielding the number one radio spot.

On April 15, when Billboard conventionally announced the new episode rankings, "American Life," which many had pinned high hopes on, didn't even make it into the top fifty...

And Zhou Yi not only firmly held the top spot, but his song "One More Night" also rode this wave of popularity into the top ten, becoming the sixth song from Zhou Yi's current album to enter the Billboard top ten!

"Breaking Spike's championship monopoly? Don't make me laugh; just making it into the top four based on popularity and sales would be considered a success, okay!"

At this very moment, even Zhou Yi's most optimistic die-hard fans dared not mock that Madonna's new song wouldn't make the top ten, after all, the foundation of sales and popularity was right there.

Feeling Warner's full malice towards herself, Madonna had no words to express her bitterness.

Retaliation!

This was absolutely Warner's retaliation!

But with her recording contract still in Warner's hands, she could only mobilize her own forces to counterattack, while simultaneously having her lawyers speed up the collection of evidence of Warner's crimes—she was going to take Warner to court!

However, on April 17, a figure appeared that no one had expected.

"Perhaps, Spike's evaluation makes a lot of sense.

"As a pop song, Madonna seems to have forgotten what the most important foundation is; 'American Life' indeed has the qualification to compete for the top ten of the worst songs in Billboard history, and is a strong contender."

—When George Walker, the official editor-in-chief of "Billboard" magazine, commented on both songs from the perspective of a music critic, the evaluation he made caused the loud and boastful Madonna fans to break down.

This was one of the officially certified editors of "Billboard"; his intervention basically equated to Billboard stamping its approval on Zhou Yi's statement.

You have to know, if the quality wasn't truly so bad as to be incomprehensible, given Billboard's credibility, it would be basically impossible for them to officially intervene and openly take sides...

Even inside Warner, everyone was stunned—

This trend and the single sales figures that couldn't be disclosed to the public...

Is Zhou Yi going to knock Madonna into obscurity directly?

(End of this chapter)