[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty":3,"chapter-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-50":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The King of 2000: A Mandopop Dynasty",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2301306,4501,"Chapter 50: Seizing Power Today","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-50",50,"\u003Cp>“Music is pure! Ai Yi is absolute!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Music is pure! Ai Yi is absolute!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Music is pure…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Jingcheng, at the autograph signing event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhou Yi saw his original fans suddenly chanting a unified slogan, he had to admit, the scene genuinely shocked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the content of that slogan…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven and earth know, the only reason he said “music is pure” in that interview with Contemporary Music Scene was to distract the public from obsessing over his scandals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it sounded pretty good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under this friendly atmosphere, Zhou Yi skillfully performed his songs “Happy Worship,” “Can’t Help Loving You,” “Give Me a Song,” “I Love Only You,” and “Flower Field Mistake” in rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did his best to avoid singing “Hate Dream of the Red Chamber,” the song fans in Baodao often requested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the mainland wasn’t like Hong Kong and Taiwan—the public and official attitudes hadn’t evolved to such an advanced version yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lyrics of “Hate Dream of the Red Chamber” were too explicit; while privately they might be beloved, putting them on stage would have to wait until the internet age arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t you see how long the mainland music industry criticized Dao Lang for his song: “With your fiery lips, let me lose myself endlessly at midnight”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the lyrics of “Flower Field Mistake” did carry a hint of suggestive imagery, it was only suggestion, leaving ample room for imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, due to its innovative R&B dramatic style, “Flower Field Mistake” had even higher attention on the mainland than in Baodao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several consecutive days of signing events, Zhou Yi had only failed to perform “It’s Me” three times, when fans specifically requested it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reached his final autograph signing in the capital, Zhou Yi, habitually saying “Hello” and “Thank you” to fans, suddenly froze when he saw a fan holding an album approaching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhou Yi, I like you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s voice, clear and bright as a spring, was simple yet stunning: her jet-black hair tied neatly into a ponytail at the back, revealing a full forehead. After pausing with a smile, she added, “Could I get your autograph?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi smiled faintly, took his album and photo book, and signed his name and blessing in bold, flowing script: “Wishing Miss Cheng Hao a smooth future and massive success—Zhou Yi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the signing event ended, Zhou Yi saw Cheng Hao waiting for him backstage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m your fan. Can’t I come to your signing?” She waved her album and photo book, tilting her head with a mischievous grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that I can’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi chuckled: “I’m just surprised—you’re a big star, shouldn’t you be swamped with work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Hao shot him a sideways glance, huffing, “Are you mocking me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In less than two months, Zhou Yi’s popularity on the mainland skyrocketed. Half the songs from his album “Zhou Yi” were playing everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, “Happy Worship” and “Can’t Help Loving You” spread the most widely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Hao could hear “I need your love every day, my thoughts are yours to guess” outside any store she visited;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she could hear “To which era does happiness belong? The 70s, 80s, 90s, or Y-generation?” blaring from neon-lit signs outside hair salons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The popularity of these two songs on the mainland was absurdly high, far outpacing all other tracks on the album by a wide margin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unfair! I’d never dare mock you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi grinned, took the keys she tossed him, and followed her—ignoring the stunned look from his agent Qian Jiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, wait a minute, wait a minute, Ah Yi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confused about the woman’s identity, Qian Jiang heaved his bulky frame after them: “Who is she?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, my memory’s slipping.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi tapped his forehead and introduced: “Cheng Hao, this is my agent, Qian Jiang. Qian Shu, this is my friend Cheng Hao—she’s from the Central Academy of Drama, an excellent actress.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang, who had just pulled Zhou Yi out of Xiao Yaxuan’s house a few weeks ago, stared at this woman—more beautiful than Xiao Yaxuan—and suddenly felt a toothache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid’s barely started and he’s already playing so hard—what’s going to happen later?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I’m off, Qian Shu. Call me if anything comes up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, having finished the Jingcheng signing and having two days off, was ready to relax. He bid Qian Jiang farewell, packed up, and headed for Cheng Hao’s car—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>when Qian Jiang grabbed him back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a minute, Ah Yi. You can’t rest yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing both Zhou Yi and Cheng Hao staring blankly, Qian Jiang ushered them into a confidential minivan: “A mainland TV drama production team contacted us. They want you to audition for a song.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re suitable, they’d like you to officially sing the opening and ending themes. So you’ll need to come with me for the next couple of days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an agent who had once crisscrossed the three regions, Qian Jiang’s connections kicked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Zhou Yi became popular, every company and channel he’d ever worked with came knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For days, Qian Jiang had been carefully screening projects Zhou Yi could take—until this TV drama approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“TV drama? What TV drama?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Bao Qingtian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi’s inner mind screamed “Damn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the early 2000s were dominated by “Journey to the West: The Sequel,” then the most popular TV drama in the second half of the millennium was the yet-unreleased “Young Bao Qingtian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mystery-detective drama starring Zhou Jie and Li Binbin was, in his past life, Zhou Yi’s childhood favorite—even though the plot later turned out to be a total mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… wasn’t this drama already completed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s already August.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here’s the thing: originally, the producers planned to invite Sun Nan to sing the opening theme and have him and Na Ying record the ending theme together to boost popularity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After all, they’re still widely seen as the top male and female singers on the mainland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now it’s different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang pointed at Zhou Yi: “Your sudden rise means Sun Nan is no longer their only option. Your popularity and appearance are a far better deal for the producers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The only question is whether you can handle the opening and ending themes of this drama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you can, so I recommended you for the audition. If you succeed, it means you’ve officially earned the right to take over Sun Nan’s position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because this was originally his resource—and now you’re taking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And if your opening and ending themes become as huge as the drama itself, then future opportunities that once only considered Sun Nan will now consider you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang paused, then said solemnly: “This is the real battle for the title of mainland music king.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1127,"2026-06-20T07:33:41.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","01e2f7adc72cd4c7379042e3f43c24936f5daee9ced77c76d428fbbfa1f14da3","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-51","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-49",883,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-cover.jpg"]