[{"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-54":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},2301310,4501,"Chapter 54","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-54",54,"\u003Cp>“The ‘Replacement’ of Warner’s Twin Stars! Sneaking into the Booth with a Pathetic Excuse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Male Zhou, Female Sun: Offline Signing Event Leaves Fans Overwhelmed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, as “Food Word Junction” began recording, Wu Zongxian, barely holding back his laughter, handed out the freshly printed reports to today’s two guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the large front page, Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi’s serious yet absurd faces were perfectly captured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s regrettable that your younger siblings caused such a commotion at the night market last night—I heard you finally had to call company staff to rescue you, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the camera and brought up on this embarrassing incident, Sun Yanzi helplessly covered her face, then pointed at Zhou Yi beside her and laughed off the blame: “It’s not my fault—I really did give my sister’s name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And my sister really does look a lot like me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Zhou Yi hadn’t made up that gossip, we wouldn’t have needed company staff to come pick us up and bring us back to the show’s hotel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, pointed at, shrugged: “I think the main reason was her makeup was terrible last night—that’s what caused the massive crowd gathering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yanzi elbowed him in the arm, making Zhou Yi burst into laughter as he pointed at her and turned to Wu Zongxian: “See, Brother Wu? This is classic embarrassment turning to rage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zongxian smiled and nodded: “I can see that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His excellent hosting skills allowed him to effortlessly catch the topic Zhou Yi threw back and smoothly steer it back to today’s planned content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the other host and program partner, Kangkang was responsible for generating new topics for Wu Zongxian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, when Zhou Yi first saw Kangkang, he felt he looked familiar—only later did he realize this was the delivery guy from “Love Apartment” who had clashed with Zhang Dapao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His accent was utterly addictive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After going through the usual program routine, Zhou Yi and Wu Zongxian formed one team, while Sun Yanzi and Kangkang formed another, each given the phrase “Three Cup Chicken” to find on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhou, have you ever eaten Three Cup Chicken before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, but I’ve heard of it. I actually planned to try it last night, but due to last night’s well-known reason—you know what I mean, Brother Wu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi waved to the fans gathered outside the program crew, drawing a cheer, then feigned a helpless sigh: “Can’t help it—too popular.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, for some reason I always feel like you’re asking to get punched. But then I remember your album sales, and I have to retract my fist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wu Zongxian walked toward the program’s BMW, he smoothly steered the conversation toward Zhou Yi’s album; knowing Zhou Yi had no Taiwan driver’s license, he headed straight for the driver’s seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Zhou Yi’s perspective as a later-era observer, “Food Word Junction” was genuinely boring. Though it was currently Taiwan’s most popular outdoor variety show, the production team kept recycling the same tired formula.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Give the first food name—eat while chatting—use the final syllable of that food’s name to create the next food to eat—keep eating and chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Wu Zongxian’s hosting style was full of this era’s signature flair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he weren’t naturally a great storyteller, the awkwardness would’ve made your scalp tingle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have a question—no, actually, it’s a question from your many fans that I’m supposed to ask you, Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting down at the first Three Cup Chicken restaurant, Wu Zongxian launched his highlight: “You’re so tall and handsome—have you had a lot of dating experience?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at the songs you’ve written—I feel you couldn’t have written them without real-life experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To illustrate, Wu Zongxian pulled out not only “Hate Dream of the Red Chamber” but also “Flower Field Mistake”: “And, and, many fans—including me—are really curious about what mistake you made in that flower field—you know what I mean, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eating the chicken, finding it tender but otherwise unremarkable, Zhou Yi smiled and sipped his drink: “Do you know if your previous remarks spread through the show and damaged my reputation, I could legally sue you for defamation, Brother Wu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Sue you? Did I break the law?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zongxian’s signature exaggerated acting style made Zhou Yi genuinely laugh: “Believe me, Brother Wu—I’m professional. I studied law—I’d lie to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After jokingly poking fun at some rumors about himself, Zhou Yi’s old secrets were gradually exposed on the show—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good grades? That wasn’t the big deal—the real bombshell was that he’d started music just to learn instruments and pick up girls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole point was full honesty, total transparency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe you don’t know the full story, Brother Wu, but I started singing because I was forced to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Forced? Did Warner pressure you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zongxian was genuinely excited—this line wasn’t in the script; it was pure improvisation for entertainment value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I actually turned down Warner’s invitation several times at first. Only after Zhou Jianhui himself personally came to me, appealing to my emotions and reason, did I finally include singing and releasing albums in my career plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a new restaurant, Zhou Yi grinned: “Think about it, Brother Wu—I was nineteen. If I’d accepted Zhou’s offer, I’d have had to leave my hometown, my familiar family, my school friends, my companions—and move to Taiwan to join Warner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Loneliness is deadly for a nineteen-year-old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zongxian, empathizing, nodded: “True.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi shifted tone, put down his chopsticks, and feigned a helpless sigh: “Then I thought about it—Warner’s actually not bad. Joining them didn’t seem like such a bad deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And then I signed the contract—and realized I couldn’t back out anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zongxian couldn’t hold it anymore—once he realized what had happened, his mouth stretched into a wide grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only you, Zhou Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Warner had once been a dragon stranded in shallow water, it was still a major record label in Taiwan—every year, countless newcomers begged to join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to this guy, it was “not bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid understood variety shows—he had real flair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zongxian, encountering this kind of remark for the first time, grinned so hard his front teeth showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more the show went on, the more entertainment value Zhou Yi radiated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time recording ended, Wu Zongxian even considered asking the producer to edit three versions—early, mid, and late—just to showcase Zhou Yi’s performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, they’d be wasting this kid’s natural variety sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After recording ended, Wu Zongxian, completely without pretense, leaned on Zhou Yi’s shoulder and raised a glass with him—leaving Sun Yanzi, unaware of what had happened, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you two talk about on the show? How did you get so close?” On the way back to the hotel, Sun Yanzi, driving, asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How to put it? I gave a mighty roar—and Wu Zongxian bowed his head in submission?” Zhou Yi, one hand resting on the window frame, tapped his chin and chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you been reading too many wuxia novels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you see how the media now calls me the evil martial arts alliance leader?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t help it—your album just dominated too hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling Zhou Yi’s original purpose for appearing on the show, Sun Yanzi stuck out her tongue: “And you’re from the mainland—even with Warner as your label, they’ll never see you as one of their own.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doesn’t matter. It’s my last time anyway. After this, I probably won’t get invited back to any Taiwan variety shows.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling the upcoming restrictions, Zhou Yi’s lips curled into a sneer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>September 28.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While still handling Taiwan affairs, Zhou Yi received two notifications from his agent Qian Jiang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, “Young Bao Qingtian” had gone viral—his theme song and the duet with Na Ying for the ending theme had both exploded. Thanks to fresh appeal, even “Tongtian Dadao Kuan You Kuo” was overshadowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many on the mainland now saw another side of his vocal ability—especially at the official level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, the mainland had produced another challenger to him—or rather, two: Yuchuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mainland music duo, whose previous release “The Most Beautiful” had become a smash hit, released their new album “Cold to the Core” on September 22. The title track “Cold to the Core” immediately began climbing charts nationwide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As in Taiwan, Yuchuan’s company also chose to hype their campaign against Zhou Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minor issue. No problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi remained calm, facing challengers in both Taiwan and the mainland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With “Cold to the Core” out, the timing meant the biggest challenger was nearly here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The twilight of the gods, ushered in by the millennium, was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>",1429,"2026-06-20T07:33:41.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6926f8c0c5cca1301fee87df983eba3065ce51a5d0329693267a2751c266377e","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-55","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-53",883,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-cover.jpg"]