Chapter 554: Zhou Yi, Are You Trying to Destroy Campus Folk?

"Is it possible that Liang Jingru is also a candidate for the female lead?"

"Exactly, exactly. Liang Jingru's new album 'Beautiful Life', released in February this year, is arguably the best album of her career so far. In terms of concept and unity, it is comparable to Zhou Yi's 'Lianshan' from last year; both feature all songs within the album connecting to form a single whole."

"But there are no hit songs, no widespread popularity."

"No, I'm talking about artistry, about the album's concept. The reason Zhou Yi has always been superior since his debut is precisely because he always plays it this way. On what grounds do you exclude Liang Jingru?"

"That's a strange thing to say. The reason Zhou Yi is superior is that every one of his albums balances concept with massive hit songs. Liang Jingru's 'Beautiful Life' was released in February; it's already late August now. Has a single song kept up with the massive hit songs from her past albums?"

"Fuck your mother! Not popular?!"

"Are we comparing rankings or sales? You tell me if it's popular or not."

"..."

"Let me tell you, Yanzi's this—"

Zhen Junjie, who had been fighting the crowd online, was brutally cut off at the last second by the system forcing him offline. He had written a lengthy essay arguing for 'Why Sun Yanzi is the Chinese Female Lead', but before he could send it, the computer screen jumped straight back to the internet cafe client's initial interface...

Damn it!

All for nothing!

Damn it!

"Ah Jie, did you manage to get tickets for Sun Yanzi's 'Unfinished' new song concert? Even scalpers like me are out of stock."

"No, the scalpers I know are out of stock too, but he said if I add 800, he can get me a back-row ticket."

A new song concert, commonly known as a new album concert.

Only top-tier popular singers can hold such concerts immediately after releasing a new album, before its popularity has fully spread, because the setlist for these small concerts is fixed to the new album's songs; they do not sing old songs.

A typical example is when Li Wen held a new album concert upon releasing 'Opera Warrior' back then, even inviting the then-unknown Zhou Jielun to sing a duet with him, which was a form of indirect patronage.

After logging off, Zhen Junjie shook his head as he pushed his bicycle out of the black internet cafe with his classmates: "It's too expensive, I can't bear to spend it."

He could grit his teeth for a price of 100 yuan, but for a price of nine hundred or a thousand, he could only offer helplessness.

He was just a Gao Zhongsheng right now; the 200 yuan he had saved originally came from his past frugality, often skipping breakfast and cutting back on dinner.

He had originally planned to take his newly purchased album 'Unfinished' to see Yanzi's new song concert in Guangzhou before school started, but unfortunately, he would just have to watch the TV broadcast.

"I heard Wan Ren Mi will also appear at Yanzi's concert; I really want to go."

"Really? Didn't Wan Ren Mi retire from the industry?"

"That's a strange thing to say; didn't she appear at Zhou Yi's concert before?"

The classmate sneered with disdain: "The three of them live in the same building, so their relationship must be very good. It is said that the song 'One Like Summer, One Like Autumn' in Yanzi's new album was specifically sung about her and Cheng Hao..."

"No need for 'it is said'; we saw Cheng Hao make a guest appearance in the MV. I bought the album..."

"It's a pity Zhou Yi isn't going. I watched Zhou Yi's fan meeting in Japan; damn, he's so handsome!"

Thinking of the video he had risked downloading from the internet, Zhen Junjie couldn't help but feel his heart surge—

He didn't know about others, but at least Zhou Yi was the first Chinese singer he knew to openly enjoy superior treatment on that special land of Japan.

Contrary to many Zhou Yi fans, he felt nothing for the distant West, but the Japanese attitude of utmost respect toward Zhou Yi excited him greatly.

"Handsome as he is, I still don't like him; I only like Yanzi. He cut off his past too severely. I just don't understand; is singing folk music so shameful? He even picked up rock again, but he won't even touch folk."

Facing Zhen Junjie's barely containable excitement, the classmate was extremely contemptuous.

Folk and rock; right now, Zhou Yi has absolutely never touched folk. Look at his current title, 'Rock Saint Prince', and all that talk about rock blood flowing in his veins, ah, pfft!

Isn't this a clear-cut case of cutting ties?

Even if he wrote a folk song for someone else, you should know that before Wheat Music merged with Warner, it was one of the leaders of mainland folk music. You might not find other singers in the company, but folk musicians were definitely everywhere.

"Is it possible that Ai Ai Ai Dajin disgusted him? So he doesn't want to do folk music at Warner."

"Forget it, Ai Ai Ai Dajin is gone, having run back to the US in disgrace. Now we just don't know what Lao Lang and the others should do, sigh..."

As a representative figure of campus folk, ever since Ai Ai Ai Dajin's reputation was ruined by Zhou Yi and he fled to the US to avoid the heat, there has been no place for him in the domestic public opinion arena, making the positioning of Lao Lang and others from the former Wheat Music awkward as well.

"We can only say it's a good thing Song Ke is around; Lao Lang and that group, the pillars of campus folk, at least have a decent new home."

Thinking of Song Ke, who had been fired by Warner, the classmate with thick eyebrows and big eyes still felt reassured—

Unfortunately, before he could put his heart at ease, he saw a 'small news' item mixed among multiple news stories about 'Double J Romance', 'Wan Ren Mi Suspected to Reunite with Sun Yanzi', 'Zhou Yi Rock Saint Prince', etc.: Song Ke is gone.

After nearly a year of litigation, Taihe Media and Warner Records suddenly reached a result; Song Ke no longer resisted the accusations and admitted the criminal facts in court;

Taihe Media also expressed recognition and would not appeal.

This meant that... the original plan for Taihe Media to rebuild New Wheat and receive singers like Lao Lang and Pu Shu was declared bankrupt.

In the foreseeable future, their days at Warner were imaginable...

"Holy crap! Is Warner crazy?! Or is Taihe crazy?!"

"No, is Warner trying to destroy campus folk?"

"Is it possible that Zhou Yi is the one destroying it? Who doesn't know Song Ke and Ai Ai Ai Dajin were in the same boat? If I don't stand on my head and wash my hair, I'll admit this is Zhou Yi's revenge."

"..."

Since the influence of campus folk in the mainland music scene had not yet completely dissipated at that time, folk music fans and singers who had never taken this so-called case seriously all exploded on August 27.

Everyone had originally expected Song Ke to revive the glory of Wheat Music after leaving Warner and continue to shine, preventing folk music from losing its ground completely in the music scene. Now, look; the few great mountains of folk music and campus folk are gone in the blink of an eye...

"Damn it! I really won't take the blame for this, okay!"

In the Warner building, Zhou Yi, who was working on his new album, also noticed this wave of criticism from these artistic young men and women while surfing the internet, and felt indignant about it—

Although he indeed had issues with Ai Ai Ai Dajin and Song Ke, he was never the type to engage in collective punishment, okay.

As for Lao Lang and Pu Shu, although he was in the same company as that group, he had no real connection with them. When Ai Ai Ai Dajin jumped ship, those few didn't come out to help him, so naturally, he wouldn't blindly expand the scope.

"This time, there really is no pusher pushing; no one dares to commit a crime against the wind."

"It's purely because that group of art kids you mentioned thinks you went too far. If before they thought you just forgot your roots, now they believe you are trying to destroy campus folk."

Qian Jiang, who had also noticed this opinion before it spread, held the investigation results and informed Zhou Yi of the details.

Although he also didn't understand why, with just two people doing wrong, it could be twisted in the mouths of these art kids into Zhou Yi trying to destroy campus folk.

Old Wolf and Pu Shu haven't even spoken up yet, but this crowd is acting like the Emperor isn't worried while the eunuch is, each and every one convinced that Warner is suppressing them and that they must speak for them.

"But solving it is simple. The company isn't suppressing Old Wolf and Pu Shu. When the time comes, just sign another singer who is a representative figure of folk music. Tell the public you invited them to Warner, and the doubts about you will naturally vanish."

Qian Jiang's mind turned, and he immediately thought of the fastest solution.

He didn't want Zhou Yi to bear the slander of so-called "ingratitude" in the future; for him as an agent, that would be a dereliction of duty.

Zhou Yi didn't have any real scandals that needed covering up with such a scandal.

"Have you thought it through?"

Zhou Yi, who had only intended to call Qian Jiang to ask what was going on, was now surprised.

Qian Jiang smiled and patted his shoulder: "I told you, A-Yi, just focus on preparing your new album. Other trivial matters are my responsibility as your agent. I haven't just thought it through; I've already found the candidate."

Adjusting his headphones, Zhou Yi asked curiously, "Who did you find?"

"You know him. Former member of Shui Mu Nian Hua, Li Jian."

Qian Jiang gave the name: "Wasn't their group's 'A Lifetime With You' very popular before? But Li Jian voluntarily left the Shui Mu Nian Hua group because of ideological differences with his partner, then signed his album contract with Taida."

"When the time comes, the company can just poach him. We can even create a gimmick of mutual admiration between you two—one from Tsinghua, one from Peking University."

Tsinghua and Peking University completely covered; this is undoubtedly the academic ceiling of the entertainment industry.

Li Jian is a genuine graduate of Tsinghua University's Department of Electronic Engineering. In terms of knowledge, cultivation, and academic credentials, isn't he several floors higher than a certain short guy who at best dropped out of Tsinghua?

Not to mention that the public explanation will be that Zhou Yi, appreciating his music, actively invited Li Jian, a folk singer, to join—truly "not forgetting the original intention."