Chapter 59

December 3rd, the Rock Records victory celebration.

Because its Heavenly Kings and Heavenly Queens all performed with divine might this year, Rock Records, which had suffered investment losses leading to financial trouble and subsequent layoffs of nearly 50%, fought back with a stunning victory.

The number one brother, Ren Xianqi, still firmly sits on the Heavenly King throne; the number one sister, Liu Ruoying, has climbed even higher, exploding in both the music and film industries; and its artists include new generations like Liang Jingru and Mayday making their mark.

Especially Liang Jingru; the sales of "Courage" rival those of some veteran singers, and with time, she will surely become another ace card for Rock Records.

Precisely because of this, after shattering the financial clouds hanging over the company, Rock Records could not wait to hold this grand victory celebration in early December, aiming to strengthen internal confidence while simultaneously sending a signal to the outside world: "We, Rock Records, are standing up again."

Against this backdrop, the number of reporters able to enter this event was obviously higher compared to normal victory celebrations at other companies.

The stars appearing at this celebration were countless.

"They say that at its peak, Rock Records occupied half of the Taiwan music scene, with extraordinary influence. Looking at it now, that statement really has some merit; even stars like Jackie Chan and Andy Lau, who have absolutely no connection to Rock Records, have come."

Inside the banquet hall, in a corner.

Zhou Yi, dressed in a flashy red-and-black contrast ceremonial suit, reached into his pocket for a handful of melon seeds, cracking them while "critiquing" the group of big shots he had never met before.

In such a setting, Zhou Yi, who could only be considered a junior in terms of both age and seniority, had to obediently "keep a low profile" to ensure he didn't steal the spotlight from the Rock Records people.

Today, at this venue, the people are the protagonists.

Sun Yanzi, wearing a beige off-shoulder evening gown, stood beside him; seeing him crack seeds so enthusiastically, her appetite was inevitably stirred, so she reached over to grab a handful, took over the conversation, and said, "Is Heavenly King Liu alright? Perhaps he had dealings with Rock Records before."

"As for Jackie Chan, his connection with Rock Records goes back even further."

"Have you seen his movie 'Drunken Master II'? The famous theme song 'Drunken Master' inside was written by teachers Li Zisong and Li Weisong."

"Moreover, the soundtrack for that movie was released by Rock Records, so it's no surprise he would appear here..."

After whispering a passage to Zhou Yi, who didn't know much about Rock Records' past history, Sun Yanzi, feeling thirsty, casually picked up the water she had placed aside, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

Zhou Yi, who had only just learned of this, was obviously very surprised: "'Drunken Master' was written by your two teachers?"

"Very surprised, right? The first time I found out about this at school, I was also shocked." Sun Yanzi, giggling, was clearly pleased to see the expression of surprise on the man's face.

Having known him for over half a year, she rarely sensed the existence of surprise or astonishment on Zhou Yi.

Just as she was about to continue saying something, due to the angle, Sun Yanzi happened to see several big shots from Rock Records approaching with others; she hurriedly stuffed the melon seeds in her hand back into the hands of the man who had turned to look at her, and urgently urged, "They seem to be looking for you; stop cracking seeds quickly and put them back in your pocket."

"?"

Although he didn't yet know the situation behind him, Zhou Yi obediently stuffed the melon seeds back into the pocket of his expensive suit—

Before he could speak, a moment later, Liu Ruoying's cheerful voice came from behind: "I was wondering why I couldn't see you two; turns out you were hiding here whispering secrets."

"Sister, stop teasing me; you and Brother Qi are the absolute protagonists."

Under Sun Yanzi's blinking gaze, Zhou Yi, who instantly produced a smiling face the moment he turned around, was so sincere that no one could find any fault: "Little stars like me and Yanzi can hardly withstand the flash bombs from so much media present here."

"So young and already smooth-talking, huh? If you two are little stars, then apart from Big Brother Jackie Chan, Hua Zai, and the others, I'm afraid no one else in the room could be called a star."

While verbally refuting her, Liu Ruoying, whose face was beaming with joy, pointed to Jackie Chan and Andy Lau behind her who were approaching with Ren Xianqi: "How about it? I suppose these three don't need much introduction."

"Of course; I think anyone across the country who has had contact with music or film would not fail to recognize them."

Zhou Yi approached with a smile on his face, and Sun Yanzi also greeted each of them one by one.

In another corner not far away, Fan Bingbin, who had snuck into this banquet through a friend, seeing Zhou Yi at this moment chatting and laughing with four big-shot figures like Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Ren Xianqi, and Liu Ruoying, further strengthened her resolve to go up and get her face recognized to boost her MV.

"Ah Yi, I heard your album in the United States; you really sing very well."

When the sedan chair is carried, everyone lifts it; as the person with the highest international status in the domestic entertainment industry at present, Jackie Chan didn't put on many airs, even patting Zhou Yi's shoulder to show encouragement.

Having completely entered the Hollywood big-shot club due to the 1998 release of "Rush Hour," Jackie Chan is currently preparing for the filming of "Rush Hour 2"; having been exposed to American pop music, he naturally wouldn't feel unfamiliar with Zhou Yi's music.

Although he himself didn't understand the other music in Zhou Yi's album, he could still understand "Flower Field Mistake," which contained Peking Opera elements.

"I really like 'Flower Field Mistake' from your album; nowadays, there aren't many young people willing to make the determination to study Peking Opera culture."

"When you have time in the future, come to Xiangjiang; I'll host."

Regarding the decline of Peking Opera, Jackie Chan, who learned Peking Opera since childhood, naturally had many feelings. Thus, he put on a filter of goodwill towards Zhou Yi, who could integrate opera culture into new-era songs and promote traditional Chinese culture.

As for Andy Lau and Ren Xianqi, they were joking about how each generation produces its own talents.

Andy Lau, who had just released a new album a few months ago, even exaggeratedly described the scene of him and Li Wen struggling to chase Zhou Yi's song rankings on the charts.

After a round of exchanging contact information and mutual business flattery, even Zhou Yi's head couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy, and his steps were somewhat unsteady.

No wonder they say that after becoming famous, everyone around you is a good person, and it's easy to get carried away after becoming famous.

When your surroundings are filled with praise and flattery, it's hard not to get carried away, especially when the flattery comes from true big shots.

"Oh, by the way, Zhou Yi, the female lead in the MV for 'Flower Field Mistake,' I remember her name is Cheng Hao, right?"

After a round of back-and-forth conversation, Liu Ruoying finally clapped her hands, as if remembering something, and asked.

"Yes, Sister, what's up?" Zhou Yi, suddenly asked about Cheng Hao, was still somewhat puzzled.

"Here's the thing: I have a drama currently casting; the drama's name is 'Love in the City.' I mentioned it to you at your last victory celebration, remember?"

After putting down the champagne, Liu Ruoying said with a smile: "This drama has a role called Wan Ren Mi; originally, Xiao Qiang was scheduled to play it, but she was too busy and had to decline."

"You also know how popular your album is in Taiwan; the director saw Cheng Hao appearing in your MV, thought she was very beautiful, and felt she would be suitable for the role of Wan Ren Mi."

"But the director didn't have her agent's contact information, so he thought of me, thinking to ask me to help inquire with you."