[{"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-60":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},2301316,4501,"Chapter 60: Chapter Fifty-Seven: Invitation to a Mainland Artist Gathering","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-60",60,"\u003Cp>“That’s so? I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi felt a flicker of surprise in his heart, yet his expression remained unreadable: “Cheng Hao doesn’t have an agent yet; all her previous roles were recommended by her teacher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She handles all her advertising deals herself. I can give you her contact information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you close with Cheng Hao, Ah Yi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Liu Ruo’s eyes subtly narrowed as she curiously asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve known her for over two years; back in school, we often went out for meals and barbecues together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi smiled as he laid it all out, revealing to this Liu Queen the depth of his familiarity with Cheng Hao: “She agreed to shoot the MV out of friendship—otherwise, how could a nobody like me at the time have ever gotten someone as already somewhat famous as her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Ruo suddenly understood and promptly noted down the number Zhou Yi gave her for Cheng Hao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching these people leave, Zhou Yi finally dropped the fake, business-polite smile from his face, staring at Liu Ruo’s departing back with a thoughtful expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he remembered correctly, the drama “Pink Ladies”—though the role of Wan Ren Mi was originally offered to Xiao Qiang—she declined because she feared it would shatter her carefully cultivated public image, not because, as Liu Ruo had just claimed, she was already committed to another project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Liu Ruo, who ended up taking the role of Jie Hun Kuang, actually wanted to play Wan Ren Mi even more, especially after Xiao Qiang, hailed as Taiwan’s number one beauty, turned down Wan Ren Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the fact that Wan Ren Mi’s script portrayed a glamorous, dazzling character with nearly a hundred distinct outfits throughout the series alone showed how much the production valued this role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, after Cheng Hao took over the role of Wan Ren Mi, media outlets even ran gossip stories about conflicts between Liu Ruo and Cheng Hao during filming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So here’s the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could someone so determined to play Wan Ren Mi suddenly give up the role so easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey? Zhou Yi, they’re long gone—stop staring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice at his ear pulled Zhou Yi from his thoughts; he brushed away the hand waving in front of his face and glanced sideways at her: “Stop staring at what? I was just thinking about why she suddenly reached out to Cheng Hao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have no idea how big you are right now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slapped his hand off her wrist, her expression odd: “Didn’t she say the director saw Cheng Hao’s performance in your MV and then decided to invite her? That’s normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s perfectly normal. These days, many stars are discovered through ads or MVs; after they become famous, film directors spot them and think they fit a character’s traits, then invite them for auditions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi thought it over and realized she was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although grassroots stars rising to fame had become rarer in the 2000s entertainment scene, those who gained attention through ads or MVs were still on the radar of film directors casting roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it—I’ll call Qian Jiang and have him look into it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of his agent, who had connections across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, Zhou Yi bid farewell to Sun Yanzi and walked to a quiet corner of the banquet hall to call him, asking him to investigate the casting changes for “Pink Ladies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Fan Bingbin, who had been secretly watching him for some time, seized her chance. She waited with perfect discretion until he finished his call, then approached while he was still alone—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhou Yi? Hello, I’m Fan Bingbin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi never expected to meet this woman at the Rock Records celebration party—the very woman who in the future would become the industry’s designated plastic surgery template, known for her “800 million” fame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this, facing this future marketing machine whose looks and figure could generate three “dominant beauty” press releases a day, Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise: “Fan Bingbin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………………………………………………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, at Zhou Yi’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang, who had just arrived with a stack of documents and barely sat down, paused in surprise: “Fan Bingbin? The one who played Jin Suo in ‘My Fair Princess’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, yes, that’s her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi, back from the party, took a quick shower to wash off the alcohol smell, changed into a blue-and-white robe, carried out a hangover soup from the kitchen, and on his way past the dining table, poured his agent a glass of water: “Surprised, right? I was surprised too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did she want with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She didn’t say clearly—just said she liked my songs, happened to run into me, and wanted to be friends. We chatted a bit and exchanged contact info.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That doesn’t make sense. She has no connection with Rock Records, her status is pitifully low, and her fame is minimal. Aside from Jin Suo, she has no other notable works—how did she even get into the celebration party?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who knows? Probably got in through a journalist friend she knows.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Yi turned on the TV, took a sip of the hangover soup, and mumbled: “Forget what she wants for now—what did you find out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found out: after the director of ‘Pink Ladies’ failed to get Xiao Qiang, the role of Wan Ren Mi was still considered by several other actresses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even Liu Ruo herself abandoned the lead role of Jie Hun Kuang to audition for Wan Ren Mi, but her test photos were rejected by both the director and the original manga author.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi put down his bowl and looked up at Qian Jiang: “Rejected?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think not? Wan Ren Mi isn’t a role you can just play because you’re popular—you didn’t see those test photos. Frankly, I saw zero charm or allure in them. Of course they got rejected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang sneered: “Besides, Liu Ruo herself isn’t a dazzling beauty. In that regard, the Cheng Hao you know is far superior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi fully agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all the female stars he currently knew, aside from Fan Bingbin—who had just approached him to exchange contacts—Cheng Hao could dominate any category.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Fan Bingbin’s more dazzling, radiant aura, Cheng Hao lacked a touch of seductiveness but gained more grace, elegance, and quiet composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about it? Does your friend want the role? If she does, I can help push for it—she still has a good chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After all, several main roles in this drama are restricted by hometown origin—only two can be from Taiwan. Excluding Liu Ruo, the other Taiwanese slot is currently being contested by a male actor named Zhang Shi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would I know if she wants it now? Before you came, I already called her about this—she said she didn’t want it, that she couldn’t act out that blend of charm without being vulgar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi rolled his eyes after finishing the hangover soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t just pretend to be a mystic and tell Cheng Hao she’d be perfect for Wan Ren Mi and that the role would make her famous nationwide, could he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, by the way, speaking of that, I’ve got another thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the topic turned to mainland artists, Qian Jiang flipped through his notebook: “Do you know Zhou Xun? The actress who just released the song ‘Drifting’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I do. What about her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our company has officially signed her recording contract. She’ll end her deal with Sony in 2001 and move to Warner. The contract is finalized—her agent, who knows you’re in Taiwan, asked me if you have time to get together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi’s expression turned odd: “Get together? Just the two of us? Are you sure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could it be just the two of us? There’ll be other mainland artists too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Jiang handed him the notebook with a sigh: “Including Lu Yi and Chen Kun, who came to audition for ‘Pink Ladies,’ and Zhou Jie, who came for promotion—all of them are from the mainland.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In short, it’s just a gathering of mainland-born artists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, mainland artists who made it to Taiwan and Hong Kong were few and far between, especially among the younger generation—so having such a gathering to strengthen ties was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like a college alumni reunion—year-end approaching, time to get together and reconnect.\u003C\u002Fp>",1404,"2026-06-20T07:33:41.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bcb07393c8e74365b2e36f305f8e6344aa7c332372333a75e681f6f03323b4e4","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-61","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-59",883,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-cover.jpg"]