Chapter 66: One Person Can't Carry It All

As a music gala spearheaded by CCTV, the Global Chinese Music Awards certainly had the necessary prestige.

The awards would be announced in the evening, so in the afternoon they went all out by holding a press conference.

Renowned domestic directors, actors, and even the selected singers all appeared to prepare for interviews, including Zhang Yimou, Stanley Tong, and Jiang Wen, who had just filmed "Devils on the Doorstep"; even Ding Lei, the boss of NetEase in the internet sector, was invited to attend as an award presenter.

Of course, due to the bursting of the internet bubble, Ding Lei, who had just led NetEase to list on the stock exchange in June last year, was currently having a very hard time. Not only had the stock price fallen to an unwatchable level, but it was still sliding down with no sign of stopping.

Whether it was a deliberate instruction or not, the reporters' questions to him basically deliberately skipped over the issue of the stock price.

Cheng Hao didn't know why Zhou Yi was so optimistic about NetEase; she knew that currently, no investors in the entire market were optimistic about this company, and only she and Zhou Yi were still buying it stage by stage.

"Those are Zhang Yimou and Stanley Tong; didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to act in their movies? Why are you so indifferent now?" Since the press conference hadn't officially started yet, and Zhou Yi hadn't seen anyone he knew, he didn't sit at the seat with his name on it, but instead found a guest reception area to sit down.

After sitting down, he couldn't help but tease Cheng Hao, who similarly didn't know a single person there.

"Well, I do have a good sense of self-awareness; how would such a great director choose me, a student who hasn't even graduated, to act?" Cheng Hao, who was already indifferent, skillfully pulled the fruit platter on the table over and, without seeming to try, very much like a host, picked a piece of fruit for Sun Yanzi.

"Thank you."

Sun Yanzi, who hadn't expected the two of them to be so familiar, hurriedly extended both hands to take it, politely thanked her, and then asked curiously, "Miss Cheng, are you an actress?"

"Yes, but I haven't graduated yet; I just came along with Zhou Yi to try my luck."

Because Sun Yanzi hadn't completely become popular in the mainland yet at this time, Cheng Hao didn't have a very intuitive sense of this woman's fame.

She only knew that her singing was quite good, and that she and Zhou Yi were referred to as the Warner Twins.

But given Zhou Yi's current popularity in the mainland, which was far ahead of everyone else, with more than half the streets and alleys still singing "Happy Worship" and "Have to Love," Cheng Hao felt in her heart that Sun Yanzi's "Twin Star" title had a bit of a "riding on coattails" meaning to it.

And just as the three of them were exchanging words harmoniously and friendly, a figure suddenly appeared before them—

"Hey, Classmate Zhou, Stefanie, why are you two sitting here? Aren't you going to accept interviews?"

When Wu Zongxian appeared with his signature accent, both Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi were momentarily stunned.

This place is Beijing, right?

Seeing this, Wu Zongxian immediately smiled and waved his hand: "Why that expression? I am the host of tonight's award ceremony; is it so strange for me to appear here?"

Speaking, his gaze turned to Cheng Hao sitting beside Zhou Yi: "This must be Miss Cheng Hao, right? Let me introduce myself, my name is Wu Zongxian, and I am a host."

"I really like Classmate Zhou's music video for 'Flower Field Mistake'; your styling in it was truly stunning; the switch between ancient and modern costumes was simply breathtaking."

"Thank you, you flatter me."

Cheng Hao, who had heard Wu Zongxian's name at least a few times, responded very appropriately; at the same time, she couldn't help but glance at Zhou Yi beside her. The latter happened to look at her, and seeing this, he shrugged indifferently.

Cheng Hao's eyebrows curved, and with a smile on her lips, she didn't say much more.

To be honest, if it hadn't been for Wu Zongxian's appearance, she really wouldn't have known that Zhou Yi was also on the list for press interviews. After all, Zhou Yi hadn't told her anything; after escorting his parents into the main hall to be seated first, he had just been with her, chatting aimlessly.

However, Wu Zongxian's arrival now caused the three of them, who were chatting in the corner, to be directly noticed—

Looking didn't matter until you looked; good heavens, Zhou Yi plus Sun Yanzi.

When did these two strongest new singers in the Chinese music scene this year arrive? Why was there absolutely no commotion or fanfare?

The host responsible for the brief interviews before the press conference even hurried over to Zhou Yi's side, taking three steps in two.

"Brother Xian, this time you've really interrupted my good thing."

Seeing his leisure time unexpectedly end, Zhou Yi stood up, buttoned his white suit jacket, and teased Wu Zongxian: "I was originally sitting here alone, with arms around both sides; how happy I was."

Sun Yanzi, who was chewing on fruit flesh, directly rolled her eyes, and Cheng Hao covered her face with her hand, shaking her head quite helplessly.

"OK, OK, my bad, my bad; after you finish the New Year, come to the Treasure Island, I'll treat you to a meal as an apology."

Amused by this, Wu Zongxian patted Zhou Yi's shoulder, accepted this fault, and then turned his head to look at Sun Yanzi: "Stefanie, don't sit there either; if Zhou Yi is being interviewed, you can't escape it, so you might as well go together."

"I finally managed to steal a little break; Brother Xian, you owe me a meal too."

Under Cheng Hao's gaze, Sun Yanzi patted her cheeks with both hands, sighed, and then stood up, walking towards the direction of the reporters.

As a truly unknown actor on the scene, Cheng Hao could only sit in the back and watch, watching Sun Yanzi and Zhou Yi walk side by side before being stopped by the host and undergoing a brief interview.

"..."

Cheng Hao pressed her lips together, sat alone in her seat, and for the rest of the time, she completely became a spectator—

Just watching as Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi each held their own albums, stepped onto the center of the main hall stage, displayed the albums amidst a flurry of flashbulbs, and then embedded the albums into the giant V-shaped logo in the center of the stage.

After big-name singers such as Wang Fei, Tengger, Richie Ren, Xie Tingfeng, Wang Lihong, Andy Lau, Li Ming, Mo Wenwei, Wu Bai, Zhang Xinzhe, Na Ying, Chen Huilin, and Zhang Xueyou all arrived, the entire venue became completely lively.

"Meeting again, A-Yi." Andy Lau, who had interacted with Zhou Yi at the Rock Records year-end celebration party earlier, came over immediately after taking photos; behind him, Richie Ren also greeted Zhou Yi.

"Brother Hua, Brother Qi."

"Come, come, A-Yi, let me introduce you..."

As a genius whom anyone in the current Chinese music scene would have to exclaim upon seeing, Andy Lau, who was skilled at socializing, immediately acted as the intermediary, introducing him to the various singers present.

Moreover, due to the age difference, when Xie Tingfeng shook hands with Zhou Yi, it was particularly eye-catching, and many media outlets captured the moment of their first meeting.

Xie Tingfeng was born in 1980, and Zhou Yi was born in 1981.

One was the number one star of Emperor Records in the Hong Kong circle, and the other was a native of the mainland with a solid background.

In terms of popularity, Xie Tingfeng, who should have been in the leading position, was caught up to and surpassed by Zhou Yi, who had only debuted in the second half of last year;

In terms of album sales, except for the Xiangjiang market, Xie Tingfeng was completely outclassed by Zhou Yi in every aspect.

In terms of songwriting, although Xie Tingfeng wasn't bad either and his new album had songs he composed himself, compared to Zhou Yi, who handled the entire album single-handedly, his songwriting was obviously not enough to look at.

Although when it comes to looks, everyone has their own preferences, and even a god-like face won't be liked by everyone, in terms of height, Zhou Yi was still solidly ahead.

Plus, given the increasingly tense relationship between the mainland entertainment circle and the Xiangjiang entertainment circle nowadays, when these two leading figures of the new generation of the Chinese music scene met, the people in the venue more or less turned their attention towards them.

After all, youth is arrogant.

Na Ying, who was watching from not far away, was holding her best friend Wang Fei's hand and whispering, which seemed to have something to do with Xie Tingfeng and Zhou Yi.

"Hello Zhou Yi, your songs are very good; if there is a chance in the future, I think we can make music together."

The twenty-year-old Xie Tingfeng was not yet the future face of the Hong Kong circle from Mount Riluoxi; the label of Crown Prince of the Hong Kong circle was the heaviest tag on him at this moment, and music was his true love.

"If there is a chance, definitely."

One doesn't hit a smiling face; since Xie Tingfeng didn't rush to put on airs, Zhou Yi naturally wouldn't be stupid enough to go looking for trouble. After smiling and shaking hands and talking with him, he turned his gaze to Wang Lihong beside him, and the smile in his eyes immediately became much more sincere.

The one-of-a-kind top-tier all-in-one machine of the Chinese music scene; if not for his appearance, this title should have belonged to Wang Lihong.

"Zhou Yi, I really like your 'Flower Field Mistake'. How did you come up with the idea of blending opera and R&B so well?"

"Thanks. Your adapted version of 'The Son of the Dragon' on your new album is also very good to listen to."

Watching Wang Lihong, who looked excited and was about to discuss song creation with him, Zhou Yi couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in his heart. Fortunately, his own musical literacy and knowledge reserve were not low, and combined with the experience from a future life, within just a dozen or so exchanges, he left Wang Lihong—who was still in the exploratory stage of his musical path—stunned and bewildered, making him gain a great deal.

A guiding light!

This is the guiding light!

Wang Lihong, who had been cultivated by his company as a "Little Jacky Cheung" since his debut, only gained the right to lead the production style of his albums last year and is currently in a transition period.

After chatting with Zhou Yi like this, he discovered that this person was not only well-versed in the domestic music scene but could also effortlessly grasp the popular elements of the Western music scene.

This gave Wang Lihong, who had been exposed to Western pop music since childhood, a feeling of finding a kindred spirit.

No choice; for all the years since his debut, the producers and companies he met were mostly copycats, truly torturing him to no end, leaving his full-hearted efforts with nowhere to be exerted in the past.

He debuted in '95 and served as a "Little Jacky Cheung" for several good years, until last year when "The Son of the Dragon" became a huge hit, finally clearing all obstacles and opening the path to transformation.

Off the stage, watching Zhou Yi chatting and laughing with a group of superstar singers on stage, Cheng Hao, sitting alone in her seat, didn't know what she thought of; she shook her head and smiled, then got up and headed for the restroom.

Not long after, when she walked out of the restroom shaking her water-dampened hands, she happened to see Zhou Yi leaning against the wall waiting for her.

"You are waiting for me?"

"Seeing you alone looking so bored, no choice; after all, I brought you in, so I have to take responsibility to the end." The man shrugged and sighed.

Cheng Hao, beaming with joy, wiped her hands with a tissue: "When did you become so responsible?"

"That's not exactly it; mainly, I need a tool person to help me accept awards, after all, the awards I might win tonight could be a bit numerous, and one person can't accept them all." Zhou Yi grinned and said: "I wonder if you have the idea of lending a hand?"

"It can be done, but this is the last time I'll help you as a tool person; the day after tomorrow I have to go home to prepare for the New Year." Cheng Hao, with the corners of her mouth turned up, crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash can.