Chapter 75: The Cola Under the Table Kicks In (Fourth Update~)

Celebrity endorsements constitute the largest portion of a celebrity's annual income and the most prominent reflection of their star status; Qian Jiang, who has struggled in the agent circle for over twenty years, understands this truth deeply.

Precisely because of this, watching Zhou Yi on stage, holding the trophy and thanking until he ran out of words once again, he, sitting in his chair, clapped with a measure of gratification.

Compared to the people he previously managed at Warner, Zhou Yi was undoubtedly the one who gave him the least trouble and the one who gave him the most motivation.

Under the dual public relations efforts of Warner and Emperor, the most eye-catching figures at tonight's Top Ten Golden Songs Awards were destined to be the two young men, Zhou Yi and Xie Tingfeng.

The ups and downs of the two were the main theme of the confrontation tonight.

As a result, some celebrities who did not understand the situation gradually caught on, their meaningful gazes continuously sweeping back and forth between the artists of the Warner faction and the Emperor faction.

Especially those Hong Kong stars who had experienced the era of the Tam-Cheng rivalry.

The faces of representatives from record companies like PolyGram and EMI showed some fluctuation.

If the story of the Tam-Cheng rivalry were to be re-enacted in the new century, only Zhou Yi and Xie Tingfeng would benefit; all other record companies would have to eat dirt.

It is not like the past anymore, when the influence of the Xiangjiang music scene could radiate across all of Asia and the record-selling market was huge; under the impact of piracy, the Xiangjiang music market has long been like Wang Xiaohu celebrating the New Year, getting worse year by year.

If the legitimate market were to be swallowed up by half by Zhou Yi and Xie Tingfeng, how could the singers of these record companies continue to work?

Especially Zhou Yi.

He is a mainland native who cannot sing Cantonese songs; his popularity here in Xiangjiang was naturally not as high as many others, a fact evident from his album sales in Xiangjiang.

Hundreds of thousands of copies in the Taiwan region, touching the million threshold on the mainland, but his Xiangjiang sales were pitiful, not even reaching one hundred and fifty thousand.

Did Emperor get so full and bored that they wanted to play with him?!

They even used Xie Tingfeng's popularity in Xiangjiang to prop him up?!

Even if you had brought along Eason Chan, it would have been better; although he was a bit ugly, at least he was a local of Xiangjiang!

If that didn't work, Edison Chen would do; although his singing skills were lacking, at least he was handsome, and he was such a good brother with Xie Tingfeng that they could wear the same pair of pants.

"Ah Cheng, this is quite interesting."

In the area below the stage where the big shots gathered, Zeng Zhiwei, having understood everything, turned his head to look at Guo Fucheng, who was no longer worried about his status at all, and spoke without leaving a trace.

Guo Fucheng, who reached the top four in the nineties and has now opened up foreign markets, was actually happy to lend a hand to his junior brother within the same company who was already rising: "Ah Yi deserves it; the musicality of his album is very advanced; I actually think it is not an exaggeration for him to win even more awards."

The Top Ten Golden Songs Awards held no great value for Guo Fucheng at his current stage; his contemporary, Leon Lai, had simply quit and stopped participating.

If it were not for his desire to maintain good relationships with some people on the organizing committee, he would have long been too lazy to come.

Within the Emperor faction team.

Jill Chung, Charlene Choi, Joey Yung, and others watched their senior brother Xie Tingfeng and the handsome Zhou Yi from the opposing Warner faction take the stage to receive awards one after another, their mouths slightly open in surprise, shocked beyond measure.

"I feel that after this gala is broadcast, the popularity and album sales of that boy named Zhou Yi in Xiangjiang will skyrocket," said Charlene Choi, whispering secretly with her good sister Jill Chung, while vaguely pointing at the opposing Warner faction.

Although it was called the Warner faction, aside from Zhou Yi himself, there was nothing worth paying attention to; Sun Yanzi had not come.

The number one male star Guo Fucheng and the number one female star Zheng Xiuwen were both in the VIP area.

"He is only on his first album, my god..."

Jill Chung's wide eyes were full of shock and incomprehension.

Xie Tingfeng earned this status by struggling in Xiangjiang; what about Zhou Yi?

All told, he had been in Xiangjiang for less than a week.

In the mainland faction area.

Sun Nan, the former number one of the mainland and now the mainland's second brother, turned his head and whispered to Na Ying: "How did this monster become so prominent even after coming to Xiangjiang? Don't these people reject the mainland anymore?"

Having suffered losses in the Xiangjiang music scene, he was now truly full of grievances with no one to tell.

What kind of thing is this?

Why does Zhou Yi get to monopolize all the good things?

Where is the arrogance of your Xiangjiang organizing committee?!

"Because they can no longer suppress him."

Na Ying's eyes were equally complex: "He just happened to catch the good era of the millennium."

Sometimes, the situation really does create heroes—the gradual opening of the mainland, and the people busy enhancing the mainland's influence in various aspects.

Zhou Yi's appearance happened to hit them right in the heart.

Born in a red province, receiving domestic education from a young age, and graduating from a prestigious school.

All the buff bonuses were stacked to the max.

At a time when both Hong Kong and Taiwan had launched representative figures of the younger generation, Zhou Yi's sudden emergence cut off the embarrassment of the mainland having no young generation to promote.

It also coincided with Emperor having close exchanges with the mainland, leading to an immediate match, creating the birth of the current strange spectacle.

"I really feel unwilling, but seeing those people get stuck, I feel quite pleased in my heart."

With no choice but to exercise the spirit of self-consolation, Sun Nan glanced at the representatives of the major record companies in Xiangjiang, and a sense of pleasure, as if he shared in their glory, surged in his heart.

When he first came to make his way in the world alone, he suffered no small amount of bullying.

Now, a nineteen-year-old child like Zhou Yi has directly ridden on their heads to act with power and authority.

Laughable.

As an old hand from the record era, Sun Nan knew that once Emperor and Warner truly recreated the strange spectacle of the past Tam-Cheng rivalry, the market for this group would be squeezed to how small.

At the very least, he still had the mainland market to survive on.

As Sun Nan's complex thoughts drifted, on the stage, the host Chen Baixiang's powerful voice announcing the awards rang out again—

"National Most Popular Male Singer Award:

"Gold Award: Andy Lau, Silver Award: Zhou Yi, Bronze Award: Sun Nan. Congratulations to the three of you!"

At the moment the songs played one after another, Sun Nan, who had sighed in his heart, also adjusted his suit and stood up to go on stage to receive the award.

On the stage, Zhou Yi, who was already on stage for the fifth time, looked at the heartfelt congratulatory smile on Sun Nan's face as he approached, and felt somewhat surprised in his heart.

So he has submitted?

It seems that Sun Nan now is not as arrogant as he will be in the future.

"Congratulations, handsome."

Wearing the face of Zhu Zhishan, which left a deep impression in Stephen Chow's movie "Tang Bohu Dian Qiuxiang," Chen Baixiang held a microphone out in front of Zhou Yi, smiling broadly: "Tonight, both you and Xie Tingfeng are super big winners. Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans who support you?"

"That would naturally be to prepare to study Cantonese well, and in the future strive to see if there's a chance to create some Cantonese songs to give back to the fans who support me."

Zhou Yi, raising the trophy and waving it toward the distant audience, instantly caused a cheer.

"Ah, may I ask presumptuously, will your Cantonese songs all be like 'Hate the Red Dream'? I really like that song."

Chen Baixiang, good at livening up the atmosphere, twisted his body a few times in pretense while speaking: "Ever since I heard your song, my next-door neighbor has often said his wife won't let him go, constantly drilling into the quilt."

"That depends on how well I learn Cantonese by then."

Zhou Yi smiled and blinked an eye: "After all, Cantonese songs are also profound and extensive."

"OK, since you say that, let's first witness your Mandarin song strength before the Cantonese songs. Next, let's hand the stage over to Zhou Yi—"

"Flower Field Mistake!"

Under the gaze of stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan, Zhou Yi, who had made a huge splash tonight and soared to the heavens, swung the microphone, and let out a "Woo~" as the intro began.

Singing this kind of R&B, making a few strange calls is somewhat uncomfortable—

"The night is very deep, why is it bright inside the paper window"

"That is not the candlelight you lit for me, waiting all night"

"It is just a chance encounter, a dream in the Red Chamber"

"My mountains and rivers have all faded"

"Like being washed by heavy rain~"

The arrangement, which can be said to be unique in this era, blending the Peking Opera "Flower Field Mistake," rang in the hearts of the older generation in Xiangjiang who still held some sentiment for national essence.

The next day, the entertainment headlines of Xiangjiang's major media and newspapers all simultaneously published the Top Ten Golden Songs Awards ceremony last night, where Zhou Yi made a huge splash—

"The Biggest Winner of the 23rd Top Ten Chinese Songs Awards: Zhou Yi!"

"Soaring to the Heavens in One Step! Mainland Little King Guo Tianwang Zhou Yi Fights the Xiangjiang Music Scene Alone!"

"Zhou Yi VS Xie Tingfeng! The Collision Between the Mainland Music Scene and the Xiangjiang Music Scene!"

Some media even directly published voting options:

"The Number One of the Young Generation in the Mainland VS the Number One of the Young Generation in Xiangjiang, Who Do You Support More?!"

"I support Tingfeng! He's handsome enough!"

"I like Zhou Yi! He's not only handsome enough, he's also taller than Xie Tingfeng!"

"..."

Riding the east wind after the broadcast of the Top Ten Golden Songs, days of relentless bombardment, the Zhou-Xie rivalry, under the manipulation of Emperor and Warner, had already shown signs of the Tan-Zhang rivalry of those years.

Just missing a spark—

"Zhou Yi, we succeeded! The momentum building for you successfully matches Xie Tingfeng's endorsement; Coca-Cola can offer ten million to sign for five years."

Relying on outstanding negotiation skills to successfully tear off a piece of meat, Qian Jiang brought Zhou Yi good news seven days after the awards ceremony ended.

"Ten million? Really? How did you do it?"

Zhou Yi instantly widened his eyes; this was ten million! Although it was a five-year contract, this was the millennium!

"Because Xie Tingfeng signed with Pepsi, Coca-Cola wants to rely on you to counter the superstar policy of their old rival."

Qian Jiang revealed a smile of a trick succeeding on his face: "Coca-Cola has never found an endorser with enough weight domestically; you are the first."

"Especially after Xie Tingfeng changed his mind and signed with Pepsi, which is full of superstars."

"Coca-Cola got directly anxious; they didn't want to fall too far behind their old rival. At this moment, you happened to emerge with the Zhou-Xie rivalry."

"The competition then won't just be our two companies. Behind the two of you stand Pepsi and Coca-Cola, a pair of rivals, directly maxing out the confrontation emotions."

Qian Jiang, feeling he was about to relive the glory of the Tan-Zhang rivalry of those years, couldn't help but sound a bit excited when speaking to this point.

Relying solely on Warner and Emperor might still be insufficient, but adding the wealthy and powerful Pepsi and Coca-Cola, then it would truly be the Zhou-Xie rivalry.

(End of Chapter)