[{"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-77":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},2301333,4501,"Chapter 77: Do You Want to Hear a Skit or Jiangnan?","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-77",77,"\u003Cp>Watching Zhou Yi turn his pen and sink into silent thought, Qian Jiang, assuming he’d had an inspiration, fell silent. He shifted his bulky frame on the office sofa, daring not to make a single sound, afraid of breaking the flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so many years as an agent, he knew well how songwriters could find inspiration at any moment—Li Zongsheng could write a classic just by eating hot pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When genius strikes, writing songs truly makes no sense at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Zhou Yi felt the silence around him was too extreme did he snap back to reality and notice Qian Jiang had completely shrunk into the sofa, sitting stiffly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough—didn’t want to scare off your inspiration. How about it? Got any ideas?” Qian Jiang pressed a fist to his lips, coughed, and asked with quiet anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, the album’s theme has a rough framework now. Should be busy after the New Year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the framework set, Zhou Yi was essentially just filling in songs. He smiled, picked up the coffee left on the coffee table, and took a sip: “What about you? Still haven’t landed ‘Peak Time 2’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that easy. Jackie Chan’s movie just started filming—the competition for the soundtrack is fierce. You know who your rivals are?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Asia, your biggest rival right now is Utada Hikaru from Japan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi chuckled at the name: “I probably don’t stand much of a chance against her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t self-deprecation—he truly was outclassed by Utada Hikaru.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Japan were to launch a full-scale literary plagiarism movement, Utada Hikaru would be the textbook protagonist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her debut single sold two million copies at age fifteen; her first album sold nearly ten million in a year; soon after, she’d launch the legendary “Kō-Hō Battle” with Ayumi Hamasaki, etching her name into Japanese pop history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of fame and album sales, he was absolutely no match for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially album sales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selling nearly ten million copies of an album in the Chinese-speaking market was pure fantasy—the pirated market would instantly humble you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors claimed Ren Xianqi’s “Heart Soft” sold over twenty million copies, but that was merely an estimate of pirated sales; according to Rock Records’ own figures, actual legitimate sales peaked at just over three million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was after stretching the sales window to nearly two years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Theoretically, yes—but don’t forget you’ve got Coca-Cola behind you. Singers sign endorsements not just for the money; sponsors can actively help with promotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did I keep pushing you to negotiate with Coca-Cola and Pepsi? Because they’ve spent years deeply embedded in music—they have influence and can help with PR.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So Utada Hikaru’s endorsement isn’t Coca-Cola?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi stretched, stood up from the sofa: “Alright, let’s leave it at that. Talk about the soundtrack once you’ve sealed the deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The New Year’s coming soon. Don’t overwork yourself. If you can’t get it, it’s fine—my core market is still domestic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New Year’s Eve was January 23. After half a year away, he truly missed home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“OK, don’t worry. I bought your ticket two days ago, right after you had dinner with Jackie Chan, Huo Wenhui, and Xie Tingfeng. I’ll drop you off at the airport directly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi gave him an OK gesture and left Warner. Under the escort of his driver and assistant, he returned to the hotel and began packing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d arrived with just a backpack; now he left with a suitcase. At the airport, he ran into an old acquaintance also waiting for a flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhou Yi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Bing, still reading her script, looked up just as Zhou Yi entered the VIP lounge area but hadn’t stepped inside yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, nice! Already landed a new role? Switching agents really does make a difference.” Zhou Yi glanced at the thick stack of papers in Fan Bing’s hands, then smiled and teased: he didn’t even look again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing’s confirmed yet—I’m just getting familiar with the role to make sure I nail the audition after the New Year.” Though Fan Bing looked slightly embarrassed, her joy was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to her years as a water dispenser manager under Qiong Yao, actually having work to do felt long overdue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Shufen still had wide connections—no need for her to play games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s interesting. Would you be interested in appearing in my MV after the New Year?” Hearing Fan Bing was about to seriously act, Zhou Yi immediately invited her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Funny—he was just brainstorming songs for his new album.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Bing’s eyes lit up. She patted her padded down jacket and promised cheerfully: “Sure! No problem. I’ll wait for your call, Zhou Yi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though she’d landed the role, she hadn’t forgotten who pulled her out of the fire without asking for anything in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men like him were hard to find even with a lantern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhou Yi weren’t so far above her now, she’d have tried chasing him herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if she ever became famous, she’d give it a shot—then she wouldn’t risk him thinking she was chasing him for fame or money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she never made it, she’d just treat it as a childhood dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which flight are you on, Zhou Yi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the conversation had opened, Fan Bing’s bold nature surfaced—she asked casually about his flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The 2:30 one to Nanchang Changbei Airport. What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yi nodded toward the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Raozhou Sanqing Mountain Airport still unbuilt, even if he wanted to go home for the New Year, he had to first fly back to the provincial capital, then take the company’s arranged car to his hometown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m flying straight to Qingdao—direct flight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Bing revealed her hometown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While waiting, bored, Zhou Yi chatted casually with Fan Bing, tossing in jokes now and then that made her laugh heartily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingdao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hao, kneading dough for her parents at home, suddenly sneezed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>January 23—the New Year’s Eve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long journey, Zhou Yi finally rode the company car back to his hometown, unlocked the door of his family’s rural villa—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dad, Mom, I’m back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The front yard was the same. The flowerbed still held scallions and mint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ping, who’d long since quit work and now ran a small grocery store with her husband to stay active, hurried out from the kitchen at the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her son, whom she hadn’t seen in half a year, stood at the courtyard entrance—seemed taller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at you—you’re worn out. You’ve lost weight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first words from his mother, full of resentment toward Warner, made Zhou Yi’s face light up with a bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father, Zhou Yaoguo, never good at expressing paternal love, broke out a bottle of homemade medicinal wine on this New Year’s Eve, turned on the Spring Festival Gala, and drank heartily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, children couldn’t wait and lit fireworks and firecrackers early;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, Feng Gong, Guo Donglin, and Guo Yue’s crosstalk “A Step Too Far” had the elders roaring with laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, the Spring Festival Gala still made audiences laugh from the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Gala with his parents, drinking and sharing harmless gossip, Zhou Yi saw Guo Donglin’s shiny bald head on screen—and his smile deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly knew what his second album’s first single should be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you even understand the value of the Drainage Channel God’s “Jiangnan”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiangxi was part of Jiangnan anyway—so it was like a wanderer writing a song for his homeland. A Chinese-style tune, guaranteed maximum reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they planned to stay up for the New Year, when his parents finally couldn’t keep their eyes open and went to bed, Zhou Yi, slightly tipsy and with the Gala playing softly in the background, sat down and wrote the songs he’d just decided on for his second album—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Album title: “Jiangnan”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiangnan\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the Plum Blossoms\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>East Wind Break—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Zhou Yi froze, bit his pen unconsciously, then wrote down two more R&B Chinese-style songs:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West Chamber\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Susan Says.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of these five, “Jiangnan” would spread through every street and alley; “East Wind Break” would promote and establish the foundational template for Chinese-style songs;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the Plum Blossoms” and “Susan Says” would pioneer deeper fusion of Chinese-style with hip-hop and R&B;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Hou Xian’s “West Chamber,” weaker than the others, it would simply serve as a supporting pop track to enhance the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five songs on Side A had clear roles, each fulfilling its duty, perfectly outlining the second album’s theme: “Jiangnan Chinese-Style.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Side B…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides “Drifting North,” Zhou Yi thought for a moment and pulled a few more songs from memory—songs with extremely high popularity and singability—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drifting North\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mermaid\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not Trendy, No Need to Spend\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Love Me or Him\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back-to-Back Embrace\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big City, Little Love\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Side A defined the album’s thematic depth; Side B ensured its pop reach. Perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Some content related to plagiarism cases was censored—my draft got deleted, and I had to rewrite it all. Sorry for the delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1496,"2026-06-20T07:33:41.161Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2156209bdf782cc66b3cc92810690664d93cbc372c870290942dc90373397d8f","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-78","the-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-chapter-76",883,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-king-of-2000-a-mandopop-dynasty-cover.jpg"]