The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 480 What? Zhou Yi’s girlfriend died again?

"Warner has officially announced the date of Zhou Yi's Guangzhou concert, July 7. Jiafeng, I want to go. Let's go work and earn some money together to see Zhou Yi's concert."

Yuexiu Park, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou.

The girl who went to the barber shop to get a perm on the first day after the college entrance examination is now leaning on the boy's arms, her eyes full of infinite longing for the future: "I have asked my cousin to help find out. We can go to Xintang to work in a factory, or go directly to Tianhe to be a restaurant waiter."

"Okay."

The boy named Jiafeng nodded without hesitation: "We have nothing to do right now, but the prerequisite is that we have to get the tickets."

Zhou Yi’s concert is now the most popular concert in the entire Chinese music scene, without a doubt.

Not only are tickets hard to come by, but they are also priced to an unrealistic level.

Even the cheapest 288 or 388 grades are hard to buy at the original price, and doubling the price is a foregone conclusion.

The fans who attended the concert in Shanghai last year were so excited that they almost went crazy after the show. The experiences they shared online made countless people jealous.

This time they finally survived SARS, and the concert is still in Guangzhou. If possible, he really wants to go to Zhou Yi's concert with his girlfriend.

Warner has already announced that it will arrange overseas performances for Zhou Yi in order to appease those restless overseas fans. If you miss this opportunity, you don’t know when you will have the opportunity to perform at home again.

"Ah! I think I saw the homeroom teacher!"

"What are you afraid of? We have all graduated now."

Facing the visible panic of his thin-skinned girlfriend, the boy was not afraid at all——

For Li Jiafeng, who had just finished the college entrance examination, the most obvious benefit of graduating from high school was that he could go shopping with his girlfriend Fu Yuqin openly without having to worry about being discovered by teachers or beaten by parents.

Thinking back to the past, the reason he was able to fall in love was because he bumped into his girlfriend when he went to another school to hang out with friends, so he had no choice but to add her on QQ and promised to pay her back for the money she spent on repairing her tire.

Then every now and then when he went to the Internet cafe to surf the Internet, because he was bored, he started chatting with his girlfriend who was playing computer at home through QQ. After a long time, he finally got her.

At that time, QQ was not called this name, it was still called OICQ.

Before I knew it, this relationship has lasted for four years, from the third year of junior high school to graduation from high school.

"I opened OICQ and the chat history stopped at the late autumn of last year~
"The last request to stay was not spoken~
"We are still friends, the most distant kind of friends..."

On a bench at the corner of the park, a girl was fiddling with an MP3 player. Obviously, she had no experience. It was probably bought by her parents after the college entrance examination. With the volume turned up to the maximum, Zhou Yi's singing voice came out of the machine, which scared everyone nearby, including Li Jiafeng and Fu Yuqin.

Was that Zhou Yi’s voice just now?
How come it’s a song I’ve never heard of?
Li Jiafeng could even recite "Ghost", the least popular song among all Zhou Yi's songs, by heart. Therefore, the moment he heard Zhou Yi's singing and the unfamiliar lyrics, some doubts suddenly arose in his mind.

"Could it be Zhou Yi's new song? Today is the 10th. If I remember correctly, Tencent announced that it would be today, right?"

"Oh my god, I forgot about it."

Li Jiafeng slapped his forehead, full of annoyance: "Yuqin, come on, I'll take you to the Internet cafe and download that new song to your MP3."

"...No, no need."

When Fu Yuqin heard that she had to use a computer, her ears turned red. She muttered quietly, "Go to my house and use my dad's computer to download it. They're not at home these two days."

"..."

——? !

Li Jiafeng, who was also in a somewhat agitated mood, scratched his head, but his body still instinctively walked towards the girl's house, his steps a little unsteady.

The weather was very hot, but the clumsy boy and girl kept holding each other's hands tightly.

After returning home, Fu Yuqin washed some fruits for her boyfriend and brought them to him in front of the computer. She curiously poked her head in and found that there was a new song called "Gray Avatar" in the Qianqian Jingting music list on the computer desktop.

"I had a dream last night, in which we returned to holding hands

"The loss I felt when I woke up is beyond words~"

A prelude that sounds rather... sad?

Fu Yuqin blinked, poked a piece of the chopped apple with a toothpick, and put it into the mouth of her boyfriend who had worked hard.

Due to the broadband speed, the MV download was not that fast and it was still crawling as slowly as a turtle in the small window.

The two people who could only listen to the song and read the lyrics felt inexplicably involved because of the very familiar "OICQ" in the lyrics——

Because strictly speaking, their relationship started with OICQ and online dating.

Combined with Tencent's nostalgia card, it publicly stated that this is the third anniversary of the transition from OICQ to QQ. While attracting new users, it is also constantly playing the emotional card to old users, which easily gives people the feeling that the lyrics may be adapted from something that happened in the past.

"We are still friends, the most distant friends

"The tenderness you have given me is all preserved in the records~
"Your gray head will no longer jump, even for a simple greeting

"Reading the pages of heart-to-heart communication, how sad; what is it, falling and rising~~"

This song does not have too many fancy techniques. It only has simple vocals combined with the step-by-step explosion of emotions. The emotions in the two choruses are stacked each time, becoming stronger and stronger, until the thunderous catharsis at the end.

Just through the singing, the two people who had experienced the OICQ era automatically made up a story in their minds -

An online romance that ended without any result.

The account avatar in the male protagonist’s friend list that will never light up again may mean that the female protagonist has given up on him, or it may mean that the female protagonist is... dead?
After the MV shot by Tencent was downloaded, the two people who chose to play it were tortured by the plot of that short song.

Perhaps to show respect for Zhou Yi, or perhaps because he was afraid of being criticized for being too cruel, the director specially added a script director in the script column: Zhou Yi.

The catchy sad melody, the extremely lifelike atmosphere of the lyrics, and the tear-jerking MV really made Fu Yuqin's eyes sparkle with tears.

Even though the male lead of the MV is no longer Zhou Yi this time, he merely acts as a storyteller and tells the story through singing. However, with the director's technique, Zhou Yi, who is just singing quietly, unexpectedly has a sense of desolation narrating the past.

"Jiafeng, will we break up in the future?" The sentimental girl sobbed a few times, sat on her boyfriend's lap, and asked him.

"Of course not, we will never be separated." Li Jiafeng answered firmly, brushing away the slightly long bangs on his forehead.

"Then you must marry me."

"We'll get married after we graduate from college!"

As an R&B song, it is undeniable that "Gray Head" has an extremely catchy melody and rhythm, which is one of the most basic reasons why this song has become popular all over the country.

Combined with the unique sense of story and artistic conception of Chinese lyrics, the combination of the two directly led to an incredible return and new user acquisition speed for Tencent.

11th, 12th, 13th…

In just three days, thanks to Zhou Yi's strong fan appeal and the continuous fermentation of this song, millions of users returned to QQ, which gave the executive team headed by Pony Ma a reassurance - this further stimulated their determination to invest more money in promotion.

By the 16th, based on Zhou Yi's own fame, the heavily promoted "Gray Avatar" could be said to have swept through Internet cafes, KTVs, street shops and barber shops in first-, second-, third- and fourth-tier cities across the country with a sweeping momentum.

The Southern Weekend, a newspaper that has begun to gradually transform itself into an entertainment and livelihood newspaper, called Tencent's data surge the "Zhouyi Effect" -

“The Internet is changing our lives.

“With the advent of the rapidly developing Internet era, connections between people have become increasingly convenient, but also increasingly fragile.

"The song 'Gray Avatar' is a microcosm of this era. Zhou Yi uses music to record people's emotional changes and mental journey after the advent of the Internet era..."

The editorial department of Contemporary Music even collectively supported this advertising song:

"As a customized advertising song, Zhou Yi has delivered an extremely brilliant performance, once again showing his overflowing talent. This is definitely the most popular advertising song since the new millennium, bar none.

“The melody of the song is gentle and profound, like a slowly flowing river, carrying a touch of sadness and endless memories. Every note is like a carefully carved work of art, making people immersed in the listening process and unable to extricate themselves;

“The lyrics are simple but profound, and each line seems to be telling a story about loss and memory. Through the vivid image of the ‘grey head’, it cleverly expresses the deep longing and unspeakable emotions that people feel after losing contact.

“The best thing about this song is that it can touch people’s hearts and make people feel strongly when they hear it.

“It is not just a song, but more like an emotional outlet, allowing people to find resonance in the song and release their inner emotions.

"It is not just a song, but also a carrier of emotions and memories..."

Judging from this article alone, it is hard to say that this was not paid by Tencent.

But surprisingly, it did not encounter dislike among most netizens on the Internet - because this song is really fucking popular!

Especially among students and young people.

This group of people are the ones who are most willing to try out new things like QQ, are also the ones who can "empathize" the most, and also have the loudest voices online.

"Damn it! I, a grown man, smoked two more cigarettes just by listening to that."

"Stay with me."

"Zhou Yi is still the same Zhou Yi, even the advertising songs are not fake. China Mobile's "My Territory", the one with Jay Chou, is also very brainwashing."

"I like "Gray Head" but not "My Territory". Jay Chou's singing is so bad that I can't even hear him chanting. The music is the only thing that saves the day. It's a waste of Jay Chou's lyrics and music."

"I agree. At least I can clearly hear the lyrics of "Gray Head"."

"Objection, I prefer 'My Place', it sounds cool."

“Why can’t I like them all?”

"..."

As time went by, when regular entertainment magazines such as Southern Weekend and Contemporary Music began to analyze and praise the performance of Zhou Yi's advertising song, most netizens who have always expressed their disgust for marketing began to shout that it was really good.

So when a sober passerby pointed out that this song was clearly at the bottom of the list among all of Zhou Yi's works, the enraged Zhou Yi fans directly responded: "That's because he is Zhou Yi! A random advertising song can be so popular, can your idol do it?!"

There were even many passers-by who chimed in: "Advertising songs are definitely not as well-made as album songs and singles, but even if Zhou Yi wrote them casually, this catchy song is something that other singers in the music industry can't match.

"Why is it written in a simple way? Because it's an advertising song, so everyone must understand it. Otherwise, if I play you a song like "Ghost" that is so niche that it can't be more niche, wouldn't you curse?"

In the entertainment industry, if you want to be popular, well-known strength is ultimately the most important thing.

As a singer in the eyes of the public, it is enough for Zhou Yi as long as his new songs sound good to the general public rather than just a carnival for a small circle.

What's more, Zhou Yi's songs are not just good. This year, after "Super Star", "My Territory" and "Li Bai", another song of his has become popular all over the country. He can be called a hit song maker, making all record companies except Warner very jealous.

It is also for this reason that many people are discussing whether Zhou Yi will include the four songs he wrote, "Super Star", "My Territory", "Li Bai" and "Gray Avatar", in his fourth Chinese album in the second half of this year.

Especially the first one.

"To be honest, this should be impossible. Zhou Yi is famous for killing without burying his body."

"There is no rumor that the two songs "Yellow Man" and "Young China" that became popular all over the country after being sung at the China-Korea Concert and the Spring Festival Gala were included in the album. The songs he sang before his debut are a lesson for us."

"But 'Super Star' is so popular. Wouldn't it be a waste if he didn't sing a version of such a popular song himself?"

"When did you ever see him care about this?"

"..."

18th, Shenzhen.

Zhou Yi, who attended the QQ 3rd Anniversary Celebration as a spokesperson, was also asked this question by the reporter. He smiled and shook his head: "Including "Gray Avatar", these songs obviously will not be included in my album because they have already been released.

"Maybe I'll have time to remake them and put them in a commemorative album, but definitely not now."

"Then, Zhou Yi, what do you think of the news that is now circulating on the Internet?"

"News? What news?"

"Many netizens believe that the song "Gray Avatar" was adapted from your personal experience. The girlfriend in your story actually died of cancer. Do you have anything to say about this?"

"????"

Zhou Yi was shocked. His eyes widened at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his head was full of question marks.

What the hell is my girlfriend?

My girlfriend died again?
Soon, Zhou Yi caught the culprit——

"Entertainment Weekly", an entertainment magazine known for its "low prices and explosive content".

In order to achieve so-called "explosive content", they directly started interpreting the meaning of the lyrics of "Gray Avatar" - and then came to the conclusion that Zhou Yi's girlfriend died again, so he wrote this kind of song.

what?
You want evidence?

"This photo from Warner Love Story Collection is the evidence!"

I don't know if it was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid to attract attention, but Wang Jianjun, the editor-in-chief of "Performing Arts Weekly", directly took out the Gemini album with the introduction written on the cover -

"Warner Records' new masterpiece at the end of 2002! Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi officially formed a duo and released the group's first album "Warner Love Stories·Selection" for the first time!
"Rearranged concepts, extraordinary spiritual baptism, let us make a pilgrimage to love!"

In this collection, "Lilac" is prominently listed!
(End of this chapter)