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

Chapter 961 The Wind of Archaeology and the Prototype of Iron Man
Thanks to Zhou Yi's history of making arrogant pronouncements in Europe and America over the years, his remarks seem both outrageous and yet perfectly reasonable.

After all, he was a man who once proclaimed, "I am second only to God."

You could say this is a necessary means to reinforce a persona, but it does instill a preconceived notion in people in Europe and America.

They dared to openly declare themselves number two when their past achievements weren't as impressive as they are now. Now that their reputation has reached its peak, it's perfectly reasonable for them to call themselves the greatest of all time, right?
Some die-hard fans even dug up comments their idol made during his early years in the Chinese music scene to prove that he wasn't just putting on a persona, but that he had always been consistent in his belief that he was the best—

"I am the first, second, and third in history"—this is what Zhou Yi said in a media interview after the release of his third Chinese album "Lianshan" in 2002.

However, the media asked about the best in the history of Chinese music, so Zhou Yi's answer was within the scope of Chinese music.

"Spike had this attitude even in his own country four years ago. Now that he's conquered the American music scene, is there anything wrong with him adding to his own reputation by calling himself the greatest musician of all time? He's always been this way, and the public isn't new to him!"

"Really? Spike in 2002? Are there any detailed news reports?"

"Yes, brothers. There are many reports about this news in Hong Kong media. In the early days, most of them criticized Spike for being arrogant and wanted him to admit his mistakes. Those who are interested can search for them. Back then, Spike was not as famous as he is now."

“I know Hong Kong, China. Jackie is from Hong Kong!”

"I can't read Chinese. Could you translate the subsequent results?"

"According to reports, Spike didn't apologize at all. Instead, he used the album 'Lian Shan' to dominate all the major charts in Hong Kong, creating an unprecedented record and forcing a host of media outlets to acknowledge his awesomeness..."

"???"

The Hong Kong music scene never expected that after so many years, it would suddenly receive a lot of attention in the Western world. The number of clicks on major media websites with web-based reports skyrocketed, and some interview clips and video clips were also uploaded to websites such as YouTube, Yahoo, and MSN.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they had been attacked by a foreign cyberattack.

Even Wang Fei and Chen Yixun, who participated in the "Battle to Defend the Hong Kong Music Scene," made an appearance. Of course, they appeared as the defeated opponents.

So Spike's fans all opened Google and started searching—

For the first time, trending search terms such as "Who is Wang Fei?" and "Who is Chen Yixun?" appeared in the Western world.

The archaeological work from a large number of netizens in the Western world also made Hong Kong reporters, who are good at chasing hot topics, unable to keep up. In all their years in the industry, this is the first time they have seen such "return" to the cause. It has been almost five years, so why is Zhouyi still chasing after us?
Even more embarrassed is Chen Yixun, who is now thriving after leaving Emperor Entertainment Group and joining Universal Music.

Musically, he's a very proud person. He finally managed to establish himself as an artist after leaving Emperor Entertainment with his new album, but he never expected that he would embarrass himself in the UK and US because of this accident...

They were still relentlessly pursued by the media there.

"What has Zhou Yi been doing over there?"

Even if he had to bury his head in the sand again, Chen Yixun still wanted to find out what had happened, so he called his soon-to-be new manager, Chen Jiaying, to ask her—because the other party had not only reached an agreement with him on a management contract, but was also the manager of Wang Fei, another heavyweight protagonist in this unexpected storm.

As one of Hong Kong's top agents, Chan Ka-ying has only signed three artists in his many years in the industry: the first was Chan Pak-keung, the second was Wong Fei, and the third is the one he is about to sign.

It can be said that Chen Jiaying played a major role in enabling Wang Fei to achieve such a high status.

The reason why Chen Yixun's management contract was transferred to her was because Wang Fei gave birth to a daughter in the middle of this year. Chen Jiaying probably couldn't see any hope of her making a comeback in the short term, so she chose her to promote her as the next generation of Hong Kong music icon.

"It's just the public opinion caused by his usual outspokenness and lack of restraint; it's nothing serious."

Chen Jiaying sighed on the other end of the phone: "Try to avoid this topic. I'm busy with foundation matters right now. I'll be back when I'm done."

She could teach anyone else a lesson about what it means to be untouchable.

It's a pity that it can't be replaced.

Zhou Yi's reputation is now too authoritative. Being defeated by Zhou Yi has become a source of pride. For example, Yinghuang has attached itself to him. Xie Tingfeng, one of the two former prodigies, has now had his former label removed and has become Zhou Yi's former "formidable rival".

Of course, now they've turned enemies into friends, a story that has become a celebrated success under Yinghuang's marketing strategy.

She was unwilling to market Chen Yixun's defeat as a way of putting himself in the public eye, since Chen Yixun mainly works in the music industry, and doing so would damage the artistic image he had built up.

"...Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yixun sat on the sofa for a long time, and finally could only let out a soft sigh.

He never imagined that one day he would be known to foreigners in the UK and the US because of controversial news about the I Ching.

Even more tragically, this is likely the time when he achieved the highest level of fame in the Western music scene.

Even if he's unwilling to admit it, it's still a fact.

Life is tough, sigh...

Chen Yixun is very envious of Zhou Yi's current status and influence. He wishes he could be like that.

In contrast to Chen Yixun, Wang Fei, who had just given birth to her daughter in the middle of the year and was currently busy with her daughter's future health, seemed more bewildered when reporters came to her with the news report.

"What does it matter to me how the American media reports it? I don't live in the United States."

Her husband, Li Yapeng, even waved his hand, instructing his bodyguards to drive away the reporters who wanted to ask further questions.

The couple was already in a bad mood because of their daughter's congenital illness after birth. The fact that these reporters were so insensitive and kept asking so many questions was just plain stupid.

Wang Fei, enraged by the exposure of his shortcomings, unleashed his fury on his roc-like steed, ready to bite!

Chen Yixun admitted that he never expected to make the news in this way.

The I Ching's Controversy in the US Resurfaces!

"..."

For a time, while news of "Nicholas Tse and Faye Wong", "Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung's suspected secret marriage", and "Faye Wong's daughter's congenital disease" were being discussed in succession across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, Zhou Yi once again unexpectedly intervened and stole the limelight from the four people.

He may not be in the martial arts world anymore, but his legend lives on everywhere.

"To be honest, I never expected that what I said in China more than four years ago would be dug up by my fans."

Miami, USA.

Zhou Yi, having turned off the camera and ended the VCR recording, shook the newspaper Qian Jiang had brought, clearly somewhat surprised.

These American fans are quite capable; they can even find Hong Kong media reports from more than four years ago, and they can even read Chinese.

"When other people have their past grievances brought up, their public image is likely to collapse, but when your past grievances are brought up, it actually strengthens your public image." Qian Jiang's chubby face beamed with a smile: "Do you know what people are saying about you now? They're all saying that you've never forgotten your original intentions, whether you were in China or abroad."

"That's what it means to be consistent inside and out."

Zhou Yi chuckled and pointed to the off camera: "The VCR is recorded. Send it back."

"Okay, we'll talk about the rest after you finish filming your music video."

Qian Jiang didn't dawdle. After checking and confirming there were no problems, he left with the camera. Sun Yanzi, who had come skipping over with three cups of smoothies, tilted her head and asked with a puzzled look: "Huh? Uncle Qian is gone?"

"It's alright, he can leave now. I'll just eat his smoothie for him." Zhou Yi unceremoniously took the two smoothies and took a leisurely spoonful.

"Why did you leave in such a hurry? Did something happen?" Sun Yanzi asked, puzzled, after taking off her sun hat.

Zhou Yi arrived in Miami yesterday to help her film the music video for her English EP. Logically speaking, Qian Jiang wouldn't have needed to leave in such a hurry if there wasn't anything else going on.

Do you remember my fan named Hugo?

"You're the one who sang 'Mr. Lonely' off-key at your concert? And then you became famous for acting in 'Chinese Paladin'?" Sun Yanzi was quite familiar with this name.

The main reason is that the off-key voice in "Mr. Lonely" is too captivating and unforgettable.

As for the Legend of Sword and Fairy series, although her song "Sha Po Lang" was bought as the theme song, she herself has never actually watched the drama. Mainly because she hasn't seen it on TV; otherwise, given her habit of staying home and watching TV, she wouldn't have missed a single episode.

"Yes, he was in a car accident, it was very serious. His assistant died, and he almost died too. When Lao Qian found out, he asked me to make a video message wishing him a speedy recovery."

In a sense, it's also a way to bring good luck, after all, Zhou Yi himself almost got into a bloodbath last year.

"???"

Sun Yanzi paused in her scooping of shaved ice, her eyes widening in surprise: "That serious?! How is he now?"

"The rescue was successful, but the person was disfigured. They have undergone reconstructive surgery and are still recovering."

"Hiss, does that mean his future career is completely ruined?"

It's a real shame that Sun Yanzi, who had a fairly good impression of Hu Ge, a male fan of the I Ching who had a voice crack, is now a fan of the I Ching.

Although she hadn't watched "Chinese Paladin," she had heard of the online popularity awards it had won. The male lead, Hu Ge, was so popular that he was now filming a Jin Yong adaptation, co-starring with Ariel Lin, a Taiwanese actress who was incredibly famous.

His future in the entertainment industry looks incredibly bright.

Having narrowly escaped death and now disfigured, it's questionable whether he'll ever get another role—or rather, whether his company will even maintain his contract.

"I hope he gets better."

The I Ching doesn't allow for any prophetic pronouncements; it simply offers a blessing as a matter of course.

Meanwhile, inside a villa in Miami.

Producer Kevin Feige, who is currently in talks with new director Jon Favreau about the new film "Iron Man," laid out all the news reports about the I Ching on the table: "Spike's actions are very much in line with the early protagonist image of this film in my mind. You can refer to him as one of the prototypes."

"...Won't we be sued?"

Jon Favreau shifted his bulky frame, somewhat hesitant: "Don't forget that Spike has a law background. Using his media persona as one of the models could easily lead to lawsuits."

To be fair, Spike does have a very good media image; he's very eye-catching.

Even if there is controversy.

"I'll try to communicate with Spike first, since it's just one of the reference models, which is quite common in Hollywood. As long as I'm polite, he shouldn't refuse."

Kevin Feige was also scratching his head.

If it weren't for the limited funds, the age difference, and the fact that the company couldn't withstand the setbacks, he would have had the urge to invite Spike to play Tony Stark. The scene where Spike threw away his acceptance speech at the Grammys and declared himself a legend had given him a burst of inspiration.

Not to mention Spike's frequent flirtatious behavior towards female reporters during interviews.

Perfect, absolutely perfect.

He really wanted to incorporate these ideas into the film, but if the references were too obvious, he would definitely have to communicate with Spike beforehand to avoid unnecessary controversy.

After all, Spike is the only one in the world who has done this, and anyone who uses it will know who the prototype of this scene is.

"Okay, if it's okay, I have no objection."

Jon Favreau, the new director of the much-anticipated Iron Man film project, is not at all averse to promotional tactics that can boost the film's visibility.

Spike's fame is undeniable, so we should take advantage of any opportunity to capitalize on it, especially since this movie is a high-stakes project.

"How's the contact with the male lead going?"

"The auditions have already been sent out. If we want to use Spike's media persona as the initial prototype, then the script design will be much easier, and the auditions will also be much easier."

Jon Favreau thought for a moment and frankly stated the reality that the scripts were still only in a rough outline.

Because of so many personnel changes, the entire Iron Man crew was having a tough time every day, and the script was going wild – the movie was originally scheduled to be released in 2006, but this year they changed directors again, and he took over.

Then the script had to be scrapped and rewritten, and the characters had to be redesigned.

"Okay, I'll leave this part to you. I'll talk to Spike about it."

Kevin Feige nodded: "You can let the actor who auditioned for the lead role see how it goes."

"no problem."

Jon Favreau made an OK sign, took out his phone, and sent a text message to his assistant.

Soon, Robert Downey Jr., whose life was in disarray and who longed to rise again from the ashes, received an audition notice for the lead role in "Iron Man," only to see that additional requirement—

"The early image of the film can be referenced from Spike's media image."

(End of this chapter)