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

Chapter 968 Decision 1
In 2006, many things were still widely recognized and even sought after by the public.

For decades, traditional media coverage has cultivated a sense of prestige and aspiration in these Western traditional projects, which are highly regarded by the general public. Before the advent of the Internet age, these projects had not yet fallen from their thrones in the minds of most people around the world.

The same applies to the Olympics and the Nobel Prize.

The news that Zhou Yi had become a Nobel Peace Prize laureate was a shock to almost everyone who saw it. QQ, seemingly eager to ensure its users were aware, even activated a pop-up news notification.

"The Rise of the Asian Dragon: The Nobel Peace Prize Award for the I Ching Shocks the World!"

Sina's pinned feature: "The History of the Nobel Prize Conquest of the Book of Changes";
Sohu posted a large-character poster: "The Book of Changes conquered the Nobel Prize with roses and bullets."

NetEase went even further, praising the god of the Chinese music scene with a title: "From Billboard chart-topping to the Nobel Prize hall of fame - the ultimate form of the pop god Zhou Yi".

While traditional media outlets were echoing Peking University's praises of the I Ching, the four major portal news websites, occupying a dominant position in the internet ecosystem, joined forces to spread the news of this unexpected Nobel Prize upset throughout the mainland internet sphere.

Baidu goes without saying. Although there were some unpleasant incidents in the past, they have since turned to the I Ching and now they are naturally unwilling to miss out on this wave of popularity: "The I Ching: A History-Making Machine, From Record Shredder to Nobel Peace Temple".

They've got it all covered on both traditional and online platforms, generating an overwhelming amount of buzz.

"Elvis challenged morality with his hip-shaking, Michael Jackson subverted the stage with his moonwalk, and Zhou Yi redefined the upper limit of singers with his Nobel Peace Prize."

"While the miracle of his album '25' selling 3580 million copies in 50 days is still shaking the global record industry, he made history yesterday in an even more astonishing way—"

"The first pop star to win the Nobel Peace Prize."

From the epic scene of 15 people chanting "Great Unity of the People of the World" in New York's Central Park to the Nobel Committee's podium in Norway, Zhou Yi listened to the cries of war with his wounded ears and awakened the faith in peace with "Believer" and "One Day".

"The cold indifference of Western politicians could not stop him from tearing apart the information cocoon, just as a gunshot wound could not stop him from picking up a guitar..."

Sincere praise and dedicated promotion.

Under such intense bombardment, you may not remember what you ate for lunch yesterday, but you will definitely remember that on October 13, 2006, Zhou Yi won the Nobel Peace Prize as a Chinese citizen, writing his name into the future history database.

Warner's relentless public relations efforts have been maximized in this era of traditional media, given the immense popularity of the songs they've used to build their empire over the years.

The fervent fans of the I Ching were incredibly arrogant online, acting like sycophants who sold their wares to anyone, single-handedly destroying the large-scale fandoms of the entire entertainment industry.

There's no way around it, it's way beyond the scope of the curriculum, it's really way beyond the scope of the curriculum.

The Nobel Peace Prize is something that either exists or it doesn't. No matter how stubborn we try to deny it, it won't change the fact that the words "Nobel Prize" hold a high place in the hearts of Chinese people these days.

Who would have thought a singer could do something like this?!

"It's GOAT! Undisputed GOAT!"

"A god in the Chinese music scene!"

"Now tell me who the most historically significant Chinese pop singer is?! Huh?! Haters, speak up!"

"Where's the beaver?! Where did that beaver go?! Stop playing dead!"

"Call that damned beaver over here! Make him kneel under the Zhouyi poster and repent!"

"Zhou Yi is invincible! The first pop singer in history to unify the music scene in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres!"

"The American and British media are all reporting on this, and some people are absolutely furious. It's hilarious..."

Some busybodies even went so far as to find reports from Western media outlets, primarily the UK and the US, about Zhou Yi winning the Nobel Prize. One article after another proclaimed his invincibility, making every netizen feel a sense of smug satisfaction.

BBC: "Arrogant Eastern Anthem: Spike's Nobel Prize-winning Nuclear Effect".

"The Beatles' throne collapsed, Jackson bowed down, and the Nobel Peace Prize became the most dazzling jewel in Spike's GOAT crown. The power of popular culture has been handed over in this grand ceremony."

"The Nobel Peace Prize medal weighs only 175 grams, yet it has crushed the wall of superiority that we take pride in."

"He implanted Chinese political slogans into the hearts of Europe and the United States, and won the fanatical following of 15 Americans."

"The last god of physical sales in the era of records has now finally ascended to the temple of human spirit."

"This is the most violent rewriting of the narrative of Western civilization—"

"Spike, this Chinese man who rejects the Hollywood model, uses musical notes to mend the rifts between civilizations, attempting to dispel the shadow of war with melody..."

When even the BBC had to reluctantly publish a column filled with positive reports, one can imagine the sheer impact of Zhou Yi's rampage through the Western music and media circles.

German magazine Der Spiegel: Gunshot wounds, sales and geopolitics: Deciphering the algorithm that won Spike the Nobel Peace Prize.

Le Monde (France): "The Bard's Sanctuary: When Spike's Melodies Knock on the Door of the Nobel Prize."

The Times of London: "Business star crowned with the laurel wreath of peace: How Spike's Nobel Prize has shaped musical dominance."

The Sun: "A legendary night for the Nobel Prize winners: a list of actresses in Spike's bed."

The Wall Street Journal: "The ultimate fusion of business and art! The Spike Nobel Prize ignites Warner's market value!"

Time Magazine: Spike: The Perfect Answer for Art and Peace.

The New York Times headline was even more sensational—

Spike: Jesus of Generation Z Who Carved His Name on a Bullet!

"Michael Jackson's betrayal of humanity made us lose our past, but Spike makes us lose our future..."

Ok?
Detroit, in a hotel room.

Noticing the strange smell, Zhou Yi shook the newspaper in his hand and checked again: "Where's Jesus? Wasn't he praising me, Jesus? Why is he still subtly slandering me?" "All you can see is slander against you, right?"

Qian Jiang smiled like a Maitreya Buddha: "Be generous, Ayi. At least it's generally praising you while holding its nose."

"I can't be magnanimous. I'm a petty person and I hold grudges."

"So, will you be going to accept the Nobel Prize?"

Qian Jiang, who had presented a survey report to Zhou Yi, inquired about it.

The reason for asking this question is that the Nobel Peace Prize has made mistakes at the official level in China.

Strictly speaking, Zhou Yi was not the first Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate; there was actually another one before him, who won the prize in the late 1980s.

But honestly, this is something that everyone who knows it already knows.

Because of his involvement with Sun Wo Luen Shing, he naturally received the 404 penalty.

This is one reason why, when Mo Yan became the first Chinese Nobel laureate in Literature, there was actually very little official publicity or announcement; it was largely downplayed, and the promotion of Mo Yan was primarily driven by the vested interests behind him.

Just like how Zhou Yi is currently putting a lot of effort into promoting his Peking University Group and Warner Group.

"Don't go."

Zhou Yi, without looking up from the report, said, "Not only am I not going, but I don't even want this award."

?

Qianjiang is now truly in a hurry—

Why don't you even want the prize anymore?
What a great publicity opportunity! You said you didn't want it, but you accepted all the gifts.

"You can simply choose not to go and accept the award."

"I don't care about the bonus."

Zhou Yi chuckled: "Anyway, no matter how much I refuse to accept the award, my name will still be engraved on it, and the publicity will continue as usual. There's no problem. Oh, wait, I can also use it to promote my consistency between words and deeds."

Among the many laureates in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize, there was one who chose to refuse the award—Le Duc Tho from Vietnam.

He is also the only Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history to refuse the award.

Even so, since it had already been announced that the prize would be awarded to him, the Nobel Committee could not help but include his name in the list of laureates, even though Li Deshou refused to accept the prize in 1973.

Zhou Yi felt he could add a qualifier to this: the first Nobel laureate of the 21st century to refuse the award.

"Consistency between words and deeds?"

"Do you remember what I said about the Nobel Prize in a previous interview?"

When asked about his previous remarks, Zhou Yi smiled slightly and said, "I'm not just someone who talks nonsense without thinking."

It is precisely because he had previously stated publicly that the Nobel Prize had no right to award me the prize that his refusal to accept it now seems so unexpected yet perfectly logical.

Having laid the groundwork makes it easier for people to accept, and at the same time, it solidifies his outward image and persona.

To put it bluntly, he never intended to accept the ladder offered by the Nobel Prize from the very beginning. He simply planned to use the Norwegian organizing committee as a fool, the kind that he would discard after use.

He had been building up his chances of winning the award through various channels, claiming that not receiving it would be a regression of civilization and that an unexpected result made things fairer. But once it was confirmed he had won, and the Nobel Committee had finalized the list and announced it globally, he suddenly changed his tune.

What do you mean by winning an award? I don't know. Did you force this award on me because you couldn't handle the pressure?
Besides, before you officially announced the awards, I said on the show that I didn't want to receive the award, and I also stated that you were not qualified to give me the award. So what's wrong with me refusing to accept the award now?
what?
You mean offending the organizing committee?
Oh right, I just look down on them, and I also squeezed the remaining value out of the organizing committee.

Since there's no space left, why hesitate to just throw it in the trash can?
Would you care about the dignity of a pile of garbage?
Anyone else with a different persona would suffer a severe reputation collapse after doing something like this, but Zhou Yi has always maintained this persona. He was arrogant early on and looked down on the Nobel Peace Prize, which fits his established image.

Actions speak louder than words!

Of course, before that, he had to squeeze every last drop of profit out of the Nobel Committee—

"It seems this journalist named William Lisman has some influence, so let's use him. Consider it a small reward for him siding with me."

After reviewing the materials, Zhou Yi instructed, "Old Qian, go and invite him over. Tell him you can grant him an interview as he wishes, and I will also announce a major decision during this interview."

Refusing an award is undoubtedly a major decision in one's career, and it's certainly worth announcing it in an exclusive interview.

"Just broadcast it live on TV. By the way, invite some of my die-hard fan club members. William and I, who are doing the interview, will sit facing each other in two chairs, and my fans will sit around us in the audience."

"Consider it a gift to my fans; after all, they made the graphic for me..."

Zhou Yi made all the arrangements.

On October 18, 2006, while young people and music fans in most countries and regions around the world were discussing the creative historical breakthrough of the I Ching, a preview was suddenly posted on Zhou Yi's personal blog—

"Overnight, everyone was focused on me winning the Nobel Peace Prize, which surprised me."

"I don't understand, and I'm very confused."

“I wanted to say something, but my colleagues and team all advised me against it. However, I still chose to make this important decision public in the most sincere way through a live broadcast.”

"On Sunday, October 29th, at 10:08 AM, I will be giving a live television interview to my friend William, during which I will reveal a major decision in my career..."

(End of this chapter)