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

Chapter 983 Entertainment Industry in 2007
"You said Zhou Yi was looking for me?"

Inside the new concert hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

When Lang Lang received the call from his father, he almost thought he had misheard: "Really? He actually has the leisure to ask me to play the piano?"

As another top-tier Chinese figure in the global entertainment industry born in the 80s, besides Zhou Yi (the Book of Changes), Lang Lang is extremely familiar with the influence of Zhou Yi in the Western world. Although he himself doesn't have a deep connection with Zhou Yi, as a fellow Chinese, he is frequently asked about it by Western journalists and friends.

At the same time, his personality is not quite like the traditional Chinese image in foreign cultures—it can only be said that, compared to the I Ching, Lang Lang is indeed quite humble.

But that's only in comparison to the Book of Changes.

Although he has faced numerous criticisms for being arrogant and conceited, he remained steadfast in his beliefs, defying prejudice and overcoming the established Western traditions to become a respected figure in the history of classical music.

The younger generation is unmatched, and among the older generation, only a few old men waiting to die can outdo him based on their seniority.

Maybe I can change when I get older, but if I don't act wildly now that I'm in my twenties, when will I ever be?

Of course, Lang Lang felt that his father should also take the blame for his own personality traits.

“You’re about the same age, it’s good for you to get to know each other better. After all, Zhou Yi is the music director for the Olympics, and he’s very influential in China.” The usually stubborn Mr. Lang had no objection to Zhou Yi, and even wanted his son to befriend him.

There's nothing we can do; his family's resources are simply limited.

In Europe and America, one can use a management company to suppress all sorts of negative public opinion, but in China, it's completely in the dark—don't be fooled by the fact that he's a national treasure-level pianist; the public opinion in China is absolutely terrible.

At least Zhou Yi's teachings include both insults and praises, but his son in China is a different story – any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come and try to piggyback on his fame.

Are you, Li Yundi, on the same level as my son? You're just one of the Twin Heroes.
Also match?

"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll go back as soon as I'm done here. It'll be in a few days, very soon."

He's been in St. Petersburg these past few days, invited to attend the opening concert of the Mariinsky Theatre's new concert hall. Although his performance schedule is already incredibly busy, he still managed to squeeze in a few days to return home and complete filming.

Of course, the reason he agreed so readily was because of Zhou Yi's other identity—the music director for the Olympics.

Although Lang Lang, a leading figure in the piano world, felt certain that he would be performing a solo at the 08 Olympics, given that he was the only Chinese classical pianist to dominate internationally and whose concert tickets were extremely difficult to obtain, one can't be too careful about the possibility of something going wrong.

To be honest, he was quite surprised that Zhou Yi dared to take on this responsibility, because he had no experience in this position and wouldn't even dare to touch it.

Although there is currently no one in China with experience in this area, Zhou Yi, like him, is too young.

If you mess things up before you're thirty, your bright future could be ruined in an instant.

Not to mention that the current secular influence of the I Ching is arguably the greatest in the contemporary entertainment industry, which is practically putting shackles on itself.

Lang Lang agreed readily, and General Fan Zhiyi in Shanghai responded just as quickly.

Having been retired for several months, Fan Zhiyi was in a busy period. He even took the initiative to ask if he needed to take some acting training as soon as he received the invitation.

To be honest, he was quite surprised.

Because of his position on the field, Fan Zhiyi's commercial offers in China are actually not as good as those of the main striker, so he never expected that Zhou Yi would come to him to film football footage.

There's nothing we can do; he's getting old, and he's no longer the Asian Footballer of the Year. His performance in the years since returning to the domestic league hasn't been great either, and his temper remains fiery. The reputation he built up while playing abroad has been completely destroyed, leaving only a lot of criticism.

Of course, the main reason is that they didn't qualify for the World Cup.

"There's no need for that. It's just a music video. You don't need any acting experience. I've been acting for so many years, why would I need any acting skills?"

Zhou Yi, who had a private phone conversation with Fan Zhiyi, tried to persuade the hot-tempered old man to calm down, but it seemed to have little effect.

Perhaps it is precisely because of his easily triggered temper that he has been able to emerge unscathed from multiple storms. No one dares to bring him into the industry to play for real, for fear of his big mouth going around spouting nonsense; it's best to just keep him as a mascot.

"I think what he said makes a lot of sense. Isn't it best to hire a striker? I've seen that striker trading cards are the most expensive."

At home, Cheng Hao was tasting dumplings while holding a spatula in her hand. Seeing that the man had hung up the phone, she couldn't help but ask curiously.

In football, the further forward the position, the more famous you become and the higher your salary—that's something she learned from the I Ching.

“Fan Zhiyi has also played as a striker and even won the top scorer award. The main thing is that he’s tall and strong, which makes him stand out from me.” Zhou Yi said casually, making up a reason.

We can't say that this top scorer on the national football team will go insane in the future.

You might call the guy who went in to operate the sewing machine "greedy," but the "shooting king" was truly bewitched. From his post-retirement reputation turning around to complete disappearance from public view, no mainland search engine shows any information about him—

Let alone the general public, even Fan Zhiyi's teammates couldn't understand what he was thinking. You know, his statement "at most three years of fame" became famous even earlier than General Fan's "I have no shame" statement.

"Isn't Fan Zhiyi a defender? How come he won the top scorer award?"

"More than that, he was also the first Asian Footballer of the Year in China. He was still very strong, but his mental fortitude was very unstable when he was young. If he hadn't missed that penalty kick back then, the Chinese national team wouldn't have had to wait until 02 to qualify for the World Cup."

While eating dumplings, Zhou Yi knew the history of the Chinese national football team like the back of his hand.

Don't be fooled by Fan Zhiyi's big shot image on various variety shows later on. In reality, he was a villain more than once when he was playing football, and he was scolded by fans countless times. He was completely clueless.

There's a saying that goes something like this—"Below the neck, world-class; above the neck, neighborhood-level."

As a football player, Van Gaal's physical attributes are indeed undeniable. If he hadn't been unwilling to give up training with the national team, he would have transferred from Crystal Palace to Liverpool long ago. Liverpool had the money ready, but the deal ultimately fell through.

"Oh, by the way, speaking of money, there's a movie project that's looking for funding recently. Are you interested?" Cheng Hao asked, recalling a project she had recently come across.

The dark horse that was "Crazy Stone" was a huge success, not only boosting the careers of Ning Hao, Huang Bo, and others, but also enhancing her fame and status in the industry.

This was Cheng Hao's first film project.

As a result, countless film projects, like sharks smelling blood, swarmed towards Cheng Hao, eager to gain the favor of a financial backer. However, the cautious Cheng Hao wasn't swayed by the flattery around him and remained clear-headed—

In this day and age, nine out of ten film investment projects fail, though some may slip through the net, but eight out of ten will almost certainly be scammed.

She's not one of those coal mine owners who know nothing or are willing to turn a blind eye.

Having been in the industry for so many years, coupled with her connections at her alma mater, she naturally has her own set of standards for judging whether a film project is reliable or not.

She's not like Chen Hong, who's just a mascot as a producer, only needing to praise her husband; her actual management skills and authority are a complete mess.

After all, Zhou Yi had truly delegated authority to her, and if she messed it up, she would feel guilty to death.

Therefore, after "Stone" ended, although she was a guest of honor at major film festivals and occasionally returned to her alma mater as an outstanding alumna to give lectures and discuss film and television projects, she never actually got anyone to nod her way and go into her office for further discussion.

As Zhou Yi's reputation reached its peak, Cheng Hao became increasingly concerned about her image—producing bad films was not her standard.

But this time, she really saw a great project.

"If you think it's good, then go ahead and invest. I'll leave this part to you and won't interfere. Don't be afraid of losing money; you're my top producer."

“If it were just a small investment, I would definitely invest directly. But based on my current communication with Chin Wing-keung’s team, the ‘Painted Skin’ project requires a minimum investment of around 80 million. If we want to hire high-paid Hong Kong and Taiwan actors, the investment will be even higher.”

Cheng Hao poked at the food on her plate with her chopsticks, looking troubled: "Although Qian Yongqiang is a veteran director in Hong Kong, having made many films with companies like Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and Emperor in the 80s and 90s, he doesn't have experience with big-budget films, so I'm not at ease with him."

If it were a director like Tsui Hark, she probably would have already started discussing the project further.

But she was genuinely worried about Qian Yongqiang. "Such a high investment?"

Upon hearing the director's name, Zhou Yi was surprised: "If you're worried, why not bring in a few more investors to share the risk? It'll broaden your social circle by not taking all the profits for yourself. Anyway, we have theaters, so we're guaranteed to make a profit."

"If all else fails, you can have him find a well-known director, like Chen Jia or someone like that."

He truly didn't expect that the "Painted Skin" project would actually find Cheng Hao here.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Now everyone in the entertainment industry knows he makes money and his company is rich. Most coal mine owners can't match his cash flow, and he also has the advantage of cinema chains. Isn't he a shiny, fat sheep?

In his recollection, the "Painted Skin" project was initially conceived by Chin Wing-keung, who approached Era Classic Film Company as an investor. However, the latter deemed the investment too risky, and given Chin Wing-keung's lack of a strong resume, they opted to withdraw.

However, adhering to the principle of leaving room for maneuver, Shidai Classics Company still acted as an intermediary and introduced investors such as Ningxia Film Studio, Century Jiaying, and Shanghai Film Group to Qian Yongqiang.

The other companies that came together also saw potential in the project, but they similarly felt the director lacked experience and asked Chin Wing-keung to find someone to co-direct. This is how Chin Wing-keung brought in Chan Ka-kai. However, due to differing filming philosophies, Chin Wing-keung, the one who organized the project, was effectively ousted by Chan Ka-kai.

Or rather, they were kicked out by several investors.

Because Chen Jiajia was willing to act as a tool in this film, he used mainland actors who were considered box office poison by Hong Kong and Taiwan media to be the male and female leads.

After all, big productions need to use Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors to guarantee popularity and box office success; these are outdated ideas.

As a milestone for young mainland actors officially entering the film industry, the creation and success of *Painted Skin* can be said to have directly torn away the last fig leaf of the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment industry. Regardless of media pessimism, the film's box office performance after its release was unstoppable—

Ultimately, while the film was a huge success, it was also accompanied by numerous controversies surrounding its poor quality, and Chen Jiajia was criticized as a traitor by many within the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

"You think Chen Jiajia is more promising?" Cheng Hao keenly caught the key point.

"It's not that I'm optimistic about him, but at least his resume is much stronger. Just his collaborations with Stephen Chow in 'Fight Back to School' and 'King of Beggars' are enough to blow Chin Wing-keung away."

"As for the other big directors, either their director fees are too high, they are not available, or their styles are not suitable or they are unwilling to come. That leaves only him, who has a big reputation."

Unless we can bring Wang Jing over, since he's known for doing exactly what he's paid for—but it's obvious we can't find him.

It's not for any other reason, but because Wang Jing, being such a shrewd person, would never accept a film with a cast of mainland actors as the main leads at this time.

Chen Jiajia is much more casual—he only cares about money.

Cheng Hao seemed to be thinking, "Then I'll go talk to them again."

She was aware of the current domestic trend towards blockbuster films, and a movie like *Painted Skin* was a perfect fit. As long as the risks were manageable, giving it a try wasn't out of the question.

Having followed Zhou Yi for a long time, she's started to take a gamble when doing projects, but only after consulting Zhou Yi's opinion.

After all, her man always goes all-in on any business he does; his vision and judgment are unparalleled in the world. Having such a god-like investor by her side without asking for his opinion would be a sign she's lost her mind.

"Now? There's no need for that, it's already this late."

"There's no way I can slack off."

Cheng Hao put down her chopsticks, hurriedly got up and passed by Zhou Yi—after finishing, as if she remembered something, she took a few steps back, bent down and leaned close to the man's cheek, cupped her hands and kissed him, her smiling eyes like the moon: "I love you."

January 1, 2007, New Year’s Day.

On this day that lacks the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year but is still considered New Year's Day by some, a piece of solid news suddenly emerged from the domestic entertainment industry: a major project was about to be announced.

Cheng Hao, who created a dark horse miracle, will officially launch a new film project after the New Year. It will be a big-budget fantasy film, co-directed by Hong Kong directors Chan Ka-kai and Chin Wing-keung.

Actor recruitment will also begin after the New Year. Those interested can refer to the Chinese traditional mythology book "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio"...

This inevitably brings to mind Chen's Waterloo film "The Promise," which was also touted as a big-budget fantasy film, comparable to Lord of the Rings.

Even so, countless actors in the industry still flocked to it—Zhou Yi, who was filming a music video at the time, inevitably received harassment from the media.

"Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi, would you like to appear in Cheng Hao's new film as a way of showing your support?"

"Zhou Yi, why did you delegate the responsibility of producing and investing in big-budget movies to Cheng Hao? Aren't you afraid she'll lose money? She has very little experience, and her only representative work so far is 'Crazy Stone'."

"Zhou Yi, is your extensive selection of male actors for this music video also related to the movie 'Painted Skin'? Are you trying to select male actors to send to the 'Painted Skin' production team?"

"..."

One question after another, the person asking them never tired of it.

“I never interfere with well-intentioned decisions, and I will not act in movies because I know my own limitations in acting skills.”

"So, will you be transitioning to a different career path? Jay Chou has already started his directorial debut, 'Secret,' and Wang Lihong starred in 'Lust, Caution.' They have both made transitions. Are you also planning to transition to producing films?"

"I have no plans to change my career path. I will do my best to sing my album well."

There are rumors that your QQ Music platform has signed another college student singer-songwriter and has decided to train him after the New Year. Is this true?

"It's true, this student is very talented, and I think you'll see that what I'm saying is true in the future."

Facing the camera, Zhou Yi readily admitted to signing Xu Liang: "He is currently an ordinary person and not a public figure. Please do not disturb him. Otherwise, I believe you all know what law you have broken."

A group of reporters: "..."

Damn you!
So you're going to start giving us intense interviews as soon as you get back, huh?
You're the first person in the entire entertainment industry to dare to publicly threaten us, the uncrowned kings, like this!
I'm so angry, damn it!
"Then why didn't you release a Chinese album in 06? Was it because the English album market was too big?"

"That's not the case. It's because I was busy with the music review for the Olympics. I've been listening to the Olympic music manuscripts every day since I returned to China, but even so, I still insisted on starting to shoot the music video for my Chinese album at the beginning of the year. The album is expected to be released after the new year."

Glancing at the reporter who had asked the question with ill intentions, Zhou Yi, who wasn't very forgiving, mentally sentenced him to death, deciding to revoke the interview rights of the entire newspaper behind him next time.

"What are your thoughts on your nomination for the 49th Grammy Awards? How many awards do you think you'll win this year? Will you go to accept the awards?"

The 49th Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 12, 2007—before this year's Spring Festival Gala.

This has sparked speculation in the media about whether Zhou Yi will actually go to accept the award.

After all, the Spring Festival Gala is just a few days away, and the constant flying around will obviously be too much for them.

But if I don't go and get it, will the organizing committee refuse to give it to me?

"I don't have any thoughts on it. I haven't even looked at this year's nomination list."

Zhou Yi shook his head: "The chart manipulation incident that '25' encountered in the United States has made me realize that the so-called charts are just that, and I have no interest in these trophies. I will not attend the 49th Grammy Awards."

It's already 2007, and I only have one year left before I retire. Why should I care about this and that?

? ? ? ?
What the hell!

We all thought your indignant accusations in the US were just for show to gain sympathy, but dude, you're serious?!

The opening salvo of entertainment news in 2007—

The news of Zhou Yi's withdrawal from this year's Grammy Awards swept the globe like a hurricane and tsunami!
(End of this chapter)