Huayu: The Unbelievable Matching Mechanism of Jay Chou's Love Songs

There's practically no winter in Taiwan. Even with a lot of rain in December, the temperature stays between 17 or 18 and 25 or 26 degrees Celsius. Sometimes you don't even need a coat. If something white floats in the sky during this season, no one will suspect it's snowing. Instead, someone will pat their companion on the shoulder in amazement, point to the sky, and say, "Look, polystyrene is floating in the sky!"

Like an idol drama, it's melodramatic, but people of this generation just love it...

Feng Zheng walked through the narrow alley like a passerby, past a very old-fashioned record store, gazing at the brand-new Nokia and Motorola phones in the mobile phone shop, watching the young people playing King of Fighters on the street, taking a deep breath, and couldn't help but sigh with a self-deprecating smile:

"Is this the air of the new millennium?"

For others, it may be the new millennium, or the "millennium" that was very significant in history, but for Feng Zheng, it would probably be more appropriate to describe it as the "old millennium".

After all, it was time travel~

In his previous life, Feng Zheng was a struggling singer, making a living by taking odd jobs in bars and wedding venues, and occasionally shooting short videos. His life, while not wealthy, was carefree. As for why he woke up one day to find himself transported to the "new millennium," he had no idea…

All he knew was that he had become another person the moment he opened his eyes. Although the other person was also named Feng Zheng, his background was quite tragic. At the tender age of eighteen or nineteen, he had just graduated from high school when his parents died in a car accident. In this era when surveillance cameras were not widely deployed, finding the perpetrator was a difficult task, so he had not even received any compensation.

If it weren't for the neighbor girl taking pity on him and cooking extra for her younger brother who was in high school every day, he would probably have gone hungry long ago without any source of income.

Speaking of the girl next door, her background is quite tragic. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother raised her and her younger brother alone. She was often busy making a living and did not have time to take care of them. As the eldest sister, she took on the responsibility of taking care of herself and her brother and started cooking for her family when she was very young.

Although the results were inconsistent...

After a moment of distraction, Feng Zheng walked out of the alley and came to a row of rental houses. Just as he turned the corner, he saw a very innocent-looking girl squatting next to a bicycle waiting for him.

The girl was also in the prime of her youth, wearing a pink shirt and light blue jeans. Because she was very thin, she looked very bony, and her shoulders seemed to be made entirely of bone. However, she was very lively, with bright and sparkling big eyes and a pretty face that was both innocent and simple, giving people a "fresh and sweet" feeling.

Perhaps hearing Feng Zheng's footsteps, the girl stood up, frowning and asking with a worried expression:

"Feng Zheng, where have you run off to again!"

To be honest, the Taiwanese accent is so cute when it comes to swearing. Even when the latter makes a face that he thinks is fierce, Feng Zheng sees it as "cute and fierce".

"A record store," Feng Zheng said casually, "I just browsed around."

"you……"

The girl initially wanted to scold him, but perhaps thinking of his recent miserable experiences, she showed a sympathetic expression and said, "Never mind, I understand you're in a bad mood lately."

After speaking, she handed a small aluminum box to Feng Zheng. Inside the box was the lunch she had made that day: bright red tomatoes and golden eggs mixed together, which looked very appetizing, but...

It's sweet.

Without scallions and garlic, Feng Zheng really couldn't get used to this tomato and egg stir-fry.

Before even entering the house, Feng Zheng picked up a piece of egg with his hand and stuffed it into his mouth. The girl mumbled something about being hygienic and eating with chopsticks when she got home, but her bright eyes held a hint of anticipation as she asked Feng Zheng:

"Is it tasty?"

"It's delicious." Feng Zheng nodded.

"Will you eat it again next time?" the girl asked expectantly.

"Hmm..." Feng Zheng hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, suppressing a laugh, and said, "No, thank you."

"...Feng Zheng!"

The girl was furious and chased after Feng Zheng, giving him a good beating with her little fists.

It doesn't hurt, it tastes strangely sweet.

After a few moments of laughter and playfulness, the girl stood up, unfolded the kickstand of her bicycle, and said as she walked away, "I'm running out of time, I have to go now. Remember to put your lunchbox on the windowsill after you finish eating, I'll come back to pick it up tonight."

"Where are you going on the weekend?" Feng Zheng asked curiously.

"A professional agent recently contacted me, asking me to audition for a music video!" The girl became excited when she mentioned this, and said very proudly, "Not only that, but I also have a cameo role in a movie. Maybe I'll become famous soon and become a big star. Then I won't have time to cook for you."

"What will I eat from now on?" Feng Zheng asked.

"I'll buy you a bento box." The girl replied, "From now on, you can have whatever bento box you want!"

"...Do we really have to eat bento boxes?" Feng Zheng thought to himself as he said, "Well, the ones sold outside should taste better."

"...Feng Zheng!"

Inevitably, another round of playful fighting ensued...

Starting in 2000, Taiwan's entertainment industry perfectly took over from Hong Kong in the 1990s. Although it was slightly weaker than the mainland in terms of "film", it truly led an era in music and TV dramas.

Especially in music, the decade from this year to 2010 was once called the "golden decade of the battle of gods in the Chinese music scene" by netizens. Almost all the "popular love songs" that dominated the Chinese music scene in later years came from Taiwan during this decade.

Artists like Lin Junjie, Liang Jingru, Sun Yanzi, Cai Yilin, David Tao, Wang Lihong... This period produced countless kings and queens of love songs, who have maintained their mainstream status even in later generations.

Needless to say, in terms of television dramas, all kinds of "idol dramas" have become a trend. "Dolphin Bay Lovers", "The Outsiders", "It Started With a Kiss", "My Lucky Star", "The Prince Who Turns into a Frog", "Meteor Garden" and other hit dramas are still regarded as "classics" by the audience in the Chinese entertainment industry even in later generations. F4, Da Xiao Qu, Ming Dao, Ariel Lin, Amber Kuo, Yang Chenglin and other stars basically became popular all over the country during this period.

Thanks to the filter of their roles, many celebrities remain active in the public eye even decades later.

In this era, both record companies and film and television companies are truly dedicated to promoting artists. Each company needs to cultivate some "pillars" to make money. It is a stage where "there are more meat than wolves" and there is not much "resource competition". As long as an artist has a good image and temperament, or has some unique characteristics, it is easy for them to be discovered by artist companies or talent scouts.

Television stations often host talent shows, such as the queen of love songs Zhang Huimei, the three sisters of S.H.E., singer Lin Youjia who suffers from kidney deficiency, and Xiao Jingteng who is a good man. They all came from talent shows.

Feng Zheng's girl-next-door attends a performing arts high school. Although she is petite, she has a sweet and delicate face. Coupled with her lovely and pure temperament, she naturally finds it easy to get some filming and cameo work.

That's good. At least this way we can supplement the family income and her mother won't have to work so hard...

Moreover, Feng Zheng was very clear about one thing: his girl-next-door neighbor would become famous, and very famous.

Without him...

Simply because her name is Wang Xinling.

……