Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

Music critic A-Guang was in a very good mood today.

Last week, he mocked Gu Bei for making empty promises and boasting on the show, which resonated with many listeners.

Even the show's listenership increased by two percentage points.

Today he's going to continue this topic; he's already written the article, titled "The Vanished Singer."

He walked into the radio station, put on his headphones, and cleared his throat into the microphone:

"Listeners, welcome to 'Music Vanguard,' I'm A-Guang."

"Let's talk about..."

Just then, the director's voice suddenly cut in through the earpiece, "Ah Guang, wait a minute!"

"What's wrong?" Ah-Guang frowned.

"Take a look at this first."

A screenshot was sent from the director's computer.

Ah Guang looked down and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The screenshot shows the official website of Suibian Studio, with a release date of July 20, 2000.

Song title: Yellow Race.

MP3 downloads: 17.

1+ comments.

Ah Guang glanced at the date in the lower right corner of the computer screen, which showed: 2000-7-20.

His fingers trembled as he opened the website of Suibian Studio, clicked on the music video, and his face turned deathly pale when he saw the first image.

Four minutes later, he took off his headphones and fell into complete silence.

The surroundings were deathly silent, and Ah Guang's head was buzzing.

The director was shouting outside, but he couldn't hear him.

After he recovered, he took a deep breath, put his headphones back on, and said into the microphone:

"Dear listeners, today's program... has been temporarily cancelled."

He turned off the microphone, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and suddenly remembered what he had said the day before yesterday: "Don't brag too much, or you'll end up flying to the sky."

Now, Gu Bei slapped himself hard.

……

The program "New Vision for Music".

Music critic Ah Le did not cancel the program.

He gritted his teeth and went ahead with it.

When the caller called in, the situation was completely out of control.

A girl's voice was very excited: "Teacher A-Le, have you listened to 'Yellow Race'?"

"What do you think?"

Ah Le held the microphone and remained silent for a moment: "I feel...it's very powerful."

"So powerful? Just like that?" The girl's voice suddenly rose. "Do you know how moved I was when I heard this song?"

"Back then, when my grandfather and Baldy ran away to Taiwan to look for their relatives, my grandmother had already died."

"Do you know how heartbroken he was? He couldn't forgive himself until he died."

The second call came from a boy.

He said sharply, "Teacher A-Le, you said Gu Bei was just making empty promises, now that the promise is here, are you going to take it?"

Ah Le's face turned red with anger: "That's not what I meant..."

"I know," the boy continued sarcastically. "Isn't it just that they're caught in a media storm and they want to kick them while they're down?"

"I'm going to get revenge for Gu Bei today!"

Then came the third call, the fourth call, the fifth call...

Not a single person supported Ah Le.

Before the show even ended, Ah Le had already turned off his microphone and taken off his headphones. "I...I'm not feeling well today, so I'd like to ask for a day off."

He had just stepped out of the radio station building when he was recognized by a young man passing by.

The young man glanced at him and suddenly laughed: "Teacher A-Le, your emperor has returned."

……

The message board on the website of Suibian Studio has exploded.

Dozens of messages were flooding in every minute, causing the server to lag, and engineers worked overnight to expand the server's capacity.

In the past few days, Gu Bei's fans have been under immense pressure from public opinion.

Now the rebound is simply out of control.

The IP address belongs to a user from Taipei:

"My grandfather said that there is no wound that cannot be healed, only the most ancient power. He has decided that he wants to be buried on the mainland after he dies."

The IP address belongs to a netizen from Taichung:

"My grandfather is a veteran. He cried after listening to this song and said thank you, Gu Bei."

The IP address belongs to a user from Kaohsiung:

"Where are the people who were criticizing Gu Bei a few days ago? Want to say something?"

The IP address belongs to a netizen from Hsinchu:

"The Yellow Race is really awesome. I was so excited after listening to it. I felt like my blood was awakening."

The message board page changes every time it's refreshed.

But another comment was pushed to the top, with an IP address indicating it originated from mainland China, and contained only one sentence:

"Your emperor has returned."

This comment received thousands of replies.

Someone asked, "Who is the emperor?"

Someone below answered, "It's Gu Bei."

Then......

Gu Bei himself appeared and answered: "It wasn't me, it was someone of Asian descent!"

……

Alfa Company.

Wu Zongxian sat behind his desk, which was filled with cigarette butts.

The television was playing entertainment news, and a clip from the music video for "Yellow Race" appeared on the screen.

The camera zooms in rapidly from outside the main hall, passing through layers of steps, through vermilion gates, and through the ranks of civil and military officials, finally focusing on Gu Bei.

He turned his back to the officials, his face turned to the side, his eyes cold and dignified.

Wu Zongxian pressed the remote control hard, and the screen went black instantly.

He picked up his phone, scrolled to Jay Chou's number, hesitated for a long time, but still didn't dial it.

Just a few days ago, he mocked that kid on the show, saying, "He has poor pronunciation, isn't handsome, and sings terribly."

Now that they're about to turn the tables, it's too late to call and apologize.

Gu Bei's slap was really loud.

Just then, Wu Zongxian's cell phone, which was on the table, rang.

He pressed the answer button, and Xu Ruoxuan's voice came from the other end of the line: "Brother Xian, didn't we go too far in cutting ties with Jie Lun before?"

The two were, after all, fellow students.

As a result... as soon as something happened on their end, they turned their backs on us.

"Hey, stop talking, I was just about to call and apologize."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Zongxian braced himself and dialed Zhou Jielun's number.

"Hey, Jay Chou..." His voice was gentler than ever before. "What Brother Xian said on the show was all for the sake of the show."

"Um... don't take it to heart..."

On the other end of the phone, Jay Chou was silent for a moment before saying in his unclear voice, "Brother Xian, I'm busy right now. Let's chat again when you have time."

And then... he hung up!

Wu Zongxian held his phone, listening to the busy tone, his face showing the discomfort of having swallowed a live fly.

……

Late at night, on the streets of Taipei.

A taxi sped along the road, the chorus of "Yellow Race" playing from the radio.

The driver was a middle-aged man in his fifties, bald, and wearing a string of Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist.

He hummed along for a couple of lines, but realized he couldn't sing the tune, yet he didn't complain.

"Young man, have you heard this song before?" he asked the passenger in the back seat, turning his head to ask.

The passenger was a young man in his early twenties who was sharing an earphone cable with his female companion.

Hearing the driver's words, he took off his headphones: "I've heard it, Gu Bei's 'Yellow Race'."

"Does it sound good?" the driver asked curiously.

"It sounds great!" The young man gave a thumbs up. "I've been listening to it on repeat all day."

"I think Gu Bei is tall and handsome, with a bright look in his eyes and a strong sense of ambition. He will definitely be a great person in the future."

The driver nodded in agreement.

The car turned into a villa area on the outskirts of Taipei.

The two got off the bus, dragging their suitcases.

After the taxi drove away, Zhou Huimin punched Gu Bei in the chest in annoyance: "You're so shameless."

"Hahaha..." Gu Bei laughed.

He could already imagine the driver's expression when he saw him on TV.

It'll probably be hilarious.

The two glanced at Yang Wanqing's villa and noticed that all the lights were off.

Gu Bei suggested, "Why don't you sleep at my place?"

"No way..." Vivian Chow's face flushed red instantly. "What if it's too loud and Wanqing hears us?"

"But why are your eyes even more excited than mine?" Gu Bei said as he opened the door.

"It's a safe period today..." Vivian Chow lowered her head slightly.

The two embraced as soon as they entered the villa.

They dared not turn on the lights, for fear of being discovered.

In the darkness, clothes fell off one by one...