Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

Seeing the page refresh, Yang Wanqing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Public opinion is brewing.

But what really put pressure on her wasn't the media's ridicule, but the calls from distributors.

The owner of Haoleidi KTV, who is usually very polite, sounded a little impatient today.

"Mr. Yang, it's not that I want to make things difficult for you."

On the other end of the phone, Boss Lu sounded tired. "Now many people are calling to complain and demanding that 'Lovely Woman' be taken down."

"We've been under immense pressure, and we've truly done everything we could."

"Gu Bei's new song has been released." Yang Wanqing's voice was more confident. "I'll send the CD over in the next couple of days."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Wanqing leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples.

Before I could even catch my breath, my phone rang again.

Qian Gui KTV, owned by Liu Ying.

His tone was more direct: "Mr. Yang, we must remove 'Lovely Woman' from the shelves before this Sunday."

"The pressure is just too much; it's affecting business."

"Boss Liu, thank you for your support." Yang Wanqing changed the subject, "However, Gu Bei's new song CD will be delivered the day after tomorrow."

"I suggest you listen to the whole story before making a decision."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if they were weighing their options.

"Okay, we'll see then," Liu Ying said, reassuringly.

Yang Wanqing put down her phone and looked out the window.

The sky in Taipei is very blue, almost blindingly so.

She has received more than a dozen such calls.

Finally, the clouds have parted and the moon is shining.

She opened the file Xiaoyun had given her; it contained data on Nicholas Tse's album release a week prior.

On its first day, the company sold 40,000 copies across Asia.

It's neither bad nor good.

The media gave a lukewarm review: "Nicholas Tse's album release has received a stable market response."

"smooth?"

Yang Wanqing had nothing to say.

50,000 copies were sold the following day.

On the third day, 60,000 tickets were sold.

On average, that's tens of thousands of photos every day over a week.

This is the week with the highest sales volume; sales will gradually decrease thereafter.

Major radio stations are all playing "Because of Love, So I Love", but it can't even get into the top three in terms of airplay.

Currently, the first place is "Darkness Falls," the second place is "Long Live Love," and the third place is "At Least I Still Have You."

She really felt that Gu Bei was right.

The final sales volume was approximately 70 copies.

"Because of Love, So I Love" ranked fourth.

If "Lovely Woman" hadn't been removed from the top of the list, it would have been ranked fifth.

They didn't even bother reporting on it in the entertainment news, only mentioning it in a corner with the sentence: "Nicholas Tse's new album sales are steadily increasing, but have not met expectations."

Yang Wanqing looked at the report with a furrowed brow.

at the same time.

Casual Studio Official Website.

The number of messages on the message board is still increasing, but the rate of increase has clearly slowed down.

The first comment was posted a dozen minutes ago:

"The song 'Lovely Woman' is really good, I've listened to it so many times. When will the new song be released?"

There were no replies.

Scrolling down further, there was one from half an hour ago:

"Has Gu Bei really run away? Why haven't we heard a thing?"

Someone replied below: "Don't talk nonsense, he's filming a music video in mainland China, he'll be back soon."

"How fast is 'soon'? We haven't heard anything for days."

Under the onslaught of public opinion, some people are already getting impatient.

Scrolling further down, the comments became increasingly anxious.

"Is the official website being neglected? Why isn't there even an announcement?"

"Downloads of 'Lovely Woman' seem to have stagnated. Is everyone tired of hearing it?"

"Gu Bei, say something!"

no respond.

The official website is as quiet as an abandoned house.

Only the phrase "Four free singles, released consecutively" on the homepage remains silently displayed.

Lin Yichen sat in front of the computer at the Wooden Guitar Restaurant, lost in thought.

The boss is in the hospital; there was only one customer this afternoon.

Looking at the message board on the website of Suibian Studio, she felt that her dream of making money by shooting music videos was about to be shattered.

"Ugh! You jerk, Gu Bei, how could you lie to me like that!"

The page keeps refreshing.

Lin Yichen pressed her forehead against the table, thinking that Gu Bei had really run away, when suddenly the melody of "Yellow Race" started playing in her headphones.

First came the desolate, vast sound of a flute, carrying the scent of wind and sand.

Then the drums and panpipes unfolded in layers, and the electric guitar stepped in at the right moment.

Lin Yichen raised her head in disbelief, her eyes wide.

She happened to see the scene in the music video where the mask shattered, Gu Bei opened his eyes, stood up from the yellow sand, and drew his sword, pointing it diagonally at the sun.

"Wow! So handsome! Gu Bei, you're so handsome!"

Lin Yichen was so excited that she clenched her fists and almost cried.

Wait, I need to switch to speakerphone...

She realized what was happening and immediately connected to the acoustic guitar shop's sound system.

Instantly, Gu Bei's voice rang out from the "acoustic guitar":

"From waves that have swept five thousand miles, or from city walls that are yet to be rebuilt."

"All the yellow hues faded from history gather into the sunset, staining my body."

"From the sweat that flowed five thousand years ago, or the legendary Tang Dynasty."

"All the gold coins that have been circulating in the world are waiting for me to give them their proper name."

"The yellow race came to earth, and stood tall with new pride."

"When a person of Asian descent walks down the street, the world knows I am different."

"The more turbulent the situation, the braver I become; the changing world is my impetus to forge ahead."

"With a bare body, I roam freely to all corners of the world; after five thousand years, it is finally my turn to take the stage."

……

Just then, two people walked in through the door.

Welcome!

Lin Yichen, with her ponytail and round face, peeked out from behind the bar, holding a rag in her hand.

"Where's Zhaoyu?" Qin Qi looked around but didn't see the boss.

He saw a girl behind the bar who was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with fair skin and big, bright eyes, and felt somewhat confused.

"Huh? You...you're Qin Qi!"

Lin Yichen recognized the person who had arrived, her eyes widening in surprise. "And, and Wang Zuxian too..."

"Young lady, where did the boss go?"

Hearing Qin Qi's somewhat impatient voice, she realized that he was there to see the boss.

"Oh, Brother Yu is in the hospital. He almost died suddenly."

"It was only discovered when Gu Bei took him for a medical checkup..."

"Gu Bei?" Qin Qi frowned and sat down at a table.

If he remembers correctly, he should be a singer who performed at "Wooden Guitar"?

The young man was tall and handsome, and loved sports.

Why did they suddenly drag Lao Hu to a medical check-up?

"What would you two like to eat?" Lin Yichen brought over the menu and recounted the recent events.

After listening, Wang Zuxian's eyes lit up: "This song... is quite nice."

Upon learning that Gu Bei had been brought into the entertainment industry by Yang Wanqing, they became even more interested.

Back then, her older brother almost married Yang Wanqing's older sister.

"I think it's just so-so."

Qin Qi leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and casually flipped through the menu.

"Young people these days don't focus on singing properly; they spend all their time creating hype, grabbing attention, and stirring up controversy!"

"This is so boring!"

He pushed the menu toward Wang Zuxian and continued, "It's like he's the only one who's patriotic, while everyone else is."

Wang Zuxian casually ordered a vegetable salad and a pasta dish.

She looked up and said, "But I think Gu Bei is very dedicated."

"This song blends pop rock, Chinese instruments, and rap."

"The song is good," Qin Qi waved his hand, "but the person is not."

"Look at his partner, he can't speak clearly when he sings, and he's not handsome either. He only became famous through hype."

"The music scene these days is truly getting worse with each generation."

Lin Yichen's face darkened upon hearing this, and she angrily took the menu into the kitchen.

Just then.

A voice suddenly came from the corner.

"Um... I'm sorry."

The three of them turned their heads at the same time.

A young girl was sitting by the window.

She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, thin and petite, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, with long, straight black hair draped over her shoulders, and delicate features like a porcelain doll.

In front of her was a cup of coffee that had gone cold and a half-eaten plate of pasta, indicating that she had been sitting there for quite some time.

"Who are you?"

Wang Zuxian's eyes lit up; he felt that the girl's appearance gave her great potential to enter the entertainment industry.

"My name is Zhang Shaohan." The girl stood up, her voice a little strained, but her eyes were very firm:

"Seniors, I...I'm a newcomer, still practicing singing in Fumo, and haven't debuted yet."

"I have a different opinion regarding what Teacher Qin just said..."

Her fingers trembled slightly. After taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage and said, "I think that as a public figure, sometimes we have to express our stance."

"Otherwise, what's the difference between them and a fence-sitter who tries to please both sides?"