Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

"Black Humor" is available online.

There were no overwhelming posters, and no money was spent to buy a radio premiere.

Only 20,000 CDs were distributed free of charge to various high-traffic areas.

Furthermore, the casual studio has added a new link on its official website, along with a brief explanation:

Jay Chou's second solo single, "Black Humor," was released today, with a special appearance in the music video by Wang Zuxian.

The news spread, and the response in the first few hours was rather muted.

It's not that the song is bad.

Rather, it was the earlier films, "Lovely Woman" and "Yellow Race," that set expectations too high.

Listeners were expecting another high-energy hit, but after clicking to listen...

The piano laid a slow, gentle foundation, and Jay Chou opened his mouth with a choked voice, as if his voice was being squeezed out from the depths of his throat, hoarse, suppressed, and with an indescribable twisted feeling.

"What song is this? I don't quite understand it!"

"Is this the only kind of music Jay Chou can write?"

"In the music video, Wang Zuxian is walking around smoking, looking so sad. Aren't she and Qin Qi getting married soon?"

The online comments were lukewarm.

The first day of August.

Some of the green frogs who had been staring at Gu Bei suddenly became excited, like sharks smelling blood, and immediately began to act.

Their affiliated media accounts jumped in, each with an increasingly exaggerated headline:

"Has the Casual Studio run out of ideas?"

"Black Humor's opening day reception was lukewarm!"

"Jay Chou's creative talent has run dry; his new songs are going unnoticed!"

"Gu Bei's team only knows how to create hype; they won't write songs unless there's something to talk about!"

"After releasing the third free song, the show fizzled out. Casual Studio became the biggest joke of the year!"

In the comment sections of these media outlets, online trolls lined up to post things like "I told you it wouldn't work," "What kind of crap is that?" and "Wang Zuxian is no good either."

It seems like they're right.

The number of MP3 downloads for "Black Humor" was half that of the previous two songs during the same period.

The number of plays on major music radio stations was also mediocre, barely making it into the top 100, and still 99 places away from the top spot.

For a time, some people celebrated their victory.

"See? Without hype, nobody listens to the songs from Suibian Studio."

"The Yellow Race" benefited from patriotism, and now its true colors have been revealed.

The studio remained silent, as if nothing had happened.

Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan sat in the studio, staring at the data on the computer screen, and fell into silence!

"Gu Bei...am I really not suited to make music?"

He recalled the immense popularity of "Lovely Woman," which was attributed to Vivian Chow.

When recording "Black Humor", he was ridiculed for "singing like a goat!"

"Black Humor" is now available online, but the response has been lukewarm.

It's really frustrating!

Fang Wenshan stood to the side, unsure how to comfort him.

He's never been a very good talker!

Gu Bei walked over and placed his hand on Zhou Jielun's shoulder, "At first listen, you don't understand the meaning of the song; upon second listen, you've become a character in the song!"

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything."

in the afternoon.

An explosive piece of news has shaken the entire Chinese entertainment industry!

Qin Qi's agency suddenly issued a formal statement, with somber wording:

Mr. Qin Qi's Personal Statement

Recently, various rumors about my relationship with Ms. Wang Zuxian have caused trouble for both of us and our families.

After careful consideration, I have decided to make the following statement to the public:

During my relationship with Ms. Wang Zuxian, I concealed a past.

I have a 14-year-old son with my ex-girlfriend.

I have never truthfully informed Ms. Wang Zuxian about this relationship and the existence of the child.

For fifteen years, Ms. Wang Zuxian has placed complete trust in me.

However, he betrayed this trust, maintaining a facade of integrity with lie after lie.

I made a mistake that any man would make: I deceived Ms. Wang Zuxian for a full 15 years!

Ms. Wang Zuxian has proposed a peaceful breakup, which I respect and accept.

I hereby solemnly apologize to Ms. Wang Zuxian: I'm sorry.

We also apologize to the public who have always cared about us.

秦齐

December 2000, 8

With a deafening roar, it was like a bolt from the blue, or the sky collapsing and the earth splitting apart!

The moment the announcement was issued, the entire internet seemed to be paused.

Then......

Blasted!

"What? Qin Qi has a 14-year-old illegitimate son???"

"15 years? He deceived Zu Xian for 15 years!"

"Didn't you say just a few days ago you were getting married at the end of next year? This reversal is too fast!"

"A 14-year-old child, that means he was pregnant before he started dating Wang Zuxian! He hid it for 15 years!"

"What do you mean by 'mistakes all men make'? I'm not going to make the same mistake as you!"

Entertainment news was interrupted.

The voices of TV presenters trembled as they read their scripts!

This is a bombshell!

Hundreds of posts are being refreshed on the forum every minute, making the server laggy like a slideshow.

Netizens dug up news from just a few days ago that the two were still preparing for their wedding, and compared it with this apology statement, it all felt absurd, like a dark comedy.

Then......

Someone posted a message on PTT:

"Go listen to 'Black Humor' again."

This post has been pinned.

The second one follows immediately:

"Holy crap, I didn't understand the meaning of the song at first, but after listening again, I'm already a character in the song!"

Article :

"‘I think there's something wrong with your head, you don't understand your dark humor.’ Isn't that lyric exactly how Zu Xian feels right now?"

Article 4:

"You've been wanting to break up for a long time, haven't you? I don't want to call you out on it!"

The fifth:

"I cried, I really cried. Wang Zuxian wasn't just acting in a music video, she was living her own life!"

Article :

"For 15 years, she was a 'lovable woman,' only to find out in the end that it was all a 'dark comedy.'"

Article :

"Did you notice Wang Zuxian's eyes in the music video? I felt so sad when I first saw it, but now I see it as truly heartbreaking!"

In just a few hours, the number of downloads for "Black Humor" skyrocketed from rock bottom.

8, 12, 19, 26... it skyrocketed like a rocket.

By 8 p.m., the daily downloads had exceeded 350,000, surpassing the concurrent downloads of "Lovely Woman" and "Yellow Race".

What's even more terrifying is that this song can evoke different feelings in different listeners.

"At first listen, one doesn't understand the meaning of the song; upon second listen, one becomes a character within the song!"

Someone expressed this sentiment!

"I initially thought this song was just so-so, but after reading Qi Qin's statement and listening to it again, every line feels like a dull knife cutting into my flesh!"

Did Jay Chou already know about this?

"How could he write a song like that?"

The pessimistic comments about the "green frog" online have now been completely overwhelmed by angry netizens.

"You said he'd lost his touch? Now you've been slapped in the face!"

"A song predicted a major breakup drama; is that what you call creative burnout???"

"Come out for a walk, weren't you shouting quite loudly just now?"

The green frogs had no choice but to sheepishly delete posts and disable comments, pretending nothing had happened.

That same evening, another piece of news was even more explosive!

Gu Bei appeared on CCTV News!

This news has been a hot topic in mainland China for a long time.

But on the island of Taiwan, for some reason, the spread has been very slow.

Unfortunately, the internet has no boundaries. Some netizens found CCTV news footage, took screenshots, and uploaded them to forums in Taiwan.

In the scene, Gu Bei, wearing a white shirt, stands at the foot of the Qin Palace steps in Jiaozuo Film and Television City, facing the camera with neither arrogance nor servility.

The host's words were transcribed into text and posted in the thread:

"Gu Bei is not only a talented young musician, but also a patriotic artist with a strong sense of national identity."

"His work 'Yellow Race' conveys the pride and cohesion of the Chinese nation and showcases the spirit that young people in the new era should have."

"We look forward to more 'role models of the times' like Gu Bei, who use art to tell China's story."

The comments section below the post completely spiraled out of control.

"Holy crap! A role model of the times? CCTV gave her such high praise?"

"Holy crap, Gu Bei's about to take off!"

Therefore, justice resides in the hearts of the people!

Some people sarcastically remarked, "Does getting a red card from the other side make you so great?"

Someone immediately retorted: "What? Just because CCTV praised them, you get so sour?"

Yang Wanqing looked at the photo of Gu Bei smiling brightly during an interview on the forum, then shut down her computer.

"Gu Bei, what you did is truly remarkable!"

It's important to know that in 2000, the mainland's economy was still in its early stages.

The entire country had long suffered from poverty and weakness.

Gu Bei is the first artist to dare to express "firm support for the reunification of the motherland" in Taiwan!

Yang Wanqing thought for a moment, then picked up her phone and called Gu Bei!