"Unbelievable! So this is what it means to dominate the entire stage. No one dares challenge him anymore. He's like Lü Bu, the fiercest general in history—unmatched across the land. A first in music history."
"AFZ, Pattern 14, even Higuchi Hanato—he beat them all. Is Chu Zhi a six-dimensional warrior?"
"I have to buy Mr. Chu Zhi's songs. I need to know what kind of music can set this kind of record. We don't have rock singers like this in Thailand!"
"I went to the Fuji Rock Festival the last two years, but skipped this year. Now I missed out on witnessing history. Damn you, Edward Murphy!"
Online comments from all over the world flooded in. The discussion around Asia's number one rock festival had been completely hijacked by one person.
Thanks to the massive exposure, the Fuji Music Festival's official website saw Chu Zhi's track "We Will Rock You" rocket to number one in sales.
In just two hours, it had already sold 578,000 units. The second-place song, "Sherry" by Higuchi Hanato, had just passed 200,000.
Chu Zhi's two performances at the festival also went viral, vastly outperforming all other acts in clicks and engagement. His popularity on Instagram and Twitter spiked again.
The song itself was inherently catchy. Combined with relentless promotion by Hojo Koshi and others, and Chu Zhi's blazing fame across Asia, it was the perfect storm. In fact, it was going even more viral than "Left Hand Pointing to the Sky." And it made sense—Chu Zhi's renown had only grown since then.
The result? A triple explosion of impact. You could almost hear the thunderclap echoing through Asia's entertainment industry.
Some die-hard rock fans were beside themselves. How could such a talented rock musician waste his gifts on pop songs? Wasn't becoming a revolutionary rock artist good enough?
Of course, only the most narrow-minded fans thought like that—people who insisted that rock music must reign above all genres.
Some left comments on Chu Zhi's social media begging for a rock album in multiple languages, hoping music could harmonize the world.
The buzz also caught the attention of major brands. Two companies—Mistine and New Jetran—sent partnership proposals to Chu Zhi's agency.
Mistine is Thailand's top cosmetics brand. They say where there are Thai people, there is Mistine.
New Jetran is one of only two public transport companies in Singapore. Both are heavyweights. They usually only sponsor pan-Asian boy bands.
"So what if those luxury brands with anti-Chinese sentiments didn't come calling? Mistine offered 17 million yuan for just one quarter!" Qi Qiu pumped his fist with excitement.
In China, it's unusual for top-tier idols not to have luxury endorsements. Chu Zhi's fame and status were beyond question, but he lacked resources in fashion and branding. As Chu Zhi's ad manager, Qi Qiu had been under pressure for a while.
There were no luxury brand partnerships, and fashion offers were nearly nonexistent. As previously mentioned, the global fashion discourse is dominated by France, Italy, and the US.
Despite being a chart-topping artist, Chu Zhi had never been invited to high-end fashion galas. The entire management team, including Niu Jiangxue, had been holding back their frustration.
"Seventeen million a quarter—sixty-eight million a year. That's not far off from what luxury brands offer," Qi Qiu said. "Chu Zhi carved out his own path. As long as his music holds weight, can these foreign brands still strangle us?"
Chu Zhi already had endorsements from Korean and Japanese brands, but they were domestic-only. No pan-Asia campaigns, let alone global ones. Those brands simply couldn't afford his rates and didn't have the reach.
Global giants like Pepsi, Philips, and HP seemed to still be watching and waiting.
"Cool down, Qiu," said Lao Qian, quickly stepping in. "About Mistine—anyone here familiar with their products? What do you think, Sister Wang?"
"I've never used them, but they're considered affordable cosmetics. I just asked around in our fan group," Wang Yuan replied.
"The foundation's PO-01 is praised for its durability and smooth texture. Coverage is decent. Their yellow-cap sunscreen and mascara are also highly rated. Of course, Mistine isn't without controversy. Some fans say the lip glaze can feel greasy and doesn't apply evenly."
"So what's your overall take?" Lao Qian asked.
"Mistine's not bad for a budget brand. We can accept the ad," Wang Yuan said. "As long as it's not a co-branded launch. Mistine's R&D is decent. They can piggyback on trends well. For example, their N333 'Maple Poet' lip color is solid, even if it's clearly a dupe of NARS's #LoseControl."
Lao Qian nodded thoughtfully. "Then Qiu, I think we could push the price up a bit more."
"Absolutely. I think we can add another million or two," Qi Qiu agreed.
Meanwhile, Niu Jiangxue had already pulled up a full report on New Jetran.
There had been doubts about them. Offering 38 million yuan for a six-month deal was unusually high. The company rep had explained that the CEO's daughter and wife were both diehard Little Fruits fans. They were determined to work with Chu Zhi.
Thirty-eight million for half a year—high even by Chu Zhi's standards. Their last spokesperson, Choi Yeong-sil, a South Korean actor who went viral for the drama "Diamond," had a higher profile than Jo Kwon of GZ. Even she only received about 4 billion won a year (around 40 million yuan).
Niu Jiangxue didn't buy that explanation. In business, things are rarely that simple.
But after digging deeper, she found it was true.
On Chu Zhi's birthday last year, September 9, a giant LED screen at Singapore's VivoCity mall displayed a glowing "Happy Birthday Jiu-yé." Not only that—13 Singapore Airlines planes were painted with Chu Zhi's portrait.
That incident made local headlines. People criticized New Jetran's CEO for wasting public funds while profiting from ordinary citizens. Their stock price even dipped, and the CEO had to publicly apologize.
Now, a year later, the same company wanted Chu Zhi as their ambassador.
"There's no issue with New Jetran," Niu Jiangxue confirmed.
"Damn, Chu Zhi's fans are rich," said Fei Ge.
"That's normal," Wang Yuan chimed in. "If you'd ever been to the Orange Home forums, you'd know. There's a pinned post titled: 'Currently at Thunderbird Global Management School. Once I graduate, I'm joining a Fortune 500 company, climbing to upper management, and getting Jiu-yé to endorse us!'"
"Thunderbird? One of the top three business schools in the world? Jiu-yé's fan base really covers everything," Lao Qian remarked. "But that Little Fruit's ambition is still too small. Even upper management is just a salaried worker. They should aim to be capital itself—pay for the ad directly."
With both Mistine and New Jetran on board, the team's previous dry spell was over. Spirits were high, and even business discussions felt lighthearted.
In just two days, "We Will Rock You" hit a staggering 6.84 million sales. Only a few hundred thousand short of the all-time record on Fuji Music's website—a record that took years to accumulate. At this rate, breaking it was inevitable.
Even though the track only sold for about 150 yen (roughly 7-8 RMB), millions of downloads added up quickly. With Chu Zhi's contract giving him 60 percent of earnings, that meant another 10-20 million yuan earned in just two days.
As long as people kept downloading, he'd keep earning. One more stage meant one more revenue stream.
Because of this, Xu Ji, a senior figure in the industry, even gave up his own slot for Chu Zhi. He was genuinely supporting the next generation.
The song echoed from barbershops to internet cafes all over Asia. It had officially become an anthem.
Thai entertainment news reported:
"Stars dazzle at Fuji Rock Festival. One moon among many stars!"
South Korean entertainment news:
"Is he the High-Note Demon King or the Rock Overlord? Chu Zhi becomes the first artist in history to conquer the entire Fuji Rock Festival. His success sparks reflection on our own idol training system."
Singapore's media:
"Chinese singer Chu Zhi is now Asia's hottest star. We explore his path to success."
Russian coverage was as dramatic as ever:
"He crushed the Saint Petersburg International Culture Forum—and now, Fuji Rock. Let's watch the exact moment of impact."
Another smashing success. The Little Fruits were ecstatic, basking in the downpour of data.
One user named Cold Jade Like the Sea posted: "Jiu-yé, could you slow down? My plan was to work hard, become a department head, and grow alongside you. But I've only been out of school for a year, and you're already an Asian superstar. I'm crying. How am I supposed to keep up?"
That message struck a chord. Many fans felt the same pressure. They wanted to grow with their idol—only to find he wasn't just growing, he was flying.
Others chimed in:
"Forget chasing him. I'll just treat Jiu-yé as my spiritual compass now."
"If I can make it, so can my Little Fruits!" I remember Jiu-yé said that. Let's go, sisters!
"Jiu-yé works hard. So should we. Don't slack off."
"Maybe… we just aren't trying as hard as he is."
"A-Jiu forever!"
One popular post from a longtime fan called Knock Nine Thousand Years Before the Devil read:
"I've been a fangirl since junior high, chased more idols than I can count. But this is the first time I've felt so secure in fandom.
Always hardworking. No scandals. A great reputation in the industry.
Fans don't even need to fake numbers to support him—he's growing so fast we can't even keep up. It's like he has rockets strapped to his feet.
Both albums, '25,177 Possibilities' and 'Chu Ci: Ode to the Orange Tree' are critically and commercially successful. He killed it at the Three Kingdoms reenactment, the cultural forum, and now this rock concert.
Honestly? The only downside is that we barely have to do anything. There's not much left for fans to handle."
As they say—your fans reflect who you are. That post was the epitome of humble-bragging.
The entertainment industry had been shaken, but in Yunnan's Mushroom House, things remained surprisingly calm.
Or rather, seemingly calm. The producer and camera crew had seen the trending topics. They just kept it to themselves. Still, the way the cameramen looked at Chu Zhi had definitely changed.
"'Dream Back to Tang Dynasty,' 'In the Spring,' and now 'We Will Rock You'—Jiu-yé's rock songs may be few, but they're all top-tier. Especially today's trending one. His talent in rock music is undeniable," said Old Zhan as he stomped and clapped in rhythm. He was an old-school rock fan.
It was 7 a.m.—time for cameramen Da Jun and Old Zhan to switch shifts.
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