Chapter Sixty Begins

  "Alright, everyone! Let's start! 5! 4! 3!..." A loud-voiced staff member held up a large sign and shouted with full energy. After shouting "3", his voice stopped, and at this moment, all the sounds in the entire studio disappeared, leaving only the staff member's hand in front of the camera, counting down the numbers "2" and "1".

  Then, the music started playing.

  "In the summer of 2000, we just witnessed a battle between century songstresses, but today's 'Music Station' is a stage for male artists. All six groups of male guests will bring us to witness the charm of men in the new century!" said Takeuchi Emiko.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our guest." Tamori said briefly.

  The music starts again, and several cameras that were originally aimed at the two hosts in the center also move away, aiming at the place where the performers will appear behind them.

  The first to appear were B'z two old men, and AP also went up quickly, while Zhou Xiao was placed in the final position.

  It's not because he is famous or powerful, but simply because his name starts with the last letter.

  Step by step, walking up the stairs, Zhou Xiao heard Wunei Emiko's introduction in her ears: "The singer of 'Little Love' that caused a sensation throughout Japan will appear on TV for the first time today. Let's welcome the singer: Zhou Xiao!"

  With Takeuchi Emiko's words, Zhou Xiao walked up to the stage.

  As he appeared, a burst of astonished cries rose from the entire audience.

  The audience present were like Watanabe Hiroshi before, thinking that Zhou Xiao was a thorough rock man, and had made preparations to welcome someone similar to B'z. But unexpectedly, the person who appeared in front of everyone was surprisingly young, dressed simply, and smiled with some shyness, a big boy.

  The spotlight of the whole scene converged on Zhou Xiao's body.

  It makes him feel very dazzling.

  "Was standing here, is actually this feeling?" In his past life and this life, Zhou Xiao had never had such a feeling, especially after crossing over for so long, his actual only appearance was just that small performance on the first day of crossing over. So now, although he had rehearsals before, Zhou Xiao still couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

  Tamura walked onto the stage and stood with everyone else, beginning his usual pre-start interview.

  It was supposed to be a visit, but in fact it was more like Tamori going around and greeting everyone one by one, letting them get familiar with the people who came on stage. Before long, it was Zhou Xiao's turn.

  "Is it true that Zhou Xiao is appearing on a TV program for the first time?" Tamori asked.

  "Yes, so today is very tense." Zhou Xiao replied.

  "How old are you this year?" Tamori asked.

  "I've just turned eighteen."

  "Huh? Eighteen? Only eighteen years old?" Tamori asked in surprise, and Watanabe Emi and the others also made surprised voices, but actually these voices were just acting, because such a conversation had already been done once in the previous rehearsal, this time was just everyone saying it again.

  "Yes, I actually just graduated from high school this March," said Zhou Xiao.

  "Wow... at this age, you've written such a great song, it's really admirable." Tamori said.

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  "So everyone, look forward to it, today's MS, six groups of male artists' wonderful performances." Tamori said.

  "Alright, let's take a break!" The on-site director shouted after seeing Tamori finish his summary.

  Next will be an interview interspersed with singing mode, everyone will sit on the stage waiting for Tamori to visit one by one before going on stage.

  Oh right, what's called a "yù tán" is basically just a small stage where most of the guests sit.

  Zhou Xiao also sat on the stage with everyone else and happened to sit next to **AP Shōgo Shigemori.

  In Arashi, Matsumoto mainly focuses on dramas, while Nagase is more focused on hosting. The other three members also have their own developments, but Shingo's development... has gone a bit off track. He has a classic cross-dressing character "Shingo Mama", and in August this year, he will release a single under the name of "Shingo Mama" which even sold over 1 million copies. It can be said that before Arashi, male idols were like female idols in the 80s, basically all pursuing a clean and beautiful image. Of course, for male idols to have a refreshing and handsome beauty, some masculinity is needed, but overall, idols rarely stoop to playing ugly roles.

  Until after the debut of Arashi, idols became diversified and even in the group that swept Japan years later, Matsumoto Jun and Sakurai Sho also had another identity as "little monsters".

  "Will Shūsaku really write a song for our AP?" Sat on the stage, AP and Shū would still need to wait for a while before they went on, so Kotori Shinoda asked curiously.

  "Of course I'll write it, although my abilities may not be up to par, but I will definitely write it, and only AP-san can use it. If it's another combination, I won't even give authorization." Zhou Xiao said. His first half sentence was just modesty, the second half sentence was actually just in case, among the several groups under Jinyou now, the song "The World's Only Flower" is only suitable for AP, other groups and combinations want to use it, probably can't sell much volume at all.

  However, Shingo Katori may not have known that Zhou Xiao had already composed this song in his heart, so he was a bit surprised. Although Zhou Xiao is only 18 years old, it's just like what Sanji Iijima said before - in the Japanese entertainment industry, lyricists and composers are people that everyone wants to fawn over, because one stroke of their pen can make someone reach the pinnacle of success. Isn't what Zhou Xiao doing now exactly sending himself to the pinnacle?

  Of course, this so-called fawning is only superficial, and if there's real benefit to be exchanged, it will still follow the rules. After all, the entertainment industry is just business, and anyone who takes the polite phrases on the business scene seriously will probably end up being taken advantage of badly.

  Now Zhou Xiao is playing such a role, and it seems that he wants to write songs for AP. If he can really write a good song, then AP will benefit from it, because if Zhou Xiao can write it, he can sing it himself, and they don't know if the song is only suitable for AP.

  The recording of the program was proceeding in an orderly manner, and after several groups of artists had finished their performances, Zhou Xiao finally sat down next to Tamori again, accepting an interview from Uncle Mokuge.

  "How did Zhou Xiaocai enter this circle at just eighteen years old?" Tamori asked.

  "I was singing at Gaoyuan Temple subway station and was discovered by someone from Being Company. She took me into Being," said Zhou Xiao.

  "Huh? Are you a talent scout for Being?"

  "Not, isn't it a talent scout?"

  "Is it a talent scout? A producer? Or a composer?" Tamori asked.

  "It's neither of them, I was discovered by Sakai Izumi-san." said Zhou Xiao.

  " Sakai Izumi?" Tamori repeated in surprise. And with that, the whole venue was filled with surprised voices again, as Sakai Izumi's name wasn't unfamiliar to anyone, especially among the audience who were all familiar with Japan's entertainment and music scene.

  "You're saying you were performing at Kōgenji Station, and then the Radius Fountain saw you and brought you into Being?" Tamori repeated, still somewhat disbelieving.

  "Yes, it's like that, so I'm very grateful to Quan Shui sister and hope to repay her." Zhou Xiao said.

  "So you sang 'Little Love' when you were busking at Kouengi Station?" Tamori asked.

  "Yes, this song was written for a while, but the little love at that time and the current melody are still very different. I was an amateur at that time." Zhou Xiao said.

  "So you've had a dream of becoming a singer for a long time, right? When did you start getting into music?" Tamori asked.

  "It's not that long, actually. I started playing music and practicing guitar in junior high school, so it's only been five or six years now. And at first, it was just a hobby, my aspirations weren't focused on this area," said Zhou Xiao.

  "Not on this? What is it?"

  "To be honest with you, I originally wanted to be a comedian," said Zhou Xiao.

  PS, the reward is really powerful, but my face is also very thick... you know what I mean... I went out during the day and came back to three more updates, I almost vomited blood... you know what I mean... being so powerful doesn't forget to vote for recommendations oh dear~~