Wang Fei and Zheng Hui's fans join the battle

Wang Fei's fans share a common trait: arrogance.

This arrogance stems from the arrogance of the person they admire; Faye Wong never tries to please anyone, never caters to the market, and never compromises herself. Her fans, influenced by this, have developed a collective disdain for other artists.

While the Zheng Fan Party and the Zheng Gao Party fought all summer, Faye Wong's fans remained bystanders.

Within their own circles, they continued to discuss Faye Wong's songs, her fashion sense, and when she would hold a concert.

But in August, things changed.

Due to the concentrated outpouring of overseas music reviews, coupled with the album's impressive performance on Billboard, Faye Wong's name was suddenly dragged into the center of this three-way battle.

The first to react were Faye Wong's die-hard fans.

In the Wang Fei fan thread on Tianya, a veteran fan posted a long thread:

Zheng Hui, don't get involved; Faye Wong is no one's muse.

"Let me state one thing first: I don't deny that Zheng Hui is very talented, and the songs he wrote for Faye Wong are also very good. I've listened to Faye Wong's album hundreds of times, and every song is indeed a masterpiece."

As a Faye Wong fan, I'm very proud that her English album made it into the Billboard Top 10.

"However, I strongly dislike those music critics, those Zheng-Gao supporters, and those bystanders who define Faye Wong as Zheng Hui's muse. What does 'muse' mean? It means a source of inspiration, an object of admiration, or an appendage of a male creator."

Wang Fei is not anyone's appendage.

"She is not Zheng Hui's muse; she is herself. Her musical achievements do not need to be defined by Zheng Hui."

She was already a superstar before she met Zheng Hui. Which of her albums—"Sky," "Restless," "Singing and Playing," and "Only Love Strangers"—did she need Zheng Hui?

I find it disgusting that people outside are trying to link their collaboration to a romantic relationship. Faye Wong doesn't need to date to gain attention. She has enough on her own.

"So, whether you're Zheng Hui's fans, Fan Binbin's fans, or Gao Yuanyuan's fans, you can fight amongst yourselves. Don't drag Faye Wong into your love triangle battle. She's not interested, and neither are we."

This post received considerable support within Faye Wong's fan community. Many die-hard fans commented, "Well said, Faye Wong doesn't need to be tied to any man."

But around the same time, another voice began to emerge.

In the same forum, a user with the ID "菲常好听" replied with the following:

I'd like to share a viewpoint that might get me criticized.

I've been a Faye Wong fan for ten years now. More than anyone else, I don't want her to be exploited.

But to be honest, the album Zheng Hui produced for Faye Wong is her best album in the last five years. Without a doubt. I don't need to tell you how good "Legend" is, right? And what about "Fleeting Years"? What about "Flammable and Explosive"? And "Because of Love"?

These aren't just any run-of-the-mill pop songs; each one showcases the best of Faye Wong's voice. Some are ethereal, some rebellious, some deeply emotional, and some tender.

Zheng Hui captured Faye Wong's truest soul through musical notes. This isn't just my opinion; it's what countless music critics have said.

Now her English album has made it into the Billboard Top 10 again, and a Chinese female singer has an English single in the Hot 100 Top 10. Would that have been unimaginable before?

Let me ask you a question: If there really is something between Zheng Hui and Faye Wong, why should we object?

Who is Zheng Hui? He's a two-time winner of the highest film awards, the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion. He's also a four-time international Best Actor winner, with Grammys to his name. Is he qualified?

Is it shameful for Faye Wong to be with him (if it's true)? Is she unworthy of him?

I think it's quite the opposite. There's no one else in the world who could make Zheng Hui put aside her own voice and use all her talent to support her voice.

An American music critic said he had found his muse. To put it another way, being recognized as a muse by a world-class genius is not a derogatory term, but the highest form of praise.

"Of course, I'm not sure if there's anything between them. I'm just saying, if there is, I don't object."

The comments quickly split into two camps:

"Are you crazy? Faye Wong doesn't need any men!" "The person upstairs is right... I also think Zheng Hui is a good match for her..."

"To match? Why does Faye Wong need someone to match her? She's complete on her own!"

"Nobody said she's incomplete. I'm just saying, if she made her own choice, what right do we have to object?"

"The key question is, did she even make the choice? Is there any evidence? What's the difference between you and those gossip media outlets?"

"Evidence... Look at those music video screenshots, watch the press conference videos. I never thought about it before, but the more I look, the more suspicious it seems."

"Even if ghosts exist, that's her private matter! We should just respect her wishes!"

This is how Faye Wong's fan base began to split internally.

One faction is the pure supporters, who insist that Faye Wong does not need to be tied to any man, and that any attempt to pair her with Zheng Hui is an offense to her independent personality.

The other group, the more optimistic ones, gradually changed their attitudes. They sensed Zheng Hui's special feelings for Faye Wong through music and did not rule out the possibility of the two being together.

In their view, if Faye Wong chose Zheng Hui, it must be her own decision, and Faye Wong's decisions never need anyone else's approval.

The two sides were arguing fiercely in the forum.

At this point, Zheng Hui's fans couldn't stand it anymore. A post in Zheng Hui's fan thread quickly spread across various forums:

"Wang Fei fans, please understand one thing: When your Wang Fei collaborates with our Zheng Hui, she's the one who benefits."

"I didn't want to get involved in this topic, but after seeing the comments from Faye Wong's fans saying 'Don't get involved, don't mess with our Faye Wong,' I couldn't stand it."

Let's get one thing straight: it was Zheng Hui who wrote songs for Faye Wong, not Faye Wong who wrote songs for Zheng Hui.

It was Zheng Hui's name that opened the door to American radio stations for Faye Wong; it was Zheng Hui's production that got Faye Wong's English album into the Billboard Top 10; it was the promise Zheng Hui wrote in the contract that made Universal Music willing to spend 80 million to sign her.

In this partnership, Zheng Hui is the one who delivers the core value.

"Of course Faye Wong has a great voice and top-notch singing skills, but without Zheng Hui's songs, his production, and his influence in the American market, would this English album have achieved the success it has today?"

"You're saying don't get involved? But who's actually getting involved with whom?"

Wang Fei is 34, and she's been married with children. Zheng Hui is only 23, in the prime of his life. We haven't even complained yet, and you guys are already complaining? Who do you think you are?

"We, Zheng Hui's fans, don't cause trouble, but don't mess with us either."

These words completely enraged Faye Wong's fans.

"Who do you think got the better deal? Faye Wong was a superstar who started gaining popularity in the 90s! When Zheng Hui was still wearing diapers, Faye Wong was already holding eighteen concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum!" "You think he has a great voice and top-notch singing skills? Without that voice, who would sing Zheng Hui's songs? Replace him with Fan Binbin? That's laughable."

"So what if she's thirty-four? So what if she's been married? What kind of feudal moralists are you? Does Faye Wong not deserve your Zheng Hui just because she's divorced?"

"The most disgusting thing is fans like you who meddle in celebrities' private affairs like they're their own business. Who Zheng Hui likes is none of your concern!"

The battle quickly spread to all major forums, including Tianya, Xici, Mop, and Sina Forum, during the first week of August.

The four forces—the Zheng Fan Party, the Zheng Gao Party, and the Zheng Fei-related groups that suddenly entered the fray—were all thrown into chaos.

To make matters worse, the internal divisions within Faye Wong's fanbase have further complicated the situation. The pro-Wang faction is attacking both Zheng Hui's fans and those within their own camp who are happy to support her.

Those who welcome the news will have to endure attacks from both directions simultaneously.

The Zheng-Fan faction has temporarily breathed a sigh of relief in this chaotic battle. They were originally the targets of the Zheng-Gao faction's attacks using Faye Wong as a weapon, but now that Faye Wong's fans have come out, they have disrupted the battle lines.

A Zheng Fan supporter posted a summary thread:

So the current situation is:

Zheng Fan Dang believes that Zheng Hui likes Fan Binbin;

Zheng Hui's supporters believe he likes Gao Yuanyuan; some of Faye Wong's fans believe Zheng Hui and Faye Wong are having an affair.

Another group of Faye Wong's fans believe that Zheng Hui shouldn't try to piggyback on Faye Wong's fame.

Zheng Hui's fans believe that Faye Wong is too old and not a good match for Zheng Hui;

Wang Fei's fans believe that Zheng Hui's fans are a bunch of ill-mannered people.

Is there anything else I've forgotten?

The most upvoted comment was: "The most important thing was overlooked: Zheng Hui himself didn't say anything."

Passersby were stunned by the scene. This was more intense and went beyond the usual fan wars, as if the fans were venting all the frustration of being forced into silence in the first half of the year over the past two months.

Someone posted a thread on Tianya with the title of just one sentence: "So how many women are there exactly??"

The most upvoted comment: "Other women who are philanderers do it secretly, but Zheng Hui makes an album for each of them that has both sold incredibly well and received rave reviews, as if he's afraid the whole world won't know which one he's involved with."

……

August 8, New York.

The "Good Morning America" ​​summer concert was held at the Central Park outdoor stage. This is an annual summer program on ABC, inviting a popular singer each week to perform outdoors in Central Park. Admission is free for the audience, and the show is broadcast live nationwide. This week's guest was Faye Wong.

This was a major promotional event meticulously planned by Universal Music, with the album officially releasing just two days later, on August 10th. Having Faye Wong appear on one of the highest-rated morning shows in the US before the release is a classic album promotion strategy.

The temperature in New York that day was just over 30 degrees Celsius, and nearly four thousand people crowded the lawn in Central Park. Most of the audience had been drawn there after "Young and Beautiful" had been played repeatedly on the radio, and they wanted to see what this Chinese female singer with an ethereal voice looked like.

At 7:40 a.m., the stage lights came on.

Faye Wong wore a simple white dress, without any exaggerated styling or complicated accessories.

Host Robin Roberts gave a brief introduction on stage:

"She is a top-tier singer from China with over 40 million records sold across Asia. Her English debut single, 'Young and Beautiful,' is currently ranked sixth on the Billboard Hot 100."

Her new English album was produced by Grammy Award-winning Album of the Year Zheng Hui. Please welcome Faye Wong!

Applause erupted, and Faye Wong nodded slightly to the camera without offering any further greetings or pleasantries. This is her consistent style: she doesn't say much on stage, letting the music speak for itself.

American audiences didn't find this indifferent; on the contrary, they found it novel. In an entertainment environment where all singers seem eager to shout "I love you all! How was your night!" to the audience, this quiet attitude is all the more precious.

The first song is "Young and Beautiful".

The moment the piano accompaniment began, the venue fell silent. Faye Wong closed her eyes, waited for two bars, and then began to speak.

"I've seen the world, done it all, had my cake now..."

Her voice came through the microphone and echoed in the open space of Central Park.

That otherworldly voice was like a clear spring in the August heat of New York.

After the first song ended, the applause lasted for a long time.

Robin Roberts came up and gave a brief interview.

"Faye, your voice is so unique. Can you tell us what it's like to work with Zheng Hui?"

Wang Fei said, "He understands my voice better than I do."

The audience responded with good-natured laughter and applause.

Robin pressed further, "What does this album mean to you?"

Faye Wong said, "It means I can be myself in a different language."

The second song is "A Thousand Years." This is the warmest track on the album, with strings unfolding in the intro like golden sunlight bathing the entire stage. Faye Wong's voice in this song is no longer cold, but carries a distant tenderness.

"I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."

I have loved you for a thousand years, and I will love you for another thousand.

The third song is "Salvatore". The chanting in the chorus is like a dream, and Faye Wong's breathy vocals shroud the whole song in a thin mist.

She sang in a relaxed manner, with a languid Southern European flair, making you feel as if you were half-asleep, lying in the Italian sunshine.

After the three songs were sung, the performance ended.

Faye Wong bowed to the audience, and the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers once again.

The performance garnered high ratings during the live broadcast of "Good Morning America" ​​that day. ABC data shows that viewership during Faye Wong's performance was 18 percent higher than the time slots before and after it.

Social media discussions quickly escalated, with many people on American music forums discussing this female singer from China.

"Her voice was unlike anything I had ever heard before. It was like a ghost singing."

"I can't believe I've never heard of her before; she's sold tens of millions of albums in Asia?"

Meanwhile, Universal Music's publicity team is closely monitoring these figures, making final preparations for the album's official release three days later. Sunday, August 10th.

Faye Wong's self-titled English album "Faye Wong" has been officially released in the United States.

Universal Music initially pressed 800,000 CDs and 300,000 cassettes, distributing them to all major record chains across the United States.

The album cover features a close-up of Faye Wong's profile in black and white, with only a faint touch of red on her lips. The bottom right corner bears the small print: "Created by Zheng Hui."

On the day of its release, the album was displayed in the most prominent position at the Tower Records Sunset Boulevard flagship store, where the record company's promotional budget had its purpose. Posters hung from the ceiling, with Faye Wong's face occupying an entire wall.

But what really drove sales was not the posters, but the momentum built up over the past two months.

"Young and Beautiful" aired on the radio for two months, from June to August, and listeners were already very familiar with the voice.

The single sold over 500,000 copies, demonstrating strong buying interest. The overwhelmingly positive reviews after the censorship was lifted further fueled anticipation. The performance of "Good Morning America" ​​was the final push.

All conditions are ripe.

On the first day of the album's release, the feedback from record stores across the United States made Universal Music extremely happy.

Tower Records' Sunset Boulevard branch sold 3,200 copies that day.

Best Buy's nationwide stores sold over 40,000 items on the first day. Walmart's nationwide stores sold over 50,000 items on the first day.

Online orders, including those from Amazon and Universal Music's official website, saw over 20,000 copies shipped on the first day.

A week later.

On August 17th, the latest data for the Billboard 200 album chart was released.

Faye Wong's first-week sales: 470,000 copies.

Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.