Chapter 44: The Fatal Blow They Thought They Delivered

At the Capital People's Art Theatre, as Feng Yuanzheng walked in carrying the People's Daily, Song Dandan immediately slapped her thigh and laughed: "Cao Cao has arrived, hasn't he?"

Feng Yuanzheng looked up, puzzled: "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Talking about that student of yours," Pu Cunxi prompted with a chuckle.

He Bing immediately chimed in: "He's super hot right now! I read what he wrote, hey, it's really exciting!"

Feng Yuanzheng's face instantly crinkled into a wide smile, his whole face looking radiant and smooth; he waved his hand while being modest: "Just a little trick, all temporary little tricks, not worth mentioning!"

"Look at him, so proud!"

Song Dandan's teasing made everyone burst into laughter.

"Stop pretending, our colleagues in the creation room are all praising him. Hey, tell me, how can this kid write with such excitement?"

"His thinking and perspective are too unique, truly one of a kind."

"Exactly, that piece on the Fate Interview has so much drama."

"Right, right, just stitch it together and you could make a great play!"

"Mainly that spirit; without Fang Xinghe's attitude of looking down on everything, it would just be an ordinary, unremarkable unfortunate adolescence. With that hard bone, it has impact."

"Those two sentences of yours hit right in my heart, truly that's the case!"

"Hey, Xiao Feng, why not mention it to your apprentice and have him try writing it? If he really writes it well, we'll stage it later!"

Feng Yuanzheng waved his hand while laughing: "No, no, I'm just a supplementary teacher; what would it count for to order him around on what to write?"

"Whoa, the play is fake!"

"Right, not sincere, very exaggerated."

So everyone laughed together again in a jolly heap.

Actually, the People's Art Theatre has never lacked good writers and playwrights, but the new generation has basically been cut off, and no one under thirty has ever stirred up such a huge storm.

Talking about it now is both treating it as a fresh event and harboring a hidden worry about the future.

Times have changed; the new generation is wild. Can we still stage good plays that the people love and enjoy?

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener couldn't help thinking: A youth perspective on the theme of fate based on the Great Layoff background is indeed a good story core; I wonder if Xiao Fang has the ability to write it, or if he's even willing to write it?

After rambling in his thoughts for a while, Feng Yuanzheng let out a silent laugh, feeling it was far too early to think about this now.

Fang Xinghe is still far from the age to play a lead role.

In the small courtyard at home, the new generation was hosting an uninvited little old man.

"Get some hot water; I brought tea leaves."

The current principal of Experimental High School lay down on Fang Xinghe's beloved— that old-fashioned rocking chair— and then started looking around.

"The yard is kept quite clean; how many square meters?"

Fang Xinghe was stunned: "I haven't measured it; maybe two hundred?"

"More than that." The little old man shook his head and said abruptly: "Later, have them report it to you at the highest standard; first, think about where to move."

"Huh?!"

Fang Xinghe reacted quickly: "Are they really going to demolish it?"

"In September; by then you'll be boarding at school, so the impact won't be great. If you need to sign contracts or anything, tell them to come to my office to handle it."

Fang Xinghe's mood was somewhat complex.

Xiao Fang grew up here and also bid farewell to his beloved mother here; now, things remain but people have changed, and he watches as even the things are about to change...

In a person's life, how many things must one lose to reach the end?

He let the emotions soak into him, indulging for a few seconds, savoring them carefully, until he returned completely to calmness.

The new article had another emotional core again; individual sentences were already beginning to float in his mind.

He replied absentmindedly: "I don't want to board at school; are there any decent houses near the school?"

The old principal wasn't surprised and casually gave an answer: "There's a cluster of farmhouse courtyards right behind the school's sports field; living conditions are average, but they're very much like this place of yours. If you want to live there, I'll help you contact them."

"Then I'll trouble you."

"Trouble me for what!" The old principal laughed heartily. "I'll just hint it to Liu Dashan; he'll scurry off and get the thing done. By the time you move in this September, the house will be all tidied up for you. Believe it or not?"

Good heavens, another old fox, and now you're coming at me openly when chatting with me, are you?

You really don't care that I'm only fourteen...

Fang Xinghe didn't want to think much about it and simply gave up: "Then I don't care; I'm only responsible for paying."

You haven't officially enrolled yet; your Fang Shao is the boss.

The old principal understood too, pointed at him and scolded with a laugh: "You, ah, are born material for an official! Do you really not want to make a final push toward Qingbei?"

Heh heh!

Fang Xinghe didn't take the bait from before and slowly retorted: "Where did you hear that I don't want to go to Qingbei?"

"Does it need anyone to tell you? Just take a look and you'll know."

The old principal put on an air of having the Fiery Eyes of the Golden Monkey and being incredibly impressive, but finally sighed: "You get up early every day to practice martial arts and recite tongue twisters, and there's a whole cabinet full of directors' and acting books in your room; is being a star really that good?"

It's not a matter of good or bad; it's a matter of how long you can live!

After truly experiencing the enhancement brought by Starlight Value, Fang Xinghe could not give up the star path for any reason.

"What exactly do you want? If there's nothing, have some tea."

Fang Xinghe smiled faintly with a sense of distance, brewed a cup of tea with hot water, but took out a bottle of AD Calcium Milk for himself.

For some reason, the AD Calcium Milk of this era tastes better than that of later generations.

Seeing his attitude, the old principal could only shake his head and smile bitterly.

After drinking two sips of tea to ease his mood, the little old man suddenly stabbed him with a knife: "How does it feel to be scolded?"

"Didn't really notice." Fang Xinghe perked up, his eyes shining brightly. "What, was the scolding very severe?"

The little old man was stunned: "Wait, what kind of reaction is this?"

"Happy!" Fang Xinghe's face wore a look of absolute self-evidence, "Can't you tell?"

"..."

The little old man held his breath for a long while, scrutinized Fang Xinghe carefully, and finally let out a sigh of deep emotion: "A genius... so this is what a true genius is like..."

Fang Xinghe's forehead was covered in question marks; no, what are you imagining over there?

Stop overthinking it; normal geniuses really aren't like this.

"You wouldn't be afraid I have psychological problems and came specifically to check on me, would you?"

"Ahem, that's part of the reason..."

The little old man, perhaps feeling a bit of lost face, suddenly sobered his expression: "Actually, I'm more afraid you won't figure out the matters within this."

"What matters?"

"For instance, why did the education topic escalate so much? Why did such a trivial matter spark such a fierce argument?"

The little old man spoke in a cryptic manner, looking particularly eager to stir up Fang Xinghe's curiosity.

"How simple."

Fang Xinghe laughed helplessly and casually dissected the core logic.

"The impact of the Asian Financial Crisis has persisted from last year into this year; to alleviate employment pressure, achieve educational equity, and improve the quality of the entire population, universities have begun to expand enrollment wildly."

Watching the little old man's eyes widen further, the bad seed deliberately slowed his speech, squeezing out words half-sentence by half-sentence.

"So here's the question: doing this like this, what do the beneficiaries of the previous elite education think?

A massive number of college students will rapidly dilute the value of all academic credentials, and in a few years, they will冲击 their job positions and social value with vitality and low salaries.

How could they not be anxious?

Even successful people who aren't afraid of the冲击 feel bitter in their hearts—I worked so hard and struggled so much to get into the school I finally entered, and now you can just go to it whenever you want?

I can't curse at any specific person, but cursing at the damn policy should be fine, right?

So many people don't truly believe that studying is useless; rather, the expansion harmed their interests, so they feign ignorance while fanning the flames of chaos inside.

Other people are using the trend to output their ideas on quality education.

Those who incite are evil; those who follow and make a fuss are stupid; it's half and half.

Just wait and see; when the large-scale graduation happens in four years, they will still make a fuss!"

"You, you, you, you, you..."

The old principal gripped the armrest of the rocking chair tightly; his hands stopped trembling, but his lips kept quivering.

"Who told you?! Did someone talk to you?!"

"Is it necessary?" Fang Xinghe revealed a hint of perfectly timed surprise, "Does such a simple matter require someone to teach you? Couldn't you just guess it by reading the news?"

This damn thing!

The little old man was so provoked his face turned ashen; he slumped into the rocking chair, and his heart beat with an ominous rhythm.

The big principal felt aggrieved in his heart!

He came with good intentions to warn the little brat, and incidentally to show off and establish a bit of an 'old ginger' image, but instead, the little dog turned around and slapped him back!

Are all geniuses this outrageous?!

Look at you, overthinking again.

Normal geniuses really aren't like this; it's just that our President Fang used to work in this field, and analyzing the direction of public opinion to deduce underlying causes is professional competence.

"Then..."

The little old man seemed still unwilling to give up and asked tentatively again, "Are you also aware of the situation over at Han Han's end?"

"Mm-hmm, even simpler."

Fang Xinghe nodded with self-evidence, leaving no opening for the little old man.

Wanting to show off to me; did you pay me?

In both past and present lives, many people couldn't figure it out: Han Han's "Peeking at People in a Cup" was indeed awesome, but it was merely a single instance of being held back a grade; why did it trigger that level of massive social discussion?

The truth is extremely simple—

Good Big Brother just happened to be there at the right time, becoming a trigger point, used by all sorts of demons and monsters to make a mountain out of a molehill.

The root cause remains the economic downturn compounded by university expansion, plus the public's extreme sensitivity to education; so once the bad guys incited it, a huge wave of noise immediately rose, as if the entire society was agitated for Han Han.

The society was indeed agitated, but not for him.

The protagonists of the era are always the people; the person who accidentally stands at the highest point under the gaze of the masses is usually just a symbolic token; Han Han is so, Jack Ma is so, and Fang Xinghe will be no exception.

The difference lies in this: after reaching the highest point and gazing out at the vastness, whoever can remain calm and clear-headed, truly seeing clearly the inevitability of history and all beings, and the contingency of the era upon the individual, only they have the qualification to smile and exit the stage.

Everything is ready, waving the sleeve and departing; this is the greatest romance of the Chinese-style hero, the highest degree of unconventionality.

Fang Xinghe cannot do this yet; his state of mind can only support the first half—clarifying the heart and rectifying the intent, then fully exercising initiative to do some happy things driven by anger, rather than exhausting all happiness and then walking into anger amidst confusion.

And the current Han Han hasn't seen who is good or bad, hasn't even touched the edge of awakening.

Even by next year, when "Three Doors" bursts onto the scene, selling hundreds of thousands of copies, he will still be that puppet on strings.

This is the biggest difference between the two, not in writing style, but in the core.

Fang Xinghe's gaze was distant as he said lightly, "Han Han's father and his agent rode the east wind through muddy waters, finding ways to push the hype and help Han Han gain fame; it was indeed well-timed, but ultimately, it was still the power of the era, just happening to coincide."

The old principal grew more alarmed the more he listened, and also more angry: "You know everything clearly in your heart, yet you still wade into the muddy waters? You don't lack this kind of heat to sell books!"

The true reason Fang Xinghe could not speak, but he could speak of loyalty.

The future Best Actor's face was full of determination: "Han Han is my beloved family, brother, and friend; how could I bear to let Good Big Brother bear such immense pressure alone?"

"So you just fired blindly?! Now you're black as charcoal!"

"Between reputation and loyalty..." Dog Fang raised an eyebrow, a sense of mockery arising naturally, "Of course, my own pleasure is the most important."

The conversation couldn't continue.

Really, I don't want to chat another single word.

The little old man felt that discussing serious matters with Fang Xinghe would kill him with anger sooner or later.

Inside and out, not a single word of truth!

But from another angle, this kind of Fang Xinghe made people feel sufficiently at ease, without worrying that he would fall during his youthful immaturity over a mere trifling storm.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to persuade you."

The little old man, his emotions complex, rose in anger and strode away.

As he left, he tossed out a final sentence: "Actually, originally I wasn't very reassured about Liu Dashan; his foundation is too shallow, and it's easy for them to use you as a topic. Now it seems I was worrying in vain."

"Since you recognize him, then quickly produce results. Whether he can actually hold the position of Experimental School Principal doesn't depend on me; it depends on how great your influence is."

Not long after the little old man left, Liu Dashan called, his voice somewhat nervous.

"Xinghe, does Principal Zhang have any instructions?"

Fang Xinghe replied casually: "Ask him to get a courtyard set up behind the school sports field for me; the rest is just idle talk."

"Good, leave it to me with confidence!"

Liu Dashan was extremely straightforward, without a single word of nonsense: "Besides making the house bright and tidy, do you have any requirements for the furniture?"

"No."

Fang Xinghe looked around the main hall, merely observing, yet he did not intend to take away any single item.

After watching for a while, he said softly: "It's just for lodging."

"Then fine, I guarantee completion before school starts."

"I'll give you the money later."

"Hey, what's the fuss? Not using the school's funds but using your own money? Don't even mention labor costs; for a school employee like me, isn't it just to serve students like you?"

Look, what a good attitude, how flexible the posture?

Fang Xinghe didn't understand politics much, but he understood human nature.

Liu Dashan's position as Principal was faint and elusive; wasn't the shortcoming simply a lack of power to win the people's support?

I have it, and plenty of it.

He didn't expect Liu Dashan to help him with any big matters; as long as he handled logistics well, reduced troubles, and guided the little eaglets at home, that was enough.

The Chief of Staff serves the President; for me to be served, isn't a Principal worth it?

Just wait; once my book is published, you'll have your moment of being awesome.

After hanging up the phone, Fang Xinghe began extracting information from the newspapers.

As expected, after the three pieces in Northern Youth were published, that bunch of stinking flies finally saw the shit, instantly reacted, and immediately launched a frantic counterattack.

Criticism covered the sky and the earth, every single day, continuing from the first day until now; there is no most radical, only more fierce.

The black tide surged, the great waves crashed to the sky.

Da Xiong and Hong Zhong, the two core chief editors of the Southern School, published articles one after another, executing a good coordination.

Da Xiong's direction mainly questioned Fang Xinghe's "qualification to speak."

"I am not stopping people from speaking; I hope that before anyone opens their mouth, they can use their brains, determine whether they have the qualification, the ability, and true independent personality and progressive thought to speak on such a major issue that is unrelated to themselves."

And Hong Zhong's main idea was to beautify media personnel and build a united front.

"We media personnel who have long been active on the front line of public opinion, guarding the position of justice, have been verified by the vast readership, gained the trust of the highly educated groups, and endured wind, rain, and frost; therefore, we possess the credibility to criticize erroneous policies."

"This is both our responsibility as media personnel and the right we have received widespread permission for."

"If one day we are wantonly insulted because of correct criticism, losing the freedom to criticize, then our people will gradually fall into despair amidst the collapse of democracy..."

The lethality wasn't quite enough, but the incitement was extremely strong, directly nailing Fang Xinghe to the opposite side of freedom.

Afterwards, in the weekly Thursday issue of Nanfang Weekend, Yan Lieshan published an article for the third time, finally no longer being polite, and formally opened fire, spraying Fang Xinghe until he was skinless and boneless.

This was the fatal blow they thought they had delivered.