Chapter 50: Studying is of course the right path

As time passed, the shockwave caused by Han Han continued to spread, like a sudden, violent mountain fire, shaking the freedom of the public opinion world.

The so-called public opinion world at the turn of the century was generally composed of three sectors—

First, media entities with television stations as the core, newspapers and periodicals as the backbone, and radio stations as tentacles.

Second, a vocal system with media people as the core, scholars as the backbone, and freelance writers as extensions.

Third, an information interaction field with journalism as the core, supplemented by political science, economics, and sociology, for public discussion on education, people's livelihood, law, culture, and other public affairs.

Entities, battlefields, systems, information, and terminals together built a complete public opinion world.

This was a super giant network covering the entire society, rarely fully touched; most information only circulated in its own small circle, spreading to fixed users.

For example: staff working hard on sand control in the Northwest, and young girls in the coastal South infatuated with Xie Tingfeng—the information they pay attention to daily will never overlap.

The only exception that can break "daily attention" is that kind of super disaster-level event.

The term "breaking the circle" describes this special phenomenon of breaking "attention inertia."

And now, Han Han possessed that unconventional power to break the circle.

Layer upon layer, quantitative change finally triggered qualitative change, shaking half the public opinion world.

This was a miracle that was hard to replicate.

From a global perspective to sort out the whole process, the main battlefield was initially born in the field of education. In order to establish a new style of Chinese language, with the tacit understanding of a group of media, the first wave of popularity was born through "one essay to Peking University."

At this time, the main audience was high school seniors and their parents.

After that, the influence spread, horizontally affecting the literary world, and vertically penetrating into the first and second years of high school and universities; the number of followers expanded three to five times.

Afterwards, due to the promotion of some people with ill intentions, the topic penetrated again.

From "studying to death is meaningless" to "studying hard is not the only way out," and then to "quality is better than exam-oriented," the hidden core of the thought was "education must be reformed."

Han Han, as a representative figure, was held high on the crest of the wave, forming a tide of reflection on current education.

By now, almost all cities above the third tier in China were covered.

There didn't seem to be a five-tier division at the moment, so to be more specific: 70% of junior and senior high school student parents in cities above the county level passively became followers of this trend.

Roughly estimated, the coverage scale was at least 70 to 80 million people.

Compared to the total population of 1.3 billion, at first glance, 80 million doesn't seem like much, but the total urban population now is only 440 million; after removing the old, young, sick, and disabled, isn't that enough?

Such a grand stage, used for two young people to perform, this matter is hard to replicate again.

The role of Han Han in his previous life was a "villain with shining points," struggling to carve out a bloody path; although not liked by the orthodox, he ate up the dividends of the angry youth.

In this life, Han Han went a step further, creating a "prodigal son who returns, beautiful, strong, and miserable villain"; he wanted to eat what Han Han could eat, and he also wanted to eat what Han Han couldn't eat—the main point was to eat it all!

And the development of the situation whetted the appetite for Han Han's appearance.

——In such a social discussion of this level, the positive side holding the view that "school is the only way out" was actually falling behind!

Unbelievable, right?

But the facts were indeed so.

In the print media era, there was a lack of independent viewpoints and even more so a lack of dissemination channels.

Among all media entities, television stations basically did not participate in such discussions; only a very small number of programs had real-time hot spot tracking functions.

Therefore, the main subjects of debate were usually newspapers and radio.

And radio stations generally did not conduct independent topic setting; their stance followed the superior media.

Then, whoever controlled more newspaper circulation naturally possessed more right to speak.

In terms of quantity, official media were certainly much stronger, but in terms of fun, incitement, and sharpness, they lagged far behind the capital-based media.

The tens of millions of copies of official newspapers were 80% concentrated within the system.

And the tens of millions of copies of capital-based media were spread all over the private sector in all developed regions, deeply loved and trusted by intellectuals, the first to get rich, and angry petty bourgeois.

Having a vocal channel was not enough; there had to be people good at speaking out.

Editors, reporters, literati, scholars, well-known social commentators... added up to be equivalent to the "Big V" of later generations, but with more credibility than Big Vs, because ordinary people at this time were very superstitious about authority.

Whichever side they leaned toward, the public naturally followed blindly.

Which side did the people good at speaking out in China in 1999 generally lean toward? It's not worth mentioning.

In short, against this background, the public intellectual faction's situation was excellent.

Using a few special cases like Han Han as the spearhead, they launched the usual wolf-pack harassment tactics, left and right, drilling into every crack, and if there was no crack, they pried it open to drill in, making the positive side exhausted.

If this continued, accumulating small victories into a big one, sooner or later they would be able to drive a wave of anti-intellectualism like in the previous life.

As a result, just when they were at their most proud...

Han Han suddenly appeared.

Carrying the magnificent momentum of the high school entrance exam provincial first place, with the three articles in the Beijing Youth Daily as the spearhead, the two articles in the Xinmin Evening News as the continuation, and then superimposing "The Town Test-Taker" and "The Added Value of Reading," he swung the banner of counterattack vigorously.

This was a ruthless crushing.

The shockwave stirred up flames, sweeping away all the foolish clowns like a landslide.

Studying is useless?

Han Han: "I am the provincial first place in the high school entrance exam; I think studying is very useful."

You object?

Sorry, what was your high school entrance exam score?

His grades gave his speech a natural authority; compared to a partial talent like Han Han who had no real achievements yet, Han Han was clearly more convincing to readers.

The fact of the prodigal son returning was also indisputable, from a school boss to a New Concept first-prize winner, and after returning, another gorgeous turn...

A 99-era top-tier player, with verifiable battle records.

Regardless of what happens in the future, am I not practicing what I preach now?

Although the clowns didn't admit defeat and tried to suppress him with huge volume, the audience's stance couldn't help but be influenced, and this was the significance of Han Han launching the counterattack.

He never intended to defeat any public intellectual; there was no need. As long as readers saw his articles and thought about them, that was enough.

Anyway, I've laid out my attitude; whether you listen or believe is up to you.

Actually, many people believed.

What he showed in "Test-Taker," "Added Value," and "Fate" was not just intellectual authority, but also a thought-provoking cultural power.

In a peaceful era, powerful words are far more effective than knives and guns.

For example, he wrote in "The Added Value of Reading": "When one day you wake up completely from a numb and difficult dream and shed tears without warning, it is definitely not because you are living well or not, but because you suddenly start to feel sorry for yourself for having suffered so many unnecessary hardships over the years."

Those who don't understand look at it in confusion; those who understand break down instantly.

Appearance fan Wang Yutang was the former; the little girl asked blankly: "Many people in class say Han Han's new article is not well written. Tongtong, is it really not good? Why don't I understand it?"

Mao Xiaotong was tough on the outside, but she felt very empty on the inside.

"What do they know?! How much charm this text has!"

But, what kind of charm?

She couldn't explain it clearly either; "Added Value" was seriously beyond the level for elementary or even junior high school students.

This bullet might fly a very, very long distance, and it wouldn't hit her between the eyebrows again until many, many years later.

But at the moment, she didn't realize how fierce this shot was.

"At least he was handsome and cool during the interview, right?"

"Mm-hmm!"

One was forced to save face, the other accepted it completely, but the conversation eventually became dull, not as high-spirited as usual.

Mao Xiaotong returned home unhappily, cut out Han Han's photo according to custom and pasted it on the head of her bed, then cut out the text interview part and the full text of "Added Value," and collected them together in an album.

Before clipping it in, she wrote this line in the blank space—

"Actually, I don't understand it either, but, Han Han, I will always believe you are the best! It must be that I'm not smart enough, so, cheer up, Xiaotong, hurry up and become smart and powerful!"

At night, Mao Huiling rubbed her lower back, dragging her exhausted body home from the shop, and went to the small bedroom to see her daughter first thing.

Xiaotong was fast asleep, clutching the quilt restlessly, her brows slightly furrowed.

Mao Huiling smiled lovingly, turned to look at the desk, and found that the album had been moved again, so she tiptoed to pick up the album and diary, and quietly went out.

Of course, she knew it wasn't good to peek at her daughter's little secrets, but this family was too special, and Xiaotong was too special; she had to be on guard at all times, quietly paying attention to her daughter's thoughts.

Mao Xiaotong worshiped Han Han very much; she had known this for a long time, but she hadn't thought about how to talk to her about it.

The mother and daughter didn't talk much, not because they were closed off to each other, but because neither was good at expressing themselves, and they were afraid to express themselves.

Mao Huiling could only guard silently, using actions to show her support for her daughter.

Opening the album, she quickly found the latest update.

Flipping it open, it was indeed Han Han's interview.

She didn't have much feeling about the description of Wang Tong, so she just looked at it casually.

"Lone wolf" clearly wasn't a good word.

However, when she saw that piece "Added Value," her business mind from years of running a small business allowed her to understand and immerse herself in it immediately.

The discussion on added value was too fresh and too reasonable at the current mass level.

Although it was just a fable-like little story, the philosophy contained was profound enough.

"Adding value to a cold noodle business; how does his brain grow?"

Sighing, she continued to look with admiration.

Until she saw those two cold and generalized analyses, Mao Huiling's nose suddenly felt sour.

"So, as long as you are brave enough to take a few more steps forward at that fork in the road of life, you can avoid the continuous autumn rain of half a life, and bask in the midday sun that you despised most in your youth."

It was ostensibly about reading, but every middle-aged person who had been caught in the rain could empathize.

It looked warm, but in essence, it was a cold and sharp scalpel, precisely dissecting the bloody wounds of the exhausted middle-aged, without the slightest pity or sympathy.

"Numb and difficult dream."

"Unnecessary hardships."

"The midday sun that you despised most in your youth."

How precise, how cold, how cruel!

Back then, she had the opportunity but didn't study well; back then, she had a choice but followed that man; back then, she despised many things, but now she misses them dearly...

In just an instant, Mao Huiling, just as Han Han described, shed tears without warning.

Indeed, this was not because she was living well or not, but because of a sudden heartache.

Heartache for herself, having suffered so many unnecessary grievances.

Han Han was truly too good at writing, as if he were painting with words, having painted this scene in advance.

Mao Huiling felt sorrow rising from within, suddenly raised her hand to cover her face, and it took only 5 short seconds to go from sobbing to wailing.

The next day, when Mao Xiaotong got up, she found her mother's eyes red and swollen.

"Mom?" She was very worried and asked timidly: "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Mao Huiling grinned, smiled brightly, then raised her hand to stroke her daughter's cheek, and showed her cards generously.

"Mom read Han Han's new article yesterday; it was written so well, I was so moved that I couldn't help but cry for a while. Baby, your taste is great; how is he so amazing?"

Mao Xiaotong, whose mind was seen through, was flustered at first, but was quickly stabilized by her mother's understanding and gentleness, and finally reacted, with ecstasy surging in her eyes.

"Mom, you like Han Han too?"

"Of course!" Mao Huiling nodded vigorously, "His words are so powerful, of course Mom can feel it."

"That's great! My deskmate Dou Dou and I like Han Han the most, but she's a bit shallow and can't really feel Han Han's talent, so I don't have much to talk about with her..."

Today was the day Mao Xiaotong talked the most; her desire to confide was finally opened, and it immediately turned into a warm, enthusiastic, though often incoherent, stream of words.

Today was also Mao Xiaotong's happiest day.

Liking the same idol as the mother she depended on, feeling the same kind of love across various barriers—the surprise came too suddenly and was too dreamy.

And Mao Huiling not only listened very carefully, but also talked to her daughter about Han Han's words and inner world with words that were not professional or precise enough but very sincere, looking for resonance in their differences...

This feeling was novel and happy for her.

And similar things were happening everywhere.

Mao Huiling was just a small ripple in this frenzy; magnified to a coverage scale of nearly 100 million, it was really not worth mentioning.

How many middle-aged people full of regrets were broken by "Added Value"?

I'm afraid it's hard to count clearly.

However, the feedback from reality to Han Han made his mouth almost crooked with a smile—ever since the day it was published, his total fan base began to skyrocket by an exaggerated figure of 1 million per day.

Every day, 1 million!

What a niche number?!

"I am the lone wolf," five words swept through the young fans.

"Half a life of rain, youth's midday sun," shone into the hearts of the frustrated middle-aged.

Although most of the growth was just some middle-aged light fans with little value, who would drop off before long, as long as the base was large enough, it would definitely spawn special cases.

When special cases accumulate more and more, then one day, they will burst out with huge power.

This is the accumulation necessary for qualitative change, and it is the path taken before stepping to the peak, where every step counts.

Han Han didn't want to open champagne halfway, but the Starlight panel reminded him every second—you won again; this step was taken steadily and stylishly.

Within two days, Wang Tong and Zhao Chunhua called one after another to inform him of the latest situation.

"We received many calls from readers; the number of people praising you has clearly increased, and most of them are parents who scolded you before. Congratulations!"

"The new interview was a great success! Han Han, you need to wear a mask like Little Swallow when you go out now!"

Comparing him to Little Swallow was truly nonsense, but being hot to the point of burning was indeed true.

And the biggest gain was that the reputation of the name "Han Han" had reversed significantly among the group of students' parents.

Thanks to the "Big Brother," with his all-out help, the new top scholar's little history of being out of line and rebellious had all become minor flaws in a white jade.

In China, being good at studying can offset many, many shortcomings; if you add "having justice in your heart and being arrogant in your speech," "having a pitiful background and striving for self-improvement," and "being talented and having something to say," it really stacks up all the positive buffs.

Moreover, they were all the strongest buffs in the current version.

If you use later-generation language to describe the mood of Han Han fans at this moment, it would be roughly in this style—

"Family members, who understands? My mom and I are fans of the same idol!"

"He deserves everything!"

"It's really hard not to empathize; I burst into tears whenever I think of the suffering Han Han has endured!"

"Sisters, protect the best Han Han for the light in our hearts!"

They had no organization, no super-topic, no group, and no vocal channel, but the firm will to maintain Han Han could still be converted into powerful sound pressure.

When that kind of sound pressure stacked to a certain level, it naturally synchronized and converged into the same voice—

Whatever Han Han says is right; studying is of course the right path!

And the victims...

Han Han's "Big Brother" just woke up, and the sky fell again.

As soon as Yan Lieshan arrived at the office, the ground cracked.

Song Zude threw the newspaper, turned back to the room, picked up his bag, tucked his bird under his arm, packed two sets of clothes, and ran desperately to the station.

Damn it, I can't stay in this shitty place for even a minute; back to my hometown!

I don't believe you guys can chase me down and beat me!

Thanks to my sixth alliance leader, liangxxx; I heard you gave your first alliance to me. I'm moved TT ===== CHAPTER 51 =====