Chapter 54: Playing Mind Games? Brother Fang Is the Expert

The show ended, the little eagles were shooed away, and the house was finally quiet.

Fang Xinghe went back to his bedroom, pulled out his phone, and turned it on.

It had just finished buffering when he heard the ding-ding-dong-dong of incoming message alerts, and before he could even look closely, a phone call cut in ahead of them.

He picked up at random, and a delighted little gasp came through the receiver.

"Student Fang, I'm Zhang Jianjun, a senior reporter at Guangming Daily, a good friend of Sister Wang Yali…"

Blah blah blah, still about the interview.

One very interesting point: the other side put the identity of "Wang Yali's friend" first, and "senior reporter" second.

Fang Xinghe felt the respect very directly, but respect or not didn't stop him from refusing: "Sorry, I need to confirm with Sister Yali—too many scammers lately."

The unspoken meaning was actually: get Sister Yali to bring it up to me herself.

This was the highest-EQ answer he was willing to give, and also the most time-saving approach.

Ah, no, there was an even more time-saving approach—he didn't pick up any of the calls after that.

Even so, over twenty calls still buzzed in every now and then, a nuisance.

"Strange, aren't the media a little too eager to interview?"

It's already seven or eight o'clock, nobody puts in overtime like this…

Fang Xinghe felt something was off, and sensed there had to be some deeper reason he didn't know about.

Sitting at home stewing over it was obviously no solution, so he planned to go out for a walk and check the lay of the land on Tianya.

Today's Tianya Emotions community was practically Brother Fang's online stronghold; Fang fans didn't like getting pushed around in the Literature board, nor did they want to be looked down on by Fang-haters in the Film & TV board sneering "what film and TV works does Little Fang even have," so they gathered under Emotions moderator 【Zaishui Yifang】, staked out their own turf, and kept to themselves.

But the ones hanging out here were all looks-fans and mama-fans, never chatting about literature at all—yet they remembered every last soul who cursed Fang Xinghe crystal clear… hard to judge.

Meanwhile, the Fang fans struggling away in the Literature board fought the Fang-haters tooth and nail day after day with incredible tenacity.

And the cheeky Fang fans who refused to leave the Film & TV board became a tiny minority, getting pummeled daily by all sorts of Tong-fans, Bang-fans, movie buffs, and music fans—but whenever they got the chance, they'd go in at zero frames: "Wow, why is so-and-so from your house so ugly? Sis, were you just born liking ugly freaks?"

The internet's first generation of copy-paste parrots was born ahead of time, all because of Fang Xinghe…

The absurdity of '99 came on so suddenly.

Fang Xinghe wanted to check what the first two kinds of Fang fans were up to, to gauge the current situation.

Sounds like a solid plan, right?

But the moment he stepped out, before he even turned onto the main road, two girls charged out from the side.

Long bangs, blond hair, red faces, squealing.

"Fang Xinghe!"

"Wow! You're really so handsome!"

Seeing those two women about to throw themselves at him, the pure-hearted male idol said nothing, turned, and ran.

Autographs? Autograph your sister's ass!

The Northeastern women of this era really were fierce, and the little girls skipping school to hang around outside were even fiercer—wild and uninhibited natures, hating someone meant cursing them out on the spot, liking someone meant really pouncing, and once they latched on they wouldn't let go.

Sure, we want the star-power points, but we can't be sacrificing our looks for it…

Fang Xinghe fully unleashed the advantage his 80 points of Speed brought, his two legs churning like wind-and-fire wheels, and in a flash he darted back home, kicked off the wall, and flipped over it.

Then he held his breath and listened to the sounds outside.

Within seconds, hurried footsteps stopped just outside the wall.

"Huh? Where'd he go? Huff huff…"

"How about, how about, we stop chasing? He's so fierce, what if he beats us up?"

"I'd love it even if he beat me! What, you scared?"

"Y-yeah, a little… I just want to hang around him, best case sleep with him, but I really don't want to get beaten up first…"

"You pig? How are you gonna sleep with him without getting beaten up first? Every slut in the whole county wants to climb into his bed—so who's first, who's last? Obviously the harder you get beaten, the higher you rank!"

"Then… how about we ask Brother Long? Isn't he pretty tight with Fang Shao?"

"Listen to him bullshitting! Just because he bumped into him butt-naked in the bathhouse, they're best bros now? We're this pretty and Fang Shao won't even give us the time of day—how could he possibly give it to that guy!"

Fang Xinghe's forehead was full of black lines, and his fists were clenched tight.

The two girls couldn't exactly be called ugly—bursting with youth, fair-skinned, seventy points and up.

But even if they were ninety points, that's still no reason for you two to want to gang-rape me…

Listening to those two fierce chicks keep wandering around nearby, refusing to leave, the potential victim felt his scalp go numb.

Damn, he can't even leave the house?

Fang Xinghe, who had never been famous, didn't know if this was normal, but in his era the star-chasers were all pretty polite—even rich women worth hundreds of millions would sit obediently in the audience, at most holding up their phones to snap wildly.

How did it turn out like this for me?

Oh, right, it's 1999… never mind then.

Stuck at home with no way out, Fang Xinghe had no choice but to call Wang Yali, Chen Danya, and Zhao Chunhua one by one to see if there was any special news.

Wang Yali told him: "Right now every media outlet in the capital wants to interview you. I've ridden your coattails, sis—tons of people come looking for me every day."

Chen Danya warned him: "Don't rush, stay steady, be careful with your words and actions. Your heat is way too high right now—those people are bound to come at you with a frenzy."

Feng Yuanzheng admonished him: "The more times like these, the more you have to settle your heart and practice your fundamental skills well. Your popularity is still very hollow—don't lose yourself because of the avalanche of praise outside. Only after you win Best Actor will the real beginning of your artistic life start…"

All genuinely for his own good, very touching, but none of them got to the root of it.

Finally it was the idle little old man Li Qigang who called on his own: "Fang Xinghe, why'd you only just turn your phone on? Do you have any idea how many letters addressed to you we've received these past few days!"

"Been busy, closed-door cultivation."

Fang Xinghe brushed him off and was about to hang up, but one urgent line from Old Li finally let him know what was going on.

"Don't hang up! Did you see Little Han's interview?"

"No, what about it?"

"Nothing much, just that you were mentioned. You know our media here; we finally managed to interview Xiao Han, so naturally we talked about you. Then this kid has little experience..."

"Got trapped by their questions?"

"Haha, hehe, uh, quite spirited..."

Li Qigang began to ramble, making up excuses.

Fang Xinghe understood immediately and said calmly, "It's fine, I'm not easily angered. Please read it to me so I have a clear picture."

"Actually, this matter is also your media's fault; why stir up trouble for no reason..." Li Qigang muttered quietly.

As he narrated, Fang Xinghe gradually gained a complete understanding of the incident.

The cause was still the aftermath triggered by the interview recording.

Seeing Fang Xinghe's current popularity, the Jilin Daily immediately regretted slapping their own thigh—Damn, too rash! Which brain cell was misfiring before, bringing up "Southern Korea's North"?!

Then the newspaper office swiftly discarded the previous phrasing, bestowing upon Fang Xinghe the titles "Strongest New Generation Literary Idol" and "80s Vanguard of Thought," singing his praises in a frenzy.

If it were just that, it would have been fine, but the Jilin Daily editor might have gotten carried away, still forgetting to kick the Big Brother one more time even now, criticizing him as "neither a writer nor a scholar," incomparable to our little Fang.

It was equivalent to elevating Han Han's status by stepping on him.

Naturally, the Shanghai media wouldn't stand for it; why should you be able to bind them when you want and cut ties when you don't need them?

Even if Han Han is just a child from our suburbs, that doesn't mean you country folks can step on him whenever you like!

Thus, the historically aloof Shanghai media turned around and aggressively rode on Fang Xinghe's coattails, grabbing hold and refusing to let go.

Since they were riding his coattails, every time they mentioned Han Han, they naturally had to bring up Fang Xinghe too; bringing him up again and again, they somehow inexplicably developed feelings, forming a professional habit where not mentioning him felt uncomfortable...

Then Han Han himself might have felt a bit aggrieved; finally, tempted by Dongfang. com's "Top Headline on the Website Launch," he decided to accept a face-to-face text interview.

The conversation went very harmoniously at first, then the reporter asked him: "Han Han, there's a question many people are curious about—are you unwilling to study, or truly unable to learn?"

At that moment, Han Han didn't think much and replied arrogantly:

"That was when I was in the second year of junior high. Once during an exam, I performed quite well, averaging 91 points per subject. I thought I would at least rank in the top twenty, but in the end, I found I could only rank forty-third in the class.

From then on, I suddenly felt it was particularly meaningless, so I gave up being a good student in the eyes of teachers.

So it's not that I can't learn; I just don't want to fight for first place in something I'm not interested in."

Then the assassin suddenly revealed his true intent, delivering a brutal blow.

"So, actually, you did try, but you simply don't possess the talent of Fang Xinghe, who can get first place in the entire province with just a little effort. Because you suddenly realized you could never beat those geniuses, you gave up trying in this area?"

Han Han was instantly provoked into anger.

He was a genuine sixteen-year-old teenager, not an old vegetable wrapped in a child's skin like Fang Xinghe.

"I gave up not because I was comparing myself to anyone, but because I felt it had no meaning!"

The assassin was overjoyed and continued the pursuit: "But studying itself is very meaningful! Haven't you read Fang Xinghe's new articles? Adding more value to yourself is the only way to live a better life in the future; otherwise, if you can't even finish high school, what will you do?"

The answer came out without hesitation: "I, Han Han, can support myself just by writing books!"

"But where are your books? Fang Xinghe's first full-length novel is already finished, currently in final editing, and might be released very soon..."

Han Han panicked and, without thinking, voluntarily put his neck into the noose: "My book is almost finished too!"

The assassin pressed relentlessly: "Then it's about the same time? But aren't you afraid of challenging Fang Xinghe? Judging from the quality of the essays published so far, there is indeed still a certain gap between you and him."

Damn!

What a damn reporter!

Actually, Han Han was starting to realize the trap by now, but he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off; how could he, a child so big, admit defeat in such a situation?

So he gritted his teeth and replied: "I'm not afraid to challenge anyone, and I don't feel there's any gap between me and anyone!"

Then the interview title released by Dongfang. com turned into this damn thing—

"Han Han: I am stronger than Fang Xinghe; just try a face-to-face clash and you'll know!"

After the main title, there was a subtitle, even more ridiculous.

"Han Han's New Book Already Finalized; Declares Will Challenge Fang Xinghe"

The opening summary was also aimed at riding the damn wave of popularity.

"Han Han once boldly claimed that among all people writing in Chinese, Qian Zhongshu is first, and he is third. As for who is second? Who cares, anyway it's not Fang Xinghe; I have no gap with him, he can't rank ahead of me..."

After learning the whole process, Fang Xinghe couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Don't laugh; this kid Han Han isn't as mature as you..."

Li Qigang tried to explain with little confidence, but unfortunately, it had no effect.

"Between the two of us, who is actually the child?"

Fang Xinghe asked while laughing: "So has his book actually been finished? There's no need to release them together, but releasing one after the other would actually be a good thing."

Li Qigang was even more embarrassed: "Basically finished. Renjun said this kid, after taking a leave of absence, wrote a novel in less than two months. But, ever since the interview, he locked himself in his bedroom, decided to make major revisions, and ended up writing over fifty pages of drafts in two days, not a single page usable..."

"Well, wasted expectation."

Director Fang instantly lost all interest; if they couldn't bundle them together for hype, then what use was Big Brother?

Li Qigang coughed twice: "Ahem! I believe he has the ability to write good works; now with this extra spirit, it's still worth looking forward to..."

Fang Xinghe thought, that's true.

What if Big Brother, writing with anger, produces something even better than the previous life's "Three-Door Gate"?

The more successful Big Brother becomes, the greater the promotion for the younger brother, so Fang Xinghe held only sincere blessings in his heart.

"OK, then please tell him, I'm waiting for him to crash into me!"

"Ahem!"

Li Qigang was choked into coughing again.

Too wild.

This kid gets wilder day by day.

After finishing, Li Qigang turned the tables and asked about his progress. "How's your book coming along? When do you plan to release it?"

"I'll wait until the New Concept Essay Collection hits the shelves."

Fang Xinghe answered lazily: "Or perhaps, when some sudden accident happens..."

With the current wave of heat, Director Fang would definitely miss the boat. The framework for the new book's ending had just been finalized; it was a bit rough and would only be carefully polished during the second revised edition.

Since the timeline would inevitably stretch out, it was better to be patient, polish it thoroughly, and wait for the next wave of heat.

"Sudden accident?"

Li Qigang muttered twice, then suddenly hesitated before speaking: "I have a situation here. A friend at a publishing house suddenly asked me about your relationship with your relatives, whether there are any huge conflicts. I didn't tell him about your uncle's matter, but I suspect that your incident probably can't be covered up anymore..."

Fang Xinghe's heart stirred, sensing a trace of something extraordinary.

"If publishing houses in Shanghai are starting to ask, doesn't that mean it's spread very widely?"

"Not necessarily." Li Qigang was very certain. "My friend has some wild connections and is well-informed. Other media are eager to interview you mainly because of Xiao Han and the new book; there probably aren't many people targeting your uncle specifically."

"You don't need many for this kind of thing; one is enough." Fang Xinghe let out a dry laugh. "Then you get busy; I'll go ask."

He hung up the phone, pondered for a moment, and finally called Zhao Chunhua.

"Xinghe, didn't you almost cause a major incident before? Two reporters from Nandu have already arrived at your place!"

Big Sister Zhao's voice was extremely anxious: "I haven't figured out exactly where it leaked from yet, but the wind has reached me, and the source is quite reliable... What exactly is going on?"

Perfect, confirmed. The matter of Little Fang almost treating his uncle's family of three to a barbecue had finally reached the moment of exposure.

"Nothing much."

Fang Xinghe replied casually: "The house my mother left me is being demolished. My uncle came over to make a scene. I couldn't stand it, so in the middle of the night, I poured half a bucket of gasoline at the base of the wall of his house, planning to scare him."

All true, except for the last sentence.

Fang Xie knew how to play the tricks of journalism, and he would definitely play them better than the Southern Media Group.

"What?!"

Zhao Chunhua was thoroughly shocked; having worked on the front lines of the media for years, she was far more sensitive than Wang Yali.

"Did it cause a huge stir? Are there many people who know?"

"Not a huge stir, but many people know."

Fang Xinghe thought for a moment and added another sentence: "However, there probably aren't many people willing to reveal it."

Zhao Chunhua completely gave up on illusions and spoke urgently and seriously: "You must get on a major station's interview as soon as possible and clarify this matter in detail.

You don't understand some media outlets; once they get material like this, they won't report objectively and quietly!

Little Fang, don't pin your hopes on their professional ethics or moral character. 'Blood-stained buns' is your own summary; now is the perfect time for them to eat your blood-stained buns!"

"I know."

Fang Xinghe looked at the empty Starlight Panel, which had only a tiny fragment left, and a faint smile curled his lips.

"Smear campaigns, tampering, taking things out of context, spreading rumors, framing, and incriminating others... these are all standard routines, nothing new."

Zhao Chunhua breathed a huge sigh of relief: "It's good that you understand the severity of the situation. This isn't like the previous minor skirmishes; if it really blows up, it will be a devastating blow to your reputation."

Is that so?

Fang Xinghe did not think so.

The fundamental logic of "reputation" is this—

In the current era, commercial monetization channels for fame are very limited; only a positive good reputation can generate sufficient economic value. Therefore, once a public figure has a stain that cannot be wiped away, it is a crippling blow.

The woman Fang Xinghe admired most in the entertainment industry was a very good example.

Grandma Xiao Qing, after coming out of the prison, could only play extras in Hengdian, changing from an absolute superstar to a nuisance worse than cattle and horses.

So, from a normal line of thinking, once Fang Xinghe was nailed down, his future would indeed be greatly damaged.

But the problem is...

Do the rules and regulations of the current era really impose strong constraints on Fang Xinghe?

Or more precisely, does he really need to be picked and chosen by those who control resources on the grounds of "good or bad reputation"?

Obviously, not so.

Therefore, there was no fear, not a shred of it; in his heart, there was only anticipation.

When it comes to playing the "black and red" game, Brother Fang is the expert.

And the indignant good big brother... what a perfect crowbar.