Chapter 54: Playing black-red, you, Brother Han, are the expert

The program ended, the little eagles were driven away, and the house finally quieted down.

Han Han returned to the bedroom and took out his phone to turn it on.

Just after buffering, he heard the ding-dong of text message notifications, and before he could look at them in detail, a call came in first.

He answered it casually, and a surprised whisper came from the receiver.

"Student Han, I'm a good friend of Sister Wang Yali, Zhang Jianjun, a chief reporter from the Guangming Daily..."

Blah, blah, blah, it was still about the interview.

A very interesting point is that the other party put the identity of "Wang Yali's friend" in front, and the chief reporter behind.

Han Han felt the respect very intuitively, but whether it was respectful or not didn't prevent him from refusing: "Sorry, I need to confirm with Sister Yali; there are too many scammers lately."

The implication is actually: let Sister Yali talk to me.

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

Oh no, there is a more time-saving way—he didn't answer any of the subsequent calls.

Even so, more than 20 calls still bothered him from time to time.

"Strange, is the media's enthusiasm for interviews too high?"

It's already seven or eight o'clock, and there's no such thing as working overtime...

Han Han was a bit puzzled in his heart; he felt there must be some deeper reason he didn't know.

Sitting at home and thinking is definitely not a way, so he planned to go out for a turn and go to Tianya to see the trend.

Nowadays, the Tianya emotional community is simply your Brother Han's internet base. Han Han fans don't like to be bullied in the literature section, nor do they want to be questioned by Han Han haters in the film and television section with a high-and-mighty "What film and television works does Little Han have?", so they gathered under the command of the emotional moderator [In the Water].

However, those who hang out here are all appearance fans and mom fans; they don't talk about literature at all, but they remember clearly who scolded Han Han... which is hard to comment on.

On the contrary, the Han Han fans struggling in the literature section fight bloody battles with Han Han haters every day with great tenacity.

And the Han Han fans who are cheap and refuse to leave the film and television section have become a very small minority, being beaten by various children fans, stick fans, movie fans, and song fans every day, but as long as they find a chance, they will go up and open a big move at zero frames: Wow, why is your family's so-and-so so ugly? Sister, were you born liking ugly monsters?

The

The abstraction of '99 arrived so unexpectedly.

Fang Xinghe wanted to observe the movements of the first two types of Fang-fans to infer the current situation.

A pretty sound idea, right?

But as soon as he stepped out the door, before he could even turn onto the main road, two girls rushed out from the side.

Long bangs, yellow hair, flushed faces, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Fang Xinghe!"

"Wow! You’re really so handsome!"

Seeing these two women literally about to pounce on him, the pure-hearted idol didn't say a word; he turned and ran.

Autograph? Autograph your sister!

The women in the Northeast during these years were truly fierce; the young girls who didn't go to school and hung out on the streets were even fiercer. Their temperaments were wild and uninhibited—if they hated someone, they’d go up and curse them; if they liked someone, they’d really pounce, and once they latched on, they wouldn't let go.

I want Starlight Points, but I can't sacrifice my looks...

Fang Xinghe fully utilized the advantage of his 80-point speed, his legs churning like wind-fire wheels, and he dashed home in a flash, stepping on the wall to vault over it.

Then, he held his breath and listened to the movement outside.

A few seconds later, hurried footsteps stopped outside the wall.

"Huh? Where did he go? Huff, huff..."

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

"I'd be happy even if he hit me! What, are you scared?"

"A, a little... I just want to hang out with him, preferably sleep with him, but I don't want to get beaten up first..."

"Are you a pig? How are you going to sleep with him without getting beaten up first? Every slut in the county wants to climb into his bed, so who goes first and who goes later? Of course, the harder you get beaten, the higher up in line you are!"

"Then... how about we ask Brother Long? Isn't he very close with Young Master Fang?"

"Listen to him bragging! Just because they met naked in the bathhouse doesn't mean they're good brothers! Young Master Fang doesn't even want to bother with us, even though we're so pretty, so how could he bother with him!"

Fang Xinghe had black lines all over his forehead, his fists clenched tight.

These two girls couldn't exactly be called ugly; they were full of youth, with fair skin—at least a 70 out of 100.

But even if they were a 90, that's no reason for you two to want to gang-rape me...

Listening to those two fierce girls hovering around and refusing to leave, the potential victim felt his scalp tingle.

Damn it, I can't even leave my own house?

Fang Xinghe, who had never been famous before, didn't know if this was normal. In his era, fans were quite polite; even wealthy women worth hundreds of millions sat quietly in the audience, at most holding up their phones to snap pictures.

How did it end up like this for me?

Oh, it's 1999 now... then never mind.

Stuck at home with no other choice, Fang Xinghe had to call Wang Yali, Chen Danya, and Zhao Chunhua separately to see if there was any special news.

Wang Yali told him: "The media in the entire capital wants to interview you now. I've benefited from your light, and so many people are looking for me every day."

Chen Danya warned him: "Don't be impatient, stay steady, be careful with your words and actions. Your heat is too high right now; those people will definitely launch a crazy counterattack."

Feng Yuanzheng urged him: "The more it's like this, the more you need to calm your heart and practice your fundamentals. Your popularity is still very superficial. Don't lose yourself because of the overwhelming praise outside. Only after you win Best Actor will your true artistic life begin..."

They all truly had his best interests at heart, and he was touched, but none of them had found the root cause.

Finally, the idle old man Li Qigang took the initiative to call: "Fang Xinghe, why did you just turn on your phone? Do you know how many letters we've received for you these past few days!"

"I've been busy, in closed-door cultivation."

Fang Xinghe gave a perfunctory reply and was about to hang up, but Old Li's urgent words finally let him know what was going on.

"Don't rush, don't rush! Have you seen Han Han's interview?"

"No, what happened?"

"Nothing much, just that you were mentioned. You know how the media is here; it wasn't easy to get an interview with Han Han, so they naturally chatted about you, and the kid is inexperienced..."

"Got baited into saying something?"

"Haha, hehe, uh, he's quite spirited..."

Li Qigang started rambling and making up excuses.

Fang Xinghe understood, and said calmly: "It's fine, I don't get angry that easily. Please, help me read it so I have an idea of what's going on."

"Actually, this matter is also the fault of the media on your side, why stir up trouble for no reason..." Li Qigang muttered.

As he recounted the story, Fang Xinghe slowly gained a comprehensive understanding of the matter.

The cause was still the aftermath of the interview recording.

Once the Jilin Daily saw Fang Xinghe's current popularity, they regretted it so much they slapped their own thighs—damn, that was rash. What on earth were they thinking when they brought up "South Han, North Fang"?!

The newspaper quickly abandoned the previous framing and crowned Fang Xinghe with titles like "The Strongest Literary Idol of the New Generation" and "Pioneer of Post-80s Thought," singing his praises.

If it had just been that, it would have been fine, but the editors at Jilin Daily were perhaps too used to stepping on others; they didn't forget to step on the "Big Brother" once more, criticizing him for "neither succeeding in writing nor in studies," and saying he couldn't compare to their little Fang.

It was equivalent to stepping on Han Han to elevate his own status.

Naturally, the Shanghai media wouldn't stand for it. Why should you be able to bundle us when you want to, and cut us off when you don't need us?

Even if Han Han is just a kid from our suburbs, he's not someone you country bumpkins can just step on!

Thus, the traditionally aloof Shanghai media turned around and fiercely latched onto Fang Xinghe, refusing to let go once they grabbed him.

Since they were latching on, every time they mentioned Han Han, they naturally had to bring up Fang Xinghe. After doing it for a while, they inexplicably developed a habit, forming a professional tic where they felt uncomfortable if they didn't mention him...

Then, Han Han himself might have felt a bit stifled, and finally, tempted by the "first headline on the launch of the Oriental Net," he decided to accept a face-to-face text interview.

The beginning went quite harmoniously, and then the reporter asked him: "Han Han, there's a question many people are curious about—do you not like studying, or are you truly unable to learn?"

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

"That was when I was in the second year of junior high. During one exam, I performed quite well, averaging 91 points per subject. I thought I could 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 all meaningless, and I gave up on being a good student in the eyes of the teachers.

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

Then the assassin suddenly revealed the dagger, hitting him with a harsh blow.

"So, actually, it's not that you haven't tried, it's just that you truly lack the talent Fang Xinghe has, who can score first in the province with just a little effort. Because you suddenly realized you could never outscore those geniuses, you gave up trying in this area?"

Han Han was instantly provoked.

He was a true 16-year-old boy, not an old soul like Fang Xinghe wearing a child's skin.

"I didn't give up because I was comparing myself to anyone, but because I felt it had no meaning!"

The assassin was overjoyed and continued the pursuit: "But reading itself is very meaningful! Haven't you read Fang Xinghe's new articles? Add more value to yourself so that your future life will be better. Otherwise, you won't even finish high school, what will you do then?"

The answer blurted out: "I, Han Han, can support myself by writing books!"

"But where are your books? Fang Xinghe's first novel is already finished, it's being finalized, and it might be released very soon..."

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

The assassin pressed on: "Then it's around the same time? But aren't you afraid of competing with Fang Xinghe? Judging by the quality of the essays published so far, there is indeed a certain gap between you and him."

Fuck!

What kind of shitty reporter is this!

Actually, Han Han had started to catch on by now, but he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off. How could a kid his age admit defeat in this situation?

So he gritted his teeth and replied: "I'm not afraid of competing with anyone, and I don't think I have a gap with anyone!"

And so, the interview headline published by Oriental Net became like this—

"Han Han: I am stronger than Fang Xinghe, if you don't believe it, let's have a head-on collision!"

After the main headline, there was a sub-headline, even more ridiculous.

"Han Han's new book is finalized, vows to compete with Fang Xinghe"

The opening summary was also aimed at stirring up heat.

"Han Han once boasted that among all people writing in Chinese, Qian Zhongshu is first, and he is third. As for who is second? Whoever it is, it's definitely not Fang Xinghe. I have no gap with him, he cannot rank ahead of me..."

After Fang Xinghe learned the whole process, he really couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

"Don't laugh, Han Han is just a kid, he's not as mature as you..."

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

"Which one of us is the child?"

Fang Xinghe asked while laughing: "So is his book finished or not? It's not necessary to release them together, but one after the other would actually be a good thing."

Li Qigang was even more embarrassed: "It's basically finished. Ren Jun said that after the kid dropped out of school, he spent less than two months writing a novel. However, ever since the interview, he has locked himself in his bedroom, deciding to do a major rewrite. As a result, he wrote over 50 pages of trash in two days, and not a single page is usable..."

"Great, wasted expectations."

Young Master Fang lost all interest in an instant. If we can't bundle them for hype, then what use are you, Big Brother?

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

Fang Xinghe thought, that's true.

What if Big Brother writes with anger and it turns out better than the "Triple Gate" of his previous life?

The more successful Big Brother is, the greater the boost for his little brother, so Fang Xinghe only had sincere blessings in his heart.

"OK, then please pass on the message that I'm waiting for him to crash into me!"

"Ahem!"

Li Qigang was choked into coughing again.

Too wild.

This kid gets wilder by the day.

After the coughing, Li Qigang turned to ask about his progress: "How is your book? When do you plan to release it?"

"After the New Concept essay collection is released, I suppose."

Fang Xinghe answered lazily: "Or, whenever there's another sudden incident..."

Young Master Fang definitely couldn't catch this wave of heat. The framework for the ending of his new book had just been set, and it was slightly rough; he would only carefully polish it during the second edition revision.

Since the time would inevitably be drawn out, it was better to be patient, polish it well, and wait for the next wave of heat.

"Sudden incident?"

Li Qigang muttered twice, then suddenly hesitated and said: "I have a situation here. A friend at a publishing house suddenly asked me about your relationship with your relatives, and whether there was some huge conflict? I didn't tell him about your uncle, but I suspect that matter of yours might not be able to be kept hidden anymore..."

Fang Xinghe's heart stirred, and he smelled an unusual scent.

"Shanghai publishing houses are starting to ask? Doesn't that mean it's spread quite far?"

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

"Does this kind of thing need many? One is enough." Fang Xinghe laughed dryly. "Then you go ahead and get busy, I'll go ask around."

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

"Xinghe, did you almost cause a big incident before? Two Southern Metropolis reporters have already arrived at your place!"

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

Very good, confirmed. The matter of little Fang almost treating his uncle's family of three to a barbecue had finally reached the moment of being exposed.

"Nothing much."

Fang Xinghe replied nonchalantly: "The house my mother left me was going to be demolished, and my uncle came over to make trouble. I couldn't take it, so in the middle of the night, I poured half a bucket of gasoline at the base of his house wall, intending to scare him."

All true, except for the last sentence.

Fang, you know how to play the journalism game too, and you definitely play it better than the Southern clique.

"What?!"

Zhao Chunhua was shocked. She had worked on the front lines of the media for years and was much more sensitive than Wang Yali.

"Is it a big deal? Do many people know?"

"Not big, but many people know."

Fang Xinghe thought for a moment and added: "But there shouldn't be many people willing to reveal it."

Zhao Chunhua completely gave up on fantasies and said urgently and seriously: "You must get on a big platform interview as soon as possible and clarify this matter in detail.

You don't understand some media; once they get this kind of material, it's impossible for them to report it objectively and calmly!

Little Fang, don't pin your hopes on their professional ethics or moral character. 'Human blood buns' is your own summary, and now is the perfect time to eat your human blood buns!"

"I know."

Fang Xinghe looked at the empty Starlight panel with only a small remainder, the corners of his mouth curling up faintly.

"Smearing, tampering, taking things out of context, spreading rumors, framing, incriminating... these are all standard routines, nothing fresh."

Zhao Chunhua let out a long sigh of relief: "As long as you know the severity of the situation. This matter is not like the previous small scuffles; if it really blows up, it will be a devastating blow to your reputation."

Is that so?

Fang Xinghe didn't think so.

The fundamental logic of "reputation" is this—

In the current era, the commercial monetization channels for fame are very limited. Only a positive reputation can be converted into sufficient economic value. Therefore, once a public figure has an indelible stain, it is a heavy blow that damages their foundation.

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

Grandma Xiaoqing, after coming out of the detention center, could only go to Hengdian to play bit parts, turning from an absolute big star into a trouble-maker worse than cattle or horses.

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

But the problem is...

Do the rules and regulations of the current era really have a strong constraint 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, that's not the case.

Therefore, there is no fear, not even a little bit; there is only anticipation in his heart.

Playing the black-red game, you, Brother Fang, are the expert.

And the indignant Big Brother is a top-notch crowbar...