Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 212: Unsolvable Logic of the Final Kill
[3. Zhang Chao, Keyword: Performance]

[The media has given Zhang Chao many titles: genius boy, genius writer, literary supernova, leader of the post-80s generation, youth opinion leader, hope of Chinese literature, literary genius, literary prodigy, flag bearer of youth literature...

Zhang Chao is often “unfazed by praise or criticism” and his words are “watertight” when facing the media. Han Han, who also became famous at a young age, still cannot be as calm as his actual age even today. It is normal for him to make gaffes in front of the media. It’s just that the spotlight has been on Zhang Chao these years, and Han Han’s ability to attract attention is no longer there. 】

[It is generally acknowledged that Zhang Chao is very good at using various new and old media to build momentum for himself. As a senior high school student with a busy academic schedule, he not only knows the operating mechanisms and reporting tendencies of traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, and television stations, but also often leads a group of experienced reporters and editors by the nose;
He is even very familiar with new online media such as blogs, and can fully grasp the readers' psychology in his articles and arouse their empathy. This can no longer be described as "precocious" or "early wisdom", only "born with knowledge" can be worthy of Zhang Chao's performance. 】

[Let's review Zhang Chao's road to fame: In the early days, he frequently published articles on "Blog China" under the online ID "Midnight Tide", and the time was indeed around midnight; at that time, Zhang Chao was still a senior high school student, and he usually lived in school and only went home on weekends - how could he accomplish this feat late at night on a weekday?
Since Zhang Chao is "born with knowledge", we might as well assume that Zhang Chao also has the ability to clone himself like Sun Wukong. Every night, he pulls out a hair and transforms himself into his own image to sleep in the school dormitory, while his real body goes to the computer to write articles and post blogs. Since he is "born with knowledge" and has the "ability to clone himself", Zhang Chao is more than just a "genius", he is simply a "celestial being". 】

[If we focus on Zhang Chao's works, we can easily find that he is completely different from Han Han, Xiao Si and other youth literature writers. The styles of other young writers are often continuous, but Zhang Chao's works show a strong "jumpiness". It is worth pondering why a young man who is only 20 years old can show such a rich life experience in his works. ]

[But Zhang Chao is undoubtedly a genius, a performing genius - he can speak eloquently in newspapers and in front of the camera, perfectly playing all the roles given to him by the media. Similarly, when looking at Han Han and Xiao Si, they obviously have a gradual maturity process when facing the media.

When Han Han was asked by a reporter what the title of his first novel, Sancongmen, meant, he answered directly, "I forgot" - in fact, this shows the rebellious side of a young and famous writer. Did he not know? He just didn't want to answer boring questions.

Zhang Chao was too smooth in front of the media. Every word, every movement, and every expression was full of design.

【Finally, the media sank and the truth surfaced】

……

(Why are these articles about exposing and criticizing struggle always easier to write than novels?)
Zhang Chao saw this article two days after the graduation project review meeting ended, and it was not on the Internet, but in the Southern Metropolis Daily. The Southern Metropolis Daily not only reprinted the article by Lian Yue in full, but also added a long editor's note:

【As the most dazzling new literary star in recent years, Zhang Chao has not only gained great reputation, but also reaped a huge amount of wealth. What secrets are hidden under his dazzling halo? Whether it is his book fans or ordinary literature lovers, I am afraid they all want to find out. The author of this article, with an almost presumptuous questioning attitude and strict factual logic, seems to be able to reconstruct for us a Zhang Chao without the halo. 】

[Some people may think that the hypothesis proposed by Lian Yue is a bit "sensational" or even "sensational." But this is by no means a frame-up, but a reasonable speculation based on a large number of public reports and objective facts. Even if you disagree with this speculation, you cannot deny the possibility contained in it.]

[“Artificial” is certainly an extremely serious accusation against Zhang Chao. However, as a teenage idol, Zhang Chao should have the responsibility to reveal the truth to the public and prove his innocence. We hope that Zhang Chao will not use public opinion violence or media means to silence those who question him as he did in the past.]

[Taking off the halo and returning to the human world is a blessing for Zhang Chao and literature. ]

After reading this series of articles, Zhang Chao was stunned. He never thought that the "ghostwriting scandal" that Han Han encountered would happen to him several years earlier.

What’s even more ridiculous is that Han Han’s things that were considered “hard evidence of cheating” or “hard evidence of ghostwriting”—New Sprout magazine held a separate rematch for him, and he couldn’t answer reporters’ questions about the origin of the book title, etc.—are now evidence of Han Han’s “real talent” and used to prove that Zhang Chao was “artificial.” For a while, Zhang Chao didn’t know how to respond.

How to make a writer "prove his innocence" and prove that a book or article was written by himself has always been a century-old problem. In the past, writers could still use "manuscripts" as evidence - but they were not always effective.

Zhang Chao clearly remembered that Han Han, who was suspected of being a "ghostwriter" in his previous life, published the handwritten manuscript of "Sancongmen". In the end, some traces in this manuscript collection were regarded by those who suspected him as evidence of his "ghostwriting".

Zhang Chao wrote on the computer from the beginning, without even a manuscript.

The key point is that this time Lian Yue's questioning of Zhang Chao's "ghostwriting" was done in one step - in the previous life, Mai Tian and others suspected that Han Han had a "ghostwriter", and they went through the process of "2000 million reward to no avail" to "Han Han's father Han Renjun was the ghostwriter so no one claimed the reward" - this time it was completely omitted, and Zhang Chao directly became his father's puppet.

The questioning logic of "father and son concealing each other" is almost fatal to any artistic creator.

When Han Han wrote "Sancongmen" in class and it was circulated among his classmates, he was later suspected of ghostwriting. Although some classmates came forward to explain how his novel was written page by page and circulated, the doubters did not know how to cover up the "loophole" - Han Han's father asked him to memorize the novel every week and then demonstrate how to write it in class.

Of course, Han Han is not the only one - Chen Kaige, the director of "Farewell My Concubine", was also suspected by netizens after he made a bad movie called "The Promise". He thought that "Farewell My Concubine" was directed by his father, Director Chen Huaiai, and he was just a puppet on the scene.

This kind of doubt completely ignores the fact that as a collective creation project, a large number of participants can witness whether Chen Kaige is a "real director". It also ignores the fact that as a director in the 50s, Chen Huaiai did not have the possibility of making "Farewell My Concubine" in terms of concepts, aesthetics, and technology. It also ignores the brilliant achievements and outstanding talents that Chen Kaige achieved from the 80s to the 90s.

However, as long as the doubters bring up the reason of "father and son hiding the truth", everything can be rationalized - for example, director Chen Huaiai can draw the storyboards in advance every night, explain the camera positions, arrange the dispatches, train the actors, and adjust the script... The next day Chen Kaige can naturally sit in front of the monitor to shoot the day's scenes.

Therefore, the wave of doubts against Zhang Chao this time, although not as loud as the previous "Zhang Bai dispute", is far more vicious than that time. The previous struggles were still within the scope of literature, but this time, they are preparing to completely deny Zhang Chao from the perspective of personality, and even destroy him.

The questioning logic of "father and son hiding each other's secrets" is the most critical link. Once this argument gains a certain degree of recognition, it will be difficult for Zhang Chao to turn the situation around no matter how hard he tries. In the end, he may end up like Han Han, with a shabby life for several years, and even after making many movies, he is still bitten from time to time.

While thinking about how to crack the problem, Zhang Chao called home and told his father everything. Finally, he told him not to respond no matter who asked him through any channel, because otherwise he would make more mistakes and it would be easy for people to take his words out of context and use them as a weakness.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Chao began to search the Internet for the current impact of this incident, and soon saw a familiar name but he thought he had no connection with it - "anti-counterfeiting fighter" Mr. Fang.

Mr. Fang did not write any article, but simply reposted Lian Yue's article in its entirety in his blog, and then added a five-word repost note:
is this real?
When Zhang Chao saw these five words, he knew he was in big trouble.

(There will be another chapter tonight)
(End of this chapter)