Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 217 Godly Opponent vs. Idiot Teammate

After a while, Zhang Chao and others also came to the studio. Although the people who pushed the "ghostwriting scandal" had been hostile to Zhang Chao online, they seemed awkward when they met face to face. On the contrary, Zhang Chao was much calmer and greeted them one by one.

However, it was obvious that Mr. Fang, Tumoto and others were meeting each other for the first time, and the awkwardness between them was no less than when they were facing Zhang Chao.

The host Wang Lingling also came to the scene and greeted all the guests. She has hosted many cultural and variety shows, the most famous of which are "Variety Show" and "The Tenth Screening Room".

After the on-site director, Zhang Chao, Teacher Fang and others explained the movements on stage and the process of the live broadcast, they asked the makeup artists on the station to give the few people simple TV makeup, put name tags on their chests and clip wireless microphones on their collars, and they were ready.

Teacher Fang looked at the chairs on the field and hesitated to speak several times. In order to show his courage to "go to the meeting alone", he specifically told Sima Bei not to follow him; but he didn't expect that at the scene, the person who "went to the meeting alone" turned out to be Zhang Chao.

Although he had heard of Lian Yue, Tu Moto, Pink and others who had “cut in temporarily”, this was the first time he had met them. Both parties had the same stance on Zhang Chao’s “ghostwriting scandal”, but they had not communicated with each other in advance.

Neither their familiarity with each other nor the atmosphere on the scene allowed them to chat for long. The uneasiness that had been lingering in his heart was magnified at this moment, but he could not tolerate retreating at the last minute.

On July 2006, 7, Saturday, at 15:11 a.m., CCTV00's "Character Stories" column's special live broadcast "Getting Close to Writer Zhang Chao and Unraveling the Mystery of Fame" officially began.

After a brief opening speech, the host Wang Lingling introduced the guests on the scene. The guests whose names were called stood up one by one and greeted the audience, but Zhang Chao seemed particularly lonely:
"The person sitting on my left is the central figure in this recent turmoil, the young writer Zhang Chao."

There was thunderous applause from the audience.

"Sitting on my right are Mr. Fang, a PhD in molecular biology and a popular science writer from the United States... freelance writer Lian Yue... media person Pink... columnist Tumoto... reporter Nan Feng... writer Chang Ping... university professor and cultural scholar Ms. Liu Yu."

There was sparse applause from the audience.

Many viewers in front of the TV frowned. A Tianjin grandfather was going to dive at the Lion Grove Bridge, but was dragged by his granddaughter to watch the live broadcast. At the beginning of the show, he said to his granddaughter: "Aren't you just bullying a child? A bunch of people in their 40s, do you have any shame?"

In Guangdong Province, where Zhang Chao's fans are the largest, many young people threw the remote controls in their hands and cursed with their companions: "Throw the bomb... Cover the house..."

Even the audience who were invited to the scene were a little agitated, but at least the director was in control and they didn't boo when Teacher Fang stood up.

Teacher Fang felt annoyed and had a look of displeasure on his face; while Zhang Chao showed no joy or sadness, his face looked calm.

This was his first step in counterattacking—"The strong and the weak change sides."

Sympathy for the "weak" is a common psychological state for onlookers. The reason why Mr. Fang can always hit the fake is that, on the one hand, the other party is indeed "fake"; on the other hand, he always hits those who are in high positions and have great power in the academic world.

He portrayed himself as a "lone ranger" who was dedicated to fighting against counterfeiting, and he had been "trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm". In the eyes of bystanders, he was a small individual challenging a giant, which naturally carried a tragic meaning. This image of "using the weak to defeat the strong" won him great tolerance in public opinion.

Mr. Fang also expected that he would single-handedly challenge the group of domestic writers including Zhang Chao during the CCTV live broadcast. But when he looked at the scene, the situation turned out to be the opposite. It was Zhang Chao, a young man in his early 20s, who faced the attacks of all of them alone.

So although Zhang Chao seemed to be the "weaker" party at the scene, he was actually terribly "strong" in terms of public opinion.

But now the other teacher can only take one step at a time and wait and see.

After the host Wang Lingling introduced the guests, she did not make any more emotional comments, but simply gave the stage to them. She gave the opportunity to Zhang Chao to speak first and asked, "Student Zhang Chao, do you have anything you want to clarify about the various doubts on the Internet?"

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "That's too many. I'm afraid that by the time I finish clarifying things, the program will be almost over, and the teachers on the other side won't be able to say a few words. Wouldn't it be a waste of time to come to the CCTV studio? So I still want to first ask Teacher Fang on the other side, and a few other teachers.
——Sorry, there are too many of you and I can’t remember your names——First, please tell me what your main doubts are? This will make it easier to sort and merge similar items, saving time for the audience. ”

After Zhang Chao finished speaking, Lian Yue, who was sitting on the left side of Teacher Fang, looked unhappy, but the host Wang Lingling turned around and asked Teacher Fang first: "Teacher Fang, since Zhang Chao said so, then you can talk about it first."

Mr. Fang obviously didn't notice the unfriendly glances from the side and back - of course, he wouldn't care even if he noticed - he asked in his unique voice: "You are only 21 years old now, how can you write mature works like "Youth Like You" and "Dwelling Narrowness"? Especially "Dwelling Narrowness", which is completely beyond your experience. Geniuses also have a process of maturity. Even Sun Wukong, who jumped out of a stone, had to go to Bodhi Patriarch to learn Taoism before he could make trouble in the Heavenly Palace."

I have to say, no matter what Mr. Fang's character and stance are, his rough, hoarse, low and occasionally unclear voice is so dramatic that the audience who have never heard his voice were all shocked. Add to that his triangular eyes, bald forehead and overly square jawline - he would be a definite villain in any movie or TV show.

The old man from Tianjin who was about to go diving didn't want to go anymore. He watched Teacher Fang on TV slapping his thigh and cursing, "You don't look like a good person at first glance!"

Many viewers who have watched Stephen Chow's movies all think of the scene in "Justice, My Foot" where the corrupt officials hold a trial against Qi Qin.

Zhang Chao nodded with a smile and said, "Teacher Fang raised a key question. Do the others have any more important questions you think? If not, I will answer Teacher Fang's question first."

"Wait, I have it!" It was Lian Yue who spoke.

The host Wang Lingling hurriedly said: "It seems that Teacher Lianyue has a different opinion. Please speak up."

He said angrily, "Hello everyone, I am Lian Yue, and I am also the first person in China to question Zhang Chao's 'ghostwriting'. Please pay attention to my blog in Xinlang. I will update it every week..."

Wang Lingling was unhappy and interrupted quickly, "Teacher Lianyue, please be more direct."

Lian Yue realized that he was confused by the "courtesy" that Teacher Fang received, and quickly changed the subject: "...I think Zhang Chao should first respond to how he, a senior high school student living on campus, could update his articles so many times late at night. During that time, he should be sleeping in the dormitory! This is common sense!"

Zhang Chao also smiled and nodded, "Teacher Lianyue's question is also very powerful. Which one should I answer first? Are there no other teachers?"

"I have one too!" Liu Yu, the only woman sitting in the second row of the "questioning party," spoke up. Without waiting for Wang Lingling to speak, she said, "Zhang Chao, don't you think you should first explain why your writing became famous as soon as your grades dropped? What is your relationship with your father?"

This question caused the whole place to burst into laughter. Zhang Chao said helplessly, "I have to answer the last question first - my father and I are father and son. This is a CCTV live broadcast, there is no place for such ethical jokes."

Liu Yu blushed, but still said firmly: "You know what I mean - I mean, did your father write for you?"

Zhang Chao answered very straightforwardly, with just two words: "No." Before Liu Yu could continue to ask questions, the others began to rush to grab the right to speak.

"You say there is no such thing? How do you prove it?"

"Zhang Chao, first tell me how you went to Yan University and Yan Normal University to study for both undergraduate and master's degrees at the same time. How did such a ridiculous thing happen?"

"What kind of questioning is this? He has a ministry document, although it was issued in the 80s, it is also legally binding. What I want to ask is that you also wrote a play called "Wotou Guild Hall". Although it is not as well-known as other works, it restores the flavor of old BJ very authentically. You are from Fuhai, and your father didn't write it for you. How could you write such a script?" "He is from Fuhai, isn't his father also from Fuhai? What kind of question is this? Look at me - Zhang Chao, your writing speed is too fast. I counted it and you have written more than 100 million words in more than two years, while your teacher Yu Hua couldn't write 50 words in ten years - I reasonably suspect that you not only have a ghostwriter, but also a ghostwriting team!"

"Ghostwriting team? You have such a rich imagination. If there were anyone other than his father who wrote for him, they would have already come out and admitted it. They would have gained both fame and fortune!"

"What if the people who wrote for him were all his relatives? For example, his mother, his uncle, his uncle... This is a family of forgers!"

"Don't embarrass yourself by fabricating a family. Are you writing science fiction?"

"You're right? Aren't you embarrassed? Is it weird for a high school student to sneak out to an Internet cafe in the middle of the night to surf the Internet? If you don't believe me, go to an Internet cafe tonight and take a look. It's crowded with teenagers. Can you guarantee that there aren't any senior high school students in there?"

"Come on! Listen to me..."

"Why should I listen to you? Who are you?"

"I am the 'first person' in China to question Zhang Chao! Without my article, would you be on CCTV today?"

……

The disagreement between the several people became more and more serious, and they almost quarreled on the spot. Especially the writers and authors who had no experience in TV programs almost forgot that this was a live broadcast.

The host Wang Lingling had never seen such a scene before. She looked at the director several times and asked if she should take control of the situation. The director just waved his hand, indicating that he should not meddle in other people's business, and continued to direct the camera to point at Teacher Fang, occasionally switching the lens to Zhang Chao.

Teacher Fang was the only one who did not join in the argument, but his face turned pale; while Zhang Chao had a helpless look on his face, as if he had not anticipated this situation.

This is the second step of Zhang Chao’s counterattack - "diluting the right to speak."

It was his idea to the program director to invite Lian Yue, Tu Moto and others to come, and he "kindly" reminded the program team to tell these additionally invited guests not to leak the news to the media, otherwise if Teacher Fang was unwilling to withdraw, the live broadcast would be ruined.

The director thought it made perfect sense. What was the point of just Zhang Chao and Teacher Fang arguing with each other? Only if a group of people could argue with Zhang Chao would the ratings be guaranteed! Sure enough, after these guests started arguing, the ratings went up.

There are differences in the influence of ordinary interviews, special interviews, recorded programs, and live broadcasts. These guests are all in the business of broadcasting. When they heard that they could be broadcast live on CCTV, they would not reveal a single thing to the outside world. It was only when they arrived at the scene that they realized that they were not Teacher Fang’s only partner, and they could not help but feel resentful.

But for the other teacher, when these people arrived, they were not familiar with each other and were particularly good at interrupting others, which immediately stretched their speaking time and diluted the density of their own opinions.

The key point is that they are fighting among themselves. Teacher Fang heard a lot of noise at this moment, which really made him feel disappointed.

Of course, there are limits to quarreling on the spot. The director instructed the host Wang Lingling to stop the conversation between the few people before they fell out: "Everyone, everyone, can you listen to me first?"

The host's words still carry weight, and several people angrily shut up one after another. Wang Lingling said: "We are broadcasting live, everyone must be careful about what they say, and if there are different opinions, we can discuss them properly."

At this time, reporter Nan Feng spoke up. Having worked in the TV station for many years, he was the first to react and said to everyone, "The host is right. Everyone, keep your composure. Also, don't be fooled by Zhang Chao. If we keep arguing, won't he get the upper hand?..."

Before Nan Feng finished speaking, Zhang Chao took over and said, "Teachers, you misunderstood. In fact, I really want to answer your questions. Since you have not reached a unified opinion just now, can I summarize the common points of your questions - you all believe that I have a 'ghostwriter' or 'ghostwriting group' hiding behind the scenes, and my works are created by him or them, so I must prove that my works are created by myself, right?"

The seven people sitting opposite Zhang Chao exchanged glances with each other, and except for Teacher Fang, almost all of them nodded at the same time; only Teacher Fang instinctively felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put it into words for a while - he had had this feeling many times since he met Zhang Chao, and the feeling could only be described as terrible, like walking blindly in a minefield, not knowing when he would step on one.

But the others didn't want to wait for Teacher Fang to nod, so Lian Yue immediately said, "Yes, you must prove that those works were created by you."

Zhang Chao nodded and said calmly, "I agree with Mr. Fang, Mr. Lianyue and everyone else. But I would like to ask you, how should a writer prove that his works were created by himself? What is the standard? Or in other words, what should I produce to prove that these works were created by myself?"

In fact, when Zhang Chao asked the first question, Teacher Fang keenly realized what he was going to do, but before Teacher Fang could open his mouth, Zhang Chao asked the next two questions.

When Teacher Fang saw the faint smile on Zhang Chao's lips after he asked the question, his mind was confused - bad, Zhang Chao had switched the subject.

Yes, this is Zhang Chao's third counterattack - "stealing the concept". Of course, the word "stealing" is not quite accurate here, because Zhang Chao obtained the other party's consent and changed "proving that your father was not your ghostwriter" to "proving that your work was written by you."

The difficulty difference between proving "I didn't do it" and proving "I did it" is as huge as heaven and earth.

The key point is that Zhang Chao also hit the blind spot of most people before - why could Lian Yue and Teacher Fang only raise doubts and let Zhang Chao prove himself without providing the standards for self-provenness?
This is because everyone feels that a writer's creation is a very personal matter, which is highly private and can only be proven by the author's self-awareness and the readers' trust. It is extremely difficult to prove it, almost impossible.

But when Zhang Chao threw this question to Mr. Fang, Lian Yue and others, they fell into a dilemma - if they said "cannot prove it by itself", then the previous doubts would naturally become a joke; if they said "how to prove it by itself", then whether the standard can be accepted by the public is one thing, at least Zhang Chao can follow the clues to provide "evidence".

Of course, they could also say, "You prove it yourself first, and we will judge whether it is successful or not. We can't tell you the standard" - I guess no one would dare to say such shameless words.

Only after completing these three steps did Zhang Chao feel truly relieved.

The previous "changing of power between strong and weak" was intended to bind Teacher Fang and the others into a whole in terms of expressing opinions; the "diluting the right to speak" was to prevent Teacher Fang from having the opportunity to raise continuous questions to Zhang Chao; and the final "changing of concepts" was to use the other party's desire for influence in live streaming to create differences, disrupt the thinking of several people, and use the opinions of the other six people to coerce Teacher Fang alone.

If it was Mr. Fang himself, he would definitely not give Zhang Chao this opportunity, and would definitely continue to question Zhang Chao on the logic of "father writing for him, father and son hiding the truth" and other details, and Zhang Chao would only fall into a passive situation of endless self-proof. In the eyes of many people, this situation, even if it makes sense in terms of facts and logic, would be considered a sophistry because it is too rare.

By then, it will really become a fan screening behavior of "those who believe will always believe, and those who doubt will always doubt"!
And this time, Zhang Chao not only wants to prove himself, but also wants to clean up all the dirty water!

So Zhang Chao started by calling out to the media and asking Teacher Fang if he could hire a few more people. His intention was to arrange a group of stupid teammates for him to avoid a one-on-one situation between himself and Teacher Fang.

Lian Yue and the others were not stupid either. When they saw Zhang Chao's relieved expression and Teacher Fang's face as dark as the bottom of a pot, they reacted immediately and fell into panic and silence for a while.

They didn't have the courage to take back what they had just said in front of the CCTV10 live camera.

Teacher Fang was relatively calm. He knew that the atmosphere couldn't remain silent for too long. He thought for a moment and then said, "It's difficult for writers to prove themselves, but there are ways. For example, some writers have handwritten manuscripts, and their works always have various 'traces of creation', such as various additions, deletions, and modifications.

As long as the work is written by himself, he will be able to point out all these places in detail. What do you think? Do you have such evidence? "

(Two chapters combined into one.)
(End of this chapter)