Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 221 Let them resent, I won’t forgive any of them

Teacher Fang was quite confident that he could get away with it unscathed, and even felt that as long as he stayed in the United States, he could continue to attack Zhang Chao on his own "New Mangyuan Network" - he could not swallow this humiliation no matter what.

As the plane flies through the clouds, through the window you can clearly see Los Angeles' unique landscape of coexisting mountains, oceans, and deserts, as well as the towering towers in the city center and the detached houses lined up like a carpet in the suburbs.

If you descend lower and have a better view, you can even see the famous HOLLYWOOD sign.

The flight attendants also began to remind passengers that the plane would soon land, and asked them to pack their luggage, put away the table tops, and began to distribute customs declaration forms to foreign passengers in need.

When Teacher Fang saw the flight attendant walking towards him with a form in her hand, she waved her hand and whispered in English, "I have a green card." Then she remained reserved and stopped talking.

The flight attendant smiled and nodded to him when she heard what he said. The other Chinese passengers around him also looked at Mr. Fang with envy. These days, having an American green card is still something that Chinese people envy very much.

Teacher Fang closed his eyes and began to rest, seemingly unaware of anything, but his back became straighter.

But at this time, a discordant voice came from the side and back: "Why are you so proud? When you were exposed as a traitor, you sneaked to the United States. If you have the guts, don't run away!"

Teacher Fang was almost broken by the retort, but the other party didn't mention anyone by name, and he didn't want to cause any trouble before landing, so he pretended not to hear it.

Fortunately, the other party just muttered and stopped talking.

After a long while, Mr. Fang felt his buttocks bounced a few times on the seat, and then he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled slowly, knowing that the plane had landed safely on the runway.

After coming out of the cabin, Mr. Fang carried his luggage and followed the crowd for a while. He saw that the aisle of the arrival hall was divided into two sides. He naturally took the Citizen aisle and parted ways with other black-haired compatriots.

Only then did Teacher Fang turn his head slightly and glance at the crowd on the other side, trying to see clearly who had just scolded him.

Is it the bald, pot-bellied middle-aged man? Not likely. This kind of person is obviously a petty person, how could he care about the domestic cultural circle.

Is it the guy wearing a baseball cap and Kobe jersey? No, he doesn't. This kind of young man is spiritually empty and only has stars in his eyes. How can he recognize himself?

Is he the salesman in a suit with a stiff face? Not at all. He is clearly a country bumpkin who is visiting the United States for the first time. He is so busy reviewing English words that he has no time to mock himself.

Who is that?

"Hey, grandson of the surname Fang Nei, stop looking, your grandpa is here!" A plain-looking young man in a T-shirt raised his head towards him and said, "Remember your grandpa's face, and don't make the mistake when you retaliate!"

After being yelled at by the other party, Teacher Fang didn't dare to look closely. He pretended nothing happened, lowered his head, and hurried into the immigration channel. Confronting people face to face has never been his strong point. He would curse him to death online.

After waiting in line for a while, it was Teacher Fang's turn. She submitted her documents, and after the border inspection personnel checked them and found nothing wrong, the gate opened. She took one more step forward, and she had officially set foot on American soil.

Only then did Teacher Fang feel free and relaxed.

"Huh? Who are these people?" Teacher Fang saw several people, both men and women, some wearing professional suits and some wearing uniforms, coming straight towards him with a clear goal, and his nerves suddenly tensed up.

In just a few seconds, Teacher Fang went over everything that had happened to him in the United States, and only felt a little relieved when he was sure that he had not done anything illegal.

At this time, several people had come to him. Two of the men took out their ID cards and flashed them in front of him. On them were three capital letters "OGE". They said, "We are Agent Hodge from the Office of Government Ethics, and he is Agent Turner."

Although Mr. Fang has lived and worked in the United States for many years, he is unfamiliar with OGE, so he asked, "Can I know why you are here?"

Agent Hodge asked, "Do you know this man?" and then took out a photo.

When Teacher Fang saw this, his breathing became a little rapid, but he still forced himself to stay calm and nodded, saying, "This is Mr. Carlson. We met in Yanjing."

The two agents looked at each other for confirmation, and then Agent Hodge said, "Carlson is suspected of defrauding federal foreign aid funds. According to records, a lot of funds have flowed to you, so we need you to cooperate with our investigation."

Teacher Fang panicked and said quickly, "Mr. Carlson promised to help me set up a foundation, but it hasn't started yet... I haven't received any money."

Agent Turner said, "It's better to come to our office and explain these situations clearly."

Teacher Fang forced himself to calm down and said, "Can I go back home first to get some things? Also, I want to apply to be questioned together with my lawyer."

Agent Turner said, "Of course, this is your right. You can call your lawyer right away. However, the funds you used to purchase your San Diego residence are also involved in the case and have been temporarily seized. You can only go back to get some necessary clothes and daily necessities, and you must do so under our supervision."

At this time, Chinese passengers who were taking another channel also passed the immigration inspection one after another. Seeing that he was stopped here, they began to stop and watch curiously, and many of them took out their cameras and mobile phones to start taking pictures.

Teacher Fang was really panicked at this moment. Although the house in San Diego was not big, it was his only residence in the United States and the result of his hard work over the years. If it was confiscated, he would be like a stray dog.

At this time, the people behind the two agents also came up. One of them was a woman with exquisite white elite makeup. She handed him a folder and said, "Hello, Mr. Fang. I am Catherine, a lawyer from Random House. Random House believes that your defamation of Mr. Zhang Chao has seriously affected the reputation of Random House and damaged its interests. Therefore, it will file a lawsuit against you."

Another man in a suit also came up and handed him a folder and said, "I am Simon & Schuster's lawyer, Hao Te. Mr. Zhang Chao is an important author and partner of Simon & Schuster. You accused him of having a 'ghostwriter' for his works, which also seriously affected the interests of Simon & Schuster. We will also file a lawsuit against you."

Teacher Fang angrily said, "My article was published in Chinese! What does it have to do with your selling books in the United States?"

At this time, the "country bumpkin salesman" in a suit who had just been looked down upon by him came forward and handed him a business card, saying in fluent English: "Hello, Mr. Fang, I am Xu Chao, the attorney representing Mr. Zhang Chao, and I have lawyer licenses in both China and the United States. It is such a coincidence that I met you on the plane, so I don't have to go out of my way to find you. Mr. Zhang Chao has entrusted me to file a lawsuit against you for your personal reputation rights in the United States."

At this time, lawyer Catherine said: "We have specifically investigated that the server of 'Xinmangyuan.com', where you published the article and are also the founder, is located in the United States, so it has nothing to do with the language you use to publish it."

Lawyer Hout said: "Simon & Schuster enjoys a high reputation among American readers. The trust in authors selected by Simon & Schuster is the cornerstone of our sales. Your unfounded accusation has shaken this cornerstone. Simon & Schuster has no choice but to use the law to protect its interests."

Mr. Fang felt like he was falling into an icy cave. He knew that in the United States, if he got entangled with a big company's lawyer, he would be skinned alive even if he didn't die. The long process of collecting evidence, negotiating and litigation alone was enough to exhaust his energy and financial resources.

What's more, there is the OGE investigation... Although he did not take any money and is confident that he can prove his innocence, this investigation is coordinated with the two major booksellers and Zhang Chao's personal lawsuit against himself. If he is not careful, he will fall into the dilemma of losing sight of one thing while focusing on the other.

The price of hiring a lawyer who can handle this situation is definitely not something I can afford at the moment.

At this time, the sharp-tongued young man in the T-shirt clapped his hands and laughed, "Even if we sneak to America, it won't work!"

Zhang Chao was busy preparing for the "Sanjin Fengliu" feature film and the "New Concept Essay Competition" semi-finals in China. It was not until he received a call from Xu Chao that he learned that Teacher Fang had such a ridiculous incident in the United States. However, he had no sympathy for Teacher Fang, because if he failed to prove that the so-called "ghostwriter" did not exist, or even his reputation was ruined, then the two lawyers from Random House and Simon & Schuster would be ready for him.

As early as June, when the "ghostwriting scandal" just showed signs of being linked domestically and internationally, Shuang Xuetao, who had a law degree, specifically reminded him to pay attention to the legal risks of the two cooperating American publishing houses.

As for the American OGE's meeting with Teacher Fang for tea, it had nothing to do with him. It was purely an internal conflict and he was not clear about the specific situation.

After this incident, Mr. Fang would not be able to get into any trouble for at least three to five years - and that was if he won all the lawsuits. Even if he lost one, he would pay a huge amount of money.

Thinking of this, Zhang Chao couldn't help but feel a little complicated. In his previous life, he had once admired Teacher Fang's exposure of academic corruption, qigong masters, pseudoscience, etc. Even after Han Han's "ghostwriting scandal", he did not completely change his opinion of Teacher Fang.

It was not until Professor Fang’s “anti-counterfeiting fund” and “security fund” encountered problems one after another, as well as his double-standard attitude towards his wife’s thesis, that Zhang Chao felt that Professor Fang’s ethics and character had turned negative.

The "Scientific Inquisition" is something that should not exist, just like the "Religious Inquisition". But Mr. Fang has been an inquisitor for so long, and has done so many things like sending people to the moral stake, that he has really regarded himself as the Pope, and will not tolerate any opposition or even doubt.

"What are you thinking about? Teacher Yu Hua and Teacher Shi Tiesheng are leaving for Shanxi tomorrow. Can you go over the process again?" Ma Boyong walked to him and put a stack of papers in front of him.

Zhang Chao put aside his thoughts and began to look carefully at Ma Boyong's plan.

Due to Shi Tiesheng's physical condition, he cannot go to any place where he needs to climb up or down the mountains. After all, Teacher Yu Hua is not young anymore and he cannot do something like carrying a wheelchair onto a green train.

But they thought Taiyuan and Datong were too "urbanized" and boring. After much deliberation, they chose Jincheng. Although it is not as developed as Taiyuan and Datong, the medical resources are sufficient to ensure that they can have dialysis twice a week.

The local government also attached great importance to it and repeatedly assured that it would provide Teacher Tie Sheng with the best medical care and equipment. Only then did Zhang Chao feel at ease to let the two old brothers go to Jincheng.

After reading it, Zhang Chao thought for a while before saying, "There is nothing wrong with the plan, but the route planning is a bit dense. Guoyu Ancient City, Jade Emperor Temple, Qinglian Temple... and several ancient villages... Let's delete one or two temples and ancient villages, as they are a bit repetitive.

The local government wants us to visit as many places as possible. We can understand this feeling, but we cannot be led by the nose. However, this documentary is not a "tourism documentary" but a "cultural documentary". It is better to travel deeply than to visit many places..."

After explaining the plan, Zhang Chao saw that Ma Boyong was still not leaving, so he asked, "What's wrong? Do you have any questions?"

Ma Boyong hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "How are you going to 'deal' with those people in China? Are you going to sue them, too?"

Zhang Chao laughed and said, "In China, forget about suing. I asked Xue Tao, and the current legislation in this area is not perfect enough. Not only is it time-consuming and laborious, but even if you win the lawsuit, you won't get much money. If you're not careful, they will use it for hype.

And it seems that I don't need to deal with them now. Except for Teacher Fang who went to the United States, the others probably don't even dare to leave the house. It's no fun to fight with dead dogs. It will only distract our current attention."

Ma Boyong nodded in agreement and sighed, "I didn't expect you to be so restrained. After broadcasting such a big thing, you didn't say a word. If it were someone else, they would definitely jump out to gain sympathy."

Zhang Chao said: "If you know what you want, you will naturally lose interest in some things. Teacher Fang and Lian Yue have big ambitions; as for me, I actually didn't even want to start this company at the beginning. I was quite happy to write books...

If there is garbage on the road, just sweep it aside, there is no need to step on it. As for Mr. Fang, I actually left him a way out, it depends on whether he is willing to go or not. "

Ma Boyong was moved again when he heard this. After chatting for a while, he went about his own business.

Zhang Chao was in a daze in front of the computer on his desk for a while, and then he received another call from Wang Meng. The old man yelled as soon as he came in: "Your medicine is too strong. Our association can't digest the aftereffects now."

Zhang Chao asked, "What's wrong?"

Wang Meng sighed and said, "Do you know how many 'letters of denunciation', 'letters of revelation' and 'confessions' we have received in the past few days? Ma Cheng, this old comrade, is also a member of our Writers Association. His incident this time has shocked many people."

Zhang Chao laughed and said, "That's none of my business. They revealed it themselves."

Wang Meng said, "The association may issue a document about this matter recently, but the tone and details have not been finalized, and there have been several arguments in meetings. As a person at the center of the vortex, you must feel deeply about it, so why not talk about it."

Zhang Chao asked: "What is the content of the document?"

Wang Meng said: "One is to restrict the association members from accepting extra meals and expensive gifts during their visits to foreign countries; at the same time, they should pay attention to their words and deeds, and not do or say anything that insults the national dignity and national sentiment.

The other is to call on literary workers across the country to understand the overall situation, to unite, not to engage in verbal battles and attacks on each other all day long, but to focus on creation and let their works speak for themselves. "

Zhang Chao was surprised and said, "This... is the business of the Writers Association. I'm not even a member. It has nothing to do with me!"

Wang Meng said anxiously, "How can it have nothing to do with you? Someone said during the meeting that this is called the 'Zhang Chao Clause'. It is an unequal treaty signed between the Writers Association and you alone on behalf of everyone else."

Zhang Chao complained, "How can this be justified? I was not the one who caused any of these incidents!"

Wang Meng sighed again and explained, "Some people just cause trouble, like Han Han; some people are born to cause trouble, like Conan - this is what my granddaughter told me. Think about it, since you became famous in early 2004, in just over two years, how many storms in the literary and art circles have been caused by you. Your journey, if not "one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of people", you can also say that "your hands are stained with the blood of intellectuals".

I originally thought Han Han was noisy enough, but compared to you, he is just a good kid. Now that the association has issued such a document, many people think that it is to speak up for you personally, so they disagree. "

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "It seems that someone still wants to fight?"

Wang Meng said hurriedly: "That's not the case. It's because you haven't expressed your opinion on this matter. Everyone is worried that once the document is issued, if you say something that is inconsistent with the spirit of the document, then..."

Zhang Chao finally understood and said hurriedly, "Okay, I'll write an article in the next two days to give everyone peace of mind."

Only then did Wang Meng hang up the phone with satisfaction.

A day later, he saw Zhang Chao’s new article on the Internet, and his reassurance almost turned into a life-saving pill.

Let them hate me, I won't forgive any of them

(Two chapters in one)

(End of this chapter)