Generation Z Artists

Chapter 131 It's a loss to take even a little less.
The Tokyo Dome has finally hosted an event unlike any other in its history.

From the morning onwards, a steady stream of people poured into Bunkyo Ward, converging around the Tokyo Dome. In aerial footage from NHK television, the crowds resembled ants on a pilgrimage, crowding at every entrance.

Fang Xinghe was backstage getting her makeup done when she could still faintly hear the roar outside. Wang Chali walked into the dressing room, sweating profusely, muttering repeatedly, "They're crazy, they're crazy..."

"It's full?" Fang Xinghe raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I think that's enough." Wang Charlie, his face covered in sweat, still found it hard to believe. "What are they after?!"

None of the Chinese team members present could understand it.

This includes Fang Xinghe's senior classmates, as well as all the staff of the CCTV documentary production team.

With no outsiders in the room, Wang Bin grinned and said, "I can understand those 8000 standing tickets; at least they have a chance to get close to Fang Xinghe and even get his autograph. But those 55000 seated tickets are just insane!"

The cheapest ticket to the mountaintop is 2000 yen, which, according to the recent exchange rate, is equivalent to 154 yuan, almost half a month's salary for many Chinese people. As a result, you can't even see the big screen clearly without binoculars when you sit on the mountaintop.

"How on earth did that old bastard Kadokawa manage to sell the tickets?"

They couldn't understand it or figure it out, but that didn't stop them from setting up cameras and filming Fang Xinghe like a national treasure.

After applying makeup—which was basically just applying a layer of foundation, setting it, and then patting on some powder—because the lighting in front of the autograph session was so strong that my face would be completely blurred without makeup.

The group of people escorted Fang Xinghe and quickly walked to the waiting room behind the stage.

He can't go on stage yet; Kadokawa is here to receive visitors on behalf of Fang Xinghe.

As I pushed open the door, a group of people suddenly stood up in front of me.

The room full of handsome men and beautiful women made Fang Xinghe instantly suppress his smile—they all looked like celebrities, but I am a star representing China, so who should be smiling at whom?
They smiled at Fang Xinghe.

After the kind smile came all sorts of bows.

Fang Xinghe simply nodded in response, but there was no dissatisfaction on their faces, only humility.

The author's prestige in Japan was clearly demonstrated to the Chinese team.

Kadokawa began introducing Fang Xinghe, with the presidents of each company listed first, followed by their managers, and finally the idols themselves.

Of course, there are also obvious differences in status among celebrities.

SMAP received a special introduction from Kadokawa, with the description: "This is Japan's most popular and best idol group, a group of amazing guys who have pioneered many things."

Fang Xinghe vaguely remembered that Kimura Takuya was in this group, but he didn't see him.

Kadokawa laughed and patted Nakai Masahiro on the shoulder: "They're about to release a new single, at the end of the month, right? That's why I called them here to warm up the crowd for you. They're your host today."

Fang Xinghe seemed to know why Takuya Kimura hadn't come.

From a certain perspective, this is both a way to boost Fang Xinghe's profile and a way for both sides to ride each other's coattails. Removing Kimura makes it more balanced; if all the members were present, the opposing team would suffer a huge loss.

"Then please."

Fang Xinghe conveyed his gratitude through a translator, and the person opposite him smiled very modestly and kept bowing slightly.

There were many girls, but Fang Xinghe only knew two: one was Fukada Kyoko, a newly popular actress, and the other was Kuraki Mai, a newly popular singer.

As for the rest, I've never even heard of Morning Musume, Ryoko Hirosue, or MISIA.

At this time, Kyoko Fukada had a bit of baby fat, and her jawline wasn't very defined, but she was quite cute. After bowing, she didn't dare look Fang Xinghe in the eye, her gaze shifting back and forth as she said, "Fang Xinghe-san, your book is so well written. I recently published my own collection of essays, and I thought I was already quite good for my age, but in front of you, I can only admire and feel ashamed of my own shortcomings. If it's not too much trouble, I would very much like to receive your guidance..."

Fang Xinghe was taken aback. Goodness, this girl can write prose?
It's not easy being an idol in an industry teeming with low-skilled performers...

When I took the collection of essays presented to me, I was surprised to find that 60% of it was photography, and the essays were short, small pieces, about twenty in total.

Ma Jie has a much more cheerful personality, but perhaps because she has only been in the industry for half a year, she didn't dare to look up in front of Fang Xinghe. She is small, but speaks very frankly.

"I really like 'Azure Night Snow,' please give me a signed copy, please!"

After "meeting" with each of them one by one, Fang Xinghe had a clear understanding of the situation.

Most of them are newcomers and idol stars. They are really popular, but their status is really low. They are brought here by their companies to ride on the coattails of popularity. Kadokawa is happy to have them ready to warm up the crowd at any time.

It's an exchange of benefits.

Anyway, Fang Xinghe's popularity can't be taken away, so it doesn't matter who gets to ride on it.
Kadokawa thought this way and did this way, but Fang Ge didn't lose out either—his scenes with these male and female Japanese stars were recorded in a documentary. His looks completely outshone the girls, and when he went home and showed it on TV, how could it not be considered bringing glory to the country?
After a few more words of conversation from the group—mostly them praising him while Fang Xinghe listened—and enough time had passed, Nakai Masahiro went out to warm up the atmosphere and take the lead.

When this guy went on stage, there was a clear gasp from the crowd outside, showing that he has a solid fan base.

Fang Xinghe nodded slightly to everyone and turned to walk towards the passage.

Behind him was a bright road, and behind him was the dry silence of various sounds. Fang Xinghe adjusted his posture and demeanor, becoming extremely upright, and at the same time slightly raised his chin.

Upon reaching the entrance, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The senior students kept glancing outside while chewing their gum vigorously;
Wang Chali shouted loudly, "Don't be nervous, you must not be nervous, just perform normally!"

Kadokawa's forehead was covered in sweat, his handkerchief was clutched tightly in his hand, and the veins on his neck were bulging: "Go, go conquer them! Teach these brats a lesson, slaughter them like pigs!"

The old man finally spoke his mind.

He had no nationality or stance in his mind, only Fang Xinghe's agency contract—after today they would begin negotiations for a full agency contract, and all of Fang Xinghe's activities in Japan might be signed to him.

If today's book signing is a success, then he deserves it.

Fang Xinghe looked at Kadokawa quietly for a long time before smiling.

"Rest assured, for everything the government has seen."

The signal light came on, and a loud announcement came through the headset. Fang Xinghe walked onto the stage with a microphone in hand.

A spotlight shone on him from four directions, illuminating every single strand of his hair.

The boy walked with ease, his expression nonchalant, his gaze slowly sweeping across the three shots—close, medium, and long.

When he stopped, an indescribably handsome face, seemingly glowing, was fixed in the center of the four-sided screen above his head.

The entire venue went wild.

Airi Suzuki jumped up and shouted, "Look! Fang-san! I knew it, I knew it!"

His companions went crazy: "It really is him... He's as handsome as a god!"

Fang Xinghe's appearance is no secret. No matter how powerful Kadokawa is, they can't stop the photos from leaking. It's just that under their financial offensive, the media restrained their urge to discuss Fang Xinghe's looks and saved the surprise for after the meet-and-greet.

Therefore, most of Fang Xinghe's fans know that he is very handsome, but they don't really feel it, which is one of the important reasons why they are willing to spend money to enter the venue today to see him in person.

The sound lasted for about half a minute.

I couldn't hear what they were saying at all; the scene was just too noisy and chaotic.

Fang Xinghe didn't rush to interrupt them. He just stood quietly in the center of the stage, letting his gaze roam freely. Occasionally, when the cheers were particularly enthusiastic, he would wave in that direction.

The screams then became even louder.

Wang Bin's face flushed with excitement as he watched the crowds rising from the top of the Giant Egg Mountain, shouting in response to Fang Xinghe's wave.

Record it, record it all, don't miss a single one!

He was so proud. This was the first time a Chinese idol had stood on the stage of the Tokyo Dome and undoubtedly dominated the entire audience.

He couldn't tell whether it was the charm of "Cang Ye Xue" or Fang Xinghe's charm. He only knew that this documentary had to be broadcast on CCTV, absolutely!
After about half a minute, the noise subsided, and Fang Xinghe raised the microphone and said, "Hello everyone, I am Fang Xinghe. It's nice to meet you all."

Repeat once in Chinese and once in Japanese.

When you're harvesting crops on someone else's turf, what's wrong with learning a single Japanese phrase?
If he hadn't been pressed for time, he would have been willing to memorize an entire Japanese speech, spend the profits he earned on himself, and use the money to build up the country.

The head of the online trolls has no moral fastidiousness in this regard; he is all about being two-faced.

Who isn't a movie star...?

Amidst screams, they took their seats. Fang Xinghe sat in the main seat, with Nakai Masahiro to his side, and the female translator positioned between the two of them, slightly behind and to the left and right of the men.

There are just too many useless formalities and small talk in Japanese society. After we sat down, Nakai launched into a long introduction and then asked Fang Xinghe several questions—all of which were pre-arranged and part of a scripted process.

This part isn't particularly interesting, but it's very meaningful.

For example, Masahiro Nakai asked, "So many enthusiastic fans have come today. Signing autographs is a huge undertaking. Ah, it's really troubling, Fang-san. What should we do?"

Fang Xinghe smiled at the camera: "I'll keep signing even if I don't eat or rest."

A satisfied cheer immediately erupted from the audience.

See, the same old tricks always work.

This isn't Fang Ge trying to trick Japanese fans; this is a question and answer set by Kadokawa. My Fang Ge is pure and innocent!
After chatting for quite a while and explaining everything that needed to be asked and answered, the preliminary conversation finally came to an end.

This is essentially a comprehensive self-introduction, allowing fans unfamiliar with Fang Xinghe to truly understand his basic information.

15 years old, birthday April 1st, Aries, 181 cm tall, skipped a grade to senior year of high school, likes food, basketball, writing, martial arts, simple and straightforward personality, sincere and kind... Ugh!

These were all summaries by Nakai; I didn't say anything.

Finally, the signing began, and Fang Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief—it wasn't that his acting skills were lacking, but rather that he was simply not used to the Japanese-style talk at this moment.

However, signing an autograph is not easy, at least not as simple as it is in Southeast Asia.

Actually, this autograph session should be described as "Fang Xinghe's Japan Fan Meeting and Signing Ceremony". Japan has always been innovative in the idol field and is at the forefront of the world. Although there were no handshake tickets, each fan still had 20 seconds to meet Fang Xinghe face to face.

The autograph table was a long table, only 1 meter wide, with a chair opposite Fang Xinghe, where fans could sit down and face him.

Within the allotted time, you can say whatever you want, and the translator will help with communication.

Separated by a meter of table, it was practically face-to-face, so Fang Xinghe received a lot of meaningless nonsense—

"My God! You're absolutely 3% off...@..."

The last few sentences completely baffled the translator. On one hand, the venue was too noisy, and on the other hand, the other person was too excited. Heaven knows what she was rambling on about.

But Fang Xinghe still patiently replied, "Thank you for the compliment, you are very cute too."

His voice and the translator's voice echoed throughout the venue through the speakers, once again eliciting envious gasps. —Those in the audience weren't just sitting idly; they could see Fang Xinghe's expressions and movements, and hear his responses.

Damn, Kadokawa really knows how to play the game.

However, this is also a risk, as it particularly tests Fang Xinghe's adaptability.

If the responses are always perfunctory or uninteresting, fans will easily get bored and the interest will wane.

It's important to know that Fang Xinghe only entered Japanese society through the magazine "Times". Currently, he has a large number of fans, but the foundation is weak, and he is in the most critical period of consolidation.

Kadokawa had a deep understanding of Fang Xinghe's talent and character, which is why they dared to propose such a risky move.

Sure enough, the communication went incredibly smoothly.

For example, a little boy of about the same age asked, "How can I be as handsome as you?"

The boy had an ordinary appearance and seemed somewhat introverted and timid. A camera on the side of the long table framed him, and his face was displayed on the big screen, eliciting a chorus of soft laughter from the audience.

Fang Xinghe replied solemnly, "Looks are innate. I don't think you can become as good-looking as me, but a man's handsomeness is a clean, neat, and reliable feeling. Start by making a few friends, become reliable in their eyes, and slowly become a handsome man."

The award-winning actor received enthusiastic applause and screams.

Not long after, another little girl asked tearfully, "Why couldn't Chen Cang die peacefully? This ending makes me so miserable just thinking about it. I haven't slept well for a week..."

Fang Xinghe replied gently, "Pain is meant to teach us to cherish. If some of your selfish actions would make your parents as pitiful as Chen Cang, would you still do them?"

The girl shook her head vigorously: "Absolutely not!"

Fang Xinghe smiled with satisfaction: "That's the meaning."

The applause continued for the Best Actor's team after each question.

However, things don't always go so smoothly.

Because nearly 70% of female fans went completely blank when they saw Fang Xinghe face-to-face and were met with his gentle gaze through his heterochromatic eyes.

What's particularly unique about Japanese fans is that they seem to have almost no older sister fans.

Women older than Fang Xinghe, especially young women between 25 and 40, had particularly "hunger" in their eyes, which clearly showed either tender affection or a bold desire to devour someone.

Maternal care is only found in women who are 40 years old or older... even 45 years old or older.

Goodness, is Japan really this wild now?

As Fang Xinghe signed the papers, he couldn't help but have some doubts.

He only knew that Japan was very wild later on, with a very high rate of female infidelity and handsome men could do whatever they wanted, but he never expected that so many people would be "thirsty" for it now.

Perhaps because the lost decade was too difficult to endure, Japan, like South Korea, has been heading down a path of repression that is rapidly degenerating into perversion.

This is the core reason why "Cang Ye Xue" became a hit, and also the core reason why Fang Xinghe is so popular.

Therefore, in order to protect himself, Fang Xinghe would not return the book with both hands after signing it. Instead, he would close the book directly, gently push it forward with his knuckles, and avoid any physical contact as much as possible.

As a result, many female fans were drooling over his fingers... It's getting more and more outrageous.

They signed three people per minute, but after two hours, they had only signed 360 people. However, the intermission began, and it was another talk session.

This time, we'll discuss things in more depth.

Nakai: "Fang Xinghe-san, your fans have so much curiosity about you."

Fang Xinghe: "It's okay, you can ask me anything."

Then, questions like "ideal type of girl," "is she a virgin?" and "when do you plan to start dating" appeared on the idiotic script.

Kadokawa confidently assured them that Japanese fans are absolutely most concerned about these things, and no matter how loudly they shout "literature," the female fans in the audience will definitely buy into it.

Okay, I believe you.

Fang Xinghe then began to ramble on and on, following the script in a serious manner.

When asked "When do you plan to start dating?", she replied very seriously, "Definitely not in the near future. I belong to all girls..."

He couldn't hold back any longer and covered his face with his hands while laughing, waving his hands to indicate that they couldn't continue the conversation, as if he were very shy. In fact, Gou Fang was staring at the data on the Starlight panel, completely calm.

Sure enough, the star value skyrocketed, and the small group of people on site generated over 100 million in a single moment.

This isn't a one-off thing; there are TV stations and media outlets filming it, and Japanese fans will definitely see the footage. So the final return can't be less than 20 times the initial investment—just the fluctuations caused by this one issue alone.

Damn, Japanese talent agencies really know how to fish for talent...

Fang Xinghe faced up to SMAP's level and tried to learn from their experience. He didn't use this method when he was an online troll, so his practical experience was still lacking.

After a minor climax, the signing continued.

Two more hours passed, and Fang Xinghe went offstage to rest. The idols came up and jumped around – actually, this was to give the audience time to leave.

It's impossible to keep the seated man there until the end, because there's so little content to offer—just the male succubus sitting there and the occasional funny, sometimes serious conversation.

So after 4 hours of signing, audience members who do not wish to continue watching can leave.

Those who don't want to leave can start eating—there's a hamburger and a bottle of mineral water under each seat, packaged in a small paper bag with Fang Xinghe's image on it.

Japan is indeed very developed now, and China can't make these kinds of paper bags well; the cost is high and the quality is poor.

When Fang Xinghe returned after touching up his makeup, drinking water, and eating some high-calorie food, the venue was still only half full. Nearly 10,000 people had left, but the remaining 40,000 people were still in high spirits and reluctant to leave.

"Big success!"

Kadokawa clenched his fist and waved it forcefully: "They love you to death!"

The genders were correct. Fang Xinghe glanced around and realized that almost 90% of the remaining people were women. Sure enough, no matter what the event was, in the end, it all came down to looks...

It's not that Fang Xinghe doesn't have enough male fans from Japan, but rather that male fans are destined not to have this kind of enthusiasm. Once the excitement has subsided, they'll disperse.

After Ma Jie finished singing and stepped off the stage, she ran over to Fang Xinghe, bowed, and said goodbye, her face inexplicably flushed.

Fang Xinghe noticed something, turned her head and saw her agent enthusiastically slipping small notes into Wang Charlie's hand.

Outrageous.

So far, no girl has dared to directly slip Fang Xinghe a note; they've all given them to Wang Chali or her senior sister, totaling about twenty or so.

Am I that terrible?

Fang Xinghe frowned slightly, and Sister Ma immediately ran away in a panic.

Fang's face darkened, and he went on stage to continue signing autographs.

The event lasted until 10 p.m. — it didn’t have to be that long, but Fang Xinghe and Kadokawa deliberately kept it that late.

In nearly 12 hours, excluding breaks for drinking water, touching up makeup, and going to the bathroom, Fang Xinghe's total time away from the autograph table was less than 50 minutes. The rest of the time he worked diligently.

It moved the fans to tears.

In the end, nearly 12000 people stayed with him until the very end; this is the die-hard fan group of the Japanese Concubine.

By the 8th hour of work, the ratio was roughly 15000 die-hard fans and 2000 fanatical fans.

When they reached the 10th hour of work, many people had to leave. Among those who remained, the number of die-hard fans skyrocketed, reaching 10000 loyal fans and 4000 fanatics.

By the 12th hour, they cried and begged Fang Xinghe to go back and rest, and resolutely disbanded the group, even withdrawing the requests of fans who were about to get a turn.

At this point, the fan base consisted of 4000 die-hard fans and 8000 fanatics, an astonishing ratio.

Fang Xinghe discovered the ultimate secret of the Rifei—they seemed to be particularly easily moved by such small things.

In the idol circle of my previous life, there was a saying: Thai fans are crazy, Chinese fans are crazy, Sister Ni is the same for ten years, and Korean maids turn their backs on people.

National characteristics?
Fang Xinghe wasn't sure, but he felt like he had found the code to the map.

After a tiring yet fulfilling day, I lay on the hotel bed, casually flipped through a few channels, and easily found my news report again.

The TV screen showed the situation inside the dome. I couldn't understand the audio, but I could hear the host's exaggerated tone.

This kind of midnight news is unlikely to be seen by many fans, but things will definitely be different starting tomorrow—Kadokawa reminded him very seriously before parting that the bonus period is over.

Now that he has openly emerged and drawn attention away from books and back to himself, the right-wing forces will no longer allow him to develop so leisurely.

In fact, starting two days ago, some newspapers began questioning Fang Xinghe's anti-Japanese stance.

Tomorrow, his personal popularity will reach a peak, and dissenting voices will become much more valuable. Even if it's for profit, many media outlets will dig deep into related news.

"But we must seize this opportunity."

Kadokawa's expression was particularly solemn, even somewhat sinister.

"Next year's election will basically see Koizumi come to power. He has already won 80% of the internal votes of the Liberal Party, and his platform... In short, there is still about a six-month honeymoon period between our two countries. During this period, we must build up our base to a certain extent, otherwise, in the next four years, you will probably have a hard time having opportunities to openly participate in activities in Japan."

Kadokawa is such a qualified manager.

He reminded Fang Xinghe of something he had never considered—the political environment.

During the honeymoon period, Fang Xinghe could wield immense power in Japan, but once the cooling-off period begins, he might even face a complete soft ban.

The only solution is to establish a large, self-sustaining foundation beforehand.

StarNet, official fan cafe, long-term endorsement, vast territory, a new work suitable for Japan, and... the urgent need for him from the cultural left.

With so much to do, Fang Xinghe realized that this was a race against time, but he didn't have many options left.

An unprecedented sense of urgency welled up in Fang Xinghe's heart.

The Japanese market is not actually his core base, but for Generation Z who are fiercely anti-Japanese, any shortfall in the Japanese market is equivalent to a huge loss.

Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the emperor—why can't I make money?
Looks like we need to do something big...

(End of this chapter)