Generation Z Artists

Chapter 132 Fang Xinghe様(さま)
The next day, Fang Xinghe dominated the entertainment news in newspapers and on television.

NHK specially set aside time to broadcast the recording of his autograph session, and the resulting special program was nearly an hour long. The uniquely Japanese flamboyance made Fang Xinghe's team, who did not understand Japanese, feel uncomfortable.

But Japanese audiences really love this kind of thing.

"God-like beauty" is the most basic and simplest compliment.

The "hybrid of man and god" takes it to another level.

This compliment might not sound very impactful in a Chinese context, but it was actually quite significant because Japan at that time highly valued mixed-race individuals.

It seems that the government once carried out a "racial upgrading plan" which systematically and deliberately mixed with Western whites, resulting in high-quality mixed-race children being highly sought after and receiving many preferential treatments in recent years.
In short, this is yet another Japanese characteristic that Fang Xinghe is unaware of.

Of course, the most significant one is the joke that came from Fang Xinghe's mouth—"I belong to all the girls in the world."

No one criticized him for making such a joke. On the contrary, the NHK presenter embellished the joke with exaggerated expressions and tone.

"Wow! This is the dream of every girl in the world!"

Then this nickname was firmly attached to Fang Xinghe's head, and many print media outlets added the prefix "dream of a young girl" when reporting on him.

Discussions about appearance accounted for a large proportion of today's trending topics.

Japanese media outlets have been holding back for a long time; some even wrote their articles as early as seven days ago. However, due to Kadokawa's influence and the continued popularity of "Sakura no Yuki," they haven't rushed to publish them.

Now, the media's all-out attack has directly ingrained a concept in the minds of the Japanese people—Fang Xinghe is as handsome as Apollo, the sun god.

Japan has absolutely nothing to do with Greek mythology, but the Japanese are surprisingly drawn to it. Chinese culture is their core, and Western culture is their soul. It sounds awkward, but they are truly a unity of core and soul, both Western and Chinese.

Therefore, when traditional media wrote, "Indeed, only the Chinese nation with its five thousand years of glorious history could have nurtured such unparalleled beauty," readers readily agreed.

Western media outlets wrote that "the bones and blood of the sun god Apollo were reborn in the East," and readers agreed with this view.

In short, everyone agreed that Fang Xinghe's handsomeness was extremely rare, unique, and precious.

So, what did this handsome guy do?

He wrote the most popular book in Japan in nearly thirteen years, and its popularity can rival that of Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood"—which was published thirteen years ago and whose first-month sales were not even as high as Soya Yuki's.

Starting with appearance and ending with talent, there are so many things to write about along this line.

Moreover, what's most remarkable is that, since Fang Xinghe is a foreigner who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, every aspect of his work piques the curiosity of a large number of readers, so whatever he writes can sell well, which fully guarantees the continuity of popularity and the versatility of his perspective.

For example, the main topic of recent debate in the literary field has naturally extended to Fang Xinghe himself.

—Is "The Snow in the Dark Night" traditional literature or popular literature?

in the country, it is categorized as popular literature.

However, in Japan, many mainstream writers consider this a work of serious literature.

Takashi Atoda stated directly: "The novel 'Azure Night Snow' is qualified to win any literary award!"

This person is very important, and these words are even more important.

Fang Xinghe couldn't even understand why he was so supportive of him. Was it really because he valued talent? That seemed unlikely.

In the end, Kadokawa provided the answer: "He and Junichi Watanabe, another authoritative judge of the Naoki Prize, are competing against your 'Azure Night Snow'!"

Fang Xinghe suddenly realized.

Then, a little ambition arose in his mind: "If I had more influence, would I really have a chance to win the Naoki Prize?"

He doesn't care about the award, but he guesses that the Chinese people care a lot about it right now.

Kadokawa shook its head bluntly: "Impossible. We may compete, but our bottom line is unchangeable. The Naoki Prize in January next year will basically go to Hideo Okuda's 'The Demon' and Harutoshi Fukui's 'The Shield of the Fallen Nation.' It's their turn..."

"You use wheels too?"

"Could it be that you are also like this?"

Kadokawa and Fang Xinghe looked at each other for a while, then suddenly turned their heads away.

To change the subject, Fang Xinghe asked, "How's the quality of those two books? Are they worth translating and reading?"

"not so good."

Kadokawa shook his head: "It's filled with a lot of personal but meaningless text. The story isn't particularly original, and the structure can't compare to Ao's. But you know, that's how literature is. Not every award-winning work is good."

That's so fitting for his status.

It's important to understand that serious literature never strives to be entertaining, but if it's not entertaining, it's unlikely to become a bestseller...

"Bestseller status is a negative factor when it comes to winning awards."

Kadokawa chuckled mischievously: "As far as I know, Cang wasn't shortlisted for your country's Mao Dun Literature Prize either, was he?"

It's not just Mao Dun; he's completely unrelated to any literary awards.

In China, popular literature is a nicer term, while new youth literature is considered a status symbol. The harshest criticisms are a barrage of "vulgar, contrived, and crude," unlike the more tolerant approach in Japan.

“We’re not being lenient,” Wang Charlie said leisurely. “This matches up. If it doesn’t, try again?”

That's true. Everyone knows how picky the Japanese are. If something doesn't click with them, they won't get any appreciation even if it's given to them for free.

What if the book and the author were on the same wavelength at the same time?

Literary critic Mariko Ozaki expressed a double fervor: "The novel *Azure Night Snow* certainly deserves all literary awards, and Fang Xinghe-sama (さま) has used the Tohoku region to depict all of Japan except Tokyo, and he deserves all praise. At 15, he was simply born for literature; the natural majesty and sincerity he exudes are like the double helixes of his writing, possessing a conquering power capable of moving even the hardest heart. Just look at Fang Xinghe-sama's face, and you'll understand what a divine gift the publication of *Azure Night Snow* is..."

Cangchui naturally transitioned to Fangchui, and his condition worsened day by day.

Where is the logic in these words?
Is she normal?

But at this point, it's normal for things to be abnormal.

Since even professional literary critics have been affected, readers will only be more affected. Just because of Fang Xinghe's face, 75% of readers have begun to think that "Cang Ye Xue" is serious literature.

—NHK conducted a street interview, and the results showed that 75% of those who had read the book thought it was profound and serious.

God knows if it's true or not.

However, the reverse version is indeed crazy enough to subvert the gloom and despair compared to the revenge version. The Japanese have stuck with this version and love it so much that they will not allow anyone to say anything bad about it.

Therefore, the literary world has been hit by a backlash—usually, it was the literary world that influenced ordinary readers, but now ordinary readers are writing to question: What do you know about "Cang Ye Xue"? Who gave you the courage to criticize "Cang Ye Xue"? Are you doing this because you are too jealous of Fang Xinghe?

Many people either fell silent or changed their tune, and as a result, Aoi Sora was "recognized" as serious literature in Japan.

What's the point of this?
The significance is that if Fang Xinghe and Keigo Higashino both participate in an event, Fang will appear after Higashino, indicating a more important status, greater influence, and greater public tolerance towards him.

On the day the dust settled, Kadokawa breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Fang Sang, this is the most important thing I've done for you."

He was very serious and earnest.

"Having spent so much money and mobilized so many resources, we have finally achieved the most crucial step..."

The title of "traditional writer" holds unexpected value in Japan. Writers themselves already enjoy preferential treatment, but comic book writers, playwrights, popular literature writers, and traditional literature writers are still considered four different categories.

"Once this concept takes root in people's minds, the Japanese public will be extremely tolerant of you, and you can be bolder." Just how tolerant?
Here is a very intuitive example.

A Fuji TV presenter pointed to the screen—a recording of the waiting room—where the female idols were particularly shy when greeting Fang Xinghe—and immediately began to exclaim in an exaggerated manner.

"What enviable treatment! Is this gentleman some kind of prince?"

The straight man continued, "Look at them, they're practically begging to serve you in bed! Hey, look at her, she's even tugging her legs together!"

None of the guests present felt anything was wrong; on the contrary, they all commented on the female idol.

"It really did react~~~"

"If it's about serving someone in bed, Morning Musume isn't good enough..."

"Yes, that would make Fang Xinghe look down on us. Is this the only level of hospitality we Japanese can offer?"

"No, no, this absolutely won't do! Quickly tell those club presidents to bring out real noble ladies! Take Fang Xinghe's virginity, and then get his seed, we need to improve our genes!"

"Yes! If those guys who had the chance didn't send pure virgins to the hotel, they should definitely commit seppuku to atone for their sins against our entire nation!"

……

When Fang Xinghe accidentally stumbled upon this program and, with the help of a translator, understood their noisy and chaotic content, he was completely taken aback.

Although it was just a variety show, its audacity still shocked Brother Fang.

Morning Musume is the hottest "national idol group" this year, with a single that has sold nearly 200 million copies. Their variety show "Hello! Morning" has been a long-running hit. New members Maki Goto and another pretty girl, Natsumi Abe, seem to be goddesses, but in the eyes of these guests, they are not even worthy of being "entertained" by Fang Xinghe.

What's even more outrageous?
The president of an entertainment company actually came to our door with "gifts"!
They had originally agreed to discuss a collaboration, but the first thing they did was offer five young girls, and the other party even apologized, saying, "The gifts are meager and the hospitality is inadequate"...

Kadokawa grinned mischievously, urging him to leave his virginity in Japan, saying he could help contact Nanako Matsushima...

Fang Ge, being such an upright person, naturally refused to do it, but through their explanation, he understood his "authority" in Japan.

Simply put: flirting with female celebrities or having affairs with female celebrities will not only not affect his reputation, but will also make his fans more loyal, and will make the public envious and talk about him. This is extremely helpful in expanding his popularity, generating buzz and expanding his fan base.

Even for top stars like Nanako Matsushima, Ayumi Hamasaki, and Miho Nakayama, getting his first time would be an honor.

There's even a growing voice in the public urging female idols to get pregnant with Fang Xinghe's child, saying things like, "You're nothing special shining on those lousy stages; the real shining thing is writhing around in Fang Xinghe's bed."

The original quote received over 18000 likes on the Pann forum, which is truly outrageous.

A group of fellow disciples who were practicing asceticism on Mount Wudang looked at each other, their heads buzzing, completely unable to understand.

But in fact, there were similar voices when Jin Chengwu was at his peak, though not many. Fang Xinghe's talent and intelligence were too great, and the status of traditional writers was too high, which made these crazy people even more insane.

This is the biggest difference between Japan and South Korea.

The Japanese are more concerned about their reputation, so they won't say that Fang Xinghe has Japanese blood. They just want Fang Dian to leave his seed so that his child will become Japanese.

Hmm, the more children the better.

What if one of our descendants happens to be born into our family, and it helps improve our family's bloodline?

In short, this is not just idle talk from netizens and the media. Every potential business partner who came to visit brought a woman with him, some even with their wives and daughters... They were not only serious, but they were also very extravagant.

Fang Xinghe had no choice but to close his doors to visitors and hand over complete control to Kadokawa and Charlie.

Although having the pleasures of a particular lady or young lady can earn the friendship of that head of the household—listen to that!

However, judging from the current situation, the other party not only does not keep it a secret, but is also very willing to show it off, which makes Fang Xinghe feel that he is the one being hunted and played with, and thus he feels very vigilant and angry.

You think you're good enough for me?!
Since it's not illegal, many people are still trying it.

Kadokawa seized this opportunity to gain primary control over all of Fang Xinghe's affairs in Japan.

He did a pretty good job. While fully respecting Fang Xinghe's personal will, he spoke gently to the powerful president of the company and loudly reprimanded the small businessmen who were not in a good position. He quickly made the seekers understand how inhumane it was to do such a thing to a 15-year-old boy. He also made the rumor that His Highness Fang Xinghe was "still looking forward to a perfect love" spread inside and outside the circle.

Fang Xinghe (さま) is becoming more and more fragrant.

At this time, Japan was like a madhouse of revelry, pouring all its passion into this outsider.

Business cooperation is progressing rapidly, but the progress of breaking the virginity is still a long way off. This is the result of Fang Xinghe's team in the next few days.

First, it was a battle among luxury brands for supremacy, with Prada ultimately taking a one-foot lead.

Secondly, there was the financial endorsement. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi offered Fang Xinghe a five-year contract worth 1 billion yen, which inflated his value to 15 million RMB per year. Without hesitation, Fang Xinghe immediately decided to sign the contract.

This largest Japanese bank has multiple branches in China, such as in Beijing, Shanghai, and Dalian, and participates in lending and trade financing to China, serving as an important bridge for Sino-Japanese economic and trade relations.

Their desire to sign Fang Xinghe was unparalleled.

Firstly, Japan's internal credit card business can experience explosive growth, and secondly, its commercial promotion in China can also receive a huge boost.

Therefore, they were the first merchants to be identified, and the Tosan representatives were willing to meet or mostly meet any conditions Kadokawa proposed.

On the third day of the book signing event, the conditions for signing the contract were met.

Because of the tight schedule, the press conference was not postponed any further and was scheduled for the morning of the fourth day.

Once Fang Xinghe signs the contract, he will immediately possess international commercial value second only to a handful of people such as Hendrik Willem Van Loon, Princess Consort, and Jeremy Li.

Next, the team will travel to Osaka for their second autograph session before leaving Japan to arrive in South Korea as international superstars.

Therefore, the significance of this press conference cannot be overstated.

There's no doubt about Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi's ability to organize such events; the press conference was a grand affair.

As a result, during the media's free questioning session, a reporter from Weekly Shincho suddenly jumped up and revealed the emperor's new clothes that no one else wanted to talk about.

"Fang Xinghe, you hate Japan so much, even saying things like 'massacring Tokyo for 366 days,' why are you still making money off the Japanese?! Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, are you selling out your country? Are you colluding with Kadokawa Tsutohiko, that traitorous businessman, to betray the feelings and interests of our Yamato people?!"
Traitor! Lackey! Damn capitalist! Despicable hypocrite…”

Before the security guards dragged him away, he had already sworn a long string of curses, which was recorded by all the media.

The contract manager from Mitsubishi Bank was furious, his face turning ashen. He grabbed the media liaison by the collar and demanded, "How did you let such a well-known right-wing media outlet in?!"

The guy was dumbfounded: "I...I don't know...I checked the list several times..."

Kadokawa observed with detachment, realizing that this was an internal power struggle within Mitsubishi Bank.

He ignored everything else, only whispering in Fang Xinghe's ear, "Don't respond. Today is just for signing the contract. Smile, sign, shake hands, and leave the rest to the other party..."

Fang Xinghe nodded slightly and did as instructed.

This isn't our home turf, so any explanations given here won't be very effective.

Let this matter continue to develop, and wait for a better battlefield and a better entry point.

So, even after the signing ceremony ended and media reporters chased him all the way to the underground parking lot, surrounding and intercepting him, Fang Xinghe did not utter a single word about the matter.

He simply looked out at the outside world calmly, without avoiding anyone's gaze, but also without rushing to respond to any provocation.

This scene was broadcast on news programs on major television stations, which earned him a lot of publicity.

(End of this chapter)