Generation Z Artists

Chapter 142 Japanese Fans: We are called Star Apostles

In early September, the start of the new school year, Fang Xinghe quietly returned to the Experimental High School.

He didn't notify anyone and completely isolated himself from the media, appearing directly at the door of Class 1, Grade 12.

"Ai?"

"Wow!"

"Ahhh, Fang Xinghe!"

From confusion to shock, from shock to madness, a chorus of screams erupted from Class 1 of Senior Three.

"Be quiet!"

The homeroom teacher, Wang, put on a stern and authoritative face and banged hard on the podium.

"I am your new homeroom teacher, my surname is Wang. I will be supervising you through your final year of high school. Note my wording: it's not about accompanying you, it's about supervising, controlling, reminding, and restraining you!"

In my class, you are not allowed to do anything messy except study!
If anyone ignores my words, I won't just punish you; I'll punish your parents!

The old lady's imposing presence was terrifying, quickly quelling the students' unrest.

Only when the classroom was completely silent did she step aside and let Fang Xinghe stand on the podium.

"Starting this semester, Fang Xinghe will be one of us, working alongside us to prepare for the college entrance examination. I probably don't need to introduce him anymore. Here, I want to warn you all: Do not surround him, do not harass him, and do not use his information to make money..."

This situation is completely different from when I started high school.

Back then, Fang Xinghe had some fame, but it was far from being as renowned as it is now. His gentle demeanor was enough to keep everyone in line.

That won't work now. If we don't take a strict enough stance, many students will start to have all sorts of ulterior motives.

"Hello everyone."

Fang Xinghe greeted everyone with a smile: "I hope we can encourage each other in the coming year."

A simple sentence caused the silent classroom to erupt in another uncontrollable gasp.

Fang Xinghe walked briskly to the seat reserved for him in the corner, and finished his first class of the new school year amidst the various gazes of his new classmates.

When the bell rang, no one in the classroom stood up, but many people turned to look at the corner.

"Uh, Fang, Fang, Fang..."

The class monitor forced himself to communicate with him, but they immediately got stuck on the issue of how to address each other.

"Just call me Fang Xinghe." Brother Fang was very understanding and stood up. "I'm going out to see some friends. You guys do as you please."

Only after he left did the students in the class dare to move, and when they did, it was a violent commotion.

"Holy crap! How did Fang Xinghe end up in our class?"

"Not a single word! My God, my heart is pounding!"

"We've struck gold! Fang Xinghe, our class is awesome!"

"Aside from the increased pressure, nothing else is too big. Just thinking about being in the same class as him for a year makes me tremble all over..."

"Strange...isn't he in South Korea?"

The classroom was in complete chaos, with students huddled together in small groups, their excitement, fear, nervousness, and the girls' infatuation all intertwined in various discussions.

When it was time for morning exercises, all the teachers and students in the school knew that Fang Xinghe had returned. Then, the corridor on the fifth floor of the senior high school instantly became a pedestrian street, filled with women strolling back and forth.

"Bro, you're getting awesome more and more!"

He was so excited about groping her crotch that he couldn't help but lick his lips as he looked at the beautiful female students.

Fang asked suspiciously, "Why are there so many slutty women in the experiment?"

The correct meaning of "saucy women" in her mouth is: fashionable and well-dressed women.

Third Sister sneered, "They transferred here on purpose! Who doesn't know what they're up to? Shameless!"

"You're quite possessive of your food~~~" Rich Man chuckled mischievously. "When will you protect me too? I'm not bragging, Fourth Brother is super popular now!"

"Get lost! I don't care if you live or die!"

Fang Xinghe watched his friends making a ruckus with a smile, feeling very relaxed and content.

Liu Dashan did a good job, and the Twelve Eagles reunited at the Experimental High School.

Among them, Bai Bai, Xiao Jieba, Lu Tingting, Fang Yuting, and Da Diao got in on their own merits, Bao Fu paid a huge school selection fee, Duo Yu and Hei Zi were admitted through sports, Cai Cai was admitted through arts, and the remaining few, Tao Dang, Cheng Tuo, and Xiao Yanbian, had no choice but to transfer to a regular high school and study here.

As for that jinxed Xiao Ba who couldn't be contained, he was left to fend for himself.

Fang Dadan was thus officially included in the inner circle. The Thirteen Eagles remained the Thirteen Eagles and continued to develop a large number of unofficial members.

These guys were big celebrities as soon as they entered the school, and each of them was a big brother or sister in the class. But when they were with their big brother, they were just a bunch of heartless little idiots.

"Let's have lunch at my place," Fang Xinghe waved his hand. "Go home now."

……

At noon, the courtyard was packed with people, and a group of fans and media also gathered outside.

The news of Fang Xinghe's return to China spread at an alarming speed.

His friends finally had a chance to ask, "Bro, why did you suddenly come back? Weren't you still busy?"

Thanks to media coverage, everyone knows that Fang Xinghe's trip to Asia is not yet over.

"The official reason is to come back to attend the award ceremony, for the country's top student."

Fang Xinghe replied unhurriedly, "Actually... let's give the Japanese a good thrashing, this is the last wave, we have to take them down big time."

"Fuck!"

They jumped up in shock at their sudden wealth: "Making 100 million in South Korea isn't enough? Just how rich are the Japanese?!"

"Who told you that nonsense?" Fang Xinghe chuckled. "Where would South Korea get so much money?"

"It's all over the news, the article fee + endorsement fee + appearance fee, nine figures!"

“How could that be?” Fang Xinghe shook his head. “It’s less than 6000 million. After taxes, there’s only a little over 3000 million left, and we still have to give the Korean side a share of the profits. It’s far from the expected target.”

"Gudong Gudong..."

The group of friends were swallowing hard, completely stunned by the number.

"How much is that?"

"Will you be able to buy our pedestrian street soon?"

"My goodness, my dad wants to go to the south to work. He said he can earn more than 800 yuan a month, which is 1 yuan a year. It would take him more than 6000 years to earn that much?!"

Fang Xinghe chuckled: "I'm an exception. I can't make much money just by messing around in China."

This is the truth.

With two books, one magazine, and two endorsements in China, and such high popularity, he still didn't earn 1500 million yuan in total.

After going abroad and experiencing a bit of life, things immediately become different.

"The Snow in the Dark Night" + "The Young Me" earned 800 million RMB in royalties in Southeast Asia, 1500 million RMB in royalties in South Korea, and 5000 million RMB in royalties in Japan.

He had endorsements in Southeast Asia but didn't accept them, earning a total of 100 million in miscellaneous appearance fees.

He earned 4000 million from an endorsement deal in South Korea.

The two autograph sessions in Japan generated a total sales revenue of 1.6 million yen, with Mitsubishi Bank contributing 1500 million yen, for a total of 3500 million yen.

He has reserved 8 to 10 endorsement deals for Japanese companies, with an average price of around 10 million, which adds up to another 100 million. Indeed, the Japanese market is still the most lucrative; the scale and purchasing power are truly different.

It's a pity that the surrounding market is not mature yet, otherwise it would be a huge source of income.

Fang Xinghe held onto the copyright tightly.

In fact, both Japan and South Korea are capable of producing high-quality films like "The Snow of the Night" in their respective countries. The lenient censorship system allows them to work with full force without having to worry too much.

However, Fang Xinghe did not intend to let them reap the benefits of his success so easily—Chen Cang was the most popular persona in this era, with a fan-attracting ability far surpassing that of F4.

It can be said that whoever makes a good film adaptation of "Cang Ye Xue" will be able to launch a top idol and garner a huge following of book fans.

Fang Xinghe would rather not make this money and hold onto the copyright tightly than let Japan and South Korea take advantage of him.

However, he never refuses anyone too bluntly. Every time he communicates with someone, he listens very patiently to their opinions and then "carefully considers" them.

They've made a fool of the Japanese and South Korean film and television industries.

If you want to film "The Snow in the Dark Night," you'll have to risk your lives.

Oh, right, the poet Chen and the master Zhang from China haven't given up either, they're still thinking about it a lot.

They're all the same; they're all dreaming.

All his opponents thought Fang Xinghe was terrifying, but how many times more terrifying would Fang Xinghe, who was not short of money, be? They had never seen it before.

Japanese companies, currently in dire straits, are the perfect targets for this torment.

On September 4th, Fang Xinghe received the "Three Good Student" award and gave a speech as a student representative. After the speech, he was interviewed live by the Japanese media outlet NHK Education Channel.

It's supposed to be an education channel, but all the questions they're asking are about economics.

"Fang Xinghe, you still have many activities to finish in Japan. When do you plan to return to Japan to complete them?"

Fang Xinghe raised an eyebrow in surprise: "What activity?"

The reporter's smile was stiff: "For example, business activities similar to those in South Korea? You have a very promising business prospect in Japan, don't you plan to make the most of it?"

Fang Xinghe frowned and waved his hand: "I'm sorry, I'm a student, a writer, and possibly a cultural zealot, but I'm definitely not a businessman. I'm not interested in what you're talking about."

The reporter's eyes widened: "But your activities in South Korea went very smoothly!"

Fang Xinghe casually pulled Wang Charlie in front of the camera: "Ask him about business matters. I really don't know, and I don't pay attention to it."

With his pale, white face, Wang Chali launched into a very serious tirade.

The gist is: "I am extremely indignant about the unfair treatment my boss has received in your country. My boss values ​​respect more than money. Although terminating the scheduled activities in Japan will sadden fans, in order to protect the boss's dignity and personal safety, we regretfully have to terminate all activities in Japan..."

This was the first time in half a month that Japanese media had conducted a solo interview with Fang Xinghe.

The news caused a huge reaction when it reached Japan.

Japan currently looks down on South Korea.

The relationship between China, Japan, and South Korea is so complex that it's truly difficult to understand without having lived through this era and experienced the lives of ordinary people in each of the three countries.

Generally speaking—

Chinese people generally hate Japan more than they admire it, and tend to ignore South Korea, until Korean dramas and the Korean Wave changed the mindset of the younger generation.

South Koreans tend to be more pro-Japanese than anti-Japanese, look down on mainland China, but treat Hong Kong and Taiwan differently.

The Japanese public generally acknowledges the greatness of Chinese civilization and the formidable fighting spirit of the Chinese people, but looks down on South Koreans. The right wing is anti-China and the left wing is pro-China.

Japan has two different attitudes toward its history of aggression against China and its history of aggression against Korea.

The former is very serious, with the right wing trying hard to revise it and the left wing fiercely exposing it. When discussing related issues among the public, they have a stance but are not frivolous. However, they treat the history of the invasion of South Korea very frivolously, and whenever South Korea protests, there will be a lot of ridicule.

Respect and awe for the strong are the main reasons why Fang Xinghe still attracts fans even after his outrageous behavior in Japan.

Therefore, when Prince Fang Xinghe "abandoned" Japan and went to South Korea, and cooperated closely with South Korea, which they looked down upon, it immediately broke the defenses of many Japanese.

Having accepted so many endorsements from South Korea and received such preferential treatment and enthusiastic responses, not only Fang's fans cannot accept it, but many media outlets also cannot accept it.

But whose fault is this?
It's all your fault, you right-wingers!
Fang Xinghe's voice is gaining more and more attention. Many neutral people hate Fang Xinghe because of their national pride, but now they hope to get his response because of their national pride.

Why are you so friendly to the weak South Koreans?

Don't we, the Yamato people, deserve it?!

Once those large companies eager to capitalize on Fang Xinghe's popularity went all out, the power of capital completely overwhelmed any futile stances.

"We want money! And Fang Xinghe is money! Bring him back, immediately!"

In an effort to win back Prince Fang Xinghe's heart, various parties began to torture the extreme right wing.

"To issue a death threat to a minor is not in line with the Bushido spirit of the Yamato people. You should apologize for your shamelessness and cowardice!"

"Your Highness Fang Xinghe has a thousand reasons to look down on you, and now I have the same reason."

"People-to-people exchanges should be resolved at the people level, and cultural disputes should remain at the cultural level. Your boar-like thinking has made Japan lose face on the international stage."

"This is outrageous! The South Korean media are mocking us every day, is this even acceptable?"

"Star Apostles, mobilize all the forces you can influence, and we will begin to boycott all the following right-wing media outlets and right-wing forces (list attached)!"

When Fang Xinghe returned to South Korea to film an advertisement, the topic of petitioning to bring back His Highness Fang Xinghe became extremely popular on the Japanese internet.

Fang Xinghe has not responded to this.

Then the Japanese fans went crazy—they organized more than 200 fans to fly to Seoul and hold up banners downstairs at the hotel where Fang Xinghe was staying.

"Is it almost done, Your Highness?" Kadokawa Tsukihiko asked respectfully.

Fang Xinghe stood with his hands behind his back in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the scene below, his eyes somewhat vacant: "I was waiting for you to tell me about their terms, treatment, and sincerity, but you told me the time is almost right... What does 'time' mean?"

Kadokawa Tsutohiko, his head covered in bumps, bowed deeply and said, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight!"

Fang Xinghe glanced at him coldly: "Next time, come to me with the best terms you can negotiate, and don't bow anymore."

"Hi Yi!"

He was told not to bow anymore, but he still bowed.

Lee Byung-wook looked at his Japanese counterpart with schadenfreude, secretly raising his chin—look how pathetic this little cabinet is!
However, his smugness didn't last long—Fang Xinghe turned and glanced at him, saying casually, "Now it's an internal competition between the two of you. Don't lose too badly, President Li."

Li Bingyu's heart tightened, and he subconsciously bent down: "Hi!"

Everyone in the room stared at him, dumbfounded.

Hey buddy, where are you from?

Having lost face, Lee Byung-wook covered his face and ran away to get to work, only to be hung up and beaten by Kadokawa, who was spurred to action by his shame.

Fang Xinghe had a total of 10 advertising slots left. Kadokawa took 8 of them, Li Bingyu only got 1, and Sprite took the last one.

On September 12th, Fang Xinghe finished filming all the Korean commercials and set foot on Japanese soil for the second time.

This time, he brought Dong Ge along to make final arrangements for the launch of the Japanese version of StarNet.

As soon as he got off the plane, Dong Ge was completely shocked. The arrival hall was packed with Japanese girls, who held up specially made starry sky sticks—red shells with a small light bulb inside that blinked, artificially creating a starry sky.

As Fang Xinghe walked through the crowd under the protection of her security team, cries and shouts erupted. The joy of "being found again" made them surge forward wildly, instantly breaking through the security cordon set up by the airport security and coming into close combat with Fang Xinghe's team.

Narita International Airport experienced its most chaotic day in history, with heart-wrenching cries echoing throughout the airport.

Japanese media stared blankly at the scene, and the headline of today's news suddenly popped into their minds—

The King of the Star Apostles has arrived for the second time.

(End of this chapter)