Generation Z Artists

Chapter 158 The Oprah Winfrey Show
On this completely unfamiliar land, Fang Xinghe maintained a steady and low profile.

Stable = Not accepting any invitations.

Keeping a low profile means not giving any interviews.

So until The Oprah Winfrey Show came out, no media outlet had ever met with him.

Under normal circumstances, using scarcity marketing in this way is not a good strategy. It is easy to offend people, affect media friendliness, and also easily lead some media to make up stories for the sake of news.

But this is an abnormal situation, and Fang Xinghe hopes they will fabricate stories to generate buzz.

As a result, the American tabloids did a pretty good job.

When Fang Xinghe went to record "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the show's online viewership surged by 30%, an astonishing figure.

This brought Fang Xinghe many preferential treatments, of course, excluding Oprah's attitude.

Before the recording began, when we officially met, Oprah was an extremely approachable middle-aged woman.

"Hey Fang, can I call you that? I'm Oprah, you can call me Lady O. Wow wow wow, sweetheart, you're so cool!"

Fang Xinghe gently hugged the suffocatingly perfumed Aunt Ao, then looked at her with a smile: "Thank you. I'm not good at lying, but you are really very kind and gentle."

"Haha, not beautiful? I thought I might have a little bit of cuteness in the eyes of Chinese people..."

“You have a misunderstanding about Chinese people, but it’s cute.”

"Hahahaha!"

Oprah laughed heartily and quickly pulled Fang Xinghe to sit down.

"Sit down, please sit down. I like you so much, I'm going to really enjoy today's show!"

"Me too. I originally didn't plan to do any interviews, but you made me change my mind."

"YE, YE, I know, so thank you, we'll be good friends."

The initial communication took about 40 minutes, and both the host and guests had a pleasant time.

But that was obviously fake.

Once Fang Xinghe left her office, Oprah's warm smile instantly turned cold and shrewd. As she flipped through the documents, she muttered, "A clever kid."

When Fang Xinghe returned to the lounge, his feedback to Wang Charlie was: "A perverted woman."

Oprah Winfrey is a phenomenon.

If we compare popularity and influence, Fang Xinghe's level in China is far inferior to Oprah's level in the United States.

In a country like the Great America, what does it mean for a daytime talk show to have an average audience of 2200 million per episode?
This is not a matter of coverage and market share at all, but rather an alternative cultural icon.

Her die-hard viewers watch the show for her, regardless of whether the topics are interesting or not, and this year the number of viewers has never fallen below 2000 million.

It can be roughly understood that she has hundreds of millions of casual fans, more than 20 million core fans, and millions of die-hard fans. Some time ago, she recommended a book called "The Café of Socrates," and its sales skyrocketed 28 times that month, selling 1.7 million copies.

That wasn't her book, it was just a recommendation.

The total population of the United States this year is only 2.85 million. If you remove young children and rural rednecks in the Midwest, and then remove die-hard white supremacists from various religious sects, most of the remaining people have a favorable impression of her.

On the path of becoming a cultural icon, she has indeed gone further, more thoroughly, and earlier than Fang Xinghe.

However, through her approachable image, Fang Xinghe fully realized her true nature.

Absolutely ruthless, cruel to others, even more so to oneself, with a heart as hard as iron.

In an attempt to gain sympathy, she spoke candidly about the first half of her life—falling into delinquency, becoming pregnant and suffering a miscarriage due to theft by the Western Poisoner, and ultimately turning over a new leaf.

She recounted those experiences as "enlightenment stories," highlighting her current qualities of open-mindedness, tolerance, peace, and empathy, all stemming from suffering.

Essentially, she and Fang Xinghe use the same approach. Fang Xinghe is "beautiful, strong, and tragic" but doesn't mention it, and she doesn't exaggerate the "tragic" aspects either, but emphasizes "resilience and empathy," taking a more mainstream approach.

very smart.

She truly represents the American Dream today. She endured poverty and hardship during her youth, but through her own abilities rather than resorting to underhanded means, she earned her opportunities and ultimately achieved greatness.

In terms of personality, she is an absolute strong person.

From a relationship perspective, Fang Xinghe viewed her as a partner he needed to be wary of.

Forget about feelings, just keep acting.

Mutual respect, each getting what they need, tacit cooperation, and common prosperity.

A collaboration between a top American celebrity and a top Chinese celebrity—how novel! But this is about to happen.

……

At 2 p.m. sharp, the Oprah Winfrey Show began recording.

More than 300 audience members came to the venue through a lottery and application. Fang Xinghe looked out through the starlight panel and saw that half of the people were shining with a faint light representing the pink level.

Yes, he has fans in the United States too.

Oprah's opening was very interesting; she posed a question and then gave a series of answers, making everyone choose.

Who exactly is Fang Xinghe?

This is the topic that the American public is most concerned about, and there are already more than a dozen different answers on the Internet.

The director projects the answers onto a screen behind the scenes, ranking them from fewest to most based on the number of people who believed them—

1. Bestselling author.

It is believed by the fewest people and is a rumor that has been ridiculed by the masses.

Below the entry, two comments from netizens were made public.

You should see a doctor.

"I swear, I will block you idiots forever!"

2. Chinese high school students who have never participated in professional basketball games.

It ranked second in terms of being ridiculed by the masses.

"Wow, that's hilarious. So, an amateur beat our five-star high school student and NCAA Major League winner to tears?"

"The moment he first picked up the basketball, he suddenly spoke: I am the God of Basketball, I have finally awakened my divine power... Is that so?"

3. A super idol whose fame resounds throughout Asia.

The opinions of netizens began to become chaotic.

"I couldn't believe it, but I have a classmate who is studying abroad in China, and he told me it's true!"

"Nonsense! I won't believe a single word of it!"

"My God, this is insane!"

4. The captain of this year's team at Shohoku High School, a well-known basketball high school in Japan.

Many believe in it.

"I knew it! He must be the model for Rukawa Kaede, only he could be so handsome!"

"WTF, isn't Fang Chinese?"

"Any questions?"

"This is a huge problem, involving both Japanese and Chinese!"

"We're all Asians, and isn't Asia all Chinese territory? Shouldn't Japan have been a province of China during the Tang Dynasty?"

"Jesus!"

5. Korean celebrities.

Many believe in it.

"Look what I found! A Samsung phone advertisement!"

"Yes, he is Korean, and his father still lives in Korea."

"Although there is no evidence, my intuition tells me that as long as he appears on television, people's attention will be drawn to him, and there is no reason why he should not become popular."

"So what roles has he played?"

"That assassin is super cool."

6. A martial arts successor from a mysterious school in China.

There are many believers.

"That's how the Chinese are; they'll cultivate themselves in the deep mountains for many years, and then suddenly appear, giving everyone a big surprise..."

"Wudang! Yes, Wudang!"

What does "Wudang" mean? Is it a place that trains children to become assassins?

"I don't know, but that's what the Post says."

"He is indeed Master Zhong's disciple. Just last year, Master Zhong came to the United States for martial arts exchanges and performed in New York. I think this answer is very credible."

……

At that time, there was very little communication between the American and Chinese people, and most media outlets were unable to investigate the origins of Fang Xinghe, so they mainly relied on compilation and speculation.

A jumble of rumors mixed with some truths is driving Americans crazy.

"Dear viewers, shall we let Fang tell us the answer himself?"

Oprah effortlessly controlled the pace, her cheerful smile flowing naturally: "Come on, multiple choice!"

The head of the online trolls certainly knew how to cooperate with the other side to create a good show effect.

"OK, then I'll choose answer number 1 first."

Oprah exclaimed in exaggerated surprise: "Number 1? Bestselling author?! Good heavens, are you sure?!"

“Of course.” Fang Xinghe shrugged easily. “That’s easy to verify.”

"Yes Yes!"

Oprah laughed heartily and suddenly pulled three books from under the table—Chinese versions of "The Snow in the Night," "My Youth," and "Our Youth."

"These are Fang's three books, translated into more than ten languages, with sales exceeding 3000 million copies across Asia. He is the best-selling author in the field of young adult literature!"

Oprah, looking pleased with her successful prank, held up the book and showed it off to the audience.

"Did you guess right? The most unlikely and unbelievable answer is actually true! Hahaha, this is just too funny!"

"Wow……"

A gasp erupted from the audience, many covering their heads in disbelief.

This dramatic shift in image, from martial to scholarly, is both shocking and deeply memorable.

When many people looked at Fang Xinghe again, they suddenly felt a sense of gentleness and refinement about him.

Fang Xinghe's outfit was also very neat today.

She wore her hair in a slicked-back style, a moon-white Chinese-style embroidered jacket, and no jewelry, but she did wear a pair of non-prescription glasses with gold-rimmed frames and chains.

The chain of his glasses hung down from his profile, swaying gently, creating an indescribable image of a refined and elegant gentleman.

When Fang Ge isn't acting crazy, it's hard to associate him with a refined scoundrel. Some men might just subconsciously think, "How can this guy be so good at pretending?"

But men's opinions don't matter; as long as the women like it, that's enough.

A scream suddenly came from the front row of the audience: "Fang, do you have a girlfriend? I love you!"

The Oprah Winfrey Show has a very free atmosphere, and Oprah herself is happy to welcome these little fun surprises.

She turned to Fang Xinghe: "Give her an answer. I bet you have at least seven girlfriends, but she probably wouldn't mind being the eighth..."

"No." Fang Xinghe shook his head with a slight smile. "Not a single one."

"Why? That's not scientific!" Oprah deliberately widened her eyes.

"Because I wasn't prepared to manage a relationship." Fang Xinghe replied seriously. This question was related to the differences between China and the West. Western men generally lack a sense of responsibility, but he couldn't let foreigners think that Chinese men were the same.

“We Chinese have a different concept of relationships. The reasons that drive us to make a decision to fall in love are often not ‘this is cool,’ ‘this is interesting,’ or ‘it’s time,’ but a comprehensive consideration based on a sense of responsibility. Not affecting or hurting the other person is our basic understanding of love.”

"Wow……"

Oprah was genuinely taken aback; she hadn't expected such a simple question to escalate to this level, but her reaction was incredibly quick.

"That's amazing! I mean, the love views of you Chinese men are truly amazing. This will save us women from a lot of hurt, won't it?"

"Yes."

Fang Sheng silently punched himself, thinking, "Anyway, it's all in America."

"A real man should not hurt a woman. If you're going to be in a relationship, you must have the mindset of taking care of her and protecting her from the start."

This statement is unlikely to be accepted by American men.

But who cares? All men in the world are the same. They're only willing to spend money on games, foot massages, and Viagra; otherwise, they don't deserve to sit at the table.

If being a male enemy allows you to exploit women, then go for it.

Fang Xinghe's answer greatly increased the favorability of the female audience members.

No matter how much they pride themselves on being independent, or how much they like to project a tough image, their inner needs cannot be hidden from them.

"Whoosh!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause and whistles rang out, and more and more women shouted "I love you."

Oprah began to take control of the pace.

"So, how did you begin your writing journey?"

This isn't a self-praise segment; it's a sob story segment.

Fang Xinghe was very clear-headed, so he didn't directly talk about how tragic it was.

“When I was very young, I always had all sorts of questions in my mind, but no one could explain them to me or tell me why, so I could only think about them on my own.”

You know, having too many thoughts will only lead to suppressed emotions.

Since I had no one to talk to, I could only write in my diary, and that was the earliest form of writing..."

"Why is there no one to talk about it?" Oprah promptly chimed in with her own witty remark.

"because……"

Fang Xinghe paused slightly, his lips moved twice, and then he pursed his lips and replied, "My father abandoned us, and my mother passed away relatively early."

"Ah! Sorry!"

Oprah exaggeratedly covered her mouth.

Like her, many female viewers covered their mouths, their surprise followed by a surge of intense heartache.

Who wouldn't feel sorry for such a beautiful yet pitiful young man?

The award-winning actor smiled and said, "It's alright, it's all in the past."

"So, you became an orphan at a very young age?"

"Ah."

"My God! This is incredible! So you achieved all of this on your own?"

"I don't have much yet."

"No, no, no, in my heart you've already been very successful and amazing. Fang, could you share more with everyone, for example: how would you describe your childhood?"

"Powerlessness in bewilderment."

After a moment's consideration, Fang Xinghe used two very unusual words.

"What about it?"

"At that time, I was confused about many things. I could realize that something was wrong and that things shouldn't be like this, but I didn't know where the problem was or how to solve it."

So I often find myself in a helpless situation.

Father hit Mother again, and Mother is writhing in pain again. School fees are due again, and we're out of rice again...

There are too many things I can't solve, or even understand, so I can only watch everything happen; my little bit of strength is completely useless.

Oprah stared intently at Fang Xinghe, her expression deeply moved.

"I've found that unhappy people often have similarities. Before I turned 14, I had the exact same feelings as you. It's just that I wasn't as good at reflecting on things as you were, nor as strong."

Back then, I didn't want to think about anything. I used alcohol and drugs to relieve the maddening resentment. What about you? How did you get back on your feet?

"I choose to fight."

Fang Xinghe spread his hands in a very American style, his tone carrying just the right amount of pride.

“I confronted those who tried to bully me head-on, sometimes getting hurt, sometimes winning. When they started to fear me, I naturally emerged from that shadow.”

"Wow, that's awesome!"

Oprah's witty remark was met with applause from the audience.

The national conditions are different. In the United States, individualism is prevalent, and teenagers' worship of the strong is more blatant, so they don't need to consider any negative impact and can say it openly.

"So, you learned kung fu for self-defense?"

"Yes, I had no other way to protect myself. Young people won't listen to reason; force is always more effective."

“In reality, adults won’t listen to your reasoning either,” Oprah’s criticism was sharp. “Like those idiots who try to humiliate you.”

The story then naturally shifts to everything that happened during the trial period.

"Can you tell us about it?"

Fang waved his hand dismissively: "It's just a small matter. The media has already reported on it extensively. I have nothing more to add."

Oprah immediately changed her tune: "You don't seem surprised at all by their inexplicable malice?"

"I'm used to it." Fang Xinghe smiled easily. "I'm always enduring inexplicable malice."

Some female audience members covered their mouths on the spot, feeling that the angels on stage were so pitiful.

In order to exploit the American public, the award-winning actor Fang went all out, delivering a natural and relaxed performance that perfectly captured the resilience of a white lotus growing in the mud.

Oprah's cooperation was also excellent; she expressed understanding with a gesture of deep empathy.

"YEYE, I understand. When someone is too ugly or too outstanding, there will always be inexplicable malice directed at them. I am the former, and you are the latter. In essence, we are both outliers."

Her greatest strength isn't in summarizing, but in extending her ideas.

"I can't fight against all of that, so I choose to actively integrate. What about you? You seem to still be angry?"

"Yes, I'm still young, and I'm still angry."

“I’m almost as angry as you are,” she continued. “Those guys actually used the word 'murder' to accuse you. Don’t they have any shame?”

“I held back; they weren’t seriously injured.”

Fang Xinghe spread his hands: "Of course, psychological trauma is not my responsibility; I only punish their physical bodies."

Apart from Ryder, who lost a few teeth and suffered a moderate concussion, the others were not seriously injured.

Their complaints to the media were primarily aimed at gaining sympathy and protecting the talent show from interference.

But how is this possible?

Most teams have already condemned them to failure; they're terrible and prone to causing trouble. Why would they be chosen to make things worse?
The studio erupted in laughter again, after which Oprah completely shifted the topic to kung fu.

"You're a professional, I mean, a real kung fu master, right?"

"Yes."

Americans don't buy into humility, so Fang Xinghe was full of confidence and high spirits.

"At the same weight, no one should be able to beat me."

Wow, worldwide?

"worldwide."

Oprah was extremely surprised: "What kind of kung fu do you practice? Is it that powerful?"

"My fundamental method is Wudang Taoist internal energy cultivation."

Fang Xinghe patiently explained: "Actually, I am best at weapons, and my unarmed combat skills are average. However, Chinese martial arts are profound and extensive. When practiced to the extreme, they can develop potential. So, although I am only 16 years old, my strength and physical fitness are already like those of an adult."

That's pure bragging.

Traditional martial arts lack the advancement system of Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin. While muscle and bone strength are real, modern training systems can still produce high explosive power, even more directly than traditional martial arts.

Senior Brother Chen's kung fu is more advanced, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can beat the beasts in the NBA.

What's truly powerful is the ability to control the system, the combined basic attributes.

But as a successor of traditional martial arts, if he doesn't boast when he goes abroad, does he want others to look down on him?
Anyway, I have the results to prove it, so I can brag however I want. If you don't believe me, fine. If you do believe me, you'll be contributing to the promotion of martial arts.

Americans are quite easily fooled in this regard; there was a gasp of surprise at the scene, and most of them believed it.

Oprah exclaimed, "That's incredible, but I understand why you're the top pick in this year's draft."

Actually, he isn't yet, at least not before the Wizards' tryout.

This was just a publicity stunt, a tacit response from Oprah to his appearance on the show.

Fang Xinghe didn't mince words, nodding confidently: "There really isn't a better player than me this year, and they'll realize that very soon."

The conversation naturally turned to the NBA and the draft.

When did you start playing basketball?

"In junior high, it all started with being able to borrow a basketball."

"Still don't have your own ball?"

"Initially, conditions didn't allow it, but later, when conditions improved, we started busy with other things."

"So, you've never actually received any professional training?"

"No, China's basketball foundation is very weak. I just figured it out on my own."

"Just some random thinking, and then you beat all those geniuses?"

"What kind of geniuses are they?"

Fang Xinghe chuckled and gently raised his chin: "No one is worthy to call themselves a genius in front of me."

That's absolutely outrageous.

However, if a teenager can reach the level of an NBA number one draft pick without receiving professional training, then that would be convincing enough.

American society is highly accepting of people who express their individuality.

The audience applauded Fang Xinghe enthusiastically, and Oprah said, "Is there anything I can do to help? I can't wait to see you become this year's top draft pick!"

Fang Xinghe tilted his head, thought for a moment, and laughed, "Give Jordan a call? Discuss it, give me a chance for a one-on-one battle. I will crush him in a one-on-one fight. At that time, I believe all teams will go crazy for me."

It was clearly a joke, offensive, but just right to make people laugh.

The audience erupted in laughter again, and Oprah was overjoyed: "OK, OK, I'll make that call. I happen to know him well. Wow, I really hope you can kick his ass hard. This is just too funny!"

The laughter continued, and someone started whistling loudly.

Just 15 minutes into the recording, before any truly profound topics had even been discussed, Fang Xinghe had already captivated the entire audience.

　I saw a traditional Chinese medicine doctor this time because of a rash on my lower limbs caused by damp heat. At first, I thought it was lupus, which scared me to death.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)