Generation Z Artists

Chapter 169 Who would hate Fang Xinghe?

June 6, TV Tokyo, Studio 2.

Host: Takeshi Kitano.

Guests: Idol Masahiro Nakai, manga artist Takehiko Inoue (author of "Slam Dunk"), Li Xiaomu (representative of the Japanese Chinese community), Norika Fujiwara (lead actress of "Great Teacher Onizuka"), literary critic Mariko, Mr. Basketball Japan Takehiko Orimo, Kazuya Fukuda (representative of neoconservative literary criticism), and...

Guest of honor: Fang Xinghe.

It's a huge mixed bag of talent, but it's a specially assembled team.

Everyone has crossed paths with Fang Xinghe to some extent. At first glance, they seem well-matched, but upon closer inspection, the situation is quite chaotic, making it difficult to understand today's topic.

During the pre-production communication, Wang Charlie and Kadokawa raised several questions about the production team.

The producer gave a wry smile and bowed repeatedly, saying, "I'm sorry, we were poorly prepared and it was very rude of us."

Actually, we were too well prepared.

The Japanese knew Fang Xinghe well but weren't familiar with him. They knew Fang Xinghe wasn't the kind of obedient child who would act according to a script, so they simply didn't have a script, only a few general directions.

We've paid you to come here, so you can do whatever you want. Whatever you talk about, someone will always have something to say.

Ultimately, the production team cut out some usable clips and released them, planning to come up with a theme later during post-production.

It was rather hasty, but surprisingly correct.

What else?
Does anyone still fantasize that Fang Xinghe would cooperate with those ridiculous pranks?

Kadokawa and Charles considered their boss's personality and were at a loss, but they repeatedly emphasized that the final product must be reviewed by them.

"Hey! Absolutely no problem!"

TV Tokyo didn't spend much money hiring Fang Xinghe; the price of 1000 million yen was practically a freebie, and the condition was simply the right to review the film.

This shows that TV Tokyo didn't have any bad intentions or political motives; they simply wanted to capitalize on Fang Xinghe's popularity to boost their ratings.

This is the basis for the collaboration, but Charlie and his team are not optimistic about the show's ending.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" is another matter entirely; it's a great show put on by two intelligent people with similar interests working together seamlessly.

But what about Takeshi Kitano?
This old geezer is no decent person...

Born into the manzai (traditional Japanese stand-up comedy) industry, he possesses amazing eloquence and a sharp, witty humor. Most Chinese people only know him for his work "Kikujiro's Summer," but they don't know that he is actually a combination of Guo Degang, Jiang Wen, and Liu Zhenyun—he can do anything.

Taihang's result was freedom and unrestrainedness, which led him to become known as a cultural hooligan, constantly oscillating between excess and restraint.

"His show is not easy to handle," Kadokawa warned Fang Xinghe cautiously. "Be careful, very careful!"

Fang Xinghe stood in the stage aisle watching Takeshi Kitano deliver his jokes with a half-serious expression, feeling extremely excited, thinking that this was the most interesting thing.

As for business collaborations, as long as there's a result, that's fine.

The joy comes from interacting with interesting people on stage.

"Okay, let's see who needs to be more careful."

Finally, the signal arrived, and the long opening, typical of Japanese programs, ended on stage. Fang Xinghe stepped onto the stage amidst applause and cheers from the audience.

"So handsome..."

Takeshi Kitano clapped while sighing with a forced smile—he has facial paralysis on one side of his face, and his smile is quite frightening.

"Like the most beautiful cherry blossoms in spring, Nakai-san, Norika-san, you are completely outshone!"

Nakai Masahiro, used to playing the straight man, said cheerfully, "How dare I compare my looks to Fang Xinghe's? He's a legendary figure who ranks among the best in Chinese history!"

Norika Fujiwara kept staring at Fang Xinghe, completely infatuated.

"Wow, seeing her in person makes me even more smitten! Her skin is truly like jade, it makes us women feel inferior!"

"Do you like it?" Masahiro Nakai asked abruptly.

Norika Fujiwara nodded without hesitation: "I like it!"

Seizing the opportunity, Takeshi Kitano suddenly raised his hand, making a referee's gesture in front of Norika Fujiwara: "Takashi Sorimachi or Xinghe Fang?"

"what?"

Norika Fujiwara was taken aback, then smiled shyly and hesitated, "W-Isn't that inappropriate?"

Kitano Takeshi ignored her pretense and started counting down: "3...2..."

"Fang Xinghe!"

Norika Fujiwara cried out, then raised her hand to cover her face, revealing only her beautiful big eyes as she secretly glanced at Fang Xinghe.

Your brother Fang... didn't even acknowledge it.

He stood quietly in the middle, tilting his head slightly, watching their performance.

This scene might be a bit awkward, with one side being lively and the other feeling out of place. If it's filmed, it might make viewers think that Fang Xinghe lacks variety show sense and is too tense.

Yet his expression and even his body language weren't tense; his gaze, far from avoiding Norika Fujiwara's furtive glances, calmly returned her gaze, creating a unique atmosphere—

Those eyes, so affectionate even when looking at a dog, seemed to offer encouragement and a response, yet they didn't appear frivolous at all. Like a jade tree, they gave one a sense of entitlement, making one feel that "even knowing one is not good enough for the dog, one should still choose him."

Viewers watching on television had a very mixed feeling after seeing this scene.

"What? Norika Fujiwara is not good enough for Xinghe Fang."

"How wonderful..."

Even if we're not a perfect match, confessing my feelings like that under his gaze would be a romantic memory I'd cherish for a lifetime, wouldn't it?

"Mine, Fang Xinghe is mine!"

"Hehe, hee hee, haha...slurp..."

Countless girls have swooned over him and deeply empathized with Norika Fujiwara.

Takeshi Kitano's persistent questioning added a huge amount of romantic moments to this segment.

"Aaron Kwok or Fang Xinghe?"

"Fang Xinghe!"

"Takuya Kimura or Fang Xinghe?"

"Fang Xinghe!"

After three screams, Norika Fujiwara's face turned completely red.

But Takeshi Kitano suddenly withdrew his hand and sneered, "Oh dear, you heartless woman, you can't even compare your close business partners to a newcomer?"

"What kind of talk is that?"

Norika Fujiwara stomped her foot in anger, then firmly replied, "You don't understand women at all. This isn't about being fickle; some people are just destined to be together forever!"

The audience erupted in cheers, while viewers at home nodded in agreement.

Fang Hei naturally disagreed, but Mantianxing and the neutral aunties and grandmas thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

"If it were me, I would also choose Fang Xinghe."

"Women of any age would be moved by Fang Xinghe."

"His mere presence is enough to secure the final election, what's wrong with that?"

The ratings skyrocketed from the moment Fang Xinghe appeared on screen, and at this point, they stabilized but never looked back.

Takeshi Kitano's hosting skills are one aspect, but Fang Xinghe's pure white dress and cherry blossom pink center-parted manga hairstyle today are also eye-catching.

It took five minutes to wrap up the "quick ideal type" segment, during which Fang Xinghe only spoke once.

That was Takeshi Kitano's sudden attack: "Fang Xinghe-san, what do you think of Ms. Norika?"

Fang Xinghe pondered for about two seconds, then replied in a somewhat uncertain tone, "Not really suitable as a partner?"

"Hahahahaha..."

The audience burst into laughter. Even the battle-hardened Takeshi Kitano was knocked over and fell to his knees, frantically pounding the floor.

Norika Fujiwara covered her face and squatted on the ground, laughing so hard she was almost incoherent, and couldn't be pulled up.

Fang Xinghe's response was essentially an attempt to avoid any scandal. Japanese programs have no bottom line in this regard and love to harp on it repeatedly, so ignoring it is the best approach. The fact that he managed to create such a witty effect while avoiding the topic is a testament to his top-tier quick thinking.

"Thumbs up!"

After everyone had laughed enough, they all gave Fang Xinghe a thumbs up, and finally moved on to the next segment.

……

"Fang Xinghe-san, your Japanese is so fluent! Last time you visited Japan, you couldn't speak Japanese and had to rely on a translator to communicate. Now you can communicate directly with someone. It's incredible! How did you do that?"

It's only natural that Takeshi Kitano approached the topic from Fang Xinghe's level of Japanese proficiency.

This is definitely the topic that ordinary viewers are most interested in, and it will absolutely rank first.

Fang Xinghe's answer, once again, took an unconventional approach.

"Your merchants are paying way too much money."

Young Master Fang's expression was very calm, and he didn't bring up love or guilt at all, playing the part in a way that was incredibly realistic.

"Since we're making money on your country's soil, we should show a professional attitude. Anyway, Japanese isn't difficult; you can learn it pretty well in a little time. It's nothing."

Takeshi Kitano's eyes widened, and he stammered, "Aba aba," before suddenly getting stuck.

The other guests were equally dumbfounded—listen to what kind of talk this is!
Despite their awe, they couldn't help but give it a thumbs up.

"Amazing, amazing..."

This attitude is too much like Fang Xinghe's; it's as if it's the natural thing to do.

Finally, Kazuya Fukuda couldn't help but question, "Do you only have the ability to listen and speak now, or have you fully mastered listening, speaking, reading, and writing and can read literary works? It would be impossible to achieve this in less than a few years, wouldn't it?"

Li Xiaomu immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, when I was studying abroad, it took me four years to reach the writing level, which was already very fast for my classmates."

He is a writer and a representative of Chinese people who returned to Japan.

TV Tokyo didn't go too far by inviting cultural figures from the extreme right wing to compete against Fang Xinghe, but it's impossible to only invite right-wing figures, otherwise the program would be devoid of any conflict or confrontation.

Kazuya Fukuda is a well-known conservative writer, while Xiaomu Li represents the Chinese who have submitted to Japan and are living comfortably there.

In terms of stance, these two are inherently at odds with Fang Xinghe.

Fang Xinghe glanced at them and replied casually, "I don't need to prove anything to you. I'm only responsible to my sugar daddy."

スポンサーパパ.

In Chinese, "sponsor daddy" is often used jokingly or affectionately to refer to a sponsor, but there is no similar expression in Japanese. Therefore, Fang Xinghe created this new word by combining "sponsor" (sponsor).

This did not affect understanding; on the contrary, when the hosts were stunned for a few seconds before reacting, they were immediately impressed by Fang Xinghe's talent.

Wow! This is Japanese proficiency at the level of a literary master!

Masahiro Nakai's exaggerated supporting role drew praise from Hoshigawa.

"You really are... how do you manage to invent such hilarious new words with such a cold tone?"

Fang Xinghe simply shrugged and didn't respond, letting them make a ruckus.

Because of the arrogant attitude expressed, no one would associate this word with "flattery." Instead, it is catchy, intimate, interesting, and full of witty remarks.

If nothing unexpected happens, this will become a new buzzword in Japan.

"Would you consider being my stand-up comedy partner?" Takeshi Kitano asked. "I've been annoyed by those old fogies for a long time! Each and every one of them has a head like a rock in a jar."

Fang Xinghe, without a smile, immediately cooperated: "I have very strict criteria for selecting my sugar daddies..."

Takeshi Kitano jumped up: "I'm rich! Very rich!"

“It’s not about the money,” Fang Xinghe shook his head. “It’s about whether I can handle the situation. What are you going to do if I plan to swear on the show?”

"Huh?!" Takeshi Kitano panicked a little, pretending to wipe his sweat. "Tell me first, who are you planning to insult?"

Fang Xinghe glanced at Li Xiaomu, his expression extremely blunt.

“That sycophant over there, who’s neither Chinese nor Japanese, wrote an article criticizing me last time, and I’ve been thinking about him for a long time.”

Takeshi Kitano panicked.

He didn't expect that Fang Xinghe wasn't just joking around, but was actually serious.

"Although I'm very envious of the ratings, at least don't rant here, okay? It'll get out of hand..."

He was too late; Li Xiaomu was already furious.

"Hey! You rude brat, who are you calling a lackey?"

Inoue Takehiko hid to the side, but Nakai Masahiro quietly moved over and stood in front of Li Xiaomu.

What a great host.

"Crack!"

The on-site director quickly stopped the recording: "Everyone, take a break!"

The producer rushed up to Fang Xinghe, bowing and asking him to come down and talk.

Let's not dwell on what happened in between. In short, Fang Xinghe clearly tested the limits of this program—Japanese programs don't care about pranking guests or causing on-site conflicts, but not today.

TV Tokyo has a clear focus on trending topics. Today's main theme is: the disadvantaged position of Asians in sports and culture and their opportunities to catch up. It can deviate somewhat, but it cannot veer towards the conflict between Chinese and Japanese-Chinese.

Right-wing forces and right-wing ideology are not within the scope of today's discussion. If you want to have a debate on this, we can have a separate session next time.

"OK."

Fang Xinghe nodded and accepted the apology.

Yes, because they couldn't let Fang Ge rant to his heart's content, the production team bowed and apologized to him...

"I'm starting to like Japan a little."

Fang Xinghe told a lame joke.

Kadokawa's eyes lit up, and he immediately advised, "As long as you can maintain your dominance in the fields of literature and sports, you'll be the boss in Japan. Why don't you come more often in the future?"

"You're crazy. It was just a casual remark. It's not like I'm some kind of big shot in China..."

Kadokawa immediately returned a distrustful look.

Do you think I don't know how many people criticize you in China?

Mr. Fang was a little embarrassed and angry. The Japanese were indeed more respectful to him, but wasn't that because the Chinese were more principled?

Fang Xinghe came up with a reason that even he didn't believe, and then went back to record in a huff.

Just cut out the previous clips, find a save point, and continue playing.

Takeshi Kitano jumped up a second time: "I'm rich! Very rich!"

“It’s not about the money.” Fang Xinghe’s gaze lingered on Kitano Takeshi’s half-immobile face, his expression becoming troubled. “That’s a bit… um, I think it’s a bit difficult…”

"puff!"

Fang Xinghe suddenly switched to a new acting style, which immediately made many people burst out laughing.

People unfamiliar with Japanese culture might find this a bit strange, but in fact, Fang Xinghe is imitating the Japanese way of refusing.

They are not used to responding to "no" directly, but are extremely good at a roundabout and subtle way of responding.

Fang Xinghe's two sentences sounded simple, but they are common phrases among Japanese people. They are extremely common.

This fully demonstrates Fang Xinghe's profound understanding of Japanese culture and proves that he is making every effort to learn Japanese.

Combined with the way his eyes fall, the audience can understand perfectly well that it's because you're so ugly and half of your face is so scary that it's causing me such distress.

This level of offense, which is flawless in terms of the most important etiquette, yet fully achieves its offensive effect, is almost equivalent to the highest level of Japanese humor.

As laughter spread, many people began to have a new perspective on Fang Xinghe—it seemed reasonable to let him earn the money.
Although Fang Xinghe's aversion to Japan remains a major drawback in the public's eyes, his professional attitude and respect for the Japanese market can evoke a subtle sense of tolerance, or even admiration.

Many madams expressed their heartfelt sentiments—

"Fang Xinghe is truly a Chinese man that's hard to dislike..."

(End of this chapter)