Generation Z Artists

Chapter 218 The World Dances for You
The day after the match, Fang dominated the headlines of sports media worldwide.

Star Rivers' comeback night saw them dominate the Eastern Conference leaders, crushing them by 52 points!

This news focuses on the overall picture, starting with Fang Xinghe's leave of absence, describing the Wizards' predicament of rarely winning a game, and detailing the rivalry between the Wizards and the Nets.

"...It was the Nets' ability to break down the Wizards' tactics that allowed the entire league to find a winning formula against the depleted Wizards, causing the Wizards to fall into a losing streak and drop to tenth in the Eastern Conference."

Not only that, the Nets, who won by 26 points, also mocked the Wizards in an interview, which ultimately provoked a fierce counterattack from Star River.

It is understood that Star River's return to the team was originally scheduled for later, but it was because of this second major game against the Nets that he stayed up all night to finish his filming schedule and returned to the team ahead of schedule.

Star River's vengeful nature is evident...

Although this adds a "petty" flaw to Fang Xinghe's personality, Americans really love it.

A bloody revenge with good reason is precisely a necessary element of a legend.

In the NBA, a 52-point victory is insignificant, but when a strong rivalry is involved, such a score with special significance becomes a topic of conversation and widely circulated.

"I love this toughness, yes, I love Star River!"

In the news footage, the fans being interviewed appeared excited, pumping their fists wildly.

Behind him, half of DC was celebrating wildly.

On the night of revenge, all of Washington was in turmoil.

Washington local media also tend to report news from this perspective.

The Most Righteous Revenge in NBA History

The Most Perfect Liquidation in Washington Sports History

SR forged the spirit of Washington sports.

A sleepless night! SR returns in triumph, plunging Washington, D.C., into a night of revelry!

In reality, Washington is not a major NBA market, nor is it even a sports powerhouse.

Basketball receives very little attention in Washington, D.C., a city steeped in political atmosphere and elitism.

Even with Jordan's second comeback, it was only a temporary surge in popularity and did not truly save the Wizards' market.

However, after last night's ordeal, basketball has suddenly become incredibly popular in Washington.

Even the White House spokesperson jumped on the bandwagon, claiming that His Excellency the President was thrilled with last night's victory.

The Washington Post, with its extremely strong political climate, deliberately used the social section as its headline rather than the sports section to report on this victory, and gave it a high-profile reception.

The general meaning is—

This victory represents the most essential American spirit: toughness, fearlessness in the face of enemy threats and suppression, never giving up in the face of defeat, and fighting back with blood and teeth. It greatly inspired the American people who were in pain.

Washington is proud of the Wizards, proud of Jordan, proud of Fang Xinghe...

And so on and so forth, blah blah blah.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the authorities are using that attack as a pretext again.

But this did not harm Fang Xinghe at all; on the contrary, it made him an indomitable fighter and a hero in the eyes of the elites, and achieved a breakthrough in his reputation in the Washington area.

There is an important factor that no one dares to mention—Fang Xinghe is not Black.

Although Asians face more discrimination than Blacks in the United States, this discrimination is not simply a matter of disdain, but rather a mixture of vigilance and fear.

American society has set up an invisible glass ceiling specifically for Chinese people among the yellow race. In reality, however, they rely on Chinese people on many levels and regard them as a high-level elite that needs to be respected and guarded against.

Do you think that an all-Chinese Olympiad team is a product of later generations?

No, no, no, it's actually been like this for a long time. For example, this year's US Math Olympiad team has a total of 6 members, 4 of whom are of Chinese descent.

Therefore, the discrimination faced by Chinese people and the discrimination faced by Black people are fundamentally different.

Jordan's second comeback with the Wizards failed to break through the psychological defenses of Washington, D.C.'s elite.

The hierarchy of disdain always existed, so the Wizards' market never really took off and never expanded to the level it had hoped for, let alone be compared to the Golden State Warriors of later generations.

However, since yesterday's night of revenge, Fang Xinghe has accomplished something that Bolin never even dared to dream of.

The Wizards became a symbol of Washington, truly entering the mainstream market and mainstream attention. Watching the Wizards' games was no longer a "cheap entertainment activity for the lower class".

The above statement is a direct quote from the previous mayor of Washington, D.C., and the university athletic leagues in Washington, D.C., often mock commercial leagues such as the NBA.

In short, the former prodigy has lost his former prestige.

But now, the elites are starting to talk about prodigies.

One of the most direct pieces of evidence is that the Wizards' season tickets were oversold.

The Wall Street Journal dedicated an entire page to discussing the changes Fang Xinghe brought to the Wizards, using this as evidence of Fang's commercial value.

In theory, NBA team season tickets are highly tied to arena seating.

For 41 home games, a season ticket grants the holder the right to use a specific seat in the home stadium for the entire season.

In other words, regardless of whether I come to watch the game on the day, that seat is mine. It cannot be left empty for others to use. I must be guaranteed a seat whenever I arrive.

Therefore, the number of season tickets a team can sell depends on the number of fixed seats it has at its home stadium.

However, the revenge night ignited the passion of the entire Washington, D.C., to watch SM play live, and season tickets were repeatedly raised in price, yet still in short supply.

What should I do?
Pauline was a genius. He limited the number of fixed season passes to 20000, kept about 7000 seats unsold, and then created a "pass season pass".

This means that during this season, fans who purchase passes can come to the stadium to watch games at any time, but there are no assigned seats.

If there are available seats on the day, we can arrange for you to sit in one of the 7000 general seats.

If there are no empty seats that day, then you might have to stand next to the aisle, behind the bar, in front of the corridor, or in any corner where you can squeeze in.

In short, I guarantee you'll be able to watch the game, but I can't guarantee how comfortable it will be.

Based on this logic, the season pass should be much cheaper than a fixed season pass. However, with the Wizards' hot market, no one is willing to resell the season passes that have already been sold, and the price of the remaining season passes is being driven higher and higher.

In just a few days, the price was driven up by Washington's elite and wealthy to a level higher than that of a fixed season ticket.

As for the VIP seats on the sidelines, there are no season tickets available; they are "throne" seats that are temporarily adjusted according to the number of games played.

It wasn't particularly expensive before, but after Revenge Night, the price skyrocketed to between $2000 and $10000.

How much was the US dollar worth in 02?

Anyway, Fang Xinghe couldn't figure out the conversion, he only knew that by randomly counting the number of people, the VIP area alone could rake in several million yuan per game.

Moreover, there are many celebrities, and even more socialites.

All sorts of famous beauties of this era, including those with the surnames Yi, Pa, and Bu, have come to the sidelines. They would scream as soon as they saw Fang Xinghe dunk, creating an extremely beautiful and unique scene.

Fang Xinghe receives a large number of notes during each match.

Didn't they know that Xiao Fang was a minor and couldn't even drink alcohol?

No, of course they knew; they were even more excited...

Fortunately, the domestic media was extremely conservative at the time, and the relevant news did not reach China.

Chinese basketball prodigy Fang Xinghe shines in Washington, leading his team to an end to a losing streak.

This kind of lukewarm headline is clearly from a top-tier official media outlet.

In fact, this was a news report from CCTV's evening news program.

The overall style is steady and conservative, focusing only on achievements, not on past grievances, and not on Fang Xinghe's arrogance. The main point is that he "conquered NBA players and American audiences with his superb skills and excellent character."

It made the domestic fans laugh out loud.

"Fang Shen is sure to deliver another classic line; the interview won't end until he's spitting blood all over their heads."

"Moral character? Does my brother Fang have that kind of thing?"

"We've already won the game, wouldn't it be a waste not to give them a good scolding?"

"The moment the Wizards won, I knew there would be big news in the post-game interview. It's so painful not to be able to see it live!"

Everyone is frantically searching for the original video on the StarNet: "Dad, does anyone know the original interview video? Please send it to my email, I would be extremely grateful!"

It's not easy to bypass the Great Firewall these days, and there are no video websites available. If you want to watch Fang Xinghe's recordings, you can only download them to your local computer as compressed files and then watch them with a media player.

Even this is already a high-level operation, and very few people can figure it out.

Then, because of the strong demand from Mantianxing, Ma Ge and Dong Ge simultaneously had the same idea: should we create a video website?
The idea itself wasn't particularly advanced, but the requirements for both the hardware and software were far too advanced, so Fang Xinghe's heroic figure could only be circulated among a select few for the time being. Jilin TV did apply to broadcast the full recording of Fang Xinghe's interview, but unsurprisingly, it was rejected by the broadcasting department.

"You want to broadcast something so offensive on satellite TV? Are you crazy?!"

It was certainly not friendly. Fang Xinghe never shied away from using insulting expressions in his interviews in the United States. They weren't vulgar, but they were extremely sarcastic, which would probably be very impactful for Chinese children.

Faced with the anger of the leaders of Guangdong Provincial Broadcasting Corporation, Jilin TV suddenly realized what was going on.

Oh, I see!

If it can't be broadcast on satellite TV, then I can just put it on a local channel, right?

Fang Xinghe's god-like understanding led to his interview video being broadcast on the provincial TV station late at night in English, with a translation subtitle added at the bottom.

And wow, the ratings were even higher than those for prime-time dramas...

Then the people of Jilin Province felt the grievances of their children venturing out alone.

—It must be so unfair that such a good child is being attacked by so many malicious media outlets!
What's wrong with occasionally throwing out a few sarcastic remarks?
This proves that this kid is adventurous!
Brother Fang's linguistic artistry has left the children of Jilin Province in awe.

When asked by the media, "When you made that three-pointer, you paused for a long time and looked down at Kittles. Were you deliberately trying to humiliate the Nets? What were you thinking at that moment?"

"No, that wasn't intentional."

Fang Biwang replied in this way.

“I hadn’t really started, but Kittels fell so awkwardly, which surprised me a little, and I even wondered if he was faking it.”

So, I glanced down at him to confirm the situation... Okay, I was overthinking it. He wasn't that shameless; he was just a complete idiot.

As for what I was thinking at that moment...

There's nothing special about it, but I'm a little puzzled: where does such a terrible team get the audacity to keep taunting us every day?
Then I threw the ball, turned around beforehand, and gestured for the audience to cheer louder.

That's all.

The reporter pressed further: "You started your celebration early because you were certain that the three-pointer would go in? I have to admit, it was a super cool celebration, but if it hadn't gone in, weren't you afraid you'd become a laughingstock?"

"At the moment I release the ball, I am of course not sure if it will go in."

Fang Biwang remained remarkably calm, even indifferent.

Therefore, the imposing aura appears more vigorous and stylish.

"But why should I be afraid of being ridiculed? If the ball doesn't go in, I'll just repeat the same thing on the next possession. I'll keep faking him until I make the shot."

It was your God who put the basketball in the net. He was too gentle and couldn't bear to see me torment that poor guy repeatedly, so He made my early celebration a success on the first try.

"This is fate. Do you believe in fate?"

Under Fang Xinghe's gaze, the reporter nodded hastily: "Of course, of course I believe in destiny."

"Very good." Brother Fang nodded in satisfaction. "From now on, just trust me, because I am destiny itself."

This seemingly casual remark, meant to mock the media, directly gave rise to the Tianyi Cult, a super cult that has spread across the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Its absurdity is unprecedented in history.

But that's a story for later. Right now, all the kids in China know is howling.

"Holy crap! Fang Shen is absolutely insanely handsome!"

This greenhorn, who had barely any experience with the internet, couldn't stand Fang Xinghe's pretentious attitude!

Compared to the brilliance and radiance of the flames, Fang's sayings are the Bible of the new era.

From then on, watching Fang Xinghe's post-match interviews late at night became one of the most unforgettable memories of youth for the post-80s generation of children from Jilin Province.

Although these interviews only lasted a short time, that is precisely why they are all the more precious.

Unfortunately, this is a patent of Jilin Province. Other members of the "Full Sky Stars" (a group of fans) will have to wait several years to see Fang Xinghe's materials online.

Well, no, except for South Korea.

The administrator of Fang Xinghe's official fan cafe on Korean Star Network has set up a huge storage space to store various videos of Fang Xinghe, which are then made available for download by Korean Star Network in the form of compressed files.

Back in 02, South Korea had the fastest internet speed in Asia, while Japan was only second or third.

Therefore, the entire process of the South Korean newspapers and television stations going crazy was also preserved by the archaeologists, who classified it according to time and type, making it an extremely valuable archaeological record.

There's no need to mention the news praising Fang Xinghe; there's just too much of it, I'm tired of it.

They really can't come up with anything new; their antics are all the same old routine.

Only one news item sparked the attention and discussion of all the "stars" (a term used to describe people who are overly enthusiastic about something) in China, Japan, and South Korea—

Our Fang Xinghe, the great Son of the Sun of the Republic of Korea, the man who brought him into the world, has finally left the dusty Busan Port and arrived in the capital Seoul in glory!
When Kim Jae-hee cautiously brought this up with Fang Xinghe, it disgusted him.

Damn it, are these high-class Koreans from Seoul out of their minds?!

Didn't we just recently mock the Busan socialites for being shameless and ignorant of science?
What does this mean?
Planning to join?
Kim Jae-hee chuckled awkwardly and mumbled, "It was just a small group of people who felt it might be slightly necessary to extract that gentleman's [something] for a little in vitro experiment..."

True elite families and tycoons would never have a relationship with him; it wouldn't even last three minutes. Everyone in the upper echelons knows that…

At most, we'll only treat him well financially; he's unlikely to actually feel good about himself…

The senior students all burst into laughter.

Fang Xinghe's classic article "Sex" is a must-read for everyone, including my fellow students.

"Grass!"

It turns out that people really do laugh when they're extremely angry, and Fang Xinghe laughed too.

"So the more awesome I am, the more he earns in Korea?"

Kim Jae-hee shrank back, thinking to himself: If you don't want him to make money off you, then you should make it yourself... It's very valuable!

The Night of Revenge did indeed bring Fang Xinghe greater exposure, more benefits, and higher value.

Because he easily defeated the Nets through tactics rather than by personally having a breakout performance, he actually received higher-level recognition.

What's the difference between the two?
It's not uncommon for Black athletes to put up explosive offensive numbers; Black people's athletic talent is well-known, and there are always monsters putting up explosive stats. But nobody is interested in their genetics.

Fang Xinghe won through wisdom, a higher level of unparalleled talent that convinced more and more people that Fang Sheng would succeed no matter what he did.

Watching a few video recordings makes you better than an NBA head coach, and even able to design tactics that are ahead of their time. Isn't that much more impressive than slam dunks?
The higher up in society, the less they care about how well-developed your muscles are; instead, they value innate qualities of civilization such as appearance, intelligence, and innovation.

Therefore, given that Fang Xinghe himself could not win over the woman, Fang Tonghui did indeed reap huge benefits.

Even some ugly-looking Korean actresses were frantically trying to woo Fang Tonghui.

The official Korean Star Network fan cafe had to pin a statement: Fang Tonghui is the source of idol's pain. All Korean Stars who truly love Fang Xinghe should keep their distance from him, think what their idol thinks, and feel what their idol feels.

It's useful, but not very much.

A twisted madman will always be twisted. Fans of Hendrik Willem Van Loon, Andy Lau, and Takuya Kimura all have extreme fanatics, and Fang Xinghe is no exception.

Fortunately, the South Korean authorities were aware that this was a family scandal and dared not publicize it, and they also restricted Fang Tonghui from leaving the country.

Ok? !

Doesn't that sound like they're trying to monopolize all the benefits?

Fang Xinghe had deep doubts about this.

But he didn't have time to waste on this jerk, so he didn't bother to think about it. Right now, the most important thing was to play well in the final stage of the competition.

Setting such high expectations, it would be a joke if they didn't make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, most of their remaining opponents are strong teams in the Western Conference, making the schedule extremely tough.

The Wizards currently have a record of 25 wins and 33 losses, ranking 10th in the Eastern Conference. They have one game left to play against each of the Western Conference powerhouses, the Mavericks, the Kings, and the Spurs, and they still have a full eight games remaining against the top four teams in the East.

To make the playoffs, the Wizards need to win at least 17 games, achieving a total of 42 wins.

With only 24 games left, this is no easy task.

The revenge night brought Fang Xinghe tremendous exposure and also raised great expectations among Wizards fans. Fang Xinghe and the Wizards he led are walking on a precipice with no turning back. If they fall, they will be shattered to pieces.

But Fang Ge only felt excited.

The louder the waves, the more expensive the fish.

The greater the difficulty, the more fun it is to show off.

It's time to unleash our fury and give this world a little skin color shock...

(End of this chapter)