Generation Z Artists

Chapter 347 Another year has passed, and a new mountain has been built.

Fang Xinghe returned to his hometown for the Spring Festival in 2005.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, Fang Xinghe went to the cemetery to offer incense to his mother and prayed silently.

“Mom, I’m doing well, and Xiao Fang is doing well too. He brings me passion and wildness, and I give him rationality and thoughtfulness. We complement each other perfectly and are shining brighter and brighter.”

I know you don't care how much we achieve, you just want your children to be happy, but Xiao Fang thinks this way—only when we shine brighter can you be remembered forever, and he hopes that you will be remembered.

As for me, I am grateful for this second life.

I am not a thief, and Xiao Fang has not disappeared. We are one, and we are all your sons.

Xiao Fang's simple wishes and my grand ideals will never conflict. Everything you hope for will happen naturally at some point in the future.

A virtuous daughter-in-law, several adorable grandchildren, a happy family, a fulfilling life...

This is a commitment we share, but now is not the time.

Please rest in peace in heaven, and bless and believe in us.

Xiao Fang loves you very much, and so do I.

I will never have my old parents again. They may reunite under the guidance of fate, but the child they have will never be the same Fang Xinghe.

I love them, but I will stay away from them.

The times have long been changed by me. I am like a lonely soul wandering in the cracks of the world, unable to trace where I came from or where I will end. Only the journey in between is real and true.

This authenticity is a gift from you.

I am incredibly grateful for everything Xiao Fang gave me, and I cherish your memory with both sadness and happiness.

Please keep watching me; I will always be your pride, your joy, and your peace of mind.

Happy New Year, my mother.

Silently waiting for the incense to burn out, Fang Xinghe bent down to put down the bouquet of carnations that had been flown in, then turned and went down the mountain.

Looking up from the foot of the mountain, the cemetery resembles a sea of ​​flowers, filled with blooms.

Once the convoy had left, the villagers, belatedly realizing what had happened, erupted in uproar.

Fang Xinghe is back!

"Really? Where did you see that?"

"Of course it's true! He came back with enough flowers to fill a mountain to pay tribute to his mother."

Wow, what a filial son/daughter...

"Wow, he's really doing incredibly well. It's amazing that someone so capable has emerged from our small town..."

"Where can we find him? Is it too late to get his autograph?"

"The backyard of No. 3 Middle School... if you can squeeze in."

Many people, skeptical of the warnings, flocked to No. 3 Middle School, only to find the intersection of Xinghe Road and the school completely blocked.

Fang Xinghe's return home was a big deal. All the county leaders who were resting came to visit him, and the public spontaneously flocked to watch the excitement, forcing the county to put up a cordon and disperse the crowd.

Big names come from small places, isn't that how it is?

Several years have passed, and the top figures in the county have all changed. Fang Xinghe was not familiar with them, so in the end, it was Liu Dashan and the old man who received him.

The old man has already retired successfully—that sly fellow, Fang Xinghe retired the year he took the college entrance exam, going into seclusion along with the peak of No. 3 Middle School.

Liu Dashan smoothly took over as principal—without Fang Xinghe saying anything specifically, the county automatically reached an agreement.

The original courtyard of the Fang family had long been completely demolished at Fang Xinghe's insistence, and the courtyard behind the Third Middle School was designated as "Fang Xinghe's Former Residence" and marked with a plaque indicating it was an important county-level cultural relic.

It's quite out of place.

As for the land that the county had approved for him, Fang Xinghe didn't touch it, but he still built a large villa of his own, covering nearly ten acres, near the cemetery and next to the waterfront ecological park.

The small courtyard behind the Third Middle School couldn't accommodate so many visitors, and there were also security concerns outside. So, at the enthusiastic invitation of a group of leaders, Fang Xinghe had no choice but to go and see the new house.

Well, how should I put it? It's pretty big.

The front yard has a parking lot, rest area, and various fruit trees and grapevines. There is a vegetable garden in the back yard, and further back is Lake Balo.

If you're talking about the design and decoration of villas, they definitely can't compare to houses in Beijing.

However, small places also have their own unique charm—the property management company specially built a greenhouse for the vegetable garden behind the house, with a dedicated person in charge. Even in the dead of winter, they have all kinds of out-of-season cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, and even strawberries and watermelons!

"Thank you so much, you're so kind..."

Fang Xinghe sighed with gratitude and accepted the gesture.

"I've bought the house. How much? Senior, arrange the transfer immediately."

The villa was built by a developer from the county, and he refused to accept any payment.

"Director Fang, you can just accept it! I've already made a profit if you accept it. I didn't sell that residential area for a cheap price; it was all thanks to your name. I absolutely cannot accept this money!"

Wang Chali didn't need Fang Xinghe to speak again; he quickly resolved the matter.

A mere 1000 million? You think you can get the Purple Star Lord to do you a favor? You wish!

Having settled this matter, the county wanted to invite Fang Xinghe to give Xinghe Road a proper ribbon-cutting ceremony—it had been open for a while, but there hadn't been a proper opening ceremony yet, and they were just waiting for the main character to return.

Fang Xinghe declined, but didn't forget to bring gifts for his hometown.

This time, he plans to donate a shopping mall, modeled after Wanda, with underground parking, supermarkets, shopping centers, food courts, indoor playgrounds, and, most importantly, a high-standard cinema.

He specifically reserved space in the cinema to upgrade to an IMAX theater. It's hard to say when giant screen movies will appear, but his hometown folks will be among the first audiences in the country.

He doesn't plan to personally manage things like merchants moving in; his main job is to buy land, build buildings, and then donate them to the county, letting them do whatever they want with them.

Fang Xinghe's original intention in making the donation was to increase the spiritual satisfaction of the villagers. This thing can work once it is built. Otherwise, given the economic potential of a small county, it may take ten years before there is a similar leisure place.
Anyway, Wanda definitely won't come.

……

After seeing off the grateful county head, the Thirteen Eagles and their descendants finally reunited at their eldest brother's new home.

"Brother! You've finally come back to see me, brother!" Bao Fu burst into tears. "Brother, I've been getting beaten up every day since you left, brother!"

Fang Xinghe was puzzled: "Is there anyone who would dare to touch you?"

Bai Bai suppressed a laugh and replied, "His father."

"Support what?"

Fang Dadan laughed heartily: "Because when he got to university, he wanted to create another 'New Thirteen Eagles,' making a mess of the school and causing him to fail courses and be punished every year!"

"Wow, you're really something." Fang Xinghe asked curiously, "And now?"

"Get him expelled from school!"

"..." Brother Fang gave a thumbs up, "Awesome!"

"There's nothing wrong with going home early to take over the shift..." Booming muttered, "except for always getting a beating..."

"And you? How are you doing?"

The 13 Eagles, now adults, have long since gone down different paths.

Duo Yu has always been with Fang Xinghe's team, serving as both bodyguard and assistant.

He barely managed to get into a third-tier university in the province, but he made a name for himself by relying on Fang Xinghe's fame, and he could change girlfriends twice a semester.

The family's business expanded rapidly after they became rich, and they happily lived the life of second-generation heirs.

Blackie, Big Eagle, and Weight didn't go to university, yet they "ruled" the Nong'an Gray Road, running entertainment businesses like KTVs, dance halls, and bathhouses with a bunch of henchmen. Whitey, from Jilin University, and Little Stutterer from Northeast Normal University, were both diligent students.

Xiao Yanbian really did study food science, and with the help of his professors at school, he created vacuum-packed cold noodles and sold them to South Korea.

Thirteenth Sister Lu Tingting has grown more and more beautiful and is now the most beautiful girl in the Department of Foreign Languages ​​at Zhejiang University.

Fang Dadan was the top student among all the students. She was from the Finance Department of Fudan University. She was lively, outgoing, and liked to stand out. She had just been promoted to vice president of the department's student union this semester.

In terms of money, no matter how poor their original family conditions were, they are no longer short of money.

Hei Zi and his gang distributed profits to all their friends every year for their businesses. Fang Xinghe, mindful of this, specifically asked the Public Security Bureau to keep an eye on them—they were not allowed to touch drugs, force women into prostitution, or place minors in the care of them.

In other words, as long as they don't cross the line and do anything illegal, they can get away with anything in this area, whether it's the legitimate or criminal world.

The already clever Blackie quickly gained a foothold through trial and error, firmly guarding the rear.

Those who mature early venture out into society, while those who yearn for a stable life go to school. Everyone works together to solve their family troubles, and the small groups always maintain close relationships.

Although the distance between them and Fang Xinghe is growing ever wider, the Thirteen Eagles are already a legend, and they are still striving to maintain that legend.

"I'm relieved that you're all doing well."

Fang Ge was genuinely happy.

Fang Xinghe will turn 20 on April 1st this year. His friends range in age from 19 to 21. The faster ones are already CEOs, while the slower ones are still learning. But no matter how fast or slow they are, they have captured half of Fang Xinghe's youth.

Looking back years later, it was precisely these first batch of fans who helped Xiao Fang adapt to Da Fang's soul.

"Come on, let's drink! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

……

The 2005 Spring Festival Gala was both wonderful and tinged with some regrets.

At the start, Liu Dehua sang "Gong Xi Fa Cai," a song that resonated with the shared memories of Generation Z and those born in the 80s.

For the next two or three decades, this song will top the charts every New Year.

Fang Dadan rubbed against Fang Ge, pretending to chat with him: "Hey, Hehe, why didn't you go on the Spring Festival Gala? Didn't the director ask you to sing?"

Fang Wusheng gently shook his chest, and with a bang, he bounced her to the side, sprawling out on her back.

Then, amidst everyone's cheerful laughter, he casually replied, "I already found one, but I'm too lazy to participate in such complicated rehearsals."

Lu Tingting held down Fang Dadan, who was still struggling, and pinched her soft waist: "Don't move! You went to Fudan University and learned to sneak around taking advantage of people, huh? Hurry up and confess, where did you practice?"

Fang Dadan was so angry that he cursed, "Are you stupid? If I succeeded, would I shortchange you? We're on the same side!"

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter and cheered.

"Good job, Little 14! Why worry about so much? If you get the chance, just take him down!"

A deal? You'd have to get a chance from Brother Fang first...

He won't allow this relationship to change; if you can't accept it, then stay single.

The tenth sister, Cai Cai, was the most sensible; she obediently changed the subject.

"Brother, if you don't like singing, you could go up and perform some martial arts!"

"The Spring Festival Gala's censorship system is too troublesome."

Fang Xinghe shook his head: "I don't need this much exposure. Let's save the opportunity; it might be useful in the future."

"Huh? I don't understand... what's the use?"

Fang Xinghe didn't explain, but after watching today's skit, he knew in his heart that it might really come in handy one day.

However, this year's Spring Festival Gala featured the best song and dance performance in its history—the Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva.

"Fuck!"

The group of friends were dumbfounded, exclaiming "Holy crap!"

"It's fucking beautiful..."

Revisiting this masterpiece after so many years, Fang Xinghe was deeply moved.

"They are all deaf and dumb."

This exclamation sparked an even more heated discussion among the friends.

People today may only feel shocked, but only Fang Xinghe can understand that this is actually a profound awakening of the beauty of Chinese culture.

Replicating dance moves from Dunhuang murals and finding inspiration in traditional music, the group of deaf-mute girls, who live towards the sun, use traditional dance and costumes as a vessel to bloom a thousand-handed flower in the rhythm that cannot be heard.

Is this a dance that can be learned and replicated?
No, this is a kind of romance unique to Chinese civilization.

South Korea can't steal it, Japan can't learn it, Europe and America can't understand it, and the Third World can only exclaim in amazement.

Upon seeing this program, Fang Xinghe realized that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation had already quietly arrived, but few people were aware of it.

The next hidden, faint budding of revival is the new version of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

……

The busy first day of the Lunar New Year passed quickly, and by 7:30 p.m., most families in China were already glued to their televisions.

"Mom! Don't change the channel randomly!"

"Hey kid, there's still half an hour, what's the rush?"

"It's urgent! Just don't do anything rash, what if it airs already?"

"Old Huang, look at your daughter! She's obsessed with her idol!"

"Go ahead and pursue him. Xiao Fang is a good kid, I support you in pursuing him."

"Haha! Dad, you're so good to me, love you so much~~~"

Huang Jinghe, who is 22 years old and about to graduate from Fudan University, still thinks back from time to time about her time as the president of the literary society of Jilin University Affiliated High School.

From their first encounter to their televised debate, and then to the establishment of Fang Xinghe's fan club branch at Fudan University, she witnessed firsthand the incredible journey her idol had taken.

From initially cherishing the idea and fantasizing about it every day, to later taking concrete actions and managing her fan base, her enthusiasm seemed endless and never diminished.

The fans are a huge and complex group. There are constant drama in their official fan cafe, and even the small school-level fan club is never peaceful.

In fact, many times she wanted to abandon everything and stop caring about anyone.

However, whenever she sees the photo of herself and Fang Xinghe, she is always able to regain her fighting spirit.

Fangfang is such a good person, how can we let him down?
I can only love once in my youth, so I must stick to it no matter what and accompany him to see the end of the world.

The artsy girl imposed a lot of responsibility on herself, always working like a super-energetic 5-star, so busy that she didn't even have time to date, and she attached her whole world to the single star.

But she is not the only one; there are many, many planets like her.

These stars, who can't afford to watch a few movies or buy two LV items, became key figures in the premiere of their new dramas, firmly locking in the attention of the four major TV stations.

The entertainment media, including television stations, all thought that the first two episodes of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" were not very interesting, and that the real show would only begin when Fang Xinghe appeared.

But the truth is...

Fang Xinghe has created a mountain for the declining Chinese TV drama industry in the 21st century!

At 8 PM on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first episode of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" achieved a viewership share of 62.3%!

(End of this chapter)