Generation Z Artists

Chapter 384 Roadshow, a Hit Right from the Start

Just as Fang Xinghe was turning all his attention back to the movie, another historically significant event quietly occurred.

"The Return of the Condor Heroes," the first Chinese TV series to air on HBO, a network that covers the entire North American market, has finally been broadcast.

As a paid channel, HBO's mission is to produce only high-quality content.

This TV station's peak viewership is far less than that of a free-to-air channel's lowest viewership, but its influence is not at the level of nobodys; it reaches four to five million high-income elite households.

You can't expect to fall below the Alice Line at any time to pay for the channel's monthly fee; only the wealthy middle class would be so extravagant.

So, this is actually another area that Brother Fang has never explored before.

Martin Scorsese of HBO was equally confused. He didn't know what the target audience for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was in the United States. He just took the risk of releasing it during the summer vacation, hoping to at least dominate the kung fu boy genre.

"Kung Fu Teenagers are American teenagers who are still curious about kung fu even now. I always felt that this wasn't a large group, but, SR, I'm willing to do anything for you..."

Martin began to ramble on to Fang Xinghe as if he were confessing his feelings.

Fang simply listened without responding.

“You have to come, SR, you have to come. At least participate in two shows to promote it, right? It’s our shared mission. I feel anxious if I don’t see you.”

Fang Xinghe calmly replied, "I don't have time, Martin. I'm doing post-production on my new movie."

Martin became anxious when he heard that Fang Xinghe didn't want to come.

"But your new shoes are about to be released, your only TV series is about to go online, and aren't you planning to consider your new movie for next year's Oscars? And your team, they've played terribly this year! And lastly, your business, StarNet's global roadshow, how can you miss it?"

Fang Xinghe frowned.

Indeed, he has many interests in the United States, and it seems he really can't afford not to go.

After thinking for a moment, he turned to Charlie Wang and asked, "Which film festival do you plan to submit 'Lust, Caution' to?"

Wang Charlie was bewildered: "What does your going to America have to do with 'Lust, Caution'?"

"It's quite relevant," Brother Fang shrugged easily. "There's no absolute first place in literature, but we need a worthy opponent to challenge, right?"

"I think you just wanted to hit him."

Wang Chali complained and turned around to start flipping through his notebook.

"Found it... Damn, it seems like filming just started. Ang Lee doesn't film things quickly, so it probably won't be released until next year."

"Okay, let's put the post-production of 'The Intouchables' on hold and go to America!"

Wang Chali stared wide-eyed at his excited junior brother and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"Do you really have to clean up the entire industry? Ang Lee hasn't offended you. In Taiwan, he's considered a rare good director. In Chinese terms, he's a potential target for united front work. Why do you have to run into him for no reason?"

“We are Chinese, not ‘us.’ You are an American.”

Brother Fang patiently corrected the blond-haired agent's grammatical errors, chuckled, tossed his things aside, and headed out the door first.

"Furthermore, he may indeed have great value in uniting the people, but I really dislike the movie he's making, so I'm going to take him down."

Wang Chali was full of questions: "But it just started up! What exactly don't you like about it?"

Oh right, "Lust, Caution" hasn't been filmed yet, and no one has seen the complete script...

Fang Ge, having run out of suitable excuses, started spouting nonsense: "You don't understand. Actually, this is a tacit cooperation between me and the higher-ups. They're in charge of overall command, and I'm in charge of the actual fighting. Once I take him down, the higher-ups can unify the situation easily. Otherwise, he'll always think that his Western ideology is just as popular in China... I have to make him realize that what he's filming is actually shit..."

Junior brother, what nonsense are you spouting?
Wang Charlie shook his head, snapped his fingers, and gestured for Duoyu to come along.

He wasn't going to ask anything more. He suspected that his junior brother was entering a belated adolescence, which was why he was acting so impulsively and erratically.

But it's not a big deal. What's wrong with 21-year-old Fang Xinghe wasting a little time causing trouble?
If anyone is dissatisfied, they can go sit at the same table as Huayi.

Having chartered a plane, Star River led his army on another expedition to the United States.

There are a lot of messy things, but fortunately we can deal with them one by one according to three categories: business, sports, and culture.

For Dong Ge, the most important thing is of course the IPO of StarNet.

The company's structure is now streamlined, and the equity structure is very clear. With BlackRock and Goldman Sachs working diligently, the document review process is proceeding extremely smoothly.

As soon as Fang Xinghe landed, Gao Bei dragged him to participate in a roadshow.

"Listen, SR, forget about your crappy show. We've prepared higher-level media resources for you. We'll cover all the publicity costs. All you need to do is show up, show up, show up!"

Fang Ge, with an Alps coffee-flavored lollipop dangling from his mouth, casually raised an eyebrow.

"How do you plan to help me promote my business?"

The Goldman Sachs vice president replied decisively: "I guarantee that every financial news article will mention that your new show is about to premiere on HBO. In addition, all the major entertainment media in the United States will be following you. All you need to do is wear your most handsome outfit, be surrounded by us bald old men like stars around the moon, occasionally smile at the cameras of the financial media, and if you're unhappy, just give them the middle finger... It's that simple, isn't it?"

“Okay.” Fang Xinghe didn’t say whether he agreed or not, but took out his phone and called Martin from HBO. “Buddy, you have to come over.”

After bringing Martin over, Fang Ge sat there and gestured with his lips: "You talk to them. I may not go to the roadshow, but the publicity for the drama must be in place."

Martin, like a lackey, bowed and scraped, flattering those gentlemen.

Goldman Sachs is the boss, Sequoia Capital is the boss, and BlackRock is the boss even more so—genetically speaking, HBO is Time Warner's grandson, while Time Warner calls these big capital groups "dad," so the relationship becomes instantly clear.
However, right now, Brother Fang is the real father.

The Wall Street giants found it absurd, yet they had to work diligently for him, fearing that if their "father" became unhappy, he would abandon the roadshow and run off to promote some ridiculous TV show...

The final result was quite nice. The media resources that Wall Street could mobilize were on another level. They would do everything they could to promote Fang Xinghe himself, while Time Warner would be responsible for diverting serious financial traffic to the entertainment sector. The two sides cooperated to create a god.

"SR, after this, you will become a new legend in the American wealth dream!"

The tech giants are making grand promises to Fang Ge, fearing he might act recklessly.

“Every American knows the miracle you’ve created. I guarantee that once StarNet successfully lists on NASDAQ, your show will be a huge hit!”

They have no reason not to be curious about a period romance drama starring a legendary figure in the world of wealth…

"It's a period kung fu drama!"

Fang rolled his eyes, while the Goldman Sachs vice president ignored the insults and continued to fawn over him.

"Oh! That's even better! Every American loves your kung fu! I mean, everyone!"

Alright, that's settled then. I'll accompany you on this tour.

Fang agreed lazily, and then things started to spiral out of control—a hurricane called Fang Xinghe Storm was about to ignite the entire capital market.

For its first stop on the roadshow, Goldman Sachs chose Washington, D.C.

Before the official roadshow began, a group of finance professionals decided to hold two pre-show events to warm up the atmosphere.

The first warm-up event was the statue's unveiling ceremony.

Even Fang Xinghe himself only just found out that the statue could have been erected a long time ago; the prodigy had simply been waiting for instructions. Waiting for instructions from whom? From these American tycoons, of course!

Fang Xinghe put on his sportswear again and appeared at the MCI Center, where he personally unveiled the red ribbon amidst thousands of fans.

Pauline, whose health was rapidly deteriorating, sat in a wheelchair and was personally pushed out by Teacher Dan to watch the ceremony.

The scene was filled with the deafening sound of gongs and drums, the crackling of firecrackers, the fluttering of red flags, and the fluttering of colorful banners...

There's a slight mismatch; it's Teacher Da Dan, not Teacher Dan Dan, but the meaning is correct.

Pollin said emotionally, "The proudest moment of my life since I took charge of the Wizards in 1964 was the season when Michael and S.R. had the most spectacular offense in NBA history..."

A roar of cheers erupted from the audience. Washington had not forgotten their commander, and perhaps never would.

"What a wonderful season!"

Bolin choked up, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Like the ugly duckling, we stumbled and scrambled across that muddy road, staggered and fell onto that highest stage, and ultimately crushed the most dominant inside-outside combination in NBA history with an unprecedented offensive onslaught..."

When Da Dan recalled those glorious years, his eyes also reddened.

Teammates including Xiao Han and Coach Lu, who had come especially for the occasion, held up their championship rings high and cheered enthusiastically.

The Wizards' championship win was truly legendary, full of compelling stories and won without any controversy. To this day, it remains the only highlight of that team's career.

Next, all the teammates went on stage one by one to tell "my heartwarming little story with Commander SR Daddy".

The last to appear was Dan, who gave another emotional performance on stage.

"That year, at the end of my career, I lost a one-on-one match to SR, who was at his peak. To be honest, I was very unhappy, but that season's matches were the most enjoyable experience of my life."

If I could keep playing like that, I probably wouldn't retire until I'm 45..."

Fang Xinghe clapped for Da Dan with a smile, which made him even more enthusiastic.

"The NBA will never have another commander like him. His passing is an art, his long-range three-pointers are like nuclear bombs, his ability to draw defenders is the sum of the four best guards, and his tactical thinking is a valuable asset to the entire NBA..."

After being showered with compliments, when Fang Xinghe finally took the stage, he suddenly realized that he had nothing left to say.

Therefore, he tried to be as concise as possible.

"Thank you to the Wizards for erecting a statue for me, thank you to Pollin and Michael Jordan for their praise, thank you to the people of Washington for not forgetting me, and thank you to the NBA for giving me this opportunity to live like this once in a lifetime."

Actually, I don't think I rank very high in NBA history. I'm like a passerby, coming and going in a hurry, only scratching the surface.

Even today, I still sometimes wonder: if I played for a full four years, was it possible that I could also bring a dynasty to the Wizards?
Every time this happens, I feel a little regretful, not for myself—I've already made myself a legend—but for the lovely people of Washington, for not being able to do more for you, which makes this experience all the more precious yet less fulfilling.

I will forever cherish my gratitude and remorse towards you, and I will cut a third of my heart and place it here..."

Fang Wenhao's eyes were filled with tears, but he sneered inwardly.

It's just sentimentality, right? Anyone can do that! Come on, everyone, put your hands on your heads and cry!

The crowd roared and tears streamed down their faces, creating a warm and enthusiastic atmosphere that made it one of the most memorable statue unveiling ceremonies in NBA history.

After all the steps were completed, the Washington media went crazy.

SR Statue Unveiled: Let's Go Back to That Glorious Summer 5 Years Ago!

Fang Xinghe hasn't been back to the United States for a long time, but his popularity is really easy to generate; once it's generated, it explodes.

Sports media outlets rushed to report on it, TNT launched a discussion about Fang Xinghe's historical status, veteran fans on the internet rekindled their dreams, Los Angeles media started making a ruckus again, and 40 billion Kobe fans clamored that our little blacksmith has evolved and that we must crush you if we play again.

A ceremony awakened the emotions of many people.

Because the NBA in recent years has been really boring. Every year, the opening game is a promotion of LeBron James versus number 24, and by the end of the season, everyone is fishing for their own fish and bragging about their own things.

The alliance truly lacks a top influencer with a combination of popularity, strength, and buzz to drive the overall market growth.

It just so happens that it's the offseason, and Fang Xinghe is unlikely to return to the league to compete for the top spot, so everyone is praising him to the skies, and for a time it was a huge sensation.

Three days later, Nike seized the opportunity and released the Galaxy VI.

This is actually quite bizarre. I'm no longer in the martial arts world, but people still admire my legendary weapons.

Despite not playing basketball, Fang Xinghe still holds the second position on the sneaker sales chart—and if only women's shoes are considered, he would even be number one.

There's really no way to reason with this.

On the day of the sneaker release, he and Dan found a few more old friends and formed a team of retired stars to play a public exhibition game against the Wizards' current players.

The "Old Men's League" lineup consists of Fang Xinghe, Danny, Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Ronaldinho, with an additional James Harden and Yao Ming.

Then he brutally thrashed the current prodigy.

Everyone thought Fang Xinghe's skills must have declined, since they hadn't seen him play in years.

Good heavens, not only did his skill level on the panel remain unchanged, but he even became more violent due to the power enhancement.

The first step was peak Jordan, the charge was Shaq, and the jump was himself—the fastest leap in NBA history.

A barrage of powerful dunks left the Wizards' interior defense reeling.

After having his fun, he started organizing the offense again. In no time, he could switch Gilbert to Danny, then create space and pass the ball. There were two loud thuds as the ball hit the net.

After Danzi had a good time, he became incredibly easy to talk to in front of the media.

"SR is stronger! Team USA, be careful at the Olympics the year after next, you will be facing the most terrifying situation in history!"

In fact, the media had a great time filming. It was just a public tournament, but the venue was packed, and the number of TV viewers reached 3000 million, which is higher than this year's finals. Who wouldn't be happy?

The media's flashbulbs nearly set Fang Xinghe ablaze. Questions came one after another, and countless fake breasts of the female reporters were squeezed out.

“SR, you are still one of the strongest players in the entire basketball world, and your peak period will last for at least another 15 years. Don’t you really want to consider returning to the NBA to continue your legend?”

Fang Ge cleverly gave them an open-ended answer.

"Right now, I can only answer NO, but who knows what the future holds? Maybe I'll win two more Oscars for Best Director and suddenly find making movies not so interesting anymore. What I'll do then, I don't know myself."

All I can tell you is that anything is possible.

Even with such crude fishing skills, the media at the scene were in a frenzy, and the fans started to fantasize, which was quite outrageous.

After the exhibition match, everyone had a great time bragging and boasting. Fang Ge returned to his position as a rising star in the United States, as relaxed as if he had never left.

On the day when the buzz was at its peak, Fang Xinghe changed into a formal suit and, as China's richest man, officially stepped onto the highest stage of the American financial world.

The roadshow was a hit from the very beginning.

(End of this chapter)