Chapter 22: Extremely Mushy Flattery

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After diligently working through two sets of practice questions, during the break, Fang Xinghe reread Li Qigang’s testimonial. Previously, Fang Yuting, Lu Tingting, and the others had devoured this passage with eager fascination, occasionally reading it aloud, then suddenly burying their faces in their books and giggling softly. Across the nation, countless girls were doing the same—drawn in by affection and curiosity, their hearts stirred into a frenzy.

Of course, it wasn’t that the boys weren’t reading Sprout magazine; nowadays, there was so little worthwhile to read, and even fewer things that sparked fresh excitement, so they read it too. However, their initial impression of Fang Xinghe was quite negative. Jealousy is natural—such a remarkably handsome boy suddenly bursting into their world with such a commanding presence inevitably stirred feelings of threat among his peers.

Still, this wasn’t a serious conflict, and the hostility was easy to dispel. As long as Fang Xinghe was far superior to them, admiration would naturally follow. And according to Li Qigang’s words, Fang Xinghe was truly exceptional.

He wrote thusly—

“That day, I was at the reception desk, keeping low and writing some materials when I suddenly heard restrained but uncontrollable gasps. The hotel staff became inexplicably excited, covering their mouths in astonishment. I looked up and saw a dazzling youth stepping forward as if bathed in light, radiant like the midday sun.

I rarely use such flamboyant descriptions when writing about myself, too exaggerated. But this time, I made an exception—though not really an exception, because at that moment, I truly felt as if a beam of light shone solely for him...”

Li Qigang lavished many compliments, very different from how he described Han Han. It was clearly less objective, more sentimental.

“Fang Xinghe is the kind of person who seems naturally luminous. I used to doubt such people existed, but reality slapped me in the face, teaching me not to say impossible so lightly.”

“If you think Fang Xinghe is just good-looking, you’re gravely mistaken. Every teacher on our judging panel read his essays and praised them; everyone found resonance.”

“They praised Ding Yan for her fresh and gentle style, like a young Zhang Ailing just entering middle school.”

“They praised Liu Lina as a new realist, with delicate, beautiful, and pure prose.”

“They praised Han Han as sharp, seasoned, and piercingly incisive, possessing a profound insight and a uniquely youthful anger—truly magnificent.”

“When discussing those kids, our opinions easily reached consensus. But once Fang Xinghe came up, everything suddenly became chaotic.”

“Yu Hua praised him with just two words: ‘Awesome.’”

“Shao Yuan said his writing was as sharp as a knife, cutting faces painfully.”

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“Wang Meng told us: Fang Xinghe is destined to be an extraordinary person.”

“Principal Wu clasped his hand and urged: In a few years, you must apply to Peking University—I’ll personally recruit you!”

“I once argued with two senior editors because of him; they thought Fang Xinghe’s style was too extreme, too rough and wild, and might negatively influence children.”

“Tie Ning retorted: Did we start New Concept to select formulaic essays?”

“Everyone agreed his writing transcended his age. He’s only fourteen but writes with the maturity of someone at least thirty-four. Incredible. Even those who dislike him must admit it.”

“Right after the second round of exams, Zhaoyan, Yali, and Danya rushed to find him, saying the formalities were over and they wanted to get to know him.”

“But after talking, they admired him even more.”

“Perhaps his early orphanhood gave him a unique perspective and profound thinking. Eventually, we understood the emotional core behind some of his essays, but the more we understood, the more he seemed like an enigma...”

“When we showed concern for his family tragedies and life difficulties, he replied: It’s really nothing special.”

“And when we discussed serious topics, he ended up teaching us a lesson.”

“Can you imagine how stunned I was at that moment?”

“Probably not.”

“He is the best we can discover in today’s social environment... Never mind, I can’t describe or define him. You’ll see for yourselves.”

“Just thinking about the upcoming publication of the New Concept essay collection makes my heart race. I can’t wait to share this joy with everyone. Every teacher believes you will love it because we have so many remarkable young talents—Han Han, Ding Yan, and Fang Xinghe.”

“They will surely cause a sensation. I firmly believe that and look forward to that day.”

Fang Yuting reluctantly finished the last word and smacked her lips.

“That’s it? What about the rest?”

There was no rest. The editor had left only a hook: due to space constraints, this issue could only introduce up to this point.

Countless students were left wanting more, itching for details.

Fang boldly stopped fighting coldly with Fang Xinghe and clung back to him, coquettishly begging to see his drafts.

Fang Xinghe caught sight of Old Fang peeking half a head around the back door, immediately raising his voice in shock: “You want to come to my house to see my treasures? What for, what for? Don’t you have any sense of being a girl?”

Fang Yuting looked utterly baffled—how could his precious drafts not have any ‘girl-like’ qualities?

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Before she could figure it out, a trembling Old Fang suddenly appeared, wiggled his quivering index finger at her a few times, then turned and walked away.

“No!!!”

Fang boldly realized what her father intended and lost her courage, letting out a desperate cry, as if shattered into pieces.

Before everyone burst into laughter, she suddenly gave Fang Xinghe a swift kick, then dashed after her father with pounding footsteps.

“Dad, dear dad! Listen to my explanation!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha...”

Bao Fu and Chao Dang nearly laughed themselves sick—they thought their big brother was simply unbeatable.

Then, the unbeatable brother resumed his practice questions, quietly hiding his talents.

Near the end of the school day, Li Qigang sent a numeric message on the pager, meaning: call back immediately.

Fang Xinghe returned the call from the school gate’s small shop. Old Li jubilantly announced, “Our issue of the magazine sold like crazy!”

“Oh? Congratulations.”

Fang Xinghe wasn’t surprised but felt pleased.

Li Qigang continued, “We boldly printed 20,000 copies initially, but they were sold out before noon. All channels demanded a reprint, so we added 50,000 more. I have a hunch those will sell out too!”

“That’s excellent. Sprout has finally turned things around.”

“It’s all thanks to you!” Li Qigang was deeply moved. “No one expected just putting your photo on the cover would sell so many copies...”

Fang Xinghe understood his affection for Sprout but didn’t want the mood to get too heavy, so he joked, “Alright, I approve you putting my photo on the next issue’s cover too—just remember to send me the portrait rights fee.”

“Ha ha ha!”

Li Qigang laughed heartily, full of confidence: “Don’t worry, good things won’t be without you. Next issue, not only will your photo be on the cover again, but we plan to publish your essay from the second round. Get ready to make a splash, Xiao Fang!”

Fang Xinghe glanced at the screen and thought, I’m really looking forward to this. Another round—wonder how many attributes I can add this time?