Chapter 30: The Super Idol of Bad Kids
As soon as the report was published, it caused an extraordinarily strong reaction. Letters from readers poured into the newspaper like snowflakes, sparking an overflow of discussion.
“Overflow” meant that the topic finally filled the middle school community, breaking down the barriers between social circles and expanding the conversation to groups that were originally unrelated.
The author gained both fame and fortune, and the Southern Metropolis Daily saw a surge in sales. Only Fang Xinghe was publicly criticized and subjected to judgment by a group of moralists.
In this atmosphere, teenagers had no chance to speak up.
But being silenced did not mean they accepted the criticism.
On the contrary, the report sparked an even bigger and more direct wave among middle school students than the previous “Knowing but Not Complying”—worship began to become the norm.
Girls who already liked him did not stop liking him just because their parents opposed him.
And boys who were initially indifferent finally realized just how wild and cool this guy really was.
“Fang Xinghe is really badass...”
At Songjiang No. 2 High School, Han Han’s roommates changed their attitude completely, sighing with admiration and no longer trying to insult him.
Xie Jingyuan smirked at Han Shao: “Old Han, looks like you won’t be able to keep your title as ‘the coolest among middle schoolers’!”
Han Han looked a little uncomfortable and muttered, “It’s not the same... the environment is different...”
Another good friend, Ma Debao, eagerly leaned in, his acne-flushed cheeks glowing with excitement.
“He’s damn fierce, sweeping the whole school in second grade! Hey, what do you guys think, how do those Northeastern guys actually fight? Is it like in the movies?”
“Definitely!”
A boy in the front row turned around and said with conviction, “With a first grader’s physique, how could he possibly win a fight against a third grader barehanded? Fang Xinghe and his crew must have been ruthless, each with a weapon, charging in swinging wildly — they probably scared the hell out of their opponents!”
Han Han thought that must be the case; otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense. But he didn’t want to join the discussion or elaborate.
The skinniest student, Wang Xing, spoke up to refute this twisted admiration: “Ugh, fighting is so barbaric, Alashan Haining is civilized...”
Before he could finish, the girl sitting next to him shot back:
“Your parents are both officials, always spoiling you. How could Fang Xinghe not be fierce to protect himself? Barbaric? Barbaric is still better than being a little girl like you!”
Wang Xing was furious: “You’re the little girl! I’m a real man!”
The two started bickering inexplicably, while those around them were unfazed and continued passionately discussing Fang Xinghe’s actions.
“Who isn’t fourteen yet? He’s fucking handsome!”
“A casual sentence, and the little brother just rushes in to fight, damn, that’s awesome!”
“Like a damn movie, even Chen Haonan wasn’t that wild.”
“He might be the kind of natural-born leader, cold and smart; no wonder he could unify the school.”
“The territory of No. 3 High School is too small for Fang Ge’s aura.”
“Hey, you think once this breaks out, can he unify the whole county’s territory?”
“Of course! All the kids in the county will be crying to worship the big brother, no need to fight, Fang Ge will just ascend the throne directly.”
“Look at him, now look at those two idiots in our senior class, what a joke!”
“We’re from Haining, totally different.”
“Don’t talk about where we’re from, I can see clearly—north to south, only Fang Xinghe dares to be so arrogant, there’s no second one.”
“It’s actually not that exaggerated, didn’t he avoid fighting?”
“Exactly, that’s why Fang Ge is smart. He scared people off but didn’t cause a big scene. Now everyone knows he’s not to be messed with. Those reporters won’t dare to slander him again.”
“Hmm... makes sense...”
The more they talked, the livelier and more excited they became. Han Han, however, felt increasingly lonely, inexplicably saddened by the subtle changes happening around him.
Having just become the center of attention a few days ago, he was no longer the only one, and no one could easily adapt to that.
What was worse...
He didn’t even think anything was wrong. Deep down, there was a feeling of indescribable envy.
Fang Xinghe lived in a different world; his rebellion was on another level—a kind of brilliance Han Han had never experienced, and a reckless freedom he dared not even imagine.
The little pride Han Han had was once again severely struck, his mindset teetering on collapse, his wild spirit faltering.
The pains of adolescence were raging once more.
But even in such a tragic state, the world did not spare him—suddenly, a reporter came knocking, ostensibly to interview him but in reality every question revolved around Fang Xinghe.
Han Han, realizing this, trembled with anger.
Are you even human?
Do you really think I’m a pushover? Go to hell!
Han Shao put on a stern face and played the part of a stubborn fool.
He asked, “Are you familiar with Fang Xinghe?”
The answer came, “Not familiar.”
He asked, “What’s your personal opinion of Fang Xinghe and his ‘Knowing but Not Complying’?”
The answer was, “At first I watched standing, then I watched sitting.”
He asked, “Uh, I don’t understand, can you explain?”
He answered, “When I saw Fang Xinghe, I was standing; when I saw ‘Knowing but Not Complying,’ I was sitting. How did you become a reporter?”
The reporter put on a pained expression: “Han, I’m asking for your opinion...”
“I don’t care what you ask!”
The interview ended in discord. Han Shao was in a bad mood and quite irritable, refusing to give the reporter any meaningful answers, leaving all the crucial questions unasked.
But that didn’t stop the Southern Metropolis Daily from stirring up trouble and spreading rumors. The traps Han avoided soon caught others instead.
...
The April issue of “Sprout” introduced seven contestants in total, three of whom were found by Southern Metropolis reporters.
There was no denying that the damn Southern Metropolis Daily was truly sharp, bold, and cunning—extremely proactive in causing trouble.
Among them, Liu Jiajun was the most cautious.
He replied, “I only met Fang Xinghe once and don’t really know him. What I’ve seen so far are all what you media say, so the truth is best left to time.”
When pressed repeatedly, he only responded partially.
“Just judging from his articles, I really admire him. He has a unique sharpness on a higher level. ‘Knowing but Not Complying’ inspired me a lot. My classmates also think his articles are better. As for fighting... there’s no such thing at our school; no one’s been led astray.”
Xu Renjie, a freshman, wasn’t very bright and revealed quite a bit.
“I saw the threats to reporters. How should I put it? It seems pretty normal happening to him.”
“He’s arrogant, during the semifinals he kept to himself and ignored everyone.”
“He has a bad temper, quite lonely and closed-off, his appearance is striking, his aura is striking, he gives off a hedgehog-like vibe.”
“His articles are powerful, but from his words I sense strong anger. Yeah, he must be the kind of person who easily resorts to extreme measures.”
“That must have a bad influence, right?”
“Well, in my personal opinion, quite a few boys at our school worship him, cut their hair the same way, organize groups like the ‘Thirteen Protectors’ and ‘Twelve Guardians,’ and swagger around aggressively.”
“My thought? Don’t copy him. Seriously, doing that will land you in juvenile detention sooner or later.”
“I won’t be friends with him. I’m definitely going to study hard, get into college, and become someone useful to society.”
“I’m not saying Fang Xinghe is useless to society, but what I’ve seen is that he caused a huge negative influence. Middle schoolers taking pride in imitating him is definitely not a good sign, right?”
The reporter grinned broadly, nodding vigorously.
No one knew what Xu Renjie truly thought, but in the end, Liu Jiajun’s interview was shelved, while Xu’s was published the next day. Together with many letters from middle-aged readers, they formed a sharply worded manifesto titled—
“The Super Idol of Bad Kids, Fang Xinghe, Leading Them on a Rapid Downfall.”