Chapter Nineteen: Explosive Interview

After an unusual opening featuring a DJ mix with rap, Zhang Qian stood before Li Jing. Ignoring the strange start typical of this time-slot interview show, "Very Quiet Distance" was actually quite a good program. At least, he thought it was better than "An Appointment with the Perch."

“Let’s give a warm round of applause to Zhang Qianjun, welcome!”

“Hello, Sister Jing,” Zhang Qian greeted.

Li Jing exaggeratedly remarked, “You don’t look like the Xiao Bei from ‘Better Days’ at all. Seeing you in real life is completely different.”

Then she turned to the audience and asked, “Does he look like Xiao Bei to you all?”

The female viewers nodded yes, the males said no, creating a lively mix of opinions. Li Jing continued, “You come across as very calm, like a peerless gentleman from a pastoral poem. So you’re the kind of steady, reserved young man, right?”

Zhang Qianjun thought to himself, “Is this host seeing things? Where does she get that I’m steady and reserved?”

But he smiled and answered politely, “Not exactly steady or reserved, because people are diverse.”

“That’s rare. You achieved so much in your freshman year—your first self-written and self-directed film grossed over a hundred million yuan. It really feels like the protagonist of a novel, rising suddenly to fame. How do you view this achievement?”

“Me? A Virgo with a box office over a hundred million, I guess it’s okay.”

Wow—the audience murmured excitedly. Li Jing’s eyes lit up; this episode was promising.

“Qianjun, how did you write such a script? Did you draw from personal experience to create this story?”

“School bullying is a problem that has existed across time and cultures. Even if you haven’t experienced it yourself, most people have seen or heard about it. I wrote this mainly to raise social awareness about such incidents and to highlight minority groups.”

“I’ve seen many online criticize the second male lead, the policeman, for dragging both characters into trouble just to solve the case. Even the senior cop questioned if it had to be that way. What was your thinking behind that plot? Does pursuing legal truth mean coldly ignoring morality and emotions?”

Zhang Qianjun’s expression shifted slightly.

“The character Zheng Yi, the second male lead, was something I deliberated over for a long time. He doesn’t just represent justice but also adult rationality. He deeply understands the new problems that come with growing up and comprehends human nature.

If, hypothetically, the story had unfolded with Liu Xiao Bei bearing all the darkness alone while Chen Nian walked toward the light, what would the outcome be? Probably Chen Nian would abandon, escape, feel guilty and resentful. Someone who stands long enough in the sun will never want to return to the shadows, and eventually, they would even want to cut off their shadow there.

It seems like sacrificing one to save the other is Xiao Bei’s utmost effort—his tenderness, sacrifice, and promise. But in reality, it ruins both their lives.

Once he makes a lifelong sacrifice for Chen Nian, both will carry shackles forever and can never love each other on equal footing.

These are things adult Zheng Yi understands but the youths do not. Equality is so important for adults; loving without mixed gratitude or guilt is crucial.

Therefore, at the story’s end, Chen Nian becomes a tutoring teacher, and Xiao Bei is just an ordinary person. They only can love, stay, understand, and watch over each other by sharing their past and welcoming a new life together.

Only in this way can Xiao Bei and Chen Nian walk in the sunshine; Chen Nian no longer fears, and Xiao Bei no longer hides under a hood to avoid surveillance.

Just as Xiao Bei says to Chen Nian, ‘You protect the world, I protect you.’ Chen Nian protects the little girl, and Xiao Bei protects Chen Nian.

The former victim Chen Nian dedicates herself to education, unwilling to let her tragedy happen to her students.

From a script perspective, this isn’t about fairness or justice but about fitting their symbiotic relationship. Although the path is rough, in the end, they can be together openly.

This film is essentially a story about two lonely souls trapped in a mire, watching over each other, and finally bathing together in sunlight.

Personally, I think we’ve already seen too many adults compromise in life. So in the film, I wanted to see that, no matter what, there is always light in the eyes of youth, and they can walk forward full of hope.”

“Wow, Qianjun, that was beautifully said. I rarely see anyone speak so clearly off-script in my career. When I saw Xiao Bei look up at the camera at the end, I don’t know why, but it touched me deeply. Hearing you explain it, I get that feeling now,” Li Jing praised.

Zhang Qianjun suddenly gave a sly smile. “Sister Jing, are you trying to say most of the people you’ve interviewed don’t have high education?”

The audience erupted in laughter and cheers.

Li Jing quickly waved her hands to deny, “Qianjun, don’t say that—it’s not true at all. I want to keep hosting this show.”

Then she asked, “Qianjun, what kind of person are you in real life?”

“I’m probably a very boring person.”

“Why do you think so? I feel like you’re quite entertaining.”

“Because I’m very self-centered. I’m not interested in anything except what I care about.”

“So what do you care about?”

“Now? My career. Because that’s the core foundation for a man.”

Li Jing wanted to ask more but, considering the time, moved to the next segment.

“Qianjun, there are so many fans here today. How about you each ask a question—one from a female fan and one from a male fan?”

A female college student stood up from the audience.

“Qianjun, we really want to know: what kind of girls do you like?” Many voices echoed in agreement.

Zhang Qianjun suggested, “That question is too broad. You need to narrow it down a bit.”

“Okay, from personality and appearance—what kind do you prefer?”

Zhang Qianjun thought a moment. “Personality—I like lively, spirited, but also obedient and well-behaved. Appearance? I can’t really describe that.”

The girl pressed on, “Then between Chen Nian and Wei Lai, who do you prefer just based on looks?” The crowd erupted again, eagerly awaiting his answer.

“If we only consider looks, then probably Wei Lai. Of course, Chen Nian is very beautiful too.”

The room descended into chaos. The male fans were especially excited, cheering loudly for Qianjun’s boldness.

Li Jing took the lead again, “Qianjun, you really dare to speak your mind. That’s so genuine. Most guests dodge or give vague answers to this kind of question.”

Zhang Qianjun laughed, “Sister Jing, are you saying most previous guests weren’t genuine?”

“Oh, come on,” Li Jing got up and paced, then mock-angrily called out, “Director, we can’t continue this recording!”

Everyone laughed again. When the laughter died down, Li Jing announced the second fan question, this time from a male fan. “Who wants to ask?”

The scene turned into a rodeo of eager guys shouting “Me! Me!” until the mic was handed to a young man with a crew cut.

“Qianjun, I’m really curious. If you were Liu Xiao Bei—say, you traveled into ‘Better Days’ and became Xiao Bei—how would you solve Chen Nian’s problems in the story?”

This was easy to answer, Zhang Qianjun replied confidently.

“School bullying is a social issue that requires national development, social progress, and the continuous uplift of people’s moral standards. It’s a big problem, and I don’t have a simple solution.

But Chen Nian’s problem in the film? If I were Xiao Bei, that would be easy to solve.”

Li Jing perked up, sensing another brilliant insight was coming.

“Chen Nian has many problems, but the most direct and severe one is Wei Lai. Solve the Wei Lai problem, and Chen Nian’s problem is solved too. In the film, Xiao Bei threatens Wei Lai, but in real life, that’s not acceptable because it’s illegal.”

Li Jing quickly prompted, “So what should be done?”

“Woo Wei Lai.”

The audience fell silent, stunned by his unusual response.

“Basically, Wei Lai is a rich girl with a gang who bullies others, including Chen Nian. Since Chen Nian can’t handle it, we need to change tactics and tackle the root of the issue—deal with Wei Lai.

How to deal with Wei Lai? Woo her! Xiao Bei has the looks and figure, rides a motorcycle, and is a rebellious youth—utterly irresistible to a young girl her age. Dating her would immerse her in a passionate romance, leaving no time or mind to bully others. Chen Nian’s most urgent and direct trouble would disappear. When Chen Nian goes to study in the capital, it wouldn’t matter; time heals all.

Li Jing considered this and thought it was a reasonable approach.

“Qianjun, that method is really something I hadn’t thought of. It seems quite feasible.”

“Definitely. Many cases of school bullying are basically about emptiness. Give her something else to do constantly, and she won’t have time to bully others. If I were Xiao Bei, I’d help Chen Nian escape the mire and embrace new life, while transforming Wei Lai. Then I’d marry the rich beauty and reach new heights in life!

That way, Chen Nian wins, Xiao Bei wins, Wei Lai wins—everyone wins—and the problem disappears.”

Noticing the questioner silent, Zhang Qianjun smiled again.

“Does it feel a bit off? Because in this ‘everyone wins’ story, the villain doesn’t get punished. The death of Hu Xiaodie at the start was in vain. If the female antagonist’s romance with the male lead absolves her, the film’s values would be utterly rotten!”

“Good! Well said!” shouted many male viewers, clearly rejecting the idea that villains can be redeemed so easily.

The show ended, and backstage Li Jing said goodbye to Zhang Qianjun, “Qianjun, you’re really fun on the show—totally different from the boring person you claim to be. You have to come again.”

“Ha ha, Sister Jing, I think it’s better if I don’t. Otherwise, my mouth might offend everyone.”

After exchanging contacts, they parted ways. On the way back, Zhang Qianjun thought this kind of show was better done locally in the capital with short segments. For less money, chatting on such programs was far more enjoyable than shooting scripted variety shows.

The driver, Brother Glasses, looked worried. “Qianjun, are you sure this interview style won’t hurt your image or persona?”

“No, because I don’t want to build any persona. If anything, it should be one that’s not afraid of scandals. Besides, there are too many fake people on shows now; occasionally being real is more interesting. Of course, as long as I stay popular, none of this matters. A celebrity’s troubles are just anecdotes.”

Regarding the film’s box office, the third week saw a sharp decline, especially with Liu Tianxian’s “New A Chinese Ghost Story” premiering this week. Though the movie was poor, its star-studded cast meant “Better Days” would inevitably lose screen time. The final box office was expected to be around 130 million yuan.

Everyone, including Zhang Qianjun, was satisfied with this result—after all, one must be content. By the end of the month, China Film would hold a celebration banquet.

Next week, screenings would reduce, and after Labor Day, the film would be pulled. There was no need to fight for an extension; it wouldn’t matter much.

At that moment, Director Tian called, inviting him to visit the school, and Zhang Qianjun readily agreed.

Arriving at Director Tian’s office, Zhang Qianjun knocked and said, “Teacher Tian, I’m here.”

The door opened, revealing a young man wearing glasses.

Zhang Qianjun thought, “That eyebrow shape rivals Liu Chang’s.”

Just then, Director Tian’s voice came from inside, “Qianjun’s here, come on in.”