Chapter 51: Comrade Little Zhang has been Cursed At Again!
The night sky was vast.
It was 11 P.M. at night.
After the meal, Heavenly Queen Zhang Yuanqi held her chest with one hand as she leaned against the headboard to send email on her phone. Maybe she was working, as her face looked serious and sullen. She did not have any intention of speaking to Zhang Ye.
She would kill the donkey the moment it left the millstone!
You’ve forgotten about this bro after you are full?
Zhang Ye also knew that a distinguished person like her was busy, so he did not disturb her. He also wasn’t emboldened enough to disturb her. Zhang Yuanqi was standing at the pinnacle of their country’s entertainment industry, while Zhang Ye himself was just a small figure, who was a fledgling. He was not even considered a celebrity. He would, at most, be considered a public figure. The gap between them was heaven and earth. Zhang Ye knew this himself, so he was very respectful towards a senior.
Switching on the computer, he began doing his own thing. He first checked his Weibo and was suddenly dumbfounded. Why were there so many forwards for one of his Weibo messages? Upon checking, he realized what had happened. The “Flying Bird and Fish” message that originally only had about 2,000-3,000 forwards back then? It wasn’t that much. But now, this poem’s forwards on Weibo had suddenly become more than 8,000. It had tripled! After being surprised for a while, Zhang Ye treated it as nothing. Back in his world, “Flying Bird and Fish” itself had more than a hundred million clicks on the internet. How many people did not see it? Hence, this tiny explosive increase was reasonable. A good poem could never be buried. As for the reason? Zhang Ye’s analysis was that it was due to many things. “Ghost Blows Out the Light”, fairy tale stories and his other poems. The number of people who knew of him was slowly increasing. So people would begin checking his other works, which created an entire increase in popularity for all of his works!
“Good poem!”
“Only now do I know about this poem today!”
“Why are there so many forwards? Let me see it first.”
“Classic. Who is this Zhang Ye?”
“You have just seen it? It’s already a poem from last month. This poem even saved a person’s life. It is especially legendary!”
Zhang Ye browsed through everyone’s comments as he was lost in reverie. They were basically positive. As he was enjoying it, there was a sudden comment that appeared!
Meng Dongguo.
Verification: Beijing Writer’s Association Deputy President. Poet. Author.
He was a distinguished person with more than 3 million fans!
Meng Dongguo had used his verified Weibo to openly question, “I do not know why such things can become so popular. Just because there’s a lot of people looking and commenting on it, that makes it a good poem? A legend? It saved a life? A poem’s worth is based on its literary value; it does not depend on other stories or situations to add to its worth. I cannot see any literary value in this poem. All I see is moaning and drool. This can also be considered a modern poem? This is also called literature? Also, the author’s ‘A Generation’, I would not comment on the poem’s words, but why do I find the topic so twisted? A slightly past 20-year-old child commenting on a generation? This should be a term used by us, right? You are not grown up yet, and still have a long road ahead. You do not have the ability to see through your generation, so don’t write such a poem to cause ridicule to yourself!”
Some people did not like that.
“It can’t be!? I think it’s very good!”
“So what about youths? Youths can’t write poems?”
“What a joke! Just one sentence of ‘you young people don’t know anything’ to negate all his worth? To think that you are the Deputy President of the Beijing Writer’s Association?”
However, there were even more that joined the ranks of the doubters.
A number of them were authors and poets of the Beijing Writer’s Association. They were all verified accounts.
Romance author Zheng Anbang commented, “Even Vice President Meng has commented? Actually, I was not able to continue watching this, starting from a long time ago. This poem may be very popular now, but no matter how many times I see it, I can’t figure out what is good about it!”
Children’s literature author Little Red Mushroom commented, “Zhang Ye’s poem isn’t bad, but it’s only average. It does not deserve all this attention!”
A famous poet in Beijing, whose pseudonym was Big Thunder, said, “What a mess! Complete bull****! What sort of poem is this? What are you trying to express with ‘The Song of the Stormy Petrel’? Do you think these are the old days? Even if you wanted to expression that period’s rebellion and helplessness, how old are you? Do you know what the old society was like? Were you composing poems with your fantasy? How can there be any literary skill!? He is, at best, a temporary demagogue! Those who are following you, what’s up with all of you? Do you even have any appreciation for art? I really wonder!”
Suddenly, five to six authors and poets began barraging Zhang Ye!
Zhang Ye, who was in front of his computer, could not help but curse, “What the f***! Are you monkeys backup that were invited? Where did you all pop up from? Did I provoke all of you!?”
Zhang Yuanqi did not know what was happening as she came behind Zhang Ye. As she held her shoulders, her face was expressionless as she looked without blinking at his computer screen, “Who are they scolding?”
“Scolding me.” Zhang Ye said angrily.
Zhang Yuanqi’s eyelids twitched, “Meng Dongguo? Beijing Writers’ Association’s Leader? This person has quite a bit of reputation in the industry, right? Then what about Little Red Mushroom? She was the one who wrote fairy tales, right? Big Thunder? I have seen his poems. He is not anything in the country, but he is still quite famous in Beijing.” As the literature circle was encroaching into the entertainment industry, it was almost indivisible. As an S-list star in the industry, Zhang Yuanqi was quite aware of this. She was objective with their evaluations. Of course, only Zhang Yuanqi had the right to say this. If it was anyone else, no one would dare say who was not anything in the country. “Why are so many Beijing authors and poets scolding you? Are you very famous?”
Zhang Ye was still upset, “What do you mean, famous? I have only written a few poems. But who knows why they suddenly went crazy and started scolding me? My poems have problems? What an unfunny joke!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanqi stared at him, “You can compose poetry?”
“Of course. Have you heard of ‘Flying Bird and Fish’?”
“…No.”
“What about ‘A Generation’?”
“….Never heard of it.”
“Alright. Then, forget that I said anything!”
Zhang Yuanqi seemed a little interested. She said in a deadpan manner, “Go sit at the coffee table.” There was only one chair in the house. With Zhang Ye standing up, Zhang Yuanqi sat down.
Zhang Ye no longer had the energy to care about this, “They are bullies!”
Zhang Yuanqi must have finished her work, as she began speaking to Zhang Ye, “Everything has a cause. Go look at the first person who questioned you, Meng Dongguo’s, Weibo.”
After checking, Zhang Ye was immediately enlightened. Meng Dongguo had published a few poems early in the month. But other than a few fans praising it, no one else had seen it. The forwarding count of a single poem from Zhang Ye was more than all his poems combined by ten times. “He saw that my results as a newcomer are better than his, so he wants to pull me down? What a grandson! What sort of people are they!?”
Zhang Yuanqi was only watching the scene unfold before her as she remained silent.
At this moment, the fans of Meng Dongguo and a few poets and authors had rushed to Zhang Ye’s Weibo to curse at him. They did so indiscriminately!
“Demagogue!”
“To think you dare to publish such a beaten-up poem?”
“Everyone, don’t read this person’s poem. The industry’s experts have given their evaluation. This is not called literature. There is no value to it!”
“It can’t be? It’s quite good!”
“Do you know, or do the experts know?”
“That’s right; the Vice President of the Beijing Writer’s Association has already said it’s bad!”
“I see. I thought it was such a good poem. You wasted my feelings!”
“That’s right; I even recited Zhang Ye’s poem to my children. I never expected it to not have any cultural value. Isn’t this harming others? Harming me is fine, but don’t mislead my children!”
“Zhang! Get lost from of the field of poetry!”
“Get lost! There is no need for you!”
“To think I liked Zhang Ye’s poems in the past. Hai, it’s so disappointing!”
A few of Zhang Ye’s original fans were steered by Meng Dongguo and a few authors and poets, as they began to complain!
However, there were people who insisted on supporting Zhang Ye. However, soon, they drowned in those people’s spit. They had no chance to talk!
Zhang Ye felt sourness in his heart. He was also very distressed. That was the popularity that he had worked hard to obtain. But just because of their few words, it was being scattered away. Even those who supported Zhang Ye’s poems were no longer that firm in their beliefs. After all, with so many professional Teachers and famous authors and poets collectively denying Zhang Ye’s worth, people would all have second thoughts as to whether his poem was really good.
Even his fans were scolding him. Zhang Ye’s fists clenched tightly.
Zhang Yuanqi said indifferently, “This is what the circle is like. You have to get used to others. If not…”
“Then what’s the ‘if not’?” Zhang Ye asked for advice.
Zhang Yuanqi said coldly, “…If not, make others get used to you.”
Zhang Ye thought for a while and, after digesting Zhang Yuanqi’s words, he was no longer angry. Seeing the cursing or disappointed fans, Zhang Ye posted a message on Weibo.
It was a response!
A response from one to all!
Zhang Yuanqi was by his side, reading. As she saw Zhang Ye type one word after another, her gaze changed for the first time. There was a brilliance in her eyes!
Zhang Ye had written this.
“See me, or not. There will I stay, no sorrow, nor joy.”
“Miss me, or not. There will affection lay, no immersion, nor dispersion.”
“Love me, or not. There will love remain, no more, nor less.”
“Follow me, or not. In your hand is mine, no discarding, nor departure.”
“Come to me, or give me your heart to dwell in.”
“Love with serenity. Rejoice in silence.”
This was an old poem. Why so? Because according to the poem’s age, it was actually quite old in Zhang Ye’s world. It was not very famous at all until the movie, “If You Are the One 2” was released. It then became famous. Even the drama, “Palace” had used it as lyrics for its ending song. Later on, someone said that this poem was composed by Tsangyang Gyatso. Actually it wasn’t. There was even a copyright lawsuit. The original author of the poem was Tashi Lam, Dodo? The original name of the poem was “The Silence of Vadjra Guru Pema” and also “See Me or Not”.
Some people might question whether a love poem like this would be suitable in this situation.
It was precisely that many people were not sure. This poem was not a love poem at all. It had nothing to do with love. This poem’s inspiration came from his world’s Guru Rinpoche‘s famous words, “I have never abandoned people who believed in me, or even those who did not believe in me. Although they will not see me, my children will forever be protected by my compassion.” This poem expressed the Guru’s neither clinging, nor abandoning love for his disciples. It had nothing to do with romantic love.
It was perfectly apt for Zhang Ye to use it as a response!
Maybe he was not as noble as the original authors, but it currently represented his feelings!
Regardless of people who like me staying or leaving me.
I will be right here, neither clinging, nor abandoning, neither sad, nor happy!