Chapter Fifty: Accidentally Becoming a Leader

May 10th, in a small classroom at the Film Academy.

“Mom, relax, really, there’s nothing wrong. Don’t believe every rumor you hear. Your son is just fine. ...Yeah, that’s right, tell Dad for me, let him know there’s nothing to worry about. The academy is treating me well. They’ve even arranged a private room for me—life here couldn’t be more comfortable…”

Wu Xiang wasn’t exactly lying; the Film Academy had indeed arranged a private room for him. But it wasn’t out of special consideration—this little classroom was meant to keep him ‘confined’!

Why? Well, Wu Xiang had done it again—made himself famous, though this time in a way that left the teachers at a loss. Not knowing what else to do, they simply had him stay in this small classroom, away from everywhere else. There weren’t any spare dorms, after all, so they found an empty classroom to keep him in.

Although he lacked his usual freedom for the time being, his phone and other belongings hadn’t been confiscated. In fact, the academy hadn’t really punished Wu Xiang; they just didn’t want him stirring up any more trouble.

So, what kind of trouble had he caused?

On the desk in front of Wu Xiang lay yesterday’s newspaper. A large photo dominated most of the page: Wu Xiang, dressed in a white shirt, with red paint circles splattered across it, large rings within rings like a target. It was quite the sight. His pose was even more striking—a brick in his hand, bow drawn as if about to launch the brick into flight...

Click. The classroom door opened, and classmate Huang Yi entered, carrying several lunchboxes.

“I brought you lunch—your favorites: braised eggplant, sweet and sour pork...” She had come to deliver Wu Xiang’s meal.

Of course, Wu Xiang still needed to eat; this wasn’t a jail cell, after all.

“What are these?” Wu Xiang noticed there were extra lunchboxes.

“Well, if I waited until I finished eating to bring it, it’d be a hassle. So I thought, I might as well eat with you.” Huang Yi’s tone was a little timid, not like her usual self.

Wu Xiang grinned, picking up his lunchbox. “Why explain so much? Eating together is great.”

“Oh.” Huang Yi opened her own lunchbox, revealing her favorite: spicy beef in sour soup.

“Hey, this looks good,” Wu Xiang said, shamelessly reaching over with his chopsticks to snag a piece of beef and pop it into his mouth.

“What are you doing?! How can you just eat mine?” Huang Yi fumed, her tomboyish bravado returning.

“Come on!” Wu Xiang was unfazed. “You can help yourself to mine, too. Why be so formal with me?”

“Go away! I don’t even like your food!”

Wu Xiang just chuckled. “Well, nothing I can do about that.”

“Hey, stop! There weren’t many pieces of beef to begin with!”

The two bickered, but the atmosphere was light, Wu Xiang adapting easily. Things hadn’t felt quite right before.

As they ate, Wu Xiang couldn’t help but ask, “So why are you the one bringing my lunch? Where is everyone else?”

“They, um, nominated me to come.” Huang Yi hesitated, which made sense—after all, they were eating. “You talk too much. Just eat!”

“Alright.” Wu Xiang had no choice but to focus on his food.

But before long, Huang Yi couldn’t keep quiet. “Why were you so reckless back then? I can understand you went out with them for the crew’s safety, but afterwards, how did you…” She glanced at the newspaper featuring Wu Xiang’s heroic pose.

Wu Xiang laughed, a trace of self-mockery in his tone. “It’s just emotion, you know? If you don’t vent it, you can’t move on. At that moment, everyone was driven by emotion. I wasn’t an exception—I’m just an ordinary guy.” He paused, then asked, “Do you think I was stupid?”

“No,” Huang Yi replied at once. “I just think you were too impulsive. You only went along, but ended up as the ‘student leader’.”

That was exactly why Wu Xiang was now ‘confined’. He’d become a public figure, and as he was hurling bricks, a journalist had quickly singled him out and given him that title.

It was just two bricks—Wu Xiang swore he really hadn’t thrown that many, but the reporters had found him anyway.

Wu Xiang understood what Huang Yi meant—now that he was well-known, he had to be more cautious. That was what the teachers wanted, too. This soft form of house arrest was partly for safety, partly to protect Wu Xiang. He understood.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. We were all united. The police and soldiers weren’t getting involved—otherwise, could a bunch of students have made such a scene? Everyone just needed to let off steam, or it would have been worse. I’ve vented, so I’m fine now. You can tell the teachers—I won’t cause more trouble. I’m not some leader.”

“Okay.” Huang Yi agreed, but clearly, even if she passed on his words, it wouldn’t matter. There were already countless reporters blocking the academy gates.

As the conversation reached this point, Huang Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think things will really come to blows over this? And if they don’t, aren’t we just being cowards?”

A good question. Wu Xiang scooped up some rice, chewed and swallowed before answering, “There won’t be a real fight. To put it simply, we’re not their match yet. There’s a real gap in strength—we have to admit that. A big gap. But I can tell you clearly, we’re not afraid of them. Fifty years ago, the gap was even bigger, but we still pushed them back south of the 38th parallel, didn’t we? And let me tell you, the ones who really don’t want things to escalate are the Americans—they’re more afraid than we are. Their toys are worth more than ours. If a real war broke out, it would be the end of the world. So yes, we may feel aggrieved, but they’ll apologize for sure.”

“Oh~” Huang Yi shot Wu Xiang a look. Honestly, the things this guy said were always so fresh, always different from everyone else’s views. But that face of his—she just couldn’t help feeling he deserved a good punch.

Wu Xiang, oblivious to Huang Yi’s thoughts, kept talking. “You’ll see, we’ll enter a period of cool relations, and many things will be affected. Even in film—Hollywood blockbusters will be hard to import, though the ones already negotiated are set. The domestic film market, which was just starting to pick up, will definitely take a hit. Right now, Hollywood still dominates our box office. But there’s opportunity in that…”

There was no denying Wu Xiang’s insight, his breadth of knowledge, his ability to connect the dots—such qualities were rare in these times. Huang Yi was actually delighted; his perspectives opened a new window in her mind. Still, she couldn’t stand seeing Wu Xiang so pleased with himself.

“Then tell me!” Huang Yi interrupted him. “Do you know what really caused all this?”

Wu Xiang frowned, looking thoughtful. “The reason…”

“What is it?” Huang Yi was completely hooked.

Wu Xiang spread his hands. “I don’t know.”

“Go to hell!” Huang Yi was left hanging, only for Wu Xiang to give her that answer—how could anyone stand it? She punched him a few times in frustration.

To be honest, even if Wu Xiang knew, he couldn’t say. But in truth, he didn’t know.

There were countless theories about the cause of the incident; the most widely accepted version later was that it was related to the downing of that plane. Yet Wu Xiang knew that ten years later, an intelligence officer directly involved in the event was beaten to death at home. The man had tried to contact a publisher to write something—he was broke and needed money.

That guy was truly unlucky. If he’d held out a few more years, learned about that double-barreled surname, Snow, with the single-syllable Deng, he’d never have dared. But his death proved the old saying: no trouble, no tragedy. And secrets remain secrets.

(Author’s note: These two chapters might seem a bit reckless, but trust me, none of this is filler. They’re important. Also, reading the news lately, I was moved by the two firefighters who fell from a building in the heat wave, and today’s thousand-mile heart transplant—truly positive energy. I’m tempted to work these into the plot, but I haven’t figured out how yet. Stay tuned, I won’t let you down. Lastly, please bookmark and recommend. Thank you.)