Chapter 8: The Beginning of the Fall p1
It was evening by the time Fang Qiang finished recording the program and left the television station.
The wind was strong and cool, but his cheeks were flushed, and his heart was still racing.
To be able to sit side-by-side with his idol and talk for so long—it was just too exciting!
Throughout the entire recording, Fang Qiang’s heart rate never dropped below one hundred beats per minute, and the blush never left his face.
His mind was in a fog the whole time. He had no memory of what Wen Qing had asked him or how he had answered. It was as if his soul had left his body, and another person had been handling the interview.
The only thing that left a deep and lasting impression was the faint, alluring scent of Wen Qing’s perfume, which wafted into his nostrils, leaving him utterly captivated and intoxicated.
His only regret was that time had passed too quickly, that he couldn’t stay by her side forever.
Suddenly, Fang Qiang realized that he had fallen in love with the beautiful host whom all men considered their dream lover. It was more than just a fan’s adoration for an idol; it was a longing to be with her, a desire to pursue her.
He knew it was an unrealistic fantasy, but he couldn’t help but hope that one day, when he had achieved a status and reputation worthy of her, he could truly confess his feelings.
With a heart full of sweet and melancholy thoughts, Fang Qiang returned home. After reliving the experience for a long time, he finally opened his computer and immersed himself in his research.
With Professor Mo’s death, the research institute had officially fired Fang Qiang. He was now unemployed, living off his meager savings. He certainly couldn’t afford any new lab equipment, so for the time being, all his research was confined to the theoretical realm of his computer.
He had now gone through most of the data on the disc Professor Mo had left him and had a firm grasp of the entire theory behind the synthesis agent.
The principle of the latest agent was, in fact, quite simple. It involved extracting the genes of small animals and fusing them with the original physique enhancement agent, allowing it to not only create a “superman” but also to imbue that superman with the special abilities of the animal.
For example, the agent injected into Fang Qiang had been fused with chameleon genes, which was why he could change color.
Now, Fang Qiang was curious: could the genes of other animals also be used to create synthesis agents? If so, would injecting them grant him the abilities of those animals as well?
According to Professor Mo’s notes, he had only ever created the “chameleon synthesis agent.” However, he had also calculated the formulas for agents based on mice, geckos, snakes, and pangolins; he just hadn’t had the chance to synthesize them.
Fang Qiang had no desire to become a mouse, and he wasn’t particularly interested in pangolins, but geckos and snakes intrigued him.
With the abilities of the former, he might be able to scale walls and leap across rooftops like a martial arts hero. As for the latter, well, he wondered if a single bite would be enough to poison his enemies. That would certainly be a useful form of self-defense.
But it was one thing to think about it, and another to actually do it.
To this day, Fang Qiang still didn’t know why the same agent had killed Professor Mo but had worked successfully on him.
Could it be that success and failure were simply a matter of chance?
If so, who could guarantee that the next injection wouldn’t kill him?
Fang Qiang racked his brain for a long time before a bold hypothesis came to him.
After his injection that night, a fire had broken out, nearly burning him to a crisp. Could it be that the intense heat had caused some kind of change in the agent within his body, turning a disaster into a blessing?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He leaped to his feet in excitement. But then, his spirits deflated, and he slumped back down.
How could he test this hypothesis? He couldn’t just set himself on fire again.
Besides, he wasn’t certain. It was possible the fire had nothing to do with it, that his success was due to some other unknown factor. If he rashly injected himself again, he might not get burned to death, but he would surely suffer the same fate as Professor Mo.
To ensure success, he had to be cautious. He had to test it on other subjects first.
Fang Qiang remembered that Professor Mo had contacted a zoo about borrowing a chimpanzee for his experiments, but it hadn’t gone well. Now that the professor was dead and he had been fired, his chances of persuading the zoo were even slimmer.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head: Why not just steal a chimpanzee from the zoo? With his ability to turn invisible, theft should be a simple matter.
Once the thought took hold, he couldn’t suppress it. He felt a thrill of excitement. He had never used his color-changing ability in a real-world situation before. Now was his chance.
So, the next day, Fang Qiang visited every zoo in the city to scout for a potential target, only to be disappointed. Only two zoos had chimpanzees. One was sick and undergoing treatment, and the other had been loaned to a neighboring city for breeding and wouldn’t be back until next month.
He had no choice but to put his plan on hold and wait.
Fang Qiang didn’t notice that when the idea of stealing a chimpanzee came to him, he had immediately set about putting it into action, without a single thought of unease or shame. For the man he had been just a month ago—a devout believer who had never done a single bad deed—this was an unbelievable transformation.
…
The weekend arrived. At 7:30 p.m., “Warmth With You” began.
Fang Qiang had turned on the television early, eagerly awaiting this moment.
The special episode Wen Qing had filmed in Dragon City was set to air tonight. To see himself on television, talking intimately with his idol, for millions of viewers to see—it was the greatest honor, a source of immense pride.
The last time he had watched the show, he had been so enraged by Yu Xin’s slander that he had smashed his television.
The new one, an extra-large screen digital TV, had been purchased a few days ago, costing him nearly all of his remaining savings. But to see his idol on screen tonight, Fang Qiang felt it was worth it, even if it meant eating instant noodles every day from now on.
After the opening credits, the show began.
The elegant host, Wen Qing, microphone in hand, appeared on the screen with her familiar, friendly smile. In her gentle, pleasant voice, she began to narrate.
“Welcome, friends, to this special episode of ‘Warmth With You.’ On our last show, the famous model Miss Yu Xin spoke about a man’s rude behavior toward her. Tonight, we have invited that man to be with us. He is Mr. Fang Qiang…”
Fang Qiang blushed a little. He watched his on-screen self walk out shyly, smile foolishly at the camera, and then sit down on the sofa with Wen Qing.
What followed was a few minutes of lighthearted conversation, with Wen Qing skillfully and effortlessly probing Fang Qiang’s inner world.
“Mr. Fang, do you have any hobbies outside of work?”
“Hobbies? I… I’m not really good at anything. I just watch movies sometimes…”
“Do you have a favorite movie?”
“Yes, I love ‘Spider-Man.’ I saw it in the theater three times!”
“Really? Hehe, can you tell us why you like ‘Spider-Man’?”
“Because Spider-Man is so amazing. I want to be like him, a superman who upholds justice in society…”
Watching this, Fang Qiang couldn’t help but grin. Ha, I really do have lofty ideals!
He impulsively ran to his closet, pulled out the Spider-Man costume he had bought as a collectible, and draped it over his shoulders, preening proudly. It felt fantastic. I promised my idol I would be a superman who fights for justice!
In that moment, Fang Qiang was filled with a sense of sacred duty. He was glad he hadn’t actually gone through with the theft. That would have been a great disappointment to his idol.
He secretly resolved to use his superpowers to uphold justice, punish evil, and become a great hero, admired and respected by all.
And when that day came, he would hold a bouquet of flowers, kneel before the beautiful host, and passionately declare his love for her…
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, lost in a reverie of his own making. It was a while before he snapped out of it and turned his attention back to the show.
On the screen, his on-screen self, under Wen Qing’s gentle guidance, was blushing as he confessed his admiration for her, including collecting all her pictures, following her latest news, and so on—all the typical fan behavior.
As he watched, Fang Qiang gradually recalled what had happened. Wen Qing had asked him to talk about his idol but had instructed him not to mention her name, just to describe his admiration. The idol’s identity was to be kept a secret until the very end, to create an element of suspense and make the show more interesting.
Fang Qiang had faithfully followed Wen Qing’s plan, spending a full twenty minutes speaking with genuine emotion and sincerity.
But what was being broadcast now had been heavily edited. Many of his words, after being cut and spliced, had taken on a completely different meaning. Some fragmented phrases, with the beginning and end chopped off, even conveyed the opposite of what he had intended. Fang Qiang was stunned and a little resentful.
But the worst was yet to come. The original audio from the recording was suddenly muted. The video remained, but the sound was replaced by a post-production voiceover.
“…It is clear that Fang Qiang’s admiration for his idol, Yu Xin, has reached the point of obsession. Could this be the reason he was unable to control himself and tried to harass her?”
What? Yu Xin?
Fang Qiang nearly leaped out of his skin. He couldn’t believe his ears.
How could it be Yu Xin? How?
He had never said that!
Could the television station have made a huge mistake? No, that was impossible. The error was too egregious…
For the next few minutes, the broadcast alternated between the original audio and the voiceover. The masterful editing, combined with Wen Qing’s clever questioning, completely changed the narrative. Any uninformed viewer would be led to believe that he was a neurotic fanatic obsessed with Yu Xin, who had deliberately used alcohol as an excuse to harass her.
Fang Qiang was completely dumbfounded.
At first, he had held out hope that it was just a production error. But then, he finally realized the truth. This was a carefully orchestrated conspiracy.
The goal was to solidify the “sexual harassment” charge against him, to ensure he could never recover.
And Wen Qing… his true idol, the woman he had admired so sincerely, was a part of it. In fact, he could deduce that she was the main planner of the whole scheme.
A wave of emotion, a mixture of extreme heartache and immense rage, surged through him. The veins on his forehead bulged. With a slight squeeze of his right hand, he crushed the remote control.
At that moment, the show cut to a commercial break. A preview of the next segment appeared on the screen, with two lines of large, bold, red text:
DRUNKEN PERVERT WHO ONCE PEEPED ON SUPERMODEL NOW REDEEMS HIMSELF, BRAVELY FIGHTS ROBBERS IN SUPERMARKET
And below it, in smaller text: “Fallen youth turns over a new leaf, vows to become a new man.”
