Rebirth in the 60s: A Path to Counterattack-Chapter 312. Interview, fame, resentment

"In-interview?" Lian En was taken aback; since winning his first award at the age of fourteen, he was quite a renowned figure.

He was already known as a teenage champion and painter, not to mention he was a disciple of the illustrious Mr. Wu Tong, Feng Ju.

Media outlets wanting exclusive interviews with him were certainly not just one or two.

However...

Lian En hesitated, casting a seeking glance at his master.

Rarely did his young apprentice trust and rely on him so much, making Feng Ju exceptionally delighted! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Thirst and a craving for a cigarette overtook him, causing Liu Shouren to keep busy serving tea and water for quite some time.

Finally, amid the appropriately restrained gaze of threat, he nodded with satisfaction: "A rare opportunity for publicity and self-promotion, Lian En should prepare well. Let’s go all out, and don’t let your uncle’s efforts this whole half day go in vain, right?"

"But didn’t you say Lian En was still young, no..." Lianshan frowned disapprovingly, recalling the reasoning Feng Ju gave when he previously opposed Lian En accepting media interviews.

Letting his son become famous and widely renowned was great for him as a father, making him the envy of many wherever he went.

But, the prerequisite was that it mustn’t negatively affect his son at all.

Thinking of the example of wasted talent that Feng Ju gave before, Lianshan felt some repulsion toward letting his son get interviewed on TV and newspapers.

"What do you mean, no? Times change, my dear Lian, you have to learn to view problems from a developmental perspective, you know?

Three years ago, my apprentice was just a fourteen-year-old youth.

As his mentor, I was, of course, worried that excessive praise might sway his resolve, making him lose himself amidst overwhelming compliments.

But over these three years, the growth of my apprentice has been apparent to everyone, right?

The boy’s grown up, and we as his elders can’t shield him from every storm.

Since he’s going to grow up sooner or later, why not start now?

A recognition of him being both a young painter and a top scorer in the entrance exam is quite admirable, wouldn’t you say?

It’s positively amazing!

Thus, the parents, teachers, school, and even the village that raised such an outstanding top scorer become highly sought after!" Feng Ju looked at Lianshan with contempt, as if surprised by his rigidity and failure to adapt.

Lianshan fell silent: You’re impressive, whether good or bad, it’s all in your words!

But in terms of being envied by the entire province, or even the whole country, for educating such a child, it truly is exciting just to think about it!

Lianshan raised his eyebrows, quite tempted by the idea.

As a dutiful son, Lian En was always willing to do things that made his parents happy.

If he could make them happy while also lending a hand to his uncle and promoting Number One Scholar Village Senior High, he was more than willing.

An opportunity to advertise for the village, the school, and his cousin without spending a dime, it’s like a gift from heaven.

Being fortunate to catch it, Liu Shouren, as the uncle, team leader, and honorary principal of Number One Scholar Village Senior High, had to make the most of this opportunity, right?

He promptly contacted the most influential provincial newspaper, provincial TV station, and city newspaper among the media outlets they scheduled, quickly finalizing the interview timing and rough content.

Thus, shortly after Lian En became the top science scorer in Black Province in 1984 with a high score of 723, he once again surged in popularity due to his dual identity as a young painter and top scorer.

Entering school at four, he excelled from the very first day.

Even after a two-year hiatus from school, he still became the province’s top science scorer at seventeen upon returning.

Gifted in writing and painting, he won first prize at a national painting and calligraphy competition at fourteen.

Skilled in combat and martial arts, and knowledgeable about instruments, the young man was a true all-rounder!

Under the strong promotion by television and newspapers, the name Lian En had become synonymous with an exemplary child.

His fame skyrocketed so much that even Dai Weiguo in Hong Kong saw the interview program about his son being broadcasted on TV.

Seeing his son wearing a white shirt and black trousers with a bow tie, elegantly talking about his experiences in learning and painting like a gentleman.

Watching him look full of admiration at Lianshan, saying that the person he respected, thanked, and wanted to honor the most in the world was his father.

A father who loves his wife and children, is kind-hearted, patriotic, and responsible was indeed the perfect parent, leaving Dai Weiguo feeling rather bitter and sour.

Clearly, he was Xiao En’s real father, wasn’t he?

That Lianshan was merely a well-known nobody from the Liu family production brigade, poor enough to still be single in his twenties, with even widows with certain qualities unwilling to settle for him.

He was merely someone who picked up someone else’s discarded shoes as treasures, a lowlife.

How could he have the right to be Dai Weiguo’s son’s father?

How dare he have Xiao En look at him with such admiration?

Dai Weiguo watched with hatred, staring at the screen showing Lianshan tenderly patting Lian En’s head, wishing he could pierce through the TV screen with his gaze.

Just wait, when he regains his former glory, he will surely reclaim his son!

Convinced that Xiao En rejected him only because he was down and out, Dai Weiguo was working hard to fight back, not considering that even during his days as a Beijing official, Lian En had never given him a second glance.

As they say, people often like to speculate about others based on their perspectives.

Seeing everything through a lens of self-interest, it’s easy to think power and wealth are the greatest things in the world.

With them, one might think they could control the world.

But failing to realize, there are things in this world that money can’t buy and power can’t intimidate.

Like true sincerity, like genuine love.

Unaware of the betrayal that cost him dearly, Dai Weiguo was plotting a comeback in hiding, secretly planning to reclaim his son from her in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Shuzhen was humming a tune, carefully clipping out newspaper articles and photos from Lian En’s interviews, encapsulating them in plastic, and having a copy of the TV broadcast tape made.

Collecting her children’s accomplishments meticulously as cherished treasures, to be relived and enjoyed together with them in years to come.

Ever since seeing trophies and certificates of Wu Liu’s at her brother’s home, Shuzhen had perfectly adopted this good habit.

She wouldn’t do it alone and would get Lianshan involved as well.

Watching his parents treasure each news article featuring his photo, carefully clipping, encapsulating, and making them into a scrapbook, their eyes full of joy and pride vividly embodying the sense of shared honor.

Lian En’s eyes lit up, contemplating the need to excel even more, remain more active, and appear frequently in newspapers and TV shows.

This way, even when he goes off to college for four years, his parents could see updates about him anytime, right?

Moreover, every bit of his news was painstakingly organized and detailed into binders by his parents.

It sounded quite wonderful, didn’t it?

A feeling of being loved as a cherished precious one, indeed!