I’m Really a Superstar

The next day.

In the morning.

The news had already spread around China.

“Teacher Zhang is going to be interviewed?”

“Yeah, it will be on Central TV International!”

“This will be his first appearance since breaking into the international scene.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve heard that it will be a military show.”

“The People’s Liberation Army has astonished the world with their military parade this year.”

“That’s right, a lot of foreign media outlets have given the parade full coverage, and even the western media outlets are reporting about it as well. This is the first time that so much of our military equipment and weapons have been showcased to the public. Moreover, they are all our latest, self-developed equipment, and many of the weapons technology are at a world-first standard!”

“I’m interested in hearing what Zhang Ye has to say.”

“Would he know anything?”

“Pfft, you seem to have forgotten who it was that designed the new generation fighter jet?”

“Oh, right, right, I forgot Zhang Ye is an expert in military science.”

“I would like to know about Zhang Ye’s opinions regarding military affairs.”

“Yeah, in the field of weapons research, Zhang Ye is still an authoritative figure.”

The public was looking forward to it.

The media paid close attention.

The military attached great importance to this.

In recent times, everyone’s attention had been focused on the military. They were all very interested in matters related to this aspect. When they heard that Zhang Ye was going to be interviewed on a military show on CTV International, it immediately raised a lot of discussions. A combination of Zhang Ye and military affairs needed no publicity at all. There was a natural attractiveness to something like that.

…

Meanwhile.

At Central TV.

At the recording studio of CTV International.

Recording had not started yet, but the guests and host were already here.

Coincidentally, Zhang Ye happened to know them.

Zhang Ye greeted, “Fellow Chi, I’ll be partnering with you today?”

It was Chi Xue, one of the few female research fellows of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Chi Xue smiled and shook his hand. “So it’s Fellow Zhang, long time no see.”

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “What’s with the long time no see? We just met at the State Science and Technology Awards.”

Yu Yingyi said with a smile, “You two are familiar with each other? That’s great, it’ll be easier to handle the program.” Then she said to Chi Xue, “Hello, Fellow Chi. My name is Yu Yingyi, and I will be the host for today’s interview. You can just call me Little Yu. It’s nice to meet you.”

Chi Xue shook hands with her. “Hello.”

Zhang Ye said in amusement, “You’ve grown taller?”

Yu Yingyi rolled her eyes. “It’s just the high heels.”

Zhang Ye said, “Since when did you get transferred from the Sports Channel to CTV International?”

“I just came over this year,” Yu Yingyi said with a smile.

Chi Xue said in surprise, “So you two know each other too?”

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “More than that. We were even university classmates.”

The three of them started chatting.

The producer also came over to communicate.

All of a sudden, Zhang Ye’s cell phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, he walked away to answer it. It was someone from the military.

“Hello?”

“Fellow Zhang, it’s me, Old Li.”

“General Li, hello.”

“Are you recording the interview?”

“Not yet. You know about it too?”

“Of course I know. That’s why I’m calling to give you a heads-up. You know too many military secrets, so you have to know your limits and not reveal too much. As for the projects and related military secrets that have not been announced yet, be sure to zip your lips. Don’t forget you have a confidentiality agreement with us. Anything else that can be said and has already been announced to the public, go ahead and talk about them. There won’t be any restrictions on that. Just be sure to control what you say.”

“I understand.”

“Also, this is an international channel, so you better perform well. It’s likely that military organizations from all over the world will be keeping tabs on us. They are interested to see what our weapons construction and strategic thinking are like. Haha, all the countries have now set up specialized research groups to deal with China. If you find a suitable opportunity, feel free to throw them off with some misleading claims.”

“Sure, I know what to do.”

After hanging up, Zhang Ye smiled.

Chi Xue asked, “What’s the matter?”

Zhang Ye said, “That was General Li. He left some instructions for us.”

Chi Xue giggled and corrected, “You mean he left some instructions for you, right?”

Zhang Ye did not comment.

The military did not give any notice to Chi Xue and had only informed Zhang Ye to pay close attention to what he said on the show. Clearly, this was because Zhang Ye knew much more than Chi Xue in the military science and research fields. In these few years, Zhang Ye had worked with a vast amount of military information that Chi Xue had no access to.

Yu Yingyi checked her watch. “It’s almost time.”

A producer came up to them. “Teachers, please get to your seats. Fellow Chi, sit over here. Fellow Zhang, sit over here. This will be a recorded program, and if you feel that something is not right, we can stop at any time. This is the microphone. Try to speak as close to it as possible so that you can be heard clearly. If there’s anything else that you don’t understand, feel free to ask us.”

Yu Yingyi said in a speechless manner, “What’s there to ask?”

The producer blinked. “Ah?”

Yu Yingyi pointed at Zhang Ye and said with a laugh, “The person sitting in front of you has won the highest award in the hosting profession, yet you’re instructing him on what to watch out for? What does he not know?”

The producer facepalmed after he was reminded about this. “Hai, I forgot all about that.”

Zhang Ye had not been in any programs in a very long time. Furthermore, he also won the Highest Science and Technology Award and the Nobel Peace Prize this year, so a lot of people had already forgotten that this fellow used to be a professional host. Filming a television show? Recording a television show? He was the most veteran of veterans.

Testing the microphones’ volume.

Tuning the equipment.

Three.

Two.

One.

Recording began.

…

On the same night.

At 8 PM sharp.

Central TV International Channel’s Army Day Special premiered.

The program was to be shown over three episodes.

The global satellite signals were transmitted simultaneously. There were already English subtitles as well.

…

In China.

“It’s beginning, it’s beginning!

“The show has started!”

“Haha, Teacher Zhang is here!”

“I’m waiting to listen to Zhang Ye’s professional views.”

“Let’s hope they’ll reveal some secrets that we commoners don’t know.”

“Yeah, the guests that were invited onto the military shows in the past have always been laypeople. Even though they claim to be military experts, they’re at most amateur military geeks. They definitely don’t have any real experience with the military and weapons research. All they do is analyze the issue based on statistics and add their logic. But Zhang Ye is different. He’s a real military expert who has participated in many weapons system projects. He definitely knows much more than the others, so we will surely hear about a lot of things this time.”

…

India.

“Eh?”

“China’s channel?”

“Isn’t this person Zhang Ye?”

“Damn, it’s really him!”

“This goddamned fellow!”

“Let’s listen to what he has to say!”

…

Japan.

“Zhang Ye is on CTV International?”

“Why is he on it?”

“A military expert?”

“Yes, I think he is the deputy chief designer of China’s fighter jet project.”

“Let’s have a listen and see what he will talk about.”

…

America.

“It’s the Nobel Peace Prize laureate?”

“China has an international channel too?”

“I guess we just didn’t notice it before.”

“China’s military parade was broadcast to the world yesterday. It looked impressive.”

“China’s military strength is developing really quickly.”

“Let’s watch and see what other new weapons systems and strategies they have.”

…

Pakistan.

“It’s our Chinese brothers!”

“I know him, he’s Zhang Ye!”

“They’re our all-weather ally!”

“There’s been a lot of clashes at the border recently. Let’s see what their experts have to say about that.”

…

Canada.

“Come and see this. It’s an interview on the military show of China.”

“Looks uninteresting.”

“Why’s that? Don’t you always watch military shows?”

“China’s military shows have always covered topics like peace, negotiations, and protests. There’s nothing other than that, so it’s really pointless.”

“Should I change the channel then?”

“Never mind, let’s just have a look.”

…

Russia.

The UK.

France.

Korea.

Many countries turned their attention to the television show.

Needless to say, Central TV International’s viewership ratings had blown up back in China. At this moment, in addition to China, there were also some people from around the world who were watching this program. Some of them had randomly switched to this channel, while others had tuned in specifically after finding out about it through the news or comments on the Internet. First, they did so because they were interested in understanding China’s military strength and strategy. And second, they were interested in a fellow like Zhang Ye who dared to trip someone at the Nobel Prize award ceremony.

As an international celebrity, the appeal of Zhang Ye’s name was no longer limited to just within China. It had spread all over the world.

…

On TV.

Yu Yingyi said with a smile, “Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Central TV International Channel’s Army Day Special. Today, we are honored to have Fellow Chi Xue of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on our show.”

Chi Xue greeted the audience, “Good evening, everyone.”

Next, Yu Yingyi introduced, “As well as the famous scientist, mathematician, military expert, Chinese Academy of Sciences’ research fellow, Chinese Academy of Engineering’s research fellow, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Zhang Ye.”

Zhang Ye smiled. “Hello, everyone.”

Yu Yingyi said, “It’s Army Day again.”

Chi Xue said, “That’s right.”

Yu Yingyi asked, “Fellow Chi, what are your views on the military parade this year?”

Chi Xue smiled. “It was very stunning to watch, and it also made my blood race with excitement.”

Yu Yingyi grinned and said, “I have the same feelings as you. It feels like our country has become stronger. So next, I would like to ask a slightly more sensitive question. What is your understanding of the recent border dispute?”

Chi Xue turned serious and said, “It’s a provocation and a very serious matter. I feel that everyone should sit down and negotiate the problem by addressing the dispute clearly based on international law, to see who is in the right and wrong. To see who were the ones to cross the borders first. The issue itself is actually very clear.”

Yu Yingyi nodded and turned her head. “Fellow Zhang, what is your opinion on the matter?”

Zhang Ye smiled. “My opinion differs from that of Fellow Chi’s.”

“Oh?” Yu Yingyi said, “So what’s your take on it?”

Zhang Ye said calmly, “There’s nothing to talk about. Just attack them!”

Yu Yingyi said, “Ah?”

Attack…attack them!?

What kind of language was this?

Chi Xue rolled her eyes.

The entire recording studio fell silent!

Zhang Ye said, “We should always advocate and hope for peace. But if there are any unprovoked territorial disputes when the law is clear, there’s nothing left to talk about. Just take them on! We should go out and fight! If we’re afraid that such actions will start a war, that would be overthinking it. It’s impossible that would happen. They’re already in the wrong to begin with, so there’s no reason for them to fight. Do you expect that they would hit back? No way! They wouldn’t have the guts to do so, nor the strength, nor the rights based on international law. So what more can be said? Sometimes, we need to let the world see our country’s determination in upholding the peace. This is why I say we should get them!”

Yu Yingyi was speechless.

Chi Xue was speechless.

The Chinese people were speechless.

People around the world were speechless.

Attack them?

Take them on?

Get them?

What kind of language is this!

Aren’t you being too harsh with your words!

I-Is this something that a Nobel Peace Prize recipient should say?

When has anyone seen a Nobel Peace Prize laureate talk like this before?!