Other celebrities might donate one hundred and fifty million yuan anonymously over two years, and the first thought in Wang Mao's mind would be that this person must have some ulterior motive.
It was not that Wang Mao liked to judge others with suspicion, but his view of human nature leaned toward pessimism.
However, when the celebrity in question turned out to be Chu Zhi, his expression eased. As a former senior leader in the cultural tourism department, he knew Chu Zhi's profile all too well. A man who was genuinely selfless, possessing the character of a martyr.
"Since Advisor Chu donated anonymously, it shows he is a humble man who prefers to do good without leaving his name," Wang Mao said. "Find someone to take charge of this. These anonymous donations were made through the Tree Planter account, so we must support it as much as we can."
Vice President Zhou Fumin nodded in understanding. In truth, this was exactly how the former president, Jia Ban, had handled it as well.
"No wonder he's a celebrity who has earned the recognition of several top leaders," Wang Mao thought to himself.
Even under another identity, Chu Zhi was still making waves.
[The most poetic poet of the 21st century. New poetry collection Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night now on sale!]
The Japanese publishing house, Ronin Press, had poured a large amount of resources into this release. After all, with his three previous poetry collections selling nearly six hundred thousand copies in total, it was already a remarkable achievement.
He had also won the Yomiuri Literary Award. With Ronin Press's backing, the book was released in both Japanese and English editions.
They even invited the renowned Dutch literary critic, Jos Draper, to write a review:
Asian poet Huainan is a poet with a passion for self-destruction. From his phrasing and choice of words, one can tell he is a romanticist. Yet the subjects he tackles are filled with three recurring themes: death, survival, and family.
Huainan's work represents the New Revelation school of poetry, which emerged in the 1940s as poets dissatisfied with surrealists' rejection of rationality, while also opposing the obscure intellectual poetry of the time. They wielded symbolism as a shield and myth as a spear, seizing ground in the literary battlefield.
Since the 1990s, I have rarely seen poetry so passionate, so seamlessly blending the conscious and the unconscious. This poet is a candle roaring toward the flame in madness. Here is the ending of his representative work Even Death Is Not Invincible:
The seagulls will no longer cry beside them, the waves will no longer crash loudly against the embankment / and in the place where flowers once bloomed in splendor, there will be no more blossoms lifting their heads in defiance of the rain /
Though they raged like a hard tumor frozen in death, each head emerging among the daisies / shattering in the sunlight until the sun itself collapses, even death is not invincible.
Without Ronin Press spending some money and resources, European critics would likely never have noticed poetry from Asia.
And that money paid off. Dylan Thomas's collections in Europe were the type to sweep through the scene. His debut brought instant fame, and by thirty-two, his third book had made him a great poet. It was smoother than having cheat codes.
The poetry collection Chu Zhi had drawn from the blind box was none other than Dylan Thomas's selected works. In this parallel world, it struck like thunder out of a clear sky.
Stray Birds in Japanese, Chinese, and English editions.
I Am a Wilful Child in Japanese.
The Great Riddle in English and Japanese.
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night in English and Japanese.
With the Emperor Beast planning his entry into the Western market for so long, the release of his third English-language poetry collection was finally a success. The new work drew considerable attention.
In particular, one British poet spared no words of praise.
As Jos Draper had said, the New Revelation school had not seen such a striking—or polarizing—work in years. The Sleepless Night perfectly filled that gap. A little commercial flattery between peers was normal.
For a medium-sized publisher like Ronin Press, this level of promotion was no small feat. But judging from the results, the gamble had paid off, even yielding some profit.
Japan's first print run was 150,000 copies. Europe's was 200,000. Sales were steady.
"Tagore didn't break through, Tranströmer didn't either, but the wild Thomas finally did it. Three years… do you know how I've lived these past three years?!" Chu Zhi muttered happily to himself as he lounged on the hotel sofa, having just finished that day's filming.
His NG count was getting lower and lower. He had improved a lot.
"Come to think of it, brother, was all this within your plans?"
Chu Zhi had fully absorbed the creative memories of all four poetry collections, naturally enhancing his literary appreciation.
"The four collections I drew belonged to four different poets, each with a vastly different style. Yet they all revolve around the vast themes of life and death."
[Because life and death are humanity's most enduring topics,] the system replied.
True enough. Chu Zhi nodded.
He didn't dwell on the poetry much longer, shifting back to his main career—music.
"'Sugar' will lead the way, but for my first album release in Europe… should I just go straight for Led Zeppelin?" He still had plenty of cards in his hand.
It seemed possible, but something felt missing.
A trigger. That was it. Something sparked in his mind.
"I remember a Japanese singer once talking about an outdoor music festival—the world's largest heavy metal festival. What was his name again…?" Chu Zhi thought for a moment. Something like Tōka-hito? Or Kaleidoscope?
Never mind. What mattered was remembering Wacken Open Air.
He could take part in that. Chu Zhi searched online for its sponsors.
Three main sponsors: Puma, Adidas, and Metro.
All well-known German brands. What a coincidence.
Puma had just approached him last week for an Asia endorsement deal, and they were still in talks.
In truth, it was not much of a coincidence. These were globally recognized German brands, and such international companies valued the Chinese market. Puma's invitation was perfectly normal, and he had even worked with Adidas before.
"Sister Niu, I need a favor…" Chu Zhi called Niu Jiangxue right away. Major sponsors usually had recommendation slots.
It was like how film festival sponsors could invite their brand ambassadors to walk the red carpet.
That was why you often saw celebrities at film festivals without any works to promote—they might have been invited by a brand, not just gate-crashing. Of course, a sponsor's slot was just to show up, nothing like a formal invitation from the organizers. Chu Zhi knew that.
But he also knew something else. At concerts, skill spoke louder than anything. The Emperor Beast had calculated his odds and was confident he could win over a European audience.
"No problem. This isn't difficult. But, Xiao Chu, make sure you rest while on set. Don't stay up too late," Niu Jiangxue said with concern.
"My phone's over two years old and keeps lagging. I should replace it," Chu Zhi muttered after hanging up. He lingered on the call screen for a moment as it froze.
[Host, I recommend purchasing the special item—Childhood Memory Cotton Candy,] the system suddenly chimed in.
As a man with over three thousand reaction images saved, the Emperor Beast's first thought was of one in particular: Your Little Cutie Has Suddenly Appeared.JPG. He shook his head and refocused.
This was the first time the system had ever made a purchase suggestion, so of course he had to check it out.
Childhood Memory Cotton Candy was a special item to strengthen memory. Eating it would prevent serious memory decline.
"Oh, so you've noticed too," Chu Zhi said. "The physical deterioration from the original body's severe depression has been getting worse."
The system fell silent. It hadn't expected the host to already be aware of his condition.
===
Wacken Open Air: Real-world largest heavy metal music festival held in Germany.