Charity and hypocrisy

On the evening of the concert, a high-rise topic was built in the entertainment area of ​​a certain community in connection with the concert and Lu Yan.

“My male god is so handsome tonight, I want to be his fan forever.”

“I’m a title party. I came here just to see who the owner’s boyfriend is. Owner, please explain.”

“I guess it’s the one giving the concert tonight.”

“Concert? Kong Xiange? He is truly the most popular male star in the classical music world, but it seems he doesn’t have a concert tonight.”

“The guy upstairs, it’s not that guy. He’s from the entertainment industry. Tonight, at the charity show in City X, everyone except him is a veteran in the classical music world. They said it was a farewell show, and I don’t know how an outsider got in.”

“The tone of the above comment is so sour. Didn’t they say that they were participating in the concert to replace their deceased teacher? Moreover, although they are not from the classical music circle, their performance level is not much inferior to that of professionals.”

“Can the guys upstairs not just attack? Why not just say it directly? It’s just Lu Yan.”

“Ahhh, the above poster said it, yes, it’s Male God Lu, the owner just went out for a run in excitement.”

“Did you go to the concert tonight? I just got back and was so excited. Although I know nothing about classical music, I thought it was beautiful and the male god was so handsome. He was so handsome that my nose was bleeding.”

“Because of my idol, I wore a dress for the first time in my life.”

“I am the same as the one upstairs. Because of my idol, a lowly person like me has become elegant, hehe.”

“Those who didn’t get tickets cried and fainted in the toilet.”

“The restroom upstairs, give me a corner, let’s cry together. I didn’t get the ticket because my hands were too slow, and the scalpers were not helpful either, sob sob sob sob”

“I bought the ticket from a scalper. The price is comparable to the front row ticket price at the God of Songs’ concert. But after seeing the performance tonight, it’s worth it!”

“The guy upstairs got a good knife, #squint”

“Fans who didn’t buy tickets, don’t cry. Come on, I secretly took some photos of my idol. Let me show you picture, picture, picture.”

“The guy upstairs is really nice. Take them away and lick them.”

“The photo is a bit blurry, I can’t see it clearly.”

“#sweating, I took this secretly, I didn’t dare to use the flash, you know where the theater is.”

“Ahhhhhh, is the male god wearing a tuxedo? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I’ve been fantasizing about the male god wearing a tuxedo for a long time. With his figure and appearance, he would definitely look so charming in it.”

“Yes, it’s so handsome #Drooling #Drooling #Drooling”

“Raising my hand weakly, I secretly recorded the performance, especially the second half and the encore. Does anyone want it?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, please upload it.”

“Same Request”

“+1”

“+2”

“+3”

…

“+10086”

“Uploaded, address: Password: myfamilysmalegod”

“good, downloaded”

“It sounds so beautiful, combined with the photo the owner posted earlier, my nose is bleeding…”

“It was so nice. I want professionals to analyze how the male god performed tonight. As a non-professional, I just think it was very nice.”

“Ask for expert analysis +1”

“From a professional perspective, I can only say that it is impeccable.”

“Yes. Although it’s not top-notch, it’s definitely not bad.”

“The main performance was pretty standard, but the arrangement of the final encore was simply amazing.”

“It was also amazing. It was the first time I heard Croatian Rhapsody played by piano and violin. It was unexpectedly very moving.”

“I’m a big fan of Maxim. I was almost moved to tears when I heard the song. Lu is so awesome.”

“I will support the male god of the mainland for my whole life and will be his loyal fan for my whole life”

“Lifelong fan +1”

“Lifelong fan +2”

…

“A lifetime of love + ID number”

…

The next day, the headlines of all major entertainment sections were also about the concert. The many media tickets that Starry Sky gave out were not given for free. Except for a few media outlets with a particularly large influence and a neutral stance, almost all of them were friendly with Starry Sky.  Needless to say, the media, which claimed to be neutral, could only praise the perfect performance of the concert. The overwhelming applause made those who wanted to say something sarcastic shut up.

Therefore, after Lu Yan won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, this concert brought a new surge in his popularity.

Lu Yan himself still held the same attitude. Once it’s over, it’s over. He would pay attention to the comments about the merits and demerits, but he won’t take them too seriously. The most important thing was to keep moving forward.

But after the concert, the matter was not completely over.

After discussing with each other, several seniors decided that it would be better to donate the proceeds from the concert directly to a certain organization rather than to a charity. They were all very concerned about the future of the music industry, and finally decided to donate the money to the city’s music university as a scholarship.

The music university was very happy to receive such a large amount of sponsorship, because the donors were all senior figures in the literary and artistic circles, and this charity performance was a sensation in the whole city. The president of the university wanted to take this opportunity to promote the university, so he carefully held a donation ceremony and invited the donors to attend.

The seniors felt that they were not interested in such publicity as they were too old, so they unanimously recommended Lu Yan to represent them. Lu Yan was not hypocritical, as he needed more positive exposure, so he readily agreed.

The time was set for Saturday afternoon and the location was in the auditorium of the Conservatory of Music.

Lu Yan’s car was stopped at the school gate, and Song Hui got out of the car to negotiate. While he was talking, the school leader came out to greet him. It was the Dean of Studies, who told the security guard who stopped the car to let him go, and then walked towards the car with Song Hui.

Lu Yan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, rolled down the window, took off his sunglasses, and smiled at the person who came over.

When the students passing by saw who was sitting in the car, they all stopped and looked sideways. Some girls even screamed in a low voice, “Oh, it’s Lu Yan.”

“It’s really Lu Yan. He’s even more handsome in person than on the screen. But why did he come to our school?”

“You don’t know, he brought donations to our school.”

“Really? The one in the auditorium this afternoon?”

“Yes, that one.”

“Oh, what are you waiting for? Let’s go to the auditorium. If we’re late, we won’t be able to get in.”

“Yes, yes, let’s go.”

When the Dean of Studies came to the car, Lu Yan did not hesitate, he got out of the car politely and extended his hand to shake hands with the visitor.

“Hello, Mr. Lu, I’m the school’s dean of studies, my name is Guan Wei, and the principal asked me to wait for you here.”

“Hello, Mr. Guan, sorry to have kept you waiting.” Lu Yan said with a smile.

“Not long, I just arrived too. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Shall we go straight to the auditorium?”

“okay”

Guan Wei also got into the car with them, sat in the back seat, and pointed the way to Song Hui, who was visiting the Conservatory of Music for the first time.

Lu Yan and his friends arrived neither too early nor too late. The auditorium was almost full, and on the way here they saw quite a few students rushing over.

Guan Wei smiled and said, “Mr. Lu is very popular. The students knew that Mr. Lu would come today and they were very enthusiastic. It was not easy to get them to come to the auditorium in the past.”

Lu Yan smiled politely, “Mr. Guan, you are joking.”

Lu Yan walked to the front row under the escort of Guan Wei and Song Hui. Although the students were a little excited when they saw Lu Yan coming, they were all highly educated and of high quality, so there was no crowding or blocking. Only one girl, perhaps too excited, suddenly shouted, “Lu Yan, I love you.”

Although the auditorium was not quiet, this voice was really prominent. Everyone looked at the girl who spoke, and the girl blushed with embarrassment.

Lu Yan smiled at her and said seriously, “Thank you.”

The girl’s face became even redder, but she was no longer embarrassed, but excited.

It didn’t take too long to get to the front row. Lu Yan saw that there were already several media outlets with their cameras set up, and some of them looked familiar. Lu Yan was not surprised. The principal of the school made such a big fuss just for publicity, so it would be strange if he didn’t invite the media.

The ceremony started on time at 2:30, and the first thing that happened was the speeches of the school leaders. The first person to speak was the principal, who talked about the history of the school and the honors it had won. It was all official stuff, and although it was a bit boring, it wasn’t very long. The second person to speak was the Youth League branch committee member, who spoke the same things that everyone was used to hearing.

Three or five leaders took turns to go on stage. It was obvious that everyone was particularly cautious because of the presence of the media. Everyone was dressed very formally and tried to look radiant when speaking. Each person’s speech was not long, and it took only half an hour to finish. This was really rare, so the students did not get impatient.

After the leaders finished speaking, they entered the main topic. The principal came on stage again and first thanked the seniors in the literary and artistic circles for their donations and support to the school, and then congratulated several students who received donations today.

Then the students who received the donation were invited to the stage. There were five people in total, four boys and one girl. Although the appearance index of the students from the music college was not as good as that of the performing arts college, it was still a few levels higher than that of ordinary universities. At least these students who came on stage were very good-looking, especially one of the boys, who had an upright posture, clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and had the capital to be an idol. 

However, the expressions on their faces were not so good. The four students looked indifferent, while the best-looking one had a hint of humiliation. Although he tried hard to hide it, how could he escape the eyes of Lu Yan, the movie king?

Lu Yan did not find it strange. Every school has such students, who have excellent grades but poor family backgrounds, so while working hard to win scholarships, they can also compete for the qualifications of bursaries. Bursaries are different from scholarships. In addition to requiring the recipients to be excellent enough, the most important condition is poverty, so it is always an award that makes the recipients love and hate it.

Men and women of this age are the most sensitive and vulnerable, and their self-esteem is extremely high, especially when they are still relatively outstanding. Poverty is often something they feel embarrassed about, and accepting donations is even more humiliating in their eyes.

When Lu Yan was in high school, there was such a person in his class. He worked very hard and had good grades, so he received scholarships every year and the highest amount of grants. However, he was never happy and had a sullen face all day long. He was withdrawn and indifferent, as if everyone looked down on him and was making fun of him.

Therefore, Lu Yan also understood the feelings of those on the stage.

The things that they had been hiding from everyone were now exposed, which was like being exposed to the public. However, they could not resist. The school wanted to put on a show, so they had to cooperate. The only thing they could do was to show their dissatisfaction with their expressions.

The principal was also a little embarrassed, but he could ask the students to go on stage but he couldn’t force their expressions. He just hoped to get through this process as quickly as possible.

Lu Yan was soon invited to the stage. He did not care about the students’ attitudes. He still smiled and maintained his best demeanor. He shook hands with them one by one and then handed checks to them.

Afterwards, the principal and Lu Yan took a group photo with five students. The flash lights kept shining on Lu Yan’s smiling face, the expressionless faces of the students, and the principal’s somewhat embarrassed face.

The students and the principal left the stage one after another, and Lu Yan was left on the stage by the host to give a speech.

Lu Yan was silent for a moment, then smiled and said slowly, “I want to thank the students who just stood on the stage. Thank you for accepting this kindness, so that the love of me, my teacher, and so many seniors can be passed on. The fact that you are standing here today does not mean that you are poor, but that you are excellent. I believe that you are so outstanding that you will definitely be the one who gives in the future. So, please allow me to give you a round of applause in advance.”

After Lu Yan finished speaking, he began to applaud, loud and powerful. Soon, the students in the audience also responded, and the neat applause fell on the eardrums and hit the heart. The expressions of the students who had just come on stage all changed. Their original indifference turned into excitement. There seemed to be moisture in the eyes of that girl, and the best-looking boy stared at Lu Yan in disbelief with his eyes wide open.

Lu Yan didn’t say anything more and slowly walked off the stage. The host was stunned for a long time before he started his closing speech.

On the way back, Song Hui said as he drove, “Brother Lu, those few words you just said were so good. Didn’t you see that those students were moved to tears by you?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “They didn’t cry because of what I said. They cried for themselves.”

Suddenly, Song Hui slammed on the brakes and cursed, “Fuck!”

It turned out that a man suddenly rushed out with his arms outstretched and stood in front of the car. Even someone as well-mannered as Song Hui could burst into swearing, which showed that he was really scared.

Song Hui opened the car door and yelled, “Are you looking for death? How can you block a car like this?”

The man ignored him and ran to the passenger side, panting. Lu Yan rolled down the window and saw the best-looking boy among the five students who had just been on the stage and received gifts.

The boy stared at Lu Yan, “I have a few questions to ask you, is that ok?”

Lu Yan thought it was interesting, so he got out of the car and looked at him, “You tell me.”

The boy asked directly, “Did you really mean what you just said?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “I never like to tell lies.”

The boy was silent for a while and bit his lower lip. “Have you ever received such a ‘giving’?”

Lu Yan knew that the boy would ask this question, and he probably knew something about his past.

“No,” Lu Yan shook his head, and seeing the boy frown, he continued, “Because I don’t need it. I have always had my own way to obtain the capital to survive. If you don’t want to accept gifts from others, you have to work hard to make yourself stronger. Before that, just remember that all dignity is based on your ability to survive. No one can look down on you unless you look down on yourself first. “

After saying that, Lu Yan ignored the stunned boy, got into the car, and signaled Song Hui to drive.

Before the car started, the boy suddenly came to his senses, leaned over the car window and shouted, “My name is Xiao Xuyan, please remember me.”

Lu Yan smiled and didn’t respond, and the car drove out.

This matter was not over yet.

Later, during another interview program, the host asked Lu Yan about this matter, “Nowadays, everyone advocates doing good deeds without leaving a name, but Mr. Lu previously made a high-profile donation to a certain university. I wonder what you think about this issue?”

Lu Yan did not give a direct answer. “I want to tell you a story first. Confucius’s eldest disciple Zilu once saved a child. The child’s father gave him a cow to thank him. Zilu was very happy to accept it. At that time, some people said that he wanted to give back after doing good deeds, which was not gentlemanly enough. There was a law in the State of Lu that if a Lu citizen saw his fellow countrymen who had suffered misfortune and become slaves in a foreign country, he could receive compensation and rewards from the state as long as he could redeem these people and free them. Zigong, another disciple of Confucius, redeemed Lu citizens from a foreign country, but he did not accept compensation or rewards from the state, and everyone praised him as a gentleman.”

The host was puzzled, “It seems that many people know this story.”

Lu Yan smiled, “Then many people should know how Confucius responded. The sage praised Zilu for accepting the reward, saying that more people would do good deeds in the future. But the sage criticized Zigong for doing good deeds without asking for rewards, and lamented that the people of Lu would no longer redeem their compatriots in the future.”

“So, what does Mr. Lu mean?”

“Although I don’t dare to compare myself with the disciples of saints, I am still a public figure and can serve as a role model to some extent. If everyone feels that doing good deeds will be rewarded, then more people will do good deeds. If we promote positive energy more, there will be more and more positive energy, and I am willing to do my best for this.”

“So, what benefits did Mr. Lu get?”

Lu Yan joked, “I’ve gained more attention because of this, and everyone thinks I’m a good person, and that’s the benefit.”

The host did not let it go and continued to ask, “So, what do you think about the incident a while ago where an entrepreneur, a recognized philanthropist, gave money to the public on the street in a foreign country but was rejected? Many people said he was hypocritical because of this. What do you think about this, Mr. Lu?”

Lu Yan replied calmly, “I think this probably has something to do with the issue of the grantor. Regardless of your original intention, charity is to help others. If others don’t need your help, forcing them to do something against their will is not good. It is better to give more kindness to those who really need it.”

The host concluded, “So Mr. Lu doesn’t object to the entrepreneur’s high-profile behavior, right?”

Lu Yan refused to be fooled. “I didn’t say that. It doesn’t matter whether I oppose it or not. Everyone has their own attitude and method of doing things. What I say and do is only responsible to myself. For me, it is enough to be worthy of heaven and earth and do things according to my heart.”

“Okay, thank you very much Mr. Lu Yan for participating in this interview. Thank you.”

As expected, after this interview was broadcast, it sparked another round of discussion.

As a public figure, Lu Yan’s words and deeds will indeed attract more attention. Moreover, for such a big proposition, even without Lu Yan, people have never stopped arguing. Is it charity or hypocrisy? This is not so clear. It is like judging good and evil by the result or the starting point. Each person has his own reasons and no one can convince the other.

Finally, another post temporarily ended this discussion.

“Whether I agree with Lu Yan’s views or not, I admire his attitude very much. I started paying attention to him since the big discussion he caused at the end of last year when he was hospitalized for saving someone. I found him to be a very bold and honest person, who never speaks or does things perfunctorily. As he said, he is worthy of heaven and earth and does things according to his heart. To be honest, such people are almost extinct in the entertainment industry full of lies and deception. I don’t know how he has survived to this day, but facts have proved that he has not only survived, but also lived well. Every discussion about him, no matter how it started or how it went, always ended up being in his favor. I don’t know if it’s because of his personal charm or because he’s just too lucky. I am old now, and I am no longer in the age of chasing stars. But facing such a rational, frank and profound man, who is still so pleasing to the eye, I have to admit that sometimes an old woman’s heart can’t hold back. Finally, I want to say that Lu Yan’s fans are really lucky. You have chosen an idol who is very worthy of following, full of positive energy.”

“Let’s put on formal attire and line up. Thank you for your appreciation of the male god. We will follow him for the rest of our lives.”

“Thank you for your appreciation, the male god is indeed worthy of our love.”

…

A few days later, Qin Feng placed a document in front of Lu Yan and said with a smile, “I never thought that there would be a sequel to that concert.”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yan looked up at him and reached out to take the document.

“Your fans want to set up a charity fund for you. They’ve even thought of a name for it, it’s called the Lu Foundation. The slogan is, everyone saves six dollars a week, and the love of your idol can be given to those in need.”

“So, this is the plan?” Lu Yan had already flipped through the document.

“Yes, what do you think?”

Lu Yan had already roughly browsed through it and murmured, “It’s a good thing, but if it’s not handled properly, it will easily lead to criticism. The most troublesome thing about charity funds is whether the donations collected are actually used for charity.”

“So, what do you think?” Qin Feng seemed to have made up his mind, but he still wanted to hear Lu Yan’s opinion.

“I think we can set up a foundation to manage these donations, how to collect and how to use them. Then ask a third party to supervise and regularly announce the source of the donations, the total amount, and the purpose, etc. Try to be as open and transparent as possible. We can even let the whole society supervise together.”

Qin Feng nodded and smiled, “This is a good idea. I think the same way. Supervision by the whole society is a good idea. Your influence will become greater and greater in the future. Okay, let’s do it this way.”

Qin Feng patted Lu Yan’s shoulder again, “I feel more and more that it was great to sign you in the first place. I have a feeling that only you can help me realize my dream.”

“That’s what I wish for.” Lu Yan smiled.